Feature / Music
2011: A Year In Review

January 2, 2012

2011: A Year In Review
2011: A Year In Review

The top five London live shows of 2011

The top five London live shows of 2011

London is a fantastic place for live music. With a gig happening almost every night of the week, there's always something to see. Metal is the genre I generally experience most in the live format, and with that in mind here's a rundown of five shows that made me feel that life would be nothing without the glory of live music.

1. Altar of Plagues - Borderline - December 4th

The most exhausting show seen in town this year, Altar of Plagues give catharsis in it's purest form.

2. Anathema - Scala - February 17th

Running through newest album We're Here Because We're Here in full, then enveloping the audience in an accomplished set of greats, Anathema kicked off my personal gig year on an incredible high.

3. VNV Nation - KOKO - October 9th.

This show was touch and go for a while, after having cancelled the previous nights gig due to illness. Ronan Harris pulled through and gave probably the best VNV show I've seen thus far. Not stopping for the entire two hours, audience and band included, it was euphoric.

4. 40 Watt Sun - Upstairs at The Garage - May 21st

40 Watt Sun's first UK show was an event to marvel at. Laden with doom and exquisite emotion, Patrick Walker and his band did enough to make even the hardest of hearts melt.

5. Negative Plane - Purple Turtle - August 5th

This exclusive UK show marked the first time Negative Plane deemed us worthy to witness their live event. And damn, it was spectacular.

Words: Cheryl

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— words by the SPB team • January 2, 2012

2011: A Year In Review
2011: A Year In Review

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. The top seven albums we were promised (and didn't get) in 2011
  3. The top five albums from classic rock musicians who have no business releasing more music in 2011
  4. Five awesome 2011 reissues
  5. Ten great (legally) free albums from 2011
  6. Top 5 releases of 2011 that don't really count
  7. The top EPs released in 2011
  8. The top five debut releases of 2011
  9. The top five honourable mentions of 2011
  10. The top five London live shows of 2011
  11. The 20 best hip-hop records of 2011
  12. The top ten progressive albums of 2011
  13. The top five Fest sets we caught and missed in 2011
  14. The top record labels of 2011
  15. The top ten post-rock albums of 2011
  16. Five 2011 records I've slept on so far
  17. Top 10 Splits & Collaborations of 2011
  18. Top 10 Cassettes Releases of 2011
  19. Top 10 Musical Obsessions from 2011
  20. The five most painful musical moments of 2011

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