I had actually seen one of Lankum before. In 2017, Radie Pete had played a spellbinding set at Daylight Music.

Traditional music is full of dark topics. Often without the darkness reflected in the music. Lankum added layers of dense dark sonics that entranced everyone in the Roundhouse.

Tonight the whole band were spellbinding.

Opening the evening was Thus Love. I knew nothing about this band. Reading about them afterwards, apparently they are a queer pop punk trio. Singer, Echo Marshall, also plays some enthusiastic guitar. Guitar wise was it was a good performance. Vocally, I found the voice too low in the mix and couldn’t hear any of the words. As an overall performance, it was enjoyable, but I would like to catch them in a small venue when I can hear them more clearly.

Chicago’s Dehd didn’t suffer from sound issues. Both guitarists provide vocals. Emily Kempf, has a great female rock voice. I really liked her voice. Jason Balla provides a counterpoint with grunge era vocals. Completing the trio is an emotionless Eric McGrady on standup drums. I was really impressed by the band. The two vocal styles really worked well together.

The Roundhouse had filled up nicely by the time Dry Cleaning came on stage. Florence taking up her usual disconnected demeanour. Staring off into the distance making subtle facial expressions as she talks ‘matter of fact’ about the mundane and weird world her persona lives in.

On Gary Ashby, Florence asked the audience if Gary Ashby was in. Apparently somebody with that name had cheekily and asked if they could be put on the guest list. Despite lots of shouts of yes, we were left with no idea if the person had made it.

I thought the Roundhouse as a venue, might have avoided the big crowd idiots from turning up. Unfortunately a small number were in attendance. Mainly youngsters, they spent the entire evening trying to mosh and crowdsurf, including to Dry Cleaning’s quiet songs. Many of them bawling out the lyrics, drowning out Florence’s subtlety. While it is great that Dry Cleaning has found a younger market, they deserve the success, they aren’t a moshing band and drunken shouting is not exactly what I wanted tonight. So the gig was slightly spoiled for me.

Despite the noise around me, Dry Cleaning owned the space. The set leaned heavily on their latest album, Stumpwork, which sounded great live. As always, Tom’s swirling guitars were underpinned by Lewis’s driving bass lines. Combined they provide the framework to allow Florence to tell her stories. They now have the sound honed to perfection and despite playing for 90 minutes, Dry Cleaning’s novelty, never wore off.

It has been a great ride from the Shacklewell to the Roundhouse but it is time I stepped away and let the kids own the band. These larger venues don’t work for me. Hopefully, I will catch the band playing smaller stages at festivals or future album in-stores. They are such a good band. I will be sad to let them go. But the Roundhouse proved that the audiences at future gigs are likely to restrict my enjoyment.

• Kwenchy Kups
• Gary Ashby
• Viking Hair
• Hot Penny Day
• Her Hippo
• Leafy
• Stumpwork
• No Decent Shoes for Rain
• Goodnight
• Don’t Press Me
• Conservative Hell
• Liberty Log
• Driver’s Story
• Strong Feelings
• Unsmart Lady
• Magic of Meghan
• Scratchcard Lanyard
• Anna Calls From the Arctic

What is great about Ezra is she manages to combine great tunes with clever song lyrics which have a touch of her acerbic wit. You know you are going to always see something special. Tonight was no different.

Leaning heavily on her last two albums, which I guess have songs which better reflects where she is in life. There was a lot of love in the room. While her gigs have always been LGBTQ+ friendly. Her recent recognition of herself, meant there were a quite a few trans people in the audience, all happy to see representation in music.

As always, Love You So Bad, was the highlight of a strong evening. Like all Ezra’s best songs. It tells a story that feels autobiographical and like so many of her songs, it has a bitter twist at the end and I think this is why she is well loved. She wears her heart on her sleeve and opens a curtain to a life with complications that most of us don’t have to face.

Set List

• Train Comes Through
• Evening Prayer aka Justice
• Maraschino Red Dress $8.99 At Goodwill
• Trauma
• Point Me Towards The Real
• Transition From Nowhere To Nowhere
• Throne
• Poor Girl A Long Way From Heaven
• Dressed In Black
• I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend
• Haunted Head
• I Saw The Truth Undressing
• Lilac & Black
• Forever In Sunset
• Driving Down To LA
• My Zero
• Love You So Bad
• Suck The Blood From My Wound
• What Can You Do But Rock ‘n’ Roll?
• Can I Sleep / Calm Down
• Because The Night

I have supported the band more than any other. Buying a draw full of t-shirts, a shelf full of mugs, attending their festivals and Krankenhaus’s and contributing to every crowdfunded they have started. I have even told my parents which of their songs I want at my funeral. They are my band.

I love small venues. I tend to avoid bands playing the big venues. Sea Power are one band I will willingly go to watch in a larger venue. But there are a few larger venues I like and the Roundhouse is one of them. It’s a great space with decent sound.

Opening tonight was Penelope Isles. I have seen them a few times. They are a pleasant melodious indie pop band. They don’t pull up trees, but they have a charm  that means they are always pleasant to watch.

After seven albums. Sea Power have a massive back catalogue. Playing for nearly two hours, they skirted across each of their albums with an emphasis on their latest album, ‘Everything Was Forever’. They are at the point where they leave everyone disappointedly happy. There’s always something on the set list you are happy to hear to again, but then they undoubtably have left out something you love. But no matter what the set list is. It is amazing how well all the songs sit together. From the expansive sounds of ‘Folly’ and ‘Fire Escape I the Sea’, the the straight out rockers like ‘Doppelganger’ and ‘Green Goddess’, to the joyous ‘We Only Want to Make You Happy’,  the new songs seemed at home amongst the classics.

Sea Power last played the Roundhouse in 2015 for the 10th anniversary of ‘Decline Of British Sea Power’. I remember that evening being a raucous evening with lots of on-stage high jinks, crowd surfing and the bears out in the crowd. Tonight was a different experience. Both the crowd and band are a little older but I also think there is a confidence with the band where they don’t feel the need to lark.

Tonight the band were supremely confident. It is clear they are proud of their new album and there was a shout out to producer Graham Sutton. The more I listen to the album, the better it gets and I think that is in a large part down to Graham’s production and helping the band feel at ease with their song choices. While controversial to some fans, I get the feeling after changing their name they are more comfortable with their identity and are now playing on their terms. Even the bears have been dropped. It is all about the songs and them as a band playing together and it was great to see Abby add the extra dynamics to the new songs missing from the last few shows. It really felt like tonight they owned the Roundhouse. A great night.

Set List

• Machineries Of Joy
• It Ended On An Oily Stage
• Transmitter
• Two Fingers
• Fire Escape In The Sea
• Cleaning Rooms
• We Only Wanted To Make You Happy
• The Lonely
• Green Goddess
• Doppelganger
• Mongk
• No Lucifer
• Folly
• Bad Bohemian
• Lights Out For Dark Skies
• Carrion / All In It
• Remember Me
• Waving Flags
• Skua

I managed to catch him twice at SXSW.  The first a full-band gig at the Bella Union venue. The second a solo gig in a dive bar, the day after the festival finished. Both great in their own way. But both benefiting from the intimacy fir relatively small venues. So I wondered if he’d work in the Roundhouse. But I thought I’d give it a go.

In all honesty. The evening wasn’t as strong as those more intimate sets. The short sets benefiting from intense quality. The longer set has a few lulls as he played some songs that weren’t up to his very best. But it was great to see somebody who seemed overwhelmed to find that a little queer kid (his words), wearing a dress and singing simple rock and roll songs could play such a big venue and the crowd seemed to appreciate this. 

Support was from Charlotte Church with her glorified karaoke band. Not for me and a waste of her voice

Initially tickets were released at a bargain price of £10 before the bands were announce. I managed to grab one before the price went up. So I was delighted to hear Public Service Broadcasting announced as one of the main acts

Unusually for the Roundhouse. They decided to run the event as a mini festival. Using three different spaces to put on a range of acts of different sizes and types. The studio space allowed for more intimate and new acts. The bar area, indie bands currently playing smaller venues and then the main stage for the larger acts. 

Highlights were The Blinders who had a grungie sound reminiscent of the Wytches. Ed Hardcourt on the main stage and Public Service Broadcasting. But each of the support acts had something about them and all deserved to be part of the bill.

Playing songs from their new album along with many of their greatest hits, the evening flew buy. They were both on top form. Alison prowling around the stage full, like the rock goddess she is. She’s still one of the best front person in the business. Pure rock and roll. Backing her ably on guitar playing his distinctive style of rock was Jamie. At times they really looked like they were enjoying being back on the road. A surprise for this tour was a drummer. I’ve long said that they need a drummer and it definetly added to the dynamic. It felt right. Yes, they still had their backing tracks, but the addition of a real drummer added to their sound.

Support was from Georgia, who I really didn’t like

I’d spent the afternoon at a fascinating BBC Proms at the Roundhouse inside the Ron Arad 360 display with an excellent varied set of modern classical music, including my personal favourite Ligeti. Each piece accompanied by visual projected on the inside of the 360 installation. This was easily my favourite Prom of the season.

Afterwards I decided to stick around. In the evenings as part of the ‘Camden Beach’ installed on the Roundhouse roof there were a series of free ‘Roundhouse Rising’ gigs. Evenings of new music played in the small space next to the beach inside the Roundhouse. Luckily, it was inside, because it was pouring with rain. This unfortunately meant few people had decide to stay away so there wasn’t much of a crowd to watch the bands play.

First up was Kurt. I’m afraid they did nothing for me.

Next up was Calva Louise. This was actually the band Mystified, who I’ve seen a few times.

I’d also seen Gillbanks before. I quiet enjoyed them last time and this time was no different. I’m not sure they’re a band I would want to listen to at home. But they’re a good live band who I’d be happy to catch again.

Closing the evening were the manic Nosebleed. A heavier rock band than the rest of the bill. But a perfect way to close the evening with an energetic performance.

Thankfully, it turned out to be the later!

Tonight was a special evening. BSP were going to play through Decline to celebrate 12th anniversary of it’s release and support it’s recent re-issue. The Decline of British Sea Power is a fantastic debut album. It lays the foundations of everything the band has become. From blustering Pixies inspired indie rock, to thoughtful fantastical lyrics that go beyond the simple love songs most bands sing. This album is their DNA. Tonight also saw the return of their original keyboard player, Eamon. So it was bound to be an emotional evening and the crowd knew it would be.

The evening started in the best way possible with another of my favourite bands, a set by Japanese noise merchants, Bo Ningen. They’ve supported BSP a number of times and BSP always seem happy to share a bill with them. Not many bands would do. They put on a fantastic live show. Tonight was no exception.

The crowd were up for this gig from the off. As soon as BSP started playing, the crowd erupted. It never let up until BSP left the stage nearly 2 hours later. The band were also immediately in their stride. This gig meant everything and no one was going to let the side down.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the addition of Eamon. Although I’ve followed the band since the week of the release of Decline. I didn’t go to watch them play live until about 2009. I had no friends who liked BSP and in those days, if I couldn’t persuade somebody to go to the gig with me, I didn’t go. So other than performances I’ve seen online and on TV, I’d never seen Eamon in the band. So was concerned that he’d alter the current dynamic.

I shouldn’t have worried. Eamon’s job was simply to be the mascot for the evening. Don’t get me wrong. He did play on many of the songs. But he’d pick up his drum and roam around the stage or crowd surf with the audience. The bear also made an appearance and crowd surfed.

By the end of the gig. Everyone was drenched and I had several bruised ribs from being crushed on the barrier. This was a perfect gig. The crowd the perfect crowd and the venue, the perfect venue. God I love this band.

Ambient support

Ambient support

Nice minimalistic chello action

The Swans being intense

Swans