Little Angels – Big Bad & Back Tour // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast

So, The Little Angels drop a banger of an EP, Big Bad & Back, about 32 years after their last studio release. Just a few days later, they are in my home city, looking to make some noise. I’m up for a bit of that!

These guys have quite a reputation as a live band. I don’t think I had the pleasure back in the day of catching them live when they were out and about across the UK in the heyday of Brit-rock, so I am looking forward to this one. I had the pleasure of meeting both Toby and Bruce back in Belfast when Bruce was over doing a talk about Waterbear, his music education college, and I remember watching a few videos when I saw him purchasing amps for the college and talking about tone, etc and what is important to him etc as a guitarist, so no surprise when I see the stage setup that this band has, with the stage engulfed in amps! These cats are old-school for sure: no digital modellers on the floor, no clean stage for the kids to dance around on; we have a wall of amps pushing air into the room so everyone can get a new facial!

We don’t have any support in Belfast tonight, so it’s an 8:15 pm start for the lads, as a glorious soundtrack warms everyone up in the room, from Queen to Van Halen and Bon Jovi; the room is rocking even before the lads take to the stage.

As they casually stroll out, the crowd erupts, and right there, right then, the party starts! One thing is clear: Toby Jepson looks very comfortable up there, centre stage, bathing in the light as he pulls out moves that say, ‘This is my playground’. The band kicks right in to ‘She’s A Little Angel’, and from the off it sounds so polished; the sound is on point, the mix is clear as a bell, and these guys just nail it. My ear is immediately drawn to Bruce’s guitar work; he’s so restrained and controlled, gliding across the fretboard with ease, playing a heavily personalised Les Paul and dressed to a T; he looks every bit the rockstar, like a cat who’s got the cream. Toby’s on fire too; he makes the frontman role look effortless, busting his signature moves and adding drama and theatre to a live performance you don’t see so much these days. Old-school rockers know what it’s all about; they can’t be restrained. Their DNA demands they just let loose once that music kicks in, and they drag the crowd along with them every step of the way.

Their setlist is perfectly curated, with a blend of old and new to keep the long-time faithful happy that they get to hear the band’s latest offering alongside those fan-faves that leave your mouth salivating, pinching yourself that you are in a room in front of your fave Brit-rock band hearing these tracks live once again! ‘Womankind ‘, ‘ Too Much Too Young’, and ‘I Ain’t Gonna Cry’ all get the crowd going; the band just toss out the classics, as well as taking the fans right up to 2026 with some of the tracks off the new EP, ‘All For One’, ‘Hero ‘, and ‘Small Town Boys’, so that the fans get a taste of the evolution of their sound as they have matured (We Hope) over the years. It’s fascinating hearing the songs after all these years. As a newbie catching them live, the relationship with the fans is great to see. We had Ricky Warwick playing here just a few days ago, and much like tonight, I can see the same faces in the crowd that were at Ricky’s show; quite clearly, the stars have aligned for these old-school rockers on the floor, who have got to enjoy a week where they literally must have thought Christmas has come early for them, with both Ricky and Little Angels in the same building within days of each other!

There is something magical about standing back and witnessing the likes of this unfold in front of your eyes: that symbiotic relationship between band and fans as Toby chats to the crowd, the outpouring of love and respect between both parties, Bruce beaming with joy as he plays these tracks once again live; you can’t help but get lost in that kind of magic in a room. It is also a pleasure catching a band of the quality of Little Angels perform; they have a lifetime of experience behind them, and it shows- it really shows. They push and pull the crowd along every step of the way; they know exactly when to build up a set to a crescendo and when to hold back and tease the audience, creating an atmosphere so palpable you think the room is going to explode. As a music fan, regardless of genre, I can always appreciate that level of musicianship on show, and tonight the Little Angels have it in spades.

Belfast came out on a school night to say thank you once again to a band that no doubt dragged them through crazy times here in Northern Ireland; they always showed up, provided a soundtrack to lift the spirits, and tonight is no different: a packed stage, amps, bodies, horns at the back! as the last notes of ‘Young Gods’ ring out, Belfast knows it has witnessed something pretty special. Little Angels made a statement of intent; they’re Big, Bad & Back for sure!

Order Big Bad & Back CD & Vinyl HERE

Little Angels return to the stage this November for an ultra-rare UK tour, featuring the classic line-up of vocalist Toby Jepson, guitarist Bruce Dickinson, Jim Dickinson on keyboards, Mark Plunkett on bass and drummer Mark Richardson.

Big Bad & Back Tour – November 2026
Mon 09 Nov – Dublin – Opium
Tue 10 Nov – Belfast – Limelight
Thu 12 Nov – Glasgow – O2 Academy
Fri 13 Nov – Manchester – O2 Ritz (Sold Out)
Sat 14 Nov – Leeds – O2 Academy (Sold Out)
Mon 16 Nov – Norwich – UEA
Tue 17 Nov – Newcastle – O2 City Hall
Thu 19 Nov – Oxford – O2 Academy
Fri 20 Nov – Nottingham – Rock City (Sold Out)
Sat 21 Nov – Wolverhampton – KK’s Steel Mill (Sold Out)
Mon 23 Nov – Cardiff – Depot
Tue 24 Nov – Liverpool – O2 Academy
Thu 26 Nov – Bristol – O2 Academy
Fri 27 Nov – Bournemouth – O2 Academy
Sat 28 Nov – London – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Sold Out)
Sun 29 Nov – London – O2 Forum Kentish Town