Ever been to a music gig? Want to go again? Want to know who is worth seeing?
Music gigs and festivals is a blog dedicated to telling you where and when the coolest bands are playing in NY and the UK. In addition to this I will also be sharing reviews about gigs and festivals I have attended which are definitely worth checking out.
I saw Colbie Caillat not too long ago and sadly I was a little disappointed.
Colbie Caillat is a singer-songwriter from California who first hit the music scene in 2007. She has two albums 'Coco' and 'Breakthrough' and is due to release her third on the 12th July. Her hit singles include "Bubbly," "The Little Things," and "I Never Told You."
One of my friends is a HUGE Colbie Caillat fan and so they persuaded me to go with the them to see her live in NYC. Although she is a great singer and has a number of great tracks, I felt her gig was missing something.
Despite their being packed crowd, I felt the gig lacked any real atmosphere and excitement. She didn't do much in terms of work the crowd - rather she just sang her songs and smiled a lot. Compared to gigs that I have been to, like Mumford & Sons and Imogen Heap, I would have to say Colbie Caillat would not be on my list of artists/ bands to see again.
Overall I would give this gig low rating- your not missing out on anything by not going...sorry!
Tour dates:
30th May. Paramont Theater - NY
2nd June. Rumsey Playfield - NYC
Switchfoot are an American Rock Band from San Diego, California.
Although predictable, I will admit I only became aware of Switchfoot when I watched "A walk to Remember." Just like everyone else my favorite song from the movie was "Dare You To Move" which ranked #73 on the Rhapsody list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.
Swtichfoot to date have released six albums "The Legend of Chin," "New Way to Be Human," Learning To Breathe," "The Beautiful Letdown," "Nothing is Sound," "Oh! Gravity," "Hello Hurricane" and the recently releaed "Vice Versa."
In addition to their huge selection of great songs, Switchfoot are known to be pretty great performers who can rock any venue. Although I have yet to see them live myself, Switchfoot have been around since the 1990s and are by no means strangers to touring - these boys know how to put on a great show.
Expect front man, Jon Foreman, to crowd surf. Expect a sell out crowd. Expect a crowd of rockers of all ages, and finally expect a great night of live music.
Tour Dates:
21st June. Isle of Wight Festival 2012 - Isle Of Wight, UK
6th August. Darien Lake Performing Arts Center - Darien Center, NYC
Now that the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is in
our collective rearview mirror and everyone has un-dropped their jaws in
response to the Tupac Shakur performance, critics and fans can begin to unwrap
what really went on there ... along with what that means for the summer touring
season that lies ahead. Various people toss various post-Coachella love letters
toward Bon Iver, the Black Keys, the Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, M83, Refused, Gary
Clark Jr., Flying Lotus, and Azealia Banks. But the overwhelming victor has to
be Radiohead.
Radiohead's 2012 Coachella Set List: Bloom, 15 Step, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Morning Mr Magpie, Staircase, The Gloaming, Pyramid Song, Daily Mail, Myxomatosis, Karma Police, Identikit, Lotus Flower, There There, Bodysnatchers, Idioteque,
Encore 1: Lucky, Reckoner, After the Gold Rush intro, Everything in Its Right Place
Encore 2: Give Up the Ghost, Paranoid Android
While Tupac may have, like Dr. Dre insists, been resurrected
solely for Coachella, Radiohead has a whole slate of tour dates plotted out
over the next few months with stops in Newark and Camden included as
alternatives to playing in New York City. After starting up in Mansfield,
Massachusetts, on May 29, the British phenoms take over Newark's Prudential
Center for a two-night stand spanning May 31 and June 1, followed a couple of
weeks later with a one-nighter at Camden's Susquehanna Bank Center on June 13.
Caribou is set to open all three shows.
This will be Radiohead's first-ever performance in Newark,
but not the first time they've skipped out on the Big Apple. In 2008, they
bypassed the City in favor of a spot on the All Points West Festival in Liberty
State Park (also in the Garden State). In fact, they haven't played Madison
Square Garden since 2006. Their Roseland Ballroom shows last November sold out
in mere minutes, with scalpers asking up to $600 each for tickets. In keeping
with Radiohead's eco-friendly tour policies, City dwellers attending the Newark
show should strongly consider taking the PATH train over to the Prudential
Center.
The Camden concert marks the end of the U.S. run and will be followed by dates in Canada, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia. All told, Radiohead looks to be on the road until mid-November supporting their latest Grammy-nominated release, The King of Limbs.
Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie rock band from Washington. To date, they have released several albums; "Something About Airplanes," "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes," "The Photo Albums," "Transatlanticism," "Plans," "Narrow Stairs," "Codes and Keys," and earned a number of Grammy Award nominations.
Although I have never seen Death Cab live they have received many rave reviews for their performances. In particular, Death Cab have gained a lot of support from Rolling Stone who describes their musical style as "melodic, melancholy songs about feeling both smart and confused, hopelessly romantic but wary of love." I would certainly encourage you all to get tickets.
Tour Dates:
19th July. Wellmont Theatre - Montclair, NJ
On Monday 31st April I was fortunate enough to see The Shins live at Terminal 5 in NYC. Although it was not completely sold out the place was crammed with men and woman of all ages. First up was the support: Chairlift. Until Monday I had never heard of Chairlift, an American Synthpop band based in Brooklyn, New York.
Chairlift have been touring for the last three months and have some good songs. Although lead singer Caroline Polachek had a good voice, her constant flamboyant dancing proved to be very distracting and at times just weird! I probably wouldn't check this band out again.
Next up were the main act of the night. The Shins.
Kicking the night off with "Kissing The Lipless," the crowd knew they were in for a great night. Most of the songs played during the night were from The Shins recently released fourth album "Port of Morrow" (see set list below). Although the crowd were cheering from the word go, the loudest reaction unsurprisingly came when they played their most popular tunes "New Slang," "Phantom of Limb" and my personal favorite "Caring is Creepy."
I must say the highlight for me was when James Mercer's (lead singer) performed an acoustic solo of "Young Pilgrims" during the encore. Drenched in sweat, Mercer put his absolute all into it, and as a result had the entire crowd captivated and singing along. His performance was flawless and left me in awe!
Although the band didn't say too much during the entire gig, their vocal and instrumental performances certainly made up for this. Accompanied by new band mates; Jessica Dobson (former beck guitarist), Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse drummer), and special guests Haley Dekle and Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors as backing vocalists, Mercer played a strong set.
The set list was: Kissing the Lipless, Simple Song, Bait and Switch, So Says I, Mine's Not a High Horse, Saint Simon, Pam Berry, Phantom Limb, No Way Down, Sphagnum Esplanade, Simple Song, New Slang, Australia, The Rifle's Spiral, Caring is Creepy, It's Only Life, One by One All Day.
Encore: Young Pilgrims (solo), Port of Morrow, Sleeping Lessons.
I would definitely encourage you to see The Shins live if you get the opportunity.
