Southern - Where I Want To Be SCS

SoundCloud Song

This is the latest from artist Southern which is to be released on the 18th of August. This song really carries on with the same style of music that they have produced so far which is no bad thing. I think when the inevitable album gets released, it will sound like a perfect package of blues, acoustic/rootsy slide guitar and boy-girl vocals which this track will fit nicely into. If you a fan of Jake Bugg in terms of lyrics and the story telling aspect of songs this one is definitely worth a listen. Beautiful song!

Design Of The Fortnight D.O.T.F.

This time around I have decided to talk about a location. The place in particular is The Institute in Birmingham. More specifically, The Library which is the smaller of the two main rooms. I have been to this venue several times and as I think I have stated in the past, it is my favourite place to see bands/artists. The last artist I saw there was Nina Nesbitt (picture below). As you can see I had a terrific view and even though I was on the balcony which is right at the back of the room my view and the sound quality was superb. The layout also is well planned out which I guess is pretty much assumed, with the two bars set either side of the stage and on the main balcony and just below it is room for a merchandise stand still with plenty of room all around for the crowds. Lastly, the style of the venue as a whole is really cool. They keep aspects of the classic look from the outside face of the building but with added modern features where you would want them. Great venue, if you are close to Birmingham go listen to some music and see some great design. 

All Settled In + Paramore

I have been busy recently moving in to my university place and in some ways it has been easy but there has been a few annoying points but now that I have been here for a few days I have got into the swing of things and all is comfortable. I have also been to a gig last night as you can probably tell by the title. Yes that's right I went to see Paramore at the LG Arena in Birmingham. This is the second time having seen them, the first being in 2008. This show was really brilliant and they put on a great performance but in my opinion I preferred watching them in the smaller venue, The Carling Academy I think it was. I just like that closeness you get with the band that you tend to lose in the larger arenas.

I'm glad the band mostly played songs from the new album and only a few of the big hits from previous albums because I have listened to the latest CD a lot more than the older ones. One of my favourite tracks I heard was Last Hope, it really was a great sing along moment for most of the crowd and myself. I also enjoyed seeing Hayley picking a fan from the crowd to help sing Misery Business. For me this kind of audience interaction really shows the band as more human in a way.

Supporting Paramore were Charlie XCX and Eliza The Bear. I didn't particularly enjoy Charlie except for her big hit I Love It. I just think that kind of music is not for me and I don't think I would choose to listen to her further. As for Eliza The Bear, I had listened to a couple of their tracks beforehand and quite liked it. It was slightly generic indie rock to me but I still thought it was good and maybe worth a second listen.

Overall it was a great night and I would happily see them again especially if they keep producing music like they are.

Gutted :(

Just a quick post to say how annoyed I am with how impatient I get when purchasing concert tickets for the next gig. A few weeks ago now I purchased a ticket to see Tonight Alive (pictured below) for a concert on the 1st of October and just yesterday I received a notification off of my SongKick app telling me that Laura Marling will be playing Birmingham Symphony Hall on the same date. Sooo annoying that there wasn't even one days difference between the two artists because even the amount that I want to see Laura Marling, I still want to see Tonight Alive. I think their album is a proper killer which I think I have mentioned in a previous post and I think they will proper rock the crowd. Their tickets are not sold out yet but they should be, they are that good.  I just hope Laura does more dates in my area. Please.

 

 

 

Little Green Cars

The support had a soft/subdued and slightly dark feel to them alongside the female singers beautiful piercing stare made for a powerful experience. At times the vocals were hard to hear over the instruments but the guitar playing was quite brilliant, it was a shame I couldn't hear what they were called but I have a picture (below) if you recognise them?

As for Little Green Cars, they had a slow acoustic start with a small mic problem but it soon picked up with the introduction of the electric guitar. They played my favourite songs from the album (My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me, Harper Lee and The Kitchen Floor) The thing that was most impressive was the vocal harmonies of these guys. Every member seemed to have some singing ability but my particular favourite was the female singer. For the encore they came out into the crowd for an ultra stripped back performance of The Consequences Of Not Sleeping which is another song i really enjoyed. Overall the feel of the gig had a really chilled out vibe and everyone seemed to be really hanging on to every word they sang, they were so enchanting. I would like to see where their next album will take them.

Imagine Dragons at The Institute

Last night I went to the sold out performance of Imagine Dragons and performance was definitely the right word for it. Those guys know how to put on a show. To be honest I wasn't expecting a great deal from them, having listened to their EP and thought it was so-so, nothing special. The thing that pushed me to see them live was their support being The Good Natured. A band I randomly found out about through YouTube and liked them.

As much as I wasn't particularly excited by IDs CD I really got into their live show. The lead singer had a seemingly endless source of energy and kept the crowd jumping the entire time. And maybe part of the good energy was from the place being crammed to the max with bodies, with barely room to have your arms by your sides. But it seemed everyone was there for the same reason, to have a good time and like the singer said, to escape and forget about the outside world for a few hours.

I enjoyed The Good Natureds performance slightly less than Imagine Dragons but the lady singer was pretty incredible, with a great voice and groovy dancing to match. Also the drummer was particularly talented. The speed at which he was playing seemed awesome.

Overall surprisingly great gig!

Amy Macdonald

Yesterday night I went to see Amy Macdonald at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. As you can see, my seat location was brilliant, right up in the grand tier a few rows from the back. It was my first visit to Symphony Hall and it is quite a classy affair. I felt a little under dressed when near enough everyone was in formal attire and I was in scrappy jeans and a T-shirt.
As a general rule I do prefer the smaller venue and due to my seat location I was dubious about what kind of sound quality I would be able to hear. And as it turns out, Any can fill the room with supposed ease. She has a much more powerful voice than I expected, and I don't think the quality diminished over the distance at all.
Most of the concert was with her full live band, but just after half way through she did a slightly more stripped back few songs with just a drummer on a smaller kit. A couple of covers were played, Higher and Higher and an acoustic Dancing In The Dark which she sang beautifully. I think there are a few videos on You Tube if you're particularly interested.
Supporting Amy was a chap called Ben Montague who was an artist along the same kind of lines. He performed with just a drummer and him playing acoustic guitar. He came across as a pretty friendly guy, chatting to the audience after each song and even hanging out by the merch stand after the show for signatures, which is a lot less common than other gigs I've been to.

Great gig, definitely recommend her!

FIDLAR Live

Last Thursday evening i went to see FIDLAR play in the 02 Academy 3. I have to say I prefer the smaller venues especially for bands like this because you get a more intimate feel with the band and even standing at the opposite side of the room from the stage, you are still really close and you can see and hear everything pretty easily. That is to say as long as no huge men decide to stand right in front of you when there is easily enough room anywhere else not obstructing anyones view grrr.
If there is anything that can make you feel old. The majority of the crowd was 15 year old boys. And to make matters worse when they played any song with even the slightest bit of energy, the kids started doing borderline gay action I.E. hopping around against somebody they don't know and who are quite happily just standing watching the show.
The show was extremely fast paced and full of energy which was to be expected with the main set lasting about 45 mins. They played all the hits from the album you would want to hear and it was funny to see the lead singer embracing the UK in a Union Jack tee. They were for sure one of my favourite live performances and I am interested to see where their next album will take them, be that staying in the same vein as the debut or experimenting in some other area, who knows? But I'm excited. :)