Freaky Party

Music Reviews and more

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Pop/Rock
  • Metal
  • Indie
  • Electronic
  • Folk
  • Jazz
  • Classical

Post navigation

← Older posts

Taylor Swift: The End of an Era review – as she breaks down over the terror plot, it’s impossible not to feel her pain

The singer’s tears over the Islamic State terrorist plot against her show and Southport attack make this behind-the-scenes docuseries about her world-conquering tour more moving than anyone could have anticipated

Robert Plant’s Saving Grace review – self-effacing superstar still sounds astonishing

Playing a mix of traditional folk and radically rearranged acoustic Led Zeppelin classics, the former Zep frontman is in fine voice – but also happy to step out of the spotlight

Melody’s Echo Chamber: Unclouded review – an enchanted, balmy garden of dreampop

Blooming strings, mellifluous guitars and airy vocals make Melody Prochet’s fourth album a calming place to visit – even if there’s a lack of standout tracks

Dove Ellis: Blizzard review – Irish indie enigma’s glorious debut justifies the buzz

With shades of Jeff and Tim Buckley, the Galway-born artist writes tunes so strong they seem as familiar as old friends

Jamiroquai review – hat-sporting acid jazz superstars are slick but lack substance

The novelty headgear tally is high and frontman Jay Kay is in impressive voice – but strong material is smothered by polished playing and flashy production

Life in One Chord review – the Dunedin sound through the eyes of a music maverick

Based on a memoir by Straitjacket Fits frontman Shayne Carter, this documentary maps out the New Zealand town that birthed an indie movement

Wolf Alice review – indie chameleons sparkle on a glam-rock bender

With 70s rock references, tinselly backdrop and some full-on cabaret-theatre vibes, the four-piece have undergone their most fun and complete reinvention yet

My Bloody Valentine review – shoegaze pioneers find prettiness in pulverising noise

Earplugs safely distributed, the band proceed to rattle ribcages with a two-hour show that showcases their unique ability to mesh the dreamlike with the apocalyptic

The Hives review – veteran punk’n’rollers fizz with megawatt energy

Twenty-five years on from their first UK tour, the Swedish band are at their cartoonish, snarling best, eager to prove themselves rather than wallow in nostalgia

Bad Omens review – anthemic songs and pillars of fire dampened by arena nerves

Noah Sebastian’s vocals switch deftly from croon to scream to whisper, but the genre-hopping US metalcore band lack chemistry on the big stage

Stevie Nicks review – rock legend dazzles Brooklyn with anecdotes and classic hits

A rescheduled date, after an accident earlier this year, sees the 77-year-old take on sparkling form, regaling fans with tales and fan favourite anthems

Lorde review – viscerally kinetic theatrics and euphoric abandon

The New Zealand alt-pop diva’s show has shades of Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense colliding with frenetic digital glitches and moments of crowd-pleasing intimacy

Robyn: Dopamine review – complex emotions, instant euphoria: no wonder pop’s A-list love her

After 2018’s mellow Honey, the beloved Swede’s heady comeback pairs production worthy of Daft Punk and Moroder with deep romantic realism

Celeste: Woman of Faces review – from chanson to prewar jazz, this timeless song cycle defies the easy sell

It’s a difficult second album for the chart-topping singer, in more ways than one – but her sombre songcraft ends up being spectacular

AC/DC review – a thrilling show stuffed with classics … and your eardrums will never be the same

In the band’s ‘ancestral homeland’, Accadacca’s first Australian concert in a decade shows Angus Young is still a frenzied force to be reckoned with

Post navigation

← Older posts
  • LSO/Pappano review – Musgrave’s Phoenix rises and Vaughan Williams’ London stirs the soul
  • Pavel Kolesnikov review – he is a virtuosic sculptor in sound
  • Taylor Swift: The End of an Era review – as she breaks down over the terror plot, it’s impossible not to feel her pain
  • Robert Plant’s Saving Grace review – self-effacing superstar still sounds astonishing
  • Ariodante review – dysfunctional royals and designer dresses in Handel with a disjunct
  • Hannigan/ Chamayou review – strange and beautiful musical magic
  • R&B Xmas Ball review – Toni Braxton melts hearts and Boyz II Men blow minds on trip back to the 90s
  • Last Days review – Leith’s opera imagining the final moments of Kurt Cobain is truly disturbing
  • La Rondine review – new version of Puccini’s opera makes aftertaste bitter rather than sweet
  • Lady Gaga review – the Mayhem Ball shows Mother Monster is still the reigning queen of spectacle
  • Kendrick Lamar review – with Doechii revving up the crowd, this is an extraordinary show for the ages
  • HMS Pinafore review – carry on up the poop deck in ENO’s daffy Gilbert and Sullivan staging
  • Melody’s Echo Chamber: Unclouded review – an enchanted, balmy garden of dreampop
  • Laura Cannell: Brightly Shone the Moon review – bleakness and beauty in a haunting carol collection
  • This Is Lorelei: Holo Boy review – sweet-sad songs from a new pearl of the US alt scene
  • Strauss: An Alpine Symphony; Four Songs Op 27 album review – nothing is overblown or indulgent
  • Nash Ensemble: Ravel album review – catches the music’s dazzling light and intriguing shade
  • Dove Ellis: Blizzard review – Irish indie enigma’s glorious debut justifies the buzz
  • Jamiroquai review – hat-sporting acid jazz superstars are slick but lack substance
  • Life in One Chord review – the Dunedin sound through the eyes of a music maverick
  • Philharmonia/ Rouvali review – Fazil Say’s concerto sounds an urgent wakeup call
  • Cameron Winter review – Geese wunderkind whittles confident rearrangements in an intimate show
  • Wolf Alice review – indie chameleons sparkle on a glam-rock bender
  • Nicola Benedetti and friends review – delicious bite-sized musical snacks from a violinist still top of her game
  • Ikonika: Sad review – vocal-led new direction is a hit for the Hyperdub veteran
  • HTRK: String of Hearts (Songs of HTRK) review – friends from Liars to Kali Malone rework their noisy gems
  • Lachenmann: The String Quartets review – Quatuor Diotima draw you into his strange and compelling soundworld
  • Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Concertos album review – as supple and coherent as ever as the ACO celebrates 50
  • The Durutti Column: The Return of the Durutti Column review – fragile classic that echoes far beyond its time
  • Hania Rani: Non Fiction review – atmospheric and absorbing storytelling by Polish composer

Contact www.freakyparty.net   Terms of Use