Monday, 29 March 2010

The World Tour

The World Tour is currently approaching day five, after a busy March. Reading Festival 2010 has been added to the schedule tonight.

Thursday, 25 March 2010

Editors - Live at Brixton Academy

Pictured Above: Editors watch their career as a live band go up in flames.
This was night four of The World Tour, and once again I wasn't expecting alot. Indie bands are pretty boring live, and I expected as much from Editors. Before I get there though, I'd like to briefly mention the dire support band.

Fujiya & Miyagi, as they were called, have finally shown me that Biffy Clyro do not write the worst lyrics ever.

"Vanilla. Strawberry. Knickerbocker Glory. Vanilla. Strawberry. Knickerbocker Glory..."
"16 shades of black and blue. 8 shades of black. 8 shades of blue. 16 shades of black and blue..."
Hopefully that is enough for you to understand the one star rating they have recieved.

Editors came out to track one of the new album 'In This Light and On This Evening'. It was pretty good. They played through a setlist with a really decent balance of songs, probably about a third dedicated to each album (the way it should be).
After expecting them to be pretty poor I was actually surprised at how good they were. Their songs sounded great and Tom Smith was greatly entertaining.
The main problem I had with tonight was the crowd. Probably the most boring crowd I've ever seen. There were moments where some hands were in the air, and sometimes a few people jumped. But for the best part of the show everyone was stood still, waiting for them to play the singles that they bought tickets to see.

I think Editors are aware that indie bands have to suffer this, and they went really out of their way to make the show good. The light show was top notch, probably one of the best I've seen. They even had pyrotechnics (something I've never seen in Brixton) and confetti. But despite their best efforts they didn't really win the crowd over properly. Every non-single was met with a still and silent crowd, and it was a terrible shame.

I was going to give Editors three stars but considering it really isn't their fault and I think they played well I'm giving them four.
★★★★

Frank Turner - Live at the Camden Roundhouse

Frank Turner at the Roundhouse marked night 3 of the 'Dan and Chief World Tour 2010'.
The event began with Crazy Arm, who performed a few songs which failed to really do much for me. They weren't bad at all, but they did nothing but make it difficult for me to talk. Their music wasn't too bad at all, but they had a really awkward stage presence, which I could feel really strongly. It also reminded me that I don't like bass players.

Chuck Ragan was up next and had a little more to offer. Mostly in the violinist (?), who was the second coolest man ever (more on that later). Chuck Ragan had some pretty good songs and the crowd seemed to enjoy him, especially when Frank Turner joined him on stage for a song.

After a short wait, Frank Turner came on the stage. I was a little doubtful for the show, in all honesty. Even though I was amazed by his performance at Reading 2009, I didn't expect too much from him. He came out and went straight into 'Photosynthesis', one of my favourite tracks. The crowd absolutely loved it, and immediately all of my doubts for the show were gone.
Frank plays his songs brilliantly, and to me they sound identical to how they come on record. This is where my doubts were formed, as this is what I expected. However, Frank Turner offers a lot more than sound at his shows. It's a really atmospheric, and very visual experience. The crowd are great, everyone is having a brilliant time and you don't see any angry men running around. 'Jet Lag' is one of the songs on the 'Love, Ire and Song' album that I think is "alright". But live last night, it was my favourite track. It had so much feeling in it, and I think you can hear the words with so much more meaning than when listening on iTunes.
Frank stormed his way through a set consisting of twenty-something songs, with plenty to offer fans of old and new songs alike. It also helps that Frank Turner is the first coolest person ever.

It was a really great night, and I think everyone there must have had a brilliant time. I'd recommend his Brixton show in December to anyone. Although maybe not a blind person, as most of the enjoyment comes from the visual experience.
★★★★★

Monday, 22 March 2010

The Used

Times Seen Live: 2
First Seen: Taste of Chaos 2007. 28th November 2007
Last Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 1st August 2009
Best Show: Taste of Chaos 2007. 28th November 2007
Best Live Songs: All That I've Got, Hospital
Live Rating: ★★★
Notes: I've seen The Used live twice now, and have to say they have disappointed both times. It's a shame really, as on record they are one of my guilty pleasures, providing some really catchy tunes and also some really powerful ones. Their songs are pretty synth-heavy, and live it honestly feels like they've just left that behind and play the songs in a really raw, demo-sounding state. And it really doesn't work very well. And for a band that don't sell many records and need to tour heavily in order to promote their music, this is really unfortunate.

Saturday, 20 March 2010

Nine Inch Nails

Times Seen Live: 1
First Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 2nd August 2009
Last Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 2nd August 2009
Best Show: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 2nd August 2009
Best Live Songs: The Wretched, Lights in the Sky
Live Rating: ★★★★
Notes: I saw Nine Inch Nails at their last ever UK show (what a shame) and had been really excited about the show. The show we got was totally unexpected though, and I think a lot of people went away from it pretty disappointed, because the setlist was basically full of their slower material. I remember afterwards Trent Reznor posting on Twitter that he wanted to be controversial. However, the set was absolutely full of emotion, and you could see how much he (Reznor) was putting into it, even adding a few tears at the end of Hurt. The songs they played were great, just maybe not what I wanted from my first (and last, sadly) Nine Inch Nails show.

Friday, 19 March 2010

Pendulum

Times Seen Live: 3
First Seen: iTunes Festival 2008. 28th July 2008
Last Seen: Download Festival 2009. 13th June 2009
Best Show: iTunes Festival 2008. 28th July 2008
Best Live Songs: Blood Sugar, Slam
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: I won tickets to see pendulum in summer 2008, which I was really pleased about as InMe were supporting, and I liked two Pendulum songs. I was a bit skeptical about seeing them live though. I got into Pendulum through Motorstorm, Slam being my favourite song on the soundtrack. When I saw Pendulum at Koko for the iTunes festival, I said afterwards that it was the best gig I'd been to, and looking back now it probably still is one of them. Seeing them at Reading (2008) and Download (2009) was also awesome, although we were pushed to the sidelines at Reading because they were just too popular for the tent they were in. I think as a live act Pendulum are really accessible, and would recommend them to anyone who likes live music.

Thursday, 18 March 2010

Limp Bizkit

Times Seen Live: 2
First Seen: Download Festival 2009. 12th June 2009
Last Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 2nd August 2009
Best Show: Download Festival 2009. 12th June 2009
Best Songs Live: Break Stuff, Faith
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: Limp Bizkit probably sold me my download ticket last summer. In 2001 they were everyone's favourite band (that has to be a fact, right?). After the greatness of their only good album (Chocolate Starfish...) wore off they eventually disappeared. Now they're back and, love them or hate them, if you caught their set at Download and/or Sonisphere in the summer there is no way you could admit to not being amazed. They're bound to be doing at least one UK festival this summer, and there is no excuse for missing them.

Bullet For My Valentine

Times Seen Live: 5
First Seen: Reading Festival 2008. 23rd August 2008
Last Seen: Islington Academy. 26th April 2010
Best Show: Alexandra Palace, London. 15th November 2008
Best Songs Live: Your Betrayal, 4 Words to Choke Upon
Live Rating: ★★★★
Notes: Bullet are one of my top rated bands, and pretty much all of their music is decent enough, meaning that they don't disappoint with setlists. Sometimes they disappoint with the songs they choose to open and close their shows on, but that's just personal taste. I don't really count seeing them at Sonisphere 2009 either, because I was just watching them from the back, because the second stage sound was so awful. And Linkin Park were up next.
Bullet are a solid live act, but to be honest they don't live up to their sound on record. They're known for missing a few notes live, which is pretty poor for a band of their status. However, since the release of their new album and a long time off the road they appear to have improved at this, and the show they put on for the release of 'Fever' was really really good. Looks like they might be onto something now.

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

Billy Talent

Times Seen Live: 4
First Seen: Give it a Name 2008. 11th May 2008
Last Seen: Brixton Academy, London. 1st November 2009
Best Show: Reading Festival 2009. 28th August 2009
Best Live Songs: Devil on my Shoulder, River Below
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: Billy Talent were one of the first bands I liked (I started liking music in 2006) and it took me ages to finally get to see them. And 3 of the 4 shows I've seen have been festival performances, so I was thrilled when I got to see them at a headline show last November. That was a great show, and it was only edged out in terms of quality by their headline set at Reading in the summer. The crowd was probably the best I've ever seen, and they performed a really decent set. Seeing them live is also a reminder of just how many really good songs they have. Singer Ben Kowalewicz is also one of the best frontmen around, highlights include enjoying the orchestrating of a 'Fuck the Kings of Leon' chant throughout the Lock-Up tent at Reading in 2009.

Rise Against

Times Seen Live: 3
First Seen: Taste of Chaos 2007. 28th November 2007
Last Seen: Brixton Academy, London. 21st November 2009
Best Show: Brixton Academy, London. 21st November 2009
Best Live Songs: Prayer of the Refugee, Blood to Bleed
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: When I first saw Rise Against I had never heard of them. They were playing beneath The Used at Taste of Chaos in 2007, which I would now say is an absolute crime. I remember when I was there I was stood at the back watching and the entire crowd was going crazy for them before they came on. Not so much for headliners The Used, which is I guess is a plus (not for The Used). I was impressed by their set, but I didn't get around to listening to them until probably a year later. By the time Reading Festival 2009 came around they were up there with my favourite bands, and when they were announced to be headlining the Lock-Up stage I was thrilled. Rise Against were one of my favourite bands of the weekend, and they absolutely packed out the tent. In November last year I managed to see a headline show at Brixton, which was not only amazing, it also showed me how much better they are now than they used to be. I made this decision based on the fact that Blood to Bleed is one of the best live songs ever, but on their 2004 album 'Siren Song of the Counter Culture' it sounds a hundred times weaker. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't listen to Rise Against you are a bad person.

65daysofstatic

Times Seen Live: 4
First Seen: Reading Festival 2009. 29th August 2009
Last Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2010. 30th July 2010
Best Show: Heaven, London. 18th November 2009
Best Live Songs: Retreat! Retreat!, Crash Tactics
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: I remember when I first saw 65daysofstatic, I had gone because Matt (AlbumSwap) wanted to see them at Reading and Alex (AlbumSwap) and I said that we would go too. I remember standing at the back and watching in absolute awe of them, watching a true spectacle - with Placebo beach balls flying throughout the tent. It was probably the most hard-hitting live show I'd ever seen. That was until I got home, got the first album, then saw them again. Literally immense. Now I've seen them a few times, and they are just one of the greatest live experiences ever. Have to say though, the smaller venue, the better the crowd.

Underoath

Times Seen Live: 2
First Seen: Astoria, London. 12th September 2008
Last Seen: Koko, London. 11th March 2010
Best Show: Astoria, London. 12th September 2008
Best Live Songs: In Regards to Myself, It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: I've seen Underoath twice, and they've been great both times. It seems that they don't have a bad crowd at all. They perform their songs (in my opinion) better than they do on record, which always makes it a good spend. The fact that I sprained my ankle last time I saw them is irrelevant, that wasn't their fault and it was still awesome. Only one complaint with Underoath is that they seem to think that by going to see them live you are willing to be forced into religion, and I believe they are now infamous for spouting out praise for Jesus and his cohorts. Even if I were religious I wouldn't want it at a gig - there's a time and a place.

InMe

Times Seen Live: 3
First Seen: iTunes Festival 2009 - supporting Pendulum. 28th July 2008
Last Seen: Garage, London. 24th September 2009
Best Show: The Borderline, London. 22nd April 2009
Best Live Songs: 7 Weeks, Soldier
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: I've only seen InMe a few times, which I found shocking whilst doing my research and needed to double check as it feels like I've seen them loads more times than that - especially considering how good they are. I first saw them when I won tickets to see Pendulum at KoKo in Camden, which I was delighted by as I had only just got Daydream Anonymous (one of the best albums ever). They put on a quality show, and there were as many InMe fans as Pendulum there which made it really good fun. Lead singer/guitarist Dave McPherson is one of the best singers/guitarists I've ever seen and he's also a great person. InMe have a great fanbase too, and tour a lot. Definitely worth seeing if you are a human being.

Coheed and Cambria

Times Seen Live: 1
First Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 1st August 2009
Last Seen: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 1st August 2009
Best Show: Sonisphere Festival 2009. 1st August 2009
Best Live Songs: Welcome Home, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: Over the last year Coheed and Cambria have dominated my last.fm charts. In that period of time, though, I have only had the opportunity to see them live once. That chance itself was threatened when the band missed their ferry into the UK for the show. However, the show that resulted (taken away from the Sonisphere main stage and placed in the 'Bohemia' tent) was one of the best things I've ever seen. A completely packed out tent was subjected to 6 or 7 songs of brilliance. I've got a ticket to see them this June, and I can't wait.

The Blackout

Times Seen Live: 8
First Seen: Taste of Chaos 2007. 28th November 2007
Last Seen: Download Festival 2009. 12th June 2009
Best Show: Electric Ballroom, London. 10th February 2008.
Best Live Songs: I'm A Riot? You're a Fucking Riot!, Murder in the Make-Believe Ballroom
Live Rating: ★★★★★
Notes: Despite the fact that The Blackout and I don't see eye-to-eye these days, I can't deny the fact that they are a very good live band. Frontman Sean Smith is very confident and great with the crowd, and with 6 members in the band they have no excuse to not perform their songs well. I haven't seen them in nearly a year now, simply because I don't really like their new music. But if you are a fan of The Blackout, or enjoy a bit of audience-interraction from a band, then this is a good night out.

Enter Shikari

Times seen Live: 12
First Seen: Hammersmith Palais, London. 10th March 2007
Last Seen: The Forum, Hatfield. 19th December 2009
Best Show: Club 85, Hitchin. 27th February 2009
Best Live Songs: Mothership, Antwerpen
Live Rating: ★★★★★

Notes: Enter Shikari at Hammersmith Palais is one of my all time favourite gigs, and was my first proper live event (after watching Red Hot Chili Peppers when I was about 14 from the back of Hyde Park, and sat watching the Tsunami Aid concert in Wales). This gig was about a week before the release of their debut album 'Take to the Skies'. I've seen Enter Shikari live more times than any other band, and I'm still excited to see them now, which is mostly because they are always releasing new material that I would love to see performed live. Certainly one of my favourite live bands, Enter Shikari come highly recommended.

This is my first set of live notes, which I'm going to make a link on my last.fm journal. I'm going to try and keep things in this format, adding new stats when I think of them.

Intro

I've decided now that I'm going to use this blog to write about bands that I've seen live. Mostly for myself, I just wanted to keep some sort of archive on everyone I've seen. The aim is to start with the ones I've seen most, or my favourites, and work my way through all of them as and when I can. I'll be linking these up with my last.fm journal on Bands/Artists I've seen live.
I might also review new music here - things that I have missed from AlbumSwap, or just new albums that I've got.