WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? Shaftesbury Theatre
WHEN? 9/11, opens 20/11, runs to 30/5/20
Swede Max Martin is the third most successful songwriter in US chart history with credits on 22 number singles behind only Beatles Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHERE? Hoxton Hall
WHEN? 9/11/19
SETLIST: Glow; Glorious; We Got Love; Yours: Bones; Young; Glitterball; This Is Real; Friends; Brave; Ghost
Ella Henderson is at the piano introducing new song Bones reflecting on seeing a large backside in a magazine and realising it was her own.
WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2
WHERE? Eventim Apollo
WHEN? 4/11, tour runs to 18/11/19
SETLIST: Handmade Heaven; Hollywood; Primadonna; Enjoy Your Life; I Am Not A Robot; To Be Human; Superstar; From; Orange Trees; Teen Idle; Believe In Love; Bubblegum Bitch; Emotional Machine; I’m Not Hungry Anymore; No More Suckers; Karma; Oh No; Baby: End Of the Earth; How To Be A Heartbreaker
We last saw Marina at a Q&A in London in April where she talked about her artistic freedom and so we’re not entirely surprised when at the close of tonight’s gig she drops a bombshell.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
WHERE? London Palladium
WHEN? 5/11, tour runs to 20/11/19
SETLIST: Goodbye Cruel World; Heroine; Dangerous Game; Dirty Mind; My 16th Apology; Heaven Is In Your Arms; The Trouble With Andre; Emotional Thing; C U Next Tuesday; Time To Say Goodbye; All The Queen’s Horses; When She Finds You; Black Sky; Stay; Are We In Love Yet?: I Don’t Care; You’re History; Catwoman; Hello (Turn Your Radio On)
Shakespears Sister are a band of extraordinary peculiarities not least, as lead singer Siobhan Fahey points out, that their final song tonight is titled Hello (while the opener was Goodbye Cruel World).
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? The O2
WHEN? 1/11, tour runs to 22/11/19
SETLIST: Salute; Power; Woman Like Me; Wasabi; Bounce Back; Only You; Black Magic; Strip; Told You So; Secret Love Song Pt II; The Cure; Joan Of Arc; Wings; Shout Out To My Ex; Woman’s World; Reggaeton; No More Sad Songs; Think About Us; Heartbeat; More Than Words; Touch
There’s a beautiful moment during this arena gig with an audience heavy on parents and young children where Little Mix celebrate their LGBT fans and have some words of hope and encouragement for those with mental health worries.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? O2 Brixton Academy
WHEN? 31/10, tour runs to 28/11/19
SETLIST: Next Level Charli; Click; I Don’t Wanna Know; Vroom Vroom; Gone; Cross You Out; Warm; February 2017; Thoughts; White Mercedes; Official; Shake It; I Got It; Blame It On Your Love; Silver Cross; 2099; Unlock It; I Love It; Boys; 1999
It’s the encore of this sell-out show and its star (pictured above) is in tears reflecting on the success of her biggest London gig to date and making the transition from writing radio hits to songs she fronts that better represent her.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? The 02
WHEN? 20/10, tour runs to 19/12/19
SETLIST: Woman’s World; Strong Enough; Gayatri Mantra; All Or Nothing; All I Ever Need Is You; The Beat Goes On; I Got You Babe; You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me; Welcome To Burlesque; Lie To Me; Waterloo; SOS; Fernando; After All; Heartbreak Hotel; Walking In Memphis; The Shoop Shoop Song; Bang Bang; I Found Someone; If I Could Turn Back Time; Believe
‘What’s your grandmother doing tonight?’ asks the 73-year-old superstar who appears much younger than her years during this high-energy extravaganza.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE? Eventim Apollo
WHEN? 17/10, tour runs to 9/11/19
SETLIST: Europop; Queuejumper; Generation Sex; Commuter Love; Office Politics; Norman and Norma; Come Home Billy Bird; The Synthesizer Service Centre Super Summer Sale; Infernal Machines; You’ll Never Work In This Town Again; I’m A Stranger Here; At The Indie Disco; I Like; National Express; The Life And Soul Of The Party; A Feather In Your Cap; A Lady Of A Certain Age; Absent Friends; When The Working Day Is Done; Something For The Weekend; Philip And Steve’s Furniture Removal Company; Your Daddy’s Car; Songs Of Love; Tonight We Fly
‘Sometimes I get a little nervous about London. I make myself less nervous by basically assuming that you’re … Nottingham,’ says Divine Comedy frontman Neil Hannon endearingly to audience cheers. ‘Excellent playing along.’
By Neil Pugmire
WHERE? Hyde Park (press ticket)
WHEN? 15/9/19
If you had to choose the perfect headliners for a Radio 2 festival, it might be the Pet Shop Boys. Famous for matching intelligent lyrics with irresistible synth-pop hooks, and with a 30-year back catalogue to plunder, they could easily entertain thousands of 30 to 50-somethings gathered in Hyde Park on a balmy Sunday evening.
By Carron Stacey
WHERE?: Southsea Common (press ticket)
WHEN?: 23 – 25/8/19
During a festival, one of the things Mr Humdrum and I like to do, in that quiet slot between bands, is to wander around looking at the stalls.
