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SoundsXP Presents

Pictures from some recent gigs we've hosted:

29 March 2013 - Brixton, London

Viv Albertine, VuVuVultures, Left Leg, Mickey Gloss, Big Wave, No Cars, Arthur Gunn, Simon Love (Pictures)

8 March 2013 - Lexington, London

R.Ring, Golden Grrrls, Slushy Guts and Equinox (Pictures)

On Our iPod

Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold (album)

Antony Harding - Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear (album)

Black Angels - Indigo Meadow (album)

Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin (album)

Still Corners - Strange Pleasures (album)

Savages - Silence Yourself (album)

Mikal Cronin - MC II (album)

Can’s Ege Bamyasi played by Stephen Malkmus and Friends(album)

Victoria and Jacob - Festival 7"

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City (album)

Sauna Youth - False Jesii Part II 7”

Lightning Bolt - Oblivion Hunter

Robyn Hitchcock - There Goes The Ice (2x 12")

Latest Forum Posts

Gig Review

Nat Johnson and the Figureheads / Standard Fare
Memorial Hall, Sheffield

Article written by Matt H - Feb 17, 2012

Nat Johnson (photo by fotographica137)

For a launch gig this had an odd air of an ending about it. Not only do the songs on Nat Johnson’s new album suggest an exit from Sheffield – and even hint at dropping the whole music career thing - but Darren of Thee SPC has suggested that the album is likely to be the label’s last-ever release. That would make it something of a landmark, given the overwhelming quality of what has come out on it over the last decade or so.

Standard Fare snapped us out of that feeling for a while, even playing acoustic without guitarist and co-vocalist Danny. There’s always a bit of a quandary with the acoustic gig, especially with a band member missing. If it’s too good then what’s the point of the ‘real’ thing? As it turns out the cut down version of Standard Fare (Supersaver Return?) strike the balance nicely. The essential strength of the songs comes out, especially the old-heads-on-young-shoulders lyrics, but it’s clear that the chords on their own lack the fizz and energy of the plugged in three-piece. Plus Emma neatly proves that her voice can teeter sure-footedly on the tightrope-edge of tunefulness without the extra noise to cover up stumbles - which makes it even more impressive than it already was.

Figureheads (photo by fotographica137)

If Nat has decided to be off in any sense she’s done so with a flourish on her usual diffident stage presence. She and Kev Gori kicked off the gig by serenading the audience unamplified from the Memorial Hall’s balcony (fortunately silencing the crowd a brief second after your correspondent had very loudly declaimed a German phrase which would’ve sounded very odd shorn of its context…). This was followed by a ramshackle video on the making of the album before starting the gig proper, with a couple of stand-in Figureheads and a parade of locals adding textures from instruments from horns to a musical saw. The effect was to give life to a fine set of songs that we’ve lauded elsewhere and won’t bore you too much again about their under-appreciated quality. If this is to be a swansong, in a geographical or any other sense, then the Memorial Hal,l amongst a decent crowd of, essentially, friends takes some beating as a place to hold it (not just in name). And we’d be happy to have a few more…

Links:
http://www.natjohnson.co.uk/
http://www.heychuck.com/theespc/index.php
http://standardfare.co.uk/