James Warburton

Favourite albums of 2025 - What are yours? What have I missed?

An endurance test of a gig but one that also made me grateful to be alive.

#Nineinchnails
#Livemusic
#Nineinchnailslive
#Cyperpunkindustrialdisco

Artists rarely challenge an audience's comfort zone both visually & aurally; huge respect to them & their crew for executing an uncompromising vision & mastery of conveying emotion through sound.

They returned to the B-Stage; dry ice billowed, blinding strobes creating a frantic barrier around the stage & I found myself ensconced in a smoke-filled cyberpunk-industrial future disco. Which was nice.

Astonishing lights- a 3D curtain around the main stage; dynamic colours, shapes & shadows moving in all directions & interacting with the performers.

The band are an astonishing combination of individual skills working as a team &
the coherent, careful thought & thematic attention to detail in every aspect of the production was inspirational

Deciding I may regret it later if I retreated into the crowd, I calmed the symptoms slowly with some balanced breathing, but it was a strong physiological reaction to experience.

Such was the sensory intensity & the unexpected proximity to an artist I hugely respect, I realised I was experiencing a once in a lifetime moment. Whilst trying to savour it I simultaneously had feelings of fight or flight, basically getting the physical heebie-jeebies big-time; thanks body.

The arena silent as he opened with a delicate version “A Minute To Breathe" from 'Before The Flood'

The curtain dropped, lights stuttering like a malfunctioning 90s school bathroom strip bulb. The stage burst into focus; blinding white light revealing Trent sat still, head bowed, at a piano.

It was, to say the least, very dramatic

Arriving, I noticed a curtained “B” stage in the middle of the standing area,deciding to wait behind it.

Soon a lighting rig descended, creating a tiny room-like structure in the centre of the vast expanse of the venue.

Outside Piccadilly, there was a large presence of black clothes, big boots & bold tattoos; scenes reminiscent of “Station Approach” by Guy Garvey - the streets were indeed “full of goths and geeks” & I loved it.

Nine Inch Nails, Manchester Arena - June '25 - Once upon a time, not too long ago, I took a day out in Manchester.

Sure it will be available on streaming services at some point, well worth pulling the curtains and losing yourself in it one night.

From a young age I have always been able to engage more calmly and directly with something I’m watching if I can read subtitles. Not sure what that says about the way I process things but would be curious if other people experience the same.

Reading along with the performance really grounded me in the moment and helped me to better comprehend the lyrics and narrative of the songs alongside some abstract visuals and extended musical arrangements.

The sound in the cinema was clear without being overwhelming and the unexpected bonus was that the whole film was subtitled so I could follow the lyrics easily. Particularly helpful considering the consistent rustle and crunchy munch of a loud popcorn eater a few seats down.

Astounding musical performances and orchestration as always from one of our greatest living artists and her amazing troupe of musicians, and a visual extravaganza too. Thought provoking, entertaining, humorous, and as always beautifully unusual and unpredictable in her execution.

Cornucopia is Bjork's otherworldly, intricate and innovative exploration of environmental themes, married with analogous concepts of human self-growth, blooming and decay.

Bjork: Cornucopia at the Phoenix Picturehouse, Jericho, Oxford - May 25

I was curious how the immersive, sensory, experience of Bjork live concert would translate to an intimate cinema setting in one of my favourite parts of Oxford.

Would love to see this run extended to other theatres and also the format extended to combine more plays and albums.

10/10 - would watch again, many times.

Their voices were complimented by unexpected & astonishing vocal performance from the cast themselves. Hamlet performing a sparse & haunting version of “Scatterbrain” and Ophelia’s fragile, tragic version of ‘Sail To The Moon’ as she floated around the stage was bewitching & staggeringly beautiful.

Some stunning lighting too, including a hypnotic scene where light snow appeared to flow down from the top of the set, across the stage and into the audience. I could have watched it for hours.

Lovely,restrained singing throughout from the two main vocalists.

A hugely dynamic, lively, humorous and free-flowing production; full-bodied and emotive performances from the excellent cast with astonishing, often puppet-like physical control and skill. Rich, expressive, choreography. Otherworldly and creative set design and costume, and perfect casting.

Lots of pertinent, unexpected moments of synchronicity and strong parallels between the music, lyrics and the narrative of the original text, breathing new life, energy and meaning into both works.

The sound was full, clear and detailed, sometimes dominant and aggressive (the incredible end fight set to the “raindrops” section of ‘Sit Down Stand Up’) & at times subtle yet pervasive (the stripped down melodic synth themes from ‘Where I End and You Begin,) to allow space for the dialogue.

Thom Yorke was involved in the orchestration and re-arrangement of the pieces which worked very effectively, almost as if the music was a bespoke score for the play.

Impeccably performed live adaptations and re-creations of full songs and individual musical themes from the HTTT album were used as the soundtrack to an abridged version of Hamlet.

Radiohead x Shakespere

Hamlet - Hail to The Thief - RSC - Stratford On Avon - June 2025

So good I saw it twice.

Once with the wonderous Mrs Warburton and once with an old pal and musical who both loved it too.

Also big props to the Barbican ice cream lady who guided me through the flavours of her wares with delightful care.