GIG REVIEW

LAST NIGHT: GIG REVIEW: Paul Heaton (get well soon Jacqui Abbott) and Billy Bragg at The 02

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Saturday 17 December, last night of the tour

SETLIST: I Drove Her Away With My Tears; From Under The Covers; Too Much For One (Not Enough For Two); One Last Love Song; Everybody’s Talkin’; Old Red Eyes Is Back; A Good Day Is Hard To Find; A Little Time; The People Who Grinned Themselves Top Death; Five Get Over Excited; I’ll Sail This Ship Alone; Liars’ Bar; My Mother’s Womb; Me And The Farmer; Prettiest Eyes; Manchester; Heatongrad; Rotterdam; Song For Whoever; Think For A Minute; Happy Hour; Perfect 10; You Keep It All In; Caravan Of Love

36 years ago The Housemartins’ cover of Caravan Of Love was number 1 and it is the last song tonight and elevated brilliantly by an enthusiastic audience singalong.

  • Read on for reasons including why Heaton and Abbott are in the Guinness Book Of World Records
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GIG REVIEW: Shiiine On Weekender 2022 at Butlin’s Minehead Arena starring Ash

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: Friday 11 November to Sunday 13 Hovember 2022

Friday

Last year, Dub Pistols closed this 90s indie (and other animals) festival. This year, we had the honour of them opening it. Here we go again, another mucky weekend.

  • Read on for reasons including Salad, EMF, Terry Christian, Ash and Utah Saints
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GIG REVIEW: Sigrid at OVO Arena, Wembley

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

WHEN?: Saturday 12 November, tour runs until 24 November 2022

SETLIST: It Gets Dark; Burning Bridges; Risk Of Getting Hurt; Sucker Punch; Mine Right Now; Thank Me Later; Dancer; Head On Fire; Dynamite; Bad Life; Mistake Like You; A Driver Saved My Life; Everybody Says They’re Fine; High Five; Plot Twist; Don’t Kill My Vibe; Strangers; Grow; Don’t Feel Like Crying; Mirror; High Note

‘I’m not even from the UK but you guys have made me so welcome,’ says 26-year-old Norwegian Sigrid Solbakk Raabe as she realises a childhood dream to play Wembley Arena.

  • Read on for reasons including how she loves touring so much and is so good live we can see her playing Wembley Stadium
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GIG REVIEW: Sam Ryder at Sala Apolo, Barcelona

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Tuesday 8 November, tour runs until 4 April 2023

SETLIST: Tiny Riot; Whirlwind; Somebody; Put A Light On Me; Deep Blue Doubt; You’re The Voice; All The Way Over; More; Everybody Wants To Rule The World/I Want To Break Free/September/The Way You Make Me Feel; SPACE MAN

Before this show we thank Ryder for turning around the UK’s Eurovision fortunes and ask him whether he will be playing a part in the 2023 event in Liverpool next May and he doesn’t yet know.

  • Read on for reasons including how we think Ryder deserves to take part in Liverpool 2023 for bringing Eurovision to the UK
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GIG REVIEW: Stereolab at Sala Apolo, Barcelona

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

WHEN?: Monday 7 November 2022, tour runs to 3 December 2022

SETLIST: Supah Jaianto; Laissex Faire; Eye Of The Volcano; Refractions In The Plastic Pulse; U.H.F. – MF; Miss Modular; Mountain; Hamonium; I Feel The Air (Of Another Planet); Pack Yr Romantic Mind; Super-Electric; Gus The Mynah Bird; French Disko; Simple Headphone Mind

The 1st words lead singer Laetitia Sadier utters are: ‘F*ck the oligarchs’ and as we contemplate an imminent World Cup in a Quatar beset by human rights violations we can’t help but concur as FIFA counts its TV viewing rights receipts.

  • Read on for reasons including how it’s the bands politics that make us better appreciate them
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GIG REVIEW: The Feeling at 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire with surprise guest appearance by Sophie Ellis Bextor

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By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHEN?: Friday 28 October, tour ended 31 October 2022

SETLIST: High Like You; There Is No Music; Fill My Little World; Never Be Lonely; Love People; Kettle’s On; Never Gave Up; Rosé; Helicopter; Video Killed The Radio Star; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; This Was Me; Sewn; Join With Us; Love It When You Call; I Thought It Was Over; Leave Me Out Of It; Murder On The Dancefloor (both with Sophie Ellis Bextor); Fat Bottomed Girls

We’re here because we love lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells’ detour into musical theatre with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and this show proves just how different we feel to most of this band’s fans.

  • Read on for reasons including details about the songs Ellis Bextor duetted on with The Feeling during this gig
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GIG REVIEW: Ella Henderson and Cian Ducrot at 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Tuesday 25 October 2022, last night of tour

SETLIST: Emotions; Risk It All; We Got Love; Places; Ugly; What About Us; All For You; Let’s Go Home Together; Northern Lights; Everything I Didn’t Say; Heartstrings; Crazy What Love Can Do; This Is Real; 21 Reasons; Friends; Good Things Take Time/About Damn Time; Glitterball; Yours; Ghost

The most electric moment during this gig was when support act Ducrot took to the stage with Henderson (pictured above centre with her band at this veniue) to duet on their current top 20 hit, the beautiful ballad All For You, and followed it with the brilliant lockdown smash Let’s Go Home Together.

  • Read on for reasons including how to see Cian Ducrot on tour in London in March 2023
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GIG REVIEW: Micky Flanagan at the Leicester Square Theatre

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By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: **** RUNTIME: 60 minutes

WHEN?: Tuesday 18 October 2022

We’re asked not to record this sell-out show of a work-in-progress set in any way otherwise we will be asked to leave and so forgive us if our recollection is not as accurate as we would have liked.

  • Read on for reasons including our prediction that some arena-sized shows are about to go on sale
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GIG REVIEW: RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (season 3) at the London Palladium starring Kitty Scott-Claus, Ella Vaday, Vanity Milan and Choriza May

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN?: Saturday 8 October, runs to 16 October 2022 RUNTIME: 170 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)

The best bit during this celebration of the 3rd series of BBC’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is when it is compered by runner-up queens Ella Vaday and Kitty Scott-Claus (see pictured below) who have real warmth and charisma.

  • Read on for reasons including how queens Kitty Scott-Claus and Ella Vaday are the stand-outs here
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