In 2016 Roxette did what we believed was to be the last ever concerts. Now, the duo’s frontman, songwriter and founder Per Gessle picks up the torch and takes this bundle of worldwide hits on the road again.
It’s almost five years ago since Roxette lost Marie Fredriksson to cancer. A devastating loss that left both family, friends and fans in grief.
Their legacy of songs has continued to thrive, being constantly streamed, played and enjoyed by old and new supporters around the world.
2025 we see a live revival of this massive catalogue, all penned by Per Gessle, when he takes the Roxette band back on stage to do what he loves the most; perform his songs live in front of a dedicated audience.
Per and the Roxette band will be joined on stage by Swedish singer and megastar Ms Lena Philipsson.
There isn’t a pop star alive that wouldn’t kill for Taylor Dayne’s first run of singles. She began her solo singing career after leaving college, where she’d fronted a few rock bands who’d gone nowhere fast. Billed as Les Lee (a shortened version of her birth-name Leslie Wunderman) she released two singles in 1986 and ’87, “I’m The One You Want” and “Tell Me Can You Love Me”, respectively. While they weren’t hits at any level, they did something far more important, and got her signed to Arista Records and in November 1987, her imperial phase began with her single “Tell It To Me Heart”. This began a run of nine top twenty singles, seven of which hurtled into the top ten and five of them breached the top five.
This happened over a period of six years where Dayne became one of the hottest pop stars in the world, and one of the period’s biggest pin-ups to boot. “Tell It To My Heart” was a hit all over the world, topping the charts in Sweden, West Germany and New Zealand while surging into the top three in the U.K. Normally, this kind of success would be impossible to replicate, let alone better, but her debut album’s next three singles would equal and then better her debut single’s success. She became such a big name that she spent most of 1988 supporting Michael Jackson on his “Bad” World Tour, and even then, it would get even bigger with her next album, 1989’s “Can’t Fight Fate”.
The album would contain her first number one in the form of its second single, 1990’s “Love Will Lead You Back”, and it’s follow up singles would also chart strongly, at number four for “I’ll Be Your Shelter”, and number 12 for “Heart Of Stone”. Unfortunately, in the three years she spent following up her debut she lost her commercial golden touch and hasn’t had a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1993’s “Send Me A Lover”. The 90’s were still kind to her, as she had a string of chart topping hits on the US Dance music charts and started a highly respectable acting career.
Since then, Taylor Dayne has remained one of the most beloved pop stars of her generation. She has a back catalogue that could make the stars of today blush and the artistic diversity to take on the Dance charts just as easily as the work of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, as she did with her star turn in Cats on Broadway. She’s still making the best records of her career to this day and can perform live with the best of them, and for that, she comes highly recommended.
His career began in earnest in the late sixties, when he joined the pub rock outfit Kippington Lodge; the band would later be renamed after its other key member, Lowe’s friend, Brinsley Schwarz. He was with the band for a tumultuous seven years, which saw them struggle to establish credibility outside of the London pub circuit; nevertheless, some of his most enduring songs were written during that time, including ‘(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding’, which would later be a huge hit for Elvis Costello.
In the late seventies, Lowe began to release solo material, often named as humorous ripostes to huge records of the time; ‘Bowi’ was a play on David Bowie’s ‘Low’, and the album ‘Max’ by The Rumour was produced by Lowe, who apparently designated it as an ‘answer’ to ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac. He’s written a slew of songs known best for their cover versions - including ‘The Beast in Me’, covered by his then-father-in-law, Johnny Cash - as well as songs like ‘Cruel to Be Kind’ that were hits for Lowe - and Schwarz - in their own right. He’s no longer active as a producer, but continues to write, record and tour - he played the main stage at Hyde Park’s British Summer Time event in July 2013.
Roxette are the second-most successful pop act ever to emerge from Sweden; when the number one slot on that list is inhabited by ABBA, though, you quickly realise there’s no shame in being number two. After all, Roxette’s sales figures would likely sit them at the top of the pile in most other countries; over the course of a career that’s no stretched over almost thirty years, they’ve sold in excess of sixty million records across the globe, as well as seeing their records Joyride and Look Sharp! go platinum on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in Germany. The duo - comprised of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson - have had plenty to contend with over the years, too, both professionally - having to adapt to the demands of a constantly shape-shifting pop industry - and personally, with Fredriksson’s diagnosis with a brain tumour in 2002 forcing the pair to stay away from the live stage for seven years. They’re well and truly back on it now, though, finally making it to the Night of the Proms in Belgium in 2009 seven years after having to shelve an appearance. They went on to play a huge European tour to rave reviews, with classic cuts accompanied by new material on the setlist and a stunning live show bringing the work of one of pop’s best-loved duos to life.
Taylor Dane has to be one of the greatest female singers of all time.
I have always wanted to see her in concert and I am glad I finally got to. She has an amazing voice and really knows how to get the crowd going. She began singing "Love Will Lead You Back" and the crowd was on their feet. The stage background was dark but it had these pink and blue pastel lights that lit it up very well.
Taylor Dane is very attentive to the requests of her fans. People were shouting out songs all night for her to sing and she tried to do them all. That woman has the most stunning voice I have ever heard. She sounds like an angel. I could listen to her sing all day. I was awe struck when she first walked out and I could feel the butterflies in my belly. I was so happy that I finally got a chance to see this woman sing.
I believe that anyone who gets a chance to see Taylor Dane in concert will not be disappointed. She is one of a kind and I am sure it will be a night you will never forget!
I've only seen Nick Lowe twice, Seattle '91 and Chicago/Evanston 2013. He plays a solid acoustic of country/roadhouse rock. But original know as 'The Jesus of Power Pop', I love those compositions the most, 'So it Goes', 'Cruel, to be Kind', 'What's so Funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding (made famous by Elvis Costello), 'Switchboard Susan' and 'Breaking Glass' to name a few.
He's surviving pop/rock artist who is comfortable in his skin, relatable to his audience and sincerely looks like he is enjoying himself.
Instrumental rock isn’t something that you come across very often in popular culture, but Los Straitjackets have made sure that their prominence in the genre is well known. It’s refreshing to hear genuinely talented musicians play their instruments in as tight a formation as this band do, whilst not having to be preoccupied with lyrical intricacies.
The house lights were down, and as smoke began to fill the stage and the feedback from the lead guitar echoed through the venue, the drummer Jimmy Lester opening the show with an awesome solo, whilst the rest of the band members came to the stage. There are several aspects of their music that aren’t available to the listener on studio recordings. Notably, the use of Mexican wrestling masks by the band members in all of their performances, along with their gold medallions is something that you can only see in a live performance.
The band played through the entirety of Jet Set, accompanied by their signature gimmicky dance moves, which had the audience dancing along with them straight away. The cult following they’ve gained from these features of their performance is something that they play up to, and so the only band member who speaks throughout their set is Amis, who hurriedly introduces their work. Despite their alternative and somewhat whacky performances, the band are incredibly talented and definitely worth a watch.