In recent years, I've made a habit of attending gigs for artists I enjoy. This provides me a way to financially support them (as I'm a filthy Spotify user, so unfortunately very few royalties end up their way), and I'll often pick up merch at the same time. I honestly haven't done the maths on how many band t-shirts I currently own, but it's a large proportion of my wardrobe. Sometimes I even manage to have a small chat to the artist at the end of the gig!

I thought it could be interesting to share my experiences at each, and if nothing else you can get a good idea of music I listen to - maybe you'll find something you like!

February in particular I went to 7 gigs, which is almost certainly a personal record. It seems that many artists stop touring in the winter months, and then tour Europe in the early spring, presumably then touring the US later in the year.

This was a really cool gig to kick the year off with. Britten Sinfonia was conducted by Suzie Collier (Jacob Collier's mother!), and featured some other musicians I wasn't familiar with. I'm actually a bigger fan of Chris Thile than I am of Jacob Collier (of whom I admire greatly), so seeing the two of them together was a great experience.

The first half of the gig was a lot more classical than I was perhaps expecting, but I enjoyed the orchestra's rendition of the very rhythmic "Nautilus" by Anna Meredith, and a very Latin "Danzon No. 2" by Arturo Marquez. Two students (Danushka Edirisinghe & Finn Anderson-Hendra) from the Royal Academy of Music (where Suzie Collier teaches) also featured in a cello duet.

Jacob also showed off his vocal prowess by singing his half of Bach's "Vivace from Concerto in D Minor", accompanied by Chris on his trusty mandolin.

The second half was more what I expected - a selection of songs from both Jacob and Chris' careers. Personal highlights for me were Chris' "Julep" and "My Oh My", and Jacob's "Little Blue" and "Summer Rain". There was also plenty of time for noodling around, and moments where Jacob and Chris had clearly decided to go off on an adventure - we were more than happy to be brought along for the ride!

Due to the size of the gig, there sadly wasn't a chance to catch either musician after the show (and I didn't buy any merch) but it was still an awesome time and I'm glad I went.

I liked this concert a lot! Lake Street Dive are a band I listen to every once in a while, but I suspected they'd be very good live; and I wasn't disappointed. My only complaint is the lack of horn section (horns can be quite prevalent in their songs), but they absolutely held their own regardless. Rachael Price is a very skilled vocalist, and I was very impressed by the versatility of their bassist, Bridget Kearney.

The opening act was somebody I was unfamiliar with, Alisa Amador, but I enjoyed her performance.

There was a good mix of originals and covers, and they had an acoustic set in the middle for a nice change of pace. Akie Bermiss led a version of Shania Twain's "You're Still the One", which was really nice. Their cover of Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" was solid, as was their classic "Hypotheticals". I also really enjoyed a track from their newest album, "Dance With a Stranger", in no small part due to its bassline.

Wasn't really sure what to expect from this one, since Sam Greenfield's music has changed a lot recently, but I had a good time!

The opening act was Gareth Donkin, who I hadn't heard of before, but really loved his vibe. He reminded me a lot of some 80s classics, some influences like Michael Jackson and Toto. Personal favourites were "Suite Escape", "Nobody's Perfect", and "Whenever".

As for Sam's performance, his current obsession with Japanese jazz fusion was incredibly clear. Almost all songs were instrumental (which I was a little sad about) but the musicianship of his band really carried the show. Some personal highlights were "CHIPS & DIP", "King Bozzi" (made in collaboration with Cory Wong), and the encore "Banana Song".

I had a lovely chat with Sam after the show, and he remembered me from last time I saw him! We chatted about TWRP (who his friend Nelward was touring with, and sadly I had to miss this time around) and his fiancée Phoebe Katis' single which was due to release at the end of the week. He confirmed that the single was produced by Bill Wurtz, which was awesome to hear!

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Possibly the most rowdy gig I've been to this quarter, but so much fun! The band played all their classics, and included plenty of shenanigans - their drummer Alan Sharland led a track with a very autotuned mic, and Irwin Sparkes went for a couple walks amongst the audience mid-song. I also enjoyed the work of their bassist, and keyboard player (who also pulled out a cornet when required!).

Unfortunately I missed most of the opening act, Ruby Duff, but what I did catch was enjoyable - if not quite my vibe :)

Inevitably the night was ended with their most popular track, "Goodbye Mr A", but some personal highlights were "Up to No Good", "Giddy Up", and a more upbeat version of "So High" (apparently due for their upcoming album, of which we were also treated to a preview of a track).