Tonight’s musical aperitif is a cheeky dip into the brat-punk pool of London artist So Good, backed up by band members in pink balaclavas, and singers in stompy doc marten boots. Frontwoman Sophie is decked out in pleated denim, neon pink socks and a matching Beret, spitting feminist anti-fascist lyrics with wild abandon – but giving distinct Leslie Knope’s Pawnee Goddess girl-guide energy.
I’m absolutely here for it, this infectious riot grrrl fun is coming back around, thanks (no thanks) to the state of the world around us right now, and we need more of it. “Her ex boyfriend is from Birmingham you know” Sophie points at one of her singers, “…so this one goes out to him, middle fingers up!” and the crowd obliges by joining in with the salute.
‘I Hate It Here’ about our repeatedly shit Prime Minister situation is very tongue in cheek funny, but also hits the nail on the head in so many ways. The line “…you ain’t stopped abortion just abortion that’s safe…” comes at a time where our news is full of professional victims hiding behind religion and free speech, to attack women in lawfully protected safe zones. Again, this kind of nonsense needs disrupting – and if it comes in the loud bright fun packaging of women’s rage-music, all the better in my opinion.
Just to break up the political discourse for a minute, “I heard a rumour that people from Birmingham have big dicks?” Sophie giggles before launching into ‘If I had A’ – a hilarious lament on penises and a very 70’s-porn twangy backing track.
Finishing up with a dose of blasphemy, ‘I Rewrote The Fucking Bible’ is the ultimate angry girl theme tune. There’s a hint of Lady Sovereign, a bit of Bikini Kill, and a lot of London. Straight on the protest playlist. So Good might already be my biggest band recommendation of the year, and it’s only April.
It’s a packed-out shoulder-to-sweaty-shoulder affair in the O2 tonight, a sold out show for the return of Brit-rock royalty Skunk Anansie. The stage, moody with fog and blue lighting, centres on a drum riser crowned with black inflatable spikes. Drummer Mark Richardson makes his way to the centre of the sea urchin structure to immediate roars of appreciation from the crowd, as Cass and Ace take to the stage below.
The electric opening bars of ‘This Means War’ provide the perfect promenade for a duffel-coated Skin to enter the stage. Like some kind of menacing caterpillar waiting to break free, she bounces in on gigantic metal-plated boots, with a huge hood obscuring her face as she tears through the call-to-arms lyrics. Swapping into trainers and ditching the sleeping-bag for ‘Because of You’, we are treated to the soaring top notes Skin is famous for, the awed silence of the crowd as she holds an impossibly long note mid-song is truly something to behold.
Wearing a hybrid Adidas track top-turned tailcoat with the bouffant arms of a retro Nike shell-suit, and a swathe of leather and fabric kilt-ish skirts, Skin is known for her quirky stage dress – but this might be the one I would most like to own. It is hitting all the right nostalgia buttons for a fairly homogenously aged crowd – big up the 90’s teen crew, I see you all.
“Wonderlustre was released 15 years ago, this is the first single from that album… it’s called ‘God Loves Only You’. They’re loud. You know those Christian nationalists who think God loves only them? How can God love only you? With all the different races and genders?”
A huge roar of agreement erupts as Skin laments,
“They’ve aligned themselves with the far right, the KKK, fascism and Trumpism… which to me seems the opposite of religion. They want to go after immigrants, after women… the only way to defeat them is to go into our communities and families, and BRING EVERYONE BACK TOGETHER!”
“We are Skunk Anansie, we believe everybody is always equal. SMASH FASCISTS, SMASH RACISTS” comes the rallying cry. The following frenzy of the crowd serves a cathartic purpose for the pent-up anger and energy for the current state of the world, it’s obvious everyone needs this.
‘Weak’ is undeniably the anthem of the night, Skin’s voice is stunningly vibrant, perhaps better than I’ve ever heard her – but there is no vying for attention nor eclipsing of the band, who are non-stop pumping the energy as well. It may be as close to a perfect balance as I’ve come across in music, they just deliver on all fronts. The crowd is eventually singing along so loud that Skin gives over the spotlight to the voice of the masses.
Caressing the bald head of one of the security guards, before jumping down to the pit barrier to sing with the crowd during ‘Twisted (Everyday Hurts)’ it doesn’t take long before she has jumped into the melee full throttle.
Another Wonderlustre classic ‘My Ugly Boy’ keeps the hits coming with barely room to breathe, and the room is an absolute furnace with all the jumping. So much so that someone appears to have suffered a collapse near the middle of the room. Skin stops the show to check staff can get out to retrieve the person, and it’s all very quickly and efficiently done. Rolling onto a track from the new album (releasing on May 23rd – ‘The Painful Truth’) called ‘Animal’ – a full heavy metal moment, with a NIN-esque dirty beat behind it. I can tell this is going to be one of my most played albums of the year.
‘Yes It’s Fucking Political’ sees Skin calling for a circle pit, and the momentum of the night shows absolutely no sign of dropping. After a short exit, the encore houses another new one ‘Cheers’ which tiptoes the pop rock line in a very accessible way. I think this is going to be the one that draws in new Skunk fans for the 2020’s.
The iconic ‘Hedonism’ is followed by Led Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ for a bit of riffy fun while doing band introductions. ‘The Skank Heads (Get Off Me)’ gives another opportunity for Skin to dive into the crowd, in which she calls for “all the girls to the mosh pit!”. Closing out with “We’ll do one more. Something loud? Something fast? Something delicate?” as she puts it, is another new song ‘Lost and Found’ – a slow, but gorgeous almost operatic wind-down, to a furiously dynamic show. As they thank the crowd and send set-list paper aeroplanes shooting out to grabbing hands, I think I can safely conclude that this might rank as my top gig of 2025 already.
As the new ‘Lost and Found’ lyric goes “Heavy is the crown” – but Skunk Anansie are really out here, 31 years into their career – seemingly lifting that crown higher each time I see them.
Egg London Celebrates 22 Years with Levi London Debut
Egg London entered a fresh era under the leadership of Chapter 1 Creations last autumn. At the same time, the venue underwent a major renovation to enhance the clubbing experience with stylish upgrades across the Loft, Middle Floor, and Garden arenas. The freshly tuned new sound systems include the d&b Audiotechnik in the main room, the updated KV2 Audio system on the middle floor, and a reconfigured Funktion One in the Loft so you can be sure of top-tier sound clarity throughout the 1000-capacity space which is housed in a former Victorian warehouse.
Since taking over Egg London in February 2024, Ali Bee & Sen Jay have focused on elevating the brand and venue. “Despite industry challenges, we remain committed to our community, local council, and promoters while embracing fresh talent and new brands. To adapt, we’re hosting day parties, exploring diverse music, organizing corporate events, and renovating the venue. On April 25th & 26th, we celebrate our first year and Egg London’s 22nd birthday with Chapter One, marking a new era for this iconic club”
In addition to the much-anticipated LEVI debut, Egg London has a stacked lineup of incredible shows coming soon including Chris Watson on 5th April, a Molly Mouse showcase on 12th April, Mums Against Donk on 16th May, Trance Sanctuary’s sold out day party on Saturday 3rd May, a Peach showcase on Saturday 10th May, Saturday 17th May UKG Brunch Showcase day time party on Saturday 17th May, Sickick return on Saturday 14th June, Legacy host a club showcase on Saturday 5th July, Astrix on 18th October with Out Of Orbit & Outsiders and French house star Bob Sinclar will also play a date that will be revealed soon.
With these upgrades and its carefully curated bookings, Egg London continues its legacy as a cutting-edge space while maintaining its historic charm as it heads into another year as one of London’s most important spaces. For more info and tickets – egglondon.co.uk
Club Culture x Pop Up Culture: The legendary nightclub and anti-club party specialists unite, championing the evolution of club culture.
On March 19th, London’s legendary Ministry of Sound joined forces with pop-up specialists Lab54 to host a first-of-its-kind secret party—in the women’s toilets. Now, revealing the secret collaboration, Ministry of Sound and Lab54 are announcing the start of an on-going partnership with more pop-ups to come. Kicking off on May 4th, Lab54 will return to the site of the ‘break-in’, minus the bolt cutters, to host the first in a series of Toilet Takeovers.
Late on a mid-week evening, Lab54 and 100 accompanying ravers ‘broke’ into the venue, armed with balaclavas, sound systems, and a trolley load of alcohol, with footage from the event spreading virally across social media and reaching 15 million views so far. Experts in the unconventional, Lab54’s ‘anywhere but a club’ ethos has led founder, Joe Gordon, and the lab-community, to party all around the world, from castles to arcades to bagel shops, hotel rooms to yachts and beyond.
Inspired by the enduring spirit of club culture, the inaugural party witnessed the unlikely marriage between the ‘Anywhere but a club’ specialists with one of the UK’s most iconic venues to spark conversations around the ever-evolving nightlife landscape. United in their combined reverence for community, the event paid homage to where Ministry, and rave culture itself, started some 35 years ago.
Says Lab54 founder Joe Gordon, “I think the paradigm shift we’re seeing in nightlife at the moment makes it important for clubs like Ministry to work with communities like ours to help reflect this in their offerings to ravers and what better way to do that than going back to their roots and pranking the online rave community!”
Since its inception in a disused bus garage in Elephant & Castle, Ministry of Sound has continued to evolve and shape the capital’s nightlife industry, maintaining its revolutionary attitude. Today, the iconic venue continues to pave the way for superclubs to support the modern raver, with accessible £5 tickets, sober raves, and 3 brand-new in-house club nights launched: Smoove, URGE, and Disco Daddy.
Says Ministry Group’s Managing Director Caitlin McAllister, “Club culture has always been about pushing boundaries, and the intersection of pop-up culture with establishments like Ministry of Sound is a reflection of how the industry is evolving. There’s an irony in a pop-up ‘breaking in’ to a club but that’s exactly the point – we need to bring new ideas to our spaces.”
Landing on the bank holiday weekend, the first official Ministry x Lab54 Toilet Takeover party will see the club’s loos transformed once more on Sunday 4 May. More details, dates and events to be announced – keep your eyes peeled at; @ministryofsound@lab54_uk
Five fabulously-designed, wildly different music stages. Riverside dips hanging off brightly-coloured floaties. Swarms of friendly, glitter-clad revellers.
These are just a few parts of Bazique 2025that I loved. Located on the sandy banks of the remote Buffalo Drift venue around an hour and a half’s drive from Cape Town, this March I spent three days and two nights at the quirky music and arts festival.
I boogied away day and night to a curated selection of local and international DJs in my best sparkly party outfits. And it’s fair to say I had a damn good time.
After being sent a few videos of previous Bazique festivals by a friend, it didn’t take me long to commit. A special, boho-esque blend of electronic music, art, and immersive experiences, I knew that Bazique would be my vibe, and I was right. Here’s my experience of Bazique Festival 2025.
A funky wonderland of art and expression
While Bazique boasted a stellar line-up of DJs, you shouldn’t just go to the festival for the music alone. In fact, to be quite honest, I didn’t recognise any of the line-up before grabbing my ticket (I sure do now!).
Bazique has plenty to offer between all that dancing under the hot African sun, from acro yoga sessions to burlesque shows hosted at the circus tent to on-the-move silent discos. One highlight of mine was the beautiful, sustainability-focused art installation of mushrooms created from plastic that glowed brilliantly in the dark among the trees. We took many slow night-time strolls over the weekend just to pass them.
Of course, Bazique’s Berg River is a core feature of the festival. Make sure to add a flamboyant floaty or two to your packing list to lounge upon on the river.
The Berg River flows right past the main stage so you can even listen to great tunes as you chill. Complete with a golden sand beach, temperatures soared to over 35 degrees Celsius on Saturday, and the water was a much-needed sanctuary.
Oh, and then there’s the food and shopping. If you didn’t have time to prep for the festival spirit, there were plenty of outfit and accessory choices at Bazique. We browsed the cute, hippy stalls and boutiques, selling everything from handmade fans to cool down in the heat to sequin bodysuits that shimmer as you sway.
There were plenty of options on the food front, from vegan Indian food to meaty burgers. I was certainly pleased to have access to a choice of yummy dishes to fuel my body between sets.
High-energy sets from up-and-coming DJs
There were five stages at Bazique, but we spent most of our time flitting between the main River Stage and the indoor, shaded Tropical Roast. You couldn’t go wrong with the main stage; it was intricate, grand, and resembling a beautiful Asian temple – except it was pumping out killer tunes all weekend long.
I loved dancing barefoot on the sand at the River Stage during the day, the warm sun heating my skin. And at night, the multi-coloured lanterns above us glowed luminously, and the crowd adopted a fantastic, animalistic style of dancing that seemed to be performed in unison.
Some DJ highlights included high-energy sets from Oliver Koletzki and Frida Darko on the River Stage, both from Germany. When Frida spun the “It feels so good” remix by Matt Sassari, HUGEL, and Sonique on Saturday night, the adrenaline flowing through my system may very well have peaked.
At the Tropical Roast, we loved many local DJs, including The Head Gardener and Gaston Blurry, who kept us groovin’ for hours and hours on Friday night. And on Saturday, we took retreat from the heat and relaxed on a net hammock found at the Tropical Roast, getting up to bounce around every time a great tune was played (which was pretty often). I adored the laid-back, disco vibe of the stage; it reminded me of Cabo Beach Club in Cape Town, one of my favourite music venues.
And I can’t fail to mention the very special Bridges For Music Stage, which spotlighted locally produced music and art. Bridges for Music is an organisation that runs an academy in the Langa township near Cape Town for talented young people from economically challenged backgrounds.
The verdict: Worth the hype
My verdict? Bazique 2025 was absolutely worth the hype.
As someone who’s attended some of the biggest festivals in the world (which can be incredible, too, in different ways), I loved the intimacy of a small festival. I adored the novelty of casually bumping into friends across the weekend, knowing we’d probably see them again at a different stage in an hour or two. I discovered new South African DJs I probably otherwise wouldn’t have heard about, at least not for a while.
The attendees and staff were incredibly friendly, the toilets were always clean, and there was always plenty of room to dance if you craved some breathing space away from the stages.
As a Brit visiting South Africa for the second time, I’ve completely fallen in love with the country.
Festivals like these are some of the reasons why. I’ll be back, Bazique.
Industry-leading sound, raw underground aesthetics, cultured bookings and a hidden pizzeria feature in this multi-room but intimate space.
New 400 capacity, multi-room club, Gallery, will bring international DJ talent and edgy East London atmospheres to West London from 27th March 2025. This bold new venue looks to buck the club closure trend and offer a range of unique experiences all under one roof with high spec sound, a hidden pizzeria and cultured bookings from across the underground spectrum.
Gallery is a new and inclusive, diverse venue in the heart of West London from the team behind highly regarded spot B Club. It aims to reinvigorate the local scene with standout artistic performances and a raw underground aesthetic not usually seen in the area. It boasts the latest state-of-the-art d&b audiotechnik soundsystem, which is rightly celebrated as the best in the game, as well as sympathetic lighting and a central 360° DJ booth. Fashioned from 10 tons of concrete and placed on the dancefloor at the heart of the action, it’s a statement that proves this new club is all about connecting the crowd and artist in the most immersive way possible.
The stripped back and intimate space will host 400 people and in all there are four different rooms, each with their own bespoke look, feel and soundtrack. Every detail has been poured over with great care, and as well as the Club Room there is much more to explore including Cubanista, a lively Cuban Bar with Latin energy and authentic cocktails, the hidden, secretive Studio Room which is accessible only to those who discover it and offers an intimate escape for more adventurous patrons, plus Carlo’s Pizza, another hidden treat within the venue and serving mouth-watering, Neapolitan pizzas late into the night.
Co-Owner & Creative Director Barth Rougier, “Our mission is to rejuvenate West London’s music culture, bringing our deep passion and inspiration from the underground scene to this space. We strive to offer West London something truly unique and beyond — this is an experience like never before.”
“Times are tough, and we’re witnessing a significant shift in how people go out and spend. The headlines tell the story – nightclubs are shutting down, and many clubs are struggling to survive in this climate. But our passion remains unwavering. We are dedicated to delivering incredible experiences and bringing culture-driven, world-class DJs to West London. As proud Londoners, we love our city and refuse to let its nightlife fade. We are all in.”
Gallery will be open from Wednesday to Saturday every week from the end of March onwards. Each night will feature carefully considered line-ups with the best brands, labels, DJs and live acts in the scene.
The team behind the venue formerly established B Club as a vital underground spot with guests like Carl Cox, Dan Ghenacia, William Djoko, Mita Gami, Adam Ten, Reznik, Cole Knight and more all playing. Gallery is the natural next step and one that promises to become the most essential venue in West London.
A sold out Ceremony 4.5 was back at Bedford Esquires on Saturday 1st February. It was part of the Independent Venue Week. The all dayer is curated by promotors who regularly put on shows throughout the year at the venue.
The all dayer is spread across two rooms so you have bands on constantly. Appearing throughout the day are some.of the best acts around including Divorce,Heartworms, Congratulations, Cucamaras, Kynsy, Y,Nightbus, Vanity Fairy, Wonderbug and Mynk.
Outside the venue was Fold Me Close Pizza who were cooking up some extra tasty pizzas.
Remember that Ceremony 5 is being hosted on June 7th with the full lineup to still be announced. Tickets are available on the link below.
Goth rockers The Horrors recently announced a small intimate UK tour. Their first show was at the legendary Bedford Esquires where 100s of bands have performed over the years. The show was a sell out which was not surprising. Unfortunately the support act PC World had technical difficulties so could not play.
The whole room was very dark and dingy with just a few lights barely flooding the stage. The Horrors frontman Faris Badwan stands tall and slim on stage with Rhys Webb on bass, Josh Hayward on guitar and new members Amelia Kidd on keys and Jordan Cook on drums. It was great to see these guys play in such a small intimate venue as I have seen them a few more times but at big festival stages so this was something special. Faris was still a great frontman who kept holding onto the lighting rails above and leaning into the crowd. They played a variety of songs from their new and upcoming sixth studio album called ‘Night Life’ and previous records. So far the new songs sound more like their earlier music. Their previous album ‘V’ was a more industrial sound. Unfortunately they did not play any songs from their debut album ‘Strange House’.
The crowd seemed to love their set and its great they have made more of a comeback after being quiet for a few years. Hopefully we will see more of the band next year after the release of the new album due out next year.
Arriving at the Birmingham O2 Academy, we were surprised by queues winding around the block, only to find that the venue is not only host to Twin Atlantic tonight, but also Rag ‘N’ Bone Man. There’s a marked difference in attire and style for the two crowds, but it’s really uplifting to see so many people out for live music on a frosty Sunday night in November.
Heading upstairs to Academy 2, I am instantly transported back into the gig nights of my youth. Sticky floors, a merch stand on a trestle-table in the corner with hand scribbled prices, and youths in patch jackets shuffling about. I like knowing that the tune might change but the feeling is still the same. If you don’t get that pang of excitement before a gig, I am truly sorry for you.
Daytime TV
First out of the gates is fellow Scottish band, Daytime TV – with enigmatic frontman Will Irvine practically bouncing onto the stage, in his black suit and stompy creeper shoes. Sitting somewhere in the rock/pop-punk sphere, but with a well-blended electronic sound; Daytime TV immediately pique my interest.
Songs ‘Fear’ and ‘Little Victories’ sport elements of indie alongside the clean rock edge, and it’s easy to get swept into the very singable lyrics early on. This is something I feel has been missing from mainstream rock for a while – an undeniable hook, and this band have it in spades. Yelling out “Make some noise Birmingham, thanks for coming down early to check us out tonight. This is a hometown gig for our Guitarist, he’s a Walsall boy!” Will elicits a huge cheer from the now dense crowd, before launching into the very fun ‘Domino’.
One thing I would really like to note about Daytime TV, is that they genuinely just look like they’re having a great time on stage. Dancing around, smiling and laughing through a stellar performance – closing song ‘Lost In Tokyo’ makes for a dynamic ending, and they’ve even managed to get the crowd clapping along – no easy feat for an opening band (especially on a Sunday night). I’d love to see them on some festival bills next year.
Twin Atlantic
Scotland for round two, tonight’s headliner Twin Atlantic hailing from Glasgow are preceded by the ethereal outpourings of… ahem… Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Just as the crowd is singing along (in a very Wayne’s World way, obviously) to the penultimate note, we are top-tier trolled into oblivion as the drop is interrupted by Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Boys Just Wanna Have Fun’. You’ve never heard a room full of people groan so loudly, I tell you.
As the band take to the stage in near darkness and enough smoke to power the entire Upside Down, frontman Sam McTrusty heads to the front to shout Hello to the Birmingham crowd – “Ohh it’s gonna be a good one, I can fuckin’ feel it”.
Starting off strong with ‘Meltdown’ from this year’s (their seventh) album, it’s instantly clear that tonight’s audience are not the casual gig-goer brand, these are all full force Twin Atlantic fans singing along to every word, and I’m here wondering why they haven’t been back on a Download festival bill since the Pandemic Pilot era.
Barry McKenna (keys, vocals) looking like a slightly cooler version of Nandor The Relentless (IYKYK), laughs along when Sam yells “This is our last show in your country this year we realised, so thanks for coming to the last one! So… Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!” and we are treated to the extremely Scottish twangy ‘Free’. I may not be to roll my R’s but you’re damn right I tried to join in anyway.
‘Barcelona’ is an absolute earworm of a song, it’s been on repeat on our car journeys and it’s not hard to see why – everyone is absolutely belting it out at the top of their lungs under the pulsing red lighting. I should mention here though, that it has been some of the worst lighting I’ve ever experienced in a small venue, there are no uplights on the band themselves and so much smoke that it’s hard to even see who’s on stage. Luckily the sound is banging to make up for it so we all shout back the refrain “I’m not invincible”.
“Is the the fatigue of Sunday setting in? You all good, you all where you wanna be? Sound, we’ll keep going then” they joke, before playing the gorgeously sentimental ‘I Couldn’t Miss You Much More’, as couples hug each other in the crowd. Ramping back up with ‘The Chaser’ and some intense strobe-lighting which further silhouettes the band into anonymity, and the heavier ‘No Sleep’ (my song of choice in the set) almost blows the roof off the O2. Again, I am left wondering why Twin Atlantic aren’t hitting more big festival bills.
‘Heart and Soul’ is another sing-along situation, but with minutes to spare Sam calls “Do we have time for one more?” and they sign off on the beautifully sombre ‘Crash Land’. “The last two weeks in England have been fuckin’ class” they lament, before (literally) bowing out. It might have been the smaller of tonight’s offerings at the O2 in Birmingham, but the actual Heart and Soul in tonight’s performance and the fact that this many people wanted to come out and pogo around on a Sunday night before work? Unquestionably awesome.
In this, the month of Gothmas; the evenings have drawn in, inviting all the beautiful creeps out into the darkness. Ahem, ok I mean me. I am out traversing the canalways of Brindley Place in Birmingham to get to the Utilita Arena tonight for the one and only, Gothfather of Shock Rock – Alice freakin’ Cooper.
The Meffs
Up first tonight are edgy Essex duo The Meffs, a rowdy powerhouse of shouty punk. ‘Stamp It Out’ and ‘Broken Britain, Broken Brains’ are belted out with force, but their whole style absolutely requires a front standing section of moshing teenagers… and instead we have seated VIP’s.
‘Stand Up, Speak Out’ gets a better audience participation level, as the crowd warms up and remembers their angsty youth origins, as it’s easy to get into. I also enjoy their cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’, but their real stand out moment is a very punk middle finger; “This is a Love Song to the British government, it’s called Clowns”.
It’s a short and sweet set, bookended by a promise that they’re coming back “sometime in January”, and I think I’ll be trying to catch up with them then – in hopefully a more fitting environment where I can do some thrashing around.
Strutting onto the stage in a sparkling diamanté pinstriped suit, lead singer Bobbie Gillespie with his signature sullen-faced swagger, surveys the crowd. The band kick off with ‘Love Insurrection’ but a couple of bars in, Gillespie motions everyone to stop. “Wait stop, we fucked that up. Start again… it happens.”
The second try, “Oh there we go, the right key this time” is a smooth transition into their unique blend of funky electronic rock. The gorgeous soaring melody of the trio of backing vocalists really comes alive in ‘Ready To Go Home’, but the overall vibe in the room is left slightly flat by the complete seating area in the front. Primal Scream are a band to boogie to, and every other time I’ve seen them has been at festivals with room to groove, which just… isn’t this. Despite the rock-block of the setup, when Gillespie says “30 years ago we released Screamadelica… I dont know if you guys and girls know it… the first song was called ‘Movin’ On Up’. So if you want to sing along please do” the collective sigh of relief around the audience was palpable – here’s a song we can all sing along to – and we do. ‘Country Girl’ is an exercise in weaving that evangelical deep south church sound into a Glaswegian ditty, but it has the hook I can’t deny. Gillespie yells “Ladies, Gentlemen, Creatures, Thats theys and thems… let me fuckin hear you!” before they plough into their final iconic song ‘Rocks’ to end the set.
Alice Cooper
Slicing through a giant newspaper sheet printed with ‘BANNED IN ENGLAND’, using a cutlass, and employing one of the most iconic resting-bitch-faces in the world? Peak Alice Cooper behaviour. After this most excellent entrance, Alice is front and centre in his signature top-hat and leather trousers garb – sporting three belts and a frilly shirt, launching straight into ‘Welcome To The Show’. I am glad we as a country, have stopped trying to actually ban Alice Cooper from performing here, extremely embarrassing (three times) for us. Not that we don’t have other things to be embarrassed about, mind.
From the off, it is clear that Alice’s voice and energy is still absolutely top notch – something I can’t say about most other performers who’ve been going as long. The man is 76 and he’s careening around the stage and now swinging a crutch above his head like it’s nothing. ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’ features a quick change into a custom battle jacket (which I would dearly like to pilfer), followed by a confetti gun used to spray the crowd in sparkly faux money for ‘Billion Dollar Babies’.
Bombshell guitarist Nita Strauss is absolutely ripping it up, under the watchful awe-struck eye of Alice. One thing I will note is that there is space made on this stage for every single artist to take the spotlight, and Alice showers all of them with reverence. It’s a nice thing to see from an artist as singular as he is, on the face of it.
Throwing a black cane to a fan on the front row, in order to take up his giant yellow snake who seems completely unbothered by the huge crowd, and is instead trying to see what guitarist Ryan Roxie is doing. I couldn’t find out the name of this snake (if anyone knows, hit me up) but I would like to do a quick mention of some of Alice’s previous snake-pals because they’re too good not to share. So big ups to; Julius Squeezer, Cobra Winfrey and Count Strangula. During a musical reprieve Alice can be seen just chatting to the snake and pointing things out to it, and now I have a vision of him walking around Birmingham taking his snake on a tour of the sights.
‘Lost In America’ sees Alice in a flag-adorned leather jacket, and he plays at murdering actors playing photographers (I do feel slightly targeted…) with the opening bars of the anthemic ‘Hey Stoopid’. The green lighting pulsing across the crowd now reveals a much more lively atmosphere, as people are standing and dancing along.
Two giant sets of prop stairs are wheeled around to face the crowd, with Alice atop one, bathed in spotlights and smoke for ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’, followed by his rather rough treatment of a very Sia-esque mannequin during ‘Cold Ethyl’. I also love him for brandishing four bulbous yellow maracas, and I’m not sure if they really are an instrument that can be played seductively – but he’s managing it, in a Gomez Addams sort of way.
An enormous cheer ripples around the arena for the iconic notes of ‘Poison’, and Alice is now rocking a gorgeous burgundy brocade jacket and a riding crop – another amazing souvenir for a lucky front row fan later on. ‘Feed My Frankenstein’ will never fail to give me chills, but I am a child of the Wayne’s World generation I guess. The giant stumbling monster comes out to lurk behind the guitarists, and he has more than a slight resemblance to Ozzy Osbourne with those upturned palms and shambling gait. I don’t think it’s on purpose, but we are in Birmingham so who knows.
‘Black Widow’ features on screen clips of Vincent Price, and an incredible Nita solo, before Alice’s straitjacket scene for ‘Ballad of Dwight Fry’. Kneeling on the riser, in a perfect beam of white light but uplit in green, Alice looks delightfully unhinged whilst being ‘tasered’ by his on-stage goons. Now enter Alice’s actual wife Sheryl Cooper, in her Marie Antionette get-up, to take him to the guillotine and then dance with his disembodied head. Each time I have seen this bit, I have wanted the head to sing along, alas.
‘Elected’ uses one of the stair sets now covered in stars and stripes, as a pulpit for Alice’s presidential speech (and yes he is still in the straitjacket, a nice touch). There’s a barrage of red white and blue spotlighting, and streamers sprayed out into the front rows, before the stage goes dark. As the school-bell rings, the lights go up on a stage filled with smoke-bubbles and Alice in a white tailcoat and tophat, brandishing another cane. Giant balloons are pushed out into the crowd and when they’re batted back to the stage, he pops them with a blade to expose bursts of sparkling confetti within.
“Birmingham England… Alice Cooper finally speaks to you!” he laughs, and introduces all of the members of the band, who have been predictably phenomenal tonight, ending with “She’s deadly, she’s delicious, she’s my one and only… Sheryl Cooper! …and playing the part of Alice Cooper tonight… big lights on… ME!”
“It’s great to be back in Birmingham, and it’s almost Halloween… so from all of us – to all of you, may all of your nightmares be horrific, Goodnight!” Alice bows to the audience. I would see Alice Cooper on every night of this tour if I could, standing front and centre. There is something quite magical about this type of show, that I don’t think is going to be on the menu in 20 years, which is a bit sad. Immersion, theatre, a willingness to take life with a pinch of whimsy – alongside truly iconic music, taken as a tonic in an uncomfortable world.
In the immortal words of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, we truly are not worthy.
SETLIST
Lock Me Up (Shortened)
Welcome to the Show
No More Mr. Nice Guy
I’m Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Bed of Nails
Billion Dollar Babies
Snakebite
Be My Lover
Lost in America
He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)
Hey Stoopid
Drum Solo (Glen)
Welcome to My Nightmare
Cold Ethyl
Go to Hell
Poison
Feed My Frankenstein
The Black Widow (Vincent Price segment)
Guitar Solo (Nita)
Black Widow Jam (Full Band Solo)
Ballad of Dwight Fry
I Love the Dead (Opened with Killer snippet)
Elected
Encore:
School’s Out (With Another Brick in the Wall snippet & band introductions)
It’s that last drip of summer, the deepening skies and smell of woodsmoke in the air. Autumn is on it’s way but we have one last hurrah in the form of The Long Road festival. Nestled in the woodland and fields surrounding Stanford Hall, these Leicestershire lands play host to a little slice of Americana once a year. Bring your cowboy boots and your Stetsons, it’s time to throwdown at the hoedown.
Friday at Long Road is a relaxed affair, with the main stage not being open today there is ample time to wander around the other areas and find our feet. We catch a little of American Aquarium over at The Interstate tent, who start off sounding a lot like punk-rock but eventually settle into a more country style. After a quick tour around the food offerings we opt to take seats on one of the many long benches set out in front of The Interstate, and choose Bayou Kitchen cajun shrimp bowls. This is my go-to food at TLR, so I’m glad to see they’re back again.
We mosey around, stopping to listen in at The Front Porch and once again I can’t help but admire the choice to theme this stage. If you don’t know, The Front Porch is a cabin with… well, a front porch. Bands perform on the porch as if you’re in their backyard, there are rocking chairs and smoke pours from the little chimney. While there is always a small standing crowd up front, this stage is the place to go if you want to have a chilled sit-down to enjoy the music, and tonight there are many doing just that – under the soft festoon lights and dwindling sun.
Taking a stroll around the various shopping stalls, boots and hats enticing us at every turn, we are drawn into the Solo Stove area where bright fires are crackling into the pink sky. The merch stall is already full of people grabbing their TLR t-shirts and caps, and this year there’s an incredible knitted blanket on offer that catches my eye. We decide to finish up our night with a pot of Crumble (incredible festival food choice) and joining in with the line-dancing class at The Front Porch. It won’t be the last time I hear Rascal Flatts this weekend, but hey – now I can Cowboy Hustle to it!
Today, the arena is in full swing and we are heading in for a day of rootin’ tootin’ antics, off first in search of some lunch. Today we hit up the Brisket wagon, which is a truck that houses proper southern style smokers, for some low and slow fall-apart meat on top of cheese-fries. Heaven.
Suitably satiated we take to the main stage for Kristian Bush (yes, of Sugarland fame), who is bringing some melodic country rock and his dry humour to the proceedings, alongside his brother Brandon on keys.“You tighten one butt-cheek at a time, this is for all you men out there going “oh I have to dance?” that’s how you do” giggles Bush, as they drop into hit ‘Trailer Hitch’ – which I absolutely love for it’s lyrics.
In another smooth move, Kristian talks about loving the UK show Taskmaster, and how he’s watched all of the seasons (huge cheers from the crowd) before telling us that he should get paid more for bringing the sunshine here today and yelling “…this is for all you people who still believe in summertime!”.
“I’ve won loads of country music awards and never wrote a song about drinking. I apologise. Have you ever been at the bar and suddenly you can’t walk? It just happens…” is his leading line into ‘Flip Flops’, a song that will resonate well with anyone who has ever been on a bender… which let’s face it, is the entire UK population.
Kyle Daniel is up next, shouting “Let’s boogie” and launching into some classic country rock with ‘God Bless America (Damn Rock n’ Roll)’ which is, as you can imagine; very singable. A huge crowd has come out to see him today, probably in large part thanks to the exceptional performance he gave here a couple of years ago, albeit with a different backing band. We also get a taste of his epic collaboration with The Cadillac Three – ‘Summer Down South’, which comes with the comedic timing of a side of rain.
We take off after that to check out the Fort Worth x Weber grills area, new to the arena this year. To the side there’s a tiny bar where they’re mixing up cocktails and giving out bandanas and tiny hip flasks as freebies, as well as providing a hot-branding station for leather boots. On the other side under cover, Weber are doing the most mouth-watering cooking demos you can imagine, but there are A LOT of people waiting for taste today so we shuffle off to grab our own food elsewhere. Jonah Kagen is giving the Interstate a good giggle, saying that his British Airways pilot on the way here, sounded like David Attenborough.
The Yeti custom shop has brought back it’s very successful laser-cutter custom shop again, and a double size space to house all the amazing goodies on offer. I don’t know in what world I will ever need a travel cafetière that makes 10 cups of coffee, but I sure do want one now.
Oklahoma kid Wyatt Flores is giving a fantastically energetic performance over on the Rhinestone, but unfortunately the rain is moving in fast and heavy. We run for cover under the Visit Austin barn, and manage to snag ourselves some more freebies in the form of bandanas and tote bags – which have armadillos on them. Cute. There’s even a photobooth in there, nice swag Austin, nice.
After the downpour abates, we hop over to The Showground to watch the annual Hot Dog Eating Contest. Last year was beset by calamity in the form of Brioche buns – and the winning contestant only managed a measly three dogs. No such silliness this year, as the very standard buns are brought over in giant catering trays, to the gingham-clothed table.
Drawn from a hat, the contestants fill the tables and are told that they have 7 minutes in which to chomp as many hot dogs as they can, that there’s a sick bucket behind them, and that the ambulance service people off to the side are trained in the Heimlich maneuver. A girl named Jordan (who didn’t even enter) is filling in for her absent boyfriend, and is expertly dunking her bready buns into water cups to consume faster, Aussie Harry seems entirely unbothered and looks like he’s just there for lunch, but the winner is Miles with 8 hot diggity dawgs. Congratulations man! Although I must point out, that champion scoffer Joey Chestnut has just recently downed 83 dogs in 10 minutes at his most recent match. So, there’s that.
Brittney Spencer is our next pick, she’s rocking an incredible laced-flared 70’s floral two-piece and has the most phenomenal voice, one of my favourite performers of the weekend by far. It might be overcast and cold today, but there’s no standing still when she shouts “Get your drinks up, put your tequila whisky or water up!” for ‘I Got Time’, so we are all dancing along with her.
Following Brittney is ethereal moonchild Paula Cole, who is giving ‘next-door neighbour who is actually a witch and will help you hex your ex’. “This song is about my mother” she says about ‘Follow The Moon’ a beautiful melancholy ballad. If you like Tori Amos, Sinead O’Connor or Kate Bush – this is your jam at TLR. ‘Where Did All The Cowboys Go’ and Dawson’s Creek tv show theme tune ‘I Don’t Want To Wait’ close up the show with a big old dose of the 90’s, and it’s really interesting to hear her speak on her most well-known hit; “I wrote this for my grandfather. He came back from Okinawa with more than just physical scars. It affected my whole family.”
Afterwards we take a chance to re-fuel with some delicious chicken and gravy sandwiches from the Roaming Rotisserie, and catch Brittany Spencer taking on (extremely unsuccessfully) the buckin’ bull rodeo game – kudos for trying though, that thing looks difficult.
The ‘American Troubador’ Don McLean is tonight’s Rhinestone headliner, heading to the stage with a big ensemble and not much other fanfare, smiling in his shirt and jeans. Touring through the back catalogue ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Winterwood’ come interspersed with tales of his musical career, “…don’t know how I found myself in Nashville, but I went and I stayed there, and I have been treated so well by the country music community. I’m sort of a misfit… I have songs from here there and everywhere because I’m interested in everything”.
A cover of Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying’ is lovely, but it’s clear that Don’s voice is waning as he cracks through a couple of notes. My Mum used to sing ‘Vincent’ to my sister when she was little, so we all croon along to that, but it honestly takes until the obvious choice ‘American Pie’ to get the whole arena joining in. With red white and blue strobing stage lights, Don takes the crowd’s enthusiasm for a ride – doing an extra chorus and verse to finish up. All in, I’m glad I saw him live, but I wouldn’t say it was a spectacular set otherwise.
Kaitlin Butts is giving us gorgeous sunshine vocals on The Interstate as we head over to Lil’ Possum County kids area to play some cornhole and skittles, before hitting up the Weber area for a Chilli tutorial (culminating in tasters of the delicious Elk chilli, made Texas-true – no beans!).
Vincent Neil Emerson is giving a soulful banjo-picking performance in Buddy’s through the woodland walk, and we take the opportunity for a beverage and a sit down. It’s a shame the low tent stage facilitates so few people here, this is one that I wish would grow a bit for next year.
Brooke Eden is stunning in an all-white fringed outfit on the main stage, she’s enigmatic and funny, bringing her loud and proud pop-spiked brand of country to our little corner of the world.
“Have you ever fallen In love with your best friend… I did and she was a girl” she says, to cheers. “I moved to Nashville from Florida… Florida’s beautiful but you know craaazy” she laughs, before telling us “I’ve performed with my Dad’s band in country bars since I was 6yrs old… and you know I thought I’d meet a country guy there, and get married… but I met my wife.”
“They told me if I wanted to keep my career in country music I had to stay silent. Did that for 5 years and… don’t do that. I don’t recommend it. I came out 3 years ago with a music video with my wife in. I just had to scream it from the rooftops.” She says, as she leans into her Trisha Yearwood cover ‘She’s In Love With The Boy’ with altered lyrics to ‘Girl’. Her own single ‘Outlaw Love’ for “…anyone who has had to fight for their love” is the true star of the show though, it’s a cracking set. I will also celebrate anyone who has the courage to be vocal about diversity in a traditionally conservative genre.
Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors sing about family and home in Tennessee, and chats to the crowd like an old friend. Some helpful fan decides to help Drew with the pronunciation of our location and yells “It’s LESS-TAH”, to which he chuckles and says “Thank you for that, a couple of weeks ago we were in Sweden and I got their town really wrong, felt like an idiot”.
Drew also tells a story about his Grandad, who was a ‘big fish’ telling tall tales. Apparently he once told a story about being invited to a dog show at Sandringham, and accidentally getting in a car with The Queen. Years later, when his Grandfather died – they got a letter of condolences from The Queen’s office. The song ‘Dragons’ is a gorgeous tribute to him. Drew also plays the harmonica, signs the jackets of fans, and is just all-round nice. ‘Find Your People’ is maybe my favourite add-to-playlist song of the weekend, and had the whole crowd dancing along.
Bringing earlier Interstate performers The National Parks on stage for a boogie during their collab ‘Dance With Everybody’, it’s a great ending to a wonderful set. Call me a new fan.
Randall King, self-proclaimed purveyor of honky-tonk and some classic rock n’roll, is bringing deep south to the rain-spattered main stage; “Do you know what time it is? It ain’t time to go home y’all… it’s tonk time!”. ‘You In A Honky Tonk’ conjures the image of The Blues Brothers having bottles thrown at them unless they play Rawhide on repeat. Randall might be trying to re-write the honky-tonk lore, but if you’re from the UK – you were brought up on cowboy depictions from the movies. “You stood out in the wind the rain, all to listen to some of our songs… I really do appreciate it so much. I get to live the dream on this stage” he says. You can’t go far wrong if you’re nice, nice to look at, and have a great voice. Randall gets my vote.
Referencing our bank holiday Monday; “I heard you guys have a holiday tomorrow? So we’re gonna go big tonight right?” is slightly overshadowed by the immediate and hefty downpour – which he is nicely shielded from under the capped stage. ‘Love You Like I Used To’ has everyone up and dancing along despite the soggy conditions, and new song ‘Bones’ garners a roar of approval from the arena.
Russell is a fantastic performer, it’s such a shame that the heavens have opened though, as many people are packing up and defecting to other stages or even home to campervans. There’s plenty to keep everyone occupied around the arena still, with bands continuing on other stages and entertainments all over. Despite the rain, the beautiful soft festoon lights and the roaring fires are highlighting golden joyful faces, a sign of a festival well-done. There’s no other way to describe this festival than overwhelmingly friendly and consciously chilled out.
The tagline for The Long Road is ‘Welcome Home Old Friend’ and after a few years of attending this truly amazing little festival, I fully feel in the fold. Let’s hope for sunnier climes in 2025. See you next year, old friend.
