This image: Teleman
Jordan Worland, from local music website Slate the Disco, selects his must-see gigs in Cambridge during October
October is the type of month I love as a punter but dread writing about as there’s just so much to fit into one article.
Over at The Portland Arms there is a string of events well worth your time, starting with Joanna Gruesome on the 2nd. To the uninitiated, Joanna Gruesome are a collision of Riot Grrrl, C-86 tweeness and whistling Psychocandy-era The Jesus and Mary Chain. We’ve been waiting for them to play Cambridge for what feels like forever. US Punk outfit Sorority Noise (11th) bring irresistible pop hooks, big Weezer-esque shreds and grunge breakdowns to the same venue. Mastering that fine line between pop and indie, Dublin outfit Raglans (25th) return to The Portland with their first new music since their 2014 breakout debut LP. The superb Paul Goodwin (17th) is our final pick for The Portland this month.
The gorgeous Unitarian Church on Emmanuel Road plays host to two great shows this month. Singer and songwriter formerly of Cambridge’s legendary Broken Family Band, Steven James Adams returns for an intimate acoustic performance on 6 October, playing songs from this year’s critically acclaimed album Old Magick.
His shows are truly a thing to savour: they’re funny, intimate and wildly unpredictable.
Calvin Johnson meanwhile is an underground legend, a font of creativity and the founder of K Records. Selector Dub Narcotic is his current moniker of choice, with his new album This Party Is Just Getting Started dropping earlier this year. He brings his groove to Cambridge on 24 October.
Down Norfolk Street we have a busy schedule at the Blue Moon. Unique post-punky acoustic solo bassist Howie Reeve (9th) will be weaving fragile vocal melodies around well thought out and executed musical backdrops. Then, Plymouth’s post-hardcore boys Brunel are teaming up with Bristol-based Welsh noise mongers New Cowboy Builders for a tour this month, hitting Cambridge on the 20th. Cath & Phil Tyler complete the trio on the 25th. Cath, a former member of the band Cordelia’s Dad, and Phil, who’s played in a number of rock, folk and ceilidh bands, came together to create Anglo-American folk music. Using guitar, banjo, fiddle and voice they share their love of traditional narrative song, full-voiced sacred harp singing and sparse mountain banjo.
Known as a key figure in the contemporary world of improvised music, Rhodri Davies (left) plays harp, electric harp and live-electronics at The Boathouse (Chesterton Road) on 31 October.
There’s a huge month ahead at the Cambridge Junction with some big names on show. Earlier this summer Wild Beasts released their most naked and direct record to date, Boy King. The Cumbria-via-Leeds foursome swapped arty erudition for rock swagger on a bigger, bolder fifth album and they bring said new record to Cambridge on the 10th. Synth-pop at its most intentionally infectious, Teleman never disappoint when they play Cambridge, good job they’re back on the 26th.
Brit Award-nominated Birdy has set the world alight with her unique vocals and extraordinary musicianship over recent years and she’s in town on the 19th.
It’s been ten years since the Mystery Jets broke surface with their debut album, Making Dens. What’s kept Mystery Jets consistently fascinating over the last decade has been an itchy-footed desire to keep trying new things. Given the strength of their new album Curve Of The Earth, the next ten years looks set to be as exciting for listeners as the last. They play the Cambridge Junction on the 12th.
The Cambridge Corn Exchange boasts some big hitters this October too.
One of the most distinctive voices in British music, Jamie T, released his hugely anticipated fourth album in September. He brings the record and his vigour and vibrancy to Cambridge on the 22nd. Having gained a reputation as being one of the best live bands in the UK You Me At Six are in town on the 15th. With his economic sound and that black-suited, scowling look Wilko Johnson is a true guitar great, he’s back in Cambridge on the 14th. Speaking of greats, Loudon Wainwright III is also at the Corn Exchange on the 12th.
We close with an incredible event on the 27th to celebrate the life and work of former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett. Entitled Syd Barrett – A Celebration, the concert will feature Swedish band Men on the Border, who reinterpret the music of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, backed by the Sandviken Symphony Orchestra, also from Sweden. It will feature symphonic interpretations of Barrett classics from his solo albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, including the likes of Octopus and Terrapin, with the repertoire flanked by an interpretation of Floyd’s High Hopes. The night will also see the unveiling of a lasting public memorial to Barrett.
