The 02

ALBUM REVIEW: High As Hope by Florence And The Machine

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

OUT: 29/6/18

TRACKLIST: June; Hunger; South London Forever: Big God; Sky Full Of Song; Grace: Patricia; 100 Years; The End Of Love: No Choir

Third album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful was our favourite of 2015 and Florence And The Machine’s Glastonbury Festival set was our highlight of that year for us, so High As Hope has a lot to live up to.

  • Read on for reasons including how the bombast of their last album is turned down

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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for May

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  1. Sheila Atim headlines Old Vic 200th birthday

Our favourite venue marks its bicentenary with events around the 11/5/18 weekend including an open house, street party, variety night headlined by the Olivier Award-nominated Atim, who starred in Girl From The North Country here last year, and ball. We shortlisted Atim for our 2016 monsta for Best Theatre Actress for her star turn in the all-women Shakespeare Trilogy and she won our 2017 Best Performance Of A Song (see below). We’ve loved how Matthew Warchus has transformed the OV with an emphasis on gig theatre, family entertainment and work with messages. Tickets

  • Read on for reasons including Eurovision, Tears For Fears, Sir Ian McKellen  and Girls Aloud

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GIG REVIEW: Emeli Sande

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WORTH A LOOK?: ***

WHERE: The 02

WHEN: 18/10, tour runs to 27/10

SETLIST: Hurts; Free; Where I Sleep; Lonely; Give Me Something; Every Single Little Piece; My Kind Of Love; Breathing Underwater; Happen; Heaven; Piece Of My Heart; Clown; River; Suitcase; Starlight; Beneath Your Beautiful; Read All About It; Celebration; Wonder; Babe; Highs And Lows; Next To Me; Little Bit Longer

We’re here because we wanted to see her for the first time at this year’s Glastonbury but missed her, such is the competition for attention at our favourite festival.

  • Read on for reasons including how this was a concert of two halves

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LIVE REVIEW: Pet Shop Boys

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WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE: Royal Opera House

WHEN: 22/7 runs to 23/7

SETLIST: Inner Sanctum; West End Girls; The Pop Kids; In The Night; Burn; Love Is A Bourgeois Construct; New York City Boy; Se A Vida E; Twentysomething; Love Comes Quickly; Love Etc; The Dictator Decides; Inside A Dream; Winner; Home and Dry; Vocal; The Sodom and Gomorrah Show; It’s A Sin; Left To My Own Devices; Go West; Domino Dancing; Always On My Mind; The Pop Kids (reprise)

We’ve seen Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe at London venues as diverse as The 02, the old Wembley Arena, Clapham Common, Trafalgar Square and the Savoy Theatre.

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

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LIVE REVIEW: Little Mix

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WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHERE: The O2

WHEN: 27/3 (matinee), UK tour runs to 23/4, international tour finishes 27/8

SETLIST: Grown; Hair; Change Your Life; A.D.I.D.A.S; Wings; Lightning; DNA; Secret Love Song (Part 2); OMG; Crazy In Love medley; Salute; Little Me; Move; How Ya Doin; I Won’t; Love Me Like You; Weird People; The End; Black Magic

Welcome to the UK’s longest-running arena tour of 2016, a phenomenal 37 dates.

  • Read on for exclusive pictures from this gig

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LIVE REVIEW: a-ha

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE: The O2

WHEN: 26/3, tour runs to 7/5

SETLIST: I’ve Been Losing You; Cry Wolf; Move To Memphis; Stay On These Roads; The Swing Of Things; Cast In Steel; Crying In The Rain; Mother Nature Goes To Heaven; We’re Looking For The Whales; Velvet; Lifelines; Here I Stand & Face The Rain; Sycamore Leaves; She’s Humming A Tune;  Foot Of the Mountain; Hunting High and Low; Scoundrel Days; Sun Always Shines On TV; Under The MakeUp; Living Daylights; Take On Me.

We last saw a-ha six years ago on their farewell tour at Wembley Arena but in 2015 they released their fine new Cast In Steel album which they’ve taken on an international jaunt.

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LIVE REVIEW: Adele

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WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHERE: The O2

WHEN: 22/3, tour runs to 15/11

SETLIST: Hello; Hometown Glory; One and Only; Rumour Has It; Water Under The Bridge; I Miss You; Million Years Ago; Skyfall; Don’t You Remember; Send My Love; Make You Feel My Love; Sweetest Devotion; Chasing Pavements; Someone Like You; Set Fire To The Rain; All I Ask;  When We Were Young; Rolling In The Deep.

She’s arguably the world’s biggest pop star at the moment and could’ve easily played stadiums rather than arenas on this tour.

  • Read on for our exclusive pictures from the gig

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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for March

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  1. Adele tours the UK for the first time since 2011

We’ve never seen Adele live. We’re going to Glasto and are still hoping she’s headlining Saturday. Her 22-date UK tour begins in Belfast 29/2 and we’ll be reporting from her eight-night run at The 02 in March. Picture via Facebook courtesy Adele.

  • Read on for reasons including If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Little Mix and a-Ha

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