Top 5 London Live Shows of 2013
Live music in London is a special thing and living here means you're very lucky in the range of shows you can see. I saw a lot this year but these five in particular stood out and are listed in chronological order for ease of sorting. It seems as though most of these events are from the back of the year. Either my brain and memory is failing, or we've been very spoilt of late.
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Altar of Plagues
Candlefest, August 24th
Altar of Plagues final UK show was an incredible experience. Part sadness and triumph, their performance was one of exhausting honesty. They'll be greatly missed and their legacy won't ever be forgotten.
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Rome
Electrowerkz, September 14th
Neo-folk master(s) Rome played the UK for the very first time this year and Jerome Reuter's appearance was a magical and transportative event. Reworked classics and new material ensured many there that night spent the next few weeks wishing they could see it again.
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40 Watt Sun
The Black Heart, October 11th
40 Watt Sun's powerful brand of stripped back doom took a turn for the acoustic at this show and despite showcasing three brand new tracks before getting into material anyone was familiar with, the band were a breathtaking delight.
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Wardruna
Queen Elizabeth Hall, October 24th
Seeing such intense music in this setting was a once in a lifetime opportunity and Wardruna's gorgeous, winding folk-style was perfectly suited to the huge expanse of the venue. Enthralling and mesmerising, the band brought a wonderful atmosphere to the performance.
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Deafheaven
Birthdays, November 8th
I've been lucky enough to see Deafheaven live three times this year and each time has been both different and special. This, the second of two sold out dates within a nine day span, was surely the "best." The band were assured, confident and altogether blissful in their take on modern black metal. We won't be seeing them play venues this small any time soon.
Other incredible events from this year include HIM at KOKO, Amorphis at O2 Academy Islington and both Damnation Festival and Doom Over London IV. I couldn't include Caïna or Year Of No Light as they'd be a slight conflict of interest but both of those shows were bloody great.
