Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the multi-million-selling Play, the NYC-born, LA-based musician is hosting a sold-out crowd at the O2 Arena in London. The renowned vegan artist, famed for his advocacy for environmental rights, hasn’t toured in over a decade and is taking the opportunity to mark his most famous (and lucrative) LP’s quarter-century, whilst raising funds for animal rights organisations close to his heart.

Moby @ The O2 Arena

Moby @ The O2 Arena (Abigail Shii)

Before Play’s debut in 1999, Moby had found himself at a pivotal moment in his career. Previous album Animal Rights had failed to connect with critics or a wide audience – so, believing that Play might be his last album, he embraced a spirit of experimentation, incorporating samples of soulful vocals from renowned blues and gospel singers like Bessie Jones, Boy Blue, and Vera Hall.

The juxtaposition of these striking vocals with Moby’s electronic soundscapes forged a hefty emotional core that, together with clever licensing (famously, every one of its 18 track was licensed for commercial use – thereby getting them heard more widely), resonated hugely with the public and Play achieved phenomenal success, selling over 12 million copies globally and soundtracking the likes of The Beach, Dawson’s Creek and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Tonight, we kick things off with support act Lady Blackbird (aka Marley Monroe) and a sizeable crowd have already gathered to see the singer described by Gilles Peterson as the “Grace Jones of jazz”. She makes a dramatic entrance onstage, dressed fairly fabulously in head-to-toe white, including huge hair and a white cape. Despite a sparse stage setup of simply the singer, a guitarist and track, she’s completely at home on the huge O2 stage and enjoying the opportunity to perform for several thousand already in the arena.

Her powerful voice is immediately apparent, with elements of blues, soul and jazz. Despite not being familiar with her material, I’m caught up in her good-natured, soulful vibe – and just as I’m thinking how much I’m reminded of a young Tina Turner, she name-checks the great songstress herself. It’s an apt comparison for this talented performer. Lady Blackbird ends her individual set with what turns out to be my favourite of hers, the stonking Reborn, which deserves to be a huge hit. She’s been a fantastic warm-up – perhaps we’ll hear more from her later…

Now it’s time for the main event. Starting with an almost ethereal intro, blue green lasers light up the arena as Richard Melville Hall and co kick things off with In My Heart. He’s something of an oddball popstar, is Moby, and here he cedes the spotlight to Nadia Duggan – one of the two powerful female vocalists in his band, along with Choklate – her stunning vocals taking centre stage with Moby content to be hype man / guitarist for now. In crowd-pleasing mood, he runs around the stage like a man half his age, throwing himself into bongos duty for the massive Go before Body Rock and his recent mash-up version of Flower into Find My Baby, showcasing his heavy blues inspiration as well as the skills of his talented band.

The recently turned 59-year-old takes a short breather for a chat about vegan pizza in his backyard before the rather lovely Almost Home and then a breathtaking double bill of When It’s Cold I Like To Die and In This World. Next up it’s the unmistakable strains of Porcelain but he’s given it a twist – it feels a more stripped-back version, with Moby sharing vocals with his band members. Next it’s the more straightforward We Are All Made Of Stars before a change of pace with the excellent, driving Machete.

Moby takes several opportunities throughout the show to talk about his passion for activism (all profits from the show going to local organisations) as well as simple anecdotes about his career, with self-effacing eccentricity and, let’s face it, a bit of name-dropping. To be fair, if I had been mates with David Bowie I’d probably want to talk about it too.

We are treated to a return to the stage of the big-haired Lady Blackbird for a double bill of Walk With Me and Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad – once again demonstrating her fabulous voice. It’s a real showstopper. Then, as if to give us all a breather, instrumental Everloving takes the temperature down a notch but it’s only setting us up for the enormous Extreme Ways which has The O2 rocking, with everyone on their feet. Then for the final song of the main set, singer Choklate now gets a solo, taking on the traditional Bessie Jones’ vocal that formed the basis of Honey. It’s another great performance – Moby certainly knows how to surround himself with talented musicians.

This would be where you’d expect a hit to start the encore but instead a slightly leftfield moment follows, with Moby borrowing a cowboy hat and launching into Ring Of Fire, demanding audience participation for the ‘trumpet solo’ – an amusing interlude if not the most obvious choice of cover. Thankfully we’re back to his brilliant best with next track Lift Me Up – sounding meaty and relevant, and the huge Natural Blues – Choklate taking on another traditional blues refrain, and delivering Vera Hall’s lyrics with aplomb.

This is when the night takes off – Moby is not a natural front man (understatement) – he’s awkward and odd but his genius lies in pulling together eclectic samples, influences and a hugely talented band of musicians. When the vocalists shine, the crowd goes with them.

It’s time for one final bit of chat as the band are introduced to warm applause, before Moby reminds us all that despite looking like, well, a small, bald, ‘middle-aged golem’, at heart he’s really just a raver. And with that he launches into some hardcore techno to finish the night off – the euphoric Feeling So Real getting everyone reaching for the lasers before the heavy, rapid-fire Thousand sends us off into the night. Moby ends up standing atop a podium, arms aloft – a raver, after all.

Live review of Moby @ The O2 Arena, London on 19th September 2024 by Sarah Kavanagh. Photos by Abigail Shii.

No Pyro, No Party – KISS Sign Off In Typically Overblown Style At The O2

Rita Ora @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Rita Ora @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Nonetheless we’re all here for a good time and Rita rattles expertly through I Will Never Let You Down, Let You Love Me and Your Song. A cover of ABBA classic Dancing Queen and Praising You get the crowd going. There’s a comedy moment where she goes down to the crowd and asks several people to join her in singing acapella but nobody knows the words, and in the chaos she ends up singing the wrong song herself. But the 33-year-old is so relaxed and good-natured throughout this series of unfortunate events, that we all laugh along with her. She’s a total pro, her performance on point – it’s just a shame the low speaker volume and some technical problems are letting her down. A costume change into an outrageous black number (she got the memo) signals the excellent Black Widow, her collab with Australia’s Iggy Azalea, before new single Ask And You Shall Receive. We didn’t ask, but it’s brilliant and we’re all very happy to receive! Everyone is already on board the Ora Express before her enormo-hit Hot Right Now gets Mighty Hoopla properly jumping.

As fantastic as she is, I’m still picking up far too many casual conversations and decide to head over to the Bump for a bit of Jodie Harsh’s DJ set, hoping it’s a bit louder (sorry Rita). Jodie is loving it and as usual I’m left to marvel at her ability to absolutely boss the decks in full, flawless drag. Soon it’s back to the Pleasure Palace to catch some of B:Rave – to the uninformed, this is festival favourites Old Dirty Brasstards playing non-stop 90s dance classics. It’s as daft and fun as it sounds, i.e. very. I could happily stay for their whole set (Rozalla is set to make another cameo) but absolutely cannot miss the fabulous Jessie Ware’s headline performance, so soon I’m back across to the main stage.

Mother… has arrived. And boy does she know the brief. It’s hit after hit, starting with That! Feels Good! and then an epic run of Shake the Bottle, Ooh La La, Pearls and Begin Again before bringing the tempo down a little with ballads Hello Love, Remember Where You Are and Don’t Want To Fall In Love.

Seemingly conscious that we want to dance again, Jessie obliges by inviting out special guest, Gossip’s iconic Beth Ditto to join her onstage – dueting on a gleeful rendition of the massive Standing In The Way Of Control – and London’s biggest gay disco is truly back underway. Mother is here and she is turning it out for the crowd tonight. Freak Me Now is followed by a medley of Running, Hot N Heavy and her huge title track from 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure, complete with tongue-in-cheek dance moves – it’s a fun, fabulous bit of audience participation and perfectly poptastic. The brilliant run continues with another two hits from that same album, Spotlight and Save A Kiss, both electric. Next she’s joined by Sink The Pink and we all can all agree Beautiful People ARE everywhere, it’s true Jess.

But we’re not done yet – what other way to end London’s biggest LGBTQI party than with Mother belting out a note-perfect rendition of Cher’s 1998 classic Believe? Well, okay one more turn as Jessie treats us to last year’s party anthem Free Yourself. It’s a barnstorming finish and a perfect denouement for Mighty Hoopla Weekend.

I’ve run myself ragged but wouldn’t have it any other way – once again, Hoopla, you have outdone yourself. Stay fabulous, and see you next year.

Live review of Mighty Hoopla Festival 2024 by Sarah Kavanagh on 2nd June 2024, photography by Kalpesh Patel

The Sunday Sun Shines On The Fabulous At Mighty Hoopla 2024

Mighty Hoopla 2024

Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Once through the gate it becomes clear the ground has dried up. The sun is shining and, as expected, the outfits are the first thing to jump out – even on the train from Blackfriars it’s amusing to see the ‘normos’ mixing on the platform with all the gorgeous boys, girls and everything in-between in hot pants, feathers, thongs, jeans, crop tops, cowboy hats and ALL the glitter. It’s hard to describe in words how fabulously dressed the average attendee is at Hoopla – literally anything goes and prudes need not apply!

My plan is to cover as many acts as possible – starting with Shaznay Lewis (formerly of iconic 90s girl group All Saints) on the Hayu stage. On my way there, though, I catch a bit of Cat Burns, who I know nothing about but grabs my attention with her great voice and energy, covering the somewhat unlikely Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. It’s a great, pretty faithful rendition and goes down a storm with the main stage crowd. She is clearly loving the occasion, announcing afterwards “I bet you didn’t expect that!” – will definitely be watching out for her in future.

Cat Burns @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Cat Burns @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Shaznay is halfway through her set when I arrive and I’ve timed it well, catching Black Coffee from 2000’s Saints And Sinners album before her new solo release Got To Let Go. It’s fun, reminiscent of her former girl group and demonstrates that she still has that excellent, soulful voice. Next up is her recent collaboration Good Mourning with special guest Shola Ama – it’s great and the crowd are enjoying it. But she knows what the elder millennials are here for and gives us what we want – Never Ever still sounds amazing even 27 (twenty seven?!) years later. It’s a singalong party at the Hayu stage right now.

Shaznay Lewis @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Shaznay Lewis @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Ending on biggest hit Pure Shores, you can spot the over-35s who know every word but literally everyone is swaying along, loving this poptastic show in the sunshine. Shaznay may have been away for most of the last 20 years (she tells us that this is her first ever festival show) but on this evidence she is very much back in business.

Shaznay Lewis @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Shaznay Lewis @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

As soon as Shaznay finishes I head over to the main stage to catch the extravagantly-coated Alison Goldfrapp. She struts the stage like a disco peacock, kicking things off with the dreamy pop of Love Invention, the eponymous title track from her 2023 debut solo album.

Alison Goldfrapp @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Alison Goldfrapp @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Next is a dip into Goldfrapp’s 2005 album Supernature as those distinctive opening synths herald big hit Number 1. It’s a great start, giving me chilled Ibiza vibes, and she’s pulled a big crowd who seem to be feeling the same way. Effortlessly cool, she returns to newer solo material with In Electric Blue before Ride A White Horse gets the crowd going.

Alison Goldfrapp @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Alison Goldfrapp @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Reluctantly, it’s time for me to leave as next on my must-see list are House Gospel Choir, back on the Hayu Stage. I’m so excited for this – they always bring such joy and convert new fans every time I’ve seen them and today is no exception. With Alison Goldfrapp drawing many to the main stage, it’s an easy walk down to the front, where the party has already started.

House Gospel Choir @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

House Gospel Choir @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Around 20 choir members dressed in white take us through a barrage of 90s house classics, expertly mashing up multiple tracks and adding their own gospel twist to each. Lead vocals are shared between numerous singers and everyone gets their chance to shine. The crowd are LIVING and it’s getting busier by the minute – looking around me I can see the field has filled up massively, House Gospel Choir drawing thousands to watch them with their sheer joie de vivre and musicianship.

House Gospel Choir @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

House Gospel Choir @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

The grand finale is an extended version of Everybody’s Free – starting off as a traditional choral arrangement, flags of Palestine are displayed in a show of solidarity with the occupied nation. It’s a moving moment. The song appears to finish but they’ve saved a surprise, as joining them onstage is Rozalla to pick up lead vocals on her smash hit. There’s a slight technical hitch as her mic isn’t on, but we’re carried along by her energy anyway before she’s handed a replacement for the chorus. Altogether, a triumph.

House Gospel Choir @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

House Gospel Choir @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Riding a feel-good wave, I pop across site to the Pleasure Palace to catch a bit of Guilty Pleasures’ ‘Minogue Madness’. Which is, essentially, Kylie tunes being played in a packed tent, with images of the Australian pop princess projected onto a large screen onstage. I hang around for a couple of tracks but am keen to see some more live music and hotfoot it over to The Bump to try and catch a bit of Gala. And as luck would have it, I’ve timed it perfectly – a minute or two after I’ve headed into the tent we hear the unmistakable opening strains of her enormo-hit Freed From Desire. The tent is bouncing, everyone dancing and pogo-ing with abandon. Smashed it!

Time for a quick drinks pitstop – with loads of bars across the festival site you’re never queuing more than 30 seconds for a drink, although more draught options would definitely be appreciated as £6.50 for a small can of cider is on the painful side. Wine and cocktail lovers are well served though. Hungry now, I opt for the nearest food stall, a jerk chicken place, as it has a small queue. I decide on quick carbs and order ‘salt and pepper chips’ for a mere £7 – imagine my disappointment on being handed a tiny tray of plain chips with a sprinkle of chili flakes. The only downside of the day. I hope their chicken was better.

Anyway, I’ve filled a hole and also managed to watch 15 minutes of Louise on the Hayu stage. It’s enjoyable enough, but I’m distracted by the sad chips and can’t remember what she played.

Louise @ Mighty Hoopla 2024

Louise @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

She does bring out former Eternal bandmate Kéllé Bryan for their hit So Good which goes down well, followed by her cover of Stealers Wheel 1973 classic Stuck In The Middle With You. Keen to get a good spot for Rita Ora, I leave just as Louise is debuting new song Get Into It.

Live review of Mighty Hoopla Festival 2024 by Sarah Kavanagh on 2nd June 2024, photography by Kalpesh Patel

Mighty Hoopla 2024 Is Resplendent At Brockwell Park – Day 1

PJ Harvey @ Roundhouse

PJ Harvey @ Roundhouse (Hels Millington)

I’ve only had time for a brief run-through of the singer-songwriter’s latest and excellent (if not immediately obvious) album I Inside The Old Year Dying, but have been looking forward to hearing these songs live and, as expected, they don’t disappoint. Prayer At The Gate is a strong opener, haunting and delicate with Harvey’s whisper-thin vocal carrying its repeating refrain beautifully.

The tone is set for a full run-through of the LP, with Autumn Term, the extravagantly spelled Lwonesome Tonight, Seem An I and Netheredge all impressing, none outstaying their welcome.

I’ve been at gigs where it’s obvious that the audience is merely tolerating the new material, politely nodding and applauding whilst awaiting the hits – but not tonight. This is a warm, captivated crowd who are hanging on every word, shimmy and strum from Harvey and her faithful band of high class musicians, led by longtime collaborator John Parrish.

The title track and similarly named I Inside The Old I Dying are both highlights – the former more immediate, reminiscent of the Mercury-award winning Let England Shake, and the latter more of a grower, with many around me singing along with “The chalky children of evermore” as the song draws to close.

The slower, downbeat All Souls feels more urgent as a live experience. In fact all of these tracks are elevated by the performance of the ethereal Harvey, Parrish and co. A Child’s Question, August is a warm groove with Parrish’s deeper vocal harmonising beautifully on the refrain of “Love me tender, tender love”. It’s hugely impressive how mesmerised the audience is throughout – you can briefly hear a pin drop at the end of each new song before rapturous applause fills the space. The musicianship is superb and surprising; drifting soundscapes (animal chittering, a dawn chorus, children’s voices) add rich texture. Alongside Harvey’s beautifully strange, choreographed movements, darting about the stage alternately in shadow and bathed in white light, is a thrilling spectacle that keeps us all transfixed.

Despite these songs still being fairly new to me there’s a feeling of familiarity and playfulness that’s hard to describe – like we’re all safe in the hands of a finely honed, enigmatic, magical circus act. To quote a line from the Pitchfork review of I Inside The Old Year Dying, “this is how PJ Harvey albums work now: you feel them without being able to explain them”.

As throughout this tour, the set is divided into two – as A Noiseless Noise brings the new album to a close, PJ leaves the stage temporarily before John Parrish and the rest of the band deliver a rousing, shanty-esque rendition of The Colour Of The Earth from 2011’s Let England Shake.

And now we’re in more familiar territory as the second act begins with two more from that seminal album – the instantly recognisable guitar-and-bugles of The Glorious Land and The Words That Maketh Murder. A brooding Angelene and a truly spine-tingling performance (my favourite of the night) of The Garden – both from Is This Desire? – bookend Send His Love To Me.

We’re treated to the blistering rock of Man-Size and Dress followed by three more tracks from To Bring You My Love – with the dirgey-yet urgent title track acting as initial set closer, before an encore of C’mon Billy and finally, Harvey’s love letter to Dorset, White Chalk.

It’s been an utterly spellbinding, fabulous show from start to finish. I’ve rarely sensed an audience so captivated, and I feel very lucky to have been one of them.

Live review of PJ Harvey @ Roundhouse on 29th September 2023 by Sarah Kavanagh. Photography by Hels Millington.

Muse’s Supermassive O2 Arena Show Gives The Will Of The People What They Want

KISS @ The O2

Gene Simmons, Eric Singer & Tommy Thayer of KISS @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

En route to the venue, it’s clear that these are an act that transcends generations. Entire families in black and white face paint, young couples, grandparents in long black wigs, groups of middle-aged friends and a few lone wolves, who will nonetheless soon reunite with their pack inside the arena. Everyone is here for a party and the mood is one of good-natured excitement and inclusivity.

KISS @ The O2

KISS fans @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Following the excellent Skindred’s riotous support act, the crowd is nicely warmed up and the anticipation ratchets up a notch as the huge black KISS-emblazoned curtain goes up, blocking the stage from view. The intro music plays as we wait… and wait. Then:

BOOM. The curtain drops and an explosion of pyrotechnics announces their arrival.

If I was worried that their advancing years might hinder their ability to put on a show, any lingering doubt is immediately blown away by literal fireballs and the ludicrous pomp of opening track Detroit Rock City. All four members are resplendent in utterly ridiculous, silver and black steampunk-meets-space-goblin outfits and platform boots, with their trademark white and black face paint. There are tongues everywhere.

Lead singer Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons and guitarist Tommy Thayer congregate centre stage, when not prowling and mugging for the cameras, lapping up the feverish response from their fans. They rattle through Shout it Loud, then it’s an opportunity for Simmons – stomping around in 7-inch platforms that reportedly weigh 20lbs – to show he can still carry a tune with Deuce and War Machine. The 73-year-old finishes the latter by deep-throating his microphone before more fireballs sizzle the audience. Subtlety is not the order of the day.

Stanley has clearly had his Weetabix, fit and lithe as he prances about the stage like a 70-year-old man has absolutely no right to do. He screech-talks between songs, chatting with the crowd about years gone by and how much they love London and will miss playing here. There’s a bit of call-and-response crowd rivalry that the audience is only too happy to engage in.

I’m still mesmerised by the industrially constructed costumes and sheer energy levels on display from these would-be-pensioners, but there’s no time to dwell as they carry on storming through song after song – its only the hits tonight. Gene breathes fire (naturally) and repeatedly licks his bass with that enormous tongue whilst gyrating shamelessly. His codpiece receives ample attention from the onstage cameras, delighting the crowd with numerous angles from the screens above.

The staging is brilliant – clever multi-screens and moving platforms with incredible lighting and infinity effects and, let’s face it, unashamed braggadocio. These old timers put on a hell of a show, it’s full of action and incredibly entertaining. Tommy Thayer gets his solo moment whilst Stanley and Simmons presumably have a quick lie down.

We’re into the second half now with Lick It Up and a cheeky segue into Won’t Get Fooled Again. Calling Doctor Love is followed by drum and bass solos (during which Simmons rises up above the stage like some demented goblin king and drips a huge mouthful of blood down himself).

Next, it is God Of Thunder, then Stanley dramatically flies on a winch across the arena, whilst singing to a second stage at the opposite end, for Love Gun and Black Diamond, before zip-wiring it back to his pals as they head offstage, leaving drummer Eric Singer alone on stage with a grand piano. We are treated to a surprisingly lovely rendition of Beth (nominative determinism at play perhaps, as Singer has a fantastic voice) before the bandmates return for a barnstorming encore of their biggest hits, I Was Made For Lovin’ You and Rock And Roll All Nite. Cannons launch an insane amount of red and white ticker tape, obscuring the band as they bring the house down.

They may not have quite the catalogue of stone-cold classics of some of their contemporaries but the energy and showmanship they have brought to The O2 this evening is astonishing. Tonight has been everything I wanted KISS to be and then some – completely over the top and gloriously silly. If this is indeed the last time they play on these shores, I’m glad I was there at the end.

Review of KISS @ The O2, London on 5th July 2023 by Sarah Kavanagh. Photos by Kalpesh Patel.

Skindred Make New Fans Opening For KISS At The O2