Best Music of 2023: Gigs

Mogwai at Rock City - 14 February 2023
I'm not going to forget this gig for a long, long time. For starters, the support band was the incredible Brainiac – or 3RA1N1AC, as they like to pronounce themselves. They'd not played in the UK for over 25 years and a room full of loyal followers were eager to see them, this was nineties American indie music at its best, synth punk, noise rock, art pop, alternative rock all wrapped into one hell of a tight sounding band. If the show had started and ended with them alone, it would have been a great night, however…

Mogwai played the main slot and although I'd already been warned that they were loud, THEY WERE LOUD!!! I should have realised before they came on stage when I noticed a lot of folks wearing ear plugs but I believed my invisible cloak of superpowers would protect me. Two days after the gig and my ears were still ringing, my invisible cloak had let me down. These Glaswegian legends played a ninety minute set and a twenty minute encore, a faultless set of cinematic tracks, post rock at its very best, no vocals but the music said everything. Synth lines swelled, and the use of two bass guitars on certain tracks created an overwhelming low end to the music, whilst guitar riffs soared on the top end. I left Rock City in love with two bands I'd never seen before and that has to be something special on Valentine's night. Bassey

Self Esteem at Rock City - 24 February 2023
On a cold February evening, I was hungover in Rock City, and while this may sound not-so-fun, Self Esteem ensured it was one of the best nights of the year. Even though I had to retire to the balcony for most of the set so I could lean on something, I think this actually worked to my benefit, because from that view I could truly appreciate the artistry and beauty of her staging. She didn’t pause to interact with the audience very frequently, except for an impromptu and unscripted anecdote that made me consider the art of writing a gig review. It was about an article that was written after the first show of her previous tour, which revolved only around the outfits that she and her backing singers were wearing - comments that were both sexist and classist. 

But without this insight, you would have never known that she was constrained by a budget; it was an all-out show, with multiple outfit changes and choreographed dance routines complete with backing dancers. Obviously, besides that, her music speaks for itself; anyone who has heard her album Prioritise Pleasure will know that she’s incredible. One more interesting thing to note from the evening was that there were barely any phone screens in sight, and it was a beautiful rarity to see a crowd of people truly experiencing and appreciating things in the moment. Gemma Cockrell

Holly Humberstone at The Level - 3 October 2023
In October, just before the release of her debut album Paint My Bedroom Black, Holly Humberstone played a handful of intimate launch shows. She chose Nottingham as one of her stops, and treated it as something of a homecoming show. This wasn’t one of the most energetic or innovative gigs I attended in 2023, but it was special in other ways. One was the welcoming feel. She was greeted warmly by the Nottingham crowd, and she picked up on that and sent back her love in return. This show also gave Holly the perfect setting to open herself up a bit; she shared little snippets of stories with us, including plenty of local references. 

This was a special gig as it was a showcase for some never-before-heard songs, and so it was great to feel part of a little bit of history in the making. In the summer, I saw Holly play at Barn On The Farm festival - that was loads of fun and obviously a big all-round confidence builder for her. Here, sitting almost alone on stage, singing with fewer layers of support, seemed to inspire Holly’s vocals: her transitions from low to high were confident and spot on, and she injected noticeable power into the peaks of the songs. This revealed elements to her music I’d never fully noticed before. All in all, it was a crowd-pleasing, captivating and moving performance, and one which revealed a deeper, more mature side to her. Phil Taylor

Creeper at Rock City - 8 November 2023
Performing fresh off the release of their critically-acclaimed vampire rock opera Sanguivore, Southampton-hailing goth-rockers Creeper crawled their way to the hallowed halls of Rock City at the start of November, bringing with them a uniquely theatrical live show unlike any I saw in 2023. Full of dramatic production, crowd surfers, circle pits and plenty of monstrous riffs, the band played through a welcome mix of new cuts and classics such as Teenage Sacrifice, Hiding With Boys and VCR.

However, the moment of the night was a stunning rendition of debut album favourite, Misery. Driving home the special connection Creeper have with their fans, phone torches were switched on and several audience members climbed onto shoulders to emotionally sing along with frontman, Will Gould. As the song reached its peak, Will didn’t even have to say a word or move a muscle - the crowd just instinctively belted out the song’s gut-punching refrain. A beautifully powerful moment and one of the most spine-tingling I’ve ever experienced inside that venue.

With red confetti then shooting out of cannons onstage during the triumphant closing performance of 2023 single Cry To Heaven, it was a suitably mind-blowing finish to a truly mind-blowing rock show. Karl Blakesley

SOFY at The Bodega - 30 November 2023
This year has been a year of great gigs, and the last thing I expected was for SOFY to come along and nab herself the top spot right at the very end. As an artist, she has been on my radar for a while, so when it was announced that she’d be visiting Nottingham’s The Bodega as part of her Chaos and Commotion tour, I made sure that my name was on that guestlist on behalf of Leftlion. 

She has one of those summer-infused discographies which just gets you grooving, a welcome reprieve from the sludgy cold of a British winter. As a performer, SOFY is a ray of sunshine in a footy shirt, and although she has only been making music for a few years, she has the passion and soul of a well-seasoned musician. There were clearly some long-time fans amongst the audience, three of which SOFY recognised as “the three lads who were jumping around at Dot to Dot - you guys are the best!” as well as some people who were dragged along by their mates. No matter your history with SOFY, everyone leaves her gig humming the melodies of her most-loved tracks.

The singer herself admitted that it was the greatest show of her career so far, a notion which was universally agreed upon throughout the room. She’s the only artist who could decorate The Bodega with a Timotheè Chalamet cardboard-cut-out and stuffed rats and get away with it. Maddie Dinnage