Of Monsters and Men Review

This indie band certainly lived up to all expectations. 

I have been a fan of Of Monsters and Men for a long time and so knowing I had secured a ticket to their sold out gig in Birmingham made me ecstatic! (See previous post for more info about the band: Info)

Being a band full of individuals who can play an array of instruments, it came as little surprise that their music live was even more incredible than when hearing it on cd. With this ability, Of Monsters and Men are able to combine their diverse skill set to produce and deliver songs that just keep the crowd wanting to hear more. The evenings set list mostly consisted of singles from their debut album "My Head is an Animal" - although they did perform a very good cover of Skeletons  by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. 

One thing I did find ever so slightly disappointing was the lack of  'oomph' Nanna Himarsdottir and Ragnar Porhallsson seemed to have. Despite their impressive singing and continual chat with the audience, I felt they were just going through the motions. Dont get me wrong it was still a great gig and I thoroughly enjoyed myself; but comparing them to the likes of Mumford & Sons and Editors, I would say they came up slightly short. 

But anyway, enough of the negatives - with the combined effort from all (5) members the entire venue was soon filled with singing and clapping (see pic below). This gig definitely had a great atmosphere, and I would certainly recommend everyone to see them. 

Tour dates: 
3rd March. Norwich  UEA - Norwich, UK
5th March. O2 Sheoherd's Bush Empire - London, UK
6th March. 02 Shepherd's Bush Empire - London, UK
7th March. O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - London, UK
7th June. The Governors Ball Music - NYC
2nd July. 02 Academy - Bournemouth, UK
3rd July. De La Warr Pavilion - Bexhill-On-Sea, UK
11th July. T in The Park - UK
17-18th August. V Festival - UK.

For more information regarding tickets and (N.American and European) tour dates check out: http://www.songkick.com/artists/3631016-of-monsters-and-men/calendar?page=1

http://musicgigsnfestivals.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/of-monsters-and-men.html

Final goodbye on stage 

Of Monsters and Men performing 

Entire crowd getting into the show 

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

The Killers

An indie rock band that needs no introduction.

I absolutely love this band. I was truly ecstatic when I heard, back in 2011, that they were returning from their short break. With the fantastic single "Runaways" and the recent release of their fourth album "Battle Born" (18th September) I am certainly one very happy person!

I was fortunate enough to see The Killers live when they headlined at Hard Rock Calling held at Hyde Park, London. They were truly fabulous live. The uproar from the crowd when the four piece band walked onto stage and opened with "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" was huge. As predicted Brandon Flowers particularly stood out - he was his usual self, an extremely talented natural performer and a great singer, who can work a crowd of any size.

The crowd was certainly not left disappointed that night with the set list: Glamorous indie Rock & Roll, Spaceman, Somebody Told Me, For Reasons Unkown, Smile Like You Mean It, Losing Touch, Bones, Bling, Shadowplay, Human, A Dustland Fairytale, Moon River, Read My Mind, Mr. Brightside, All These Things That I've Done.
Encore: This Is Your Life, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, When You Were Young.

With the string of big hits The Killers have released over the years, it came as no surprise when the park was soon filled with hundreds of dancing and singing bodies. Despite the poor weather and cool temperatures, people were having a great night. The only time spirits were dampened was when The Killers came to the end of their set. With "When You Were Young," and fireworks signalling the end of the show - it was safe to say The Killers lived every bit up to the hype that surrounds them.  These boys really are great artists and so all that there is left to say is buy tickets NOW - it will be worth it!

Tour Dates: 
26th Oct. SECC - Glasgow
27th Oct. AECC - Aberdeen
31st Oct. LG Arena - Birmingham, UK
1st Nov. LG Arena - Birmingham, UK
3rd Nov. Capital FM Arena - Nottingham,UK
4th Nov. Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle Upon Tyne
5th Nov. Motorpoint Arena - Cardiff, UK
8th Nov. Motorpoint Arena - Cardiff, UK
9th Nov. Liverpool Echo Arena - Liverpool
13th Nov. Manchester Arena - Manchester
14th Nov. Manchester Arena - Manchester
16th Nov. The O2 - London
17th Nov. The O2 - London


For more information regarding tickets and the rest of their tour dates check out: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/The-Killers-tickets/artist/924503#artist_table_focus

Emeli Sande Review

I recently posted about Emeli Sande. I was fortunate enough to win tickets to see Emeli Sande perform at the iTunes Festival.

Before the show I can honestly say I never really listened to Emeli Sande that much. However after her live performance I can confidently say I am a fan. An incredibly humble individual who took the time between each of her songs to thank the audience and explain the thought presses behind each of her tracks, she is certainly a lot more than a good voice.

The set list for her performance was: Daddy, Tiger, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall (Coldplay Cover), My Kind of Love, Suitcase. Breaking the Law, Maybe, Read All About It (Part 111), Wonder, Mountains, Where I Sleep, One Love/No Woman, No Cry, Heaven. Encore: Next To Me.

For me the highlight of the night was her stripped performance of SuitCase which she sang with her bassist. In addition to this, Emeli did a great cover of Bob Marley's 'One Love' - urging the entire crowd to sing along and get involved.

Overall I had a great night and would definitely recommend people to see her live.

Tour Dates: 
6th Nov. The SECC - Glasgow
8th Nov. Symphony Hall - Birmingham
11th Nov. Royal Albert Hall - London
12th Nov. Bridgewater Hall - Manchester
17th January. Webster Hall - NYC

for more information regarding tickets and tour dates check out: http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/138061/Emeli_Sande.html and for information regarding her N. America tour dates check out: http://www.ticketmaster.com/Emeli-Sande-tickets/artist/1629986

Coldplay Review

This band were incredible live.

Coldplay have been one of those bands that I have been desperate to see live for quite some time now. I have previously posted about this band back in April (Coldplay).

First on stage were the support acts; Robyn and Rita Ora. Although I only caught the end of Rita Ora's set I was impressed by both her onstage presence and vocal ability. The same could not be said for Robyn however. Having heard a number of Robyn's songs before, I was interested to see how she would be live. Sadly the capacity of the Emirate Stadium in North London,  UK seemed  to great for her. She worked the stage well but her songs did little to work the sell out crowd. Another thing I was surprised/shocked about was Robyn's choice to cover a Coldplay song. Overall I would say Robyn's performance was very disappointing and one which I would not repeat again.

Support Act: Robyn

So the crowd were ready for Coldplay. The anticipation for the bands arrival was high - the  back to the future theme blared out from the speakers and the stage screens lit up - out walked the band and the crowd went wild.

The set list for the 4th June show was: Hurts Like Heaven, In My Place, Mylo Xyloto, Lovers in Japan, The  Scientist, Yellow, Violet Hill, God Put A Smile Upon Your Face, Princess of China, Up In Flames, Warning Sign, Dont Let it Break Your Heart, Viva La Vida, Charlie Brown and Paradise. 
Encore; Us Against the World, Speed of Sound (ft Simon Pegg on  Harmonica), Clocks, Fix You, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.

What was great about this show was the level of interaction between the crowd and Chris Martin. His constant jumping around the stage and continual forcing of the crowd to 'sing along' seemed to make the crowd even more pumped. To say he had the entire sell out crowd in his hand would be an understatement.

In addition to Coldplay's great vocal and instrumental performance, was the stage and visual effects. Upon entry of the stadium, each person received an Xylobracelet which we were told to wear on our writs for the duration of the show. Throughout the show each Xylobracelet lit up in various colours which made the atmopshere within the stadium even more awesome and unreal. Despite the brilliance of  bracelets, this was by no means all Coldplay had planned for the night. There were fireworks, confetti, inflatable balls, and even a surprise appearance from Simom Pegg who played the harmonica during the bands encore performance of Speed of Sound.

Overall I would say if you can, GO and see them live. I had an absolutely awesome night. I was fortunate enough to find a great spot on the pitch allowing me to see everything really well. However I will say this is definitely one of those gigs that whether you are seated right at the very back or at the front, you are still in for a great night. 

 

Simon Pegg on the Harmonica

Every Xylobracelet lit up

The Shins Review

 As predicted The Shins were truly awesome live!

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. 

 For upcoming performances (N. America) - check out: http://www.tourtracker.com/artist/the-shins/1402086