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.