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Imogen Heap @ Luxor, Cologne

3/14/2010

Imogen Heap – Live @ Luxor, Köln
March 14, 2010 // Luxor, Cologne

It would be unfair to say I was a fan of Imogen Heap before today. I appreciated her work and I have always thought her songwriting was unique and very interesting. So when a friend I recently made asked me if I wanted to come along to her show in Cologne, it wasn’t a big stretch for me to say that I would very much like to tag along.

And after tonight, I’m very glad I did. Back Ted N-Ted opened the show. He did his thing, and he didn’t do it too bad, but honestly, I didn’t get too excited about his little performance. He had a couple moments, but overall it didn’t come across too memorable. I don’t know if it were the songs or if he just wasn’t able to get the songs’ full potential out there tonight. He seems like a nice kid and an interesting musician, but he needs to gain experience in songwriting and stage presence I think.

A little while later, Imogen Heap came on stage and pretty much from the get-go, she displayed she was extremely comfortable doing what she’s doing and with a lot of humor and great timing, she was able to get the whole (sold out!) venue on her hands in no time. In between technical issues with the sampling computer, funny jokes and anecdotes about the men in her life, she showed off her musicality, often assisted by Back Ted N-Ted and other touring musicians. The interesting and very original arrangements of the songs are what makes her so special. That and her unique vocals.

She’s an excellent pianist and stage performer and her songs leave a lot of room for a little improvising here and there and are remarkably fit for a full show. I couldn’t tell you the setlist for the life of me, but I know I was very impressed with what I saw and heard tonight. An excellent performance by a very interesting and unique musician. And after tonight, I believe it is fair to call myself a fan of Imogen Heap!

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Noblesse - We Are Not Humanity Release Show

3/12/2010

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Noblesse – We Are Not Humanity
Release Show – March 12, 2010

Between 8PM and 8:20PM suddenly the show started with the band starting to play and not much later, dancers appeared on the floor of the Melkweg in Amsterdam, coming from all corners. I don’t know much about modern dance but the combination of the conceptual art rock of Noblesse and the interesting choreography displayed by the dancers was a feast for both eyes and ears.

They started with Detrimental one of the ‘catchier’ songs on the album. (not sure if catchier is the right word, but I can’t think of another word that fits). The vocals were hard to hear for a little while, but the sound tech solved that very quickly and then the show really got underway.

While the music feels like conceptual art rock it doesn’t feel forced or too complicated. It’s deep and it provokes, it’s challenging, but it’s not distantiating. It has interesting melodics and emphasized rhythmics, musically. Which is one of the reasons this show was so suited to be incorporated with dancers.

Noblesse basically went through the whole “We Are Not Humanity” album while the dancers did their thing. Sometimes also, there was time for a little ‘story time’ where in a very amusing way we were slowly introduced into the music and dance again. There was use of visual effects (including the floor itself!) and props and this made the whole event much more interactive for the audience also.

Noblesse is one of the better kept secrets in music. And last night they proved they know how to treat their fans to a fantastic show. It was impressive, it was original and it was just damn good! Their new album is available through bandcamp, be sure to get it, it is very, very, very good.

http://noblesse.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-not-humanity

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Recap: El Piño & The Volunteers @ Plato, Utrecht

3/4/2010

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Around 4:30PM, the store manager of the Plato in Utrecht announced that the band was ready to go and a small group of listeners formed around the stage area. It was kind of a small inlet in the back of the store where the band was bringing acoustic goodness to the few lucky ones inside the store. They played a couple songs, among which Wake Up and No Cure For Stupidity. The songs sounded very pleasant acoustically and came across very well. This band has a very comfortable stage presence and quite a relaxed vibe that shines through in their music. The songs feel natural and musically they are sound. And the band knows how to deliver.

This was only the 3rd time I saw them live (first time was years ago when they opened for Augustana and last time was more recently), and I can see a lot of growth and maturity in this band. I will make sure not to wait this long to catch them live again. Guys, I hope the show in Ekko was a great success!

Here are a few videos to enjoy:

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Diane Birch @ Bitterzoet, Amsterdam

3/4/2010

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Diane Birch @ Bitterzoet, Amsterdam
March 4, 2010

My day was already pretty good when I got to Amsterdam. Tried to see if I could get into Bitterzoet early (it was still between 6pm and 7pm) to see if I could talk to the musicians themselves, maybe persuade them into setting up an e-mail interview, but the door was very, very closed. So I decided to come back later and see if I have time afterwards. Made my way to my favorite Irish Pub in Amsterdam to kill some time with Kilkenny’s (no pun intended).

So then I made my way back, door was still very closed, but more people were waiting. As time went by we were wondering if they were ever gonna open the doors, haha, but they did. So everyone got in, found a spot and waited for the show to start. It was supposed to start at 8:30PM but it ended up starting around 9:20PM instead. The stage was really low, so it was hard to see sometimes, but Diane and her band put on a very splendid show. It was done in about 45 minutes and then another 10 minutes for encore. Which wasn’t such a bad thing for me, since I had to make my train to get back home. So unfortunately there was not much time for talking to anyone, but I had a good time.

Diane and her band played most of the songs off “Bible Belt” (an album I would highly recommend to all of you!). For me the highlights were Rewind and Ariel. She also did songs like Fire Escape, Fools, Valentino (crowd favorite), Magic View, Forgiveness and several others. And another absolute highlight was her cover of Haddaway’s What Is Love?. A very, very solid performance by this gifted young lady and her excellent band.

I was very impressed and somewhat surprised by how comfortable she was on stage and the ease with which she connected to her audience. This girl has stage presence and killer vocals. If she’s playing a show near you, you might want to check your calendar, cause it really is worth it. I went in just appreciating her music, but I came home a fan.

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Recap: Lifehouse @ Melkweg, Amsterdam

3/1/2010

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Video courtesy of Gianna

The whole adventure started on tuesday as I was picking up my Portuguese friend at the airport in Germany. The next day we made our way to Amsterdam and met up with all our other friends from all over Europe. We hung out and waited in line from 3pm up until doors opened. It was cool when they waved to us, but too bad they didn’t come out to talk for a few minutes. I was already severely sleep deprived but with enough chocolate, coffee and adrenaline, who cared? Singing songs in line, meeting new people, catching up with old friends and having a good time alltogether, it was not so bad at all. It was also kinda cool that Jimmy Alter talked to a few of my friends for their website.

So then doors opened, mayhem everywhere, I just took it easy and brought my jacket to the vestibule. My friends were holding my place at the stage anyway, haha. (I love my friends, they rock!) then valerius, who were a little strange at times, and while they are more of a summer band to me, they sounded pretty decent. They just need to learn that Portugal and Den Bosch does NOT sound the same, haha.

Then Lifehouse was there, yeehaw!, from circus tune to Everything, it was one hell of a show. Musically it was great, but I think I might have seen them do even better pure musically. But when it comes to stage presence and connecting with the audience, they have grown immensely and this is probably the best I’ve seen them do to this day. I think my highlights were Spin, AIEGFO, Wrecking Ball & Blind. I think especially Blind was performed with near perfection. It was funny when I saw Jason & Bryce chuckle about our Simon sign (which we slid next to the setlist). Unfortunately they didn’t play it. But to speak in the words of Lifehouse: “And if [we] fall and crash & burn, at least we both know that [we] tried”.

At one point this guy was working his way towards the stage, passed a note on to Ben and then Ben showed Jason and he asked something like: “This is for real?” And then he was like: “Who just gave this note to our guitar player? You got something to say? Come on up here!” So then a bald guy climbed on stage and Jason told us he was gonna take over for a few minutes. He then invited his girlfriend on stage and asked her to marry him. And of course she said yes. It was very cute how it was all spur of the moment/makeshift. He didn’t even have a ring yet, but at that point he figured this was the opportune moment cause his girlfriend really loved Lifehouse. Good for them :) We talked to them afterwards and they seem really nice people. I wish them all the best!

We waited around, bought Smoke & Mirrors and talked to Winnie (head of the crew) who actually remembered me from the two minutes I talked to him in Massachusetts in 2007 (good memory!). Got a chance to thank him for giving me a few of Jason’s guitar picks back then :) He didn’t know if or when the guys would come out, so after a while we had to go outside and figured we’d wait there since they had to come out sooner or later. But they must’ve snuck out right after the show, cause no one saw them and even Winnie (who was the last of the Lifehouse people to leave) had no idea where they went. He didn’t know where they were, didn’t have a place to sleep yet and didn’t have a phone on him. That was insane. But he’s such a kind person. We talked to him a little more and gave him some stuff for the band that he promised to deliver :) I hope he figured things out last night.

We then made our way to our stop for the night (which was a whole other adventure, lol). But all the memories are something I will remember for many, many lifetimes.

Thank you to everyone I met yesterday and helped to make this experience as memorable as it is. I hope you all had a splendid time. I know I did.

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LEFT - Video Release Show (Lokaal 8, Veldhoven)

3/1/2010

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While the show was supposed to be underway at 10PM it was 11:20PM when Hunting The Robot started their set. I saw this band before and they’re very young and enthusiastic. I like that. Musically, their arrangements show promise, though it needs maturing and they need to come together as a band and grow as musicians. But there is definitely talent there.

Their live show is infectious but it’s also quite messy at times. And it was no different last night. The highlight of their set was former single Carnival. They also debuted their upcoming single and played quite a long set for a support act in a small venue.

During their set we were discussing the band and we agreed that in a few years Hunting The Robot could be a very solid name in the Dutch music scene but right now they still need to work on things. Enjoyable support though!

It was then time to see Left, the band we all came to see in the first place. They really are one of the better live bands in the country. They started with their insanely good and fun new video for it’s the incredible greyman. Check it out on YouTube, it’s a very cool video.

They then played a set that went deep into the night. It was good, it was fun, they connected with the crowd very well and highlights were Storm, Carousel, Better Off, So Much for Adaptation & it’s the incredible greyman.

I uploaded a few short videos of the show here.

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Live Recaps

Imogen Heap @ Luxor, Cologne

Noblesse - We Are Not Humanity Release Show

Recap: El Piño & The Volunteers @ Plato, Utrecht

Diane Birch @ Bitterzoet, Amsterdam

Recap: Lifehouse @ Melkweg, Amsterdam

LEFT - Video Release Show (Lokaal 8, Veldhoven)

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