All sparks will fade out
Editors are used to playing venues that hold thousands rather than hundreds, so the 200 people at the XFM Live Session at the Water Rats were significantly closer to the action than they would be at a regular Editors gig.
Opening the evening's entertainment was a singer-songwriter called Karima Francis, hailing from Blackpool if the tattoo on her neck was anything to go by. She had a really pure voice and began proceedings with a beautiful song called The Author and was rewarded by an almost silent audience. She seems really personable and was joking and interacting with the audience very comfortably. The 5 song acoustic set went down surprisingly well with an audience primed and ready for some loud rock music - check her out on myspace here to hear what caught their attention.
Just after 9pm Editors took to the stage and performed a set lasting just over an hour. They got a great reception from the crowd with a mini mosh pit forming at the front, and the biggest reaction saved for All Sparks and Munich, the biggest hits from their Mercury Prize nominated 2005 album The Back Room, and closing number Papillion.
Editors continues a trend I have noticed recently in several others (most famously Das Pop and Noah and The Whale) where one member of the band looks like they are actually supposed to be part of a different group entirely. In Editors, this role is filled by their bass player Russell Leetch, who looked a little bit like a public school boy and wore a granddad collared shirt, which stood out like a sore thumb amongst the black-t-shirted-indie-rock vibe of the rest of the band. Strange.
Also strange was the mix of fans the band seemed to have attracted. Only a small number were heavily tattooed goth rockers; at the front there seemed to be a high proportion of both large sweaty men, and woman in their early 30s, with younger kids (late teenage, early 20s) slotting in just behind.
Editors put on a good show and front man Tom Smith is certainly a showman and has a fantastic voice. His posturing was positively snake-like and he sort of writhed across the stage, seemingly dislocating his jaw at least once every 5 minutes and looked like he could have swallowed a watermelon whole. But for all the intimacy of the small venue, he didn't engage with the audience much at all. The guys all seemed to be excellent musicians and spanned both guitar based music and electronica, but what disappointed me about the gig was the lack of texture and contrast in the performance. Everything was loud, like a wall of sound pounding you around the ears. And I felt that they lost some of the subtly and impact that could have been achieved if there had been just a bit more variation in the volume - more light and shade please. Interestingly I did get this from their records but in a relatively short set they seemed to get overrun over by the noise and the sound.
But a good concert (if not a great one) and thanks again to Barclaycard for providing me with another free night out.
Editors' third album, In This Light and On This Evening, is out now.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Friday, 8 January 2010
Being Human Series 2 Preview @ Curzon Mayfair
OK, so I know it's not music January is always a slow gig month...
Being Human has always been slightly ahead of the curve when it comes to the current trend for all things vampire related. The BBC Three show following the lives of a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost trying to live normal lives began as a single pilot episode back in 2008 and was commissioned for a full series following really strong support from the online community. Being Human has a really strong fanbase in the virtual world, with a very active blog on the BBC website, lots of extra videos, articles, interviews and the like, whetting the appetite of the hundreds of online fans for the second series which launches on BBC Three on Sunday at 9.30pm.
To celebrate this, an exclusive preview of the first episode was held last night in Mayfair, allowing a couple of hundred excited fans the opportunity to see it before anyone else. Intermingling with the fans were a whole cast of characters from the world of Being Human, all familiar to the fans – security staff from the creepy CeSSa (Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity, which has had it’s own website in the run up to Series 2) checking for anything out of the ordinary, a tea making ghost (mush to the approval of those queuing outside in sub-zero temperatures who were rewarded with hot drinks), a vampire and a werewolf, as well as an attack in need of medical treatment. The main cast were all there and took to the stage just before the screening, much to the approval of the excited audience, doing their thank yous and generally looking slightly uncomfortable with all the attention.
The show itself picked up directly after the end of series one, where George the werewolf, played by the excellent Russell Tovey, had killed the dangerous leader of the vampires, Herrick, and all is ‘back to normal’. A short montage went over the key points from the previous episodes, before focusing back on the lives of George, vampire Mitchell (played by the devastatingly attractive Aiden Crichlow), and ghost Annie (Lenora Turner, whose performance hits just the right combination of stir crazy).
The great strength of the show is the struggle of the characters to live normal existences despite their ‘conditions’, and not letting them take over their whole lives (or in the case of Annie, death). The main focus of Episode 1 on the relationship between George and his girlfriend Nina, who he has inadvertently turned into a werewolf without realising. Well, it could happen to anyone really. Sinead Keenan turns in a sensitive performance in the role of Nina, coming to terms with the reality of what is happening to her, and I’m pleased to say that there has been an improvement in the prosthetics and CGI arena, which was the only thing lacking from Series 1 and made the werewolf transformations much more watchable. The menacing presence of an organisation hunting down supernatural beings was introduced, the undercurrents of which were bubbling under the surface of the happy conclusion reached at the end of the episodes.
It will be interesting to see how the series develops with 4 main characters rather than 3, as Nina is now a member of the household. The character of Mitchell certainly had less story time than in previous episodes, although there was a lot of set up storylines yet to come. It certainly opens up a number of changes in the balance of power between the main characters and with it a number of new directions become possible. The endearing quality of Being Human is how funny it is, and there were several laugh out loud moments throughout the episode – why a naked Russell Tovey should be funny I have no idea as he is looking pretty fine, but it is. Actually, the nudity and the sex seemed to be a bit more graphic than the previous series and I’m not surprised that the age limit for the preview was 16. The show stood up really well on the big screen and it certainly has a cinematic quality...Being Human the movie anyone??
Series 2 of Being Human starts on Sunday 10th January @ 21.30
Being Human has always been slightly ahead of the curve when it comes to the current trend for all things vampire related. The BBC Three show following the lives of a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost trying to live normal lives began as a single pilot episode back in 2008 and was commissioned for a full series following really strong support from the online community. Being Human has a really strong fanbase in the virtual world, with a very active blog on the BBC website, lots of extra videos, articles, interviews and the like, whetting the appetite of the hundreds of online fans for the second series which launches on BBC Three on Sunday at 9.30pm.
To celebrate this, an exclusive preview of the first episode was held last night in Mayfair, allowing a couple of hundred excited fans the opportunity to see it before anyone else. Intermingling with the fans were a whole cast of characters from the world of Being Human, all familiar to the fans – security staff from the creepy CeSSa (Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity, which has had it’s own website in the run up to Series 2) checking for anything out of the ordinary, a tea making ghost (mush to the approval of those queuing outside in sub-zero temperatures who were rewarded with hot drinks), a vampire and a werewolf, as well as an attack in need of medical treatment. The main cast were all there and took to the stage just before the screening, much to the approval of the excited audience, doing their thank yous and generally looking slightly uncomfortable with all the attention.
The show itself picked up directly after the end of series one, where George the werewolf, played by the excellent Russell Tovey, had killed the dangerous leader of the vampires, Herrick, and all is ‘back to normal’. A short montage went over the key points from the previous episodes, before focusing back on the lives of George, vampire Mitchell (played by the devastatingly attractive Aiden Crichlow), and ghost Annie (Lenora Turner, whose performance hits just the right combination of stir crazy).
The great strength of the show is the struggle of the characters to live normal existences despite their ‘conditions’, and not letting them take over their whole lives (or in the case of Annie, death). The main focus of Episode 1 on the relationship between George and his girlfriend Nina, who he has inadvertently turned into a werewolf without realising. Well, it could happen to anyone really. Sinead Keenan turns in a sensitive performance in the role of Nina, coming to terms with the reality of what is happening to her, and I’m pleased to say that there has been an improvement in the prosthetics and CGI arena, which was the only thing lacking from Series 1 and made the werewolf transformations much more watchable. The menacing presence of an organisation hunting down supernatural beings was introduced, the undercurrents of which were bubbling under the surface of the happy conclusion reached at the end of the episodes.
It will be interesting to see how the series develops with 4 main characters rather than 3, as Nina is now a member of the household. The character of Mitchell certainly had less story time than in previous episodes, although there was a lot of set up storylines yet to come. It certainly opens up a number of changes in the balance of power between the main characters and with it a number of new directions become possible. The endearing quality of Being Human is how funny it is, and there were several laugh out loud moments throughout the episode – why a naked Russell Tovey should be funny I have no idea as he is looking pretty fine, but it is. Actually, the nudity and the sex seemed to be a bit more graphic than the previous series and I’m not surprised that the age limit for the preview was 16. The show stood up really well on the big screen and it certainly has a cinematic quality...Being Human the movie anyone??
Series 2 of Being Human starts on Sunday 10th January @ 21.30
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Scouting For Girls @ The Tabernacle, 30th November 2009
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
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
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
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