live review

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 →

Live Review: Porcupine Tree, Wembley Arena, 11th Nov 2022

/ James Fenney
Photo by Joe del Tufo

I’m not usually the kind of music fan that thinks “if only I’d been around to see them live”. I’d much rather spend my energy being thankful for the amazing gigs I’ve been lucky enough to attend over the years, than fretting about the multitude of acts that passed me by. But one notable exception has always been Porcupine Tree. The rich textured atmospheres, the juggernaut riffs, the memorable and melodious hooks, that haunting balance between bleak and beautiful – the band was a perfect storm of intriguing ingredients that all combined to form a sound completely their own. They were one of the formative bands of my teenage years, and yet sadly had already called it a day as a band by the time I discovered them. Though I’ve dabbled in various side projects and solo work over the years, none of those records ever truly scratched that PT itch. But after twelve long years finally came the announcement of a new album, and with it an accompanying tour – a chance I never thought I’d get to see one of my favourite bands, can’t say no to that, can you? Continue reading →

Live Review: Maggie Rogers, O2 Academy Leeds, 31st Oct 2022

/ James Fenney

Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain – believed to be the day when we’re at our closest to the other side, when the spirits of the departed rise and walk the Earth. What a fitting gig then for such a momentous part of the calendar, as there are few artists I know better at raising your spirits than Maggie Rogers. Last I saw her, going in blind and uninitiated to her headline slot at Barn on the Farm 2019, was hands down one of the best sets I’ve ever seen. Gracing the stage with such energy and enthusiasm that she felt like a force of nature, I was left completely bewitched and couldn’t wait to see her again. But wait I did, and one pandemic later the stars aligned for the first date of The Feral Joy Tour to fall on my favourite holiday… spooky! Continue reading →

Live Review: Bon Iver, Leeds Arena, 19th Nov 2022

/ James Fenney

When I was younger I definitely went to a lot more gigs completely on a whim. Heading off to see a band just because I could, just because they were there! Cramming concerts into already busy schedules without a thought for repercussions. Picking up tickets for gigs without it ever entering into my head how I plan on getting there and back. I’d like to think I’m older and wiser… but I’m still terribly forgetful when it comes to the logistics of getting to gigs. I’ll admit however that these days my gig going schedule has a lot more purpose – ticking off the list of acts I wanna see before I die, prioritising certain tours to better the chances of hearing my favourite tracks etc. But you need to do something in a spur of the moment every now and then, right? And seeing Bon Iver was one of my best “heat of the moment” gig experiences. Continue reading →

Live Review: Barn on the Farm Festival 2022

/ James Fenney

After two years away from my favourite place on Earth, to say that I was excited to return to Barn on the Farm this summer would be a massive understatement. Over the years it’s become such an integral part of the calendar, like Christmas, that having summers without it due to Covid felt like missing a limb. Still clutching on to my original 2020 ticket, stepping back onto Over Farm at long last felt like coming home. But after struggling through two years of pandemic upheaval, and with the dizzying highs of their stellar ten-year anniversary being a tough act to follow, expectations were high. Continue reading →