By Aline Mahrud
WHERE? Scandinavium, Gothenburg WHEN? Saturday 7 February 2026 WHERE TO WATCH? SVT
There are 2 returning winners to the 66th Melodifestivalen this year and the 1st is Robin Bengtsson who won MF in 2017 finishing 5th in Kyiv, Ukraine with I Can’t Go On.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
Tracklist: Everybody Scream; One Of The Greats; Witch Dance; Sympathy Magic; Perfume And Milk; Buckle; Kraken; The Old Religion; Drink Deep; Music By Men; You Can Have It All; And Love
‘The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death,’ says lead singer Florence Welch. ‘And I felt like I had stepped through this door, and it was just full of women, screaming.’
It’s been quite the year, it’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2025? Over the next week we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 17 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2025.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK? ****
WHEN? Saturday 22 November (matinee), opens 2 December and runs through 21 February 2026 RUNTIME 120 minutes (including interval)
This Noel Coward comedy about 2 married women admitting to premarital sex and contemplating adultery was 1st performed in London 100 years ago with the theatre censor initially recommending it shouldn’t be staged because the morals of the female leads ‘would cause too great a scandal’.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
Tracklist: Sexo, Violencia y Llantas; Reliquia; Divinize; Porcelana; Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti; Berghain; La Perla; Mudo Nuevo; De Madruga; Dios Es Un Stalker; La Yugular; Sauvignon Blanc; La Rumba Del Perdon; Memoria; Magnolias
Music is the original international tongue and Rosalía’s use here of 13 languages appears to be an attempt to maximise its appeal.
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK? ****
WHEN? Friday 14 November, opens 1 December and runs through 25 October 2026 RUNTIME: 165 minutes (with a 20-minute interval)
They say the devil has the best tunes and this new musical’s showstopper is reserved for its taxidermist villainess – Pretty Little Dead Things (listen below).
By Andrew Mosley
WHEN?: Friday 7 November, tour runs through 10 July 2026
It’s bouncing off the bumps of Yorkshire’s country roads in Richard Gostling’s VW Beatle while When Smokey Sings blasts from the cheap radio. It’s cringing in the pub as Phil Robinson quotes lyrics from the band’s songs as chat-up lines to what he sees as potential girlfriends.
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
WHEN? Tuesday 14 October, tour runs through 1 November 2025
I can’t count how many times we’ve seen Welly, kings of observation-ridden indie pop for the thinking fan.
By Andrew Mosley
WHEN? Friday 10 October, tour runs through 19 October 2025
It’s almost 40 years since I first clapped eyes on and lent ears to the wonder of The Go-Betweens.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
Tracklist: Achilles; The Last Time I Saw The Old Man; The Man Who Turned Into A Chair; I Want You; Rainy Sunday Afternoon; All The Pretty Lights; Down The Rabbit Hole; Mar-a-Lago By The Sea; The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter; Can’t Let Go; Invisible Thread
The loss of a parent is a universal experience but not 1 which pop music usually troubles itself with.
