Wednesday 10 December 2025.

Wednesday 10 December 2025. PAUL WELLER + BASTILLE + others live at The Royal Albert Hall. Paul Weller, Bastille, and The National’s Matt Berninger will take to the stage in celebration of the Streets of London’s “Starry Night” charity fundraiser this year, enabling life-changing support for people who are homeless in London. Hosted by Shaun Keaveny, Streets of London’s Starry Night 2025 also includes stripped back live performances by Corinne Bailey Rae, Glen Hansard and Nectar Woode. I was lucky to have seen The Jam several times and Paul Weller solo several times . I have seen Bastille three times before , including in 2024 at Shepherds Bush Empire. ------------ The venue looks totally full and sold out . FIRST SET. NECTAR WOODE performed three tracks. Smooth soul songs from this female singer songwriter , who is signed to Communion Records. GLEN HANSARD performed four tracks , ending with a cover of Shane McGowan's ' Christmas Lullaby'. CORINNE BAILEY RAE performed three smooth soul tracks , ending with ' Like a Star' . SECOND SET. A bit of a surprise to see Paul Weller early on, rather than the final act. PAUL WELLER and band on stage at 8.50pm for their 35 mins set . They were joined by a string quartet. Paul's set included some rarely played tracks from his recent covers album. Always good to see this music legend live. Full PAUL WELLER setlist played tonight... Gravity I Woke Up Pinball ( Brian Protheroe cover) I Started a Joke (Bee Gees cover) (Unknown) Never the Same (Lal & Mike Waterson cover) Wild Wood Be Not So Fearful (Bill Fay cover) BASTILLE on stage at 9.40pm for their 25 mins set. Bastille got the crowd singing for ' Save My Soul' in their good set, and for their big hit ' Pompeii'. Good Grief Hope for the Future SAVE MY SOUL Pompeii Many folks left after the Bastille set. MATT BERNINGER from The National on stage at 10.15pm for his 30 mins set. Full setlist played by Matt.. No Love Distant Axis One More Second Light Years ( The National song) Breaking Into Acting ( with string quartet ) Bonnet of Pins (with string quartet ) A very enjoyable evening . -------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Tuesday 09 December 2025. BAND OF SKULLS live at Shepherds Bush Empire . Band of Skulls embark on a headline run in support of Cold Fame, a deluxe box set celebrating the music that defined a generation of modern rock fans. Originally formed in Southampton in 2004, Band of Skulls remains a vital force in modern rock, powered by gritty guitar riffs and hypnotic harmonies. They have released five studio albums , and had chart success in the UK . They have just come back from a North American tour as two of their albums made The Billboard Hot 200 Rock Chart . THE DUKE SPIRIT are the main support act. I have seen them four times over the past 20 years...all times as a support act. ------------- Levels 2 and 3 are closed off tonight as unsold. Only 700 folks here, including 100 on the guest list. Band of Skulls are another band who are over the moon to be playing this venue , when they know they are not popular enough to sell it out. Both the support acts were pretty good. THE HOWLERS on stage at 7.25pm for their 30 mins set. A male duo from East London with electric guitar and drums. They have one of two albums out, and made a cool sound. THE DUKE SPIRIT on stage at 8.15pm for their 45 mins set. They have a female singer , and ticked along nicely . BAND OF SKULLS on stage on at 9.30pm for their 85 mins set . They have a blonde female dancer , who also adds backing vocals and shaking her tambourine . The band play muscular, dusty, blues-rock with Zeppelin-esque riffs, garage rock grit, and pop sensibilities, reminiscent of The White Stripes, The Kills, or The Raconteurs. Plenty of good songs , and they finished the main set with a fantastic track called ' Death by Diamonds and Pearls '. Some dancing and head shaking down the front stalls area. A good enjoyable show. -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Monday 08 December 2025. CLIFF RICHARD live at The Royal Albert Hall. Cliff plays the first of two sold out shows at this iconic venue. These are his last shows on a 32 date world tour . Before The Beatles, there was Cliff Richard. Cliffs first hit single was ' Move It', back in 1958. Cliff has had an incredible run of chart success in the UK. 124 Top 40 hits , including 68 Top 10 hits and 14 No 1s. Cliff will be aged 85 when these shows happen. I have seen Cliff over a dozen times before. The first time was at The Royal Albert Hall in 1979 for a charity event where half a dozen artists performed three songs each , including a certain Kate Bush. ---------- The venue is rammed solid sold out, including the side choir seats . Cliff still attracts the older women as loads of 60 + are here. Walking sticks and wheelchairs galore. If there is one act , the Grannies will come out for, it's Cliff. Big queues for the female toilets. It's very Christmassy as lots of them have baubles and tinsel with them . The venue itself has two huge Christmas trees at the very rear of the stage. CLIFF RICHARD on stage at 7.45pm for 1 hour 55 mins , over two sets of 50 mins and 65 mins. Cliff was backed by a six piece band. Nice to see such a great lights production. Pretty much a Greatest Hits set from Cliff - The National Treasure. Lots of chat between songs , as Cliff would tell us who wrote the song or its chart position or how many copies it sold....he also mentioned how Elton John signed him to Rocket Records that helped get his biggest hits in America . Cliff wore a sparkly jacket , and is looking great for his age. I can remember at his Hammersmith Apollo shows a few years ago where someone said Cliff has a lot of help on stage with his voice. Yes, Cliff Richard uses backing tapes and pre-recorded vocals in many of his live performances. Not that his fans here care, as it was a great show. Full CLIFF RiCHARD setlist played tonight.. Set 1: Move It! Dreamin' The Minute You're Gone ( Sonny James cover) Some People The Young Ones (Cliff Richard & The Shadows cover) Please Don't Tease ( Cliff Richard & The Shadows cover) Living Doll ( Cliff Richard & The Drifters song) Summer Holiday (Cliff Richard & The Shadows cover) The Next Time (Cliff Richard & The Shadows cover) Miss You Nights On the Beach (Cliff Richard & The Shadows cover) Be-Bop-A-Lula (Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps cover) Set 2: Wired for Sound Do You Wanna Dance? ( Bobby Freeman cover) Daddy's Home (Shep & the Limelites cover) Congratulations Bachelor Boy (Cliff Richard & The Shadows cover) Ocean Deep Saviour's Day Mistletoe & Wine The Millennium Prayer Devil Woman We Don't Talk Anymore Encore: My Kinda Life -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Monday 08 December 2025. The Teenage Cancer Trust shows at The Royal Albert Hall for March 2026 are announced today . Robert Smith to curate so but looks like The Cure are not playing . Monday 23 March: Elbow plus special guests MRCY Tuesday 24 March: Robert Smith's Comedy Favourites featuring Maisie Adam, Bridget Christie, Jack Dee, Andy Hamilton, Dom Joly, Miles Jupp, Athena Kugblenu, Stewart Lee, Dara Ó Briain Wednesday 25 March: Mogwai plus special guests Craven Faults and Annika Kilkenny Thursday 26 March: Manic Street Preachers plus special guests The Joy Formidable (150th Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall show) Friday 27 March: my bloody valentine plus special guests CHVRCHES (stripped back performance) Saturday 28 March: Garbage plus special guests Placebo (rare, stripped back performance) Sunday 29 March: Wolf Alice plus special guest Nilüfer Yanya This week sees the 150th TCT RAH show. I have been to around 50 of them over the past 20 odd years.

Posted 7th December 2025