#IndieLitMagGala 2025 Spotlight: ALOCASIA Journal
Alan Parry
October 13, 2025
There’s something rare and steady about a journal that knows exactly what it is—and makes no apologies for it. ALOCASIA is one
Kim – the well-spoken, unashamedly glamorous and raunchy 80s pop princess – took the acoustically perfect Philharmonic Hall audience by storm on Friday night. The semi-full auditorium danced the night away as Kim and her highly energised, supremely talented band entertained with new music and hit after hit from her impressive back catalogue.
Celebrating over forty successful years in the music industry, Kim Wilde (64), who still holds the record for the most-charted British female solo act of the 1980s, continues to embrace the 80s revival with her current Closer Tour, debuting a diverse selection of songs from her new album of the same name.
Kim, looking sultry and seductive (just with a few well-hidden wrinkles), proved she still ‘had it’ – able to compete, perform, and entertain alongside the younger stars of today. As a solo artistic icon of the 80s, she achieved a meteoric rise in popularity following her debut single Kids In America (written by her father and brother, Marty and Ricky Wilde), which topped the UK Singles Chart in 1983. She’s back with a vengeance to reclaim her crown.
However, it must be highlighted that Ricky, her unassuming and equally well-spoken brother, is indisputably the real talent behind Kim’s success – writing and musically arranging her songs. Following closely in her father’s footsteps is Kim’s supremely talented niece, Scarlett, who has written and arranged many tracks on the new album. It really is a family affair.
At 64, Kim still sounds good – albeit with a little more echo on her microphone these days – and she leans more heavily on Scarlett for many of the vocals. That said, she is Kim Wilde, and audiences still want to see her perform. She still looks the part, with her trademark ‘flicked-out’ bleached blonde hair blowing in the stage fans and, of course, her signature red lipstick.
Kim remains relevant – strutting across the stage in black basques and a rotation of hats (very on-trend), paired with black leather trousers and high-heeled black boots. She struck all the right poses for the baying and loudly whooping crowd. I think my husband genuinely was… the loudest!
With new music, soulful ballads, and pop laced with a dance beat and heady drum and bass rhythm, Kim Wilde is a must-see. She deserves a spot on everyone’s concert bucket list.
Her support act, the 80s band Cutting Crew, were also highly entertaining. Playing their biggest hits, they warmed up the crowd brilliantly and thoroughly got the party started.
Hey Mister Heartache, You Came, Never Trust A Stranger, Midnight Train, Love’s A No, Four Letter Word, Stone, Hourglass Human, Lighthouse, Rocket to the Moon, Cambodia, Water on Glass, View from a Bridge, Chequered Love, Love Is Love, You Keep Me Hanging On
Encore: Scorpio, Kids In America
Any Colour, One for the Mockingbird, I’ve Been in Love Before, Berlin in Winter, Died in Your Arms Tonight, Lido Shuffle
There’s something rare and steady about a journal that knows exactly what it is—and makes no apologies for it. ALOCASIA is one
Founded in 2015 and still standing strong a decade later, Door Is A Jar Literary Magazine isn’t trying to be edgy, obscure,
In a lit world still groaning under the weight of gatekeepers, binary boxes, and pay-to-play submission models, new words {press} is a
The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.