A one-line review of every gig I’ve been to in April 2025

This monthly series is probably as much for my benefit as yours. I go to a lot of gigs and it is nice to have a way to remember them all. Maybe your interest will be piqued by one of the reviews. Maybe you’ll scroll straight past. Maybe you’ll unsubscribe thinking what did I see in this blog in the first place? You can find all of my one-line gig reviews here.

Moist Crevice, Windmill, Brixton, 3 Apr – A great noisy gothic start to the month with the unusual band line-up of drums, heavily distorted five-string bass, someone fucking around with pedals, and someone screaming an unholy racket on top of it. Great band, terrible ick of a name.

[Moist Crevice at Windmill, Brixton]

Oliver Marson, Windmill, Brixton, 3 Apr – Only saw a little bit of this, sort of grubby indie power-pop.

The DSM IV, Windmill, Brixton, 3 Apr – Unfortunately they couldn’t play this show in the end, and I can’t make the rearranged date.

Drab, Waiting Room, Stoke Newington, 7 Apr – Just because of the name I wanted them to sound like my beloved Slab! of yesteryear, but they were a decent enough punky effort, with a great lengthy last song called Double which had shades of Killing Joke circa-1989/1992.

[Drab at Waiting Room, Stoke Newington]

Micromoon, Waiting Room, Stoke Newington, 7 Apr – After an unexpected bassoon last month, this month’s surprise appears to be “drummer as lead vocalist”. Or co-lead vocalist at least, his gravelly half-spoken delivery mostly doubled-up at a higher register. Is prog trip-hop a genre? It is now.

[Micromoon at Waiting Room, Stoke Newington]

Stay In Nothing, Waiting Room, Stoke Newington, 7 Apr – You wait ages for a band with a drummer lead vocalist, and then two come along right after each other, although again the lead vocal duties were shared with someone else. I really like this lot, sort of 90s aesthetic grunge-y with a smidgeon of shoegaze thrown in.

[Stay In Nothing at Waiting Room, Stoke Newington]

Eight pounds! Three decent new bands on a Monday night in Stoke Newington! GO TO GIGS AND SUPPORT SMALL VENUES!

PLUS I discovered there is a gaming-themed cocktail bar called Loading Bar just a few doors down from the venue there …

Expiry, Scala, London, 10 Apr – See, this is why having this blog as an outboard brain is useful. As soon as they started I recognised them but couldn’t place them, and then a quick search later I know that I saw them supporting Modern Women in a gig that got rearranged cos England were doing so well at Euro2024. They are a dash of Psychedelic Furs, a pinch of early R.E.M., and last time I saw them my verdict was it was “the kind of jangly indie songwriting John Peel might have chucked a session at in 1986” and I stand by it.

[Expiry at Scala, London]

Dog Race, Scala, London, 10 Apr – This is also the second time I’ve seen Dog Race, and I just think they are exceptionally exciting and with this gig cemented their place as one of the first names I would mention any time somebody asks me “So, given you are 1,057 years old, do you listen to any new bands these days?”. I love them.

[Dog Race at Scala, London]

Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Scala, London, 10 Apr – The crowd were absolutely hyped for this but I basically went to see Dog Race and knew I had to skidaddle for childcare reasons without even getting a glimpse of the main band. Booooooooo!

Joshua Zero, Shacklewell Arms, Dalston, 14 Apr – They had a bassist wearing tights over his face who struck showroom dummy poses when he wasn’t playing, plus a bit of an early Led Zep/Queen undertow and swagger to them.

[Joshua Zero at Shacklewell Arms, Dalston]

The Anchoress and Manic Street Preachers, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, 18 Apr and then The Anchoress and Manic Street Preachers, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, 19 Apr – Yes, I went both nights. “This is just the three of us, but really it is always the four of us”.

[Manic Street Preachers at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London]

[James Dean Bradfield and the Anchoress doing a brilliant duet of This Sullen Welsh Heart at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London]

Jeff Wayne’s musical version of the War of the Worlds, O2 Arena, London, 20 Apr ULLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

Xiu Xiu, The Steel Yard, London, 22 Apr – I can only describe this as batshit. Everyone seemed to be playing drums/percussion, like having an entire band where everyone is Alannah Currie, with lots of shouting. Also the fans appear to do little high-pitched cat meows in between the songs. Enjoyable, but batshit.

The Wolfgang Press, The Steel Yard, London, 22 Apr – Who would have ever imagined you’d get to see the Wolfgang Press live ever again? Not me. I don’t think I’d seen them since they were promoting Bird Wood Cage in the late 80s. This was their first London show since 1995. They mostly were just playing their somewhat melody-free recent comeback album, which was fine enough, but sadly after all these years I left a little underwhelmed.

Dancehall, Shacklewell Arms, Dalston, 24 Apr – “That’s one way to kill a gig” the singer said after they halted the first song because the drummer had just broken the bass drum belonging to Pit Pony. Ouch. Once they regathered I really enjoyed this – taut three-piece indie power pop.

[Dancehall at Shacklewell Arms, Dalston]

Pit Pony, Shacklewell Arms, Dalston, 24 Apr – I’ve been wanting to see this lot for ages and they did not disappoint. It was packed, but the stuff is so good I’m still slightly surprised they aren’t a bigger deal.

[I was so off to the side of the stage I could have helped with operating Pit Pony’s pedals]

I REPEAT: GO TO GIGS AND SUPPORT SMALL VENUES!

The Anchoress, Earth, Hackney, 26 Apr – This has been rescheduled for later in the year to avoid clashing with her support slots with the Manics, which is quite lucky for me as I bought a ticket for this despite being almost certain that I wouldn’t actually be able to make it on the night.

[This was my first visit to Omeara which was a really nice venue]

Tomás Nochteff, Omeara, Southwark, 28 Apr – You know you have been having a good night when the support act has finished and been so good you already feel like you’ve got your money’s worth from the night. Dark, doomy and bass guitar driven post-punk, he sounded like the sort of thing I was trying unsuccessfully to pull off in the early 1990s.

[Tomás Nochteff at Omeara, Southwark]

Anika, Omeara, Southwark, 28 Apr – This was just blisteringly brilliant from start to finish. She basically just played the new Abyss album from start to finish, and clearly has a picture of Dorian Gray somewhere because there is no way she looks old enough for her debut album to have been 15 years ago.

[Anika at Omeara, Southwark]

L C Franke, Moth Club, Hackney, 29 Apr – Soft jazzy self-effacing croon-y stuff with excellent double bass.

[L C Franke at Moth Club, Hackney]

Mark Eitzel, Moth Club, Hackney, 29 Apr – Another blast from the past, although it isn’t quite as long since I’ve had a Mark Eitzel ordeal as it was since I’d seen the Wolfgang Press. I think the last time was in 2017? Though that is still approaching a decade. A set full of more of his beautiful songs about things in his life he hates, as he put it.

[Mark Eitzel at Moth Club, Hackney]

Find all of my one-line gig reviews here.