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.
Passenger wrote the music and lyrics for this adaptation of the novel at Theatre Royal Haymarket starring The Full Monty‘s Mark Addy and Jenna Russell (Hello Dolly! London Palladium) running 29 January through 18 April 2026. It’s the story of a man who receives a letter from a long-lost friend and walks from Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Tickets
By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK? ***1/2
WHEN? Friday 19 December, opens 9 January and runs through 7 March 2026 RUNTIME 100 minutes without interval
There’s a clock above the stage ticking forward in real time to the titular High Noon as Billy Crudup’s marshal Will Kane prepares to meet his fate.
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? Sunday 7 December, opens 11 December and runs through 11 January 2026 RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
Bovvered? Christmas is a time of tradition and this year marks the 10th since the return of the pantomime to the boards of the London Palladium.
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 Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK? ****
WHEN? Thursday 6 November 2025, tour runs through 18 July 2026
Setlist: (Don’t) Give Hate A Chance; Little L; Space Cowboy; Dynamite; Feels Just Like It Should; Alright; Cloud 9; World That He Wants; Tallulah; Disco Stays The Same; Runaway; Travelling Without Moving; Shadow In The Night; Canned Heat; Queen Machine; Cosmic Girl; Love Foolosophy; Virtual Insanity
Jamiroquai debut 3 songs tonight from their new album out next year, they’re bangers in the same vein as the funk for which they are best known and in the marvellous Disco Stays The Same have a track they could top charts with as they did in their 90s heyday.
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 Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
Tracklist: Glad; Dancing Heart; The Go Betweens; Sweet Melodies; Save It For A Rainy Day; Fade; Brand New Me; Take Me To The Pilot; Two Lovers; Why Are You Calling; He’s Gone; The Last Time
What do Haircut 100’s Nick Heyward, Yazoo’s Vince Clarke, Xenomania’s Tim Powell, Erol Alkan, Chemical Brothers and Orbital have in common?
By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum
WHEN?: Sunday 24 August 2025 (press ticket)
The sun kindly shone on the only UK seaside festival the whole weekend. We all remember the fun we had in the torrential rain during that Prodigy set back in 2018, but it certainly helps when it’s dry. I’m sure I had white Birkenstocks when I went on Friday, but the dust has turned everything brown.
