iangittins
Sting review – still great, but doesn’t he just know it
At the first show of a six-night residency, Sting demonstrates he is near peerless as a pop composer – but his jazzy arrangements and self-seriousness irritate
Ian Gittins
16, Apr, 2022 @10:13 AM
The Psychedelic Furs review – suave, sinister rockers are pretty in black
Frontman Richard Butler is now 65, but his nicotine rasp remains a thing of wonder and the band’s pop smarts mean they have aged well
Ian Gittins
06, Apr, 2022 @10:31 AM
Dave Grohl: The Storyteller review – rock’n’roll raconteur riffs with profanity and positivity
Nirvana and Foo Fighters man’s memoir inspires a sparkling monologue on success, suicide and scrambled-egg sarnies
Ian Gittins
28, Sep, 2021 @10:33 AM
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis review – showman regains strut in his step
Cave and Ellis’s serenely beautiful music may lack the melodrama of Bad Seeds shows but there was wit, rawness and love
Ian Gittins
05, Sep, 2021 @2:34 PM
Tom Jones review – still displaying stunning prowess at 81
Rejecting the hits to perform recent No 1 album Surrounded by Time in full, Jones explores its cover versions with bombast, heart and wisdom
Ian Gittins
28, Jul, 2021 @10:25 AM
UK pop pilgrimages: from Paul McCartney’s Kintyre to Giggs’s Peckham
With festivals looking thin on the ground, why not visit the places that have inspired some of our best songs and greatest bands, including Pulp, the Undertones and … Cliff Richard
Malcolm Jack, Eamonn Forde, Sam Davies, Laura Snapes, Ian Gittins, Daniel Dylan Wray
25, Jun, 2021 @9:30 AM
Amy Winehouse, Glastonbury 2004: coaxing rainbows from the clouds
Singing the witty songs from her first album in her wildly idiosyncratic voice, Winehouse had the crowd – and the elements – utterly in thrall to her
Ian Gittins
10, Jul, 2020 @10:00 AM
Rufus and Martha Wainwright review – quirky, magnificent festive blowout
Chrissie Hynde, Neil Tennant and Sophie Ellis-Bextor joyously topped up the Wainwright siblings’ big-hearted Christmas fundraiser, A Not So Silent Night
Ian Gittins
08, Dec, 2019 @11:36 AM
Ronnie Wood review – Chuck Berry tribute show neither rocks nor rolls
Lulu and Imelda May bring powerhouse guest vocals but the Rolling Stone can’t match up in this mediocre homage
Ian Gittins
22, Nov, 2019 @11:12 AM
Tricky review – a bizarre but brilliant enigma
After a year of tragedy, the spotlight-shy producer stays in the shadows during this erratic yet utterly mesmerising set
Ian Gittins
27, Oct, 2019 @12:07 PM
Africa Express: The Circus review – Albarn's multi-artist Brexit show has stop-start feel
Some great performances - including a surprise appearance by Blur - are marred by too long watching roadies milling around
Ian Gittins
30, Mar, 2019 @11:56 AM
Snow Patrol review – drifting along in a clinical quest for love
The band’s popularity is undiminished but listening to their precision-engineered arena rock is like drowning in candyfloss
Ian Gittins
27, Jan, 2019 @12:26 PM
1 / 45 pages