Latest news with #BrixtonAcademy
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Wet Leg, Brixton Academy, review: the British indie rock band return with swagger
Wet Leg are back for the second leg of their thrillingly explosive career, no longer quite so wet about the ears and yet still conveying a sense of gleeful delight, as if they can't believe what they're getting away with. The Isle of Wight duo of vocalist and guitarist Rhian Teasdale and lead guitarist Hester Chambers burst onto the British music scene with the comically surrealist, innuendo-laden single Chaise Longue in 2021, followed by a brashly amusing album of smart aleck, electro pop punk in 2022. There was something irresistibly fresh about their mocking swagger: two young women armed with electric guitars poking fun at men, dating, sexism and all the absurdities of pop culture. They scooped Grammy and Brit Awards and toured the world as support to reigning British pop idol Harry Styles, approaching everything thrown at them with a zesty sense of joy, as if giddily enthralled by their own success. Along the way, the three-piece backing band of hairy men who filled out the duo's perky new wave with something dirtier and grungier have gelled into a formidably powerful rock unit. They have been rewarded with full band membership. For their second album, Moisturizer (due in July), Wet Leg are officially billed as a five-piece. They all wore white at Brixton Academy, the beardy male musicians' baggy, shaggy appearance making it look as though they had been inducted into a cult. Chambers occupied a spot towards the back of the stage, intensely focussing on her angular guitar riffs and licks, almost shy of inviting attention. But Teasdale showed no such reservation. She walked onto stage in a cropped tank-top and skirt, flexing her biceps as though she had just vanquished a boxing opponent, before launching into the band's latest single, Catch These Fists, a pugnacious put-down of aggressive male encroachment. 'I just threw up in my mouth / When he tried to ask me out,' she sang, with a hugely enthusiastic 5,000-strong crowd already roaring along with every word. Since Wet Leg shot to the top of the UK indie rock class, some of their zeitgeisty zing has been supplanted by the arrival of The Last Dinner Party, a female art rock five-piece who are quite a bit more accomplished and musically ambitious. Wet Leg don't appear particularly bothered, which is somewhat their default setting. Nearly half of their set rather boldly comprised unreleased songs, with titles including Davina McCall, Mangetout, Liquidize and CPR. These were greeted every bit as enthusiastically as established favourites. On such limited evidence, the new album may be more punkishly forceful than the last (certainly drummer Henry Holmes was given lots of tubthumping headway), but that could just be the gap between live overenthusiasm and recorded discipline. Unfortunately – like so many shows at Brixton Academy – the overall sound was rubbish, with little separation between instruments, and no cut-through on vocals. It seems a waste of Teasdale's deliciously tart delivery if all you can hear is the audience shouting along. Yet somehow the overexcitable amateurishness of Wet Leg remains a significant, spirit-lifting element of their ridiculous appeal.
Metro
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Mayor and musicians launch map of London's grassroots venue 'crown jewels'
Top musicians joined Metro and Sir Sadiq Khan in central London yesterday for the launch of the Grassroots Music Tube Map. The eye-catching artwork celebrates the artists and venues that have made the capital one of the world's best cities for music by collecting them on a revamped version of the iconic design. Different Underground lines represent contemporary acts, music legends, albums, songs and culturally important places that show the best of London. Sir Sadiq, the Mayor of London, told Metro the small gig venues that support up-and-coming artists are the city's 'crown jewels' and deserve more recognition. Recalling nights out at the Brixton Academy to see Dua Lipa and the Hammersmith Apollo for Sting, he said: 'What I want to see is not just a stabilisation of no more venues closing down, I want to see new venues opening up as well. 'I want to see a pipeline of new artists – I want to see tomorrow's Adeles, tomorrow's Stormzies, tomorrow's Ed Sheerans or the Police or the Rolling Stones, honing their skills in some of these venues. 'I want all of us to have stories to tell in ten, fifteen years' time about, we saw this artist who's now huge.' Sir Sadiq said many of London's favourite grassroots venues have 'faced the biggest challenges they've ever faced' in recent years, with business rates, rents, the pandemic and Brexit all complicating the picture. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Ticketing app DICE has put together a list of their 25 grassroots artists you need to see in London over the next six months. With tickets ranging from free to £27.50, these shows will ensure a great night to suit all tastes and budgets. Click HERE to catch the full list. City Hall would be speaking to landlords about 'more sensitive' rents and changing planning rules to stop venues from being hit with 'onerous conditions' by developers, he said. Metro's editor-in-chief Deborah Arthurs said she spent her student days watching live music in Camden's Dublin Castle and Water Rats. She said: 'I would never have been able to afford to go to concerts or gigs if I didn't have those venues. 'Making music accessible and affordable is something that's really important in London and for people who come to the city.' Among the figures from the world of music who joined the launch was Gus Unger-Hamilton from indie rockers alt-J, who he said started 'at the very bottom' of the London grassroots music scene. Gus told Metro: 'Hopefully this campaign will raise much-needed awareness of the problems faced by artists, venues and promoters while also inspiring Londoners to get out to amazing gigs, buy tickets and T-shirts and support this scene that we should all be so proud of.' We've teamed up with SXSW London to give away two pairs of Music Festival Wristbands valid for 2-7 June 2025. Headliners include Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Tems, Brit Award-winning artist Mabel, Crystal Castles's Alice Glass, and East London-based R&B artist NAO. But there's also plenty of emerging talent set to perform at showcase acts around Shoreditch, and you could be there to watch. Click here to find out more about SXSW London's incredible events and how to enter to be in with a chance to win, or simply enter your details using the form below. *T&Cs apply. You have until midnight on Sunday 25th May 2025 to enter. Good luck! * Open to legal residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 06:01 BST on 13 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 BST on 25 May 2025. The promotion is free to enter; however internet access is required. Entrant must visit and when prompted by the form, submit their name, email, telephone number, date of birth and postcode. Acceptance of the terms and conditions (by ticking the relevant checkbox) is necessary to enter the promotion. 1 entry per person. 1 prize available per person. There will be two (2) winners. Each winner will win two (2) Full Week (6 days) Music Festival Wristbands (each such wristband worth £99) granting secondary access to Official SXSW London Music Festival showcases valid from 2 until 7 June 2025. Proof of age and photographic ID is required for entry (18+). The prize, including entry and attendance at SXSW, is subject to and governed by the SXSW's full ticket terms and conditions here. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Singer-songwriter Naima Bock, previously of post-punk band Goat Girl, also stopped by Outernet for the event. More Trending She said her group first performed at Brixton's much-loved Windmill, which she called 'one of these independent venues that have managed to keep the ticket prices low over the 12 years I've been going'. These places allow people starting out on their journey to 'cut their teeth and make mistakes in shows', Naima added. The map will be screened for a month at the Outernet London, the largest digital exhibition space in Europe. The interactive display will be shown in the Arcade space, which links the nightclub to The Lower Third grassroots music venue on Denmark Street. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Teenagers laughed after killing pensioner by torching his home with fireworks MORE: Metro goes onboard UK's 'Fighting Clan' warship tasked with deterring Putin's subs MORE: Man arrested over 'body slamming' trend that's spread across London
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I went to see the future of football and all the fans were on their phones
I went to see the future of football and all the fans were on their phones Former England defender Joleon Lescott in Baller League action at London's Copperbox Arena - Getty Images/Jordan Peck On New Year's Day 2009 I woke up with a ringing in my ears which has stayed there ever since. Too many teenage nights at the Brixton Academy, London Astoria and Kentish Town Forum. Too much drumming in doomed attempts to reach those venues myself (full battle of the bands record: P:3 L:3). Too much DJing with recklessly loud headphones fighting over recklessly loud booth monitors. That's what did it on 31 December 2008. I flew too close to the sun in my pursuit of a crowd-pleasing mix of post-punk, electropop and US Indie; a lifetime of tinnitus was the punishment. So every subsequent large public event holds the question: is it worth it? Should I experience it at full volume and accept further hearing damage or put up with vibe-killing earplugs? Baller League at the Copper Box Arena on Monday was not a night to take any risks. This is the new six-a-side football tournament with teams of influencers and little-known ex-pros. Celebrity managers include Ian Wright, Gary Lineker, the rapper Dave, Luis Figo and Chloe Kelly. My earplugs are in my pocket, ready for an onslaught of chart house played at jumbo-jet decibel levels. They remain in my pocket. In fact it is the quietest sporting event I have attended since watching archery at the Olympics. Baller League managers Ian Wright (centre) and Chloe Kelly (second from right) look on from the VIP area at Copperbox Arena - Getty Images/Jordan Peck The crowd is clean people in muted colours dotted with classy overseas football shirts. Teenagers in the queue, some with hickeys, compare trainers. Inside a family are delighted with their selfie with Angryginge, a Twitch streamer and YouTuber who manages title-challenging Yanited. Some primary school kids are disappointed that league president KSI is not in the building. There is an inescapable, acrid smell of cinema-grade nachos. On YouTube, the Baller League's numbers are already in the range of now-ancient success stories like Hashtag United, although some way short of the phenomenally popular Sidemen collective. Miniminter, AKA Simon Minter, is a member and regularly receives millions of views on his own. The Baller League's most popular video at the time of writing has 285,000 views. Of course Minter is here tonight in his capacity as manager of M7FC and posts plenty of Baller League videos on his own enormous channel. Such cross-promotion is a fail-safe route to eyeballs. Angryginge is on brand as he taunts opposing team SDS before Yanited FC's match - Getty Images/Jordan Peck M7 face the 26ers in the night's first match which pits Minter against 26ers manager John Terry. He emerges onto the astroturf wearing a tight smile that suggests he had expected to be leading a better-supported team out on a grander stage at this point in his managerial career. The Copper Box's capacity is around 6,000 and the Baller League TikTok claims it is sold out but every row in the arena has at least one empty seat. The standard is like the top division of a particularly strong Power League. Passing, shooting and control is frequently ropey, well short of National League level. A lot of players behave like the most talented boy in the park who looks unstoppable until a team figures out how to pass around him. There is flashy footwork galore, regardless of pitch position or need. It is like watching the early months of Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd, a lot of humiliated defenders but little end-product. Goals and tricks are greeted with the same noise: more a leery 'phwoar' than the orgasmic release of traditional football. It is as much about the manager's reactions as the on-pitch fare. Three blokes in high-vis vests snap away at Miniminter and Terry with smartphones as they remonstrate with celebrity ref Mark Clattenburg. John Terry engages in a heated discussion with referee Mark Clattenburg and Miniminter (left) while the content is captured for TikTok - Getty Images /Jordan Peck Emmanuel Rowe scores for the 26ers with the first moment of quality, poses towards the VIP seats then shushes the camera. The great innovation is the 'game-changer': a rule selected, ostensibly at random – although every team seems well-prepared – and applied for the final two minutes of each half. These range from every foul leading to a red card to long-range shots counting double. Josh Harrop coming in clutch! 💥 — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 5, 2025 All of this is watched with detached half-interest. Most eyes are on the pitch for kick-off and the opening minutes but by the end of each half you can see an arena gradually becoming distracted by their lovely phones. The usual rabble-rousing fail-safes die. A T-shirt cannon lacks the oomph to reach the second tier, big-screen exhortations to 'Make Some Noise' are ignored. I am at the concessions stand buying a £2.50 can of water when the next game kicks off. When the pre-match music cuts it sounds like the crowd is observing a minute's silence for some tragic fallen streamer who has gone to Twitch heaven. Not so, just a duff game between Trebol and N5. Vibe is understated authenticity Mentioning the quietness is not to be (more) sniffy but to emphasise something which I think is important in understanding the future of sport. We have moved past the era of fireworks and building every event up with Michael Buffer impersonators; the vibe now is understated authenticity. Baller League is expertly pitched in that savvy YouTube middle-ground, neither too self-effacing nor self-aggrandising. The ad hoardings around the pitch say 'a new era for football', which requires everyone involved to believe they are telling the truth. If enough influencers with enough combined subscribers say it too then the veracity is irrelevant. The night picks up significantly for SDS vs Yanited, a far higher standard of game between two teams who have figured out how to play the format properly. At 0-0 there is an amazing save at one end, a tight turn and neat finish at the other to open the scoring. It feels proper. Then a few minutes later breakout star PK Humble does his trademark celebration dance while in possession of the ball and the spell is broken. From one end to the other just like that and PK Humble with his classic celebration 🕺 — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 5, 2025 Then a heavy challenge on the sideline leads to a bench-clearing scrap. Every player is involved, along with various entourages emerging from all corners of the arena. Three players are sent off and although the ugly incident shames the fine name of Yanited FC (established 2025, it says on their emblem) you cannot deny it makes for great YouTube. It is 2-2 in the end but content is the real winner. Content is the real winner as tempers flare between SDS and Yanited - Getty Images/Jordan Peck By the time Tammy Abraham's brother Timmy scores for MVPs United in the night's final game the crowd has dropped to Covid levels. No problem, the goal is being shown hourly on Sky Sports News the following morning. Ripped shirt? No problem 😅 A smart finish from Timmy Abraham to double MVPS United's lead ✌️ — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 5, 2025 Baller League gets a lot right. There is a manager-challenge system for video reviews with checks that are quick and largely scornful. The tickets are wonderfully cheap, at £17.95 for six hours and seven games. We must salute what is new too. Streamers unknown to me are walking around concourses to the obvious and heart-warming delight of kids. All the interactions I see are friendly and unpretentious. This is such a positive change: accessible heroes who won't tell you to eff off for asking for an autograph. The format boosts the parts of football that these young people seem to enjoy most, individual battles and getting past opponents, 'tekkers', and celebrations like Fortnite emotes. All the same stuff loved by LS Lowry. There is though the dispiriting sense that all of this is saleable regardless of quality. Clearly, the level of players is average at best but with so many recognisable – to its intended audience at least – names, that hardly matters. Package it up in algorithmically-pleasing style, pump it out across as many platforms as possible, make it an inescapable part of the landscape, then profit. You cannot write it off. But if this is the future, it is off to a quiet start.
Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Pogues review — no Shane MacGowan but plenty of memories
When you lose a frontman who fully embodied your music, it's time to let the music slur for itself. The death of Shane MacGowan in 2023 paradoxically revived the decade-dormant Pogues — as part tribute, part open-invite wake and part one-more-for-the-road. The surviving members — Spider Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley — reunited to briefly mark the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Red Roses for Me, last year, an array of guest vocalists joining Stacy to fill the gaping, drawling void centre stage. Now they returned to the Brixton Academy in London to honour its acclaimed follow-up, Rum Sodomy and the Lash in full, plus associated songs of the era. This was the album where the traditional Irish folk idyll had ten
Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Flaming Lips review — five-star show from the Oklahoma surrealists
★★★★★As much fun as the mad professor was having — darting between the legs of three gigantic inflatable pink robots, flinging out man-sized balloons and firing off streamer guns amid flumes of confetti — he did spare a thought for the more baffled at the Brixton Academy in London. 'If you didn't know what you were in for, you're probably thinking, 'What the f*** is going on?'' said Wayne Coyne, introducing a full run through the Flaming Lips' celebrated 2002 space pop opus Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, in which a black belt Japanese office worker fights off an invasion of man-eating hellbots. It's among the Lips' best-loved albums thanks to its folding of pop hooks, folk textures and mainstream electronics into their
