End of the Road 2025

Posted on September 7, 2025 by John S

My eighth End of the Road festival since 2016. As ever you look at the line up beforehand and think, a lot of the time, who are all these bands? Then you listen to the excellent EOTR playlist on Spotify and think, this is good, that’s great, and you have a long list of bands you want to see. You await the clashfinder that comes with the programme to see what difficult choices you will have to make. And then it’s all go: an evening and three full days of the best music.

There were lots of us this year. Jon, Shane and I made the journey in Jon’s car. On arrival Jon and I headed for the Tangerine Fields glamping and despatched Shane to the main campsite to pitch his tent with the youngsters: Louis, Connie, Callum, Tom, Fionn and others. It’s good to have their company: passionate about the music and bringing a different perspective. You get to see bands you might otherwise not have considered.

The lads had a gazebo this year

The weather forecast wasn’t great. We all know we need a decent slug of rain after such a dry summer, but couldn’t it start on Monday? The heavens’ answer was decidedly not! Rain jacket, walking boots, umbrella – let’s go!

Thursday 27 August

We started in the Folly tent with La Securité, a Montreal art punk band that reminded me a little of 80s post punk bands like Altered Images and A Certain Ratio musically. Sharp, jumpy rhythms and an engaging singer. We didn’t hang around for the whole set as we wanted to get over to the Woods stage for Westside Cowboy. We’d seen them play a great set on the Sunrise Arena at Latitude – I wondered how they’d translate to the bigger spaces of the main stage. The answer was, brilliantly. Their combination of Americana and grunge, with deft harmonies, went down really well with a good sized crowd, while their presence was enhanced by an orange backdrop against which they stood out. It certainly added to my appreciation of the drummer, who drove the music along. Louis and Tom knew all the words to their recent singles, which is a good sign. A band destined to join the list of Manchester’s finest.

Quite a contrast next as we returned to the Folly for some soulful modern samba from Brazilian artist Rogê. Not someone I was aware of until I heard his song Existe Uma Voz on the playlist, which I liked. The show was a joy – a more robust sound than I’d expected, but full of those lilting rhythms and danceable beats. A smile on everyone’s face. Some conscious lyrics, but essentially a party to which everyone was invited. Great fun.

We stayed on at the Folly for Anna Erhard, but the music didn’t grab us, so we wandered over to the Woods stage bar and got ready for Thursday’s headliner Sharon van Etten and the Attachment Theory. Long-time readers of this blog will know that I’ve loved Sharon van Etten’s music, especially the songs on albums like Tramp (2012) and Are We There (2014). Even with a band, she had a raw, stripped-back sound then. Over time her music has become more elaborate, fuller. I still liked her albums, with Remind Me Tomorrow (2019) featuring the anthem Seventeen, now the highlight of her live show. But this year’s eponymous album with the Attachment Theory was just too slick and bombastic on first listen, and I haven’t gone back to it. And the live show at EOTR? Rather the same, I’m afraid. I couldn’t really engage with it. It probably didn’t help that we were standing quite far back and EOTR has resolutely resisted having any screens, even on the main stage. Checking Setlist FM, I saw that half the set was from the new album, but the other half was tracks I should have recognised. But the only two that stood out were Only When the Sun Comes Up and Seventeen. And even they seemed a bit perfunctory. I’m probably being unfair – I imagine there were a lot of people who loved it. But it was one of those shows where half an hour in you think, oh God, I’ve got another hour of this.

Oh well, another old favourite bites the dust. We remember all their great stuff – and Sharon has a lot – and we move on.

Friday 28 August

I’ve already forgotten, but I think the weather was mostly ok today, after it rained incessantly overnight. And not too muddy – yet.

The day began for me with the only literature event that I went to this year. Jon had gone earlier and saw a bit more; I hung around the tent and had a bacon bap from the Tangerine Fields café. It was good!  The talk was with John Harris, the Guardian political journalist, one time music journalist. A trenchant observer of today’s society and the state’s inability to deal with its ills. He has written a book called Maybe I’m Amazed, which is the story of how important music has been in the life of him and his autistic son James. He spoke with great passion and humour about the transformative effect of music – and about the obstacles that government puts in place to get proper support for children with autism. And others with special needs. Moving and inspiring. Very sympathetically interviewed by another author, Holly Dawson. I bought a signed copy of the book later.

First music of the day at twelve. A classic EOTR clash. Three artists I wanted to see. On the garden stage, a Texan guitarist called Hayden Pedigo. In the Big Top, Belfast noise rock band Makeshift Art Bar, and in the Folly, indie-soul singer Uwade. Left to my own devices I might have gone for Hayden Pedigo, as I enjoy starting the day at the Garden Stage. But the collective decision was the noise of Makeshift Art Bar – where did that name come from? And they were good. Of the slow-fast-slow variety, with slashing rhythms and a wall of sound in the fast bits. An ominous feel to it all. Not the most relaxing start, but worth the trip.

I got over the early ear-bashing with three mellow shows in a row afterwards. First, Irish folk singer Ellie O’Neill in the Folly. Beautiful, simple songs, gorgeously sung with just the acoustic guitar to carry them through. A warm glow infused all of us who were there. Then it was down to the Woods Stage for Rosali. She’s someone I’ve wanted to see for a while. I loved her song Mouth, which opened her 2021 album No Medium. It’s a classic Americana ballad, but with a guitar motif which gets me every time. Her music is already quite spare, but she stripped it down further for this performance. Just her and another guitar player. Slow-burning tunes with a JJ Cale subtlety in the guitars. Even Mouth was smoothed over to go with the flow. I enjoyed it, but missed the dynamism of a full band.

Ellie O’Neill

Rosali in double denim

While I was watching Rosali, most of the group were at the Big Top watching Man/Woman/Chainsaw – those names! The reports afterwards sounded good. More noise, but with a shoegaze element too. A few of us convened at the Garden Stage next for Florist, an indie folk band from Brooklyn, New York. If Ellie O’Neill and Rosali were mellow, Florist were positively soporific. It was nice, but it washed over me.

Some rock’n’roll was now essential. The Bug Club on the Woods Stage fitted the bill. I like this band whenever I hear them on the radio. Witty, upbeat rocking tunes. We saw them at Green Man a few years ago, and they’ve built quite a following since. On the way down to the Woods, we passed the Big Top and heard some rocking punk sounds. It was an Aussie band called C.O.F.F.I.N. After the Bug Club show, which was entertaining enough, but a bit slight, I rather wished I’d given the Australian punks a go. By the way, their name stands for Children of Finland Fighting in Norway. Don’t ask me why.

I had a break at this point, staying on site. A cup of tea from the double decker bus. A very nice couple joined me at my table and offered me a duck spring roll, which I declined, and then some chocolate tiffin, which I couldn’t resist. It was perfect with the tea. Suitably revived – all the standing is hard work these days – the next gig was the splendidly-named Horse Jumper of Love at the Folly. When I heard them on the EOTR playlist I thought of Radiohead, but Wikipedia gets it right, classifying them as slowcore, slacker rock, shoegaze. They are from Boston, Massachusetts and were cooler than your average shoegaze band. And better – I really enjoyed the performance, and I was at one with the crowd in that respect. A great atmosphere, a good band.

Horse Jumper of Love

We all headed down to the Wood Stage next for Swedish psychedelic rockers Goat. I quite like their recorded music – there’s a lot going on. But I found it a bit repetitive live and decided to head up to the Boat Stage, one in the woods beyond the Garden Stage, which I rarely visit. It’s quite small and it’s hard to see the band if you are at the back. The band I wanted to see were Mandy, Indiana. The singer, Valentine Caulfield is French; the rest of the band are from Manchester, I think. They are also based in Berlin, which feels appropriate. They make a hardcore noise, infused with pounding dance beats. I caught four songs at the end. Couldn’t see much of them, but found the sound really gripping. Valentine has a presence about her, though she ruined it a bit for the last song by disappearing into the crowd. I was left wanting more, and will be looking out for any shows in London.

I wandered over to the Folly after that for Chastity Belt. They are an all-woman band from Seattle, who have been around for a while. Jangly indie rock would describe them. I love a song of their called Lydia, which has a wonderfully simple, high-pitched guitar solo running through it. And they did play it, right at the end. The solo got a little lost in the mix, so I imagined it a bit, as sometimes you do at live shows. Overall, the performance was a bit samey – it’s in the nature of the music I guess. But I enjoyed it well enough.

It was headliner time now. Caribou on the Woods Stage or Matt Berninger of the National on the Garden? I favoured Matt Berninger, but Caribou started earlier, so I wandered down to see if I could find the others. We have an area we usually stand in, but in the dark I couldn’t see anyone. Caribou’s music is poppy electro-dance, backed with some colourful visuals. I enjoyed the bit I saw, but I think an hour and a half would have been too much. That said, the reports later were very enthusiastic. Louis said it was the best headline performance he’d seen at EOTR. Anyway, I went to Matt Berninger, unsure of how good he would be, parted from his usual band. But I shouldn’t have doubted – it was superb. He was animated – more than I remember him being with the National – and humorous. In a couple of early songs he was positively ranting, like a man at the end of his tether. He calmed down after that! Overall the music, drawn heavily from his recent solo album Get Sunk, wasn’t so different to the National, and his band were equally accomplished. At one point he said, “I’d like to play two covers of my favourite band… the National.” With a little joke about the Dave Matthews Band thrown in.  The songs were Gospel and a very powerful Terrible Love. They also played a cover of New Order’s Blue Monday, minus the electronics, which was great. So, yeah, I think I made the right choice.

Afterwards we convened at the Garden Stage bar and reviewed the day’s events and watched the silent disco down below with amusement. There seemed to be three separate songs being played at any one time, judging by the wristband lights. Meanwhile the DJs on the stage seemed to be belting out one tune. All beyond me!

Saturday 30 August

Today it rained, then it rained, then it rained some more. There was some variety – sometimes it was light, sometimes it was heavy. We assumed our stiff upper lips and carried on. The two main tents, Big Top and Folly, were unsurprisingly very popular and some of the artists on the Woods and Garden stages drew smaller crowds than they would have expected. Such is the lottery of the English weather. We knew the rain was going to end at some point on the evening – that gave us some hope. But it was a bit grim at times.

Jon went on a run in the morning and just about avoided the rain, which started around ten. He did have to run up and down some hills though. I chilled out at the tent and wandered over to the site around midday. The first band I saw was the Sophs in the Folly. They’re an LA band, who have recently been signed to the Rough Trade record label. Musically they’re quite varied – an accordion even appeared at one point – but at the core it’s indie rock’n’roll.  The singer, Ethan Ramon, was engaging and energetic. They got a really positive response from the crowd. An upbeat start to the day.

I stayed at the Folly for the next show – Lily Seabird. I’d not heard of her before I listened to the EOTR playlist. I really liked her track Grace. It combined country/folk with some wild guitars, her voice straining to hit the notes. And that combination translated to the live show. She’s an unassuming character who comes alive through her music. The ballads were poignant, with her voice sounding like she was about to cry. There were two towards the end of the performance. And then she said, “We’ve got three songs left and we’re going to go bonkers.” And go bonkers they did. A total guitar wigout – truly exhilarating. I felt really moved by the ballads – and then by those rocking guitars. My kind of music, totally. Made my day.

It was Mary in the Junkyard at the Big Top next. I like them – saw them play at the ICA in London last year. A woozy indie rock sound. I just got in, with all the people escaping the rain. There’s no way they would have filled the tent on a dry day – they are good, but not that well-known. I stood at the back, peering over and between heads, and soon thought, I’m not really enjoying this. So I left after three songs and went down to the Woods Stage to watch the ever-reliable Golden Dregs in the rain with most of our lot. Singer and band leader Benjamin Woods crooning, lovely harmonies, a mellow groove that reminds me of past bands like Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and Tindersticks. They’re a good band.

 

Next it was over to the Garden Stage for Tyler Ballgame. Recommended in a piece I’d read by Laura Barton, a music journalist I greatly respect. He has a voice like Roy Orbison, high-pitched with a sense of fragility. A contrast to Tyler himself, who is a big man. The music sounded good, but for this one we did stand by the bar and chat while we listened. So I can’t really do it justice. Further exploration required.

Tyler Ballgame

The Line of Best Fit article that included Laura Barton’s endorsement of Tyler Ballgame also featured a piece on a singer called Black Fondu, written by LOBF’s editor, Paul Bridgwater. He declared that the artist would be one of the most divisive at EOTR and suggested that the 6 Music Dads would “toss out Paddington-like hard stares and tut about ‘real instruments’ before retreating back to whatever Big Thief side project is happening elsewhere.” Naturally, Jon, Shane and I, as bona fide 6 Music Dads, took this as a challenge, and so wandered up to the Boat Stage after Tyler Ballgame to catch the show. The place was heaving, as usual. Black Fondu was leaping around to an electronic beat and rapping over the top. We didn’t tut about real instruments, but quickly concluded that it wasn’t for us and left. But there being no Big Thief side projects available I managed to entice Jon and Shane into the Folly to watch a real favourite of mine, Mabe Fratti. She’s a cellist from Guatemala, based in Mexico who plays music that combines the avant garde with a real sense of beauty. Search her name on my blog for more references – I’ve seen her a few times over the years.

The band that Mabe was playing in on this occasion is called Titanic. It’s a collaboration between Mabe and her partner, guitarist Hector Tosta. They were supported by saxophonist Nat Philipps and drummer Friso van Wijck. The music is pretty angular and discordant – more so than her solo work – with rushes of guitar and sax that blow you away, but Mabe’s vocals shimmer over it. Beauty and the beast. She mostly used her cello to provide basslines, but occasionally got the bow out to add to the cacophony. It’s a challenging but intriguing sound and was really well-received by the capacity crowd. A demonstration of the openness of the EOTR audience to unfamiliar music. As indeed was the packed tent for Black Fondu.

Defying the rain, our next call was Peruvian DJ and producer Sofia Kourtesis. She combines electronic dance sounds with an infectious Latin groove. Perfect for dancing to on a balmy summer’s evening. Or how about standing in a field under a mass of grey cloud and an insistent downpour which whipped into your side when a gust of wind came from an unexpected direction? Well, it kind of worked! Sofia performed heroically on stage, which was all the more notable when you consider that she’d lost her mother only a couple of days before. And the crowd, while diminished in size, responded in kind – there was a lot of dancing under the umbrellas and the raincoats. The upper lips were stiff, but not the limbs!

Sofia’s show finished at 6.30 and still the rain fell. Jon and I decided to take a break and sit in the tent for a while and Shane joined us. We drank some white wine – Jon had brought a box – and waited for the rain to stop. It was forecast to relent around at 8.30 and so it did. Time for some more music.

We started with our favourite modern shoegaze band bdrmm in a very busy and steamy Folly tent. They put on a lively and rather joyful show – much more expressive than when we saw them at the Scala in November 2023. I haven’t listened to the 2025 album Microtonic yet, but the reviews suggest that it’s more electronic and upbeat than previous efforts. That showed in tonight’s performance.

That left us with a choice of headliners: Self Esteem on the Woods stage or Viagra Boys on the Garden stage. We opted for the latter – the attraction of some straightforward rocking and a more sheltered space, just in case the rain returned. I’m not a huge fan of Viagra Boys, who hail from Sweden, but Louis and his friends are, and they were somewhere near the front, I assume. Shane, Jon and I stayed at the back, near the bar and enjoyed the show, which was as rumbustious as expected, with a wailing sax adding an extra dimension to the sound. The singer had some amusing patter in between songs and, more seriously, announced that the band were donating their appearance fee to Doctors without Borders, in Palestine. Unsurprisingly there were quite a few gestures of support for Palestine during the weekend – credit to the Viagra Boys for giving theirs some substance.

Sunday 31 August

We were hoping for some dry weather today, but it didn’t materialise until mid-afternoon. Through the morning and early afternoon the heavens taunted us with alternating sunshine and showers as the clouds raced overhead. It was fine though – much nicer than yesterday. As for the music – just fantastic.

We began at the Garden Stage with Shovel Dance Collective, a folk ensemble whose musical range was impressive. The songs ranged from angry protests at injustice through the ages to atmospheric instrumental pieces, a beautiful love song and a spine-tingling piece in which the violinist was let loose on what sounded like an Irish jig, but was probably an English equivalent.  There was something very powerful and moving about the whole thing. This was roots music made relevant to the modern age.

Next was Floodlights, an Australian band described as post-punk and political in the programme. In the event, it sounded to me like pretty orthodox rock and I couldn’t tell what they were singing about. But it was alright. After that Shane and I wandered up to the Garden Stage to see American folk singer Jake Xerxes Fussell. I saw him on the same stage in 2022 and he was a revelation, as he mined the traditional American songbook. This time was just as good – more modern, perhaps, with a gently flowing electric guitar sound as much as acoustic. There were elements of say, JJ Cale in his playing, and he had that ability to lay down two or three rhythms at the same time – without a loop machine. He was accompanied by some subtle drumming for the majority of the songs. Once again, I felt moved by the sheer quality of it all. Jake is a modest character but performs with an obvious love for the songs. l was delighted too when he played Nick Lowe’s I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass in a country style. Not a cover you would have expected, but it worked really well. Maybe it was always a country song at heart.

Floodlights

Jake Xerxes Fussell

Buoyed by Jake Xerxes Fussell, we went back to the Woods Stage for Ryan Davis and the Roundhouse Band. With a name like that it could only be Americana. The band came recommended by Simon Taffe, founder, director and curator of EOTR in that Line of Best Fit article. We had to give it a go. Thought it might be for 10-15 minutes until Slow Fiction started in the Folly, but it was so good we stayed for the whole show. Rumbling American epics, which you’ve heard before, but rarely done this well. Ryan Davis wasn’t just a good singer (and guitarist) but brought a bit of story-telling to the songs, which started to remind me of early Bruce Springsteen. Inevitably I heard a bit of War on Drugs too, though a closer resemblance musically would be to the Aussie band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Americana at its best – thanks for that one Simon!

So we were on a roll – three great shows and it was still only three o’clock. We tried Miso Extra in the Big Top – she sounded good on the playlist – but it seemed like rather predictable pop-dance, so we moved onto the Folly for another recommendation from the Line of Best Fit article, Dutch Interior. With a name like that they were nailed on to be a rather clever group, probably from New York or LA or another big city. And so they were, but in a very good way! They are an LA band: versatile musicians, preppy-looking, singing songs that often sound like they’re straight out of Laurel Canyon in the late sixties, until they lurch into a couple of minutes of wild guitar. Because they can… They had a great song near the end, which could have been the Allman Brothers, complete with duelling guitar solos. I loved it. I’ve listened to a couple of their recent albums at home since and they were a bit disappointing, a bit subdued. They need to translate the verve and fun of the live show onto record. But I’ll give them more of a go.

We hung around the Folly for the next show, the much-anticipated Adult DVD. I missed Mabe Fratti’s solo show in the Big Top for this one! Jon and Louis both thought the band were the best they saw at Green Man recently. When I listened to their top tracks on Spotify, I thought they sounded a bit like Depeche Mode, but live the sound is a lot harder, very muscular. Working Men’s Club would be one recent comparison, but Adult DVDs’ songs are shorter, more danceable. The band are from Leeds. Singer Harry Hanson prowls around the stage, looking menacing, occasionally tweaking a console. The rest of the band pump out the pounding beats. They already have a number of anthems, including one called Bill Murray. And they went down a storm in the Folly, with a lot of moshing, front and centre. Lots of air punching, shouting. I suspect they’ll attract rather laddish audiences, but there’s no denying the power of their performance. I felt rather beaten up after it, my senses thoroughly assaulted.

I went back to the tent for a breather afterwards and returned for Sorry at the Garden Stage at eight o’clock. They’re an indie band from London who cover a lot of musical bases. I think I’ve seen them a couple of times in the past – once at Latitude and then supporting Wolf Alice at Ally Pally. I can’t say they made much impression on me then; nor tonight, as I found myself by the bar in conversation with Sean and Fliss, Fionn’s parents (and Green Man and EOTR regulars) during the show. Jon, who was somewhere in the crowd, loved them, as did Louis, so I had better concentrate better next time!

And so we came to the last show of the festival – for us, anyway. Black Country New Road on the Garden Stage. Father John Misty was headlining the Woods Stage. I like his music well enough, but an hour and three quarters would have been an endurance test. BCNR were a concise hour and a quarter. The place took a while to fill up and we found ourselves quite close to the front, on the right hand side. A perfect viewing position. BCNR are constantly evolving musically and I hadn’t listened properly to their latest album, so the music was all new to me. But it didn’t matter, because their invention and musicianship is so good that you get completely engrossed in it. The weather was dry, the night was still, the lights illuminated the stage and shone into the darkness, and the music was sublime. It’s ever more prog – not bombastic, but like the gentler sounds of Genesis in the early 70s. The singing was mostly by bassist Tyler Hyde and keyboard player May Kershaw. Georgia Ellery – she of Jockstrap fame – kept a fairly low profile at the side, playing violin and singing quite sparingly. A team effort, and really captivating. Even when they all got their recorders out at the end and formed a circle it was good! It was like nothing else I’d heard all weekend, and yet the perfect ending, an encapsulation of all that is good about End of the Road.

We had a drink afterwards and enthused about the concert and the whole festival. Then Jon and I went back to the tent and finished off the wine, continuing the discussion. Every year now, I wonder if this will be my last festival, because it does take its toll a bit physically, mainly the legs and feet with all the standing. But the music comes to the rescue – as does the company.

Ok, one more time then!

A few more photos from around the place.

 

Shane and Jon head for the Folly on Sunday

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Premier League predictions 2025-26 – and review of 2024-25

Posted on August 14, 2025 by John S

The Premier League season begins this Friday, 15 August, with champions Liverpool at home to Bournemouth. Time for the traditional predictions for the season ahead and a review of last season.

2024-25

Liverpool’s season by a mile. A ten point margin over second-placed Arsenal, who had a strong Champions League run, but suffered from the lack of a real goal scorer up front, especially after Havertz was injured. Man City – my prediction to win – were hampered more than we might have expected by Rodri’s injury. They also had a lot of disruption to the defence while key players like De Bruyne, Gundogan and Silva looked past their best. But you have to hand it to Arne Slot in his first season as Liverpool manager: taking the Klopp team, tweaking the game plan and walking away with the league.  Helped by the sustained brilliance of Mohammed Salah and the imperious defending and leadership of Virgil van Dijk.

Talking of Liverpool, my heart goes out to all those who were close to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who were killed in a car crash in Spain this summer. A tragic loss for them and the whole football community. The sadness I felt reminded me that football and great footballers, even the ones we don’t support, really do light up our lives.

It was a season of surprises, not least the shocking league form of Tottenham and Man United. Add West Ham to that list. My predictions had them finishing 5th, 6th and 7th; they finished 17th, 15th and 14th respectively. West Ham never really recovered from the disastrous start under Lopetegui, when the players didn’t seem to have a clue about what system they were playing. Graham Potter steadied the ship sufficiently to avoid relegation, and for that we West Ham fans must be grateful. But it was a very disappointing outcome, especially after all the money spent on players the previous summer. As for the other two, their travails occupied the media all year, so I won’t add to it, except to say that the Europa League final between them was the one of the worst European finals I have ever watched. The only one that might have been even poorer was the 2019 Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham. There seems to be a common factor…

Anyway, Spurs’ victory in the Europa League means they secured a Champions League spot while coming 17th in the Premier League. They celebrated that first trophy for 17 years by sacking manager Ange Postecoglu.

For the second season running, all three promoted teams were relegated. I thought Leicester might survive, and had them 15th. They were unlucky to lose their manager Maresca to Chelsea, and his replacement, Steve Cooper, wasn’t doing that badly when the board panicked and sacked him. Bizarrely they appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy on the evidence of him winning a few games as caretaker manager of Man United when they sacked Ten Hag mid-season. Leicester paid the price.

There were some great success stories too. Newcastle came fifth and won the League Cup – their first trophy for 56 years! The last one was the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 – the predecessor to the UEFA Cup and now the Europa League. I love the story of stalwart Toon defender Dan Burn, who has made his way up the leagues. He scored a goal in the final and won his first England cap in the same week! Nice guys do sometimes win.

Congratulations to Crystal Palace for winning the FA Cup, beating Man City in the final. Their first trophy ever. A joyful and well-deserved victory. And a shout out to Nottingham Forest, transformed from near relegation in 2023-24 to 7th place, after being in the top four for much of the season. Their reward was a Conference League place which has been upgraded to Europa League as Palace have been demoted from Europa to Conference as the result of some ownership issues.

Villa, Brighton, Bournemouth, Fulham and Brentford all impressed at times too, especially Villa, with a run to the quarter finals of the Champions League, where they lost narrowly to PSG over two legs.

I fancied Chelsea to keep improving and they did, finishing fourth. They also won the Conference league as a bit of an afterthought – it meant so much more to us success-starved West Ham fans in 2023. And I guess I should acknowledge that they won the Club World Cup this summer. Beating PSG 3-0 in the final was an impressive achievement. I didn’t watch any of the tournament – I felt that it was an unwarranted intrusion into players’ recovery time in the close season, a cynical money-making exercise. A step too far.

What we did have this summer was the thrill of watching England’s women’s team, the Lionesses, win the European Championship for the second time running, beating Spain on penalties in the final. I watched that game at Latitude festival – a memorable experience. The team showed great resilience throughout the tournament, great belief that they could do it, even when the odds looked stacked against them, as they often did. I hope the men’s team find inspiration from their example in next year’s World Cup.

Anyway, here is how my predictions fared against the reality:

Position Prediction Outcome
Winners Man City Liverpool
Second Arsenal Arsenal
Third Liverpool Man City
Fourth Chelsea Chelsea
5th Tottenham Newcastle
6th Man Utd Aston Villa
7th West Ham Nottm Forest
8th Newcastle Brighton
9th Aston Villa Bournemouth
10th Crystal Palace Brentford
11th Fulham Fulham
12th Everton Crystal Palace
13th Wolves Everton
14th Nottm Forest West Ham
15th Leicester Man Utd
16th Brighton Wolves
17th Brentford Tottenham
18th Bournemouth Leicester
19th Southampton Ipswich
20th Ipswich Southampton

 

Predictions for 2025-26

Let’s go straight to the numbers:

Position Team
Winners Arsenal
Second Man City
Third Chelsea
Fourth Liverpool
5th Man Utd
6th Newcastle
7th Aston Villa
8th Tottenham
9th Everton
10th West Ham
11th Brighton
12th Nottm Forest
13th Crystal Palace
14th Fulham
15th Bournemouth
16th Leeds
17th Brentford
18th Wolves
19th Burnley
20th Sunderland

 

Making predictions before the transfer window closes is always a bit of a mug’s game, as a lot could change at some clubs before the end of the month. For example, will Liverpool buy Guehi and Isak? Will Arsenal get Eze, or will Spurs sneak in? What will Palace do if they lose another two of their best players? Will anyone move for Donnarumma, now he’s out of favour at PSG? Will West Ham manage to buy any midfielders?

Most readers will think I’m mad to have Liverpool in fourth for the coming season. They’re probably right. The Isak question above may settle it. But I do think there’s little to choose between the top four this season. Arsenal have strengthened in key areas with Zubimendi, Gyokeres – at last a centre forward! – Mosquera and Madueke. Yes, Liverpool likewise with Wirtz, Kerkez, Frimpong and Ekitike, although they have lost Trent, Nunez, Diaz and, tragically, Diego Jota. Chelsea keep on buying talented players like Joao Pedro, Delap, Hato and the young Brazilian Estevao (bought in 2024, but remaining at Palmeiras last season). The questions, as ever, are can they be integrated in Maresca’s system, what about the ones who rarely get a game, is the defence good enough to win the title? And can they move the ball forward a bit quicker – it’s still quite easy for teams to sit back and let Chelsea doodle with the ball on the halfway line.

Man City have almost become the forgotten team, after one disappointing season. But Rodri is fit again and they have Reijnders also reinforcing defensive midfield. Cherki is an interesting addition in attacking midfield, and Ait-Nouri from Wolves will mean City have a proper left back this season. Tthe best is probably yet to come from Marmoush up front. And let us not forget the goal scoring machine that is Haaland. Get the ball to him and he’ll do the rest.

I’m going for Arsenal to go the distance this time and win the League, after three second places. There is now depth in all positions. Nwaneri has a new long term contract, Madueke will provide competition and cover for both Saka and Martinelli, and there’s a new wonder kid on the block, fifteen year old Max Dowman. He may be used sparingly, but he’s been causing a sensation in pre-season. Declan Rice will be free to surge forward more with Zubimendi and/or Norgaard behind him. Havertz can play his more natural role behind the main striker with Gyokeres leading the line. Exciting times at the Emirates, though the challenge this season may be greater than last, when they really should have put Liverpool under more pressure. I think Man City may turn out to be the main danger to their ambitions: regrouped, refreshed, back to their clinical best?

Elsewhere, I’m expecting Man Utd to be a lot better this season, with the new front line of Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo. Fernandes feeding them from midfield. An exciting prospect for United fans, after all the gloom. No excuses for manager Ruben Amorim anymore. Tottenham too, should vastly improve under Thomas Frank, though whether they’ll cope with the conflicting pressures of the Premier and Champions leagues is a moot point. I think Kudus is a good buy for them, even though he was disappointing for West Ham last season. I assume he has made up with Van der Ven, who got him sent off – and a five game suspension – last season! Palhinha, ex-Fulham and on loan from Bayern should make the midfield more solid.

There’s a bit of discontent at Newcastle, especially over the Isak situation, and they will have Champions League fixtures to contend with. I think they’ll slip a little in the Premier League. Forest, with Europa League demands, may have to settle for mid-table, though they’ve bought an interesting Brazilian striker, Igor Jesus. And they’ve done well to keep Morgan Gibbs-White, after it looked like he was going to Spurs.

Villa are a good side, but I suspect they might tread water this season. Likewise Fulham. As for Everton, David Moyes rescued them last season and they have their new stadium. Getting Jack Grealish on loan was a coup and he could galvanise them. I hope he does, and plays himself back into the England squad, where he belongs.

Palace fans must be on tenterhooks about Eze and Guehi, but they have a good track record of finding able replacements and are masters of the 3-4-3 under manager Oliver Glasner. Amorim take note! Brighton will no doubt keep regenerating while they sell key players, but I think Bournemouth might start to struggle after their sales. I’m more worried for Brentford. They’ve lost their manager, their star forward, Mbeumo, a leader in Norgaard, and may yet lose striker Wissa. The “R” word is being mentioned. I think they’ll just hang on, with Wolves more likely for the drop, having lost the likes of Cunha and Ait-Nouri.

Will all three promoted sides go back down this time? I’m not so sure. I fancy Leeds to survive as long as the defence isn’t as leaky as last time. Burnley’s promotion was based on a solid defence, unlike when they came up under Vincent Kompany. But do they have enough all round quality? I’m not sure. Sunderland are a potential wild card, as they have spent a lot of money on a lot of players. Are they any good, will they gel? I’ve no idea. But their fans will give them strong support. I still think they’ll go down, but they’ll have fun along the way.

Which leaves West Ham. There’s not a huge amount of optimism around the club. A straw poll by the Athletic showed West Ham fans to be the third least optimistic, after Wolves and Newcastle. Newcastle! That must be the Isak affair. A more rigorous YouGov poll of fans at all Premier League clubs suggests half of West Ham fans expect a mid-table finish, and I’d go along with that. It is a worry that the only striker brought in is 34 years old Callum Wilson, who is often injured; but there is hope that a fit Fullkrug could have a good season leading the line, and hopefully prolific young striker Callum Marshall might get his chance. And who knows, Summerville might be fit one day? No new, younger and faster legs have been brought from outside into midfield yet, though there’s time. But Paqueta is back, freed from the gambling charges that hung over him for two years. And there are three promising academy players who could make their mark in midfield: Potts, Orford and Earthy (currently injured). Freddie Potts seems the most likely at this point. We have a promising new goalkeeper in Mads Hermansen from Leicester, and a young, fast left back, El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague. Kyle Walker-Peters will provide cover and experience on both sides of defence.

So, I’ve been able to talk myself into a glass half-full position regarding the Irons. Graham Potter is a good manager, notwithstanding his Chelsea experience, and has had a full pre-season with most of the players. Jarrod Bowen will once again lead the way, I’m sure – please don’t let Newcastle make a late bid for him if they sell Isak! Wan-Bissaka was player of the last season and I expect more of the same.  And I’m hopeful we’ll see better from the likes of Alvarez – still starring for Mexico – and Kilman than last season. The quality is there; we just need more clarity, more commitment, more confidence. Has Potter been able to instil that? We are about to find out!

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Latitude Festival 2025

Posted on July 31, 2025 by John S

Latitude’s 19th festival and my 13th. There was quite a group of us, though I’m not sure there was a time when we all got together. As ever I went up to Henham Park in Suffolk with my friend Jon, and for the third year we took the glamping option. We stopped for some lunch in East Bergholt – Constable country – then got back onto the A12. All good so far. Then, with about four miles to go we hit a traffic jam. Those next four miles took three hours! The worst delays since 2015. We later heard stories about people being delayed for up to eleven hours. Latitude’s official line was that it was due to weather conditions, but it didn’t rain that much. I suspect the delays were a lot more to do with the way they were managing entry into the car park, which then rippled back along the A12, creating an ever-longer queue. Who knows? For us it meant we arrived around 6.30 rather than mid-afternoon. At least we didn’t have to put a tent up when we got there. We were in the arena having a pint of Guinness by 7.30. That was one of the welcome innovations this year, a Guinness bar. The main bar, the Taphouse, had a decent range of lagers too: Brooklyn, 1664 and Poretti. No longer Carlsberg or Carlsberg.

Our number this year comprised:  me and Jon; Rick, Adrienne and Lucia; Paul and Tom, Hywell, Rebecca and Bethan; and Vanessa and Angela. Big shout out to Vanessa, who is a long-standing friend of my wife, Kath. This was her first ever festival. Never too late to start!

Anyway, onto the music – and a little bit of spoken word. And a certain football match…

It started with another innovation: a full evening programme of music on the Sunrise Arena in the woods. Thumbs up to Latitude for that too.

As usual I’ll take it day by day.

Thursday 24 July

The music on the Sunrise Arena was all provided by acts on the Transgressive record label. After the band performance there were DJ sets well into the morning. We didn’t manage those – gone are the days of staying up until three in the morning. Gotta pace yourself at our age.

We missed the New Eves, but made it for Moonchild Sanelly. She’s from South Africa, and I thought she was a mellow, jazzy performer. Far from it! The set was all funky beats and high energy. An upbeat start to the festival. Next up were Young Knives. They have been on Transgressive for twenty years. They were rockier than I expected – guitars rather than electronics. They were ok, but it didn’t really grab me. Last band was Moonlandingz, an offshoot of Fat White Family, including the singer Lias Saoudi, who was looking in good shape.  I’ve seen them once before, in 2017 at the Village Underground in Shoreditch. I didn’t much like them that night – though I really liked their support band, Goat Girl, who became favourites for a while – but tonight I was impressed. There was still everything but the kitchen sink in their music, but the tunes were sharp and the musicianship was strong. And it got better and more rousing as it went along. There were plenty of bizarre elements, of course, including a dancer who held a mic for no obvious reason as she cavorted around the stage, until at last she got to sing some opening lines to one song late on. A more glamorous version of Bez, I guess. I’ll have to listen to their new album No Rocket Required.

Friday 25 July

Good weather today – quite sunny and temperature in the mid-twenties. Perfect festival weather.

First band of the day was Westside Cowboy, from Manchester, on the Sunrise. With a name like that they had to be Americana. The blurb suggested Teenage Fanclub and Pavement as influences. In the event they were a bit grungier than all of that, but also had a nice line in harmonies and a folky element to the sound at times. All present – Jon, Paul, Tom and me – agreed that they were excellent and merited further investigation.

Next for Jon and me was Azamiah on the Second Stage – the main tent. From Glasgow, they were described as nu-jazz in the blurb. Generally that means they’re young and mix jazz with soul, funk, reggae and music from around the world. And indeed, Azamiah did just that – the world including the Scottish islands. Singer India Blue had a striking voice which lifted the music into an almost folky dimension at times. The rhythms were like a cool breeze with an occasional dubwise feel. I liked it!

We took an hour off music to catch the live BBC Newscast at the Listening Post next. I used to listen to its predecessor, Brexitcast, regularly in those painful Brexit years. Newcast not so much, as I have a few other politics podcasts that take priority. Nonetheless I was interested to hear what Adam Fleming and Chris Mason would have to say about Labour’s first year (as advertised). The answer was nothing! They covered a few current news stories instead, while studiously avoiding Gaza. It was likeable but a bit safe, and became even more so when they were joined by Martha Kearney half way through. She was hosting a series of nature talks in the same venue. A pleasant hour but with nothing much insightful.

Afterwards we went down to the Sunrise and caught a couple of songs by Irish band the Cliffords. It didn’t really grab either of us, so were retired to the Taphouse for a beer before heading over to the Alcove tent – for up-and-coming bands mainly – for Mandrake Handshake. You knew what you were going to get from the name alone! And it was good. You’d call it psychedelic rock I guess, but there were some driving rhythms carrying it along and plenty of airy warbling and expressive dancing. Very much in the spirit of the late 60s/early 70s, but from more modern times King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard would be a reference point. Very enjoyable.

Next it was Billy Bragg on the Obelisk Stage. A huge crowd, the sun shining. Lots of people talking, eating, drinking. Children playing. And everyone’s favourite leftie singer providing the distant entertainment. He did a good job of course, but I got a message from Vanessa saying that she and Angela were watching the poet John Osbourne at the Listening Post. I like him, so decided to join them. John’s a Latitude regular, and his wistfully witty poems about everyday life were an inspiration for me to write my own volume of poems about my youth back in 2015/16. (Growin’ Up – Snapshots/fragments, available on Amazon.) Today Jon seemed more dishevelled than usual and downbeat rather than wistful. He’s just quit his job as a primary school teacher, which might be an explanation. I didn’t get as much from his poems as usual, but Vanessa and Angela, who hadn’t heard him before, loved it, so that’s a better verdict on the show.

There was no doubt about the performance of the next poet on the stage, Luke Wright. He was at his biting, funny, crude, audacious best. He has a new show called Pub Grub, extolling the virtues, the quintessential Englishness, of said food. As ever, his delivery brought the poems to sparkling life. Once again he demonstrated his technical brilliance with one of his poems with just one vowel, “O” in this case. Oxford posh toffs go to London and get themselves in some scrapes in Soho. So clever, so funny. In another all the key words started with a “D” or had one in the stressed syllable. There were a few heartfelt verses about his children and one addressed to himself called Your Anger. That’s the anger of the young man – Luke is becoming more nuanced in his old age! The sounds of Billy Bragg wafted through the tent and Luke lamented the fact that they’d been put on at the same time. Did it mean that Latitude thought that he, Luke Wright, had moved to the right? Not possible! A highlight of the weekend, as always.

Back up to the Obelisk for Maribou State and some soulful electronica before going over to the Second Stage for one of Ireland’s bands of the moment, Sprints. To call them punk would over-simplify, but the spirit is there. They rock hard, with a wider palette of sound than straight punk. They were relentlessly energetic from start to finish, with singer Karla Chubb leading the way. A bit of crowd-surfing towards the end was inevitable! A triumph.

I wandered down to the Sunrise afterwards and caught a bit of another Irish band, Bricknasty. Despite the name, which makes you think you are in for some Kneecap-style rap, their sound was far more fluid, soulful, even jazzy. Frontman Fatboy wears a mask for some reason and sings about growing up in Ballymun, Dublin, a deprived area. He also sings in an almost falsetto at times, in tune with the soulful music, which is rooted in the streets of New York and LA. There’s a lot going on here, and who knows how they’ll evolve.

For the last act of the night, Jon and I were genuinely torn. Sting was headlining the Obelisk, and was bound to play a few Police classics, which would have been fun. But on the Sunrise, corto.alto were playing. They’re a Glasgow band, playing electronic jazz and more. Much more. Main man Liam Shortall is a multi-instrumentalist, and tonight he played guitar, trombone and keys. His band were all accomplished musicians. The music was a joy to listen to – and watch, with a colourful light show and the trees behind the stage lit up against the dark. The Sunrise is a magical place to be at night when the music is flowing. There was dub, there was jazz rock, with a soaring solo by the lead guitarist which took you back to John McLaughlin. Some scintillating sax, combining with the trombone. Modern jazz at its best. The highlight of the weekend, and an artist in Liam Shorthall to follow closely in the coming years. He’s playing Koko in Camden in October. We’ll be there.

Saturday 26 July

A mostly cloudy but dry day. I started the day’s music with two performances in the Alcove. First up was Nadia Kadek, a local singer-songwriter – Latitude is good at giving local artists a chance to show what they can do. Nadia is half-Indonesian but grew up in the nearby town of Diss. That experience informs some of her music, along with the usual trials and tribulations of friendship and love. I liked the tunes and she had a beautiful voice. An engaging personality too – the chance to play here was a dream fulfilled for her, having come to Latitude many times herself as a punter. She’s got a couple of songs on Spotify, the latest of which is Lemonade (not to be confused with the Beyonce album!). One to watch.

The next act was a contrast – a full-on rock band called Saint Clair. They’re from London and were very good. The blurb described them as blurring the boundary between shoegaze and alt-rock, and I get that. But what I heard a lot of – and my friend Steve, who joined me for some of the show did too – was Bends-era Radiohead. And there is nothing wrong with that! Maybe a bit of Muse at their least grandiose too. It’s hard to carve out a distinctive niche in the world of indie/rock, but Saint Clair definitely have promise.

So, two that are worth watching out for. The next artist was on a different level – pretty nailed-on to be a star. Beware though, I have been known to get these things wrong! This was Chloe Qisha. She was born in Malaysia and moved to the UK ten years ago when she was 16. She has a degree in psychology. She is now signed with Sony, who will give her a lot of backing. And live the music was great. Pop with an edge. Plenty of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo in there, but not derivative. She has a confidence and wit about her that says she knows she’s good. I liked the lyrics and song titles like Sex, Drugs and Existential Dread. That one by the way had a beat that recalled Prince’s Kiss. Will all this appeal to the crucial teen audience? I’ve no idea – maybe it will be more about targeting the 20 and 30-somethings. Oh God, I’m talking like a marketing man! I’ll leave that to Sony. Just to say she was very entertaining and got an enthusiastic reception from the crowd. I’ve listened to her two EPs since I got home and wasn’t quite so taken with the music, which sounded quite 80s-pop influenced. But many others will love that, so let’s see.

We stayed at the Sunrise for Silver Gore, who the blurb labelled as alt-rockers. The band name made them sound interesting. The music wasn’t though and we went after a couple of songs. We tried Demae at the Alcove. I’ve heard her soul-dance on 6 Music before and liked it. Trouble was, not many people came along and a sound that would be dazzling in a London club didn’t quite work in the Alcove. Credit to her and her musical partner for giving it their all though. We stayed for a few songs then parted company. I went back into the woods and spent a while at the Lavish Lounge – complete with an array of leather sofas in the open air – having a cup of tea and watching a singer called Claudia Kate, who was rocking. Then it was back to the Sunrise for Sara Julia. They are two sisters from Amsterdam with a backing band. They sing beautiful harmonies rather in the manner of our very own Staves. It’s hard to avoid the comparison, though Sara Julia had a bit more of a rock sound. I really enjoyed the show – another one to follow up.

Afterwards I reconnected with Jon and we ambled over to the Second Stage for Amble. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that. They were described as an Irish folk band and sounded like they could be the real thing, fiddles and all. I fancied a bit of that. But there were no fiddles and immediately it felt a bit bland. Not to say it wasn’t authentic, but it was the poppy version of Irish folk. We moved on after two songs. A peripatetic afternoon!

Next though, was not to be missed, and we knew what we’d get. The Kaiser Chiefs on the Obelisk. The crowd was huge – it always is Saturday and Sunday, when there are a lot of day-trippers and families. Latitude introduced a rule this year that there should be no chairs beyond a line with the sound tower. It was completely unenforceable of course and largely ignored, so it was business as usual. We stood to one side about fifteen rows back. The view was ok, but there was endless talking, shouting, selfie-taking and all the rest. It’s not that easy to enjoy a show with all that going on, but Kaiser Chiefs put on a brilliant perfornace, with singer Ricky Wilson on sparkling form. They cleverly spread out their four big songs: Every Day I Love you Less and Less, Ruby, I Predict a Riot and Oh My God, in that order. Each one an anthem – it was a reminder of what a good band they were, and are still. And for good measure they played the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop, which went down a storm.

The Kaisers finished at 8.30. Headlining at nine was Fatboy Slim. We saw him not so long ago on the Second Stage, then the BBC tent, and to be honest it was all a bit stale and formulaic, despite the lasers and visuals and those catchy hits. So two hours of watching him with the Obelisk crowd didn’t appeal. We went down to the Second Stage and watched Public Service Broadcasting instead. I don’t know their music that well – somehow they passed me by – but I loved this show. A big, motorik sound, driven by guitars and electronics, great visuals with lots of footage of space travel. They had an album in 2015 called The Race for Space. Something quite Germanic about it – Kraftwerk with guitars and relentless rhythm. They also paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with a short version of Paranoid, with various shots of Ozzy on the screens. A nice touch, and the end of our music for the day. We headed for the Taphouse and were joined by most of our friends when Fatboy Slim finished. It has to be said that they all loved the show, so fair play to the man.

Sunday 27 July

The rain came today, as we were walking down to the Arena at around 11.30. It was heavy for a while and the fear was that all the paths would turn to mud. But it relented after about an hour and that was it. The mud was largely avoided.

We started quite early, 11.45, at the Second Stage. The band was Son Mieux from the Netherlands. They are big in Europe, but of course the British have largely ignored them. But that must change! They were great. A rousing rock sound influenced by Bruce Springsteen and maybe the Waterboys. Singer Camiel Meiresonne was charismatic and spoke well about the issues of the day, as well as expressing the band’s gratitude for the invitation to Latitude. There was a very decent-sized crowd which grew during the performance and the reaction to the music was fantastic. It was one of the best atmospheres of the weekend, maybe the best. Rousing tune after rousing tune. A lot of love. We left uplifted.

We stayed in the tent for the next show, Hamish Hawk. A Scottish singer who is well-respected and popular with the 20/30 year olds. I was expecting quite an Americana-based sound, as with Westside Cowboy. But Hamish and his band were a bit – can I use the word again? – bland. Nice, but not very exciting. We voted with our feet again and headed to the Alcove for the latest big thing from the Isle of Wight – oh yes! – The Pill. Two women with guitars and witty lyrics mostly dissing men. Familiar? Yes, the Alcove was heaving, hoping for the next Wet Leg. And they were good, rockier than Wet Leg – more Ramones than the Strokes. A little samey over the course of the 35 minutes, but fun.

Paul and Tom were there too, and we all wandered up to the Obelisk for Una Noche en la Habana, a collective of Cuban artists, including some who played on the Buena Vista Social Club album with Ry Cooder back in 1997.  The Obelisk is more relaxed at this time of day and the music had such a wonderful vibe. Uplifting in a different way to Son Mieux, but full of the joy of music. And in a nice touch for the English audience, they played a Cuban version of Coldplay’s The Scientist! Loved it.

Jon and I then went down to the Trailer Park to see a band called Fat Vince, from London. The blurb made them sound like grimy rock’n’rollers, with a penchant for the Stones. But it wasn’t really that. While we were there, they played some interesting covers, including Steely Dan’s Reeling in the Years and Pulp’s Babies. The lead guitarist was good. But Chubby and the Gang they weren’t.

Back with Paul and Tom we went over to the Sunrise for a Nigerian singer called Tommy Wa. It was just him with a bassist, who seemed a great friend, and a drummer. The music was folk and blues with just a touch of African sensibility. But the vibe was so good – relaxing, but also moving. Tommy had a sincerity about wanting to make the world a better place that overcame any cynicism. It was hard not to think about Bob Marley and, of course, Redemption Song in particular, although there was no reggae in the set. His singing was soulful and hit the heights at times. An unassuming and yet powerful set. We left feeling chilled and good about the next challenge – watching England v Spain in the Euros final…

Credit to Latitude for setting up a big screen just down from the Second Stage, with space for a few thousand people. There was another in the Comedy Arena. It was a bit uncomfortable for an old geezer like me to sit on the ground for a couple of hours, and there were lots of children running around, wanting to eat and go to the toilet – been there, done it – but we had a good view, and you know what happened. Brilliant – the Lionesses once again setting an example for resilience, belief and, ultimately, coolness under pressure. I’ll come back to that when I write a review of the last football season.

I pity the bands who lost big chunks of their audience, including Alison Moyet and Doves – even Elbow, who would have started just before penalties. But it was the right thing to do. People would have just been watching on their phones otherwise, signal permitting.

Jon and I went to see French band Air afterwards, on the Second Stage. It was inevitably a bit of an anti-climax after the football. But the band’s stage presence and the music itself made for a soporific experience. If I’d been sitting in a chair I would undoubtedly have had a snooze. We did get the hits, like Sexy Boy and Cherry Blossom Girl, and some nice visuals. But mostly it just washed over me.

That brought us to the final decision: Snow Patrol, headlining the Obelisk for the second year running, or the Lambrini Girls on the Sunrise. If I’d gone to Snow Patrol after Air I think I would have been comatose. On the other hand, Jon, Shane and I saw the Lambrini Girls at the Scala last year and they were pretty awful. Just all the lecturing and crowd surfing, which left little time for the music. Might they have changed their tune a bit now they have an acclaimed album out? We hoped so and went down to the Sunrise, which was packed. It had to be fun – enter the spirit of the occasion.

On the way, we stopped off at the Lavish Lounge for a cup of tea – would you believe it? It tasted so good! There was a lively, quite punky band called The Trusted on stage. We stayed until the end of their set and brought what was left of our teas to the Sunrise for the Lambrini Girls. I mean, how punk is that?

The Sunrise is always a great place to end the festival. Last year it was English Teacher, who were brilliant. But this was the Lambrini Girls, and they hadn’t changed. Singer Phoebe Lunny, after insulting Snow Patrol, was soon in the crowd, shouting about something or other while the bassist and drummer played a holding riff. That characterised much of the half hour we watched. Occasionally she got back on stage and they played some music – a bit tuneless and frantic with lots of shouting, but high energy. I do like some of their songs – there’s a kind of wit amid the anger. But I don’t think they do themselves any favours live – so much time is wasted. After half an hour I was getting angry and my head hurt. The final straw was an inane cry of shout if you hate the police. This to a crowd of mostly white middle class people who have probably had little contact with the police, unless they have relatives in the force.  I tapped Jon on the shoulder and we agreed it was enough.

Back to the Taphouse, where Paul and Tom joined us after the Lambrinis had finished. And to be fair, they had enjoyed it much more. We reviewed the weekend and talked about our favourite shows – we all struggled to come up with our three best because there had been so many good ones. On the spur of the moment I went for corto.alto, Chloe Qisha and Tommy Wa; but if there was a consensus about one band it might have been Westside Cowboy. And then there was Kaiser Chiefs and Public Service Broadcasting and Nadia Kadek and…… just another great Latitude.

 

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My favourite live music in 2024

Posted on December 24, 2024 by John S

I’d been thinking that I hadn’t been to as many concerts as usual this year. So, on a train journey recently I counted them up and found there were 40, not counting festivals. Not exactly a fallow year! And I’ve just looked at 2023 – that was 44. So I’m not really slowing down yet, even if it sometimes feels like it.

In the Christmas spirit of making lists, I thought I’d set out my top twenty gigs. Then I decided to treat festivals separately – and tribute bands likewise. I’ve seen quite a few of the latter this year.

Listing concerts in order is a bit artificial – for most of the concerts listed I’ve come out buzzing with how good they were. And if not buzzing, then appreciative. But I’ve put them in order anyway. And there is certainly no doubt that the best was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Still phenomenal, still playing three hours with incredible energy and passion in their 70s.

So, let’s get listing.

Top Twenty concerts

1 – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Wembley Stadium

Still the Boss, still the best. An exhilarating journey through his back catalogue, with some intriguing stops on the way. Read my review here.

2 – The War on Drugs, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington

Magnificent as always. Big songs, big feelings, big guitar. And then there is Under the Pressure.

3 – The Joy Hotel, Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow

A triumphant return to the band’s hometown for a rousing celebration of their wonderful album Ceremony, my No1 of the year.

4 – King Hannah, Lafayette, King’s Cross

Benefiting from extensive touring and an excellent second album, Big Swimmer, King Hannah ooze confidence and joy in performing. Slow builds and searing guitar crescendos a speciality.

5 – Shez Raja/ Guthrie Govan, 606 Club, Earl’s Court (twice)

So good we had to see them twice! Rhythmic jazz, with Shez’s slap bass, supplemented by the astounding guitar work of Guthrie. Truly a thing of wonder. A privilege to study him close up at the first show.

6 – Lewsberg, the Lexington, Islington

Love this band. The sounds of the Velvet Underground, Talking Heads and even Television, straight out of Rotterdam. Crystalline guitar solos weave around simply insistent beats.

7 – Aynsley Lister Band, the Half Moon, Putney

Another exceptional guitarist. Blues rock his speciality, with shades of Rory Gallagher, Clapton, Hendrix. And to finish, a brilliant, anthemic version of Prince’s Purple Rain.

8 – Julia Jacklin, the Lyric Theatre, Piccadilly

A mostly solo show from Julia. The first half a set of cover versions, including her acclaimed version of the Strokes Someday. Then an hour or so of her own music, ranging across her three albums. Beautiful and affecting music.

9 – Emma Rawicz Band – King’s Place, King’s Cross

Part of the London Jazz Festival, the young London-Polish saxophonist assembled a group of seriously accomplished musicians (including Jason Rebello on piano) to play a selection of her modern jazz compositions. Outstanding from start to finish.

10 – PJ Harvey/Big Thief/Tirzah, Gunnersbury Park

Home turf for me, and the first time I’ve seen PJ Harvey play. She was quite astonishing – such a striking stage presence. Some new material, but also rockers from her early days and, the highlight, three from her memorable album Let England Shake.

11 – The Smile, Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith

If you can’t have Radiohead, the Smile are a pretty decent alternative. Drummer Tom Skinner gives them a looser, jazzier feel, but the incredible Bending Hectic had the epic quality of paranoid Android.

12 – Wednesday, Scala, King’s Cross

I love this band so much – my most played music of the last couple of years. Nothing too different from the last time I saw them, in Manchester, but a bigger, more engaged crowd, with the band really enjoying themselves.

13 – Marcus King Band, O2 Forum, Kentish Town

More guitar heroics, some solid southern boogie, but also a lot of soul and an authentic country twang at the beginning of the second set. And some interesting covers at the end, including Pink Floyd’s Time, and appropriately the Allman Brothers’ Rambling Man.

14 – Siobahn Miller/ Niamh Corkey – King’s Place, King’s Cross

Engaging and beautifully played Scottish folk from Siobahn and band, ranging from the jigs to the ballads, with a few modern variations. Very much enjoyed the support act, Niamh Corkey, too – will be watching out for more music from her.

15 – Water from Your Eyes, ICA, The Mall

New York alternative indie – hard riffing, interesting time changes, played in a semi-darkness, lit by red light. The influence of Sonic Youth is clear. Super cool, but wish they’d played Everything’s Crushed though – a song for the times.

16 – Rick Simpson Band (reinterpreting Radiohead’s Kid A) Ronnie Scott’s, Soho

A really fascinating set of complex jazz interpretations of Radiohead’s pathbreaking album. Great musicianship and fun to pick out the snatches of Radiohead melody amid the improvisation.

17 – John Schofield, Ronnie Scott’s, Soho

John Schofield is a jazz master, who has played with many of the greats. He’s 72 now, and plays with verve and subtlety. Supported by an accomplished band, he played for two hours, playing original music, standards and country. We even got some Grateful Dead at the end!

18 – Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve, London Palladium, Soho

This concert divided my friends. A great range of old favourites, but reinterpreted to the point of unrecognisability at times. I found it really interesting most of the time. His voice has lost some range, but he arranges the songs accordingly.

19 – Deacon Blue, Hampton Court Palace

Height of summer, outdoors in the courtyard of Henry VIII’s palace. Deacon Blue playing all their best known tunes to an appreciative crowd. What’s not to like?

20 – Mary in the Junkyard, ICA, The Mall

Second time I saw the band, after Latitude. Some of the songs in mid-set meandered a bit, but I like their off-kilter indie guitar sound, mixed in with a bit of folk and psychedelia. And last song Tuesday is an excellent rocker. A band to follow – they could go anywhere.

 Top ten festival acts

1 – Jockstrap, Latitude and End of the Road (EOTR)

2 – Gurriers, EOTR

3 – English Teacher, Latitude

4 – Ash, Latitude

5 – Waxahatchee, Latitude

6 – Talk Show, Latitude

7 – Plantoid, EOTR

8 – Mary in the Junkyard, Latitude

9 – Been Stellar, Latitude

10 – Richard Hawley, EOTR

I’ve written reviews of Latitude and End of the Road if you’d like to read them, so won’t repeat myself here. But I special mention for the top two. Jockstrap are consistently brilliant and constantly inventive. I suspect they might withdraw for a bit now and work on some new songs, while Georgia Ellery continues playing violin in Black Country New Road. Irish punks Gurriers were the most exciting new band I discovered this year. They came onto the Folly stage at EOTR and blew me away with their energy and passion. Debut album Come and See didn’t really replicate that for me on the first couple of listens, but I’ll persist with it and look forward to seeing them at the Scala in March 2025.

Top Five (well, six) Tribute Acts

1 – Australian Pink Floyd, London Palladium, Soho

2 – The Wonder of Stevie, Pizza Express, Holborn

3 – Letz Zep, Dingwalls, Camden

4 – Simply Dan, Pizza Express Holborn/ Stanley Dee, Dingwalls Camden

5 – New York State of Mind – the Music of Billy Joel, Pizza Express, Chelsea

Got to thank Colin R for coming up with most of these, other than Aussie Pink Floyd. They have been a lot of fun and outstanding musically. APF are remarkable outfit, selling out places like the London Palladium very quickly. They have got Pink Floyd’s music absolutely nailed, and are not averse to a bit of interpretation – Another Brick in the Wall was extra funky this time. Lights and graphics are great too. It’s hard to imagine the original band would be much better if they ever got together again.

The Stevie Wonder show was utterly joyous. Soulful and super-funky, as you would hope. A wonderful celebration of the great singer and musician – playing all the most obvious songs, but also treasures like Visions of Innervisions.

Letz Zep were fantastic. No song in the Zep catalogue was too much for them – not even the likes of Stairway to Heaven and Dazed and Confused. The guitarist did the full mid 70s Jimmy Page; and while the singer didn’t look too much like Robert Plant – though he had the hair – he handled the falsetto superbly. Pure nostalgia!

There are a couple of excellent Steely Dan bands around. I’ve seen Stanley Dee a few times over the years, usually at the Half Moon, Putney. This time it was at Dingwalls, to a bigger crowd less familiar with them. They soon had them appreciating the music though – they play it with love and energy. This was my first experience of Simply Dan. In a controversial transfer swoop, they took Stanley Dee’s ace guitarist a couple of years ago. I’d say they are the more accomplished musically – jazzier and funkier – but Stanley Dee have the edge on energy and enjoyment. Both highly recommended.

Finally, New York State of Mind. I’m not a huge Billy Joel fan, but I like all the hits – and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. All in evidence at the show and played and sung superbly. Rick Simpson really had Billy Joel’s vocals down to a tee.

You’ve got to hand it to Pizza Express: their Holborn, Chelsea and Soho branches host some great music.

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My Top Twenty Albums of 2024

Posted on December 20, 2024 by John S

With each passing year I find myself listening more to sounds of the past. That’s such a cliché, isn’t it? But it’s undeniable. I listened to new music in bursts, and picked up on individual tracks through 6 Music (primarily Iggy Pop’s show) and occasionally Spotify’s evolving All New Indie playlist. And seeing bands at Latitude and End of the Road, of course.

My Spotify Wrapped ruthlessly exposed my largely retro preferences, although my top band, Wednesday, are quite recent. This year I played them way more than anyone else – they are on a lot of my favourite playlists. Second on that Spotify list was Bruce Springsteen – no surprise there, especially after his brilliant concert at Wembley in July. Third was Radiohead – again no surprise. I have a playlist with all their albums, all Thom Yorke’s solo efforts and all of the Smile, the recent offshoot featuring Thom and Jonny Greenwood. It’s endlessly listenable. Fourth is Van Morrison – that was a surprise, but the algorithm does not lie. And fifth – a new entrant – Erik Satie! My oldest ever favourite: he was born in 1866 and died in 1925. What is going on? Have I finally succumbed to the lure of classical music? Well, not really. His compositions are mostly for solo piano, and I love the gentle, almost jazzy groove of them. There’s some real beauty in the melodies. Gnossiennes No3 is my favourite. I heard it years ago and have often come back to Satie’s music because of it. There are countless interpretations, but this year I came upon a very long collection called The Music of Erik Satie, featuring a pianist called Alessandro Simonetto. I hate to say it, but it’s great background music as I write my novel…

All that said, there are still plenty of new albums that I’ve enjoyed, and here are the best twenty:

1 – Ceremony by The Joy Hotel

A joyous journey through rock, pop and celtic soul. The Waterboys, Van Morrison and the Beatles are all reference points, but this is an epic symphony with its own distinctive appeal.

2 – Endlessness by Nala Sinephro

More sublime space jazz from the London-based Belgian composer. Listen to this alongside her debut album Space 1.8. Night time bliss.

3 – Wall of Eyes/ Cutouts by The Smile

Two from the band this year. With Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood in the band, Radiohead comparisons are inevitable. And merited – they are that good.

4 – Big Swimmer by King Hannah

The typical King Hannah song starts gently, like Mazzy Star, before exploding into a guitar epic, with the Neil Young influence to the fore. The title track is an awesome example.

5 – Dance, No-one’s Watching by Ezra Collective

The title says it all. A wonderful journey through the landscapes of jazz-funk and soul with excursions to Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. Music to make you smile.

6 – This Could Be Texas by English Teacher

I guess you’d label this indie guitar music, but its variety and inventiveness, all beautifully played, takes it to another level. A deserved winner of the 2024 Mercury Music prize.

7 – Midas by Wunderhorse

This album is guitar heaven, reaching back to the late 60s and early 70s, with some Stone Roses added to the mix. The last song, Aeroplane, sounds like an epic tribute to Neil Young.

8 – Scream from New York, NY by Been Stellar

Guitars to on the fore on this album, too; a wall of sound accompanying the howls of anguish. The sound of the Strokes, ambushed by Sonic Youth. Rock, New York style.

9 – Tiger’s Blood by Waxahatchee

My favourite slice of Americana this year. Heart-warming and heart-breaking. Uplifting and melancholy. Right Back to It is a real country anthem.

10 – Speak in the Dark by Tara Lily

British Bangladeshi Tara Lily’s debut is a mixture of songs from earlier EPs and some new tracks. Soulful jazz with a subtle hint of Asia, as well some catchy drum’n’ bass beats.

11 – Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace by Shabaka

In which Shabaka Hutchings puts down his saxophone and picks up the clarinet and the flute, including the Japanese shakuhachi, for an album of mystical beauty.

12 – Brat by Charli XCX

You might know this one! A perfect dance-pop confection, full of absolute bangers. Defiance and attitude competes with vulnerability and confusion. Inventive and witty. Irresistible.

13 – Mother by Logic 1000

Australian, Berlin-based electronic producer and DJ Samantha Poulter takes us on a melodic journey through the annals of House and Techno. It’s joyous.

14 – Cascade by Floating Points

Electronic composer and producer Sam Shepherd follows up the epic, symphonic Promises – my album of 2021 – with this more varied collection of dance and techno. Always engaging.

15 – The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift

In the old saying, there’s a really good single album in here. It’s long, rather self-indulgent and nothing new musically, but it is still full of catchy melodies and sharp observations.

16 – Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman

Amongst other things MJ Lenderman plays guitar in the brilliant Wednesday. This solo album is a classic low-fi indie, with a tinge of country and a wall of noise at the end.

17 – Night Reign by Arooj Aftab

Arooj Aftab’s music fuses jazz and soul with the sounds of her homeland, Pakistan. This album follows in the footsteps of her 2021 album Vulture Prince. Eerie and beautiful.

18 – Daniel by Real Estate

Take the mid-tempo chug of classic REM and combine it with some of the sheen of Steely Dan, and you have Real Estate. Easy and engaging listening.

19 – Passage du Desir – Johnny Blue Skies

Johnny Blue Skies is the pseudonym of leftfield country singer Sturgill Simpson. This album is a varied and heartfelt collection that gave me a feel of Bruce Springsteen at times.

20 – Mood Swings – Marcus King

Marcus king is an ace blues and rock guitarist from South Carolina, who also sings very soulfully. And it’s the soulful that dominates on this often confessional album.

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End of the Road 2024

Posted on September 5, 2024 by John S

Richard Hawley, headlining the Garden Stage at EOTR on Saturday night, declared his love for the festival. He comes every year with his kids. What he loved about it, he said, is that “There’s no bullshit.” I know what he means. This was my seventh festival – but for lockdown in 2020 and having to quarantine in 2021, it would have been my ninth. And I’ve already booked my ticket for next year.

I couldn’t do the Sunday this year, as I was going to a wedding. But the three days I was there were a joy, as they always are. This year, we had quite a large gathering of family and friends: Jon and I, my friend Shane, Jon’s daughter Connie, her boyfriend Callum, Jon’s son Louis and his mates Tom and Fionn and Fionn’s parents, Sean and Fliss. Fionn and Tom, incidentally, are members of the band Butch Kassidy, who have been making waves.

I’m keeping this review a bit shorter than usual this year, but hopefully will give you enough flavour of what went down.

There were three bands that really stood out for me this year. They were Plantoid in the Folly tent on Friday, Gurriers in the Folly on Saturday and Jockstrap on the Woods Stage – the main stage – on Saturday.

Plantoid were new to me. They were the second act on the Folly on Friday, the first we saw. I was blown away by how good they were. They played what I can only describe as jazz rock, with complexity, funkiness and real musicianship. The guitarist was channelling his inner John Mclaughlin at times. And they were having fun! They’re from Brighton and have an album out called Terrapath.

Gurriers on Saturday were also new to me. Part of the Dublin punk scene. Raw as a butcher’s cut, according to the Irish Times. That sounded worth a try. Watched them warm up – felt like there was something about them. They came on to the sound of an old standard, picked up their instruments and whoosh! The energy and dynamism was palpable from that first moment. They had a swagger, a presence. In that they reminded me of the Murder Capital when I first saw them. Musically there are similarities, though they have more fast songs at the moment. This was a performance that made me smile from start to finish.

Jockstrap are just so good now that it’s easy to take for granted. I did wonder how they would translate to the big open stage on Saturday evening. Answer: with aplomb. Their sound is so good it clearly fills any arena. The setlist was still mostly from I Love You Jennifer B, but one or two songs sounded new, and probably still being worked on. And all the favourites were there: Glasgow, Greatest Hits, Concrete over Water and the awesome closer, 50/50. It was fun to be with the younger members of our group for those first three, belting out the choruses standing in a field! And those basslines in 50/50 reverberated like they always do. Guaranteed enjoyment.

Gurriers weren’t the only full-on rock’n’roll of the weekend. Or is it punk, post-punk, hardcore? Doesn’t matter – it rocks! On Thursday night in the Folly we had MS Paint. A sound that batters the senses while the singer – who I thought resembled Meat Loaf – prowled the stage, bawling out the lyrics in a kind of rap style. Not much in the way of melody, but rocking rhythms that had a lot of people moshing. Tom declared it the best thing he’d ever seen at EOTR, though I think they were superseded the next day by an outfit called Ex-Easter Island Head! On Saturday, again in the Folly, Wine Lips continued the assault on our senses. They had every punk riff in the book. The way they looked, I had them straight from the Windmill crowd in Brixton, but they are in fact from Canada. Flamingods on Saturday in the Folly were also in-yer-face, but I only saw about 15 minutes of that.

MS Paint

Wine Lips

Before I come to the headliners, I’d like to mention a few others I enjoyed. Hello Mary, from Brooklyn, in the Folly on Friday, played a grunge/shoegaze set which I liked a lot, though the singer’s vocals were lost in the noise despite lengthy sound-checking beforehand. One to explore further.  MRCY, on Friday afternoon on the Woods stage, played a lovely, uplifting set of soul-funk-jazz that has been compared with the likes of SAULT. That is a good thing.  Perfect music for a sunny day. Brown Horse, in the lunch time slot on Saturday on the Woods stage, gave us some amiable Americana interspersed with some excellent Neil young-style guitar solos. I felt the spirit of Cortez the Killer! They’re from Norfolk. On the Garden Stage, Saturday afternoon, SANAM, who are from Lebanon, played an extraordinary collection of songs, which melded traditional sounds with some wild electronics and guitar played with a violin bow.  All this enhanced by the beautiful vocals of Sandy Chamoun. They have a debut album called Aykathani Malakon.

Hello Mary

Brown Horse

SANAM

As for headliners, on Thursday it was Bonnie Prince Billy, stage name of Will Oldham, from Louisville Kentucky, on the Woods Stage. He played a rootsy set of folk music, which I though had quite an Appalachian, bluegrass feel – with slightly jarring quirky lyrics at times. On Friday, Jon, Shane and I started with Lankum, headlining the Garden Stage. I feel that I should love this band, but sorry, I found it a bit dull, as did Jon. We went off to see Idles on the Woods Stage. Shane remained loyal. Idles were good. Bit more variety than in the past, not quite as relentless. Partly the outdoor effect. Enjoyed it without getting too engaged. On Saturday, Shane and I chose Richard Hawley on the Garden Stage rather than Slowdive on the Woods Stage, which Jon went for. I really enjoyed the performance – there was an engaging warmth to it. He’s come to greater prominence in recent times with the success of the musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge. I loved his 2005 album Coles Corner, especially The Ocean, a real crooner. He didn’t play that, but did do Coles Corner. There was some great bluesy guitar too. A nice way to end the music at EOTR this year.

Bonnie Prince Billy

Idles

Richard Hawley

Inevitably, some of the bands I most wanted to see were on Sunday, notably English Teacher – superb at Latitude – Water from your Eyes and Thus Love. But I did see Water from your Eyes at the ICA in London this Tuesday. They were amazing. I’ll cover them in my next music round-up.

At 65, the limbs ache as I trudge around the festival site and back and forth to the camping. Standing up for hours hurts the feet. Alcohol lessens the pain, but mostly it’s the music. We do this for the music. And it doesn’t get better than End of the Road.

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Premier League Predictions for 2024-25 – and review of 2023-24

Posted on August 16, 2024 by John S

Two in one this year, given the sabbatical. And don’t mention the Euros! Far too traumatic, from start to finish, for England. I think we can all agree that Spain were the best team by far.

Looking back

These were my predictions for the Premier League in 2023-24, with the outcome in brackets.

1-Arsenal (2). 2-Newcastle (7). 3-Man City (1). 4-Liverpool (3). 5-Chelsea (6). 6-Man Utd (8). 7-Spurs (5). 8-Villa (4). 9-Brighton (11). 10-West Ham (9). 11-Brentford (16). 12-Fulham (13). 13-Bournemouth (12). 14-Burnley (19). 15-Forest (17). 16-Wolves (14). 17-Palace (10). 18-Everton (15). 19-Luton (18). 20-Sheff Utd (20).

So the only prediction I got spot-on was poor ol’ Sheff Utd, who clearly weren’t fit for the Premier League. Luton were a good bet to go down too, and they did. But after a decent fight. More was expected of Burnley, after the way they won the Championship, but their defending was badly deficient in the Premier League. Strangely their manager, Vincent Kompany, has been rewarded with the Bayern Munich job! A leap of faith, for sure.

At the top I once again tipped Arsenal. And once again City ground them down at the end. A fine campaign by the Gunners, with Declan Rice a star, showing more attacking quality than he was allowed to at West Ham. But not quite enough ruthlessness in the final stages. The home defeat to Villa was the killer, though you could just as easily cite losing to Fulham and West Ham at the turn of the year. What is so depressing is that City weren’t even at their best, but still had enough to win the title. They are admirable, of course, but it’s all a bit soulless – unless you are a City fan.

I overestimated Newcastle and Brentford and underestimated Villa and Palace. Villa deserve great credit for breaking into the top four, with a side that didn’t really feel top four. Manager Unai Emery deserves a lot of praise for that. Palace were struggling until they ditched Roy Hodgson and brought in the German Oliver Glasner. He instilled an attacking mentality that allowed the likes of Eze, Olise and Mateta to thrive. It helped that they stayed fit. That had been a problem earlier. Newcastle perhaps found playing in the Champions League too much, and they suffered from a lot of injuries. The new Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) are restricting their ability to chuck the Saudi money at the team. As for Brentford, I detect a case of punching above their weight, which might be beginning to take its toll. I hope I’m wrong – they’re my local team.

West Ham did roughly what I expected, but in a rather manic way. There’d be a run of great results followed by a slump, then the same again. The low block football remained a source of frustration for the fans, and every time we lost a couple of games the cries of Moyes Out rang through social media. We had a decent run in the Europa League, losing a little unluckily to Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter finals. They were only the best team in Germany last season. David Moyes left at the end of the season, no doubt feeling that his achievements in the last few seasons haven’t been properly recognised. And that is true. But, but… the football was often so grim. Take a lead then sit back and hang on. It was tortuous. So thanks, David, for saving us from relegation, then coming 7th, 7th, 14th and 9th, and winning a European trophy for the first time since 1965. But you didn’t do it the West Ham way!

Looking forward

My predictions for 2024-25 are below. They are sooooo boring! Sorry, what can you do? I got the top eight right last season, if not in the same order. It’s all about the money. Always was, for the most part. Could we get another Leicester now? I doubt it – unless City finally get points docked or kicked out of the Premier League for those alleged financial irregularities. I’m always hoping that Arsenal will do it, and they were great last season. They’ve strengthened the defence further with the addition of Calafiori and the return from injury of Timber. But that final touch of a ruthless striker? Not yet. City have weakened their squad by selling Alvarez, but I’m sure they’ll replace him with someone equally good before the window closes.

So, yeah, I’m accepting the inevitable this season. Here we go:

1 – Man City

2 – Arsenal

3 – Liverpool

4 – Chelsea

5 – Spurs

6 – Man Utd

7 – West Ham

8 – Newcastle

9 – Villa

10 – Palace

11 – Fulham

12 – Everton

13 – Wolves

14 – Forest

15 – Leicester

16 – Brighton

17 – Brentford

18 – Bournemouth

19 – Southampton

20 – Ipswich

Probably my most radical departure from the consensus is having Villa ninth. I’m thinking they might struggle in the same way as Newcastle last year.  Putting Chelsea fourth is tempting fate, obviously. There still seems to be an air of chaos at the club – and is Maresco up to the job? But they do have some very talented players. Palace in tenth rather depends on them keeping their best players. So far only Olise has gone, but if they were to lose Guehi, Andersen and Eze, I’d be worried for them.

I have a feeling Liverpool might do well and break up the top two – there’s a lot of potential in the squad, and Salah will be refreshed. Spurs will be improved by the acquisition of Solanke, so they might surprise people too. I’d like to include West Ham in this analysis – our transfer activity has been very exciting. Fullkrug, Summerville, Rodriguez, Guilherme, Kilman, Todibo, Wan Bissaka. That’s the best ever close season. I can’t help feeling they’ll have sell someone to offset the cost, and Kudus is the obvious player. I hope not, but otherwise we will surely be rubbing up against the PSR. Paqueta remains our key player with Bowen, as long as he isn’t banned for betting irregularities. But nothing seems clear about that.

A lot of predictions have the three promoted clubs – Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich – going down. I think some of that is because all three went down last season. But that isn’t typical. I’d say Leicester are best placed to stay up – they still have a core of players who really shouldn’t have gone down two seasons ago. I’d love to see Ipswich stay up – I have a soft spot for them as the first team I used to go to watch as a teenager. They have a very bright manager in Kieran McKenna. But do they have the quality? Southampton, who knows. They have a Premier League pedigree, but they have the same issue as Ipswich. The best hope for all the promoted clubs is obviously that clubs that have been doing alright hit the rocks. I’m thinking Bournemouth might be in that position, especially after selling Solanke. Brentford were under strain last season, and the future of Toney remains unresolved as I write. And how long can Brighton keep regenerating, after losing managers and players? As for Nottingham Forest, I’m completely confused, and I’m sure a lot of their fans are too.

The uncertainty truly starts outside, let’s say, the top eight. A bad run can put any club below the elite in danger of relegation. Meanwhile at the top, it does change from year to year. Newcastle and Villa have broken into the top four in the last two seasons. Arsenal had a few years in the relative wilderness. Man Utd still look marooned in mediocrity but you always feel they may suddenly come good. Chelsea could be anything; Spurs could easily be top four. Could West Ham be this season’s surprise successes? The recruitment gives us hope, but how good a manager is Lopetegui? He has managed Spain, Real Madrid, Seville – and Wolves. It’s a pretty impressive CV – though some of his jobs ended badly. I’m not expecting brilliant things, but am hoping that top six is possible.

But as a seasoned West Ham fan I’m still braced for the possibility of Lopetegui being sacked when we are in the bottom three at Christmas!

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Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium, 25 July 2024

Posted on August 2, 2024 by John S

Another year, another Bruce Springsteen concert. Last year it was at Hyde Park. I enjoyed it very much – the song selection was great – but we were standing in a field watching the nearby big screen. The concert could have been in Regent’s Park for all that we watched what was happening on the actual stage.  It’s not often that you can say that Wembley Stadium feels intimate, but it did tonight in comparison with Hyde Park.

Two tours in two years felt unusual too. As long as I can remember it’s been every three to five years, usually to tie in with the release of an album. I did wonder whether this tour, so soon after the other with no album tie-in, might be a last hurrah for Bruce and the E Street band. They are all in their 70s after all. But honestly, after the sheer verve, the energy, the spirit of tonight’s show, I think they might be going for a few years yet. This felt like one of the best Bruce concerts I’ve seen, and I think I’m in double figures by now.

The London dates – Thursday 25th and Saturday 27th   –  weren’t great for me as they clashed with Latitude festival; but when my friend Dave alerted us to the concerts, I didn’t even think about it and said yes to a ticket. And after he’d bought them I remembered it was Latitude! Thankfully we decided to go on the Thursday, which was manageable.

There were four of us: Dave, Jon E, Tony and myself. We had a very nice meal at a place in Marylebone called the Potting Shed before heading up to Wembley on a train from Marylebone station in time for the prompt 7.15 start. Bruce and the band had a three and a quarter hour set to play. In their 70s – think about that. Truly amazing.

And what a set! From start to finish, never a dull moment. Once again a magnificent journey through the back catalogue, with plenty of old favourites and some interesting detours into rarely explored territory. I loved it all. Here’s the setlist, courtesy of Setlist FM:

Lonesome Day – Seeds – My Love Will Not Let You Down – No Surrender – Ghosts – Letter to You – The Promised Land – Hungry Heart – Spirit in the Night – Reason to Believe – Atlantic City – Youngstown – Long Walk Home – The E Street Shuffle – Nightshift – Racing in the Street – Last Man Standing – Backstreets – Because the Night – She’s the One – Wrecking Ball – The Rising – Badlands – Thunder Road. Encore: Land of Hope and Dreams – Born to Run – Bobby Jean – Dancing in the Dark – Tenth Avenue Freeze Out – Twist and Shout. Encore 2 (solo): I’ll See You in my Dreams.  

    

The first eight songs were relentless, no pauses in between. Blows you away. Seeds was particularly brutal, verging on metal. In contrast there was a wonderful sequence of slower, contemplative tunes that are rarely played. Two from Nebraska – Reason to Believe and Atlantic City, then the beautiful despair of Youngstown from The Ghost of Tom Joad. Reason to Believe was turned into a searing blues, which I really liked. There were two two jazzy classics from the early days – Spirit in the Night and The E Street Shuffle – which were pure indulgent joy. And then there was Racing in the Streets, with an extended piano by Roy Bittan, which gave the song even more of an epic feel. We were singing along to that one! I also liked the fact that Nils Lofgren was given more opportunity than I remember before to let rip on the guitar. He must be the best guitarist in the band, and tonight he got a chance to show it.

The singing – ours anyway! – really got going with the last two of the main set: Badlands and Thunder Road. And it continued for much of the encore, notably Born to Run (of course) and Dancing in the Dark (though Jon always boycotts that one, for reasons we still don’t understand!). There were the usual heartfelt tributes to past members of the E Street band no longer with us in Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, with the Big Man, Clarence Clemons, to the fore. Twist and Shout went on for a while and crossed over the 10.30 curfew. But there was no turning off the power tonight: Bruce came back for a solo encore, the poignant I’ll See You in my Dreams. It could be a goodbye, but more likely just a reflection on the passing years.

See you next time, Bruce!

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Latitude 2024

Posted on July 31, 2024 by John S

Hello again.

The return of thoughtsfromwestfive from its sabbatical.

Over the past seven months I’ve been focusing on writing the third novel in my HOPE Trilogy. It’s called Different Days and is about HOPE in government. And, of course, it’s not all plain sailing. In fact there’s hardly any! Events, dear boy…

I’m about 60% of the way through now. I had hoped to finish it before our election, here in the UK, to avoid HOPE’s agenda looking too similar to that of a Labour government. But Rishi Sunak scuppered that by calling a surprise July election. But oh what joy that he did. More of that, perhaps, in a later blog.

I’ve been toying with re-starting the blog for a while. I did quite miss doing it. I thought about writing about the Premier League and then the Euros. I’ll cover those in my next set of predictions. I was tempted to write a music round up at the end of June – the first six months. Things moved on, but I’ll come back to that too.

And then, in the last week, things just had to change. On Thursday (25 June) it was Bruce Springsteen at Wembley stadium. And then Latitude. I’ve been writing about Latitude since my first one in 2012. How could I leave out 2024?

And so Latitude is where I will begin. Then I’ll go back to Bruce.

I missed the Thursday entertainment at Latitude as I was still in London for Bruce. But my friend Jon tells me that he enjoyed Hotwax and Mystery Jets on the Sunrise Arena. The Sunrise hasn’t been open on Thursday before, so that seems like a good development.

I got an early train from Liverpool Street on Friday. Destination Halesworth in Suffolk, via Ipswich. All ran to time – well done, Greater Anglia trains – and I got the shuttle bus to Henham Park. I was in the tent – glamping, courtesy of Pink Moon – by 12.30. Had some lunch and a bit of a rest and made my way over to the Arena to meet Jon in the Taproom bar. Beers bought, we made our way over to the main stage, the Obelisk, for Waxahatchee.

I’m going to keep the reviews a bit shorter this year, but will do them day by day, as usual.

Friday 26 July

Obelisk. Waxahatchee, the vehicle of Katie Crutchfield, played a lovely set of soulful Americana with a bit of edge. That edge comes from Katie’s almost rasping voice and the occasional burst of searing guitar. A great start to the festival for me. Check out the 2024 album Tigers Blood.

Sunrise Arena. Fat Dog, from South London, put on an in-yer-face live show, with big beats, wailing saxes and punching electro. A dancier Fat White Family. Quirky highlight, the slight figure of the saxophonist doing robot dances with the rangy keys player!

The Alcove. Ebb, featuring the keys player from our favourite, Butch Kassidy, play relentless eerie beats while the singer wails and dances around like Morrissey or Ian Curtis. Compelling for a few songs. Might think about some communications with the audience…

Second Stage (the big tent). Corinne Bailey Rae is a wonderful, soulful singer, but tonight was about the rocking guitars of her Mercury-nominated album Black Windows. All a bit earnest and ultimately rather dull. Play to your strengths, Corinne!

Obelisk. Khruangbin were funky and slinky in their usual way. Both dressed in elegant pink, those basslines gliding through the night air. Always a pleasure.

BBC Introducing stage. Fourth Daughter, from Scotland, is the stage name of new artist Emily Atkinson. She played an enjoyable set of house-influenced electro-pop. Inevitably the early music of Chvrches and Lauren Mayberry came to mind.

Second Stage. Future Islands played a lively and melodic set which went down a storm. I got some War on Drugs in the beats (without Adam Granduciel’s searing guitar) and some of the National in the melodies. Most striking was the keyboard player perched on a platform high above the stage. Almost gave me vertigo watching! Highlight was a rousing Seasons near the end.

Saturday 27 July

Sunrise. Mary in the Junkyard. I loved this set. A kind of psychedelic folk with scuzzy guitars. They describe themselves as angry, weepy, chaos rock. Three women; the singer Clari Freeman-Taylor sings high and almost out of tune, but it fits the music perfectly.

Second stage. Antony Szmierek. Amiable pop-rap which felt like a more mainstream version of The Streets and Dizzy Rascal. Very slick and very popular. We were there at the insistence of Jon’s daughter, Connie, but didn’t regret it!

Second Stage. Ritchy Mitch and the Coal Miners. The name’s enough to put you off, but I had a window in my schedule. Good old-fashioned American 70s rock, from Colorado. If you like that sort of thing, you’d love this. I loved it!

Alcove. Lexie Carroll. Had to have a least one up-and-coming sensitive singer songwriter on the agenda. Lexie met the description, though the guitars were a bit rockier than expected. Holly Humberstone without the keyboards. Very enjoyable, and as a bonus, there were seats!

Listening Post. Luke Wright. The house poet of Latitude. Supremely gifted and very funny – he could easily do stand-up comedy. Tonight was a greatest hits selection and as ever, one of the highlights was the univocal lipogram, using only one vowel – in this case A. It was called SPAD, a tale of politicians and gangsters. Very clever and very amusing. His voice was very hoarse, but he soldiered through. Luke Wright, I salute you!

Second Stage. Jockstrap. Another brilliant show from Taylor Skye and Georgia Ellery. Still based around the album I Love You Jennifer B, but with Taylor adding even more noodles and diversions on his array of keyboards. Georgia had abandoned the violin, but played some guitar and danced elegantly around the stage. I’m so predictable, but the highlights were Glasgow, Concrete over Water and 50/50, with its rib-crushing bass lines. They are simply one of the best.

Second/Obelisk. Orbital/London Grammar. Putting these two headliners together as I moved between the two. Started in the tent – packed to the rafters – with 90s electronic duo Orbital. Everything you’d expect: spectacular backdrops and lights, pounding beats, slivers of melody. After half an hour I was finding it all a bit relentless, so took the short walk to the Obelisk for London Grammar. I’ve a soft spot for them – singer Hannah Reid has one of the most beautiful voices around. To my delight the band were just starting Wasting my Young Years as I arrived – one of my favourite songs. Unsurprisingly most of the set favoured their more upbeat tunes. I felt Hannah was a bit nervy – the burden of headlining? But a good show – with a strange ending. Hannah announced the last song was Strong. Hooray! Then she invited a woman up from the crowd to sing. Maybe just a couple of lines? No, the whole thing! Call me an old curmudgeon, but while the woman in question will remember the experience forever and wasn’t bad, I wanted to hear Hannah’s anguished vocals suffuse the song for a beautiful ending. Oh well: the set ended a bit early so I nipped back to the tent and glory be, heard Orbital play a triumphal Lush. All’s well that ends well.

Orbital

London Grammar

Sunday 28 July

Obelisk. Alexis Ffrench. We’d planned to see Welsh singer Georgia Ruth on the Second Stage, but she wasn’t there, so we caught a bit of pianist Alexis Ffrench on the Obelisk. We sat in the sun in the seats at the back – never sat in them before! This was like one of those relaxing classical compilations you can listen to – complete with backdrop of gushing waterfalls and mountain streams. Became a bit cloying after a while, and we were baking. So it was over to the Alcove.

Alcove. Samfire. I could put sic after that. That is the spelling. First song we heard was a lovely, jazzy R&B number which augured well. The songs got a bit more guitar-based and dramatic after that. Good, but the slinky soul suited her best.

Listening Post. Luke Wright. This time Luke was previewing his new show, Joy, which he is taking to Edinburgh. Mostly reflections on family life – his has been quite complicated. Heartfelt and powerful. He had time to throw in another brilliant univocal lipogram, again in A. This time a highly amusing tale of two warring poets. The venue was packed and highly appreciative. A star.

Second Stage. Been Stellar. New York indie rock. Hints of the Strokes, of course, but just as much Stooges. Singer Sam Slocum even stands at the mike a bit like the young Iggy Pop used to. I liked them a lot, though we could have done with a little more light and shade over the course of the hour. Will be checking out their debut album Scream from New York, NY.

Sunrise. Clarissa Connelly. Beguiling Celtic/Scandinavian folk music, played somewhat incongruously as many of the crowd – us included – basked in the sunshine and shade just outside the tent on a glorious afternoon. A mellow Sunday tradition at Latitude when the weather allows.

Sunrise. Picture Parlour. Quite a new band (formed in Manchester) and destined for good things. Energetic indie guitar rock at heart, but with some twisted melodies and a very charismatic singer, Katherine Parlour. 2023 single Norwegian Wood – not the Beatles song – was a rousing highlight.

Second Stage. Ash. What a show! The celebration of the festival for me. The tent was heaving, a bit lairy in places, but all good-natured. Ash played a magnificent greatest hits set. Oh Yeah and Goldfinger were anthemic, and you can’t go wrong with a final three of Kung Fu, Girl from Mars and Burn Baby Burn. Singer Tim Wheeler wielded his Flying V with a big smile on his face. Pure, unadorned rock’n’roll pleasure.

Sunrise. Talk Show. Another rocking South London band. Getting rave notices at the moment and watching this show, that was no surprise. A brilliant, punching set of songs, played with high energy and real quality. Singer Harrison Swann has a powerful, brooding presence. I didn’t know any of the songs and loved every one of them. One of the best shows of the weekend.

Sunrise. English Teacher. The last show. And a big decision – we didn’t go to Duran Duran! We so enjoyed Talk Show (which cut into the DD set), love the Sunrise Arena and like English Teacher, who have just released their debut album This Could be Texas. It’s nominated for the 2024 Mercury Prize, and deservedly so. It’s a highly varied collection of songs and formed the basis of the show tonight, which was excellent. They are talented musicians and are playing with a lot of confidence. The songs even had a prog rock feel at times, but I was ok with that! The arena was full – all the Duran Duran refuseniks! – and had a great end-of-festival atmosphere. And I was delighted that they finished with the hard-rocking R&B, the first song of theirs I heard in 2022, and re-worked for the album. Tonight’s version was more like the early single. It ended the festival on a high.

So, another excellent Latitude. Beforehand, the line-up seemed a bit underwhelming, a bit too dominated by nostalgia. But, as ever, the undercard revealed all sorts of delights. Best discoveries for further listening were Mary in the Junkyard, Been Stellar, Picture Parlour and Talk Show. Most striking live performances were Fat Dog and Talk Show. Warmest and most soulful was Waxahatchee. Most fun of all were Jockstrap, Ash, and just for being so good at the end, English Teacher. Individual star was poet Luke Wright – two captivating performances.

We’ll be back next year, aching limbs permitting!

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My Top Ten Albums of 2023 – and a few more

Posted on December 19, 2023 by John S

Wednesday at Band on the Wall, Manchester, in November

It’s been an unusual year for my music this year, as it has been dominated by two, maybe three bands. They are Wednesday, the Murder Capital and Jockstrap. The first two have had new albums out this year, which top my list; Jockstrap’s I Love You Jennifer B was released in in 2022, but they have been one of the great live experiences this year. There has been an album of radical remixes recently, but I’m still playing the original a lot.

Wednesday are far and away my most listened-to band of the year.  If you follow this blog, you’ll know they are an American band – from North Carolina – who combine grunge, shoegaze, country and Americana in a way that just works so brilliantly. Initially I drew a few comparisons with Big Thief; but they are more dynamic, less up themselves and play in the joyous (and sometimes angry) spirit of rock’n’rollers through the ages. Rat Saw God is a superb album, but mostly I’ve listened to it with its predecessor Twin Plagues. Together they make a magnificent double album, to use a term from the days of vinyl. I’ve done something similar with the Murder Capital’s Gigi’s Recovery, combining it with debut album When I Have Fears. And then I wrap them up with my favourite period of U2, encompassing The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa. There is a connection.

Live, the Murder Capital have reigned supreme – except when Bruce came over to Hyde Park of course! I saw them three times this year as well as watching their Glastonbury show a few times on the BBC iPlayer. Outstanding every time. I saw Wednesday a couple of times and really enjoyed them. They are less spectacular than the Murder Capital, but at this stage in their career has an enjoyable intimacy. And they do rock!

The Murder Capital at End of the Road, September

The rest of the top ten could be in any order really, though I put Samia at No3, because her album Honey really grew on me, sparked by the title track. The best angsty indie-pop album of the year. Shame I missed her at End of the Road. Gretel Hanlyn combines indie rock with a pop sensibility too, and is a great live performer. Her EP, Head of the Love Club, is long enough and good enough to get into the albums list.

Modern soul is represented by Cleo Sol and Jorja Smith. Cleo released two albums, Heaven and Gold, and both are rather beautiful journeys through the ages of soul, with the occasional jazz and reggae inflection. She is the singer on many of the great Sault songs  – or so it is said. They are rather secretive, though prolific. Jorja’s album doesn’t fire throughout, but there are some great tracks, notably Little Things.

Two jazz albums made the ten, though jazz doesn’t fully capture what the artists are playing. It’s a fusion: jazz, hip hop, music from around the world. That particularly applies to Yussef Dayes masterpiece, Black Classical Music. Simply calling it that shows you his ambition.  Alfa Mist’s Variables is more of his cool sounds from the heart of London.

A few weeks ago, I felt like I hadn’t listened to enough new indie this year and trawled through the reviews in Pitchfork. I’m always impressed with the diligence with which they analyse rock and pop music. Almost too earnest at times. The exercise did unearth some gems, notably Girl with Fish by Feeble Little Horses and Everyone’s Crushed by Water in Your eye. Fuzzy guitars and a good dose of psychedelia. They reminded me that indie guitar music is alive and well. Wednesday and Murder Capital do that as well, of course, in their different ways. I could throw Tirzah into that mix too, with added hip hop and soul. I’ve not had time to listen to trip9love??? too much yet, but first impressions were very good.

Elsewhere, Yo La Tengo and Lewsberg flew the Velvet Underground flag and the modern sound of Ireland came through with Grian Chatten – singer with Fontaines DC – and John Francis Flynn. And Murder Capital of course. I tried Lankum, who are all the rage at the moment, but found them a bit dull to be honest.

The spirit of shoegaze was there in the albums of Bdrmm and Daughter (back after seven years). One of the originals, Slowdive, had a new album too. On first listen it didn’t grab me, so I haven’t listed it here.

I liked the first few tracks of the National’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein, but felt it tailed off after that, and rather forgot about it. There’s a second album from this year, Laugh Track, which I haven’t heard yet. Even more of a blast from the past, I really enjoyed Blur’s The Ballad of Darren. A grower – wistful and somehow redolent of the music of late Bowie in places.

Black Country New Road lost their singer Isaac Wood just after they released their second album Ants from Up There in 2022. However, they quickly wrote an entirely new set of songs, and they feature on their Live at Bush Hall album. An intriguing mix of sounds, which I like to think of as modern prog. They were superb at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in October. As violinist Georgia Ellery is also one half of Jockstrap, she might just be my artist of the year!

And the album I’m really looking forward to in 2024: the debut from The Joy Hotel. I think it’s called Ceremony and is scheduled for April.

So here is the 2023 Top Ten and the best of the rest:

1 – Rat Saw God by Wednesday

2 – Gigi’s Recovery by the Murder Capital

3 – Honey by Samia

4 – Girl with Fish – Feeble Little Horses

5 – Heaven/ Gold – Cleo Sol

6 – Head of the Love Club – Gretel Hanlyn

7 – Black Classical Music – Yussef Dayes

8 – Variables – Alfa Mist

9 – The Ballad of Darren – Blur

10 – Everyone’s Crushed – Water in Your Eyes

Best of the rest: trip9love??? – Tirzah; Live at Bush Hall – Black Country, New Road; Out and About – Lewsberg; Look Over the Wall, See the Sky – John Francis Flynn; Chaos for the Fly – Grian Chatten; Falling or Flying – Jorja Smith; Stereo Mind Game – Daughter; This Stupid World – Yo La Tengo; First Two Pages of Frankenstein – The National; I Don’t Know – Bdrmm.

This is the last blog I’ll be posting for a while. Next year I want to concentrate on finishing the third novel in my HOPE Trilogy, working title Different Days. It’s about HOPE in power – and naturally lots goes wrong! I’ll publish it on Amazon when I’ve finished it, like the rest, if you have been following the story.

I’ll continue to post a few photos and comments on gigs on Instagram, so follow me there if you’d like to keep in touch. I’m at johnasills.

In the meantime, thanks for all your support and I wish you a happy Christmas and successful New Year.

Bruce and Stevie at Hyde Park, July. Always the best.

 

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