Saturday, December 29, 2018

Best Songs of 2018

As per last year - a round dozen songs, with a bonus thirteenth track for the deluxe edition. One song per artist, “featuring on” doesn’t count towards that one per artist total - although I’m limiting myself to one “feat.” as well.


13. Dagny - Love You Like That
I’m taking some liberties with these songs, as while they were all new to me this year, this song (and
one other) were released late in 2017. However as most Best Of Year End lists are compiled in
November for press in December, and it’s my list so it’s my rules, I’m bending things in this new age of
streaming services where most songs don’t have a release date - or even a physical release. Dagny
came to my attention late this year, as one of her songs was played before Sigrid came on stage and I
liked it enough to Shazam. Scandanavian pop became my niche interest this autumn and Dagny filled
that with aplomb.


12. Anavae - Afraid
Bit of a year for the London based duo, after the highs of their first headline tour in the Spring to
parting ways with their absolute dicks of a label, to successfully launching a PledgeMusic campaign
that, it’s probably fair to say, was more overwhelmingly positive than expected! This is the first song
publicly released from the Pledge EP and demonstrates the growth the band have gone through over
the last few years. If this is the direction they’re going in I’m all aboard the hype train!


11. Pale Waves - Red
I heard a lot of buzz about Pale Waves’ album from friends on Twitter when it was released in October
so I figured I’d give it a listen. I wasn’t disappointed with what I heard, but oddly the song that stuck out
to me was an album track rather than one of the singles. A band who’ve built on Chvrches’ synthpop
and made something better (it’s telling that this makes the cut while nothing from the Glasgow band’s
third album does), this is one of those songs I can listen to on repeat without getting bored of it.


10. Troye Sivan ft. Ariana Grande - Dance To This
The first male vocal on this list, and also the first instance of me cheating my own rules to squeeze in
an artist who’ll appear later on, using a “feat.” credit. While she’s not been brutally eviscerating
sentient ham Piers Morgan on Twitter, Ariana’s steadily rolled out some bangers throughout the year,
and this guest appearance just adds a lovely air to a genuinely nice song. While some pop songs
conjure up images of a thrilling romance, this is a cozy afternoon on the couch, and all the better for it.


9. Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water
A bit of a departure from my other favourite Canadian singer. Rather than coming out swinging for the
fences with a bratty pop-punk belter leading off a new album, as she has done since bursting onto the
scene in 2002, Avril launched this new era with a hopeful uplifting ballad. A more mature sound (it’s
tricky to pull off a defiant teenage punk act when you’re 34) no doubt influenced by her issues with
lyme disease, it’s got me looking forward to the new album.


8. MNEK ft. Hailee Steinfeld - Colour
Thanks to seeing both artists in support slots, and copious showings of the video before Little Mix, I
managed to hear this song at three separate gigs this year, which may be some form of record for me.
Another nice, lovely song that won’t storm the charts or break the internet but it will make the day
seem a little less grey when you listen to it - and isn’t that the point of pop?


7. Lena - Thank You
The artist with the most scrobbled track in my 13 year Last.fm listening history, Lena came back this
year with a wonderfully sarcastic peon to an ex. A slow-burner, this song was initially written off by me
as a passable single unfortunately overshadowed by Ariana Grande’s “thank you, next” released a day
after, but it burrowed deep into my skull and became a track I frequently returned to, discovering new
things each time. I just wish she’d tour in England!


6. K.I.D - Boy (reprise)
Like the Dagny track I’ve fudged the timeline slightly for this song as well, as this was released in
November last year but I only discovered it in July on a Spotify playlist. That was overshadowed by the
discovery of Poppy, a sentient singing Siri, but this track kept reappearing on Discover playlists until
the raw emotion and yearning of Boy became something I made a note of. A beautiful ballad of
teenage lust, the acoustic version has a bit more passion than the original, and I can see this being a
random deep cut I return to in years to come.


5. Sigrid - High Five
Sigrid won the BBC’s Sound of 2018 poll at the start of the year, and has been pushed heavily since,
with tours increasing in venue size throughout the year. With a debut album next year she’s poised to
break through into the mainstream; given the rate of bangers she’s put out (and the newer songs she
played on the autumn tour) it’ll be justified. Scandinavians just do pop better than everyone else and
this is the perfect example of it - a frothy fun song that seems pleasant on first listen, until you realise
how biting the lyrics are.


4. Ariana Grande - God is a woman
It’s a long journey from the third female in a kid’s TV show to being the first person ever to be named
an honorary citizen of Manchester after her response to the bombing after her gig, to having to publicly
deal with one actual and one threatened suicide of her ex-boyfriends. In between all that Ari released
several bangers. While No Tears Left To Cry had a cathartic energy to it that launched a new era while
still paying tribute to Manchester, this track was a statement of intent that blew me away. I do love me
some big epic tracks and this is no exception!


3. Carly Rae Jepsen - Party For One
Carly continues to tease us with the promise of a new album, but in the meantime she gives us little
droplets of single releases to tide us over in the long droughts. After Cut To The Feeling last year we
got this infectious poppy single about being able to support yourself, not needing anyone else, how it’s
ok to spend some time on your own...ok it’s about wanking, but like the Hailee Steinfeld track of three
years ago it’s a great song regardless of subject matter!


2. Selena Gomez - Back To You
My love of this song is frequently used against me in arguments about my bias towards female singers,
as “if Ed Sheeran sang it instead [I’d] hate it!” Well, probably, but as it was released by a different friend
of Taylor (a description that sounds vaguely euphemistic, like “friend of Dorothy” but less stigmatised)
it’s regularly made it onto my playlists this year. A lovely, pleasant acoustic ballad that’s good enough to
make me forget that it’s probably written about Justin Bieber. Video’s good, too.


1. Hailee Steinfeld - Capital Letters

Hailee has been quietly putting out some bangers throughout the year, and coupled with a stellar
performance supporting Katy Perry makes me think she’s not just doing this music career as a side gig.
Despite being released at the start of the year this song has a nice uplifting vibe that would’ve made it
a perfect summer song, so I kept listening to it throughout the year to fit it in with the seasons. It’s also
another example of a film soundtrack that’s far better than the film it’s promoting (see also: the other 50
Shades films, Vampire Academy, Twilight, Hunger Games...I’m not sure what it says about me that YA
adaptations have soundtracks that really click with me).

Monday, December 24, 2018

Gig Survey 2018

Top 5 shows of the year? 1. Taylor Swift/Camila Cabello, Wembley Stadium London, 22nd June 2. Jenny Lewis, Koko London, 14th August 3. Sigrid, Brixton Academy London, 12th November 4. Camila Cabello, Brixton Academy London, 12th June 5. Kylie Minogue, BT Cellnet Arena London, 27th September 6. Britney Spears/Pixie Lott/Ella Eyre, Brighton Pride, 4th August 7. Katy Perry/Hailee Steinfeld, BT Cellnet Arena London, 14th June 8. All Saints, Komedia Brighton, 26th September 9. Little Mix, Sussex County Cricket Ground Hove, 6th July 10. Britney Spears, BT Cellnet Arena London, 24th August *The above list should not reflect poorly on the quality of the latter gigs; in most years the lower ranking gigs would easily be top 3. Total number of shows? Eleven, the lowest since 2011 and 2012. First show of the year? Anavae upstairs at the Islington Garage (or whatever it’s called now - Thousand Island, I think). Last show of the year? Sigrid at Brixton Academy. Most surprising show? All Saints at a tiny 200 capacity venue in Brighton. Most disappointing? I genuinely can’t list any gigs as disappointing this year. Even Little Mix - where I attended off the back of a run of night shifts, so had slept for roughly 3 hours in the previous 24 - was fun, aided by the company and copious beers. Farthest travelled? Wembley Stadium in north London, 68 miles or 110 km from home. States attended shows in? Cheerful, grateful, euphoric, terrified, bored, knackered. Venue most visited? The O2/BT Cellnet Arena in East London. Considering my last visit there was for Taylor Swift on the Red Tour in 2014, we saw three gigs there this year, as well as a further three wrestling events - making up for lost time! Worst injury? Nothing! I survived my gigs unscathed. Most expensive ticket? £85 plus fees for the reputation tour. Worth every single penny. Band seen the most? Britney Spears, Camila Cabello, or MNEK (supporting at Pride, one song cameo during Haileeee Steinfeld’s set), all twice. Best new discovery? A lack of The Great Escape (unsigned festival in Brighton) plus a combination of well known or dreadful support acts meant that I was honestly unsure if I could put anything in this section, except Ella Eyre at Pride. Thankfully Sigrid’s pre-set playlist introduced me to Dagny and Bendik, both Norwegian singers. Bands seen this year that also broke up this year? None! Friends made at shows? I mostly went to gigs with Dana so didn’t really talk to anyone else. We did get talking to a Geordie girl in the merch queue at Wembley to whom I’m forever indebted, as she gave us the tea on when to head to the B-stages. Band members met? Becca and Jamie from Anavae, again, but they don’t count by this point. Apart from that, without spending three figure sums on a meet and greet, this is the closest I’ve got - discounting the brief second when Camila Cabello and Charli XCX ran past me at the same show. Best souvenir from a show? Writing this has made me realise I’ve not worn my Sigrid shirt yet. T-shirts from Kylie, Jenny Lewis, and Taylor Swift have all been added to the regular rotation. A Meg Myers t-shirt purchased on pledgemusic was a landmark in that it’s the first medium t-shirt I’ve purchased new in years - a contrast to the final line on my 2015 Gig Survey! One of my most frequently worn pieces of merch was not actually purchased at a show - indeed, I haven’t seen the band live in years - but early in the year I realised with the abundance of pop music gigs in the year ahead, I should wear a suitable t-shirt to them. Having worn various Rammstein t-shirts to previous gigs (Carly Rae Jepsen, Selena Gomez, probably Taylor Swift) I treated myself to a newer and louder shirt for the German industrial metal band, which got me a fair few odd glances (and several thumbs up!) throughout the year. Longest time in line? About an hour outside Brixton Academy for Camila, which felt longer due to the clearly excited young man several people ahead of us who would hyperactively repeat the chorus from Bella Thorne’s then new eponymous single (which sadly doesn’t appear to have troubled the charts over here). Besides that, we spent hours on the pleb barrier for Britney at Pride. Shows seen from the barricade [front row]? Britney at Pride from the pleb barrier (furthest forward without paying £££s on Super Sexy Extra Special Gold Circle tickets) and a few songs for Taylor Swift on the second B stage. We were also two rows from the front for All Saints, but there weren’t a lot of rows in total there. Most shows in one month? June had three, building up to the reputation tour at the end. Most shows in one week? Two, twice - Camila Cabello and Katy Perry/Hailee Steinfeld in three days in June, and All Saints & Kylie in successive days in September. Biggest crowd? Britney at Pride had a reported crowd of 57,000 but that’s topped by Taylor at Wembley - capacity for gigs ranges from 70,000 to 90,000 but even the lowest total tops Britney. Any drunk encounters? Apart from Anavae during my pre-marathon dry spell I had beers at every gig. Didn’t get drunk, although I realised towards the end of Camila’s support at Wembley that I was one beer away from getting the perfect buzz to be receptive to a tour for an album I was ambivalent about. Top 5 best 2018 concert moments: 1. Taylor Swift. Considering I was really not into reputation before the set, I tried to be as open-minded as possible. Hearing Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation as warm-up music really knocked me off kilter - six months of consuming WWE content had conditioned me to expect Ronda Rousey to walk out instead. Viewing the album through a professional wrestling lense made me think of it as a heel turn, with the fans kept involved enough to realise it’s all kayfabe - and it all clicked into place. A rip-roaring 90 minute set followed, with enough fire and theatricality to bring up positive comparisons to Rammstein, and I left the stadium a bigger fan than I even thought possible. 2. Jenny Lewis’s gig in London on my birthday was a damn near religious experience. Again. 3. Sigrid had such a command of the stage for a relatively new artist which, combined with a tremendously strong catalogue, should see her breakout and takeover in 2019. 4. Camila Cabello showed enough star power in her Brixton and Wembley sets to have me convinced of her star potential. Given her current mentor as well, a strong second album could push her into the upper echelon of female pop stars. 5. Hailee Steinfeld’s supporting set had one moment which suggested that her music career wasn’t just a part-time paper round. Midway through she introduced MNEK to sing current single Colour (a song I heard at three separate gigs this year, as he performed it at Pride and it was shown on the video screens before Little Mix a couple of times) but due to technical problems there were issues with his microphone. She handled it well, reacting self-deprecatingly while keeping the crowd in the loop. Top 3 worst 2018 concert moments: 1. Britney forgetting the name of the city she was playing in and asking her backup dancer where she was ought to be number one, but it was genuinely bloody funny to see! 2. Genuinely can’t think of anything else negative to put here. Let’s see off the year on a high then!

Sunday, December 09, 2018

Gig List

Near enough every gig I’ve been to. All 200 odd of them.

2001
November 14th - Garbage (Astoria, London)

2002
April 8th - Garbage (Hackney, London)
May 16th - Rammstein (London Arena, London)
November 3rd - Tenacious D (Brixton Academy, London)

2003
March 7 - Feeder (Brixton Academy, London)
March 25th - Avril Lavigne (Brixton Academy, London)
June 19th - Evanescence (Astoria, London)
June 24th - Harry (100 Club, London)
August - Ash (V festival, Chelmsford)
August - Foo Fighters (V Festival, Chelmsford)
August - Feeder (V Festival, Chelmsford)
August - Distillers (V Festival, Chelmsford)
October 17th - The Donnas (Astoria, London)*
November 13th - Distillers (Astoria, London)

2004
February 8th - The Darkness (Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone)
February 19th - Span w/Bloc Party (Islington Bar Academy, London)
March 11th - Easyworld (ULU, London)
April 13th - Auf der Maur (Mean Fiddler, London)
April 15th - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Forum, London)
April 22nd - Span (Underworld, London)
May 1st - Feeder (Hammersmith Odeon, London)
May 14th - Ghost of the Robot (The Forum, London)
August - The Donnas (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Ash (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - The Offspring (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - The Darkness (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Razorlight (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - The White Stripes (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Melissa Auf der Maur (Reading Festival, Reading)
August 29th - Auf der Maur w/The Subways (Astoria, London)
September 26th - Charlotte Hatherley w/The Subways (ULU, London)
November 16th - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Forum, London)
December 1st - The Subways (Garage, London)

2005
January 17th - The Barbs (Camden Barfly, London)
February 3rd - Rammstein (Brixton Academy, London)
February 13th - Ordinary Boys w/The Subways (Astoria, London)
March 9th - The Donnas (Astoria, London)
March 30th - Garbage (Scala, London)
May 3rd - The Duke Spirit (HMV Oxford Street, London)
May 25th - The Subways (ULU, London)
June 2nd - Garbage (Paradiso, Amsterdam)
June 9th - Garbage (Brixton Academy, London)
June 20th - The Subways (Islington Academy, London)
June - Nine Black Alps (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Maximo Park (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Yourcodenameis: Milo (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - M83 (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Be Your Own Pet (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - The Killers (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - The White Stripes (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Hayseed Dixie (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Kaiser Chiefs (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - The Departure (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Rilo Kiley (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - The Subways (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Coldplay (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Dresden Dolls (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
June - Garbage (Glastonbury Festival, Somerset)
July 4th - The Subways (Virgin Megastore Oxford Street, London)
July 18th - The Subways (Camden Barfly, London)
July 25th - Charlotte Hatherley (Hoxton Bar, London)
August 25th - The Subways (Rock En Seine festival, Paris)
August 25th - Queens Of The Stone Age (Rock En Seine festival, Paris)
August 26th - The Departure (Rock En Seine festival, Paris)
August 26th - Goldfrapp (Rock En Seine festival, Paris)
August 26th - Babyshambles (Rock En Seine festival, Paris)
August 26th - Robert Plant (Rock En Seine festival, Paris)
September 8th - Duke Spirit (Beercart Arms, Canterbury)
September 22nd - Duke Spirit (Social, London)
September 27th - The Subways (Hatfield University)
October 5th - The Subways (Astoria, London)
October 6th - The Subways (University, Colchester)
October 27th - The Subways (Brookes University, Oxford)
October 31st - The Kills/Be Your Own Pet (Zodiac, Oxford)
November 11th - The Subways (University, Reading)
November 12th - The Subways (The Forum, London)
December ??th - Art Brut (Camden Barfly, London)

2006
January 21st - XFM All Dayer (Camden Barfly, London)
February 1st - Be Your Own Pet (Bush Hall, London)
February 2nd - Be Your Own Pet (Camden Barfly, London)
February 9th - Goldfrapp (Brixton Academy, London)
February 21st - Little Man Tate w/The Suffrajets (Camden Barfly, London)
April 8th - Be Your Own Pet (Bloomsbury Bowling Alley, London)
April 21st - Be Your Own Pet (ULU, London)
April 24th - Jenny Lewis/Goldfrapp (Koko, London)
April 27th - Jenny Lewis (Shepherds Bush Empire, London)
May 8th - The Suffrajets (Camden Barfly, London)
May 16th - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Forum, London)
May 19th - The Noisettes (KIAD, Canterbury)
July 5th - Giant Drag (The Horn, St Albans)
July 6th - Pretty Girls Make Graves (Islington Academy, London)
July 8th - Duke Spirit (Finsbury Park, London)
July 28th - The Suffrajets (Koko, London)
August - The Hot Puppies (Electric Gardens, Hernehill)
August - The Long Blondes (Electric Gardens, Hernehill)
August - Reading Festival (Subways, etc)
August - Eagles Of Death Metal (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - The Subways (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Franz Ferdinand (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Giant Drag (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Be Your Own Pet (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Muse (Reading Festival, Reading)
August - Dresden Dolls (Reading Festival, Reading)
September 12th - The Subways (Shepherds Bush Empire, London)
November 11th - The Subways (Square, Harlow)
November 24th - Motorhead (Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone)
December 13th - The Duke Spirit (ICA, London)

2007
January 13th - Blood Red Shoes (Camden Barfly, London)
January 30th - Metric (Dingwalls, London)
March 23rd - The Subways (The Square, Harlow)
March 29th - Charlotte Hatherley (Borderline, London)*
March 30th - Blood Red Shoes (Lido, Margate)
April 28th - Blood Red Shoes (ULU, London)
May 8th - Blood Red Shoes (Heaven, London)
May 17th - The Subways (Buffalo Bar, London)
May 29th - Blood Red Shoes (Koko, London)
May 30th - Blood Red Shoes (Concord2, Brighton)
June 13th - Blood Red Shoes (Banquet Records, Kingston)
June 24th - Aerosmith (Hyde Park, London)
August 4th - Blood Red Shoes (Electric Gardens. Hernehill)
August 4th - The Pipettes (Electric Gardens, Hernehill)
August 20th - Rilo Kiley (Islington Academy, London)
August 31st - Blood Red Shoes (Lido, Margate)
September 14th - Alice Cooper (St Petersburg Times Forum, Tampa)
September 21st - Blood Red Shoes (Pavilion Theatre, Brighton)
October 10th - Blood Red Shoes (Bush Hall, London)
October 14th - Blood Red Shoes (Hertford Marquee)
October 23rd - Los Campesinos! (ULU, London)
November 5th - The Donnas (ULU, London)

2008
January 25th - Duke Spirit (The Fly, London)
February 2nd - Blood Red Shoes (229, London)
February 2nd - Blood Red Shoes (Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff)
February 7th - Blood Red Shoes (Sister Ray, London)
February 23rd - Los Campesinos!/Johnny Foreigner (Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth)
March 17th - Be Your Own Pet (Banquet Records, London)
March 23rd - The Eagles (O2, London)
March 26th - The Subways (Thekla, Bristol)
April 1st - Be Your Own Pet (Scala, London)
April 5th - Blood Red Shoes (Forum, Tonbridge Wells)*
April 9th - Blood Red Shoes (Kings College, London)
April 10th - The Subways w/Johnny Foreigner (ULU, London) (24)
May 13th - Johnny Foreigner (Kings College, London)
May 14th - The Subways (Hammersmith Working Mens Club, London)
May 28th - Maximo Park w/Blood Red Shoes (The Forum, London)
August 26th - Be Your Own Pet (Dingwalls, London)
August 31st - Blood Red Shoes (Offset, London)
September 15th - Metallica (O2, London)
September 30th - Johnny Foreigner w/Dananananakroyd (Madame JoJos, London)
October 10th - Blood Red Shoes (Freebutt, Brighton)
October 17th - Jenny Lewis (Koko, London)*
October 20th - Los Campesinos! (Electric Ballroom, London)
October 24th - Blood Red Shoes (Mean Fiddler, London)

2009
February 4th - Amanda Palmer (Electric Ballroom, London)
February 13th - Rosie & The Goldbug (Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, London)
February 23rd - Spinnerette (Islington Academy, London)
March 10th - Blood Red Shoes (Chinnerys, Southend)
April 5th - Rose Elinor Dougall (The Old Queens Head, London)
April 25th - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
May 16th - Sky Larkin (Farmhouse, Canterbury)
May 18th - Johnny Foreigner (Flowerpot, London)
May 21st - Rosie & The Goldbug (Water Rats, London)
June 8th - Rose Elinor Dougall (Luminaire, Kilburn)
June 9th - Rose Elinor Dougall (Puregroove records, London)
June 21st - Rose Elinor Dougall (Victoria Park, London)
June 28th - Bruce Springsteen (Hyde Park, London)
June 29th - Rose Elinor Dougall (Garage, London)
July 24th - Sky Larkin (Lexington, London)
August 5th - The Pipettes (Lexington, London)
August 14th - Gwenno (Puregroove records, London)
September 20th - Blood Red Shoes (Breda Barst)
September 30th - Sky Larkin (Cargo, London)
October 4th - Rose Elinor Dougall (Old Queens Head, London)
October 10th - Johnny Foreigner (Garage, London)
October 23rd - Rose Elinor Dougall (Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff)
November 25th - Blood Red Shoes (Cro Bar, Soho)
December 3rd - Sky Larkin/Los Campesinos! (Brixton Academy)
December 3rd - Rose Elinor Dougall (Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London)
December 11th - Little Boots (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
December 19th - The Subways (The Square, Harlow) - did not attend. Forgot.

2010
January 23rd - Blood Red Shoes (Vienna)
January 27th - Rolo Tomassi (Barfly, London)
January 28th - Blood Red Shoes (Lexington)
February 3rd - Rose Elinor Dougall (Flowerpot, London)
February 4th - Rammstein (Wembley Arena, London)
March 13th - Blood Red Shoes (Garage, London) (26)
April 20th - The Pipettes (Puregroove records, London)
April 20th - The Pipettes (Hoxton Bar & Square, London)
April 29th - She & Him (Alhambra, Paris)
May 7th - She & Him (Koko, London)
May 28th - Rolo Tomassi (Underworld, London)
June ??th - Los Campesinos! (Garage, London)
August 18th - Pretty Reckless (Islington Academy, London)
September 20th - Sky Larkin (Lexington, London)
October 7th - Blood Red Shoes (Electric Ballroom, London)
November 5th - Rolo Tomassi (Electric Ballroom, London)
November 15th - Paramore (O2, London)
November 19th - Ellie Goulding (Hammersmith Odeon, London)
December 8th - Jenny And Johnny (Bush Hall, London)
December 16th - Pretty Reckless (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
December 19th - Rolo Tomassi (Bloomsbury Ballrooms, London) - cancelled, illness to Eva

2011
February 25th – Rose Elinor Dougall (Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London)
March 18th – Katy Perry (Hammersmith Odeon, London)
March 30th – Taylor Swift (BT Cellnet Arena
April 5th – The Subways (Buffalo Bar, London)
May 7th – Rolo Tomassi (Garage, London)
May 26th  – VersaEmerge (King’s College, London)
June 12th – The Subways (Farmhouse, Canterbury)
June 25th - Glee Live (BT Cellnet Arena, London)
July 5th – Darren Criss (Borderline, London)
October 29th – Marmozets (Barfly, London)
October 29th – Rolo Tomassi (Barfly, London)

2012
February 3rd – We Are The In Crowd (Hammersmith Odeon, London)
February 24th – Rammstein (BT Cellnet Arena, London)
April 3rd – Blood Red Shoes (acoustic) (Resident Records, Brighton)
April 27th – Blood Red Shoes (Concord2, Brighton)
May 3rd – Blood Red Shoes (Heaven, London)
May 9th – Garbage (Troxy, London)
May 10th – Maxïmo Park (Brighton Dome, Brighton)
May 16th – Garbage (l'Olympia, Paris)
May 28th – Summerslam 88 (The Hydrant, Brighton)
July 1st – Garbage  (Brixton Academy, London)
November 12th – Lucy Rose (Coalition, Brighton)

2013
January 22nd – Rolo Tomassi (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
January 22nd – Blood Red Shoes (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
February – Anavae (Bar Academy, Islington)
March 29th – Of Verona (100 Club, London)
April 7th  – Anavae (Bar Academy, Islington)
May 10th– We Are The In Crowd (Roundhouse, London)
May 14th  – Lucy Rose (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
May 17th – Marmozets (Concord2, Brighton)
June 30th – Lissie (Olympic Park, London)
June 30th – Bruce Springsteen (Olympic Park, London)
July 5th – Kaiser Chiefs (Hyde Park, London)
July 5th – Bon Jovi (Hyde Park, London)
July 12th - Lucy Rose (Hyde Park, London)
August 22nd – Lucy Rose (Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth)
September 7th – Selena Gomez (Hammersmith Odeon, London)
September 27th – Paramore (Wembley Arena, London)
September 30th - Marmozets (Upstairs at the Garage, London)*
October 2nd - Dog In The Snow (The Prince Albert, Brighton)
October 8th - Nina Nesbitt (The Haunt, Brighton)
October 11th - Pawws (Green Door Store, Brighton)
October 31st - Lorde/Nina Nesbitt (Oval Space, London)
November 1st - Deap Valley (Concord2, Brighton)
November 3rd - Big Deal (The Hope, Brighton)*
November 11th - Mt. Wolf (The Haunt, Brighton)
November 14th - Gabrielle Aplin (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
November 29th - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down (Dalston Victoria, London)

2014
January 31st - Dog In The Snow (Blind Tiger Club, Brighton)
February 1st - Taylor Swift (O2, London)
February 9th - We Are The In Crowd (McLusky’s, Kingston)
February 10th - We Are The In Crowd (Koko, London)*
February 25th - Rae Morris (Komedia, Brighton)
March 2nd - Foxes (The Haunt, Brighton)
March 4th - Blood Red Shoes (Black Heart, Camden)
March 5th - Blood Red Shoes (Resident Records, Brighton)
March 6th - Anavae (Audio, Brighton)
March 6th - Dog In The Snow (Prince Albert, Brighton)
March 24th - The Pretty Reckless (Electric Ballroom, London)
April 25th - Blood Red Shoes (Concorde 2, Brighton)
April 27th - Lightknife (Komedia, Brighton)
April 30th - Blood Red Shoes (Electric Ballroom, London)
May 3rd - Blood Red Shoes (The Lounge, Canterbury)
May 4th - Pawws (Bramleys, Canterbury)
May 8th - Chloe Howl (Dr Martens Store, Brighton)
May 8th - Laurel (Komedia, Brighton)
May 8th - Tove Lo (Komedia, Brighton)
May 8th - Pawws (Komedia, Brighton)
May 9th - Wonder Villains (Prince Albert, Brighton)
May 9th - Honeyblood (Dome Studio, Brighton)
May 9th - Tove Lo (Warren, Brighton)
May 10th - Charli XCX (Corn Exchange, Brighton)
May 10th - The Subways (Concorde 2, Brighton)
May 10th - Wonder Villains (Blind Tiger, Brighton)
May 20th - Foxes (Concorde 2, Brighton)
June 1st - Demi Lovato (Koko, London)
June 6th - Lorde (Brixton Academy, London)*
June 25th - Lucy Rose (Sebright Arms, London)
June 28th - Aerosmith (Clapham Common, London)
July 4th - Black Sabbath/Motorhead (Hyde Park, London)*
July 6th - Lucy Rose (Abbot St Car Park, Dalston, London)
July 12th - Lucy Rose (Hyde Park, London)
July 12th - Hero Fisher (Hyde Park, London)
August 9th - Anavae (The Hope, Brighton)
September 2nd - Jenny Lewis (Roundhouse, London)
September 5th - Jenny Lewis (Islington Assembly Hall, London)
September 15th - Foxes (Roundhouse, London)
September 25th - Fear Of Men (The Hope, Brighton)
September 27th - Soph Nathan (The Hope, Brighton)
September 27th - Honeyblood (The Hope, Brighton)
October 6th - Marmozets (Komedia, Brighton)
November 12th - Honeyblood (The Haunt, Brighton)
November 24th - Echosmith (Barfly, London)
November 26th - The Pretty Reckless (Brixton Academy, London)*
December 2nd - Laurel (Prince Albert, Brighton)
December 3rd - Against The Current (Borderline, London)
December 12th - Foxes (Concorde 2, Brighton)
December 20th - Marmozets/Royal Blood (The Dome, Brighton)

2015
February 10th - Rae Morris (Komedia, Brighton)
February 20th - We Are The In Crowd (Forum, London)
March 17th - Lucy Rose (Concorde 2, Brighton)
March 24th - Charli XCX (Concorde 2, Brighton)
March 28th - Lucy Rose (Engine Rooms, Southampton)
April 22nd - Pvris (Concorde 2, Brighton)
The Great Escape
The Waletones - Fishbowl, Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Ellie Rose - Fishbowl, Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Kerri Watt - Fishbowl, Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Rory Indiana - The Hope and Ruin, Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Fickle Friends - The Hope and Ruin, Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Ward Thomas - Prince Albert, Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
High Tyde - Patterns (downstairs), Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Kate Boy - Patterns (downstairs), Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
BROODS - Patterns (downstairs), Brighton, United Kingdom (14th May)
Orla Gartland - Prince Albert, Brighton, United Kingdom (15th May)
Secret Company - Shipwright Yard, Brighton, United Kingdom (15th May)
Dog in the Snow - Shipwright Yard, Brighton, United Kingdom (15th May)
PINS - Dome Studio, Brighton, United Kingdom (15th May)
Moumoon - Queen’s Hotel, Brighton, United Kingdom (16th May)
Jagaara - Dome Studio, Brighton, United Kingdom (16th May)
June 9th - Lucy Rose (Courtyard Theatre, London)
June 27th - Taylor Swift (Hyde Park, London)
July 6th - Lucy Rose (Church, Kingston)
July 8th - Gabrielle Aplin (The Haunt, Brighton)
August 1st - Mary Lambert (Pride, Preston Park, Brighton)
August 1st - Tulisa (Pride, Preston Park, Brighton)
August 1st - Ms Dynamite (Pride, Preston Park, Brighton)
August 1st - Ella Henderson (Pride, Preston Park, Brighton)
August 1st - Foxes (Pride, Preston Park, Brighton)
September 4th - Lucy Rose (Together The People, Preston Park, Brighton)
September 23rd - PINS (Oslo, London)*
October 13th - Rae Morris (Concorde 2, Brighton)*
October 28th - Izzy Bizu (Concorde 2, Brighton)
October 28th - Foxes (Concorde 2, Brighton)
November 8th - Dutch Uncles (Brixton Academy, London)
November 8th - Garbage (Brixton Academy, London)
November 14th - Flyte (Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth)
November 14th - Lucy Rose (Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth)
December 7th - Carly Rae Jepsen (Islington Assembly Hall, London)
December 15th - Lucy Rose (Hoxton)
December 17th - Anavae (Barfly, London)

2016
January 22nd - Lucy Rose (Ramsgate Music Hall, Kent) (Swampmother & SiVu)
February 15th - Gabrielle Aplin (Corn Exchange, Brighton) (Lewis Watson)
February 18th - Lucy Rose (Brighton Dome)
February 18th - PINS (Prince Albert, Brighton) (Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammed Ali)
March 31st - Chvrches (Royal Albert Hall, London) (Shura)
May 6th - HÆLOS (The Hope and Ruin, Brighton) (Vaiko)
May 11th - Foxes (Concorde 2, Brighton) (RIVRS)
— The Great Escape, Brighton - 19th May
Edward Sansom - Spiegeltent
Tuff Love - Brighthelm
Julia Jacklin - Komedia
Danielle Lewis - Latest Music Bar (Upstairs)
Mura Masa - All Saints Church
Shura - All Saints Church
Oh Wonder - All Saints Church
— The Great Escape, Brighton - 20th May
Me And My Drummer - Horatios
Black Honey - Wagner Hall
Black Honey - Horatios
— The Great Escape, Brighton - 21st May
The Big Moon - Komedia
Clean Cut Kid - Komedia
Julia Jacklin - Spiegeltent
The Barberettes - Latest Music Bar
Beverly - The Hope and Ruin (Bar)
Muna - Coalition
Muncie Girls - The Haunt
Area 52 - The Hub
Uniiqu3 - The Arch
Anna of the North - The Arch
June 8th - Anavae (Islington Garage upstairs, London)
June 13th - Garbage (Troxy, London) (The Pearl Harts)
August 6th - Carly Rae Jepsen (Pride, Preston Park, Brighton) (Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie)
22nd September - Anavae (Boston Music Room, London)
— Southsea Fest, Portsmouth - 1st October
The Big Moon (Pyramids)
Black Honey (Wedgewood Rooms)
Lonely The Brave (Wedgewood Rooms)
Lucy Rose (Wedgewood Rooms)
Honeyblood (Trinity Church)
10th October - Pretty Reckless (Scala, London)
9th December - Lucy Rose (The Idea Store, London)

2017
14th February - Gabrielle Aplin (The Haunt, Brighton)
8th March - Against The Current (The Haunt, Brighton)*
17th March - Tove Lo (Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London)
13th April - Rose Elinor Dougall (The Lexington, London)
25th May - Ariana Grande (The O2, London)*
19th June - Paramore (Royal Albert Hall, London)
26th June - Tove Lo  (Concorde 2, Brighton)
30th June - Phil Collins (Hyde Park, London)
9th July - Lucy Rose (Pie & Vinyl, Southsea)
11th July - Lucy Rose (Resident Records, Brighton)
14th July - Lucy Rose (Duke of York’s Cinema, Brighton)
15th July - Oh Wonder (Resident Records, Brighton)
5th August - Louisa Johnson (Brighton Pride)
5th August - Years and Years (Brighton Pride)
11th August - Sainte (Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London)
16th August - Billy Lunn (Prince Albert, Brighton)
22nd August - Marmozets (The Haunt, Brighton)
4th September - Anavae (Paper Dress Vintage, London)
30th September - Lorde (Brighton Centre)
5th October - Dua Lipa (Brighton Dome)
4th November - Lucy Rose (Old Market, Hove)
24th November - Lucy Rose (Engine Rooms, Southampton)

2018
31st March - Anavae (Thousand Island, London)
12th June - Camila Cabello (Brixton Academy, London)
14th June - Katy Perry/Hailee Steinfeld (BT Cellnet Arena, London)
22nd June - Taylor Swift/Camila Cabello/Charli XCX (Wembley Stadium, London)
6th July - Little Mix (Sussex County Cricket Ground, Hove)
4th August - Britney Spears/Pixie Lott/Ella Eyre (Brighton Pride)
24th August - Britney Spears (BT Cellnet Arena, London)
27th September - Kylie Minogue (BT Cellnet Arena, London)

Football survey 2023

Started this last year, so why not make it a tradition? Top 5 games of the year? Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1, 4th March, Selhurst Park (Continental ...