Guilfest - Stoke Park, Guildford - 5th July 2026

I'd never been to a music festival before and, frankly, I think the images of Glastonbury look horrendous, but I thought I'd try one and bought a ticket for my local festival, Guilfest.

This is a mainly 'retro' festival, featuring acts from the '80s and '90s prominently, along with local acts, even a comedy and a literary tent (neither of which I found time to visit).It's a two day event, but I only bought a ticket for one day, opting for the Sunday.

I've always felt that festivals might offer an unsatisfactory compromise. Yes, you get the opportunity to see a lot of acts, but the sets are often truncated and, with multple stages, you run the risk of having clashing acts you'd like to see.

To that end, I made note of the acts I thought I'd like to see along with, in some cases, alternatives for the same slot, in case an act proved to be a disappointment.

Most of these acts were on the main or second stages and were easily walkable in a few minutes.

The car park, by contrast was quite a way away, but I did return to my car at one point as I left food and drink there, under the impression you weren't allowed to bring these in, although I did see some people having a full on picnic at one point!

I arrived about 11:30 (gates opened at 11) and had no trouble driving in, parking or exchanging my ticket for a wristband (although I read reports of all those taking a long time later in the day).

I wandered around the site for the first half hour, taking in a drum band, the food and merchandise stands and checking out where the various stages were. The two main stages are actually that, while the others were tents with a raised area.

I started my day listening to the Farncombe Jazz Choir (the earliest acts on Sunday were all choirs, but not religious ones) and they were very good, performing acapella, harmonised renditions of pop songs. Some I recognised, some I didn't, but they were eclectic, including Nora Jones and Linkin Park!

I'd enjoyed that, although, I did pop to the next tent for a few minutes mid-set to listen to a loud rock band (I think they were called 'Louder', but they weren't on the programme, so presumably stood in for someone). They were OK for that kind of music, but I felt a but too 'Louder' for first thing on a Sunday!

The first main stage act I went to see was Henge - I knew they were weird, but I'd heard positive things and, for sure, they fitted the first part.

Two of them came on as aliens, with heavy and, far too hot for the day, looking rubber heads, while the lead singer had a hat with a glass globe that lit up at times.

I stayed for a couple of songs, but they were a bit too weird for me...

So, I wandered over to the second stage, where The Ogretones were just starting as I arrived. I knew they were a band who play tunes from the soundtracks to the Shrek movies, so they had a great selection of tracks to pick from and they were a lot of fun.

They started with the Buzzcocks' 'Ever Fallen In Love' and rattled through a selection of lively versions of famous songs (including a very lively "Livin' La Vida Loca", ending on "I'm a Believer" - Maybe a bit of a wedding band setlist, but they played them well, both 'Shrek' and 'Princess Fiona' had good voices and everyone seemed to have a great time - A good start.

I'll keep an eye out for them playing locally as I imagine a full set is great fun.

I made my way back to the Main Stage for The South - Mandy and I had seen a version of this band (formed from previous members of The Beautiful South, although very much 'in part' these days, since original singer Dave Hemmingway left) some years ago and, of course, performing Beautiful South songs, they have a great catalogue to choose from.

Only Alison Wheeler remains from the original Beautiful South lineup and she was a very late front woman of the band, joining after the wonderful Jacqui Abbot left.

That said, they put on a good set, playing the best known hits for 30 minutes.

Songs such as Rotterdam, Old Red Eyes and Don't Marry Her... featured and it was a good performance by the 9 piece, although Gaz Birtles, who takes the male lead doesn't have the distinctive voice of Paul Heaton.

They are good, but they do sound like a tribute act and if you can see Paul Heaton perform these songs, you probably should (Sadly Jacqui doesn't tour with him anymore, that was the dream ticket for me). .

Next on my list was T'Pau. I must say I've never really been a fan and after the first couple of songs, which I didn't recognise and didn't particularly wow me, I wandered off to listen to a local singer Kate Flanders in the Acoustic stage. She was quite good, but I didn't stay a long time and returned to the main stage where I did hear some T'Pau songs I knew, including "Heart and Soul".

Of course, they finished with their trademark "China In Your Hand" and, while I wouldn't say I'm now a fan, Carol Decker's voice is still remarkably strong. I was impressed.

Heather Small was up next and I found her set a bit perplexing.

Everyone else had a band up on stage, but Heather was all alone and performed to a backing track.

If she was singing live, she sounded good (assuming you like her distinctive voice - I do), but the way the set was performed did leave me wondering how much of the sound was coming from her. Maybe I watch too much of the 'Wings Of Pegasus' channel where Fil exposes miming and autotuned live performances by artists.

I did enjoy her set, but I had this nagging feeling that maybe I was watching a live 'Top Of The Pops' performance.

Assuming I'm wrong, and I will do so, she has a strong voice still and is in remarkable shape for a 61 year old woman (she made the point about her age, before anyone takes offence at me mentioning it).

Next up was probably the act I was most anticipating.

I liked Haircut 100's album when it was released and always felt they were a lost opportunity, if, at the time, crazily over-hyped, so I was intrigued to see they had reformed with the original lineup and were performing. Their presence on Sunday at Guilfest was a big part of me choosing this day (ABC were on Saturday and I'm still a big fan and I have seen Martin Fry a few times, but I still nearly chose Saturday).

Sadly, this was when the electrical gremlins began. Up until now, acts had arrived and left the stages on schedule, but when 5PM rolled around, while we got glimpses of Nick Heyward behind the stage, there was no sign of the band and lots of frantic activiy on stage.

When they did take to the stage it was clear the problems weren't solved as none of the band could hear themselves through their earpieces. This went on for a substantial amount of time, Nick even suggested they route the sound through the onstage monitors, but to no avail.

Finally, the problem was resolved, but it meant we got about 20 minutes, instead of the 40 we expected!

That was shame, because the few songs (all the hits), they did play sounded tight and energetic, just like they had 40+ years ago.

It was a real shame that their set was cut short as even as it was it was a highlight for me.

Next up I'd planned to spend a few minutes watch Kid Creole and the Coconuts for a few minutes before heading over to see Hugh Cornwell. I'd been to a couple of Kid Creole concerts in the 1980s and they were great, more like a party than a gig!

Sadly, the gremlins continued (apparently they started 20 minutes late too!) and I headed over to the second stage for Hugh Cornwell.

Disappointingly, he was the one act I didn't really enjoy much.

He played a lot of post-Stranglers material, which is his perogative, but I didn't enjoy what I heard very much, being rather turgid and repetitive.

Worse still, the Stranglers tracks I heard seemed to lack punch and energy.

I stayed for a few songs and then headed back over to the main stage and caught the end of Kid Creole and the Coconuts.

Back in the day, there was never any lack of energy on stage, but a lot of that seemed to be missing in the time I watched, although August Darnell still sounded much the same (wearing a pink suit and his trademark hat today), but perhaps that's to be expected. I checked Google a few years ago, to see if he was still alive, let alone performing!

Perhaps the rest of the set was livelier and there's a problem with the festival concept - You may miss a great set while you're watching a disappointing one.

I planned to end my day back at the second stage, as Neville Staple's 'The Specials' were performing.

By now I was very hot and had a problem with my eye, so I settled down in some shade near the stage, where I could hear the band, but not see the stage through the crowd in front of it.

They played a selection of Specials' songs (and one or two Fun Boy Three ones, I think) and sounded very good.

Sadly, I had to cut my visit short before I could see The Bootleg Beatles as I'd got something in my eye earlier in the day and, despite the people in the first aid tent rinsing it with saline, I was struggling to be able to keep it open for more than a minute or two and I worried this would be a problem driving home. I understand they were very good - I wasn't too bothered about missing The Proclaimers, but, who knows, they may have been brilliant!

So, am I a festival convert? No.

I did quite enjoy the novelty of the event and you can certainly take in a lot of different genres and acts at Guilfest, but the concern I had about short sets proved to be right and I doubt I'd ever bother going to another.

It was a very hot day, there weren't enough standpipes to prevent long queues to get water (Although how some people can take SO long to fill a 500Ml water bottle is beyond me!). The hot weather seemed to play havoc with the sound equipment in the afternoon on both the main stages, too, with Haircut 100's session being cut short and Kid Creole starting 20 minutes late, as examples.

Perhaps the problem with my eye soured my experience somewhat, too, but I'll tick the 'festival' experience off and stick to regular gigs in future, I think.

This brought to an end a very busy few wekeends of gigs, but I still had some more planned, so it was time to take a metaphorical breath.

Belle & Sebastian (and St Etienne) - On The Mount, Wasing Estate, Aldermaston - 28th June 2026

I was supposed to see Belle and Sebastian in 2022, but they cancelled that tour due to COVID restrictions and the one venue they didn't rebook was Southampton Guildhall, so it never happened. I toyed with the idea of going to see them at the Royal Albert Hall, but the idea of sitting down for the gig didn't appeal, so that opportunity passed and then I saw they were playing "On The Mount" in Aldermaston, which is a 30ish minute drive away. I bought a ticket.

As the date drew nearer I was delighted to find out that St Etienne were the support act as I'd enjoyed seeing them 10 years ago in London, but had decided not to see them on their 'final UK tour' as I'd made a self-imposed rule not to pay to see people I'd seen before again this year.

I was a little less delighted to find out I had to pay an extra £16.50 to park there (in a field as it turned out!) and then to see all the tickets discounted by 30% closer to the event. If I ever see tickets for this venue again, I shall definitely hold off booking until closer to the date.

Still, with a chance to see St Etienne again and, finally, Belle and Sebastian, I was stil fairly content.

I arrived in the field about 5:30 and parked quite close to the entry. After a (second) ticket check, I followed a long path, lit by small lights strung in the trees (it was still light on my arrival, but not when I left), through the woods for around half a mile before reaching a clearing.

To my left was a rise to the 'VIP' area (they were a long way from from the stage, but there was an enclosure for them up by the right hand side of the stage as well, for those who wanted to get closer), ahead a large bar and then down a slope to my right a large grass area, with a temporary stage before the land rose again beyond it (access beyond the stage was out of bounds, though).

I settled down on the grass, as most people had, and waited, grabbing a quick beer while I did. Beer was all in cans, but I got a decent IPA for pub prices, so I can't say it was unreasonable (unlike O2 venues!).

At around 7:45, St Etienne appeared on the stage.

Sarah Cracknell looked a bit less youthful than I recalled 10 years ago (I'm 100% sure I do, too!), but her voice sounded much the same.

The men behind the synths and 'Debsy' looked much the same, if a little older.

They performed a 45 minute set to a warm reception, mostly playing their hits, starting with "Nothing Can Stop Us", "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Pale Movie".

They included a couple of tracks from more recent albums, including their most recent from last year, which had a generally good reception.

"Spring", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "He's On The Phone" were other hits included in the set, but I particularly enjoyed "Shower Scene".

Overall, they were great again. Sarah's voice sounded as good as ever (although I recall someone once describing her as 'comically flat' in a review), while Debsy provided good support and the drummer and guitarist filled out the synths and I was glad to have seen them, it would seem, one last time.

I posted on Facebook that it was a brave band to book St Etienne as a support act, so I wondered whether Belle and Sebastian were up to it.

Around 8:30, a film started to play on the huge screen behind the stage.

This was the woman who featured on the cover of the album 'If You're Feeling Sinister', which was their second album and formed the first half of the set tonight.

Throughout 2026, they've been playing sets including this album or "Tigermilk", their first.

Somehow, despite acquiring most of their albums, "If You're Feeling Sinister" was the one I'd missed and, while I'd bought it recently, I hadn't listened to it a great deal, so I wasn't that familiar with some of the songs.

I'll be honest, my impression of Belle and Sebastian, from their albums was that they're a quirky (There are 9 members, two of which play orchestral instruments much of the time - A Cello and a Violin) and rather whimsical band. I primarily expected a gentle, mellow performance, although I did recall reading a review where someone mentioned that a more recent album was more energetic and 'dance-focussed, much like their live performances', so I wasn't sure what to expect.

As it turned out, that review was spot on.

They played "If You're Feeling Sinister" through from start to finish, kicking off with the lively "The Stars of Track and Field", which I did know. Stuart Murdoch, the front man, sounded exactly like he does on record, but overall, the performance was far livelier, upbeat and punchier than most of their recordings suggest.

They moved through the album, with "Me and the Major", "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" (apparently written about not really knowing how they'd survive the 'rock and roll' world as a 9 piece - Seems they've managed it as the majority of the line-up remains unchanged, 30 years later!), the title track and "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" standing out to me, but all of them sounding good.

The sound mix was excellent, with Stuart's vocals riding above the instruments - I'd go as far as to say I heard lyrics on the night that I'd missed on recordings!

Once the album was played, Stuart explained they'd take a quick break and warned us not to go far. I made it to the loo and back, just as they returned to the stage, so I'm sure some people were either there or still at the bar, although from either location you could hear the band anyway.

For me, the gig really came alive with the second section 'fan favourites'. Stuart quipped that the pressure was off once the album was played,  but it really felt as if they, and the audience,  had breathed out during the interval and threw themselves into the second part with relaxed enthusiasm.

They started with the slightly sinister "Sukie in the Graveyard", which really got the crowd dancing.

"Lord Anthony" isn't a favourite of mine, but it sounded pretty good and "Step Into My Office, Baby" that follows is and that sounded great!

The song that introduced me to the band was next. I heard "Boy With The Arab Strap" at a gig, playing before the band (I don't recall who, now) took the stage. I'd seen the album in record shops (remember those?), but never been interested enough to search it out and until I heard the song. After that, I rapidly acquired most of their back catalogue!

The performance was lively, pounding and energetic, the fun factor multiplied by Stuart bringing 30 or so members of the audience onto the, already quite busy with 9 musicians, stage to dance along!

They finished out the set with "I Didn't See It Coming", which I didn't recognise, but did enjoy and then they returned for one more song "Lazy Line Painter Jane" before, at 10:20, finishing the set.

Throughout Stuart had quipped and chatted easily to and with the audience and 'interviewed' a few of the crowd on stage between 'Boy...' and 'I Didn't...'

Overall, I loved the gig.

I found their live performance far more engaging and enjoyable than I'd half-expected and I would say it's, so far, a candidate for most enjoyable gig of the year.

I'm sure I'd have enjoyed "Tigermilk" slightly more as the full album, because I knew it better (interestingly I see "If You're Feeling Sinister" barely made an impression on release, only reaching 191 in the album charts!), and there were plenty of tracks I would have chosen to hear as a full 'fan favourite' setlist, but the tour is geared around the performance of one of the albums in full and then a selection of the 'hits' (did they really have any single success? Quick check: Not really, a handful of top 20s, they're very much an album band, hence their relatively low profile, I suspect).

As I sat in the chaos of the car park trying to leave (somehow I managed to be one of the very last cars out, despite beating most people back to my car!), I browsed to see if there were any more UK gigs I could easily get to.

It was that good that I immediately wanted to relive it!

If you're already a fan, you'll know how good they are. If, like me, your experience of Belle and Sebastian is solely via their recordings, treat yourself and go see them live, they will change your perception and, almost certainly, for the better!

Not this year, but in future I will try and see them again.

Finally, a note on the venue. Acoustically, it was great and the drinks were not unreasonably priced. However, I felt the car parking was massively overpriced, especially considering the chaotic exit (It took me 30 minutes to reach the road!) and it was disappointing to see tickets being offered a big reduction a few weeks before the event (some locals, apparently, got free tickets - Stuart quipping that they weren't exactly Metallica, likely to disturb the peace! - but that is more understandable). I might return if there are acts there I'd like to see again, but I would definitely wait until closer to the day (There was a ticket office open when I arrived and looking around, while it was busy by the time Belle and Sebastian came on, I'd doubt it was sold out) and see if I could make a significant saving.

St Etienne Setlist:
Nothing Can Stop Us
Who Do You Think You Are
Pale Movie
Like a Motorway
Spring
Glad
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Shower Scene
Tonight
He's on the Phone
7 Ways to Love

Belle And Sebastian Setlist:
If You're Feeling Sinister
The Stars of Track and Field
Seeing Other People
Me and the Major
Like Dylan in the Movies
The Fox in the Snow
Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying
If You're Feeling Sinister
Mayfly
The Boy Done Wrong Again
Judy and the Dream of Horses
Fan Favourites
Sukie in the Graveyard
Lord Anthony
Step Into My Office, Baby
The Boy With the Arab Strap
I Didn't See It Coming
Encore:
Lazy Line Painter Jane

Deacon Blue (and The Lightning Seeds) - Guildhall Square, Southampton - 27th June 2026

I'd considered going to see Deacon Blue many times, but never quite got around to it before for one reason or another.

I liked their early material, but they were more a favourite of my wife's even then, although (unlike some), one I could enjoy as well.

In 2026, I decided to make a point of not going to see people I'd seen before and, instead seeing some acts I hadn't, when I saw Deacon Blue were playing in the Guildhall Square, Southampton, as part of the Summer Sessions, I (after a bit of prevarication, I'll concede) bit the bullet and bought a ticket (my wife thought about it, but isn't a fan of live music).

June 2026 saw a near 40C heatwave and I'm sure I wasn't alone in worrying that it might be intolerable to stand in the sun for 3-4 hours, but as it turned out, it was a lovely, warm evening that saw me standing with my back to the Guildhall entrance and facing the temporary stage.

I arrived a little early and was on of the first 100 or so people in, so I made my way close to the stage.

On that stage were two drumkits, one shrouded at the back and another, in front of it, marked The Lightning Seeds.

I've never been a huge fan of them, but I don't actively dislike them, either, so I figured they'd be worth a listen to. Clearly some people around me were quite excited by their appearance.

Around 7:00, 5 people, a young man and woman (definitely not original members of the band) and 3 older men, one who I recognised as the lead singer of the band.

Not having really ever followed them, I didn't know many of their songs, but their sound was definitely familiar and the lead singer's voice seemed quite unchanged from the height of their career.

They did play a few songs I knew, Lucky You, Life Of Riley and Pure and they sounded pretty true to the originals.

They also played their iconic football chant "Three Lions" to the delight of most of the crowd, although I consider it best forgotten (as if there's any chance of that, with every football fan shouting "It's coming home, It's coming home..." whenever England play).

Overall, though, they sounded pretty good and, while I can't say I'd rush to see them again, if you did like them, you'd probably enjoy them still. They can certainly still perform.

We had the usual on stage antics next, as the 'Seeds equipment was shuttled off the stage and Deacon Blue's was unveiled and arranged.

With little fanfare, the band appeared around 8:00.

As they started to play some near me said "That's Rock The Boat, isn't it?" and, sure enough, they started with a chorus or two of the Hues Corporation hit, before transitioning into a song I didn't know, "Late '88".

Next up was a song I did, "Queen of the New Year" follwowed by "Wages Day" - Both sounded good. Ricky's voice sounded strong, although, for me, the snare drum was far too prominent in the sound mix (there I go sounding like I know all about music, but it was clear that whenever the drummer hit it, it dominated).

Lorraine, I have to admit, was someone who I tended to discount a bit in the past as a bit of a hanger on, but it was obvious from these songs that she contributes quite a lot to the overall sound of Deacon Blue and she's stil pretty energetic on stage.

The drummer and guitarist are original members, but the bass guitarist and keyboards man were not and before "The Great Western Road" Ricky paid homage to James Prime, their former keyboard player, who died in 2025.

The set was a mix of early "Raintown" (although, bizarrely and disappointingly for me, that wasn't played) hits and later songs, most of which I didn't recognise.

"The Believers" and "People Come First" stick in my mind from the latter group.

Of course, the most popular songs were the early hits, with "Real Gone Kid", "Dignity" and "Fergus Sings the Blues" forming the crescendo of the set, although they, surprisingly to me, finished on "That's What We Can Do", which I'd never heard and finally "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", which wasn't exactly a disappointment, but did feel like a bit of anti-climax to me.

Overall, though, they put on a good show and still sound pretty good for a band that have been touring and playing together in, more or less, their original line-up for 40 years.

If I'm honest, I doubt I'll go and see them again (I rarely see bands more than once, anyway), but if you've ever thought you might fancy going along to one of their gigs, I would recommend it on the strength of this one.

P.S. One unusual thing about this gig was that it was 'signed' throughout both sets. Two women took turns to sign, not only the lyrics, but also the instrumental parts! Very impressive and at times I watched them to see what they were doing, rather than the act on stage!

Setlist:
Excerpt of Rock the Boat (Hues Corporation cover)
Late '88
Queen of the New Year
Wages Day
Much too close to love
Loaded
Your Swaying Arms
People Come First
Chocolate Girl
City of Love
Bethlehem's Gate
Love and Regret
The Great Western Road
Twist and Shout
Real Gone Kid
The Believers
Dignity
Fergus Sings the Blues
That's What We Can Do
I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Burt Bacharach cover)

Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Shepherds Bush Empire - 20th June 2026

Elvis Costello isn't an artist I've followed closely over the years, but I did like his early material, so I was excited to see he was doing a tour focussing on those early songs, Radio Soul:The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, even moreso when I found that there were standing tickets at the Shepherds Bush Empire, so a ticket was swiftly purchased.

As the date due nearer, I was reading reviews and watching videos that suggested things weren't going to be great - "His voice has gone", "He's messed with all the songs and ruined then", "We left after 20 minutes. It was awful" I read and, truth be known, the videos did suggest that maybe there was more than a little truth in those comments.

Still, I had a ticket and Shepherds Bush is an easy drive and tube ride away, so I thought I'd go and see and hear for myself.

While I've fond memories of those early songs, I've never thought of Costello as a great singer and, as I'd never seen him before, I didn't have anything to compare it with, except recordings.

I arrived about 7:15 and found the venue pleasantly chilled as London transitioned into a record breaking June heatwave.

About 7:45 two men appeared on stage, one looking familiar, but it took a few moment to realise it was Squeeze's Chris Difford, who I'd seen at the Boiler Room in Guildford some years ago.

With his fellow musician on a slide guitar, he quipped and played songs, both Squeeze and solo ones and was, as at Guildford amusing (He looks and sounds like the late Sean Lock) as he regaled of his early days with Squeeze ("Queen were rehearsing next door and Freddie played me this song called Bohemian Rhapsody. It's too long, Freddie, cut out the middle bit, it's crap!") and flying to America on Laker Airways for a solo song ("Freddie and the Dreamers").

An excellent support act and one, I suspected, that would be hard to follow.

After the usual on stage shenagagins (last minute soundchecks, moving stuff around), about 8:45 the lights went down and Elvis Costello and his band took the stage with no theatricals.

I'll be honest, I didn't recognise "You Belong To Me", and didn't know the next 2 songs, but the band were energetic and sounded good, although Elvis' voice was rather lost in the mix (it seems less so in these videos, maybe my hearing's going!), I felt, which made me wonder if that was intentional, given the poor reviews.

The fourth song, "Watching The Detectives", though, I did know and it started familiarly enough, before morphing into a bluesy, Rolling Stones-like, extended version - I thought it was great!

The Imposters are 2/3rds of the original Attractions, so they should know these songs and were joined by Charlie Sexton, an American best known for his association with Bob Dylan (Ironically, after seeing and reading reviews for earlier events on this tour, I feared this might be an experience like I had when I saw Bob Dylan, where he played incoherent, unrecognisable versions of his songs and ignored the audience with a disinterest bordering on contempt - Definitely the worst gig I ever went to!).

Another couple of lesser known songs I didn't recall followed, before they slowed things down for the Charlie Rich "Who Will The Next Fool Be". With Elvis on the piano and one of the band on an electronic double bass and not much more, Elvis' voice was exposed here, but didn't disappoint. He sounded good!

One of my favourite Elvis Costello songs is "Every Day I Write The Book" and here he played a slow arrangement for the first time. Videos of the earlier re-arrangement were what had given me the greatest concern about this gig, but this arrangement was brilliant, if totally different to the breezy, poppy original. I'm all for a good re-arrangement of a familiar song and this was exactly that! Again, his voice sound strong and clear, no complaints here.

A mix of lesser known and better known tracks followed. "Clubland"- slightly rearranged, and including a snippet of Ghost Town, by The Specials, "Brilliant Mistake" and a very lively "Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?" led into "Beyond Belief" and a bizarre opening to "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down", where Elvis seemed to sing deliberately off key in a slow, pub-singer style, before it burst into the original powerful version we're all familar with.

That led into a final stretch that I can't imagine any fan of Costello's early songs would have been disappointed in starting with "High Fidelity", through "Alison" and "Man Out Of Time" to a rousing, almost breathless finale of "Chelsea", "Pump It Up", "Radio Radio", "Shipbuilding", "Oliver's Army" (Some bemoan him messing with the lyrics, but only rappers get away with "Nigger" these days and I'd rather a slight re-write than losing this great song from the set altogether - The whole venue was singing along!), finishing on an uplifting "Peace, Love and Understanding".

I'll be honest, I had a great evening. I do think that his voice was lost in the mix on some of the louder songs, but it sounded fine on the acoustic ones, better than I'd credited him with, if I'm honest, and most of the songs were played as I knew them, with the few heavily reworked, for me at least, being none the worse for it!

Certainly there was no mass exodus 20 minutes in. When I headed towards the back as Shipbuilding started, the place was still packed and remained that way until near the end of Peace, Love and Understanding as some tried to beat the rush.

Perhaps he was on good form this evening, but on the strength of my experience, I'd say go and see them on this tour if you get the chance!

Setlist:
You Belong to Me
Mystery Dance
Lipstick Vogue
Watching the Detectives
Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head
Home Truth
King Horse
Who Will the Next Fool Be
Everyday I Write the Book (Unique, slower arrangement for this gig only)
A Face in the Crowd
Heathen Town
Brilliant Mistake
Clubland (Included snippet of Ghost Town by The Specials)
Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?
Wonder Woman
Beyond Belief
I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down
High Fidelity
Less Than Zero
Alison
Lovers Walk
Man Out of Time
No Action
(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
Pump It Up
Radio Radio
Shipbuilding
Oliver's Army
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Reverend & The Makers - Circuit,Kingston - 7th May 2026

I can't recall how or exactly when I came across Reverend and the Makers, but I know it was the track "Heavyweight Champion of the World" that first got my attention.

I later picked up a 'best of' CD and liked a lot of their stuff, the sound and the quirky, down to earth lyrics matched to Jon McLure's gritty, slightly nasal vocals.

I had planned to see them a couple of years ago, but the tour was cancelled, so when I saw an album release gig upcoming via Banquet Records, I paid my £16 for a CD and a ticket, one of the best value live music deals you can get.

The gig was to be held at Circuit, which is the renamed Pryzm, in Kingston on Thames, but I didn't notice much difference when I went in, just some renamed rooms.

Unusually for one of these album release events, there was a support act, Lauren Housley, slated to start at 8.

I arrived about 7:45 and expect to find a near full house, as the doors had opened at 7, but when I walked in the place was nearly empty and I easily found a space on one of the raised areas, directly opposite the stage.

It was hardly packed by the time Lauren and a man with a guitar and a hat (who turned out to be both her husband and one of 'The Makers') took to the stage.

Apparently, they usually perform as a full band (Lauren Housley and the Northern Cowboys) with a blues-y sound. I found her a bit screechy at times and I can't say they were very much to my taste, but they got a good reception, generally.

They did a 30 minute or so set and then there was the usual stage antics as a drumkit was unveiled, other equipment was moved around and a final soundcheck was carried out.

Just on 8, the lights went down and the theme from Rocky played.

'The Makers' came on stage first, realistically 'Reverend And The Makers' are Jon McClure and a various number of musicians, today made up of the suport act's guitarist, a drummer, Laura Manuel on keyboards (and, later, trumpet) who is a long time member of the band and Jon's wife and a quite waif-like woman on bass guitar.

A few seconds later a tall fellow in a beige raincoat came onto the stage, 'Reverend' Jon, and we got going with the title track from the new album, 'Is This How Happiness Feels?'.

It was very much of the usual style, if a little mellower than some of their material I was familiar with.

They followed it up with a couple of tracks I did already know, "Open Your Window" and "Bandits" (A particular favourite of mine).

Jon bantered good-naturedly between the songs, now showing off his trademark suit, having shed the raincoat after the first song.

"Haircut" was a new song I did know, as I'd seen it on TV one morning when he and Vicky (no relation) McClure were on talking about a project they'd launched together. It's a bit light on lyrics, but it's a good singalong R and TM song.

Commenting that he's been accused of writing a lot of songs about "Shaggin", which he put down to wishful thinking, next up was a song about shagging, "I Want You So Bad".

Surprisingly the next song was their iconic hit "Heavyweight Champion Of The World", which sounds great on a hi-fi and just as good live, but I did wonder whether playing it so early would be a mistake.

The familiar "Shine The Light" dispelled that fear slightly as did the new track "Heatwave in the Cold North" a couple of songs later, which was instantly catchy.

Jon then spoke about his father's death, an event that had led to the late release of this album and that cancelled tour a couple of years earlier and he played a song he said was about his father, "27 Past Midnight".

"Forever", "Fucked Up" (dueted with Robbie Williams on the album and he told an amusing story about how they came to write it) and "Late Night Phone Call", from the new album, followed and all sounded good on first listen (the great thing about these bargain priced album launch gigs is that for under £20 you get the gig AND a CD; a little more buys you a vinyl LP usually!), so I look forward to hearing the recorded versions of them all.

"Out Of The Shadows" and "He Said He Loved Me" were old favourites and we finished on the crowd pleasing "Silence Is Talking" with its very 90s "baba-bababa-baba-ba-ba" hook and overall sound, which had everyone bouncing and chanting along.

The band were great, sounding like they do on recordings and that bass player really threw herself into it - Check her out in my video clips!

The audience loved it, the set was a pleasingly long 75 minutes or so and then Jon led us all outside to perform two covers on an acoustic guiter in the street!

It was a very cool thing to do, but, sadly, I found it very hard to hear him in the street.

Still, Reverend and The Makers had been on my 'to see' list for a few years and this gig absolutely did not disappoint!

They're on tour later in the year, so go see them if you like what you read and hear here, Jon promises that will be a "proper party!"

SETLIST:
Is This How Happiness Feels?
Open Your Window
Bandits
Haircut
I Want You So Bad
Heavyweight Champion of the World
Shine the Light
No Soap in a Dirty War
Heatwave in the Cold North
27 Past Midnight
Forever
Fucked Up
Late Night Phone Call
Out of the Shadows
He Said He Loved Me
Silence Is Talking
Encore: (Outside the venue, Jon solo on acoustic guitar)
Shoot You Down (The Stone Roses cover)
Rudy a Message to You

Catlea (& support) -West End Centre, Aldershot - 24th April 2026

There was a long spell before I saw my next live music, although I had managed to book a manic trio of weekends in June and July!

Feeling that I could do with the enjoyment of a live gig after a winter of none, I browsed my local venues and discovered Catlea was playing at the West End Centre in nearby Aldershot and, better yet, the tickets were just a fiver!

I did a bit of trawling on YouTube and decided she sounded interesting enough to risk that much money.

It was a pleasantly warm evening as I made my way to the venue, which features a tiny hall.

The ticket said it started at 8 and around half past, I heard activity from the hall.

I went in and saw a huge man with a microphone and three other, regular sized men, with some instruments.

Sadly, though, this support act turned out to be a rap performer and, while I'm quite catholic in my musical tastes these days, after two tracks, I knew this wasn't for me, so I adjourned to the bar and treated myself to a nice cloudy IPA...

After a while, they finished and so I returned to the hall and after a short while a group of people arrived.

This was 'Indi', which some research suggests is India Brown, the singer, and a group of musicians making up the rest of the band, including a saxophonist, which is not something you often see.

They made a pleasant sound, India has a good voice and is very photogenic, suggesting she could be destined for big things, although some of the band seemed to be concentrating very hard on playing their instruments, as if they weren't fully comfortable with them.

They started with a song called "Taxi in Mumbai" and then went through a number of catchy, songs, some upbeat, some more ballad-y.

I enjoyed them and so did most of the people there, it seemed, as there were calls for them to play another song, but I guess they either didn't have time or any other material!

By now it was past 9PM, so I assumed the next act would be Catlea, the headliner, but no...

A group of a drummer, a woman with a bass and two young lads (Yes, I'm getting old, but they looked like teenagers!) ventured onto the stage and made a very loud noise.

My first reaction was to head to the bar and have another IPA, but I decided they deservered a second chance and they did get better. Not all their songs were more than noise, but they were all better than the first and, if I'm honest, I actually enjoyed at least half of them. A little bit 2000s US punk/grunge, I guess (so not really my thing), but they were not the worst support I've seen and heard. I didn't catch a band name, though.

Finally, at God only knows what time, but after 10PM, Catlea took the stage. I was a bit surprised to see the previous bands' drummer again, but why not, everyone seemed to be friends.

However, as it had got later and later, by the time the supposed headliner arrived, there was about 30 people left and within a couple of songs, there was about 20, at least half made up of the Wookie Rapper and his band and some hangers on, who Catlea clearly knew.

It was a most bizarre experience to be one of the very few people there who weren't 'with the band'!

And that was a shame, because goth looking, but soflty spoken, American, Catlea, her boyfriend and a basist and that drummer were pretty good.

I recognised a couple of songs from my YouTube trawling, but most were pretty good and she has a pleasant voice.

A website says of Catlea (today featuring purple hair, shaved on one side of her face and long on the other), "Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Catlea's musical style covers an eclectic spectrum from alt-indie to rock, to pop and EDM. The alt-indie singer's vocals range from angelic to raw and powerful." I'd say that was a fair description of what we got.

On this occasion, though, she didn't play any instruments, just standing front and centre and sang, while her 3 bandmates provided a distinctly alt-indie rock sound.

Sadly, by the end, the friends were a bit pissed and their interaction with the band started to distract from the performance.

The gig felt a bit shambolic by the end, but what can you expect for a fiver?

I was surprised that so many people left even before Catlea came on, but maybe people had simply been tempted out by a cheap Friday night gig and felt they'd had enough by the late hour they finally took to the stage.

I'd say both Indi and Catlea were worth checking out on YouTube and going to see if they're in your area for a such a ridiculously cheap price.

No setlist, things were too chaotic.

The Slow Readers Club - Assembly Hall, Islington - 6th December 2025

I'll admit, I'd never heard of The Slow Readers Club until a few months ago

Someone on a forum recommended them to me as I was singing the praises of Editors, one of my favourite bands to see live.

I had a listen to some of their tracks online and could see similarities and, more importantly, I liked what I heard.

I also spotted they were appearing in London in December, a month where I had no other gigs lined up, so, despite some misgivings about the reliability of the trains for going to gigs in London (after a few years of industrial disputes and over-running maintenance), I bought a ticket.

The gig was at the Assembly Hall in Islington, a venue I thought was new to me, until I remembered that Lauren and I had seen Sara Bareilles there back in 2014.

The audience tonight was very different from the mostly 20 something women from that gig, formed mostly of middle aged men and a fair number of women of similar ages.

It turns out that The Slow Readers Club were formed in Manchester in the 2010s (from the remnants of a band called Omerta, who I had vaguely heard of) and had a bit of a following, but no real commercial success until the launch, in 2015, of the album 'Cavalcade'.

The gig tonight was part of a short tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that album's release and I'd had another listen to it and some other albums by them before coming along, in the hope I'd recognise a few tracks.

First off, we got a support act, Cheap Thrills, an indie rock band from Liverpool, who were energetic and enjoyable enough to get the crowd in the mood. A decent support act, definitely, helped, no doubt, by a good sound balance.

After a break of 30 minutes or so, as Cheap Thrills' equipment was removed, the lights dimmed and a set of light panels at the back of the stage lit up. It all looked quite slick and professional, a bit of a surprise to me, if I'm honest.

The performance took the form of two sets, separated by a very short break, with the first being the full album "Cavalcade" performed in order and the second a selection of other tracks from other albums from their back catalogue, the most recent released this year.

The quality of the sound balance continued for The Slow Readers Club, with the distinctive vocal being nice and clear above the music.

The lead singer, Aaron Starkie, has a very distinctive voice, able to sing very high notes and low ones, often within a single line of a song.

That might sound a bit gimmicky (or, God forbid, bring images of Maria Carey to mind), but it's actually really good and (in my experience) a unique sound.

Cavalcade is a good electro-indie album with a number of very strong tracks and, of course, some not quite so strong ones.

Luckily, the first 5 tracks, at least, are in the former category and the band rattled through them very well.

Those panels displayed graphics and sometimes video during each song and gave the whole performance a professional sheen.

Musically and vocally, the live sound was very like the recorded one, but not in the sterile way a few bands are (I recall really not enjoying a gig by Spandau Ballet back in the 80s, because they delivered such a performance live).

One or two of the later tracks from the album weren't as immediate, but by then we were all into the album and tracks like "Fool For Your Philosophy" and "Secrets" were still good to hear.

With the end of "Know the Day Will Come", the band left the stage, but the lights remained dimmed and the panels illuminated again about 5 minutes later.

The second set consisted of tracks from other albums, ranging from their earliest, released in 2011, through the most recent one.

I recognised some songs, such as "Everything I Own" and "All I Hear", but others, I have to admit didn't sound as familiar.

That said, I enjoyed most of them equally and overall it was a (for me) surprisingly enjoyable gig.

They finished with a song called "Lunatic" from their first label released album "Build A Tower", which broke into the top 20 album chart in the UK. The next album, "The Joy Of The Return" (from which they played "All I Hear") made it to number 9, while the recent "Out Of A Dream" (Another self-released album, like the first 3, from which a few tracks were played) got to number 11.

Unusually, there was none of the pretence of an encore, they finished their second set, took some photographs of the audience and thanked us and then they were off to the merch stand.

They seem to be a band that have a strong following (Two lovely German women I spoke to had arranged a trip to London specially to see them!) while remaining very low profile.

They are a band that performs well live, sounding similar to their recordings, but adding an edge of excitement that live performing should deliver.

I'm very pleased that I was directed their way (There are similarities to Editors, for sure, but they're definitely not a 'me too' band) as I greatly enjoyed my rare trip to 'the smoke' to see them and round off my 2025 gig going.

Setlist:
First Set - Cavalcade:
Start Again
I Saw a Ghost
Forever in Your Debt
Plant the Seed
Days Like This Will Break Your Heart
Don't Mind
Cavalcade
Fool For Your Philosophy
Grace of God
Here in the Hollow
Secrets
Know the Day Will Come
Second Set - Other Tracks:
Technofear
All I Hear
The Wait
You Opened Up My Heart
Everything I Own
Block Out the Sun
Boy So Blue
Feet on Fire
On The TV
Lunatic