2025 is basically in the books at this point and…fucking hell it has been a year. I could talk about the various things that have happened personally and globally, but that would be hijacking this annual post where I write about my favourite gigs and festival sets of the year and pretend that people are interested in what I have to say about them. I mean at this stage I know they aren't. The only reason that this post is happening this year is because I started to keep notes out of habit. I’ve decided It'll be the last long form post of its kind I write about the gigs I go to, but I'll still be going to gigs. Live music is still the best.
One thing that I will say about this year is that it is the 20th year that I've been taking myself off to gigs and festivals. I went to gigs before 2006, but they were family events, and I can't think of a case where I went to something under my own steam before going to see Fear Factory in 2006. A part of my super villain origin story (should one ever be needed!) is that I wanted to go to Download 2005, but had no-one to go with so didn't go. With the benefit of hindsight, I had absolutely no means to go either, so it isn't like the lack of company was my only problem. There were discussions about going to gigs before the Fear Factory one, but nothing of note materialised. I might write some words about that, as I did 10 years ago when it had been 10 years. We shall see.
The format of this post will be the same as the last few, and I’ll start with favourite festival sets, and end with favourite gigs.
FESTIVALS
Honourable Mentions:
URNE - Takedown Festival - When the stages were first announced, I thought it was a shame that Urne were on a little stage (even though they were headlining it) as opposed to getting more exposure in the big room. With the benefit of hindsight, Urne headlining one of the little side rooms to people who cared as opposed to them playing the main stage to a potentially empty room was a good call. It was great, glad to have seen them again.
LANDMVRKS - Slam Dunk Festival (South) - This was a lively set! During one of the songs, there were so many crowd surfers, which was good fun. They were joined on stage by the While She Sleeps guitarist as well, which was cool.
Stray From The Path - Slam Dunk Festival (South) - SFTP are really good fun live, a fact that was reconfirmed to me after watching them here.
Zebrahead - Slam Dunk Festival (South) - Slight delay due to technical issues, but they were a lot of fun when they got going.
Drug Church - Outbreak Festival (London) - This was a lively set, although I would come to learn not the liveliest of the day! Drug Church are really good live and I really enjoyed them here.
Speed - Outbreak Festival (London) - Speed are very cool live, glad to have seen them but by god was the tent hot by this point!
Superheaven - Outbreak Festival (London) - Superheaven put out an album earlier in the year that I really like, so getting to see them here was a must. I am glad I did as they were ace. There were a small group in front of me fucking around for most of the set with a large handheld camera, which was mildly annoying, but didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the set too much.
Glassjaw - Outbreak Festival (London) - Glassjaw are a band I’ve been aware of for many years now but have never really listened to or seen live. Based on this set, this was a mistake as they seemed to be really good. Might have to properly go in on them.
Orbit Culture - Damnation Festival - I had high hopes for Orbit Culture, having seen them be ace on the Trivium tour earlier this year, and they lived up to them. Ace.
Panzerfaust - Damnation Festival - First slice of black metal for me over the weekend and Panzerfaust were great. The front man is a menacing character! I really enjoyed their set. I didn't enjoy seeing someone pushing through the crowd with an SS logo patch on their jacket. Maybe it was anti-fascist, and I hope it was, but I only caught the SS logo which…grim.
Hidden Mothers - Damnation Festival - Excellent way to start the Sunday. Hopefully I will get to see Hidden Mothers again.
Conjurer - Damnation Festival - I enjoyed Conjurer. They are dependably good live, and this was no exception
Primordial - Damnation Festival - I have wanted to see Primordial for a little while now, so glad to have got to see them here. They were very good, and I definitely hope to see them again.
Pig Destroyer - Damnation Festival - This set was absolute carnage, and I thought it was great.
The Haunted - Damnation Festival - After another quick break, I got almost to the barrier for The Haunted. Absolutely superb set - they played my three favourite songs of theirs which certainly aided my enjoyment!
Spectral Wounds - Damnation Festival - I really enjoyed this set. Spectral Wounds were brutal in the best possible way.
TOP 10
10 - Turnstile. Outbreak Festival (London)
I really liked their set, but they came on late which meant I didn’t get to see as much of it as I was hoping, as I knew I would have to leave early to avoid travel stress. I still really enjoyed what I got to see though
9 - Dimscûa. Damnation Festival
Superb set. A last minute addition to the bill, and they showed up and knocked it out of the park.
8 - Gaerea. Damnation Festival
This was a really good set, I enjoyed it quite a lot. This was my worst clash of the weekend (between them and TWIABP), but I am glad that I enjoyed Gaerea as much as I did.
7 - Din of Celestial Birds. Damnation Festival
One of the best sets of the weekend, I loved it! It was clearly an emotional one for the band, which poured out in their performance.
6 - Anaal Nathrakh. Damnation Festival
This was an absolutely superb set, this. It felt right at home on the main stage, which for music that abrasive is impressive. I’ve heard differing opinions on the set from people who were there that have seen them a lot (it was noted they are almost the Damnation house band at this point) but for my first time seeing them, I was blown away.
5 - Overhead, The Albatross. Damnation Festival
One of the best sets of the weekend. An absolutely perfect way to open the main stage. I almost went to see them in a 200 cap room in Southampton a few days before (supporting Ef) and I didn’t, which I'm now annoyed about. I hope there will be another chance to see them.
4 - Deafheaven. Damnation Festival
This was the best set of the Saturday for me, and one of my favourites of the whole weekend. Deafheaven are immense live. The set was largely made up of their new album, which is no bad thing as it's great!
3 - Knocked Loose. Outbreak Festival (London)
Knocked Loose were comfortably the band of the day for me at Outbreak London. The crowd was so lively from the first note. It started with me in a mosh pit (not by my choice!) and I rarely left the pit for the whole thing. I absolutely want to see them again (outside of when I will see them supporting Metallica in July next year). Them being in a prominent slot at Slam Dunk does make that day more tempting, but I am hoping for a big room tour at the end of the year.
2 - Amenra. Damnation Festival
Amenra was the band of the weekend for me, absolutely mind blowing. I was almost in a trance after their set, and wandered straight to their merch desk and bought a shirt. I wouldn't be sad to see them headline next time round - they would have earned it with performances such as this one.
1 - Electric Callboy. Slam Dunk Festival (South)
Electric Callboy were comfortably the set of the day at Slam Dunk. They are a superb live band and the Sum 41 cover was quality (I have since come to learn that the former drummer of Sum 41 is now in Electric Callboy). I still occasionally look back on the videos of this set that I took and remember just how good it was.
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GIGS
Honourable Mentions:
CVC - The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth. Friday 31st January - A gig in this venue has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Glad to have finally done it. It is a good room! George Kingman and his band opened…they were cool. I enjoyed them. CVC are a great live act, and this night was no exception to that rule. Lovely time.
Bullet For My Valentine & Trivium - The O2, London. Saturday 1st February - Orbitculture opened and they were decent. Trivium were superb. Loved their set. Having seen them be ace on big festival stages, they didn’t look out of place on the big arena stage, but it was still cool to see. BFMV sounded very good. I decided before the gig to get an earlier train home due to a reported issue with the trains, which meant leaving after 6 of 12 BFMV songs, which hampered enjoyment but not to the extent of ruining things. I also could have stayed for another song based on how early I got back to Waterloo, no matter though.
Soft Play - Village Underground, London. Tuesday 4th March - This was my first visit to the Village Underground. I’ve been to that part of London before but not for over 10 years, and I got slightly lost. I eventually got there though on time. shortstraw. were on first (Google Docs auto correcting that was fun) and they were alright. Similar style of presentation to Bob Vylan (in that there is an MC and a drummer). Soft Play are superb live, and I am glad to have made the effort to go and see them. I would go and see them again for sure if the opportunity arises (G’wan lads, announce a Portsmouth Guildhall show!)
The Darkness - Guildhall, Portsmouth. Tuesday 25th March - Ash were the support band for this tour, and as is normal for them, they were very good live. I’d go and see them again for sure (granted, I had the chance to later in the year and didn’t, but still!). The Darkness were excellent. Performance wise it was spot on, the show (with the screens) was great, and the in-between song banter was good fun. The company made the gig better though, which is one of the reasons why it is an honourable mention rather than a favourite gig of the year.
David Gray - Royal Albert Hall, London. Thursday 3rd April - It transpires walking ~26k steps before a gig is probably not the best of ideas. It was a lovely day though. We were sat in the Choir seats for this one; a different experience (an unspoiled view of David Gray’s back) but pretty cool. Talie Rae supported, she had a short set but it was very good. David Gray was on stage for over 2 hours, and the show was really good. The singalong to Babylon is one of the better singalongs for sure. See above for why this is an honourable mention.
Hundred Reasons - Engine Rooms, Southampton. Sunday 4th May - This gig broke my heart before it even happened, as I already had a ticket to see Eureka Machines on the same night in London. In the end, I had to prioritise Hundred Reasons as I’ve seen Eureka Machines plenty of times, Hundred Reasons are splitting up and Hundred Reasons released one of my favourite albums of the decade so far in 2023, and I’ve never seen them properly. Buds. opened the show and again, they were very enjoyable.
Hundred Reasons were spectacular. They opened with Glorious Sunset, which was the best choice for me. It was a great flick through their whole career with a decent chunk (4) from the album Glorious Sunset, which is what made me properly pay attention to them, It is sad that it will likely be the only time I see them (properly), but I made the right choice to go and see them.
Make Them Suffer - Engine Rooms, Southampton. Thursday 8th May - If Not For Me opened and they were decent. Conjurer were up next and they smashed it. They’re so good live. When introducing a new song they said they have a Southampton headline show coming up later this year, to which I had a ticket and then got sick so couldn’t go. Life eh. Resolve were really good and a lot of fun live. Make Them Suffer were superb from start to finish. They are a very lively band.
Malevolence - The Joiners, Southampton. Tuesday 24th June - No Relief and Sovereign opened this show, and they were both pretty good. I liked what I heard. I am going to be honest though and say I wasn’t overly enjoying their sets due to the amount of people hardcore dancing - I accept I sound like “old man yells at cloud” about this, but I don’t get it at all. Skanking is one thing (back in the day, I used to enjoy a bit o’skanking to some ska or music of an appropriate beat) but spinning arms around with wild abandon and spin kicks? I’ve no objection to a mosh pit at all, but this just looks like there is a higher chance of hurting someone, or getting caught in the crossfire. Granted, I could have stood towards the back and this wouldn’t have been an issue, but still.
Malevolence were on fire. They are an ace band live. I was surprised that more new material wasn’t played, but it was cool for them to throw in a lot of older material. A lovely time was had! Also, I accidentally bumped into the singer at the bar when arriving. In our brief exchange, he seemed very friendly.
Million Dead - The Joiners, Southampton. Thursday 10th July - I snapped up a ticket to see Million Dead on their UK tour in December, but when this first show back was confirmed for the Joiners, I thought this would be a great one to go to as well. The support were Buds. and Carsick. Buds I’ve now seen 4 times and they are a lot of fun. I enjoyed seeing them again. It was the first time I’ve seen Carsick live and they also were great. An ace way to start the show.
Million Dead were great. I didn’t get into Million Dead until some time after they had split up, so being at their first show for nearly 20 years was cool, but surreal. They were ace
Wolf Alice - Circuit, Kingston. Sunday 31st August - Wolf Alice were superb, I really enjoyed seeing them live. I might go again and see them in December at the O2 (Editors note, I did and…to be continued). This was the second Banquet Records show I’ve been to in Kingston. I would have preferred going to the earlier show, but I am grateful I was able to go at all.
Better Lovers - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. Thursday 16th October - I only went to this tour because it was in my home town. I saw Better Lovers earlier in the year and, while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it. Greyhaven opened (much like they did in London) and they were great. ‘68 are a band on my radar I’ve wanted to see live for a while (part of the sell) and they were also great. Their set was a lot of fun. Better Lovers were outstanding. I suspect the gig being in the Wedgewood Rooms helped matters.
The Last Dinner Party - The 1865, Southampton. Sunday 19th October - This was an album launch show for Vinilio. The Last Dinner Party were on stage for about 50-55 minutes and played all of the new album, which was cool. They were very good. It was the lead singer’s birthday, which added to the sense of fun.
The Top 10
10. Ithaca - O2 Academy Islington, London. Saturday 8th February
I was the first ticket holder in the room. In all the years I’ve been going to gigs, I don’t know if that has ever happened before. The upside to this was getting a spot on the barrier for the gig. The downside was giving into temptation and buying a 2 pint cup of Carlsberg. £16! Forlorn opened the show, and again they were decent (the again is post-gig, having reminded myself I saw them last year in Southampton). Knife Bride were the main support and they were also decent.
Ithaca were superb. I knew going in it would be an emotional one, and I found myself welling up multiple times throughout the show. Their new song sounded great live. It is a damn shame it was their last headline show, and they will be missed. They self-confirmed for Arctangent after the show (for what I am assuming is their actual final show). I could have done with winning the lottery so I could have gone and had another cry. Alas, I didn’t win the lottery, so I just had to cry at home (or have major FOMO, one of those).
9. Slayer - Finsbury Park, London. Sunday 6th July
A week in advance of this gig, I wasn’t going to this (there was potential I was going to see KT Tunstall that day, which would have also been good). The Slayer gig was on a Sunday, and frankly it was expensive. The lineup for the day was good, but I couldn’t justify over £100 for it (plus travel, expenses etc). It looked as though it hadn’t sold particularly strongly, as there were several chances to buy a discounted ticket (which made it more appealing but at the time I couldn’t afford it). I then won 2 tickets via Sky VIP. I claimed one of these, and went along. Travel was largely painless, and entry was smooth once I arrived. £6.90 for the cheapest can of beer will always hurt, but I was there for free so I didn’t mind buying a couple of beers. I did try to buy a pint from the Brewdog bar, but the bar seemed to be faulty as I got to the front - only cider available. I wondered off and got ripped off for a pint of Jubel peach beer instead (which needed topping up, really). I missed Neckbreakker due to the travel not being entirely painless (plus my choosing to have a meal deal for lunch and Waterloo station lacking in bins).
Hatebreed - Hatebreed are dependably ace live, and this brief set was no exception. They just bring the party hardcore mood with them. Probably my second favourite band of the day.
Mastodon - I’ve never been a massive Mastodon fan. I like them more now than I did when I first saw them (opening for Metallica in 2007), admittedly, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go see them on tour. I enjoyed their set, but I don’t think it made me any more (or less) of a fan.
Anthrax - Oof, Joey Belladonna has had better days. There were some songs they played where you couldn’t make out the words he was singing (which for Anthrax is noteworthy as his vocals are loud but clean). Anyway, for the better performed songs of the set, Anthrax were enjoyable.
Amon Amarth - Amon Amarth, similar to Hatebreed, are dependably very good live, and this was no exception. They do what they do very well, and I like it.
Slayer - Slayer were really good. The stage show was cool, the setlist was great, and the performance was good. I had a lovely time. I slipped off as they kicked into Angel of Death to make sure I made one of my trains home, but I could hear it on my way out. I saw them on the first leg of their European farewell tour, and had that been it, that would have been fine by me…but it was nice to see them again. If that is it, that will do me.
All in all, for a gig I didn’t pay to go to (aside from travel etc, which I would do for any gig I go to) - I have no real complaints.
8. Oh My God! It’s The Church - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. Thursday 20th February
Where to even begin with this one! I guess the only way that would be appropriate - Hallelujah! Can I get an Amen?! Flaccid Haus opened the show, which was a musical comic. He was a lot of fun but I found myself initially bewildered. I know comics do open for bands in some instances, but I didn’t expect this for this gig. Oh My God! It’s The Church were brilliant. It was almost like a musical in that it was very theatrical, but it didn’t tell a story as such. The band were superb. Yeah, I don’t even know what else to add other than the fact I would definitely go and see them again should the opportunity present itself (and I can reasonably make it - they had a Southampton gig at the Brook towards the end of the year that I couldn’t make).
7. Wolf Alice - The O2, London. Tuesday 2nd December
A little walk around Mayfair and Picadilly before this gig almost made me feel quite Christmassy, it was nice. I got to the O2 ahead of door time to see no queue, which was remarkable. I overpaid for a couple of pints, but I got to try Camden Stout, which was quite nice. Bria Salmena opened the show and they were decent. As were Sunflower Bean, though they sounded a lot like Wolf Alice (in a good way).
Earlier in the year, I got to see a shorter Wolf Alice show that was just them on a stage, and it was great. This was them in full pomp and the full show really added to it. It felt as big as the room it was in, and the setlist was ace. I really enjoyed this gig.
6. Zeal & Ardor - Engine Rooms, Southampton. Sunday 16th March
Dom Zly opened the show and they were pretty decent. I do like some black metal, but sometimes it can leave me a bit cold. This was more in the area of black metal I can get on board with. Zeal & Ardor always blow me away with how good they are live. It was a superb gig. The older material always crushes live, and I gained more of an appreciation for the newer material. Lovely. At the time, I wrote that it would be a very good year if this didn’t make the top 10, and it did. There is nothing to read into that, it was a damn fine gig in a year…anyway.
5. Avantasia - Roundhouse, London. Monday 24th March
Avantasia were immense. Tobias Sammet has once again put together a special line up for this tour. Looking over some of the other sets from this tour, it looks as though so far only London has had Bob Catley from Magnum appear, which was pretty cool, especially hearing him on The Story Ain’t Over. I do miss Michael Kiske, Amanda Somerville and Jorn Lande, but I got to see 3 shows with them all on stage as part of Avantasia, so it is what it is. This was Avantasia’s 3rd and biggest UK headline show to date, in support of their latest album Here Be Dragons. It is the first headline show in the UK since Moonglow came out, which meant no tour for “A Paranormal Evening…”. It was therefore a surprise that nothing from this album was played live on this tour. The set itself contained almost everything you’d expect, a fair chunk of new stuff and a few surprises as well (Toy Master for me was a pleasant surprise!). Despite it being the biggest UK headline show to date, getting to see them in London does always feel quite intimate given that in some of mainland Europe, they play arenas and big slots on festival bills.
The biggest issue for me, enjoyment wise, was the time constraints (relying on public transport, such as I do). The show starting slightly late and already being tight for time meant Lost In Space (one of my favourite songs) wasn’t played. I am sure the Roundhouse must be used to holding gigs where everyone turns up to get in for door time, however the queue to get in was well down Chalk Farm Road and wrapped around the Morrisons (which will only mean something if you know the area, I accept). Avantasia were on at 8, and I can’t help but wonder if they planned to open the doors earlier, could the show have started earlier? Probably. Ho hum. It didn’t spoil the night, but no Lost In Space…comon now!
4. Clipping - KOKO, London. Sunday 21st September
This, I think, was my first visit to the KOKO since 2014, when I saw an Evening with Black Stone Cherry. That was a great gig, but in the intervening 11 years or so, I had forgotten that I don’t overly like KOKO as a venue. Ah well! Cooling Prongs opened the show and they were probably my least favourite live act of the year. Very much felt in the minority for this one, as they got a big round of applause afterwards, and I am still unsure as to why.
Clipping were immense, as ever it seems (I only had a single point of reference before this gig). The introduction of Counterfeit Madison was cool for some songs. The new album material was really good live, and closing the gig with their cover of J-Kwon’s song Tipsy was ace. Lovely.
3. Nine Inch Nails - The O2, London. Wednesday 18th June
First time for me seeing NIN since the show at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018. I missed the 2022 tour as I couldn't get to Eden Project and the London shows were all midweek during exam boards at work. The support act, Boys Noize, is a DJ. He was on for close to 50 minutes. I’ve seen some support acts at NIN gigs I've really not cared for, and this was fine, which therefore makes it one of the better ones! (They have had some questionable support acts on some of the occasions I’ve seen them live…)
NIN were incredible. The two stage set up was really cool. The show as a whole was really impressive and the setlist was great. I had a lovely time here
2. Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls - Alexandra Palace, London. Saturday 22nd February
This was my first visit to Ally Pally. I have heard mixed things about the venue and getting there etc. The main thing I would say is that if ever there is something else I see there, it will definitely need a hotel. Getting there isn’t too bad though. The trains were a bit screwed due to a tragedy earlier in the day at Stevenage, but we thankfully weren’t delayed. We were delayed getting back as a lot of trains were cancelled, so we got a bus back to the area of the hotel. I like the room itself, more so than most arenas in this country probably.
The gig! The Meffs opened, and they didn’t look out of place on the big stage which was cool to see. Lottery Winners were the main support and, once again, they were bloody great. One of the new songs had a synchronised dance to go with it, which was very silly but very funny. I wouldn’t be shocked if they are headlining this room at some point soon. They are headlining a stadium show in their home town, which is pretty cool!
What can I say about Frank Turner live that I haven’t said before? I’ve seen him live in person 22 times now (and another 30 if we count watching streamed shows live and I do) and he has firmly established himself as my favourite live act, and that counts for the different ways I’ve seen him live (solo, duo and with his band). The set list didn’t contain any surprises, but it was a gig in a big room so this was to be expected (show 2999 the night before was the one to go for to get surprise songs I’d say, which I wish I had done!). At the time of the gig, I said it was my favourite gig of the year to that point, and that I expected it to trouble the top spots at the end of the year, which it did. There is one gig though which I think pipped it in terms of enjoyment.
1. Kneecap - O2 Academy, Bournemouth. Friday 14th November
Miss Kaninna opened this show, and she was great. She shared some eye opening information about the ongoing plight of Aboriginal Australians (of which she is one) alongside performing some of her songs. The music I liked, but that information was truly shocking, I had no idea.
The venue was sold out, and for Kneecap it was a party from the start to the very end of their set. One of those where we were packed in the standing area; everyone dancing, singing jumping etc. A lovely time. I keep thinking back on the gig and whenever I do, it does make me smile. It was a great night, my favourite of the year.
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And that was 2025. The calendar for 2026 already has some cool things in it, including but not limited to:
Marmozets first tour in a good while
Getting to see The Callous Daoboys for the first time in a sold out Joiners
Bleed From Within in Soton at the 1865? Tasty
a Frank Turner solo show, during which he will play the 4/6 songs (depending on version) from Campfire Punkrock, but I am expecting mainly old songs from around that time so that should be fun
We Lost The Sea, Overhead the Albatross and Dimscûa together in London? Phwoar
Blood Incantation in the 1865? That'll be a good time.
Frank Turner and Bowling For Soup at the same gig? Lovely
Another Metallica weekend, this time in the slightly less glamorous London (last one was Madrid…) but it should still be great!
Along with a whole host of other things I am tempted by. For now though, that was a year.
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