Anyone seeking a chance to zone out, dance (imagine that!) or witness bone-cracking punk rock is in luck this week. Read on for our picks of the next seven days, appropriate whether you’re trying to banish the Glastonbury blues while everyone else you know is there, or recover from them once you’re home.
Thursday, June 22
Gaps + Kub, Birthdays, 8pm
See the Brighton pair launch second album Is It Is. Gaps’ campfire intimacy comes with a cold, electronic pulse, which means it can feel transcendent, even in a grimy basement. It’s very good, basically.
Saturday, June 24
Anxiety + The Lowest Form + Fex Urbis + Teufelskreis, New River Studios, 8pm
A collection of brilliant punk and hardcore bands in a north London bunker. What more could one ask for on a Saturday night?
Monday, June 26
Crystal Castles, Royal Festival Hall, 8pm
Is the world still intrigued by Crystal Castles in the wake of Alice Glass’ departure? Or does no one really attach much importance to them anymore? Last year’s Amnesty (I) was occasionally as startling as their horrific classics, so this should be a spectacle at least.
Peaking Lights, Moth Club, 7.30PM
This Wisconsin husband/wife duo have just released album number five. Its title, The Fifth State Of Consciousness, hints at what they’re getting at, which is best summed up as using psychedelia and dub to reach a trance-like state from which there’s little chance of recovery. It’s what Monday nights were made for.
Wednesday, June 28
Confidence Man, Moth Club, 8pm
Signed earlier this year by Heavenly Recordings, this Aussie four-piece seem to have one clear intention: to make people dance. People say London crowds don’t move, they’ll have trouble resisting at this show.