JUSTIN HAYWARD
VENUE CADOGAN HALL, LONDON
DATE 31/10/2025
SUPPORT MIKE DAWES
Julie Ragins and Karmen Gould help bring the classics to life.
KEVIN NIXON
The opening of the heavens and a sudden downpour over London do nothing to deter the fans who fill the sold-out Cadogan Hall. While some have brought their kids or grandchildren along for the occasion, the great majority of the audience are of sufficient vintage to have seen The Moody Blues during their late-60s and 70s pomp. It feels poignant that Justin Hayward is keeping the torch burning for the band’s legacy as the last surviving member of the classic line-up, John Lodge having passed away in October. But first, the remarkably nimble-fingered Mike Dawes warms up the room with a display of fretboard mastery on acoustic guitar. Dawes has long been a fixture of Hayward’s live band, and he plays to a full house, even coaxing the crowd into a singalong when he drops an excerpt from Prince’s Purple Rain into his set.