Variety isn’t just an entertainment trade magazine, it is also the spice of life, a veritable condiment to flavor your social life and just looking at the recommendations below you can see that London’s nightlife has so much of that to offer. Whether it is young indie trailblazers or artists who have defined music itself, brooding musical creations, all night party animals or sensitive acoustic narrators, it is all there and much more besides.
Who: The Drums
Where: Koko Camden
When: Tuesday 21st July
Why: Seen in many ways as successors to another bunch of charismatic New Yorkers, The Strokes, this duo trade in buzz-generating singles and albums that reference 80’s post punk as much as they do the modern pop template. They have sometimes been accused of being late coming to the retro pop party but I would argue that they are not so much behind the curve but the front runners for the next one. Anthemic future festival favourites, excuse the alliteration.
Who: Greenwich Music Time Festival
Where: Old Royal Naval Yard, Greenwich
When: Wednesday 22nd – 27th July
Why: A four-day festival of iconic artists set in magnificent outdoor surroundings and backlit by the city lights of Canary Wharf. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that? Whether you are there for Kinks front man Ray Davis, Grammy Award winning George Benson, The Gypsy Kings or national treasure Sir Tom Jones, this second year promises to be another stunning experience.
Who: Blood Brothers (aka The Mission)
Where: O2 Academy, Islington
When: Wednesday 22nd -23rd July
Why: They may be playing under an alias but not much gets past us and with the classic frontline of the band reunited there is no better time to catch the original Gothfathers. In the past the Blood Brothers nome de plume has indicated a “best of” set as the band play a tribute to their own career so expect 30 years of amazing songs from one of the best live bands treading the boards today.
Who: DJ Mag Session
Where: Egg London
When: Saturday 25th July
Why: You know that you can trust a show booked by the No 1 magazine for the DJing world, so it comes as no surprise that they can offer acts such as Amsterdam’s house/disco duo, Detroit Swindle. If perfect facsimiles of US house – thick beats, jazzy flourishes, vocal cut ups – in short guaranteed floor fillers is your thing, then you have come to the right place. Add to that Seven Davis Jr, Glenn Astro and the DJ Mag All-stars and there is only one place to be.
Who: Badly Drawn Boy
Where: The Barbican
When: Sunday 26th July
Why: Damon Gough has not only survived changes in musical fashion but also flourished due to his dedication to passion, honesty and a desire for perfection in an era where many artists are moving in a wholly different direction. Tonight we return to those early days as the Chorlton-cum-Hardy perennial and anti-superstar plays his break-through album The Hour of The Bewilderbeast in full, along side more recent career highlights in his own inimitable, northern storytelling, crescendo building, indie-folk style.
Whether you are looking to attend these events or the hundreds of others taking place in London this week, be sure to check Dingoapp.co.uk first for the best deals on tickets and a one-stop shop for easy access to London nightlife.
