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[title]You’ve got to give it to April, it really is a belter. Starting off strong with a four-day weekend, it’s the month of resurrection and the start of longer, warmer and brighter days. While the weather doesn’t always live up to expectations (April showers, sadly, are a thing), we can always count on London’s venues to pull it out the bag. There are plenty of things to do, and the beginning of the city’s festival season, as well as a hefty selection of gigs to get excited about. From relaxing ‘In The Round’ evenings to euphoric club nights, experimental indie to heady shoegaze, the city is blessing us all with a cornucopia of bloody good gigs.
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For the pop girlies
Madison Beer
If you’re getting nothing but ‘Make You Mine’ on your TikTok feed right now, it’s a sign to go and see Madison Beer. The 25-year-old American popstar is bringing her own brand of moody floor fillers to Eventim Apollo this month, meaning we should all dress glam and get ready for a little weep on the dancefloor. Listen to Beer’s Grammy-nominated ‘Silence Between Songs’ to get yourself in the mood at pre drinks.
Eventim Apollo, W6 9QH. Tue Apr 2, 7pm. From £48.16.
Caity Baser
Caity Baser has just moved to London, and this is quite the welcome. The singer-songwriter has been all over the charts, with ‘Pretty Boys’ being a runaway success in March last year. Baser was also a part of Loud LDN, a collective of female and gender-expansive artists, alongside rising stars Piri, Venbee and Willow Kayne. She was also nominated for both the BBC Sound of… 2023 and the Rising Star award at the Brit Awards, so watch this space.
Eventim Apollo, W6 9QH. Fri Apr 19, 7pm. From £29.50.
For ear-splitting sounds
Sunn O)))
Sometimes you just want to be bathed in sound waves. And that’s exactly what Sunn O))) specialise in. Known for their raw, maximalist drone music, the duo are set to return to Barbican in their original form. Founders and guitarists Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson will rip through the east London venue with valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion and high-volume riffs that are sure to blow your head off.
Barbican, EC2Y 8DS. Mon Apr 1 2024, 7.30pm. From £32.50.
Hotline TNT
If you’re signed to Jack White’s label, you’re probably doing something right. NYC-based band Hotline TNT specialise in guitar-driven, shoegaze-adjacent heavy rock. Last year, they released their second album ‘Cartwheel’ to critical praise from the likes of chin-stroking US music publishers ‘Pitchfork’ and ‘Stereogum’. Well, now they’re making their way across the pond to rattle your bones with melodic sludgy shoegaze. It’s going to be one hell of a show.
The Dome, NW5 1HL. Wed Apr 24, 7.30 pm. From £17.50.
Hit The South
Heavy Lungs is a Bristol punk/noise rock quartet headlining Hit The South Festival alongside pub punk-rockers Hotel Lux. Kicking off at the New Cross Inn this April, the event will have you revelling in some of the best, noisiest new music in the underground scene. If you’re obsessed with finding new angsty tunes to give you that extra bit of swagger, this is the event for you.
New Cross Inn, SE14 6AS. Sat April 20 and Sun 21, 3pm. Weekend tickets £25, day tickets £15.
For something more chill
Jenny Hval
Composer and musician Jenny Hval is taking over the Barbican this April with her new show, ‘I Want To Be A Machine’. The interdisciplinary performance will explore themes of creativity through inventive, technical instrumentals and an on-stage essay, deconstructing the nature of performance as a whole. Renowned for her electronics, pop and aesthetics, Hval is sure to go all-out for this three-night run at The Pit.
Barbican Centre, EC2Y 8DS. Wed Apr 10 to Sat Apr 13, 8pm. From £27.50.
Fabiana Palladino
Fresh off the back of releasing her debut self-titled album, Fabiana Palladino is set to perform an intimate set at Rough Trade East. The vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has become the golden child of XL Recordings for her shape-shifting melodies that draw inspiration from R&B, soul, pop and ‘80s disco, all through a modern lens. Album highlights include the single ‘Stay With Me Through The Night’, which comes with a perfectly retro music video.
Rough Trade East, E1 6QL. Fri Apr 5, 7pm. From £12.50.
In the Round: Tirzah
Last year, Tirzah released the dreamy ‘Trip9love…???’ with Mica Levi, almost by surprise, what with its minimal fanfare and no pre-release singles. Written and recorded by the duo in London and Kent, it comes with reverberating pianos, brittle hi-hats and distorted, hazy vocals – a signature Tirzah vibe. She’ll be performing tracks from this and her previous two projects in the brilliantly echoey Roundhouse, which couldn’t be a better place to feel awash in her texturally lush instrumentals.
Roundhouse, NW1 8EH. Fri Apr 19, 7pm. From £10.
For joyful clubbing
Club Mid Air
Most of us know Romy from her work with the influential indie band the xx, but in the last few years, she’s established herself as a fundamental part of London’s clubbing scene. Her sensational debut album ‘Mid Air’ is a lush homage to the euphoric dance-pop of the ‘90s and ‘00s. Songs like ‘Loveher’ capture the delicateness of new love through images of holding hands under the table because, ‘some things are for us’. Let yourself go to a soundtrack of emotionally charged dance anthems at her Roundhouse takeover, with support from Angel D’Lite, Desire, Sherelle and Lil C B2b Lagoon Femshayma.
Roundhouse, NW1 8EH. Wed Apr 10, 7pm. From £27.50.
For hot rap flows
Louis Culture
Homegrown rapper, producer and DJ Louis Culture has been hotly tipped in the last couple of years, thanks to his almost mathematical approach to making music. Informed by a wide scope of genres, ranging from house to UK garage and hip-hop, he delivers effortless flows on singles like ‘Grime’ and ‘7AM’. With support from the likes of ‘Complex’, NTS and Boiler Room, he could soon be crossing over from the city’s underground scene to more mainstream appeal.
Village Underground, EC2A 3PQ. Thur Apr 18, 7.30pm. From £15.05
The Kid Laroi
At just 20 years old, The Kid Laroi has experienced his fair share of hardship. He was mentored by (and witnessed the death of) Juice WRLD and experienced depression since childhood, as detailed in his new doc ‘Kids Are Growing Up: A Story About a Kid Named Laroi’. Nevertheless, his music exists as an outlet for these struggles, and he encourages the audience to let go and be present with him. Catch the Sydney-born rapper at a passionate and cathartic live show as he takes over Ally Pally this month.
Alexandra Palace, N22 7AY. Tue, 16 Apr, 6:30 pm. From £50.09.
For slut-dropping on the dancefloor
Lynks
Craving a night of pure, unapologetic, camp excess? Check out Lynks at KOKO. Bringing together drag, music and theatre through their industrial pop music, the gimp mask-donning artist aims to create queer utopias wherever they go. Singles like ‘Str8 Acting’ and ‘Silly Boy’ set a precedent of stupidly fun, danceable beats and witty lyricism. This performance is sure to be a sweaty haze of strobe lights, confetti and beer-soaked dancefloors.
KOKO, NW1 7JE, Wed Apr 17, 7pm. From £19.40.
Shygirl
Fans of Shygirl know she’s got a real talent for dirty, dancefloor-filling hits, both as an artist and a DJ. Her sweaty, hedonistic club nights came to fruition in February when she released the intoxicating ‘Club Shy’ EP back in February. Featuring collaborations with Boys Noize, SG Lewis, Karma Kid and Sega Bodega, it’s the kind of music that makes you want to neck a canned cocktail, put on your tightest dress and mindlessly dance to thumping basslines in a dark, smokey room. Live out the fantasy at Fabric this April.
Fabric, EC1M 6HJ. Fri Apr 19, 11pm. From £33.
Nia Archives
A modern icon in the new jungle scene, Nia Archives is a Gen Z favourite for her innovative mix of jungle and drum and bass. Her early Boiler Room sets grabbed attention for her slicing together old and new classics to create something distinctively her own. As well as being a producer and DJ, she's also a talented singer as the lead single ‘Crowded Roomz’, from her upcoming ‘Silence Is Loud’ album, proves. This show at HERE is gonna go off.
HERE at Outernet, WC2H 8LH. Thu Apr 18, 7pm. From £18.50.
For something to take your mum to
Happy Mondays
The chance to see Bez shake maracas in real life? That’s priceless. Catch the ‘90s legends (and Shaun Ryder’s new teeth) as they perform their back-catalogue of Madchester-defining hits at Troxy this month. Known for blending funk, house, psychedelia and rock into anthems like ‘Step On’ and ‘Kinky Afro’, the Salford six-piece really are legends – it’s almost impossible not to dance when you see them live.
Troxy, E1 0HX. Sat Apr 6, 7pm. From £54.50.
Paloma Faith
Singer, songwriter, podcast guest and actress Paloma Faith will be performing at the Eventim Apollo this April, offering Londoners and their parents the chance to hear almost 15 years' worth of hits. Since her 2009 debut ‘Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?’, she’s released singles like ‘Upside Down’, ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ and the top twenty cover version of INXS’s ‘Never Tear Us Apart’. She’s sure to perform all of these and more from this year’s album ‘The Glorification of Sadness’.
Eventim Apollo, W6 9QH. Wed Apr 17, 7pm. From £88.94.
For experimental electronic
Oneohtrix Point Never
Multi-hyphenate experimental artist Oneohtrix Point Never is bringing his forthcoming album ‘Again’ to life for one incredible night at Royal Festival Hall. This latest show features a visual collaboration with the acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Freeka Tet and is inspired by his musical identity during young adulthood, from the perspective of middle age. His cinematic sound sweeps through psychedelia, ’90s alt-rock and proggy synthesisers.
Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX. Fri Apr 5, 7.30pm. From £35-£45.
Mainline Magic Orchestra
If you’re looking for something completely different, you need to catch Mainline Magic Orchestra at Corsica Studios this April. They’re best summarised by one word: eccentric. A house music band armed with synthesisers, drum machines and pitched-up vocals, the three-piece bring together music, theatrical performance and outlandish fashion. They’ll ruthlessly drive you to the dancefloor with their brilliantly bizarre tracks like ‘House Music 2 The W❤️rld’.
Corsica Studios, SE17 1LB. Fri Apr 12, 7pm. From £16.50.
For rock kids
Fat Dog
Emerging from the fertile post-punk soil of South London, Fat Dog are demanding attention for their chaotic live shows, where dance, punk, klezmer and just about everything else collides. An excitable word-of-mouth sensation, their debut single ‘King of the Slugs’ proved they could be bottled up and played on record. Have a listen to it in preparation for what promises to be a bloody wild experience.
Electric Brixton, SW2 1RJ. Thu Apr 18, 7pm. From £18.25.
Porij
Porij are a Manchester-based four-piece band splicing up nu-jazz, art-pop, lo-fi pop, garage and late 90s drum 'n' bass. Since their inception in 2019, they’ve released the EPs ‘Breakfast’, ‘Baby Face’ and ‘Outlines’, and supported Coldplay on the Music of the Spheres World tour. In January, the group announced their debut album ‘Teething’, teased with the airy UKG-inflected single, ‘Unpredictable’.
Electric Ballroom, NW1 8QP. Wed Apr 24, 7pm. From £20.35.
Cassyette
Having supported Bring Me The Horizon, Sum 41 and My Chemical Romance, it's safe to say Cassyette is firmly establishing herself as one to watch. An Essex native with a no-holds-barred approach to songwriting, she creates infectious alt-rock pop. Her singles ‘Why Am I Like This’ and ‘Ipecac’, from her debut album ‘THIS WORLD F*CKING SUCKS’ out later this year, are made to be blasted through your headphones at full volume.
Scala, N1 9NL. Thur Apr 11, 7.30pm. From £20.40.
For twisted indie
Lil Yachty
He’s not the first rapper to ‘go rock’, (Jay-Z, Machine Gun Kelly and Lil Wayne all dabbled in guitar-heavy production,) but Lil Yachty’s pivot to indie still came as quite a surprise. The 2023 release ‘Let’s Start Here’ has the Atlanta rapper drawling over psychedelic riffs and out-of-this-world synthesisers, Tame Impala-style. It’s clear (from songs like ‘drive ME crazy!’) that the 14-song collection is just made to be played live. So nab a ticket to be a part of it.
OVO Arena, Wembley, HA9 0AA. Mon Apr 29, 7pm. From £53.40.
A.G. Cook
Arguably the hyperpop producer of our generation, A.G. Cook is taking up residency at The Underworld Camden for three epic nights. The founder of PC Music announced his label would become an archival project last year, as he moved onto pastures new. That means more groundbreaking experimentation and music that traverses different realms. To tease his next move? Cook released ‘Britpop’, a futuristic-sounding electronica banger featuring longtime collaborator and friend Chali XCX.
The Underworld, NW1 0NE. Tue Apr 16-18, 7pm. From £23.90.