Kylie Minogue

9 reasons why we can’t wait for September 2023 starring Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

  1. Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends starring Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga

Last year’s televised show celebrating the work of the late great Sondheim was a real thrill and this month stars including Peters and Salonga perform some of the composer’s best-loved songs alongside Haydn Gwynne (The Welkin, National Theatre), Janie Dee (Follies, National Theatre) and Jac Yarrow (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, London Palladium). Runs at the West End’s Gielgud Theatre 16 September through 6 January 2024. Tickets Update: Performances now begin 21 September without Gwynne. Review

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SONG OF THE WEEK: Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue (week starting Sunday 28 May 2023)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

Today is Kylie’s 55th birthday and this comeback electropop song is her biggest hit single in the UK since Into The Blue made number 12 in 2014.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is Kylie’s best single for over a decade
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Night Call by Years and Years (January 2022)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: Consequences; Starstruck; Night Call; Intimacy; Crave; Sweet Talker; Sooner Or Later; 20 Minutes; Strange And Unusual; Make It Out Alive; See You Again; Immaculate; Muscle; Reflection; A Second To Midnight; Starstruck (final 2 with Kylie Minogue)

Did you join It’s A Sin star Olly Alexander to usher in 2022 with The Big New Years and Years Eve Party on BBC1 which also featured Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys?

  • Read on for reasons including everything we know about the Years and Years arena tour in May
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SONG OF THE WEEK: Crave by Years & Years (week beginning 3 November 2021)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Crave is co-written by lead singer Olly Alexander and is an infectious, dancefloor friendly bop which is the 2nd single from the band’s 3rd album Night Call, to be released 7 January 2022.

  • Read on for reasons including how to see Years and Years in concert next year including at Wembley Arena
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GIG REVIEW: Dua Lipa in Studio 2054

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

WHEN?: Via livestream 27/11/20

SETLIST: Future Nostalgia; Levitating; Pretty Please; Break My Heart; Untitled (with FKA Twigs); Physical; Boys Will Be Boys; Cool; New Rules; Prisoner (with Miley Cyrus); Un Dia (with J Balvin, Bad Bunny and Tainy); Fever (with Angèle); One Kiss; Real Groove (with Kylie Minogue); Electricity; Rocket Man (Elton John); Hallucinate; Don’t Start Now

Lipa, who was shortlisted for 6 Grammys this week, was originally slated to tour 2nd LP Future Nostalgia this spring/summer with 2 dates at London’s 02 Arena.

  • Read on for reasons including how to get tickets for that rescheduled tour

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AWARDS SHORTLIST: MONSTAS: Best Album of 2020

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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 next month we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 14 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2020.

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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Disco by Kylie Minogue (November 2020)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

RELEASED?: 6/11/20

TRACKLIST: Magic; Miss A Thing; Real Groove; Monday Blues; Supernova; Say Something; Last Chance; I Love It; Where Does The DJ Go?; Dance Floor Darling; Unstoppable; Celebrate You

It’s only by experimentation that true pop genius can be appreciated and, if Kylie’s 2018’s album Golden and its shimmy with country was a misstep, then its follow-up, Disco, is more sure-footed for it.

  • Read on for reasons including why Disco is Kylie’s best album for years

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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Fairytale (International) by Saara Aalto (December 2019)

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

OUT? now

TRACKLIST: Every Christmas Day; Christmas Without You; Let It Go; Starry Skies; Can I Keep The Pictures?; Fairytale Of New York

Aalto won our Best Album monsta last year for her Wild, Wild Wonderland LP and, although its follow up is only half a dozen tracks long, it signposts an interesting future for her singing original songs.

  • Read on for reasons including why live is where Aalto always excels

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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for June 2019

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

  1. Gwendoline Christie in Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge

Last year’s immersive Shakespeare experience at the Bridge was a real high point of the programming thus far at the newish venue and so we’re super excited for this not least because the cast includes Game Of Thrones star Christie alongside Oliver Chris and David Moorst. Runs 3/6 through 31/8/19. Tickets

  • Read on for reasons including Andrew Scott, Tales Of the City and Sheridan Smith

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ALBUM REVIEW: Super by Pet Shop Boys

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

OUT: 1/4

TRACKLIST: Happiness; The Pop Kids; Twenty-Something; Groovy; The Dictator Decides; Pazzo!; Inner Sanctum; Undertow; Sad Robot World; Say It To Me; Burn; Into Thin Air.

30 years ago Pet Shop Boys’ debut hit (not their 1st single, actually) went to number 1 in the UK, US, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Israel, New Zealand and Norway.

  • Read on for details of the new Pet Shop Boys tour

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