OK, first things first. I'm sure SFG would be the first to admit that they're not the best musicians in the world, but they have 2 great assets that make them a fabulous band to see live:
1) They know how to create a perfect pop song
2) They are a group of really lovely, down to earth guys who have a huge amount of fun performing
Nearly 2 years after their debut album hit the number 1 spot, SFG were embarking on the firth of 3 Christmas parties for their Wolfcub fans. About 500 were lucky enough to have tickets for the Tabernacle, which is a bit like a church hall but in a good way, and an hour before the gig was due to start they were treated to the band themselves mingling and bringing round mince pies, chatting and happily posing for photos. The band always seem slightly bemused by their success and this was just one of the many ways they like to say thank you to their fan base.
When the band finally got on to a stage decked with Christmas decorations it felt a bit like you were down the local pub and some of your mates had decided to stand up and make some music. Except that SFG's musical repertoire includes such gems as 'She's So Lovely', 'I Wish I Was James Bond', and 'Keep On Walking'. It's impossible not to sing and dance along, and the whole occasion seemed quite quite joyous.
SFG also used the opportunity to road test some of their new tracks from the second album, Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which is out March 22nd next year. There was something familiar about the new songs - and not in a bad ripped-off-from-someone-else way. They have more of a so-catchy-that-you're-singing-along-halfway-through-the-first-chorus sort of feel. 'Posh Girls' was the standout track for me, and with this new material it looks like album number 2 is definitely one to watch out for.
SFG's second album, Everybody Wants To Be On TV, is out 22/03/2010
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Das Pop @ O2 Islington Academy, 26th November 2009
The best thing to come out of Belgium since Tintin
The O2 Academy in Islington felt disappointingly empty when Das Pop took to the stage last night. However, the band soon filled the stage with their eclectic mix of impossible-to-stay-still-to beats, fantastic English and dungarees. Oh, and fun – the band are a huge amount of fun to experience.
Das Pop are a ¾ Belgian, ¼ New Zeeland pop band that have been making music since in some form or another since about 1998. Last year they supported Alphabeat and The Feeling on their UK tours. Their current headline tour of the UK was cut back so this and Glasgow were pretty much the only dates left.
The band thundered on to the stage with a powerful version of Fool For Love. As a non-native English speaker, lead singer Bent Van Looy’s lyrics are very precise and interesting in the same way that Abba managed. There aren’t many songs around today that include words like ‘reverberate’, which just goes to show the fact that the British are woeful at languages compared to the other European countries – even our own language...
Anyway, the set list was predominantly drawn from their 3rd album, the eponymously titles Das Pop, which was produced by fellow Belgians Soulwax and is generally great (and available from Amazon here).
As well as the lyrics, one of the things that seems to characterise an upbeat Das Pop song are really interesting beats that I personally find it very difficult to stay still to, All of the guys in the band seem to be accomplished musicians, and this is clear with the quality of the performance – it was really tight and sounded amazing.
So, despite the poor lighting that Bent seems to be constantly adjusting himself and made for some really poor photographic opportunities, Das Pop shone. Stand out tracks were Underground, The Last Thing, and a rather amazing cover version of Frank Sinatra’s Very Good Year.
If Dad Pop come back to these shores any time soon I would really urge you to catch a performance – I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Das Pop’s third album, Das Pop, is out now
The O2 Academy in Islington felt disappointingly empty when Das Pop took to the stage last night. However, the band soon filled the stage with their eclectic mix of impossible-to-stay-still-to beats, fantastic English and dungarees. Oh, and fun – the band are a huge amount of fun to experience.
Das Pop are a ¾ Belgian, ¼ New Zeeland pop band that have been making music since in some form or another since about 1998. Last year they supported Alphabeat and The Feeling on their UK tours. Their current headline tour of the UK was cut back so this and Glasgow were pretty much the only dates left.
The band thundered on to the stage with a powerful version of Fool For Love. As a non-native English speaker, lead singer Bent Van Looy’s lyrics are very precise and interesting in the same way that Abba managed. There aren’t many songs around today that include words like ‘reverberate’, which just goes to show the fact that the British are woeful at languages compared to the other European countries – even our own language...
Anyway, the set list was predominantly drawn from their 3rd album, the eponymously titles Das Pop, which was produced by fellow Belgians Soulwax and is generally great (and available from Amazon here).
As well as the lyrics, one of the things that seems to characterise an upbeat Das Pop song are really interesting beats that I personally find it very difficult to stay still to, All of the guys in the band seem to be accomplished musicians, and this is clear with the quality of the performance – it was really tight and sounded amazing.
So, despite the poor lighting that Bent seems to be constantly adjusting himself and made for some really poor photographic opportunities, Das Pop shone. Stand out tracks were Underground, The Last Thing, and a rather amazing cover version of Frank Sinatra’s Very Good Year.
If Dad Pop come back to these shores any time soon I would really urge you to catch a performance – I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Das Pop’s third album, Das Pop, is out now
Wednesday 25 November 2009
VV Brown @ ULU, 23rd November 2009
Is variety the spice of life?
London was the closing night of VV Brown’s headline UK tour – having already been to her gig in Northampton this was the second time I had the opportunity to see the show. It was, however, the first time I got to see her sister, Jay Brown, open the proceedings. Jay’s music is a lot more conventional than her sister’s, and consisted of her and her (slightly out of tune) guitar. I think there is some promise there but she really needs to work on her stage presence and interaction with the audience as it kind of felt like she was playing in her living room and she hadn’t noticed that there were actually hundreds of people there.
I have been lucky enough to see VV play live 9 times this year for various reasons, and this probably helped my understanding and appreciation of her different musical styles, It’s fascinating to me that an industry that all the commentators seem to agree is moving away from album sales and back towards singles still demands that artists should confirm to one single style on their records in order to succeed. Changes of musical direction from album to album or in ‘side projects' is allowed and even acclaimed (Arctic Monkeys spring to mind,) but not on one individual album. Go figure.
London was the closing night of VV Brown’s headline UK tour – having already been to her gig in Northampton this was the second time I had the opportunity to see the show. It was, however, the first time I got to see her sister, Jay Brown, open the proceedings. Jay’s music is a lot more conventional than her sister’s, and consisted of her and her (slightly out of tune) guitar. I think there is some promise there but she really needs to work on her stage presence and interaction with the audience as it kind of felt like she was playing in her living room and she hadn’t noticed that there were actually hundreds of people there.
The Stow were still pretty good and I look forward to hearing them commercially release some material. They went down really well with the crowd (even bearing in mind that this was their home gig) and they should do really well if they can find a niche for their music,
The same comment might apply to VV Brown herself. Her set was identical to the gig in Northampton, including the Crying Blood reggae version (apparently she only played in Northampton and London) but minus the fist pumping, so I won’t delve into that here. Interestingly there was a review in The Times of her performance at ULU – while the reviewer acknowledged that she was a great live performer, they were concerned about her lack of focus in terms of genres and styles. Now, for me this is one of the strengths of VV’s music – there is such a variety that you can’t get bored of it and it really demonstrates her love of music as a whole rather than being symptomatic of any lack of clear direction. I strongly believe that this should count in VV’s favour and certainly makes her (for me) much more interesting than many of he current crop of UK artists. But the point about being difficult to classify is an interesting one as I can see that it might make the radio stations a bit unsure to do with her.
I have been lucky enough to see VV play live 9 times this year for various reasons, and this probably helped my understanding and appreciation of her different musical styles, It’s fascinating to me that an industry that all the commentators seem to agree is moving away from album sales and back towards singles still demands that artists should confirm to one single style on their records in order to succeed. Changes of musical direction from album to album or in ‘side projects' is allowed and even acclaimed (Arctic Monkeys spring to mind,) but not on one individual album. Go figure.
If you want plaudits or commercial success I suppose what it comes down to more fundamentally is defining, understanding and serving your target market – whether that be critics or radio stations or the record buying public themselves. People need to understand your product if you want it to sell. But I guess it all depends how much you want to sell and how much you want to make the music you want to make. I for one really hope that VV continues to cut her own path – if her target market is me then she is so far meeting her customer's expectations quite nicely thank you very much!
VV Brown's debut album Travelling Like The Light, is out now
Snow Patrol @ Royal Albert Hall, 24th November 2009
Paradise Lost
Snow Patrol have been around for 15 years. Who knew? Looking at the band today you can’t tell. To celebrate this fact (that they have been a band for 15 years I mean, not that they don’t look old enough be have been) they are on a somewhat unconventional tour.
It’s testament to the band’s confidence that they are touring without support – a solo show of two halves with an interval is very suited to the RAH but I can see how it might feel a little off in a conventional concert venue. The first half was very mellow, with some beautiful arrangements of their songs featuring a harp, a string section (who are apparently on loan from Elbow), brass and percussion. The lighting was amazing and really brought the venue to life in a magical way.
Snow Patrol have been around for 15 years. Who knew? Looking at the band today you can’t tell. To celebrate this fact (that they have been a band for 15 years I mean, not that they don’t look old enough be have been) they are on a somewhat unconventional tour.
It’s testament to the band’s confidence that they are touring without support – a solo show of two halves with an interval is very suited to the RAH but I can see how it might feel a little off in a conventional concert venue. The first half was very mellow, with some beautiful arrangements of their songs featuring a harp, a string section (who are apparently on loan from Elbow), brass and percussion. The lighting was amazing and really brought the venue to life in a magical way.
Shaggy dog haired lead singer Gary Lightbody‘s style really captivated the audience – he was the only constant presence on the stage, with all the others, including the rest of the actual band, coming on and off as the songs dictated. Gary joked with the audience, dealt with late comings in the same way as a stand up comedian, and burst forth with streams of consciousness about everything from his fear of burning down the RAH to Bill Oddie. He instructed the audience to sit back and relax in the all-seater venue and enjoy the mellow nature of the pre-interval music. And we did. The music was moving and the evening just felt really special. Highlights included a completely unplugged song, which was a masterclass in carrying the audience with you and we were hanging off every note.
After a very civilised interval (Haagan Daz is only £2.50 a tub at the RAH, which I for one think is a bit of a bargain) we returned to our seats in anticipation of the more upbeat anthems we had been building up to. The second section opened with the amazing pipe organ in the Hall making a really robust appearance for the opening. The impressing effect was spoilt slightly when all the other instruments came in as it just turned into a cacophony of noise (I suspect rehearsal had been with the keyboard) that just sounded a bit off. However, they brought it back with my highlight of the evening, a beautiful stripped down version of Run, which actually brought tears to my eyes. Lightbody’s voice is just so warm and true that it can wring gallons more raw emotion out of a single note than any of Leona’s vocal gymnastics can generate, however good her cover of that song is.
After that point I’m afraid that they lost me. Lightbody’s chatty style encouraged audience outbursts, culminating in a slightly embarrassing trip for him off stage into the audience to speak to a guy who had shouted out and sounded like he wanted to propose to his girlfriend. Unfortunately he was actually a fat drunk mad who didn’t make much sense. The ubiquitous James Cordon made an appearance to sing the female part of Set The Fire To The Third Bar, which the vast majority of the audience loved. I, however and probably somewhat grumpily, thought it was a bit unnecessary, Yes, he can sing OK, but so can most of the X-Factor wannabees, and I would have much rather seen a great singer performing than an OK one for comedy purposes. It probably didn’t help that I had seen (and enjoyed, I have to say) a similar “I can’t believe I’m here” routine from Cordon when he went on stage at the Concert for CARE only a couple of weeks before. I don’t mean to sound hard hearted and I’m very happy that he’s living his dreams, but you wouldn’t see me charging him £50 to watch me go up in a hot air balloon now would you. On your own time please…
That really knocked the evening off song for me, which was really a shame. A pleasant but slightly pointless sound-a-like cover version of Elbow followed, and I really felt at a disadvantage after that as I wasn’t hugely familiar with the Snow Patrol back catalogue. A great version of Chasing Cars helped towards the end but I was left with the sense of a fairly self indulgent outing for Mr. Lightbody.
All in all, good enough to make me want to invest in more of their material, but in a way I wish I had left in the interval. I must say that I was obviously in the minority – all the fans in the audience loved every single second of it and lifted the roof off the RAH with their applause. So a guess a job well done and maybe I'm being a bit overly harsh – I was just disappointed that it wasn’t quite as perfect as it was shaping up to be.
Snow Patrol’s greatest hits album, Up To Now, is out now
Mika @ Union Chapel, 18th November 2009
Little Noise, Big Impact
It seems to be the season for charity gigs at the moment. Hot on the heels of David Arnold's Concert for CARE and Gary Barlow's Children In Need extravaganza at the Royal Albert Hall comes Jo Whileys' annual series of concerts in aid of Mencap. What gives these 'Little Noise Sessions' an edge is the venue in which they take place. The Union Chapel is, as the name suggests, a church in Islington. It's quite square, has an upstairs balcony and amazing acoustics. The little noise element comes in to play as the acts all have to play unplugged.
Jo Whiley, as befitting her reputation as a champion of new music, always makes sure that there is some new talent on show as well as the big name draws (also known as 'bulking out the bill'). Tonight we were treated to the 16 year old Daisy Dares You, who was pretty good although I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to see her again (looks like Pixie Geldorf, talks like Birds of a Feather). Next up was Alex Gardner, who for reasons I can't quite fathom is part of the Xenomania stable (which includes Girls Aloud and Mini Viva). Maybe his usual sets are a bit more poppy but at the Union Chapel he came across as more of a traditional singer-songwriter, albeit accompanied by a band. He sounded pretty good to me but that's quite a crowded spot he's aiming for.
Due next to the stage was Paloma Faith, who I didn't know much about but was very intrigued to hear. Unfortunately she pulled out late on as she had apparently lost her voice, which left us with half an hour to get a cup of hot chocolate and take it back to our pew (yes really!!).
At this point you begin to wonder if the £44 (inc. booking fee) you paid for the ticket still seems like a good idea. Unlike last year, several of the Little Noise sessions haven't sold out, and I can only put that down to the relatively high cost of the ticket - yes, it's for charity but £44 is a lot of money, especially if the second biggest name on the bill doesn't turn up.
However all was not lost as it was the quire frankly astonishing MIKA who was headlining the bill. He chose to open with his biggest hit to date, in a move that was either brave or foolhardy. As it turned out it was neither but actually a stroke of full on, certified brilliance. Performing with Mika for the whole evening were a male vocal group called the King's Singers, who are an incredibly accomplished group (check out their website here) and sound like a cross between a clear-as-a-bell pipe organ and a barber shop quartet. In a good way.
Anyway, for the first half of Grace Kelly, Mika and the singers performed a capella building the mood and the tension until the res of the band kicked in. It sounded so fresh and full of life, which I think is the best description of Mika I could possibly make. He, the singers and the band performed a lovely unique set that move me seemlessly from goosebumps to dancing and back again. Mika's voice is fantastic and worked really well with the precision of the King's Singers, who incidently looked like they were having a great time. They gave special treatments to all of Mika's hits, including the new single Rain, Big Girls, Relax and We Are Golden, including an encore with the band on dustbin drums.
Mika's gigs seem to have a habit of leaving you feeling fantastic and this one was extra special, with the venue and the set up making the sound just that little more incredible. Somehow the £44 now feels like a pretty good deal.
Mika's second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, is out now
It seems to be the season for charity gigs at the moment. Hot on the heels of David Arnold's Concert for CARE and Gary Barlow's Children In Need extravaganza at the Royal Albert Hall comes Jo Whileys' annual series of concerts in aid of Mencap. What gives these 'Little Noise Sessions' an edge is the venue in which they take place. The Union Chapel is, as the name suggests, a church in Islington. It's quite square, has an upstairs balcony and amazing acoustics. The little noise element comes in to play as the acts all have to play unplugged.
Jo Whiley, as befitting her reputation as a champion of new music, always makes sure that there is some new talent on show as well as the big name draws (also known as 'bulking out the bill'). Tonight we were treated to the 16 year old Daisy Dares You, who was pretty good although I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to see her again (looks like Pixie Geldorf, talks like Birds of a Feather). Next up was Alex Gardner, who for reasons I can't quite fathom is part of the Xenomania stable (which includes Girls Aloud and Mini Viva). Maybe his usual sets are a bit more poppy but at the Union Chapel he came across as more of a traditional singer-songwriter, albeit accompanied by a band. He sounded pretty good to me but that's quite a crowded spot he's aiming for.
Due next to the stage was Paloma Faith, who I didn't know much about but was very intrigued to hear. Unfortunately she pulled out late on as she had apparently lost her voice, which left us with half an hour to get a cup of hot chocolate and take it back to our pew (yes really!!).
At this point you begin to wonder if the £44 (inc. booking fee) you paid for the ticket still seems like a good idea. Unlike last year, several of the Little Noise sessions haven't sold out, and I can only put that down to the relatively high cost of the ticket - yes, it's for charity but £44 is a lot of money, especially if the second biggest name on the bill doesn't turn up.
However all was not lost as it was the quire frankly astonishing MIKA who was headlining the bill. He chose to open with his biggest hit to date, in a move that was either brave or foolhardy. As it turned out it was neither but actually a stroke of full on, certified brilliance. Performing with Mika for the whole evening were a male vocal group called the King's Singers, who are an incredibly accomplished group (check out their website here) and sound like a cross between a clear-as-a-bell pipe organ and a barber shop quartet. In a good way.
Anyway, for the first half of Grace Kelly, Mika and the singers performed a capella building the mood and the tension until the res of the band kicked in. It sounded so fresh and full of life, which I think is the best description of Mika I could possibly make. He, the singers and the band performed a lovely unique set that move me seemlessly from goosebumps to dancing and back again. Mika's voice is fantastic and worked really well with the precision of the King's Singers, who incidently looked like they were having a great time. They gave special treatments to all of Mika's hits, including the new single Rain, Big Girls, Relax and We Are Golden, including an encore with the band on dustbin drums.
Mika's gigs seem to have a habit of leaving you feeling fantastic and this one was extra special, with the venue and the set up making the sound just that little more incredible. Somehow the £44 now feels like a pretty good deal.
Mika's second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, is out now
Children in Need @ BBC TV Centre, 20th November 2009
Not really sure if this counts as a gig but as there was music and I was there, that’s good enough for me. I was lucky enough to get a spare ticket to the early evening session of Children in Need just the day before and it was very exciting to be in the same room as Sir Terry Wogan – the man is a living legend!!
Anyway, in terms of music there was actually quite a lot on offer. We had a quite turn from JLS who seemed to be singing live and seemed pretty good – the audience went a bit wild for them too. Actually, the audience probably went the most wild for John Barrowman singing and dancing around in his underwear, which was a bit more up my street too. The man can certainly sing and there’s not many guys that can jump around wearing only children in need boxers and songs without looking extremely unsexy, but he managed to pull it off. Westlife also performed and fair play to them, they can certainly sing live as well.
Taylor Swift sang Love Story, which sounded great, she has a fantastic voice. I have to say though that she is one of the thinnest people I have ever seen perform – I don’t know where she keeps her lungs, I can only assume that they are connected via see through tubes and kept somewhere back stage because there certainly isn’t enough space in her torso for them.
The newsreaders were up next, who sang a medley including Put A Ring On It, and were joined on stage by Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity. The newsreaders aren’t the best singers in the world it has to be said, but they sounded better in the studio than they did on the TV when I watched it back. Well done to them!
Unfortunately we were shuffled out when the news came on which was a shame as there were lots more bands to come, but watching it back it looks like most of them weren’t actually in the studio in London but joining from other concerts across the UK, so we didn’t do too badly. And they raised £20m for charity so I can’t really complain!
You can still donate to the 2009 Children In Need appeal here
Alesha Dixon & Elviin @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, 12th November 2009
The Boy Does Something
A day of torrential rain probably wasn’t the most auspicious start to my new part time career as a member of the Academy Street Team, but a little water never hurt anyone (much) and it meant I got to go to a gig that I wouldn’t have otherwise been to.
Elviin is a soulful singer/songwriter from London and was only confirmed in the support slot for Alesha Dixon a few days before the tour began. His music is mainly piano based (although he’s accompanied by an excellent band) and more traditional than the current 80s retro pop bandwagon, but to me anyway stands out a bit from his contemporaries because of the lyrics and the interesting beats. It difficult to have good stage presence when you’re sat behind a keyboard, but Elviin certainly interacted with the audience more confidently than when I saw him back in March supporting on the Gary Go / VV Brown co-headline tour. This is the one area I reckon he could improve on though – his songs are great and his voice is just nice to listen to (and I mean nice in a good way here, not just ‘nice’). Standout track for me is In Colour (which has been A listed on Radio 2 no less!) but Good Books, which I understand to be his next single, is also pretty hot. Things are looking bright for Elviin with his debut album due out next year, so I would urge you to catch him while you can!
A day of torrential rain probably wasn’t the most auspicious start to my new part time career as a member of the Academy Street Team, but a little water never hurt anyone (much) and it meant I got to go to a gig that I wouldn’t have otherwise been to.
Elviin is a soulful singer/songwriter from London and was only confirmed in the support slot for Alesha Dixon a few days before the tour began. His music is mainly piano based (although he’s accompanied by an excellent band) and more traditional than the current 80s retro pop bandwagon, but to me anyway stands out a bit from his contemporaries because of the lyrics and the interesting beats. It difficult to have good stage presence when you’re sat behind a keyboard, but Elviin certainly interacted with the audience more confidently than when I saw him back in March supporting on the Gary Go / VV Brown co-headline tour. This is the one area I reckon he could improve on though – his songs are great and his voice is just nice to listen to (and I mean nice in a good way here, not just ‘nice’). Standout track for me is In Colour (which has been A listed on Radio 2 no less!) but Good Books, which I understand to be his next single, is also pretty hot. Things are looking bright for Elviin with his debut album due out next year, so I would urge you to catch him while you can!
I had only really come to see Elviin, so when Alesha came on it was a bit of an added extra. Although I’m not the biggest Alesha fan, the girl can certainly sing. And dance. At the same time. Impressive!
The production of her show was more akin to a larger stage, with a lot of choreography and backing dancers as well as singers. There was also a couple of costume changes (including hats – woo hoo!), and lots of sequins. I was actually surprised how much of the set I knew, including a small homage to her previous band Mis-teeq with a mega mix of their greatest hits. The venue wasn’t quite full and there was quite a lot of kids there who looked a bit tired by the end of the evening, but the crowd got really into songs like The Boy Does Nothing and Lipstick, and Alesha seemed to get a bit emotional about it all.
So a nice surprise to finish the evening off. And all for the cost of 90 minutes work giving out leaflets. Nice.
Elviin’s debut album is due out in January.
VV Brown @ The Roadmender Northampton, 6th November 2009
Travelling like the Northampton light
Having first seen VV Brown on a co-headline tour with Gary Go back in March, it was great to see her headlining her own tour, and even better to see her in her hometown of Northampton. And it was really nice to see how she has grown in confidence and performance since her sound issues at Bush Hall...
The venue in Northampton was full of friends and family, not least because the opening act (which I missed) was Jay Brown, VV's little sister. I arrived about half way through the second support act, The Stow, who won their place on tour via a competition in the Metro. The Stow seem to be a great new band in a style that I'm struggling to categorise - hip hop ska possibly? Anyway, they had 2 lead singers which in itself is quite unusual, and they complimented each other greatly. Their music was really upbeat and performed very slickly with great audience engagement - check out their myspace page and have a listen.
Anyway, it was time for the main event and after a short intro with the radio dial tuning effect VV opened with my favourite track from her album, Everybody. There's something about the beat in that song which is particularly awesome. She came onto a stage that was set as a dressing room wearing a HUGE mask covered in feathers and 'striking a pose'. The set included all the main songs from Travelling Like The Light, which is a great album that for some reason in the year of young female singers has failed to capture the imagination of the UK public in the same way as Lady Gaga, La Roux or even Little Boots. I can only put it down to a lack of radio play (shame on you Jo Wiley - support your Northampton brethren!) and that the songs are less obviously fashionable as the rest. VV's voice is pretty amazing, as she showcased with a cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and miles better than any of the rest I mentioned.
VV's songs sound great on her album but really come alive in the flesh and you need to see them performed live to get the best out of them. VV herself seems to have got a whole lot more self assured since I first saw her back in March, and interacts a lot more comfortably withe the audience. It obviously meant a lot to her to be back in Northampton, which came out in an air-punching version of her biggest hit to date, Shark in the Water, when she urged the audience to believe in what they wanted to achieve. And it wasn't actually as cheesy as it sounds!
I have to make a mention of the fantastic band that VV plays with - Lewis on guitar, newcomer Charlie on the keyboard, John on drums and the magnificent music director Michael on bass. They are fantastic and also lovely people while being responsible for helping VV's songs jump up and grab you by the ears.
We were treated to the reggae version of Crying Blood as well as a fantastic cover version of Viva La Vida by Coldplay [should anyone of influence ever reads this PLEASE record it and put it on YouTube or something!!!].
It sounds like VV is off to the States in the new year so I was pleased to get my 'Quick Fix' in before she's off. From the sound of her new song Caroline, which is pretty aggressive and a slightly different sound again I have high hopes for album number 2.
VV Brown's debut album, Travelling Like The Light, is out now
Alphabeat @ Heaven, 4th November 2009
Heaven is a place on earth
This could really be known as the "not a-ha" review as I also had tickets to see a-ha at the O2 on the same evening. However, I saw a-ha play earlier in the year at the iTunes festival, so I stuck with Alphabeat who were playing at Heaven, the venue for G-A-Y now the Astoria is no more.
The Scandinavian band's second album was due to be released this month in the UK hence (I presume) this mini tour of the UK. Unfortunately, the album has been put back to next year sometime, which made the set somewhat unfamiliar as they were showcasing a lot of their new material. Heaven is one of those medium-sized venues that feels more like a club (which it is usually), and it's quite long and thin which didn't really help the atmosphere as we ended up miles from the stage.
But hits like Fascination and new song The Spell helped to lift the gig and there was certainly some dancing at the back even if the front was apparently subdued. Stine has a beautifully simple voice, and Anders' crazy dancing made for a fun evening all round.
Alphabeat's second album, The Spell, is now due out in February
This could really be known as the "not a-ha" review as I also had tickets to see a-ha at the O2 on the same evening. However, I saw a-ha play earlier in the year at the iTunes festival, so I stuck with Alphabeat who were playing at Heaven, the venue for G-A-Y now the Astoria is no more.
The Scandinavian band's second album was due to be released this month in the UK hence (I presume) this mini tour of the UK. Unfortunately, the album has been put back to next year sometime, which made the set somewhat unfamiliar as they were showcasing a lot of their new material. Heaven is one of those medium-sized venues that feels more like a club (which it is usually), and it's quite long and thin which didn't really help the atmosphere as we ended up miles from the stage.
But hits like Fascination and new song The Spell helped to lift the gig and there was certainly some dancing at the back even if the front was apparently subdued. Stine has a beautifully simple voice, and Anders' crazy dancing made for a fun evening all round.
Alphabeat's second album, The Spell, is now due out in February
Concert for CARE @ Brixton Academy, 2nd November 2009
Giving is good
Concert for CARE was arranged by the record producer David Arnold in aid of the charity CARE International. A huge number of performers supported the cause by gracing the stage of the Brixton Academy. A quick word here for the stage managers and stage hands as they had a huge number of changes to make and did a fantastic job.
Anyway, to the entertainment. There was too much to possibly cover it all here so I won’t try. My top highlights in no particular order were:
GARY BARLOW
The man is a legend!! A large proportion of the crowd were only there to see The Barlow, so the atmosphere was electric. It was interesting to compare his performance to that of Robbie Williams a couple of weeks ago at The Roundhouse. Although Robbie is a showman, Gary’s voice is so much stronger and when he sang Back For Good it was just utterly amazing. He had a great connection with the audience and was actually looking in better shape than Robbie. Gary Barlow, we salute you.
Concert for CARE was arranged by the record producer David Arnold in aid of the charity CARE International. A huge number of performers supported the cause by gracing the stage of the Brixton Academy. A quick word here for the stage managers and stage hands as they had a huge number of changes to make and did a fantastic job.
Anyway, to the entertainment. There was too much to possibly cover it all here so I won’t try. My top highlights in no particular order were:
GARY BARLOW
The man is a legend!! A large proportion of the crowd were only there to see The Barlow, so the atmosphere was electric. It was interesting to compare his performance to that of Robbie Williams a couple of weeks ago at The Roundhouse. Although Robbie is a showman, Gary’s voice is so much stronger and when he sang Back For Good it was just utterly amazing. He had a great connection with the audience and was actually looking in better shape than Robbie. Gary Barlow, we salute you.
Davids Arnold and McAlmont performing ‘Yes’
I LOVE this song and McAlmont was a surprise guest who wasn't on the bill. It was a fab performance, he was wearing a fabulous flowery shirt / tie / white suit combo and his voice is absolutely clear as a bell. Him singing anything is great but that song is just amazing.
David Walliams as Des Kaye from Little Britain ripping off Mark Ronson’s trousers
They were playing 'hunt the sausage' (wicky woo!). Mark Ronson looked actually in fear for his life and had to borrow some trousers off the lead singer of the Rumble Strips to wear for his set later on. I can't even begin to describe how hilarious it was.
The Kaiser Chiefs
The Kaisers finished off the evening and dud an amazing job. To be right at the front and not be crushed to death for a set like that was brilliant in its own right. Seeing a band who are more used to playing arenas and stadiums rather than somewhere like the Brixton Academy was quite an experience. They played with such huge energy but sounded polished and just generally great. Ruby and I Predict a Riot were just 2 of the songs that made me jump around and go home happy.
Damien Rice singing a completely unplugged version of Cannonball ...
...without a mic! I don't know what it sounded like from the back but from the front it was just like heartbreak.
James Cordon and his mate Sam
James Cordon sang Nobody Does it Better and I have to say that he has a pretty good voice! The crowd got 100% behind him and we were all pretty delighted with such an unexpected treat.
I'm not sure this really captures everything as it was a fantastic evening and I think a fun time was had by all. Hopefully they raised a load of cash for a great cause!!
You can find out more about CARE International on their website - http://www.careinternational.org.uk/
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Robbie Williams @ The BBC Electric Proms, 20th October 2009
I’ve been expecting you
Well well well. Robbie Williams’ first gig in 3 years can best be described as a triumph. Scores of famous faces, along with the luck few who had managed to get tickets online, had turned out eager to see whether the fifth member of Take That still had it.
The ninety minute set was a mixture of old and new, and with comeback single Bodies recording Robbie’s biggest first week sales since Rock DJ (thanks to the man himself for providing that fan fact), there were high hopes that Robbie’s new material would be a step away from his Rudebox phase (i.e. it wouldn’t be shit). His recent performance on the X-Factor had been inconclusive and heavily criticised in some quarters, so the evening had the potential to be either amazing or awful.
The new music is produced by the legendary Trevor Horn, who was also on stage playing bass, and it was certainly an improvement and in some ways a step back to more familiar (and successful) ground. Starstruck was a favourite, sounding so George Michael-esque that Robbie had the crowd practicing George’s dance moves before the song had even started. Another new track was dedicated to Robbie’s girlfriend and should have been too painful for words as he sang the whole song looking up adoringly to her in the balcony. But it was impossible to be anything but endeared to the guy, who’s not been short of love life issues in the past, and the track went down well.
Of course, the crowd made the most noise for the golden oldies. No Regrets, Millennium, Supreme, Feel, Come Undone and Angels all made welcome appearances, although there was no sign of Let Me Entertain You or Rock DJ. Having opened a little nervously with two new songs, Robbie was back on terra firma with Come Undone and clearly gained confidence from the audience singing along. From then on in he was back into his cheeky chappy persona, cracking jokes and telling funny stories.
But this was a more mature artist on stage that perhaps he was previously, referring to his age and his grey hairs more than once. Robbie was quite emotional at times, and seemed keen to lay old demons to rest. Take That were reconciled, Gary Barlow was his new best friend, and even Guy Chambers was name checked, much to the delight of the crowd. To be fair, the audience would probably have applauded almost anything from their hero but he rewarded them with a great show. Full of energy and charm, backed by an excellent band and orchestra, and supported with an autocue in case of emergencies, Robbie Williams is definitely back.
Robbie William's new album, Video Killed the Radio Star, is out on November 9th
Well well well. Robbie Williams’ first gig in 3 years can best be described as a triumph. Scores of famous faces, along with the luck few who had managed to get tickets online, had turned out eager to see whether the fifth member of Take That still had it.
The ninety minute set was a mixture of old and new, and with comeback single Bodies recording Robbie’s biggest first week sales since Rock DJ (thanks to the man himself for providing that fan fact), there were high hopes that Robbie’s new material would be a step away from his Rudebox phase (i.e. it wouldn’t be shit). His recent performance on the X-Factor had been inconclusive and heavily criticised in some quarters, so the evening had the potential to be either amazing or awful.
The new music is produced by the legendary Trevor Horn, who was also on stage playing bass, and it was certainly an improvement and in some ways a step back to more familiar (and successful) ground. Starstruck was a favourite, sounding so George Michael-esque that Robbie had the crowd practicing George’s dance moves before the song had even started. Another new track was dedicated to Robbie’s girlfriend and should have been too painful for words as he sang the whole song looking up adoringly to her in the balcony. But it was impossible to be anything but endeared to the guy, who’s not been short of love life issues in the past, and the track went down well.
Of course, the crowd made the most noise for the golden oldies. No Regrets, Millennium, Supreme, Feel, Come Undone and Angels all made welcome appearances, although there was no sign of Let Me Entertain You or Rock DJ. Having opened a little nervously with two new songs, Robbie was back on terra firma with Come Undone and clearly gained confidence from the audience singing along. From then on in he was back into his cheeky chappy persona, cracking jokes and telling funny stories.
But this was a more mature artist on stage that perhaps he was previously, referring to his age and his grey hairs more than once. Robbie was quite emotional at times, and seemed keen to lay old demons to rest. Take That were reconciled, Gary Barlow was his new best friend, and even Guy Chambers was name checked, much to the delight of the crowd. To be fair, the audience would probably have applauded almost anything from their hero but he rewarded them with a great show. Full of energy and charm, backed by an excellent band and orchestra, and supported with an autocue in case of emergencies, Robbie Williams is definitely back.
Robbie William's new album, Video Killed the Radio Star, is out on November 9th
Later with Jools Holland, 29th September 2009
Where the magic happens
I have been trying unsuccessfully to get tickets to see a recording of Later with Jools Holland for ages – they are so heavily over subscribed that they are like gold dust. However I struck the jackpot this time round thanks to a benevolent friend who couldn’t make it.
The reason that Later is so popular is because they have the best musicians on the show. And the reason that they need the best musicians is that they broadcast live, so they need to be right on the top of their games. A quick mention for the production staff at this point, who are fantastic and manage to do such a horrifically complicated job. Each evening they film Later they are actually producing two shows – a longer pre-recorded version that goes out at the weekend, and a half hour version that is broadcast live. All the bands are on their own stages at the same time around the edge of the studio, and the cameras move from on to the other pretty much seamlessly with Jools navigating his way through the middle. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with that bit – if it goes wrong then you’re completely sunk.
Anyway, the line up while I was there was:
Shakira
Gladys Knight
The Cribs
Mika
The XX
The Duke and The King
Which I reckon is pretty good value for money. Especially as it was free.
The star of the evening had to be Gladys Knight who sounds just amazing and is actual pop royalty. I really wish I had been able to see her on tour in the UK as she is just divine. The tone of her voice is just so rich and deep, and she is really economical with it. What I mean is that she only uses it to add to the song and the emotion she projects, rather than warbling all over the place just for the hell of it like some other singers I could mention. Mariah Carey please take note.
Shakira was also good but she was the one that needed the most retakes for the pre-recorded version, although to be fair I think they were more to do with the sound than her specifically. She seemed the most rehearsed and had more dance routines and props than everyone else put together. She was also the biggest diva – we were stood next to her stage and she spent the whole time she wasn’t singing fussing about her hair or her jewellery and getting members of her (rather large) entourage to fix them for her.
Mika was, as usual, utterly fab despite a slight sound issue on the live show. Also, he had manaed to secure some of the tickets for members of his fan club, which was just so nice. It caused a huge headache for the production staff though, as they were the only ones who hadn’t taken on board the dress code (dark colours) and were standing out like sore thumbs at the front of the audience.
I was interested to her The XX as lots has been written about them (NB this was when the band was still a four piece) and they seemed ok. Maybe they are just too cool for me (very likely) but they didn’t seem that special to me. I have to say that the same applies to The Cribs – not my kind of music I have to say.
But overall a brilliant evening and an interesting insight into how they actually put a show like that together. I must try and get tickets again!
If anyone ever has any spare tickets to see Later being recorded then please drop me a line!
I have been trying unsuccessfully to get tickets to see a recording of Later with Jools Holland for ages – they are so heavily over subscribed that they are like gold dust. However I struck the jackpot this time round thanks to a benevolent friend who couldn’t make it.
The reason that Later is so popular is because they have the best musicians on the show. And the reason that they need the best musicians is that they broadcast live, so they need to be right on the top of their games. A quick mention for the production staff at this point, who are fantastic and manage to do such a horrifically complicated job. Each evening they film Later they are actually producing two shows – a longer pre-recorded version that goes out at the weekend, and a half hour version that is broadcast live. All the bands are on their own stages at the same time around the edge of the studio, and the cameras move from on to the other pretty much seamlessly with Jools navigating his way through the middle. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with that bit – if it goes wrong then you’re completely sunk.
Anyway, the line up while I was there was:
Shakira
Gladys Knight
The Cribs
Mika
The XX
The Duke and The King
Which I reckon is pretty good value for money. Especially as it was free.
The star of the evening had to be Gladys Knight who sounds just amazing and is actual pop royalty. I really wish I had been able to see her on tour in the UK as she is just divine. The tone of her voice is just so rich and deep, and she is really economical with it. What I mean is that she only uses it to add to the song and the emotion she projects, rather than warbling all over the place just for the hell of it like some other singers I could mention. Mariah Carey please take note.
Shakira was also good but she was the one that needed the most retakes for the pre-recorded version, although to be fair I think they were more to do with the sound than her specifically. She seemed the most rehearsed and had more dance routines and props than everyone else put together. She was also the biggest diva – we were stood next to her stage and she spent the whole time she wasn’t singing fussing about her hair or her jewellery and getting members of her (rather large) entourage to fix them for her.
Mika was, as usual, utterly fab despite a slight sound issue on the live show. Also, he had manaed to secure some of the tickets for members of his fan club, which was just so nice. It caused a huge headache for the production staff though, as they were the only ones who hadn’t taken on board the dress code (dark colours) and were standing out like sore thumbs at the front of the audience.
I was interested to her The XX as lots has been written about them (NB this was when the band was still a four piece) and they seemed ok. Maybe they are just too cool for me (very likely) but they didn’t seem that special to me. I have to say that the same applies to The Cribs – not my kind of music I have to say.
But overall a brilliant evening and an interesting insight into how they actually put a show like that together. I must try and get tickets again!
If anyone ever has any spare tickets to see Later being recorded then please drop me a line!
Thank You For The Music @ Hyde Park, 13th September 2009
Thanks indeed!
OK, I own up. I was there. I wasn't supposed to be, I didn't intend to be, but when I realised I was driving in the direction of London on that Sunday afternoon it seemed almost peverse to drive around it when I knew that this concert was taking place. So I took a chance (took a chance, took a took a chance chance) (sorry) and battled my way into central London armed with only a UK Road Atlas and a vague idea that there's-a-car-park-at-Queensway-and-surely-it's-not-that-far-to-Hyde-Park-from-there.
Well, I guess luck was with me (of not the traffic) and I managed to park, speedwalk to the right part of the park and buy a ticket on the door by about ten to six. Thanks to the fact that this was a Radio 2 event and fairly civilised, I managed to get about 3 rows back from the barrier to the right of the stage and find some of my friendswith no trouble at all.
Anyway, to the concert and the music that we were there to give thanks for (so to speak). Chris Evans was presenting dressed in one of the most ridiculous outfits I've seen in a while -look! --> It's like rubbish Austin Powers is paying a special visit! But to be fair, he did a pretty good job; I saw him present the Brits a couple of years back as his first gig back after the Radio 1 malarky and his break from the media and he couldn't get a line right., so I was pleasantly surprised. OK, so there was an autocue but he did really well at engaging the audience and I felt like he was probably reliving a Radio 1 Roadshow in Minehead from days gone by.
The first act he introduced was Lulu, who looked pretty damn fine considering she is surely pushing OAP status. In fact, with her hair in a ponytail and sunglasses taking up most of her face she looked about 12. Good on you Lulu, I want some of what you're having.
Next up (to my upmost delight of course) were The Feeling, the only band on the running order. I should mention that all the acts were accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the original ABBA band (minus Benny and Bjorn but including a really cool guy with a ponytail who originally played keyboard in the band) - they were great throughtout.
Anyhoo, TF played Knowing Me, Knowing You, which isn’t one of my favourite Abba tracks and I wasn’t sure what the band would be able to do with it. Well, I shouldn’t have worried – Dan Gillespie Sells is in his element in front of a big crowd and the band rose to the challenge. Dan was all over the stage and really performed the song. Someone I was with thought they could have done more with the harmonies and the second verse and on reflection he was probably right but it was still amazing. Ciaran got to play the sparkly piano, which is usually only Dan’s preserve, and I have to say that I was a bit gutted when they finished and the crew took the drum kit off.
Next on was Nerina Pallot, who seemed very sweet and sang The Name of the Game but obviously didn’t know what to do with the stage. She returned a bit later to sing SOS instead of Sharleen Spiteri, who had to pull out at the last minute as the guitarist from Texas was apparently very ill, so well done to her for that.
I can’t mention everyone in detail otherwise this blog will go on forever. I will spare a few words for Jason Donovan (mostly as I took a good picture of him and I would like to show it mow) – I was a really hoping for a Kylie and Jason duet-slash-megamix (showing my age here) but no such luck. There were obviously some paid up members of the JD fanclub there though – there was a lady how really should have know better who pushed right in front of the kid we had in our party so she could get a better view. Good job that he wasn’t too interested in that particular act really!!
Elaine Paige and someone who wasn’t Barbara Dixon got a huge reception (gotta love the Radio2 audience) for a frankly excellent version of I Know Him So Well.
I have to say that the middle section of the concert fell a bit flat for my money – the first half of the show mainly covered some of their slightly lesser known tracks, but the middle we got songs from Chess, which while great weren’t the sing along classics people had come to hear. Marti Pellow was woefully underused with a slightly odd version of One Night in Bangkok. This was swiftly followed up by some Swedish Folk music (yes it was Benny but he was still playing the accordion accompanied by a group of old me playing the fiddle and wearing leather aprons) and then some mostly orchestral music from B&B’s new musical, You could tell that the crowd was flagging a bit and it was definitely a relief when The Feeling came back on.
Their second number was a barn-storming version of Does Your Mother Know. This was much more up their street that the first song as it’s much more up tempo and more suited to their style. It was really interesting to hear them performing with female backing singers, which is something that they never do usually – normally the rest of the band do amazing vocal harmonies. Dan really encouraged the crowd into a mass singalong and finished it off with a fantastic leap from the sparkly piano – which I thought was pretty darn brave as that piano looks like it’s on its last legs after all the touring and is generally a bit kronky and liable to collapse. But it was very Dan and rounded off the pitifully short set beautifully. I few words about the other boys for the TF fans out there. I couldn’t see Paul because of the lay out of the stage but he had the look of the Dawnbreakers about him. Ciaran was growing a beard again (bad times), Rich is (still) rocking last winter’s coat, and Kev looks just the same bless him. Dan’s rather jaunty cream suit and striped T shirt combo looked very natty and slightly nautical. Boys – we’ve missed you.
After they had finished I was actually ready to go to the side and get some food but they had really saved the good songs to the end with the cast of Mama Mia doing a bit of a megamix. Kylie did 2 songs and was obviously what a large proportion of the crowd were waiting for. I’m not a massive Kylie fan (despite having her debut album on cassette) but her voice suited the music much better than Chaka Khan, who obviously didn’t know the words or the tune to The Winner Takes It All when she sang it. Although to be fair she might have been hampered by the slightly disturbing corset she was wearing.
B&B took to the stage at the end, and from and audience perspective one of the best bits was the singalong to the orchestra at the end with the words up on the big screen (like we needed them…). Some of the best songs IMHO were only touched on there, which was a shame but I guess there are just too many to perform them all.
Anyway, I’m really pleased that I took a chance and went – it was great to see some of my friends again and an unexpected gig often turns out to be brilliant.
I understand that Abba have a greatest hits album out called Abba Gold that's available now ;-)
OK, I own up. I was there. I wasn't supposed to be, I didn't intend to be, but when I realised I was driving in the direction of London on that Sunday afternoon it seemed almost peverse to drive around it when I knew that this concert was taking place. So I took a chance (took a chance, took a took a chance chance) (sorry) and battled my way into central London armed with only a UK Road Atlas and a vague idea that there's-a-car-park-at-Queensway-and-surely-it's-not-that-far-to-Hyde-Park-from-there.
Well, I guess luck was with me (of not the traffic) and I managed to park, speedwalk to the right part of the park and buy a ticket on the door by about ten to six. Thanks to the fact that this was a Radio 2 event and fairly civilised, I managed to get about 3 rows back from the barrier to the right of the stage and find some of my friendswith no trouble at all.
Anyway, to the concert and the music that we were there to give thanks for (so to speak). Chris Evans was presenting dressed in one of the most ridiculous outfits I've seen in a while -look! --> It's like rubbish Austin Powers is paying a special visit! But to be fair, he did a pretty good job; I saw him present the Brits a couple of years back as his first gig back after the Radio 1 malarky and his break from the media and he couldn't get a line right., so I was pleasantly surprised. OK, so there was an autocue but he did really well at engaging the audience and I felt like he was probably reliving a Radio 1 Roadshow in Minehead from days gone by.
The first act he introduced was Lulu, who looked pretty damn fine considering she is surely pushing OAP status. In fact, with her hair in a ponytail and sunglasses taking up most of her face she looked about 12. Good on you Lulu, I want some of what you're having.
Next up (to my upmost delight of course) were The Feeling, the only band on the running order. I should mention that all the acts were accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the original ABBA band (minus Benny and Bjorn but including a really cool guy with a ponytail who originally played keyboard in the band) - they were great throughtout.
Anyhoo, TF played Knowing Me, Knowing You, which isn’t one of my favourite Abba tracks and I wasn’t sure what the band would be able to do with it. Well, I shouldn’t have worried – Dan Gillespie Sells is in his element in front of a big crowd and the band rose to the challenge. Dan was all over the stage and really performed the song. Someone I was with thought they could have done more with the harmonies and the second verse and on reflection he was probably right but it was still amazing. Ciaran got to play the sparkly piano, which is usually only Dan’s preserve, and I have to say that I was a bit gutted when they finished and the crew took the drum kit off.
Next on was Nerina Pallot, who seemed very sweet and sang The Name of the Game but obviously didn’t know what to do with the stage. She returned a bit later to sing SOS instead of Sharleen Spiteri, who had to pull out at the last minute as the guitarist from Texas was apparently very ill, so well done to her for that.
I can’t mention everyone in detail otherwise this blog will go on forever. I will spare a few words for Jason Donovan (mostly as I took a good picture of him and I would like to show it mow) – I was a really hoping for a Kylie and Jason duet-slash-megamix (showing my age here) but no such luck. There were obviously some paid up members of the JD fanclub there though – there was a lady how really should have know better who pushed right in front of the kid we had in our party so she could get a better view. Good job that he wasn’t too interested in that particular act really!!
Elaine Paige and someone who wasn’t Barbara Dixon got a huge reception (gotta love the Radio2 audience) for a frankly excellent version of I Know Him So Well.
I have to say that the middle section of the concert fell a bit flat for my money – the first half of the show mainly covered some of their slightly lesser known tracks, but the middle we got songs from Chess, which while great weren’t the sing along classics people had come to hear. Marti Pellow was woefully underused with a slightly odd version of One Night in Bangkok. This was swiftly followed up by some Swedish Folk music (yes it was Benny but he was still playing the accordion accompanied by a group of old me playing the fiddle and wearing leather aprons) and then some mostly orchestral music from B&B’s new musical, You could tell that the crowd was flagging a bit and it was definitely a relief when The Feeling came back on.
Their second number was a barn-storming version of Does Your Mother Know. This was much more up their street that the first song as it’s much more up tempo and more suited to their style. It was really interesting to hear them performing with female backing singers, which is something that they never do usually – normally the rest of the band do amazing vocal harmonies. Dan really encouraged the crowd into a mass singalong and finished it off with a fantastic leap from the sparkly piano – which I thought was pretty darn brave as that piano looks like it’s on its last legs after all the touring and is generally a bit kronky and liable to collapse. But it was very Dan and rounded off the pitifully short set beautifully. I few words about the other boys for the TF fans out there. I couldn’t see Paul because of the lay out of the stage but he had the look of the Dawnbreakers about him. Ciaran was growing a beard again (bad times), Rich is (still) rocking last winter’s coat, and Kev looks just the same bless him. Dan’s rather jaunty cream suit and striped T shirt combo looked very natty and slightly nautical. Boys – we’ve missed you.
After they had finished I was actually ready to go to the side and get some food but they had really saved the good songs to the end with the cast of Mama Mia doing a bit of a megamix. Kylie did 2 songs and was obviously what a large proportion of the crowd were waiting for. I’m not a massive Kylie fan (despite having her debut album on cassette) but her voice suited the music much better than Chaka Khan, who obviously didn’t know the words or the tune to The Winner Takes It All when she sang it. Although to be fair she might have been hampered by the slightly disturbing corset she was wearing.
B&B took to the stage at the end, and from and audience perspective one of the best bits was the singalong to the orchestra at the end with the words up on the big screen (like we needed them…). Some of the best songs IMHO were only touched on there, which was a shame but I guess there are just too many to perform them all.
Anyway, I’m really pleased that I took a chance and went – it was great to see some of my friends again and an unexpected gig often turns out to be brilliant.
I understand that Abba have a greatest hits album out called Abba Gold that's available now ;-)
Noah and the Whale @ The Hospital Club, 25th September 2009
Free gold and silver
It's not often that Barclaycard gives you anything for free. Having worked there for 7 years I probably know this better than most. So there was no way I was going to turn down free tickets to the Barclaycard Mercury Music Session that I won on Twitter, even if I didn't know much of the band.
Anyway, The Hospital Club seems to be a relatively exclusive place in Covent Garden that has a club / music venue in the basement. It's much nicer than it sounds. And has a fairly amazing lighting rig. The gig was being filmed for TV (I believe, although no sign yet). Oh, and there was free beer courtesy of Stella :)
The support act for the night was Golden Silvers, who I had heard of in passing but didn't know any of their stuff. I have to say that I was pretty impressed - catchy pop was the genre and it was performed particularly well. They had a random guy playing percussion and vocals called Tommy, who looked the least rock and roll band member since the guitarist of Das Pop but we found out that it was actually the first gig he had done with the band so all was forgiven. The most impressive moment award goes to the last song, which they performed a cappella without a safety net. Respect. They have proven themselves to be a band worthy of consideration and I will purchasing their album.
Endearingly most of the band came out into the audience to watch main act Noah and the Whale. Sadly I have to say that they were something of a disappointment after the energy of Golden Silvers. The only song I knew of NATW was 5 Years Time, which they didn't actually play. Instead we heard material from their new album, The First Days of Spring, which is reasonably morose. Now I have nothing against morose as a theme, but it doesn't really make for a fun evening out. I have to say that I can't really remember most of the songs - maybe you need to be holed up at home whilst feeling slightly depressed for them to make an impact, after which time you would probably put them on repeat and cry into your wine glass about how they are really about your life. Or something. Either way, I was drinking free beer so it made less of an impression.
The band were a strange combination. There was an excellent violinist who also played the keyboard - the stage set up should have really had both pieces of equipment on the same side but instead the poor guy had to race across the front between songs to change stations. Also, he had hair like Erik Hassle, who is my current benchmark for crazy hair.
The lead guitarist looked like he had always wanted to be in a rock band and wasn't going to let the fact that he had somehow ended up in a morose folk outfit prevent him from rocking out like a member of Guns N Roses. The lead singer, in complete contrast, was very serious. At one point he even stopped a song and started again because the audience were talking too much. I can really see how that would be a bit soul destroying but it happens every day to bands of all descriptions in pubs and clubs around the country. Surely the thing to do is play louder and better so that people want to listen? Oh well.
Anyway, I had a nice free evening courtesy of Barclaycard and discovered a new band, but I wasn't inspired into getting the new NATW album any time soon.
The Last Days of Spring is out now
It's not often that Barclaycard gives you anything for free. Having worked there for 7 years I probably know this better than most. So there was no way I was going to turn down free tickets to the Barclaycard Mercury Music Session that I won on Twitter, even if I didn't know much of the band.
Anyway, The Hospital Club seems to be a relatively exclusive place in Covent Garden that has a club / music venue in the basement. It's much nicer than it sounds. And has a fairly amazing lighting rig. The gig was being filmed for TV (I believe, although no sign yet). Oh, and there was free beer courtesy of Stella :)
The support act for the night was Golden Silvers, who I had heard of in passing but didn't know any of their stuff. I have to say that I was pretty impressed - catchy pop was the genre and it was performed particularly well. They had a random guy playing percussion and vocals called Tommy, who looked the least rock and roll band member since the guitarist of Das Pop but we found out that it was actually the first gig he had done with the band so all was forgiven. The most impressive moment award goes to the last song, which they performed a cappella without a safety net. Respect. They have proven themselves to be a band worthy of consideration and I will purchasing their album.
Endearingly most of the band came out into the audience to watch main act Noah and the Whale. Sadly I have to say that they were something of a disappointment after the energy of Golden Silvers. The only song I knew of NATW was 5 Years Time, which they didn't actually play. Instead we heard material from their new album, The First Days of Spring, which is reasonably morose. Now I have nothing against morose as a theme, but it doesn't really make for a fun evening out. I have to say that I can't really remember most of the songs - maybe you need to be holed up at home whilst feeling slightly depressed for them to make an impact, after which time you would probably put them on repeat and cry into your wine glass about how they are really about your life. Or something. Either way, I was drinking free beer so it made less of an impression.
The band were a strange combination. There was an excellent violinist who also played the keyboard - the stage set up should have really had both pieces of equipment on the same side but instead the poor guy had to race across the front between songs to change stations. Also, he had hair like Erik Hassle, who is my current benchmark for crazy hair.
The lead guitarist looked like he had always wanted to be in a rock band and wasn't going to let the fact that he had somehow ended up in a morose folk outfit prevent him from rocking out like a member of Guns N Roses. The lead singer, in complete contrast, was very serious. At one point he even stopped a song and started again because the audience were talking too much. I can really see how that would be a bit soul destroying but it happens every day to bands of all descriptions in pubs and clubs around the country. Surely the thing to do is play louder and better so that people want to listen? Oh well.
Anyway, I had a nice free evening courtesy of Barclaycard and discovered a new band, but I wasn't inspired into getting the new NATW album any time soon.
The Last Days of Spring is out now
Sunday 4 October 2009
VV Brown @ GAP, 10th September 2009
I love a good freebie - and this was definitely a good one.
What's not to love - a free gig with free food and free beer in a pop up GAP store with discounted jeans. OK, so none of the jeans were really my size (actually they may have been but unfortunately I can't speak American) but everything else was excellent.
VV Brown is not only "up and coming" (although I would argue that she's not coming up as quickly as she deserves to) and also in to her fashion so she was a good choice for GAP to open up their temporary store just off Carneby Street. A small but perfectly formed set showed off her vocal talents a treat, and her bass player is fantastic. Nice little opportunity to mingle afterwards with the cool crowd even though I looked anything but, and VV gets more self assured every time I see her. And if you haven't already, you should see her too.
VV Brown's debut album, Travelling Like The Light, is available now.
What's not to love - a free gig with free food and free beer in a pop up GAP store with discounted jeans. OK, so none of the jeans were really my size (actually they may have been but unfortunately I can't speak American) but everything else was excellent.
VV Brown is not only "up and coming" (although I would argue that she's not coming up as quickly as she deserves to) and also in to her fashion so she was a good choice for GAP to open up their temporary store just off Carneby Street. A small but perfectly formed set showed off her vocal talents a treat, and her bass player is fantastic. Nice little opportunity to mingle afterwards with the cool crowd even though I looked anything but, and VV gets more self assured every time I see her. And if you haven't already, you should see her too.
VV Brown's debut album, Travelling Like The Light, is available now.
The Script @ The Waterfront, 1st September 2009
After some very civilised queueing (inside! with toilets! oh yes!!), I found myself at the front for the first of The Script's 2 dates at The Waterfront. This turned out to be both a curse and a blessing...
First off were support act Officer Kicks who are great showmen and although their music is a little heavy for me,I really enjoyed their performance. I met the band after the show and they are really nice as well so I hope they get the success they deserve. If you like rock music you should check out their myspace here and they are currently on tour in the UK.
There was a second support act called The Coronas, who are an Irish band that seem to be quite big in Ireland. I have to say they didn't do much for me - nothing wrong with them but they just didn't stand out.
First off were support act Officer Kicks who are great showmen and although their music is a little heavy for me,I really enjoyed their performance. I met the band after the show and they are really nice as well so I hope they get the success they deserve. If you like rock music you should check out their myspace here and they are currently on tour in the UK.
There was a second support act called The Coronas, who are an Irish band that seem to be quite big in Ireland. I have to say they didn't do much for me - nothing wrong with them but they just didn't stand out.
By the time The Script came on the mostly teenage girl crowd were pretty much hysterical, like an old video of Beatles fans back in the day - screaming and crying and what not. Even the mere sight of lead singer Danny seemed to bring on hysterical crying, which was very loud and VERY ANNOYING.
Anyway, The Script played what I understand to be their only set list - it was certainly the same as the SBE gig I went to. They are really good but you get the feeling that they going through the motions - everything is well practiced and scripted. The set only lasts about an hour and they really nceed to go away and wrtite some new material - or at least pull together a coupe of new covers. They are great performers and they just need a bit more to perform.
Anyway, The Script played what I understand to be their only set list - it was certainly the same as the SBE gig I went to. They are really good but you get the feeling that they going through the motions - everything is well practiced and scripted. The set only lasts about an hour and they really nceed to go away and wrtite some new material - or at least pull together a coupe of new covers. They are great performers and they just need a bit more to perform.
They also need to be a bit less stupid when it comes to interacting with the audience. Danny does this thing at the end when he gets lifted into the crowd. On this occasion he was under advice not to do so because of the state of the crowd, but he decided to do it anyway. Helpfully this makes the crowd surge out and then back in again, which knocked me stright onto the floor. Ouch.
The Script are currently touring Australia (almost undoubtedly using the same set list)
Monday 31 August 2009
U2 @ Wembley Stadium, 15th August 2009
I would say that I am an armchair fan of U2, in the same way that I am armchair fan of Reading Football Club. I wouldn't normally go to a match or buy the shirt but I do read about them in the paper. I'd never seen U2 play and I only own a greatest hists compilation but I do like their music. So I was quite interested to see them at Wembley.
Opening for them on this occasion were Glasvegas, who I have stuggled to be interested in before. Their performance this evening did nothing to inspire me and I finally realised that all of their songs sound the same because they have the same drum beat. All in all I wished I had been able to get tickets for the night before and seen Elbow, but there we go.
When U2 finally took to the stage it took a little while for them to warm up too. They opened with material from their new album, which I have to say I wasn't familiar with and didn't make much of an impression. The early part of a stadium gig when it's still light can often be a bit difficult, and the staging came into it's own as the darkness came on.
Much had been made of the 'claw' that is the stage for the 360 tour - it was fairly impressive, especially with all the different lighting.
I was surprised hw political the set was, with specific references to the Iranian elections and quite a long set piece highlighting the democratic situation in Burma. There was also a video of Desmond Tutu which was actually quite creepy.
The oldies are certainly the goodies when it comes to U2 and my stand out track of the night was Sunday Bloody Sunday, closely followed by Where The Streets Have No Name. You can see the whole set list here:
So overall, a pretty good evening :-)
U2's 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, is out now
Opening for them on this occasion were Glasvegas, who I have stuggled to be interested in before. Their performance this evening did nothing to inspire me and I finally realised that all of their songs sound the same because they have the same drum beat. All in all I wished I had been able to get tickets for the night before and seen Elbow, but there we go.
When U2 finally took to the stage it took a little while for them to warm up too. They opened with material from their new album, which I have to say I wasn't familiar with and didn't make much of an impression. The early part of a stadium gig when it's still light can often be a bit difficult, and the staging came into it's own as the darkness came on.
Much had been made of the 'claw' that is the stage for the 360 tour - it was fairly impressive, especially with all the different lighting.
I was surprised hw political the set was, with specific references to the Iranian elections and quite a long set piece highlighting the democratic situation in Burma. There was also a video of Desmond Tutu which was actually quite creepy.The oldies are certainly the goodies when it comes to U2 and my stand out track of the night was Sunday Bloody Sunday, closely followed by Where The Streets Have No Name. You can see the whole set list here:
So overall, a pretty good evening :-)
U2's 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, is out now
Dan's FUN-draiser @ The Walrus, 8th August 2009
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
There's not many gigs that come with a complimentary "design your own bunting" competition. Or many pub BBQs that have chart topping songstresses in the garden. With their nannies. Or, for that matter, many village fetes where you can play Twister.
And while I'm sure no one would disagree with me that the world would be a better place if occurrences such as these happened more often, I'm very pleased to say that I was present when these stars aligned to produce Dan Gillespie Sells' FUN-draiser in aid of the charity work that his brother is doing in Uganda. The weather was kind and the small but beautifully formed beer garden played host to one of the most random afternoons I have enjoyed since I don't know when. There was a rather nice BBQ, a cake stall and a bring and buy, as well as a small stage for the musical entertainment. So far so normal. The really strange thing was that the place was filled with a mix of fans of The Feeling, who had been invited via Facebook and the band's website, 2/5 of The Feeling and their family and friends (including Richard Jones' wife Sophie Ellis-Bextor, their kids, and Dan's mum) and I'm sure some random punters who had just ventured out for a pint on a sunny afternoon and were probably quite dazed and confused.
The 'gig' part of the afternoon was kicked off by Anna McDonald who was the female vocalist on Columbia by TF (which is fab) and a guy whose name I didn't catch. They sang some nice cover versions and Anna had very memorable tights. They were joined by Mr G-S to perform a version of Superstitious by Stevie Wonder. Wallis Bird also did a turn, which was really well received but I have to say it didn't make much of an impact on me. However, many of my friends, as well as Dan, have a lot of time for her so I will defer to their opinion on this particular performer.
One of the nicest things about the afternoon was that it felt really relaxed and friendly, although at some points it did feel scarily like we had wandered into someone else's garden by mistake and we weren't supposed to be there.
We got to see a fab duet by Dan and Sophie - It's My Party - which was a great choice for Sophie's vocal. I don't think I've ever listen to the lyrics properly before but it was really lovely. Dan and Sophie sound great together so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a proper duet at some point soon.
Then Dan, with breaks for raffle ticket drawing, sand a number of his own songs and a couple of covers. He said (and I believe him) that he hadn't practiced and he took prompts from the gathering for the play list, which included Strange and Rose, as well as Cat Steven's Wild World. It was so relaxed it was almost untrue.
What could be better than relaxing in the sun in the company of lovely friends with a pint of cider, colouring in homemade bunting while listening to amazing music and raising money for charity all at the same time? Same time next year please!!
The Feeling are currently recording their third album, much too slowly for my liking
There's not many gigs that come with a complimentary "design your own bunting" competition. Or many pub BBQs that have chart topping songstresses in the garden. With their nannies. Or, for that matter, many village fetes where you can play Twister.
And while I'm sure no one would disagree with me that the world would be a better place if occurrences such as these happened more often, I'm very pleased to say that I was present when these stars aligned to produce Dan Gillespie Sells' FUN-draiser in aid of the charity work that his brother is doing in Uganda. The weather was kind and the small but beautifully formed beer garden played host to one of the most random afternoons I have enjoyed since I don't know when. There was a rather nice BBQ, a cake stall and a bring and buy, as well as a small stage for the musical entertainment. So far so normal. The really strange thing was that the place was filled with a mix of fans of The Feeling, who had been invited via Facebook and the band's website, 2/5 of The Feeling and their family and friends (including Richard Jones' wife Sophie Ellis-Bextor, their kids, and Dan's mum) and I'm sure some random punters who had just ventured out for a pint on a sunny afternoon and were probably quite dazed and confused.
The 'gig' part of the afternoon was kicked off by Anna McDonald who was the female vocalist on Columbia by TF (which is fab) and a guy whose name I didn't catch. They sang some nice cover versions and Anna had very memorable tights. They were joined by Mr G-S to perform a version of Superstitious by Stevie Wonder. Wallis Bird also did a turn, which was really well received but I have to say it didn't make much of an impact on me. However, many of my friends, as well as Dan, have a lot of time for her so I will defer to their opinion on this particular performer.
One of the nicest things about the afternoon was that it felt really relaxed and friendly, although at some points it did feel scarily like we had wandered into someone else's garden by mistake and we weren't supposed to be there.
We got to see a fab duet by Dan and Sophie - It's My Party - which was a great choice for Sophie's vocal. I don't think I've ever listen to the lyrics properly before but it was really lovely. Dan and Sophie sound great together so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a proper duet at some point soon.
Then Dan, with breaks for raffle ticket drawing, sand a number of his own songs and a couple of covers. He said (and I believe him) that he hadn't practiced and he took prompts from the gathering for the play list, which included Strange and Rose, as well as Cat Steven's Wild World. It was so relaxed it was almost untrue.
What could be better than relaxing in the sun in the company of lovely friends with a pint of cider, colouring in homemade bunting while listening to amazing music and raising money for charity all at the same time? Same time next year please!!
The Feeling are currently recording their third album, much too slowly for my liking
Scouting For Girls @ Newmarket Races, 7th August 2009
They’re so love-er-ly
The day before the Scouting For Girls concert at Newmarket races it poured with rain…luckily the day itself was sunny and bright despite the going being rather soft. I’ve seen SFG once before at the Ricoh in Coventry. No wait, if you include Glasto 08 and the Visa Olympic Handover party I’ve actually seen them 3 times before. It’s difficult to keep track…
Anyway, Coventry was rather an odd experience as myself and my 2 friends were probably the only people in the room (aside from the band) aged between 18 and 45. The main bulk of the crowd were teenage – making for a very good view of the stage as they hadn’t yet finished their growth spurts – with their parents all standing at the back. At Newmarket the crowd was much more mixed and I’m pleased to say that all 18,000 of us had a ball. I was with my lovely music fan friends, which meant that we were standing in prime position near the front.
The day before the Scouting For Girls concert at Newmarket races it poured with rain…luckily the day itself was sunny and bright despite the going being rather soft. I’ve seen SFG once before at the Ricoh in Coventry. No wait, if you include Glasto 08 and the Visa Olympic Handover party I’ve actually seen them 3 times before. It’s difficult to keep track…
Anyway, Coventry was rather an odd experience as myself and my 2 friends were probably the only people in the room (aside from the band) aged between 18 and 45. The main bulk of the crowd were teenage – making for a very good view of the stage as they hadn’t yet finished their growth spurts – with their parents all standing at the back. At Newmarket the crowd was much more mixed and I’m pleased to say that all 18,000 of us had a ball. I was with my lovely music fan friends, which meant that we were standing in prime position near the front.The most enjoyable thing about SFG, other than their insanely catchy pop tune-age, is that they seem so, well, normal. They look so happy to be there on stage and seem to be in a perpetual state of disbelief that all these people actually want to see them perform. This earns them top marks in the likeability stakes and almost 100% audience participation in singing along. The SFG boys always thank the audience for being the most important member of the band during their set, and at some points the gig almost becomes karaoke on a huge scale, with the crowd not needing the words to sing along word perfectly. Lead singer Roy rushed around the stage and ran through the crowd, while engaging in friendly banter with bass player Greg and enlisting the audience's help in recording a message on his camera to a regular member of the band who had just got married.
Everything about SFG is FUN and the music lives up to that. Which other band would be able to quote from Masters of the Universe and James Bond, and sing songs about Michaela Strachen (I'm disappointed to learn that an early version of that song included references to Terry Nutkin - surely that should have made the final cut??!?). I can't wait to see what songs the band add to their repertoire from their second album, which I understand from the oracle that is Twitter is currently being remixed (whatever that means). It will be ice to hear some new material as it feels like their only challenge is making sure they don't become too predictable. And it will need to be good because the fickle finger of pop (aka the Radio 1 playlist) is not kind to pop bands on their second album, especially if they don't have electro pop or hip hop tendencies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the fun will shine through.
After an encore of Glastonbury and the crowd favourite She's So Lovely, I was lucky enough to have a well connected and benevolent friend who got us all back stage to meet the band. I'm pleased to report that they are as normal and nice as they seem on stage. They made time to chat, sign and have photos taken, even though they were with friends and families. All I can say is thanks and good luck for the next album. Oh, and FYI - high heels and muddy ground do not make for successful jumping up and down...
Scouting For Girls eponymous debut album is still available in all good record shops and mp3 download online emporiums
Friday 28 August 2009
Wednesday 26 August 2009
MIKA @ The Roundhouse, 31st July 2009
Kerching-ah!
I must admit that I went to the final night of the iTunes festival with relatively low expectations. I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to come and see the man himself with me, so I went on my own and, as is so often the case, met some really nice people on the way.
Being an iTunes Festival veteran by now I turned up at exactly the right time to see the full set of support act Erik Hassle. Unfortunately, my smugness was ruined by the face that they had arsed around with the timings as the beginning of Mika’s set was being broadcast live on ITV2 and I arrived half way through. From what I saw, Erik Hassle was pretty good AND has preposterous hair (think ginger Mr Whippy or male La Roux), which seems to be de rigueur at the moment.
Up front I will tell you that Mika’s set was awesome. The main reasons for this are as follows:
See I told you. UNDENIABLY AWESOME.
Ultimately it was actually one of the most fun gigs I’ve been to in a long time. MIKA has boundless energy and all the songs really came alive in the live environment. I definitely will be going to see him on his next tour.
MIKA’s new single “We are Golden” is out on September 7th
I must admit that I went to the final night of the iTunes festival with relatively low expectations. I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to come and see the man himself with me, so I went on my own and, as is so often the case, met some really nice people on the way.
Being an iTunes Festival veteran by now I turned up at exactly the right time to see the full set of support act Erik Hassle. Unfortunately, my smugness was ruined by the face that they had arsed around with the timings as the beginning of Mika’s set was being broadcast live on ITV2 and I arrived half way through. From what I saw, Erik Hassle was pretty good AND has preposterous hair (think ginger Mr Whippy or male La Roux), which seems to be de rigueur at the moment.
Up front I will tell you that Mika’s set was awesome. The main reasons for this are as follows:
- They covered the whole stage in silver glitter, the only act I saw at The Roundhouse who personalised the stage. There was also a glitter cannon (awesome) which means I was picking silver confetti out of my bag / clothes / shoes for days afterwards
- There was a whole choir with slightly mental silver sparkly cardboard hats
- MIKA looked like something out a Clockwork Orange if they had been dressed in white dungarees and had top hats. Well, the eye make up was similar anyway
- He played all the old brilliant songs and also some new ones, which is always a good mix
- MIKA can really sing. And play the piano. And jump about like a lunatic. And throw buckets full of glitter over the crowd in true clown style
- They did an encore
- The encore included the introduction of dozens of huge balloons into the crowd for us to play with
See I told you. UNDENIABLY AWESOME.
Ultimately it was actually one of the most fun gigs I’ve been to in a long time. MIKA has boundless energy and all the songs really came alive in the live environment. I definitely will be going to see him on his next tour.
MIKA’s new single “We are Golden” is out on September 7th
Monday 10 August 2009
15 miliseconds of fame...
The Script have posted a video on You Tube of their final night at the Shepherd's Bush Empire - you can just spot me on the front row :-O
The Hoosiers @ The Roundhouse, 30th July 2009
Slightly more robber than cop
My third visit to the iTunes festival and my briefest. Due to a scheduling error (my friend's hair appointment overran) I unfortunately missed most of the support act, Steve Appleton. I must admit I hadn't heard of him before so I wasn't too worried, but I did see him do a nice MJ cover and from the back of the room he looked a bit like comedian Russel Howard - so why wouldn't you want to check out his my space on these grounds alone?? Actually my other friends who had made it in on time said he was pretty good, which is probably a better recommendation...
Anyway, I had had a small crisis of confidence on the way to the gig was worried that I could only remember one song by The Hoosiers. Luckily I had my iPod with me so I was able to listen to all of their album while I was waiting for my friend and her hair to turn up, and was reminded that I actually really like the band. I'd seen them at Glastonbury last year but not been to one of their solo shows, and I had quite high expectations as I know they encourage their fans to dress up and the boys certainly ooze with personality in interviews. I was left a little bit disappointed on that front - it was pretty much a stand-up-and-play gig, although their brass section were wearing cool little winged helmets (and to be fair they score brownie points for having a brass section in the first place).
They played all their hits from their first album and also intro'd a couple of new tracks which were nice to hear. I think perhaps they hadn't played a full set for a little while as they seemed a bit tentative and the set was VERY SHORT INDEED, so much so that if I had paid money for the tickets I would have been a bit pissed off - they didn't even have an encore! Lead singer Irwin said that they probably wouldn't be playing again this year - from a quick check on Twitter they seem to be at the back end of finishing their second album, so I guess that makes sense.
So while their show was good and they can definitely play live, it wasn't a great show. I look forward to them coming back bigger and better next year.
You can download The Hoosier's live performance at the iTunes Festival now
My third visit to the iTunes festival and my briefest. Due to a scheduling error (my friend's hair appointment overran) I unfortunately missed most of the support act, Steve Appleton. I must admit I hadn't heard of him before so I wasn't too worried, but I did see him do a nice MJ cover and from the back of the room he looked a bit like comedian Russel Howard - so why wouldn't you want to check out his my space on these grounds alone?? Actually my other friends who had made it in on time said he was pretty good, which is probably a better recommendation...
Anyway, I had had a small crisis of confidence on the way to the gig was worried that I could only remember one song by The Hoosiers. Luckily I had my iPod with me so I was able to listen to all of their album while I was waiting for my friend and her hair to turn up, and was reminded that I actually really like the band. I'd seen them at Glastonbury last year but not been to one of their solo shows, and I had quite high expectations as I know they encourage their fans to dress up and the boys certainly ooze with personality in interviews. I was left a little bit disappointed on that front - it was pretty much a stand-up-and-play gig, although their brass section were wearing cool little winged helmets (and to be fair they score brownie points for having a brass section in the first place).
They played all their hits from their first album and also intro'd a couple of new tracks which were nice to hear. I think perhaps they hadn't played a full set for a little while as they seemed a bit tentative and the set was VERY SHORT INDEED, so much so that if I had paid money for the tickets I would have been a bit pissed off - they didn't even have an encore! Lead singer Irwin said that they probably wouldn't be playing again this year - from a quick check on Twitter they seem to be at the back end of finishing their second album, so I guess that makes sense.
So while their show was good and they can definitely play live, it wasn't a great show. I look forward to them coming back bigger and better next year.
You can download The Hoosier's live performance at the iTunes Festival now
a-ha @ The Roundhouse, 24th July 2009
Gig going can be a strange thing. This is what I was thinking as I was waiting for a delayed plane to take me back from Edinburgh to London to go to and see the band who were responsible for the first albums I ever owned on cassette.
Anyway, I got there just in time as German/Irish rock band Reamonn were taking to the stage. A bit heavy for my taste but they seemed to get the crowd going pretty well.
When the main event took to the stge I was surprised how good Morton still looked. And sounded to be fair. The set interspersed new material with old classics that sounded surprisingly fresh - the recent 80s revival has only served to make a-ha relevant again.
Cry Wolf and The Sun Always Shines on TV were hug highlights for me and although they made us wait until the encore for Take On Me it was really worth it.
Anyway, I got there just in time as German/Irish rock band Reamonn were taking to the stage. A bit heavy for my taste but they seemed to get the crowd going pretty well.
When the main event took to the stge I was surprised how good Morton still looked. And sounded to be fair. The set interspersed new material with old classics that sounded surprisingly fresh - the recent 80s revival has only served to make a-ha relevant again.
Cry Wolf and The Sun Always Shines on TV were hug highlights for me and although they made us wait until the encore for Take On Me it was really worth it.
Saturday 1 August 2009
Carina Round @ The Water Rats, 21st July 2009
The things you find in the backseat of your mind
Carina Round is a singer songwriter originally from Wolverhampton who now lives and works in LA (that must be a bit of a change...) and I came across her because Gary Go wrote a song with her for her recent EP. I've seen Gary perform Backseat a couple of times and it's such a beautiful song I thought it would be be good to see Carina's version live.
After a couple of good support acts - I particularly liked Reverso who are apparently predominantly from Ecuador (check them out here) - Carina came on stage with her band. Apparently they had only got together a few days before as her normal band were still over in the states but they came across as being pretty polished despite the problems with the set up and particularly Carina's mic. They also started stupidly behind schedule which made for a very late night for me but worth it.
I have to say that the music was a lot more rocky than I expected with quite a lot of shrieking but I did enjoy it, even though it wasn't my usual type of music. Carina herself looks like a porcelain doll - in fact a little bit like Sophie Ellis Bextor but with smaller eyes - but the noise that comes out of her lungs is pretty impressive. And Backseat was just lovely with some good audience participation:
Carina's EP, Things You Should Know, is available to download now.
Carina Round is a singer songwriter originally from Wolverhampton who now lives and works in LA (that must be a bit of a change...) and I came across her because Gary Go wrote a song with her for her recent EP. I've seen Gary perform Backseat a couple of times and it's such a beautiful song I thought it would be be good to see Carina's version live.After a couple of good support acts - I particularly liked Reverso who are apparently predominantly from Ecuador (check them out here) - Carina came on stage with her band. Apparently they had only got together a few days before as her normal band were still over in the states but they came across as being pretty polished despite the problems with the set up and particularly Carina's mic. They also started stupidly behind schedule which made for a very late night for me but worth it.
I have to say that the music was a lot more rocky than I expected with quite a lot of shrieking but I did enjoy it, even though it wasn't my usual type of music. Carina herself looks like a porcelain doll - in fact a little bit like Sophie Ellis Bextor but with smaller eyes - but the noise that comes out of her lungs is pretty impressive. And Backseat was just lovely with some good audience participation:Carina's EP, Things You Should Know, is available to download now.
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