What? Bad ass promoters Paint It Black put on the equally bad ass but more Canadian Hooded Fang for free, that’s right for bloody free, at Old Blue Last tonight. Support comes from Omi Palone and Traams.

When? Thursday, February 9th 2012.

Where? Old Blue Last, Shoreditch (GMap) .

Tickets? FREE

What? Manchester DIY duo Ghost Outfit come to blast out their latest single ‘Tuesday’ and the likes of  ’I Was Good When I Was Young’ with a bit of luck. Also excited to check out Holiday Shores over from the U.S. of A. Hyped new Londoners Torches open up proceedings.

When? Thursday, November 17th 2011.

Where? Old Blue Last, Shoreditch (GMap) .

Tickets? FREE

Ghost Outfit – Tuesday by sways

Holiday Shores – ‘Spells’ by halfmachine

Torches – Towerblock Confetti by .Torches.

Vampire Weekend play a free show above the ice rink at Somerset House this Thursday, January 14th to celebrate the release of their second album ‘Contra’ which came out on Monday. No advance tickets are required, just turn up on the day and join what will presumably be a rather large queue. There seems no word on the Somerset House or VW websites as to this happening but the fly says it is. The first 50 people get to ice skate too!

When? Thursday, January 14th. 5.30PM

Where? Somerset House, The Strand.

How Much? FREE

Tickets? None – first come first served at venue.

What? Amazing Baby top the bill for Cargo’s fantastic FREE Friday. One of Brooklyn’s most talked about new bands. Often compared to fellow Brooklynite’s MGMT they have the same young druggy sensibilities but they’re much more at home with their rock than MGMT who seem to choke in their own steam a little live.

For Fans Of: David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin.

Pretty hilarious video. You’re never getting through that tree with that chain saw buddy!

Support comes from the hard to track down The X Why.

When? Friday, Oct 23rd. Bands 7-10.30PM, Club Till Late.

Where? Cargo, Shoreditch.

How Much? FREE

Tickets? FREE

mp3: Amazing Baby – Pump Yr Brakes

What? The Drums. We’re as of yet undecided about new Brooklyn band The Drums but one thing is for sure and that is they are getting a lot of press right now. The fact that they’ve got upcoming releases through the excellent Moshi Moshi label and that our NYC ear on the ground tells us that they’re good value live (minus the backing singers) leads us to believe that further investigation is in order. So why not do it for free this Saturday?

For Fans Of: The Wake, The Shangri-Las, Orange Juice.

When? Saturday, Sept 19th. Doors 1PM, On Stage 9PM.

Where? The Flowerpot, Kentish Town.

How Much? FREE

Tickets? FREE  – members only after 11PM – join here

more dates: The Drums @ Camden Barfly, Oct 27th. / Club NME @ Koko, Oct 23rd.

mp3: The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

What? Beth Jeans Houghton. We love BJH and her kooky folk ditties. ‘Golden’ has to be one of the tracks of the year so far. We interviewed her back in May and since then she’s gained a permanent band ‘The Hooves Of Destiny’, has released a new ‘Hot Toast Vol 1′ EP and has had a massive feature in the Observer Music Monthly. Not bad for a 19 year old from Newcastle.

For Fans Of: Vashti Bunyan, Adem, Tunng.

When? Wednesday, Sept 16th. 7PM

Where? Rough Trade East, Brick Lane.

How Much? FREE, 1 Per Person.

Tickets? For a wristband: buy Hot Toast Vol 1 instore from Sept 21st / remaining wristbands given out instore 1hour prior to gig.

mp3: Beth Jeans Houghton – Hot Toast

What? Ex Lovers are a band on the rise. They’ve had a recent Mark Radcliffe Single of The Week on Radio 1, have a new 5 track EP coming out and a co-headline tour with Kurran and The Wolfnotes starting in October. Get down to Pure Groove to see the band for free and buy a signed copy of their You Forget So Easily 10″EP which isn’t out officially till the week after.

For Fans Of: Belle and Sebastian, Elliot Smith, Evan Dando.

When? Wednesday, Sept 9th. 7.30PM

Where? Pure Groove Records, Farringdon.

How Much? FREE

Tickets? FREE  – Limited to about 50 capacity.

mp3: Ex Lovers – Photobooth

What? The Cribs are back with a new acclaimed album, Ignore The Ignorant, out yesterday and a new permanent member in the shape of ex Smiths member, Modest Mouse cohort and all round legendary guitarist Johnny Marr. That’s pretty old news, what you may not know is that the band is playing a free gig at RTE on Thursday. Get to the store now and pick up the album to get any real chance of getting in.

When? Thursday, Sept 10th. 7PM

Where? Rough Trade East, Brick Lane.

How Much? FREE, 1 Per Person.

Tickets? For a wristband: buy the band’s debut album instore from Sept 7th / remaining wristbands given out instore 1hour prior to gig.

mp3: The Cribs – We Were Aborted

What? Girls are our favourite new San Franciscan band of the week.  Due to the scarily large amount of top quality music from that city at the moment we can’t guarantee they’ll be our favourite San Franciscan band of next week but they’re so good we think there’s at least a 60% chance they will be. Go see them for FREE you idiots!

For Fans Of: Spiritualised, The Smith Westerns, Elvis Costello.

When? Tuesday, Sept 22nd. 7PM

Where? Rough Trade East, Brick Lane.

How Much? FREE

Tickets? For a wristband: Buy the band’s debut album instore from Sept 21st / remaining wristbands given out instore 1hour prior to gig.

mp3: Girls – Lauren Marie

What? White Denim, the ridiculously good bluesy garage rock 3-piece from Austin play a FREE gig in Camden this Friday. This is a rare chance to see one of the best live bands on the planet for nothing. It will be busy so for the love of Denim get there early if you want to get in. We can not stress enough how good these guys are.

For Fans Of: Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, Love.

When? Friday, August 28th. Doors 5PM, Band On Stage 9PM.

Where? The Flowerpot, Kentish Town.

How Much? FREE

Tickets? FREE  – members only after 11PM – join here

mp3: White Denim – I Start To Run