- Live Reviews
Well, this was a tremendous show. Highly anticipated and only announced a few days before, it sold out within a few hours. Understandable when the house band is the Foo Fighters! As Dave Grohl said, with tongue firmly in cheek, “ The Forum!, we used to play the enomo places, now look at us”
What we had in store as the band took the stage at 7.50pm was two hours twenty minutes of American Rock n Roll in tribute to the legendary recording studios, ‘Sound City’ in LA.
Each set was backed by Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins and various other members of the Foo Fighters, plus Alain Johannes from Queens of the Stone Age / Them Crooked Vultures also played all night on guitar and vocals
Alain Johannes took stage centre first up covering Queens of the Stone Age, Eleven and as with other artist’s on the night, a song written for the "Sound City: Reel to Reel" soundtrack.
As the band shuffled around, Chris Goss from Masters of Reality was next up and the evening continued down a rockin’ road. Dave was having a great time, playing with heroes and friends pulling all the classic poses and striking the guitar with a vengeance.
Fear’s leader and chief punk rocker, Lee Ving, along with the Foos own Pat Smear were next out front. First time in the UK for Lee’s Fear songs and he still went down a storm.
The hardest gigging man in showbiz? Rick Springfield was up next and yes, he brought ‘that song’ with him which, was a major success for the studio as well. But before we got to Jesse’s Girl there was a storming’ twenty minutes of other tunes.
Dave really gave Rick the Star treatment all in good humour. There were so many smiles on that stage last night; they could have generated their own sunlight. A classic moment came when Rick broke a string and then threw his SG sky high across the stage to a roadie, who caught it (thankfully) and delivered it back to Rick for the next song.
The finale came with Rick Nielsen, and Krist Novoselic coming onstage. Dave took to some powerhouse drumming and Taylor Hawkins became the singer and front man for four of a five-song set of classic Cheap Trick concert covers.
Final song on the night with Taylor back on drums and Dave with Rick Nielsen’s trademark chequed Cheap Trick guitar was ‘Surrender’.
As the band said goodnight, everyone applauded and surrendered to a great night out. Then, the house lights went up and the show was over, but what a show it was!
Pete
- Live Reviews
Arrived at the venue just in time to hear the last 60 seconds of feedback ending the Washington Irving set but, that was enough to tempt me into buying the single.
Great to see Wintersleep back in
Frightened Rabbit are back on the scene with a great new album ‘Pedestrian Verse’ featuring some arena size anthems and last night they squeezed those songs into the tight confines of the Cambridge Junction.
At home straight away with the audience, good levels of banter after the Scottish translation fed it way back to the stage.
Surely this is a band on the rise. Great songs, and a great live set with a band full of passion for the job in hand whether, electric or acoustic. It was an appreciative crowd that waved the band goodbye after a set of nearly 20 songs.
Pete
- Live Reviews
I just got to the venue in time for Everything Everything so missed Outfit. Seventy Five minutes later I was on my way home again but, it was a very enjoyable Seventy Five minutes.
Pete
1. Arc
2. Kemosabe
3. QWERTY Finger
4. Torso of the Week
5. Duet
6. Leave The Engine Room
7. Final Form
8.
9. Schoolin’
10. Tin (The Manhole)
11. Photoshop Handsome
12. The Peaks
13. Suffragette Suffragette
14. Cough Cough
Encore:
15. MY KZ,
16. The House Is Dust
17. Radiant
18. Don’t Try
- Live Reviews
Foals bought the energy and enthusiasm with them to Rough Trade on a snowy February evening that makes their new album Holy Fire such a good record.
A short five song set, which included two new singles Inhaler and My Number had the majority teenage audience captivated from the start. This was it though, teenagers. Some, who had been there since
Foals were too concerned with the material than the attention that comes with it. Off the back of this short performance we can expect big things from Foals this year.
Foals played;
Prelude
My Number
Inhaler
- Live Reviews
Cody ChesnuTT is not nearly as popular as he should be. It is clear he is most responsible for this situation. For those who are familiar with his work, he has worked with a few different groups like The Roots, has written the critically acclaimed "Headphone Masterpiece" on a 4 track in his bedroom. And then spent 10 years abusing drugs, and doing just about anything he could to destroy his family and his relationships with friends.
When he realized he was on the wrong track. he up and moved his family from
It takes very little time when listening to this album to see how he has changed, all you have to do is listen to his words and realise he certainly is not "turning back". This album is a beautiful/soulful/ode to his new life, his love of life, his family and his friends and his desire to make things right.
His show last night was as good as it could get...Every song off his new cd was played, and he will not play anything off his old releases. He wants to focus on this more positive new album and I can't blame him. its beautiful.
Within five minutes of being on stage he has the entire venue singing along to "Til I met Thee" and "Love is More Than a Wedding Day" and the sing-a-long continues until he has done every song on the new album and with no encore. walks into the crowd and hugs as many people as he can before settling into the merch table to meet even more people.
This show was about nothing but positive vibes and I can say without a doubt, this will be my show of the year. If you like classic soul and r&b and enjoy his new album, please find the time to check Cody ChesnuTT out somewhere. He really is a special performer and probably one of the best singers I have ever heard!
Jim
- Live Reviews
After reading everything over the past few months, I had to check them out on their first trip to
As many of the reviews say, these youngsters do not hold anything back. Easy to spot the influences with these guys but they don’t just stop there, they push and push their sound at you throughout their set, and its really an assault of the best kind.
They start their set with "Clash like" song...which certainly wakes a few people up...then slip into a few more songs that bring in their influences from bands like the Strokes and in the meantime, they switch singers.
They push you with punk and settle down and soothe you with some very smooth pub rock/rock n roll ...its really a treat to see youngsters pull it off and it gives you hope that this young band, Palma Violets, will be around for awhile.
As of now, the only music available from them in Canada are two ep's with "Step up for Cool Cats" and "Best of Friends/Last of the Summer Wine" and these songs do come off really well live but its the other songs that give me hope!
Lets see where these guys go...all I know is that they have already booked another show in Toronto, now in a venue that holds 10 times as many fans as the Horseshoe, so get in while you can!
Jim
- Live Reviews
I don’t understand why the Breakout nights at the Barfly in
Milo Greene, a five piece from the West Coast of America, are going to be your new favourite band. This was the last night of their first full
Yes American, but also a full album of top quality folk songs that you just want to stamp your foot to. Their searing group harmonies had the teenage girl in the front row swooning at one point I’m sure, and with songs such as Don't You Give Up On Me, Cutty Love and 1957, they had the room controlled. This is a band to watch in 2013.
Khushi show promise, with some witty songwriting and interesting melodies, they are for fans of Villagers who are looking something to get their foot tapping a little harder.
Echotape are indie Rock ‘n’ Roll through and through, and I’m sure the lead singer had been reading ‘Rules of Being a Front man’ the night before coming on stage. He fulfilled the role with the arrogance required to hold his fist in the air for a full minute when no one else seemed to be that bothered.
The odd one out was Leanne Robinson, a well oiled pop act who would have been more suited to playing in one the swanky bars around Chalk Farm rather than the upstairs at the Barfly. Nothing drastically new here to what you would hear on the radio.
If you do one thing this weekend, check out Milo Greene, you won’t be disappointed. Their self titled debut album is available now.
@joeeley
- Live Reviews
First gig of the year for me and it’s all the way back to (
Veterans they may be but, we all have to keep working into old age these days and the guys from Caravan (young new drummer Mark Walker excepted)) who all look pensionable age, seem to be thoroughly enjoying it. After a prestigious show the previous night, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall the band still seemed on a high, many smiles, great songs and musicianship and a willing audience.
Pye Hastings, Geoffrey Richardon, Jim Leverton, Jan Schelhaas and the aforementioned, enthusiastic drummer Mark Walker laid straight into Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss from ‘Girls’ but, rather than play the entire album front to back, it was dispersed throughout the show.
In the
Full stream ahead for nearly two hours Nightmare and Nine Feet Underground were excellent. The latter with Jim Leverton on vocals. “He’s been singing like a bird all night, like a vulture” quipped Geoffrey Richardson but Jim’s vocals were lovely as was his bass playing.
Geoffrey himself as ever the multi instrumentalist, Pye Hasting Guitar and lead vocals and Jan Schelhaas on keyboards make up present day Caravan and a fine and happy outfit they are. You really don’t have to come from the Seventies to enjoy this enthusiastic bunch.
Pete
Our recent interview with Pye Hastings is HERE
- Live Reviews
Well it took me a while to decide whether I wanted to pay £225 for a Rolling Stones concert ticket on level 4 of the O2 arena in
A quick video guide to different people’s view of the Stones aged 50 (including Iggy and
The stage (in its giant tongue shape) lit up as what seemed like a hundred or so drummers belted out a mighty beat as they moved around the crowd. A mighty roar followed as the lights dimmed and the boys launched into ‘Get off Of My Cloud’. No fireworks, loud bangs or explosions - just the band, just the music. Mick said that Sunday was great but tonight they were more relaxed and the consensus of people at both shows seems to be that tonight was better paced.
The Sixties was the tone for most of the evening. 'I wanna be your man’ was a surprise early on (I had not looked at a set list form Sunday’s show) and by the time Florence Welch stepped on stage to perform a blistering, ‘Gimme Shelter’ with Mick, the band were well into their stride.
- Live Reviews
First visit for us, to the legendary Rock City venue in Nottingham. It’s a dreary wet and windy night and it becomes the task of Bitter Ruin to entertain. A two-piece from Brighton, Bitter Ruin consists of Georgia Train, the bubbly, artistic, leading lady and Ben Richards talented guitarist and vocals.
Richard’s at times almost classical guitar is the perfect backdrop for Georgia’s amazing vocal power and range. The songs are stories and are portrayed by the changing character of Georgia’s onstage movements and voice. Matt Lucas is a special guest on one song, which grabs the crowd’s attention a little bit more but, his presence does not detract from the band themselves who still seem to be unsigned, I presume, until someone needs a song for the next James Bond movie. Yes they have that amount of talent.
- Live Reviews
- Live Reviews
I wonder how long people will continue to read reviews of Mark Kozalek gigs where the general patterns are, does he want to be here and is it really such an exhausting effort for him to perform for us.
The message barked down the line outside the Union Chapel last night was “no photography of any type including mobile phones, no recording. Anyone caught will lead to the cancellation of the gig”
On stage at 7.55pm and it was actually great not to see a field of mobile phones in the air taking pictures! One song in then Mark calls for his jacket. One more song and he takes objection to the water bottles on the floor and puts them on the table. Next song, then he is hot and in need of a towel which no one can find. “I sold 850 tickets tonight and I can’t get a towel” so, you get the drift.
What has to be said is that Mark Kozalek is a brilliant guitarist. His songs and unexpected covers of songs carry intense or even downright darkly humorous lyrics delivered with that unique voice.
Those hard Union Chapel pews kept us fairly alert during a set that broke two hours. So at the end of the day I wonder if Mark Kozalek is really just joking with us at his live concerts, did he really need that stage lights lowered that much?
Anyhow until I can figure that one out, I might just stick with Mark Kozalek recorded, rather than live.
Pete
New covers album out 19 Feb 2013
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