Summer night city

Over the past few weeks there have been some magical musical moments...

Pet Shop Boys at the O2 Arena, London? Bloody marvelous but terrible sound. Magnificent staging complete with dancing skyscrapers. 16,000 people going ape at the hits and hearing album tracks like King's Cross played live. Go here for a great review.

Cicada at the iTunes Festival, the Roundhouse, London? Condensed goodness in an amazing venue. A so-so crowd (who were there for David Guetta anyway) but an electric performance from the band who could lift the roof off with their own audience. Duncan Mills on drums playing like the Muppets' Animal and looking like Matt Lucas' George Dawes. And singer Heidrun Anna Björnsdottir is a revelation as a live performer: she's amazon-like, bestriding the stage with a powerful top-notch vocal.