The Jayhawks at the Electric Ballroom

The Jayhawks

Dave Fidler

Electric Ballroom, 16 September 2016

It's been over ten years since I last saw The Jayhawks live but this year they are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their debut album as well as releasing their twelfth record, Sanctuary Park, so I knew I had to go to this special show at the Electric Ballroom, probably the smallest venue I've seen the band since their Camden Dingwalls show in 2003!

Snail Mail at the Electric Ballroom

Snail Mail

Unflirt

Electric Ballroom, 26 June 2026

I've been a fan since Snail Mail released their first album Lush back in 2018, so I braved the ungodly heatwave and at long last I finally got to see the ever-so-cool Lindsey Jordan and her band live at a truly storming show in the beautifully air-conditioned Electric Ballroom last night.

Belly at the Electric Ballroom

Belly

Electric Ballroom, 1 October 2025

I got to see the always magical Belly return to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their album King, and it was definitely a lovely celebration, full of smiles and good feeling and a great end to their short UK tour!

Wet Leg at the Electric Ballroom

Wet Leg

Electric Ballroom, 17 July 2025

I finally got to see the electrifying Wet Leg do a blistering 50 minute set at the Electric Ballroom and it was absolutely perfect!

MJ Lenderman at the Electric Ballroom

MJ Lenderman & The Wind

Trace Mountains

Electric Ballroom, 4 June 2025

He wore an Magnolia Electric Co. tee, he covered Sparklehorse and Jackson Browne, and he played You Are Every Girl To Me, the first time I've heard it live. I thought I couldn't love him more but he did it. Another mind-blowing show, that I'm still on a high from!

Throwing Muses at the Electric Ballroom

Throwing Muses

Lande Hekt

Electric Ballroom, 27 May 2025

It's been 11 years since I last saw Throwing Muses live and I thought that maybe I had simply missed them touring during those years, but no, aside from a few festival dates in 2019, this is indeed their first tour since I saw them briefly reunite with Tanya Donelly.

Waxahatchee at the Electric Ballroom

Waxahatchee
Girlpool
Pinkwash
Electric Ballroom, 10 June 2015

A few years ago I was bemoaning how few new female rock bands there appeared to be. After the riot grrrl revolution of the 1990s it felt like there should be so many more. Turns out they were all hiding away praticising or releasing cool little indie records. This year I've been lucky enough to see quite a few of them, most clearly influenced from that golden era in the 90s (and a even a couple actually from that time) and tonight was yet another kick-ass line-up full of talented women, it was inspiring to see.

Antemasque at the Electric Ballroom

Antemasque
Le Butcherettes
Electric Ballroom, 15 October 2014

When it was announced that Le Butcherettes were supporting tonight I was thrilled because I've wanted to see them live for ages, ever since I heard their debut album Sin Sin Sin three years ago. Not that it was too much of a surprise given that Antemasque's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez not only played bass for the band for a short while and formed another, Bosian Rainbows, with Le Butcherettes front woman, Teresa Suárez aka Teri Gender Bender, but the pair are apparently also a couple. That said, even if there wasn't a personal connection between the two bands, judging by tonight's performance they were a more than worthy choice and Teri has to be one of the most incredible frontwomen I've seen in ages.

The Afghan Whigs at the Electric Ballroom

The Afghan Whigs
Ed Harcourt
Electric Ballroom, 15 July 2014

It was a pleasant surprise to see Ed Harcourt announced as the support act for tonight's show especially since he could easily pack the Electric Ballroom out on his own. He's a longtime pal of Greg Dulli though and they've played together many times over the years, so I guess that's why, also given the amount of new material in his set tonight I would imagine it's also a good no-fuss testing ground for his new songs. I actually had seen Harcourt before but years ago, back when his first album, the Mercury-nominated Here Be Monsters, came out. I did really like that album at the time (still do in fact) and I remember him being a great live act but I must admit I haven't really kept up with his music since then. It surprised me to discover that he's released five more albums since then and produced and co-wrote Sophie Ellis-Bextor's latest album, Wanderlust, so he's obviously been doing alright without me.

Built To Spill at the Electric Ballroom

Built To Spill
Disco Doom
Electric Ballroom, 23 September 2013

I don't think they could have picked a more suitable support act for Built To Spill tonight than Disco Doom. Hailing from Zurich, Switzerland, they've obviously been hugely influenced by bands like Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk and, yes, Built To Spill, mixing heavy distorted guitars with noisy solos and melodic vocals. Apparently the band (essentially a duo made up of singer/guitarist Gabriele De Mario and guitarist/vocalist Anita Rufer, although tonight they also have a drummer and bassist) have been going since the late 90s but they are only about to release their third album. Since it comes on the wave of the 90s revival they fit nicely in. Tonight though their set is a little overlong, if it had been about 10 minutes shorter I probably would have been raving about them but they started to drag for me near the end, so I'll merely say they were pretty good.

Dinosaur Jr at the Electric Ballroom

Dinosaur Jr
Cheatahs
Death At Sea
Electric Ballroom, February 4 2013

I actually aimed to miss support act Death At Sea as I had seen them before last year opening for Haim and was pretty unimpressed but alas for once London transport didn't let me down and I actually arrived early. I can't say they won me over this time either but it was very strange to see them again as they seemed like an entirely different band.

Wild Flag at the Electric Ballroom

Wild Flag

Peggy Sue

Electric Ballroom, February 1, 2012

Thinking back, one of the best things about the 90s was all the fantastic girl bands there were. I'm not talking about the Spice Girls, although they had their positive points too I admit, but mainly the grunge scene and the riot grrl movement. There were so many amazing women who played their own instruments, wrote their own songs and rocked as hard as the boys, to inspire and look up to. I actually feel very lucky in that respect. These women weren't just exceptions to the rule or the sole girl fronting a bunch of men, they were integral to the scene and were different and varied from L7 to Hole to Luscious Jackson to Belly. Now, while there are many wonderful female singer-songwriters, there seems to be a dearth of female rockers, especially those raised on punk music, so I guess it makes sense that probably the best girl group to come along in years, Wild Flag, is born out of the 90s, with members of Sleater-Kinney, Helium and The Minders.

The Twilight Singers in London

The Twilight Singers

Concrete, 16 March 2011

The Twilight Singers

The Bookhouse Boys

Alice Gold

Electric Ballroom, 18 March 2011

You know it's funny, until Greg Dulli mentioned on stage that this was the first time the band had played live in five years, I hadn't even realised that it had been so long since The Twilight Singers last toured. I guess between all the shows with The Gutter Twins and Mark Lanegan I had still been getting my Greg Dulli live fix. But still, while it's undoubtedly the Dulli show, there is something special that happens when Greg gets together with the rest of the Twilights. Lucky us then that London got not just one, but two shows, to kick off their comeback tour in support of the fantastic new record Dynamite Steps.