Catch Van Morrison at the Electric Ballroom

IT feels like almost every hear of yet another venue under threat or closing down. The latest to fall is Spiritland Royal Festival Hall, which, in its short existence (half of its time closed due to Covid), managed to rack up an impressive array of appearances, album launches, after parties and more, devoted to the pure appreciation of vinyl recordings. Blaming Brexit, Covid, energy price hikes and more for the closure, the owners have announced Alexis Taylor and Jarvis Cocker to take over the decks for one last dance tomorrow (Jan 13). Spiritland King’s Cross remains open.

• Eurovision just got a little more interesting as John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd plans to compete to represent Ireland – with song Hawaii dedicated to Lydon’s wife Nora, who has dementia.

• Van Morrison plays two intimate shows at Electric Ballroom on Jan 14-15. The gigs are sold out but there are limited spaces for those requiring accessibility tickets.

• There’s an eclectic line-up at The Spice of Life: Alice Through The Lookin’ Glass, Comic Sans, Red Town, Kodako and Jen Ella play on Jan 20.

• East coast hip-hop royalty Jeru The Damaja aka D Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel returns to Jazz Café on Jan 13; the venue’s new in-house night Favourite Things, which aims to showcase JC’s favourite future idols of jazz features Bristol new jazz outfit Run Logan Run + Alina + Bzhezhinska + Worm Discs on Jan 14; Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart bring their latest tour to JC on Jan 19; queen of r ‘n b Jocelyn Brown plays three shows across Jan 20 and 21; running for 50 years, UK reggae pioneers Aswad appear on Jan 22; and UK hip-hop artist, academic and political campaigner Lowkey, who has worked with Immortal Technique, Dead Prez Akala, and whose most recent album Soundtrack to the Struggle features Noam Chomsky, Frankie Boyle and Ken Loach, plays two more shows on Jan 26-27 following his last sellout performance.

• Star sax player Soweto Kinch joins an all-star band led by Xantoné Blacq ft trumpeter Jay Phelps and many others at Koko on Jan 19 where they will explore and celebrate the jazz funk creations of Herbie Hancock. Then, be ready for a seven-hour set from veteran Manchester DJ Mr Scruff on Jan 21 followed by two nights of rap/ dancehall fusion from West London childhood collective WSTRN (Jan 22-23).

• Late 80s five-piece EMF play The Grace on Jan 21.

• Multi-talented singer / rapper / producer / musician Skinny Pelembe plays The Social on Jan 25.

• US singer-songwriter and inventor Thomas Truax will be debuting songs from his new album Dream Catching Songs – recorded with self-made mechanical drum machine Mother Superior and drummer Budgie – at The Lexington on Jan 21.

• Supergroup Wingmen, formed in pandemic lockdown isolation by Baz Warne (The Stranglers), Paul Gray (The Damned), Leigh Heggarty (Ruts DC) and Marty Love (Johnny Moped) will be joined by Supergrass’ Rob Coombes on keys as they finally take their creations on the road, stopping off at Islington Academy on Jan 21.

• The Voice Turkey semi-finalist Cenk Bas has since gathered up quite a following, with millions of YouTube views and collaborating with a number of other top Turkish artists. He plays Islington Assembly Hall on Jan 22.

• Portuguese fado singer Ana Moura plays Islington Assembly Hall on Jan 26.

• Louisiana-born Lucinda Williams introduces new album Good Souls Better Angels to Barbican on Jan 21.

• Bluesman Marcus Bonfanti returns to The Green Note with his delta duo on Jan 18. Expect songs by Muddy Waters, Josh White, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and more.

• Resolution, the 10-day festival of all things punk concludes at 100 Club this week with shows from Anti Nowhere League + Knock Off + Borrowed Time (Jan 13); GBH + The Varukers + Face Up (Jan 14) and 999 + Menace + The Bottlekids (Jan 15). Then, from Jan 16-28, the January Blues Festival rolls into town with Chicago Blues Explosion (Jan 16-17); Gery McAvoy’s Band of Friends (Jan 18); Big Boy Bloater (Jan 19); Sister Cookie (Jan 20); Nine Below Zero (Jan 21); Sarah Brown Sings Mahalia Jackson (Jan 22); The Animals (Jan 24); Celebrate The Blues Divas (Jan 25); Chris Corcoran Band (Jan 26) and Dr Feelgood (Jan 27-28).

• Melbourne sister duo Charm of Finches play St Pancras Old Church on Jan 20.

• More upcoming gigs:
Jan 13 – Million Moons, The Black Heart;
Jan 14 – Camden Rocks All-Dayer hard rock bonanza ft Dead Air + Angerland + Freya Beer + Dirty Mitts + Duke Denver + Tenyson + Death By Bunny + Bitchin Hour + Blackmarket + ChemiQueen + The Silences + The Kid And I, The Fiddler’s Elbow (1pm start); Prohibition, Lafayette;
Jan 15 – Scrap + Holden, The Dublin Castle;
Jan 19 – Toni Sancho, Koko; Communion New Music Club Night ft The Joy Hotel + Danny Ray + Bea Stewart + Erin LeCount, The Social;
Jan 20 – Crawdaddy! – mod, soul, 2-tone, ska, boogaloo, The Fiddler’s Elbow; Cix, The Forum; Young Gun Silver Fox, Lafayette;
Jan 21 –Wingmen + JC Carroll + The Members, Islington Academy;
Jan 24 – Abbie McCarthy presents Future Karma: Dead Pony + Hannah Grae + Nieve Ella, The Camden Assembly; Dirty Honey, The Garage;
Jan 25 – Marika + Jerub + Jada O’Neill + Theo + more TBA, The Camden Club; Artio, The Black Heart; New Rules, Lafayette.