Tagged: virginfestival

From the desk of Lauren Basler: When I first heard Calvin Harris' "Feel So Close," I was a bit skeptical of the overly-poppy hook, but I'm unashamed to admit that the tune had me up and dancing before I could even realize it. Harris' vocals and THE perfect bass line team up to create a sugary gem that will undoubtedly be on repeat for the day! The video, set in a small desert town with contrasting characters, only managed to strengthen my addiction. Having been neither a cheerleader nor cowboy, I find myself relating most to the young dancer with the [...]

• Calvin Harris - Feel So Close

The Virgin Mobile Free Fest has just announced their date, September 10th, and line-up which includes: The Black Keys, Cee Lo Green, TV on the Radio, Patti Smith, Deadmau5, Cut Copy, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Okkervil River, Big Sean, Empire of the Sun, Two Door Cinema Club, Alberta Cross, Bombay Bicycle Club and in [...]

Hello friends! I am going to start blogging here on the AB website. Hope you enjoy my little rants and we can get some conversations going! You can comment down at the bottom if I totally offend you and if you just want to voice your opinion! This is a space for me to just write about some things I've been working on and thinking about. With many festivals creeping up in March, planning Audio Blood's role in these is what has been consuming most of my [...]

I recently started shooting/reviewing part-time for the Washington City Paper , which, if you don't know it, is the local free weekly scene paper here in DC. So as to not repeat myself, here are a couple of shows I shot/reviewed for them recently for your reading/viewing pleasure.... Billy Bragg and Darren Hanlon @ 930 Club, (9-19-2010) here Fitz and the Tantrums @ Rock and Roll Hotel(9-20-2010) here Virgin FreeFest 2010 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (9-25-2010): Day (Jimmy [...]

9/25 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (FREE). Expect to enjoy: LCD Soundsystem Neon Indian MIA Pavement Matt & Kim View the full roster here. MP3: LCD Soundsystem - Home (Loving/Good Mix)

Looks like virgin free fest is going less pop (blink 182) and more indie (LCD, Pavement) in their selections for this years baltimore gimme. Pretty solid for a free festival. The festival is on sept. 25th and tickets go "on-sale" saturday. Get your mouses ready. Full Lineup: Jimmy Eat World Thievery Corporation LCD Soundsystem Pavement M.I.A. The Temper Trap Ludacris T.I. Yeasayer Matt & Kim Edward [...]

Generally speaking, the end of Memorial Day weekend signals the unofficial beginning of summer. Lots of us have been free for awhile now, but for those of you who have yet to finish up the semester, leave your day job, and head to the beach, you'll find various news items that will make you long for the dog days and cool nights of the season. There are festival updates as well as album and concert reviews to get you ready. You'll also find lots of other things, some intriguing and others just plain ridiculous. Need I say more? - [...]

Filed under: News , Canada It turns out Noel Gallagher won't be coming to Toronto after all. Despite stating earlier this week that he intended to read a victim impact statement at the sentencing of his Virgin Festival attacker, 48-year-old Pickering native Daniel Sullivan, the former Oasis guitarist has decided to stay away, citing scheduling difficulties and concerns of a media circus. Sullivan, who [...]

Noel Gallagher wants to come to a Canadian courtroom to seek revenge on the man who attacked him on stage in Toronto. At the 2008 Virgin Festival in Toronto, Noel was attacked crazed fan Danny Sullivan on stage. Attorney Ruth Klienhenz has asked the Ontario courts for permission for Noel to make an appearance during proceedings. Danny Sullivan attacking Noel. What a bloody wanker that man is. In court, Sullivan pleaded guilty to assault. This left poor Noel with three broken ribs and Oasis having [...]

MUSIC NEWS - Remember last year, when a man jumpeed on stage at an Oasis concert in Canada and attacked Noel Gallagher causing three broken ribs? Now the attacker, Daniel Sullivan ,, 47, has pled guilty to all charges and will be sentenced on February 5, 2010. The Toronto Sun reports that Sullivan claims he was drunk at the time of the incident, which happened at the Virgin Festival in Toronto, and doesn't remember anything other than jumping a fence.

Day two of Virgin Festival was more successful in it's festival vibe compared to day one with both the crowd and the bands basking in each other's enthusiasm. Even if I wasn't totally enamored with some of the acts performing it was at least satisyfing to see the crowd as well as the bands having fun. First act of the day was French Canadian acoustic pop artist Coeur De Pirate but unfortunately I didn't arrive in time to catch her. I'd arrived a little after her set ended with grey clouds looming overhead although next act Norwegian [...]

For Virgin Festival 's fourth annual installment in Toronto it took place down at Molson Ampitheatre moving from the relative comforts of Toronto Islands which hosted the event the first three years. On the other hand, this year's Virgin Festival wasn't suppose to take place in Toronto at all but rather at Burl's Creek Park in Oro, Ontario just north of Toronto. However poor tickets sales and complaints about the location evenutally led to the change of venue to Molson Ampitheatre. For better or worse, that's where it took place over the weekend. Thanks to the folks at Segal [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Live It Out , Canada When Trent Reznor announced the 'Wave Goodbye' tour via Nine Inch Nails ' website, he credited an "offer to headline Virgin Festival in Toronto" as being responsible for setting, "the idea in motion to play some FUN shows to end this up with." While Reznor has teased fans with NIN's demise before, these final dates do make it seem like he truly means to stop touring, if [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Live It Out , Canada For those at Toronto's Virgin Festival waiting for a full-on, festival-size performance, UK dance legends Pet Shop Boys delivered in spades. On a day when the crowd made it clear most of the acts on the bill were time-fillers before headliners Nine Inch Nails -- the wave of ticket holders pushing through the gate at dusk was the biggest tip-off -- Pet Shop Boys were the only band to [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , Live It Out , Canada Reaffirming that hip-hop acts have all the fun, Pharrell Williams and N.E.R.D brought the house -- or in this case amphitheatre -- down during their lively set at Day Two of Toronto's Virgin Festival . After a perfunctory but flaccid performance by California indie-rockers Cold War Kids , Pharrell and crew -- including Toronto's own Rhea -- raised spirits and booties with a riveting, hit-saturated set. [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Live It Out , Canada Detroit garage-rockers the Von Bondies showed their appreciation for all things Canadian during their appearance at Day Two of Toronto's Virgin Festival . Packing hundreds of fans into the cramped viewing area for the criminally small Boardwalk Stage, the border-town band -- which has recently regained popularity thanks to past single 'C'mon C'mon' being chosen as the theme song to Denis Leary 's FX TV show 'Rescue [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Live It Out , Canada Norway's Datarock may be jet-setting electro rockstars, but they sure weren't suffering from jet lag during their early, hyperactive set on Day Two of Toronto's Virgin Festival . They burned through a mercifully short set heavy on hits from their first album, 'Datarock Datarock.' Though small, the crowd was clearly well-stocked with fans shouting along to songs like 'Computer Camp Love' and 'Fa Fa Fa' -- and [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Live It Out , Canada Brand new band, same old Ben Harper . For a moment at the beginning of his headlining set on the first day of Toronto's Virgin Festival with the recently formed Relentless7 , Harper seemed to have adopted a more stoic stage presence, standing nearly still and expressionless in front of the microphone. But that didn't last long as the slightly diminished crowd pushed him to belt it out like they knew [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , Live It Out , Canada You could be forgiven for thinking Rural Alberta Advantage hailed from their provincial namesake. After all, as singer/guitarist/bandleader Nils Edenloff proudly decreed during their set on the first day of Toronto's Virgin Festival , they play "songs about Alberta." Though Edenloff himself hails from the western Canadian province, the band was born and bred in Ontario's capital. Despite their hometown status, RAA were headlining the tiny Boardwalk Stage -- don't let the name fool you, [...]

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , Live It Out , Canada Scottish indie-pop sensations Franz Ferdinand gave Toronto's Virgin Festival its first headline-caliber set with a riveting rock show. Their career-spanning performance consistently got the packed general admission section to rise, scream and boogie their hearts out. Plowing through crowd-pleasing singles 'Michael,' 'Walk Away,' 'No You Girls' and a stirring version of 'Take Me Out' -- dedicated to fellow Scottish V-fester Paolo Nutini -- the foursome also gave a nod [...]