By Andrew Mosley
WHEN?: 20 March 2025, tour runs through 19 September 2025
As Conor McGregor vows to stand for the Irish presidency on an anti-immigration platform after meeting Donald Trump, it shouldn’t need The Mary Wallopers or myself to point out the stupidity and ignorance behind his message.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN? Saturday 8 March, tour runs through 16 August 2025
SETLIST: Jupiter Drive; Gravity; Forever; Warning Signs; Hate The Way I Love You; Statements; I’m In It With You; Dreams; Coming Close; Euphoria; Is it Love?; Tattoo
It’s International Women’s Day and while Sweden is choosing its Eurovision entry for 2025 the only woman to have won the competition twice is performing in Barcelona as part of an extensive European tour that reaches the UK and Ireland for 8 dates later this month.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHEN? Wednesday 5 March 2025, tour runs through 23 August 2025
SETLIST: Like It Like It; Die For You; Gimme Your Love; Follow Me; Wonder; When All The Lights Go Out; Wicked Game; Heartbeat; Together; Plystre på deg; Wild Love; Air; Love Flow; We Are Not The Same; Another Life; The Room; Girls; One Flight Away; Elektrisk; Unforgettable
We weren’t expecting that noise – it’s a long time since we’ve been to a sold-out gig where the teenage shrieking is that ear-splitting in response to every little move these 23-year-old Norwegian twins make on stage.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***** Tour continues through 24 May 2025 Tickets
Setlist: A Song For You; Come-On-A My House; Summertime Summertime; Ebb Tide; We Kiss In A Shadow; Teen Angel; Town Without Pity; I Wish It So; Some People; Lilac Wine; Alfie; Saratoga Summer Song; The Man That Got Away; Those Were The Days; On Broadway; Don’t Cry For Me Argentina; I Dreamed A Dream; The Ladies Who Lunch; Stars; Anything Goes; Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye; I Didn’t Know What Time It Was; Time After Time; Make You Feel My Love; Ready To Begin Again (Manya’s Song); Forever Young
This ornate London theatre has a 2,558 capacity and it’s testament to LuPone’s star quality during this biographical show in which she appears onstage with only 2 musicians that it feels much more intimate.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Sunday 15 December 2024, Culture Club tour runs through 21 June 2025
Setlist: White Boy; I’m Afraid Of Me; Take Control; You Know I’m Not Crazy; Boy, Boy (I’m The Boy); White Boys Can’t Control It; I’ll Tumble 4 Ya; Kissing To Be Clever; Love Twist; Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?; Church Of The Poison Mind; It’s A Miracle; Mister Man; Miss Me Blind; Stormkeeper; Changing Every Day; Black Money; Colour By Numbers; That’s The Way (I’m Only Trying To Help You); Victims; Time (Clock Of The Heart); Get It On; Karma Chameleon
Perhaps it was because this was the last night of this leg of the tour but we’ve seen Boy George and his band Culture Club live many times and this was the friendlist and chattiest we’ve ever seen him.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2
WHEN?: Friday 13 December 2024, next date 14 March 2025
Setlist: Tits And Attitude; Motorcade; Broken; If You Can’t Live Without Me Then Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?; Running Out Of Heartbeats; Numb Numb Numb; Taking On The World; Walk/Don’t Walk; It’s A Girl Thing; Strumpet; Sparkle; #NoFilter; Penthouse In The Basement; Bubblewrap; You Can’t Uneat The Apple; Naked; 12 Reasons Why I Love Her
It’s 12 days to Christmas and 30 years since we 1st saw My Life Story support Cud at Exeter’s Lemon Grove, falling head over heels for their orchestral pop and suited and booted savoir-faire.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
WHEN?: Wednesday 4 December 2024, tour runs through 15 Febuary 2025
Setlist: It’s Not Like This In France; Deere John; Soak Up The Culture; Shopping; Cul De Sac; Home For The Weekend; Jockey; Big In The Suburbs; Me And Your Mates
Q: What do Welly have in common with Pet Shop Boys, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Marine Girls?
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN?: Thursday 28 November 2024, tour runs through 18 June 2025
Setlist: 365; 360; Von Dutch; Rewind; I Might Say Something Stupid; Club Classics; Unlock It; Talk Talk; Apple; So I; Spring Breakers; Girl, So Confusing; Welcome To My Island; Everything Is So Romantic; Speed Drive; Sympathy Is A Knife; Guess; 365; Party 4 U; Vroom Vroom; Everything Is Romantic; Welcome To My Island; 360; Dancing On My Own; Track 10; I Love It;
Charli XCX describes her biggest London gig to date as a moment she’ll never forget after she duets with Robyn and takes a back seat during an emotional encore including the kindred spirit’s Dancing On My Own.
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
WHEN?: Friday 15 to Monday 18 November 2024
It’s been a week since the festival so it’s around this time that we have fully recovered and start to lament “this time last week…” As I write, this time last week, I was Day Raving at Bentley Rhythm Ace.
