X Ambassadors

When I used to live about 30minutes from NYC I regularly blogged about bands and artists who were playing in the city (my fav venue being at the Mercury Lounge). It has come to my attention however, most of my recent posts and recommendations have been on bands playing in the UK. So, in an attempt to rectify this, I have posted about a band who are currently touring around the US, and who I also happen to absolutely love!

I introduce to you the X Ambassadors.

X Ambassadors is an American rock band from New York. Made up of Sam Harris, Casey Harris, Noah Feldshuh and Adam Levin, X Ambassador first hit the music scene in 2009 when they toured with a number of bands including LIGHTS.

You may find you have already heard a number of singles by X Ambassadors, since their work has featured in many popular american seasons such as Orange Is The New Black, Supernatural and One Tree Hill.

To date, X Ambassadors have released a number of EPs; self titled 'Ambassadors,' 'Love Songs Drug Songs' and 'The Reason.' The Reason is my personal favourite due to the tracks Free & Lonely, and Unsteady.In terms of albums, in 2012 they released their debut album 'Litost' and are due to release a second one (name yet to be disclosed) later this year.

I have yet to see this band live, but will most certainly be keeping an eye on their upcoming tour dates. If you are still on the fence, I should probably mention their touring alongside with the brilliant Milky Chance

Upcoming tour dates: 
22nd July - NYC. Summertage - Central Park.

For more of their American tour dates check out: http://www.xambassadors.com/tour

Milky Chance Review

A couple of weeks ago I headed over to O2 Shepherds Bush to see Milky Chance live. I have been a fan of this band for the last year and a half, and so I was ecstatic to get my hands on tickets.

Milky Chance, made up of Clemens Rehbein (on vocals) and Philipp Dausch (DJing), are a reggae psychedelic folk band (i.e. folk mixed with reggae electronics) from Germany.

Milky Chance has achieved great success from the very beginning. Their first single "Stolen Dance" was released in April 2013 and went straight to number 1 in many European countries such as France and Hungary.

The pair released their debut album "Sadnecessary" back in October 2013. If you haven't done so yet, I would highly recommend you checking it out. Personal favourites of mine include "Becoming" and "Down By The River."

Due to work commitments I sadly missed the support act: Kafka, a three piece band from Southampton.

So onto the main event; Kicking things off, the boys came out onto the stage in complete darkness and performed a 5 minute intro song. I thought this was great way to start - the dramatic, electric track mixed with reggae guitar beats seemed to really build up the atmosphere of the venue. After a 2.5 minute instrumental intro, the feeling of anticipation from the 4,000 strong crowd was finally answered when Clemens delivered the first vocals of the evening. And boy was the build up worth it! A man with such a distinct and raspy voice, Clemens, with his mass of wild hair, looked  completely relaxed and at ease out on stage.

For me another highlight was when the third man on stage (not entirely sure who he was) played a harmonica solo during two of their tracks (Loveland and a single that has yet to be released). The harmonica went down a treat and had the crowd going crazy. For me, the harmonica just added something extra to their already feel good tracks.

I will add this gig did leave me feeling a little unsure. There is no question these guys are talented - just listen to their album if you are not sure! No, what was missing for me was the signs of a fine tuned/ well oiled gig. The transition between songs were at times quite poor, with the stage often falling into complete darkness between tracks. Also, it wasn't until after the third track that Clemens  actually even said anything to the crowd. Don't get me wrong, I had a great night of live music. I just felt it took a good hour for Milky Chance to really get into their performance and get the party started. Negatives aside however, I did think the lighting and staging set up was brilliant. The two were completely on theme and further exposes the reggae influences in their tracks.

The set list for the evening was: intro, Stunner, Fairytale, Sadnecessary, Flashed Junk Mind, Given, Nevermind, Loveland, Sweet Sun, Indigo, Feathery, Running, Stolen Dance and the Encore: Down By the River.

Although I talk about some finer tuning needed to be made, I found the gig to be highly enjoyable. Going by their new track, these boys have kept to what they know, and for that reason I am excited to hear what new music they will be treating us to later in the year.

Upcoming tour dates: 
Sat 28th March. Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NYC
Tues 31st March. Webster Hall - NYC
Wed 1st April. Webster Hall - NYC

To see more dates for their North American tour check Tour Dates and tickets

For more information about Milky Chance check out their Twitter