The gig included Jay Jay Pistolet, Wave Machines, and Noah and the Whale (Natw), all playing for a hidden gig at the Freedm Studio (at Camden’s Roundhouse) for the Crisis homeless charity. The studio itself is a small space, perfect for an intimate show. I much preferred hearing Jay Jay Pistolet and NatW in this intimate setting, than the massive Shepherds Bush Empire, filled with screaming/shouting fans.

The last time I saw Noah and the Whale, I wished I’d heard them with Laura Marling still in the line up, but now I realize that her departure has allowed them to evolve away from their first album, into something other than folk. Now I hear twangs of The Cure, Sigur Ros and even Mazzy Star interwoven into NatW’s melancholic melodies and riffs. Since their last London show, I could hear that they’ve now worn in their new tracks, which sound alot more settled and organic than before.

I would offer more of their new stuff, but as I’d prefer you all to go see them and buy their new album in August, I’ll give you a single taster:

Noah_and_the_Whale_-_Love_Of_An_Orchestra.mp3

ps - you can download the title track off their new album (FOR FREE!!) off their website (http://www.noahandthewhale.com/FDOS.html), so do yourself a favour and go have a listen!

While the Meltdown Festival has previously brought us wonders such as Jeff Buckley performing classical repertoire, it has taken me until now to get organized enough to take in a show from its programme. This year, with the jazz master Ornette Coleman curating, the selection of performers was very interesting indeed, but I naturally took to Bobby McFerrin.

Having heard a few of Bobby’s live recordings, and seen his youtube videos, I knew his show would be dynamic and varied. He opened with 3 tracks of improvisation before satisfying some of his fans with a few of his standards. What impressed me was his pure enthusiasm for music and his love of sharing it with people - he had me crying with laughter one moment, and then feeling like dancing the next - and in fact, that’s what some of the audience got to do - Bobby let audience members on stage to dance / sing while he accompanied with improv.

Even though I knew he’d be great on stage, I wasn’t expecting how truly inspirational he was in reality - after 2 standing ovations and an encore with Ornette Coleman himself, I honestly felt like going home and making my own music. I don’t think I can even recall feeling that stimulated by music by any show I’ve ever been to.

I know I’ve said it alot before, but to not repeat it now would be travesty - if you get a chance to see him live, by all means do it! you wont be disappointed.

here’s a few samples:
Bobby_McFerrin-Sweet_Home_Chicago.mp3
Bobby_McFerrin-She.mp3

In contrast from the Sisters of Mercy show, this gig was filled with the short-haired brigade - not a single mullet or teased up coiffeur in sight. I wasn’t expecting it to be that popular, and almost didn’t go myself, but the gig turned out to be sold out.

The Whitest Boy Alive came out at 9:15pm and lived up to their name, the drummer with his moustache and pineapple shaker, the lead singer in big school teacher glasses, and the bass player in tight white pants. If nerds wrote catchy rock / pop, this what be it. Like The New Wine before them, they’d done away with the lead guitar, opting for rhythm guitar,  leaving the riffs and lead melody to a capable keyboard. Interestingly, they also all switched instruments at one point, in mid song, which was quite impressive.

I’ve always considered The Whitest Boy Alive to be alittle bit Royksopp, and alittle bit early The Cure, while they were still punk-pop (Three Imaginary Boys sorta era), but in performance they seemed more upbeat and electronic than I expected. They slowly wound up the audience into a bouncing frenzy, at one point even doing a parody of a parody - The Prodigy’s ‘Out of Space’.

Overall it was an unassuming, and energized set, with the band interacting with the crowd more and more. In their final encore the lead singer even did a full lap off the room and moshed on the dance floor, after being sung back onto stage by the audience.

heres a sample from the night:

The_Whitest_Boy_Alive-Above_You.mp3

Photo by Graham Racher:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wanderlustg/sets/72157617037921156/

I should have expected these guys to be good after the lead singer of The Whitest Boy Alive introduced them. Regardless, they started playing, and it was instantly clear that while they had there own style, they were quite similar to The Whitest Boy Alive’s sound. For such a young band, they played really well together, and are talented players, especially their keyboard player who wasn’t afraid to rock out the riffs (instead of the usual pad-playing keys man).

Their enthusiasm and music was strong enough that the audience were cheering and dancing, which is a response I haven’t seen much of from an opening act. Their demo was £3 well spent - I’m not sure if these guys are signed yet, but if they continue with their current form, it shouldnt be long before they are. They have a bright future ahead of them. If you get a chance, go see The New Wine and make up your mind for yourself!

Tori once said ‘I may not always be caramel, but I hope I’m like a red wine that gets better with age’… And Monday nights performance certainly rang true to this. I was abit anxious about spending almost £100 on 2 tickets, even though I was one of the lucky ones to get some after her postponement… You see, I was half expecting a full preview of all her new album, but I still couldnt resist the idea of seeing Tori in an acoustic setting - something I haven’t experienced since my first (amazing) Tori gig in 1995.

From the first notes of her first song, my conscience was vindicated - as soon as I realized she was starting into a rarely performed cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’, I was totally gobsmacked, in thrown into awe. This was quickly followed by a few new tracks from her to-be-released album Abnormally Addicted To Sin. In all, she played 5 new tracks, despite having said that most of the new album wouldn’t translate acoustically.

The red-haired Diva, like the fine wine she is, then powered through a swathe of known material, showing the depth of her back catalogue, without (suprisingly) even playing anything from ‘Under The Pink’. ‘Cool On Your Island’ made an appearance, though - which I suppose shouldnt be such a suprise considering its recent renaissance in her setlists - but still greatly appreciated.

Anyone who’s seen Tori live is well aware of her different voices, from furious devil woman to pure angel and back again. This was no more apparent than in ‘Welcome to England’, which, compared to its official recording, sounded alot more emotive - sweet and pure verses, and darker choruses.

Between Tori and Scott Matthews opening, this was definately a memorable night, and potentially the best gig of the year for me. Of course, its easy as a typically dedicated Tori fan to say that she was amazing, but she was in exceptionally fine form. If you get a chance to see her when she tours again with her band, do it!

heres a few samplers:
Tori_Amos_-_Famous_Blue_Raincoat.mp3
Tori_Amos_-_Smooth_Operator.mp3
Tori_Amos_-_Taxi_Ride.mp3
Tori_Amos-Mary_Jane.mp3 (link fixed…)
Tori_Amos_-_Barons_of_Suburbia.mp3

EDIT: Due to lots of requests, heres the acoustic ‘Welcome To England’ :
Tori_Amos_-_Welcome_to_England.mp3

Scott was opening for Tori Amos, and as with alot of openers, you dont expect much, and hope that the main act will be on soon. But I found myself smiling when Scott started up…

As someone who is quite familiar with Jeff Buckley’s live music, I was quite suprised the amount of simularities between Scott and Jeff. From the moment Scott opened his mouth, you could almost hear bits of Jeffs lower register and turn of melody calling out to you, combined with his dreamy guitar style and Jeff-like use of reverb. Thankfully this wasnt some poor imitation - Scott clearly defined himself as his own voice with his own style music, and with songwriting simple and emotive. True his own unique sound, as other folk stylists like Laura Marling, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), even a solo Ray Lamontagne, to name a few.

As I was never fortunate enough to see Jeff live, I’m thankful to have experienced Scott. Surely one the best openers I’ve ever heard… I’ll definately be watching his career develop.

Heres some samples… He’s got a 2nd album coming  out later this month called ‘Elsewhere’ - go buy it - I will be!

Scott_Matthews_-_Track01.mp3
Scott_Matthews_-_Elusive.mp3

In recent years, Eskimo Joehas been one of those bands that has successfully crossed from alternative to pop. Initially Eskimo Joe got alot of airplay on Triple J radio in Australia (the countries leading alternative radio station), but its with their last triple platinum album, ‘Black Fingernails, Red Wine’, they found their pop songwriting chops, and commercial success.

Evidently, their success wasnt just based on their album - their live show was energetic, well executed, while their new material was catchy and well rehearsed. Their ability didnt just end with their instruments - all but the drummer swapped between each instrument at least once; I’ve noticed its a prerequisite of success to be multi-instrumentalists these days…

Overall, it was quite an impressive show, and their new songs off the soon-to-be-released album ‘Inshallah’ sounded like good progress, and will sell as strongly as the last. Not bad for a bunch of boys from Freo!

Heres a few samples of old and new songs:
Eskimo_Joe_-_London_Bombs.mp3
Eskimo_Joe_-_Dont_Let_Me_Down.mp3
Eskimo_Joe_-_Losing_Friends_Over_Love.mp3

photo by Kikishua - http://www.flickr.com/photos/28445735@N00/

Back in my darker days, the Sisters of Mercy where something I’d always turn up the volume to 11 and enjoy, so it seemed right to pay my respects and see them live.

The audience, suprisingly, was rather keen, and I struggled for a good seat, even tho it was just after doors had opened. Looking around the room was like stepping back in time - More Big Hair than a Kiss gig? check. Enough smoke to lose a battalion in? check. Crevats, poet shirts and fetish outfits? check. Sunglasses in a dark room? check.

The Sisters of Mercy havent recorded anything for 15 years, following a feud with their recording company, and have since become a touring band only. As such I was expecting to hear alot of new (or rather, unrecorded) stuff, but the majority of the set seemed to be released material, which I certainly wasnt complaining about. It was clear they had worked out their live act and look - lights so epic that all you saw of them was the statuesque silhouettes flashing through the thick smoke. Andrew mumbling through his apocalyptic prose in his deep dulcet voice. Guitar riffs long forgotten, but still so good.

In all the shows i’ve been to, this was clearly the most passionate audience i’ve ever come across. It was nice to be in a room full of people who felt that likewise, the music had been an important part of their lives. Considering the total lack of recent recordings, the fans have obviously decided to continue supporting Eldritch on stage.

On a personal note, they played ‘Lucretia, My Reflection‘, and for that alone I am sated. (All I want now is a Body Electric teeshirt. I tried to buy a shirt there, but sadly, it would seem unreasonable to expect the mechandise store to stock XL or L size shirts… )

The recording didnt turn out well, due to pretty bad sound on the night, but heres a track anyway: (you can hear the crowd really getting into it…)

Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection.mp3

I’ve reviewed Noah and the Whale already, but I must say I’ve been looking forward to seeing an ex member, Laura Marling more, simply because of her stunning debut album ‘Alas I Cannot Swim‘, which showed maturity and songwriting prowess well beyond her 19 years.

I went with a few friends who are fans, and my unsuspecting girlfriend, who was not yet aware of Laura Marling’s music. Hoxton Bar and Kitchen itself is a trendy place off Hoxton Square, which served quite a tasty selection of food and beer. The performance area itself was a smallish concrete room, which soon became totally packed out to 300 enthusiastic fans.

Unfortunately, even with 2-3 sound engineers chipping in it soon became apparent we were in for a long night, with each act arriving on stage later and later. First was Sixtoes, a group of guys with an acoustic Anthony and the Johnsons kind of sound, who were quite pleasant to listen to. Then came the longeur of the night - Polly Scattergood. Its been along time since I’ve suffered through such a pretentious, contrived tripe (even at the level of an opener). From the laminated setlist, bad song lyrics, and a total lack of genuineness in performance. I read somewhere a review calling her ‘the new Tori Amos’. As an avid Tori fan, all I can say is no… just… No.

Laura finally made it on stage at 11:15, (after it took 45 minutes to set up 4 or 5 microphones in an acoustic setting)  and it became clear that the wait was well worth it. In contrast to Polly, Laura’s clever, honest and well written songs quenched my thirsty ears - her execution was simply honest and beautiful. She played many non album tracks, perhaps signalling that a new album may be on the way soon, either way, she was utterly captivating, holding the entire audience in awe. She had Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons performing with her, and they complimented each other really well.

If Laura continues to make music like this for the rest of her career, she’s going to be huge. I’m looking forward to her returning. Heres a few samples from the night:
Laura Marling - My Manic And I.mp3
Laura Marling - Rebecca.mp3
Laura Marling - Oh Mama How Far Ive Come.mp3
Laura Marling - Ramblin Man.mp3

heres a few cool reviews:

http://www.crazybobbles.org/2009/04/01/laura-marling-isnt-in-kansas/

http://www.egigs.co.uk/index.php?a=12900

http://www.nme.com/news/laura-marling/43799

the photo above is from Luptonn’s flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=marling&w=93717952%40N00 (many thanks to him!)

My girlfriend is a huge fan of Ben Lee’s album ‘Awake is the New Asleep‘, which is not suprising, as it was a bit of a bolt out of the blue when it was first released, even earning Ben Lee an ARIA award for Best Male Artist and Best Independent Release in 2005. (interestingly, the same year Missy Higgins won Best Female Artist - a much needed acknowledgement to young australian songwriters, rather than the usual schmaltz that wins such awards)

After managing to acquire free tickets (thanks O2 to see his only london show, an exclusive private show at Indigo2, I took my gf through the O2 metal detectors and pat down, and into the club. The first openers The Parlotones put on an energetic set of tight panted rock, and the second openers, The Ruby Suns, put on an interesting set of, from what I could tell, carribean-progressive-electro.

Ben Lee came on in a typically playful mood, joking around not just between songs, but also during them, adding verses, and silly solo sections. While he comes off as cocky to some (even covering the hate-song ‘Ben Lee’, by The Atari’s), I feel he doesnt take himself to seriously and just enjoys writing bouncy pop songs. Overall I enjoyed it, and my gf was over the moon when he played the big numbers from her favorite album.

so without further-a-do, heres a few tracks:
Ben Lee - Into The Dark.mp3
Ben Lee - Surrender.mp3
Ben Lee - Catch My Disease.mp3
Ben Lee - We’re All In This Together.mp3