Bob Dylan at the O2 Arena and the Roundhouse

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Bob Dylan And His Band
O2 Arena, 25 April 2009
Roundhouse, 26 April 2009

Years ago, in the mid 90s, I saw Bob Dylan for the first time playing Hyde Park. Backed with a ramshackle group of musicians (mostly dressed in blue I remember) including Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, it was a decidedly disappointing experience despite a set list that included Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Positively Fourth Street, Highway 61 Revisited and Don't Think Twice It's Alright, due to a rather unenthusiastic performance by the man himself, where his voice turned almost to caricature. Although I love his music I thought it was probably best to leave his live shows for the hardcore devotees in the future.

St. Vincent at Hoxton Bar & Grill

St Vincent

Hoxton Bar & Grill, 21 April 2009
After the well-rehearsed bands of my previous two gigs, it was a surprise to see Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) take to the stage alone, particularly since she honed her craft as part of the elaborate bands of Sufjan Stevens and The Polyphonic Spree, and given the intricate, big sound of her two solo albums. But then, despite being a favourite of many music blogs, St Vincent is still pretty much still a cool little secret and even now is playing a venue that's essentially a hidden room at the back of a trendy bar. But it turns out Ms Clark is well able to command the small stage on her own, looping her guitar and using some samples and vocal effects but essentially filling the room with her pitch perfect voice and superb guitar playing. It's actually refreshing to see a girl who is so adepth on guitar in fact, playing intricate parts while singing, occasionally breaking out into a solo or a loud guitar riff: she may be strikingly lovely but the very friendly Annie Clark is not just a pretty face, she's also immensely talented it seems.

PJ Harvey and John Parish at the Empire

PJ Harvey & John Parish

Howe Gelb
Shepherd's Bush Empire, 20 April 2009
The second of my awesome girl-singer trilogy of nights came from a woman who I believe is one of the most important artists Britain has produced in the last 20 years: Polly Jean Harvey. I've actually seen her play several times before, the first time on her To Bring You My Love tour, where she was glammed up in red satin and high heels, then in support of her most successful album, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, which saw her return a little to the Polly of old, sometimes playing guitar and dressed down, and finally in 2007 at a unique show at the Royal Festival Hall where she performed alone switching from guitar to piano dressed in a flowing Victorian-style gown. Each show was memermising and utterly different, so I knew I was in for a treat when she announced shows with collaborator John Parish for the second album they've made together, A Woman A Man Walked By.

Bat For Lashes at the Shepherd's Bush Empire

Bat For Lashes

School Of Seven Bells
Shepherd's Bush Empire, 17 April 2009
I've always loved my female singer-songwriters, especially those who are skilled musicians and not just great voices, and oddly enough three of the best around today happened to play London within days of each other. The first in my awesome lady trilogy (which sounds like the English title of a series of Korean action flicks) was the ethereal and beautiful (and as it happens) Stevie Nicks-inspired Natasha Khan, aka Bat For Lashes, at the first of two sold-out nights at the Empire in Shepherd's Bush.

Jackson and Warren in 76

I was looking on YouTube for some vintage footage of Jackson Browne (inspired by the concert the other night) and found this awesome Warren Zevon performance of Mohammed's Radio in 1976 with Jackson playing guitar and singing back-up. Apparently Jackson performed Warren's classic song Lawyers, Guns & Money on the first date of his current tour this year (but hasn't played it since, damn him!). I would have so loved to have seen that.

Jackson Browne at the Royal Albert Hall

Jackson Browne
Royal Albert Hall, 12 April 2009

I have to admit I was in two minds about going to see Jackson Browne live: I only have a few of his albums, which I do really like, but he's never been one of my favourites. But ever since I read Hotel California by Barney Hoskyns last year I've been enamoured with the whole Laurel Canyon scene and the fact the man worked and was friends with Warren Zevon and dated both Joni Mitchell and Nico had to count for something, right? So when a decent seat popped up on the Royal Albert Hall's site close to the date I snapped it up and hoped for the best.

The forgotten power-pop goodness of Jale

Jale were a poppy, post-grunge indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia who I once saw open for L7. I remember them best for the fact that after the show I met bassist Laura Stein in the crowd and she, along with a nice, bubbly lady whose name I've forgotten but who worked for Sub Pop, got us into L7's aftershow party.

Elvis Perkins at the ICA

Elvis Perkins In Dearland
ICA, 6 April 2009

It's been almost two years since I last saw Elvis Perkins In Dearland. Last time they were winding down the tour in support of Elvis' incredibly moving debut album Ash Wednesday. Live he had taken the downbeat songs and with his talented band, added a more joyous, celebratory feel to his music. His new album carries on that feeling, so it's no surprise to see a fiddle, double bass, trombones and other fun instruments litter the stage but it is a surprise to see Elvis himself (his real name: dad Anthony Perkins - that's right the Psycho actor - named him after his rock n' roll hero).