Cantilever Recommends is a weekly rundown of London-based gigs, new releases and writing about music.
Shows this week
Astroturf Noise — The Ivy House, 27.06.23
Dig That Treasure is the one-man powerhouse Will Hall, encompassing a blog, radio show on Resonance FM, digital releases and live shows. Recently Will seems to have channelled most of his efforts on putting on gigs, although he’s been doing so sporadically for eight or so years.
Everything DTT does is extremely considered and curated, always introducing us to new sounds. The latest is a triple threat of experimentation, hosted at community pub the Ivy House in Nunhead. Where the prospect of three experimental acts might seem a bit chin-strokingly daunting, this line up has a sense of fun, discovery and community, as with everything else DTT. This was evidenced most by his recent DTT festival – four gigs over four days across a variety of London venues, ranging from indie pop in a church, whacky experimentalism at Ivy House (again) and Sudanese Funk at Moth Club.
Astroturf Noise are bringing over their improvisatory bluegrass from New York on a short UK tour this month. London-based Gentle Stranger, featuring members of emo-folk outfit Caroline, describe themselves as ‘post- clown’, combining a large breadth of instruments with a zany and surreal sense of humour — video linked below, a real hoot. Finally, Cirenne turn their exploratory gaze towards Klezmer.
If you’re up for something leftfield but don’t feel like going full Cafe Oto, it’s to the Ivy House you go, TONIGHT. Tickets
En Attendant Ana — The Grace, 29.06.23
French indie with motorik rhythms that would be impossible not to compare (just a little bit) to Stereolab (though there’s also a hint of Alvvays peeking in through the wildly catchy free-floating vocals), En Attendant Ana have quietly been gaining traction in London over a run of tuneful clean-guitar C86 indie-pop albums. They’re supported at The Grace by The Itch, a new project born out of Regressive Left — a politically motivated electroclash trio with drumming that makes you use the phrase “in the pocket” without really knowing what it means. Regressive Left ripped up the gig circuit in 2021-2, culminating in “On The Wrong Side Of History”, a very good EP — more music soon we hope? Tickets
Os Mutantes — O2 Academy Islington, 29.06.23 (cancelled)
Sadly, Os Mutantes’ Sergio Dias has been taken to hospital in Italy, leading the band to cancel this week’s show in Islington with no intention to reschedule. We’re wishing a speedy recovery to the true legend, whose 1968 self-titled debut has been described as “the best and most representative album of the Tropicália era”.
Sculpture — The George Tavern, 30.06.23
Where recent 4AD signees The Golden Dregs’ frontman Ben Woods was described as sounding like a ‘Tree Character from Lord of the Rings’ by Far Out Magazine, it’s hard to know what his bass-player and Dregs spinoff Ted Mair sounds like from the LOTR cinematic universe: some delicate, ethereal, otherworldly beast to be sure. Ted has now formed a full band — “Sculpture” — and takes to The George on Friday as part of My Life is Big!, a label and events series founded by members of Tapir!, to perform a sparse and emotive take on the jazz-adjacent sound of South London with signature gentle falsetto. Jerkcurb, indie-pop crooner extraordinaire + guitarist in the bombastic Horsey, whose renown far outstrips the headliners here, has been added to the lineup as a surprise support which just goes to show how benevolent the community of musicians in this city are to one another. Amen. 🙏 Tickets.
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