“I hope it wasn’t a massive hassle for you to come a week later… I’m sorry if it was… it fucking was for us!” Miki from shoegaze pioneers Lush at The Warfield in San Francisco on Sunday night, for their show that was rescheduled from the week before due to visa issues coming to the U.S. for Coachella and a handful of headlining shows California, the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver. The band just released their first new music in 20 years, EP Blind Spot, this month, and their sprawling set list of music new and old kept the packed crown transfixed on the stage for the duration of the show. Best known as “a 90s band”, music of that era is being rediscovered of late and it was awesome to see the band come back to the music scene to begin again in a different era. Prior to recent months (including an appearance at Coachella), the band last performed way back in 1996. You wouldn’t know it from their show, as they appeared relaxed, comfortable, and happy to play in front of their fans.
Meg Myers Playing U.S. Headlining Dates and Festivals; The Boardwalk in Orangevale and Live 105’s BFD in Mountain View
Alternative singer-songwriter Meg Myers has some live dates coming up, taking her around the United States from now through October, including appearances at some of the best festivals including Life Is Beautiful in Las Vegas and Austin City Limits. Her last big release was the fantastic Make A Shadow EP, which has gained significant critical acclaim as she continues to build a fan base for unique style of music. Her latest single, “Sorry”, was released just a few months ago. I’ve been a huge fan of her work since seeing her supporting some Pixies live shows in Los Angeles a few years ago, as well as her show with Broods last year. [Read more…]
Broods (The Evergreen Tour) at The Regency Ballroom | San Francisco, California | 3/7/2015 (Concert Review + Photos)
“If I was rich, I’d live here…” The modest Georgia Nott, chatting in-between songs about the beautiful houses she’d seen in San Francisco earlier in the day, at their sold out show at The Regency Ballroom Saturday night. It was a big step up in size from the shows I’d attended last year. Accompanied as always with her brother Caleb and touring drummer Joel Farland, it was indeed a much bigger stage this time around, which they filled with ease with their authentic set of fantastic pop music fueled by incredible melodies and heartfelt, thoughtful lyrics (and of course those soaring vocals!). Dubbed “The Evergreen Tour”, they are supporting their solid debut album released last year (which I ranked in my own Top Ten Albums of 2014). The kiwi duo are so young that I’m really excited to continue to follow them to see where their gifts take them next. I expect checking in on them in 2016, we will see them take on even larger stages and venues. One of the best new artists of this era, and they put on a fantastic live show – my highest recommendation.
Broods’ 2015 “Evergreen” Tour Comes To North America in March and April
Australian brother-sister duo Broods will be returning to North America for a new set of tour dates starting next week. Supporting their amazing debut album, Evergreen, Georgia and Caleb Nott will include support from Mikky Ekko for half of the tour and Erik Hassle (who has an interview featured here on the Rock Subculture Journal) for the other half. I ranked Broods’ Evergreen as one of my Top 10 albums of the year, their self-titled EP as my favorite EP of the year, one of last year’s shows one of my Top 10 concerts of the year, and their single, “Bridges”, as my #1 Song of 2015. [Read more…]
Vela Eyes Upcoming EP Release Show at Elbo Room in San Francisco on February 20th
Indie/post punk/shoegazers Vela Eyes will be having an EP release party at Elbo Room in San Francisco on February 20th. Scissors for Lefty, Survival Guide, and The Greening will also be performing. The new single, “Lantern”, is already out an available and the full EP will be out the same day as the event, on February 20th. [Read more…]
Broods at Assembly Music Hall | Sacramento, California | 8/28/2014 (Concert Review + Photos)
“Thirsty Thursday, is that a thing here? It’s a thing at home… not for me, because I’m never thirsty…” Georgia Nott, with a little bit of chit chat with the very enthusiastic audience at Assembly Music Hall in Sacramento. Like her, much of the audience was young and female, and many were experiencing Broods live for the very first time. Like the sold out show at The Independent I attended back in May, Georgia split her time roaming the stage as well as performing at her keyboard station on the opposite corner of the stage from her older brother Caleb, with Joel Farland holding things down at the center back of the stage. Since that show in May, they have now released (or are on the verge of releasing, depending on what country you live in) their first studio album, Evergreen. Since it is not officially out yet in the U.S. (due October 8th here), I have only heard the songs pre-released on iTunes with pre-order (though two of the five were on the EP). But with that sampling, I’m even more convinced that this young band really deserves (and should) break big. They make great music with thoughtful lyrics and it all translates into a live concert so beautifully. Georgia has a remarkable voice – the kind that you hear on a studio recording and imagine that she could not possibly measure up in a live setting, but having been to two shows now, I can say that she totally kills it on stage, and Caleb manages to paint clean, distinct sounds with his keyboards and Joel is a force on drums. I’ve become a huge fan of the new song, “L.A.F.”, in large part because of the non-traditional drums and beats, and this was one of the highlights for the show last night for me. Phenomenal band, and one that I’ll continue to turn out for any chance that I get.
MØ with Erik Hassle at Popscene at Rickshaw Stop | San Francisco, California | 6/3/2014 (Concert Review + Photos)
The Popscene concert at Rickshaw Stop on Tuesday night was one of those rare shows that was very surprising (in a good way). Danish singer-songwriter MØ (Karen Marie Ørsted) headlined the night that featured Swedish singer-songwriter Erik Hassle supporting, and both put on stellar performances, with awesome bookend DJ sets by Aaron Axelsen. Candidly, I was not familiar with either of these young artists until recently, and I would mark the night as one of the best concerts I’ve attended so far in 2014. MØ and Erik Hassle should be on the pop culture watch list as ones to expect big things from in the future.
Broods with Meg Myers at The Independent | San Francisco, California | 5/13/2014 (Concert Review + Photos)
“This is our second time, and we like it a lot!” Georgia Nott, talking about their second gig in San Francisco to date, playing to a sold out crowd at The Independent on Tuesday night. She spent most of her time roaming back and forth across the stage, and the rest on her keyboards, at the opposite corner from her brother, Caleb, who had an array of electronics and musical tools at his own station. Holding down the center between them was touring drummer, Jimi Mataio. The set really came alive most when Georgia was on mic and vocals only, pacing the stage while showcasing her gifts, singing their unique style of music. Although one of the highlights was her heartfelt and slow tempo solo on keys and vocals toward the end of the set. With their first studio album due at the end of Summer, this overall versatility for such a young band – as well as their ability to recreate it live – makes me extremely optimistic about the future of this duo. It was a fantastic performance, which included support from one of my very favorite young artists, Meg Myers, as well as a great showing by Max and The Moon.
Broods Tour North America Ahead of Debut Album Coming in August
Pop music duo Broods are in the midst of a North American tour, in-between their self-titled EP released in January and the full debut studio album due in August. Georgia and Caleb Nott, the brother and sister from Auckland, New Zealand, will also have Meg Myers supporting at some of the dates, who was one of my own favorite artists in 2013. [Read more…]
Icona Pop “IconicTour” Starts Today, “This Is… Icona Pop” Debut Due September 24th (#ICONICtour)
Icona Pop, the Swedish duo of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, launched their North American headlining tour tonight, hitting 32 dates in North America over two months, and will expand to a world tour following. This tour will be in support of their debut album, This is … Icona Pop, due September 24th from Big Beat / Atlantic Records. [Read more…]