Looking for something unforgettable to cut through the February gloom? This weekend’s gig calendar is stacked with anniversary tours, long-awaited comebacks and genre-bending sets to jolt you out of a work-induced stupor. From nostalgic throwbacks to immersive electronic nights, there’s something for every shade of music lover.
Whether you’re craving big-room euphoria, intimate soundscapes or a full-throttle party, these are the unmissable shows worth braving the cold for. Many will make the perfect date night for Valentine’s Day, too.
The best London gigs this week
Top Pick: Florence + the Machine
Florence Welch might be the only human in the world who could coax me over to the Greenwich Peninsula on a Monday night. The Camberwell-born singer-songwriter — arguably this generation’s Stevie Nicks — will be at The O2 for two nights at the start of next week, performing in support of her new album Everybody Scream. A singular performer with a singular voice, seeing Welch live is a spiritual experience as much as it is a live music performance. No less than in her current era, which is rage-fuelled, anthemic and deeply moving. Catharsis via cable car.
Alexandra Palace, February 12-13
Everyone in the electronic music community has an opinion on Fred Again (real name Frederick Gibson), for better or for worse, but it’s impossible to deny his huge presence in the sound of the 2020s. And he’s come far from the voice note-laden, twinkling bedroom tunes that populated his Actual Life mixtapes. Gibson has become a titan of a producer and continues to care deeply about the live experience of his music. The mad fight for tickets for his Ally Pally shows is testament to this, as are the accounts of anyone who’s seen him perform previously. Getting into these shows might be the equivalent of breaking out of Alcatraz, but if you can, do. He will also be returning later this month, on February 26 and 27.
Fred Again
Fred Again
Village Underground, February 13
Zak Khutoretsky, aka DVS1, may be a lesser-known name for people outside of techno circles, but he’s as influential as they come. Aptly described by Resident Advisor as one of electronic music’s “most respected and uncompromising figures”, DVS1 cut his teeth in the Midwest American rave scene before going on to tour the world, playing landmark sets at the likes of Decibel and Dekmantel. He’s a DJ first and a producer second, in his own words, which means his sets are something to behold, having spent years honing his craft. Far from a laptop DJ, DVS1 plays traditional techno with his whole chest. Check out his previous sets to see what I mean, or pop down to see him at VU this Friday.
One for my more open-minded weirdos. Shit and Shine was founded in 2004 by Craig Clouse, who maintains the core of the project with a rotating list of musicians. It’s experimental, off-kilter and a little crunchy, mixing percussion-driven sound with electronics. Take it from one of the band’s descriptions, which notes that the music is “sometimes danceable.” The track You Were Very High sums it up best, opening with a gargling cat sound before it’s mixed into a Prince and Hendrix-level funk that shouldn’t work but does, which is then further mixed with distorted vocals from Rihanna’s Bitch Better Have My Money. It’s insane. Certainly one for the people who lovingly sit through the wilder sections of NTS Radio sets.
Mermaid Chunky
Mermaid Chunky
The Old Blue Last, February 14
Not your average Valentine’s Day plan. Mermaid Chunky is a playful, performance-art-based, audio-visual project founded by artists Freya Tate and Moina Moin in Gloucestershire. But don’t let those hyphens sew seeds of doubt. The duo were snapped up by DFA Records, aka the record label founded by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, quickly after they released their debut in 2020. “You’ve restored my faith in music,” he told the duo. High praise. You’ve got two chances to see what Murphy was talking about this Saturday, with Mermaid Chunky playing a full show at Village Underground, as well as an after-party at Old Blue Last, just down the road. Beats the dine-in for two deal. .
The Lexington, February 18
Colombian-Canadian singer Tei Shi (Valerie Teicher Barbosa) once jokingly described her songs as “mermaid music”, but she wasn’t wrong. Over each track, Barbosa’s shivery voice floats through the water of her sound, which moves between bedroom pop, R&B, and 80s synth. You’ll probably know her even if you don’t think you do, primarily via her skin-quivering track Basically, which recently soundtracked a particularly memorable scene in season four of Industry. For those seeking a good dose of goosebumps, she’ll be at The Lexington next Wednesday.