Falling for Florence

If you have been following my blogs you would have read an earlier one on a Welch singer and her band, Florence and the Machine. Last night I was graced by her presence, attending a concert that was truly amazing, simple in theatrics but incredible in performance.

We left to go to the gig at the Trusts Stadium later than I would have liked (due to a miscommunication) but ended up towards the front of the mosh regardless – possibly because everyone in the audience was a pristinely dressed tween, decked out in sequins and lace and adamant on not pushing back. Not exactly regular concert goers, you could tell that on first glance.

I had absolutely no idea who was opening for Florence while she was here, but I was treated to a very happy surprise when The Naked and Famous came out on stage, a New Zealand indie pop band that needs to be listened to if you haven’t already. Their hit ‘Young Blood’ was inspired by crazy teens and the vampire show True Blood, reaching number one on our charts and being nominated for a Silver Scroll, so if that’s not proof of their talent then I don’t know what is. Soon after The Naked and Famous was a band from New York called The Drums, who only intensified the indie feel that echoed around the whole of the trust stadium (despite the clearly un-indie crowd following).

The wait in between The Drums and Florence and the Machine was pretty interesting to say the least, with many tipsy (and more) tweens creating quite the scene by turning around and snapping at anyone who got too close. One girl, turning around to yell at me and my friend for pushing and being ‘so rude!’ soon ended up with a lovely wad of gum in her hair. Mosh pits are meant for pushing after all. During the wait the roadies hoisted up a giant black sheet to conceal the stage before Florence came on, and, of course, to add dramatic effect. Every performer needs an element of drama!

After the painstaking wait (less than that for Paramore, thankfully) the lights dimmed and the sheet dropped, revealing a gorgeous glowing backdrop complemented by a glowing red head standing in front of the stage.  Starting the night with ‘Drumming Song’ was a perfect way to get the crowed going, the jazzy drum intro and fast tempo just begging for the audience to jump up and down in time and sway with her as she moved gracefully across the stage. After that came the slightly creepy yet still amazing ‘Girl With One Eye’ to slow it down ever so slightly and also lead up to the darker themes of ‘My Boy Builds Coffins’. Even though so many of Florence’s songs have undertones of dark foreboding, each one still managed to keep its upbeat sound that just made you want to sing along and dance, which everyone was surely doing by the end of the night – apart from those few girls pristinely dressed and worrying about their clothes (now where’s the fun in that?) She finished up the show with ‘Kiss with a Fist’ and ‘Dog Days are Over’ – which was being chanted for, obviously a crowd favourite – during the encore.

Whenever Florence put down the microphone to address the crowd and thank us all for coming- which I swear she did countless times!- I was shocked to hear the quiet, sweet, timid voice that came out of her mouth. With lungs that can belt the hell out of any song, I really did not expect a cute, quiet, British accented voice to come from the same person. Not to mention the fact that she was so polite, humble and thankful and that we all clearly knew who she was and thoroughly enjoyed the concert.

This indie queen is full of quirks, amazing musical talent and incredible style. Wearing a black flowing slip and eventually bringing out a cut out black cape, drama was not only present in her performance but also her clothing choices. With a sneak listen of her newest song she had me yearning for another album, which is unfortunately not coming out for some time. Watch out for anything with her name on it though – no matter what it is, it will be worthwhile.

Margaux’s Mix Tape

Florence and the Machine – Girl with One Eye 

The Naked and Famous - Young Blood 

Florence and the Machine - My Boy Builds Coffins  

The Drums - Down by the Water  

The Naked and Famous - Serenade  

Wilco

I had pretty much decided the Wilco concert was going to be amazing as soon as I heard the news that they were coming to play two shows in New Zealand. Not only do I remember their 2008 visit as being one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, but I’m always completely wowed by the beauty of the Civic – where Tuesday’s Auckland show was held.

I wasn’t disappointed. The richness of Wilco’s music matched perfectly with the richness of the decor and we were treated to a stunning performance. They played a great range of songs including several from their very early days. Of course, they were here to promote their latest album, Wilco (The Album), so they performed a good number of tracks from that album. I have to say I didn’t enjoy the concert as much as I did the 2008 one – not that that’s saying anything; as I said, it was one of the best I’ve seen –  and I can put that down to not knowing their new music very well.  I really felt for my friend, who barely knows two Wilco songs. It does make a difference, knowing the music and the lyrics. But she says she loved it, and I believe her – although I wouldn’t blame her for lying, because Wilco is Good Music and it can be intimidating to argue against that. Anyway I adore Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born, know Sky Blue Sky reasonably well, but I’m not particularly fussed on their new album. Perhaps that’s because lead singer Jeff Tweedy isn’t miserable anymore, in which case I’m very happy for him.

I didn’t have much of a go at people-watching because we were running late, but the audience was a very varied lot. Quite a lot of plaid and/or denim-on-denim outfits on both hipsters and dad-rockers. I loved seeing the 15(ish)-year-old boy next to me really getting into the music just as much as the middle-aged ladies in front of me. Not many bands could pull such a varied audience. I thought it was funny reading the Herald review of the John Mayer concert, where it was mentioned that there were a lot of ‘I love you’s’ from ladies in the audience. At Wilco there were a lot of ‘I love you’s’ too, but they were all from men.

The highlight of the show for me was their rendition of ‘Reservations’, which is my favourite of their songs, and their quietest, as far as I know. Wilco love making noise and do it well – it’s melodic, not just a whole lot of clanking. However it did start to grate on me a wee bit, so perhaps that’s why ‘Reservations’ stood out so much. It was incredibly tender and beautiful.

Overall it was a wonderful show, clocking in at a good two-and-a-half hours. Even before that we’d had Justin Townes Earle and his awesome white suit and his awesome dance moves. I was harbouring an irrational grudge against him because of a childhood road trip to New Plymouth with nothing but Steve Earle, Justin’s dad, on the stereo, but he was great and I think I’m over it.

I have it from a pretty good source that Wilco will be back in a year or so. If they’re telling the truth, I urge you to head along. They’re incredibly talented and creative musicians, and what’s best is that they really don’t take themselves too seriously (as evidenced by Tweedy’s fail with the microphone-swinging). They seem to enjoy playing for the audience just as much as the audience enjoys seeing them play.

My Mixtape for the week:

Feist ‘My Moon My Man’

Wilco ‘Handshake Drugs’

Wilco ‘Reservations’

Donkeyboy ‘Ambitions’

Pendulum ‘Watercolour’

INXS ‘Don’t Change’

Hot Chip ‘And I Was a Boy From School’

YOU + SO SO MODERN = AWESOME

Our friend Savvy Promotions is putting on another killer All Ages gig.
This time it’s SO SO MODERN’S ALBUM RELEASE SHOW for Crude Futures:
Toto Bacco Room (53 Nelson Street),
Friday 16 April
7.30pm

It promises to be a massive show. The line up includes some of Aucklands most exciting bands. Joining So So Modern will be:

CUT OFF YOUR HANDS
BANDICOOT
TOURETTES
GOLDEN AXE
JOE BLOSSOMS
TROLOLO SOUNDSYSTEM

And we’ve got a single door pass to give away to this awesome event.
See below for details on how to  enter the draw!!! (click on image to enlarge)

All Ages and licensed.
For information on how to PURCHASE TICKETS – check out our news item.

SO GET COMMENTING NOW!

No Introduction Needed

Deafening screams are released as a small figure appears on stage during the opening act. Modeling an ‘iron man’ mask she makes her way over to the drum kit. As I realise who this adorable figure is, tears unwillingly (and trust me I tried) start streaming down my face. Taking the place of The jury and Saints drummer, Hayley Williams from Paramore starts to thrash. Not too badly might I add.

No introduction is needed, so I’ll get straight into it.

Hayley’s willful vocals led us straight into one of their many hit singles, Ignorance. Great way to start the night. They got the audience pumped and semi aggressive with their rhetorical lyrics, ‘you treat me just like another stranger. Well it’s nice to meet you Sir’. Unfortunately lead guitarist Josh Farro was not able to mesmerize us with his stunning guitar riffs, as he was too busy organising his wedding! How selfish. But the show DID go on as Taylor York (the new addition to Paramore, as the second guitarist…what a babe!) had his brother take Josh’s place during the tour.

I personally believe Williams is the best singer of her genre. She has the ability to hit incredible notes & her charm and friendly personality are just icing on the rock’n cake. She’s so down to earth!

Whenever a band comments on how amazing and beautiful New Zealand is, I know that most of us automatically wonder whether they say that to all their crowds.  But Hayley’s enthused remark “This is absolutely incredible. You have no clue how long we’ve been waiting to meet you” felt totally genuine.
When she told us “It seems that everything we’ve heard of you is true, you’re crazy!” the crowd proved exactly that, with wails from teenage girls and a surprising amount of guys.

The boy’s definitely put on a show of their own when bassist Jeremy did a side flip over Taylor, while still playing. But, as expected, Hayley was the crowd favourite. Her energy and performance was insane, as she still hit every note while head-banging. The responsive crowd knew the words to every song – the mix of new and old – just as it should be. Although there were tons of adoring fans, the mosh wasn’t as fanatical as I expected – which was probably a good thing with all the 8 year old’s I saw making their way to the very front.

Before proceeding with the opening song Careful, off their new album Brand New Eyes Hayley asks “Are you ready to hang out with us?”, again the screams answered her question. And that’s exactly what we did.
For the next hour, fans everywhere from the North and South partied together with the amazing and inspirational Paramore. The only downside was the length. Rather short. But then again, who else do you know that can give a performance as well as Williams did while maintaining pitch perfect singing!? It’s a mystery how she can last so long!

Sure it was a quick set but it wasn’t just a ‘play and gap’ scenario. The audience was so involved! At one point Hayley even decided to have a conversation with an extremely lucky fan up the front about her famous orange mic.

Paramore, if you’re reading this (extremely unlikely), you rock. Come back to New Zealand – or better still, take me with you!

My Mixtape:

o Yeah yeah yeahs- ‘cheated hearts’
o The Enemy-‘Away from here’
o Paramore- ‘I caught myself’
o Paramore- ‘Feeling sorry’
o Eddie Vedder- ‘Rise’
o Mint chicks- ‘Walking off a cliff again’
o Michael Buble- crazy love
o Paramore- ‘Brighter’
o Flyleaf- ‘all around me’

Paramore, left me wanting more

A small riot formed outside Waitakere Trust stadium as swarms of teenyboppers lined up for the Paramore concert.

After already arriving somewhat later than planned (thanks to driving in the complete opposite direction, to the wrong stadium), my spirits were already slightly diminished. But being quite the Paramore fan, I had high hopes for the show.

Overrun with anticipation and frustration I stood in the exceedingly long line with my three friends, shivering, and wishing I had opted for jeans rather than shorts.

As the clock struck seven the doors opened & cheers came loud and clear from every direction. We were moving! The line was moving!

A sea of bodies ran for the stage hoping to get a spot close enough to the front to see the tiny red head up close and personal.

Shockingly enough the mosh pit was actually getting really pushy – who would have thought I could compare the Paramore mosh to AC/DC?  At least in AC/DC I could breathe.

The opening band came on and left within minutes, leaving many confused. But those few minutes was enough time for the petite red head I mentioned earlier to run on stage and start pounding the drums wearing an iron man mask. The crowd went berserk as the whole mosh surged forward towards the barrier. The spotlight had surely been stolen from the supporting act – who I later found out was local band The Jury and The Saints.  They were done and dusted by 8pm and the crowd was left to wait for Paramore to make their appearance.

By 8:30pm the lights had blackened and all of a sudden a banner dropped from the ceiling revealing in clear bold writing ‘PARAMORE’ and that’s when the band rushed on stage and started with their first release off their new album ‘Ignorance’.

Hayley was certainly no disappointment, full of energy and hitting every note to perfection.

Sporting a minor threat tee and two-tone jeans (I really want a pair!) she bounded around the stage head banging and flirting with the crowd.

The drummer on the other hand was a slight disappointment. Being a fan and fellow drummer, I have taken it upon myself to learn various Paramore drum beats. As they played Decode, one of their biggest songs to date – thanks to all the ‘Twihards’ support – I noticed that the beat was in fact different and much simpler than the one on the track.

By the time they had performed a few songs off each of their albums Hayley started giving the ‘thanks for coming speech’. I checked my phone to see the time and noticed it was only 9.30pm. They had played for an hour, surely that wasn’t it? But as the guitarist picked Hayley up and ran her around the stage while singing their last song, it was apparent that they had in fact finished. The lights came on and the masses started heading for the door.

Hot, dehydrated and covered in the crowd’s sweat I was left unsatisfied. I suppose you could describe the show as ‘short and sweet’, but when I come to a concert I do expect to be jumping up and down until at least 11.

So all in all, Paramore left me wanting more.

Margaux’s Mix:

0 Ignorance – Paramore
0 Pressure – Paramore
0  Symphony of Freaks – Automatic Love Letter
0 The Killing Moon – Echo and the Bunnymen
0 Medicine Man – The Hush Sound
0 Problem Child – AC/DC
0 Morning Glory – Oasis

Post by Margaux

Prodigy

My friend Gemma often reminisces about one of her first Big Day Out’s, when rave pioneers The Prodigy played outside, on the main stage. Midway through the set, it began to rain, which caused an exodus towards the stands. Fifteen-year-old Gemma stayed on the dance floor/mud pit, and remembers being appalled that people were leaving. To this day, she says it was one of the most surreal musical experiences of her life.

I can appreciate that, but after last week’s Prodigy concert at Trusts Stadium in Henderson, I have a more practical issue: What’s the point of getting under shelter when you’ve just been dancing like a maniac to a band that will just not let you have a break? You’re already the sweatiest you’ve ever been – surely rain would be welcome?

After one song last Thursday I would have killed for a down-pour. Pity it was an indoor concert, and the only showers I was getting were with other people’s sweat. The Prodigy promised an explosive night and they delivered, lurching from hit to hit and barely allowing the crowd a breather the entire set.

The crowd was ready for it though. Pretty much everyone I saw was clearly a fan from way back, and, judging from the lack of high heels, knew exactly what to expect.

The two vocalists – Keith Flint and Maxim Reality – threw themselves into the task of entertaining a crowd almost foaming at the mouth. They even threw themselves at each other a few times, actually. Their energy was huge, and combined with an intense light show and, of course, the unrelenting bass, the relatively short set was just massive.

They packed a lot into that short set. The Prodigy have been around since the early ’90s, so they could have included much more, but with such a big back catalogue they trimmed the edges and fit pretty much every hit. With so few lulls, it was probably necessary to do a bit of cutting. The newer songs – ‘Invaders Must Die’, ‘Omen’, ‘Warrior’s Dance’ – received a quieter reception than classics such as ‘Breathe’, ‘Firestarter’ and ‘Voodoo People’, but that’s not saying much!

Judging from the bus ride home afterwards, the majority were very impressed by the show. That’s if a hundred variations of ‘oh my god’ are anything to go on. Named in Q Magazine’s list of ’50 Bands To See Before You Die’ in 2002, I think I can safely say they haven’t lost it.

Afterthoughts on Auckland Laneway Festival – more pics!

The amazing Chris Knox & Shayne Carter

The lovely Daniel Johnston

The Dirty Three were FANTASTIC & demonstrated the best high kicks of the day.

Echo & The Bunnymen

Afterthoughts on Auckland Laneway Festival

Melbourne born, musical export St Jerome’s Laneway Festival descended on down town Auckland to settle amidst the urban backyard of Britomart. Humidity and spirits ran high as 5000 punters meandered in to watch an impressive roster of indie favourites including Daniel Johnston, Chris Knox & The Nothing, Echo and The Bunnymen and big buzz, newbies – Florence and The Machine and The xx.

Tucked under the thick blanket of clouds the atmosphere was one of sweaty awe,  joint musical appreciation & relatively sober enthusiasm – the slow process for the beer tent meant any plans of lasting intoxication were foiled unless you had access to the VIP bar. While it’s true that the mere sight of the double-queued gauntlet for booze made most people want to slink off and have a casual weep (beverage-less), there was a silver lining…  of sorts.
Happy accident! General sobriety meant all the usual suspects – vomit, frosted tips, aggression, winking and complete defilement of all port-a-loos on site – virtually disappeared. A real coup for the festival circuit.

While the phrase “perfectly lovely afternoon” seems a more apt description of a tea party at your Grandma’s house than a music festival, Auckland’s Laneway Festival really was very lovely. Albeit slightly bereft of tasty food (tea party variety or otherwise). It was a hub of friendly faces enjoying the entertainment & knocking about in what felt like a sonic sauna.
Every band that took the stage that day delivered a notable set, but the stand out performance had to go to The xx for their slick British charm, turtle-necks-in-the-face-of-humidity & Lorry-load of charisma. The young trio brought their subtle album to life on stage, sang like seasoned pro’s and were utterly captivating.

As the various bands filed on stage throughout the day and gushed about how much fun they were having (well done backstage crew), damp-haired fans seemed similarly chuffed to don their parkas for an afternoon of frolicking in rain.
Simply put, it was a swell time.

Some official snapshots of the day / night that was. Can you feel the rainy day merriment?:

Rain! Parkas! Laughs!

Florence!

Oliver Sim – The xx

Dance Music Phenomenon

Lately I’ve been indulging myself with a few pulsing beats. I’m not sure if ‘dance music’ is the correct term, but I’ve certainly been dancing along to it!

Hopefully many of you know of the cute trio from London ‘The xx’. I’d heard their cover of the song ‘You got the love’ a hundred times. My sister has had an obsession with it for the last month or so (surprisingly I never got sick of it. Probably because it’s so amazing!). But after I was loaned their CD I was hooked. Totally addicted to their sound, and Oliver Sim’s voice! His soothing and almost lazy tone can appease any angry teenager. Low and luscious, haha. After realising what I’d been missing out on I decided to do some research – so here are a few quirky fresh bands that I’ve recently discovered (and a few oldies):

My Mixtape tracks for the week are:

*(Obviously) The xx remix – You Got The Love
*The xx – Crystalised
*(One of my absolute favs) Now, Now Every Children – In My Chest (but every song is more than great)
*The Naked and Famous – All of this  (I love, love, love these guys!)
*Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
*Pink Dollaz – Never Hungry (warning, R rated and hip hop, but very cool)

Lungs Like a Machine

Ok so my name is Margaux, my purpose in life? Music! Now that the introductions are over and done with I can get to the real deal.

For my first blog entry I was considering doing a review of a recent gig or summer music in general, but due to over flowing options I decided to scratch that idea, because frankly, I don’t want to waffle!

So whilst listening to my iTunes on shuffle, and thinking for an insufferably long time about what my topic would be, inspiration hit me in the form of a catchy drum solo and resonant, soulful vocals.
Don’t know who I’m talking about?
Ill give you a clue – she performed at Laneway Festival, has fiery red hair, is British…
Why it’s Florence and the Machine!

Her music genre is completely one of its own and has been described as indie, alternative rock, baroque pop and soul electronica (I’ve never heard of soul electronica either). The point is that she’s original and every one of her songs is catchy and inspiring. This is a MUST have album.

Don’t want to take a newbie blogger’s word for it? Well look her up!

Her album Lungs was released in July 2009 and ranked number one in the UK music charts. So she’s not exactly ‘new’ but has only recently made her breakthrough to the iPods of us Kiwis.

Not only is she exceptionally talented at making great music but she also has been diagnosed with dyslexia (disability that affects reading, spelling and writing), dyspraxia (partial inability to coordinate actions) and dysmetria (incapacity to receive and process information rapidly).

These conditions don’t seem to be holding her back much. Much like newly risen NZ artist Ladyhawke, who  had her breakthrough in England & also suffers from aspergers syndrome (similar to autism). Ladyhawke is another personal favourite of mine.

What is it with these females lately? They seem to be oozing talent! Not that I’m complaining, on the contrary, it gives me some hope!

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

http://www.ladyhawkemusic.com/

Maragux’s Mix for the meantime (I have a thing for alliteration):

Rabbit Heart (Raise it up) – Florence and the Machine
Drumming song – Florence and the Machine
Magic – Ladyhawke
Oh My – Ladyhawke
Heart – Paramore
Stone Cold Sober – Paloma Faith
Rock Show – Lady Gaga

Post by Margaux