WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHERE: The O2
WHEN: 27/3 (matinee), UK tour runs to 23/4, international tour finishes 27/8
SETLIST: Grown; Hair; Change Your Life; A.D.I.D.A.S; Wings; Lightning; DNA; Secret Love Song (Part 2); OMG; Crazy In Love medley; Salute; Little Me; Move; How Ya Doin; I Won’t; Love Me Like You; Weird People; The End; Black Magic
Welcome to the UK’s longest-running arena tour of 2016, a phenomenal 37 dates.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: The O2
WHEN: 26/3, tour runs to 7/5
SETLIST: I’ve Been Losing You; Cry Wolf; Move To Memphis; Stay On These Roads; The Swing Of Things; Cast In Steel; Crying In The Rain; Mother Nature Goes To Heaven; We’re Looking For The Whales; Velvet; Lifelines; Here I Stand & Face The Rain; Sycamore Leaves; She’s Humming A Tune; Foot Of the Mountain; Hunting High and Low; Scoundrel Days; Sun Always Shines On TV; Under The MakeUp; Living Daylights; Take On Me.
We last saw a-ha six years ago on their farewell tour at Wembley Arena but in 2015 they released their fine new Cast In Steel album which they’ve taken on an international jaunt.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: The O2
WHEN: 22/3, tour runs to 15/11
SETLIST: Hello; Hometown Glory; One and Only; Rumour Has It; Water Under The Bridge; I Miss You; Million Years Ago; Skyfall; Don’t You Remember; Send My Love; Make You Feel My Love; Sweetest Devotion; Chasing Pavements; Someone Like You; Set Fire To The Rain; All I Ask; When We Were Young; Rolling In The Deep.
She’s arguably the world’s biggest pop star at the moment and could’ve easily played stadiums rather than arenas on this tour.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Village Underground
WHEN: 7/3
SETLIST: On My One; Me And You; Simple Pleasures; Love, Hope & Misery; Two Fingers; Seen It All; Never Wanna Dance; There’s A Love We’re All Hoping For; There’s A Beast & We All Feed It; Country Song; Trouble Town; Gimme The Love; Bitter Salt; Taste It; Kingpin; Livin’ Up Country; Slumville Sunrise; Lightning Bolt.
Jake Bugg is playing four small London shows to kickstart his third album campaign and we’re here at the first with 700 others to hear much of new album On My One. (out 17 June).
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
WHEN: 24/2
SETLIST: A Headful of Dreams; Yellow; Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall; Clocks; Charlie Brown; Hymn For The Weekend; Fix You; Viva La Vida; Adventure Of A Lifetime; A Skyfull Of Stars; ‘Til Kingdom Come.
From a TV audience of 600 million at the Super Bowl (pic above) this month to the 2,000-strong Indigo2 here just weeks later (pic below). ‘This is the gig that you’ll be telling your mates about for weeks afterwards,’ promises our compere for this Brits aftershow party Radio X’s Chris Moyles.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: 02 Brixton Academy
WHEN: 13/2, European tour runs to 16/3
SETLIST: Surrender; Some Kind of Heaven; Miracle; Why; Somebody To Die For; Weight of the World, Blood, Tears and Gold; Evelyn; Illuminated; Affair; Rolling Stone; Lights; Sunday; Sandman; Wonderful Life; Better Than Love; Wings; Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us; Stay.
The last time we saw Hurts at this venue five years ago there was a real sense of triumph in the air not least because Kylie Minogue dropped by to duet on two songs.
WORTH A LOOK: ***
WHERE: Blackheath Halls
WHEN: 19/12, tour runs until 21/2/16
‘Is anyone here from Blackheath?’ asks Devon comedian Josh Widdicombe. If there is, no-one’s owning up to it.
By Carron Stacey
WORTH A LOOK: *****
WHERE: The Pyramids, Southsea
WHEN: 7/12
Where have I been tonight?
By Carron Stacey
WORTH A LOOK: ***
WHERE: Pyramids, Southsea
WHEN: 7/12
They didn’t drag us down
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith
WHEN: 10/12, also 11/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLTGs4fqxBk
Bored of the Royal Variety Performance? Feel the true message of Christmas is somehow lost in the tinsel, religion and Kylie of the season?
