There’s a good mix of guitar-based shows this weekend, albeit a very cruel Saturday for my musical tastes in particular. Where are we with that being-in-multiple-places-at-the-same-time technology thing?
5) Hater, Hideout, Gawnat at ALPHAVILLE
Hailing from Malmo, Sweden, Hater write bright and shiny, bittersweet indie-pop songs, which seems like an excellent Autumn combination – even if it’s very much summer weather this weekend and Alphaville is always dark so it doesn’t matter what the weather is like. If you’d prefer, you can heard down to Berlin on Thursday and catch Hater with Wooing (tickets). Friday 8pm
4) Dude York, Desert Sharks, QWAM at Mercury Lounge
Seattle trio Dude York put out their second album, Falling, back in July on Hardly Art records, and it is smack in the middle of the Hardly Art venn diagram with pop harmonies and fuzzy guitars aplenty. A little more classically garage, Desert Sharks and pop-punks QWAM open up. Friday 9:30pm
3) Ride, The Spirit of the Beehive at Brooklyn Steel
Fellow Oxford boys Ride got back together in 2017 to release the pretty-good Weather Diaries, and they’ve followed that up with the even better This Is Not a Safe Place, which has a bit of that “classic” Ride shoegaze sound. To make this show even more enticing, and to make the choice of Saturday shows even more difficult, The Spirit of the Beehive open the show, who released one of my top 25 albums of 2018. Saturday 8pm
2) Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band at Beacon Theatre
Perpetual smiler Josh Ritter released his tenth album, Fever Breaks, in April, and it’s perhaps my favourite in his discography. It’s definitely a more band-focused record and keeps a fairly steady path, and the Beacon Theatre seems like the perfect venue for such immaculately written songs. Saturday 8pm
1) Ken Stringfellow at Mercury Lounge
One of America’s most underrated songwriters, Ken Stringfellow released his second solo album, Touched, on September 11th 2001 and played at the Mercury Lounge on the 20th. As part of the venue’s 25th anniversary, Ken will play the album in full. Also known as one-half of The Posies, he has also played with R.E.M. and Big Star. It’s a kicker to have to miss this show personally as it’s one of my go-to albums. Saturday 7pm
