It’s finally gig season again! I bloody love gig season. I’m planning on going to 24 gigs in October and November, I think I need help. This month’s honourable mentions are Bestival which I’m going to with my mum and I’m very excited about, and the Dice app for showing me so many free gigs going on in London that I can spend my evenings at after being at NME all day. So many gigs. Enjoy!
Who? Craig David
Where? Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
When? September 1st-13th
Why? Southampton local and all round R&B god, if you can go and see him then you basically have to – you can’t live in Southampton and not love Craig David. Originally planning on playing the Ageas Bowl for these dates, it was later moved to the Mayflower Theatre. He’s gone through a bit of a comeback over the last few years, playing Common People festival in May 2016 and releasing his return album, Following My Intuition, four months later. He’s pretty excited for these dates, calling them “iconic” at the February press conference we attended. And on the shows themselves, he said: “I just wanna come back and have everyone have a good time at my shows – if they have a good time, I’ll have a good time.” Find out more here.
Who? alt-J
Where? O2 Academy, Bournemouth
When? September 6th
Why? I’ll be there, we at The Edge loved their latest album, their O2 Arena show was great, and Head of Relations Xavier Voigt-Hill did a pretty interesting interview with them. But if that isn’t enough, ∆ are, after 10 years, still releasing music and touring with as much enthusiasm as we saw from them when they started. Their music has consistently been favourably reviewed, and they’ve made three studio albums with a experimental/indie rock/folktronica sound unlike really any other bands out there right now. They’ve won the Mercury Music Prize, a Grammy, been nominated for three BRIT awards in the same year, and they’re showing no signs of stopping any time soon. They’re really quite fantastic, and their Seaside Tour is definitely something you should check out here.
Who? Flyte
Where? The Joiners, Southampton
When? September 15th
Why? Alt-pop London-based band Flyte have toured with Bombay Bicycle Club and Hudson Taylor, finished their first ever UK headline tour in November 2016, and have been at Reading and Leeds and Wilderness Festivals in the UK as well as First We Take Berlin in Germany. Their first ever EP, Live EP released in September 2013, was recorded in a day and lead track ‘Over and Out’ was given a ‘Next Hype’ play from Zane Lowe, and plays after that from Fearne Cotton, on their Radio 1 shows. They signed with Island Records in 2013, and single ‘Light Me Up’ was included in XFM’s evening playlist and in their 5 Best Songs of the Week. Their debut album, The Loved Ones, was released on August 25th 2017. They’re fantastic, their album is great, tickets for them are available here.
Who? Seán McGowan
Where? The Loft, Southampton
When? September 16th
Why? If we judge how good an artist is based on how long they’ve been in mum’s car for, then Seán McGowan is hilariously good. The acoustic singer-songwriter is from Southampton and started gigging in 2010, with Dean Paul. A year after their first ever show he’d been named Absolute Radio’s Unsigned Artist of The Week, been at the top of the Strummerville DIY chart for most of the year, and supported Shed Seven. Billy Bragg called him “One to Watch for 2013”, and he’s consistently getting more and more airtime on radio stations across the country. He’s still playing sold out gigs in Southampton when he’s not working at The Joiners, but he’s also played with Frank Turner, Beans on Toast and Reverend And The Makers, recorded vocals for Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly), and on September 16th he’ll be playing Southampton’s The Loft with Happy Accidents supporting just after the release of his upcoming LP, Graft and Grief, out on September 8th. Tickets are available here!
Who? The Sherlocks
Where? The 1865, Southampton
When? September 21st
Why? Having recently played Reading and Leeds and released their debut album Live For The Moment in August, Sheffield indie band have done a ridiculous amount in the almost 4 years they’ve been together. Made up by two sets of brothers, they’ve done over 500 gigs, supported The Enemy and Scouting For Girls, and sold out countless gigs. They’ve played at Reading and Leeds three years in a row, SXSW in Texas, and Dot to Dot Festival in Manchester on the BBC Introducing stage, and supported The Libertines on their 2016 tour. After signing with Infectious Music in December 2016, they released their debut album on August 18th. Worth catching at The 1865 if you can make it! Tickets are available here.
Where? Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
When? September 29th
Why?
Forming in 2012, Nottingham-based Amber Run have had one album and three EPs out in 5 years, with another EP set to come out this year. They left their Humanities and Law degrees in their second year to focus on the band, which has clearly paid off! Their fourth show was on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading Festival in 2013, and a few weeks they were signed to RCA Records after attracting the attention of talent scouts. I recently talked to lead singer Joe Keogh, about their upcoming acoustic EP and inspirations they have as a band (The National, Radiohead and Nina Simone, to name a few). When asked why they chose to make an acoustic EP he said: “Honestly, I think it’s the challenge of it, we haven’t made anything like it before and I think we were really scared of being seen as folk and we wanted to run away from that. For us, it was just a real challenge, a different way of making music…” He also said he wants “six balls of fat mozzarella thrown in from Naples which [he’ll] eat like an apple” on his rider, so an interview of seriousness and levity, of course. A very cool band, I highly recommend seeing them, tickets available here!
