Sodi Cookey

GIGS at The Fiddler’s Elbow are due to get a glow-up after the venue won a grant of just under £5,000 towards a new lighting rig and operating system from the Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline investment fund. The grassroots bands who play at the venue’s intimate stage will benefit from much improved staging as a result. A spokesperson for the venue said: “The stage lighting is a critical part of our business and the funding received will make such a huge different to us.”

• Camden based musician, songwriter and This Is The Story frontman Frank Chalmers, launches new residency Thank Frank it’s Friday at Kentish Town Stores, Kentish Town Road, on Jan 27. As well as playing his own material, Frank will showcase established and-up-and-coming Kentish-Town-based singer-songwriters. The opening night will feature mellow jazz-infused songs by guitarist-songwriter Marina Avetisian, backed on keyboards by Jack Stacey. Further info at https://kentishtownstores.com/programme/thank-frank-its-friday

• All Points East is already shaping up to be one of the highlights of this year with The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Amyl and the Sniffers slated for Aug 25. And, on Aug 18, Stormzy headlines with a specially curated line-up for This Is What We Mean Day.

• Inspiral Carpets frontman Tom Hingley and his band The Lovers play 100 Club on Feb 4 with support from DSM IV and Kingsley Beat.

• Folk musician Eliza Carthy is joined by her father Martin Carthy to performs songs from her new album Queen Of The Whirl with her band The Restitution at Barbican on February 4. The one-off show marks Eliza’s 30th anniversary as an artist, Martin’s 80th birthday and pays tribute to her mother, the revered folk musician Norma Waterson, who passed away last year.

• See The Pretenders up close when they play Lafayette on Feb 7.

• Graham Coxon’s project with Rose Elinor Dougall The Waeve plays Rough Trade East on Feb 4.

• The incredible Hypnotic Brass Ensemble present The Movement, an all new live creative experience to Jazz Café on Jan 30 featuring guest musicians and vocalists to perform original tunes from the upcoming Pheelco compilation and HBE classics. HBE will be joined by Chicago trumpeter and lead musician from the Anderson Paak band Maurice Brown, Justin Jones on alto saxophone, Chris Rob on keys, Jarryd Gentile on bass and Sydney Driver on drums. Plus support from Danica Hunter + JustKing Jones.

• Bring January to an end with the chilled vibes of Sodi Cookey, who performs a soulful night of afrobeats, afrohouse and afrojazz at The Camden Cub on Jan 27. London-born, raised in Nigeria, Cookey has developed a reputation for formidable vocals. He performs with a full band ahead of the release of his upcoming album Love, Life & Protest.

• The Garage continues its 30th birthday celebrations with You Me At Six (Jan 28); Mogwai (Feb 6-7); and Sugababes (Feb 8).

• Live house music collective Basically, led by award-winning multi-platinum producer Raz Olsher, play three nights dedicated to the godfather of house, Frankie Knuckles, at Jazz Café on Feb 1 , 3 and 4. Then, the JC has two nights of hip hop from opposite sides of the Atlantic with the Alchemist – producer for Cypress Hill, Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg and Nas – on Feb 8 and, on Feb 9, UK hip-hop artist Jehst performing tracks from his six albums.

• Classic American soul singer Lee Fields brings his extensive backcatalogue to Koko on Jan 27, where he will be joined by James Hunter and Jalen Ngonda.

• Grammy-winning, platinum-selling, roots trio of mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins and guitarist Sean Watkins, Nickel Creek play Union Chapel on Jan 27 with support from Spanish multi-instrumentalist Lau Noah.

• Celebrating seven years of introducing hot new talent to the stage, The Good Karma Club brings Future Karma to Lafayette on Jan 28 ft Lovejoy + Dolores Forever + Seb Lowe; then, on Feb 1, 86TVs + Cathy Jain + Bonnie Kemplay play The Lexington.

• Bang your heart out at Green Note’s Drums of the World drum workshop on Jan 29.

• Manc angst-tinged power-pop outfit Hot Milk play Koko on Feb 2.

More upcoming gigs:

• JAN 27 – Lowkey, Jazz Café; Crazy P & Joe Goddard; Tim Baker, St Pancras Old Church;
• JAN 27-28 – Dr Feelgood + Gerry Jablowski Electric Band, 100 Club;
• JAN 28 – Black Flag + Total Chaos, The Forum; Dead Rat Society + Platoon + Hearts With Company + Cutsmith + The Surely Knots, The Camden Assembly; Weston Loney + Scarsdale Fats, PowerHaus; David Ford & Annie Dressner in concert, The Lexington; The Thumping Tommys, The Green Note; Imperial Age, The Dome;
• JAN 29 – Atomic Rooster, 100 Club; Reggae Street ft The Reggae Street Band ft Jhay Palmer, The Fiddler’s Elbow; Dennis Bovell MBE presents A Brief History of King Tubby, Jazz Café;
• JAN 31 – The Hunna, Lafayette; FEB 2 – Alela Diane, Union Chapel; Havana Musica with Carlos Miguel Y Su Dimension De Cuba, Jazz Café; The Subways + Gaffa Tape Sandy + Catbear, Scala; Tinlicker live, Roundhouse; Solomon + Akemi Fox + Ashley Singh, The Lexington; Weird Al Yankovic, Palladium;
• FEB 3 – Kid Kapichi + NAYX + Monakis, Koko; Enquire Within + Straight For The Sun + Helgrind + Earthbound,  The Black Heart; Beabadoobee, Lafayette;
• FEB 4 – Pulled Apart By Horses, Islington Academy;
• FEB 5 – Temples, Lafayette; Jerusalem Orchestra East & West, Barbican; FEB 7 – Cerys Hafana + Avice Caro, The Social; Fantastic Negrito, The Lower Third;
• FEB 7-8 – Ellie Goulding, Koko;
• FEB 8 – Italia 90, 100 Club; Weyes Blood, Roundhouse; Rhys Lewis + Jasmine Jethwa, Lafayette; Nova Twins, The Lexington; DVSN, HERE at Outernet;
• FEB 9 – Ben L’Oncle Soul, Koko; Cowboyy + Kyoto Kyoto + Total Luck, The Social; Squid + Quade, Scala.