1 Goat Girl
They may still be in their infancy, but Goat Girl are helping to rebuild the capital’s stagnant indie scene. Signed to Rough Trade and with a penchant for menacing basslines and pulling no lyrical punches (“Touch my body, touch my soul/ Touch that deep and disused hole” they sing on Country Sleaze), they’re the kind of band you’ll wish you saw now rather than later.
Liverpool, Saturday 21 Jan; Birmingham, Sun 22 Jan; Leeds, Tuesday 24 Jan; Glasgow, Wednesday 25 Jan; Edinburgh, Thursday 26 Jan; Sheffield, Friday 27 Jan; touring to Sunday 29 Jan
2 Steve Mason
For those still suffering from Beta Band withdrawal symptoms then this special Steve Mason show should sort you out; he promises a tour de force through his career, spanning King Biscuit Time as well as the Beta Band, all featuring new arrangements by composer Joe Duddell.
Barbican Hall, EC2, Friday 27 Jan
3 Lambchop
“Kurt Wagner goes hip-hop” might have sounded like nobody’s idea of a good time until FLOTUS came out. One of last year’s best albums, it added forward-thinking production to the Nashville band’s signature intimacy.
Roundhouse, NW1, Thursday 26 Jan
4 C Duncan
The Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland is unlikely to become the next Brit school, but it’s undeniably produced a gem in Christopher Duncan. Last year’s The Midnight Sun album might have been even dreamier than his debut Architect, conjuring a blissful sonic universe that seems perfectly designed for escapism.
Inverness, Monday 23 Jan; Edinburgh, Tuesday 24 Jan; Glasgow, Thursday 26 Jan; Newcastle upon Tyne, Friday 27 Jan; touring to 4 Feb
5 Skinny Girl Diet
More than just a brilliant moniker, this London trio make a riotous noise that recalls two other groups who were more than just a brilliant moniker: the Slits and Bikini Kill. With a fiercely DIY approach and a desire to tear down the patriarchy (“You’re either a feminist or a masochist,” they told an interviewer last year), this is uneasy listening in the best possible sense.
Leicester, Wednesday 25 Jan; London, Thursday 26 Jan; Bournemouth, Friday 27 Jan
