Literally filled to the rafters, The Roundhouse is buzzing. The London date of Roger Taylor’s Violence Insane In A Beautiful World tour has attracted the great and the good, as some famous faces litter the audience, and the all-age crowd bear testimony both to the love of Queen and of Roger Taylor himself.
Roger Taylor
The Roundhouse, London – 28 September 2026
Words: Paul Monkhouse
It has certainly been a good time for the polymath. This latest solo album was as critically and publicly welcomed as his previous outing, Outsider, with this run showing that he still remains as vital and compelling as always. Ever the showman, the evening promised to be something special and over the course of two hours it more than fulfilled that aim, throwing in a few surprises along the way.
If the Chalk Farm venue has seen a louder crowd in its long history, it would be not much short of a miracle, the roar when Taylor emerged from the curtains draped at the rear of the stage deafening, the familiar opening notes of Strange Frontier pushing the decibel level even higher.
It was a joyous opener, and the spiky techno feel of A Nation Of Haircuts followed swiftly, the line “you’re so fucking cool” spat out with feeling. Equal vitriol was portioned out during a powerful Surrender, its domestic abuse theme seeing a perfect counterpoint between Taylor’s lines and those of the multi-talented Christina Hizon, her vocals blending the right mix of pain and defiance.
Making an early appearance in the set, Taylor’s anthemic elegy to automotive bliss, I’m In Love With My Car, marks the first of a number of Queen songs, its evergreen appeal capturing the feel of every petrolhead in the country. The sound is huge and crystal clear, and whilst the main man mainly restricts himself to vocals, the band around him more than fill the space, each number played with passion.
Along with the not inconsiderable talents of Hizon, old Spike Edney handles the keys with his usual aplomb, drummer Tyler Warren and bass player Neil Fairclough are the perfect rhythm section, and guitarist Christian Mendoza is at the top of his game, his solo on Absolutely Anything ringing with the same showstopping feel as David Gilmour.
Queen have always been masters of dynamics, and the ability to go from the industrial Metal grind of Violence Insane to the beauty of These Are The Days Of Our Lives and an extraordinary rendition of the John Lennon masterpiece Jealous Guy shows that Taylor effortlessly mastered this range too.
What is obvious throughout the night is the sense of fun that pours from the stage, and although heavy subjects are covered with the material, the overall sense is one of celebration and a love of the music. Certainly, given the recent sale of the Queen back catalogue to Sony, Taylor does not need the money but, as with many of the long-established artists, the passion to create is an overwhelming drive and one that will not be extinguished.
The strength of the new album is a testament to that, and with six of its ten tracks aired, the material stands tall and proud shoulder to shoulder with anything else.
After the barbed one-two punch of Dear Mr Murdoch and Chump, the latter seeing Roger Taylor uttering “thanks for your patience and by the way, fuck Donald Trump” causing the venue to erupt in cheers again, Hizon co-starred again during a phenomenal Under Pressure.
With a furious take on Led Zeppelin’s Rock And Roll and the mass singalong of A Kind Of Magic, the band left the stage, Taylor returning to introduce the first of some special surprises as album collaborators the Ndlovu Youth Choir walked onto the stage.
Performing on their own, what came next was an incandescent few minutes of pure exhilaration and joy as the outfit performed an acapella take on Bohemian Rhapsody, imbued with their boundless spirit and identity.
The effect was jaw-dropping, and the choir remained on the stage for the rest of the encore, the levels reaching fever pitch when Brian May joined his friend for a stomping We Will Rock You and a closing Radio Gaga that saw every pair of arms in the place raised for that familiar clapping salute.
Triumphant in every way possible, this was a night never to be forgotten by all those fortunate enough to be there. It does not get much better than that.
