Kentishtuner: A New Music Column for North London

It’s a relative shock moving from leafy Surrey to the heart of Kentish Town, with a year-long stop off in Bloomsbury (student halls, not bijou appartment, alas) to help the adjustment process. What was once the distant rumble of the M25 across the fields is now the perpetual cavalcade of sirens that grace Kentish Town Road through every hour of the day.

But I love it. Give me police cars over rotary clubs anytime. And being an anthropology student, interested in culture and community, as well as music, I managed to wangle myself a little internship working at this lovely website. As such, I’ve been blessed with penning the Kentishtowner’s new music column. So this is it: Kentishtuner. Geddit?

Now, whilst my live music career arguably didn’t start out on the best foot (Kate Nash at the Shepherds Bush Empire or, if I’m being completely honest, Slade in Guildford at the age of 10) I promise I’ve graduated onto more refined acts. Things I like at the moment? Laura Marling, Burial, Jamie Woon, Frank Ocean, Jessie Ware, Maccabees, Purity Ring, Sufjan Stevens, Active Child… But give me someone with a good voice and a guitar and I’m a happy boy, or a festival – or both.

North London is famously unrivaled in terms of musical venues and the spectrum of genres it showcases; and when somewhere boasts two such prodigious venues as The Forum and Roundhouse – which I firmly believe are the best live music locations in the capital – it’s easy to understand why such good music still congregates here.

Speaking of which, a fine place to start is Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s gig last Thursday, their last European date at – where else? – The Forum. The acoustic guitar maestros, hailing from Mexico city, honed their craft playing in thrash-metal bands in their native Mexico before finding their feet in Dublin. Despite an audience of middle-aged people acting like toddlers – including a shushing match and one man telling another audience member he hoped they would ‘wither and die’ – it was, in fact, ridiculously enjoyable. Their skill is undeniable: watching them, half the time is spent lost in the music, and the other half, mouth agape, at how they can play guitars with such finesse and dexterity. Instrument-mounted cameras streaming live onto the back wall added an additional frisson (‘As far as I’m concerned’, my friend quipped, ‘they’re making love with guitars’). Yikes.

The magnetism between both Rodrigo and Gabriela is palpable: they understand how to push each other to play to their best, with songs such as Tamacun and Diablo Rojo highlighting their brilliance. Every song got the crowd clapping, whooping and stomping, even more so when joined by Alex Wilson on piano, who added another dimension to the set, while supporting the Cuban-inspired themes of their new album. A well-deserved encore really rammed the fact home that these two know how to utilize their instruments to the maximum. They both appear modest and almost shy when conversing with the audience, but then emerge as true performers when jumping about the stage. Despite slower numbers getting lost in the crowd of chatter – shhhhhhhh! – it was certainly a way to feel slightly more summery on a freezing November evening.

Finally, it’s only fitting that people should feel free to promote and suggest nights, gigs and venues for us to cover. So please add any comments below or email ideas to info@kentishtowner.co.uk. Or tweet me @conorfisk

Till next time, Kentishtuners. Ahem.

Words: Conor Fisk