GIG REVIEW

GIG REVIEW: Sam Ryder at Sala Apolo, Barcelona

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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

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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

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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

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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: Roxy Music at The 02

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By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: Friday 14 October 2022

Why did I go to watch Roxy Music in a venue that normally I wouldn’t watch bands in? (Except for Soft Cell’s “farewell” gig.) Well, for the same reason. This was their 50th anniversary and farewell tour.

  • Read on for reasons including how Roxy Music influenced every band A Humdrum Mum admires
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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

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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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GIG REVIEW: Kim Wilde at the London Palladium

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Tuesday 27 September 2022, last night of tour

SETLIST: Rage To Love; Never Trust A Stranger; Million Miles Away; Can’t Get Enough (Of Your Love); If I Can’t Have You; The Touch; The Second Time/Pop Muzik; Kandy Krush; Birthday; Water On Glass; Love Is Holy; Love In The Natural Way; Four Letter Word; Another Step; Cambodia; View From A Bridge; Chequered Love; You Keep Me Hangin’ On; Pop Don’t Stop; Kids In America

Born in 1960, Wilde tells us she grew up listening to The Beatles, was a teenager during punk, glam rock and ABBA, and, perhaps most importantly was 20 in 1980.

  • Read on for reasons including how Wilde was reunited with an extra special duet partner during this show
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GIG REVIEW: Cian Ducrot at Lafayette, London

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By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Tuesday 20 September, tour runs to 25 October 2022

SETLIST: I’ll Be Waiting; Not Usually Like This; F*cked Up All The Time; Endless Nights; Crocodiles; Make Believe; Both Of Us; Yellow; How Do You Know?; Hurt So Bad; Something About You; All For You

There is a magical moment during this gig when Ducrot steps away from his microphone, straps on an acoustic guitar and sits in the audience as he plays a song they will eventually sing along with.

  • Read on for reasons including how to see Ducrot performing on his UK tour this year
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Autofiction by Suede (September 2022) and GIG REVIEW: Suede at PRYZM

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****/****

WHEN?: Thursday 15 September 2022, touring until 25 March 2023

TRACKLIST: She Still Leads Me On; Personality Disorder; 15 Again; The Only Way I Can Love You; That Boy On The Stage; Drive Myself Home; Black Ice; Shadow Self; It’s Always The Quiet Ones; What Am I Without You?; Turn Off Your Brain And Yell

SETLIST: She Still Leads Me On; Personality Disorder; 15 Again; That Boy On The Stage; I Don’t Know How To Reach You; Black Ice; Shadow Self; What Am I Without You?; Sabotage; Outsiders; It Starts And Ends With You; Turn Off Your Brain And Yell; Life Is Golden

It’s the night before Suede release their 9th studio album Autofiction and the run-up to it could have not been more perfect if more than a little rough around the edges – although that, of course, is the point.

  • Read on for reasons including why Autofiction is exactly the sort of album Kate Bush would make if she was wanting to go punk
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