Latest news with #EverythingEverything
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Wombats AO Arena review: Enduring band prove the spirit of the indie disco is alive and well
The spirit of indie pop is still very much alive and during The Wombats' AO Arena gig it had an added bit of bounce. The Liverpool three-piece, formed in 2003, stopped in Manchester on Saturday night as part of their arena tour supporting the band's sixth album Oh! The Ocean. The thousands packed into the venue undoubtedly enjoyed value for money with support coming from Red Rum Club and Everything Everything. The latter, a Manchester favourite, produced a 10-song stint which featured Kemosabe, Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread, Cough Cough and Distant Past in one of the best 'warm-ups' you are likely to see. Frontman Jonathan Higgs' unique vocals were as flawless as ever with him putting them to full use on Everything Everything's closer No Reptites. READ MORE: Late-night rave to take place in closed superstore in Greater Manchester shopping centre READ MORE: Generous numbers of Coldplay 2025 UK tour tickets still available for these locations Arguably Everything Everything's booking felt a little 'grown up' for the festivities but given how many people arrived early, to see them, that clearly didn't materialise into an issue. Rightfully so, as the band are arena headliner quality on their own. Soon after, The Wombats took to the stage, arriving to The Power of Love, by Huey Lewis and The News, invoking inevitable thoughts of classic 1980s film franchise Back to The Future. What followed was a demonstration of longevity which has set The Wombats apart from some of their peers who now, rather sadly, reside in indie landfill. Not afraid to go big early, with renditions of Moving to New York and Techno Fan, the 10,000 plus people in Manchester's AO Arena were assuredly in for a good time. This was confirmed when lead Matthew Murphy asked 'How the f**k are we doing tonight?' with enthusiastic loud cheers and whoops coming back at him. The group's indie pop calling cards have ensured such affection remains for The Wombats, aided by their sense of fun, and in more recent times their latest releases have helped them capture a new generation of fans - always evident by the fresh from exams crowds at the band's Leeds Festival sets. On Saturday, Murphy engaged fans with a song about a gender he'll never understand through Kill The Director and talk of Japan with an airing of Tokyo before a wisdom of wombats (a quick Google was needed to discover the collective term for the animal) joined Murphy and bandmates Tord Øverland Knudsen and Dan Haggis for main set closer Let's Dance to Joy Division. The resourceful wisdom firing confetti from cannons into the audience. Just for the avoidance of confusion, it was people in wombat suits... Returning for a three-song encore, Murphy declared Manchester to be 'one of the greatest cities on planet earth'. The very enjoyable evening of frolics was brought to a close with Greek Tragedy as huge inflatable colourful balls descended from above. Lots of fans took the mammoth items of memorabilia out of the venue as they headed onto Manchester's city centre streets. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come Moving to New York Cheetah Tongue Techno Fan Kate Moss Ready for the High 1996 Pink Lemonade I Love America and She Hates Me Kill the Director My Head Is Not My Friend Lethal Combination Blood On the Hospital Floor Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) Patricia the Stripper The World's Not Out to Get Me, I Am Method to the Madness Lemon to a Knife Fight If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You Let's Dance to Joy Division Encore Can't Say No Turn Greek Tragedy
The Guardian
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
From Last Breath to Gangs of London: a complete guide to this week's entertainment
Last BreathOut now A survival thriller that hews close to the documentary on which it is based, about a 2012 diving disaster in which a diver carrying out repairs 100m below the surface of the ocean became trapped. Starring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole, it's the fiction debut of Alex Parkinson, who also co-directed the doc. Sister MidnightOut now Writer-director Karan Kandhari announces himself as a bold new cinematic voice with this singular tale of a woman who rebels against the limitations of her marriage in fairly spectacular fashion, in a punky debut feature anchored by a blistering lead performance from Radhika Apte. Black BagOut now Steven Soderbergh's latest is a spy thriller with a truly juicy cast: Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play secret agents, one of whom is suspected of betraying their country. Also starring a clutch of likable screen presences in the form of Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela and Pierce Brosnan. OpusOut now John Malkovich plays Alfred Moretti, a pop star who retired from the limelight decades ago, but is now bent on hosting a small group of media types, including junior writer Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri), for a listening party. But there's more on the cards than just new tunes, in this satirical horror. Catherine Bray Rizzle Kicks19 to 22 March; tour starts Manchester Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sulé returned last month with their third album of playful UK hip-hop, Competition Is for Losers. Expect 2010s bangers Down With the Trumpets and Mama Do the Hump to go down a treat. Michael Cragg The Wombats18 to 26 March; tour starts Nottingham The Liverpool rockers' sixth album Oh! The Ocean became their fifth in a row to crack the UK Top 5 last month, hence this huge arena tour by way of celebration. Everything Everything offer stellar support. MC Nash InventionsWigmore Hall, London, 18 March The Nash Ensemble end their Wigmore season with a sheaf of premieres to mark the group's 60th anniversary, including Acrobat on a Loose Wire, a quartet for flute and strings by Simon Holt, and Helen Grime's Long Have I Lain Beside the Water, with soprano Claire Booth. Andrew Clements The Beautiful StormNewcastle upon Tyne, 18 March; Aberdeen, 19 March; Tobermory, 20 March; Edinburgh, 21 March One of his country's most resourceful jazz artists, Scottish saxophonist Phil Bancroft has a new trio bridging eastern and western takes on improv, featuring creative Aberdeen guitarist Graeme Stephen and Delhi-based tabla maestro Gyan Singh. John Fordham Arpita SinghSerpentine North, London, 20 March to 27 July Born in 1937, this Indian artist is only now getting a major solo show in Britain. As befits an artist whose career spans the post-colonial era, she has called the exhibition Remembering. Her portrayal of modern life draws on the miniaturist painting traditions of Indian courts, as well as surrealism. Andy Warhol: Portrait of AmericaMK Gallery, Milton Keynes, to 29 June As Trump flushes the US's reputation and honour down the toilet, here is an exhibition of the artist who chronicled its golden age. Warhol portrayed the stars and depicted the products of an America that was glamorous yet, even then, troubled. His art catches the dream and foresees the nightmare. Victor HugoRoyal Academy of Arts, London, 21 March to 29 June From fairytale castles to an undersea encounter with an octopus, the drawings and watercolours of Victor Hugo are full of surreal fantasy. Hugo is, of course, far better known as a novelist, but his visual imagination is lavish in Notre-Dame de Paris and he's a tremendous Romantic artist. Towering DreamsCompton Verney, Warwickshire, to 31 August Such was the imagination of Georgian architect Sir John Soane that when he designed the Bank of England, he commissioned an artist to paint it as it would look in ruins, far in the future. This exhibition features drawings for fantastical yet, in some cases, real buildings from Soane's collection. Jonathan Jones Marjolein RobertsonTouring to 14 June; continues Crieff, 15 MarchThe Shetland-born standup is swimming in blood in the promo imagery for her new show, O, about a condition that causes extreme period-related bleeding. Yet the show's true theme is far more shocking, as Robertson questions why the medical establishment is so uninterested in women's health. Rachel Aroesti Weather GirlSoho Theatre, London, to 5 April The latest from Fleabag and Baby Reindeer producer Francesca Moody takes a stark look at the climate crisis. Julia McDermott stars in Brian Watkins's dark comedy as a weather presenter trying to keep smiling as the world burns. Kate Wyver PlayfightBristol Old Vic, to 29 March; then touring Time speeds up when a girl becomes a woman. Debuting at the fringe to effusive reviews last year, Julia Grogan's coming-of-age tale sees three teenagers grapple with their friendship and the devastating obstacles thrown in their way. KW Boy Blue: CyclesAviva Studios, Manchester, 21 & 22 March East London hip-hop goes north with Boy Blue's acclaimed piece Cycles. It's a work that focuses on the core of hip-hop dance: its relationship with music, with a score by Michael 'Mikey J' Asante. Lyndsey Winship Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The ResidenceNetflix, 20 March The stately home murder mystery gets a modern US twist with this archly silly White House-set whodunnit. When the chief usher is found dead during a state dinner, the 'world's most formidable detective' Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) is tasked with whittling down a shortlist of suspects. Happy FaceParamount+, 20 MarchMelissa Moore's story has already been a book and a podcast, but this is the kind of horrifying true-crime tale that can withstand a multitude of tellings. In this series, Annaleigh Ashford plays Moore, a makeup artist who is finally ready to share her darkest secret with the world – that her father (played by Dennis Quaid) is a serial killer. Gangs of LondonSky Atlantic/Now, 20 March, 9pm The hyper-violent, high-octane crime drama returns with quite the body count: 600 people have died due to a spiked cocaine shipment and undercover cop turned gangster Elliot Carter (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) believes one of his rivals has poisoned the drugs, with Joe Cole's Sean the most likely culprit. Comic Relief: Funny for MoneyBBC One, 21 March, 7pm The BBC's Comic Relief programming is no longer the watercooler moment-factory it once was; fittingly, the charity will celebrate its 40th birthday with a 'nostalgia-filled evening'. That said, it still has plenty of star pulling power: this year's campaign kicked off with Amelia Dimoldenberg and Joanna Lumley. RA WanderstopOut now, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S You were once a great warrior, but now you're stuck managing a whimsical tea shop in a fantastical forest. And you're not happy about it. This is a cosy-feeling game with an interestingly frictive message about learning how to slow down. 33 Immortals Out 18 March, PC, Xbox Thirty-three players enter each arena in this mythology-inspired action game, but not all of them will make it out. Rather than fighting each other, you're fighting together but surviving the immortal hordes is no easy task. Keza MacDonald Neal Francis – Return to ZeroOut now On Need You Again, the curtain-raiser to his third album, New Jersey-born, the Chicago-raised singer-songwriter sets out his stall, pouring vintage funk, soul and rock'n'roll into a heady cocktail of genres. Anchored by his penchant for analogue production, it's an album full of warm, spacious throwbacks. Throwing Muses – Moonlight ConcessionsOut now More than 40 years into their career, the US alt rock legends – the first American band signed to British label 4AD – are still going strong. On this 11th album, fuelled by Kristin Hersh's abstract lyrics and eerie voice, songs such as Summer of Love creep around like vaguely remembered dreams. MC Mia Wray – Hi, It's Nice to Meet MeOut now Since releasing her debut EP way back in 2014, Australia's Mia Wray has morphed from a folk-tinged singer-songwriter type to a more pop-leaning star, as evidenced on this belated debut. Near title track, Nice to Meet Me, is a pogoing, handclap-heavy bop, while windswept balladry is showcased on Sad But True. Charley Crockett – Lonesome Drifter Out now A year after releasing his Grammy-nominated album $10 Cowboy, the blues and country singer is back with his first album on major label Island. Not much has changed; Crockett's voice is still a tremendously characterful instrument, underpinning the rolling drama of the album's title track. Embedded: Alternate RealitiesPodcast NPR's documentary strand Embedded presents an engrossing three-part series following reporter Zach Mack's year-long journey to convince his father that the online political conspiracy theories he has become fascinated by are damaging and fictitious. ModPoYouTube The University of Pennsylvania's modern poetry course seminars are the subject of this informative and wide-ranging series that screens small-group sessions analysing everything from Emily Dickinson standards to modern writers such as Lissa Wolsak. LoudBBC World Service, 15 March, 12.06pm With growing research showing that noise is not only an irritant but also damaging to our health, James Gallagher goes in search of people living in loud places and learns how they survive. Ammar Kalia
The Guardian
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
One to watch: Divorce
On the richly executed, emotionally resonant terrain of their debut album, Drive to Goldenhammer, Nottingham quartet Divorce head to a fictionalised town that, they say, is meant to symbolise the warmth and humanity they've always found within their East Midlands motherland. Goldenhammer might not be real, but the record's affectionate idiosyncrasies certainly are. These are big-hearted songs full of personal exploration and finding your feet, whether on the yearning of Lord – an ode to an inaugural queer relationship – or the tongue-in-cheek industry skewering of All My Freaks ('You and all of your toys are so deluded'). Central to Divorce's heart-on-sleeve charm is the pairing of co-vocalists Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow. Both storytellers with an ear for a pleasingly odd detail and a delivery that leaves it all on the stage, they're the endearing fulcrum at the centre of a band that musically bend all sorts of ideas – country; indie; heavy, shouty catharsis on Karen; Americana sweetness on Parachuter – to their own shape. Having recently supported Bombay Bicycle Club and Everything Everything, Divorce offer shades of both those bands' approach to the smarter corners of commercial indie: the nuanced, wide-eyed romance of the former mixed with the nerdy playfulness of the latter. But Drive to Goldenhammer displays a depth to the songwriting that feels hard-earned, exciting and entirely their own. Drive to Goldenhammer is out now via Gravity/Capitol. Divorce tour the UK until 9 April
