As much-loved venues like the Spitz and Hammersmith Palais closed their doors forever last year, we began to worry that the small gig would one day become an endangered species. One of our favourite things to do in this great city is to pack into a tiny, sweaty club and damage our hearing as much as possible before last orders. Without that in our lives... well, we'd probably be loads more productive with our......

The Rainbow is long gone, the Hammersmith Palais now lingers only in the memory and even that good old grubby beer stained shit-hole that is the loveable Astoria is under threat. Gigs are selling out in minutes, replacing restaurants and cinemas as the preferred venue for gormless gobblers to converse after work, and yet the property developers keep their beady eyes focused on every venue lease going. How are we going to find the......

Fancy something completely different for the weekend? Next weekend that is? Howzabout a preening and prancing, full-blooded Persian pop concert? We thought that might grab your attention, for one reason or another. Most Londoners tend to forget that for every ex-pat community living in London, there is a similarly ex-pat music scene catering for them. Well, this is what a lot of Iranians do for entertainment… And because Iranians are a funny bunch, after six......

As we mentioned on Wednesday, the opening kilometres of the Tour de France are coming to London from July 6th - 8th this year. While this weekend's Vive La France event at Olympia celebrates the culture of those who would have been Frenglish, the Tour organisers are staging an event of their own, a roadshow in front of the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton (LB Lambeth) from noon - 4.30pm this Saturday. The main thing to......

If there's one band that made us squeal repeatedly during 2006 it was Toronto's Metric. Signed to Drowned in Sound in the UK, Emily Haines and her boys have managed to release two of the finest indie albums of recent years as well as working regularly with the likes of Stars and Broken Social Scene. With hard riffs, unforgettable hooks and snarky female vocals, the one thing we urge you to do today, is......

With the news that the smelly Astoria might be on it's way out thanks to some pesky flat builders, never mind bloody Crossrail, it's with a sad face that we hear the same fate may await the much lovelier Hammersmith Palais. The venue opened in 1919 mainly hosting jazz events and is of course now home to the dreadful sounding School Disco as well as assorted gigs throughout the year. When we saw the......

This day in London’s history 1952 Joe Strummer is born in Ankara, Turkey. The lead singer of punk icons The Clash may not have been born here - few great Londoners ever are - but his band became synonymous with the capital after a series of legendary gigs (including London’s ‘best ever’, according to TimeOut). Many of their songs name-check London, including White Man in Hammersmith Palais, Guns of Brixton and, of course, London......

Anyone with even a hint of taste and decency will know that the only time to drink Carling is after you've been atomised by a particularly nasty nuclear power station meltdown. And yet still their indominatable quest to tie up every concert venue in the country continues, as does their role as foremost sponsors of UK indie-guitar rock. As they have done for the past couple of years, they're endeavouring to kick off the......

Don't buy anyone any Christmas presents. Spend your money on these gigs instead: So lovely they even have their own made up language, Sigur Ros play a night at the Hammersmith Apollo on March 29, with all manner of collaborators in the pipeline. The Glastonbury stealing Secret Machines are playing a low-key show at the Garage on January 18th in support of their forthcoming 10 Silver Drops. They're also releasing a limited edition 12"......

The Dandy Warhols - Hammersmith Palais Portland's finest strolled rather than rolled back into town on Wednesday night. Playing a nigh on identical set to their Cargo show of a few months back, they still manage to clock in an extra half hour's playing time; languidly drawing out each track, taking their time, taking it easy, displaying a determined bloody mindedness in mainting their laissez faire attitude towards putting on show. So much so......

With Halloween traditionally a time for some serious gig going spectaculars, this year's a little bit of a damp squib, what with Marilyn Manson retiring from creeping folks out and concentrating on his new make up range and his Alma Mater, Alice Cooper, not yet in town, it would seem as if we're going to have to keep the Slipknot masks in the drawer for another year. There are some big shows in town......

Time once again to cast an eye over this week's gig going highlights. Wednesday: If you haven't already been tempted by The Magic Numbers being nicer than is humanly possible at the Shepherd's Bush Empire or Hard Fi being T4 favourites at the Camden Electric Ballroom then why not check out the Tits of Death at the Vibe Bar, Truman Brewery, Brick Lane. Probably best not though if you're of a nervous disposition. Thursday:......

Another week of gig going upon us and much to recommend so without further whatever here's the Londonist Music team's guide to what we think you should be doing for the next seven days. Wednesday: Well if you've not made plans for tonight yet you could head down to the Garage to check out San Fransican art pop punkers Deerhoof. Otherwise we suggest you kick off John Peel Day at the 12 Bar Club......

Right, we promised some of you that we'd stop talking about. So we won't. Instead, devoid of any childish finger pointing we're left with the news that the very tall Mr Brett Anderson is about to release a low key mainly acoustic solo album. Also busy in the studio are Robbie Williams and The Crazy Frog although we can't confirm whether this means there will be one or two releases as a result. Talking......

Well it's been an eventful week for Londonist's favourite court jester Pete No-showherty and his Babydimples. Firstly there was a no show at the Big Gay Out. And then he's been reported to have had a fight with some guys and had to hide in a shop, had a bust up with his manager, fired the band, and fallen out again with Yoko, sorry, Kate. The Boobyshimples single Fuck Forever is still apparently scheduled......