Gig Guide: October 2024
Your ultimate October soundtrack.
Gigs. You love em. We love em. And there’s a metric shit-ton of them in our treasured capital this month. So grab your earplugs and start practising your appreciative nodding, because here is the comprehensive list of the best gigs in London this ominous October
The Highlights Of The Month:
Geordie Greep - Various dates , Mary In The Junkyard, 3 October, ICA.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Exactly, the recent Indie Sleeze revival is missing a healthy dose of lounge lizard silk pop. Luckily for us, former Black Midi frontman Geordie Greep is spreading his creepy crooner wings, with delightful ditties about cabaret cavorts and the darker side of swoon.
Catch him fresh off his debut album, at either of his dates at The Institute of Contemporary Arts, or up close and personal at Rough Trade East. No matter which night you attend, you won't forget it in a hurry.
If sexy swing aint your thing, then you can enjoy the tender chaos of Mary in the Junkyard, also at ICA. With a debut EP that was made to turn your head and a live reputation that few can best, embrace the opportunity to weep and wail with your new found / similarly tortured friends whilst watching one of Britain’s best new bands enjoy one of their biggest shows to date.
Up and Comers
Nottingham four piece Divorce already have a number of borderline classic songs under their belt from just a smattering of EP’s and word of mouth buzz. With their full length debut arriving next year and first single “All My Freaks” alluding to something very special on the horizon, catch them before the inevitable blow up in the grand settings of Islington Assembly Hall on 23 October.
If you’re after a heavier dose of despair with your melancholy, then Borough Council can provide just the tonic to sweeten your growing sense of worthlessness. Having built a burgeoning reputation through relentless touring and songs that hit the sweet spot of sadness, the 3 piece are crowning off a nationwide tour with a headline show at The Lexington on 23 October. For less than 15 quid, you won’t regret it, these boys are something special.
Freebies
I’m poor, you’re poor, everyone’s bloody poor right now. So save your pennies for luxuries such as branded food items and public transport and see some of London’s premier bands for less than nothing.
Dream pop four piece Lost Lyra top another cracking bill at Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes on the 24, riding high from the release of new single “Three Letters”. Expect delicate songs that lull you into a false sense of comfort and security before flooring you with the emotional punch that was building up all along.
Looking for Halloween plans that don’t involve inflated prices, garish youths and a sense of spookiness that leaves you questioning why you do anything anyway? Come join us at The Sebright Arms on 31 October for a proper celebration of the scary and unsettling. Sets from indie-surf-poppers Ruby Doomsday and crooner rockers/fantastically named The Surely Knots make it the hottest and cheapest Halloween ticket in town.
The “F*ck It Why Not” Gig :
Right. You’ve got two options:
Indulge your soft underbelly with the Piatti Quartet as your guide through a night of meditative music from living composers, opening with minimalist giant Philip Glass’ String Quartet No. 2.
Or, you can down a bottle of buckfast and go get your well thumbed copy of Razorlight’s “Up All Night” chef-kissed by the indie titans themselves at their Rough Trade East signing. All together now:
“Oh Oh Oh, Oh
There's trouble in America
Oh Oh Oh, Oh
There's panic in America
Oh Oh Oh, Oh……”