Music

17 March 2012

Wembley Arena HA9 0DW[map]

A production that reunites some of Elvis' former bandmates live on stage with a state-of-the-art video-projected Elvis.

16 April 2012

O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire W12 8TT[map]

Fresh from recording her as yet untitled album for Virgin Records, Emeli heads straight from the studio and out onto the road. As a native Scot, where else to start but in her homeland. Her distinctive voice sets her apart from her peers and is set to be one of the most talked about for years. Combined with the natural beauty of her remarkable songs, Emeli is 'once heard, never forgotten'. The choice to start her musical journey in Scotland makes perfect sense as she has enjoyed great support from her home country already.

18 June 2012 to 8 July 2012

London Coliseum WC2N 4ES[map]

Brittens operas often focus on the way particular worlds deal with an outsider. The outsider in Billy Budd is a young man, press-ganged into naval service on the HMS Idomitable around 1797. His story is told in an opera-length flashback by the ships captain, Edward Fairfax Vere, who is racked by guilt over Billys fate. Billys optimism, good-heartedness and trusting nature wins over all but the most venal of the downtrodden crew. He is keen for promotion, but his charisma and beauty cause the evil master-at-arms, John Claggart (who resembles Iago in Shakespeares Othello), to plot his destruction.

25 May 2012 to 14 June 2012

London Coliseum WC2N 4ES[map]

When his adored sisters death awakes him to a realisation of lifes essential absurdity, the Roman emperor Caligula embarks upon an orgy of sexual depravity and sadistic cruelty in an apparently insane attempt to free himself from the shackles of mortality and morality. Based upon Albert Camuss existentialist response to the rise of Hitler and Stalin, but as topical as ever in the era of Saddam Hussein and Colonel Gaddafi, Detlev Glanerts 2006 opera - ‘perhaps the finest German opera of the 21st century’ (Tempo) - offers a disturbing insight into the self-destructive logic driving a decadent and dangerous dictatorship.

8 May 2012 to 2 June 2012

London Coliseum WC2N 4ES[map]

ENO's production of 'Madam Butterfly' by Anthony Minghella.

28 April 2012 to 23 May 2012

London Coliseum WC2N 4ES[map]

ENO presents Wagner's earliest masterpiece 'The Flying Dutchman'.

10 February 2012 to 10 March 2012

London Coliseum WC2N 4ES[map]

The poet Hoffmann drunkenly recalls the three loves of his life.

23 March 2012

HMV Apollo, Hammersmith W6 9QH[map]

A hardcore metal punk act from St Albans with electronic music influences and a fiercely independent attitude to music.

14 February 2012

The Jazz Cafe London NW1 7PG[map]

Eric Roberson has been making music for more than a decade, quietly building a massive following.

27 April 2012

The O2 SE10 0DX[map]

This humourous rapper from Fulham is a rising star on the British urban scene. Born in London in 1982, Example started out rapping when at the age of 15 he was introduced to Wu Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg - in his first rap battle at a house party in Shepherds Bush he completely destroyed his opponent. Having recently signed to Data Records, 2010 has seen Example's career explode with the release of his huge top 10 album 'Won't Go Quietly'.

1 March 2012

The Scala London N1 9NL[map]

Named after a Baudelaire novella, the London-based indie pop group make extensive use of instruments such as the trumpet, violin and mandolin, as well as the usual guitars and drums.

25 March 2012

Royal Albert Hall SW7 2AP[map]

Canadian singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia has ditched her punk roots with her sometime collaborators, Broken Social Scene and Peaches, to focus on her beautiful melodic solo work.

20 March 2012

Koko NW1 7JE[map]

Honky-tonk and American folk-rock from a band inspired by early Tom Waits and Bob Dylan.

24 February 2012

King's College London WC2R 2LS[map]

Field Music play eclectic affair, a mix of stylized vocal harmonies and post indie, popmusic.

24 March 2012

The Jazz Cafe London NW1 7PG[map]

Melodic nineties reggae star, still famous for his 'Maverick A Strike' album.