London Zine of Music, Arts and Miscellaneous Happenings. Monthly updates & seasonal physicals.
/ˈpɪnˌdrɒp/
1) adjective describing the silence produced when a performance leaves the audience speechless (ie: one could hear a pin drop)
2) verb to indicate the location of a particular happening
01
___BUFFEE @ George Tavern £6 - Our favourite hyper-pop experimentalist is back in the capitol! With her killer release ‘EP2’ to round off 2024, she’s been selected to round off the George’s Independent Venue Week. BUFFEE’s wild electronics only bolster her enthralling songwriting, making you dance and cry along to glitched-out vocals and bombastic drums. tickets
___Blue Bendy @ MOTH Club £15 - Recommended back in October for their Lexington headliner, the London art-rocking 6-piece one-up themselves by taking on Hackney’s MOTH Club. Their debut 2024 album had serious pizzazz with songs striking and catchy, demonstrating unbound maximalist creativity and they’re already working on a new one! If you can put up with the meme-lord lyrics, this may be your new favourite band. tickets
05
___Skydaddy @ Omeara £14.3 - The whimsical chamber folk artist Rachid Fakhre and his virtuosic band visit London Bridge’s Omeara to close out the UK tour for his newest EP ‘Anchor Chains, Plane Motors & Train Whistles’. The new EP is full of narrative and musical joy, even on its most personal tune ‘Mushrooms’. With a band with such great chemistry and many of even his best songs still being unreleased, seeing Skydaddy live is a must. Support comes from The Best Believe, the new project of Geordie Greep’s live cellist Felix Stephens, a theatrical and folky band. tickets
___Mercury @ Moor Beer Vaults £10 OTD - For all the emos out there: Stoke-on-Trent alt-rock/hardcore natives Mercury and London’s noisiest Silica join forces for a UK tour, kicking it off at Moor Beer Vaults, with support from Dublin emo band Kissing on Camera and Brighton’s queercore trio Leibniz. It’ll be a guaranteed night of sweaty moshing. Mercury’s 2024 EP ‘This Place I’m Forgetting, Replaced with an Ending.’ has been praised and loved by hardcore fans across the country, whilst Silica’s brand new single ‘Oil in Vitriol’ ushers the band into an utterly chaotic chapter that you do not want to miss live. Tickets are ONLY available on the DOOR, so live it old school and bring a tenner with you!
06
___Diara Walcott-Ivanhoe Quintet @ Ninety One Living Room £6.72 - Many will recognise Diara Walcott-Ivanhoe as one of the driving forces in Geordie Greep’s current UK 'New Sound' band on keys, and it should be no surprise that he has a talented quintet of his own. They will be playing a toe-tapping night of compositions merging influences from jazz legends like Wayne Shorter and Robert Glasper in a distinct style that is only Walcott-Ivanhoe’s. tickets
07
___Trim @ Cafe Oto £13/16/18 - Grime, skramz and ambient techno all in one night at Oto? No complaints here! An undeniably surprising lineup set up by the folks at Atomiser, but its diversity doesn’t compromise on quality. Trim is a seminal MC who began his career in Wiley’s Roll Deep crew and dedicated his career to experimenting his sound and flows while Mitsbushi Suicide are a brilliant and elusive 3-piece screamo band from London whose 2023 s/t album conjured so many tender moments in its minimalism. Opening is Nova Varnrable, a Denmark-based artist, who welds industrial textures that burst into infective rhythms. tickets
07
___James Blackshaw @ Theatreship £13.75 - The Hastings-based fingerstyle guitarist wields a 12-string acoustic, weaving long-form pieces of beautiful and warming chords where weeping tremolo-picked melodies draw. With November seeing his first album in 9 years, Blackshaw brings his American-Primitivist playlist aboard the beautiful Canary Wharf boat. Set up by the brilliant Broadside Hacks as a part of a residency at the Theatreship this is not a gig to be overlooked! tickets
10
___Pindrop Presents: Laughter @ Windmill Brixton £6 - After selling out Bingo Fury’s last-ever show, Pindrop is back with a banger. Headlining is Laughter, bringing heavy riffs, ring-mod fuckery and grooves that are sure to make you bop your heads. The cherry on top? Their vocalist belting over the madness. Support comes from thistle., a Northampton three-piece who bring fast-paced, hard-hitting guitars with melancholic vocals underpinning their sound. Shoplifting will be bringing their flare with signature tape machine and jungle-influenced shoegaze. Expect crazy tunings, odd time signatures and bit-crushed madness. Last but not least, we have kiss gem.burn’s abrasive walls of sound, and weird contraptions. They create a blend of noise and shoegaze you have yet to see be done so well. tickets
11
___Kaidi Akinnibi @ Windmill Brixton £8 - Saxophonist, guitarist, and vocalist Kaidi Akinnibi returns to the Windmill, ready to enthral the crowd with his unique blend of spaced-out jazz-inspired indie songwriting, propelled into the stratosphere with his use of guitar pedals on saxophone. A long-time collaborator with black midi, Kokoroko, and Ezra Collective, his CV and recent single ‘For All We’ve Done’ promise great things. The not-so-secret support act is from N.O. (oreglo.), a great jazz-fusion group who have an affinity for running tuba through pedals! tickets
14-15
___Los Campesinos! @ Troxy £10.05 - Cardiff’s very own emo legends are hitting up the Troxy for a 2-night stand this Valentine's. Bringing you the classics and deep cuts, expect tracks from every nook and cranny of their extensive discography (with a different setlist each night). Best part? They’re bringing string AND horn players up with them. For those lonely bunch (or people with cool partners), this is an absolute no BRAINER. tickets
14
___The Itch: Romanticizing The Aux @ Shacklewell Arms FREE [DJ] - Featuring electroclash, blog-house, and the dubious Spotify-invented genre of “escape room” is a testament to the power of the humble aux. For those wishing for an electroclash-infused date night, or perhaps those merely wishing to fuck the pain away, this curated club night at the Shacklewell Arms won’t disappoint. rsvp
15
___Numero Group present Eccentric Soul @ The Social £6 [DJ] - Dance to the deep cuts! Rob Sevier of the legendary archivist label Numero Group blows the dust off some golden oldies, powered by The Social’s mighty sound system. Get Shazam ready, as he’ll be spinning all the great songs you’ve never heard, from Northern Soul stompers to exotica lounge, to jazz-funk. Leave with a new personality (and a pair of dancing shoes)! tickets
16
___A Woman Becomes A Wolf When She Learns How To Scream @ George Tavern £8.5 [MISCELLANEOUS] - AWBAWWSLHTS returns to the George Tavern in its fifth iteration of the intimate and community-driven experimental music, poetry, intuitive performance, and discussion showcase. Proudly featuring over 15 incredible individuals showcasing their works, including musical performances by Scarlette Woolfe, Ruby Dew, and Steph Ritzema, you won’t want to miss this cathartic evening. With donations being made to the Refuge Charity who provide specialist services to survivors of domestic abuse, and a new issue of their zine available to purchase at the venue, please come support the cause and the voices of underrepresented artists who are yet to be heard. tickets
19
___Oval's '94diskont.' 30th Anniversary Show @ Cafe Oto £10/16/18 - Manipulating the original soundscapes from floppy disks of the classic glitch album, Markus Popp aka Oval reimagines the masterpiece that is 94diskont for one night only. The album’s dialectic style, with warm caressing textures cut and pasted into microrhythms and beautifully warped melodies, creates pieces that can go anywhere, yet always find the most satisfying cadence even in its moments of atonality. Lose yourself in the magic. tickets
___Peter Perrett @ Islington Assembly Hall £32.39 - Undeterred by unceasing comparisons to Lou Reed in more habits than just his singing, the frontman of the late 70’s psychedelia-tinged power pop band The Only Ones has been consistently writing witty americana art-rock since his return to the limelight in 2017. Ageing like fine wine, it’s still shocking to hear someone old enough to be your grandad proclaim “Just like everybody else I’m in love with Kim Kardashian / She’s taken over from J.Lo as my number one / Even though I know / She’s just a bum.” tickets
20 Why are all these great gigs on the same day??
___Decius (Live) @ fabric £20.16 - After a brief pitstop at Berghain, the techno mutant freakhouse train has rolled back into Farringdon. Composed of various members of the Fat Whites, Warmduscher/Paranoid London and Trashmouth Records, Decius integrates raw, creative techno with the nasal squeals of the eternally skimpy Lias Saoudi. tickets
___TGE presents: Route 500 @ Old Blue Last FREE - The music of Derek Inver’s Route 500 goes down like hot cocoa: the perfect remedy for a cold February evening. He wields a potentially Grammy-winning voice and writes smart, envelope-pushing indie-folk grounded in his love for The Microphones and Red House Painters. Glistening guitar textures and head-turning chord changes take his music to another level. Put on by The Great Escape, with support from Brighton’s magnificent Van Zon, this will be quite the gig. Do not be surprised if there is a line around the block – get there early. rsvp
___Life Is Beautiful + May Kershaw @ Cafe Oto £9/13/15 tickets
___Clarissa Connelly @ ICA £23.44 - Sold out! tickets
___The Hellp @ Corsica Studios £18.42 - All nights sold out! tickets
___Martha Skye Murphy @ Servant Jazz Quarters £17.04 - Sold out! tickets
___The New Eves @ The Blue Basement £7 - Sold out! tickets
21
___Bug Teeth @ The Victoria £7.14 - Equipped with green bug hats, the kraut pop 5-piece sow spaced-out psychedelia, propelled by a high-momentum section rhythm akin to some early 2000s liquid DnB. With a voice not dissimilar to Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays, founder and frontwoman PJ sings beautifully sweet between the dense chords. Sparkling with synths and pitch-shifting guitars, the group has honed their sound to be comfortable and engaging at any pace and length. tickets
___Conus sp. Bent presents To Within An Inch @ George Tavern £7 - Making heart-warming indie-songwriting that finds curious and creative ways to utilise the guitar, Alex Goodall celebrates the release of his second album under the Conus sp. Bent guise. Find catchy vocal melodies underpinned by eclectic, unexpected backing. tickets
25
___Courtney Pine @ Jazz Cafe £30.25 - Saxophonist Courtney Pine is unarguably one of the most important musicians in the British jazz scene, and in the 80’s he became one of the first black British jazz artists to make a serious mark on the jazz scene when his first album charted. He holds an OBE and a CBE for his services to jazz music, and he will be playing the legendary Jazz Cafe with other talented players including alternative jazz-pop artist Stevie Toddler on bass. tickets
27
___Mary In The Junkyard @ fabric £22 - Undoubtedly one of the great bands to erupt from the London grassroots scene as of late. Their stunning debut EP won our hearts, with ‘Ghost’ being Pindrop’s No1 song of 2024. The band’s unbound creativity seeps into every aspect of their art, from their magical music to the singer Clari’s various sculptures that adorn their stages and exciting self-directed music videos. tickets
For even more crucial dates that couldn't fit on the list...
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by SE
Seated by the bar of the Stepney cinema, the audience glows with the glamour of sequined corsets and androgynous makeup. They flash eager smiles, knowing what is to come: a showing of perhaps the seminal camp classic film. Although billed as a “pyjama night”, where the uninitiated “virgins” of the crowd can be indoctrinated into the long-standing Rocky Horror cult traditions in the comfort of their bedwear, many have not been able to restrain themselves from dressing fabulously. Being the 1st night of 2025, the showing is both a great NYE hangover cure and the 50th Anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s film release. The organiser, Token Homo, and his co-host, the drag king Loose Willis, talk Rocky Horror history: the original theatre musical, the endless midnight film showings, the community, and their queer relationships with the film. As the film’s first number, ‘Science Fiction / Double Feature’, begins and a pair of infamous red lips appears on the screen, it is clear that RHPS has become more than just a production, not only in the hearts of its enraptured audience but in their commandeering particip…ation.
The protagonist couple Brad Majors (Asshole!) and fiancé Janet Weiss, two American straight-in-every-sense-of-the-word suburbanites, find themselves caught with a flat tyre on the way to see their old professor. Braving the rain, they try to call for help from the creepy mansion back up the road – but they’ve arrived on a rather special night. With the audience handed a bag of props, they join Janet with newspapers over their heads, shielding themselves from the friendly fire of the back-row’s water pistols. Between lines of dialogue, flinging light-hearted filth at the various characters, the audience enacts a canonised script of callbacks that can be traced back to 1976 when the film was first light-heartedly heckled.
As the mansion's manservant Riff Raff and his sister/lover Magenta welcome the conservative couple, the first glam-rock chords of the ‘Time Warp’ explode and the crowd leaps up. Although told to keep singing levels at 95%, just in case screams of excitement interrupt any screams of horror coming from Nosferatu, no one can hold themselves back. With Tim Curry’s iconic entrance as Dr Frank-N-Furter (a Tranvestite alien from Transexual Transylvania) descending the elevator shaft, Loose Willis conjures squeals from the audience in the character’s distinctive pearls, corset, and fishnets. The bar staff act as the show’s shadow cast: Rocky, the reanimated boytoy, skimpily dressed, flexing, and baby-oiled; and Eddie, running around with a toy axe firmly lodged into his head. The informality helps people feel comfortable, easing the audience into the tradition. As Janet and Brad quickly fall prey to the twin-sins of promiscuity and bisexuality, the audience’s singing increases in conviction, members get up and interact with the scenes, and callbacks of “Asshole!” steadily grow louder with each mention of Brad’s name.
Everyone is making mistakes and no one cares. Smiling, Token Homo scolds the audience for putting their party hats on too early and giggles erupt like the childhood glee of stirring one’s parent’s play-annoyance. Giddy and rosy-cheeked (not from the blush), half the fun is finding your confidence in this gaggle of like-minded weirdos. A reprise of the Time Warp is even wilder than the first time around! As the showing ends, Token Homo and Loose Willis embrace with teary eyes over what a moment this is. Everyone remembers popping their RHPS cherry; for some, it’s a formative moment in their queer lives. Sharing these memories with an unapologetic crowd is worth all the £3 tickets in the world. Even 50 years on from its original screening, the Rocky Horror Picture Show has not ceased to conjure up community in any place it can, even off the Mile End Road.
by MR
In May of last year, some of the more unpleasant parts of Twitter decided to whip itself into a furore over the decision of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra to name soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan their next Chief Conductor. A clip of Hannigan performing György Ligeti’s 1977 “anti-anti opera” Le Grand Macabre went semi-viral, with the usual reactionary types upholding the sanctity of tradition by decrying the eclectic tonality of the piece and Hannigan’s performance in particular. This tactic felt reminiscent of the way pop stans swap out-of-context clips of Björk screaming on “Pluto” as a way of labelling that sort of music too weird to be palatable. The problem with this tactic is that it never works, and only adds intrigue to the music being shared. The chromaticism of the piece is challenging to both watch and perform. Still, a challenge which feels intriguing, which insists upon itself, the sort of challenge experimental electronic music tends to embrace.
The version of “Lessons in Love and Violence” being performed tonight is a condensed iteration of a longer opera about Edward II, which premiered in 2018. Accompanying Hannigan is the London Symphony Orchestra, which is as always a tightly run operation with Sir Simon Rattle at the helm as conductor. The first three movements happen in short succession, the music beginning slowly before culminating in an aggressive swell. Then, everything slows. Hannigan stands from the chair she’s seated in, slowly floating through the orchestra before she reaches the front. She stands next to the conductor and stares out into the audience as if she’s sizing it up. She sings Isabel’s aria with a fearless sort of precision, conveying the subject matter of a queen receiving the grievances of three witnesses with perfect emotional intensity.
Hannigan has been labelled the “queen” of unconventional vocal repertoire in the classical world, and it’s obvious as to why: her voice has an otherworldly sort of precision, it’s crisp and clear and impossibly high. Her grasp of her character is obvious: Hannigan appears to be subsumed into the music, as if her character is singing the words as soon as they spring to her mind. The performance is almost dual in this way, for it is not just the music being played, but a character being portrayed and she does it with such vivid ease it’s difficult to not feel overcome over by it. At the premiere of “Lessons in Love and Violence,” the Guardian sniffed that “it often seems to be the orchestral music that is really in charge of the drama… the terrible story becomes the excuse for some striking music.” Fortunately, this is a music publication, and we can assert that the orchestral music truly is striking, especially when interwoven with Hannigan’s generational vocal talent.
by MR
Olga Tokarczuk, the 2018 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, is seemingly having a pop culture moment. From being featured in Dua Lipa’s book club to pap shots of Oscar Isaac perusing one of her books on a beach, her 2009 novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead has hit the public consciousness in new ways since its release. Now, Tokarczuk even has the privilege of a band taking their name from her novel, with Drive Your Plow becoming established Windmill regulars in the past year. Their music isn’t stuffy or overly intellectual, though, rather melodic and pleasing to the ears, the sort of sound you could easily imagine yourself getting lost within. Sure, there are the south London tropes we’re all familiar with: seven people on the stage, someone playing the triangle, folk-influenced violin. And yet, Drive Your Plow take these tropes and develop them, presenting them as something new and recontextualised within their own melody-focused framework rather than as a series of reheated cliches.
Serious alarm bells are ringing as a white guy with an acoustic guitar makes his way onto the stage, appearing to reinvent the 2012 Brooklyn stomp clamp thing. Fortunately, this fear is almost instantly dispelled, with the first track leaning much more into an affable progressive folk combination than into dreaded Mumford and Sons territory. Indeed, while some influences are fairly clear, the band never feels too indebted to them: their songwriting is consistently interesting and mellifluous with three talented vocalists at the front of the mix. Even when the triangle, admittedly a bit of a meme instrument, is brought out, it is used in a way that skillfully contributes to the rhythm of the song and adds a sense of playfulness to an already incredibly gripping set.
The audience themselves are clearly invested too, swaying from side to side and engaging with the music. Drive Your Plow don’t really produce music which begs to be moshed to, but instead, they so expertly control the pacing of their set that there is still an indisputable vibrancy. Fast danceable songs are alternated with more sentimental ones; at one point, they introduce a slower number, which usually guarantees you’re about to be stuck with a snoozer for five minutes. Yet, the resulting song is filled with such a fascinating vocal harmony featuring every member of that band that it is impossible to feel bored. The set thunders on to a climax, the last song a roaringly energetic payoff to an already delightful night. Much like Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow are experts in constructing an engaging piece of art.
GKA
___Brick King by Sunglasz Vendor (2025, UK)
___sex/pol by MPTL Microplastics (2025, UK)
___My Way by Frank Sinatra (1969, US)
MLT
___I Never Want to See You Again by Quasi (1998, US)
___2468 by Horsegirl (2025, US)
___There Ain’t Shit on T.V. Tonight by Minutemen (1984, US)
MR
___Mr. Robinson’s Quango by Blur (1995, UK)
___And It Rained All Night by Thom Yorke (2006, UK)
___Besties by Black Country, New Road (2025, UK)
SE
___Flash Delirium by MGMT (2010, US)
___Pass Between Houses by Kiran Leonard (2024, UK)
___With God On Our Side by Bob Dylan (1964, US)
Pindrop is GKA, MLT, MR, & SE
Contact us at @pindropzine (instagram) and pindropzine@gmail.com (email)