Reviewed by: The Scoop

Review by James Murphy | 19 February 2026

Finding one Adele is hard. Holden Street found eight.

Oliver John’s award-winning song cycle returns bigger and bolder, with eight powerhouse voices navigating romantic, queer, platonic and self-love through Adele’s catalogue.

Forget the Ten Tenors, this is the Eight Adeles.

There’s no single narrative thread; instead, vignettes unfold through lyrics, staging and body language. Emerald hues wash the stage. Harmonies swell. John’s near counter-tenor cuts through like glass.

An a cappella Sweetest Devotion is the standout; eight voices unaccompanied, heavenly and raw. The slick band occasionally joins in vocally, blurring the line between pit and stage.

It runs a touch longer than sixty minutes, one or two songs could be trimmed, but when the harmonies hit, you don’t mind.