James concluded their 2023 live activity with their most intimate London show in years headlining Absolute Radio's 15th Birthday celebrations at Shepherd's Bush Empire. A hit-heavy set with a few curveballs for the hardcore fans saw them sign off the year in celebratory mood whilst still finding new ways to twist and turn old classics. Support came from The Snuts.
As they approach their 30th anniversary, and a new album, Shed Seven hit the road, with this tour serving as both a preview of the new and a celebration of the old. They've asked The Slow Readers Club along as special guests.
James returned to Bath for the first of two shows rescheduled from their May tour with Orca 22 conducted by Joe Duddell and The Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir. A two-set performance captured songs all the way from their beginnings in the 1980s through to their last album All The Colours Of You, stopping at most bases in between. With perfect sound allowing all the subtlety in the instrumentation and vocal interactions to be heard, they built slowly into a crescendo of some of their best loved songs at the end.
Naked Lungs, a ferocious four piece post-punk noise band from Ireland, rolled into the Toon on Sunday evening and left a lasting impression in more ways than one.
Johnny Marr is currently in the midst of a Summer tour that’s seeing him play a combination of festivals and independent venues across the UK and Europe. One of the hardest working musicians on the scene, the legendary guitarist and solo artist kickstarted the week with a euphoric set at the Cheese and Grain in Frome - and we were delighted to be there.
Stuart Ralston made the short trip down the road to Dunfermline as Inspiral Carpets continue their renaissance.
Morrissey's UK tour arrived in Leeds on Wednesday night for the biggest show of the tour at Millennium Square supported by The Slow Readers Club and The Lottery Winners. Stuart Ralston travelled to Leeds for the evening and was completely blown away.
Blossoms returned to the scene of their triumphant 2017 headline show at Castlefield Bowl that saw out the end of the era of their debut album for the first of two huge shows to mark the end of the Ribbon Around The Bomb era, their fourth album and third number one. Support came from old friends Inspiral Carpets and rising star Seb Lowe.
James headed to Leicester's De Montfort Hall on Tuesday night with Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir for a sold-out warm-up show for their date at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre show at the Acropolis in Greece next week. Their set covered most of their career from their days on Sire in the 1980s right through to a brand new song written for their Be Opened By The Wonderful orchestrated album that came out last month.
Five years after Fontaines D.C. played a barnstorming set on the very same stage the songwriter of his generation Grian Chatten returned to perform tracks from his stunning debut solo album Chaos For The Fly. Jason Wynne reports back from the Piccadilly Records out-store at Night And Day Cafe on Sunday evening.
James headed to the seaside on Friday night for a sold out show with Orca 22 orchestra and Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir. With Tim suffering with a cold a few adjustments had to be made, but these became happy accidents that gave new life and takes on some of the songs they'd been playing on the tour. A rich mix of hit singles and more obscure selections from their forty year back catalogue delighted an attentive audience that also sought to participate where possible.
Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? is the new single from James Holt. A song about looking back at a past love and wondering whether they still think about them, it's his most accessible single to date whilst retaining the rich detail and lyrical openness in the storytelling of his previous releases.
