A one-line review of every gig I’ve been to in February 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.

I went to – and played at – the Manchester Folk Horror Festival VII, and reviewed that separately. I saw Chelsea Hare, Sister Monica, Futures We Lost, Ella Kay,
The Manifestation Group and
Wooden Tape. There was also a bit of m-orchestra along the way.

[Futures We Lost performing at Manchester Folk Horror Festival VII]

Pencil, Downstairs at the Dome, Tufnell Park, 6 Feb – Pleasing enough jangly acoustic-ish songs punctuated by occasional frenzied violin work.

[Pencil at Downstairs at the Dome, Tufnell Park]

Our Girl, Downstairs at the Dome, Tufnell Park, 6 Feb – I spent ages ummming and ahhhing about tickets for this because I quite like them but the gig was at Village Underground which as a venue displeases me greatly, but then it got moved to Downstairs at the Dome, so I snapped up a ticket in a heartbeat. They have some achingly gorgeous songs though it was much harder-edged sounding in person than on record.

[One of Our Girl at Downstairs at the Dome, Tufnell Park]

Les Big Byrd and then The Brian Jonestown Massacre, O2 Academy, Brixton, 16 Feb – I don’t really know much about either of these bands but Spotify has repeatedly added The Brian Jonestown Massacre into my listening which I have always enjoyed, and then been intimidated when I discover they’ve made about 1,057 albums, and so I’ve never investigated further because I didn’t know where to start. Both bands were very enjoyable slabs of garage-psych-rock, although not loud enough because I could still hear one zillion people around me constantly talking through the gig.

[The Brian Jonestown Massacre merchandise – it is certainly a strong look]

Incidentally this is the first time I’ve been back to Brixton Academy since the deaths in the crush at the Asake gig in 2022. Prior to that happening there were definitely a couple of times I had been there – most notably at the The in 2018 – when I felt it was dangerously overcrowded, and I assume now that was because backhanders were happening on the door.

The new security arrangements definitely add an extra ten minutes into getting into the venue, and are, to be frank, probably over-the-top and very expensive for anything that isn’t sold out, but I am glad that terrible event has been addressed in a way that keeps Brixton Academy open. I’ve seen some amazing things there over the years and it would have been a shame to lose it as a venue.

Mimiko (I think), Windmill, Brixton, 18 Feb – I really liked this, sounded like it could have been on the 4AD label in 1982, one of them had an Mark E Smith checked jumper™, there was a little loudhailer, there was a surprise trumpet, and best of all they told a couple of yammering loudmouths in the audience to shut the fuck up.

[Mimiko (I think) at Windmill, Brixton]

IMISSMYMOM, Windmill, Brixton, 18 Feb – Very heavy with a Pixies/Fugazi sort of vibe, but I was slightly distracted by trying to listen to Leyton Orient stick it to Wrexham on the radio at the same time like a dweeb.

Find all of my one-line gig reviews here.