Top pick: Griff
Alexandra Palace, November 13, alexandrapalace.com
Don’t know Griff? Get on board — Taylor Swift’s a fan. The Miss Me Too star is currently touring her debut, this summer’s smash Vertigo, and is bringing her glossy melancholic sound to Alexandra Pally for a midweek pick me-up. Go for a night of euphoric hooks and yearning lyrics. Their poignancy lingers.
Los Bitchos
O2 Forum Kentish Town, November 7, academymusicgroup.com
Herbie Hancock aside, how many chances are there to witness a keytar in the flesh? Take this one, then, and witness the four-piece instrumental powerhouse that is Los Bitchos as they storm Kentish Town. What’s the sound? A bit synth, a little disco, a touch of Morricone; a fair whack of woozy rock’n’roll, and all through a mid-Eighties, MTV hit filter.
Pitchfork Festival
Across London, until November 10, pitchforkfestival.com
Already well under way, the fourth London iteration of the Pitchfork Festival still has countless shows across town to try, covering a head-spinning array of genres. Fancy reggae riddims or Irish indie? Maybe candy-coloured, queer dream pop? The festival has it all.
Nia Archives
O2 Brixton, November 8, academymusicgroup.com
Yorkshire-born Nia Archives is set to have Brixton shuddering with her brand of Nineties-flavoured jungle and drum’n’bass. That sound, with its inflections of indie, got her noticed by Beyoncé, for whom she opened last summer.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
The O2, November 8 & 9, theo2.co.uk
First it was the immodestly named Wild God album (a critical smash) and now it’s the immodestly named Wild God tour. This is Cave back with drums and guitars, punctuated with moments of radical hope. Tickets, surprisingly, seem to still be in good supply.
30 years of Bugged Out!
Drumsheds, November 9, drumshedslondon.com
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Bugged Out! finally returns to London, marking one of the UK’s most iconic club nights. This weekend the line-up features a DJ set from Chemical Brothers, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Modeselektor and a live show by Octave One.
Nothing But Thieves
OVO Arena Wembley, November 10, ovoarena.co.uk
It’s closing in on a decade since Nothing but Thieves released their self-titled debut. Reinvigorated by last year’s Dead Club City, their first number one album, expect to see a band at their peak.
