#gig

Nov 12, 2018
2 min

Rat Boy @ Rock City

Rat Boy has managed to strike the perfect balance between indie rock and hip-hop creating a sound like no other before him, connecting with and forming a large audience of teens/twenty somethings. He hit up Rock City last Thursday for the ‘Dumb and Confused’ tour. Upon arriving at Rock City, there was already a queue of fashionably dressed youngsters readily anticipating for the doors to open – like Rat Boy himself, his audience certainly have the edgy look down. Swarming to

Nov 8, 2018
1 min

Raye @ Rescue Rooms

After selling out all her UK tour dates and the widespread success of hits including ‘Cigarette’ and ‘Decline’, Raye performed at Rescue Rooms on October 29th. The supporting act Kara Marni prepared the audience for the animated night ahead with her feisty R&B singles. After gifting spectators a bouncing set, Raye captivated the audience and took them on an emotional roller-coaster by sharing her personal experiences and performed a never before heard single ‘Ice Cream’ as a

Sean Hubbard

Nov 7, 2018
2 min

Haggard Cat @ Bodega

Haggard Cat made sure no one regretted missing out on the fireworks for their show in the Bodega on Bonfire Night, bringing their signature blend of grungy energy to a performance which showed why they are an iconic underground Nottingham band – their level of local fame demonstrated by almost every hand going up when frontman Matt Reynolds asked who had seen them before, while drummer Tom Midsch berated the lone man in the front row who was witnessing his first display of th

Live and in Interview: Barns Courtney @ The Maze

Bethan Fletcher

Nov 7, 2018
8 min

Live and in Interview: Barns Courtney @ The Maze

Still jet-lagged, but fueled by ample amounts of coffee, I sat down with Barns Courtney ahead of his sold-out gig at The Maze. So, you’ve just finished touring with the Wombats over in America, how was that? Oh man it was a lot of fun, the dates were really solid, one after another. I always really love playing support gigs, because you really cut your showmanship teeth on those kinda things. They’re gigs where you really have to win a crowd over, as opposed to ones where peo

Nov 7, 2018
4 min

Acid Mothers Temple @ Metronome

Japanese psychedelic rock gurus Acid Mothers Temple bring a stunning night of new age techno-mysticism and fiery psych-rock jams to relatively new venue Metronome with support from an up-and-coming art punk outfit named shiftwork. Acid Mothers Temple are a Japanese psychedelic, free improv, highly experimental band-come-collective who have gradually coalesced over the years from a large loose knit group of like-minded weirdos into one of the tightest live outfits in Japanese

Nov 5, 2018
1 min

Toots and the Maytals @ Rock City

Highlights: “Monkey Man” & the guy overcome with so much excitement he simply had to charge the stage and hand the band an ‘I Love You’ note (received with a smile from Toots himself). Toots and the Maytals, undoubtedly one of the most influential reggae bands of all time, graced the stage of Rock City this October as part of their 2018 UK tour, and to say it was something special would be an understatement! Toots and the Maytals formed in 1961 but proved in one night that th

Sean Hubbard

Nov 3, 2018
2 min

Rolo Tomassi @ Rescue Rooms

Rolo Tomassi’s Halloween Rescue Rooms show was a late one, with doors not opening until 8 PM, and the band themselves not gracing the stage until 10:45 PM, however the late hour did not dampen the energy of the band or the crowd, who had mostly embraced the Halloween spirit, with the entire band decked out in corpse paint, and guitarist Chris Cayford in a ‘Yodelling Kid’ Mason Ramsay t-shirt. They opened with “Rituals” from their latest album ‘Time Will Die and Love Will Bury

Alex Melnikov

Nov 3, 2018
3 min

Richard Ashcroft @ Rock City

On the 29th October, Richard Ashcroft, formerly of Britpop band The Verve, brought his Natural Rebel tour to a sold-out Rock City. He’s hit the headlines recently while promoting his newest album, ‘Natural Rebel’, not for the album itself, which received mixed reviews, but for his controversial TV appearances on Soccer AM and BBC Breakfast. I got the sense going into this gig that it would be one extreme or the other, a manic but passionate performance, or a complete crash an

Nov 2, 2018
2 min

Jorja Smith @ Rock City

Jorja Smith set off on her sold-out UK tour in Norwich on the 4th of October and continued on Sunday 14th of October at Rock City, with support from Mina Rose. 21-year old Jorja, from Walsall, is known for her soulful, R&B and jazzy voice. Her stage presence was engrossing and the crowd couldn’t stop singing along and capturing her. After arriving in the main room, the main floor was brimming, with all balcony and stair space filled with people, which was no surprise after Jo

Tom Evans

Oct 30, 2018
4 min

Snail Mail @ The Bodega

On the 29th October 2018, Snail Mail treated a sold-out Bodega crowd to a whirlwind hour-long set demonstrating precisely why they’re one of the most talked about upcoming alternative bands. They may be snail by name but they’re certainly not snail by nature owing to their loud, euphoric, jazz-tinged alternative rock songs. Having been fortunate enough to catch the project of up and coming Baltimore singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan at End of the Road Festival at the close of

The Mic Magazine

Oct 27, 2018
3 min

IDLES @ Rock City

IDLES, the most important band in Britain deliver a startling set of anguish and anger to a sold out Nottingham crowd filled with adoration and expectation. Following on from a huge US tour, Bristol five-piece IDLES turned up to Nottingham’s Rock City for the 26th stage of their 55-date tour. With a sell-out crowd of 2,000, IDLES demonstrated why their unique take on modern life is the sound that Britain needs, highlighting them as perhaps the most important band right now. O

Daisy Carter

Oct 26, 2018
3 min

Dream Wife @ Rescue Rooms

Given it was a sold-out show bang in the middle of their international tour, you might have forgiven riot grrrl-esque group Dream Wife for being a bit tired when they performed at Rescue Rooms on Wednesday night. In fact, what we got was the total opposite- mad amounts of energy, loads of audience interaction and an unexpectedly intimate atmosphere made it up there with the most fun I’ve ever had at a gig. Kicking things off with a bang were Nottingham’s own Anatomy, who were

Oct 25, 2018
1 min

Preview: Bugzy Malone @ Rock City

Mancunian born Aaron Davis, better known by his stage name Bugzy Malone, is coming to Rock City at Nottingham on November the 1st. After bursting into the indie-grime scene in 2015 with his EP ‘Walk With Me’, Bugzy collected a MOBO nomination that year for Best New Artist and 18 million views on Youtube. Since then Bugzy has followed up with 3 more successful albums, including his most recent one ‘B Inspired‘ which was released this August. If you’re looking for an electric n

The Mic Magazine

Oct 25, 2018
4 min

Live: Black Honey at Rescue Rooms

Brighton-based indie rockers dazzle a sold-out crowd in Nottingham with a career spanning set and a bill that showcases women in rock music. It has been four years since glamorous indie-rock band Black Honey first entered the music world, with a dazzling display of confidence amongst a huge catalogue of hits which were instantly picked up by representatives for BBC, NME and Q Magazine amongst others. Since 2014 they’ve released a mix of EP’s, toured with fellow Brighton rock

Abby Clarke

Oct 25, 2018
2 min

The Blinders @ The Bodega

After the successful release of their debut album ‘Columbia’, The Blinders have embarked on a UK tour, bringing their political punk rock music to The Bodega last night with support from Nottingham’s Those Howlin’ Sounds, and Calva Louise from London. First up were four-piece Those Howlin’ Sounds, who also released an album earlier this year. They opened with an instrumental song and had a grunge/punk feel to them. The crowd really enjoyed them and by the time their set finis

Oct 24, 2018
3 min

Reverend and the Makers @ Rock City

Rock City has been stage to a fair few iconic front men and women over the years and I would argue Jon McClure AKA ‘The Reverend’ of Reverend and The Makers is well up there as one of the best. Having started the band in 2005 during the peak of the Sheffield alternative rock music scene, the band saw early success with their debut album ‘The State of Things’ in 2007 and in the following year played Glastonbury, T in the Park and supported the legendary Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Oct 22, 2018
2 min

Hunter and the Bear @ The Bodega

Dubbed ‘The Heroes British Rock Needs Right Now’, I held high hopes for Hunter and the Bear’s live show and, let me tell you, they did not disappoint. The buzz in the Bodega’s intimate upstairs venue was something to behold. One thing to note is that Hunter and the Bear’s fans seem to be some of the friendliest people out there. Indeed, the crowd had the feel of a (very excited and slightly edgy) gathering of old friends, as fans of all ages chatted and joked around as they w

Abby Clarke

Oct 21, 2018
2 min

Silver Wilson @ The Bodega

After having some trouble with a support act, Silver Wilson played their first headline show at The Bodega Nottingham on Saturday night, with support from Remy and Badminton. They brought their feel-good indie-pop vibes to an excited and energetic crowd. First up was last minute support Remy, winner of this years Notts factor. The recently turned eighteen-year-old played a mixture of his own songs and some covers which included Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilera and The Arct

The Mic Magazine

Oct 20, 2018
3 min

Freya Ridings @ Rescue Rooms

Rising London-based singer-songwriter Freya Ridings continues momentum in Nottingham with another sold-out show laced with haunting beauty Since graduating from the legendary BRIT school, the journey of London based, English singer-songwriter Freya Ridings has been a lengthy one to say the least. Over the past few years, Ridings has refrained from the limelight, opting to quietly hone away at her skills as an artist. Between May 2017 and today, the 24-year old has released fo

Oct 20, 2018
2 min

Lucy Spraggan @ Rock City

Arriving at a crowded Rock City with excited fans and a queue that extended around the corner, there was no doubt in my mind that Lucy Spraggan´s concert was going to be a huge success. It was a night to remember as the audience were treated to an array of old and new music off of Lucy´s albums, dating back to her debut, the nostalgic ´Join the Club´ (2013) and a sneak peak of music from her yet unreleased album ´Today Is a Good Day´ which comes out in April next year. It was