Sofar Sounds Secret Gig #3

As you may be aware I have been fortunate enough to attend a number of secret gigs at various locations around London, courtesy of Sofar Sounds. On 11th February I was once again lucky enough to go to a strangers (very cool) house in Stoke Newington and watch four fab bands play.

First up was Honey Blood. This Scottish duo, made of Tina Tweeddale on guitar/vocals and Shona McVicar on drums, classify their music as 'crunch pop' - a "blend of blustery vocals and swirling guitars."

These girls were actually due to perform at another venue later that evening, however before they dashed off we were treated to a three song set.  To hear their music check out their self titled album "Honeyblood." Tracks featured on the album include Killer Bangs and Super Rat.

For more information check out their Twitter page: https://twitter.com/yumhoneyblood

Next up were Elliot Galvin Trio. The great thing about Sofar Sounds is the opportunity to see a wide range of artists and bands of all different genres. This couldn't have been more true for the next band. 

Elliot Galvin Trio were fabulous. These three very understated lads took to the floor with their instruments and performed an absolutely flawless set. Elliot Galvin on piano, Tom McCredle on bass and Simon Roth on drums, incorporate classical, jazz and art into their music. The mastermind of this band, Elliot Galvin, composes all the bands material. To highlight how good these guys are, in 2014, they won the European Young Musician of the Year Award. 

Regardless to whether you listen to classical music or not, these tremendously talented guys are definitely worth your time. 

For more info about this band check out their Twitter page: https://twitter.com/ElliotGalvin

Next, and my personal favourite of the night: Jay Brown. Although Jay Brown, a singer from Northampton, usually sings with a band, she performed solo on this occasion. She played a number of tracks including Sun Comes Up, We Are The People and my personal fav, Diamonds.

Brown has already played at a number of large venues including Glastonbury in 2013 on the BBC introducing stage. She is definitely someone to keep an eye for in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed her set. Again, very understated, Brown's raspy/gruff vocals oozed rawness and emotion. If you, like me, are a fan of stripped back/acoustic music, than you will be a fan of Jay Brown.

For those of you who are Bastille fans, you may also recognise Brown from when she featured on the track "Forever Ever" with Kate Tempest.

For more info on Jay Brown, check out her website: http://jaybrownofficial.co.uk/

And finally but by no means least, Rozi Plain. This girl is hilarious - I loved her! Originally from Winchester, Rozi in an indie singer who has previously supported KT Tunstall and played at a number of festivals including The Green Man and End of the Road Festival. To date Rozi Plain has released two albums "Inside Over Here" and "Joined Sometimes Unjoined." During her set, Rozi sang Actually and Jogalong.

Rozi played a great set. Her dry sense of humour, accompanied with her upbeat and catchy tunes was the perfect finale to a brilliant night of live music. When listening to Rozi I was reminded a great deal of Tegan and Sara, for their similar music styles and distinct vocals.

For more info on Rozi Plain, check out her website http://roziplain.co.uk/.

Overall I had a great night of live music. If you haven't signed up, you are missing out. Here is the site if you are interested: http://www.sofarsounds.com/

Sofar Sounds

For those of you who are unaware of  Sofar, than I urge you to check it out NOW!!

Sofar Sounds first began in North London in 2009, when three artists played to a room (usually a living room) of music lovers. Since its launch, Sofar has gone on to achieve great success - not only hosting events in London and other UK cities, but in 37 countries around the world (incl. Turkey, brasil, US, Ireland and Australia).

Such a great concept, it is not surprising Sofar has become so popular. The set up is very simple; after you register via their website and select the dates you wish to attend, you just have to wait for an email confirming your place. It is important to note that although Sofar try to give as many people the opportunity to attend  an event, they are hugely popular and so don't expect to get an invite after your first attempt.

If you are successful Sofar will then send you an email, two days before the event, with the address of the venue. What is exciting about this is you have no idea where this venue is (since it is someones house) or who is playing.

Previous  well known artists who have played at Sofar include: Dry The River, Bastille and George Ezra.

At the beginning of this month I was lucky enough to get tickets to attend a Sofar event in Hackney. A very cool venue (a warehouse converted into a home), myself and 100 other die hard music fans sat together and watched three great live acts - Beans on Toast, Too Many Ts and Gorgeous George.

A night full of live music, laughter and sing alongs, I really can't stress how fun the evening was. Check it out. I can promise it will be well worth your time.

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/