The Waterboys are back on the road, and this time they’re bringing with them a bold new album, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper. With over four decades of music behind them, Mike Scott and his ever-evolving lineup continue to deliver performances that blend nostalgia with fearless reinvention.
The night was a sold-out show at the iconic Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. With its circular architecture and intimate acoustics, the venue was the perfect setting for a night of good music. Beer in hand and the buzz of anticipation thick in the air, the crowd erupted as The Waterboys hit the stage—decked out in glittery cowboy hats and flares. Yeehaw!
They opened with “Glastonbury Song,” met with a roar of approval, before easing into the beloved classic “How Long Will I Love You.” Bro Paul Brown lit up the stage with his keyboard work on “Be My Enemy,” which ended with a cheeky nod to the Rolling Stones’ “Bitch.” Then came a show-stopping piano solo from James Hallawell on “This Is the River,” nearly sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Midway through the set, a video of Steve Earle performing “Kansas” set the stage for something special. Mike Scott introduced their new concept album, inspired by the life and times of Dennis Hopper—an idea, he claimed, that came to him in a dream. As the band played selections from the album, scenes from Easy Rider and vintage footage of Hopper and Peter Fonda played behind them, adding a cinematic layer to the performance.
The encore was a celebration in itself. Members of the support band Sugar Foot and rising star Barney Fletcher joined The Waterboys on stage for a rousing rendition of “The Whole of the Moon,” transporting the audience to a time when life felt carefree. Scott then handed the spotlight to Barney, who performed his own track “Wasted Sunset” with Scott backing him—a touching moment that hinted at a bright future for the young artist, clearly in awe of his mentor.
The night closed with none other than “Fisherman’s Blues,” met with a thunderous singalong that echoed through the Roundhouse.
On the way back to the tube, I chatted with a longtime fan who recommended the documentary A Wild and Beautiful Ride, which chronicles the making of the new album. He said it brings the songs to life in a whole new way—so if you’re catching The Waterboys on this tour, maybe grab some popcorn and give it a watch beforehand.
Setlist
Glastonbury song
How long will I love you
Be my enemy (with ‘Bitch’ by the Rolling Stones outro)
Medicine Bow
When ye go away (band intro then)
This is the sea
Life, death and Dennis Hopper (showing Kansas Stephen Earle video)
Live in the moment baby
The tourist (featuring with Barny Fletcher and Sugar foot)
Andy a guy like you
Blues for Terry Southern
Hopper’s on top (Genius) (featuring Barny Fletcher and Sugar foot)
Transcendental Peruvian blues
Michelle (Always stay)
Letter from an unknown girlfriend (Mike Scott solo)
10 years gone
I don’t know how I made it (with Barny Fletcher)
Golf, they say (featuring Barny Fletcher and Sugar foot)
The passing of Hopper
Don’t bang the drum
A girl called Johnny
Spirit
The pan within (extended outro)
The whole of the moon
Wasted sunset (Barny Fletcher cover)
Fisherman’s blues (featuring Barny Fletcher and Sugar foot)
MUSIC PREMIERES
Lykke Li didn’t hold back when speaking about the making of her sixth studio album, ‘The Afterparty’, during a listening session in Los Angeles earlier this year. “Let’s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,” she admitted to the crowd. While balancing motherhood, the chaos of modern culture shaped by Trump and AI, and her own desire to create something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than ‘EYEYE’, as she previously shared with NME, the Swedish alt pop star arrived at a headspace that “feels like it’s 4am and the sun is going to rise”. The record captures that blurry final moment before regret, exhaustion and reality settle in, which makes it even more emotional considering she has hinted this could potentially be her final album.
There is something fitting about how brief the project feels. With only nine tracks running across 24 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Lykke immediately drops listeners into the atmosphere with opener ‘Not Gon Cry’, painting a picture of those lonely early morning hours with the line, “No angels here tonight, no dancing queens.” Alongside the shadowy pulse of ‘Happy Now’ and the twisted disco energy of ‘Lucky Now’, she revisits the emotional yet dance driven spirit of her earlier material while blending in the sharper, more confident attitude heard on ‘So Sad, So Sexy’ and the shimmering influence of her 2019 Mark Ronson collaboration ‘Late Night Feelings’.
The emotional fallout begins to settle in quickly. ‘Famous Last Words’ carries a lush orchestral sadness as Lykke reflects on lessons that only came after years of chaos and late nights, confessing, “I had to crash and burn to tell the tale.” Then comes ‘Future Fear’, a delicate acoustic track with robotic textures that stares directly into anxiety and uncertainty with the chilling question, “I’m going to a dark place, do you need anything?” Meanwhile, ‘So Happy I Could Die’ glows like sunrise after a sleepless night, holding onto fleeting moments as she sings about “slipping through the hourglass”.
Throughout the album, Lykke Li vividly captures the beauty and wreckage of reckless nights with the vulnerability that has always defined her music. On ‘Sick Of Love’, she channels heartbreak into revenge, wanting to “make you beg for it” after rejection in a way that feels spiritually connected to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’. One of the strongest moments arrives with ‘Knife In The Heart’, a track that fully embraces her desire to become the “rock god” and “fuck boy” she spoke about, firing back at anyone who tries to tear her down with the words “you can spit, you can walk on me” while delivering one of the catchiest songs she has created in years.
Closing track ‘Euphoria’ leaves behind the same bittersweet feeling that runs through the rest of the album. With sweeping strings, pulsing beats and emotional intensity, Lykke Li reminds listeners that nothing lasts forever as she sings, “Player play your song, waste the night away”. Like the fading energy of the perfect night out, ‘The Afterparty’ ends in a haze of beauty and uncertainty. If this truly is her farewell, she leaves with one final intoxicating statement, though it still feels like there could be another chapter waiting.
