Sofar Sounds (Secret Gig number 2)

Back in November you may remember me posting about a secret gig I attended courtesy of Sofar Sounds. If not, here is a reminder: Review

This week I was fortunate enough to get my hands on another set of tickets to another secret gig at another secret location in London.

On Tuesday, with my friend in toe, we headed to Swiss Cottage to see three local/talented acts, and boy were we in for a treat. Not only were the three acts completely different from each other but they were all awesome!

First off was Miss Baby Sol. What can say? Sassy, fun and uber cool, this girl sure can sing. With orange hair, impressive heal boots and a black jumpsuit, Baby was the perfect pick to start the night off. Baby, along with her guitarist, soon had the whole crowd swaying and clicking along to her soulful tunes.

Baby sang a number of her own singles including She Cries, Always and No No. Although bashful between songs, this girl oozed confidence as she sang her way through her set.

Miss Baby Sol (picture from @marina111288) 

With the support of Paloma Faith behind her, it is clear the Sofar crowd are not the only ones who think she has talent. To hear more from Baby check out her website: http://www.missbabysol.com/

Upcoming gigs: 
Sat 7th Feb. Passing Clouds - London

Next up, were the Irish foursome, The Riptide Movement .

Riptide Movement 

Riptide Movement, made up of lead singer Malachy Tuohy, drummer Gar Byrne and guitarists John Dalton & Gerald McGarry, are an irish rock band from Dublin. Having never heard of them before I was impressed to hear their album "Getting Through" went to number 1 in the Irish Charts last year.

I must say, as a huge fan of folk rock music, this band were right up my street. Having already supported The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, it comes as no surprise these boys looked relaxed and comfortable performing to a living room full of 50 strangers.

When they played, I was reminded a great deal of a more upbeat and cheery version of Kodaline and The Coronas. Their set included singles "You & 1," "Glor" and "Skins & Bones." They are due to release their debut UK single "All Works Out" on March 9th, and I for one will be definitely downloading it.

Malachy Tuohy - Riptide Movement (picture from @marina111288)

Although Riptide Movement have no upcoming gigs, they have just played a sold out three day tour at the Islington. Watch out for these boys, I'm confident this is not the last we have seen of them. 

And finally, from soul, to folk-rock to....beat boxing. The last act, and by no means least, was Reeps One. 

I have one word; Wow! As someone who only ever finds herself listening to dubstep when out on the dance floor on a night out, I was completely mesmerised by the whole thing. Harry Yeff, or otherwise known by his stage name Reeps One, made beatboxing look a breeze. Joking with the crowd, Reeps One showed off his vocals, dubstep sounds and versatile beats. Having played at Glastonbury three times, supported the likes of Chris Brown and won the Vauxhall UK Beatbox Championships two years in a row, I am thrilled to have got the opportunity to see this guy live - it was like nothing I had seen before. 

Reef Ones website is currently under construction but here is the link anyway; http://reepsone.co.uk/

Overall I had an absolutely superb night of live music. Three very different acts, all known for their own style and genre, I was spoilt. I had a cracking night, and couldn't thank the brilliance of the Sofar Sound group enough. Again, if you haven't signed up, you are missing out. Here is the site if you are interested: http://www.sofarsounds.com/

Ben Howard - Live review

So its no secret, I am a huge fan of Ben Howard. On Thursday 4th Sept I headed to Hackney Empire to see Ben Howard live, for what would be my fifth time.

With his highly anticipated second album "I forgot where we were" due to be released on the 20th October, a lot of fans (myself included) were eager to hear what new material Ben had in store for us. While it was unknown whether Ben would play many of his popular hits, such as 'Keep your head up" and 'The fear," I was hopeful the new singles  "I forgot where we were" and "End of the affair" would make the set list.

The evening started with support act Nick Mulvey, who singles include "Fever to Form," "April" and "Meet Me There." As someone who is relatively unknown to the wider crowds, Nick did a great job of warming up the crowd.

Next up was the man himself, Ben Howard. Having already seen Ben Howard live 4 times, I can honestly say this was the most different of all the shows. Accompanied by his usual side kick India Bourne, Ben Howard was also supported by a band. With a lot more electronic elements thrown into his songs, it somehow felt less  personal and stripped back than previous performances. Still, I can't knock him, the delivery and vocal talent Ben Howard has remains brilliant, and an absolute pleasure to watch.

The set list was made up entirely of new singles from his upcoming album, apart from the encore which included the popular hits "Everything," "Black Flies" and "The Fear" -  a risk many artists would feel is too great to take. Ben Howard however can relax, if the cheers and shouts were anything to go by at the end of each song, the fans were in favour of the new material. In addition to playing "I forgot where we were" and "End of the affair," other songs included "Conrad," "In dreams," and "The Small Things." For me, The Small Things was a definite highlight - sang with conviction, it reminded me a lot of previous songs which we have all grown to love so much.

After hearing a preview of the new material, it is clear Ben Howard has kept to what he is good at - dark, highly emotional melancholy tracks. Overall, I had a great chilled night and can say without a hint of uncertainty I am stoked for the release of the new album. I will say though, if I am being entirely honest, I have preferred previous performances more. I found the extra band accompaniment  and stage flash lights were just unnecessary distractions - a man with an unbelievable voice that evokes that much emotion is more than enough to keep the crowd captivated.

For previous post and reviews on Ben Howard, check out: Ben Howard live @ Hammersmith Apollo or Ben Howard live in NYC or Ben Howard live in Dublin

Ben has recently announced a tour in december - check out for dates and ticket info: http://www.benhowardmusic.co.uk/  (please note all UK tour dates are now sold out)

Ben Howard Review

Only securing the tickets a week ago for the gig, I was pumped to be given the chance to see Ben Howard perform again.

Having already seen Ben Howard perform live (in NYC), my expectations of this gig were high - and boy did he deliver!

The set list for the evenings gig was: Everything, Black Flies, Old Pine, I Forgot Where We Were (new single), Only Love, The Wolves, The Burren, Burgh Island, Keep You Head Up, and The Fear. For encore Ben played: Keiko (new single), Oats in the Water, and Promise.

A totally chilled out guy who lets his music do the talking, this gig is solely about the music.

Playing a mix of singles, from crowd favorites (Keep Your Head Up/ Wolves), to my favourites (Black Flies / Burgh Island), to brand spanking new material (I Forgot Where We Were), the crowd were treated to a really great night of live music.

For me the highlight of the evening was his performance of new single "Keiko." This song reminds me a great deal of "Depth over Distance," in terms of harmonies and playing style on his guitar. Just him on stage, accompanied by his guitar, this song was raw and highly emotive.

It is safe to say from hearing the new material, the new album (due out sometime in the winter) is going to be just as good as the hugely popular debut album "Every Kingdom." Another single which is new and definitely worth check out is White Lights.

Something that stands out to me when watching Ben perform live, which I feel plays a huge part to his success, is his genuine appreciation and humble attitude to all the support he gets from his shows. There is no doubt this guy is popular - the packed out crowd at the Hammersmith Apollo cheered from start to finish.

To read my previous review of Ben Howard live in NYC check out: Review NYC

To read my original post about Ben Howard check out: Ben Howard

I am due to see Ben Howard perform in Dublin next month, and just between me and you - I cannot wait!!

Tour Dates
13th June. Isle of Wight Festival - Isle of Wight Festival, UK
26th June. Glastonbury Music Festival - UK
6th July. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - London, UK
14th July. Phoenix Park - Dublin, Ireland
29th July. Central Park - NYC
17th August. Boardmasters Festival 2013 - Cornwall, UK
15th August. Green Man Festival  - Powys, UK
17th August. Custom House Square - Belfast, UK

For more information regarding tickets and tour dates check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/1212276-ben-howard/calendar?page=1

The Lumineers Review

10 out of 10. I loved it.

I was fortunate to see The Lumineers live at O2 Academy Brixton, London last month with my friend. I cannot stress enough how fantastic they were. I have previously posted about The Lumineers: The Lumineers.

The evening started with support act Langhorne Slim, a country folk singer/songwriter from Pennsylvania, US. Langhorne Slim did a tremendous job of building the crowd up before the main headliner came on stage, and even came back on stage during The Lumineers set to accompany them for one song. Having never heard of this artist before I would certainly suggest folk fans to check him out - he was great!

Langhorne Slim (Support)

With the 5,000 strong crowd closing in around the stage, the atmosphere soon became electric with anticipation and excitement. As soon as the five piece folk band stepped on stage the party began! From start to finish, The Lumineers frontman Wesley Shultz had the sold out crowd eating out of his hand, and on their feet, singing and dancing along!

The evenings set list was: Submarines, I Aint Nobody's Problem, Flowers in Your Hair, Subterranean Homesick Blues (Bob Dylan Cover), Ho Hey, Classy Girls, Dead Sea, Slow It Down, Love, Love Love (new song), Charlie Boy, Stubborn Love, Big Parade. The encore: Morning Song, This Must Be The Place (cover), Flapper Girl.

Jeremiah Fraites, Neyla Pekarek, and Wesley Schultz together with the rest of the band delivered a flawless performance of upbeat, soulful and raw folk music. For me, one of the highlights of the evening was Wesley Schultz singing the first half of my favorite track "Slow it Down" all stripped back and acoustic.

Musicians to the core, this band is all about the music. As the crowd sang and danced in a frenzy to their hit single "Ho Hey" Wesley mid way told the crowd to "put away cameras and recording devices and just be human with us for a while." If anyone was on the fence about this band before that statement, it seemed clear they were sold! A huge cheer rang out from around the venue as people put away their phones/recorders and let themselves get lost in the music.

As the show came to an end, the crowds cheers and applause was huge. Wanting to show their appreciation (and hear more), the crowd knew they had just been treated to a joyous evening of live music.

If I ever get the opportunity, I will certainly buy tickets to see them live again. This group proved to London that they are by no means a one track wonder and are here to stay.

Pictures from the evening:

Langhorne Slim joining The Lumineers on stage

Tour dates: 

7th June.CMAC - NY

8th June. Mountain Jam - NY

9th June. The Grovernors  Ball Music Festival - NYC

13th July. T In The Park - Scotland, UK

27th July. XPoNential Music Festival - Camden, NJ 

23rd August. Leeds Festival - Leeds, UK

25th August. Reading Festival - Reading, UK

For more information regarding tour dates and tickets check out: http://thelumineers.com/tour-dates/

Maps & Atlases Review

I have previously posted about this band: Maps & Atlases.

On 6th March I was fortunate enough to see Maps & Atlases live at Dingwalls, Camden in London.

Supporting Maps & Atlases was The Physics House Band.

The set list for Maps & Atlases was: Pigeon, Winter, Artichokes, Old & Gray, Remote & Dark Years, Will, The Charm, Old Ash, If This is, Was, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Silver Self, Living Decorations, Fever, Solid Ground. Their encore consisted of: Daily News.

In terms of comparing this gig with others that I have been to I would have to give it an average score of 6/7. For me there were times when Erin Elders, Shiraz Dada, Chris Hainey and Dave Davison seemed to struggle to capture and hold the full attention of the crowd. Also the performances of their tracks just didn't seem to construe the true excellence that their tracks boast on record.

Despite my slight disappointment however I still had a great night of live music. When Maps & Atlases performed their single, "Silver Self" the crowd kicked into action and went positively crazy. In addition to this I thoroughly enjoyed their fantastic cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears.

Overall despite my initial disappointment of Maps & Atlases failing to live up to their full potential and my expectations, I still had a lot of fun. By the end of the night the sell out crowd seemed to be pleased and so I would say if you are a fan than definitely give them a go.

Gold Panda

If electronic music is your thing than you HAVE to check this guy out.

Gold Panda (real name Derwin Panda) is a musical composer, performer and producer from London, UK. I first came across this artist when his single Trust was played on Radio 1.

Despite signing with a record label in 2010, Gold Panda has yet to make it mainstream. In 2010 he released his debut album "Lucky Shiner" which in 2011 won him "The Guardian First album award for the best debut." As for this year, Gold Panda has so far released an EP, "Trust."

In terms of performances this guy is one cool dude. Wearing a hoodie, Gold Panda lets his music do the talking. While many have been put off by his seemingly disengaging stage presence, others have looked beyond this and enjoyed the sublime music that he so effortlessly creates.

Word to the wiser however this type of music is not for everyone, and so as much as I and many others love it, this wont be everyones cup of tea. Saying that, I do urge you to keep an open mind when hearing this, as Gold Panda really does create the most exquisite mixes and sounds (Like Totally).

Tour Dates: 
11th May. Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
12th June. Electric Brixton - London, UK

For more information regarding tickets and (Aus/NZ/ N.America/ European) tour dates, check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/2332370-gold-panda/calendar?page=1

Django Django

Four Londoners for you to check out.

Django Django are a British Rock band consisting of David Maclean, Vincent Neff, Jimmy Dixon and Tommy Grace. These four first got together back in 2009 when they met at Edinburgh College of Art.

In January of this year (2012) Django Django released their self titled debut album. Although it only reached number 33 on the UK Album charts, the band were nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize. Songs that feature on this album include; my personal favourite "Default," "Waveforms" and "Storm."

I am a huge fan of this band, I urge you to check them out.

Tour Dates:
21st Dec. O2 Shepherds Bush Empire - London
7th Feb. O2 Academy Newcastle - Newcastle Upon Tyne
8th Feb. Manchester Academy - Manchester
9th Feb. O2 Academy - Leeds
11th Feb. O2 Academy - Glasgow
12th Feb. Rock City - Nottingham
13th Feb. 02 Academy - Liverpool
15th Feb. UEA - Norwich
16th Feb. O2 Academy - Birmingham
17th Feb. Cardiff University SU - Cardiff
19th Feb. O2 Academy - Bristol
20th Feb. O2 Academy - Bournemouth
21st Feb. Brighton Dome - Brighton
23rd Feb. O2 Academy Brixton - London
25th May. Victoria Park - London

For information regarding tickets and/ or tour dates check out: http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/120686/Django_Django.html

Kings of Leon @ Hyde Park Review

No rain (well not much), no mud, 4 bands....no doubt about it - I had an awesome night!!! 

I arrived at Hyde Park all kitted out for the heavens to open - as did the 60,000 other people attending the gig. Kings of Leon were playing their second night of the nine days of performances held at Hyde Park. Bands due to perform at Hyde Park over the next couple of days include Rod Stewart, the Killers, Arcade Fire, The Black Eyed Peas, Pulp and Bon Jovi. 

Sadly due to work I missed Zac Brown Band perform so I can't tell you anything about them. However bands I did get to see were The White Lies, Paul Weller and of course Kings of Leon. 

I thought the supports The White Lies and Paul Weller were both great. I am a big fan of the White Lies anyway, so I was excited when I head they were supporting. Although they have great songs and sang them all very well they didn't seem to work the crowd very well. After their performance I feel that The White lies would be more suited to smaller venues where I am sure they will be fantastic live.

Next, after the White Lies was Paul Weller - an English punk rocker who certainly knows how to get a crowd going. Some of the songs that he sang included Changing man, Broken Strings (my fav) and From the Floorboards Up. It was clear from his effortless performance that Paul Weller has played a few gigs in his time - rocking out on stage and getting the crowd pumped for the main act. 

Next were the headliners - Kings of Leon. They are truly fabulous. Their set list included Radioactive, Taper Jean Girl, Four Kicks,The Bucket, Pistol of Fire, The Immortals, Revelry, Fans, Back Down South, Crawl, No Money, Charmer, Milk, Mary, Notion, Closer, Manhattan, Pyro, California Waiting, Molly's Chambers, On Call and Sex on Fire.

During this set there were no gimmicks, just Kings of Leon singing their songs. There was one negative to their performance however, the time it took for them to really work the crowd. Although they are promoting their new album "Come Around Sundown' the crowd didn't seem to respond as well to their newer tracks. In addition to this I feel that Anthony Caleb (lead singer) could have done more in terms of including the crowd. Despite saying "this is the best night of my life" he said very little else other than "thank you" a few times. 

Although the crowd was slow to get going, there was no doubt that every single person was singing with their arms in the air by the time the band performed their number 1 hit single "Sex on  Fire." This, with their excellent encore performance was definitely the highlight for me. Their encore included Knocked Up, Use Somebody and Black Thumbnai.

The gig concluded with fireworks which for me drew a close to a great night of live music.

Although the people I went with felt the gig lacked any atmosphere I would have to disagree. I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening listening to an awesome band. Yes their show in Manchester two years ago was better, but I would still go and see them live again in a heart beat.