My favourite shows of 2013 (and my list of 154 in total)

After listing my favourite albums of 2013 I thought I should list my favourite shows, and a complete list since I managed to get to 154 in total!

I won't elaborate too much but here is my top 10:

Deerhunter: 18th September - Webster Hall
I hadn't seen Deerhunter before despite being a fan for years, they were just perfect and what a setlist. I mean really, check this out, one could scarcely ask for a better setlist when popping your Deerhunter cherry.

Follakzoid / The Holydrug Couple: 21st March - Mercury Lounge
I've elaborated briefly on this show HERE. This show was significant as I discovered so many great acts from Chile this year and it was an amazing treat to see two of the best.

Fuzz:  13th of October - Death By Audio
Ty Segall is possibly superhuman, and Fuzz put on one of the best rock shows possible.

King Khan and the Shrines: 30th October - Webster Hall
I was in a bit of an "I can't be bothered" mood for this one, but sometimes music turns your mood around spectacularly. There was so much energy coming from the stage and the blend of the brass among the 60s nuggets-like songs were a perfect marriage.

John Grant: 2nd of December - MHoW
I reviewed this show HERE.

Vivian Girls: 15th of Feb - Music Hall Williamsburg
I reviewed this show HERE.

Mikal Cronin / Roomrunner / Shannon and the Clams: 20th of June - Bowery Ballroom
What a lineup! Both Mikal Cronin and Roomrunner released albums that made my top 10 of the year and are both great live acts. Something great and/or weird happens every time I see Roomrunner and Mikal Cronin was down to about 2 strings (starting with 12) by the end of his set.

Perfect Pussy / Total Slacker / Sisu / Hunters / Tweens / Lodro: 16th of October - The Flat
I reviewed this show HERE.

Fuck Buttons: 18th of October - Le Poisson Rouge
I reviewed this show HERE.

Medicine / Weekend: 16th of August - MHoW
It seems like once a year a band reforms that you really didn't expect to, this year Medicine made a comeback with a new record and some shows. I had fairly high expectations but I didn't expect them to be quite as good as they were, it really was an immense show. With support coming from Weekend, one of the best bands of the year, it just made things even better.

Some 2013 stats for the nerds...

The acts I saw the most were Hector's Pets (5 times, a support slot for King Tuff at Bowery is not listed in the table below), then Sisu, Pop Zeus, Weekend and Liquor Store, 4 times each.

The venue I went to the most was, surprise surprise, Death By Audio, 13 times, next up was Glasslands which I went to 10 times.

I only went to 1 venue outside of New York, which was The Windmill in Brixton, London.

In total I went to 58 different venues.

Here is my complete list of shows for 2013. Note that the dates are in UK format.

Band	Date	Venue
Holy Fuck	12/01/2013	Death By Audio
Diiv, Magic Trick	13/01/2013	Brooklyn Bowl
Yo La Tengo	14/01/2013	Barnes and Noble - Union Square
John Darnielle (Mountain Goats)	16/01/2013	Studio X
Total Slacker	18/01/2013	285 Kent
Soundgarden	22/01/2013	Hammerstein Ballroom
Soundgarden	23/01/2013	Hammerstein Ballroom
The Growlers	24/01/2013	Knitting Factory
Cat Power	29/01/2013	Terminal 5
Ty Segall, Mac DeMarco	01/02/2013	Webster Hall
Memory Tapes, Teen	06/02/2013	Glasslands
Nuclear Santa Claust, California X, Brick Mower	07/02/2013	Death By Audio
Slutever	09/02/2013	Death By Audio
Bleeding Rainbow, Daytona	11/02/2013	Cake Shop
Total Slacker, Cassie Ramone	14/02/2013	Webster Hall Studio
Vivian Girls	15/02/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Ken Stringfellow	16/02/2013	Mercury Lounge
Dada	20/02/2013	Highline Ballroom
Beach Fossils	23/02/2013	Bowery Ballroom
Roomrunner / Speedy Ortiz / Stats	28/02/2013	59 Canal
Night Marchers \ Dan Sartain \ Mrs Magician	02/03/2013	Glasslands
Chelsea Light Moving	03/03/2013	Other Music
The Babies	06/03/2013	Knitting Factory
The Men	07/03/2013	Bowery Ballroom
Pop Zeus / Hectors Pets / A Rex & J Rex / Las Rosas	08/03/2013	Death By Audio
Girls Names	10/03/2013	Cameo Gallery
Spanking Charlene	16/03/2013	The R Bar
Beach Fossils	20/03/2013	Brooklyn Bowl
Follakzoid / The Holydrug Couple	21/03/2013	Mercury Lounge
Peach Kelli Pop	26/03/2013	Death By Audio
Meat Puppets	03/04/2013	Mercury Lounge
Jaill / Pop Zeus	04/04/2013	Knitting Factory
Redd Kross	06/04/2013	Santos Party House
Yeah Yeah Yeahs	07/04/2013	Webster Hall
Kurt Vile, Kurt Vile & the Violators	09/04/2013	Apple Store, Soho
Diarrhea Planet, Wild Yaks	11/04/2013	Shea Stadium
King Khan & the BBQ / Bloodshot Bill	13/04/2013	Glasslands
R Stevie Moore	15/04/2013	Glasslands
They Might Be Giants	16/04/2013	Academy Records
Euroheedfest (GBV tribute festival)	20/04/2013	The Windmill, Brixton, London
Nobunny	21/04/2013	The Windmill, Brixton, London
Dead Skeletons / Night Beats / Cosmonauts	08/05/2013	Glasslands
Sisu / The Yellow Dogs / Young Boys	10/05/2013	Glasslands
Mudhoney / Pissed Jeans	11/05/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Foxygen / Amen Dunes Lodro / Prince Rupert's Drops	13/05/2013	Knitting Factory
No Joy / Weekend / Grand Resort	16/05/2013	Glasslands
Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Flaming Lips / The Darkness	17/05/2013	Googamooga - Prospect Park
Sharon Van Etten / Lee Fields and the Expressions	18/05/2013	Googamooga - Prospect Park
JEFF the brotherhood	19/05/2013	Mercury Lounge
Haunted Leather	20/05/2013	Death By Audio
Natural Child / Liquor Store	23/05/2013	Brooklyn Bowl
Apache Dropout / Pop Zeus / Thee Tsunamis / Blank Realm	28/05/2013	Death By Audio
Weekend	29/05/2013	Brooklyn Denim Co
King Tuff	02/06/2013	Bowery Ballroom
Fuzz / Ex-Cult	06/06/2013	Red Hook Park
Wyatt Blair / The Lovely Bad Things	07/06/2013	Death By Audio
Heavy Blanket (shut down by police after one song)	08/06/2013	Union Pool
Los Straitjackets	11/06/2013	City Winery
Liquor Store	12/06/2013	Shea Stadium
Bleached / Butter the Children / Pop Zeus	13/06/2013	Knitting Factory
A Place to Bury Strangers / Iceage	13/06/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Torche / Ken Mode / Lo-Pan	14/06/2013	285 Kent
Paws	14/06/2013	South Street Seaport
White Fence	14/06/2013	Knitting Factory
The Zombies	15/06/2013	Central Park
Spires	16/06/2013	Villains / Jamesons
The Teen Age	16/06/2013	Muchmore's
Nu Sensea / Destruction Unit / Big Ups / Psychic Blood	16/06/2013	Shea Stadium
Heliotropes / Bad Cop	18/06/2013	Glasslands
Mikal Cronin / Roomrunner / Shannon and the Clams	20/06/2013	Bowery Ballroom
Fear of Men	21/06/2013	South Street Seaport
Bear in Heaven	22/06/2013	Prospect Park
Femi Kuti	23/06/2013	Central Park
Cheap Time	24/06/2013	Pianos
Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Bass Drum of Death	28/06/2013	South Street Seaport
4Knots festival (Kurt Vile, The Men, Parquet Courts, Reigning Sound, The Babies, Fat Tony, White Lung)	29/06/2013	South Street Seaport
Os Mutantes	29/06/2013	Prospect Park
Big Star's Third	30/06/2013	Central Park
Speedy Ortiz/Roomrunner/California X	06/07/2013	Death By Audio
The Joy Formidable	10/07/2013	BAM Café
Waxahatchee / Generationals	11/07/2013	Hudson River Park - Pier 84
Cheap Trick	12/07/2013	Coney Island
The Mantles / Pale Lights	13/07/2013	Cake Shop
La Luz / Heliotropes	14/07/2013	Mercury Lounge
Father John Misty, Wild Nothing	24/07/2013	Terminal 5
OBN III's	25/07/2013	Death By Audio
Beck	26/07/2013	Le Poisson Rouge
Turbo Fruits	27/07/2013	Union Pool
Fletcher C. Johnson / Hector's Pets / Rozwell Kids, Boy Toy	27/07/2013	Shea Stadium
Pete Rock and CL Smooth	28/07/2013	Central Park
Rasputina	30/07/2013	City Winery
Hector's Pets / The Numertors / Juniper Rising	31/07/2013	McCarren Park
The Go-Gos	01/08/2013	Coney Island
Blue Hawaii	02/08/2013	285 Kent
Grand Resort	04/08/2013	Fulton Stall Market
Hunx and his Punx	08/08/2013	285 Kent
They Might Be Giants	10/08/2013	Prospect Park
Shuggie Otis	11/08/2013	Central Park
Medicine / Weekend	16/08/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Japanther	17/08/2013	The Flat
Radical Dads	18/08/2013	Fulton Stall Market
Blanche Blanche Blanche / Son of Salami	21/08/2013	Silent Barn
Bent Shapes	25/08/2013	Fulton Stall Market
Mac DeMarco	28/08/2013	East River Park
Blouse	30/08/2013	Glasslands
Thurston Moore trio / bEEdEEgEE	31/08/2013	Union Pool
Neko Case	04/09/2013	Skylight West
The Babies	07/09/2013	Mercury Lounge
Will Sheff	09/09/2013	Other Music
Liquor Store	12/09/2013	Walker Street
Chromatics, Glass Candy	13/09/2013	Terminal 5
Zola Jesus	14/09/2013	Our Lady Temple of Lebanon
Crystal Stilts	16/09/2013	Other Music
Cassie Ramone	17/09/2013	Studio X
Deerhunter / Crystal Stilts	18/09/2013	Webster Hall
Laura Veirs	19/09/2013	Mercury Lounge
Mordus	20/09/2013	Sullivan Hall
Obits	21/09/2013	The Bell House
The Young Sinclairs	22/09/2013	Cake Shop
Colleen Green / The Memories / White Fang / Hector's Pets	02/10/2013	Death By Audio
Wavves / King Tuff / Jacuzzi Boys	03/10/2013	Irving Plaza
Funky Meters	05/10/2013	Brooklyn Bowl
Meat Puppets	12/10/2013	Brooklyn Bowl
Fuzz	13/10/2013	Death By Audio
Joanna Gruesome / The History of Apple Pie	15/10/2013	Ran Tea House
Perfect Pussy / Total Slacker / Sisu / Hunters / Tweens / Lodro	16/10/2013	The Flat
The Beets / Hausu / Rose Windows / Moondoggies	17/10/2013	Death By Audio
Fuck Buttons / Lichens	18/10/2013	Le Poisson Rouge
Weekend / Odonis Odonis / Hunters / Hsy / Flashlights	19/10/2013	Muchmore's
Mac McCaughan	19/10/2013	Baby's All Right
Crocodiles / Bleeding Rainbow / Dream Boys / Punks on Mars	19/10/2013	Passenger Bar
Fidlar / The Orwells	24/10/2013	Bowery Ballroom
King Khan & the Shrines	30/10/2013	Webster Hall
Guantanamo Baywatch / Journalism	02/11/2013	Cake Shop
Fly Ashtray	03/11/2013	Cake Shop
Twin Peaks / Drowners	08/11/2013	Baby's All Right
Diarrhea Planet, Lovely Bad Things	09/11/2013	Glasslands
Anna Calvi	11/11/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Steve Gunn	11/13/2013	Studio X
Wooden Shjips / Cave	14/11/2013	Knitting Factory
Nada Surf (Yellow Dogs Benefit)	18/11/2013	Brooklyn Bowl
Minor Alps	20/11/2013	Bowery Ballroom
Shannon and the Clams / Liquor Store	23/11/2013	Metropolitan Pavillion
Crocodiles / Wymond Miles	23/11/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
John Grant	02/12/2013	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Potty Mouth	05/12/2013	Converse Rubber Tracks Studio
Holograms / TV Ghost	06/12/2013	285 Kent
Iron and Wine, Nick Lowe, Beth Orton, etc WFUV Cheer	10/12/2013	Beacon Theatre
Mikal Cronin / The Entrance Band	11/12/2013	Webster Hall
Pizza Underground	13/12/2013	Baby's All Right
Diarrhea Planet / Purling Hiss / Big Ups	14/12/2013	Brooklyn Night Bazaar
Sisu	20/12/2013	Brooklyn Night Bazaar
Lightspeed Champion	21/12/2013	Cameo Gallery
So So Glos / California X / Palehound / Darlings	21/12/2013	Brooklyn Night Bazaar

My favourite albums of 2013

It has been an excellent year for new music, and in the end I struggled to limit myself to just a top 10, but here goes.

1) Roomrunner - Ideal Cities: As I said here, "if riffs could kill then Roomrunner would be a weapon of mass destruction". Ideal Cities is a crushing, hook-ladened and sonically inventive record. They're also a fantastic live band where something memorable seems to happen each time I've seen them (4 times so far).



2) Föllakzoid - II: Not only is II one of my favourite records of the year (reviewed here), it spawned my interest in Chilean rock music, which has some of the most incredible bands of the last decade. There is a new space-rock champion and their name is Föllakzoid.



3) Anna Calvi - One Breath: Having been a fan since before her debut album came out (profile), I was pretty confident that Anna wouldn't suffer from second-album-syndrome and she justified my faith with the wonderful, One Breath. I managed to catch her recent show in New York as well which was fantastic. 



4) John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts: This one crept up on me a little bit, but Pale Green Ghosts is perhaps my most played album of the year, and contains some of the best, most bitingly sarcastic lyrics I've heard in a long time. I managed to catch his recent show in New York, which I reviewed here. 



5) Mikal Cronin - II: This is one of those records where every song is so consistently strong that there isn't really a focal point or highlight. He plays almost everything on the album, the melodies are instant, perhaps so instant that the depth of the lyrics are missed on first listen, with lines like "Faith is just a lover I don’t own. Love is just an answer I don’t know".



6) The Men - New Moon: I reviewed this album earlier in the year here, my enthusiasm has not waned since it was released back in March. 

7) Weekend - Jinx: Slumberland have a great roster of acts at the moment, with Joanna Gruesome, Veronica Falls, Girls Names all releasing material worthy of consideration for this list. The pinnacle however, is Weekend's second album, Jinx, an assured and meticulously crafted record with as wide a colour pallette as you'll hear. 



8) Sisu - Blood Tears: Sandra Vu is better known as the drummer in Dum Dum Girls, but Sisu's output is more impressive, imo, debut album, Blood Tears was released the previous EP also got a re-issue. The album is filled with what are essentially dark, post-punk pop songs, highly recommended (artist to watch profile here and live review here).



9) Wymond Miles - Cut Yourself Free: This shouldn't come as much surprise (artist to watch profile here, live mention here), Wmon is one of those people that can't seem to write a bad song.



10) Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaVelle - Perils from the Sea: Another album I reviewed earlier in the year, Kozelek moves out of his comfort zone to wonderful effect.

Top 10 gigs post coming soon...

John Grant Played Music Hall of Williamsburg

Review originally posted on My Social List HERE.

John Grant played his largest New York show to date, but did so with an intimate and stripped down arrangement at Music Hall of Williamsburg on the 2nd of December.

Pale Green Ghosts is deservedly receiving a lot of traction as we approach the "best albums of the year" time. Rough Trade recently named it as the year's best, and they just might be right.

This was the first time I had been to the Music Hall with a seated configuration, which certainly felt odd, but it was also appropriate given the relaxed vibe.

Arc Iris

Arc Iris opened the show, playing as a duo for the first time in New York. They played in an often intricate cabaret-style, whilst also offering up some more traditional folky arrangements. It was interesting, with some hits and misses. It would be interesting to hear them as a full band, although when they mentioned it was their first show as a duo, I assumed that singer Jocie Adams was usually a solo performer, given the strength of her Bjork-like voice, which was certainly the centre-piece of their set.

With the modest stage setup there was little time to wait between acts, and John Grant entered a little after 10 pm. Whilst the material on Pale Green Ghosts is filled with synths and beats, the stage was claimed by no more than 3 people at any given time. It gave Grant's exquisite vocals even more of the limelight, and it was interesting to see his new material given a more organic flavour. His voice is like that first cup of coffee in the morning, smooth and delicious; it courses through your body as if you'd be a quivering wreck without it. In these winter months his performance literally and metaphorically warmed the cockles of our hearts. I've seen some great singers live in the last (almost) 20 years, and this was right up there with the best.

The set was mixed well between his two solo albums, with a slight leaning towards songs from his debut, Queen of Denmark, which probably lends itself slightly better to the stripped down setting. Whilst I think Pale Green Ghosts is his strongest work to date, the highlight of the night was probably an impeccable rendition of Marz, which I video'd.

It's hard to consider any song a highlight, however, as the whole show was utterly captivating, with Grant's between song banter swaying between poignant and hilarious, much like his songs. Few people have the ability to turn on a sixpence in lyrical tone. Glacier was delivered with all the pain the lyrics so vividly describe. He spoke about how the song can be about a struggle that anyone has gone through, but in his own case, it is about how the religious people of his childhood reacted to him being gay.

The show ended with an old Czars tune, Paint the Moon.

There is darkness and sadness in many of his songs, which are often tempered with awe-inspiring sarcasm and wit. They will appeal to any self-critic whilst also offering intelligent wordplay and outright silliness. Despite the darkness, his output has gotten increasingly better with each release, the future looks incredibly bright.

Setlist:

Sigourney Weaver
Where Dreams Go to Die
I Hate This Town
It Doesn't Matter To Him
GMF
I Wanna Go to Marz
You Don't Have To
Glacier
Queen of Denmark
TC and Honeybear
Caramel
Fireflies
Paint the Moon

Crocodiles and Wymond Miles played Music Hall of Williamsburg

This is a repost from a review I put on My Social List, originally posted HERE.

Crocodiles wrapped up their current tour with a show at the Music Hall of Willamsburg on the 23rd of November. Although the band formed in San Diego, they spend most of their time split between New York and London, so there was a hometown vibe in the air.

Openers Young Boys set the tone early with their goth/synth/punk combination, if I wasn't paying attention I might have been convinced I was watching Red Lorry Yellow Lorry.

Young Boys

Wymond Miles, my Artist to Watch of the week, did not disappoint. His set had a good split between his two records, Under a Pale Moon and recent release, Cut Yourself Free. While the material from the former has a chilling acoustic sound, the songs are performed in full electric which makes for a good contrast. The only disappointment was that he didn't play longer. The words underrated and under-appreciated get bandied about far too often but this man should be on all the best-of 2013 lists.

Wymond Miles

Crocodiles have stepped up at least a couple of levels with their new record, Crimes of Passion (via French Kiss Records), which has suddenly become one of my favourite releases of the year. It's an assured, confident and impeccably produced 33 minute affair, which manages to trim the edges of their earlier lo-fi sound, but become more expansive at the same time.

They didn't play album opener I Like it in the Dark, which is a shame because its anti-superstition message is a real cause for celebration, featuring a rousing chorus:

there's no shining heaven, there are no fires of hell but those of our creation. When I'm crawling away from hell, storm the gates of heaven and be your own god

Whilst the band cherry-picked well from their back catalogue with the likes of Hearts of Love, Neon Jesus, Sleep Forever & Mirrors, the new songs really took centre stage. We got half the record over the course of the night, and selfishly, I'd have liked more, especially the aforementioned I Like it in the Dark and Virgin. Songs like Teardrop Guitar sound even more explosive live.

It was also the last show with bassist Marco Gonzalez in the band, who had just been accepted into medical school (maybe America will join the civilised world and have proper socialised medicine by the time he's done...). A cake was brought out.

They ended the night with a cameo from Brandon's wife, Dee Dee Penny of Dum Dum Girls, who provided vocals on I Wanna Kill.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Crocodiles -  if they can continue the upward trajectory and follow up Crimes of Passion with something even better, then they could be onto something very special.

Get notified of future Crocodiles shows here.