Tagged: livereview

From the moment Elizabeth Grant walks onstage at the Manchester Apollo, she has the audience in the clutches of her pristinely manicured hands. Inspiring an ear-splitting level of hysteria before she's even appeared, the woman better known as Lana Del Rey sings the opening bars of 'Cola' with note perfect delivery, but you wouldn't know it underneath the frenzied screams that fill the room for the duration. Since 20122s  Born to Die , LDR has experienced a meteoric rise, effortlessly winning the hearts of fans who [...]

With the stage dressed like Liberace’s abandoned cabana, all giant candelabras festooned with strings of jewels and a stuffed raven, faux palm trees and a couple of stone lions thrown in for good measure, this is sepia-toned stills of Sunset Boulevard , this is the fuzzy Valley of the Dolls vision of the myth of Americana that runs through the veins of Born to Die the faded glamour paradise that Lana Del Rey inhabits, writ large, ready for her to take her place. As she steps carefully out on stage [...]

Our metal writer Ryan Stephenson went to see Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death and Immolation on the second Decibel Magazine Tour.

Hype can be a wonderful thing, and Haim are a band who have indulged it to the hilt. They wowed on a global scale off the back of a free-to-download debut EP which spawned one of THE songs of 2012 in the form of ‘Forever’, and drew rave reviews from subsequently showcasing their wares at last year’s SxSW. A valuable musical commodity, Haim were snapped by Polydor Records under the careful managerial watch of Roc Nation, and unsurprisingly topped the BBC Sound of 2013 poll. The trio of sisters - Este, Danielle and Alana - have only played [...]

Rappers Fabolous and Pusha T have joined forces, along with MTV Jams and Sean Healy Presents to bring The Life is So Exciting Tour to cities across the country, and worldwide. The tour continued last Sunday night at The Mezzanine in San Francisco, and while many young San Franciscans were recouping from the Bay to Breakers race/party earlier in the day, there was no shortage of fans at the sold out, downtown venue. The show kicked off with a stellar performance by little known, Oakland native, Darling Bonnie. Her set list may have not been familiar to the [...]

photo by Morgen Schuler If Killer Mike had my favorite show at Sasquatch, Chvrches gets to take favorite pop show of the weekend. Where their albums are already pretty perfect in the realm of pop - the live performance blew them out of the water. Lauren Mayberry's vocals are so close to sweet that it's almost bitter - she never once crosses the line of too cute. Instead she easily and magically pours out a continual stream of crystal clear vocals. There is very little alterations to the vocals in this band- instead the [...]

Photo by Morgen Schuler I might not have gotten on the Odd Future bandwagon back when it began, but that doesn't mean I was going to miss Earl Sweatshirt this year at Sasquatch. He took stage simply - his black Supreme sweatshirt (hood up of course), OF DJ Syd backing him up close behind. Lucky for the audience ("Hey Coachella!") he played new tracks from his upcoming album Doris - all of which were full of Earl's witty, humorous but still heavy, rap. Not to mention they feature everyone from RZA to [...]

Photo by Matthew Thompson So I might have been ranting about various shows this weekend being the best shows I saw - but here's the thing. Yes, they were amazing performances by talented musicians, but Killer Mike's set at the Yeti stage topped all of them. There is something about witnessing a brilliant musician finally receiving the full blown acknowledgement of a huge crowd of people who know all the lyrics to his songs after so many years of being featured, semi-popular, and at times downright obscure, that really just takes the cake. Two [...]

photos by Matthew Thompson At around 3 o'clock, I made my way to the fairly full audience of the Bigfoot stage to catch Cole Smith's (of Beach Fossils) project DIIV . Little did I know I was in for one of the more sun drunk performances I would see - and I mean that in the best and most innocent way. At one point guitarist Andrew Bailey wandered out on the speakers, his face turned upwards, his eyes gazing into the sun, before he rather shyly turned and went back to the stage happily playing. [...]

photo by Matthew Thompson by Tara Kelly Kearns The third morning of Sasquatch looked like it might be the day of rain. But after only a few sprinkles in the morning, the sun and clouds stayed their dry course and danced the day away. The few people that woke up and got it together in time were able to make it in time for Seattle’s own Deep Sea Diver . Singer and lead guitarist Jessica Dobson (who has also played with the Shins) recognized the crowd’s [...]

photos by Matthew Thompson As clouds began to gather (though they wouldn't actually be super ominous until Earl Sweatshirts set) El-P took stage to a large audience totally ready to get down with the talented east coast rapper. He would later be called a brother to Killer Mike - and his ability to get the crowd moving whether it be through an acapella rendition of a track or with the thick almost orchestral feel of his backing keytarist, and drum/guitarist, shows us exactly why he is so well known. One memorable moment included when [...]

If a large part of the joy of live music is in the anticipation, then The Postal Service are already right up there with the best. A ten-year wait will get anyone restless: for the 5,000 people pressed into Brixton Academy an hour before showtime - these last minutes are unbearable, the expectation palpable as attendees jostle for position far in advance of the norm. With ten minutes to go the room can barely breathe, flesh packed tight and sightlines at a premium: one girl, her Death Cab For [...]

photos by Matthew Thompson Is it weird that I actually noticed that singer Jason Bartell was wearing the same star studded shirt today at Sasquatch that he was wearing during Fang Island 's session in 2010 at KEXP? I only notice because that's one way I think of their music - the sincerity of their power chord power stance performances as the guitar glitters through delicate but strong riff after riff literally makes me think of falling stars. There was a joyousness to their performance today, a gratefulness to being out here - "You know [...]

photos by Matthew Thompson Yes, we waited a long time, we waited through an audience rendition of "Oh Canada", we waited through rumors of the show being canceled. Yes, this was the band so many people had said was the one band they really needed (not wanted) to see this weekend. Yes, I actually walked to the wrong stage assuming the show had been canceled before receiving a well times text that it had simply been moved. Why? Rumors abounded - Empire of Suns stage set-up was more elaborate than planned. Equipment had gone [...]

Sigur Rós headlines Saturday / photo by Morgen Schuler by Tara Kelly Kearns The sun was shining when groggy concert goers raised from the dead this morning. Avoiding hangovers, bloody marys and mimosas abounded while folks attempted to erase the fatigue in their faces from the day before. The Mainstage hosted the first act of the day I had been recommended to see. New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band was already in full swing (pun intended) by the time I walked down to the main floor. [...]

Suuns Photos by Matthew Thompson Following the smoky energy of Rose Windows, the Yeti stage was taken over by Secret Canadian's Suuns . The crowd swelled as they dove into their set. At times the trio went into nearly ambient jams, reverb heavy and almost ominous. But mostly the set was rhythm heavy, the audience waving their hands in the air while swaying and dancing along. Nearing the end of the set they reached that I consider the highlight - a drawn out and almost eerie rendition of "Edie's Dream". Vocalist/guitarist Ben Shemie seemed to [...]

photos by Matthew Thompson Day two started off cool and got warm - and at the sun drenched Yeti Stage, Rose Windows started the day with their deep psychedelic mystic rock. Singer Rabia Qazi's voice rumbled high and low as the Seattle band played through most of what we can assume comes from their upcoming album, The Sun Dogs . The only way to see Rose Windows that would be better than with the red cliffs of the Eastern Washington would be to see them in the desert, dancing and drifting through the [...]

photos by Morgen Schuler As was made our way to the mainstage for Built to Spill , slow drops of rain began to fall. The rain would never become hard or steady, instead lending the stage a golden glitter - the sun setting came in beams across the stage as Doug Martsch carefully but effortlessly lead the way through classic after classic song. My personal favorites included "Else" as well as "You Were Right". They performed with a quiet exuberance, a confidence that comes with having written songs that will always be honest and relevant [...]

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis headline / photo by Morgen Schuler by Tara Kelly Kearns The first day of Sasquatch greeted me with lots of good vibes. From high-fives to hugs, and signs saying “You’re looking good” to crowd sign-a-longs, people are here not only to have a good time, but to share it with strangers and friends. Even despite the age range -- young teens to people pushing mid-40s -- the crowds blended together seamlessly, never seeming imbalanced nor tense. I pulled into the campgrounds during the [...]

photos by Morgen Schuler After Red Fang had totally shredded the Bigfoot Stage, punk rock Vancouver-based duo Japandroids jumped on stage and after fairly minimal sound checking, started their sweaty and awesome set. Though the sound was a bit strange (it would later cut out during a Vampire Weekend song), their energy was sweaty and happy. They barreled through crowd pleasers like "Fire's Highway", "Younger Us", and "The Night of Wine and Roses" before rain on the horizon began to be rain on the stage - to which they prompty responded that mother nature [...]