Goodbye, Mimi Parker

Very sad to hear of the death of Mimi Jo Parker of the band Low, who passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. Low's Christmas EP has always been very special to me and I feel very, very lucky to have see them perform much of it at a magical show at the Union Chapel back in 2016, which is pictured above. She was just 55, far too young. Rest in peace, dear Mimi and thank you for so many wonderful Christmas memories.

Best Gigs Of 2016

I didn't go to as many gigs this year but there were still plenty of highlights for me from some old favourites, a few legends and some acts, new and old, who I had never seen before. Probably the most unusual was film director/composer John Carpenter at Troxy, whose mix of electronic soundtracks and visuals was pretty incredible. Meanwhile, Bat For Lashes' themed show showcasing her concept album The Bride was theatrical, warm and brilliant; Margo Price made me fall in love with her thanks to her no-frills traditional country and Low brought their Christmas record to life for me in ways I didn't expect. On top of that I got to meet Greg Dulli, one of my heroes, and to see Neil Young play with his new band, Promise Of The Real,  featuring Willie Nelson's sons. Not bad at all. I hope 2017 has lots of good things in store too.

10. Lush at the Roundhouse

9. Cyndi Lauper at Hammersmith Apollo

8. Greg Dulli at the Union Chapel

7. Neil Young & Laura Marling at the O2 Arena

6. Angel Olsen at Koko

5. Warpaint at the Roundhouse

4. John Carpenter at Troxy

3. Bat For Lashes at the Union Chapel

2. Low: A Christmas Performance at Union Chapel

1. Margo Price at The Scala

Low at the Union Chapel

Low: A Christmas Performance
Harkin
Erik Koskinen
Union Chapel, 6 December 2016

What could be better for getting into the Christmas spirit than a trip to church to hear some Christmas tunes? Of course the fact that it's the wonderful and cosy Union Chapel and the Christmas tunes in question are courtesy of the bleakly beautiful Minnesotans Low makes it all the more special. Low's 1999 Christmas EP is easily one of my favourite Christmas records ever: even better than the best of Sufjan Stevens' festive releases and right up there with Elvis' Christmas albums. Yes, it's that good. I had never seen Low before this but the location and the fact they were playing this fantastic EP just before Christmas made this show absolutely irresistible to me and one of my most anticipated of the year. And I wasn't disappointed.