Opening with the crescendo of Cherry, the energy of the room immediately shifts. Pausing for a lingering cheer before she sings, it’s clear that KP brings an air of playful defiance to her performance. The songs that follow are more highlights from the new record, which she jokingly refers to as the night’s “assigned reading”. There’s an edge to this new sound, with raw vocals and whining guitar riffs. The difference is apparent when she plays an older track, The Bend, which is a softer, more delicate fan favourite.

Even as she plays these slower numbers, there are moments between that keep the atmosphere light and lively. At one point, King Princess declares this London show the loudest of the tour, coaxing out a ringing cheer from the audience. Another crowd pleaser follows like a reward: Pussy Is God plays, and everyone sings and moves along.

Continuing with a mix of old and new, including the new title track and Pain, which she chooses to play from a list of four fan favourites, KP is captivating, effortlessly moving about the small stage. Even though the venue is tightly packed, there’s constant moving, like a collective pulse throughout the set. In high-energy songs like Cry Cry Cry it’s clear, but it reaches a peak with Hit the Back. After an impressive piano intro, the singer tells everyone to get low and jump, and they do enthusiastically.

As the gig begins to wind down, the artist shares a heartfelt moment before going back to the very start with Talia, her first single. “I’ve been touring in London since I was 20, I’ll be turning 27 next month, it’s like coming home to a city that supported me…so thank you.”

Playing three songs for the encore, King Princess finishes with Ohio, a great guitar-driven ballad that rounds up the night and the artist’s whole sound. It’s as if she’s come full circle, playing such a powerful number that sums up her raw edge and vocal prowess, and ending the performance on a buzzing high.

Daisy Grace Greetham
Photos: LA Benoit

For further information and future events, visit King Princess’s website here.

Watch the video for Jaime here:

The stage was understated, with an illustrated monochrome London backdrop and the band dressed in all black. Lighting determined the show’s colour palette. Before Murs appeared, the city landscape was blue and gloomy. But when the singer arrived, to the delight of cheering fans, the stage was bathed in golden light.

The title track may have received mixed reviews online, but it ignited the crowd as an intro. Murs spoke the first verse while the musicians provided an energetic instrumental. Much of the sound has been influenced by the ska genre, infectious and vivacious.

Although there were many fresh songs that much of the audience hadn’t yet memorised, Murs’s giddy, groovy energy was matched perfectly by his fans. The charismatic backing singers, John Allen and Darren Ellison, played a key part in winding everyone up. Murs knows the intricacies of interacting with the audience – people clapped along to the bridge in Guilty, swooned when Murs performed his signature dance moves, and swayed their arms. 

When the first notes of his classics sounded, the room exploded in joy. Murs revived the nostalgic memories with Thinking of Me, the audience singing along and waving enthusiastically like a tide. “Feels like I’ve gone back to 2008,” he said after performing Run This Town, a new track he co-wrote with The Ordinary Boys singer Sam Preston.

As the concert went on, it grew more sentimental, despite the upbeat music and positive atmosphere. In the intimate setting, on a stage free of flashiness (apart from a golden mic stand), Murs spoke with attendees like they were long-time friends. The singer appeared to let his vulnerabilities show, tearing up while performing Love = Madness, a romantic ballad dedicated to his wife Amelia.

The concert felt like a thank-you letter: “This year has been a pretty epic year for me…Tonight is a real celebration.” The muted scale and lack of pretence worked in Murs’s favour. He proved to be a born showman: by the end, the whole venue was chanting his name.

Kamilla Abuziarova
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events, visit Olly Murs’s website here.

Watch the video for Run This Town here:

The Last Dinner Party twirled onto the stage, greeted by an eruption of noise from the crowd, styled in cascading ballgowns and lace – think Marie Antoinette if she lived in Dalston. The lights faded into red, and the bass rumbled as the show opened with Agnus Dei, the first song on the new album. Frontwoman Abigail Morris brought an entrancing theatrical element to the performance. The audience were clearly spellbound by the perfect synergy of song, staging and wardrobe. 

There was a buzz of feminine energy throughout the venue as the band played hits such as Feminine Urge and Sinner from their previous album Prelude to Ecstasy. Each member had their moment in the spotlight, creating a refreshingly even rotation. Keyboardist, Aurora Nishevci, performed the melancholy ballad Hold Your Anger. Fans fell silent during the song, preferring to honour the music itself rather than participating. 

The group waltzed and spun across the stage, creating a dynamic and hypnotising sight. A riot of frills and thigh-high boots, it was impossible to look away from the girls in gowns wielding electric guitars. 

Every corner of the hall sprung into action at the opening beats of the band’s debut single Nothing Matters. The girls laughed and embraced each other as the room echoed the lyrics back to them; the pure joy was tangible.

A myriad of talent and female power, The Last Dinner Party are reviving the lost art of performance, intertwining theatre and expert lyricism while keeping the fun alive. A girl band like no other, they are truly bewitching. 

Flora Allison
Photos: LA Benoit

For further information and future events, visit The Last Dinner Party’s website here.

Watch the video for Count The Ways here:

Emerging from a veil of smoke to a booming chorus of cheers and ear-splitting applause, Don Broco detonated the crowd with an explosive delivery of their 2025 single Cellophane. During the early portions of the set, lead vocalist Rob Damiani demonstrated his striking vocal versatility, transitioning seamlessly between piercing screamo segments and deep, powerful baritone belts. Every member of the band was at peak performance: both Simon Delaney and Tom Doyle displayed remarkable smoothness while commanding the guitar and bass, respectively; their stage presence and charisma were a major part of an indelible ritual that enchanted the gathering. Matt Donnelly’s drumming was sensational and served as a major impetus for the crowd’s relentlessness, resulting in continuous crowd-surfing, mosh pits, and jumping throughout the entire event.

The show took an intimate turn when Damiani surprised the gathering by moving into the stands to deliver an acoustic rendition of the track You Wanna Know. This change in dynamic further highlighted his flexibility as a vocalist, showcasing his tender baritone vocals. During the gig, Damiani also paused to thank the audience for their attendance, speaking openly about the importance of live music and the positive effects performing can have on people going through turbulent periods in their lives. He also took a moment to denounce racism, bigotry, and misogyny, showing a human and engaged side rarely seen from artists of this stature.

Don Broco also played their unreleased track, True Believers, a high-energy, nu-metal-inspired song that fit seamlessly within the setlist. Despite the track being unknown, its fury kept fans jumping and chanting in unison. Another pinnacle of the show was the collaborative delivery of Further with Yonaka’s Theresa Jarvis, which saw Damiani and Jarvis trading vocal lines with undeniable force. The night ultimately concluded with a phenomenal, house-shaking rendition of the song Hype Man.

The entire production was exceptional, defined by meticulous attention to detail. The staging was immaculate, utilising a stunning array of lights and effects that complemented the musical peaks. There was not a single vocal misstep across the entire band; the guitar and bass work were pristine, the drumming was sensational, and the subtle keyboard layers gave even more depth to what was already a fabulous performance. The faithful certainly departed the arena having experienced a monumental show that will reside in their minds in perpetuity.

Glory Matondo
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events, visit Don Broco’s website here.

Watch the video for You Wanna Know here:

Although there was no eponymous sofa on the scene, the entire O2 felt like one – and Rowsell was lying on it, relaxing with each performance and offering us her pure vocals, perhaps the most immersive ones in the entire business. Seeing them live for the first time seems like an almost pristine experience, because the band’s leaning towards musical perfection appears practically impossible. “They can’t sound so flawless,” we think. Yet, they do.

The London-born group was exchanging genres (and thus, their albums) with every song. The entire set list was arranged deliberately (starting with Thorns and ending on Smile with Don’t Delete the Kisses as a final encore song), while transitions between each track felt pretty organic. At one moment, shoegaze and a sense of nostalgia mixed with soft rock when they played new tunes from The Clearing and Blue Weekend; at another, they embraced the tension and punkish energy of their first two records.

Wolf Alice reflected on 15 years together by admitting that it was friendship that had saved these four musicians and let them continue this journey. While watching Wolf Alice’s energy, there was a sense of synergy between all four of them, perhaps based on counterbalancing each other. While the boys – Joff Oddie, Joel Amey and Theo Ellis – were going full “punk rock”, Rowsell stuck to her on-stage persona, one that was both theatrical and flirtatious. The boys wanted to shout loudly and clearly with their masculine energy, while she desired to scream with ecstasy. They are the rock stars, she’s an icon, reminiscent of a singer from one a Lynchian fairy tales. 

This idea of playing with two forces of nature was bolstered by some vintage-like, 1970s aesthetics. A disco ball was brought in, the wind was blowing in Rowsell’s hair, and a set of moody lights set up the tender atmosphere. All of it made them look like a bunch of rock ‘n’ roll icons.

Regardless of the seats, experiencing their nearly two-hour set felt like an actual privilege. It was as if you were the one being thankful, even though it’s a band that should always be grateful to their fans. As a collective force, Wolf Alice seemed indestructible – they could just go on and on and on. Writing that their music is like a fine old wine would be a huge cliché. Instead, they’re like Coca-Cola inventing a new flavour with every new album. And each of them tastes better than the last.

Jan Tracz
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events, visit Wolf Alice’s website here.

Watch the video for Just Two Girls here:

But CMAT doesn’t walk onstage. Instead, a spotlight finds her perched on a ledge near the merch stand as she utters Janis Joplining’s opening line: “I’m a writer.” A pause as Brixton Academy screams for a solid couple of minutes before she sings the rest, looking every inch a diva wearing sunglasses indoors.

Then, chaos looms as CMAT bolts through the crowd, yelling “Brixton! Brixton!” along the way. Finally onstage, she joins the (ridiculously attractive) Very Sexy CMAT Band and launches into The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station, with the whole venue chanting its mantra: “OK, don’t be a bitch, the man’s got kids, and they wouldn’t like this.”

“Would you like to hear some Irish country rock ‘n’ roll?” she asks soon after, but there’s far, far more to her music than that.

CMAT gives a masterclass in how fun pop music can be, as she kicks, yodels and delightedly squeals in ecstasy all night long; it’s like we’re all in on the joke. The honky-tonk joy of Have Fun! has an opening line about parakeets above a Clapham Tesco, and recent single When a Good Man Cries has the room yelling “DUNBOYNE DIANA” and the “Kyrie Eleison” coda.

Indeed, a CMAT show is playful, chaotic, and cathartic all at once, but the quieter moments are just as captivating – take Iceberg’s soulful softness, or the piano-led intro to Where Are Your Kids Tonight?, with keyboardist Colm Conlan crooning John Grant’s vocals.

However, the stunning Euro-Country is something else entirely; the statement title track from CMAT’s 2025 album opens with a hymn-like Irish language first verse, then it builds up to her horrific memories of experiencing Ireland’s post-Celtic Tiger years: “I was 12 when the das started killing themselves all around me…” As she notes afterwards, it’s about a specific time and place, but has resonated far beyond its intended audience – that’s the power of music, folks.

CMAT and the Very Sexy CMAT Band have been dancing all night long, but Brixton Academy gets invited to join in, whether it’s the TikTok routine which ruled the summer to Take a Sexy Picture of Me, or the Dunboyne, County Meath Two-Step to I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! By the time we reach the euphoric climax of Stay For Something, it’s a wonder the roof hasn’t caved in, such is the prolonged high volume everyone’s been singing all night long.

With her incredible songwriting, undeniable charm and heavenly vocals, how could you not fall for CMAT? Tonight, among everything else, she described a song as a tit-slapper, wiggled her bum at the crowd, and sprawled her body down the stairs while singing.

Next year, she plays Alexandra Palace. For the love of God, don’t miss it.

Gem Hurley
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events, visit CMAT’s website here. CMAT headlines LIDO Festival in Victoria Park on 12^th June 2026, visit here for more details.

Watch the video for Take a Sexy Picture of Me here:

The sold-out show begins with a crackling thunderstorm sound as the arena is swallowed in darkness. A wall of analogue consoles glows faintly, like the bridge of a submarine. Zimmer emerges at a synth for the Dark Knight opener, then bounces between bass guitar, a mini-keyboard and a sprawling studio console.

As he jokes about finally being able to sleep in his own bed, he also explains that this tour is “a slightly different show, back to my roots, with a bit more electronica”. He goes on to play Dune, with its chilling atmospheric chant, and an arrangement that, in his words, is “a country-western punk track.” Then Man of Steel appears in its original demo form – more bass-heavy, more muscular.

Throughout, Zimmer can’t help but praise his musicians, starting with his longtime guitarist Guthrie Govan, who “plays something completely different every night after 250 shows”, or the violinist Molly Rogers who joins the stage despite having a fever.

Cellist Mariko Muranaka descends from above in a vast red gown, surrounded by a candlelit choir for a piece from Hannibal before playing Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code – one of the night’s most theatrical moments.

The composer then gives a crash lecture on film scoring: “You need a main theme, a bang, then the A and B themes, then you fly around filling the gaps. But with this one, I kept writing theme after theme and I came up with 19.” It’s the introduction for Gladiator, where he plays five different pieces – “we haven’t tried before to try to play so many live” – brought to life by the iconic original vocal of Lisa Gerrard. On Now We Are Free, it’s the first true goosebump moment of the evening.

The second half shifts gears almost immediately, with the live debut of his F1 theme in a true retro synth uplifting vibe. The composer also confesses that when he wrote the Pearl Harbor theme he didn’t really like it but fortunately the love of his life convinced him otherwise.

Zimmer introduces the Interstellar suite by recounting a letter from Chris Nolan, typed on the director’s father’s old typewriter, asking him to ponder what happens when your child is gone. When Nolan later visited the studio, sitting down “with his cup of tea, as usual”, he played him the piece he had written – a “love letter to my sons” – before asking what the film was actually about. Nolan’s answer, “physics, space, the universe, love, an epic… now I know where the heart of the story is,” revealed everything. The performance mirrors both that intimacy, when Zimmer plays the iconic theme at the piano, as well as the grandeur and power of Coward and Stay.

The Hollywood maestro recollects how he started with indie productions and the time he spent researching African-influenced music when he was commissioned for a film about apartheid – a period he still speaks about with particular affection. That’s when he laid the foundation for what would become his breakthrough and first Oscar-winning score. As Lebo M blasts the arena with the Zulu “nants’ingonyama”, we enter the world of The Lion King. Zimmer admits that when they played it at Coachella he was told it was “the music of [their] youth”, and the audience reaction proves that point again. The suite feels both celebratory and emotional, a reminder of how deeply these themes have soaked into pop culture.

For the finale, he follows it with the anarchic songs of Pirates of the Caribbean – “if there’s an accordion on stage, you know it’s about to get dangerous” – letting the band stretch into the chaotic, swashbuckling energy of The Kraken and He’s a Pirate. Predictably, it’s Time that brings the night full circle: Zimmer alone at the piano, spotlighted, before the strings join in for a soaring crescendo. It’s a concert that summons the emotional force of cinema without having to show a single frame.

Filippo L’Astorina
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Hans Zimmer Live’s website here.

For their Alexandra Palace debut, the historic venue was reclaimed as “Ally Pelle”. No introduction necessary, The Hives began with a metronomic countdown in pitch black. 2025 single Enough is Enough kicked off the set and encapsulated the anarchic evening ahead. Fan-favourites from their extensive back catalogue – such as Hate to Say I Told You So and Bogus Operandi – likewise prompted acoustic renditions from the audience. Display screens on either side of the stage provided close-ups of each band member and occasionally showed footage of the crowd, which created a surprisingly informal mood. Acutely aware of their cult status, the five stood still in their trademark black-and-white LED suits and absorbed the applause after Paint a Picture.

To further encourage the audience, frontman Pelle was friendly and conversational. He joked about the cold weather, shared anecdotes of previous tours and even played a game of “Simon Says”. He implored everyone to put away their screens and “live in the moment” preceding I’m Alive, and hardly a phone remained in sight for the remainder of the show. Taking his own advice to “rock out”, Pelle joined the sea of delighted fans himself during Tick Tick Boom. The absence of an encore would have been a shock; initially, two more songs were promised, but Smoke and Mirrors was indulged at special request.

Closing with the riotous euphoria of The Hives Forever Forever the Hives, it was a sheer explosion of feeling – predictably rebellious and fun. The Hives promised a night of uninhibited rock’n’roll and undoubtedly delivered. 

Sofia Hamandi
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events, visit The Hives’s website here.

Watch the video for The Hives Forever here:

The setup is intentionally simple: the trio stand in line, with their additional three Irish musicians (who also gave up their day jobs this year) on a raised platform behind. The sounds created alone take centre stage. Charming and heartfelt, they perform whilst taking it in turns to describe the writing process behind it. For individual artists who only recently banded in recent years, their sound is cohesive and harmonious in more ways than one. One Man’s Love is about living for the weekend too much, whilst Of Land and Sea is about missing people whilst on the road and newly released Rarest Hour was actually written many years ago. 

Even though a lot of the songs often overlap in sound and feeling, it’s difficult to choose just a few highlights. There are many: husky and nostalgic Schoolyard Days, upbeat Like the Piper and rich harmony-laden Tonnta, which closes with an explosive celebration of strings. The room truly comes alive when able to appreciate the complex landscape of every instrumental layer: guitars, mandolin and even a harmonium, a keyboard-like box. Be it uptempo or ballad, it’s so seamless that one could even forget they are actively playing instruments. However, the one standout moment comes a few tracks before the finale in the form of Mary’s Pub. Written about an encounter in a pub-turned imaginary love story and showcasing Cunningham’s beautifully rich tones, it prompts a moving audience singalong that crescendos powerfully throughout the piece.  

The “very showbiz” encore consists of Mariner Boy and Swan Song: slow, stripped-back folk songs and fitting fan favourites. It’s pure, easy-listening escapism in a room, highlighting both the beauty in the raw simplicity of live music but also the exciting path the band are undeniably on. It could easily feel stuffy in the packed 2000-strong room, but it’s hard to argue: Amble are your latest breath of fresh air.  

Bev Lung
Photos: Guifre de Peray

For further information and future events, visit Amble’s website here.

Watch the video for The Rarest Hour here:

On this brisk Tuesday evening, after a suitably ambience-warming set by fellow indie-rock Yorkshire musicians, the Orielles, it was time for Leeds-hailing outfit English Teacher to take to the multicolour-lit stage. Fresh off their BRIT nomination and win of the much-coveted Mercury Music Prize last year for This Could Be Texas, the band have gone from strength to strength, a mainstay of the just-left-of-centre alternative music scene, beloved by the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music.

Frontwoman Lily Fontaine moved seamlessly from up front with the mic to behind the keyboard to lead her group (Lewis Whiting, Douglas Frost and Nicholas Eden, plus Blossom Caldarone on the cello) in a smattering of their contemporary, punk-meets-poetry take on guitar music, her husky vocals that lean right into her Northern twang oscillating between soaring, long-held notes and witty, biting spoken words.

Clear highlights were bombshell first single R&B, featuring an addictive dirty bass guitar riff that crescendos into a full rock-out by the song’s climax, and Fontaine ruminating on her place within the white-male-heavy world of indie rock as a mixed-race woman, (“Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B”), Mastermind Specialism, both lyrically and sonically recalling a twisted nursery lullaby, each line tumbling into the next like the gentlest of waterfalls trickling down your spine (“Hmm, tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor / Hmm, singer, porn star, writer, thief”), plus killer track The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, which encapsulates the ET sound most aptly, Fontaine’s vocals reverberating on the chorus, then cutting to her edgy spoken lines, “I am the world’s biggest paving slab / So watch your f*cking feet”.

Between numbers, which also included Broken Biscuits, I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying, and Nearly Daffodils, it was all effortless down-to-earth chitchat, pointing out their first headline gig three years ago was just across the road, and they hope to see us next at… “What’s that big one called? Ally Pally? Or the O2?!” – at the rate they’re going, a likely occurrence.

After exiting the stage, the band returned for the obligatory encore, treating the audience to 2022’s Polyawkward and A55 before sending us off, floating into the night in a dreamlike state, the simultaneously charming and edgy, quirky and beautiful, avant-garde and relatable sounds and words of English Teacher replaying wistfully in our minds. If you ever wondered if indie rock could stray away from pale, male and stale, here’s your fiercely original, no bullsh*t answer. This is music to make you slyly smirk while also stirring your soul.

Sarah Bradbury
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events, visit English Teacher’s website here.

Watch the video for English Teacher – Mastermind Specialism here: