June Review
June’s probably been my busiest month ever. There’s been some fantastic gigs and this month saw the return of three of my favourite bands.
British Sea Power relived old times with a fantastic gig at the Roundhouse and then played a small fan-gig of rare b-sides. The Savages made a mighty return. They’re now one hell of a band. The Coathangers made a flying visit and the Sea of Bees provided the soundtrack for my month, with me catching them three times. For the first time ever, I saw a mosh pit at a Rough Trade gig, courtesy of Wolf Alice, a band that’s just going from strength to strength and to show everyone how to play Hyde Park, Blur played a fun filled set that kept everyone happy.
This month’s bands
New bands are in italics
Bands I liked:
The Coathangers, St. Tropez, Torres, Sarah Angliss, Ex Hex, Tuff Love, Spring Kings, Savages, PINS, Kikagaku Moyo, Eternal Tapestry, Bo Ningen, British Sea Power, Public Access TV, The Wytches, Public Service Broadcasting, Hinds, Sea of Bees, Component#4, The Horrors, Hanni El Khatib, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, Blur, Adiescar, My Baby, The Fierce and the Dead, Wolf Alice, Kid Wave, The Wharves, Bruising, Lucy Claire, Dark Horses, The Riddles, Loaded, John J Presley
Bands I didn’t dislike:
The Virgin Kids, Du Blonde, Skinny Girl Diet, Allah-las, Whilk and Misky, iyatraQuartet, The Great Albatross, Jo Mango, Girlpool, Syd Arthur, Future Islands, Benjamin Thomas Holton, Oscar, Worry Dolls, Charmaine Dawson, Maharaja Blues, Roxy Searle Band, Izzy Rowland, Raghu Dixit, Live//Learn, Such Strange Arts, Scar City, The Skints, Keid, Amber Run, Thomas Stone, HART, Arthur Gun, Syd Kemp, Cortes
Bands I won’t be going out of my way to see again:
Astra Forward, School of Noise, Matthew E. White, Ducktails, The Strokes, Sarah Cracknell, Field Harmonics, Beach, Jupiter & Okwess, Metronomy, Roots Manuva, The Fontanas, Los Pacaminos, Soma, The Brand New Heavies, Climbing Boys
Best gig:
Strong performances from Blur, the Savages and the Coathangers all were contenders. But there can only be one winner this month. British Sea Power’s Roundhouse gig was a rather special gig that more than lived up to expectations.
Best new band:
There wasn’t a standout new band this month.
Best photo:
Took several photos I was please with this month so it was a difficult choice. But I guess it has to be a photo from the BSP gig.
Albums of the month:
A strong month for new albums. Albums I enjoyed this month included:
Bully – Feels Like
Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool
Sauna Youth – Distractions
British Sea Power – Sea of Brass
Kid Wave – Wonderlus
Slaves – Are You Satisfied?
PINS – Wild Nights
Girlpool – Before the World Was Big
Sun Kil Moon – Universal Themes
Sea of Bees – Build A Boat to the Sun
