FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 1

FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 1

Calexico Front Row Centre I am Kloot Latitude Shell Hunter Willy Mason

Thanks to a good friend giving me a Guest Ticket for the whole weekend of Latitude Festival, I had the privilege of seeing one of the best line ups this year (or any year for that matter)! In my 3 part Latitude Front Row Centre Special, I will talk you through my top highlights over the three days of the Festival!

Latitude Festival Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk on July 19th 2013

On Friday the weather was superb, it was a day for exploring the site but more importantly to start the festival off right! Maybe because it was the first day or maybe because the line up was excellent but it was the best day for me. I watched about 10 hours of constant music and although I'd like to talk about them all I have whittled it down to my fave 3 of the day. The beauty of a festival is the complete chilled out nature, there is room for everyone so therefore no need for me to squeeze though the crowds on my tip toes to try and see whats going on. Here, you pull up a piece of grass and lounge around sipping a cold cider soaking up the atmosphere, whilst seeing your chosen band or artist on huge screens with no pressure to catch the last train home! I was also horrified from festival toilets in the past but at Latitude, I couldn't have asked for more! There was always loo roll, hand sanitisers and no nasty surprises when you open that portaloo door! I was also amazed at the food choice! No nasty burger vans here, it was all gourmet, fresh and locally sourced food. Fancy a hog roast with fries? How about fresh Loch Fyne mussels? Or what about a stone baked pizza hot from the oven or a falafel and haloumi ciabatta? You name it, they've got it here!

Willy Mason - 'Oxygen'

As it was so hot and sunny out, the nature of the music I fancied hearing was of the chilled out softer kind. After seeing Theme Park and James Skelly & The Intenders, I was looking forward to seeing Willy Mason. For each gig, I decided on the 3 songs I'd most like to hear and although he didn't play Restless Fugitive he played great versions of Pick Up Truck, We Can Be Strong and of course Oxygen which was the first song from Willy I had heard. Sadly because there are so many acts to get through, the sets are shorter but Willy still managed to put across his laid back and jolly nice self. I could honestly listen to his relaxed American drawl all day long!

I Am Kloot - 'Hold Back The Night'

The evening was slowly beginning to draw in and what better way to meet it, than by watching I Am Kloot. It was the perfect time of day to hear them and the songs about skies, the days and nights fitted with the serene ambiance nicely. I adore lead singer John Bramwell's warm voice and was happy they played my favourites of These Days Are Mine with a guitar played "Arabian bit" and Northern Skies. All in all they seemed like very nice chaps!

Calexico - 'Maybe on Monday'

My festival pal managed to convince me to head to the front of the BBC6 tent as a big chunk of the crowd seemed to have dispersed to get a spot for Bloc Party. I'm so glad I did. I got a perfect view of Joey Burns doing their soundcheck! I had a totally unobscured view and a nice barrier to lean on. Having seen Calexico many times before I knew they always put on a great show but being so close was such a new experience. Their energy was infectious, they got the crowd whooping and clapping along Corona and Alone Again Or. The real head turners were Maybe On Monday from recent album Algiers and their grand finale of Guero Canelo. They just kept going and went through each band member to give them a chance in the spotlight, to show off their skills. It was truly fabulous and I came out of there absolutely buzzing all over. If I had to choose, I'd say they were my favourite gig for the whole 3 days!

Come back over the next couple of weeks to read about my round up of choices for Day 2 & 3 or click here! Until then, have a listen to my Latitude Spotify Playlist!

sfw Pada 09:00 3 Komentar

FRONT ROW CENTRE - Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobious Pip - 'Angles'

FRONT ROW CENTRE - Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobious Pip - 'Angles'

Dan Le Sac Front Row Centre Scroobius Pip Shell Hunter

You've listened to the songs...you loved the album...now you absolutely have to see them live...

FRONT ROW CENTRE

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip - 'Angles' (2008)

Sub 89, Reading on April 27th 2014

For music lovers out there, the ultimate thing to do is to see your favourite artist or group live on stage. I go to a lot of concerts and for me the whole evening is an experience. Living just outside of London means it's a normally a dreaded, disgracefully long trek but it is such an amazing place, not only for music but for a night out so its worth it. Sprinkled with individual bars and restaurants hidden in every corner, it makes for a far more memorable experience! To save you hassling around, see my Gig Watch tips below! This is not a normal gig review, this is my experience.

Scroobius Pip needs little introduction on TuneDr as London Scouser is almost obsessive with his musical appreciation of this spoken word genius and featured him numerous times (have a look here). He does have me to thank though when I came home saying he'd love a song and played him The Beat That My Heart Skips years ago!

friends with fancy facial hair

I loved the venue, it's always a bonus when the bar is in the same room! There was plenty of space and even a couple of couches where we found our spot and I perched on the top of one giving me a pretty good view being as short as I am. The trouble was I was slightly distracted from the show at times with the love triangle unfolding before me. A girl with 2 guys on a night out that were obviously both after her hand. One was playing it low key trying to show he was enjoying the music whilst the other was quite the opposite, showing her more attention than the Scroob! That asides, I still couldn't escape the fact Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip had obvious chemistry in performance and in the banter between songs. Dan Le Sac revealed his knowledge of Reading having DJ'd there through the years making quips about the local bus service in his panda head hat. A truly funny guy.

totally sharp

The set was exactly what we wanted, brilliant performances of my favourites such as Sick Tonight, Stunner, Beat That My Heart Skipped and Thou Shalt Always Kill. I was waiting with baited breath for my ultimate though. Then it came, full of theatre and raw emotion which Scroobius Pip delivers with impeccable timing and feeling. Angles has always been my favourite and to hear it loud brought floods of goosebumps. It was an ingenious idea to have costume changes to impersonate the characters involved in the different points of view, proving that Scroobius Pip is just as good a showman as he is a poet. Especially with the final verse when the grieving brother stabs the security guard, wow, it knocked me for six. When I thought he could do no more to impress, the second encore and last song was Letter From God To Man, a clever and very relevant song in today's world. I will most certainly make sure I see his spoken word set at Latitude. Who better to read his poignant and genius lyric than himself, a true inspiration to enjoy modern poetry.

The video is from their gig in Amsterdam and is a fab example of what these two got up on stage. Just awesome!

Gig watch (everything you need to know!)

Venue: Sub 89, Reading

Setlist

Recommended Pub: The Monk's Retreat, Wetherspoons (mainly for the colourful people watching!)

Recommended Restaurant: Jamie's Italian (but so many to choose from!)

sfw Pada 10:42 4 Komentar

FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 3

FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 3

Dan Croll Front Row Centre Grizzly Bear Junip Latitude Shell Hunter

Welcome back to the last round up of highlights from Latitude Festival 2013 from Day 3. I'll be back next year to immerse myself in another music filled weekend!

Latitude Festival Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk on July 21st 2013

Hooray! The sun was back and it meant business! Sunday was what all Sundays should be, lounging around listening to some chilled out songs in the park whilst flicking through our festival bible at what bands to see next. After my daily baby wipe bath (God bless baby wipes) I was still black from all the dust but by now I had become one with the dirt. The line up was good but it wasn't such a struggle to choose who to see and when. We had more free time to look around the site and what it has to offer. If you wanted to have a break from the music there was comedy, spoken word, literature and poetry reading, live cooking classes and for the people with kiddies there was a petting farm, fun fair and massive climbing area in the woods. We took a walk out towards the stage in the woods and there were groups of people having impromptu jamming sessions amongst the trees! So much to see and do with so little time. As with all good things, it must come to an end so it was time to start packing everything in readiness for a hopefully quick exit in the morning. I was not looking forward to getting up at silly o'clock to fight the crowds and a five hour journey home but I was determined to enjoy it to the last minute.

Junip - 'Always'

I knew a couple of tracks from Junip and Jose Gonzalez and apart from Line Of Fire which will be in my Top 5 tracks of 2013, they hadn't quite hit me yet. I still insisted we see them on the strength of that one song but I was so impressed, they blew me away. It was the right setting and the perfect mood music for siting on the grass in my hat, sunnies and dusty flip flops. I could not get enough of the constant hum and gentle strumming. They had funky little instruments that made shaking sounds and I couldn't take my eyes off them. Real winners like Always, In Every Direction and of course Line Of Fire were stunning. New favourite band of the year for me.

Dan Croll - 'Compliment Your Soul'

He was my one to watch last year so I absolutely had to see him live. We grabbed a spot in front of The Lake Stage and Dan Croll's complete set got me in such a good mood. There seems to be an almost African jolliness to some of his songs and the band just looked like they were really at ease and enjoying themselves. He played one of my favourite tracks of last year, From Nowhere plus more recent singles In/Out and Compliment Your Soul which I couldn't stop singing for the rest of the day! It really just reaffirmed why I love his sound and he is sure to be a success if he keeps going the way he is.

Grizzly Bear - 'Yet Again'

To be honest I didn't know these guys from Adam but whilst flicking through the programme earlier, I read that they are supported by high profile fans such as Fleet Foxes, Jay - Z and Radiohead. Well if its good enough for them, I want a piece of that! I always wondered who my music heroes listened to. I thoroughly enjoyed their gig, they had the right balance of rocky drums and ambient sound. Stand out tracks were from their album released last year Shields: Sleeping Ute, Yet Again and Gun Shy. Well worth checking out the album, a genuinely good listen.



Have a listen to my Best of of Latitude Spotify playlist and relive more great moments!

sfw Pada 04:26 4 Komentar

FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 2

FRONT ROW CENTRE - LATITUDE 2013 SPECIAL - DAY 2

Alt-J Front Row Centre Hot Chip Latitude Night Engine Shell Hunter

Welcome back to the Latitude Festival 2013 Special - Day 2!

Latitude Festival Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk on July 20th 2013



Talk about chalk and cheese with the weather! I woke up on Saturday morning and it was grey and drizzly. Having checked the weather frequently on the run up to the festival, it clearly stated sunny all weekend! Well, needless to say I had not packed for this eventuality apart from the hoody incase it was cool in the evening. So that was me for the day: shorts, flip flops and a hoody. I was bloody freezing and damp but it still didn't take away from the great music that was on. It was a relief that we still had a few sunny spells especially whilst seeing the bands featured here. It was the first day I really noticed people milling around in fancy dress with my particular favourites being a bloke dressed as Alice In Wonderland and several blokes in full ball gowns. Other amusing sights were a guy with a stuffed budgie clipped to his shirt and a man with a massive fried egg T-shirt and bunny mask.



Night Engine - 'Seventeen'

If there is one new band you check out this year, make it Night Engine. My good friend Dominic who plays keyboard for the band, made my visit to Latitude possible so they were up there with my 'must see' bands. Perched along the barriers right at the front of The Lake Stage, I was swallowed up with Night Engine's energy. They got the crowd dancing to funky hits Seventeen, Treat Me Like A Baby and my personal favourite (featured previously on totw), I'll Make It Worth Your While. My friend mused that it was difficult to behold all the facial expressions but in my opinion, its what sets lead singer Phil asides from the rest! Well worth watching these guys if you get a chance, they really give it their all. If it was possible for steam to rise up off the stage from drummer Lee and bassist Eddy during their last track then they warranted it!



Hot Chip - 'Ready For The Floor'

One of my all time favourite dance groups really put on a fabulous show. I was sat in a field on a portable chair shivering under a gloomy sky but as soon as they knocked out big numbers like One Life Stand, Boy From School and this great rendition of Ready For The Floor I was rocking around in my chair and heating up nicely. I was especially impressed when they played Over And Over as despite the fact I was towards the back of the stage, the volume from the crowd singing along felt like I was bang smack in the middle of the mosh pit! I was also surprised to hear that their female (and might I add, highly skilled!) drummer was also playing The Obelisk Stage the previous night, headlining with Bloc Party!



Alt-J - 'Breezeblocks'

A hard decision had to be made: A historic 3-D Kraftwerk show or Alt-J? For me it wasn't that tough as I know far more of Alt-J and they were such a mega part of my listening pleasure last year. On our way to the BBC6 tent, we heard Kraftwerk kick off with Robots which sounded pretty good. As it was now dark out, it was much colder so it was a relief to seek refuge amongst the warmth of a packed tent. The sound was so crisp and the band tight so credit to BBC6 for that. It was really like being part of a community in that tent, the crowd all knew every word of every song and sang in perfect timing. Tessellate and Something Good came surprisingly early on but Alt-J kept me waiting for Breezeblocks and it didn't disappoint.

Enjoying these reviews? Come back next week for the last instalment with Day 3 or listen to my best of Latitude Spotify playlist!

sfw Pada 12:46 4 Komentar

FRONT ROW CENTRE - Cake - 'Federal Funding'

FRONT ROW CENTRE - Cake - 'Federal Funding'

Cake Front Row Centre Shell Hunter

You've listened to the songs...you loved the album...now you absolutely have to see them live...

FRONT ROW CENTRE

Cake - 'Federal Funding' (2011)

The Troxy, London on 18th March 2011

For music lovers out there, the ultimate thing to do is to see your favourite artist or group live on stage. Now, I go to a lot of concerts and for me the whole evening is an experience. Living just outside of London means it's a dreaded disgracefully long trek but it is such an amazing place, not only for music but for a night out so its worth it. Sprinkled with individual bars and restaurants hidden in every corner, it makes for a far more memorable experience! To save you hassling around, see my Gig Watch tips below! This is not a normal gig review, this is my experience.

LS and I were quite big fans of Cake back when they released their first album. I kind of lost touch with them over the years but when their album came out in 2011, I was happy to see they didn't lose their flare. We bought tickets to see them in the Troxy which id never heard of and found out there would be no support. That's strange? We got a room(!) in London's up and coming Docklands which is only a couple of stops down from Limehouse. While we decided where to get an early dinner, we grabbed a drink at a very welcoming funky pub next to the station called The Railway Tavern. Nothing nearby took our fancy but with our trusty vouchercloud app we saw Canary Wharf was a stones throw away so decided to hop on the tube and grab a pizza there!

The pub attached to the Troxy, The Brewery Tap, has seen better days but the wine was cold and the people watching second to none. We got into the venue and had great seats on the upper circle. I was mesmerised with the authentic art decor interior, what this place must have been like in its hey day!

Thinking the gig would be rather short with no support when Cake first walked on, we discovered it was going to be 'an evening with Cake'. Why have a support when the band you love will play an extra long set with an interval! Quite fitting considering the surroundings we were in!

As expected Cake played for the crowd including my favourites Italian Leather Sofa, Short Skirt/Long Jacket, I Will Survive and Mexico plus many more I'd forgotten. I love lead singer John McCrea's signature look with his trucker cap which matches his rattly Californian drawl. After a quick break they came back on and the first song was my favourite track from the new album, Federal Funding. What stuck out for me was the instrument he was banging against his side to get that distinct 'boing' sound. We found out later it's called a Vibraslap! Just excellent that he used it frequently throughout the set too!

John, givin' it a schlap

Before the end of the gig and the long awaited encore of the distance, the band brought out a tree in a pot. Everyone laughed but the idea was if you guessed which kind of young tree it was, you got to take it home! All sorts of answers were shouted out before finally a girl got it right, a cherry tree! I was sceptical that it may be a stunt but when we were waiting to get the tube back to the hotel, the girl and her friends were lugging this cherry tree around with them. Now that would have been a story! See the video below to see how it went or click here to see the Cake Tree Gallery!

In my opinion, Cake are a band worth seeing, not just for their personalised covers but for their individual style that seems to stand the test of time! No support necessary!

Gig watch (everything you need to know!)

Venue: The Troxy, Limehouse

Setlist

Recommended Pub: The Railway Tavern

Recommended Restaurant: Hop on a tube to Canary Wharf!

sfw Pada 09:57 2 Komentar

FRONT ROW CENTRE - Love - 'The Red Telephone'

FRONT ROW CENTRE - Love - 'The Red Telephone'

Arthur Lee Front Row Centre Love Shell Hunter

You've listened to the songs...you loved the album...now you absolutely have to see them live...

FRONT ROW CENTRE

Love with Arthur Lee - 'The Red Telephone' (1967)

The Royal Festival Hall, London on January 15th 2003



For music lovers out there, the ultimate thing to do is to see your favourite artist or group live on stage. Now, I go to a lot of concerts and for me the whole evening is an experience. Living just outside of London means it's a dreaded disgracefully long trek but it is such an amazing place, not only for music but for a night out so its worth it. Sprinkled with individual bars and restaurants hidden in every corner, it makes for a far more memorable experience! To save you hassling around, see my Gig Watch tips below! This is not a normal gig review, this is my experience.

Love used to be just another group that Old Pa tried to get us into by playing them constantly saying "get into Love" but I was stubborn for a long time. Then all of a sudden, it just clicked! I couldn't get enough of Forever Changes. One day Old Pa came home and said they were playing as Arthur Lee had just been released from prison and asked if I would go with him to see them...TOO RIGHT I WOULD! I managed to get out of work a little early an met Old Pa at the train station but not without getting a few provisions first (2 cans each of Super Strongbow) for the journey into London. OP was surprisingly shy at first about drinking on the train but I showed him the way!

We managed to slip in a couple at a great little pub, the Hole In The Wall which is built within the railway arches next to Waterloo station, then we were ready for action! The Royal Festival Hall was an excellent venue with slightly sloping seats which is ideal for me so I had a perfect view. OP told me that Love were going to play the whole of Forever Changes in its entirety which is a monumental album but he thought they were going to perform it acoustically. I was a bit gutted as that just
wouldnt be the same.

After a few great songs from Da Capo, Arthur Lee launched into Alone Again Or which was superb but what's more, the stage lights lit up the right side revealing a full string and brass band! We were going to experience Forever Changes in full technicolour sound! By this time, OP and I had more than a few scoops down us and when Red Telephone came around, we were practically dancing in the aisles. I remember when the line "and if you think I'm happy, paint me...black/white'' came up and Arthur Lee shouted "Paint me slack", Old Pa was besides himself and stood up whooping! The funny thing was, no one else did and the arena remained in silence, the boring buggers! The concert was fabulous and I felt privaleged to have been there as Arthur Lee was only around for 3 more years before he died in 2006. RIP.

Gig Watch (everything you need to know!)

Venue: Royal Festival Hall, London

Setlist

Recommended Pub: The Hole In The Wall

Recommended Restaurant: Take your pick from Southbank's great selection!



sfw Pada 00:33 3 Komentar