ALBUM OF THE WEEK: There’s Always More That I Could Say by Sigrid (week beginning Saturday 8 November 2025)

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: I’ll Always Be Your Girl; Jellyfish; Do It Again; Kiss The Sky; Two Years; Hush Baby, Hurry Slowly; Fort Knox; There’s Always More That I Could Say; Have You Heard This Song Before?; Eternal Sunshine

Sigrid muses on change, friendship, keeping it all in and experimentation on her 3rd and most musically adventurous album which entered the UK chart at 12 this week, her 1st not to make the top 5.

  • Read on for reasons including how Sigrid’s lyrics are at their most interesting, her performance is front and centre and the pop songs show more musical depth
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GIG REVIEW: Zara Larsson at Camden Roundhouse

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Thursday 22 February, tour runs until 26 July 2024

SETLIST: Venus; I Would Like; Escape; Look What You’ve Done; Girls Like; Words; Never Forget You; Ruin My Life; The Healing; Symphony; Wow; None Of These Guys; Ammunition; You Love Who You Love; Ain’t My Fault; End Of Time; On My Love; Lush Life; Can’t Tame Her

We haven’t seen Larsson live since 2017 but we’re immediately struck by how strong her live vocals are even when she’s negotiating her staging’s stairways or sashaying with her 4 dancers.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is a crowdpleasing set showcasing Larsson’s many hits
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for February 2024 starring Matt Smith

  1. Matt Smith in An Enemy Of The People

Former Dr Who Smith (Lungs, Old Vic) who recently led TV’s House Of The Dragon stars in this Ibsen play about truth in a society driven by power and money. The supporting cast includes Jessica Brown Findlay (Uncle Vanya, Almeida) and Paul Hilton (The Glass Menagerie, Duke Of York’s Theatre) at the Duke Of York’s Theatre. Runs 6 February through 6 April 2024. Tickets Our review

  • Read on for reasons including a Live Aid musical, Wicked Little Letters & Nye
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GIG REVIEW: Lorde at Camden Roundhouse

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Thursday 2 June 2022, tour runs to 18 March 2023

SETLIST: Leader Of A New Regime; Homemade Dynamite; Buzzcut Season; Stoned At The Nail Salon; Fallen Fruit; The Path; California; Ribs; Hard Feelings; Dominoes; Loveless; Liability; Secrets From A Girl; Mood Ring; Sober; Supercut; Perfect Places; Solar Power; Green Light; Oceanic Feeling; Helen Of Troy; Royals; Team

There is a moment during the piano-led ballad Liability when the music goes quiet three-quarters of the way through, a fan shouts ‘We love you’, Lorde looks genuinelly moved and the crowd responds with a crescendo of applause.

  • Read on for reasons including how this gig was the best this reviewer has seen in a long, long time
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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for June 2022 starring Glastonbury Festival and the legendary Diana Ross

  1. Diana Ross plays Glastonbury legends slot

2022 marks the 1st Glastonbury Festival since 2019 and will be our 7th visit with headliners including Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar. We’re particularly looking forward to catching Pet Shop Boys and Years and Years as well as Diana Ross in the legends slot. But it’s always about so much more than the music with the atmosphere being unrivalled. Tickets are sold out

  • Read on for reasons including Emilia Clarke in The Seagull, Lorde, Culture Club and Agnes does Mighty Hoopla
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GIG REVIEW: Jarv Is at Camden Roundhouse

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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ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Beyond The Pale by Jarv Is (week beginning 19/7/20)

WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

OUT: now

TRACKLIST: Save The Whale; Must I Evolve?; Am I Missing Something?; House Music All Night Long; Sometimes I Am Pharaoh; Swanky Modes; Children Of The Echo

The first Pulp album we fell in love with (His’n’Hers) contains a track that pinpoints the exact moment when summer dies (David’s Last Summer), ‘the whole sound of summer packing its bags and preparing to leave town’.

  • Read on for reasons including how Cocker’s new band Jarv Is bring the best out of him since his 90s rise

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MONSTAS SHORTLIST: Best Gig of the year: 2018

It’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2018? Over the next month we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 14 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2018.

  • Read on for nominees for the monsta for Gig of the year. 2017 winner: Bananarama at Eventim Apollo

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GIG REVIEW: Janelle Monae at Camden Roundhouse

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE?: Camden Roundhouse

WHEN?: 12/9/18

SETLIST: Dirty Computer; Crazy, Classic, Life; Take A Byte; Screwed; Django Jane; Q.U.E.E.N.; Electric Lady; Prime Time; Pynk; Yoga; I Like That; Don’t Judge Me; Make Me Feel; I Got the Juice; Cold War; Tightrope; So Afraid; Americans

When Monae encourages BAFTA-winning British actress and screenwriter Michaela Coel to join three audience members, including 1 in a wheelchair, on stage for a dance-off during an extended version of I Got The Juice (see 1h 16m in below), you know that you’re witnessing something extra special.

  • Read on for reasons including how this show opens with the 2001 Theme and, astonishingly, lives up to it

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AWARDS: MONSTAS: Our best gig of 2018 so far

We awarded 13 monstas for the best pop, theatre, TV and film of 2017 in December – and here we look at the cream of 2018 so far and what’s to come. Suede, Shura and Bananarama are previous winners in this category.

  • Read on for our top 6 best gigs of 2018 so far and our hopes for the next half year

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