Concert review

By 25782697 on Concert review tagged #DeclanMckenna, #indiemusic, #Indiepop, #Music, #UKMusicwith 1 Comment

Declan Mckenna Concert Review: The face of indie funk goes out with a bang in Bournemouth

Endearing voice cracks, charming stage presence and even paracetamol! Mckenna’s last UK tour show was one to remember at Bournemouth’s 02 Academy. The 25-year-old glam-rock star and his guitar playfully commanded the entire room with his elegant vocals and groovy style.

The intimate venue was full to the brim with adoring fans, providing an incredible atmosphere. There were more mullets in that one room than at a private school rugby match.

The evening started with energetic support act Wunderhorse, an English indie and psychedelic rock band who were a formidable force looking to excite. Despite the lead singer, Jacob Slater, slightly losing his voice, I thought the band’s heavy guitars, raw vocals and moody demeaner was certainly impressive.

After nearly two hours of waiting, Declan took to the stage with his sparkling acoustic guitar and quirky two-piece suit and silk shirt combo. Mckenna switched up the setlist for the final UK show of the What Happened to the Beach? tour, bringing Why Do You Feel So Down and new single Mullholland’s Dinner and Wine, to the front leg which of course kicked the show off excellently.

Then as expected, Mckenna followed with a plethora of new album tracks which were a lot more experimental than his first two projects. Although some of the slower numbers fell a little flat, generally the tracks were exceptionally executed and thrilling for fans to hear live for the first time.

The sound-system in the 02 academy was surprisingly very high quality, allowing McKenna’s raw vocals, note changes and elegant melodies to shine. Both Beautiful Faces and The Key to Life on Earth from his previous album, Zero’s, sounded almost magical and full of Bowie overtones highlighting the indie-rock star’s versality.

Then came the recognisable guitar rift of fan favourite Brazil that had the entire room jumping. Pure Euphoria filled the crowd as groups surrounding me grabbed a hold of each other to scream the lyrics together.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image4-4144dba699519ac2-768x1024.jpeg

And of course, it’s not a concert without an encore, and fans were treated Paracetamol (a tour debut) sending fans into a spiral of joy. Although, it was swapped for Listen to Your Friends a great hit I wish I could have experienced live.

The final song, British Bombs was met with perhaps the best reaction of the night with fans bringing everything to the fast-paced, rowdy, and animated track. Whilst some may call it unnecessary, the mosh pit felt oddly fitting, summarising the energy of the whole gig.

With this being Mckenna’s 17^th consecutive show, this tour can only be described as a well-oiled machine, in terms of his superb band, incredible live melodies and commanding stage presence.

I hope you enjoyed this review, please leave a comment and God bless the weatherman!

5 Sep

By 25782697 on Concert review, EDM tagged #concertreview, #Fredagain, #UKMusic- Leave a comment

Fred Again.. at Alexandra Palace – a euphoric and unforgettable show like no other!

Alley Palley night 1: Fred was in his element! The performance was flawless, from live remixing to incredible visuals but perhaps incomplete?

Last week, the 30-year-old Electronic producer, Fred Gibson, announced on Instagram that he is beyond excited for the show, and that each night of his tour will be different, including setlist, and remixing songs live.

On the 4^th of September Fred Again.. played his first show of his European tour and the first of his four shows inside London’s Alexandra palace. The London-born EDM performer smiled in disbelief as he told the crowd, that he grew up going to the iconic concert venue. On the screen he wrote “nothing is ever as good as playing at home”.

Alley Palley opened its doors opened at 7pm. The queues were bearable and after taking time to get some food and drink inside, I made my way into the actual venue and took my spot not far from the front barrier. The support act was London-based EDM duo, Joy Anonymous who played for around 30 minutes starting at 8pm. Their set was lively and well-performed, which set up perfectly for Fred’s show.

After a long wait in what can only be described as a greenhouse due to the venues large glass roof, Fred was finally on at 9pm. Despite the extreme heat and underlying smell of sweat the crowd remained in high spirits throughout the whole show, selflessly helping pass cups of water back to help those struggling in the middle of the crowd.

Fred Again.. opened with the wholesome spoken-word poem turned dance track, Kyle (i found you) whilst the audience screamed every word. Then Fred seamlessly flowed into a handful of emotional songs from his trio of albums titled ‘Actual Life’. This included Bleu (better with time), Tate (how i feel) and into the more energetic track Kammy (like i do).

Then, Fred asks if he can try something he hasn’t tried in a long time, he parted the sea of fans down the middle and walked through eagerly to a smaller stage set up in the middle of the room. The producer then hit the exhilarated crowd with fan-favourites Jungle and popular grime dance track Rumble, playing the song twice and making a completely new unheard remix as he adds heavy drum sounds live.

The king of electronic music then returned to the front stage keeping the high energy and live drums as he teased an unreleased song that samples Baby Keem’s ‘South Africa’. For me, this was when the show went up a level from very good to incredible.

The music then slowed down, as Fred transitioned into his new song, 2023 summer release, adore u, that features the beautiful vocals of Obongjayar. The gentle glittery notes were received with pure elation amongst the crowd. Fred announced, “this one is for your brothers and sisters,” dedicating the song to his sister, whom he wrote the song about. Some people around me were even moved to tears as the song played alongside a compilation of heartfelt videos of loved ones filmed by fans.

The emotions continued to run high, as Fred played his euphoric remix of Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel’ as a video of the beloved singer performing played on the large screen. The crowd then erupted when hearing the first few chords of Delilah (pull me out of this), chanting the melody as they waited for the drop. Simultaneously, the main screen showed videos of fireworks travelling up above the heads of fans onto the huge overhanging screens that fans could look up above to.

For the next track Fred Again.. told fans hold up their phone torches and blue plastic squares they were given in the queue creating a sea of small blue lights. The interactive idea was great in theory, but as the lights in the room were already blue, it didn’t work as well as the producer may have hoped.

The incredible show closed with Angie (Ive been lost). Fred Again.. commanded the crowd to sing along, splitting them into 2 sides and at the end asking them to sing in unison, creating an overwhelmingly ecstatic atmosphere to end the show.

Unfortunately, the only thing stopping this show from being a perfect 5/5 stars was the abrupt ending. Personally, the sudden ending made the show feel slightly incomplete without an encore as a few popular songs were still left to play and it had not yet reached 11pm. For example, the high energy Marea (we lost dancing), Baby Again.. and Turn On The Lights again.. were all missing.

However, as I mentioned earlier, each show is supposed to be unique from each other so it makes sense that some songs will be swapped so he can have a different setlist each night. This didn’t make it any easier for the loving fans who waited at least 15 minutes hoping for an encore.

To see exclusive videos from the show follow our TikTok @chunesmp

14 Mar

By 25782697 on Concert review tagged #AltRap, #concertreview, #slowthai, #slowthaiugly, #UGLYtour, #UKMusic, #Underrated- Leave a comment

Slowthai’s Banquet Records concert Review: manic but unforgettable!

The Northampton-born alternative artist played two back-to-back Banquet Records gigs in Kingston (Greater London) last weekend. The concerts showcased the love him and his fans share for new album ‘UGLY’!

The shows followed his six-date run of £1 ticket small pub shows at the beginning of March and a week following the release of his newest project ‘UGLY’. The album that includes a fusion of both punk and grime perfectly illuminates Tyron’s talent with creative lyrics, raw vocals and stripped back production.

Ty’s transparency and vulnerability in his storytelling is what enables him to connect to Britain’s younger generation.

This set of dedicated fans mostly made up of patchwork tattoo and mullet owners did not disappoint and really brought the frantic high energy you would associate with the punk genre to the venue of just under 2000.

Slowthai welcomed fans with a smile asking “how are we feeling? do you feel good? Do you feel great? Do you feel alive?” before joking “I heard a lot of you have been in spoons, so hopefully you’re a lively bunch tonight!”

Setlist:

Selfish
Sooner
Feel Good
HAPPY
Sorrymum
Wotz funny
25% Club
adhd
feel away
falling
Tourniquet
Deal Wiv it
Doorman
Yum (encore)

Slowthai began the setlist with 7 songs from the new album including upbeat singles ‘Feel Good’ and ‘HAPPY’. As soon as the music started the crowd instantly began pushing, jumping, drink throwing and opening up the mosh pit in true punk fashion.

The live band played flawlessly adding so much more to the performance and overall atmosphere. The small venue allowed everyone to have a great view of the stage and the option of being a part of the intense pushing or watching safely from the side-lines.

Tyron himself seemed overwhelmed with joy and contentment as he performed, taking complete ownership of the stage. After receiving a bouquet of flowers from a loving fan he went on to express his gratitude for the people in the room as well as his friends and family.

Slowthai then calmed it down, playing a collection of slower ballads. This includes two slower more emotional songs off his last album ‘TYRON’ (that reached number 1 in the Official Charts) called ‘adhd’ and ‘feel away’. Whilst watching his faultless performance I noticed a handful of listeners in the crowd being reduced to tears highlighting just how meaningful his tracks can be. Although, to ruin the wholesome moment between Slowthai and his admirers the mosh-pits (rather embarrassingly) continued.

To end the incredible show, Slowthai performed two older songs from 2019, fan-favourites ‘Deal Wiv it’ and ‘Doorman’. The crowd’s jumping had the whole room shaking at one point. And to be honest being at the edge of the mosh pit for a whole 10 seconds was enough for me, although it felt like a near death experience – it was completely worth it.

The encore was the opening track to the new album ‘Yum’ and was the ideal ending to what was a lively and euphoric show, Ty left the stage thanking fans and telling them he will be back again soon.

Slowthai took to twitter after the show, saying “tonight was banging” and retweeted a video from the show captioning it “beautiful”.

Overall, I was seriously impressed by Slowthai’s vocals and overall performance. As a frequent Banquet Record’s show attender, I would say this has been my favourite of all, topping huge mainstream artists such as Stormzy. This is simply due to the enormous amount of energy and emotion that Tyron radiates that he feeds straight back into the crowd.

9 Jan

By 25782697 on Concert review tagged #Fourtet, #Fredagain, #FredAgainRumble, #LondonMusic, #Skrillex- Leave a comment

Skrillex, Fred again.. and Four Tet – A look inside their last minute ‘Rumble’ release show in London

The trio of electronic magicians played a spectacular third secret set with tickets selling out in seconds, just hours before the show!

The spontaneous run of shows from the 5th to the 7th of January were each finalised on the day of the show. This comes after Skrillex and Fred Again.. were celebrating the drop of their much anticipated single ‘Rumble’ together on the 4^th. They reached out via Instagram story asking for a last-minute venue in Fred’s hometown of London. Then the chaos erupted as each artist randomly released a ticket link on their stories, only a few hours before the show, and within seconds, tickets were sold out.

Fellow DJ, Nia Archives, as well as worldwide popstar Dua Lipa were some of the huge stars spotted dancing in the crowd on Saturday night. The final show of 3 was at Troxy in East London with a capacity of just over 3,000 and it did not disappoint!

If getting tickets wasn’t lucky enough, after arriving just 45 minutes early, I managed to make my way to secure a spot about half a meter from the front barrier. As soon as the doors were open at 8pm the three DJ’s were ready at the decks, warming up the crowd, chatting to fans and setting up for what was going to be an incredible 4 hours.

The show got off to a flying start with every track hyping up the crowd more and more. I looked behind me and the venue was full of people flooding the sides and back of the decks. Fred looked up at the cheering crowd before taking the microphone, “We’re on a hattrick London and we are so gassed that you’re here with us tonight – thank you!”

They teased the crowd with a remix of ‘Rhythm N Gash‘ followed by Fred’s huge single ‘Turn On The Lights again..‘ which got the fans bouncing and that’s when the real lightshow started. Dubstep heavyweight Skrillex then took to the decks, playing his own remix of Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘HUMBLE’.

However, the show wasn’t without its flaws as 2 hours in the sound system started glitching and Four Tet was cut off more than once which left everybody confused. After an awkward few minutes of no music, three stressed DJ’s and Skrillex passing the blame to anyone but himself – of course it was fan favourite Fred Again.. who saved the day.

With a smile on his face, he took out his keyboard and plays the melody of his own song ‘Danielle‘ telling the crowd “we don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know what’s going to happen but we might as well give it our best.” At this point everyone (including myself) was just ecstatic that the show was carrying on despite sweat dripping from the ceiling.

The energy in the room then became electric as the trio welcomed special guest Flowdan and it was time to RUMBLE. The new single was remixed more than 5 times with Flowdan flawlessly rapping live to the crowds delight.

As the show was coming to a close, a roller-coaster of emotions were experienced. My night peaked when I heard a drum and bass remix of Harry Styles’ ‘As it Was’. Although this was short lived when the song was stopped after a careless crowd surfer dived off the decks and into the crowd, knocking out a girl on his way down.

After a short break and the girl getting to safety with help from none other than Sonny (Skrillex) himself – the show continued.

To end the remarkable evening, Fred Again.. played an emotional last tune from his first solo album called ‘Angie (i’ve been lost)’ telling the crowd to repeat the moving lyrics “Lost, I’ve been lost, but I’m really trying”.

The love and respect between the three talented producers was completely infectious. Throughout the night I could see strangers coming together to share moments that will last a lifetime.

Check out @chunesmp on TikTok for exclusive video content from the night.

To read more on Fred Again.. and his incredible rise to solo fame in the electronic scene, click this link: https://chunes-blogs-lincoln-ac-uk.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2022/10/04/fred-again-from-lowkey-background-producer-to-king-of-electronic-music/

8 Sep

By 25782697 on Concert review, Festivals tagged #AllpointsEast, #festival, #Londonfestival, #MontellFish, #tameimaplaconcert, #Tameimpala- Leave a comment

Total euphoria! Headliner Tame Impala steals the show at London’s All Points East Festival

Tame Impala took to Victoria Park, August 25^th, for an exclusive London show and exceeded all expectations! Australia’s Kevin Parker and 5-piece band performed on the main stage East and thrilled the crowd of fans who screamed the guitar riffs and synths back to him all night. The Tame Impala live experience was out-of-this-world, as psychedelic rock is paired with a mesmerising lightshow including a huge circular lighting rig shooting coloured lasers, almost resembling a UFO.

Personally, All Points East festival felt a lot less chaotic and rowdy than any other festival I have ever attended perhaps due to it being a day festival or because there was a range of ages. Although don’t get me wrong the festival itself had a great vibe, the music was outstanding and, in my experience, very friendly people. The perfect festival for someone that “doesn’t do festivals” with fairground rides, clean functioning toilets and short food and drink queues.

The music was a day of contrast, with a lot of softer sounding artists including Q, Omar Apollo and the standout for me Montell Fish starting the day. Chill RnB vocalist Montell Fish controlled the smallest ‘BMW play next stage’ with fans singing along to his beautiful vocals. This included new album tracks that recently blew up on TikTok, ‘Fall in Love with You’ and ‘Talk 2 Me’ with some fans standing on benches to get the best look. Meanwhile the North arena tent (where I spent most of the day) was full to the brim with ravers listening to various DJ sets including dreamy FKJ – until it was Tame Impala time!

Tame Impala’s electrifying set was 90 minutes of pure bliss! It began with a trippy satirical advertisement video of a pharmacist presenting a new (made-up) drug called ‘Rushium’ before fading into the first song ‘One more year’. The first few songs of the set were all handpicked from popular album ‘Slow Rush,’ and the crowd got dancing immediately. Kevin parker, seeming more charismatic than ever, hyped London’s crowd saying, “I thought this day would never come” followed by asking listeners to get “a little rowdy” to the rocky old fan-favourite ‘Elephant’.

Songs from a mixture of all albums played and by the midway point, the energy in Victoria Park was nothing but exhilarating with psychedelic visuals and multicoloured lasers that could be seen even from the back of the park. When the intro of ‘Let it Happen’ played, fans jumped higher than ever as the show turned multisensory as heaps of coloured confetti was released to create the ultimate live concert experience.

The setlist continued to impress right down to the final part. My personal favourite ‘Eventually’ did not disappoint; the crowd sang every word, note and drum with all hands in the air to catch the lasers from the UFO-like structure. For the last two songs “The less I know the better” and “New person, same old mistakes” I left the front of the crowd to get the full experience from further back. Copying the people around me I begged to get on my friends’ shoulders (sorry Dylan) to make the moment even more special – and special it was.The only thing I have left to say is that Tame impala is probably the best festival set I have ever witnessed with the perfect balance of music, visuals and vibes, and by the end I really did feel like a brand-new person!