Two Years of Live Gigs, Comebacks and Questionable Pint Spending
Read all the reviews and see what’s in store in 2026 – REVIEWS
I’ve been to a lot of gigs. Not a sensible number. Not a tidy, spreadsheet-friendly total. Just a lot. The first one is still under review and would need a panel of experts and possibly VAR. It was either Chas ’n’ Dave at Felixstowe Spa or Simple Minds at Wembley Arena. Memory from that period is like an old VHS taped over three times and stored next to a radiator.
After that came a steady run of Paul Heaton and Beautiful South shows and three separate Stone Roses gigs. All excellent. All definitely attended. Most of the detail now filed alongside missing TV remotes and single socks.
The Post-Covid Gig Revival
After Covid, the live music habit came back with interest. Not a band reunion, our reunion. I reconnected with Hammy and Neil and we went to see John Lydon. That was the trigger. One minute it was “shall we go,” the next it was trains, tickets, taxis and late finishes on repeat.
I eventually realised I was seeing so many bands that I couldn’t reliably remember who I’d seen without checking my phone or my bank account. That’s when I started properly writing gig reviews on the site. Partly for posterity, partly because my internal storage is running low and doesn’t support upgrades.
Live Gigs in 2024: The Reboot Year
2024 was the reset year and it escalated quickly. Cast opened the account, followed by OMD, Gallagher and Squire, Liam Gallagher performing Definitely Maybe, Sting in the woods like a very expensive park ranger, Ashcroft and Ocean Colour Scene outdoors, Squeeze and The Pretenders at the Regent, and Bob Dylan at the Albert Hall.
That was my second Bob Dylan show, the first being in 2004. I remain equally unsure what he actually sang on both nights, but I am prepared to accept they were songs and that he meant them.
Brown Horse also played to a crowd of 88 people including us, which felt like being admitted through a side entrance marked “deliveries only.” Big artists, bucket-list names, and properly loud nights.
Live Gigs in 2025: No Brakes Applied
2025 ignored the concept of moderation. Specials tribute at the 100 Club, Jason Donovan at The Apex, Deacon Blue, Ocean Colour Scene again because repeat bookings exist for a reason, Paul Heaton at Bramall Lane, Pulp at the O2, and The Beach Boys in the sunshine with Lulu quietly stealing the show.
The triple bill of Manics, Charlatans and Ash felt like a late-90s festival compressed into one evening. Sandringham was organisational roulette, rescued mainly by Stereophonics turning up and doing the job properly.
Oasis Wembley Comeback 2025
The Oasis comeback show at Wembley I attended with Gemma deserves its own section. Big stage, big sound, big nostalgia. Completely worth it. Seeing them again years after the first time only confirmed the rule that some bands are built for stadiums and volume, not subtlety and early nights.
Schoolmates Reunion Shows and Underrated Live Acts
The year closed with a proper schoolmates reunion as a few from the class of ’86 saw The Enemy. Then the original three saw Adam Ant own Camden like the calendar had malfunctioned, and Starsailor with Jimmy finished the year off in seriously underrated fashion.
The Elvis Hologram Show That Actually Worked
The Elvis show divided opinion because of the lack of a hologram, and plenty of people made their feelings known. Fair enough. But taken on its own terms, it was one of the highlights. Strong atmosphere, full-strength nostalgia, and a show that connected with the room. Different does not automatically mean worse.
The Blur of Bands and Familiar Names
At this point, some gigs merge into one long highlight reel. Cast, Charlatans, Manics, Lightning Seeds. It feels like the late 90s formed a reunion league and I bought a season ticket. No complaints. Dylan is now ticked off twice, even if the setlists remain a mystery worthy of forensic work.
Why Live Music Still Wins
It was never just about the bands. It was the people. The regular crew, the repeat travellers, the semi-regular additions, and the surprise appearances. Same theme, different nights, varying levels of coordination by closing time.
That’s two years of live gigs documented, hundreds of miles travelled, a heroic investment in overpriced pints, and more encores than strictly necessary.
There are already more tickets booked, which suggests sensible behaviour is not currently scheduled.
Read all the reviews and see what’s in store in 2026 – REVIEWS
