Wed 20 Apr – Flobots

This was one of the best live shows that I've ever seen. Flobots work really well together and some of their "choreography" was great - for example, for one solo everybody but the playing bassist lay down. The violinist then stood up and started playing, follwed by another member etc.

Flobot's "fight with tools" message of everybody using their talent to improve the world resonated with a VERY mixed London crowd and the sound quality at the Garage is superb (much as I hate sponsored venues).

Tue 8 Mar – Tubelord, Shoes and socks off, Drool

shoes and socks off does not sound like he looks. With his bobble hat and beard, he looks like he should be all folky, like Badly Drawn Boy. Instead, his voice and guitar style are very grunge. I liked him as a performer - especially the bit when he beat a bass drum and chanted to get the chatting trendies' attention. But I don't think he's an interesting enough guitarsmith to cut it alone - he needs a backing band.

tubelord are one of my favourite bands right now…

Thu 2 Sep – Minus the Bear, Tall Ships, Brontide
Minus the Bear are a band at the top of their game.

I thought that they'd use today to promote their new album 'Omni' - nah. Instead, they played a pretty even medley across all albums (even going back to Get me naked 2 electric boogaloo). My personal fave When We Escape came halfway through.

Saw somebody with a drive like jehu t-shirt too.

Thu 12 Aug – Housse De Racket

Gorgeous venue, beautiful people and great music.Glitches and Housse de Racket both do the whole indie/electro/dance thing differently but very well. A genuine party night.

Fri 16 Jul – Stayaways Headline Hope & Anchor

In July, most bands are out at festivals, so it was a low key set at the legendary Hope and Anchor when me and my friends hit the floor.

Stayaways seemed very static and studied compared to support act OK Social Club. Those guys were raw and fun - perfect for a Friday night in a basement club. Guys, if you're reading this, we were the three people dancing like loons at the front!

Sat 24 Apr – The Reasoning, Acoustic Zeppelin
The synapses in my brain that control the reception of Awesome waves have been overloaded.

The Reasoning were simply amazing. I understand that it was a new line up and let me say this: Maria rocks! She's an awesome performer and very friendly; we had a good chat afterwards. Jake the fresh-faced drummer has more talent in his little finger than many indie percussionists that make three times the Reasoning's money.

Sadly, the first two songs (Dark Angel being one) were drowned out by poor sound engineering - cue Dylan making meaningful…

Sat 24 Apr – The Reasoning, Acoustic Zeppelin
The synapses in my brain that control the reception of Awesome waves have been overloaded.

The Reasoning were simply amazing. I understand that it was a new line up and let me say this: Maria rocks! She's an awesome performer and very friendly; we had a good chat afterwards. Jake the fresh-faced drummer has more talent in his little finger than many indie percussionists that make three times the Reasoning's money.

Sadly, the first two songs (Dark Angel being one) were drowned out by poor sound engineering - cue Dylan making meaningful…

Wed 31 Mar – DIRT Album Launch
Despite being achingly cute and fresh-faced, KIGH perform like veterans. They delivered their new album - played in full as far as I could tell - with aplomb and professionalism.

The album itself is full of bright, bouncey but largely unmemorable songs.

It being a Wednesday, the Borderline was only half-full, but this gave us space to dance!

I'd certainly see KIGH again but I don't think I'll ever be a true fan of this kind of music.

Hi peeps,

One of the pieces of functionality I love best on this site is the "multi-tag" radio. For example, progressive and electronic gave me things that exactly matched my tastes.

But what about more bizarre combinations?

To this end, I tried making the most bizarre combination I could think about and seeing what I got. Please, do the same and tell me what happens.

Experiment 1: gothic and hip hop
What was I expecting? Dracula dissing wolfman's hos? Gangsta vampires bragging that they're more tormented than you AND your crew?
Well, no.
First, I got The Terminal Generation,…

Tue 6 Oct – Enter Shikari, The Devil Wears Prada
Favourite Roo-ism: "Is anybody hot down there? That's a bit arrogant, isn't it?"

The Southampton Guildhall is an impressive venue, all high ceilings and austere tile. It reminded me a little of the dilapidated mansion in "The Matrix", especially under green light. Even with the huge crowd, there was still space to dance.

Speaking of the crowd, I felt very old at this gig. Every time they turned the lights up I was afraid it'd reveal a grey hair.

So, Enter Shikari. They were good. Very good. I felt that…