Free music in London

Charles Hayward

• Critics choice
• Free

South London singer/multi-instrumentalist (and drummer with This Heat) Hayward promises a one-man percussive attack, swirling electronics and lyrical collage.

Comanechi

• Critics choice
• Free

A perennial fixture of London's art-rock underground, Comanechi consists of Japanese drummer and singer Akiko Matsuura – who has also played with The Big Pink and Pre – and guitarist Simon Petrovich. Visceral and loud, they specialise in shouty, searing noise-punk with a melodic heart.

Esther Bennett

• Critics choice
• Free

Vocal-led jazz standards from this great Sarah Vaughan-influenced singer.

Folk In A Box

• Critics choice
• Free

If you spot someone in tears in the Spitalfields Market area between June 18 and 21, chances are they'll have just experienced Folk in a Box. A one-on-one folk gig that takes place in a special, hut-like performance space with a front door for the audience member and a back door (replete with whisky bar) for the performer, this is the brainchild of the wonderful Aussie folk singer Emily Barker (she of the UK 'Wallander' soundtrack) and her husband Dom Coyote. Borrowing the craze for intimate, bespoke performances from theatreland, it's already seen Sam Lee, Ragu Dixhit and, erm, Newton Faulkner face fans eye-to-eye, and travelled from Tate Britain to Venice. Now they're planning an epic journey from Land’s End to John O’ Groats. But first Londoners can catch it as part of the Spitalfields Summer Music Festival. Confirmed performers include flamboyant ‘circus swing’ and lounge pop artist Gabby Young, country singer Lotte Mullan, purveyor of brittle, political lo-fi guitar pop Chris TT, and Barker herself, who's just released new album 'Dear River'.

Magic Lantern

• Critics choice
• Free

Quirky and charming ensemble led by Antipodean singer-songwriter Jamie 'Magic Lantern' Doe, ML mix swinging jazz improv with dark bluesy songs, to accessible effect.

MELTDOWN: Bo Ningen

• Critics choice
• Free

London-based psych rockers BN draw on the Japanese freak-out legacy of Flower Travellin' Band and play hard, psychedelic rock with febrile energy. They'll be making lots of noise and contorting themselves on stage – for free! – at this show for Yoko Ono's Meltdown festival.

Myths of the Future present Psych Folk Night

• Critics choice
• Free

Enticing night of psych-folk experimentation from members of Let's Wrestle (Wesley Patrick), Bo Ningen (Yuki) and tropical band Keebo (Angelina Crutchfield), as well as Koichi, formerly of Screaming Tea Party. Expect spacey, melodic, trippy musical journeying.

The Bluematics

• Free

Chicago blues and '60s R&B.

BeatBOXPARK

• Free

A short but sweet afternoon of UK beatboxing champs on the upper deck of Shoreditch's Boxpark. Dead Poet and Peterborough-based English teacher Mark Grist, whose slaying of MC Blizzard on 'Don't Flop' went viral last year, appears. Plus Skilly and his RoadWorks crew, Experimental, BeatFox, Soundbytz, Olivia Leisk and Bass6.

Black Manila

• Free

Psych/art-punk outfit from Brixton.

Whether you're keeping an eye out for gigs by your favourite band, or looking for some live-music inspiration, our gig guide will tell you who's playing and where in the capital.