The Venue, Bloomsbury Ballroom, is an impressive room in itself, but was made even more special for the gig with the stage and hall decorated by many of Gabby’s talented arty friends. There were also more stalls, which in honesty were not something that appealed to me personally (the music was the main attraction!), but they certainly made it feel like more of an event, and seemed to go down well with much of the crowd.

Taking advantage of their hefty brass section, the band opened with ‘The Pink Panther’ theme, a fun way to start proceedings, and a good build up to Gabby’s appearance on stage to unveil her latest dress creation. Known as much for her involvement in the fashion world as much as music these days, her outfits are always bold and inventive.

Naturally the set still focused heavily on the band’s debut album ‘We’re All In This Together’, but had also grown somewhat since the album launch. In addition to the Pink Panther intro, the encore featured a cover of Cab Calloway’s ‘Hi-De-Ho’, a favourite song of Gabby and her father’s which she has always wanted to sing. The ‘Hi-Di-Hi’ call and response sections were led by guitarist and vocalist Stephen Ellis, with some fun variations. We were also treated to a fantastic new song ‘Horatio’, the intro to which is featured on the album, just as a snippet.

Of course the now well known tracks from the album went down great with the crowd, with lots of singing and dancing along to ‘Ask You A Question’, ‘Ladies Of The Lake’, and the new single ‘Ones That Got Away’. A steel band joined in for ‘Lipsink’, and the banjo-led title track of the album demonstrated the stripped-back, more mature side of the band.

The packed crowd was an impressive sight, demonstrating how well Gabby and the band’s profile has grown over the past 6 months, no doubt helped by the press coverage received for her ‘Become an Animal‘ scheme. This growing love for the band was demonstrated when one song was dedicated to Iris – an 80 year old fan who danced her way through the whole set and seemed to know every word, wearing a Gabby Young tshirt, and waiting to her CD signed at the end.

All in all a superbly fun evening, and reassuring to see such a talented young artist and band get the recognition they deserve. “Will we make it on to Gareth’s Gigs?” I was asked by Gabby after the gig. Of course – you just did!

Fyfe Dangerfield – Downstairs At The King’s Head (15th January)

I was unable to make Fyfe’s Scala gig due to work commitments, so was pleased to discover this low-key warm up gig. The Guillemots frontman was performing tracks from his new solo album ‘Fly Yellow Moon’, and the entire gig was a very stripped down affair, with a lot being played on acoustic guitar or piano only, although he occasionally ventured into loop pedal teritory, but only to provide a basic background beat.

The set included many songs from the album, including single ‘She Needs Me’, and stripped down tracks ‘Livewire’ and ‘Don’t Be Shy’. He also played a few from the special edition album’s bonus CD, including the beautiful piano ballad ‘Awake, Asleep’. Opting to avoid playing any Guillemots, the set was boosted by a few covers – a haunting version of The Beatles’ ‘Fool On The Hill’, and Girls Aloud’s ‘Call The Shots’, which was performed in a very minimalist style remaniscent of The XX.

It was a great chance to see Fyfe in an intimate setting, however I’m sure if he plays more solo gigs hopefully he will start to bring in some more of his wonderful energy displayed in Guillemots gigs!

Hot Chip – Rough Trade East (2nd February)

To launch their new album ‘One Life Stand’, the fantastic Hot Chip played a set at Rough Trade East. Having been there the previous day to see Midlake play, I was able to pick up a copy of the album along with a ticket to the gig. The large and excited crowd squeezed into the store, and shortly after the band took to the stage to play a set largely comprised of the new album.

Album and set opener ‘Thieves In The Night’ set the mood, and with tracks such as ‘I Feel Better’ and the single ‘One Life Stand’ there’s no shortage of catchy tunes on the new long player. Several of the tracks featured Al Doyle playing steel drums, a new addition to the Hot Chip sound. Previous albums got a slight look-in, with previous single ‘Ready For The Floor’, and what seemed like an unplanned encore (although surely they don’t play many gigs without it!?) of ‘Over And Over’ keeping the crowd happy.

Sadly I missed their Brixton Academy gigs this weekend but hopefully I’ll get the chance to see another full set soon, as the new material mixed up with more old favourites will surely be a winning combination.

David Ford – Boogaloo (2nd February)

After the Hot Chip show I dashed over to the Boogaloo in Highgate just in time for David Ford’s headline slot. The packed out intimate gig was due to coincide with the launch of his (self-released) new album ‘Let The Hard Times Roll’, however due to manufacturing delays the album wasn’t ready in time. He made up for it by playing the album in full, complete with the stories behind most of the songs, and helped out by Hannah Peel on piano and trombone for several tracks.

Much of the album was familiar to me from previous gigs, and a few had been previously released on a series of EPs – tracks such as ‘Hurricane’, ‘Panic’ and ‘Stephen’ are now classic Ford tracks. Of the newer tracks, ‘She’s Not The One’ is at the ‘radio-friendly’ end of David’s spectrum, and was written about Margaret Thatcher, and ‘Meet Me In The Middle’ a more sombre affair, dealing with a period of depression in his life. The stories and songs made for a very insightful gig, and it was clear to see how much passion had gone into the making of the album.

The gig was rounded off with a short encore of requests and covers, including a fun medley featuring ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ and ‘Higher And Higher’ amongst others. The night ended with the still beautiful, no matter how many times I hear it, ‘Song For The Road’. Following a series of small shows David will play his biggest show yet at Koko in April. Based on every gig I’ve seen him play surely we won’t be lucky enough to catch him in venues as intimate as the Boogaloo for much longer.

I made the 4 1/2 train journey up on the Saturday morning and then spent the afternoon exploring the city. In the evening I headed to Hidden Door, which was described as a ‘mini-festival’ of art, music, poetry and films. The fact that it was the same weekend was perfect timing as I wasn’t aware of it at the time I had booked. As well as sounding like an interesting event, the main draw for me was getting to see Broken Records, who are based in Edinburgh, and whilst travel down to London a lot are always worth seeing, especially to a home crowd. Before them I saw a few other bands – a really enjoyable singer called Panda Su (who kept playing to the appreciative audience when the power went down halfway through a song), and Andy Brown who seemed to be half singer, half poet, singing over lo-fi backing track recordings.

The main room of the event (a converted church) was a maze of small rooms each housing exhibits from different artists, and a space for performance artists in the middle. At the other end was the main stage. The whole thing reminded me a lot of the Shunt Vaults venue in London Bridge that I went to last year, but with more music and less odd performance art. After  a bit of exploring in between bands it was time for Broken Records, who performed as an acoustic four-piece instead of the usual seven members. The songs worked well in the stripped down format, especially one of my favourites on the album, ‘Wolves’, despite singer Jamie Sutherland needing to be reminded of the words by a fan halfway through. They also threw in a few new tracks, one of which is planned as the b side of a new single to be released in May, which is great news, and a chat with violinist Rory Sutherland after the gig relevaled that they are hoping to have a new album out by September.

I stuck around to watch a few more bands and then headed back to my hotel ready for a busy second day. I got up far earlier than I ideally would on a Sunday so that I could pack plenty into my morning before the all-dayer Sick Kids Sunday gig began at 1.30pm. First on the agenda was the walk/climb up to Arthur’s Seat, a nearby hill peak overlooking the city with some breathtaking views. The walk certainly reminded me that I could do with getting fit this year, but was worth it for the stunning scenery. After a slightly scary descent down a slightly wrong path, I headed back to see some more of the city, and to get some haggis for lunch before the gig – oh yes, I was in full-on tourist mode!

As this is a gig blog not a travel blog I’d best get on with the gig report. I discovered the Sick Kids Sunday gig (a charity event, this being the second one to be held) after it was posted on Twitter by Martin John Henry from the sadly defunct band De Rosa, as he was due to play. I was disappointed when I arrived at the venue, The GRV, to find out that he was unable to play, however due to the strength of the line-up it didn’t put too much of a dampener on the event. The first band on, Zoey Van Goey, got the crowd warmed up with their cover of Wilco’s ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’, using the crowd to ‘sing’ the different drum parts, as they were playing as an acoustic group. Next up were James Yorkston & Adrian Crowley billed as playing the songs of Daniel Johnston. The reality was one or two of his songs and a selection of other covers (made no difference to me as I don’t know any of his work), lead by Crowley on guitar and Yorkston helping out on backing vocals. Despite joking by reading his book during a solo Crowley track, it did seem like James was a bit bored, and certainly underused, but he entertained himself bygetting behind the drum kit for a couple of tracks.

The afternoon continued with a singer named Rob St John filling in for Martin John Henry at the last minute, and a couple of bands I was unfamiliar with, The Stormy Seas and Eagleowl, the latter I was particularly impressed with. There was also another band substitute, as Alasdair Roberts was replaced with Broken Records performing another acoustic set. Despite being the same set as the night before, it was a great chance to see them in a stripped down format (especially with Jamie getting the ‘Wolves’ words right this second time!), and a welcome bonus to see them twice in a weekend when I hadn’t expected to see them at all. After a short break for everyone to get a drink or a bite to eat, we were treated to a lively set from Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers, who went down well with the local crowd. Next up were one of my other reasons for being attracted to the gig, Sparrow And The Workshop, who entertained the crowd with their folk and country-tinged indie rock. They seem to get better every time I see them, and have released a couple of superb EPs packed with tracks that seem forever stuck in my head.

The night ended with Meusault, a band who I’ve heard a lot of good things about but had yet to hear. I really enjoyed what I saw, but also got the feeling that there is a lot more to be gained from some more listening, and so hopefully I will get to see them again soon. I unfortunately had to leave before the end, as I was catching the overnight sleeper train home to London, however left feeling very satisfied from a weekend of great music, and getting to see a fascinating and beautiful city. I’m sure it won’t be long before I find myself back there again, maybe for the next Sick Kids Sunday gig!

The first of which was at Notting Hill’s Tabernacle, as part of Q Magazine’s ‘New To Q’ series of gigs. The fairly intimate gig had sold out quickly, and managing to bag a spot right at the front, within touching distance of the band on the foot-high stage, the expectations of the past few years were well and truly built up! They opened with ‘Winter Dies’ from new album ‘The Courage Of Others’, my first experience of any new material. My first impression was great, and that it had been worth the wait not only to see them live, but for the new album.

This gig was a chance for the band to showcase plenty of new material, with the majority of the new album being played. Album opener and highlight ‘Acts Of Man’ demonstrated the slight change of direction (a bit more subdued and darker), but incredible song writing ability of the band, something they have shown since their earliest days. In addition to other new tracks ‘The Horn’ and ‘Rulers, Ruling All Things’, Stephanie Dosen joined frontman Tim Smith to duet on ‘Bring Down’, as she does on the album. This was a much welcome pleasant surprise, being a big fan of her work with Simon Raymonde in ‘Snowbird’, especially as I was unaware of her Midlake album appearance at the time.

Of course what I was most looking forward to was the inclusion of some more familiar tracks. Whilst we weren’t lucky enough to get anything pre ‘Van Occupanther’, there was a good selection of tracks from that album, including the fantastically brilliant singles ‘Roscoe’ and ‘My Young Bride’. ‘Bandits’ and ‘Branches’ provided some slightly softer moments, but the real highlight was a superb version of ‘Head Home’ to close the set.

Jump forward 4 days (with a weekend in Edinburgh in the middle), and there is another opportunity to see Midlake, at the Rough Trade East store. The only problem is I didn’t have the motivation to trek over there in the cold at 6.30am when my sleeper train arrived back in London to collect a wristband, and they would have been sure to run out before I could get there after work. Thanks therefore goes to the fabulous people at Songkick for their Twitter competition to win a pair of wristbands, meaning that I and a (Midlake loving) friend could see them once more.

With the added bonus of being allowed in first thanks to the guestlist, I found myself once again right in front of the band in an even smaller venue! The set was shortened from their full gig, but still included plenty of the new album, giving me a chance to get to know the tunes better, with them sounding even more promising second time round. Another dose of Roscoe and Head Home completed the package and left me eagerly ancitipating the next show. Thankfully I don’t have to wait long, their return to London is a swift one, with a Shepherd’s Bush Empire gig in just two weeks time!

Hopefully that’s all about to change soon. My big work project is nearing completion, and my gig diary is starting to fill up again, which feels rather comforting. I hope to write soon about the Fyfe Dangerfield gig I attended last week, and start gearing up for the following lot of upcoming gigs:

Midlake previewing their new album at The Tabernacle.

Martin John Henry, Sparrow & The Workshop, James Yorkston, and lots more at a charity gig next weekend in Edinburgh, looking forward to the trip!

David Ford playing a tiny show and releasing his new album at the Boogaloo.

The Wave Pictures playing at the newly refurbished Borderline as part of HMV’s new music gig series.

The Low Anthem playing their biggest gig yet at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, with David Ford supporting!

Another David Ford gig at the Boogaloo!

Midlake again at Shepherd’s Bush.

The Willkommen Orchestra (featuring members of Willkommen Records) at King’s Place.

Gabby Young & Other Animals launching their fantastic new single at their biggest yet gig, at Bloomsbury Ballroom.

John Cale performing Paris 1919 (wow!!!) at the Royal Festival Hall.

Get Well Soon returning to the UK following their new album release, at the Borderline.

A Silver Mt. Zion touring their new album, playing the Electric Ballroom.

Babybird following up their new album with a gig at the Scala.

Revere playing an as yet unconfirmed gig to launch their spectacular debut album.

Pavement returning to Brixton Academy.

Add to that Glastonbury and End Of The Road festivals and it’s already shaping up to be a pretty special year! Hope that you all have plenty of gigging fun lined up!

• Part 1 – 2009 Gigography
• Part 2 – Best Albums (25-11)
• Part 3 – Stats & Lists
• Part 4 – Best Albums (Top 10)
• Part 5 – Best Festival Performances
• Part 6 – Best Gigs

Happy New Year to you all, and I hope that 2010 brings plenty of music and gig fun!

The Acorn – Brixton Windmill (13th March)

One of the most fun small gigs of the year, my first proper glimpse (first headline show) into the brilliance of The Acorn as a live band. Whilst on record their music is beautiful and fairly relaxed on the whole, the live show brings a lot more energy. This gig was small, sweaty, and from what I remember the band played a nice long set. I think it was their first London headlining gig, a warm up for their Elbow support slot at Wembley Arena the following night, which brings me nicely to gig number 2…

Elbow – Wembley Arena (14th March)

(Photo from Brighton Dome gig)

I was initially sceptical about seeing Elbow in such a large venue, so I bought tickets to see them in Brighton a fortnight before instead. Based on the quality of that, I decided Wembley was worth a shot, especially with another chance to see The Acorn. The band, especially Guy Garvey, made it somehow feel like an intimate show, however it also delivered on the big scale too, with a large screen providing fantastic visuals throughout the show. For the first time, I left an arena gig thinking I’d quite like to see them play another gig of that size, and no doubt they will due to their massive success this year. A bonus came in the form of a guest appearance from Richard Hawley, for ‘The Fix’.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show – Cardiff International Arena (17th April)

Including a tribute band in my favourite gigs of the year may seem like an odd choice, but with a tribute to one of my favourite bands performed to such high standard it was hard not to include. This year the world famous Pink Floyd tribute band took on the might of ‘The Wall’, one of the Floyd’s most notorious releases. I’ve always enjoyed the album, but this show really opened my eyes to how superb it really is, with the usual video projections of the album’s iconic imagery, and a variety of stage props & costumes adding to the performance. I saw the same show a few weeks later at a half full Wembley Arena, but it lost the impact of seeing the show for the first time. With any luck the rumours of Roger Waters performing the album live this year will be true – after all it was his baby and I would expect a passionate performance, and some very high production values, but until that happens I have the fond memories of the Aussies’ performance.

The Mars Volta – ICA (18th June)

To promote the release of their new album ‘Octahedron’, The Mars Volta played an intimate gig at London’s ICA. I was lucky enough to get hold of a ticket, and loved the experience of getting to see them play close up, especially Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s amazing guitar playing. In addition to it being a great venue to see them, the band had really refined their set, moving from 3 hours+ with half hour long jams and solos which could get quite boring, to a ‘short’ set of under 2 hours, and a real focus on playing the songs, with lots of the shorter tracks getting an airing. The new album tracks also sounded fantastic live.

I Am Kloot – The Relentless Garage (26th September)

And so we skip to after the festival season. As I mentioned in my recent review of John Bramwell’s solo gig, I Am Kloot are a band that I could never tire of seeing live. This gig was a standout of their shows I’ve seen this year, full of energy, great crowd interaction, and a suitably great setlist spanning all albums, as well as a bunch of promising sounding new tracks from their forthcoming album. It was also the first time they’ve played as a 3-piece for a while, dropping the two additional musicians that they have so often used, which is my preferred band setup – the 3 are more than capable of delivering the goods without additional help.

The Low Anthem – Hoxton Hall (27th September)

Of all the Low Anthem performances I saw this year, their Hoxton Hall show was by far the standout show. A beautiful and intimate venue (with seats near the front!), combined with some treats for this gig only made it very special. The show opened with ‘support band’ Snakewagon, a band made up of the members of the Low Anthem, and their friends & crew, all in disguise, posing as a real band. The main performance then featured help from a few of their friends on several tracks, as well as a number of covers not usually performed.

Nick Cave – Palace Theatre (25th October)

After becoming fairly obsessed with Mr Cave after a stunning Glastonbury performance, and enjoying his new novel ‘The Death Of Bunny Munro’, I jumped at the chance of seeing him play an intimate  theatre show, including book readings. Nick was accompanied by Bad Seeds members Warren Ellis and Martyn P Casey, and performed some wonderful stripped down versions of songs from across his back catalogue, which introduced me to a lot more of his material. The night also involved sporadic Q&A from the audience, although few answered sensible enough questions to warrant a serious answer from Nick.

Revere – The Flowerpot (14th November)

2009 was a great year for Revere, gathering more awareness and critical acclaim in the build up to releasing their debut album, expected around April. It was also a year of fantastic gigs, making it difficult to choose just one for this list. My first instinct was to go for their show at Shunt, a wonderfully strange venue in the tunnels beneath London Bridge station, a fantastic performance that really benefited from the surroundings. In the end though, I went for their recent Flowerpot show. I’ve already reviewed it, so will avoid repeating myself too much, but this gig was really special as it was their longest performance showcasing much of the upcoming album, and was a really stunning performance to an appreciative crowd.

The Decemberists – The Coronet (19th November)

As mentioned in my review at the time, and since in my albums of the year post, the combination of a fantastic album in ‘The Hazards Of Love’, and a stunning live performance of the entire album, have been one of my highlights of the year. In fact I’d probably say this was my favourite gig of the year. As well as the album being perfomed in the first half, the second half featured a bunch of great songs from their back catalogue, and the crowd enjoyment and participation only made things better.

David Ford’s Milk & Cookies 9 – Bush Hall (18th December)

I sadly didn’t get around to reviewing this show in the end, but it was a great fun way to end the year. Each December, Eastbourne based singer David Ford puts on one or more gigs for charity, and imaginatively creates a lot of fun ways to raise money, including auctions to play with him on stage, and money-based votes for cover songs for him to play. There’s also the sale of milk & cookies, as referenced in the title. This year’s show was no different, with a great mix of cover versions (some selected at random from a song book on the night – no rehearsal!) including the beautiful ‘God Is In The House’ by Nick Cave, and a banjo/washboard/acoustic guitar version of Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’. The gig also featured previews of tracks from David’s forthcoming album ‘Let The Hard Times Roll’, which sounds like it’s something to really look forward to.

The Best Of The Rest

Great gigs sadly missing out on the list included Secret Machines @ Islington Academy, Art Brut @ New Slang, Revere @ Shunt, Idlewild @ Dingwalls, Patrick Watson @ Union Chapel, Okkervil River @ Scala, Super Furry Animals @ The Forum, Duke Special @ National Theatre, Gabby Young @ Bush Hall, Broken Records @ Bush Hall, and The Leisure Society @ St Giles.

You can find the rest of my 2009 end of year round-up here.

• The Twilight Sad – The Great Escape (14th May) – First time discovering the band and blown away by great performance in a tiny venue.

• The Low Anthem – The Great Escape (16th May) – First time seeing them and as with the Twilight Sad, just an amazing performance in a tiny venue.

• Easy Star All-Stars (performing Pink Floyd’s  ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’) – Glastonbury (26th June) – So much fun, and an album that deserves to be heard all in one go.

• Neil Young – Glastonbury (26th June) – An absolute legend, with a rocking headline performance.

• Bruce Springsteen – Glastonbury (27th June) – Wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy but this man knows how to please a crowd and has so much stamina!

• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Glastonbruy (28th June) – This performance really got me into the band, an energetic and fascinating performer.

• Broken Records – Truck (25th July) – Lots of fun dancing away in a small tent!

• Ed Harcourt – Standon Calling (2nd August) – Curfew-breaking show by Ed and guests, whilst dressed as an astronaut, lots of fun!

• Okkervil River – End Of The Road (12th September) – So much better than Fleet Foxes’ headline performance, a reminder of what a great band they are.

• Sparrow & The Workshop – End Of The Road (13th September) – Second time seeing them and a massive realisation that they’re superb. Great crowd too, in the tipi tent.

You can find the rest of my 2009 end of year round-up here.

10. Manic Street Preachers – Journal For Plague Lovers

When the Manics announced that they were to record a new album using lyrics left behind by (missing, presumed dead, original guitarist & lyricist) Richey Edwards there was a mixed response. Would they still be capable of writing songs worthy of Richey’s lyrics? Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the answer turned out to be a big yes! Combining their renewed energy and catchy tunes of previous album ‘Send Away The Tigers’ with the darkness of Richey’s lyrics, and early masterpiece ‘The Holy Bible’ it was a winning formula. An album that manages to sound modern, but still part of the early Manics (and Richey’s) legacy. No ‘hit singles’ to be found, but a great solid album that has managed to surprise a lot of people this year.

[Listen on Spotify]

9. The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

Thanks must go once again to Rough Trade’s Album Club for helping me discover this one. After finding it a very enjoyable listen, it was the band’s live show that really grabbed my attention and led to me giving the album some serious listening. It manages to flick between soft and gentle harmonies, and ripping blues rock, with frontman Ben Knox Miller sounding like Bon Iver one minute, and Tom Waits the next. The album (their third, under the band name, following a few lineup changes) is full of folk rock goodness, and seems to have gained them a good following in the UK this year. Special mention must go to the download only track ‘Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around’ featuring a stunning bass solo intro from Jeff Prystowski. If you have/get the CD version make sure you download this track too!

[Listen on Spotify | Live review]

8. Gabby Young & Other Animals – We’re All In This Together

Following an EP last year, this is the first full length release from Gabby Young’s new band, the ‘Other Animals’, folowing a couple of solo albums. It’s hard to know where to begin when describing the band’s sound, but the combination of guitar, accordian, double bass, clarinet, trumpet and trombone in the band results in a mix of rock, folk, jazz and gypsy. Combine that with Gabby’s stunning voice and you have a superb, and very fun album. It’s full of infectiously catchy tunes which you will find getting stuck in your head long after you finish listening. A couple of tracks from her previous album have been reworked for this one and have benefited from the increased instrumentation. Give it a try, it’s bound to put a smile on your face!

[Listen on Spotify | Live review]

7. The Leisure Society – The Sleeper

The debut offering from The Leisure Society was a real slow grower for me. Over the course of the year I’ve managed to see them live on several occasions, with each show impressing me more and improving my opinion of the album. It’s a charming little album, quite folky in style, and full of catchy tunes with gorgeous harmonies. I especially like the range of instrumentation used, including plenty of strings and flute, as well as banjo, mandolin and ukelele. The band have received a lot of attention due to single ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’ being nominated for the Ivor Novello award, but that’s not where the greatness ends, the rest of the album also has a great deal to offer. The 2CD edition is also worth a go, as it features their superb cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’, delivered in their very own style.

[Listen on Spotify | Live review]

6. Broken Records – Until The Earth Begins To Part

Back at the start of the year Broken Record lists were high on my list of excitement for 2009. A few gigs and single releases the previous year built my expecations, and they didn’t fail to deliver. The album capures the energy and spirit of their live shows, from the lively ‘ceilidh’ style of tracks like ‘If Eilert Loevborg Wrote A Song It Would Sound Like This’, to emotional album closer ‘Slow Parade’. With a similar musician/instrument set-up to bands like Revere and The Arcade Fire, with violin, cello, trumpet, keyboard and accordian accompanying the ‘standard’ band setup, Broken Records push their sound more in the direction of their Scottish heritige, and have created a fantastic sound. Their live shows have continued to impress this year, with them being my most seen band of 2009. With new tracks sounding very promising, I can’t wait for the follow up!

[Listen on Spotify]

5. Super Furry Animals – Dark Days/Light Years

Hooray! The return of SFA is always something to look forward to. Whilst side projects such as Neon Neon, The Peth, Acid Casuals and Gruff’s solo efforts tide things over nicely, I do enjoy it when one of my all time favourite bands regroup to produce a new album. This time they went for a more jam-based affair – the album has a very live feel to it, and it clocks in as their longest album. It features a great mix of drawn out jams (‘Crazy Naked Girls’, ‘Cardiff In The Sun’) and brilliant pop tunes (‘Helium Hearts’, ‘White Socks/Flip Flops’). It once again features shared songwriting duties, with Huw ‘Bunf’ Bunford and Cian Ciaran contributing lead vocals, and their first welsh-sung track since 2000′s ‘Mwng’, as part of the clever ‘two-parter-but-not-quite’ pair of tracks ‘Where Do You Want To Go?’ and ‘Lliwiau Llachur’, which share the same melody. It’s unlikely that the band will return with another album until 2011, but I hope that 2010 will bring with it some more solo releases or side projects.

[Listen on Spotify]

4. Doves – Kingdom Of Rust

The four year gap between previous album ‘Some Cities’ and ‘Kingdom Of Rust’ seemed like a long time to wait, but it seems to have been well spent. The album finds Doves at their anthemic best, with some of their strongest tunes yet. The title track and lead single ‘Kingdom Of Rust’ is a sublime example of their capability, and has surely been one of this year’s finest single releases. ‘Jetstream’ sees a bit of a return to their electronic roots as Sub Sub, and there are some fantastic tracks at the rockier end of the spectrum in ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘House Of Mirrors’, both missed single opportunities. Elsewhere there’s a bit of funk in ‘Compulsion’, and a great build up and breakdown in ’10:03′, which featured assistance in arranging from Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers. If you enjoy the album the bonus tracks on iTunes are also well worth a listen!

[Listen on Spotify]

3. The Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away

My entry into the world of The Fiery Furnaces was via their live album ‘Remember’, which is a sprawling double album with tracks from a range of gigs, cut and pasted together to make something special, with speed, time signature, and style changes all over the place, often within a single song, and I loved it. ‘I’m Going Away’, their first studio album since the live album, could not be more different. It’s a slick album of fairly polished ‘lounge pop’ songs, full of catchy hooks and melodies. I understand it’s also a departure from most of their previous work, with song structures being much simpler, but it demonstrates that they don’t need the complexity, and can just write good tunes. After a few listens I found myself hooked and many of the tracks floating around in my head. Highly recommended, whether you are familiar with their previous material or not.

2. De Rosa – Prevention

Ever since I started compiling this list, I was torn between my top two albums of the year, and still wish I didn’t have to drop one of them to number 2. In the end, the decision fell down to having been able to experience the other album live in full, which reinforced its brilliance. Sadly a few months after the release of this album, De Rosa split up. I had discovered them after seeing them support Broken Records in March, but at that point didn’t know a single song, nor how much of an impact their recorded output would end up having on me over the rest of the year. Expanding on their folkier roots, and stepping in a slightly more electronic direction at times to their debut album ‘Mend’, this album is packed full of expertly crafted tunes. At times it is very fragile and emotional, at others soaring and epic, with Martin Henry’s vocals being stunning throughout. It was real shame that the band split up (I wish I’d had another chance to see them live), but they have left behind two very special albums which I urge you to check out. Thankfully Martin plans to release solo material this year, which judging by the demos on his Myspace page should be ever bit as strong as his former band.

[Listen on Spotify]

1. The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love

Finally we reach a fittingly epic conclusion to the list. The Decemberists, a band whom I knew very little about at the start of the year, have really captured my imagination with the release of ‘The Hazards Of Love’. It’s a concept album, and essentially a rock opera, with recurring themes and melodies throughout, as well as tracks that run into one another. With a title based on an old 60′s folk EP, the album tells the story of a woman named Margaret and her lover William. For me, whilst the story does add to the overall experience, it’s the music that I’ve really fallen in love with. The music is a mix of folk and americana, and the classic/prog rock sounds of the 70′s, which works incredibly well. For this reason it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but seemed to fit into a perfect niche for me. The band are helped out by a number of guest musicians and vocalists, most notably Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) on album high point ‘The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid’. As mentioned earlier, it was the live performance of this album that cemented it as my favourite of the year, a stunning show which really deserves a DVD release.

[Listen on Spotify | Live review]

So that brings us to the end. Time to head off and catch up with what I missed during 2009, and to start listening to the first releases of 2010. The next few months are looking amazing already, with Eels, Get Well Soon, Fyfe Dangerfield, Field Music, and Midlake all likely to be fighting for a place on this list next year.

You can find the rest of my 2009 end of year round-up here.

So before I reveal (i.e. finish writing) my top albums and gigs of the year, here are some of the ‘highlights’ of what I’ve been up to taken from those very sites. If you get bored easily by lists, look away now!

Summary Stats

Taken from my Last.fm and Songkick profiles.

Number of gigs attended – 104
Number of festivals attended – 6 (16 days)
Total number of ‘gig days’ – 120
Number of different bands seen – 353
Number of different venues attended – 59
Total tracks scrobbled by Last.fm – 15,800 (approx)

Top 10 most seen live bands

Taken from my Songkick gigography.

1. Broken Records (9 times)
2. Revere (8 times)
2. The Acorn (8 times) *
4. Duke Special (7 times)
5. The Low Anthem (6 times) *
6. David Ford (4 times)
6. Fanfarlo (4 times)
6. Gabby Young & Other Animals (4 times)
6. I Am Kloot (4 times)
6. The Leisure Society (4 times)

* The Acorn & The Low Anthem included 2 sets each at End Of The Road, which Songkick doesn’t track separately.

No real surprises here. Most of these artists I would go and see at a gig or festival wherever possible, although as much as I enjoyed them Fanfarlo made the list more by chance due to a few festival & support appearances. Duke Special got a boost from the series of free gigs he did whilst appearing at the National Theatre in the play ‘Mother Courage And Her Children’. Revere were my most seen ‘headline act’ of the year, as many of the others featured multiple festival appearances.

Top 10 most listened to artists

Taken from my Last.fm charts.

1. The Beatles (944 plays)
2. Neil Young (784 plays)
3. De Rosa (391 plays)
4. Super Furry Animals (377 plays)
5. The Fiery Furnaces (360 plays)
6. Genesis (359 plays)
7. Babybird (282 plays)
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (273 plays)
9. Revere (265 plays)
10. Idlewild (250 plays)

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the list is Idlewild, however I must have listened to them more than I thought before and after their series of album gigs back in May, as well as the new album more recently. The Beatles are a clear winner due to my purchasing of the remastered box set and constant listening ever since. Neil Young is mainly accounted for by the back-to-back discography listening session I carried out with Spotify, which was a great experience. I’m expecting Revere to shoot up the list next year when their album is finally released.

So there you go, hopefully not too painful. I avoided too many lists & stats, but if there is anything you want to see just ask I’m also keen to see other music lovers/geeks’ lists & stats for 2009, please share if you have any compiled, or just pull out some from Last.fm and Songkick like I did!

You can find the rest of my 2009 end of year round-up here.