A SPECIAL week, in that live activity reaches its annual peak, with the gigs total approaching 750. So there’s plenty of different styles and sounds from which to choose, and even the latest crop of new tours covers a wide spectrum.
UB40 begin their major-venue concert series in Glasgow (Saturday) and Birmingham (Sunday and Monday) … THE CULT are on the road for a full month, with initial dates in Slough (Friday), Cardiff (Saturday), Bristol (Sunday), and Exeter (Monday) … ZTT’s second biggest money-spinners (now that Art Of Noise have departed) are undertaking their first-ever tour: PROPAGANDA kick off in Manchester on Sunday and Norwich on Monday … REO SPEEDWAGON fly in from the States and, supported by Robin George, play Belfast (Thursday), Edinburgh (Sunday), Newcastle (Monday) and Manchester (Tuesday) … and LEVEL 42 open a lengthy schedule in Loughborough on Thursday.
ALISON MOYET makes her stage return by appearing in a string of jazz festivals, the first being in Chichester on Thursday … London ICA’s latest Rock Week continues with CHIEFS OF RELIEF (Wednesday) and SPIZZ (Thursday) among the headliners … One-off highlights in the capital feature US singer SUZANNE VEGA and THE COMMUNARDS (both on Thursday) and guitar virtuoso STANLEY JORDAN (Saturday) —
What’s become of the Brücken hearted? Claudia, Ralf and Suzanne take their brand of Propaganda to Manchester.
Pic Derek Ridgers