Jordan Worland, from local music website Slate the Disco, gives his top live music picks for the month ahead
Giant riffs, killer choruses and a formidable frontwoman; our first recommendation this month is Yonaka. Last month saw the hotly tipped Yonaka release their debut record, Don’t wait ’til tomorrow. The album has embodied their unbridled, raucous energy and deeply personal songwriting to produce an incredibly important release, brimming with life and chaos. Their show at The Portland on the 3rd is not to be missed.
At the same venue, Fonda 500 return on the 14th. Expect pop hooks with a Super Furry Animals sense of the surreal. On the 25th, see William Crighton; an Australian singer-songwriter whose vivid prose and deep voice have crafted a reputation for intense live shows.
It’s a busy month at Norfolk Street’s Blue Moon, however we’ve narrowed it down to a trio of shows for you. Firstly, there is the extremely loud, extremely psychedelic duo of Krausbauer/Suzuki (14th). The duo performs improvisational compositions with voices, amplified strings, electronics and bell percussion.
On the 21st Brighton dream-pop outfit King Kuda headline an excellent four-band bill. They’re joined by fuzzy-pop outfit Mauve and emerging Cambridge talents Mehalah Ray and Skinny Rodgers.
Cambridge’s best potty-mouthed pop-punk grrl band The Baby Seals (pictured above) headline another excellently packed bill on the 22nd. The show sees two of the most-fiercest and unpredictable DIY female punk bands join The Baby Seals on the line-up, as we welcome both Dream Nails and The Menstrual Cramps to Cambridge.
Over at the Cambridge Junction, seminal alternative quartet Garbage play a stand-alone show on the 14th as they warm up for a summer of festival appearances. The band’s unique sonic sound and provocative visual aesthetic inspired massive worldwide attention and success, and last year saw the band celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Version 2.0 LP.
Another show of interest at the J1 is Fracture Patterns (18th), a collaboration between Semiconductor, who bring large-scale multi-channel video pieces to a live soundtrack by musician and producer Eartheater. Other Junction highlights in June include acclaimed musician Steve Hillage (6th) Eddi Reader (right, 23rd) and Cambridge’s rising stars of rock, Hollowstar.
June is, of course, Strawberry Fair month. There’ll be an array of great live music over the various stages at Midsummer Common (pictured) on 1 June, but our pick is Cambridge outfit Grieving, who produce a sound full of discord and anthemic late 90s and early 00s indie-rock and punk.
