Must-See Live Music, Perfect For Lockdown (Part Two)

Even more incredible shows from some of our favourite bands…

September 2020

It’s been 3 months since we released Part One of this list and although the go-ahead has been given for venues to re-open, we’re still not out of the woods yet. For many small venues, putting on a safe show just isn’t possible or even financially viable, so for now, events with live audiences are still few and far between. To keep you busy until live music is a proper thing again, here are another 10 must-see shows, all available now, for free.

If you want to support struggling venues and artists then a fantastic way is to buy merch and music directly from the venues and bands themselves or to support the Music Venue Trust, either directly or by purchasing some Fightback Lager!

Young Fathers - Live At Avast Recording Co., Seattle (2018)

Young Fathers are a wildly inventive and award-winning group from Edinburgh, drawing inspiration from a seemingly endless list of genres including hip-hop, gospel, dance, electronica, world music and much, much more. This short 4-song performance, live from Seattle, perfectly showcases their unique sound that mixes electronics, unusual percussion and bizarre vocal eruptions.

A sound as different and unusual as that of Young Fathers is incredibly difficult to describe and they’re a band that just demand to be heard - particularly the anxiety-ridden yet danceable melody that permeates throughout closing track Toys. Check the video out and find out for yourself.

We named Cocoa Sugar, Young Fathers’ 3rd studio album, as one of 2018’s must-listen albums. You can check out the entire list right here.

Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic - Live At The Observatory North Park, San Diego (2017)

Between The Buried & Me, from North Carolina, are an ambitious band that blend elements of extreme metal, progressive metal and jazz to create incredibly diverse, thrilling and engaging music. Coma Ecliptic is the band’s seventh studio album and whilst it’s still extremely varied and quite heavy, it’s far more forgiving for the uninitiated, dialling back the extremity from some of their previous efforts.

It’s a great entry point into BTBAM’s back catalogue and here they play it in full, which is quite astonishing given the many different parts that make up this record. Particular highlights are “The Coma Machine” and “The Ectopic Stroll”.

BTBAM’s newest effort, Automata, released in two parts throughout 2018, also made our must-listen list here. Coma Ecliptic’s predecessor “The Parallax II: Future Sequence” also made it into Snedds’ Top 20 Albums of All Time. Check out his review from The Scratch Cast right here.

Portishead - Live At La Plaine, Saint Denis (2008)

Portishead should need no introduction at this point. They’re a truly legendary band: pioneering the sound of trip-hop, with their debut album Dummy, before continuously refining that sound into weirder, creepier and more unsettling territories over their next two records.

This performance harks back to the release of Third (yes, that’s their third studio album) in 2008 and the band show just how powerful their new songs can be in a live setting and how faultless their back catalogue is. Beth Gibbons’ haunting vocals are a definite highlight.

GOJIRA - Live At Pol’And’Rock Festival (2018)

The name Gojira might not escape as quickly from the lips as the likes of Metallica, Slipknot or even Mastodon but the French outfit are fast becoming one of the biggest metal bands on the planet.

After watching this live set from Pol’And’Rock Festival in 2018 you’ll understand why and it’s simply because they’re an incredible live band - just you wait for that opening riff on Stranded.

It’s also worth pointing out that the sound quality from this performance is impeccable, so if you’re a metal fan and haven’t checked out Gojira yet, this is a great place to start.

Viagra Boys - Live At Festival Nox Orae (2019)

Viagra Boys are a uniquely entertaining punk band from Stockholm, Sweden, combining driving bass-driven rhythms with jagged guitars and deranged bursts of a wild saxophone. Their manic frontman stalks the stage, covered in tattoos, spouting forth absurd stories full of hilarious yet often poignant lyrics.

This live show, from Switzerland’s Nox Orae festival, perfectly showcases the band’s appeal through a typically wild performance and an incredibly strong setlist. Check it out, they might just become your new favourite band.

With a 10/10 review from both Grand and Snedds on The Scratch Cast, the deluxe version of Viagra Boys’ debut album Street Worms went straight into The Scratch Cast Hall Of Fame - you can check out the review right here. Find out which other albums made the hall of fame over on our Facebook page. The boys also favourably reviewed the band’s Common Sense EP on Episode 08. You can find that review here.

Brutus - Live At Hellfest (2019)

If you like alternative music and you still haven’t heard of Brutus, then I’m sorry, you really should pay more attention. Blending elements of shoegaze, rock, punk and metal, the Belgian trio create instantly memorable, powerfully atmospheric songs and their 2019 sophomore album Nest, in particular, is an absolute joy to listen to.

This full set, from France’s Hellfest in 2019, sees the band at their best; in front of a live audience, winning over new fans. Give it a go and you’re unlikely to forget that moment you hear drummer and vocalist Stefanie Mannaerts’ astounding voice for the first time.

Check out our full reviews of Brutus’ stunning album Nest right here and also their live show from Glasgow's Broadcast, here! Snedds and Grant also discussed Brutus and their single Sand on Episode 09 of the Scratch Cast. Check it out here.

Run The Jewels - Live At The Boiler Room, London (2016)

Run The Jewels are probably the most exciting rap duo in the world right now and if you haven’t checked out their new album RTJ4 then stop what you’re doing and throw on Ooh La La right this second.

Live from London’s Boiler Room, Killer Mike and El-P put on a heck of a show, blasting through some serious hits in front of their regular DJ Trackstar (none of this backing track bullshit). The level of energy on display here is totally infectious, the beats are utterly delectable and the flow practically untouchable.

RTJ are insanely good.

Oranssi Pazuzu performs “Mestarin kynsi” - Live At Rytmikorjaamo, Finland (2020)

Mestarin Kynsi, released earlier this year is the fifth studio album from psychedelic black metal band Oranssi Pazuzu. Following the COVID-19 cancellation of Roadburn Festival where the band originally planned to perform the album live in full, this live stream was put together and broadcast from Finland directly into our blackened souls.

It’s super weird and super bleak. It’s horrible and demented. It’s harrowing, intensely terrifying and impossible to listen to, and yet, it’s entirely captivating* (*insert a whole host of other incompatible and incomprehensible descriptions here). The performance is also wonderful to behold, with amazing sound and a moody aesthetic shot in black and white from a variety of creepy angles and shadowy close-ups.

If you like your music to be extreme and challenging then Mestarin Kynsi is absolutely for you.

Black Futures - PRS Presents LCKDWN (2020)

Black Futures are another firm favourite here at The Scratch Cast and this performance in support of the PRS Foundation Emergency Relief Fund, from the peak of lockdown, is the perfect demonstration of why that is.

For a two-piece, they make a hell of a racket with crushing drums, throbbing electronics and a massive distorted bass sound and under the circumstances, they put on a hugely impressive performance, still holding a commanding stage presence in a deserted session room.

It’s a short set, featuring a handful of songs from their debut album, but a memorable one indeed.

Black Futures’ Never Not Nothing was the first album to enter The Scratch Cast Hall of Fame way back on Episode 02 of the podcast. It’s an absolute belter. You can listen to the review here.

Alive In Chains Unplugged - Live At The BAM Majestic, Brooklyn, New York (1996)

Forget Nirvana’s iconic MTV Unplugged show… we’ve all seen that a million times… Another huge Seattle band, Alice In Chains, did their own unplugged show for MTV in 1996 and it’s phenomenal.

Featuring heart-wrenching versions of some of AIC’s best songs, including a chilling rendition of Nutshell as the opening number, this is Alice In Chains at their moody best, powered by Jerry Cantrell’s haunting guitar lines and driven by the cries of legendary vocalist Layne Staley. RIP Layne.

Alice In Chains’ Dirt is, in Snedds’ opinion, their finest album, which is perhaps why it made it to number 4 on his top 20 albums of all-time list. Check out what he has to say about the album right here.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our recommendations and if you want more then please check out some of the cool stuff below. Yes, we know we’ve missed out a bunch of great recent streams so we’d also love to hear your own picks for your favourite live shows available to watch right now.