Arcade Fire at the O2, 8 September 2022

I can’t tell a lie: Thursday was strange. While we were eating our meal at Busaba, we saw the news that Queen Elizabeth II had passed away. What were we meant to do? What would happen now? It turns out that the band must play on and the Arcade Fire gig at the O2 would go ahead. It felt like a sad omen on an already blighted tour. Win Butler, the lead singer of Arcade Fire, has been the subject of extremely serious allegations of inappropriate behaviour and many were calling for the tour to be cancelled. It wasn’t. I made the decision to go for two reasons: to support Régine Chassagne and the rest of the band, and because Arcade Fire’s music is extremely important to me.

The evening started with the band on the second stage. They played a recording of Louis Armstrong’s “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” to commemorate the Queen’s passing. I thought it was a nice touch to acknowledge this and work with the heightened emotions in the crowd.

The band launched into "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" before moving onto the main stage with "Age of Anxiety I". By this stage, I was a little worried. I'd enjoyed the first two tracks but my husband said there was something wrong with the acoustics. I had to agree with him with "Age of Anxiety I" - it didn't sound right at all. I couldn't put my finger on it but it lay somewhere between the bad sound typical of The O2 and Win's vocals.

I was ready to forgive all with "Ready to Start" (which was spectacular) and "Deep Blue" but then "Afterlife" came on and it was virtually unrecognisable. The timing was all wrong and I was hoping against hope that my favourite tracks wouldn’t be ruined. Luckily, my fears were not realised. “Reflektor” was up yet and Régine’s vocals were sublime, as always.

The absolute pinnacle of the show was when Régine and Win moved to the small stage again and performed “My Body is a Cage”. This was a particularly heartfelt performance, all the more powerful for the mess in which Win finds himself at present. It was a very poignant moment and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

This was a turning point in the show and things ran much more smoothly after that. “Creature Comfort”, “Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)”, “The Lightning I” and “The Lightning II” were up next with Win begging the crowd not to quit on him.

The third greatest moment in the show (for me) was when the band played “Rebellion (Lies)” followed by “The Suburbs” and “The Suburbs (Continued)”. I genuinely feel I’d still be working at the worst job on earth if “Rebellion (Lies)” hadn’t become my anthem and given me the strength to walk out.

The band took the tempo down after that with “WE” and “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)”.

And then it was time for the second greatest moment of the night for me as “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” began playing. This song is the first Arcade Fire song my husband fell in love with and the reason he was there that night. Régine did not disappoint and we sang along to every single word. It was absolutely marvellous. “Everything Now” was up next in a seamless segue and the crowd went ballistic. It was a moment of huge release and catharsis leading to the encore where “End of the Empire I-III”, “End of the Empire IV (Sagittarius A*)”, a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” and the ultimate Arcade Fire anthem “Wake Up” were played.

After a shaky start, the band had given an incredible performance and delivered a night to remember.

Would I go see Arcade Fire again? I guess it remains to be seen how Win deals with this situation. I’d be heartbroken if the band did break up and I couldn’t see them live again but I don’t think the statements to date have been enough. Given their focus on charity, this could easily be a campaign and narrative against sexual harassment.

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Bauhaus at the O2 Brixton Academy, 19 August 2022

Bauhaus broke up (for the first time) when I was ten-years-old and had last toured as Bauhaus in 2006 before their current set of tours began in 2019. I'd fallen in love with them at age 15 but before 2022, the closest I'd come to seeing them was seeing Peter Murphy at the Brixton Academy in 2018. This year has been exceptionally kind to me because not only did I see Bauhaus at Primavera Sound in June - the best gig I've ever been to - I also got to see them again at the Brixton Academy on Friday.

To my shame, I was surprised back in 2018 how good Peter Murphy was but luckily I was prepared this time. Bauhaus were incredible and banged out hit after hit. I kept waiting for a quiet moment so I could go to the bar, but alas it was not to be.

What made me fall in love with Bauhaus was that it was the first time I truly appreciated each of the instruments. Kevin Haskins' drums, Daniel Ash's guitar, David J's bass and Peter Murphy's unmistakable vocals just spoke to me and for years I listened to Bauhaus to try out new pairs of headphones.

To hear them perform live and to have them sound as good - no, better than - their albums was an incredible privilege.

Brixton Academy is my favourite venue on Earth and the atmosphere on Friday night was superb. Primavera Sound was amazing, if only to see Bauhaus in a festival setting, but it felt like they truly came home on Friday and I will never forget that gig.

My highlight of the gig was every, single second between the beginning of "Double Dare" and end of "Dark Entries". I've been spoiled, I know how good Bauhaus sound in both a festival setting and small venue. All I want now is to see them again.

Bauhaus, Brixton Academy, 19 August 2022: Setlist

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Banco de Gaia in Concert: Sebright Arms, 23 November 2019

I discovered Banco de Gaia in January 1996. This is significant for two reasons; first, I was not aware of Banco de Gaia when I went to Glastonbury in 1995 and so I missed their set, and secondly, I took Last Train to Lhasa back to South Africa when I returned in February 1996 and I introduced them to everyone I knew. It was the start of an enduring love affair and throughout the years I've collected every single Banco de Gaia album and followed them with a fervour shamelessly bordering on obsession.

Last night I finally got to see Banco de Gaia at the Sebright Arms in east London and it was worth the wait.

Dr Trippy

Supporting Banco de Gaia was dr trippy aka Martin Corbett with a delightfully psychedelic set complete with really surreal visuals. I caught Betty Boop and some dancing skeletons and immediately went home and added his album Bhang! to my Spotify playlist. Martin also gets the Save of the Year award after catching his mixing deck when it went flying off the podium. Well caught.

Banco de Gaia

Bang on time, Toby Marks was on stage and the Banco de Gaia set began. There were some sound issues to begin with - I was having premonitions of permanently losing my hearing - but they were soon sorted out. We were in the basement room at Sebright Arms, a tiny room with 150 capacity but I secured a slightly elevated spot by the wall and danced like it was 1999. It was brilliant. I couldn't tell who was having more fun, Toby with his non-stop smile or his absolutely adoring crowd, but the atmosphere was electric.

My highlights were "Last Train to Lhasa" (obviously) and "Zeus No Like Techno", possibly my most played dance track of all time and an absolute privilege to hear mixed live.

All too soon, it was over, a short but exhilarating 90 minute set. After this experience and the Leftfield DJ set in February, I'm realising that I really want to go to an all-nighter again and dance like there's no tomorrow.

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Conversations with Nick Cave, Brighton Dome, 29 June 2019

I went to see Conversations with Nick Cave at Brighton Done last night. It was an intimate event, with Nick Cave sharing such painful, private things, that it feels almost wrong to share what was said and discussed. I would like to record that I was there though and to note that it was a life-affirming, powerful evening that is playing over and over in my mind. I am never surprised when Nick Cave does something that makes me love him more than I already did and last night was no exception. My heart swells.

There was one question and answer that I would like to share because it went a long way to explaining what Cave is doing and why he began talking to his fans on his blog The Red Hand Files and in his 'Conversations with' events. A member of the audience noted that Cave often responds with extraordinary empathy when speaking to fans and she asked whether he doesn't suffer from empathy overload.

Cave responded that following the death of his son Arthur, he received an outpouring of support from fans and members of the public via letter and email. These people didn't know him but often they would share their own stories of loss and grief. He mentioned that it had changed him and it had saved him. He realised that he wanted to give back, to share that empathy in some way.

Cave took a moment to distinguish between empathy and compassion and said that what people really need when they are grieving is compassion, that person who just makes cups of tea or simply sits and listens.

He said that he realised that we are all the same, that we might not be there now but we will all experience grief and devastation in our lives.

It struck me that this might be Nick Cave's finest hour, for out of his darkest moment he has taken the time to create something beautiful and illuminating, to lift people out of darkness. Which is exactly what he has been doing since I discovered him at age 15.

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Dead Can Dance in Concert: Eventim Apollo London, 4 May 2019

I've always found that the hardest things for me to review are the ones I loved the most. Somehow the words just won't flow and I land up gushing and lacking all objectivity. I'm feeling that way now as I try to write about a gig I loved for a band I've loved for 25 years and all I can do is rewrite this opening paragraph time and time again. I'm just going to start by saying that Dead Can Dance at the Eventim Apollo last night were incredible and it felt like an absolute privilege to see them, especially as we were sitting four rows from the front and I never, ever thought I'd get to see them.

Eventim Apollo, 4 May 2019

David Kuckhermann

Before we entered the Apollo, there was a buzz going around and we realised that David Kuckhermann was an artist not to be missed. I had not heard of him before but a quick search told me that he'd worked with Lisa Gerrard before on their 2018 release Hiraeth. I'm so pleased we caught his performance because David is incredibly talented and the level of control he maintained over his instruments is astounding. It was hard to believe that it was just him on stage at one point, such was the complexity of the music he was producing.

Dead Can Dance

Of course, we were all there to see Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry arrived on stage looking like a king and queen. I've always held the utmost respect for Dead Can Dance, for the power and clarity of Lisa and Brendan's voices and the mastery in the compositions yet I was still unprepared for how incredible they sound live. Being as close to the front as we were, we also got to see how hard the band works and also, how much they enjoy being there.

Dead Can Dance are currently on their A Celebration - Life & Works 1980-2019 tour, performing their biggest hits from across their impressive discography. This was a fabulous surprise, as I'd expected the concert to focus mainly on their new album Dionysus. Beginning with "Anywhere Out Of The World" and "Mesmerism", the tracks alternated between those that feature mainly Brendan's vocals with those featuring Lisa.

The show wasn't without some drama. It was during "Xavier", if I recall correctly, that Brendan's voice cracked and I saw the heartbreaking moment when he signalled to Lisa that he couldn't go on. After the track, he told the audience that his voice had broken and he was going to disappear backstage for a moment and hope for a miracle. I reckon he found his miracle - he did come back on stage and manage to perform through what was obviously a touch of flu. It was clear that he was struggling at times but thanks to a steady supply of fluids, he gave a superb performance. Thank you for carrying on Brendan but please take care of those precious vocal chords!

The absolute pinnacle of the concert for me was "Sanvean", a song which I once played on repeat for six months and which was beyond moving to see live. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried throughout Lisa's performance. I cried during "The Host of Seraphim" too, once I'd remembered to start breathing again. It was an astonishing performance. I'm not sure I'll ever forget being that close to Lisa Gerrard, seeing the folds in her dress, the silver lace and the movement in her throat as she sings.

Other highlights include Brendan singing "Amnesia" and "Song To The Siren". Brendan wasn't sure we'd want to here Kermit singing the latter song but I can assure you it was magnificent.

There were two rapturous encores for the show, the first of which closed with "Cantara", one of my favourite Dead Can Dance tracks of all time. It was so good to see the carnivalesque atmosphere on stage during this song as the band gave a superb performance. All too soon though, the concert came to a close as Brendan performed "Severance". I don't know if I'll ever be fortunate enough to see Dead Can Dance in concert again but I'll never forget this incredible night.

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Panic! at the Disco in Concert: The O2, London, 28 March 2019

I've loved Panic! at the Disco since the very first time I heard "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" back in 2005. I loved their sound, their snarky, irreverent lyrics and the whole theatrical package. I've become quite picky about venues lately though and am totally over UK festivals so I was thrilled when they announced arena dates in the UK. Armed with super tickets (no mean feat at the O2), I've been counting down the dates for months.

Arizona and Mø

We arrived part way through the first support, Arizona. They were okay but I didn’t really rate them. I did enjoy the second act Mø and will definitely be checking out her music in the future. Highlights were “Don’t Leave” and “Final Song”. It's clear the crowd were there for one reason only but Mø did an amazing job of getting the crowd going.

Panic! at the Disco

The anticipation in the O2 reached fever pitch when a ten minute countdown appeared announcing the start of the gig. The crowd had barely finished counting down the last 10 seconds when Brendon Urie exploded out of the stage and the gig began.

Brendon Urie is incredibly energetic and a very charismatic performer but early on in the gig I was struck by three things: this is definitely more a solo Brendon Urie gig than a P!ATD gig; Urie has a massive number of adoring tween followers who sing along to every single word; and somehow linked to this is the fact that Brendon played nearly every song from his last two albums and only four from the first three combined.

So, the good then. I absolutely loved "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", "Nine in the Afternoon" and "Casual Affair". Watching Brendon walk through the crowd during "Death of a Bachelor" was lovely, I always appreciate it when artists do that. I enjoyed his rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me", performed on a piano suspended high over the crowd's heads.

Seeing the whole O2 arena lit up with #PATDHearts in the colours of the LGBT rainbow flag during "Girls / Girls / Boys" will go down as one of the best concert moments I've ever had and I think Brendon felt the same way as he looked truly moved.

I knew it was coming but that didn't change how good it was - watching P!ATD perform Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was incredible and the band went absolutely mental. It was the closest I'll ever come to hearing the real thing and it really was superb. And finally, the absolute highlight of the evening, performed during the encore, I adored "I Write Sins Not Tragedies".

I'm sure that readers can feel the 'but' coming here from a mile away. It's hard to truly enjoy the show when you know Brendon Urie isn't playing for you. He's playing for the multitudes of tween fans that are singing along to every single word and queuing from 9 in the morning (not even 9 in the afternoon!) for merchandise. And I know that I was never the right demographic for P!ATD's music, being that I was already a working adult when they emerged 15 years ago but I've always loved them and would very much have liked to hear some of their older stuff. I think Brendon could learn a lot from bands like The Cure or Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on how to satisfy a diverse audience who has grown up through various stages of your impressive catalog of music.

Am I glad I saw the gig? Definitely. I still love Panic! at the Disco and will still sing along, off-key, to every single one of my favourite tracks. Will I see them again? Only when Brendon starts performing a more even catalog of the band's music. After all, as he told us, he is 32 and surely his audience will start growing up too and demanding as much.

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Peter Murphy at the O2 Academy Brixton, 9 December 2018

For one night only, Peter Murphy played the O2 Academy Brixton on 9 December 2018 with special guests Desert Mountain Tribe. He thrilled the crowd with an energetic set that covered 40 years of Bauhaus and played the whole of In The Flat Field in track order. It was a gig to remember and one that makes me wonder why Murphy hasn’t toured more in recent years.

Desert Mountain Tribe

Supporting Peter Murphy was Desert Mountain Tribe who were a big surprise. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a band for the first time at a gig and wanted to run straight off and buy their stuff. Desert Mountain Tribe did this for me and it was great to hear a band that is obviously influenced by the likes of Bauhaus and Jesus and Mary Chain but who are still releasing albums. Highlights of their gig include “Leave It Behind” where Peter Murphy joined them on stage for vocals and their final and most epic track, “The King”.

I really rated their lead singer’s voice. Jonty Balls has a kind of warbling wail which probably doesn’t sound all that flattering now that I’ve written it down but he reminded me a lot of Nymph’s Inger Lorre and I definitely want to hear more from this band.

Peter Murphy featuring David J

No matter how much I enjoyed Desert Mountain Tribe, we were there for Peter Murphy and David J.

Within seconds of “Dark Entries” starting, I knew that I’d severely underestimated how good the night was going to be. Everything from the perfect drum beats to the reverberating guitars was album-perfect yet undeniably live and Peter Murphy’s incredible vocals had command of the entire venue. In The Flat Field has some of my favourite tracks on, so naturally I was in raptures during “Double Dare” and “In the Flat Field”. I have to stress again how superb the drums were. The drums were one of the first things I noticed (and loved) about Bauhaus and Marc Slutsky did a brilliant job of delivering those beats.

The next five tracks of In The Flat Field were up next as the band played the album in track order. I was beginning to wonder if this gig could get any better when Pete absolutely blew us away with “Stigmata Martyr”. What a freaking brilliant performance. It’s one thing to love a band the whole of your adult life (and half of your teenage years) but something else entirely to see a track played live like that with such conviction and mastery 40 years after it was recorded.

After taking a short break on completion of the In The Flat Field set, Murphy was back to perform some of the biggest Bauhaus tracks of all time. Track after track, I was blown away by his performance on songs I never thought I’d have the chance to see live. After bringing the roof down on “Silent Hedges”, which Murphy dedicated to Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins, the band broke into “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”. I’m trying to think of something intelligent to say about this performance but I just can’t do it. I felt like I was there, on the very day when Bela left this earth, marking the passing of one of the true greats. It was a pretty cathartic experience.

And just when I was having an inner tug-of-war, trying to figure out which was the better performance, “Stigmata Martyr” or “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, the game changed completely when the band played  “She’s in Parties”. This was the very first Bauhaus track I taped from the radio, the very first track that a curious 15-year-old discovered that started my love of all things Goth. This track was everything and seeing it live will have to go down as one of the best moments I’ve ever had at a concert.

And still the band played on and still the performance got better and better. Highlights include “The Passion of Lovers” and the band coming back for their first encore with a cover of the brilliant Dead Can Dance track “Severance”. I was thrilled that Murphy would pay homage to one of the other greats of the Gothic music scene.

Then there was the final encore and how utterly transcendent it was. Peter Murphy, David J, Marc Slutsky and Mark Gemini Thwaite absolutely killed it with “Telegram Sam” and “Ziggy Stardust”, two of their greatest and most successful covers.

This year has been an incredible year with gigs like Arcade Fire at Wembley Arena, Nick Cave at All Points East and Elbow at the O2 but I reckon this was the best gig of the year if not one of the best I’ve ever been to. Peter Murphy is incredible and I am grateful that this teenager who only discovered Bauhaus long after they’d broken up finally got to see them.

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Arcade Fire at the Wembley Arena, 12 April 2018

How do you describe a concert when it is the realisation of years of yearning and months of anticipation? I waited to see Arcade Fire in concert for the longest time and was ecstatic when I got tickets for the gig at Wembley Arena on 12 April 2018. It was certainly worth the wait as Arcade Fire exceeded all expectations and delivered one of the best performances I have ever seen live.

The Arrival

The concert begins at exactly 8.45pm as Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven” rings out over the arena. It soon cuts to “Everything Now (Continued)” as the band make their way to the stage, punching and posing while their heavyweight boxing stats are broadcast on the massive screens above the stage. Spoiler: they are all winners and they never, ever lose.

Finally they are there and they are larger than life and it is time for the night to begin. With a setlist in excess of twenty tracks, it is to be expected that the band is short of time but even so, it feels like they rush through “Everything Now”, “Rebellion (Lies)” and “Here Comes the Night Time”.

I’m relieved when the band takes a breath and Win introduces “Haïti”. Incidentally, I can’t be certain but I think that after explaining the reason behind the song, Win said something along the lines of how the audience at Wembley probably wouldn’t care about that. It’s probably worth mentioning that the British public raised £107m for Haïti so we definitely do care. Nevertheless, “Haïti” is a beautiful track and listening to it live, I almost feel like I’m beside the sea in Port-au-Prince. It’s the first time I really notice how beautiful Régine Chassagne’s vocals are live and so marks the beginning a rather enduring girl crush.

Hitting Their Stride

From this point on, the band really hit their stride and they begin to deliver hit after hit, starting with fan favourite “No Cars Go”. Next up is a pair of my favourites from Everything Now, “Electric Blue” and “Put Your Money On Me” followed by “Crown of Love”.

This is the point where the concert becomes sublime. I’m standing there, singing along to “Ocean of Noise” and “Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)” at the top of my lungs, with tears in my eyes, thinking this can’t get any better and then it does.

The Pinnacle

At the end of the evening when my friends and I try to pinpoint the pinnacle of the evening, it will be the next three songs that we unanimously agree upon. It all begins with “The Suburbs”, to roars of jubilation from the crowd. The band takes a minor breather next, with “The Suburbs (Continued)” but I know exactly which track is up next and I’m jumping in the air, chanting the opening chords and then it is there: “Ready To Start”. Hands are in the air, the lights are going crazy and it is one of the most incredible concert moments I have ever experienced.

Then Régine is standing up, moving away from the drum set and my friend knows what is coming next and I can only hope against hope that he is right. Of course he is. It is “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” my favourite of all of Arcade Fire’s songs and a song that even my family knows the words off by heart to because I cannot resist singing along to it every time I hear it. Hearing it live is absolutely incredible.

My love for Arcade Fire is relatively new, starting only in 2013 with Reflektor and up next are two of the tracks that started it all, “Reflektor” and “Afterlife”. By this time the crowd is in a frenzy, basking in the glow of a fabulous performance, egged on by the frenetic antics of William Butler and the other mad scientists on stage.

Everything goes up in flames on the screens above the stage and as words begin to emerge, I know what is coming next. “Creature Comfort” has never felt so real and is followed by “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” and suddenly the band is gone.

The Encore

Sometimes a band will return from an encore and calmly play a couple of their best tracks before disappearing into the night. Arcade Fire’s encore is not like that. In fact, it is pretty mind-blowing. They burst back onto stage with “We Don’t Deserve Love” from their latest album and then things get interesting.

I look up on the stage and standing there is none other than Jarvis Cocker. I don’t know why I expect him to duet with Win on an Arcade Fire track but suddenly he’s singing “Cunts Are Still Running the World” and I’m having a moment. It’s the first time I’ve seen him live since Pulp’s surprise performance at Glastonbury in 1995 and it is glorious. And how relevant are those lyrics?

Arcade Fire welcome back the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, their support act for the evening, and they perform “Everything Now (Continued)” before launching into a barnstorming performance of “Wake Up”.

And all of a sudden, it really is over. The lights go off and both bands exit the stage to a rendition of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” and the crowd is just standing there, not wanting it to end, as twenty or so performers inch painstakingly through the crowd towards the back exit. I’m stunned, be be quite frank, and know that whatever I do, I have to see Arcade Fire in concert again.

I’d Like to Make a Complaint

… but before I do, I need to mention how fantastic the production was at this concert. The lights were spectacular and the location of the stage in the middle of the arena meant that everyone had a decent view, no matter where they were. The giant screens gave a brilliant view of the action on stage, as well as several close ups of my beloved Régine.

But now to my complaint. Arcade Fire did not play four of my favourite tracks and that just makes me sad. “Body Is A Cage”, “We Exist”, “Intervention” and “You Already Know” were glaring omissions and so I will endeavour to catch each of those tracks live at least once in my life before I die. Arcade Fire, ladies and gentlemen.

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Reviewed: Distant Sky: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live in Copenhagen (2018)

“Welcome to the Revivalist Church of the Bad Seeds, featuring none other than the Reverend Nick Cave himself”. That was the thought that flashed through my mind as I watched Cave lower himself into the crowd during his recent Skeleton Tree tour and place the hands of his adoring audience upon his chest. “Boom, boom boom”, he said, “can you feel my heartbeat?” He welcomed them, embraced them, took them into his inner sanctum in a cathartic, evangelical extravaganza. I knew then that experiencing this just once in a lifetime isn’t enough.

Cave was larger than life that night (and on the whole of the Skeleton Tree tour) and it seems only fitting that he should bestow on his adoring fans a live film and the chance to see it all over again. 

Distant Sky
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Live in Copenhagen

Recorded live in Copenhagen and directed by award winning filmmaker David Barnard, Distant Sky captures the entire concert at the Royal Arena in October 2017. It showcases the highs and emotions of the powerful Skeleton Tree tour that saw Nick Cave touring with the Bad Seeds for the first time in three years.

The cinematography and sound are superior in this production and sitting there watching a screening of the film was almost as good as being at the concert itself. If you have the chance, you need to see Distant Sky on the big screen. I have it on good authority too that I wasn’t the only viewer narrowly avoiding standing up and dancing at times.

The thing about a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds concert is this: it’s almost impossible to cast your eyes anywhere other than in the direction of the man himself for he is utterly captivating. That is why Distant Sky is such a superb production; it gives fans a chance to see the mastery and talent that the Bad Seeds possess, to appreciate the sorcery that they wield to bring the music to life. They give everything to the music and nowhere was that as evident than at the end of “Jubilee Street” when the song descends into brilliant mayhem and the Bad Seeds visibly need to take a breath once it was all done.

It was also moving to see the respect and consideration that the band have for Cave, the way they recognise his grief in tracks like “Girl in Amber” and handle it like it is a precious thing. For it is.

It would be impossible (and utterly unnecessary) to list all of the highlights in an enthralling and spectacular performance but I loved “Higgs Boson Blues” (with the aforementioned hands on heart moment), “Jubilee Street” and the unexpectedly low key yet utterly defiant rendition of “Mercy Seat”. The entire encore was notable from the moment Cave conjured from the audience synchronised hand clapping during “Weeping Song” to him inviting perhaps the biggest stage invasion of any concert tour ever during “Stagger Lee” to the scenes of fans bewildered and overwhelmed during the final song of the evening, “Push The Sky Away”.

Nick Cave gave a raw, almost desperate performance, ever confident in his swagger but equally concerned with whether the crowd was receiving his message and accepting the blessing he was bestowing on him. The message is this, there is possibly no other band as masterful as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Cave will face adversity and deliver music that will move and destroy his audience. Fans should rush to see this magnificent film.

Distant Sky - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Live in Copenhagen will be screened for one night only in cinemas worldwide on 12 April 2018. Visit the Distant Sky website to find your nearest screening and be sure to book ahead.

Will fans be able to own a copy of the film for themselves? There is no word yet of a Blu-ray or DVD release of the film yet but I can only image that the demand will be very high for it.

Trailer

DVD Update

Fans have been asking for years when Live in Copenhagen will come out on DVD. We don't have an answer yet but as a Christmas gift to his followers in December 2019, Nick Cave made the whole concert available on YouTube.

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Elbow at The O2, 7 March 2018

Elbow played at the O2 arena last night on the final date in their 2018 Arena Tour of the UK, Netherlands and Belgium. The O2 might be one of the biggest arenas in London but somehow Elbow managed to deliver a gig that seemed intimate and quite personal.

And it is personal, to me. My love affair with Elbow began almost 10 years ago when they released “Grounds for Divorce” from The Seldom Seen Kid. It became one of my favourite songs of all time and after feverishly playing it on repeat for several weeks, I purchase the album only to discover that it was full of absolute gems and easily one of the best albums of the decade.

Despite them becoming one of my favourite bands, I somehow missed out on seeing Elbow live. While the rest of the crowd went to see The Killers at BST in Hyde Park last July, I was definitely there to see Elbow but even so, I was blown away by their live performance. This bands knows how to perform and to somehow connect with each person in the crowd no matter how big that crowd might be. They are born for stadiums, arenas and festivals. They even managed to win over my seldom-impressed and musically-stunted husband which is a very rare feat indeed.

Elbow at The O2

The O2 might not be my favourite venue, in fact it is firmly my worst, but we didn’t hesitate to get tickets when we heard Elbow was playing there. The tour was a greatest hits tour of sorts to promote the band’s Best Of album, a peace offering to fans to tide us by as they head back into the studio again this year.

And it was absolutely marvellous. Guy Garvey isn’t the type to stand up in front of an audience and simply sing a couple of tracks before wandering off stage. Throughout the gig, he told us the story behind the tracks from the George W Bush-inspired “Leaders of the Free World” (now surprisingly relevant again) to falsely believing the Dust Bowl occurred near Texas in “Fugitive Motel” to introducing us to the wonderful world of Dennis and Lois in “New York Morning”. I loved Elbow before this gig, there just aren’t any words to explain how I feel about them now.

It all started off with The Seldom Seen Kid and “The Bones of You”, “Grounds for Divorce” and “One Day Like This” were always going to be the highlights of the evening for me but this was a gig that changed everything, that made me want to listen to the albums I hadn’t picked up before, to devour everything Elbow and to discover everything there is to know about them. I loved “Leaders of the Free World” and “Fugitive Motel”, felt goose bumps everywhere during “Magnificent (She Says)” and was quite transfixed during “Kindling (Fickle Flame)” which Guy Garvey sang as a duet with John Grant. I cannot wait to see what 2018 delivers in terms of new Elbow material.

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Leftfield at O2 Brixton Academy, 12 May 2017

What is the longest time you've ever waited to see a band in concert? For me, it is almost 22 years. We were meant to see Leftfield at Glastonbury 1995 but they didn’t pitch up that year and neither did Stones Roses. As the years went on, it was just one of those bands that I thought I’d never see.

I never stopped loving them. Leftism is one of those albums that I’ve played over and over again on repeat for years and the album was somewhat of a soundtrack for an entire generation during the 90s.

When I heard that Leftfield were playing Leftism in its entirety to mark 22 years since its release, I didn’t hesitate for one second to buy tickets for my brother and I. Anniversary and revival gigs are somewhat of a risk, especially seeing as Neil Barnes was performing without Paul Daley (but with his blessing) but I was willing to take the risk.

Should I have worried? Absolutely not.

It is the best gig I have ever been to.

The gig was absolutely thrilling, so much so that I couldn’t form complete sentences afterwards, resorting to simply adopting a dazed visage and repeating that it was “so good” again and again to my brother. Other people on the tube weren’t faring much better and one popular opinion was that everyone had experienced a mass acid flashback during “Song of Life” but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go right back to the beginning.

The format for the gig was simple. One album, all the tracks in order and no encore. I initially wondered if they would bulk up the setlist with B-sides like Pixies did with Doolittle in 2009 but instead we were treated to extended versions of all eleven tracks and a sound and light show that was out of this world. If anything was going to ignite my nostalgia for a decade of raving, this was it.

It’s nearly impossible to pick out my favourites from the evening. The entire gig was sublime and perfect. We loved that there were live performances of the vocals and I was especially impressed with the vocalist for “Afro Left”. “Song of Life” and “Space Shanty” were absolutely storming and I’m pretty sure I experienced synaesthesia during “Black Flute”.

We were really impressed with the vocalist for “Original”. They’re not easy vocals to get right but she did a pretty good job. I was slightly disappointed that John Lydon didn’t bounce out on stage and regale us with “Open Up” but given his distinctive voice, I’m glad that they decided to play his recorded vocals and that another artist didn’t try cover it, because that would definitely not have worked. During the track, the footage from the original video was played and that was quite cool.

My only complaint from the evening, and I’m afraid it’s quite a significant one, is why the hell didn’t I have tickets for the second gig on the 13th May? That was a huge failure on my part and a lesson learned through hardship. They’ve seen what a huge success the evening was and I can only hope that Leftfield will consider doing this again for the 25th anniversary. And maybe every single year thereafter.

It was so good.

Leftfield Setlist, O2 Brixton Academy, 12 May 2017

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