Watching live music online can be a brilliant experience - mimicking the best highs of real gigs, but without a stranger’s elbow in the back of your neck and the fear of dropping an overpriced pint. It can, however, be a glitching omnishambles, with video feeds failing to load, playing without sound, or cut frustratingly short by the musician’s attention-seeking toddler. Accordingly, pre-recorded sessions can be a lifeline – offering you the ambience of a gig, without being at the mercy of a dodgy wifi connection (or grumpy four-year-old). Here are five that we would recommend:
1. Moshcam
Moshcam is perhaps one of the best kept secrets on the internet; a collection of hundreds of HD recordings of full gigs and sessions, bringing you the very best of pop and punk and rock and roll. Recorded in medium-sized venues (think: Koko, in Mornington Crescent) the camerawork is a mixture of low angle, over the shoulder shots worthy of Top of The Pops, and wide-angle fixed shots that make you feel like you’re standing in the crowd. Moshcam has sets from surprisingly big-name acts (including Iggy and the Stooges, Gary Numan, Public Image Ltd, Alice Cooper, Blondie, Paul Weller, Jane’s Addiction, and Radiohead), with plenty for fans of mid-noughties indie who can remember reading NME in pair of black skinny jeans (such as Bloc Party, The Wombats, and Kaiser Chiefs) alongside more alternative acts from the same period (including Hot Chip, Patrick Wolf, and Amanda Palmer). It even caters for the more industrial/metal end of the spectrum, with sets from Korn, HIM, and even Nine Inch Nails. So why not turn the lights off, turn the sound up, and party like it’s 2009…
2. Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties
Organised and hosted by Tim Burgess (lead singer of The Charlatans, and prolific solo artist), the idea of Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties is to listen to a classic album at a set time, joining the conversation on twitter for a Q and A with the musicians involved. The calibre so far has been incredible, with a catalogue of classic eighties albums, nineties britpop, and noughties alternative, introduced by the musicians and producers responsible. This week’s roster of artists includes Suede, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Libertines, Mark Ronson, Sleaford Mods, British Sea Power, Supergrass, The Coral, and The Cult – with Oasis, The Pogues, Billy Bragg, Steve Wilson, and The Chemical Brothers pencilled in for the week after. The listening parties are totally free to join, and the schedule can be found here.
3. NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts
The Tiny Desk Concerts, hosted by the American National Public Radio, very much does what it says on the tin – they invite musical acts to their offices, to perform behind a tiny desk. The word ‘eclectic’ tends to be bandied about in musical descriptions – but the artists featured in the Tiny Desk Concerts genuinely range from Wu-Tang Clan to the Sesame Street residents, via multi-platinum selling superstars (Taylor Swift, Adele, and Lizzo) and cool alternative acts (tUne-yArDs, Alt-J, and Superorganism). Working within the technical limitations of the small space means you get some really interesting and surprising arrangements – all framed by inexpensive office furniture.
Including: Sting and Shaggy, Englishman in New York
4. Triple J’s Like a Version
Australian radio station Triple J might not be an obvious choice for getting your music fix, but their weekly segment Like a Version is very much worth your time. Acts are invited into the studio to play two songs: one of their own, and one cover version. Having run since 2005 there’s an enormous back catalogue of performances, with a focus on indie, alternative, and electronica, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Australian artists. Over the years it’s produced some really interesting musical crossovers. Can you imagine Shefflied rock and roll outfit The Arctic Monkeys covering the psychedelic noodling of Tame Impala? The German indie outfit Milky Chance covering the manufactured pop of Taylor Swift? What about Australian hip-hop collective Hilltop Hoods covering Red Hot Chili Peppers? You don’t have to – they’re all available to watch on Youtube.
5. BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Covers
In a very similar format to Like a Version, Radio One’s Live Lounge invites artists to perform a track from their back catalogue alongside a cover – resulting in some unexpected musical cross-pollination. Where it differs from Like a Version is that the covers tend to be acoustic (rather than synth-led electronica), and – perhaps unsurprisingly – the vast majority of the artists aren’t Australian! Multiple Live Lounge albums have been released, showcasing the cream of the metaphorical crop, and many of the performances are available on Youtube, via BBC Radio 1.
For many more online music events, you can browse through Daily Info’s virtual listings for details of live performances as well as archives you can view at any time.