The Editors

The Editors, live at the Brixton Academy, October 8, 2007

The Editors' second album, An End Has A Start, is the best CD I've bought this year (of course, you haven't seen what else I've bought....). A mix of The Smiths, Radiohead, Coldplay and U2, the Birmingham band nonetheless has its own distinct sound and style. There's not a bad song in the whole album, which gets better with every listen.

Their sold-out gig at the Brixton Academy was a manic, awesome affair, with Tom Smith climbing all over his piano and running around the stage like a crazed man until he eventually managed to rip out his leads and threw his guitar on the ground in contempt. But he has a compelling voice and delivers lyrics with a punch ("How can you know what things are worth if your hands won't move to do a day's work?"). The songs are full of fantastic guitar riffs and original drums sections. Escape The Nest is my personal favourite. We were deaf for about two hours afterwards, but it was well worth it!

Miso Soup

Miso Soup, Live at the Purcell Room, 17 July 2007

OK, how could I resist going to see a band called Miso Soup? This London-based Japanese quartet of guitar, bass, synths/trumpet/percussion/whatever and drums played in the South Bank's World London series. Words rather fail to describe this crazy avant-garde, improv, fusion, funk, jazz, drum 'n bass, rock get-up. But damn, they're pretty cool.... check 'em out on MySpace.

Feist

Feist, Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 17 February 2007

First of all, a piece of advice. If you're collecting money for charity at the line for a Feist concert and you hear someone speaking in a vaguely North American accent, chances are they're Canadian. Just as a general matter of course, it's not good to start conversation by asking: "So, which part of the US are you from, then?" There's a good chance abuse will be hurled at you and your name will be cursed forever.

There was an opening act to this. I vaguely remember it. It was a one-man band. Some guy called Dr. something. It must have offended something, for my mind seems to have blocked the details from memory.

Feist played material from her new album, The Reminder. I'd say Feist is the right side of quirky. I liked all the rhythm lines and riffs, but I kinda got the feeling that, despite her instantly recognizable voice, she doesn't really have a distinctive style of her own, so I kept being reminded of bits of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the White Stripes, the Zutons, Alison Goldfrapp and Eva Cassidy, among others. Her mellow stuff is better than her more upbeat, rocky songs. And, of course, we always welcome a new rendition of Mushaboom to end the evening.

Murray Perahia

Murray Perahia in recital, Barbican Hall, London, 23 April 2007

Right, so need I say that Murray Perahia is awesome..... Monday saw his return to the Barbican, following last year's cancelled recital due to recurrent problems with a hand injury. An inflammation in the hand during the 1990s forced him away from the piano for a number of years, during which he supposedly drew great inspiration from listening to Bach. True or not, he has subsequently given us some of the most sublime recordings of Bach's keyboard works.

It was thus unsurprising that he should choose to start the evening with Bach's C minor Partita which, although marred by a few mistakes, was remarkable for its clarity. Watching someone play Bach is always nerve-racking, because it requires mathematical precision and there's simply no room for error. Under Perahia's hands, you can hear every single note of every single voice, no matter what finger, what tempo or what dynamic.

He was nevertheless far more comfortable with Beethoven's Pastoral Sonata, his best piece of the evening. This was followed by Schumann's Fantasiestück, a piece I'm not so keen on. But Chopin's Ballade No. 2 was amazing, and followed by a breathtaking Chopin as an encore.

On a completely random note (no pun intended), Murray Perahia kinda reminds me of Jacques Pepin. I can imagine he might make a good chef, although he seems a bit too mild-mannered. I wonder how Jacques Pepin would do at the piano......