Every week we bring you our top pick of gigs that are too good to miss – featuring female, non-binary and queer bands that we love.
These are our top tips for week commencing 18 September 2023.
Tickets available for all shows at time of publication:
| When? | Where? | Where?? | Who? | Why/How? |
| Monday 18 September | Brighton | The Hope And Ruin | Kristeen Young + Support | A two week tour for the St. Louis-based singer-songwriter gets on the road tonight. More dates later this week. Tickets |
| Monday 18 September | Southsea | The Wedgewood Rooms | Pauline Murray | The first of the last three shows of Pauline’s solo tour in support of her new autobiography ‘Life’s A Gamble’ takes her to the south coast, before moving north again for the final two… Tickets |
| Tuesday 19 September | Birmingham | Kitchen Garden Cafe | Pauline Murray | See Above! Tickets |
| Wednesday 20 September | Norwich | Arts Centre | Damp Matches + Collars + Femme De | Interesting looking three hander with the always-invigorating Collars being worth the admission price on their own. Tickets |
| Wednesday 20 September | London (Finsbury Park) | The Night Owl | The Dead Zoo + more | Three bands as always -with TDZ in the middle – right opposite Finsbury Park station, and it’s free to get in! |
| Wednesday 20 September | London (Borough) | Katzspace | Dogviolet + more | The expanded version of Naz & Ella, the Dogs are on first, get there early! Tickets |
| Wednesday 20 September | London | ‘A Secret Venue’ | Yakkie + Liv Wynter | The new ‘Punk Supergroup’s second ever gig after their game changing LW Fest debut last weekend! Get yourself a free ticket by following Yakkie on Instagram. It’ll be worth it! |
| Wednesday 20 September | Brighton | The Prince Albert | Lesbian Bed Death + support | First show of a few over the next two weeks by the arrestingly-named Horror-Goth quartet. Tour continues into next week. Tickets |
| Thursday 21 September | Glasgow | Queen Margaret Union | Crawlers + support | The scouse Tik Tok sensations start a short tour, which they say will be their last shows of 2023. Tickets |
| Thursday 21 September | Bristol | The Exchange | Beach Riot + Masca | Solid double bill of two highly rated and very popular bands. Sure to be busy with Masca playing a hometown show! Tickets |
| Thursday 21 September | Hastings | Whistle Trago Cafe Bar | The Sewer Cats + More | An all too rare trip south for Cass and Josh and their joyful Mancunian noise, headlining a warm up for Hastings’ Wotsit Called Festival. It’s sold out (venue capacity less than 50) but there’s a waiting list. Tickets |
| Thursday 21 September | Newcastle | The Common Room | Pauline Murray | Pauline’s tour ends here. Tickets |
| Friday 22 September | London (Nunhead) | The Ivy House | Scrounge + support | The Hercury Prize-shortlisted South London duo play a headline show in celebration of the venue’s 10th anniversary. Tickets |
| Friday 22 September | London (Camden Town) | The Forge | Natasha Watts | If you like a bit of proper soul music, multi-award winner Natasha is the girl for you. One of the very best voices in the UK, in any genre of music. Tickets |
| Friday 22 September | Shrewsbury | Albert’s Shed Bar | The Ramonas + support | The first of two shows this weekend that start a busy month for Cloey, Pee Pee, Rohny and Cammyon Ramona. Fun is guaranteed so eh! oh! let’s go. Tickets |
| Friday 22 September | London | Heaven | Crawlers + support | See above! Tickets |
| Friday 22 September | Birmingham | The Victoria | Kristeen Young + Support | See Above! Tickets |
| Saturday 23 September | Manchester | The Eagle Inn | Olivia Browse + Jessica Luise + more | One of Manchester’s fastest rising singer songwriters, she doesn’t do many shows (and even fewer with a full band, as she is doing here) -so every opportunity to see Olivia should be grabbed with both hands. Tickets |
| Saturday 23 September | Hastings | The Carlisle | Shallow Honey + UrgentSea + more | Two excellent Brighton bands are among the four playing tonight at no cost you you whatsoever! |
| Saturday 23 September | Leeds | Old Woollen | The Ramonas + Nervous Twitch + more | If ever two bands were always destined to play on the same bill, it was these two! Tickets |
| Saturday 23 September | Brighton | The Green Door Store | 234 FEST: Honeyglaze + Fräulein+ Jar Of Blind Flies + Coco And The Lost + Man/Woman/Chainsaw + Congratulations + lots more (see below) | Day one of a weekend long festival featuring 20 bands over 2 days. Concludes tomorrow and it’s free to get in! |
| Saturday 23 September | Brighton | The Rossi Bar | Pussyliquor | ***Gig Of The Week*** An aftershow party in Brighton’s most compact music venue, starring last weeks’ LW Fest closers for the 234 Fest – opens at 2300 and it’s also free to get in, but it will be mobbed so do get there early! |
| Saturday 23 September | Wakefield | The Vortex | Lesbian Bed Death + support | See Above! Tickets |
| Saturday 23 September | Liverpool | Invisible Wind Factory | Crawlers + support | A homecoming gig – see above! Tickets |
| Sunday 24 September | Brighton | The Green Door Store | 234 FEST: Conclusion (see above) | See above! At least some of the bands listed for 23/9 will actually be playing today – and to remind you, it’s free to get in! |
| Sunday 24 September | Leeds | Brudenell Social Club | Miranda Sex Garden + Kristeen Young | Kristeen starts a short run of ‘tour within a tour’ shows with with re-formed 90s favourites tonight. Tickets |