Allo Darlin special Sunday 11 December

Like scarlet fever and Noel Edmonds, there's no getting rid of the Hangover Lounge. We're back at the Water Rats from midday to 7pm on Sunday 11 December, right before and right by the final Allo Darlin gig.

This event is for Allo Darlin fans to congregate before the gig. Things you can do there:

• eat (all-day breakfasts, brunches and Sunday roasts are available)
• listen to great music (it'll be low key, because that's what we do, and we know some of you might have been at the Saturday night gig and feeling a little fragile)
• chat with like-minded folks

Allo Darlin will be there for a while, so this is your chance to tell them how much you love them and get records signed and selfies taken.

It's all free (apart from the food) but Bill Botting will probably charge you £1 for a photo or an autograph. Nothing we can do about that, but you could try haggling.

There's a facebook event.

The Last Lounge: Sunday November 20

After 8.5 years the final curtain is coming down. Yes, we’ve climbed every mountain and forded every stream. More importantly, we’ve made some lifelong friends and released some fantastic records by brilliant bands.

One of the things we’ve done that we’re most proud of is put on dozens of gigs. So we’re putting 6 (SIX) bands on for our last fandango. Think of Sunday November 20 as less of another nail in the coffin of 2016, a shitty year without doubt, and more of a chance to celebrate with friends and great music.

So come out and watch this lot see us out in style:

Birdie

They’re masters of Left Banke psych and Laura Nyro pop. They stopped in 2001. We persuaded them to reform and play again. They did several times for us and even recorded a new song that we released. Birdie have to play the final Hangover Lounge. So they are.

Darren Hayman

Darren’s been a regular attendee, played many gigs for us, released a record on our label and even designed a Hangover Lounge poster. We like to think that after years at the business end of the music industry, he rediscovered that you can do a club, release records and promote gigs for love not money. “It was a brilliant thing. You created so many connections. I know so many people through the Hangover Lounge. Thank you.”

Oslo House

It’s been an absolute delight to put on so many brilliant new bands. So let’s carry on that tradition at the last Lounge. Oslo House’s Plateau is one of 2016’s great debuts, especially if you think Woods-style psych and Feelies jangle is great. We definitely do.

Hacia Dos Veranos

We released their album Limay. One day it’ll get full-page features in magazines calling it a lost classic. It’s a classic alright. The Clientele’s Alasdair Maclean said: "Their guitarist is a maestro: economical, precise, lyrical. His rolling, arpeggiated style will remind you of Felt’s Maurice Deebank or Vini Reilly, but he also possesses a faint echo of Johnny Marr, in that for all his sense of space and harmony he’s playing tunes first and foremost."

Woodpigeon

Aka Mark Hamilton, who specialises in "sad words wrapped in pretty pop music". Recent album Trouble is their best yet - baroque folk by way of Fleetwood Mac that sidles up to Roxy Music for a record about rhythm and sex and sadness.

Whoa Melodic

This is the latest musical moniker for Michael Wood, who’s just released his first single, Hey Hey My Reflection. If you like timeless, gentle, breezily melancholy folk pop, along the lines of Badly Drawn Boy, the Lilac Time, M Craft or even Squeeze this will be right up your street. Of course you’ll recognise Michael from Adekola Sound, the Hayman Kupa Band, Singing Adams, and helping make the Leaf Library such a great live act.

Beer mats. No, not a band. Our Tim has made superb Hangover Lounge beer mats over the last 5 years. He’s got some especially good new ones for this occasion. First come, first served.

Venue: Betsey Trotwood.

Doors open at 2pm. First band on at 3pm. It's free. Children are welcome.

Allo Darlin free gig Sunday December 20

Allo Darlin, or half of them in the form of Elizabeth Morris and Paul Rains, are returning to the Hangover Lounge on Sunday December 20. 

Fresh from 2 gigs the day before, the hardest working band in indiepop are playing an afternoon gig at 3pm at the Betsey Trotwood.

It's free to get in, so get there in good time to catch this intimate performance. If you've seen any of their previous gigs for us, you know how special they are. Here's a reminder, or a taster, of them playing Europe at the Lounge Allo Darlin' - "Europe" at The Lexington, London, 27 May 2012

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This Sunday: November 8th 2015

Headline: this Sunday, November 8th, we'll be having a Hangover Lounge at the Betsey Trotwood, from 3pm to 9pmish, as usual. It'll be us quietly playing brilliant records, hanging out and having a pleasingly relaxed time.

Bit more detail: we'd planned to host a launch do for our friend Michael White's Popkiss book about the history and aftermath of Sarah Records, which was to feature some Sarah-related groups playing live. Sadly, we have had to postpone that event, which we hope to host sometime early in 2016. So Sunday's a Hangover Lounge, pop along anyway, and if you want to talk to someone about Sarah Records there'll surely be someone there who'll chat to you about them. 

As I understand it, the Q&A at Rough Trade East on Thursday 5th is going ahead, so do pop along for that. 

If you're wondering what is going to happen to the Hangover Lounge in the longer term, well, we're not completely sure at this point. We'll use Sunday to gauge how much interest there's likely to be in a Betsey-based Lounge without live bands (all our afternoons there so far, which have been fun, have had groups playing). And then we'll have a little think. We'll let you know ASAP. 

The next four weeks in full

So! Four more Hangover Lounges until we leave the Lexington for pastures new. Gotta catch 'em all. Or at least some - please come along at some point to say cheerio for now and help us celebrate the end of an era.

Over the next month or so we'll be posting up some reflections and some thanks from the last six years.

Here are the details.

Sunday August 16th: the final Stolen Wine at the Hangover Lounge at the Lexington, though all being well not the last Stolen Wine at the Hangover Lounge because we're a TEAM now:

Sunday August 23rd: guest DJ Alan Hake, an old friend of ours who has excellent stories to tell about Creation Records, amongst other things:

Sunday August 30th: Tim's last Lexington bow, he* can't be with us on the 6th, so it's time for the Lexington to hear that Rita Lee record with the duck noises in one last time. Maybe two last times. 

Sunday September 6th: this is it, and we're going out in style with the last installment in our Gare du Nord residency, which has been pretty effing stellar so far. This one promises to be just as amazing and we wouldn't want that to be missed in the kerfuffle of our departure.

It's a ridiculously strong bill: if you know the Hangover Lounge you surely know about Rotifer and the Left Outsides: they are both long-term friends and comrades of ours, as well as being brilliant in their own right. They are joined for this show by a genuine enigmatic legend, John Howard. Just in case you're uninitiated, here's a taste of John's work:

And that's that, for a bit.

 The rest is noise.

*If you're reading carefully you'll probably be able to see that "he" is actually writing this, so that's a bit weird, but you get the idea.

Big news: last days at the Lexington

WHAT? The time has come! After a very happy six and a bit years at the Lexington, we will be moving. 

Where? We're not sure yet, we're working on it. There's a chance that we'll re-think the hours or the format or something but we will be back, rocking gently with sweet sounds and occasional amazing live acts. 

When's all this happening? 

The last Lexington Lounge will be Sunday 6th of September. Here's the plan: 

This Sunday (16th August) will be the last Stolen Wine at the Hangover Lounge at the Lexington. To prove it, here's a flyer: 

Then we've a couple of old-fashioned Hangover Lounge Sunday afternoons on the 23rd and 30th. The 30th, it turns out, is a Bank Holiday Sunday, which promises to be epic and possibly rather messy. 

On September the 6th itself our farewell will coincide with the last date in our Gare du Nord summer residency. So mark such a momentous occasion it became clear that we needed TWO flyers, look:

After that we've a couple of one-off events planned, probably at our new home, more of which very soon. Stay tuned for news of them, and confirmation of our new permanent home. 

Why's all this happening? 

The Lexington has big plans for live music in the downstairs bar on Sunday afternoons, which I'm sure they'll tell you all about by and by. There isn't really any room for Hangover Lounging in those plans, so we're moving on with no hard feelings and plenty of happy memories. And a few blank patches where happy memories may have been, but beer and whiskey washed them away. 

Having a party with the Hangover Lounge

Would you like 10% off your drinks bill? Or a free bottle of fizz?

Well, you can have that at the Lexington. If you book a table over the summer you'll get 10% off your drinks bill. If you book a table for 15 or more people you'll get a free bottle of fizz.

Book by email info@thelexington.co.uk or phone 020 7837 5371

The Lexington opens at noon on Sunday and closes at 2am. We're DJing from 3pm to 9pm. See you there.

Gare Du Nord residency

There's a special series of Gare Du Nord gigs this summer. They're free, they start at 3pm and you should come. You can pick up a free 16-page magazine written by Gare Du Nord artists, largely explaining why they love each other's music. Some of their reasons may be the same as yours. Some might help you see them in a new light.

July 5: Ralegh Long, Citizen Helene, Jack Hayter

August 2: Papernut Cambridge, Rapid Results College, Picturebox

September 6: John Howard, Rotifer, The Left Outsides

The Left Outsides are, you've noticed, not on Gare Du Nord. But they share a spirit. As Jack Hayter says in the magazine:

Alison Cotton and Mark Nicholas make a chilly haunted moorland sound, combining the rock psychedelic with folk balladry in such a way that you just don’t see the joins. They both sing, and Alison’s viola is a third voice. The lovely instrumental Stargazer must surely be the best one minute space movie soundtrack ever.

Dave Callahan, The Left Outsides: acoustic gig, Sunday 28th June

Time for another Sunday afternoon acoustic show, we reckon. This coming Sunday, the 28th of June starting at 3ish and ending at 5ish we will be delighted to welcome both The Left Outsides and Dave Callahan of The Wolfhounds.

The Wolfhounds started up in the early-mid 80s; in a time when it seemed that independent music in the UK was either crunchy or pop (let's not think about the goths), The Wolfhounds were a rare example of an act who won friends and admirers on both "sides". That all seems a bit parochial now, but through the course of an initial run of three LPs the Wolfhounds went further out and became ever more fascinating. After a long hiatus, during which Dave was seen in the marvellous Moonshake amongst many other things. The Wolfhounds reconvened a couple of years back and are just as noisome and downright bloody excellent as ever. In all that time Dave has never played a "solo" show - this will be his first. We're not sure exactly what to expect. History in the making at the Hangover Lounge.

The Left Outsides are Mark Nicholas and Alison Cotton, a husband and wife duo based in London, England whose atmospheric, hypnotic songs echo Nico's icy European folk, pastoral psychedelia and chilly English fields at dawn. Over the course of a few years they've quietly made a series of remarkable records, most recently the uneasily gorgeous LP "The Shape Of Things To Come", which you should think about catching up with if you haven't already. This is a welcome return for them, we're used to being amazed by their too-rare plugged-in full-band shows but my personal favourite TLOs moments have been in the quiet of a Hangover Lounge Sunday afternoon.

Can you tell we're excited? Come and join us on Sunday. Sweet music and idle chatter downstairs from 3-9 as usual. Don't say we're not good to you, even if we're not good for you.

Haiku Salut, Owl & Mouse, Two White Cranes: all ages gig, Sunday August 9

How Does It Feel are presenting 3 ace album launches in one afternoon on August 9:

Haiku Salut - Etch And Etch Deep ("instrumental post-folk that isn't afraid to tear up the rulebook and begin fresh")
Owl & Mouse - Departures ("open-hearted yet delicate songs from the same school of Australian songwriting as The Go-Betweens, The Triffids and Courtney Barnett")
Two White Cranes - Raddison Blue (Roxy's now in Joanna Gruesome; her stripped-down bare bones outsider folk rock is its own special treat)

Tickets are £8 or £4 for under-12s.

Doors open at 2pm. The music's finished by 5pm. The Hangover Lounge will be DJing as usual downstairs (roast dinners available) in the afternoon and evening until 9pm.

The Would-Be-Goods and Charm Bracelet: free gig Sunday 31 May

It's our 7th (SEVENTH) birthday so we're celebrating with a free afternoon gig starring our friends and favourites The Would-Be-Goods and newcomers Charm Bracelet.

You know The Would-Be-Goods, creators of refined and quality pop music since 1987. Every release has been vintage. They first graced our stage in 2009, we released a record by them in 2012 and they're always welcome back.

Which is why they're back.

Charm Bracelet are two ladies from Austin, Texas on a mission to "bring back the sweet & sad indiepop hits you never heard of, one tug of a heartstring at a time". You probably have heard the indiepop they play because you, dear reader, have lugholes of taste and distinction. Their repertoire numbers bands like The Clientele, The Softies, Daniel Johnston, Camera Obscura and The Magnetic Fields:


The live music starts upstairs at the Lexington 3.30pm. Stick around in the evening and watch Fever Dream, Hacia Dos Veranos and The Great Electric. We're putting that on as well.

Facebook event

Fever Dream, Hacia Dos Veranos and The Great Electric gig 31 May, The Lexington

In America they call it shoegaze; in Australia they call it roogaze; and in twatland they call it nu-gaze. Here we call what Fever Dream do brilliantly skewed, fuzzy pop music. The blizzard of noise that is Serotonin Hit is one of the year's very best songs from one of the year's best albums, Moyamoya.



Hacia Dos Veranos' Limay is one of the greatest albums of the last 10 years. The Clientele's Alasdair MacLean said: "Their guitarist is a maestro: economical, precise, lyrical. His rolling, arpeggiated style will remind you of Felt’s Maurice Deebank or Vini Reilly, but he also possesses a faint echo of Johnny Marr, in that for all his sense of space and harmony he’s playing tunes first and foremost."



The Great Electric number members from Hefner, Kenickie, Go-Kart Mozart, and Mum and Dad. They have a song that sounds like Buzzcocks' Everybody's Happy Nowadays played by Kraftwerk (Jump Over The House) and another that finds the midway point between Roxy Music and Can (Music & Colour). They own more Hawkwind records than you do.



Buy your tickets.

Grant McLennan tribute gig May 3 2015

We're marking the life and music of Grant McLennan, a songwriter closer to our hearts than most, by getting some of Grant's friends and fans to play at the fifth annual tribute gig on Sunday May 3.

David Westlake is playing because he has to and because we want him to. You do, too. The Popguns impressed our John by covering Head Full Of Steam last year, so we immediately cajoled them into practising some McLennan numbers. Fortunately, they didn't need any persuasion. Bill Botting of Allo Darlin' - you remember Elizabeth Morris' warm, touching set 2 years ago - is playing, and I'll be very surprised if some of his equally talented pals don't join him in tribute.

The music starts at 3pm. You'll likely find a jazz band playing downstairs. Get your drinks and move on upstairs where the good stuff is happening. The bands finish by 5pm, at which point we'll man the decks until 9pm.

Entrance is free, kids are welcome. It's at the Lexington.

What's that? You want a special guest? We're working on it, trust me. These things take time. In the meantime, a reminder of a very special guest:

Lost Weekend 24 and 25 January

Mark 24 and 25 January as red letter days in your 2015 calendar because the Lost Weekend is back and it’s star-studded.

On Saturday 24 January at the Union Chapel, Darren Hayman is launching his new album, Chants for Socialists, a powerful new collection of songs based on William Morris's writing featuring a choir of left-leaning locals. The music will please anyone who’s ever thought, correctly, ‘early 70s Kinks were rather good’.

The Papas and the Mamas
These mamas are Sarah Cracknell and Debsey Wykes. The papas are Martin and Paul Kelly. You know them as, variously, members of Saint Etienne, Dolly Mixture and East Village.

These two sets of parents will be playing some Mamas & The Papas songs as well as songs by their older bands (I *think* this means East Village songs; I certainly suggested to them it does and even prepared a set list they could use). This is their debut gig as The Papas & The Mamas. We are, understandably, very excited.

The Catenary Wires were formed in 2014 when Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Tender Trap) moved out of London.

They started playing songs on their daughter's 3/4 size acoustic guitar, and are still refusing to give it back.

The Catenary Wires function as a simple two-piece, but will often feature guest musicians when playing live. Their first ever show was on 3 May 2014 at the Arnolfini in Bristol. Their songs are quiet and (mostly) sad.

The Union Chapel opens at 12pm. It’s free, but please donate at the door as all money goes to the bands and running the venue. All money from cafe sales goes to the Margins Homelessness Project based at Union Chapel so do enjoy a coffee and cake.

The Union Chapel gig finishes by 2.30pm, at which time we'll be going to the pub. See off your hangover in style the following day, Sunday 25 January, at the Lexington, where the live music starts upstairs at 3pm sharp, featuring:

eagleowl are "a lethargic pop band from Edinburgh" who've averaged one release a year over the past 6 years, each one exquisite and just-so. Of course it's a pared-down version of the band playing acoustically. It will be low-key but not lo-fi.

Their music is slow and sad like Low. It's sepulchral and bewitching like Galaxie 500 and it's rich and earthy like Alasdair Roberts. You need to see this gig.

Rozi Plain, Bristolian folk chanteuse whose spectral shanties have graced the Hangover Lounge's decks (many times) and our stage (not enough times), returns. We are, naturally, delighted.

Recent single Jogalong showed Rozi at a career high - a dusty folk groove warmed by a distant heat -that suggests her third album will be her best. We look forward to hearing her new songs.

Robert Rotifer is a Robert Wyatt- and Edwyn Collins-endorsed, Frankfurt Kitchen-loving, Canvey Island-referencing, Austrian-born songwriter. Robert spent most of his musical 2014 moonlighting as a guitarist on albums by Alex Highton and Papernut Cambridge, as well as writing and recording with seventies legend John Howard and plotting the next album of his own band, due out in 2015. The Hangover Lounge gig is the perfect opportunity to introduce some of his new material.

Jazz warning
The bands we have playing are upstairs at the Lexington, and start at 3pm - the Lexington have a live jazz band (the Acoustic Nomads) playing downstairs in the bar from 2-5, so don't be surprised when you come in - it's not Robert Rotifer's new direction, and you are in the right place.

We’ll be DJing downstairs from 5pm where our usual rule apply (keep it quiet, play music to heal hurting heads, your new favourite tunes), so stay a while and chat with your chums.

Amor de Dias, Leaf Library and Hacia Dos Veranos live November 22

3 (THREE!) of our favourite bands are playing at The End festival on Saturday November 22:

Amor de Dias
We released their first record, New Wine, on our first record, but they haven't let that get in the way of making 2 excellent albums for Merge and global success. Last year's House At Sea saw traditional Spanish guitars meet English folk’s flintiness for cultured, poetic splendour.

Leaf Library
They don't release records often enough which made The Greater Good even, er, greater and gooder and more special. Fans of The Free Design, David Axelrod and Stereolab stop what you're doing and play this:


Hacia Dos Veranos
There are no words. Literally. They play instrumental music with Forever Changes-style melodic power and Michael Head psychedelic mystery. These are direct pop songs with South American rhythms and the weirdness of English folk music.

Venue: Hornsey Parish Church Hall, N10 3AH
Doors: 4,45pm
Tickets: £15

Full line up
Amor de Dias:
Leaf Library
Hacia Dos Veranos
Evelinn Trouble
Forced Random

First band on at 5.45pm. Hangover Lounge DJs between acts and the after the bands from 10.30pm.

Nat Johnson album launch gig November 16

Nat Johnson's new album Neighbour of the Year is out on Monday November 17. So let's have a launch gig for it - available on a choice of clear 10″ vinyl or CD - the day before. It is, as you'd hope, haunting, pastoral and broken-hearted.



Emma Kupa is playing as well. You will, like we do, hold all of Emma's musical enterprises - Standard Fare, Without Feathers, Mammoth Penguins - dear to your heart. This time it's Emma "plus extras". No idea who those extras are, but we're certain it will be special.



Completing the independence for Yorkshire theme is newcomer Luke Saxton. He's got an album coming out on Bad Paintings, the label run by a Hangover Lounge guest DJ of many Sundays. Luke's obsessed with the Beach Boys and Harry Nilsson, so it would be remiss of us not to host his talents.


The gig starts at 3pm. It's free to get in. We start at 2pm, roast dinners are available and kids are welcome. See you there

The Loft free gig October 5

Ocotber 5 marks 30 years since The Loft released Why Does The Rain, 50 years since Pretty Woman was number one and 70 years since Bruce Forsyth got his bus pass. We're celebrating the first of those milestones with a free acoustic gig by The Loft.

And that's not all. Oh no. The Caretaker Race are playing as well. And Pete Astor will be playing a set of Weather Prophets songs accompanied by Mr Steve Dore on bongos.

The gig starts at 3pm. It's free. What are you waiting for? Oh yes, October 5. We start at 2pm, roast dinners are available and kids are welcome. See you there.

CANCELLED: The Papas & The Mamas: free gig October 12

Due to personal reasons, this gig is cancelled. The Paps & The Mams will now debut in January. We're really sorry for the inconvenience.These mamas are Sarah Cracknell and Debsey Wykes. The papas are Martin and Paul Kelly. Two sets of parents playing the songs of The Mamas & The Papas, acoustically.

You know them as, variously, members of Saint Etienne, Dolly Mixture and East Village. This is their debut gig as The Papas & The Mamas. We are, understandably, very excited.

Be at The Lexington by 3.30pm on Sunday October 12 to catch the live action. We start at 2pm as usual. Kids are welcome until 7pm. Roast dinners are available.

Happy Birthday Daylight Music

Daylight Music hits the 5-year mark in April. They've had 168 Saturday afternoons with over 500 artists. 9 of them over 3 Saturdays of our annual Lost Weekend have been Hangover Lounge guests:

2014

The Pictish Trail


Freschard


The Middle Ones


2013

Withered Hand


Hacia Dos Veranos


The Understudies


2012

Birdie


David Tattersall

Would-Be-Goods

We'll be back on January 24 2015 with 3 more brilliant bands. Before then, Daylight Music are having a party on September 12.

Matinée show this Sunday - Just Joans and The Catenary Wires

Not content with the long sold-out Clientele - Birdie - Would-be-goods show tonight there is a second part to our weekend of fun arranged in conjunction with our bezzy mates at Chickfactor, this time one of our more familiar free acoustic Sunday matinée marvels. Here's what the CF page says:

We are teaming up with our pals at The Hangover Lounge to have a lovely laid-back Sunday afternoon event with some quiet music upstairs and some gentle DJ action downstairs.

july 13 at the lexington!

upstairs: the catenary wires & the just joans

downstairs: DJ bob stanley & chickfactor DJs & hangover lounge DJs

the catenary wires are amelia and rob from various bands you know! cannot wait to see what they’ll play! 

the just joans are a Scottish pop group we’re excited to have play!

daytime, usual hangover lounge hours. 

DJ Bob Stanley is bound to make your day 100% better.

Team chickfactor & Team Hangover Lounge will also get on the tables and make your head not spin.

(Yes, this happens to be the same day as the World Cup Final, but worry not, footie fans. This thing will be well over by the time it begins!)

Photograph by Alison Wonderland

Which says most of what you need to know. The Catenary Wires will be on at about 3, and the Just Joans at abut 4pm, so don't be late!

Oh, and we'll be giving away some now-traditional celebratory hand-letterpressed beermats, on a first-come basis (there aren't very many) which look like this:

photograph by me.