Upcoming Gig: Lisa Hannigan

Following seven years of successful collaboration with Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan returned to Dublin to record a notebook full of songs; after long days spent in a basement studio with her band, playing glockenspiels and harmoniums, violins and organs, trumpets and guitars, and singing until they were hoarse, the result was her 2009 Mercury Prize-nominated debut Sea Sew.

On the 23 November Lisa Hannigan brings her band to Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre for an evening songs taken from her acclaimed new record.

For those still unconvinced here’s a clip of a live performance of  ‘Lille’ from Sea Sew on RTE last year:

Book tickets for this and all forthcoming Southbank Centre gigs at:
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/gigs-contemporary/tickets/lisa-hannigan-49245

‘Mesmerising’ —The Times

‘Eerily beautiful’  —The Guardian

‘Like waking up fully dressed with tea by your bedside and a viola, xylophone and brass symphony curling your toes’ —Wears the Trousers

Upcoming Gig: Mountain Goats

Before writing this post I did a quick search to see if Mountain Goats singer John Darnielle had a Twitter account, he’s doesn’t, in retrospect of course he doesn’t. For a writer like Darnielle you can’t help thinking a 140 character limit would be an unbearable imposition. His songs overflow with lyricism, twisted biographical storytelling of rare quality – few have fitted more complex narratives into a 3 and a half minute pop song.

Pronounced by Rolling Stone as “One of the best songwriters of the 00s”
and slightly backhandedly by the New Yorker as “America’s best non-hip-hop lyricist“. If you want to make up your own mind you’ll need to be quick. Only a handful of seats remain for The Mountain Goats show at Queen Elizabeth Hall, click the link below to book:

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/gigs-contemporary/tickets/the-mountain-goats-49021

Embedded below is Sax Rohmer #1 taken from their most recent record Heretic Pride, their new record The Life of the World to Come is out on 4AD this October.

Upcoming Gig: Steve Martin with The Steep Canyon Rangers

Yes, that Steve Martin.

Actor, comedian and film star, Steve Martin is also a Grammy Award-winning bluegrass player and one who has collaborated with heavyweights of the genre including Earl Scruggs, Vince Gill and John McEuen.

Playing Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre on 14th November, this will be his  first UK performance with his bluegrass band, playing tracks  from his acclaimed new album The Crow: Songs for the Five-String Banjo.

Tickets are available to Southbank Centre Members today, and will go on general sale on Thursday 17th September.

Buy tickets for this show and future Southbank Centre gigs here:
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/gigs-contemporary/tickets/steve-martin-performing-with-the-steep-canyon-rangers-49466

To give you a taster of what’s in store here’s a clip from Steve Martin’s performance on the Letterman show playing his composition ‘The Crow’ – the title track from his new record.

Upcoming Gig: Emiliana Torrini

On Sunday 13th September the Southbank Centre will play host to a hugely anticipated show by Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini at Royal Festival Hall – playing tracks from her acclaimed new record ‘Me & Armini‘.

Taken from the new record, embedded below is the ludicrously catchy single
‘Jungle Drum’:

Tickets for this very special gig are available through our website at:
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/music/productions/emiliana-torrini-46908

Post Show: Laura Marling & Friends @ Royal Festival Hall

It’s says much about the extraordinary precocious talent Laura Marling possesses that at just 19 she can not only sell out a venue like the Royal Festival Hall, but can take on the demands a space with so steeped in musical history and make it her own.

Aided by a handpicked group of some of the brightest young folk talents of her generation, those who managed to get tickets were treated to a deeply special evening of music.