Saturday 06 December 2025

Saturday 06 December 2025. THE UNDERTONES live at Shepherds Bush Empire. They had seven hit singles , that made the UK Top 40. I saw them nine times in their heyday between 1978 and 1983. Including in Boston , USA , where they supported The Clash and Sam & Dave. Feargal Sharkey is not singing with them anymore, as he left the band in 1983. The Undertones split then and reformed in 1999 with a new singer . I saw them in 2000 at The Mean Fiddler , Harlesden , with their new singer , which was their first London show with him. Also ... 2005 - Wasted Festival, Morecambe. 2019 - Rewind Festival , Henley . Legendary DJ John Peel's favourite single, which he repeatedly called the greatest song ever and even had its lyrics on his gravestone, was "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones. Support comes from THE FRANK & WALTERS. Irish band whose debut album made the UK Top 40 in 1992, but have gone off the radar a bit since then. Their hit single ' After All' made number 11 in the UK charts in 1993. ----------- Level 3 is closed and Level 2 is half empty tonight. FRANK & WALTERS arrived on stage at 7.50pm for their 40 mins. Appearing on stage wearing their customary orange shirts and black ties , they waste no time in returning to their ’90s heyday, when Radiohead were one of their support acts. A good set that included a cover of Kraftwerk' s ' The Model' and good to hear their hit single 'After All' again. THE UNDERTONES arrived on stage at 9pm for their 85 mins set. The band still include some original members. A pretty basic stage set-up. It was similar to watching The Buzzcocks a few days ago, where the original singer is not there, but they have so many good catchy songs , it doesn't really matter. They whizzed through 30 songs in just 85 mins on stage. A great set. Highlights included... Jimmy Jimmy It's Going to Happen You've Got My Number My Perfect Cousin Wednesday Week Get Over You Jump Boys Here Comes the Summer ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ Friday 05 December 2025. The ups and downs of artists always appeals to me . The comeback of LILY ALLEN has been spectacular . Lily has not done anything for a few years , then brings out a new album. Then sells out her theatre tour , including three shows at The London Palladium. Now had added an arena tour with two nights at The 02 Arena . ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- Thursday 04 December 2025. THE RASMUS live at Shepherds Bush Empire. Finnish rockers The Rasmus return with their kaleidoscope of heavy guitars, pop hooks and futuristic electronics. They are touring to promote their 11th studio album 'Weirdo'. I have seen them twice before ...in 2004 and 2022. They had their two biggest UK hits in 2004, "In The Shadows" reached number 3, and "Guilty" reached number 15. Their album from 2004, "Dead Letters" reached number 10 in the UK. They have gone off the radar a bit since then. ------- Level 3 is closed tonight and Level 2 is half empty...maybe 1200 here. BLOCK OF FLATS arrived on stage at 7.30pm for their 30 mins set. These rockers from Finland played a decent set. THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT arrived on stage at 8.15pm for their 40 mins set . The band are pretty popular back home in America. The Rasmus have actually supported them in America. The emo-rooted Atlanta-based band are performing their debut shows overseas as part of their first-ever European tour . The set features songs from their acclaimed album GREETINGS FROM SUFFOCATE CITY – FROM BEYOND THE ABYSS: DELUXE EDITION that was released 13 June 2025 via Better Noise. Singer Lee Jennings certainly falls into the Adam Lambert type singer. Long neon green mullet hairstyle and LGBTQ+ leanings....a good set. There were big queues for The Rasmus merch. THE RASMUS arrived on stage at 9.15pm for their 95 mins set. They had plenty of lights and a nice big digital screen showing pre-recorded images . The Rasmus played their two big UK hits , ' Guilty' and 'In The Shadows ' at either end of the main set . Another highlight was at the end of the main set. Singer Lee Jennings from The Funeral Portrait returned to sing the title-track of the recent album ‘Weirdo’, with The Rasmus singer Lauri – a moment I didn’t see coming, even though he is featured on one of the recordings. It was intriguing seeing the frontmen interact and not take themselves too seriously. The Rasmus set bounced along with plenty of catchy rock songs and energy . They may not be as cool as the likes of other Finnish rockers Michael Monroe or Hanoi Rocks , but it was a good enjoyable show.

Posted 4th December 2025