By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: Sunday 27 July 2025, Uptown Festival at Blackheath
Song Three Lions was played as the Lionesses won the Euros on penalties shortly before former M People frontwoman Heather Small took to the stage.
Emmy and Tony Award-winner Hayes makes his London debut and plays the hottest late night talk show host in 1958 in this Broadway transfer to the Barbican. Runs 100 minutes without interval 31 July through 21 September 2025. Tickets Review
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.
Weaver who starred in the original Alien movies but not this year’s fine newcomer to the franchise Alien: Romulus makes her West End debut as Prospero in this Jamie Lloyd (Romeo and Juliet, Duke Of York’s Theatre) version of The Tempest which we’ve previously seen starring Simon Russell Beale at the Barbican in 2017. Will it be ‘such stuff as dreams are made?’ Runs at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane 7 December through 1 February 2025. Tickets Our review
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
This musical version of the 2001 film won 10 Tonys in 2020 and opened in London in 2021 although Covid delayed its press night and, as we write, it is still in previews with a 1st official night pushed back to 9 January 2022. We hope to visit the jukebox musical ahead of its revised press night and check out our site for a review. Tickets
This is shaping up to be 1 of our 1st gigs proper since Madonna at the Palladium pre-lockdowns in February 2020 and we couldn’t be more thrilled. The occasion is Heritage Live and the setting is north London’s beautiful Kenwood House. We’ve seen Rufus Wainwright here before and we know we’re in for something special because Culture Club and Bananarama always deliver live. Tickets
We saw the original production of Nick Payne’s awards-garlanded two-hander in the West End starring Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins in 2012. It was little surprise that this tale of a couple meeting with repeat scenes and meditations on multiple universes should also find Broadway acclaim with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson and now it is ripe for return with original director Michael Longhurst. Opening on 18 June 2021 at the Vaudeville Theatre with Atim (Othello, Globe)) and Ivanno Jeremiah, couples will also include Russell Tovey (Angels In America, National Theatre) and Omari Douglas (Channel 4’s It’s A Sin). Tickets
It’s been quite the year, it’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2020? Over the last month we have shortlisted at least five nominees in each of 14 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2020.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHEN?: 19/12/20
SETLIST: Karma Chameleon; It’s A Miracle; I’ll Tumble 4 Ya; Everything I Own; Move Away; Time (Clock Of The Heart); We Are Gathered Here Today; Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?; Miss Me Blind; Rainbow In The Dark; Church Of The Poison Mind; Girl Gone Bad; Get It On; Karma Chameleon
The fate of this appropriately titled concert very much mirrored what a difficult year it has been for gigs because of Covid-19 – it was postponed in November because of lockdown, switched from the Royal Albert Hall and at the last minute its socially distanced audience was advised not to attend.
