LLL is Linda Live in London. Linda Wijlaars is living it up in the city that, ehrm, well, and is visiting all kinds of gigs of bands not performing here or of bands that will be performing here, but later. That is, if every bands makes it to London, quite the task with the volcano last week, as you’ll read here (and yes, that unpronounceable name you’ll run into in this report = the volcano).exlovers/Jonquil @ The Bull 'n Gate
This was promising to be a very busy week for me, with no less than 6 gigs in 7 days, starting with exlovers. That is, if it hadn't sold out before I managed to get a ticket. Who'd have thought this would actually sell out? Not me at least.
Crystal Castles/Male Bonding @ Heaven
Well, at least this was something to look forward to as their first album Crystal Castles really managed to impress me, and I'm very much looking forward to their new album Crystal Castles, though I'm not sure whether I'll prefer Crystal Castles or Crystal Castles as Crystal Castles seemed to have moved on from Crystal Castles. But before Crystal Castles can debute Crystal Castles, they first have to cross an ocean to get here. Which was made quite impossible this week (Damn you Eyjafjallajokull!). So now they have rescheduled their show to my rescheduled Have I Got News For You date. It's probably Nick Cleggs fault.
Fuck Buttons/Factory Floor @ Koko
But hey, there's a bright side to this mess! Fuck Buttons are English and in England and are not being thwarted by volcanoes or sold-out gigs! Too bad the decision to go see them was so last-minute that I forgot to take my earplugs with me. And I believe Fuck Buttons were the reason I purchased them in the first place.
Once again, Koko proves its utter lack in qualities that make a venue more than just a venue. Upon entering, a security guy is directing ticket holders towards him in the most blunt way I've ever witnessed. You really feel welcome here. After informing whether earplugs are available somewhere in the building, and being directed from security people, to the reception, to bar personnel, physics appear to be the only viable way to prevent from going deaf (as in, according to 4Πr2, which represents the spherical shape in which sound spreads from a single point, but also taking into account the acoustics of the room and of course the multiple points of origin, sound levels significantly drop with every metre you remove yourself from the stage - but I might have been listening to Prof Brian Cox just a bit too much lately to believe everyone thinks physics is easy peesy, which for the record: it is).
Factory Floor do the honours of supporting Fuck Buttons on this home game. They sound like a blend between the aforementioned and Holy Fuck, something which I have for some time now wondered what that would sound like. And at times, it's really, really good. Unfortunately, I haven't actually seen Factory Floor as I was building a human shield of tall people as a form of ear plug-replacement, but I strongly suspect them of harbouring a female band member who sings. Ha! How's that for deduction?
Fuck Buttons are of course a band you don't really need to see, they don't make for a particularly interesting stage performance (even though they've now got an enormous disco ball), so yay human sound protection-shield! They were a bit ineffective though, as I still ended up with quite a buzz in my ears, but it was certainly worth it. I don't think I need to write an awful lot about this band: if you've seen them before you know they are absolutely amazing live; if you haven't, then you probably wouldn't want to see them anyway. This performance at Koko was no exception to their continued live-awesomeness, which is quite surprising given the track record of Koko in sound quality. The solution to this thus seems to be play you're music REALLY LOUDLY. As in, YOU HAVE TO SHOUT AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE IN SOMEONE'S EAR AND THAN THEY STILL CAN'T HEAR A WORD OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING-loud. Earplugs, FTW.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti @ Cargo
Once again, Koko proves its utter lack in qualities that make a venue more than just a venue. Upon entering, a security guy is directing ticket holders towards him in the most blunt way I've ever witnessed. You really feel welcome here. After informing whether earplugs are available somewhere in the building, and being directed from security people, to the reception, to bar personnel, physics appear to be the only viable way to prevent from going deaf (as in, according to 4Πr2, which represents the spherical shape in which sound spreads from a single point, but also taking into account the acoustics of the room and of course the multiple points of origin, sound levels significantly drop with every metre you remove yourself from the stage - but I might have been listening to Prof Brian Cox just a bit too much lately to believe everyone thinks physics is easy peesy, which for the record: it is).
Factory Floor do the honours of supporting Fuck Buttons on this home game. They sound like a blend between the aforementioned and Holy Fuck, something which I have for some time now wondered what that would sound like. And at times, it's really, really good. Unfortunately, I haven't actually seen Factory Floor as I was building a human shield of tall people as a form of ear plug-replacement, but I strongly suspect them of harbouring a female band member who sings. Ha! How's that for deduction?
Fuck Buttons are of course a band you don't really need to see, they don't make for a particularly interesting stage performance (even though they've now got an enormous disco ball), so yay human sound protection-shield! They were a bit ineffective though, as I still ended up with quite a buzz in my ears, but it was certainly worth it. I don't think I need to write an awful lot about this band: if you've seen them before you know they are absolutely amazing live; if you haven't, then you probably wouldn't want to see them anyway. This performance at Koko was no exception to their continued live-awesomeness, which is quite surprising given the track record of Koko in sound quality. The solution to this thus seems to be play you're music REALLY LOUDLY. As in, YOU HAVE TO SHOUT AT THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE IN SOMEONE'S EAR AND THAN THEY STILL CAN'T HEAR A WORD OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING-loud. Earplugs, FTW.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti @ Cargo
Nope, not happening. Surprisingly not due to volcanoes, but due to other non-disclosed reasons (Nick Clegg?). But hey, there's still that weird seated HEALTH/Chrome Hoof gig at South Bank Centre! And HEALTH are already in Europe and sold out...
Soap & Skin @ The Union Chapel
Soap & Skin @ The Union Chapel
Ah, finally, an artist from Germany! That's gonna be okay, trains are still going, cars are working, boats are a viable option! But no, miss Soap & Skin was planning on flying into London, and as she was taking an entire orchestra with her, there's no way to transport this bunch of musicians to London in time. Again: damn you Eyjafjallajokull!
Holy Fuck! @ The Coronet Theatre
Holy Fuck! @ The Coronet Theatre
Do I really have to digress on this?
LCD Soundsystem/YACHT @ Brixton Academy
LCD Soundsystem/YACHT @ Brixton Academy
Is this happening? The gig of the week? As James Murphy has now apparently aptly titled his third album under the moniker of LCD Soundsystem: Yes, This is happening. Starting with the utterly amazing band that is YACHT. So their last album See Mystery Lights wasn't all that, live they more than compensate for the few dull and repetitive moments on record. Jona Bechtold, or David Bowie as someone next to me thinks to be a more befitting name for him, should definitely shoot an indie-work-out video. Seriously, he jumps and dances around the stage in a way that would be impressive to even the most hyper-active kids. And he still manages to sing. You'd think that this would distract some attention from Claire Evans (or Annie Lennox, according to my neighbour), but she makes sure it absolutely doesn't. Dressed in a leotard, she's a perfect match for Jona. And in the chaos of what is their performance, there is still room for some synchronous dance moves, just adding to the absolutely dazzling effect of what is YACHT. Who wouldn't want to see a Bowie-Lennox collaboration live on stage? I know I would. Yup.
But oh boy, oh boy! It's about to get even better! LCD SOUNDSYSTEM! I'm absolutely in love with their new album. There is even a slight possibility that I might even love it more than Doctor Who. No, scrap that, that would be blasphemy (and has anyone seen last night's episode? It had Doctor Elizabeth Corday and the Weeping Angels in it! Who had thought that of all aliens in Doctor Who, statues could be the most frightening?).
Apparently, one of the reasons James Murphy & co have sold out Brixton Academy twice are their multiple appearances on the 'best of the decade' lists by Pitchfork. Something that doesn't appear to lead to people actually listening to their music in advance though. If they had, this minority had been warned about the absolute impossibility to remain immobile during songs like say, 'Tribulations', 'All My Friends', 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' or 'Us vs Them'. But I don't need to inform you of the greatness of almost each and every track LCD has EVER produced. Oh, that moment where Nancy Whang starts the synthesizers on 'Tribulations' might just be the best moment in contemporary music. Who said disco was dead?
All the music mayhem of the week is immediately forgotten when you get to see a band of the likes of this. Everything just works, the new songs fit perfectly with the better known old stuff - though James Murphy grudgingly remarks that we probably know the new stuff as well - well yes sir, AS YOU ALSO POSTED IT ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE THIS VERY WEEK! Sorry, I was a bit frustrated at that rather bitter and accusing statement of the man. Other than that short moment, he is his slightly geeky and cuddly self, which is what everyone wants to see (well that and Nancy Whang, but you can't just ask her to go stand on a box, can you?). But it's not all dancing, 'Someone Great' gets the sudden calm it deserves and 'New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down' serves as the perfect cooling down.
If there is such a thing as a low in this two hour long disco-bliss, than it might be 'Pow Pow', which I still just don't get, whereas 'Drunk Girls' is really starting to grown on me, even in the absence of violent pandas. And maybe the absence of 'North American Scum', just because that's exactly what I wanted to shout at the religious Pitchfork followers who didn't move a single muscle. But 'Yeah' was still there (the Crass version, I believe, as opposed to the Pretentious one), as were 'Losing My Edge' and 'I Can Change' and 'Yr City's A Sucker'. Oh, couldn't this just have gone for ever and ever?
But oh boy, oh boy! It's about to get even better! LCD SOUNDSYSTEM! I'm absolutely in love with their new album. There is even a slight possibility that I might even love it more than Doctor Who. No, scrap that, that would be blasphemy (and has anyone seen last night's episode? It had Doctor Elizabeth Corday and the Weeping Angels in it! Who had thought that of all aliens in Doctor Who, statues could be the most frightening?).
Apparently, one of the reasons James Murphy & co have sold out Brixton Academy twice are their multiple appearances on the 'best of the decade' lists by Pitchfork. Something that doesn't appear to lead to people actually listening to their music in advance though. If they had, this minority had been warned about the absolute impossibility to remain immobile during songs like say, 'Tribulations', 'All My Friends', 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' or 'Us vs Them'. But I don't need to inform you of the greatness of almost each and every track LCD has EVER produced. Oh, that moment where Nancy Whang starts the synthesizers on 'Tribulations' might just be the best moment in contemporary music. Who said disco was dead?
All the music mayhem of the week is immediately forgotten when you get to see a band of the likes of this. Everything just works, the new songs fit perfectly with the better known old stuff - though James Murphy grudgingly remarks that we probably know the new stuff as well - well yes sir, AS YOU ALSO POSTED IT ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE THIS VERY WEEK! Sorry, I was a bit frustrated at that rather bitter and accusing statement of the man. Other than that short moment, he is his slightly geeky and cuddly self, which is what everyone wants to see (well that and Nancy Whang, but you can't just ask her to go stand on a box, can you?). But it's not all dancing, 'Someone Great' gets the sudden calm it deserves and 'New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down' serves as the perfect cooling down.
If there is such a thing as a low in this two hour long disco-bliss, than it might be 'Pow Pow', which I still just don't get, whereas 'Drunk Girls' is really starting to grown on me, even in the absence of violent pandas. And maybe the absence of 'North American Scum', just because that's exactly what I wanted to shout at the religious Pitchfork followers who didn't move a single muscle. But 'Yeah' was still there (the Crass version, I believe, as opposed to the Pretentious one), as were 'Losing My Edge' and 'I Can Change' and 'Yr City's A Sucker'. Oh, couldn't this just have gone for ever and ever?
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