live review

Live Review: Mumford & Sons, Sheffield Arena, 5th Dec 2025

/ James Fenney

Sometimes the universe decides to send you a sign, and what else can you do then but follow. A few months back I remarked to a friend how long it had been since I last saw a gig at Sheffield Arena. “All the major tours used to stop in Sheffield; what happened? I’m sick of trekking all the way to Leeds for shows, when Sheffield is right there!“. Lo and behold, later that very same day, Mumford & Sons announced their latest UK tour, and offered up precisely what I’d been asking for. Not one to question such a well timed coincidence, I took it instead as a sign that I was long overdue seeing the Mumford lads live. They feel like such an important cultural pillar of my generation, one of the big bands of our teenage years, the folky soundtrack of a simpler time since passed. Surely there’s no better time of year than the run up to Christmas for reigniting that youthful spark within; just the kind of energy I needed for my final live show of 2025. Continue reading →

Live Review: Coldplay, Craven Park Hull, 19th Aug 2025

/ James Fenney

Though the band can often prove to be quite divisive, I’ve always been pretty Coldplay neutral. I’ve rarely found reasons to get excited about them, but nor have I ever quite understood the hate they garner from some corners. Yet even their most steadfast detractors will concede the point that they put on a great live show. Vibrant, colourful, collaborative, life-affirming. One of the grandest spectacles in live music, though not without the occasional quiet, personal moments to boot. With that in mind, I felt the most excited I’ve ever been about Coldplay, when I did a double take at the news that the band would be playing in Hull. It’s always a thrill when one of the biggest live acts in the world practically plays on your doorstep, in what is likely one of the more intimate settings they’ve played in recent years. What sealed the deal for me though was the announcement that a sizeable chunk of tickets would be reserved for local fans, and that a share of proceeds from the shows would go to support Music Venue Trust. Seeing a high profile band championing forgotten communities and grassroots music like that was something I felt the need to celebrate, and so I was one of the lucky few locals gathered for this special occasion. Continue reading →

Live Review: Bruce Springsteen, Co-op Live Manchester, 20th May 2025

/ James Fenney

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve stepped into a big arena to see a proper certified legend. There’s a unique buzz that comes from seeing an iconic, beloved, household name in the flesh. It’s the kind of experience that will have you bragging “I’ve actually seen them live!“, whenever the opportunity presents itself, for the rest of your days. It’s a rush that I’ve been craving of late, and I’ll be damned if Bruce Springsteen doesn’t fit the bill perfectly. My appreciation for his work has grown slowly but steadily over the years, as I’ve begun to grasp how foundational his influence is for so many acts I adore, but delving into his prolific back catalogue will only get you so far. For decades now, Bruce and the E Street Band have set the standard for live shows with their marathon 3 hour sets, and finally experiencing that first-hand felt like undertaking some rock and roll rite of passage. I had no clue where that journey would take me, no clue of the scale of the buzz around these shows, all I knew for certain was that I’d sure be getting my money’s worth. Continue reading →

Live Review: Luvcat, Deaf Institute Manchester, 11th Nov 2024

/ James Fenney

There’s a deeply tempting magic attached to the idea of fresh starts. When you move to a new place, strike up a conversation with a stranger, and it dawns on you that their entire perception of you hinges on what you say and do next. Everyone you meets knows a different version of you, and every first meeting is a blank state to create the ideal version of who you want to be. Belwood favourite Sophie Morgan took that idea and ran with it when crafting her new alter ego Luvcat. Her new project pairs the romantic allure of a smoky jazz club with the dark gothic storytelling of Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen – with a hearty dash of playfulness and theatricality thrown in for good measure. Luvcat’s beguiling mystique has clearly captured people’s imaginations, as the project’s popularity and influence has been racing like wildfire in just the past year. Fresh off the continent, having just supported The Last Dinner Party across Europe, I caught Luvcat on the first stop of her debut UK headline tour for a bewitching night of mystery and mischief. Continue reading →

Live Review: Holly Humberstone, The Engine Shed Lincoln, 10th March 2024

/ James Fenney

One live music hill that I’d be proud to die on is that more acts should play gigs in forgotten corners of the country instead of just the same handful of big cities. Creative minds don’t just make music in London and Manchester, nor are they the only places where music lovers reside. Music lovers and makers can be found in every town across the country, so why should live music be any different. That philosophy is just one of the myriad of reasons why I was excited to see that Belwood favourite Holly Humberstone was playing Lincoln as part of her latest UK tour. Not that the show would have been all that surprising to anyone that’s been following her career. Holly’s always been proud of her home and family in Lincolnshire, never forgetting where she came from and the people that have been by her side. In fact one of the greatest strengths of her delightful debut album was how it felt so earnestly true to herself. Freshly armed with an album full of heartfelt homegrown alt pop, her gig at The Engine Shed seemed like a triumphant, home-turf victory lap in the making. Continue reading →

Live Review: The Last Dinner Party, The Welly Hull, 15th Oct 2023

/ James Fenney

In some ways I can understand why the term ‘Industry Plant‘ has been thrown around in conversations surrounding The Last Dinner Party. After all, it’s human nature to search for a plausible answer in the face of something that defies explanation. They just seem too good to be true. Releasing an instantly iconic debut single that oozes such effortless charisma, and then exploring new horizons with the tracks that followed while still maintaining that same astonishingly high standard. Their entrancing costume drama aesthetic, the theatricality of their music videos, the wild cathartic revelry of their live performances… hell, even the band’s logo is glorious! I get how someone may listen to their inner cynic before believing that the universe would gift us with a new band who are so assured, engaging and stylish this early into their career. They say seeing is believing, so I felt the need to catch The Last Dinner Party in Hull on their UK tour to see them for myself. Continue reading →

Live Review: The National, First Direct Arena Leeds, 23rd Sept 2023

/ James Fenney

It’s been quite a year for National fans. Little did I know, when grabbing tickets for their latest tour, that 2023 would see Cincinnati’s finest releasing two new albums mere months apart, with the latter of which in particular feeling like a true reignition of the band’s passion and creativity. All that fresh ammunition for their spellbinding live shows, including some tracks that rank alongside the very best in their already bountiful back catalogue. In stark contrast to the last time I saw them, where my hype faded in the wake of a lacklustre record, my excitement and anticipation only grew with every taste of new music offered. If they could blow me away live before, touring an album that I didn’t really connect with, then I knew that this reinvigorated incarnation of the band would reach a new level of excellence. Continue reading →

Live Review: Barn on the Farm Festival 2023

/ James Fenney

Between the general post-pandemic challenges that faced live music as a whole, an uncharacteristically wet and windy weekend, and a line-up and sweeping festival layout changes that both felt like a mixed bag, Barn on the Farm had a shaky return in 2022. It forced me to keep my expectations in check for whatever came next, but with every addition to this year’s line-up adding more buzzworthy names, farm favourites and artists from my ultimate Barn wishlist, I felt anticipation rising that 2023 would be something special. Little did I know just how special… Continue reading →

Live Review: Hozier, O2 Academy Sheffield, 21st June 2023

/ James Fenney

The summer solstice – midsummer, the longest day. It’s always fun when a gig falls on a significant date, and this one couldn’t have felt more fitting. In folklore it’s believed to be a day when magic is at its strongest, and who better to capitalise on that energy than Hozier. His lyricism steeped in myth and legend, his deep soulful vocals adding gravity to his words; his music feels like it expounds ancient wisdom already even without the added magic of the solstice. Fitting too as it’s a time associated with growth and vitality, a blessing for the harvest yet to come. As a special warm-up gig for his upcoming tour, exclusively for fans who preordered his upcoming album Unreal Unearth, it was a celebration of the bounty that summer’s end is set to bring. Continue reading →

Live Review: The Paper Kites, Manchester Academy 2, 17th Feb 2023

/ James Fenney

I like to think we all have bands we listen to that are inexplicably hit and miss. They’ll have some songs that you adore with all your heart, as well as songs that you’re honestly pretty indifferent to… but on paper, somehow there’s very little that separates the two. Try as you might, you can never quite put your finger on whatever magical secret ingredient it is that makes certain tracks shine brighter than those around them. They just do; it’s some law of the universe. Australian indie outfit The Paper Kites are a prime example of such a band for me. Some songs barely making a ripple, while others have such a hold over me that they appear in nearly every playlist I make. Their studio albums a little inconsistent, but if you brought the right tracks together as a ‘greatest hits’ I would struggle to ever pull myself away. Keeping my fingers crossed that their live setlist would bring all my favourites together in just such a way, I made my way to catch them in Manchester hoping that elusive magic would be in the air. Continue reading →