Gig: Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Neil Young is, simply, an absolute legend – he’s been rockin’ in the free world for more than 40 years, has released 35 studio albums, his latest Psychedelic Pill was out last year, and he’s been inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame – twice.

Young formed legendary band Buffalo Springfield in the mid-Sixties before teaming up with the surname-favouring supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and then embarked on a solo career in 1968. 

Over the course of this celebrated musical odyssey, Young has always set out to push the boundaries and has taken great pleasure in wrong-footing his fans with every release – each of his albums is quintessentially Young but often pays little regard to that which preceded it. Yet it was this wilful quest for experimentation and musical chameleonism that saw him run aground in the Eighties. 

After scoring one of his most critical and commercially successful albums with 1979’s Rust Never Sleep, Young found himself sued by his own label, Geffen Records, for making music that was unrepresentative of, well, his own music. But then over the course of Young’s career, he has always tinkered with genres, indulging in everything from acoustic to folk, punk, swing and electronica, even.

And he’s regarded by many as one of the progenitors of the Nineties alternative scene, with many grunge acts crediting his distortion-dominated guitars as a key influence. And four decades after he first strapped on a guitar and took to the stage, he is still doing things his way and breaking all the rules. 

The O2, SE10 0DX
Mon, Aug 19 | Doors at 6.30pm |  £52.75  
Tube | North Greenwich  
theo2.co.uk

Gig: Global Beats Festival

Wilton’s Music Hall hosts this four-day celebration of world music with the artists performing hailing from all corners of the world. Highlights include Future Swing Stories (New Zealand), rising folk star Arias (Colombia), Japanese DJ Kochi and Senegal’s Kadialy Kouyate (above).

Aug 16-18. 12pm  £27.50+
Wilton’s Music Hall 
1 Graces Alley, E1 8JB 
Tube | Tower Gateway  
wiltons.org.uk 

 

Club: Don’t you want me baby?

This weekly club night is all about the classics, as it brings you all the finest pop, indie, cheese, disco, retro and rock tunes that you can imagine (and some you had forgotten about, too). Just to make sure you have the most hedonistic time possible and drunk-dance more than is medically advisable, there’s loads of drink promos, too.

Sat, Aug 17. 9.30pm-3.30am  £5+
The Roxy 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ 
Tube | Tottenham Court Road  
theroxy.co.uk 

 

 

Club: Oxjam Brixton Takeover Launch

Elly Jackson, aka La Roux, stops by her native south London for a DJ performance at this rooftop launch party for the multi-venue Oxjam event this October. Fellow local Maxi Jazz will also be taking a turn at the decks with Cinematic Orchestra’s Patrick Carpenter and Nadia Ksaiba in on the act, too. 

Sun, Aug 18. 4pm-11pm  £10  
The Lambeth 469 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH  
Tube | Brixton  
facebook.com/thelambeth

 

Gig: Rewind – The 80s festival

A cornucopia of Eighties stars descend on suburban Henley-on-Thames, with Kim Wilde, Heaven 17, Nik Kershaw, Billy Ocean, Belinda Carlisle and, of course, the one and only Chesney Hawkes. Alongside the retro musical flavours and stars of yesteryear, there will be posh nosh and glamping, too.  

Aug 16-18. 12pm  £27.50+
Henley-on-Thames Temple Island Meadows,
RG9 2LY Henley-on-Thames  
rewindfestival.com 

 

Gig: Susie Stapleton

The Sydney-born, Melbourne-based songstress makes a return to the UK after her performance at last year’s Folk Festival on her first European tour. Stapleton, whose sophomore EP Obladi Diablo was released last autumn, has garnered plaudits for her heartfelt delivery and fierce guitar playing, as seen in her latest video, Hit.

Sun, Aug 18. 7pm  £TBC  
12 Bar Club, 26 Denmark Street, WC2H 8NN 
Tube | Tottenham Court Road  
12barclub.com

 

Club: Supernova Fifth Birthday

New York City legend Danny Tenaglia comes to town for the first time in ages for this mammoth 13-hour set to celebrate house and techno night Supernova’s fifth birthday in London. Joining the line-up for what is promised to be only the first part of the anniversary celebrations are JB, Nils Hess, Kevin D Cruz, Kyle E and loads more.

Sat, Aug 17. 10pm-11am  £15+
Egg 200 York Way, N7 9AX 
Tube | King’s Cross  
egglondon.net 


Festival watch: Oya

This five-day event takes place in Oslo’s Medieval Park, mixing nature with culture. The music line-up is diverse, taking in everything from Britpop kings Blur (above) and electro legends Kraftwerk to thrash metal titans Slayer and Aussie band of the moment, psych-roockers Tame Impala. And after the festival finishes, a line-up of top DJ talent hits the city’s clubs. 

 Medieval Park, Oslo.
Aug 6-10. £70+ 
oyafestivalen.com 

 

Photos: Getty