Top ten London gigs in May
My Vitriol
They haven't released a record since their debut LP 'Finelines' in 2001, but visceral grungers My Vitriol have managed to maintain a reasonable following, with the odd sell-out show popping up every now and then. Tonight will undoubtedly follow suit, but we're holding out for new material anyway (and to hear 'Always Your Way', obviously).
Angel Haze
Angel Haze is the name on everyone's lips right now. This 21-year-old rapper and model is from Brooklyn (where else?), and if the video for her single 'New York', in which she rapes a woman and murders a few men, didn't grab your attention, then her languorous drawl ought to. Think somewhere between Drake and Nicki Minaj, both of whom she covers on her mixtape 'King'. At this show, added due to huge demand, she's promoting her debut album 'Men, Women and Clocks'.
McFly
With their career rejuvenated thanks to drummer Harry winning 'Dancing with the Stars’ and bassist Dougie returning as king of the jungle, the formerly chart-topping pop-punkers prepare to play to a (hopefully) packed out arena. Expect tracks from their sixth album 'Hyperion'.
- Wembley Arena Empire Way, HA9 0PA
- Sat May 18
Fenech-Soler
Electro-funk cum rug-destroying dance pop foursome Fenech-Soler return with brand new material at this second London show of the year. No doubt they'll perform cuts from their 2010 eponymous debut album, but we're really excited about the promise of more delectable electro-pop following their recent, Miike Snow-referencing 'All I Know' single.
- Electric Ballroom 184 Camden High St, NW1 8QP
- Thu Nov 21
Field Day
Now in its seventh year, and with the date sticking to its early May slot, the leftfield one-dayer returns. Field Day has become known for its triumphantly eclectic choice of underground as well as established talent, which this year includes Baltimore-based post-psych innovators Animal Collective, beguiling pop singer Bat For Lashes, junior Knowles sister Solange, rising guitar-wielders Savages and Palma Violets, and alternative icons Kurt Vile and John Cooper Clarke.
- Victoria Park Victoria Park Rd, E3 5SN
- Until Sat May 25
The Specials
The return of the 2-Tone legends whose legacy lives on in songs like 'Ghost Town', 'Too Much Too Young' and their debut single 'Gangsters'.
- O2 Academy Brixton 211 Stockwell Rd, SW9 9SL
- Tue May 28 - Wed May 29
Christopher Owens
Former Girls frontman strikes out on his own in this beautiful venue. His gentle voice and hippie tendencies make for some achingly pretty songs.
- Union Chapel Compton Terrace, N1 2UN
- Wed May 29
Depeche Mode
Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher draw on their immense back catalogue and plug their forthcoming thirteenth album. Expect a night of darkly melodramatic and sleazy, stadium-scaled electro rock, offset by the odd tender pop ballad, as only they truly know how.
- The O2 Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX
- Tue May 28 - Tue Nov 19
Fucked Up + Titus Andronicus
Blistering and uninhibited, progressive post-hardcore crew from Toronto run through their cultish, noisy and thrillingly subversive paces in the headline slot and tout tracks from their third album 'David Comes to Life', as well as new material. In support are the excellent New Jersey trio Titus Andronicus, who offer up howling, righteously indignant Springsteen-flavoured blues rock.
- Electric Ballroom 184 Camden High St, NW1 8QP
- Thu May 30
Alicia Keys
The soulful, R&B-inflected, piano-playing, co-founder of the Keep A Child Alive charity (and ocassional strange-quote-producer) Ms Keys, who holds a whopping 14 Grammys, returns to Blighty to promote her fifth studio LP, 'Girl On Fire'.
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