Live Picks (Jan '20): Gig Picks by Sam Gregory
With the billionaire press now achieving near total control of this country's political and cultural bandwidth, a strong and seditious music scene will form one of the few ideological bulwarks over the five long years to follow.
But it requires us to support independent artists and venues, and route around the corporate music machine wherever possible. It's vital that we build an independent infrastructure to allow alternative voices to develop and be heard. The industry wants more George Ezras and Ed Sheerans, not Fat Whites or Moor Mothers.
Q readers lament the so-called decline of protest music, their definition of which starts with Joan Baez and ends with Dylan going electric. But it's stronger than ever, whether in Tenesha The Wordsmith's spoken word dissections of racism in America or Richard Dawson's tales of inhumanity in an Amazon workhouse. You can cut all the flowers but you cannot stop the coming of spring.
Wed 8 Jan | Lescar | £9 (£5 students)
A nine-strong jazz juggernaut rolls into The Lescar, bringing a brassy, rocky sound and a whirlwind of melody and free improvisation. Led by Scottish trombonist Richard Foote, the band have taken debut album Little Things from the Commonwealth Games to the South Bank, and now finally, to Sheffield.
Fri 10 Jan | TBC | £14.60
The Control crew continue to storm it, this time with a thumping live set from electro wizard James Shinra. Eastern Bloc mainstay Kerrie holds down the warm-up, with a slamming peak time set from JoeFarr later on. As ever with Control, it's BYOB in a 150 cap venue. Fiya.
Fri 17 Jan | City Hall | £25.76 (£5.60 18 and under)
William Walton's film soundtrack Spitfire Prelude and Fugue kickstarts a night of exhilarating brass starring saxophonist Jess Gillam. It's followed by a jazz-inspired Saxophone Concerto by the American minimalist John Adams and Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony, guest conducted by Kazuki Yamada.
Potpourri / Dog Brainz / Parker Lee
Mon 23 Jan | Hatch | £6
Described by a fan as "impossibly cool, impeccably weird", Potpourri are a new DIY pop four-piece from Sheffield. There's also Dog Brainz playing pineapple punk pop, while Parker Lee bring their heart-on-sleeve lo-fi rock from York, led by songwriter Jowan Mead. BYOB.
Tue 24 Jan | Bungalows & Bears | Free
Belfast's Jack Hamill has carved out a niche with a string of psychedelic techno records that collectively constitute their own sci-fi universe. His latest record, Love Beyond The Intersect, was released on the renowned R&S label earlier this year and this is a rare opportunity to catch one of his wide-ranging DJ sets for zero pennies.
Sat 25 Jan | Greystones | £16.50
Formed in Boston in 2009, this all-female string band traverse the paths that wind between bluegrass and Americana, as best shown on their self-titled third album. Based in Nashville and incorporating fiddles, guitars and mandolins, the group are touring the UK for the first time in three years.
Lauren Kinsella / Tom Challenger / Dave Smith
Wed 29 Jan | Lescar | £8 (£5 students)
Lauren Kinsella's jazz compositions, titled Radicle after a plant's first root, explore themes of nature and conservation through music and self-penned texts. She's joined by Tom Challenge on tenor sax and drummer Dave Smith, who also plays in Robert Plant's band.
Wed 29 Jan | Yellow Arch | £7
Described as "architects of intense contrast", Run Logan Run are a duo from Bristol whose work explores the crossover between heavy spiritual jazz and anarchic noise. They're joined by Long Legged Creatures from Leeds and "brain twisting beat wizard" OKH.
Fri 31 Jan | Record Junkee | £7.50
Doom metal dons Kurokuma play their first gig after a hiatus, joined by Liverpool's "dual-bass noise juggernaut" Bodies On Everest. Then it's hard tek till the small hours with Jimmer and Vicecaptain Velcro, while Barang! residents Kwaitek and Kom forego the global grooves for pummeling beats.
Fri 31 Jan | City Hall | £25.76 (£5.60 18 and under)
A night of French music from a French orchestra, with a focus on the delicacies of impressionism. It starts with Ravel's Mother Goose Suite and Debussy's Ibéria, before a German detour with Beethoven's fourth piano concerto. Superstar pianist Eric Lu finishes with Ravel's opulent La Vaise.
Fri 31 Jan | Yellow Arch | £11
Dub legend Adrian Sherwood presents an A/V set covering 35 years of collaboration with Lee 'Scratch' Perry. He'll be mixing live using the original multi-tracks from the pair's albums, all set to visuals from Perry collaborator Peter Harris. Part of Independent Venue Week.
