Best Live Shows Of 2013 – Voted For By NME Readers

Find out which show you voted your favourite of the year

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20. After NME writers picked their favourite live shows of 2013 last week, we asked you to vote for your favourite performances too. Mac DeMarco’s gig at Scala in London on October 28 came in at Number 20. Our writer Kevin EG Perry said: “They play with all the formalities and tropes that you’re used to seeing at a gig, and then twist them into new shapes for their own amusement.”

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19. Jon Hopkins played London’s Village Underground on June 12. “I’ve rarely seen a crowd so completely enraptured by a live artist as the one at Village Underground,” said writer Lucy Jones.

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18. Always putting on a wild show, Fat White Family had a launch party for their EP The 100 Club in London on December 10.

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17. Savages’ gig at Electric Ballroom in London on February 21 came in 17th position. Our writer John Calvert was at the gig, he said: “The utterly remarkable Gemma Thompson, her mercurial guitar as loud as a fucking jumbo jet, vaporises each song. Jehnny Beth’s banshee-like caterwauling merges with the dry ice like the howl of a vengeful phantom from beyond the mists.”

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16. On August 19, Parquet Courts played a Reading and Leeds warm-up gig at The Old Blue Last in London. Our writer Hazel Sheffield described the four-piece band as “smashing through riffs” despite looking “like they’re melting”.

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15. Laura Marling played a run of “immersive” Secret Cinema dates in London last summer including June 14 a stripped-back set on June 14.

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14. Swim Deep’s performance at Birmingham Town Hall on September 23 was ranked 14th in our poll.

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13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a tiny one-off gig at London’s Islington Academy on July 15 prior to their appearance at Latitude Festival. Our writer David Renshaw said: “Crammed into the tiny Islington Academy, it was like being zoomed back to the early days of the band but with all the benefits that 10+ years of touring.”

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12. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds played a live rehearsal show in Cave’s adopted town of Brighton on October 24 before heading on their tour of the UK.

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Leeds Festival 2013

11. Peace played at Shepherds Bush Empire on December 6. Our writer Rhian Daly said: “It was everything you’d expect from Harry, Doug, Dom and Sam done a hundred times slicker.”

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8. Arcade Fire surprised fans by playing as fake band The Reflektors at the The Roundhouse in London on November 11, switching their usual performance style for something more fun. Writer Lucy Jones said: “Towards the end, Butler donned an enormous papier mâché head and jumped into the crowd like an excitable Beavis, or Butt-head.”

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6. Queens Of The Stone Age finished their tour with two concerts at Wembley Arena on November 22 and 23.

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4. Biffy Clyro played Reading and Leeds Festivals over August bank holiday weekend. We described it as a set of flames, acoustic numbers and storming tracks.

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3. Palma Violets played The Coronet in London on December 5. Our writer Lisa Wright described them as “a thrilling and visceral rock’n’roll band, but they sound (whisper it) professional”.

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2. NME readers voted Arctic Monkeys best festival headliners of 2013 so it’s surprising their Glastonbury set from July 28 has been beaten to the top spot of our best live acts poll.

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1. Foals’ performance at Latitude was the gig you voted the best of the year. We described the band as on “fiery form” for their performance on July 21. They scored a whopping 8.2/10 from you, but only just defeated the Arctic Monkeys who scored 8/10.

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