As the grim realities of Brexit, Trump, and five more years of Conservative governance keep sinking in, music has once again served as a unifying force, offering a much-needed escape. This is especially true for live performances, which—despite global austerity—remain as vibrant as ever, drawing eager crowds who seize every chance to lose themselves in the moment.
For musicians, maintaining a strong live presence has become increasingly vital, if not essential. That’s why many acts now play an ever-growing number of shows each year. The result is an electrifying landscape where hardly a night goes by without an unmissable event in your town, city, or nearby. Bands like Wolf Alice and Idles owe much of their skyrocketing popularity to their relentless touring—they’ve played well over 200 shows between them this year. Similarly, the resurgence of acts like Slowdive and LCD Soundsystem, which produced two of 2017’s most beloved albums, was fueled by their reassertion through live performances before releasing new material.
For me, 2017 picked up right where 2016 left off. From January through December, I attended nearly 400 shows and 28 festivals, catching almost 2,000 sets. After much deliberation, here are the 10 that truly stood out.
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Scunthorpe 07.06.17
One of 2017’s most anticipated comebacks was Arcade Fire’s return with a new album. After hearing their lead single ‘Everything Now’ on June 1st, the prospect of the same-titled full-length was mouthwatering. That the rest of the album didn’t quite match its opener didn’t matter then—seven weeks before its release.
As a teaser, the band announced a handful of low-key dates, including this one in the unlikely setting of Scunthorpe. Tucked away in rural Lincolnshire with a capacity just over a thousand, it was as exclusive as it got for witnessing Win Butler and company’s musical circus live. And they didn’t disappoint: a 90-minute set that leaned heavily on their back catalogue rather than the upcoming record. With the stage set in the middle of the hall like a boxing ring, accessible from all angles, Arcade Fire threw one of the summer’s most extravagant parties. Sadly, 24 hours later we woke up to a new Tory government led by a Mini-Me version of Margaret Thatcher, but for one glorious evening, all thoughts of austerity and despair were banished.
Nottingham 22.03.17
Some things are truly worth the wait. For post-punk noise specialists Bloody Knives, their first UK visit will be remembered for a long time. Since their debut album Burn It All Down in 2010, they’ve been one of the most sought-after acts on the shoegaze and noise rock scenes.
Playing a free show above a record shop on a Tuesday evening in March might not bring out the best in lesser bands, but this Texan three-piece delivered a brutally visceral set as if their lives depended on it. Afterward, Rough Trade’s sound engineer told me it was the most devastatingly loud set he’d ever worked on, while the band themselves seemed genuinely surprised by the turnout.
The good news: they’re back in the UK next autumn to terrorize ears and sound desks alike. You have been warned!
Manchester 05.12.17
Around this time last year, a booking agent friend told me about a new band his agency would be working with in 2017. They’d only played a handful of shows back in Australia but had just signed to Heavenly Recordings on the strength of their first single. That band was Confidence Man, and the single was ‘Boyfriend (Repeat)’. It might have sounded out of step with the current trends, but after a few listens, it was clear this would be the soundtrack of the following summer.
Fast forward to May: three shows at Brighton’s Great Escape, and the buzz around Confidence Man had already spread like wildfire. Another three shows at Glastonbury two months later saw their fanbase explode, so it was no surprise that their first headline UK tour in early December sold out in advance. With several musicians and the entire record label in attendance, this show at Manchester’s Deaf Institute turned into the unofficial Heavenly Christmas Party.
As for the performance itself, they’re the complete package. While all eyes are on front duo Janet Planet and Sugar Bones, the veiled musicians behind them provide the perfect backbeat for a repertoire packed with big, party-fueled pop tunes. Get Down!
Nottingham 04.03.17
If ever there was a case of right place, wrong time in music, it’s Six By Seven. Arguably one of the most innovative guitar bands of the past two decades, they were tipped for greatness at the turn of the century. Yet while Coldplay and Elbow went on to fill stadiums, Six By Seven continued playing intimate venues in their native Nottingham—a seeming travesty.
But if they had crossed over to the mainstream like those others, who’s to say major-label marketing strategists wouldn’t have interfered with their ethos? Anyway, nearly 17 years after the original lineup last shared a stage, they put aside their differences and reunited for what was undoubtedly one of 2017’s most sought-after tickets. Playing two sets—one to commemorate the 17th birthday reissue of their highly revered second album The Closer You Get, and the other a band-selected “Best Of” from their first four years—Chris Olley and co didn’t just roll back the years; they reignited interest in a band criminally ignored for too long.
A simply magical evening.
Nottingham 10.11.17
There’s nothing more satisfying than watching a band blossom from humble beginnings into the gargantuan beast standing before us today. Take Eyre Llew, a three-piece born from years of playing in unsuccessful bands, spurred on by a shared love of ambient, post-rock, and classical music.
Despite playing their first show only two years ago, they’ve steadily grown into one of the most dynamic live bands on the circuit. Yet at the start of 2017, all wasn’t well. Lackluster shows at Sheffield’s Outlines and Derby’s 2Q festivals suggested they’d reached a crossroads, prompting a complete overhaul of their live set. To say it paid off is an understatement. Over the second half of 2017, they’ve astounded audiences worldwide with one of the most beautifully orchestrated shows around.
However, it was November’s album launch in their hometown’s Glee Club that truly drove home how far they’ve come in such a short time. Here’s to an even better 2018!
Hull 03.08.17
The undisputed band of 2017. It’s almost unthinkable that this time last year, Idles were barely known outside Bristol. Even after plugging away for the best part of a decade, they were something of an anomaly in the local scene. So it’s to their credit that they emerged in January with an album that captured the zeitgeist so impeccably. Brutalism lives up to its name in every conceivable way—inspired by social inequality and escapism alike, it’s a record that will be looked back on as a landmark of its times, much like the first Clash record or More Specials.
But it’s the live show where most people first experienced Idles, and what incredible shows they were. I first encountered them at Eurosonic in January and made a point of seeing them at nearly every festival after that. They became a must-see attraction all year long. Every performance was an event, with no two sets ever the same. Picking a favorite Idles show proved nearly impossible, but August’s low-key gig at Hull’s Adelphi as part of the 53 Degrees North conference took some beating.
Supported by the excellent Life and False Advertising, it soon became clear to everyone present that this was one of those “I was there!” moments people talk about for years. The world is their oyster in 2018, and only a fool would bet against them owning that too. In the words of one of their songs, they may have always been poor, but we were certainly never bored.
London 25.03.17
Back in the early 1990s, left-field guitar bands regularly camped in the upper reaches of the UK singles chart. One such band was Senseless Things, a four-piece from the London suburbs. Fueled by a shared love of Husker Du, Buzzcocks, and The Replacements, they attracted a rabid army of devotees who followed them up and down the country whenever they toured—which was pretty much 12 months a year, every year. They released four albums over a decade before calling it a day in 1995, as Britpop swallowed everything that wasn’t bathed in nostalgia or a moth-eaten Union Jack.
So it was a surprise when they announced their return at the end of last year, especially since all four members had gone on to achieve varying levels of success. Fast forward to late March, and it was almost as if they’d never been away. A warm-up show at Hull’s Adelphi the weekend before lit the touch paper for the main event. And what an event it was. Playing a set that spanned the unsurpassable highlights of their back catalogue alongside their first new recording in over 20 years, ‘Lost Honey’, Senseless Things owned Shepherd’s Bush for one glorious spring evening. The first of (hopefully many) more to come? We sincerely hope so.
Liverpool 28.03.17
When Slowdive reformed in 2014, they made it clear from the start that there was unfinished business. Their reunion was anything but an exercise in nostalgia, and when their first album in 22 years arrived in March, it proved to be one of 2017’s most distinguished and forward-thinking records.
Before its release, the band scheduled a series of low-key warm-up shows. Their 90-minute set at Liverpool’s tiny Arts Club venue was undoubtedly one of the finest of their career. Exhibiting sonic perfection from start to finish, their expertly selected mix of material from both their back catalogue and the forthcoming album was breathtaking in execution, offering a glimpse of what was to come—which Slowdive delivered in every conceivable way.
Nottingham 16.05.17
The last time I saw Thee Oh Sees frontman John Dwyer, he was confronting security guards at a holiday camp in North Wales. Playing the penultimate All Tomorrow’s Parties event in Prestatyn, he (rightly) took exception to how fans were being manhandled. The tipping point was an assault on a female crowd surfer, resulting in her ejection. Dwyer threatened to stop the show unless she was allowed back in and the security team started treating the audience with respect. The bouncers backed off, the fan returned, and the band resumed playing one of their most brutal sets to date.
I say “to date” because that was two years ago. Since then, they’ve released three albums and added a second drummer, enhancing their sound to almost catatonic levels. At first, the decision to play Nottingham’s 2,000+ capacity Rock City might have seemed ambitious for a band that’s become an underground word-of-mouth phenomenon. But all tickets sold out in advance, and their blistering textbook exercise in psychedelic garage rock turned the dancefloor into an arm-flailing moshpit of blood and sweat, creating one of the most memorable evenings that venue has hosted in a long time.
Derby 16.08.17
2017 will be remembered for many things, and one of them must surely be the unstoppable ascent of Wolf Alice. Already assured of the award for the hardest-working band in rock thanks to a relentless tour schedule that hasn’t let up since 2014, they returned with a flawless second album that delivered on every level, cementing them as one of the most distinctive and musically diverse bands on the planet right now.
This show at The Venue in Derby was the first of a week-long tour road-testing material from their then-forthcoming second record. From the moment ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ introduced them to an awestruck crowd, it was obvious Visions Of A Life would be one of the year’s finest. But this show also demonstrated how much they’d grown as a live band. Confident, assured, and determined, with each of the four members’ personalities shining through, it felt like the last time we’d see them in rooms of this size—a point reaffirmed by November’s sold-out tour of 2,000+ capacity venues. Arenas surely beckon, and deservedly so.
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While the 10 shows above stand out for the reasons I’ve described, many other gigs caught my eye in what was another incredible year for live music. The Killers’ headline performance at BBK Bilbao and their subsequent world tour reiterated why they’re still held in such high regard as one of the most formidable live acts globally. Similarly, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s showstopping performance at Nottingham Rock City in November reminded us why people still care so much 16 years after their debut, while whetting the appetite for January’s eighth record Wrong Creatures. Liam Gallagher’s return in June at Brixton’s Electric venue raised eyebrows among those who saw him as a spent force after Beady Eye, but they were all proven wrong as he delivered an incredible, vocally flawless set of old and new material. Also rewinding to the future as if they’d never been away were Nottingham shoegazers Amusement Parks On Fire; their hometown show last month at the Bodega set the scene for what promises to be an exciting 2018. Elsewhere, Halifax trio The Orielles started the year emphatically at the Hebden Bridge Heavenly Weekender and ended it in similar style on their week-long UK tour, while Glaswegian outfit Spinning Coin rocked Sheffield’s Picturehouse Social in November and look set to do so throughout next year.
Discuss: Which were your favourite live shows of 2017? Who are you most looking forward to seeing next year? Join the discussion over on our music forum.
Eyre Llew photo by Emma Ford Davis.
