Emeli Sande

Emeli Sande is a Scottish Soul and R&B recording artist and songwriter.

Already Emeli Sande has achieved great things since hitting the music scene. She has two number one singles (Read All  About It, and Next to Me), a number one debut album "Our Version of Events," won numerous awards (the most recent being Best British Album and Best British Female at the 2013 Brit Awards), and has written a number of songs for the likes of Cheryl Cole, Tinie Tempah and Leona Lewis.

Sande has received great reviews for her gigs. Usually to a sell out crowd, Emeli leaves her crowds mesmerized by her tremendous vocals and great onstage presence. I was fortunate enough to win tickets to see Emeli Sande perform at the iTunes festival - click the link to read the full review.

Emeli has grown from a relatively unknown artist to a huge music star in a very short space of time. With impressive performances under her belt (Olympic Opening Ceremony, and singing for the President at the White House come to mind), we can be confident Emeli is going to be around  for a long time yet. Check out her gigs - it is worth it.

Tour dates:
13th - 16th June. Isle of Wight Festival - Newport, UK
11th - 14th July. T In The Park 2013 - Glenrothes, UK
12th - 14th July. Wireless Festival 2013 - London, UK
28th August. Rumsey Playfield Central Park - NYC

For more information about tickets and tour dates check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/2574236-emeli-sande/calendar?page=1

Bipolar Sunshine

I love this artist.

Adio Marchant, more commonly known as Bipolar Sunshine is a solo artist from Manchester. I came across Bipolar Sunshine purely by accident when I was spending an evening watching youtube videos. Formerly a member of Kid British, Adio now is concentrating on his solo career.

So far Bipolar Sunshine has posted two singles 'Rivers' and my personal favorite 'Fire.' To listen to them check out: Bipolar Sunshine singles.

As someone who recognises his style of music isn't for everyone, Bipolar Sunshine isn't afraid of taking risks. True, some people will hate it, but I for one love it. I would strongly urge you to check him out!

Bipolar Sunshine is releasing an EP, 'Aesthetics' on June 17th.

Tour Dates: 
20th June. Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen - London
21st June. Soup Kitchen - Manchester

For more information regarding tour dates and tickets check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/6538459-bipolar-sunshine

Lord Huron Review

Last week I went to see this band perform live at Scala in London. For more info regarding the band check out my previous post: Lord Huron

First up was the supporting act, Nataly Dawn. A singer I had not come across before, Nataly Dawn is a singer-songwriter from San Fran, USA. Nataly reminded me a great deal of a Anna Nalick and Regina Spektor. Although a great singer and songwriter, I felt that Nataly was missing something in her performance. One thing however that did stand out to me was how witty she was. Her dry sense of humor was clearly appreciated by the crowd, who were all giggling and listening between tracks.

Next on stage were the main act themselves; Lord Huron. Playing mostly songs from their debut album "Lonesome Dreams" these guys were really very good. I was initially surprised at the strong turn out, especially since this American indie folk band are not that well known within the UK.

Leading the boys on stage was lead singer Ben Schneider. Kitted out in a tweed jacket and a cowboy hat there was no questioning the 'folk' in this band. Looks cast aside however, Schneider and the rest of the guys' vocals were right on point, delivering track after track flawlessly.

It was obvious from standing in the crowd that all five members of the band were having a fab time on stage performing. The bands constant interaction of glancing and smiling at each other, mixed with their  lively stage presence really made the whole gig so much more exciting and enjoyable to watch.

The highlight for me was the bands encore performance of "Time To Run" which was anything but dull. With plenty of percussion and instrumental parts played throughout the track, the song soon had the entire crowd singing, bobbing and clapping enthusiastically along. Another memorable moment was when Ben Schneider was left alone on stage part way through to sing "She Lit A Fire" and "Lullaby" acoustically. The fact that I am a sucker for pretty much all acoustic performances probably means I am being totally biased when I say how amazing this stripped down performance was.

I certainly enjoyed the evening of live music. Although not quite on par with The Lumineers, and Mumford & Sons just yet, these guys demonstrated they have all the ingredients to match them one day. I will certainly be keeping an eye out on Lord Huron and their new material - i urge you to do the same.

Tour Dates: 
21st May. The Cluny - Newcastle Upon Tyne
22nd May. King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow
23rd May. The Deaf Institute - Manchester
21st June. Webster Hall - NYC
27th July. Wiggins Park - Camden, NJ (USA)

For  more information regarding tickets and tour dates check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/3447511-lord-huron/calendar?page=1

Acoustic "lullaby" and "She Lit A Fire"

Citizen Cope Review

Looking for a chilled out artist? Citizen Cope is your answer. 

Citizen Cope is an American songwriter and producer from Memphis, Tennessee. If you have not heard of this singer but like Trevor Hall (Supported for Citizen Cope ), Dispatch, O.A.R, and Amos Lee, than this singer is for you.

I was fortunate enough to see Citizen Cope live last year in NYC and was certainly not left disappointed. Citizen Cope, the pseudonym of Clarence Greenwood, has a number of great alternative rock songs including "Mr Officer," "Bullet And A Target" and my personal favorite "Son's Gonna Rise."

The set list for when I went to see him live in  NYC included "Bullet and a Target, Hurricane Waters, Every Waking Moment, Healing Hands, Pablo Picasso, If There's Love, Let the Drummer Kick, Coming Back, Keep Asking, Off the Ground, I Couldn't Explain Why, Back Together, Son's Gonna Rise, Lifeline, Salvation and Sideways."

In terms of excitement and spontaneity this gig does not score high, but don't let that put you off. Clarence Greenwood is the definition of "chilled out." A gig based entirely around the music, there is little fuss and absolutely no gimmicks or crowd banter. Surprisingly though I still had a great night. The energetic atmosphere created from the buzzing sell out crowd was electrifying.

When Clarence and his band appeared on stage, there were no jokes or introductions - just Clarence going straight into the first song of the evening. Overall if you are a fan of this group than you really do have to see them live. The quality of Clarence Greenwood's voice had the whole crowd enticed and hanging onto his every word. It was an extremely enjoyable, chilled out evening listening to excellent live music.

Tour dates
13th July. City Winery - NYC
14th July. City Winery - NYC
15th July. City Winery - NYC
16th July. City Winery - NYC
28th July. Asbury Park - NJ


For more information regarding tickets and his N. American tour dates check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/164785-citizen-cope/calendar

Ms Mr

I'm a huge fan of this duo.

I first came across this band when their single Fantasy was played on Zane Lowe's Radio1 show, and then again when their single Bones was featured on Game of Thrones.

Ms Mr is made up of duo Lizzy Plapinger (vocalist) and Max Hershenow (producer). Based in New York, these two have to-date released three singles; Hurricane, Bones and Fantasy, all of which feature on their EP "Candy Bar Creep Show."

On 14th May, Ms Mr's highly anticipated debut album "Secondhand Rapture" is due to be released.

Lizzy Plapinger has impressive yet distinctive vocals that have been likened to those of Florence from Florence and the Machine. Having built such a strong following after such a short amount of time, it is clear that Ms Mr is a band to watch out for.

Tour dates: 
15th May. The Bowery Ballroom - NYC
7th June. The Governors Ball Music Festival - NYC
11th July. The Haunt - Brighton, UK
15th July. Manchester Academy 3 - Manchester, UK
16th July. The Institute - Birmingham, UK
17th July. Electric Ballroom - London, UK

For  more information regarding tour dates and tickets, check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/5313478-ms-mr/calendar?page=1

We Are Scientists

If you are looking for humor, charisma and great indie songs than We Are Scientists are your calling!

We Are Scientists are an indie rock band from California who are superb live. They always have a great stage presence and give an extremely energized performance which never fails to get the crowd going. In addition to this, the band are are very witty/ funny and always have hilarious on stage banter.

If you have not heard of this band but like "The Maccabees," "The Futureheads" and "Mystery Jets" than this is certainly a band for you. They have five albums "Safety, Fun, and Learning," "With Love and Squalor," "Brain Thrust Mastery," "Crap Attack," and "Barbara." Their most successful album to date has been "With Love and Squalor" which sold over 100,000 copies in its first 6 months.

Songs which I suggest you to check out are "Nobody move, nobody get hurt," "This Science is dead" and "That's What Counts."

Overall I have to say this is a gig not to be missed.

Tour dates
22nd July. Thekla - Bristol
23rd July. Wedgewood Rooms - Portsmouth
25th July. XOYO - London
27th july. Kasbah - Coventry
30th July. Manchester Gorilla - Manchester
31st July. 53 Degrees - Preston

For more information about tickets and tour dates check out: http://nme.seetickets.com/tour/we-are-scientists?src=id1nmenewsrhsgtngtn

Bastille Review

A band to watch.

Bastille, formed by singer/songwriter Dan Smith, is a four man band from South London.

If the likes of King Charles, Dry The River and Gabrielle Aplin are your calling, than this is a band for you. I first came across Bastille by chance when I stumbled across their single Flaws on youtube. After listening to more of their music I instantly became a fan.

Since stumbling across this relatively unknown band all those months ago, Bastille have come along way. Recognised for their talent and potential, Bastille's recently released single "Pompeii" went straight to number 2 in both the Irish and UK singles chart. They have also released an EP "Laura Palmer," and two mixtapes (featuring all covers) "Other People's Heartache Part 1" and "Other People's Heartache Part 2."

Their catchy indie/pop melodies will soon have you singing and bobbing along in no time. Combine beautiful harmonies with an instrumental mix of drums, bass, and keyboards and you will have yourself the sound of Bastille. Despite being relatively new to the scene, this band has already performed at a number of very large venues, such as Glastonbury and Blissfield Festival.

I was fortunate enough to see Bastille when they supported Emeli Sande at the iTunes Festival. As mentioned earlier, I am a huge fan of this band and so I was really excited to see them.

I thoroughly enjoyed their performance. Their evenings set list included: Icarus, Things We Lost, Overjoyed, Bad Blood, What Would You Do (City High Cover), Oblivion, Pompeii, Flaws, Of the Night (Cover). Dan Smith with his hair sticking on end, was great at working the crowd. His strong vocal ability tied with the groups enthusiasm was enough to have the crowd enraptured.

I urge you to give Bastille a chance, I think you will be presently surprised by what you hear. I was.

Tour Dates:
May 2nd. Liverpool City - Liverpool
May 17th. O2 Academy - Oxford
May 18th. The Great Escape - Brighton
May 27th. Evolution Festival - Newcastle
June 15th. Isle of Wight Festival - Isle of Wight Festival
June 22nd. Gold Coast Ocean Fest - Croyde
June 28th. Glastonbury Festival - Glastonbury
July 06th. Blissfields - Winchester
July 26th. The Secret Garden Party - Huntingdon
July 27th. Redfest - Redhill
Aug 2nd. Hertfordshire
Aug 4th. Leopallooza - Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Aug 23rd. Reading Festival - Reading
Aug 24th. Leeds Festival - Leeds
Sept 7th. Bestival - Isle of Wight

For (European) tour dates and tickets, check out: http://www.bastillebastille.com/signup/#url=/live/