The Lumineers

I love the Lumineers.

If Of Monsters and Men, and Mumford and Sons are your thing, than you have to check out this band. The Lumineers are an American folk band from Colorado. Their self titled debut album "The Lumineers" (which includes their hit single, Ho Hey) was released back in April of this year, and proved to be a great hit - going straight to number 11 on the billboard charts.

In terms of live performances, you can relax - this trio is good! Made up of Wesley Schultz on guitar and lead vocals, Jeremiah Fraites on drums and vocals, and Neyla Pekarek on cello, piano and vocals, these three provide the perfect ingredients for a great folk band. In an interview recently Jeremiah stated "We're not reinventing the wheel or doing anything that different, the songs are super simple" - simple they may be, but rubbish they are not. If their album is anything to go by, this band has huge potential to do as well as other successful folk bands like Mumford.

Having just announced they will be supporting Dave Mathews Band on their N. American tour, this band will also be embarking on their own UK tour early next year. 

I got my ticket. Have you got yours?

Tour dates:
17th Dec. Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton Park, NY
20th Dec. iHeartRadio Theater presented by PC Richard and Son - NYC
21st Dec. Barclays Center - Brooklyn, NYC (supporting DMB)
17th Feb. O2 Academy - Liverpool
18th Feb. Stereo - Glasgow
19th Feb. Manchester Academy - Manchester
20th Feb. O2 Shepherd Bush Empire - London
22nd Feb. The Fleece - Bristol
23rd Feb. HMV Institute - Birmingham
24th Feb. The Haunt - Brighton
11th March. O2 Academy - Brixton.

For more information regarding tickets and their N. American and European tour, check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/2827981-lumineers/calendar?page=1

Biffy Clyro

One word to describe this scottish rock band: Phenomenal.

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from East Ayrshire. To date they have released five albums: Blackened Sky, The Vertigo of Bliss, Infinity Land, Puzzle, and Only Revolutions.

Their "Only Revolutions" album (my fav) did particularly well, reaching number 3 in the UK charts and earning them a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize. This album includes the hit singles "Many of Horror," "Mountains," and "That Golden Rule."

This band have recently announced they will be releasing their highly anticipated sixth album "Opposites" very soon. The first single to be released from their upcoming album is "Black Chandelier," which was played for the first time on Zane Lowes radio 1 show on 19th November. If you have yet to hear it, check it out: Black Chandelier

If you have not heard of this band, than shame on you. These boys are true performers and always put on a great show. Despite their success, Biffy Clyro always seem genuinely shocked by the fan base they have built over the years - it is because of this that I urge you to buy tickets asap, as their gigs frequently sell out.

Great talent shared with great personalities - Biffy Clyro always promise a fantastic night of live music. Buy tickets. I will be!

Tour dates:
20th March. Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle
21st March. LG Arena - Birmingham
22nd March. Motorpoint - Cardiff
23rd March. Motorpoint Arena - Sheffield
25th March. Manchester Arena - Manchester
26th March. BIC - Bournemouth
31st March. AECC - Aberdeen
1st April. SECC - Glasgow
3rd April. The O2 - London

For more information regarding tickets and tour dates check out: http://www.biffyclyro.com/2013arenatour

Smoke & Jackal

So I am going to apologise in advance for this one, but for this post I will be deviating from the norm..

For each post mentioned on this blog I try to write about an artist/ band that is either currently, or about to, embark on a tour of some sort. Although this band has no upcoming gigs on the pipeline I cannot let them go unmentioned, they are just too good!

Smoke & Jackal is a rock band from Tennessee, that first got together in June of this year (2012). Made up of Mona singer and guitarist Nick Brown, and Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill, this is a duo you MUST check out.

In a press statement released by the duo, they announced "coming together just worked." And worked it has. On October 16th Smoke and Jackal released their debut EP "EP1" which includes the tracks "Fall Around" and "No TELL." To hear all tracks from their EP check out: EP1.

Other Lives

I am a HUGE fan of this American indie band from Oklahoma. This band, who originally went by the name Kunek, has to date released two albums; their debut self titled album "Other Lives" and "Tamer Animals."

This band, over the years, has built up quite the strong fan base. Having toured with the likes of Rosebud, Radiohead, and Bon Iver, this band have certainly not gone unnoticed. Although this band has yet to become mainstream, don't be put off, their music is amazing. 

Songs to definitely check out by this band are"Black Tables," "Tamer Animals" and "Desert."

For this gig you should expect acoustic performances, very little interaction and a band that uses an assortment of different instruments. Although the music of the Other Lives is certainly not upbeat or even dance worthy it is both powerful and hypnotic, and will leave you feeling moved and transfixed.

Other lives are currently embarking on their N.America tour and will be heading back to the studio to begin work on their third album, which they hope to release sometime in 2013. 

If the music from the twilight saga is your calling, than this band is for you. Deep, dark and incredibly indie, I urge you to give em a go! They really are very good. 

Tour dates:
28th November. The Bowery Ballroom - NYC
29th November. Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

For details regarding tickets and the rest of their N.American tour check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/2353203-other-lives/calendar?page=1

The Staves Review

I first posted about this band in July when I came across them randomly on youtube.

I had known The Staves were going to be supporting Bon Iver on his tour, and so I was very excited to finally see them perform live.

The Staves are a folk band made up of three sisters; Emily, Jessica and Camilli Staveley - Taylor, from Watford, England.

In 2010 this trio appeared on the Tom Jones album "Praise and Blame," and later appeared on Fionn Regan's third studio album "100 Acres of Sycamore." Although they have yet to release their own album, The Staves are looking to release one by the end of the year. After supporting Civil Twilight on their North American tour, The Staves have proved to be very popular, and as a result have gained a lot of positive reviews and attention from both the fans and the media.

These three sisters remind me a great deal of  the other sister act "The Pierces." Both bands are able to successfully combine their incredible vocals and harmonise them to make beautiful and meaningful tracks. Their songs are very soulful and it is clear that a lot of thought goes into the lyrics of their songs.

Although I was really impressed with The Staves vocal talent, and was a huge fan of many of their tracks, I have to say I found them incredibly awkward to watch. Despite touring with the likes of Civil Twilight and Bon Iver, the girls looked very uncomfortable and not at all in sync with each other. Between tracks the nerves would show when they tried to have 'banter' with the crowd. Hopefully as the girls tour more this awkwardness on stage will subside, and they will be able to give the performance i know they are more than capable of producing.

Awakwardness aside, The Staves have lovely voices and many great tracks. If you are a fan of folk music than this is certainly a band you should check out.

Tour Dates:
28th - 29th July. Cambridge Folk Festival - Cambridge, UK
17th Aug - 19th Aug. Summer Sundae Weekenderr - Leicester, UK
6th - 9th Sept. Bestival 2012 - Newport, UK
8th Nov. Wembley Arena - London, UK (supporting Bon Iver)
9th Nov. Manchester Arena - Manchester, UK (Supporting Bon Iver)
10th Nov. The SECC - Glasgow, UK (Supporting Bon Iver)

For more details regarding tickets and tour dates check out:http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/147168/The_Staves.html

Two Door Cinema Club

I'm a Huge fan of this band.

Two Door Cinema Club are an indie band from N. Ireland. Forming together in 2007, this trio have gone on to achieve unbelievable success. Their debut album "Tourist History," which was released on March 2010, won the 'Choice Music Prize' for Irish Album of the Year. Songs from the album that I recommend checking out are "Undercover Martyn," "You're Not Stubborn" and "Something Good Can Work."

On September 3rd, Two Door Cinema Club released their highly anticipated second album "Beacon."  Within its first week of release, "Beacon" went straight to number one on the Irish Album Charts. So far only the single "Sleep Alone" has been released from this album, however they have recently announced the follow up single will be "Sun" (18th Nov).

This band has grown a very large and loyal fan base, so don't be surprised if their gigs are sold out. This lively band, with their well polished set, will certainly have you dancing and bopping away to their infectious upbeat tunes. So date, Two Door Cinema Club have proven to have enough raw talent and energy to pull off a great show regardless of the venue and/or crowd size.

This really is a must see band. Check them out,  you won't be left disappointed.

Tour dates: 
24th Jan. 02 Academy - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
25th Jan. 02 Apollo Manchester - Manchester
26th Jan. 02 Apollo Manchester - Manchester
28th Jan. Southampton Guildhall - Southampton
29th Jan. Rock City - Nottingham
31st Jan. Solus - Cardiff, UK
1st Feb. 02 Academy - Birmingham
2nd Feb. 02 Academy - Birmingham
4th Feb. Music Hall Aberdeen - Aberdeen
5th Feb. Barrowland Ballroom - Glasgow
7th Feb. O2 Academy Leeds - Leeds
8th Feb. O2 Academy Brixton - London
27th April. Alexandra Palace - London

For more information regarding tickets and tour dates (European), check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/804901-two-door-cinema-club/calendar?page=1

Bloc Party Review

When I saw Bloc Party last month, it was confirmed why they are one of my all time favorite bands.

To put it bluntly, they were: AMAZING!!

I was fortunate enough to get tickets to their sell out show at the O2 Academy in Birmingham. The evenings set list was: Octopus, 3x3, Hunting for Witches, Positive Tension, Kettling, Waiting for the 7.18, Song for Clay, Banquet, Coliseum, The Prayer, V.A.L.I.S, We Are Not Good People, Real Talk, One More Chance, Flux, Helicopter. Encore: Ares, This Modern Love.

One thing that I appreciated was the diversity of the crowd. There were the older fans, the twenty/thirty years old who remember the bands original music from the albums "Silent Alarm" and "A Weekend in the City," and finally the younger folks who were into the mosh pit and sounds of their latest album "Four."Just a note; due to the intensity of the crowd (and the mosh pit) it was virtually impossible to take any snaps of the band so I am afraid there are no cool shots of the band in action..sorry!

Kele as ever was great on stage.  A hugely charismatic guy, with distinct deep vocals, Kele effortlessly worked the whole crowd. The atmosphere was electric, with every soul in the venue squashed together with the hope to get closer to this epic foursome. It came as little surprise to me that the loudest response/applause from the crowd came when Bloc Party played their older tracks; The Prayer, Banquet, This Modern Love and One More Chance. For me the highlight was when they performed Banquet. I may be slightly bias due to it being one of my favorite songs but the packed out venue crowd seemed to be in a frenzy - everyone singing and dancing and quite frankly not caring who the hell was watching. It was brilliant.

I can honestly say if I had the chance to buy tickets to see Bloc Party again I would do so in a heartbeat. Although a long time coming, I can finally say  I have seen this awesome band live - and boy were they good!! 

Tour Dates:
4th Dec. Apollo - Manchester, UK
11th January. Wellmont Theatre - NJ

For more information regarding tickets and tour dates (N.America and European tour) check out: http://blocparty.com/#live