GIG REVIEW

GIG REVIEW: Years and Years at PRYZM, Kingston

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Wednesday 2 February 2022, UK arena tour May 2022

SETLIST: Desire; Crave; Sooner Or Later; Shine; Muscle; If You’re Over Me; Play; Sunlight; Night Call; Starstruck; Sweet Talker; King

We’re near the front of the stage in this packed nightclub venue and when the excited audience start chanting: ‘Let go, let go, let go of everything’ during set closer and charttopper King we’re overcome with emotion and on the verge of tears.

  • Read on for reasons including where to see Years and Years on tour in May
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GIG REVIEW: Steps & Sophie Ellis Bextor at The 02

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Saturday 27 November 2021. Last night of tour, next year gig details below

SETLIST (Sophie Ellis Bextor): Take Me Home; Get Over You; Lady; Groovejet; Sing It Back; Crying At The Discoteque; Like A Prayer; Muder On The Dancefloor

(Steps): What The Future Holds; One For Sorrow; Heartbreak In This City; Neon Blue; Take Me For A Ride; 5,6,7,8; After the Love Has Gone; Something In Your Eyes; Say You’ll Be Mine; Chain Reaction; It’s The Way That You Make Me Feel; Slightest Touch; A Hundred Years Of Winter; Last Thing On Your Mind; Stomp; Heartbeat; Better The Devil You Know; Love’s Got A Hold Of My Heart; Better Best Forgotten; Deeper Shade Of Blue; Here And Now; Scared Of The Dark; Tragedy

Steps proved what strength in depth they have tonight as Faye Tozer returned to the line-up after suffering from Covid which also meant bandmate Lee Latchford-Evans could not appear at this show.

  • Read on for reasons including how good support Sophie Ellis Bextor was
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GIG REVIEW: Daði Freyr and HYYTS at 02 Kentish Town Forum

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Friday 26 November 2021, tour runs to 16 June 2022

SETLIST: Lag sem ég gerði; Where We Wanna Be; Hvað með það; Kemur Þér ekki við; Skiptir ekki máli; Clear My Head; Somebody Else Now; Birdy Song; Fugladansinn; Feel The Love; 10 Years; Næsta skref; Something Magical; Think About Things; Daði Guitar song; Endurtaka Mig

The winner of 2020’s Eurovision-that-never-was not only sold out the 2,300 capacity 02 Forum Kentish Town but was uttely charming in doing so.

  • Read on for reasons including how support band HYYTS revealed their Eurovision story
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GIG REVIEW: Shiiine On Weekender 2021 at Butlin’s Minehead Arena

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: 12-14 November 2021

It’s taken me a full week to recover from the Shiiine On Weekender, but then I did turn 50 this year. I think that’s the problem; however, I have also discovered the solution – the nana nap.

  • Read on for reasons including Peter Hook and The Light and James Taylor Quartet
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GIG REVIEW: Rina Sawayama at Electric Brixton

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

WHEN?: Tuesday 16 November 2021, touring until 9 May 2022

SETLIST: Dynasty; STFU!; Comme des garçons (Like the Boys); Akasaka Sad; Snakeskin; Cyber Stockholm Syndrome; Paradisin’; Love Me 4 Me; Bad Friend; Who’s Gonna Save U Now?; Tokyo Love Hotel; Chosen Family; Cherry; XS; LUCID; Free Woman

We’re 1 song into the show, the adoring crowd are chanting: ‘Rina! Rina!’ spurring the object of their affection to say: ‘This is how I know this is my home town.’

  • Read on for reasons including why everything’s in place for album 2 to go stratospheric
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GIG REVIEW: Heaven 17 and Pete Wylie at 02 Academy Sheffield

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By Andrew Mosley

WHEN?: Saturday 13 November 2021, Heaven 17 tour the UK and Europe until July 2022. Pete Wylie

Glenn Gregory has just got a new whippet. He tells us this because Associates singer Billy McKenzie gave him his first one more than three decades ago and he’s about to pay tribute to his late friend by belting out a tear-jerking version of Party Fears Two.

  • Read on for reasons including how Sheffield got 2 great bands for the price of 1
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GIG REVIEW: Jarv Is at Camden Roundhouse

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHEN?: Tuesday 9 November 2021, touring until 12 November 2021

SETLIST: She’s A Lady; House Music All Night Long; Slow Jam; Fat Children; Am I Missing Something?; Sometimes I Am Pharoah; Big Julie; Swanky Modes; C**** Are Still Running The World; Must I Evolve?; Children Of The Echo; Further Complications; Aline; My Legendary Girlfriend

We haven’t seen Jarvis Cocker live for a quarter of a century and when we last did his band Pulp were headlining V Festival in Essex but it felt, for us at least, that they’d peaked with the appropriately titled Different Class album.

  • Read on for reasons including who gets a mention ahead of song C**** Are Still Running The World
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GIG REVIEW: Little Boots at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club

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

WHEN?: Thursday 28 October 2021

SETLIST: Love The Beginning; Silver Balloons; Mathematics; Motorway; Working Girl; Landline; Crying On The Inside; Get Things Done; Every Night I Say A Prayer; Shake; Remedy; SOS/Dancing Queen/Fernando; Stuck On Repeat; Tomorrow’s Yesterdays

We’re here for Boots’ 1st London gig in 2 years because she doesn’t know when she’ll be playing live as a solo act again as she’s big boots to fill, she’s joining ABBA.

  • Read on for reasons including more about Boots’ new album and her role in the ABBA Voyage shows next year
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GIG REVIEW: The Blow Monkeys at 229

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Friday 9 October, touring until 27 August 2022

SETLIST: Celebrate (The Day After You); OK Have It Your Way; One More Time; Crying For The Moon; More Than A Miracle; It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way; Choice; It Pays To Belong; Out With Her; Dust At Her Feet; Said Too Much; Time Storm; Digging Your Scene; Wait; The Wild River; Earthbound; Touching Distance; Superfly; Man From Russia; You Don’t Own Me

‘It doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t make it sing,’ observed the dearly departed Curtis Mayfield on tonight’s opening song and, while we’re massively missing his input, as well as Sylvia Tella’s vocals on her hit duet with the band and some of the sharpest backing vocals of the 80s, this is still a joy of a gig to behold.

  • Read on for reasons including how we would have loved the band’s iconic saxophone to have been louder tonight
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GIG REVIEW: Scritti Politti at 02 Shepherds Bush Empire

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

WHEN?: Saturday 2 October 2021

SETLIST: The Sweetest Girl; Day Late And A Dollar Short; The Boom Boom Bap; Oh Patti; Skank Bloc Bologna; Trentavious White; The Word Girl; Small Talk; Absolute; A Little Knowledge; Don’t Work That Hard; Perfect Way; Lover To Fall; Wood Beez; Hypnotize; At Last I Am Free

Good things come to those who wait and so it is with Scritti Politti frontman Green Gartside who explains during this show that panic attacks meant he couldn’t take to a stage for 20 years.

  • Read on for reasons including how Hot Chip frontman and support act Alexis Taylor joins the band for a concluding Chic cover
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