The Beach Boys, Royal Albert Hall

Not all of us were around for their genesis, but it feels as though everyone has done some of their growing-up to the inimitable harmonies of The Beach Boys.
Their five-decade long career, which has produced a staggering 29 studio albums, hasn’t always been as harmonious as the vocals. But they’re coming together this May, after a successful Hampton Court appearance last year: in what will be one of the cheeriest concerts in London next year.
The Beach Boys are irrefutably the sound of summer – they started off their career with barbershop influenced vocals singing cheerily on surf-rock albums stuffed with girls, waves and hot-rods (think California Girls and Fun Fun Fun. But it was the game-changing 1966 Pet Sounds that proved the Boys ran deeper than the California dream.
Brian Wilson is heralded as the genius behind the band. Wilson took audiences beyond ‘teenage dreamin’’ and revealed a complex emotional fragility and serious artistic endeavour. However much they experimented, though, the Beach Boys remained instantly recognisable - and in 2014, five decades on, they remain so.
To mark their half-century long career, last year they released the box set Made In California. As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, this set should span their different eras and include the classics. No doubt the critically-lauded release of the 2011 Smile Sessions will receive an airing too. 
This is a once in a lifetime event, and the only reason tickets are still available is because they had to add a second night. Don’t miss out – god only knows where we’d be without the Beach Boys.