British soul singer-songwriter Sam Smith, who’s debut studio album In the Lonely Hour debuted in June, has launched a tour of North America this week, with a little over a dozen headlining shows and key appearances at Austin City Limits in October. The young artist has quickly found international success on the charts, and most shows coming up are long sold out. [Read more…]
“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.
“Are we not in the desert? Where are we?” A bit of comic relief part way through The Go-Go’s set by Gina Schock, who as per tradition emerges from her drum kit at some point in the show to give us a bit of fun. And that is kind of at the heart of The Go-Go’s punky/poppy/surfy/beachy New Wave music, so what better a group to headline 2014’s newest 80s-centric tour, Replay America. Also on the bill is Patty Smyth from Scandal, Martha Davis from The Motels, and Pete Byrne from Naked Eyes. A real assortment of 80s hitmakers each took to the stage at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday night to take the crowd back about three decades to a real innovative time in music. Though there was a lot of music to be heard, things proceeded along quite quickly with the first three artists sharing a band (with some changes set to set), and a quick changeover for the aforementioned Go-Go’s, who closed out the night with a string of classic songs. Definitely a unique opportunity to catch many favorites in one sitting, and I know I thoroughly enjoyed each artist, only half of whom I’d seen live before (though I was already a fan of all four). Awesome show.
“But the problem is, it’s a piece of shit… so things like the little thing, that goes on here… the plastic thing that keeps you from slicing your fucking finger in half? That fell off in the middle of that song…” A post song, play by play recap by Damien Kulash of OK Go, talking about how part of his favorite guitar (purchased at a pawn shop in New Orleans) fell off and how he waited for the right break in singing to pick it up amid a floor covered in confetti… and for some reason decided to put it in his mouth for the rest of the song. Quirky, funny, and entertaining… an OK Go show would probably be worth the price of admission even if they didn’t play any music at all, as the between-song banter was all quite amusing on its own. But they did put on an impressive showcase of music at Assembly Music Hall in Sacramento… kicking off their 2014 tour that culminates in the release of Hungry Ghosts, their fourth studio album in October.
OK Go will be starting a Summer and Fall tour of the United States and Canada next week, playing 29 headlining shows and ending it all with an appearance at the Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas at the end of October, the same month their first new studio album in four years – Hungry Ghosts – is due for release. Notorious for innovative music videos, the alternative rock band released one for “The Writing’s On The Wall” a few weeks ago (with nearly 9 million views on YouTube already), which was preceded by the release of a new EP, Inside Out, back in May. [Read more…]
Replay America, a U.S. tour taking place this month, will feature The Go-Go’s, Martha Davis and The Motels, Patty Smyth and Scandal, and Naked Eyes featuring Pete Byrne. With such a significant line-up of 80s music and pop culture icons, the concert series will certainly be one to see this Summer. Everything kicks off in Clearwater, Florida this weekend.
“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.
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…]
“It’s all about the attitude, right? Intention and context are everything. What’s next? Oh, sometimes I surprise myself!” 80s pop culture icon Boy George, before launching into “Church of the Poison Mind” with his amazing band, one of a handful of songs performed to the sold out crowd at The Fillmore in San Francisco last night. He had a lot to say to those who turned out for his show, and it marked his first visit to the city since 1999*. He was beaming with joy throughout their lengthy set, that ran about two hours and fifteen minutes, with interesting anecdotes, and witty and self-deprecating humor (at one point describing himself as an emerging UK artist). Culture Club’s albums were some of the first I bought as a kid, but in their prime years of ’83-’84, I was around 10-11 years old, so had no chance to see them live. This was one of the tours I’ve most anticipated this year, and with uncertain expectations, in my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined it would be, or even could be as stellar as it was. It was truly magnificent on every level, and I’m an even bigger fan than ever after experiencing the show last night. Definitely one of the best shows of the year.
Boy George, best known for fronting 80s New Wave pioneer Culture Club, will be playing 18 cities in North America this month following the release of his new single, “King of Everything”, from last year’s studio album, This Is What I Do. The tour will include a 9-piece band with brass section, promising to tap into his brand of fusing together many different genres, including gospel, reggae, pop, rock, and soul. [Read more…]