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It’s winter holiday time in NYC, which means mini Xmas trees are for sale in the bodegas, Starbucks has added 5 or more new winter flavors, and Whole Foods grocery store has stocked up with Hanukkah chocolates. It also means there’s a SLEW of holiday flavored concerts to attend.

Despite there being a rampant depression, a ton of pink slips fluttering from the air, musicians will be attempt to alleviate spirits this year via microphones, electro beats, and heavy reverb. On the 19th of January, the uber-sexy record label DFA are throwing a killer fiesta at (Le) Poisson Rouge, a new, rather luxuries opium-den-for-millionaires resembling music club in Greenwich Village. Label co-founder, LCD Soundsystem frontman, and cute pug owner James Murphy is going add his special disco always-anywhere-anyhow DJing, along with Pat Mahoney, while the electro-furious Juan Maclean plans to perform a “live acid” sets. Add Italians Do It Better superstars the Invisible Conga People and you need no longer wish for “a partridge in a pear tree”.

Meanwhile, for anyone celebrating Hanukkah (or who simply like a good party), across the Hudson River in the good old Jerz (New Jersey for none you international readers), the energetic Yo La Tengo will be of its annual 8 nights of Hanukkah at Maxwell’s Pub on the 21st of December. (All Ages; $30) For those who prefer it old school, on Saturday the 27th, New York Dolls hit up the Fillmore @ Irving Plaza (16+, $30)(yes, they are stillllllll going). While understandably there’s no concerts on Christmas, (musicians do have families too), for hip hop fans, the almighty Nas plays Hammerstein Ballroom ($52 All Ages) the day after Santa’s departure.

And as for New Years Eve, while a gazillion New Yorkers will be freezing yet merry watching the ball drop at Times Square, Crystal Castles will be getting the dance party started at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Blonde Readhead and the Islands are playing at Terminal 5. My Morning Jacket will probably turn the whole of Madison Square Garden into a tropical tiki tent. Tiesto is playing at Roseland Ballroom. For folk lovers, Patti Smith plays Bowery Ballroom 12/29; $40. As if that isn’t enough, Matthew Dear, Drop the Lime, Michna, and Mike Servito spin and groove at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

If you are in NYC, the musicians-best-friend concert guide Oh My Rockness has more info on tickets and time, place, occasion.

Happy holidays folks near and far!

Yeah I know… the most you think you know about The B-52s is that song that won’t get out of your head: Loveshack. That’s why we were surprised but intrigued when we heard The B-52s were performing along with indie disco demons (and hipster DFA-record darlings) Hercules And Love Affair, at Hammerstein Ballroom the day after Halloween. We figured it was an ironic match worth checking out. Plus the post-Halloween date appealed to some of the more wildly attired drag queens in town (as did the gorgeous transsexual Nomi who sings in Hercules and Love Affair). Better yet, James Murphy was DJing in between sets.

So off we trotted off to Hammerstein Ballroom, head buzzing with halloween hangovers, in time to see Hercules and Love Affair’s dancer and trumpet-infused set. Truth told, the large band has all the elements of a riotous live show (transexual scantily clothed in sequins, androgynous lead singer, two DJs/samplers, trumpets, side-dancers, tambourines, bassists) BUT they never seemed to just let go and have fun while onstage. Another issue is while Blind is a killer song, the rest of their tunes simply didn’t have the same “oomph”… and sadly Anthony (the uber-talented similiarly androgenous ingenue from Antony And The Johnsons) was nowhere in site, despite having been the original vocalist for Blind. So while we really want to love the Love Affair…. they’ve got to give us more to grab on to.

Meanwhile, James Murphy played cheesy disco music in between sets. Murphy has got a stern love of special disco edition vinyls and he’s in the ‘uber-cool’ DJ league where he can devote the night to playing cheesy disco music and no one (even drag queens with balls) will utter a word. Thus he waxed his own ego and we gritted and we bared it until the B-52s. (Sorry Jamesy; we only say it sucked because we know you definitely don’t give a crap).

And who knew? The B-52s whacked the show out of the park. Not only did we actually know more songs than we thought (Rock Lobster, Party O/O Bounds) but the band made us feel welcome regardless. Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson came out in full black gear, glitter and fake eyelashes, while Fred Schneider came out in a wig and pink lipstick and Keith Strickland was in a slick suit with guitar. The chicks still have a voice that’s electric - so much so it makes you realize how many of today’s acts are so heavily produced you can’t tell if they are the same act when they perform live. The B-52s on the other hand sound exactly as they did in the recording studio in the 80s - full spunk and retort. And Fred Schneider’s witty retorts didn’t stop coming (”If you see us coming in to your party, lock the doors”). Sure they are older now and wrinkled, but the guys just want to have fun.  They ended the night with the whole ballroom - drag queens, clown-costumed, girls, kids, and 60-year-olds - all hands up in the air dancing and shouting “Keep This Party Going.”

This is Not London is a series of special one-off events with a list of curators and guests that reads like a roll call of who’s relevant and exciting in music right now. It is a response against mediocrity and stagnation in parties and festivals, put together by music lovers, for music lovers.Beginning on October 3, a series of universally respected musical frontrunners will curate their very own bespoke nights at matter, thoughtfully gathering together their friends, heroes and peers to create a fascinating and unique insight into their respective worlds. To that end, Simian Mobile Disco, Southern Fried Records, Moshi Moshi Records and Justice have all wrangled together a rambunctious group of live and DJ talent, including the likes of Lindstrom, A Trak, Armand Van Helden, Kate Nash, Tilly and the Wall and DJ Mehdi.

Thrillingly enough, that’s not the end of it. Not hardly. For, come October 24, This is Not London will play host to James Murphy and Pat Mahoney, of New York’s legendary - and legendarily cool - DFA Records.

There are precious few people in the world to whom the word “cool” can be applied so freely (and without the slightest trace of irony or insincerity), but for the past seven years or so, James Murphy has undoubtedly come to epitomise its very essence. After all, not many people can hopscotch from forming a cutting edge record label like DFA Records, to being credited with injecting an element of live spontaneity and soul into dance with his own band, LCD Soundsystem, to collaborating with and bringing to prominence a whole host of bright young things like The Rapture to, indeed, creating a whole new genre of music in itself with dance-punk. His trademark sound - all jerky, pinballing beats, razor sharp angles and attitude to match - has seen its influence spread to a whole new generation of young artists and continues to make its mark on popular culture.

For one night only, James Murphy will be programming a whole night of musical mayhem for This is Not London, bringing together live performances from artists as diverse and exciting as the Juan Maclean, Gavin Russom, planningtorock and YACHT, as well as DJ sets from the stellar likes of Morgan Geist, Mock N’ Toof, Gucci Soundsystem, Babytalk, Horsemeat Disco and lots more. Friday nights may never be the same again.

James Murphy curates This is Not London on Friday, October 24.

Tickets are available through www.matterlondon.com

Featuring - SPECIAL DISCO VERSION feat. James Murphy and Pat Mahoney (DFA/LCDSoundsystem), JUAN MCLEAN (DJ set with Live Acid Performance) GAVIN RUSSOM, planningtorock (LIVE) YACHT (LIVE), MORGAN GEIST, OPTIMO,HORSEMEAT DISCO, STILL GOING, MOCK N TOOF , BABYTALK, GUCCI SOUNDSYSTEM

www.thisisnotlondon.co.uk & www.matterlondon.co.uk