LIVE: Citadel Festival 2019

On Sunday I had the absolute pleasure of joining thousands of music fans in (very) West London's Gunnersbury Park for this year's Citadel Festival. My third one-day metropolitan festival of the year, it was a gorgeous day of live music, surprisingly decent weather and brilliant company. I was there to review and found it particularly amusing when the guy on the press box office asked "what publication are you with?" to which I bemusedly gave the name of my tiny blog as confidently as if it were the NME itself.

A reduced train service combined with a fault on the line held me up and meant that we missed the start of MarthaGunn's set but thankfully caught the majority of it, heading in the direction of recent single Saint Cecilia once we'd made it through security. Playing on the stage closest to the festival entrance, they opened up proceedings beautifully for those just arriving, showcasing brand new tracks and old favourites to the crowd at the Communion Presents stage. Closing the set, early single Heaven was a highlight, and I'm quickly realising that lead singer Abi is my hero.

As if all of my 2017 Communion dreams had come true, next up on the stage were Banfi. I caught some of their set at Bushstock recently, but couldn't see much from the back of the venue so it was great to see them again - my tenth time seeing them live and always a treat! Newly appointed manager/bassist Scott Miller (of Dry The River fame) fits into the band perfectly. They too delivered a set combining old favourites She Comes Home, Never Really Cared and Happy When You Go seamlessly with brand new tracks from the debut album they're working on. (Can't wait!!)

Next, with a gap in our schedule we had a break from the music, and explored more of the festival site. Near the main stage we found an area hosting a range of comedy, science and circus performances. We were drawn in by some dance, and were shortly being a little bit mesmerised by some diablo skills in the Roundhouse Presents area.

After a while of watching and repeatedly exclaiming "how? HOW?!" at the mind-boggling talent on show, we headed back towards the Communion tent, walking via the main stage and catching some of The Coronas on the way. After enjoying their new track So Caught Up recently I was really looking forward to checking out what Melbourne's The Teskey Brothers had to offer. Despite their early afternoon slot, they filled out the tent and played blues rock to a hugely enthusiastic crowd, hanging off their every word and over the moon at the addition of a harmonica to the mix. As their bio says, "onstage, singer Josh Teskey's smoke whiskey voice defies expectation, flooring audiences." Their new album Run Home Slow is out August 2nd!

We stuck around at the Communion stage afterwards - as I said in my preview of the festival, the quality of their booking means I could've happily stayed there all day. Next up was Matthew And The Atlas - my fourth time seeing the band, but the first out of the surroundings of a church venue (twice at Bushstock Festival and once at a special Bear's Den Christmas show.) Vocalist Matt Hegarty and his incredibly talented band ran through a set featuring two of my favourite tunes, On A Midnight Street and Pyres, before treating us to a peaceful rendition of Elijah. Watch out for a post on his brand new video later this week!

Cue a dash for food and a rush to the main stage, where we managed to catch the end of the DMA's set. Hailing from Sydney, I'd never listened to them before and quite enjoyed what we saw - it was pretty clear that they were well loved. In parts it felt like the vocals of Blossoms tied with the guitar lines I love from The Vaccines - a solid combination indeed. We managed to make our way through the crowd and get much closer to the front for the set I'd been most excited for, the opportunity to see one of my absolute favourite bands live again.

Friendly Fires delivered a hell of a performance, with frontman Ed Macfarlane showing us his signature (and frankly marvellous) dance moves from the first notes of opener Lovesick right through to closing track Kiss Of Life. I'm not really one for much dancing at gigs but it's impossible not to find your hips swaying along to these guys. In a completely joyous set (complete with a LOT of singing along on my part) the band ran through tracks from their self-titled debut album, the utterly sublime second album Pala and singles from upcoming album Inflorescent, due for release 16th August. It's been a long wait and from the tracks we've heard so far, I think it'll have been worth every second.

Feeling completely elated from their set, we quickly headed back to the Communion stage to catch the second half of Jade Bird's set. She was a last minute addition to the line-up, replacing Matt Corby due to illness, and what a welcome addition. I've been wanting to see her live for a while and really enjoyed the set, full of tracks from her recent self-titled debut - the only sad thing is that I think I missed her playing my favourite track, Uh Huh. I guess I'll just have to go and see her play again!

In a miraculous turn of events, we managed to get back to the front row in time for the stage's (reasonably early, at just after 7pm) headline set from one of my favourite bands, Bear's Den. It was my fourth time seeing them on the So that you might hear me run of shows and it was an absolutely triumphant return to the hometown stage after months of touring the album across Europe and the US. In a typical 21st century move, a guy on the front row was streaming the cricket live on his phone, holding it up for those around him to watch before the band started, and an amusing moment in the set arrived when the crowd cheered and clapped for a while after the second or third track. The band looked chuffed and I joined in, thinking it was sweet that the crowd loved them so much, before realising that it was because we'd just won the cricket.

In an hour long set (my only complaint is that this passed far too quickly) showcasing favourites from all three albums, the crowd proved themselves to be very much in love with the group, singing at the top of their lungs and clapping along at every opportunity, and occasionally resorting to cries of "we love the Den!!!" between tracks. It was my 11th (I think) time seeing the band but felt just as exciting as the first, with the opening banjo notes of final track Agape still instilling a lot of joy. After a Highlands & Islands tour of Scotland next month they're touring the UK later in the year, and have just announced a show at London's Eventim Apollo for 20th February - full dates here.

After catching up with some friends we headed back through the festival site to the main stage to watch some of the headline set from Catfish and the Bottlemen. For some reason I've never really taken a proper listen to the band, and mostly know them from what I've heard on the radio, but as we walked across the park, I could hear their first album hit Kathleen and couldn't help but speed up to get closer ("I know this one!"). With the morning's train woes in the back of my mind, we didn't stay for the whole set so that we could beat the crowds back to the tube, but from what I did see they proved themselves more than worthy of the top spot on the billing.

All in all I totally loved my first Citadel Festival and would certainly recommend it to people looking for a family friendly Summer festival that has things other than just music on offer. If the line-up next year is anything as strong as yesterday's (bear in mind that I missed Bastille and a host of other brilliant artists) then you'll be in for a treat.

PREVIEW: Citadel Festival 2019

Ridiculously excited to share that I'll be heading to this year's Citadel Festival next Sunday (July 14th) to watch some of my favourite bands and write about it for the blog. One of the coolest blog related perks to date. It's my first time at the festival, a single day event in Gunnersbury Park in West London which started back in 2015 with the particularly impressive co-headliners Bombay Bicycle Club and Ben Howard. The likes of Foals and Tame Impala have since headed line-ups full to the brim with a programme of live music, talks, workshops and even a spot of yoga. Fun and educational for all the family. With Catfish and the Bottlemen heading up a very strong line-up this year I am very much looking forward to it and keeping my fingers crossed for good weather on the day!

Testament to the quality of the line-up, I'm probably most excited about the artists playing (and headlining) one of the smaller stages this year, as Communion Music (that indie label that I ramble about quite a lot) are curating the secondary stage. MarthaGunn and Banfi kick off proceedings, before Cleopatrick, The Teskey Brothers, Matthew and The Atlas and recent Bushstock Festival headliner Matt Corby. The stage's headliners (and some of my favourite chaps in the world) are Bear's Den, returning to the UK for a huge hometown set after a pretty much non-stop run of touring across Europe and the US since the release of their album So that you might hear me back in April. The latest Communion Presents on Radio X show is worth a listen - Maz was joined by Davie from Bear's Den for a Citadel takeover with music from acts playing across the festival - listen here.

You could in all honestly stay at the Communion Music stage all day and go home feeling that you've got your money's worth.  Personally, I'll be tearing myself away from the barrier there and heading to the main stage to catch another of my absolute favourite bands, Friendly Fires. I've been a big fan of the band for years and finally got to see them live last April at their comeback O2 Brixton show - lead singer Ed's dancing was as infectious as I'd expected and if you're heading to the festival these really should not be missed. With their last album released back in 2011, they'll be playing tracks from upcoming record Inflorescent, due for release in August.

They'll be followed up by Bastille - a brilliant live act who's stage set up at Glastonbury (currently catching up on the iPlayer) was on another level. The festival happens to coincide with lead singer Dan Smith's birthday (Bastille Day) so it's bound to be a bit of a riot! Welsh indie-rockers Catfish and the Bottlemen bring proceedings on the main stage to a close, with tracks from their recent album The Balance which reached number two in the album charts back in May. I've not seen them live before so I'm intrigued to catch their set as I know a lot of people who have a lot of love for the band and their shows!

The likes of DMA's, Tinariwen, Dream Wife, Fontaines DC and Talos complete the music line-up across a few stages, while a range of workshops, talks, quizzes and other events take place during the day - Peppa Pig is even making an appearance. Not to mention a bunch of London's best street food outlets to choose from.

Between Friendly Fires, Bear's Den and more I'm excited to see some of my favourite artists and to hopefully discover some new bands next weekend. Tickets for the festival are available here and you can download the official Citadel app to check out timings and other info on the day.

LISTEN: Banfi - 'The furniture song'

New Banfi! I've missed these guys - somehow it's been over a year since I last caught them playing a show, and I can't wait for the next time as they've since released tons of brilliant new music. The latest is new single The furniture song, produced by the legendary Eliot James (of Pêtr Aleksänder fame) and part of an upcoming EP which is due for release next month.

Writing of the track, the band ask "Have you ever been to a party and felt like the sofa is your best friend? Ever been caught staring at a lamp whist others chat about how interesting their breakfast was? Have you ever felt like dancing but were too embarassed to whack out that sweet worm you've been working on? [....] Well if any of these are true, then this song is for you!"

Follow Banfi - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Banfi - 'If Not For You' (acoustic)

Looking for some live acoustic kitchen session goodness on your Thursday morning? A very specific request, but you're in luck... Banfi have shared this session of their latest single If Not For You and it's all kinds of lovely. Complete with a melodica, tight harmonies and even a cat, its worth a watch! They're out on tour in Europe at the moment, with a run of UK shows coming up this month, including London's Moth Club on 18th November. Check out the full dates and grab tickets on their website here!

Follow Banfi - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Banfi - 'If Not For You'

It's been almost exactly a year since I last saw one of my favourite bands, Banfi, playing a storming sold-out headline show in London. Since the show, they've gone from strength to strength - they've released their The Jack Powell EP and played shows to adoring crowds up and down the country and across Europe. They've just released brand new single If Not For You, which was recorded over summer and was produced and mixed by Eliot James, one half of the classical duo Pêtr Aleksänder. It's a slightly more pop-oriented track than their previous releases, showcasing a band who are trialling new sounds and becoming more and more comfortable in themselves. As always, lead vocalist Joe Banfi's distinct vocals shine through the song beautifully, and from the opening lines "If not for you / Lying wouldn't feel so bad / And dying wouldn't seem so sad" we're instantly drawn in to the world of the song.

Banfi play a single launch show at The Windmill in Brixton on Monday 17th September (it's free!) before heading off on tour - check out the full dates on their website here.

Follow Banfi - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

TOUR NEWS: Banfi (November 2018)

Having seen them play live eight times over the past couple of years, I can pretty confidently say that Banfi are one of my favourite bands to grace the stage lately. I (shockingly) haven't seen them since their UK tour last September - but fear not, following a DIY tour around Europe this Summer, they've announced a tour in Europe and England later this year! They'll be taking in one of their biggest hometown headline shows so far at London's Moth Club, as well as playing shows in Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol and Southampton along the way. Check out this beautiful session of their track June below...

Full England dates: The Chapel, Leeds (11th Nov); The Castle, Manchester (12th); Bodega, Nottingham (13th); Cuban Embassy, Birmingham (14th); Rough Trade, Bristol (15th); Moth Club, London (17th); Heartbreakers, Southampton (18th).

Follow Banfi - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Banfi - 'Future' live at RAK Studios

New Banfi content is always a treat - this time it comes in the shape of the first clip from a live session for Communion at RAK Studios. The track is Future, taken from the recent (and of course brilliant) The Jack Powell EP which I wholeheartedly recommend checking out if you haven't yet. You can listen to that here. The live session is below, and fairly wonderful, as I've come to expect from the Banfi chaps!

Follow Banfi online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Banfi - 'Never Really Cared'

It's probably no secret that I completely adore the Banfi chaps, and it feels wonderful to finally have a full EP worth of their music to explore! Next step, an album...? They released The Jack Powell EP recently, featuring their tunes Never Really Cared, Future and Leaving Me Behind alongside their cover of Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street. With every new release they're growing in confidence, taking risks and the music is getting better and better for it. This EP is a beautiful collection of tracks, combining some great songwriting with vocalist Joe's unique voice, and some pretty catchy guitar licks and drum beats.

It's been pretty clear to me for a while that Banfi can't really do any wrong when it comes to music videos but they've completely outdone themselves with their new offering for the tune Never Really Cared. The video, in extension of the track's lyrics, explores the notion of finding it hard to tell somebody something that they didn't want to hear and "explores the concept of doing other people's dirty work". While the subject matter is pretty intense and sad, the video itself is hilarious (tell me you don't crack up at 2 min 46...) If all that isn't enough to persuade you to give it a watch - there's also an adorable dog!

Follow Banfi online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Banfi - 'Mercy Street'

It's always lovely to hear bands and artists discuss the musicians who inspire them and whose work they admire, in a way peeling back a layer of their work to reveal some of its origin. You'd probably be hard pressed to find an interview with Banfi where they don't talk about their love of Peter Gabriel (of Genesis fame). In fact they love him so much that the second track from their upcoming EP is a cover of his tune Mercy Street, taken from his record So. Listen to the track below and keep an eye out for the EP, which is due for release on 16th March!

Banfi head out on tour next week - taking in some shows around Europe before playing Edinburgh (19th March), Manchester (20th), Bristol (21st) and London's Oslo (22nd). Tickets for all the shows are available here.

Follow Banfi online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Banfi - 'Never Really Cared'

I'm so glad that my favourite chaps Banfi are back! Ahead of touring the UK and Europe in March they've just released their first piece of new music for 2018. A live favourite of mine, Never Really Cared is atmospheric, building from a slow start to some powerful (and frankly heartbreaking) vocals from frontman Joe. The track is taken from their upcoming The Jack Powell EP, due for release on the 16th March - this will be the band's first EP, a big cause for celebration if you ask me! Listen below, and if you're enjoying the track, check out this superb live session performed for Sofar Sounds Nottingham in March 2017 - I love it!

Catch Banfi on tour in March - after a few Europe dates they're heading to Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol before finishing up at London's Oslo Hackney on 23rd March. Support on the UK dates comes from Mummy (check them out here) and you can grab your tickets here.

Follow Banfi online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Tracks of the year playlist!

What a year for new music! With new albums from big favourites of mine Everything Everything and Public Service Broadcasting, debuts from Flyte and Willie J Healey and a bunch of other brilliant EPs and singles in between, there's been a lot to enjoy across the year. I've whittled down my favourite releases to my top thirty tracks of the year, which you can listen to here or on the embedded player, and check out a few words on each track below!

BE GOOD - It's Cool but It Ain't You

My favourite tune from the Oxford band that have quickly become one of my favourite discoveries of the year!

Everything Everything - Run The Numbers

It was difficult to pick just one track from the record A Fever Dream which the band released over Summer and which I'm almost certain is my favourite record of the year...

Banfi - Rosedale House

Again, whittling down the Banfi repertoire to just one tune when I've fallen in love with every track they've released so far was tricky but this is a favourite of mine.

Flyte - Faithless

In the run up to the release of the band's debut album The Loved Ones back in August I stumbled across this stunning Sofar Sounds session of the opening track Faithless and was taken aback by the songwriting and beautiful harmonies.

Ady Suleiman - I Remember

I love Ady's unique vocals and the beautifully nostalgic lyrics of this track - he's recently announced that his debut album is due in March and I can't wait to hear it!

Evergreen - Aux Echos

With a subtle name change under their belt, Evergreen followed up their superb 2014 record Towards with a new EP of tunes a month or so ago - Aux Echos is the lead single and I'm totally loving it! 

Johnny Flynn - Barleycorn

The follow-up to 2013's Country Mile, new record Sillion is pretty brilliant and this tune quickly became one of my favourites of Johnny and his band The Sussex Wit!

Low Island - (Pause)

Unless you've avoided all of my blog posts and playlist updates for the year, it'll be pretty obvious to you that I'm quite fond of Low Island and believe that you all should be too. This is my favourite tune from their In This Room EP, released earlier this year.

Lewis Capaldi - Bruises

A beautifully raw track with an intensely powerful and emotive vocal, since the release of this stunning debut single back in March it seems that Lewis has been on an incredibly steep trajectory, selling out runs of UK shows in hours!

Brasstronaut - Raveshadow

I think that a lot of us owe Stornoway a great debt for getting these guys across from Vancouver to support them on their farewell tour earlier in the year - I instantly fell in love with their self-titled album which was released earlier in the year, particularly this tune!

Public Service Broadcasting - Progress
I distinctly remember my first listen of this tune while writing a section of my dissertation in my university kitchen, followed by replaying it several times for the rest of the day. It's taken from their recent record Every Valley which is one of my favourites of the year.

Sivu - Lonesome
Another exciting return this year from Sivu, following up his beautiful debut Something On High with Sweet Sweet Silent - well worth a listen!

Parcels - Overnight
I couldn't shake this song from my head once I'd make it our 'track of the week' over on the Tigmus blog back in June - it's produced by Daft Punk and is a total tune!

Seramic - Trying
Marcus Foster and co released the follow up to last year's Found EP in the shape of the I Got You EP this year - it's full of cracking tunes and I adore the closing track, which they performed in one of my favourite live sets of the year at Bushstock Festival (watch that here.)

Fleet Foxes - I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar
The band's show at O2 Brixton in November was nothing short of magical - this is the opening tune to their massively acclaimed new record Crack-Up.

Dan Croll - Tokyo
Following up the brilliant record Sweet Disarray, Dan Croll returned this Summer with Emerging Adulthood. I was torn between adding this track or Bad Boy to the playlist as I'm almost equally fond of them both, but remember completely loving this tune when I caught him at a Communion showcase earlier in the year.

Charlie Cunningham - Minimum

Another discovery I've made as a Stornoway support act (back in 2015) I was blown away by Charlie's skills with the guitar. Minimum is taken from his debut album which was released earlier in the year!

Get Inuit - Barbiturates
The first track to be added to my yearly playlist - love this fun Vevo Dscvr session from the Kent based band.

Willie J Healey - People and Their Dogs
Willie's show at Oxford's Modern Art gallery comes in as one of my favourites of the year as it marked the end of my three years at university, having handed in my final assignment earlier that day. Celebrations after the gig included hanging around with the band and Robin and Cat of Catgod at a pizza truck. Rock and roll.

Nick Mulvey - Mountain To Move
What a joy to have Nick Mulvey back in our lives and our headphones - his headline set at Bushstock Festival was a total joy to behold and one of my favourite crowds to be a part of this year!

Tempesst - Feel Better
Taken from their recent Adult Wonderland EP I love this smooth and summery tune from Tempesst - still gutted that I missed their recent headline shows!

Pale Seas - My Own Mind
Favourite tune from Stargazing for Beginners, the debut album from this Southampton four-piece!

FIL BO RIVA - Head Sonata (Love Control)

I was chuffed to catch Fil at The Great Escape back in May and can't wait for his debut album, set for a release early next year to coincide with a UK and Europe tour in April and May.

Catgod - I'm Innocent
From their Someone Love EP - I can't wait to be reunited with my Oxford pals Catgod at their London gig this week!

Park Hotel - Going West
I don't always find the time to check out tracks that are submitted to the blog for sharing/reviewing but was really glad I listened to this one which quickly became one of my favourite tunes of the year!

Lucy Rose - No Good At All
Taken from her record Something's Changing, for which Lucy Rose released an eye opening mini-documentary of the same name about her music, her fans and playing around the world to fans she's met online.

Dazy Crown - Peanut Butter Dreaming
A band I had the pleasure of working with on some shows back in 2016 for Tigmus, I love this tune from their I Don't Need a Jacket EP.

Cosmo Sheldrake - Come Along
Cosmo played what was probably my favourite support set of the year opening up for Johnny Flynn at the Roundhouse. His effortless control of the room and his introduction to various unique samples completely drew me in.

Charlie Fink - I Was Born to Be a Cowboy
After meeting the rest of the Noah & The Whale members several times over the last couple of years, I finally met Charlie this year as he released his solo record and performed it as a unique live music stage production at the Old Vic in London. 

Arcade Fire - Creature Comfort
I almost want to admit featuring this tune simply because the title makes me think of the hilarious Creature Comforts animated TV show - but it's also a cracking tune from the band's new record Everything Now.

WATCH: Banfi - 'Caroline'

I didn't quite need the Spotify end of year playlist to tell me that I've listened to an awful lot of Banfi over the year - so much so that six of their songs made it into my top hundred for the year. They released the 'Christmas tinged' tune Caroline a couple of weeks back and have shared a beautiful video featuring found footage from a documentary filmed in Blackpool. Speaking about the video the band's artistic director (and all round legend) Jake Dypka writes that "we had the idea of finding forgotten footage and bringing it back to life. We found this old documentary of a summers day down at Blackpool. It seemed to fit perfectly with underlying themes of family, love and time." Have a watch of the video below, check out all the other brilliant Banfi tunes on Spotify here and if you like what you're hearing, catch them live on their Europe tour in March, including a London show at Oslo Hackney on 22nd March (tickets.)

Follow Banfi online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LIVE: Banfi at The Lexington (12/9/17)

I've been a little bit in love with Banfi since catching them live for the first time back in November at their residency of free gigs at Old Blue Last and upon meeting the guys for the first time supporting Bear's Den in Oxford back in March. In the relatively short amount of time that has passed since those shows, things have been going incredibly well for the band - as well as touring the UK and Europe with Bear's Den and no doubt gaining countless fans in the process, they've been busy recording, releasing some cracking new music and playing many brilliant festivals. One of the first of those was Communion's Bushstock at the start of Summer, the last time I caught them live before this week, when I caught the London date of their first headline tour.

Banfi at The Lexington

Opening up the night was Bryde, with Joe explaining that the band had seen her performing at a festival this Summer and asked her along to support on the tour, and she said yes! With a drummer and bassist in tow she delivered an impressive set, commandeering the crowd into near silence from the first notes! Spiralling between loud, punchy tracks and slower, sadder numbers, the set flowed by quickly - a sign of a brilliant support act (with the other end of the spectrum being never-ending tracks when you're waiting for the headliner!) Check out a live video of the tune Less below, which I've added to the CMAT playlist this week - check that out on Spotify here!

Once Bryde finished up it wasn't long before Banfi took to the stage, by which point the room was totally packed out. Selling out a show is always a huge achievement and never to be snuffed at, and on stage it was clear how surprised the band were that so many had decided to spend their evening listening to their beautiful tunes! With the crowd singing back the refrains of Happy When You Go and Rosedale House you could feel the happiness radiating from the guys, writing of the show after that it was "absolutely MENTAL ... If you saw us at any point after you probably noticed us beaming from ear to ear. Big up yourselves for making that our greatest show to date!" A highlight for all has to be their latest single June, for which they shared the music video on Friday, once again directed by the über talented Jake Dypka, and which is a totally beautiful piece - get watching below!

If you're in Birmingham, Nottingham or Leeds you're in luck as the Banfi tour is still to take in your lovely cities - last few tickets for the shows here. I for one hugely recommend getting along to see them perform if you get the chance... not only do they give a fantastic live performance of their wonderful tunes, but they're lovely chaps too who will always be down for a chat at the merch stand! Now to carry on waiting for a full record of Banfi tunes... 

LISTEN: Banfi release 'She Comes Home'

Unless you're new to the blog (in which case hello!) then you'll probably be aware of how much I love London's Banfi... they've spent 2017 going from strength to strength, following up some fantastic singles with a run of free residency shows, a support tour with Bear's Den and lots of festival slots (including Bushstock where they played the best set I've seen them do so far!) A favourite from their live set for me is She Comes Home, so I'm really excited that they released the studio version of the track last week - get listening below! With four singles under their belts I hope that an album draws ever closer, but first they're heading on their first headline tour in September with shows at The Lexington in London, The Cellar in Oxford and lots of other cities - see the full dates and ticket info here!

GIG NEWS: Banfi at The Cellar, Oxford (8th Sep)

As I've finished uni I've left Oxford but as I've been blogging about gigs I've seen in the city for the last couple of years most people reading this are probably from the area - if so, you're in luck because one of my favourite bands have just announced an Oxford gig. Banfi have added a date to their first headline tour in September, they'll be playing at The Cellar on the 8th. They smashed their support slot at Oxford's O2 with Bear's Den back in March and I caught them at last weekend's Bushstock Festival where they played the best set I've seen them do yet. With an album in the works and some superb singles under their belts I seriously recommend getting along to this tour while they're playing in intimate venues - they've also just announced Bryde as support for the tour so it gets better and better! 

You can grab tickets for the Oxford show here or check out the full list of tour dates (including London's Lexington) here!

LIVE: Bushstock Festival 2017

At the weekend I caught my third Bushstock Festival, a day of superb music curated by the lovely folks at Communion Music in venues around Shepherd's Bush. Highlights of 2015 included seeing this year's headliners Nick Mulvey and The Staves play secret acoustic sets in a tiny wine bar, and last year's festival gave me the chance to see Bear's Den for the first time alongside the likes of Matthew & The Atlas, MarthaGunn, Dan Croll and Charlie Cunningham. A glance back at the past line-ups shows the likes of George Ezra, Bastille, Michael Kiwanuka and Hozier playing before they were well known, so as you'd imagine the atmosphere is great and the festival has a loyal following, there to try and discover the next big thing (and like I've said many times, a line-up curated by Communion is bound to be wonderful!) As with any festival there are clashes galore and the strength of the line-up doesn't help in this respect, however despite missing the likes of The Staves, Rhys Lewis, Isaac Gracie, The Big Moon, Spring King and loads more I had a great day, here's a little round-up of who I managed to catch!

Kicking off my day was Rukhsana Merrise, who I caught on a Communion New Faces tour a year or so ago and really enjoyed. Yesterday was her first live show for a while and a chance to debut tracks from her forthcoming record, and despite playing pretty early in the day she drew quite a crowd at the Courtyard stage. The venue was a trek from the others (I thought) but worth it once you got there with food, drink and a little pop-up record store surrounding the stage which was underneath a sea of rainbow umbrellas - luckily none of them needed as the sun came out and made the day even better! Check out the absolute tune Money below...

Rukhsana Merrise at the Courtyard stage

Next up I was headed towards Defector's Weld, where two friends I'd met up with were keen to see John Joseph Brill. He seems a lovely chap and I enjoyed his EP so was up for checking his set out when my phone buzzed with a twitter notification - Seramic were the second secret set of the day. Sad to miss JJB but I'm sure another chance to see him play will come up soon, so I headed to the wine bar, met up with another friend and waited... they ran behind schedule while they waited for a keyboard stand but it was completely worth the wait. I've seen Seramic play as a full band a few times over the past months and in this stripped back set-up for a couple of tracks at the Bear's Den Christmas show in December, so knew that I was in for a treat but even my high expectations were blown out of the water. I couldn't stop smiling, the tunes made me so happy and as I watched Marcus and Layla grin to one another it struck me how important it is to see that the band are enjoying playing for you to really take something from a set. Taking us through some tracks from their two EPs, they finished off the set with Trying, my favourite track from the recent I Got You EP, wowing the crowd with some seriously crazy notes. With two really strong EPs under their belts and some seriously impressive live performances I can't wait to see what Seramic do next!

Seramic secret set at the Albertine Wine Bar

We headed back to the Courtyard stage after they had finished to catch some of Ten Tonnes' set - I've heard good things about him but hadn't listened to his music before, all I really had to go on was that he's George Ezra's brother, which seems like a pretty good sign of musical quality. I was impressed by his voice and the crowd seemed to be having as much fun as he was up on stage. He released his second EP, Born To Lose, on Friday, and I'm digging the title track (listen below) which went down pretty well on Saturday afternoon - stream the whole EP on Spotify here!

Ten Tonnes at the Courtyard stage

After a quick stop off for some food came a tough decision between Isaac Gracie and Tender Central... I've been wanting to catch Isaac for a while and after missing his set at The Great Escape had assumed I'd definitely watch him at Bushstock, and was particularly keen as he was performing in the beautiful surroundings of St Stephen's Church, but I was also curious about Tender Central, and it meant less walking as I was sticking around for Banfi in the same venue afterwards. TC is the project of India Bourne, who plays in Ben Howard's band, and for the show she was joined on stage by Banfi's own Aaron and Joe, and while I heard great things about Isaac's set from friends that were there, I was glad I'd stuck around and really enjoyed the set! Check out the beautiful Wake Me Up below...

Tender Central at Traid

Next up and also playing in Traid, one of my absolute favourite bands of the moment, the lovely Banfi chaps. It was my seventh time seeing them and they're getting better every time, the busy touring schedule is working wonders for their live performance, with slots at Dot to Dot festival a couple of weeks ago and Citadel coming up in July, as well as heir first headline tour (dates) in September which I can't wait for! Having seen them lots in such as short space of time even the unreleased tracks feel incredibly familiar, so it'll be great to hear more of them recorded as studio versions (check this exciting tweet about album mastering!) and I'm chuffed to hear that they're releasing She Comes Home at the end of this month! Get listening to the tracks they've put out to date, including Rosedale House which is below and fall in love with them in time for the September tour!

Banfi at Traid

After some quick chats and hugs with the band it was a rush back to the Courtyard, where it was far easier than I'd expected to get in for Nick Mulvey's albeit quite early headline set. He's been away working on new music and with his beautiful baby boy for a while now and it was so great to have him back playing his first live performance for some time, with a stripped back version of his new live band. I was a little unsure as the crowd chattered away over the first chords of the first track, the recently released single Unconditional, but they soon fell under Nick's spell and spent fifty minutes totally entranced by his beautiful music, as did I! Sneaking only Fever To The Form and Meet Me There into the set from his first record we were treated to an array of entirely new tracks and it really felt like we were all part of something special, singing along to tracks as we heard them for the first time, and it feels amazing to have Nick back - and the joy at the crowd's response was so clear across his face too!

Nick Mulvey at the Courtyard stage

The second Nick had finished the crowd all rushed out of the venue, with most headed towards the church to try and get in for The Staves. I knew there would be no chance of getting in for their set so headed back towards Traid where I'd left my friend, whose favourite band Seafret were headlining, so of course I had to see what all the fuss was about. The venue is a charity clothes shop, raising money through donated clothes to target child and sweatshop labour in fashion, a really interesting and worthwhile concept, and as I stood at the back of the crowd a friend from Oxford tapped me from behind the clothes rails, isn't it lovely to bump into friends unexpectedly?! Stood quite far back it seemed as if the stage was a little dark but the sound was great in the venue and I definitely hope that they use it as a venue for the festival again next year. The singer Jack has great hair and a great voice and they were a really fun way to finish off my festival - I already can't wait for the next year of Bushstock!

Seafret at Traid

If you like the sound of Bushstock, be sure to sign up to the Communion mailing list for a weekly mailout about their upcoming releases and tracks. After ten years in the business they are continually killing it, working with some of my favourite artists on some really special concerts in London and further afield. Long live Communion!! 

LIVE: Communion on Tour at Omeara with Joseph J Jones, Banfi and Dan Croll (2/5/17)

Last week I was lucky to win tickets to the Communion on Tour show at the stunning venue Omeara in London, where three of Communion's most exciting acts showcased their talents, Joseph J Jones, Banfi and Dan Croll. After a day of wandering around London and visiting a cat cafe, a lovely break among my final deadlines, we headed to the venue - although I caught a symphony listening party in another part of the venue back in December it was my first proper gig at the venue, and I can't recommend getting along to something there if you're in the area! 

Up first was Joseph J Jones, who I caught back in March supporting Jack Savoretti. I enjoyed his set there, but because it was in the fairly huge Royal Festival Hall with people arriving and finding their seats throughout the set, and we were sat quite a few rows back, I don't feel that I'd really engaged with the set. His voice is however incredibly impressive and I was looking forward to catching him in a more intimate setting, and he certainly didn't disappoint. At the moment I'm really digging his latest release, the track Gospel Truth, and can't wait to hear what he puts out next. He's also touring the UK in June if you like what you hear!

Next up were my favourite band of the moment, Banfi. I've honestly fallen pretty hard for their music over the past few months and this was the sixth time seeing them and I couldn't help but think how they are getting better at every show - not something you can say about most bands! Of the unreleased tracks they're performing in their set at the minute, Future is probably my favourite (although I'm already doubting myself writing that) and there's a lovely video of them performing it for Sofar Sounds London below! Like Joseph, they are also off on their first headline tour soon, following a support tour with the Bear's Den chaps in the UK and Europe for the last couple of months. They're heading out in September, taking in The Lexington in London on 12th September (tickets).

Last up it was a total pleasure to catch Dan Croll again after seeing him play an acoustic set at Bushstock last year and headlining the Communion Christmas Club Night at the end of the year. His new record Emerging Adulthood (something that's becoming quite a fear as my time at uni draws to a close) is being released through Communion on 21st July featuring the brilliant tracks One Of Us, Away From Today and Swim. Rounding up this post nicely he is also off on a tour, a little sooner than the others, kicking off in Glasgow on Friday before taking in Leeds, Manchester, London, Birmingham, Bristol and a slot at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton which I'm hoping to catch!

If you liked what you read about and would like to catch a similar show I can wholeheartedly recommend Communion's festival Bushstock, a day of beautiful music and wonderful community spread across multiple venues in Shepherd's Bush. Check the line-up out here (Banfi are playing!) 

LIVE: Bear's Den, Seramic and Banfi at Eventim Apollo (5/4/17)

On Wednesday night Bear's Den played their biggest headline show yet to a 5000-strong crowd at London's Eventim Apollo with the incredible Seramic and Banfi, an absolutely incredible line-up. They're a band completely at the top of their game and I'm so glad I was able to make the show, in a quite miraculous turn of events... having booked a ticket for Hamlet at Almeida Theatre a couple of months ago I checked my booking confirmation in the early hours of the morning to discover it was for the matinee, not the evening performance as I had thought. I was lucky to find somebody giving away a ticket for the gig for free and after rushing through central London to meet her, made it on time to the play, which was totally wonderful. Bit of a cliché but Andrew Scott was born to be Hamlet!

Bear's Den performing unplugged at Hammersmith Apollo

Despite the play being four hours long and travelling through the city in rush hour, after queuing for a short while I managed to join my friends in the centre of the barrier. I'm a total advocate of going to gigs alone, but there's also something really special about enjoying an evening of live music with a group of people who you know through liking the band! First up, one of my favourite new (ish) bands Banfi took to the stage, having opened up for the whole Europe/UK tour. It was so great to get to see them again (particularly as I think I'll be missing their final residency show at The Old Blue Last - last free tickets here) and I'm already looking forward to hopefully catching them at a couple of festivals this Summer, and on their own tour in September (dates and tickets all here!) If they're new to you, check out June for Secret Sessions!

Banfi performing at Hammersmith Apollo

Next up were Seramic, part of the reason I was really keen to get along to the London show as they weren't supporting at the show in Oxford a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty difficult to listen to them  at any point and not want to break into dance, but particularly in the live setting as their energy is infectious, especially Marcus' moves! Performing tracks from the Found EP and the recent single Same Mistakes (on Soundcloud) they really got the party started and I can't wait to hear the new EP which should be out over the next month or so. 

Seramic performing at Hammersmith Apollo

Having already been treated to two wonderful performances we were in for even more of a treat as the Bear's Den lads walked out to the Terminator theme, no less... dramatic stuff, kicking off their set with a couple of tracks from last year's Red Earth & Pouring Rain. It was clear we were in for a beautiful evening and the band had the crowd singing in all the right places and giving endless rounds of applause between tracks. The set was a little different from Oxford - much to my delight they played Magdalene, my favourite track from their first record! After joking about dreaming of a world in which bands return to the stage to play some more songs, they did just that and treated us to an unplugged performance of Bad Blood (they didn't brave entering the crowd as in Oxford, though I don't blame them) and a happy birthday sing along to their drummer Jools before finishing up with the big hit, Agape, and the crowd responded with tons more applause.

They finish up their European tour with three shows this week in the Netherlands and Belgium before heading back to London for a Record Store Day show for Richer Unsigned on 22nd April (details here) - if the ticket gods fancy blessing me with a ticket for that show, that'd be great! 

LIVE: Bear's Den and Banfi at O2 Academy Oxford (23/3/17)

Thursday's gig at O2 Academy Oxford was my my fifth time seeing Bear's Den (and fourth seeing Banfi) and both totally exceeded my expectations! The show had been long sold out and once the Banfi lads were announced as support I knew it was going to be an incredible evening of live music, and a perfectly timed night out to celebrate handing in my dissertation the day before! I am however a little gutted that (unless I can find some cheap Southampton accommodation) I can't make another date on the tour, as Seramic join the guys from Wednesday to make it an even dreamier line-up for the rest of the tour!

Bear's Den

Kicking off the night with some appreciation to the Bear's Den guys for bringing them on tour and letting them play to these massive sold out crowds, Banfi took to the stage and absolutely smashed their set. Working their way through a bunch of new tracks I'd heard at a couple of their residency shows at The Old Blue Last they built up to their three singles, Where We Part, Happy When You Go and the latest, Rosedale House. It was lovely to meet the band properly after the show, they're a great bunch of guys and I really recommend you get along to their fourth and final residency gig on 26th April (free tickets here), and, as if that wasn't enough, they've just announced a UK tour for September - dates and tickets all on their website here. 

The night was already pretty great and the Bear's Den guys managed to take it to another level, giving us a beautiful set full of tracks from both records, the stunning 2014 release Islands and last year's Red Earth & Pouring Rain, starting off the set with its title track. Unplugging their instruments and standing at the foot of the stage, they performed Her Tears, an older track I hadn't actually heard before (terrible fan - but it's always nice to discover new music live too!) and later in the set they came into the crowd to perform Bad Blood which was a pretty beautiful way to bring the evening to a close before bringing the house down with Agape. If you're new to the guys, here's a recent live music video for their track Greenwood's Bethlehem.

There's still a couple of weeks left of the band's UK tour, taking in Sheffield tomorrow night and finishing up in Southampton and London in the first week of April - be quick as the shows are likely to sell out, check the band's site here for the remaining tickets.

WATCH: Banfi release the video for 'Rosedale House'

Following the first night back in November, I managed to catch Banfi again last month playing their second residency show for Communion at Old Blue Last. They're quickly becoming firm favourites of mine with every live performance and new release, I can't wait to get a full EP or album from them! They've just released a stunning new music video for recent track Rosedale House, produced/shot etc by Jake Dypka who also produced their brilliant Happy When You Go video - if you're a fan of cars, time lapse, or good music, then you'll probably love it.

There are some free tickets here for the third show of their Old Blue Last residency, a week today on 8th March - they're also heading out on tour with Bear's Den later in the month, remaining tickets for those shows here!