BBC 6 Music Festival. DAY ONE. Bristol. 12th-14th February 2016

Sometimes being at a loose end can mean you can take advantage of opportunities in your calendar. This Valentine's weekend, I spontaneously decided to head to Bristol for the weekend, for a date with the BBC 6 Music Festival.

Situated next to the waterside in Bristol, is Motion; the centre of my universe for the next three nights. A dark basic venue, with the two music rooms separated by a food and drinks area. Two well-lit stages, and very accessible. 

Warming up the crowd on the Friday evening was a dizzying tea-time performance by Savages. My abiding memory of this gig will be singer Jehnny Beth clambering over the crowd during her hair-raising rendition of "Husbands". Being so close to the front of the action, I found myself looking directly into the darting eyes of Jehnny as she delivered the chorus. Savages are good at whipping a crowd full of anticipation into a frenzy, Fay Milton's drum rhythms are so toxic that one cannot help but move. The same can be said of Ayse Hassan's bass riffs and Gemma Thompson's heavy guitar playing. It's a very tight organised sound; during "The Answer" there is a feeling of utter intensity. The newest addition to the set is the chilling "Adore life". It was so good I wanted the band to repeat it immediately. 

Reflecting upon this I caught the joyful !!! (Chk Chk Chk) in the second room, the amount of hands in the air and heads bobbing back and forward showing it was well received. Maybe not so well received was lead singer Nic Offer's shorts. 

The act I was most excited to see was Yeasayer. Scheduled at 10:15 up against the vastly popular Primal Scream, meant a slightly smaller crowd than I anticipated. Yeasayer, with little fuss or pomposity, delved back in time to play from their back catalogue everything from "Henrietta" to "Ambling Alp", to "2080". This was a dream setlist from the four piece. 

Singer Chris Keating is witty in between songs. I like his reluctance to play new material, however at one point he threatens to play Silly Me twice. Their hour set finishes with an unscheduled encore of Sunrise and Madder Red. Anand Wilder's bass notes sending me spiralling into a giddy paradise. The promise of new Yeasayer material in the next few months also exacerbating my giddiness. 

As I leave the old venue (Yeasayer joked it reminded them of an abattoir) I realise I'm so glad to be returning the next day. The 6 Music Festival is off and running. 

Benjamin Clementine. Church of St John at Hackney. Monday 7th November 2015.

It is Monday 7th December 2015. It is also Benjamin Clementine's twenty-seventh birthday. Tonight, there was no doubt that his star quality shone brightly. At the Church of St John at Hackney, Clementine oozes all manner of showmanship and effervescence. It is a very simple stage set up. Clementine sits side on to the audience, so you can see his bare feet and also his hands moving ferociously at the keys on the piano.

Facing him is his drummer, who he is in synchronisation with during all percussion based tracks. Halfway through the set, a cellist appears and sits in the middle of the stage  joining in most notably on the barnstorming duo of Nemesis and Condolence.

This is a set full of confidence; well, at least during the performance of the songs. In between Benjamin reverts to being so softly spoken that he is almost indecipherable. Yet, this contrast adds to his allure. He draws you in to listen so intently, that you are hooked on every breath. In Cornerstone, his rhythmic breathing adds a dimension to the vocals alongside the lyrics. 

Most of the acclaimed 2015 Mercury Award winning album is played during the set. Buoyed on by a new fan-base, and a crowd singing a spontaneous rendition of "happy birthday", it is clear he has no shortage of supporters. And with plenty of heads turned in Clementine's direction, it'll be fascinating to see what happens next in his upwardly moving career. At least for now, his adios is greeted with rapturous applause.

Everything Everything. Brixton Academy. Friday 20th November 2015.

"You know when they say you've made it? Well, tonight, I think we made it!" announced Everything Everything lead singer Jonathan Higgs during their euphoric encore. On Friday evening, Everything Everything elevated themselves into the stratosphere. This was their first ever headline show at the Brixton Academy, and they totally pulled it off.

Most impressive was the feature of audience participation, from a mixed demographic of fascinated shouty youngsters to ageing rockers. This is the key to Everything Everything's success. The cryptic lyrics are instantly memorable. You don't tend to forget "Gorilla, limb, swipe and beat!" or "Yeah, so, um, wait a second!" The poppy uplifting Spring, Sun, Winter, Dread from the latest record also has the wonderful Peter Pan-like words: "I don't want to get older, no way!"

Higgs' lyrics are mostly riddles with bleak undertones, yet riddles with bleak undertones that you can sing to a sell out London crowd. It remains utterly unique. The lighting is fairly drastic too; at times there a huge silhouettes on the wall behind them, at other times they are suddenly cast aglow all in red.

The set comprised songs from their current album Get To Heaven, alongside a selection of tunes from their previous two records; Arc, and their critically acclaimed debut Man Alive. This was in effect a "Greatest Hits" show, with an emphasis on the more recent. For example, there was a back to back double header of Get to Heaven album tracks Fortune 500 and The Wheel; both performed with such gusto.

This show had bag fulls of energy. Bass player Jeremy Pritchard and guitarist Alex Robertshaw remain fairly still in equal positions either side of Higgs, who catches the eye by darting across the stage to sing to various parts of the audience. Wearing a sweeping quiff from left to right -almost akin to the hair of Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls - and a striking grey tunic - almost akin to an office cleaner - one can't help think this is where he got the inspiration. A few years ago the band took to wearing boiler suits onstage, again the theme a little unclear.

Ultimately, it didn't matter. The set was a stunner in terms of power and dance-ability, reaching a peak for the finale. The encore of My Kz, Ur Bf, No Reptiles and the final track Distant Past caused chaos in the standing section, with people, drinks, clothes, limbs, everything (everything) flying everywhere in delight. Yes Jonathan, you've made it.

Joanna Newsom. Eventim Apollo. Monday 9th November 2015.

From the first harp note to the last, Joanna Newsom performed a stellar set at the Eventim Apollo on this November evening.

Newsom was backed here by a terrific interchanging three piece band, including her older brother Peter on drums. It helped add to the closeness of the gig. This felt like Joanna letting you in to watch her play in the front room of her house. Early into the gig she asked if someone backstage could shine a bigger, bolder, brighter light onto her harp strings; the stage almost being too intimate and close.

The set featured a number of tracks from the latest album, Divers, alongside older well-received songs like Soft as Chalk and Emily. Highlights of the evening included a stunning performance of the title track from the last album Have One On Me; a song rising and falling in beats, vocals and time signatures. This theme continues on the latest record with Sapokanikan; a woozy tale of the lost artists' district in Washington. Nods of appreciation must also go to the upbeat keyboard-led Goose Eggs and the repetitive harp pattering rhythms of Time, As A Symptom.

There was a minor hiccup when Joanna forgot a line in the middle of Have One On Me, explaining afterwards with a smile that "there's always one old song that catches me out, sorry!" Her humility and joyfulness met by thunderous applause throughout the show.

The encore of Baby Birch and Peach, Plum, Pear was greeted with sheer delight from the enthusiastic audience. The delicacy of the performance, the intricacies of the notes and the depth of the lyrics held the crowd in rapt attention. There are so many nuances to the records that it almost seems impossible to pull it off, yet Joanna manages it.

Morrissey. Eventim Apollo. Monday 21st September 2015

I am going to write about Morrissey's set at the Eventim Apollo on my birthday, but I have no time. Here's some thoughts in a nutshell.

-He played a version of Speedway with the final chorus sung by his band member in Spanish.
-He asked a crowd member where he could buy vegan Wagon Wheels.
-He also played rarities from the Swords album, Ganglord and the delightful My Dearest Love.
-The Meat is Murder film to accompany the song is still shocking.
-The Apollo was packed to the rafters to witness this.

A great birthday set. I'm going on holiday tomorrow, so need to pack. I will see you in far-off places.

Anna Calvi. Meltdown Festival, Southbank Centre. Saturday 20th August 2015.

There aren't many occasions where I will shriek in sheer delight. However, when Anna Calvi was joined onstage by one of my heroes- about halfway through her hazy Summer evening set on the Southbank- I couldn't help myself.

I knew of the possibility- David's duet with Anna on the track Strange Weather- was good enough for me to sit with sheer anticipation until halfway through, when, dressed all in white, David took to the stage. This was also Byrne's curated festival. I couldn't miss this show. 

Anna Calvi needs no introduction to these blog pages. Tonight's set was so special. There was nothing timid about this showing, somewhat stripped back, sparse versions of tracks peppered her show. Backed by a striking crescent of a dozen singers, dressed head-to-toe in robes, this was a staggering visual and aural display.

 

If one was to take away the extra singers, take away David Byrne, take away her two percussive band-mates, you still would have a superstar on stage. Calvi and just a guitar is the real deal. Her lilting solo vocal version of No More Words sent the audience wild. Add the percussion to her songs, and it is wildly dramatic., Staple songs from her back catalogue like Desire, Blackout and Suddenly could only be performed by Calvi. The dramatic finale of Jezebel also remains the ultimate curtain call. 

Badly Drawn Boy. Barbican Theatre. Monday 26th July 2015.

We're halfway through the decade, and we're not quite sure what we make of it. To make it even more complicated Damon Gough (aka Badly Drawn Boy) walks on stage to huge applause and plays an album in full that he first released in 2000, wearing probably the same clothes and hat as fifteen years ago. 

By Jove, it sounds so fresh. The Hour of the Bewilderbeast is littered with forgotten guitar licks and hooks that cause the audience to yelp in surprise! The clanging chimes of track 4, Fall in a River caused many in the audience to splutter their teas across their knees- this song hasn't been played live for such a long time. And yet, this album was a Mercury Prize winner. It's now in the live arena where you understand why this piece of work is so acclaimed. 

That's what will make this show last long in the memory. Not many musicians can play their entire debut album fifteen years later to a seated Barbican crowd held in rapt attention. 

The second half of the show is dedicated to more familiar tunes, including a joyous rendition of Born in the UK. The show ends with Damon shaking hands with everyone on the front row; a "thank you for coming" gesture. The amount of people in the rows behind trying to join in with the hand shakes is a testament to how much this man matters. We're suddenly all back in the year 2000.