So, a quick look back at the top gigs of last year - I managed to get to 28 gigs which was pretty good going. Looking back over the list there were more disappointments than in years before (I'm looking you Aphex Twin and Afrika Bambaata) but still more than enough good nights out to justify a post. Here we go… (All venues are in London, UK)

A Winged Victory for the Sullen @ Cecil Sharp House
Monday 16 January 2012
The year started off on a supremely chilled note with this as the first gig I went to.…

In 2011 I went to 16 gigs, the lowest number since I moved to London four years ago. Am I getting more picky or just not going out as much? I like to think the former as the overall standard of what I saw last year was pretty high. Then again, organising two weddings earlier in the year plus a honyemoon might have had something to do with it too. Here there the highlights. All venues are in London, UK.

Black Star, De La Soul and Rakim @ The Hammersmith Apollo
(Tuesday 10 May 2011)
It took a while for…

So here we are at the start of 2011 where I do my annual review of the events I attended last year and out of those 25 choose the ones which were the most memorable. Unless otherwise indicated all venues are in London, UK.

Talib Kweli @ The indig02 (Sunday 31 January)
This was the first time I've been anywhere near the 02 and the general vibe isn't great - chain restaurants and a largely soulless atmosphere. Thankfully Talib was playing in the small Indig02 venue which was nicely full. The venue also has decent sound which took the show…

All in all 2009 turned out to be a good one on the live music front and although I went to less than half the number of gigs than in 2008, on average they were probably of a higher quality. So, out of the 24 gigs I checked out, here are the ones I thought were the dopest. All venues are in London, UK.

Harmonic 313 Album Launch Party @ Plastic People (Thursday 19 February)
The launch party of one of my favourite albums of the year When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence) - this went down a treat on…

2008 is the first full year that I have spent in London and one of the things I like most about this city is the sheer number of quality musical events that take place on an almost daily basis. "Spoiled for choice" is the truth. I managed to squeeze in just over 50 gigs this year, covering a range of genres and venues. Below I've listed the ones that really stood out and these are the musicians that I think are worth putting on your "would like to see live" lists. All venues are in London, unless otherwise stated.

DJ…