Looking back: The ten best gigs of the 2014/15 season

Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL at a charity gig at Pacha Ibiza Dubai for Autism Rocks. Courtesy Done Events
Powered by automated translation

This week sees the final gigs of the live music season, most notably when retro-inspired, NYC-based, Afro-pop outfit Alsarah & the Nubatones perform at The Music Room on Monday June 15 (they're awesome – go).

As both a music lover and writer, at this time of the year I find myself looking back on the past ten months, packed with more magnificent memories than I can count. To help make sense of all that bliss – and maybe spark a few happy memories in you readers’ minds – here’s my entirely subjective, utterly un-empirical list of ten highlights from the phenomenal 2014-15 concert season.

A disclaimer: I didn't (quite) make it to everything – Drake and Jagwar Ma are two notable mistakes which, based on reliable reports, may well deserve a spot on this list (but sorry Robbie fans, I was at that one.)

Another disclaimer: I've been forced to leave out DJ sets. There's just too many of them – so sorry Ronson, Scruff, Daedelus et al.

Prince - Pacha Ibiza Dubai, February 6, 2015

The ultimate space-funk cowboy rode into town for a tiny, sweaty, secret "guerilla gig" in aid of charity Autism Rocks, and said town didn't know what had hit it. A bona fide mythical legend, onstage just inches away – live, loud, real, wild – the kind of night to tell your grandchildren about. Read the review here

Patti Smith - Abu Dhabi Art, Manarat Al Saadiyat, November 4, 2014

It was an incredible privilege when the original punk-poet-pioneer Patti touched down in Abu Dhabi for the fourth ever performance of her Killer Road show, a dense, hypnotic spoken-word set reinterpreting Nico's final poems alongside jarring electronic soundscapes. Sublime – even if half the audience left midway... Read the review here.

Ed Sheeran - Dubai Media City Ampitheartre, March 4, 2015

Media City saw some phenomenal talents in the first half of 2015 – Redfest, Blended, Paolo Nutini, the Jazz Fest (see below) – but, crazily, it was the wee ginger one who impressed me the most (I know). Yeah, the records can grind, but live he's a one-man powerhouse, packing stadiums with just a guitar thanks to inventive, instinctive use of the loop pedal, leading the way as a 21st Century troubadour. The last time I saw Sheeran he was an unsure 19-year-old – this time, six years later, he killed it. Read the review here.

The Who - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Du Arena, November 23, 2014

One of the world's greatest rock bands, opening their final/50th anniversary tour, at the close of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? A hat-tip clearly goes to Pharrell's Du Arena set the night before, but amid strained vocals and a tidal wave of product placement, it was Pete and Roger's barbed, barbaric attack who stole the weekend. Won't Get Fooled Again might be the most rock 'n' roll thing I've ever seen. Read the review here.

Flamingods - The Music Room, October 22, 2014

The fact we have half of a critically feted, wave-making indie-world band living in our midst was pretty much unknown until this trance-like exorcism of a gig. Flamingods had toured the UK and attracted critical praise for album Hyperborea, but this was the first time we heard their experimental desert/dance rhythms on a UAE stage. More, please. Read the review here.

Chic featuring Nile Rodgers - NYE Masterjam, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, December 31, 2014

The ultimate party band, Chic outdid even their own top-notch Sandance 2013 set with this storming NYE extravaganza, delving deeply into both their 1970s disco classics, and drawing liberally from Rodgers's production discography with Bowie, Madge, Daft Punk and more. Funktastic fun, it's hard to imagine a better start to 2015 than dropping Good Times. Read the review here.

Ah Ruem Uhm - Abu Dhabi Festival, Emirates Palace, March 3, 2015

In truth, there were far too many highlights at this year's Abu Dhabi Festival to pick just one, but away from the main stages the new Festival Recital Seriesprovided the most moving intimate moments. South Korean pianist Ah Ruem Uhm's complete reading of Chopin's 24 Preludes ranks among the most profound and humbling of experiences. Read the review here.

John Legend - Dubai Jazz Festival, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, February 27, 2015

You can chalk it down to fortuitous timing – John Legend touched down in Dubai less than a week after winning an Oscar, for Selma theme, Glory. Leading a socking, funky nine-piece band, Legend's soulful set was a case study in polished pop perfectionism – even if the Arabic-flavoured All of Me, to close, was a tad under-arranged. Sting was also great, the night before, but he's been doing the same thing for years now. This was Legend's moment. Read the review here.

Berndsen and Hermigervill - Bad House Party, Casa Latina, March 5, 2015

It was the gig you didn't believe would happen – no, could happen – two kooky, left-field electronic indie acts flying all the way from Iceland to perform at a tiny, sweaty club in Dubai? A move which will hopefully inspire others to take equally artistically (rather than financially) inspired choices in future, promoters Bad House Party deserve ample back-slapping for not just putting the gig on, but proving it was possible. Read the interview here.

Rudimental (et al) - Sandance, Atlantis, October 10, 2014

With Sandance reportedly on indefinite hiatus, it's easy to get misty eyed about the UAE's most renowned festival brand. While this gig (also starring Empire of the Sun & Clean Bandit) was by no means a vintage edition, it was giddily warming to see Sandance make up for a sketchy 2014, and bow out (for good?) with both a well-attended festival which went off without a hitch. Plus, Rudimental absolutely killed it. Read the review here.