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Ezra Collective live in London: a landmark moment for the Mercury Prize winners
The lights are out at the Royal Albert Hall. Through the pitch black, the voice of Ezra Collective drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso delivers a message: “We’re about to turn this room into the most...
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Little Simz live in London: UK rap’s greatest talent dazzles in homecoming
“You need to know you’re witnessing greatness,” declares Little Simz, halfway through her sold-out show at London’s Alexandra Palace. “I don’t say that with arrogance, I say it with confidence.” It’s a...
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50 Cent live in Manchester: Fiddy toasts ‘Get Rich…’s 20th anniversary with a...
Sirens blare as 50 Cent enters the stage encased in a smoke-filled glass box, one that’s accompanied by the kind of apocalyptic lightning strikes that you might expect whenever villainous Suella...
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Queens of the Stone Age live in London: Josh Homme turns on the charm
“We been together so long you’d think we’d get sick of fucking each other,” Josh Homme smiles, “but that just ain’t the way.” The ‘we’ in question, it seems, is the fandom that’s stayed with Queens of...
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Lip Critic live in London: furious intensity from a remarkable new band
So far in their short career, New York quartet Lip Critic have played on bills alongside rappers, hardcore bands and dance acts. On none of those lineups did this remarkable new band feel out of place....
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Jessie Ware live in London: a ray of light in an increasingly gloomy world
2023 has been a transformative year for Jessie Ware. The London singer’s fifth album, April’s ‘That! Feels Good!’ saw an already successful singer soar into an exclusive realm: “mother” status. Ware...
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Heartworms live in London: British rock’s newest cult heroes go to war
We arrive at Shoreditch’s Village Underground to a sparsely populated merch table of three t-shirt designs: one of Heartworms’ sketched explosion insignia, another stark one of mastermind Jojo Orme’s...
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21 Savage live in London: a fiery, long-overdue homecoming
‘This is The O21!’ 21 Savage yells, closing his marathon two-hour set against a waterfall of cascading fireworks, combining his name with the venue he’s staking a claim to… close enough! His stoic...
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Johnny Marr live in Manchester: a stirring homecoming for one of the city’s...
“As a Mancunian boy, being invited to be the first rock show at this place is really a super privilege. We’re all part of history and I’m glad to be here to do it.” These are the words that Johnny Marr...
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Sleep Token live in London: masked metallers soldier on through adversity
Sleep Token are known for many things – anonymity, genre-obliterating sleights of hand, intensely emotional songwriting – but they also have a knack for creating moments. At the start of the year, the...
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Kagami live in London: Ryuichi Sakamoto’s posthumous mixed-reality gig is...
While there’s no shortage of shows currently boasting world-beating holograms and augmented reality – the wildly successful Abba Voyage and an Elvis hologram set to thrust his pixels in London –...
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Bring Me The Horizon live in Cardiff: a band still at their best
Time is on Oli Sykes’ mind. Throughout the opening night of Bring Me The Horizon’s NX_GN WRLD TOUR at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena, the frontman rarely misses the opportunity to quip about ageing and...
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Kanii live in London: ascendant pop hero is confident and charismatic
“London, scream louder!” the DJ demands. A bustling crowd of Gen Z music fans are squished at the front of the pit, buzzing with excitement for Kanii – one of the internet’s most talked-about new acts...
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The Last Dinner Party live in London: baroque-pop maximalists seize the throne
To say The Last Dinner Party’s live reputation precedes them would be a sinful understatement. Tales of the Brixton-formed quintet’s onstage theatrics have become so renowned among London gig-goers...
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Noname live in London: a warm return for one of rap’s modern revolutionaries
“Everybody say ‘Free Palestine!’” Noname demands during an a capella rendition of the war-condemning, materialism-bashing track ‘Namesake’. With candor and eagerness, the crowd instantly obliges and a...
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Nieve Ella live in Manchester: indie star poised to be a word-of-mouth hit
Before Nieve Ella even arrives at Manchester’s Gorilla, there’s a line of excitable gig-goers forming outside the venue. The 21-year-old songwriter already inspires such devotion that, prior to this...
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Noah Kahan in London: rising folk-pop superstar graduates to arenas
“My name is Noah Kahan and I can’t believe I’m here.” The Grammy-nominated chart-topping folk-pop superstar has just bounded onstage at a packed Wembley Arena but, judging by the 12,000-strong...
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Laufey live in London: sublime jazz-pop leaves young fans bewitched
Laufey epitomises a charming new era in contemporary pop, as classically-trained musicians – including Wasia Project and Ena Mori – are finding an audience online thanks to their forward-facing take on...
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Róisín Murphy live in London: ‘Hit Parade’ marches on from the furore
In a top hat, framed in black and white, Róisín Murphy stares down the lens. Facing away from the audience, she peers into a camera on a mount; the resulting image is beamed via an imposing screen at...
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Simple Things 2024 review: a creative testament to Bristol’s thriving...
If any one word could be used to define Bristol’s music communities, it would be ‘diversity’. From its demographic makeup to its cultural exports, the South West city is consistently open to new ideas...
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