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Precious is a new-style weepie but one that is much more bracing than depressing
Precious
Theatre
Ian McKellen is captivating throughout. He delights in the play’s gallows humour, yet is also maudlin and poignant
Waiting for Godot
Theatre
Slight quibbles notwithstanding, this will set the West End’s stock riding high
Enron
Utterly, utterly brilliant. You really are in for a treat
Though 'Trilogy' has won rave reviews, I personally found myself exasperated after about an hour
We went on a quiet sunday evening and the food was excellent, but the experience let down by the service and ambiance
London,
Rick Pearson's rating
Reader rating
A little night music: Torbjørn Brundtland in his dressing gown
Watching a dance group live can be about as visually engaging as watching paint dry so Röyksopp deserve credit for a show that had more fun and theatrics than any rock gig you’re likely to see all year.
It might not be what you’d expect from a duo whose eerie, atmospheric music can be heard in the background of countless TV advertisements and computer games but the Norwegian boys have livened up of late.
Recent album Junior is jam‑packed with pop tunes designed for the club rather than the comedown, and they came to Shepherd’s Bush Empire to party.
That started with the wardrobe.
Svein Berge took to the stage in an astronaut’s helmet, while Torbjørn Brundtland opted for the more casual look in his dressing gown.
The eccentric line-up was completed by a Bono lookalike on bass and a singer, Anneli Drecker, who had more costume changes than an evening with Christina Aguilera.
Together, they produced a joyous mix of frenetic beats, auto-tuned vocals, zapping synths and general nuttiness, barely pausing for breath for just over an hour.
Happy Up Here was a slice of upbeat electropop, Tricky Tricky was a whirl of haunting vocals and You Don’t Have A Clue was what ABBA and Orbital would sound like if they ever got together.
Röyksopp were joined by Swedish songstress Robyn for recent single The Girl And The Robot.
Over skittering beats and swirling synths, the singer bemoaned the trials and tribulations of android/human relationships.
Robyn returned to the stage for a gloriously uplifting encore of Poor Leno.
With the entire audience on its feet, the song built to a crashing climax that gave the set the triumphant finale it deserved. Glorious.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
