Remember when indie bands had a want to succeed? A desire to achieve? Not many bands have it in this corporate day and age, towing the line, saying what they’re told (yes, Scouting For Girls, we’re looking at you), however one band seems like they may just be able to break the mainstream, and still have the desire to achieve massive things. Their name? Parka. This Glasgow via London quintet played the “Bollocks to Poverty”......

If you're not heading out of the capital to Bestival this weekend, and you're looking for a musical treat, then Saturday night at KOKO could be just what you're looking for. Calvin Harris, Boy Kill Boy, The Mitchell Brothers, Ali Love, Rakes frontman Alan Donohoe and guests will be taking to the stage at one off live event Wasted Youth. The event was set up by journalist Daniel Fulvio after his brother committed suicide......

We knew something strange was happening when one of Londonist's friends who likes house music and r&b and refuses to listen to indie music started singing The Gossip's amazing Standing In The Way of Control while doing the weekly shopping last week. It was only when we were pigging out in front of the television watching Hollyoaks later than night that we realised why. Yes possibly 2006's greatest song is being used on the really......

We love Bloc Party. Like properly love them. Every year there's some indie bands that make it and some that don't. 2005 was the year of Kaiser chiefs, Bloc Party and Maximo Park while 2006 has been The Automatic, The Fratellis and Boy Kill Boy. When they first arrived on the scene, they were lauded by all and sundry including the BBC who declared them second in the sound of 2005 poll (behind The......

If you didn't catch Primal Scream at The 100 Club last night (did you? how was it?) and you're still itching for some lovely, free music then these are the pick of instore gigs coming up over the next two weeks. You've got a bit of a choice on Monday between two great bands. Fopp Tottenham Court Road offer up the Mystery Jets celebrating the release of a reworked version of Diamonds in the......

Friday, Friday Fabric Live: Tonight dear old Fabbers is taken over by riotous Liverpool club Chibuku programming all three rooms. If the likes of Pendulum, London Elektricity and the Scratch Perverts isn't enough, then prepare to join a very long queue of people, upon realising producer-god Mark Ronson is playing live. Having recently worked on Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse's new albums, you never know who could show up as a guest......

This week One of our favourite London bands Boy Kill Boy release new single Civil Sin today, the third single to be taken from their debut album Civilian. To celebrate the band complete with their very straight hair and swoonworthy eyeliner will be performing at the new Fopp on Tottenham Court Road at 5.30pm on Tuesday Aug 1. Originally released last year on Fierce Panda, you can watch the new video online here which......

Friday: Club NME: You know we don't really like Club NME. Maybe we're being harsh, maybe we've just not been in the right mood or maybe we're just getting old, but every time we've been it has seemed to be full of really really drunk teenagers who are all just a little bit too messy. The thing is though, the DJs do play some corking tunes, and the clout of the NME means they......

A couple of weeks record label Fierce Panda, who in recent years have brought us great London bands like Boy Kill Boy and Apartment, announced that they will no longer be releasing singles but instead concentrating on albums. Their last single will be out on September 4 and is from non other than Londonist favourites Dead Disco. If you haven't yet managed to catch them on tour, then they play Club Fandago on Tuesday......

Just a couple of gigs coming up that we wanted to mention quickly since we've been away for a few weeks. Saturday: is of course the Love Music Hate Racism free gig in Trafalgar Square. Along with Belle and Sebastian, Lethal Bizzle, Boy Kill Boy, Kray Twinz, The Paddingtons, Roll Deep and a bunch of Babyshambles fans wondering whether or not they should just follow Dirty Pretty Things instead will be all girl post......

Last night, we calmly mooched along Oxford Street at 8pm taking our time to get to the pleasantly open late Apple Store on Regent Street to buy a birthday present for today. When we got there it was shut, and there were a gaggle of teenagers outside. Checking exactly what was going on via web on our phones (asking a real person is too much), we were mildly pissed off to find that Richard......

One of the many odd pleasures that Britpop threw up was the 12 piece pop orchestra, My Life Story. Six years after Jake Shillingford called it a day he has reassembled all 12 original members for a one off show at The Mean Fiddler on Friday 26th May, to coincide with the release of the band's forthcoming best of: Sex & Violins (with a memory jogging six number one singles). A damn fine live......

With four of our favourite new bands in town this week, it is a grand time to be heading out and checking out some live music. Friday: Until we get our own band together, Fuckshovel remain the best named band in Britain. And other places. We'll be bringing you more from the 'shovel next month but in the meantime come on down to The Peel in Kingston for about 7.30 for a couple of......

Oh bloody hell! Too many good gigs clash with each other this week and it's causing a lot of trauma in the heads of those at Londonist Towers. Tomorrow the hugely underrated new girl rock/pop act Love Bites are on stage in Islington Bar Academy at exactly the same time the delectable Sarah Nixey takes to the stage downstairs at the actual academy supporting ex fellow bandmate, Luke Haines. Then 5 minutes up the......

As far as new bands for 2006, one band we are totally loving so far are Leytonstone based Boy Kill Boy. Chris Peck (vocals, guitar), Peter Carr (keyboards), Kevin Chase (bass) and Shaz (drums) make up the band that were making lots of noise in 2005 by supporting Hard-Fi on their sell out tour, as well as releasing some music on an independent label. Now they have been signed to a major, and we......