London Zine of Music, Arts and Miscellaneous Happenings. Monthly updates & seasonal physicals.
02
___YHWH Nailgun @ ICA £19.11 - After releasing their debut Album 45 Pounds to rapturous applause, the New York experimental-rock band embark on their victory lap, hitting up London’s ICA. Arguably led by the frantic, infectious drumming of Sam Pickard, the four-piece creates dense explosions of shimmering noise and hoarse, muscular shouts. Guitar and synths smear pitch like an alien spaceship, yet the rhythms never stop permutating. With support from The New Eves, this night is going to sell out quickly! tickets
03
___Red Mar @ Ivy House £7 - Wielding menacing, textural noise, the East-Anglian post-rock band harnesses a visceral power that builds and builds, with the maddening screech of frayed violin bows and the pounding of drums. tickets
04
___OMEN Festival: Minor Conflict @ Old Blue Last £3.5/10 - Fusing motorik hypnoticism with British folk-revivalism, the songs of Bristol’s Minor Conflict centre around the harp. With the instrument’s lack of sustain, the band is forced to play into the tense space between chords, which is where the magic lies. Layers become intricate and vocals soar melodically or murmur through the textures. Support comes from Brighton’s brightest, Flip Top Head – for the price you cannot say no! tickets
___Uffie @ Colour Factory £13.7/16.5 - Arguably the godmother of electroclash, the French/American songstress returns to London with a night that promises both indie sleaze nostalgia and the sort of partying you won’t soon forget. The lights come on at 4am! Be sure to check out openers NEW YORK. tickets
05
___Evil Sword @ New River Studios £9.52 - Ghoulish is the first word that comes to mind. The Philadelphia duo combine the production of haunted house kitsch with minimalist, crunching tracks propelled by the sheer energy of Ben Furgal’s distorted bass and the uninhibited chants of Kate Ferencz. As much a gig as a performance, they act out demented stories aided by costumes, sets, bells, and whistles. tickets
06-26
___The Opening of a Crisp Packet @ Lamb Gallery FREE [ART] - A true fear for the eyes in ceramic form. The Opening of a Crisp Packet invites the viewer into a world of pastel non-foods. The setting and texture of these objects invoke a true fantasy space out of a child's daydream, beautifully sculpted and glazed. info
09
___thredd @ George Tavern £5.5 - Although the progressive electronic trio are fresh on the scene, their constituents are by no means inexperienced, with both previous collaboration and individual successes. Max Winter’s digitally-tinged art-pop welds with Will Lister’s disjointed techno and Imogen and the Knife’s soft breathy voice, to create a sound, that although owing to the sonic palette of the club, fits firmly into the band format. Amid pulsing bass and scattered drum machines, the vocals are what lend the group its intriguing direction. tickets
10-27
___FORESHORE @ Set Woolwich FREE [ART] - Foreshore explores the Thames through the lenses of different artists in this group exhibition. The art will explore the river through its symbolic meanings of ritual and its history and politics. What has this body of water meant to people before us and how will it be seen by those after us? info
10
___I’m Sorry Emil @ LVLS FREE - This is a stacked lineup showcasing the sonic diversity of UK Skramz! Headliners I’m Sorry Emil blend emo of new and old in a heartbreaking combo, with their debut EP showing promise from the young 3-piece. Catch Dog Saints’ angsty post-hardcore and Shoplifting 1080p’s blend of jungle and noisy guitar music. Oh and its free. tickets
___Jim E Brown @ Dash The Henge FREE - After two sell-out nights in October, the Mancunian is back in the capitol for a freebie at Dash The Henge – make sure you get there nice and early! His outsider synth-pop wallows in surreal pity, forcing the onlooker to feel almost like an accomplice to his mad stories, yet you can’t help but smirk and sing along.
12
___Body Horror @ George Tavern £6 - Harsh, thumping beats will run from the start of this night til the end, with Body Horror’s wild S&M-fuelled electro-punk, Fat Concubine’s maddened techno-noise, and EBM DJs Muscle Up playing through the wee hours. tickets
14
___Side Project Night @ Windmill Brixton £6 - With side projects from some of the South’s great guitar bands, see a new side of the groups you love and come away converted to their alternative aspirations. See: a combination of Brighton’s KEG in SL4P, the cellist of The Orchestra (For Now) Erin Snape and a currently untitled one-sixth of Blue Bendy.tickets
15
___An Evening of the Music of Ween @ George Tavern £7 - Calling all Weeners! A night of merrymaking for 35 years of whacky music-making. This celebration of the Pennsylvania surrealist psych band Ween is brought to us by true fans of Gene and Dean, presenting us with covers by a medley of musicians and performers, including South Yorkshire's very own Ween tribute, Big Jilm. So giddyup ‘n’ find your pony because you don’t want to miss out! tickets
16
___Donovan Haffner @ Pizza Express Soho £20 - Anyone with a keen ear for up-comers in the UK jazz scene would tell you that recent RAM graduate and Jazz Newcomer of The Year 2024 Finalist Donovan Haffner is set for a great release of his new album Alleviate. Haffner has already played with legends such as Charles Tolliver and Jay Phelps at the start of his promising career. Full of contemporary jazz and heartfelt, melodic tunes, he celebrates the new album on its release day at the iconic Pizza Express Jazz Bar. tickets
19
___BLACK FONDU @ Cafe Oto £13/15 - One of Pindrop’s absolute favourite acts is bringing his explosive abstract grime to the pioneering Dalston experimental music venue, and about time! BLACK FONDU’s maximalist productions and unreal stage presence leave the audience bewildered, and addicted. His songs are deeply personal, with poignant lines about family and lost lovers that shatter through the mangled, glitchy electronica. tickets
22
___Charles Hayward @ The Steel Yard £24.91 - The folks over at Atomiser have hit us with another bonkers lineup! Opening with the London-based composer and artist, Klein, who creates what could only be described as hyperpop Frippertronics. Next, everyone’s favourite demented noise-pop stars Xiu Xiu (!!!), then, the reunion of 80s post-punk outfit The Wolfgang Press. Closing the night is Charles Hayward, of the infamous This Heat, whose idiosyncratic vocals and drumming style steer any project into a wild realm. Experimenting with his new project Zigzag+Swirl he throws unsynced electronica into the mix. tickets
23-27
___Future Ritual: Ceremony Festival @ Copeland Gallery FREE/£18/20 [ART] - A festival based on enchantment utilises ritual and worldbuilding as an alternative to the weight of living in a capitalistic metropolis. Expect to be transported into a space of queer earthiness and magic In addition to performances there are also workshop opportunities. tickets
24A-31M
___Nicola Singh: Sincere Seeker @ Cubitt Gallery FREE [ART] - British Punjabi artist Nicola Singh uses casts of soft toy monkeys to explore familial and cultural significance and how it translates into thought. The artwork is accompanied by sound, remixing contemporary music and mantras pulled from Vedic texts. info
24
___DJ Koco @ Jazz Cafe £28.05 - Japan’s master of the 45 touches down in Camden to scratch and select his way through a set of funk and soul deep cuts, reinventing them with his masterful remixing. While juggling a non-stop groove, DJ Koco incorporates subtle turntablism to make every set unique. Seeing is believing, watch those hands go! tickets
25
___EU:RE @ The Cause £30 - A truly heavy night awaits you at The Cause; this party will see you through until Monday morning clock-in. Headlining, a mysterious rapper EsDeeKid, who seemingly hails from the North West alongside Bassvictim, and ROOSTER (who you may know as Yung Gud of Sad Boys) will lead a varied night of scuzzy inner city beats. Others on the lineup are The Femcels who’ll certainly serve up nonchalant swaggy electroclash, whilst London’s Mitsubishi Suicide and World Peace DMT, will provide the skitty slacker slowcore for the evening. DJs Celestica, Titas, and Naramnesia all hold unique spins on gritty DnB and cyberpunk techno. Grab your ticket before it’s too late! tickets
26
___Squid @ Roundhouse £31.53 - Fusing modular synth with a grooving post-punk backbone, Squid return to London, this time playing the Roundhouse. Their infectious energy and playful flair enrapture audiences and prove time and time again why they’re one of the best live acts contemporary U.K. rock has to offer. tickets
28
___Pindrop Presents: TBC @ Windmill Brixton £6 - Another month, another Pindrop gig! While we dot i’s and cross t’s, finding the best songwriters the city has to offer, please wait patiently. Expect details very soon, you won’t want to miss it…
29-30
___Broadside Hack’s Salute To May Day @ EartH and St Giles Church £22/25 - Two all-dayers that summarise the vision of Broadside Hack’s ambitious folk label, with their favourite acts each toeing the line of experimentation in different ways. Day 1 has Bridget Christie, Shovel Dance Collective, Milkweed, and Spitzer Space Telescope, while Day 2 holds Daisy Rickman, Goblin Band, and more! tickets
___Rich(ard) Dawson @ The Clapham Grand £35.02 - With his album End of the Middle coming out early this year, Northumberland’s finest time travels from his earlier work regarding Middle Ages folklore to the tangible tribulations of contemporary Middle England. Although the lyrical content has changed pace, with Dawson trading pastoral fantasy for soft-boiled eggs and trips to Lidl, his ballads are still as explorative and heart-warming as ever. tickets
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by MR
Perhaps London’s best music venue to have also hosted a speech against the House of Lords, Limehouse Town Hall is appropriately packed to herald the return of slowcore favourites deathcrash. In spite of the venue not typically accommodating music, the unique acoustics and heritage status of the building lend the whole gig a patina that couldn’t otherwise be found at a typical DIY venue. Indeed, it’s a shame that there aren’t more gigs put on at the town hall seeing how smoothly they were able to run the event. The band themselves take extra time to thank the organisers for setting everything up, and it’s clear from the appreciative nods in the audience that the venue has truly added something to the gig.
After a rousing opening set from Ninush, deathcrash take the stage to an eager audience. They open with the unreleased track ‘Baroque’ before moving into more well-charted territory. The hits are of course played, and they’re played to perfection: a particularly rousing rendition of ‘Wrestle With Jimmy’ animates a crowd which would otherwise be content to stare gloomily at their shoes. ‘Duffy’s’ is another highlight, the band gliding through the song with a practised tightness that still allows for the emotion of the song to seep in through the instrumental. The interaction with the audience is kept fairly minimal, instead, deathcrash let the music do the talking.
As they play through their set, it becomes more and more apparent that slowcore is the sort of genre that needs to be seen in person to be truly experienced. While deathcrash’s recorded material sounds excellent in insular moments that call for headphone listening, there is something gained from listening in a live setting. There’s the obvious: that swaying along with a crowd feels more powerful or more convincing than swaying alone. Then, of course, there’s the way that live acoustics reverberate in the body, adding a physical compulsion to the music itself, urging you to sway along to the rhythm as it ebbs and flows. deathcrash are masters at this, controlling the rhythm and pacing of their music with almost surgical precision, yet effortlessly teasing out an emotional core for the audience.
The set ends on ‘American Metal’, a song which is so perfect as a closer it’s almost confusing as to why it isn’t the final track on Return. Potentially bleak or corny lyrics – “And if you die by suicide, my blue heaven” resonate due to the sheer strength of the crushing tracks. The song begins with contemplative restrain, playing with silence like it is its own instrument until the track suddenly blossoms into a brilliant, blinding crescendo. It’s the ultimate song to end a gig, the feeling of bass and drums reverberating in the room until everything feels so cinematic that the moment might shatter with the slightest pressure. Only it doesn’t, the music fades out and the audience is left with a post-gig comedown which can only be assuaged by purchasing the Secret EP of previously unreleased material.
by MLT
The Brighton experimental-folk outfit are back in London just in time for the March Equinox! Nestled deep within the West End, keen folks pile into the teeny Blue Basement of Jack White’s label store Third Man Records. The New Eves shimmy single file through the crowd onto the equally intimate stage, the band awkwardly exchanging giggles as they attempt to assemble starting positions without hitting each other with their instruments. They begin, harmonising chants as the warm strings of a cello drone beneath; you don’t know what to expect until drums come in with chugging momentum. Yelps and squeals escape their mouths, as the tempo increases, urging you to jitter about (if there was space). Smoothly leaping into their next song ‘Circles’, the drummer assumes the lead, singing “the first sunrise, primordial chaos.” Each band member takes turns to sing over steadily picked strings, as the crash cymbal rings louder and louder, you can sense this tune is going to explode. “I’ll break you if you touch me!” they shout over one another, creating a chaotic echo chamber which breaks down in methodical violin and cello playing which radiates dissonant anger, as each instrument tapers off.
With three songs officially released, The New Eves don’t make themselves accessible; the handful of records are entrancing, but their live rawness and prowess are other-worldly. They are a group of bardic chantresses, bringing a ritualistic approach to punk music, akin to The Raincoats. They begin ‘Mother’, released back in 2023 on Slow Dance’s annual compilation; and their voices inflect and slide as they sing “My mother built my body and my bones are made of stone. She still lives here with me, and I save her as I grow”. A flute softly hums as the guitarist tickles and scratches ghostly qualities from the fretboard. The song grows in intensity, losing the soft melodies of flute and violin and becoming pure harmonies and thumping drums to the audience’s delight.
Before heading into the next song, we’re informed that this is an exclusive performance, incorporating dance, and the violin player assumes what space they can on the tiny stage, circling and swaying. This new track has that riot grrrl grit to it: “I’d do it again, Boy Scout, scout boy… Boy Scout.. scout boy…” the dancer grittily shouts over the tribal thuds of the drum with the power of a pagan Patti Smith. The New Eves continue to surprise as they don a choir of harmonicas. Have you ever seen a bass harmonica? That thing is huge! Creating at first an aching song of reminiscence, the cellist begins to flurry, propelling the rest of the band into a doom folk soundscape which shakes the room. Their talent for writing engaging songs really shines through at the end: although we know what to expect, our bodies can’t help but submit to the increasingly turbulent screaming and eruption of instruments.
GKA
___Blackout by YHWH Nailgun (2025, US)
___Hunted by a Freak by Mogwai (2003, SCOTLAND)
___Marge by jawharp (2025, UK)
MLT
___Fire Eye’d Boy by Broken Social Scene (2005, Canada)
___This Is Real by feeble little horse (2025, US)
___Bluemmons by Buddy Emmons (1963, US)
MR
___Sundown by deathcrash (2022, UK)
___Olympik by EOB (2020, UK)
___In The Flowers by Animal Collective (2008, US)
SE
___Bang Yer Head by Portraits of Past (1996, US)
___Prostitute by Richard Dawson (2017, UK)
___Total euphoria by caroline (2025, UK)