Difficult to get a strong field down to 5, but

1 YHWH Nailgun - Sussex Arms
2 Sigur Ros - Royal Albert Hall
3 Prolapse - Lexington
4 Swans / Jessica Moss - Electric Brixton
5 The Space Lady - Jazz Café

And some of the best of the rest
#gigs2025

Plus the next 5…

6. The Sabres of Paradise - Forge Warehouse, Sheffield
7. Red Snapper - Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek
8. Jane Weaver - St. Mary’s Church, Stockport
9. The None - Rockaway Beach Festival
10. Kim Deal - Project House, Manchester

#topfive #gigs2025

Top 5 gigs of 2025

1. LCD Soundsystem - Brixton Academy
2. Underworld - Green Man Festival
3. Yard Act - Green Man Festival
4. bdrmm - The Melkweg, Amsterdam
5. The Osees - The Irish Centre, Leeds

#topfive #gigs2025

Top 5 Gigs of 2025

For the company as much as the bands:

1. Prolapse (Newcastle & Preston & Manchester & Leicester)
2. These Are End Times (Ipswich)
3. bdrmm (Northampton)
4. Dean & Britta (Hebden Bridge)
5. Ride, Sprints, Jonny Halifax, etc (Sunday of Rockaway Beach)

‪#chopsfives #gigs2025

#topfives #gigs2025
1. Sparks - Manchester Apollo
2. Robert Forster - Band on the Wall
3. Trupa Trupa - Preston Continental
4. Field Music - BOTW
5. Ezra Furman - Liverpool Rough Trade
Improved health allowed me to go to more gigs this year but then developed tinnitus which impeded 2nd half of year

Top 5 gigs 2025
#chopsfives #gigs2025
1) Paul McCartney, SB Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
2) Grandaddy, Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
3) Yama Uba, Knockout, San Francisco, CA
4) Jens Lekman, Lodge Room, Highland Park, CA
5) Bruce Cockburn, Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara, CA

#chopsfives 7! #gigs2025

Neil Young & Chrome Hearts - Hyde Park
Divine Comedy -Wolves Civic
Cameron Winter -Albert Hall, Manchester
Shack - Olympia
Edwyn Collins -Festival Hall
Broadside Hacks/Incredible String Band EOTR Festival
*Gillian Welch & David Rawlings -Apollo, Manchester

*Numero uno!

#gigs2025
#gigswrapped2025
Had an AMAZING year for live music so many highlights, but Sabbath's final show & being on the barrier for Pumpkins was special
Kvelertak
The Darkness/Ash
Gnome
Supergrass
Weezer
Back to the Beginning
The Smashing Pumpkins
Dinosaur Pile-Up
Pop Will Eat Itself
Orange Goblin

#chopsfives #gigs2025

E L U CI D - Cafe oto
Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals - Hootananny Brixton
billy woods + dj haram - The Scala
Beta Band - The Roundhouse
Tortoise / Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer- London Barbican

#chopsfives #gigs2025

1. Tortoise / Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer- London Barbican
2. SML - London Church of Sound
3. MJ Lenderman - Brighton Chalk
4. Stereolab - Dover Booking Hall
5. Protomartyr - Leeds Brudenell Social Club

#chopsfives #gigs2025

1. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - The London Palladium
2. Lana Del Rey - Wembley Stadium
3. Cassandra Jenkins - Colchester Arts Centre
4. Bill Ryder-Jones - Cambridge Junction
5. Air - Latitude Festival

@chopstopfives.bsky.social

Possible that I saw (or remember) only 5 shows in 2025, so here they are (chronological). Hope to do better next year

Oceanator, Open Mike Eagle - Sonia
Ekko Astral, Jeff Rosenstock, PUP - Roadrunner
Winter - Warehouse XI
Belly - Paradise
The Beths - Royale

#chopsfives #topfive #gigs2025

HMs to Heartworms (Scala & Elec Ballroom), Picture Parlour (HotBox), Sharon Van Etten (RAH), Blondshell / Westside Cowboy (Electric), The Tubs (Oslo), Drink The Sea (Jazz Cafe)

#chopsfives #topfive #gigs2025

Look like I was just to your left at Nation of Language 🤜🤛

1. Jack White - Troxy
2. Annahstasia - Hoxton Hall
3. Father John Misty - EOTR
4. John Grant - Cambridge Jct
5. Nation of Language - Roundhouse

#chopsfives #topfive #gigs2025

1. Radiohead, Bologna
2. Beck, Royal Albert Hall
3. LCD Soundsystem, Brixton
4. Pulp, Glastonbury
5. The Ting Tings, Gibson guitar shop, Denmark St
5: Sensitive album launch, The Social
#chopsfives #topfive #gigs2025

‪#chopsfives #topfive #gigs2025

1. Tortoise (Leeds Irish Centre)
2. Prolapse (Newcastle Cluny)
3. Mt. Misery (Manchester Castle Hotel)
4. These Are End Times (Ipswich Baths)
5. Edwyn Collins (Royal Festival Hall)

1. Wilco - Royal Albert Hall
2. Throwing Muses - Waterfront Norwich
3. Magpie Arc - Cecil Sharp House
4. Joan As Policewoman - Norwich Arts Centre
5. Mandrake Handshake - Fabric
#chopsfives #gigs2025

Top gigs of 2025, in no particular order;

1. The Leisure Society (Just Dropped In)
2. The Aquabats (Islington O2)
3. Lottery Winners (Coventry Empire)
4. Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan (Just Dropped In)
5. The Dirt (Tin Music and Arts)

#topfive #gigs2025

Top 5 Gigs of 2025

1 Little Simz (Lotus PA gig)
2 Jessica Pratt
3 NewDad
4 Cassandra Jenkins
5 Holly Macve (plus great support act - Aimee Fatale)

#topfive #gigs2025

#chopsfives #gigs2025

1. Mt.Misery & The Cords (Sidney & Mathilda, Sheffield)
2. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (Band on the Wall, Manchester)
3. Mo Dotti & Cigarettes For Breakfast (Just Dropped In, Coventry)
4. Mt.Misery (Cumberland Arms, Newcastle)
5. Healees (The Victoria, Birmingham)

Top 5 gigs of 2025 #chopsfives
#gigs2025

1. Neil Young - Hyde Park
2. Slowdive - Brixton Academy
3. Waterboys - Roundhouse
4. Secret Shine - Strongroom Bar
5. Just Mustard - Hoxton Hall

Montage of my top 5 gigs (clockwise from top left); LCD Soundsystem, Les Savy Fav, Nation of Language, Slime City & Hinds

‪Chops Top 5: Gigs of 2025

1. LCD Soundsystem (Brixton Academy)
2. Hinds (MOTH Club)
3. Les Savy Fav (Scala)
4. Slime City / FO Machete / Punching Swans (The Lexington)
5. Nation of Language (Roundhouse)

‪#chopsfives #topfive #gigs2025 reply or QT‬ to share yours

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025.
No.16 12/12/25
Moth Club
English Teacher

A lot livelier than Leeds!
Moth club is venue of the year.
Great to see the Mercury Winners close up.
Everyone involved had fun.

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025.
No.15 5/12/25
Shepherds Bush Empire

Shack.

This might be gig of the year. Worlds apart from the Union Chapel show earlier in the year.
The boys on top form, great crowd.
And the Love encore...🤌

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025.
No.14 22/11/25
O² Leeds Academy

English Teacher

Great gig but expected more atmosphere at a hometown show.
Leeds is great for a night out.

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025
No.13 Brixton Academy

Black Country New Roads

Wins gig of the year for hushed reverie.
Amazing voices and harmonies.
I cried.

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025. 22/10/25
No.12. Fox & Firkin, Lewisham

Congos

Great to see these legends again. Not at their best but still bloody good.

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025
No.11 Shacklewell Arms
Speedy Wunderground label night.
Joyeria/Miss Tiny/Morn

Great sets from all bands. Hadn't heard Miss Tiny before. Brilliant. Joyeria was ace.
Even brillianter were headliners Morn. Ones to look out for

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025

No.10 5/8/25
Shacklewell Arms
Joyeria

Great support here from Goldheart. Ones to watch?

Been to a lot of gigs this year. I shall chronicle them.
#Gigs2025
No.9 4/8/25
Moth Club
Hackney
Hinds

Rammed and joyful.
More Spanish guitar pop.