Tag: gig review
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Black Country, New Road live at NUSU review – indie darlings hit a stumbling block
Poorly served by a dodgy soundsystem and impatient crowd, Black Country, New Road never quite found their stride on a drab night in Newcastle. Lethargic and lackadaisical, the vibrance of their first three albums seemed a world away.
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Couch live at Band On The Wall review – eight-strong funk group go all in
Every song was a showstopper for a celebratory final night of Couch’s debut international tour in an ambitious show packed with unrelenting funk-pop grooves, countless glorious solos and the best Harry Styles cover money can buy.
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Self Esteem live at Sage Gateshead review – left-field pop firebrand is the full package
Arriving at one of the grandest venues of her career to date, Self Esteem threw the kitchen sink at this performance at the Sage with snappy choreography and slick costume changes. Rarely was the show anything but utterly spectacular.
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Rianne Downey live at Oporto review – bigger stages await
Her songwriting ability may be still developing, but Rianne Downey already owned the stage at Oporto, a low-key venue that felt far too small for a vocal talent of this calibre.
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Carly Rae Jepsen live at O2 Academy review – pure, perfect pop
She may be synonymous with the hit that first shot her to fame, but the party-ready fans that packed into Leeds’ O2 Academy knew Carly Rae Jepsen had more to offer, namely a flawless set of pristine pop with sparkling, singalong hooks at every turn.
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Florence + the Machine live at first direct Arena – cult queen reassembles her army
Florence Welch’s outstanding 2022 album Dance Fever dominated proceedings for a thrilling, theatrical Saturday night performance in Leeds. Knowingly the subject of cultish devotion, Welch’s return was a theatrical celebration of collective pandemic persistence.
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Phoebe Green live at the Cluny review – strong material fails to come alive
Touring the UK on the back of daringly original debut album Lucky Me, Phoebe Green’s attention-grabbing pop creations deserved a keener reception in Newcastle. Seemingly put out by the poor attendance and lacking in conviction, Green’s performance struggled as a result.
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Bellowhead live at O2 City Hall review – somehow still dancing
Bellowhead’s golden years as spearheads of an English folk revival may be well past them, but the strength of their blockbuster renderings of centuries-old tunes remained for an evening coloured by the recent passing of a founding member, Paul Sartin.
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Sigrid live at O2 City Hall review – uninhibited pop joy
Bursting onto stage with trademark energy and buckets of charisma, when Sigrid found her stride in Newcastle she had the place well and truly bouncing. It was the more tender numbers that needed the most refinement.
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Cassia live at NUSU review – sunshine pop trio deserve more
Stuck in an under capacity students’ union and struggling to whip up excitement in the crowd, Cassia’s catalogue of uplifting indie pop tracks will have more successful outings than their trip to Newcastle. Patches of effervescent Mancunian calypso gave a taste of just how brilliant the trio could be.
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Jockstrap live at Belgrave Music Hall review – a delightfully dark fever dream
At their best when basking in strobe lights and stage smoke, Jockstrap proved their credentials in Leeds as artists at the cutting edge of electronic music. No other artist can even begin to sound like them.
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Parcels live at O2 Ritz review – reaching for nightclub nirvana
Leaning heavily into the world of nightclub-ready dance music, a constantly evolving Parcels gave plenty of reason to dance the night away for an eager Manchester crowd. As a live act, they’re only getting better and better.
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Los Bitchos live at Star and Shadow review – scintillating cumbia finds a new home on the Tyne
Sturdy trainers were indispensable for a night of moving and shaking in one of the trendiest little venues in Newcastle. Armed with an arsenal of percussion, it was Los Bitchos’s touching onstage chemistry that turned a good show into a fabulous one.
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Skylights live at Whelan’s review – lads on tour have the place bouncing
Carried by a wave of support from a large and boozy entourage of travelling fans, Leeds locals Skylights seemed to be having the time of their lives on a one-off night in Dublin. Who cares if their music wasn’t very good?
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Jacob Collier live at O2 Apollo review – in a league of his own
Charming, effervescent and incomparably brilliant at every instrument he can get his hands on, Jacob Collier’s performance was a treat to witness in the beautiful surroundings of the Apollo, even if his catalogue of genuinely great original songs remains frustratingly slim.
Undertone 