What a year of live music – from the unsigned to the big names, there has been plenty on offer across the UK and beyond.
I didn’t get to nowhere near the amount of gigs I wanted to, so I’m putting that as a resolution for 2025 – more gigs, festivals and anything inbetween!
But here we go, out for the 71 artists I’ve seen live this year, I have to whittle down their performances down to a top 10, and it was not an easy task!
Let’s go…
10.
IDLE NOISE – NETWORK SHEFFIELD
Now this was part of an unsigned indie indoor festival for me, the less said about the actual day, the better but that said the bands and artists themselves were brilliant.
Idle Noise are an indie quartet from Coventry and if you don’t know, get to know – their electric performance at Network was fantastic, they made the most of the twenty minute set they got, with songs like “Heart Alarm”, “Death To Modern Life” and some impressive covers thrown in, they are one to watch.
Their songs have a lot of raw emotion, hidden messages tuned into some powerful backing tracks to go with it.
The highlight of the set was “Everybody Gets Famous” – I saw a few in the crowd singing along (myself included) and the band made the most of the small space that they had – a really good performance.
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9.
MATILDA SHAKES AT THE LEADMILL
Sadly, Matilda Shakes called it a day earlier this year, but this didn’t stop them playing a killer show to a sold out Leadmill.
Having seen the Sheffield band a few times over the past couple of years, I can confidently say this was the best I saw of them, just five mates on stage having the time of their life, as it should have been.
The stage presence was fantastic, with frontman James Hallam even going into the crowd at one point, plus being joined on stage by Marples for a song too – it was a brilliant partnership and felt very natural.
The highlight for me was “Fever Dream” – which was placed perfectly in the middle of their set – and gave a fantastic balance of their sound.
A fantastic gig all round – I’m really sad they’ve called it a day (for now at least anyway) – but hopefully it won’t be forever until we hear more from Matilda Shakes.
You can read the full review of the gig here.
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8.
SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR AT TRAMLINES
Before you start, yes I know this is part of a festival line-up, it’s also not the only one the list – but anyone who was at Tramlines in 2024 can surely agree Sophie Ellis-Bextor surpassed expectations, it was a short but sweet set – but she really made the most of it.
Whilst an obvious highlight was “Murder on The Dancefloor” (Obviously…) she also did an incredible cover of ABBA – who knew?! not to mention that Sophie wins sparkliest (is that a word?) outfit of the festival too.
Whilst she didn’t speak too much to the audience, when she did, it was sweet and sincere, she used the stage really well and looked like she was having a great time!
The whole audience also couldn’t help but join in, it was a real lovely moment between thousands of strangers… in a field.
She was one of my Tramlines 2024 highlights – you can read the full review of the day here.
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7.
SCOUTING FOR GIRLS AT THE OCTAGON IN SHEFFIELD
Now I’ve been a fan of Scouting for Girls since 2006 (yes really!) – and it’s a band that bonded one of me and my best friends – so much so it’s a band we’ve seen together too many times to count.
This gig was actually a rescheduled gig from 2023 – it was meant to take place at o2 Academy in Sheffield but that’s been closed for some time now – thankfully The Octagon at The University of Sheffield provided a good replacement.
It was a fantastic night, there was support from Vince Freeman and Callum Beattie (Callum in particular really impressed me, and I have started listening to his tunes since this gig!) – both of them really warmed up the crowd ahead of Scouting For Girls.
The lads definitely win set of the year, with an array of neon lights, projected in mainly dark blue, pink and orange at times – their newer tunes did not disappoint and the old ones of course brought the house down.
The highlight? Michaela Strachen – no not the TV presenter – the song – a hidden track from their debut album – which is a rare occurance.
If you haven’t seen them live, it’s well worth it, Roy Stride is a fantastic frontman and the whole band just oozes personality.
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6.
BUSTED AT SOUNDS OF THE CITY IN MILLENIUM SQUARE
A blast from the past right? Definitely, but Busted have very much been back for a couple of years and my younger self would be screaming (I was a right fan girl) but having now seen them a couple of times, I can confirm this was the best yet.
Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne all back together in the original form and god, they still have so much energy – they now also have a slightly rockier, punkier tone to them, whilst I don’t usually agree with “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” – they have put a nice experimental twist on their hits, whilst still feeling a good hint of nostalgia.
Non-musical highlights were Charlie getting everyone to chant “It’s Coming Home” (It was right before we lost in the Euros…again.) and also James telling the story of Busted, with Matt sat beaming at him like a child listening to storytime (basically what it was).
The whole thing was amazing from start to finish, the energy, the stage presence, the crowd – it was just really deserving of a spot on my top gigs of the year.
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5.
THE ROSADOCS AT THE OCTAGON IN SHEFFIELD
This was a late addition to my 2024 gig list, but it was definitely one of the best.
Just a year previously I’d seen The Rosadocs play to a sell out Sheffield City Hall Ballroom, which they absolutely smashed, I knew they were only going to get bigger and better.
Spoiler alert, they did.
Joined by Chesterfield band The Crooks, and Wigan’s own The Lilacs, it was a fantastic night all round – with each band really giving their all and plenty coming down early to see them.
The main event was fantastic, The lads are up there for me with their stage presence, props and connection with the audience, not only that their new music went down an absolute treat alongside their initial bangers.
They actually started with my personal favourite “At Your Door”, which was a great decision, not that they needed it but they really got the crowd going with this, frontman Keelan has a great connection with the audience and can tell a story too.
Selling out the Octagon was a real achievement for the lads, and they absolutely smashed it – if you are yet to see The Rosadocs, they’re well worth a watch.
You can read the full review of the gig here.
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4.
THE LILACS – LIVERPOOL ARTS CENTRE
This is a band who has really been making the most of 2024, and also one of the bands I’ve seen the most! The Lilacs.
This was also a new venue for me and a lovely venue it is! Liverpool Arts Centre was a stop on their 2024 tour – most of which was sold out or close to, and it was clear to see why.
The Lilacs not only have some fantastic music, but are also incredibly down to earth and hard-working – and this shows in all the performances I’ve seen from them.
Their tracks such as “Sally”, “Sticky Dancefloors”and “Act Your Age” all went down an absolute storm and Lilac’s fans are a loyal bunch, learning all the lyrics and singing along with frontman Ollie Anglesea.
The highlight for me (as always to be perfectly honest, it’s my favourite song!) was Grace, everyone always sings along, and this performance was no exception.
Special mention also to their support acts Dirty Blonde and Toy Car, they were both brilliant too.
The venue is a right hidden gem in the centre of Liverpool – and it was a brilliant gig all round, you can see why The Lilacs are gaining more fans everyday and why they’ve been signed this year – may it continue in 2025!
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3.
COURTEENERS AT O2 BRIXTON
If you know me, you’ll know that my love of Courteeners is no secret, infact, seeing them at the o2 Brixton was my 10th time seeing them and honestly? The best I’ve seen them.
Their new music on Pink Cactus Cafe was very well received, mixing tracks from the new album with some of their older hits, it was the perfect balance.
They also finally played my favourite song live (in my presence anyway!) – Sunflower, which was introduced with a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecelia” which was brilliant.
Liam Fray is a fantastic frontman, with plenty of charisma, and uses the stage well.
Highlights for me were “Sunflower”, “First Name Terms” and “Modern Love” as well as the usual suspects! – It’s been a brilliant year for the band and I hope this continues into 2025 and beyond.
It was just the one support this time, with Mystery Jets supporting them, a first for me but they were fantastic.
It was my first time at o2 Brixton and I’m hoping not my last – it’s a stunning venue! (less said about the beer prices the better, but that said, it is London…).
Can’t wait to see them again and revisit o2 Brixton!
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2.
THE REYTONS AT CLIFTON PARK IN ROTHERHAM
What a day this was!
A vision of four lads from Rotherham finally coming true and in fine company too.
Supporting them was The Rosadocs, Andrew Cushin, Lucy Spraggan, Little Man Tate and Jamie Webster, all of which were absolutely fantastic (probably my favourite lineup of the year to be honest gig-wise!) not that The Reytons needed it but they brought the energy and got us all warmed up for the lads homecoming performance.
It was clear the lads had thought about everything – the theme, the effects, whilst music was the main element – they’d literally thought about EVERYTHING.
Having seen The Reytons a few times also (Magna and Sheffield Arena to name a couple!) I can confidently say this is the best I’ve ever seen them and they absolutely brought it to Clifton Park – bringing a community of 20,000 fans together – which was honestly a bit emotional at times, but in the best way possible.
The whole day from start to finish was seamless – and it’s understandable as to why so many people back The Reytons – it’s a family in it’s own right – We’re All Reytons aren’t we?
Read the full review of the day here.
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1.
GERRY CINNAMON AT LEEDS FESTIVAL
Finally, my number 1 – Gerry Cinnamon.
Admittedly it would have taken alot to beat The Reytons at Clifton Park but this was hands down the best gig of the year for me – and the whole of Leeds Festival.
This was my second time seeing Gerry Cinnamon and I really enjoyed the first time so my expectations were high, yet he surpassed them regardless.
Gerry was the Saturday night headliner ahead of main act Blink 182 and it was a fantastic choice – there were thousands of people there chanting “Here we, here we, here we f*cking go” and chanting his name – the crowd itself only added to the performance as everyone was just having the best time.
One big thing that really impressed me was Gerry’s use of the screens – he had so many special effects and things that went along with his tunes, but when it came to the new music, he had the lyrics displayed so we could join in, a complete and utter game changer.
For one man on his own with his guitar and harmonica to have that much of an impact in front of a crowd of thousands is insane.
I was on a high after this gig, with the highlights being “Discoland”, “Canter” and “Where We’re Going” – he was honestly fantastic and I cannot wait to see him again.
You can read the full review of Leeds Festival, including Gerry Cinnamon’s performance here.
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