Some years slide by without leaving anything except a couple of receipts and a hangover. 2025 was not one of those years.
This was a year of gigs, chaos, rail disasters, pints that tasted like regret and friends and family who turned every trip into something worth remembering. Music mattered, but the cast around me mattered more. As always.
Here is my top 5 rundown as it happened and who with, all with the usual amount of accidental comedy that seems to follow me around like a lost dog.
1) ELVIS EVOLUTION
A Family Trip That Turned into Group Therapy
With Tracie, Rory and Tamara
Click link to read full review
Not technically a gig, but it had lights, noise and more Elvis than the entirety of Vegas. The drive down was classic us. A rolling argument disguised as conversation. Childhood stories dragged up at random. Sarcasm dialled up to maximum. A perfect warm up.
The show itself was slick. The diner looked like a film set. The Blue Hawaii bar was a novelty. The 1968 Comeback section hit like the real thing. We finished the day with a toast to Mum. She would have loved it and still found something to complain about. Probably the price of the drinks that she wouldn’t have paid for.
2) OASIS
Wembley, Noise and a Beer Soaking
With Gemma
Click link to read full review
Gemma approached the day like she was organising a school inspection. Military precision. No room for error. We got to Wembley without drama, which already felt like a miracle.
Wembley Way was full of blokes in their fifties all convinced they looked like Liam Gallagher. They didn’t. Richard Ashcroft was flawless. Liam prowled the stage with enough attitude to power the National Grid. The whole place shook.
The only downside was the sea of flying pints. Nine pounds for lager and some genius launches it into the sky like it is confetti at a wedding. Ban them. Every last one.
We slipped out early, grabbed a McDonald’s and I was home before one in the morning. A stadium gig done properly.
3) THE BEACH BOYS
Rain, Ice Cream and Umbrella Combat
With Neil and Hammy
Click link to read full review
A three hour drive, a KFC stop and then Englefield House greeted us with a downpour that felt personal. We found the perfect spot between the toilets, bar and ice cream van (No KLF). Years of experience taught us that is the real holy trinity.
Buddy Holly and the Cricketers were sharp. Lulu was a shock highlight. David Essex looked like he had taken a wrong turn on a countryside walk but still delivered.
The Beach Boys brought pure sunshine even though the sky disagreed. Harmonies tight. Crowd happy. Umbrellas everywhere. The car park afterwards resembled a zombie escape scene. Nobody knew what they were doing. Including us.
4) PULP
Jarvis in Full Swagger Mode
With Neil and Hammy
Click link to read full review
A Travelodge, ten pints at Streeties and a pasty from the co op prepared us nicely. Jarvis took the stage like a man who never stopped being cool even when everyone else did.
Two sets. No filler. The new songs held up. The classics tore the roof off. Common People, Something Changed and Disco 2000 hit as hard now as they did in the 90s. The only thing that hit harder was the price of the beer at The O2 we didn’t actually buy!
5=) JASON DONOVAN
Pop Royalty and One Flying Bra
With Tamara
Click link to read full review
Back to The Apex with my youngest sister. Jason Donovan knows exactly what his audience wants and delivers it with a grin. S/A/W hits, West End tunes and a surprising amount of charm.
The duet with his dad was touching. Tamara loved every second and made friends instantly. One fan nearby knew more about Jason’s family tree than Jason probably does. A warm, feel good night with absolutely no shame attached.
5=) MANIC STREET PREACHERS
Big Noise and Bigger Personalities
With Hammy and Andy Phillips
Click link to read full review
Chris Moyles opened with boundless enthusiasm. Ash were brilliant. The Charlatans drifted through their set in that calm, stylish way only they can.
Then the Manics arrived and obliterated the place. Bradfield’s voice cut through the night. Nicky Wire looked like he had wandered in from a parallel universe. A blistering show followed by a car park exit that aged us all ten years. The usual.
I bumped into Darren Rawnsley and agreed on a curry night that will take six months to actually happen.
BUBBLING UNDER – THE UNEXPECTED ONES
Boomtown Rats
Geldof Still Has It And Probably Always Will
With Neil
Click link to read full review
The day started with football in Ely and ended with us watching Geldof bark orders at Cambridge like he owned the place. The documentary intro was a clever touch and then his voice cut through the darkness like a man who refused to let age win.
The band were tight. The crowd were louder than expected. Rat Trap felt enormous. Mondays landed with proper weight. Neil tried to look cool. I pretended not to notice. A cracking night and a reminder that some acts are still fireproof.
Starsailor
Norfolk Chaos and a Hidden Gem
With Jimmy
Click link to read full review
The day that began with train carnage turned into one of the nicest surprises of the year. Youth Killed It were excellent. Starsailor were even better. Their back catalogue hit harder than memory would suggest.
Jimmy spoke to half the venue like he was running a political campaign. Griff rescued us and got us home by midnight. A brilliant late year highlight.
THE VERDICT
2025 was loud, chaotic, full of characters and absolutely worth the petrol money, beer money and the handful of brain cells I probably lost along the way.
Good gigs. Good mates. Good memories.
Bring on 2026.