Posted on Tuesday 28th November 2023 at 16:00
It’s been a huge year of music and Gigantic Tickets has been proud to get you into the most exciting gigs and festivals right through 2023! We love sharing the unique joy of live music and we recently highlighted the best shows in November as chosen by the #GiganticGigGoer community in our The Best Gigs of November As Told By Gigantic Gig Goers blog – CLICK HERE to read.
Now, our staff reveal the shows from the last twelve months they enjoyed the most. Keep scrolling to check out our top shows of the past year!
And there is already so much more to look forward to in 2024 with Gigantic! If you want to be a part of something special, click the link below to browse from an unbeatable selection of shows and events.
There really wasn’t any question as to whether Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour was going to be good or not. It’s Beyoncé. What I wasn’t prepared for, though, was just how good it would be.
There’s no one in the industry quite like her, and the Renaissance tour confirmed that for me. As I watched the show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this June, I was thoroughly blown away by the dizzying heights of spectacle in front of me. From the truly awe-inspiring stage production to Beyoncé’s unrivalled physical and vocal performance, I truly don’t believe I’ll see another show like it in my lifetime.
Much like the album Renaissance, the show was a love letter to queer culture, honouring its impact on popular culture and bringing Ballroom to the biggest stages in the world for over 50 shows across the globe. Quite honestly, this show has made it impossible for any concert I see in the foreseeable future to come close to its impact.
Sarah Moore – Head of Marketing
Having this year released their best album in at least 15 years (one of my favourite albums of 2023) Fall Out Boy were back on a headline tour of the UK for the first time since 2018 this autumn. Tens of thousands of fans were thrilled to see them back on British soil - myself included - for a sold out arena run.
Striking a flawless balance of greatest hits ("Thnks Fr Th Mmrs", "Sugar We're Goin Down"), deep cuts ("Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet", "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued"), and tracks from their latest LP So Much (For) Stardust ("Hold Me Like A Grudge", "Heaven, Iowa"), the show I saw at Cardiff's Utilita Arena was high energy and theatrical in the best way possible. Fans barely had a chance to catch their breath between back-to-back bangers, and I’ve rarely seen such a meticulously curated setlist.
This show will live on in my memory for many years to come: a perfect amalgam of great friends, a great venue, a great band and a truly remarkable live show.
Sarah Moore – Head of Marketing
There was a lot of anticipation and excitement for this show as they had been on repeat for a good three months beforehand. The guys did not disappoint, delivering a live performance that even surpassed their recorded bangers.
It was one of those gigs that felt destined to become a memorable "I remember when I saw them at Bodega" moment in the years to come when they’ll inevitably be playing much larger stages.
Bethan Boast – Digital Marketing Coordinator
Initially celebrating the 10th anniversary of debut album For the Ears of Dogs to Come, The Holy Orders later announced that this would be their last ever show together. It was a hard blow for the dedicated following of the post-rock informed noiseniks whom critics called “Hull’s best band”, but where better to play their swansong than the place where it all started?
Support came from grungy trio Bedsit plus the gloriously dishevelled oddball two-piece The Schoolgirls: both local favourites whose raucous sets were the perfect setup for the painfully loud headliner.
Matt Edible (vocals, guitar), Chris Marsay (guitar), Dave Coates (bass) and James Cooper (drums, fuckwit) treated fans by playing the entire first album in full, with dark and twisted anthems as “Deviants”, “To The Gallows” and “Dance Motherfuckers” ringing out from speakers for one final time. And by the time monolithic ten-minute track “The Worst Day Since Records Began” came to a close, there wasn’t a single dry eye or intact eardrum in the house.
Jimi Arundell – Web Content Manager
It’s such an honour to see a band you’ve loved for most of your lifetime at the very top of their game. Since the tender age of 13 I’ve been following the career of Paramore, and to witness their growth as I’ve grown into an adult too has been especially fulfilling as a fan.
This year, as they toured their most recent release This Is Why (one of my choices for the best album of 2023), I was eager to see them live again for my eighth Paramore concert in the last 16 years.
This gig tops the list for me as their greatest show yet. The three core band members (Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro) are as tight musically as they have ever been. Whether it’s during Paramore’s extensive back catalogue, Hayley Williams’ solo song “Crystal Clear”, or “Baby” from Zac Farro’s side project HalfNoise, the mutual respect on stage has never been more prevalent, and it’s an absolute joy to watch.
Alongside their four touring band members (affectionally nicknamed Parafour amongst fans), Paramore put on the show of their career this year. Their live renditions of “Crave” and “All I Wanted” are without a doubt some of the best performances I have ever seen live and continue to live in my head rent free even seven months later.
Sarah Moore – Head of Marketing
When Nottingham boys Sleaford Mods decide to unveil their new record U.K. Grim at the iconic Rock City, you know you’re in for a special show. True, their unique mix of lo-fi hip-hop and politically charged rhymes about the shitty reality of life on the streets of BREXIT Britain certainly aren’t for everyone. But the world’s biggest current cult band were playing to a sold-out home crowd comprised of those who first saw them in local toilet venues on their rise to the top and an army of BBC Radio 6 Music listeners, ready to pogo to Jason Williamson’s expletive-laden bars and Andrew Fearn’s laptop beats.
No surprise then, that fans dutifully chanted every word of big singles “Force 10 From Navarone”, “Mork n Mindy” and “T.C.R.” and even shouted along to deeper cuts like “McFlurry” and “Fizzy”. Rock City erupted into a circle pit for “Tied Up In Nottz” (of course), increasing in ferocity during “Jobseeker” before they waved to the crowd and disappeared a few moments before the obligatory encore. There was just enough time to squeeze in “Kebab Spider” and “Tweet Tweet Tweet” even though the curfew had been well and truly broken.
Williamson and Fearn really aren’t ones for sentimentality. But it was clear this show really meant something to them. It did to all onlookers too.
Jimi Arundell – Web Content Manager
An insanely loud and emotional performance from this incredible band, as always. No stage time wasted with any banter or interaction. It was my first time at this really cool venue: great lights to match the wall-to-wall noise!
Amy Davis – Customer Services Manager
Opting to forgo the theatrics and cinematic stylisation of their previous run of records; Suede rediscovered the power of punk on their latest LP Autofiction. The rough and ready record chimed with fans and critics alike, narrowly missing out on topping the charts and named as Louder Than War as their No. 1 album of 2022.
Clearly energised by the experience, Brett Anderson and co. gave the sort of performance they would have been proud of executing during their 90s heyday – no mean feat for a band that formed nearly three and a half decades ago.
Anderson prowled the stage like a caged panther, all dressed in black and ready to strike. New songs like “Turn Your Brain Off And Yell”, “Personality Disorder” and “The Only Way I Can Love You” easily stood shoulder to shoulder with such classic tracks as “The Drowners”, “Animal Nitrate and “So Young” which saw the lanky singer swing the mic like a lasso over the crowd’s heads. Drunken fans incurred Brett’s wrath when he played a special solo acoustic rendition of “The Wild Ones”, clearly irrate that all the attention wasn't on him. But the adrenaline certainly kicked in during “Metal Mickey” and a fake walk off followed by “Beautiful Ones” was the perfect way to close.
Jimi Arundell – Web Content Manager
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