Tag: Live

Live: Funeral Party, Tribes and Kitten at Heaven London

Just came back from a gig to see three very exciting bands – Kitten, Tribes, and Funeral Party. I hadn’t seen any of them live and I have to admit it was totally not what I was expecting- in a really good way!

I’ve previously mentioned Kitten on here: they’re a sort of cute/cool kinda rock band with a really hyper singer. Usually supporting acts are a bit of a drag but Kitten were just awesome: it was fun, and even though there was a bit of a mishap at the end, I could see a lot of talent coming out of these guys which I look forward to following.

Tribes were on next: these guys have developed a bit of a cult following although I don’t really know much about them. One website summed up their sound perfectly:  “here are some real mates making rock music like it’s meant to be: sexy, dramatic and influenced by something on Sub Pop”. It was fun to watch.

Finally, Funeral Party headlined tonight and the place was short of falling apart from crazed, beefy men (and a few women) going absolutely mental to their sounds. I don’t think I’ve seen a mosh pit that intense since my days at school. I sort of stood on the side slightly terrified but slightly ashamed of myself for not being involved. I think I’ve grown up too much… Anyway, the only way I can sum up LA-based Funeral Party is a sort of harder, dirtier, angrier Friendly Fires: there’s a lot of big noise coming from very polished beats. Definitely ones to catch live! More photos on my Flickr.

Live: Alex Clare & Oh Land at XOYO London

After the first time seeing Alex Clare live I knew I wanted to see him again. As it happened he was supporting Oh Land tonight at XOYO in ubercool Shoreditch. He didn’t disappoint, got me jumping around a little bit. I can’t wait for his album to drop!

Oh Land came on with a huge headdress made from feathers. She too was amazing, and clearly had a big crowd of devoted followers. One of the best shows I’ve seen this year (despite bumping into an ex of mine inside). All I can say about her music is it’s kinda like The Knife, but with a bit of heart. The Danish invasion continues. Oh, and Boy George was hiding in the crowd! Few more pics on my Flickr.

Live: Friendly Fires at Heaven London

Right, I’ll say this now and I’ll keep saying it- this is THE band to watch live. I honestly can’t compare their gigs to anyone else’s out there. The music is awesome, the lights are insane and the crowd is gorgeous to look at.

Playing a mix of tunes from their first album along with some stuff from their new one (Pala– which sounded just as good as the original tracks), I shuffled my feet as much as I could while carrying a massive bag on my shoulders from work.

Please go see Friendly Fires, your life will be so much better. And try to dance like the singer cos it’s just so painfully cool. The only down sides were the fact that they came on too early (8:30) and that it was on a Monday- this is the kind of gig you’d want to get crazy with on a weekend.

No pictures in the world could show you how amazing tonight was but I’ve tried in my own pathetic little way in Flickr here.

Live: Ollie Wride at Monto Water Rats London

I featured Ollie Wride a few days ago on here, and I’ve been looking forward to this gig since. There was definitely some Freddie Mercury in his show tonight and it was fantastic. It’s obvious there was a lot of planning for tonight, and I even found the soundcheck a bit entertaining… His sound (mix a bit of glam rock with some synth) is unique enough to give him an edge without being gimmicky, and the way he carried his set worked really good! Headrush was song of the night for me. Tons of fun, and a pop star in the making for sure!

Live: Lykke Li at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

Despite living 10 minutes away from the Shepherds Bush Empire where Lykke Li played tonight, I still managed to get there late enough to only find space to stand on the top tier of this bigger-than-it-seems venue. I wish I came earlier. First I heard of Lykke Li’s music a few years ago I found her a bit scary- just because it was a bit dark and intense for me. But then I saw her live some time ago and saw the vulnerability of her songs and fell in love.

Tonight was mostly stuff from her new record (Wounded Rhymes), and there was some serious attention to detail with the staging of this gig… Very good.

Live: Chew Lips at Bush Hall

Tonight seemed to be a bit of a showcase for Chew Lips‘ new songs coming off their second album. I must admit, I’m not very clued up on these guys but from the songs they played which I did recognise, I really enjoyed myself. The ones I didn’t know were still fun to hear, although I felt a bit out of touch compared to their crazy obsessed fans.

Overall, a pretty nice little gig. And I keep saying this to people- Bush Hall is the most gorgeous little venue in west London- you all must see something there!

Live: Patrick Wolf at Koko

The last time I saw Patrick Wolf live was at London’s Astoria before it got demolished to make way for an evil new train route. That was what, maybe three years ago? Maybe four… It was when he’d just released his ‘Magic Position’ album. That show was ridiculously over the top but very fun. Tonight I saw a different show though. There weren’t as many outfit changes or stage antics- just beautiful, colourful songs that have an optimistic vibe around them. Maybe it’s because he’s fallen in love, or maybe he’s just getting better the older the gets, but whatever it is, Patrick Wolf is super gifted.

Live: Yelle at Electrowerkz London

I’ve realised that every time I take pictures at these gigs, the more shit they look the more amazing the night was. Yelle‘s on tour right now supporting Katy Perry, but she played at this very random place in London last night. I didn’t know what to expect from Electrowerkz- but the crowd was ultra ‘cool’… i.e. the Shoreditch crowd (Hipsters).

There was a line up of about 5 or 6 acts before she came on, all of which were pretty good but who had the habit of making songs which all ended up sounding the same so I won’t talk about them – all except Tiger Love – who were close to amazing (the pics with the yellow neon lights above).

Anyway, Yelle came on after midnight and the place went nuts. Wherever Yelle plays you can be sure of three things: lots of cool looking people, lots of gays, and everyone dancing their arses off. This drove everyone to go crazy:

but her new stuff is definitely worth listening to also. We left after that so didnt stay around for In Flagranti but if you get to see Yelle live go and do it- you’ll have sore bits around your body the next day! More cacky pics on my Flickr.

Live: The Streets at Brixton Academy

You might know that I go crazy over The Streets… I don’t know why but it resonates with me. Last night they played Brixton Academy in London for what will probably be the very last time in their 10 years as a project, so I had to go. While everyone around me was fucked off their faces, I couldn’t help but get emotional- a lot of things have happened to me this last decade with Skinner’s songs playing as a soundtrack.

I felt as though I was 18 again, just coming out of school and freaking out over the future, being in relationships with people I shouldn’t have, and discovering stuff about myself that I never knew.  Anyway, it’s sad that The Streets are over, but it did end in an epic way last night. There’s more pics on my Flickr… They’re mostly shit just because I couldn’t stop moving around.

Live: N*E*R*D and The Hoosiers at the Album Chart Show

Just came back from this TV recording of the Album Chart Show for Channel 4, being filmed at Koko in London. Playing tonight were N*E*R*D, The Hoosiers, The Klaxons and The Script- but we only stayed for the first two (I’m not a huge fan of Klaxons or Script, and we had to wait something like 15 minutes between the sets so we just got old and went home instead). Check out the pics from the night on my Flickr right now. We were right at the front -thanks N*E*R*D for winning us some tickets! The Hoosiers were pretty good, but Pharrell and N*E*R*D were OUT OF THIS WORLD! You have to go see these dudes out when they hit a town near you.

Live: Liam Bailey and Rosanna at Gold Dust

These two artists are tipped to be very very big in the next year- and both were featured on this blog a while ago. Rosanna‘s set was great- she blends melodies with electric synths in a way on Swedes know how to do. Liam Bailey was also excellent- although some of the things he came out with between his songs were a bit OTT, verging on the off-putting. But his talent is pretty amazing and definitely worth checking out!

Live: Jamie Cullum at Kenwood House

Kenwood House is an estate owned by English Heritage, and every summer it hosts a series of concerts on it’s grounds- and charges insane amounts of cash for tickets. Which is fine, if the weather’s good. But it was raining. Heavily. And so, while sitting on deckchairs in the open air smelling soggy clothes from the people around us wasn’t very nice, Jamie Cullum was really good. I’ve wanted to see him live for so long and despite the shit weather, I reckon it was probably one of the best gigs I’ve seen in a really long time. There’s something about jazz that just sounds brilliant live.

Live: Active Child at The Lexington

There’s something so brilliant about Active Child– his music catches you from the beginning and draws you through a weird and wonderful world of complex beats and choir sounds. And the harp he carried around with him is simply cool. Active Child was playing with a couple of other bands tonight (Phantogram and MOPP) although I chose to only see him perform.

Live: Europe & Foreigner at iTunes Festival, Roundhouse

I think, like a lot of people, I went a bit crazy with this year’s iTunes Festival and applied to win tickets for all the gigs. Of all those gigs, this was probably the one that I was least interested it- so karma worked it’s way to make sure this was the only one I won this year! These two power rock bands (both huge in the 80’s) haven’t lost their rock- I actually really enjoyed it. Go see Europe on their tour next year in the UK: start growing your hair long and ripping your black t-shirts in the mean time.

Live: MTV Presents Alex Gardner + Eliza Doolittle at Dingwalls

Two future pop superstars-in-the-making played the tiny Dingwalls last night. This is the same venue where I saw Mika and Robyn just before they both went on to take over the world, so maybe it has something in the air for these aspiring singers. Eliza Doolittle was really good, and her harmless tracks were pretty fun to listen to. She also did a cover of a Justin Bieber track which I enjoyed far more than I should have…

Alex Gardner, who headlined the night, was also pretty amazing. This kid is only a teenager, and I mentioned him on here months ago. His sound is pretty unique, and you forget sometimes just how young he is from the way he performs.

Live: Jamiroquai at Club Debut, London

Words cannot describe how amazing this gig was. I don’t think anything will top what I witnessed last night at Club Debut. This was a warm-up gig for Jamiroquai’s appearance at Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park on Saturday. The bass on ‘Little L’ is just out of this world! Rock Dust Light Star is a new track from their upcoming album- hear a snippet of new single ‘White Knuckle Ride here.

Live: Lady Gaga at O2 Arena

I went to see Lady Gaga yesterday in London. I was tired of listening to her songs being overplayed on the radio, so while I was excited, I was still a bit unsure whether I would enjoy the Monster Ball Tour. Alas, she blew my mind away with the craziest, most fucked up show I think I’ve ever seen in my life. Amazing!