Posts Tagged ‘concert’
I’ve managed to avoid the O2 Arenta thus far as I’m not generally a fan of big venues, but I really wanted to see Snow Patrol so had to take the plunge. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The layout was really good, there was a clear view from every seat. And the seats were really comfy (yes, this is an old persons view of venues, get with it. :P), at least compared to the horrid plastic buckets of Wembley Arena.
The atmosphere was nice for such a big venue as well. Obviously it’s not the same experience as being in the same physical space with the artist, but arenas give you another kind of rush, of being part of a huge collective experience.
The gig itself was good. Not mind-blowing or anything, but thoroughly enjoyable.
Aaaand here are a view videos I took.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYrDstPSzLo]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFXQbfnLdDk]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-UYzN1RYPQ]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VstVSXCg8]
Tags: concert, gig, London, music and gigs, O2 Arena, Snow Patrol, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 2:49 pm in music and gigs, video clips
Last time, when I saw Tracy Chapman in Helsinki, I was blown away by the power of her voice and the way a live band really made her music come alive. This time it was just her on her own without a band. Her wonderful voice was present, even when suffering from a cold, and I really loved all the old songs performed in this more low-key manner. But I did miss the band a bit, especially the drums… that take-your-breath-away punch, which the last gig delivered, wasn’t quite there. Never the less, I could sit in the same room with her voice for however long, it’s just that incredible.
Tags: concert, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, London, music and gigs, Tracy Chapman
Posted by Marianne at 6:59 pm in music and gigs
Just a few blurry shots from last night’s Lisa Hannigan gig. A couple of videos to come later when I have some time!
St. John’s Church certainly made for an impressive venue.
Gavin Glass performed some of his on solo stuff before Lisa got on stage. There were a few ok songs, but mostly they were perhaps a bit… dare I say it, boring. Although a huge plus point was the fact that if I closed my eyes he sounded just like Colin Farrell. :P
Lisa was adorable! And having not really heard her solo material before I was very impressed. I liked her, a lot.
She was way too lively to take pictures with a compact camera from the back rows. :P
It was a coooold night. Very christmassy views of the Houses of Parliament on the way home though.
Tags: concert, Gavin Glass, gig, Lisa Hannigan, London, music and gigs, my life in photos, St John\'s Church
Posted by Marianne at 7:56 pm in music and gigs, my life in photos
Here are finally some videos from Monday’s Heather Nova gig. It was quite a tricky spot to film from, hence all the shakiness, my arm was cramping quite badly. And damn that railing! :D She was awesome though, and her voice is just… otherworldly. She sang a couple of songs from her new album, including Beautiful Storm below. You can buy and download the album directly from her website. I recommend! It’s fast becoming one of my favourites out her 8 albums.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfhYx4yHWv0]
~Heart and Shoulder~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr8otGD0XmE]
~Heal~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5NEC_fCxrw]
~Beautiful Storm~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ka60RHfJI]
~Walk This World~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGqbVka-N8]
~Island~
Tags: concert, gig, Heather Nova, London, music and gigs, Shepherd\'s Bush Empire, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 7:48 pm in music and gigs, video clips
Well, I didn’t take my camera in the end, so there are no videos. Not that there would have been even had I had my camera, simply because as a venue Twickenham Stadium was just way too big and the sound way too loud and distorted. Add to that the Irish fuckers (no offence to Irish people in general) sat behind me, who obviously thought they were attending a contest for the loudest karaoke singing in the world. When they knew the lyrics they were singing, nay, shouting, out of tune at the top of their lungs straight into my ear, and when they didn’t, they were shouting inane things to each other. Oh and they also managed to tip a pint of cider over me during the second song, which meant I sat there soaked to my knickers for the whole two and a half hours. But yeah, I’m not sorry I didn’t capture their sweet voices on any videos.
The most enjoyable song for me was Fall On Me, not least because the Irish people were at the bar getting another round in, so I could really enjoy the song. Orange Crush was a joy as well. Everything in between… well. Imagine Michael Stipe, singing into a microphone, at times with a megaphone, and yet all I can hear is ‘EEEOOOOAAAAaAaaaAa I FOKEN LUV THIS SONG VERTIGOOO’. Micheal never stood a chance really…
Tags: concert, gig, London, music and gigs, my life in photos, R.E.M., Twickenham Stadium
Posted by Marianne at 9:40 pm in music and gigs, my life in photos
Today is our first ever wedding anniversary. Surprisingly, this time I won’t add how quickly a year has gone, as it feels like ages since the wedding! So much has happened in a year… we changed jobs, homes, countries… everything really. It’s been quite a whirlwind of a year.
So far today we’ve been mostly trying to prepare for holidays at the end of next week. Washing clothes, getting the suitcases down from the loft, that sort of thing. We’re planning on driving down to some little country pub for lunch later on.
Yesterday we went to see Riina, Noa and Elli, and in the evening us adults went to a (yet another) picnic concert at Audley End house. This time we were more prepared though, with an actual picnic, woolly cardigan, and the most genius idea of all, woolly socks! The weather was also a bit more pleasant. Even though it rained on and off during the day, the skies cleared by the evening and we had blue skies and sunshine, all the way until the sun went down. That’s when my woolly socks really came into their own!
No matter how tacky the idea of the ‘Music of Dirty Dancing’ sounds like, it truly was great fun, with everyone singing along and dancing around us. And the place was gorgeous! I’m definitely going to attend another picnic concert there, maybe next summer. I’m sure we’ll slowly advance into picnic master-class!
First, there was some baking to be done…
Then S attended Elli’s ‘beauty class’…
Noa fell on his bike and broke his front teeth a couple of weeks ago. Hardcore.
Riina’s budgie.
We arrived at Audley End just when the concert kicked off. There were some very fancy picnic set-ups, with tables and wind breakers and all, to be seen all around. There’s still a lot to learn…
Blue sky!
Our picnic was a bit more humble, but most delicious never the less!
It got a bit chilly after the sun went down, but it was all still throughly enjoyable up to the end.
Full moon.
We decided to drive home in the night. Was quite nice actually, even though we got stuck in some roadworks.
Tags: concert, friends and family, gig, music and gigs, my life, my life in photos
Posted by Marianne at 1:39 pm in friends and family, music and gigs, my life in photos, my life in words
Phew. While it’s nice to be able to fit more videos onto the card, it sure means a lot more work to get them all converted and uploaded! Anyways, here you go, Rufus Wainwright at Kenwood House. :)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDSyKfY4flg]
~Vibrate~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPc8e36o8tQ]
~Nobody’s Off the Hook~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZzBjF9FJec]
~King of the Road~
(with Teddy Thompson)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjqscWuVPZ4]
~Going to a Town~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84FpcY_KYAo]
~Gay Messiah~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJTl5CjW7Jk]
~Not Ready to Love~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfKKLawHqA0]
~Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk~
Tags: concert, gig, Kenwood House, London, music and gigs, Rufus Wainwright, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 4:37 pm in music and gigs, video clips
A lesson learned: when attending a ‘picnic concert’, wear enough clothes. I’m not quite sure what we were thinking (or not, as the case may be), but we certainly were very much under-dressed for the chilly wind that blew straight through our deckchairs. But hey, at least it didn’t rain! Still, it was a shame about the weather as on a warm evening the experience would have been a thousand times more enjoyable. Still, apart from the cold, it was all good. Kenwood house was beautiful and the whole atmosphere of the venue, with people spread around having their picnics was lovely. There was also a lot of celebrity spotting to be done, as people like Derren Brown, Alan Carr and Helena Bonham-Carter, to name but a few, were also in attendance. And Rufus himself, of course, was most entertaining.
More pictures on Flickr. And there’s videos to follow once I get them uploaded…
Tags: concert, gig, Kenwood House, London, music and gigs, my life in photos, Rufus Wainwright
Posted by Marianne at 3:34 pm in music and gigs, my life in photos
Phew! There are a lot of them! And these are not even all of the ones I filmed… :D The 8gb card is sure making a huge difference, I still had space left for over 40 minutes at the end of the gig.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf7thjq3G38]
~Head Over Feet~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWlazG1aiBU]
~Unprodigal Daughter~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CvIsknCOwg]
~Not as We~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnzdjn-1tsY]
~In Praise of the Vulnerable Man~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv7ql96w27c]
~Moratorium~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSpvMkw0C8c]
~Tapes~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdHr3swWkoI]
~Underneath~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmNCboduCBQ]
~Thank U~
Tags: Alanis Morissette, Brixton Academy, concert, gig, London, music and gigs, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 5:58 pm in music and gigs, video clips
Wow. What a night. Hands down one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. I took a lot of videos, but it will be a while until I get home and can do something with them. (Oh, which reminds me I haven’t even looked at the Joshua Radin videos yet. Hmm.) She played a long gig, two encores and all, it went on until after 11pm. Was so brilliant though that I could have stayed for another two hours. Am absolutely wiped out today but still buzzing! No idea how I’ll stay awake until 4am tonight. Must take a nap after work…
Tags: Alanis Morissette, Brixton Academy, concert, gig, London, music and gigs, my life in photos
Posted by Marianne at 1:08 pm in music and gigs, my life in photos
Bush Hall was a cute little place, a room bit ‘like wedding cake’ as Joshua himself described it. :) It was painfully hot though and the odour wasn’t the most pleasant mix of mouldy old building and sweaty people…
The venue definitely suited his kinda of ‘whisper rock’ better than the vast stage of Hammersmith Apollo, where I saw him last. The intimacy of the space added something special and you could hear the nuances of his voice a lot better.
All in all it was a very enjoyable gig, even though Stu and Sooz were up to some mischief and even though I felt reeeally tired. Walking back from the train, not having really eaten anything much all day, we checked out whether against all odds our chippie would be open (which it’s usually not). And what do you know, there was a big sign in the window declaring that it was now ‘open all day’ and that it was under new management. I must say I was very impressed on all levels, it was much more pleasant in there and the fish & chips was definitely up there among the best I’ve ever had. Very good news indeed.
Feeling absolutely knackered today.
Tags: Bush Hall, concert, gig, Joshua Radin, London, music and gigs, my life, my life in photos
Posted by Marianne at 10:37 am in music and gigs, my life in photos, my life in words
Check out Sooz getting all excited about the prospect of seeing Rob Thomas. :P Due to the fact that she got stuck at work we didn’t make it to Wembley until twenty to 9. Which was perfect in fact as Matchbox Twenty got on stage at 9pm. We missed the warm up act, Headway, but I’d never even heard of them so wasn’t really that bothered. Somehow we managed to get brilliant seats with space on both sides, so it was almost a comfortable experience, despite the fact that the stage at Wembley Arena is completely in the wrong direction and you always wake up with a neck ache from hell the following morning…
All in all it was quite a difference experience to attend a gig where you’re not really that familiar with the artist. This was definitely more Susanna’s affair. :D I know some of the older songs, but mostly I didn’t really recognise a whole lot of the material they played. It’s strange not being able to sing along! You’re sort of feeling the energy but are still on the outside as you lack that emotional connection and can’t relate. Still, it was good fun. Even if just to see Sooz screaming like a little schoolgirl. :D
I should really get my ass in gear and start packing now!
Tags: concert, gig, London, Matchbox Twenty, music and gigs, Wembley Arena
Posted by Marianne at 1:51 pm in music and gigs
Last Wednesday Sooz and I went to see Sia at Koko in Camden. I was still feeling pretty rough with my flu so wasn’t sure how well I’d deal with standing up for the whole night, but I was willing to do my best for the chance to see her perform live! Koko was cool, had that sort of decadent burlesque feel about it. Would have been interesting to have seen it when it was still operating as a night club.
It was a bit of a shock when we realised that Har Mar Superstar was the warm up act. For a minute there I wasn’t sure if we were at the right gig. :D It was quite a disturbing experience to see him strip on stage to say the least…
It took what seemed like forever until Sia herself got on stage. I think it was about 9.30pm. That’s quite late on a ‘school night’! For an old person! I was feeling rather knackered already by the time she got on, which wasn’t helped by some American bloke chucking their pint all over my jeans. He was very apologetic though and kept bringing me more and more tissues and saying “I’m so sorry about your pants“, which was quite amusing at the time in my tired state.
Sia was worth all the effort though, her voice was just incredible. Unfortunately I started feeling worse and worse and in the end just had to leave before she finished. I’m still so annoyed about that. If only she would have started at least half an hour earlier! I got two songs on video, although the sound quality isn’t all that.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu2hlUC_SGo]
~Lentil~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grQZLavGtTQ]
~Sunday~
Tags: concert, gig, Koko, London, music and gigs, Sia, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 5:38 pm in music and gigs, video clips
My computer has been a bit temperamental and a disappearing disk has been causing a lot of trouble. But still, here are finally the clips from the David Gray gig as promised. Can’t believe it’s Monday tomorrow already…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91c413HXwjs]
~From Here You Can Almost See the Sea~
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMCNaQViyP0]
~This Years Love~
Tags: concert, David Gray, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, London, music and gigs, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 10:42 pm in music and gigs, video clips
This is my first post written and posted on my new computer. It feels very strange! Not only does everything look kinda funky thanks to Vista, but it’s scary how much faster it is to do anything. :D The build and installation was a bit of an uphill struggle but it’s definitely starting to feel like a victory now. So far it seems the only victims of the upgrade have been my webcam (which was very old) and voip phone. Oh and Stu’s desk…
Hmm, what has happened other than all things computer-related… let’s see.
On Thursday Stu, Sooz and I went to see David Gray at Hammersmith Apollo. Sooz got stuck at work so it was all a bit of a close call, but in the end we managed to time our arrival just right, even if we missed the warm up act. All in all, the gig was very nice. David’s voice was lovely and he performed most of my favourites. It was enjoyable indeed, even if he doesn’t have the sort of emotional effect on me like for example Damien Rice has when performing live. However, the most annoying thing about the evening was the audience. I don’t know whether it was because it was the start of a bank holiday weekend, but everyone seemed to be more drunk than usual. Lots of walking around restlessly and clapping incoherently. Oh well.
I have some video but I’ll have to figure out how to use the video editing software I have on this new machine. Hmm. Might take a while. :D
Yesterday Sooz baked a delicious blueberry pie (pictures of which will come later), we went for a walk around town, ate too many chocolate bunnies and embarked on a mission to watch all three extended versions of Lord of the Rings. Mission accomplished.
Tags: concert, David Gray, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, London, music and gigs, my life
Posted by Marianne at 12:13 am in music and gigs, my life in words
As Sooz (allegedly) licked the seat on the train and got ill at the most inopportune time I talked Rachel into coming with me to see Reverend and the Makers at the Roundhouse yesterday. It was a fun night. Even though I must admit that this was one gig where I felt a teensy weensy bit old. :P What a cool and different venue though, I’d never been there before.
Here’s a video clip as well for those who want to get a more ‘authentic’ experience. Luckily there’s no actual moshing or beer throwing included in this broadcast.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqJadwmWPs8]
~Heavyweight Champion of the World~
Other than that, there’s not really anything new or exciting to report. I’ve been going to numerous interviews, up to the point that I’m getting very fed up of saying the same things over and over again, but I just haven’t found the one yet. A couple of times I’ve felt like I’ve been close, but there’s always something. There is one interview which I’m dying to hear back from at the moment. It’s not really at all what I thought I wanted (I’ve really had to think hard about that, turns out that what I thought I wanted out of my career isn’t really what I want at all…) but I can’t help but feel excited when I think about the prospect. Having said that, it’s anything but in the bag. They interviewed 6 other people, so just thinking about the odds makes me feel sick to my stomach. So I prefer not to think about it or get my hopes up. Just concentrating on the next interviews ahead of me. Life really does seem like one long wait at the moment.
Tags: concert, gig, London, music and gigs, my life, my life in photos, Reverend and the Makers, Roundhouse, video clips
Posted by Marianne at 7:32 pm in music and gigs, my life in photos, my life in words, video clips
