The past twelve months have been exceptional for live performances. I might predominantly write about 'World music' and older, now-defunct groups, but I was somehow lucky enough to catch multiple artists that have been featured on the Dig That Treasure! blog and radio show.
In London, Momus played the city's best venue, Cafe OTO, Keel Her headlined Old Blue Last, and Kiran Leonard sold out his first headline show in the capital at The Waiting Room. Elsewhere around the continent I saw Jerry Paper blow away an intimate show in Berlin, while this autumn I caught Canadian underground hero Sean Nicholas Savage in Brighton.
End of year list-topping Jane Weaver followed with a dense sound finding the middle ground between Krautrock and lush dream pop, a highlight being the dizzying eight minute epic 'Don't Take My Soul'.
By the time headliner Laetitia Sadier had taken the stage, value for money had well and truly been met and a fantastic level of entertainment had been displayed. But celestial Sadier pushed this quality through the ceiling, completing an "immensely satisfying night" in real style.
Other live highlights of the year included my second visit to the utopian End Of The Road festival, where The Flaming Lips and tUnE-yArDs proved their worth as two of the world's best live acts, and a further two sets from Kiran Leonard completed a blissful weekend. Elsewhere I managed to catch Malian group Songhoy Blues provide a ridiculously fun dance party at Hackney's Visions festival (where I saw Leonard once more). I witnessed These New Puritans take their genre-defying Field of Reeds to the Barbican centre, art-pop weirdos Ava Luna rock out in Copenhagen, and fellow Resonance FM buddy Peter Lanceley host his first 'Hollow Earth' night in Brighton.
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