Best Gigs Of 2018

It's incredibly hard to rank all the great gigs I've been to this year but one definitely stands out as the best: Jenny Lewis wowing the crowds at Koko. If there was any doubt that the world needs Ms Lewis (and really there isn't) then this concert celebrating her entire career from Rilo Kiley to her forthcoming solo release, certainly proved that she still is as essential and exciting as ever.

Natalie Prass at Bush Hall

Natalie Prass
Jalen N'Gonda
Bush Hall, 23 April 2018

A few years ago I accidentally stumbled on a mysterious singer that was a beautiful throwback to the soft soulful sounds of the 70s, her album reminding me of some kind of beautiful lost Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter classic. Turns out I had actually seen Natalie Prass before playing in Jenny Lewis' band but there's no doubt that she was destined for bigger things.

My Favourite Albums Of 2015

I think this year has been one where I have struggled to find much inspiration in music. I don't know if it's my age finally catching up on me or a lack of music out there to excite me, but I suspect it's the former. I hope it doesn't last but in any case it was pretty easy this time for me to whittle down my favourite albums of the year to just 11. I'm crossing my fingers that 2016 reignites some kind of fire in my music-loving soul but in the meantime here are the few that meant the most to me over the past year.

Best Gigs Of 2015

This definitely wasn't a prime year in gigs for me but it was nice to finally see a few reunited acts live for the first time, most notably The Replacements and Sleater-Kinney, and of course the incomparable Christine McVie back singing with the Mac. You would think that the Fleetwood Mac shows would be my absolute favourites (they were certainly the gigs that cost the most, probably as much as the rest combined) but seeing and hearing McVie singing Everywhere and You Make Loving Fun, although undoubtedly thrilling, was slightly overshadowed by finally seeing The Replacements and the pure ramshackle, joy of their show. Other than my usual fare of alternative and classic rock, I also got to experience some heartwarming pure country shows (Sturgill Simpson and Kacey Musgraves) and even a pop concert, albeit a rather unusual one (the fantastic Marina & The Diamonds). I can't imagine I'll go to many more pop gigs in the future but I do hope next year has some more country in store for me.

Natalie Prass at Islington Assembly Hall

Natalie Prass
Chanele McGuinness
Islington Assembly Hall, 24 June 2015

One of the best albums of the year so far has to be Natalie Prass's self-titled debut, which is a glorious mixure of classic blue-eyed soul and 70s West Coast singer-songwriter fare. But other than Prass's sweet and delicate voice, the lady herself, who apparently hails from Virginia but is now based in Nashville, was something of a mystery to me. But crazily enough I had actually seen her live before, just didn't know it. It turns out that Prass was the keyboardist in Jenny Lewis' band and played this very same venue last year and she shakes her head as she tells us this, as if she can't quite believe it herself.