Rilo Kiley at the Roundhouse

Rilo Kiley

Matthew Caws 

Roundhouse, 2 June 2026

It's been almost 20 years since I last saw Rilo Kiley live and what a joy it was to finally seen them reunited again at the Roundhouse in London. It was definitely worth braving the train strikes and the heavy rain. Jenny Lewis and her band were honestly like a ray of sunshine and brought back so many good memories as they played pretty much all my favourites from their back catalogue, and I'm happy to say, they are even better than ever.

Wednesday at the Roundhouse

Wednesday

Bleary Eyed

Roundhouse, 25 February 2026

I finally saw my favourites Wednesday again at their biggest ever show at the Roundhouse and the crowd absolutely went wild for them, as they celebrated their most recent album, Bleeds.

MJ Lenderman & The Wind at the Roundhouse

MJ Lenderman & The Wind (ft. Karly Hartzman)

Allegra Krieger

Roundhouse, 15 August 2025

You know when you have that transcendental moment at a gig, where you are so moved, thrilled and you just feel, there is nothing better than this: right here and now is where I'm supposed to be? It happened again for me tonight at the Roundhouse seeing MJ Lenderman. It's the reason why I haven't been this excited about an artist in a long time.

Kim Deal at the Roundhouse

Kim Deal

TTSSFU 

Roundhouse, 20 June 2025

What a gig filled with joy this was! I've obviously seen Kim Deal live before (in The Breeders, The Amps and the Pixies too) but she was beaming from the moment she walked onstage and it was so absolutely contagious. It didn't hurt that she had an amazing ten-piece band backing her, who had great chemistry, but there was tremendous love for Deal and you know she could feel it and she radiated happiness back at us. This wonderful gig will be hard to beat, it was so much fun!

Mark Lanegan Tribute at the Roundhouse

Mark Lanegan: 60 - A Celebration

Roundhouse, 5 December 2024 

As soon as this tribute concert celebrating what would have been Mark Lanegan's 60th birthday was announced, I knew I had to go. I would never see Lanegan live again, but at the very least I could see some of his friends and peers sing some of his songs and say goodbye to one of my favourite ever artists that way. Fortunately for me I was lucky enough to grab a ticket, as it sold out right away.

Bikini Kill at the Roundhouse

Bikini Kill

Snoozers

Roundhouse, 12 June 2024

I often ask myself, why didn't I go to see Bikini Kill back in the 90s? I loved bands like Babes In Toyland, Hole and L7 and saw them all, but for some crazy reason I didn't grab onto the whole Riot Grrrl thing and wholeheartedly enjoy it in its prime despite being proudly both a feminist and a punk fan. I think it may be because, while I knew about it and loved the idea, I simply had never heard any of the bands central to the movement and back then without the internet and Spotify, it was so hard to hear underground music and if you were lucky enough to find it in a record store, as a teen I had limited funds and had to be careful with the records I bought. But I know now, by not taking a chance on Bikini Kill, I well and truly missed out.

Kacey Musgraves at the Roundhouse

Kacey Musgraves

Madi Diaz

Roundhouse, 14 May 2024

It's been almost ten years since I last saw Kacey Musgraves live, at the Royal Albert Hall, back in 2015. It feels like a lifetime ago and Musgraves has actually soared in that time, as I predicted back then, releasing four more acclaimed albums, including her latest, Deeper Well, which came out earlier this year.

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.

Julia Jacklin at the Roundhouse

Julia Jacklin

Erin Rae

Roundhouse, 11 November 2022

I admit was late to the party for Julia Jacklin, only discovering her after her second album Crushing was already getting rave reviews. But I loved it from first listen and was desperate to see her live. Unfortunately a lot of others felt the same way and had discovered her earlier so her tour at the time was sold out. Luckily, three years on I finally got the chance to experience her live and it was well worth the wait and the cherry on top was the fact that the brilliant Erin Rae was also on the bill.

Cat Power at the Roundhouse

Cat Power
Stephanie Goodman
Roundhouse, 23 October 2018

There's no doubt about it, every Cat Power gig is a surprise. You never know if it's going to be an edgy, almost chaotic affair, or a bluesy soulful celebration or a lo-fi, free-spirited rambling show full of talk and sudden excursions into unknown territory. But every show with Chan Marshall is a hugely rewarding experience - it's why this is my ninth Cat Power show - and this has to be the most professional and confident I've ever seen her. 

Warpaint at the Roundhouse

Warpaint
Shock Machine
Roundhouse, 27 October 2016

I didn't realise it at the time but tonight's support act, Shock Machine, is one third of the recently disbanded and once hugely popular London band the Klaxons. Not that I ever listened or took much notice of the Klaxons while they were still around, so when James Righton of the band ran on stage making his big entrance after his new band had already started playing I just figured it was a newcomer acting the big rock star. Turns out not only is he already something of a rock star he's also married to none other than Keira Knightley.

Lush at the Roundhouse

Lush

Pixx

Roundhouse, 6 May 2016

For some reason I never listened to Lush back in the good old 90s and only really discovered their music about ten years ago. But even though I stupidly ignored their music, just the image of Lush, especially that of Miki Berenyi's postbox red hair and Emma Anderson's cute black bob (it's all about the hair for me obviously), brings back waves of nostalgia, probably because they were ever-present in the pages of my favourite music paper back then, Melody Maker.

The Replacements at the Roundhouse

The Replacements
You Am I
Jesse Malin
Roundhouse, 2 June 2015

Paul Westerberg is a considerate chap. He keeps asking if we need to catch the train or the bus home. "I know about things like that now," he says. I'm pretty sure though that everyone in the crowd is thinking, "No, no play more! Play more!" That's because seeing The Replacements play their first London show in 24 years is pretty much the perfect rock n' roll show.

Sleater-Kinney at the Roundhouse

Sleater-Kinney

Pins

Roundhouse, 23 March 2015

"We're very happy to be playing for you and very happy to be a band again," Corin Tucker tells us during the show tonight and if Sleater-Kinney's passionate performance is anything to go by, then it's clear they really mean it.

St. Vincent at the Roundhouse

St. Vincent

Coves

Roundhouse, 25 October 2014

Isn't it funny the difference a few years can make? Back in 2009 I saw Annie Clark aka St. Vincent live for the first time and it was just her and her guitar making fantastic sounds using nothing other than a delay pedal and her voice. Five years on, with five albums and a tour with David Byrne now under her belt, Clark has now progressed from a beguiling indie chanteuse to bonafide rock star who can dazzle huge crowds at major festivals.

Neutral Milk Hotel at the Roundhouse

Neutral Milk Hotel
Laetitia Sadier Trio
Roundhouse, 22 May 2014

Apparently the last time Neutral Milk Hotel played a headline show in London it was at the tiny, tiny Camden Underworld in October 1998. A few months later and the band were no more and singer/songwriter Jeff Mangum had become this mysterious, indie hermit, all of which only seemed to add to their mystique. In the intervening years between then and their reformation late last year, the band's second and last album, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, has become almost legendary, in the world of alternative music at least, and gained the band way more fans than they ever had first time round. It was no surprise then when this run of shows, three in all, at the Roundhouse was announced that it sold out pretty much straight away. Pretty amazing to go from the Camden Underworld to selling out three nights up the road at the Roundhouse without doing a thing other than letting time, reputation and word of mouth do its thing.

Arcade Fire at the Roundhouse

The Reflektors (aka Arcade Fire)
Roundhouse, 11 November 2013 

It's been six years since I last saw Arcade Fire and since then they've become a huge arena band so I thought I would never get the chance to see them in a smaller venue again. Fortunately for me in support of their fourth album the band have been playing a bunch of not-so-secret warm-up shows as The Reflektors.

David Byrne & St. Vincent at the Roundhouse

David Byrne & St. Vincent
Roundhouse, 27 August 2013

Just before David Byrne and St. Vincent's first show in the UK together begins, the strange sound of birds chirping which has been playing over the speakers in place of music, is suddenly interrupted by the friendly voice of the Talking Heads legend. Recording and photos are welcome, he tells us, but asks us not to block the views of our fellow concert goers or watch the show, which they have spent so long on, through a device. It's bizarre to hear the disembodied voice of the person we are here to see talking to us ten minutes before the concert starts but is an early indication that this is a brilliantly unique gig (and Byrne request is so nicely said that the audience largely complies).

Cat Power at the Roundhouse

Cat Power
Eaux
Roundhouse, 25 June 2013

This show was originally meant to happen back in December but was cancelled due to Chan Marshall falling ill. I must admit I was looking forward to it more back then because I was caught up in the excitement of her excellent new album, Sun, and often that is the most perfect time to catch an artist live. Six months on and the fervour has worn off somewhat but of course I was still curious to see how these songs sounded live and to see if Marshall has become a less erratic performer since the last time I saw her.

Norah Jones at the Roundhouse

Norah Jones
Beth Orton
Roundhouse, 10 September 2012

I have two confessions to make. First, I don't remember even applying for tickets for this free show, held as part of the month-long iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse (I unsuccessfully applied for Jack White tickets and must have clicked this show too). Secondly, I don't mind Norah Jones but have never been a big enough fan to want to see her live, I can only presume I was drawn to the presence of Beth Orton on the bill, who I did actually want to see live. Now that's out of the way, I must admit this was a pretty wonderful show all round so all-in-all a rather happy accident.