The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Engine Room, Brighton
Published: 06 January 2008
The Adventures of Pinocchio, Grand Theatre, Leeds
Emilia di Liverpool, St George's Hall, Liverpool
Published: 06 January 2008
Tannhauser, Opéra Bastille, Paris
Published: 04 January 2008
It may be winter, but in Paris, Venus saunters on to the Bastille stage during Wagner's overture stark naked. Robert Carsen's Tannhäuser, the Paris Opera's first since 1984, was hotly anticipated, but the first performances were semi-staged due to a stagehand strike. When the full monty was revealed, it was worth waiting for.
Travis, Barrowlands, Glasgow
Published: 04 January 2008
Amid items for sale at Travis's merchandise counter, it's the Babygros bearing the phrase "Born to Rock" that capture the attention. Clearly the band are catering for the demographic to which they themselves belong; a generation of thirtysomething new parents for whom the rock lifestyle isn't actually a leading priority.
Super Furry Animals, Royal Festival Hall, London
Published: 03 January 2008
The King's Consort, Wigmore Hall, London
Published: 03 January 2008
The King's Consort award-winning ensemble flooded the Wigmore hall with its New Year rendering of Corelli's Concerto Grosso in G minor – while most of the rest of the the capital's performers seemed to have deserted the field.
Kid Harpoon, Camden Koko, London
Published: 02 January 2008
Barely a year ago, Kid Harpoon could be seen on the same bill as the then equally unknown Kate Nash, paying homage to English pop's dark lord of surreal whimsy, Syd Barrett. The hunger for unadorned singer-songwriters such as Nash in the 21st century upends all sorts of assumptions about progress.