Tom Ravenscroft’s Christmas Party

Tom Ravenscroft’s Christmas Party – Corsica Studios, London

A trip to the wilds of south London brings us to Corsica Studios. Built under the railway arches and decorated (I use the term loosely) in best shabby chic fashion, the venue holds about 450 people, with 2 rooms for performances and one reasonably-priced bar.

Walking inside I’m immediately transported back to SXSW earlier this year – the place has exactly the same feel as some of the smaller venues you get in Austin, with a buzzy atmosphere and people moving from stage to stage to see the acts. Even the smoking terrace outside (i.e. the backyard) was like something you’d find on Red River or 6th Street.

The line-up was put together by Tom Ravenscroft to feature some of his favourite artists from his BBC 6music show (essential listening for me – if you’ve missed it so far catch it on Friday nights 9-12pm). The smaller of the two rooms hosted the electronic / dance acts, starting off with a great set by Naïve Machine. This duo played some tracks of their ‘Robot Ramification’ EP, and some stuff I didn’t know, through possibly the loudest, most vibrating bass speakers I’ve ever stood in front of.  Young and talented, they’ll be one to watch in 2012. Next in room 2 was Kutmah (an interesting character, read his bio here: I don’t know if he was playing his own stuff, other people’s, or a mixture of both, but whatever it was, it was really good.

We missed Paul White as we were in the other room, but we did catch some of Slugabed’s set, which inspired the most dancing of the evening – and not just from us!

First up in the main room were Maria & the Mirrors – a trio featuring 2 women, and a bloke banging away at the drums in what appeared to be a Captain Caveman outfit. Even to my eclectic ears they were a bit of racket, but things improved when Sea Pinks arrived. Another trio, with the frontman sporting a fetching Where’s Wally jumper (was it actually fancy dress and nobody told us?) they played spiky, jangly indie guitar music.

Next up were Peter and Kerry, the highlight of the evening. Their mixture of interesting melodies and caustic lyrics really work well, especially when the pair are singing together. My favourite track of theirs, ‘Knees’, sounded even better live than on record, but overall the whole set was full of highs and no lows. They’re currently working on an album which will be a must-have when it’s released next year. Sadly we had to leave before the end of Two Wounded Birds, but we really enjoyed what we heard of their set – a bit like ‘50s surf city songs mixed with The Vaccines.

Apparently Tom is planning more of these nights next year – if they’re as good as this (and as good value – a fiver for 8 acts) then I recommend you try one out.

 Russell