My Favourite Albums Of 2023

My top albums of 2023:

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

Jess Williamson - Time Ain't Accidental

Margo Price - Strays & Strays II

Jenny Lewis - Joy'All

The Mars Volta - Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon

Lana Del Rey - Did You Know There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

PJ Harvey - I Inside The Old Year Dying 

Inger Lorre - Gloryland

Margo Cilker - Valley Of Heart's Delight

Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, The Water, The Sky

Wilco - Cousin

Best Gigs Of 2023

Last year I went to only six gigs and this year, I did even better... seven! While hardly the heady days years back when I was going to over fifty shows a year, I still feel grateful to have seen some absolutely exceptional concerts this year including lots of old favourites I hadn't seen in a long time and finally seeing the magnificent Amanda Shires live, lucky for me, in such a wonderful intimate venue as Omeara. My gig of the year though has been a complete life-changing one, as it has utterly shaped my entire year and re-awakened my love of music and its importance to me in my life, and also had me nostalgically re-visiting lots of my favourite artists from the past. That show was The Mars Volta at Troxy and I am forever grateful I got to see it and I truly hope it won't be the last time. 

1. The Mars Volta at Troxy

2. Dinosaur Jr. at The Garage

3. Margo Price at Lafayette

4. Sleater-Kinney at Roundhouse

5. Amanda Shires at Omeara

6. Alison Sudol at Omeara

7. Caitlin Rose at EartH

Dinosaur Jr. at The Garage

Dinosaur Jr. 

Man On Man

The Garage, 15 November 2023 

Felt quite emotional seeing Dinosaur Jr. performing all of Where You Been to celebrate its 30th anniversary, an album that meant so much to me in my teen years. It was also amazing to see them in the intimate setting of The Garage again, as I saw them in this same venue on the Without A Sound tour back in the mid 90s and stood in the exact same spot in front of J.

Sleater-Kinney at the Roundhouse

Sleater-Kinney

U.S. Girls

Black Belt Eagle Scout 

Roundhouse, 10 November 2023

A few months ago I decided to listen to Sleater-Kinney's back catalogue chronologically and, maybe as I hadn't listened to them in quite a while, was blown away at how good it was. I had fallen out of love with them a little when they changed direction on The Center Won't Hold and the beloved Janet Weiss left the band, but hearing just how fantastic those albums sounded convinced me I needed to go give them another chance and a last-minute ticket was purchased, and it turned out to be a very good decision indeed.

Omar And Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird review

 

Last night I was lucky enough to be one of the few who got to see the world premiere of the Omar & Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird documentary at the Raindance Film Festival and wow, I am still trying to process it all, as there is a lot in this film to ponder for any fan.

Margo Price at Lafayette

Margo Price

Tommy Prine

Lafayette, 25 August 2023 

It feels like forever since Margo Price last hit these shores, but in fact it's been six years since she last played a headline show here. Since then she's actually released three more gloriously beautiful and eclectic albums, the latest of which, Strays, is easily one of the best of 2023 so far. So when she finally announced her return to London, I was excited to say the least.

Asteroid City Exhibition

Yesterday I went to see the exhibition for Wes Anderson's new film Asteroid City. I must admit it's my least favourite of his films but it was still a thrill to see the amazing costumes, props and sets featured in his undeniably colourful and quirky movie. 

Amanda Shires at Omeara

Amanda Shires

Jarrod Dickenson 

Omeara, 22 June 2023

I'm not going to deny, after the mind-blowing, emotional experience of seeing The Mars Volta again on Sunday, I wondered if I would be able to get back into the right headspace to appreciate the far more gentle Americana sounds of Amanda Shires just a few days after. But I need not have worried: she was absolutely thrilling in her own unique way and fulfilled all my hopes of seeing her live finally.

The Mars Volta at Troxy

The Mars Volta

Teri Gender Bender

Troxy, 18 June 2023

It's crazy to think I haven't seen The Mars Volta live since 2009, when I went absolutely crazy for them and saw them three times in one year including a super intimate gig (only 300 people!) at the ICA. Even though they released two more albums after that, I didn't venture to see them in the couple of years before they split up but I have continued to support the band's two members Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez in their other projects, At The Drive-In and Antemasque, seeing them live numerous times (as I've written about on this blog) so the last 14 years haven't been completely Volta-free at least.

Caitlin Rose at Earth

 

Caitlin Rose

Dominic Billett

Earth, 28 April 2023

I can't believe it's 13 years since Caitlin Rose's debut album, Both Sides Now, completely won me over. For a while she was a regular feature of this blog, as I pretty much went to every London show, whether she was supporting another artist or headlining on her own, I was just in love with her music and utterly charmed by her as a person: I even got to sit down and interview her and fangirl over our mutual love of Linda Ronstadt. But then, after one more brilliant album (The Stand-In) she seemed to disappear and I wondered if she had given up music completely.

Alison Sudol at Omeara

Alberta Cross

Alison Sudol 

Martin Luke Brown

Omeara, 4 April 2023

Isn't it funny, in my head Alison Sudol is a huge artist. For years I had wanted to see her live when she performed as A Fine Frenzy and then she turned to acting and scored a plum role in the Fantastic Beasts movies, so she became more famous as an actress. But for me it was always about the music and when she finally started recording again under her own name I was thrilled. 

Farewell to the Croz

What a rotten way to start the year, the one and only David Crosby has died. So grateful I got to see him live so many times: twice with Crosby, Stills & Nash, one time with Graham Nash before the big falling out and the last time at an absolutely amazing solo show back in 2018, although sadly never with CSNY. Every time the voice was utterly incredible, and he was so full of wit and charm. He may have pissed off a lot of people during his life, including some of his old friends, but one thing's for sure, he was pretty unforgettable and his music will last forever. So thankful I discovered him in time to witness that genius firsthand. Rest in peace dear Croz.