music

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Same Sun/Same Sky by The Darling Buds (August 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

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

Tracklist: Hey Saint Jude; Intruder; Oh No You Don’t; Lost Time; Jump In; Giddy In A Good Way; Cut Me Dead; Cast A Stone; Pretenders; Paper Planes; Leaving The Scene; Pollyanna Says

Same Sun/Same Sky is the 1st new album for 34 years by The Darling Buds and it draws on the best of the many styles of the band’s 1st trio of LPs to underline why they were so underrated.

  • Read on for reasons including if you’ve ever loved the band, Same Sun/Same Sky should definitely shine for you
Read More

THEATRE REVIEW: Hit Machine starring Noah Galvin, Josh Radnor & Khalil Madovi at Soho Theatre

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHEN? Thursday 16 July and runs through 15 August 2026 RUNTIME: 75 minutes (without interval)

Galvin (pictured above left) makes his London theatre debut while his husband Ben Platt is about to open across town in new musical Midnight At The Never Get at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

  • Read on for reasons including how Hit Machine is smart, funny and bursting with songs
Read More

FIRST LOOK THEATRE: Midnight At The Never Get starring Ben Platt at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: Awards potential

WHEN? Monday 13 July, opens 20 July and runs through 12 September 2026 RUNTIME: 100 minutes (no interval)

As this musical reaches its conclusion we can hear sniffing, stifled sobbing and crying around our front row seat showing the work’s immediate emotional impact.

  • Read on for reasons including Midnight At The Never Get will make you think, make you laugh and make you cry
Read More

GIG REVIEW: David Byrne & Ezra Collective at Cruilla Festival, Barcelona

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN? Friday 10 July, festival runs through 11 July 2026

Former Talking Heads frontman Byrne is 1 of the headliners at Latitude Festival in a fortnight and this is simply 1 of the best gigs we’ve ever seen.

  • Read on for reasons including how Byrne revels in taking part in the complex choreographed dance routines that enhance each song
Read More

GIG REVIEW: Sigrid at Cruilla Festival, Barcelona

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN? Wednesday 8 July, festival runs through 11 July and Sigrid tours through 5 September 2026

SETLIST: I’ll Always Be Your Girl; Burning Bridges; Plot Twist; Sucker Punch; Jellyfish; High Five; Head On Fire; Mirror; Don’t Feel Like Crying; Do It Again; Have You Heard This Song Before?; Home To You; Dynamite; It Gets Dark; Fort Knox; Don’t Kill My Vibe; Strangers

It’s over 30 degrees in Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum by the sea as Sigrid takes to the stage as 1 of the opening acts of this 4-day festival which means ‘crossroads’ in Catalan.

  • Read on for reasons including how Cruilla is the perfect soundtrack to both England and Spain progressing to next week’s World Cup semis
Read More

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Confessions II by Madonna (July 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

Tracklist: I Feel So Free; Good For The Soul; One Step Away; Bring Your Love; Danceteria; Read My Lips; Everything; Love Sensation; Love Without Words; Bizarre; School; Fragile; My Sins Are My Saviour; Betrayal; The Test; L.E.S Girl

Confessions II is the mostly misleading title for this album which isn’t Madonna’s best album for the 21 years since Confessions On A Dancefloor but her best … ever.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is the best album of 2026 so far
Read More

SONG OF THE MONTH: Danceteria by Soft Cell (July 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Danceteria is the name of the New York nightclub where Soft Cell‘s young Marc Almond and Dave Ball would party until the small hours after recording sessions for their 1981 debut LP Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.

  • Read on for reasons including Almond’s thoughts on the upcoming final album and its Madonna link
Read More

The B-52s and DEVO Cosmic De-evolution Tour, The O2, London with The Rezillos & Lene Lovich

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: Saturday 20 June, tour runs through 31 October 2026

Not being a fan of The O2 at dizzying heights, we managed to get arena floor seats and after some argy-bargy with the security (removing high-up signs), we managed to get fantastic views, despite being a seated gig. I think the special early bar helped with that, to be honest. 

  • Read on for reasons including how love rules at the Love Shack
Read More

OMD, Peter Hook and the Light & Andrew Cushin at Guild Hall, Southampton

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: 19 June 2026 and touring through 1 September 2026

Loved their early singles, liked most of the later ones, so why haven’t we been to see them before? We love Andy McCluskey when he appears as any talking head, so we knew we’d love them on stage.

  • Read on for reasons including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the sunset, rather than the dark
Read More