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LIVE REVIEW
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM AT BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
Brixton Academy
London
23/04/10

Like a husband who’s decided to exit an over-ripe marriage, LCD’s string-puller James Murphy looks like a rejuvenated, (almost) care-free man now that he’s declared that third album ‘This Is Happening’ is to be their last. Perhaps made all the more triumphant considering their two-day drive from Spain (blasted volcano) it is a refreshingly relaxed Murphy and Co. we find here tonight. The huggable frontman chats away between songs – murky sound means we can’t decipher any of it, and it does cause momentum to crash a little – as he teeters over the edge of the stage. After restarting opener ‘Us Vs Them’ twice we get spiky power-throughs of ‘Pow Pow’, ‘Losing My Edge’ and ‘Tribulations’. Meanwhile, ‘All My Friends’ reinforces itself as one of this century’s finest songs. Likewise ‘Daft Punk Is Playing In My House’. They finish on an unexpectedly fragile note – ‘New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down’ as a cloud of white balloons fall silently from the ceiling; a reminder that now Murphy’s made his mind up there might not be many more moments like this left. Somehow this feels less like a gig and more like a euphoric wake. It’s only after that the grief sets in.

By Omarrr

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Originally published in issue 17 (vol 3) of Loud And Quiet. May 2010


HUDSON MOHAWKE AT XOYO
XOYO
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The best shows are most often those where artist and audience fall into a frenzied feedback loop of mutual appreciation.

AZARI & ILL AT WHITE HEAT, SOHO
White Heat
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GOTYE AT KCLSU
KCLSU
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King’s College seems an odd venue for Australian singer-songwriter Gotye.

FLAMINGODS AT THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
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Save for an old electronic keyboard and a delay pedal that makes singer Kamal’s vocals ping-pong out of the room, Flamingods don’t do instruments with wires.

PURE X AT THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
The Shacklewell Arms
Dalston, London
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Drugs. They’re rife within popular music. Especially within the type that Texan trio Pure X make, courtesy of a Spiritualized habit they just can’t (or won’t) kick.

2:54 AT CORSICA STUDIOS, ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
Corsica Studios
Elephant & Castle, London
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Sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow famously named their bristly, glowering rock band after a favourite moment on a Melvins song, 2 minutes and 54 seconds in, to be precise.

DOOM & GHOSTFACE AT THE ROUNDHOUSE
The Roundhouse, Camden
London
05/11/11

The man formerly known as MF Doom returns to the Roundhouse for a sold-out show, barely a year after his debut European performance in the same venue.

CAGED ANIMALS AT THE SHACKLEWELL ARMS
The Shacklewell Arms
Dalston, London
28/09/11

In the studio, Caged Animals (Soft Black’s Vincent Cacchione’s new baby) deal in a faintly cloying, suburban youth-channelling indie with a twist.

MILK MAID AT THE GREEN DOOR, BRIGHTON
The Green Door
Brighton
20/09/11

Despite the days of Union Jack plastered guitars and weather-worn parkas being a prerequisite of any northern based guitar band being long gone.

METRONOMY AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
London
03/10/11

“It’s hard to believe that in this very room they used to have gladiators fighting to the death,” exclaims Metronomy main-man Joe Mount.