Best Gigs of 2025

I went to so many great gigs this year, it was actually really hard to choose a top ten this time! I had to leave out great shows from artists like Margo Price, Tift Merritt, Pearl Charles and Wet Leg, to name but a few, even the fantastic Thurston Moore show where he brought out his beautiful dogs and I got to pet them! But of course, once again, the year was all about seeing MJ Lenderman again, twice! And both shows were mind-blowingly good. 

Kim Deal at the Roundhouse

Kim Deal

TTSSFU 

Roundhouse, 20 June 2025

What a gig filled with joy this was! I've obviously seen Kim Deal live before (in The Breeders, The Amps and the Pixies too) but she was beaming from the moment she walked onstage and it was so absolutely contagious. It didn't hurt that she had an amazing ten-piece band backing her, who had great chemistry, but there was tremendous love for Deal and you know she could feel it and she radiated happiness back at us. This wonderful gig will be hard to beat, it was so much fun!

My Favourite Albums of 2024

My top albums of 2024:

 

MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

Mary Timony - Tame The Tiger

St. Vincent - All Born Screaming

Kim Gordon - The Collective

Laura Marling - Patterns In Repeat

Jack White - No Name

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Woodland

Sturgill Simpson (as Johnny Blueskies) - Passage Du Desir

Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More

Sierra Ferrell - Trail Of Flowers

The Breeders at The Garage

The Breeders

The Garage, 23 June 2024

When The Breeders announced this surprise small show to kick off their UK tour I knew I had to go. It's been 16 years since I last saw them, on the Mountain Battles tour in 2008, and that was a very different line-up. Other than the tiny venue, the big appeal this time was this was the iconic line-up that made their biggest and most famous album, and certainly the one that ruled my teen years, Last Splash. I'm happy to say it was every bit as wonderful and joyous as I had hoped it would be.

The Pixies at Brixton Academy

 
The Pixies
Art Brut
Brixton Academy, 8 October 2009

I'm just a couple of years too young to have caught the Pixies live the first time around but I did manage to see them on their first reunion tour a few years back. Although they seemed to be on good form, played pretty much all my faves and seemed to be getting on well unfortunately it was at Alexandra Palace aka the worst venue in London.