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Reverend Billy and The Life After Shopping Choir rock with a righteous vengeance!
This show from the New York-based group (who earlier exorcised the infamous Starbucks on St James’s St) was a raucous mix of gospel song, Sister Act-style dance, and uplifting preaching – politico/philosophical and spiritual too, natch – from the bona fide Reverend.
A moving sermon from the Rev on monoculture, the corporate bullying powers of Tesco, Walmart and Starbucks, and the ‘local rights movement’, oh, and an exorcism of a credit card holder. This was one gig that heralded, as the Rev called it: “Change-ellujah”. Amen to that.
The Basement, 1 June
5/5
Monica Perdoni

Quite literally hours of fun and frivolity with the veteran comedian. A consummate showman, renowned for the length of his show – over four hours on this occasion – Ken Dodd had the Dome audience in the palm of his hand from the start, and it just got better.
Apart from a few interludes with his guests, the comedy never let up. Quick fire one-liners, and meandering stories, all perfectly crafted, all with impeccable timing. Plus great classic songs.
Despite clearly having trouble with a chesty cough, this was an amazing, energetic performance.
There were the usual jokes about the Inland Revenue, politicians, lots of local references, merciless ad-libs at the expense of the audience, but above all a real affection and connection with an audience, which is rare to see.
Dome Concert Hall, 7 June
5/5
Candy McNamara

These two canny Scots have built up a rapport/on-stage banter which is both laugh out loud and unforced.
Johnny Lynch, aka Pictish Trail, took us through an initial set of what could be loosely termed neo-folk with interregna of bleep noise from the eighties.
The old school synths/sound boxes on stage melded well together second half (when they could get them to work) with the acoustics of King Creosote, aka Kenny Anderson, and together he and Pictish played a captivating, if occasionally bland, send-off. Best track by a country mile, ’Ça Fait Nul’.
Duke of York’s Picturehouse, 3 June
3/5
Jan Goodey

Florence Welch may have a big fringe and give kooky interviews, but she ain’t no Lily Allen. Tonight the 22-year-old rose goddess-like from the stage, her chiffon shawl and Titian locks billowing behind her. Yes, there was a wind machine and rather a lot of cape-flapping, but the performance more
than lived up to the stage-twirling melodramatics.
With soaring vocals to rival Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick, and some hair-on-end harmonies and harp-plucking, F&TM delivered a phenomenal set, from the shouty ’Kiss with a Fist’ to a soul-raising cover of Candi Staton’s ’You Got the Love’. Will these young upstarts ever come down to earth? Let’s hope not.
Concorde, 2 June
5/5
Colette Bernhardt