WATCH: Bess Atwell - 'How Do You Leave' (Live)

Busy busy times... working in retail over Christmas doesn't leave much time (or energy) for writing posts, but I wanted to share something that I've been loving lately. I caught Bess Atwell live in Cambridge a couple of weeks ago and it was genuinely so stunning. She's just shared a live video of How Do You Leave (taken from the album Already, Always) with guitarist Chris Matthewson. I'm a little bit in love. Enjoy...

On the video, Bess shares: "I could lie and say that it was an intentional decision to showcase this song stripped back, but the reality is we were in lockdown and couldn't rehearse with a band. Turns out, I think I'm more proud of this duo version that I would have been if we'd performed with a band. It's empowering to be able to play band-produced songs in their original form, the form in which I wrote them. Lyrically, the song is really quite dark, and I think this is actually emphasised more in an intimate performance." 

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WATCH: Chartreuse - 'Deep Fat' (Live)

Ah, Chartreuse are pure magic, right? A little gutted I forgot about their show at The Lexington last night... looks like it was all sorts of wonderful and Orlando Weeks even jumped on stage for a song! The sadness is short lived however, as I was at my first solo gig adventure since last March, watching Bess Atwell in Cambridge with Eve Owen and Gabby Martin supporting. Hey, talk about magic... genuinely stunned by each of their performances and the entirety of Bess' latest record is circling my head non-stop today. No complaints. 

Anyway - Chartreuse! I've been loving their recent Is It Autumn Already? EP and the latest single Deep Fat. They've just shared a beautiful live performance of the track, filmed at Vada Recording Studios by Sam of Avocado Baby Film. Magic all round. If you like what you're hearing, there are a couple of shows left on this tour, at Birmingham's Hare & Hounds on Friday (3rd) and Manchester's Gullivers on Saturday (4th). Go on my behalf, please?! They're also heading out on tour with Palace in February and March so no excuses for any of us, really... 

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WATCH: The Vaccines - 'Paranormal Romance' (Live at Abbey Road)

Did I mention I bloody love The Vaccines? On the release of their new record Back In Love City recently I was instantly and utterly smitten. Several listens later and I wasn't sure that I could love the record more, but then discovered (through the Tim's Twitter Listening Party they did for the record) that one of my favourite humans, the one and only Rae Morris, sings on the track Paranormal Romance. A new favourite? Maybe. (Don't tell Wanderlust though... that song!!!!) 

It's a month since the record came out, and I'm still very much in love... and somewhat obsessed with the live performance the band shared a few days ago. Back in July, they took to Abbey Road to record a special version of Paranormal Romance for Amazon Music. Sadly no Rae, but I can forgive that because there is SO much to love here, and I've lost count of the amount of times I've watched it over the past few days. Justin's performance (that charisma, damn)! The orchestra!! The DRAMA!!! Good god. Favourite live performance video of the year?  It just might be.

Here's hoping they found time to record some more tracks with the orchestra that day...

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WATCH: Low Island - 'Search Box' (live from Oxford)

Remember gigs? I've been living near constantly in instagram live gigs for the past couple of weeks, but I'm currently having my mind blown by footage from an... *actual* gig. Back in Autumn, the ever-magnificent/mind-blowing/bewilderingly talented Low Island chaps headed out on a UK tour to celebrate the release of their brilliant new Shut out the Sun EP. For one reason or another, I didn't make it along to the tour, so I am super excited to hear that they recorded some live videos at the  hometown Oxford show, at my beloved old local venue The Bullingdon. They recently shared footage of In Person, and today share Search Box - there's a longer video with all of the EP coming soon... I've had a sneak peak and it's pretty glorious.

When Search Box was first released (alongside a music video and their own online search bot) I wrote in a post that "they are absolutely killing it [...] the lyrics are set alongside some glorious instrumentation that I can imagine going down an absolute treat at a Low Island gig." From the video (below) I can see that I was absolutely right.

It's somehow been over two years since I last saw the band live and while I was most certainly blown away at the time, these live videos are on a different, face-melting kind of level. They've certainly been finding their feet when it comes to the live show. Every aspect of the performance, from Carlos' impressive and commanding showmanship and the crazy musical talent on show right down to the stage set-up/lighting ties together to make something pretty perfect. A note on the stage design - it was a production designed for the tour, supported by the Arts Council, with the stage design aiming to reflect the themes of online loneliness and isolation that the EP itself explores.

If you need me, you'll find me watching this in a dark room and pretending that I'm at a gig.

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WATCH: Rhys Lewis - 'What If' (Live at RAK)

I've got a midweek treat to share today - a gorgeous new session video from Rhys Lewis. After releasing his In Between Minds EP and a couple of singles this year he's been busy playing shows around the UK and further afield in recent months. He found a moment to head to London's famous RAK Studios to record a live session of his recent single What If - with strings and a trio of backing singers to support, elevating the track to something even more special than the recorded version. I'm loving this!

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WATCH: Maggie Rogers - 'The Knife' (live on Austin City Limits)

Since the release of her debut album Heard It In A Past Life back in February, I've spent this year full of adoration for Maggie Rogers. I've managed not to regularly spam the blog with posts about how brilliant she is, instead choosing to bother friends and families with videos of her performances... I'm still not entirely over that Glastonbury slot. I guess that it is about time that I share a live video from her recent performance on Austin City Limits - the track, The Knife, is one of my favourite off of the album. Arriving just a couple of weeks after I lost my job earlier in the year, the album came to mean a lot to me and remains my favourite release of the year. It's in her performances that Maggie truly comes alive, and the pure joy she exudes is contagious - I hope I can come to love something as much as Maggie loves performing with her gorgeous band. Enjoy watching!

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WATCH: Christof van der Ven - 'Bravais Arc' (Live at RAK)

Even more glorious Christof van der Ven content coming your way today... I adore this guy, his music holds a really special place in my heart and the session videos that he recorded earlier in the year at RAK Studios are all proving to be a treat. With a band comprising of fellow Bear's Den live members, Matthew & The Atlas members and other talented friends, we've seen performances of 4AM and Lucky, and this time around new album opener Bravais Arc is in the spotlight and is sublime! Get watching...

If you like what you're hearing Christof is currently on tour to promote the new album You Were The Place - UK folk can catch him at Brighton's The Hope & Ruin on October 7th and London's The Lexington on the 8th.

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WATCH: Friendly Fires - 'Offline' and 'Heaven Let Me In' (VEVO)

If you follow me or the blog on any of my various social media accounts you'll have very likely seen my constant stream of Friendly Fires appreciation at the moment. It seems to have been effected because a couple of days ago, I got an email from the band's press with an early preview of two gorgeous new live videos that the band have filmed with VEVO.

The videos see the band performing Offline (above) and Heaven Let Me In, tracks which are both taken from their new record Inflorescent, which was released on Friday. Having already heard half of the record through a very tasty run of single releases, I had fairly high hopes for this record. The band (who I love dearly) have surpassed expectations. Inflorescent is everything I wanted it to be, but somehow so much more. Once I've listened some (lots) more and wrapped my head around each of the tracks individually I will try my best to get a write-up shared because I'm genuinely adoring the album and want to talk about it to anybody who will listen. For now - here are two gorgeous live videos, which showcase the talent and infectious energy that the band bring to each performance.

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WATCH: Seramic - 'Keep On Breaking My Heart' (live)

When you settle down to watch a live Seramic video you can be assured you're in for a treat, and this brand new session performance of recent single Keep On Breaking My Heart is far from an exception to that rule. It's sublime. Armed with only an electric guitar and singing in the beautiful surroundings of the Norwegian Church and Seaman's Mission in London, frontman Marcus' vocals are completely spellbinding, blending with backing vocals from Layla Ley and Gold to create something really magical. If you like what you're hearing, acquaint yourself with some older Seramic tunes over on Soundcloud (Trying is a big personal favourite!)

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WATCH: Franc Moody - 'Dopamine (Live)'

Franc Moody are one of my favourite live discoveries of the year. They supported at, coincidentally, one of my favourite gigs of the year, when Friendly Fires returned to the live stage with a show at O2 Academy Brixton back in April. As Friendly Fires have been a huge favourite of mine for years I had very high expectations for the show, and really loved their support set and was particularly impressed with just how well they fit alongside Friendly Fires. Support act choosing done very well. I've since been enjoying their Dance Moves EP a lot, and they've just shared a live video for the track Dopamine, which features one of the funkiest bass lines I've heard all year. Check out the video below, and if you want to catch them live, they're headlining London's Heaven on 17th April, tickets here.

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WATCH: Cosmo Sheldrake - 'Hocking' (Live)

Watching this latest video offering from Cosmo Sheldrake I've settled upon my new favourite word to describe the feeling of listening to his music... invigorating.

He recently released a slightly reworked version of the tune Hocking, taken from his debut album The Much Much How How & I (which is pretty marvellous, if you were wondering) and shared a live video of the track from his headline show at Village Underground earlier this year. I missed the show (because I was busy catching Friendly Fires down in Brixton, a reasonable excuse...) and find myself pretty envious of those who were there to catch the performance firsthand. The clip shows Cosmo layering vocals and audio samples before introducing some drummers and brass players into the mix. Recorded from the stage, it's easy to see just how much energy and passion Cosmo pours into the performance, particularly in a rather endearing moment three minutes in where he restarts the brass players twice in order to get the track just right.

If you like what you're seeing and hearing (of which I've no doubt!) then you can catch Cosmo live across the UK later this month, with a show at London's EartH Hackney as well as dates in Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Brighton. He's also just been announced for the Irregular Folks Christmas show at St Barnabas Church in Oxford alongside Sephine Llo, a beautiful venue for some beautiful live music! Find more info about the Oxford date here, and check out the other dates here.

Follow Cosmo Sheldrake - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: MarthaGunn perform 'Hell For Leather' in Vienna

One of my favourite discoveries of the past couple of years and a highlight of my time at The Great Escape back in May, MarthaGunn have shared a live video from their time playing a bunch of shows in Europe! From a support slot with AnnenMayKantereit in Vienna, here they are performing Hell For Leather... if you like what you're hearing be sure to check out Honey, Let Me Know, another total corker, and the cover of Earth, Wind and Fire's September they performed with AnnenMayKantereit earlier in the year - it's got over 700k views!

The band being back in the UK hopefully means that they'll be back in the studio making more of their beautiful music for us, and if you're based down South you can catch them live in Brighton supporting Flyte at Patterns (dream line-up) on 16th September!

WATCH: Seramic perform 'Found' at Radio 1's Big Weekend

Festival season is upon us and for me that means planning which sets to stream from the likes of Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds - last weekend was Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull and I was gutted to miss the stream of the Seramic set on Sunday but they have thankfully uploaded a video of them performing the absolute tune Found. Check it below!

If you're at a festival this summer and would like to catch Seramic (who wouldn't?!) - you can catch them at Barn On The Farm, Secret Garden Party and Latitude Festival! 

ALBUM NEWS: Little Mammoths - 'Cargo For The Road'

At the start of the month the lovely Little Mammoths chaps played a vinyl release show at Rough Trade West for their record Phantom Dreams. I was gutted to miss out on the show as I was busy at another great gig in Oxford!  The album has been around online for quite a few months now and it feels like since the release the guys have been posting photos of recording for it's follow up, and I've just received some info about that in my inbox! First, get a taster of the band with this video of one of my favourite tracks of theirs, Get Me Back To Austin, performed at Rough Trade!

Their second record Cargo For The Road is set to be released on 23rd June, backed by an extensive tour around Europe and a bunch of UK festivals, including Glastonbury. Living up to the mammoth name, the band are playing a warm-up for Glastonbury at Michael Eavis' favourite pub the Pilton Working Men's Club on April 29th, playing for (get ready for it....) 8 hours!! The set will involve their entire repertoire of LM tracks as well as covers by all sorts of artists, and having seen them play a 3 hour set I can say that the people of Somerset are in for a treat, AND the proceeds for the gig are going towards WaterAid.

As always, keep up to date with new music and shows through the band's website!

WATCH: Little Mammoths play 'She Came In From The Storm' for Sofar Sounds

I had a great time at last night's 50th Sofar Sounds Oxford show in a primary school a little walk out of the city centre... I'll write up a post about that soon but for now, here's a wonderful new video from just over a year ago when I managed to help get Little Mammoths onto the line-up to play a stripped back set in town before their headline show I'd organised for the next week.

After shipping out copies of their debut album Phantom Dreams recently (buy on vinyl or listen on Soundcloud), they've already got to work on album two, which this track is going to be on. Enjoy!

WATCH: Tom Lowman - 'Mine is a Selfish Dream'

Debuting yesterday, here's a new live video from Tom Lowman, a singer-songwriter from Winchester. As the name of the track suggests, Mine is a Selfish Dream is about "trying to have everything all at once, and the inevitable failures that result from such an approach", which sounds pretty relatable, and it's taken from Tom's upcoming Live & Lost EP out this Good Friday. The video shows off the strength of Tom's voice, and I'm pretty fond of session type videos performed on electric guitars! Tom is yet another artist I have Sofar Sounds Oxford to thank for introducing me to, as he played one of the first Sofar Oxford gigs I went to around two years ago. Probably the loveliest venue of all the shows I've been to, in Worcester College Chapel.

If you're in the Winchester area, Tom plays a hometown show with Harry Pane on May 4th (tickets and info.)

WATCH: Jack Savoretti 'Only You' on The Graham Norton Show

It may be a new year but I haven't quite changed the record and I'll be rambling on about how brilliant Jack Savoretti is for a while yet. Why not see for yourself (if you didn't catch it when it aired a couple of weeks ago) and watch his performance from the Graham Norton Show just before Christmas. He was on the show earlier in the year and performed a relatively new track at the time, Catapult, and the performance did just that and was certainly one of the factors which helped to propel him into another level of fame, leading to more touring, a re-release of the record and lots more adoring fans. It's pretty exciting that they asked him back, and the video below sees him performing Only You from the recent record Sleep No More with his incredible band!

If you like what you hear, here's another recently released video of Jack and his band playing the track at their Eventim Apollo show back in November. The more I think about it, the more I'm pretty certain the show was my favourite of the year (quite a claim..) and the video gives you just a flavour of what it was like to be part of Jack's biggest headline show yet! They kicked off the encore with this song, with the lights coming up and Jack appearing at the back of the stage on the piano - a lovely surprise! 

If you'd like to see Jack live, he and his band are touring the UK again in March, tickets and all the info here.

WATCH: King Charles - 'Ivory Road'

Nothing like a new video of King Charles performing my favourite track of his to cheer me up when I'm feeling a little under the weather and fairly unproductive when it comes to university work! He's just finished up a huge American tour, couldn't be prouder and can't wait til he next plays in London! This video is from a Chicago show Charles played last month, but dig a little deeper on Youtube and you'll find this video of him playing the track to me in a field at Cambridge Folk Festival a few years ago... classic!

LISTEN: Fil Bo Riva - 'Killer Queen'

Just over a month ago I posted about Like I Did, the debut single from half-Italian, half-Irish Fil Bo Riva, whose voice struck me as pretty impressive and whose Italian roots caught me reminiscing on Jack Savoretti's music. He's just released Killer Queen, the second track from his upcoming debut EP If You're Right, It's Alright, set for release in a couple of weeks time. I'm loving this live performance of the track and hope that you enjoy his gravelly voice as much as I do!

If you enjoy the music, spread the word and be sure to keep an eye out for the EP, which you can pre-order on iTunes here.

WATCH: Tempesst - 'Broke Down Blues' live video

Tempesst, who played at the Doctors Without Borders charity show with King Charles back in July, are one of my favourite new bands this year, and I love their track Broke Down Blues. Digging this new video of them performing the track on a roof somewhere in London!

If you like what you hear and fancy catching them live, they headline London's Moth Club for Communion on 29th September, tickets here! (If you've a music taste anything like mine, you'll know that Communion back the best artists, so that's a pretty good accolade!)