Chairlift - Met Before

Saw Chairlift at the Borderline last night. Supporting act Off Love was bizarre in a mesmerising way. Chairlift was good and unexpectedly polished, one moment sounding all New Wave, and trip hop the next. Lead singer Caroline Polachek reminds me of Karolina Komstedt, Club 8's lead singer, but with more American features, both physically and vocally. Strangely enough, even their names are similar.

So there you have it. My review of the gig in five lines. I'd recommend you going to see them when they perform at the Scala in April.

In the meantime, check out Chairlift's music video for Met Before. It is a Choose Your Own Adventure video with rocks on. You will have to head over here to see it due to embedding issues on their end (so I've read).

Fangirl: Guillemots

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Fyfe Dangerfield and the rest of the Guillemots.

I don't wanna play any games

Someone always loses and they usually share my name

Thanks for being such an amazing band, for being so spontaneous and funny, and for being so damn sincere.

Just take me out of here 

Let me be your souvenir

Most of all, thank you for managing to create such songs which capture the sheer intensity of happiness and sadness, and sometimes, both at once.

 Just take my hand and laugh like you are crazy

Oh take my hand and tell me life is fair

Sometimes life can be a little overwhelming and it's easy to shut down so as to shut everything out. So, one final thank you for reminding me of what that can feel like.

Oh take my hand and tell me I'm amazing,darling 

'Cos I don't feel amazing now

Review: HMV Next Big Thing - Emil, Alex Clare and Jessie J at Barfly Camden

Sunday's HMV Next Big Thing was a pivotal moment for me. It wasn't just one of those "this is why I love London so much" moments. It was also the moment I realised that I just might love going to gigs more than just listening to music. As in, live music is in itself now a separate passion of mine, and not just lumped into the "I love music" category. I'm not explaining myself very clearly, but I guess if I had to put it into online dating terms, the person I'd like to date would ideally not just love music, but also love going to gigs. I'm a little tired of going to them by myself*, but, at the same time, my gig-going time is sacrosanct and I don't want to spend the time wondering whether the person's enjoying himself.

Anyway, back to the gig. I arrived early enough to catch Emil on stage. I don't know very much about him, but he did sound a lot like Michael Jackson. That's about all I can say, really.

Next up was Alex Clare, someone I'd only just heard of that night, but whose flyer had caught my attention with the words "produced by Diplo and Switch." That's right. The Philly guys behind Major Lazer. I wasn't sure what to expect, but certainly not the white bearded guy who appeared singing what I would have classified as soul with a touch of funk. Diplo and Switch's dubstep influence was apparent in the next song when when Alex launched into Up All Night. His concluding song Relax My Beloved was also pretty damn good. He's got quite the pair of lungs and I'm definitely looking forward to catching him again.

Then up was the artiste all 200 of us crammed into this tiny venue were here to see: Jessie J. Not quite a "Next Big Thing", some might argue, seeing as she'd won the not-at-all pressurising title of BBC Sound of 2011 and had been featured on Later with Jools Holland a number of times. Whatever. I didn't care. It's very rare one gets a chance to see anyone, let alone a singer of her stature, performing in such an intimate venue, particularly a singer who'd just achieved her first number 1 single that same day.

I've got to say she came across brilliantly. She was brimming with self-confidence, talked quite a fair bit and seemed very genuine, down-to-earth and just an all-round good person. She seemed close to tears at what she'd achieved, "trying not to cry at the whole point of being number one." At one point, she asked for the house lights to be turned on to the fullest because "they came to see me but I came to see them."

Her voice was amazing as you'd expect. I thought her songs were not bad, though not brilliant, but she's got a way of singing that makes them stand out. They're not just radio-friendly, they've got a way of getting past your defenses because, hey, Nobody's Perfect, it's not about the money, money, money, and everyone is bruising.

Speaking of which, I really really love Who You Are. I don't know why but the song almost made me cry on Sunday, and it still has the same effect on me now.



Another highlight of the gig was the impromptu song Jessie sang. It's hard to come up with lines on the spot but she didn't seem to have any issues! She's quite the comedian.



As I said earlier, Jessie isn't the Next Big Thing. She's clearly already there.

* The next gig I'm going to, I won't be alone.

I wasn't in great shape for last Friday's Stag and Dagger Festival as it'd been too hot and too noisy for me to get any sleep the night before. Still, I did my level best, and managed to catch four acts - The Paper Cinema (Rich Mix), Dominique Young Unique and The Phenomenal Handclap Band (both at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen) and Django Django (Queen of Hoxton) before heading home to get some much needed sleep. If I'd been at full energy, I would probably have tried to catch The Filthy Dukes and Simian Mobile Disco as well.

In any case, the undisputed highlight of my evening was Dominique Young Unique, an 18-year-old rapper from Florida. In addition to the great name (and, yes, that is her real name), she's not bad to look at, and has a great pair of legs. She's also got stage presence, with a confidence far beyond her teenage years. In terms of her music, she can certainly rap, with the words coming at rapid-fire pace from her mouth. Mixed up with staccato dance beats, her tunes are incredibly catchy indeed. Her biggest hits, War Talk and Show My Ass, went down exceedingly well with the crowd, particularly when the killer dance hook of the latter kicked in. Awesome. I even found myself doing a little booty poppin' of my own.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band did exactly what it said on the tin. Looking like a band right out of the 1970s, the seven-piece ensemble from New York performed loads of songs, all with a fair amount of clap-a-longs, and sounded quite peacefully and hippish-ly happy. The only thing was that the room was packed full of people, and I always seemed to be caught up in traffic streams of people, and was swept further and further into the room against my wishes.

Django Django, nothing at all to do with the jazz legend, was an interesting band. I'm not quite sure how to classify their sound. It's a bit of folk rock mixed with pop-friendly dance (e.g. Hot Chip). It was good, but I found myself blacking out for part of the set (as I did with The Phenomenal Handclap Band), either because I was way too tired, or because I'm starting to suffer from narcolepsy. I'd definitely like to check them out again under better circumstances.

Dominique Young Unique will be performing at yOyO (short for "You're Only Young Once") at the Notting Hill Arts Club on June 3, 2010.

Oh. My. Gosh. Gorillaz was awesome. Easily the best concert of the year! I doubt I'll see anything better, even with seven more months to go. I didn't even give a crap about all of the guests. I was just so incredibly thrilled to be in the same room as Damon Albarn, someone I've liked since I started reading the now-defunct Smash Hits back in 1994. I swear, the guy can do anything - indie, hip hop, opera - if he wasn't so damn talented, I'd probably hate him. While I work on writing about the concert, you can, for the moment, catch most of it on MTV.co.uk.

I went to the LCD Soundsystem gig at the Brixton Academy on Friday not realising that this would most likely be LCD Soundsystem's last tour. A little while back, James Murphy went on record as saying This Is Happening, the band's third album, would also be their last. He'd vowed to disband the band when he turned 40, something which happened this February past. Knowing that now, after a stunning gig which was not without its disappointments, makes me want to go catch them at Wireless in July.

To start off, LCD Soundsystem opened with Us vs. Them, not one of my favourite tracks, but definitely one of their most recognisable. As an opener, it was all right. However, James Murphy mentioned something about how one of their instruments - Nancy's keyboard? - wasn't set up properly so the audience couldn't get the full impact. After this was rectified, they did the whole song once more. At first I thought it was cool... then I realised it might have been at the expense of another, better song (as there was a curfew in force) and got a little cheesed off, particularly when, by the end of the night, one of the songs I'd been so sure they'd play hadn't been played.

I was sitting in the upper circle, an area not conducive to standing or dancing. If anyone got up, the ushers were upon them in a flash, shining their torches at them until they sat down. At first, I didn't mind. After all, I was tired, and I'm not terribly tall, so I welcomed the efforts of the ushers to maintain some order and discipline. But when the music really started rocking, and the ushers less strict, I got up to dance for a bit, only to be a little embarrassed, as people behind me were still sitting, so I was blocking their view. So I got up and grooved to Losing My Edge, and then sat down quietly.

Then, when the ever-so-recognisable staccato piano of All My Friends started up, I went bonkers. I stayed seated, just barely, and just danced as best as I could. I just sang my heart out. Truly, at that moment, at this stage of life, all I really wanted was just to see all my friends that night. I still feel that way. I've been feeling that way ever since the full impact of the fact that I'll be turning one big figure older this year hit me.

And, as I've written before, All My Friends is the anthem of the late twenties, early thirty-something individual, someone who's lived and is lost, but wouldn't change a thing about how he or she has lived. And that person is exactly the person that I am right now. I wouldn't trade one stupid decision for another five years of lies.

That isn't to say the gig was a sombre one. No, there's just something so dance-able and punk-rock about James' melodies that bely the seriousness of the subject matter. Also, when James - much, much bigger than he appears in his photos - is bouncing up and down and running around on stage, there's just something about his sheer exuberance which rubs off on everyone.

As the band trooped off the stage after the end of the set, James turned around and said, "don't worry, we're coming back!" And when they came back for their encore - and, man, what an encore - it was fantastic.  They started off with Someone Great, a song I have only recently discovered and is something I could listen to over and over again, because it's just so perfect for anyone who's lost someone, whether it's a relationship they're mourning, or the death of a loved one. James himself told this to the audience, saying that a couple of people had contacted him to ask that he play it at the band's London gig because they had lost someone close and would be at the gig, so this song was going out to them. I don't think anyone couldn't relate to that sentiment.

After that was the crazy loud riotous Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, a song I first heard off The O.C. and was probably my introduction to LCD Soundsystem. I didn't like the song then, and didn't listen to any more of the band's songs until after learning CG had purchased their album and decided to give them a second chance. In any case, the song's okay, but I still don't think it's that great.

For their very last song of the night, I was convinced it would be North American Scum, but, instead, it turned out to be New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down, which was a nice surprise. I don't know how I could forget about this incredible love song to a fantastic city, but, somehow I did. And it was a good way to end the night off, with all of us swaying in our chairs as a shower of balloons fell from the ceiling.

I paid £28 to catch them at Brixton. Given that this is their last tour, I'd be happy to pay the £50+ (inclusive of fees) and go catch them (and Snoop Dogg!!!) at Wireless. And, if you're into indie/alternative music at all, you should definitely go too.

"London, comment ça va?" asked Phoenix vocalist Thomas Mars earlier tonight at the Roundhouse.

"Je va bien!" I replied rather quietly but happily.

And, indeed, I was. Truly amazing given how incredibly exhausted I was after a long stretch of late nights at the office, and what seemed like an eternity on my feet. Never, ever wear MBTs to a gig if you're going to be standing up the whole time. It works your abs but good, but the moment you lose concentration, you just might fall over.

Anyway, I don't know very many Phoenix songs. I can only name two - Lizstomania (which they opened with) and 1901 (which they played as an encore) - but I'd heard so much about them that I purchased a ticket some time back so that I could check them out for myself. And they are a very good band live. Whoever does their lights should be commended because I'm pretty certain it played a large part in my enjoyment of the show, given I couldn't see very much at all.

They are certainly very French. They sing English songs and Thomas doesn't really have much of a French accent even though he comes from Paris, but there's a certain Gallic quality to their music which you can trace back to Daft Punk and Justice. In fact, their melodies sound very much like what you think Daft Punk would sound like if they gave up the turntables and picked up musical instruments and went all rock.

There was one moment in the night when they played Rome, a tune I thought which strongly resembled Daft Punk's style. And then the lights came on behind them such that all you could see were the black silhouettes of the band members playing and dancing in front of the multi-coloured lights. And the house lights came on, illuminating the audience, all jumping, dancing and swaying. And I just felt the guitars and lights wash over me and touch my soul, making me forget about the stress, sadness and loneliness that have been dogging me over the past few weeks. It felt amazing.

One surprisingly tender moment during the concert occurred when Phoenix returned for their encore and said that they would like to sing in French, and do a Johnny Hallyday tune - La Fille Aux Cheveux Clairs (The Girl with the Shiny Hair). What followed next wasn't the elevator music standard I expected, but a rather tender, sweet, gentle folksy tune. Really nice.

Phoenix ended off with 1901, my favourite of the tunes I know, and probably the best one of their entire catalogue to finish a show with. It's dance-y and energetic, it's catchy and, heck, most of us know the words. And it was also an extended version too. Just when everyone had thought the song had ended, so much so that one third of the audience just turned around and exited the hall, the guitarists remained on the stage and continuing playing a very simple tune, when, all of a sudden, Thomas appeared somewhere near the back of the room, thanking us for coming to see him (about the eighteenth time he said, "thank you") and continued singing 1901 before bounding back to the stage and concluding the song there.

C'était un bon spectacle, certainement.

After all the long days I've had, this was certainly what the doctor ordered... and much, much more.

Just came back from The Antlers' gig at the amazingly beautiful Union Chapel. I bought a ticket to the concert purely on the strength of Two, a tune I first heard from Mojo's New Harvest compilation, and which just sounded so wonderful with Peter Silberman's breathy, earnest vocals and the band's acoustic guitar combining to make an utterly gorgeous tune. It sounded even better in a live environment, and, I'll confess, was one of two songs through which I managed to stay awake in their entirety.

Two isn't just a song. It's a story of a whole relationship, starting from the prognosis of the woman, going to her back-story to the eventual breakdown of the relationship between the two. Both the melody and the lyrics are incredibly well-written. Take, for example, just one verse:

Tell me when you think that we became so unhappy / wearing silver rings with nobody clapping / When we moved here together we were so disappointed / sleeping out of tune with our dreams disjointed / It killed me to see you getting always rejected / but I didn't mind the things you threw, the phones I deflected / I didn't mind you blaming me for your mistakes / I just held you in the door frame through all of the earthquakes / But you packed up your clothes in that bag every night / and I would try to grab your ankles (what a pitiful sight) / But after over a year, I stopped trying to stop you / From stomping out that door / coming back like you always do. Well no one's gonna fix it for us, no one can / You say that, 'No one's gonna listen, and no one understands.'

So there's no open doors and there's no way to get through / There's no other witnesses, just us two. 

Just to clarify that my falling asleep during some of the other songs shouldn't be taken as an indicator that they weren't good. No, quite the opposite. They were fantastic. Sylvia, Bear and Epilogue were definitely highlights of the night on top of Two. However, I've been ill with a bad case of the flu since the beginning of last week, and, in a dark environment that is Union Chapel, coupled with the shoegazer-esque nature of some of their songs, well... you get the drift.

I'm fairly certain that the setlist consisted of all of the songs off of their most recent album Hospice, considered by more than a few to be one of the albums of 2009. Prior to the show, I had no idea that Hospice was a concept album, with each song telling the story of the doomed relationship between a hospice worker and a terminal cancer woman/child. It sounds incredibly pretentious written down, but the Antlers have executed it flawlessly and each and every song is just simply wonderful. Maybe it's because it's not merely a concept, but is grounded in reality, based partly on Peter's own experience of a relationship with someone who was abusive. And maybe because it's so personal that's why each and every song retains a sense of intimacy even when the music explodes as Peter simply pours his heart into every tune.

In spite of how grim the theme of the album sounds, there's just something about the band's musical style that made their music ideal to be played in a church. It's by no means boring. Peter's voice sounds different on every song, sometimes hushed, sometimes screaming, sometimes reverential... it's just as much an instrument as Darby Cicci's keyboard and Michael Learner's drums.

Related links

• Pitchfork review of Hospice 
• The Antlers - Take-Away Show (December 2009) - Two just sounds so beautiful whether it's off the album, played in a beautiful venue with the full accompaniment of all instruments, or as part of an acoustic set in a small cafe.
• The Antlers in concert for NPR (June 2009) - Includes the full concert on audio and video coverage of selected songs including Two, Bear and Cold War. 
• The Antlers on WOXY (March 2009)
• Liner notes for Hospice 

Finally got to see Depeche Mode last night. I'd been waiting well over a year for that concert, as this was the rescheduled date following Dave Gahan's surgery which resulted in the concert being postponed from May 30th 2009 to February 20th 2010.

And, man, was it worth it.

Dave Gahan, undisputed owner of the sexiest male singing voice in the universe, did not disappoint. He seemed to be very much enjoying himself, and his dancing, his dancing! Whoa, mama. If this had been any other guy, I'd probably have considered his dancing to be a little on the effete side, but when Dave did it, it was certainly rather sexy. And, man, can he spin. I can't even do a quadruple spin without getting dizzy, and he did it effortlessly, and, not just once, but several times!

I'm sorry to say I probably only recognised half of the setlist; I'm not a big fan of DM in the same way I love U2, Snow Patrol, Coldplay or even the Guillemots, but DM's been top of the list of the bands I've been wanting to see since, well, I was re-introduced to the band's work via James Zabiela when he dropped Enjoy the Silence at a gig in Zouk in 2005.

But when I did recognise the songs, I went mental, including Walking in My Shows, Precious, and, of course, the last three songs of the set: I Feel You, Enjoy the Silence and Never Let Me Down Again. I particularly loved Enjoy the Silence. To me, that's the song which defines Depeche Mode, and, I guess it's also because it's just so incredibly clubby.

I also loved that Martin Gore had such a great voice. Call me crazy, but I'd never realised that there was someone else in the band who sang as well. I mean, f***, I didn't even know Martin's behind most of the lyrics and melodies of Depeche Mode! Martin's tenor went very well with Dave's baritone, I have to say (well, duh). Martin sang a couple of the slower songs including A Question of Lust, and, I've just learnt, is the lead vocal on Somebody as well. I was hoping to hear that (well, Valentine's had just passed, and they did sing it at the Royal Albert Hall performance on Wednesday), along with Just Can't Get Enough but they didn't play those. Not surprising, really, given that the band has a huge repertoire of great songs!

And, with that, I've finally seen all five of my top five bands. I need a new list now! In the meantime, I'm booked to see The Antlers, Phoenix, LCD Soundsystem, F*** Buttons and She & Him over the next two months, and have seen Spoon, Slow Club, Thao Nguyen with the Get Down Stay Down Band, Jamie Lidell, Fyfe Dangerfield, Swell Season and, of course, the legendary Depeche Mode since the beginning of this year. 2010 is shaping up to be an incredible year musically!

Setlist
In Chains
Wrong
Hole To Feed
Walking In My Shoes
It's No Good
A Question Of Time
Precious
World In My Eyes
Freelove (sung by Martin)
Home
Miles Away / The Truth Is
Policy Of Truth
In Your Room
I Feel You
Enjoy The Silence
Never Let Me Down Again

Encore #1
A Question Of Lust
Stripped
Behind The Wheel
Personal Jesus

Review: Fyfe Dangerfield at The Scala

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from Fyfe Dangerfield’s first solo outing. I love his work with The Guillemots (having seen all of their London shows in 2008) and I guess the band's such an extension of Fyfe that I should have known it'd be just as great an experience to see him all by himself.

It was amazing. It was the most respectful gig I have ever been to. Now, the Scala’s not a small venue, but, for the first time ever, virtually no one was talking throughout the performance. Fyfe doesn’t rely on noisy guitar disruptions and you could make out every word of every lyric.

He’s also an incredible showman. He’s not at all smooth and glib, no. He comes across incredibly sincere and shared little stories with the audience such as when he went to India and came face to face with some monkeys, or when he saw someone he was certain was Ben Kingsley (and which I read on his Twitter feed). He dealt with technical hiccups in the same fashion, which, in the hands of another performer, could have come across as being a tad inept, disorganised or unprofessional. But, with Fyfe, because he’s so charming and such a dear, we excused it. If anything, it added to the enjoyment of the song once he finally got the electronic gadget working.

And, yes, he did do a cover... of Girls Aloud’s Call the Shots! It was amusing, all angry and distorted guitars.

For his own songs, however, Fyfe didn’t rely on distorted guitars at all, something I found rather nice and refreshing

He's also incredibly wacky and self-deprecating. After a whole bunch of technical mishaps, he launched into an improvised songs, hereafter termed The Unofficial Song. It was an amazing act of sheer creative genius, with lyrics such as "'I am an unofficial song.' 'What the hell does that mean? You’re not even real.' I’m closed on Saturdays. Today’s Tuesday. Yes, but it pays to plan in advance." It's not something I could do any justice to in words. You just had to be there.

He introduced his last and final song of the night with a song which “could have sounded like Phil Collins but then I met three people and they turned it into something lovely” before going into a ukulele rendition of Made Up Love Song #43. I startled the hell out of my friend who was standing in front of me by just screaming in sheer delight a couple of notes into the song once I realised what it was, and probably deafened a couple of others around me as well.

So, yes, I think Fyfe is an amazing musician, and writes fantastic songs. If you ever get the opportunity to see him - whether as part of the Guillemots or by himself, GO. You will not regret it. And if you do, it's because you lack heart. Or soul. Or, quite possibly both.

Soulwaxmas at the O2 Academy Brixton on December 12th was an incredible gig, which either caused, or contributed to a muscle strain in my leg which hasn't quite gone away yet. Given the shenanigans I'd gotten up to the week after at my company party, it's no wonder why, but I digress.

I got to the venue at 9 pm to find that Soulwax were due to come on at 11 pm. We went off to grab a bite to eat and returned at 10.30 pm only to get caught in the queue for the cloakroom for over half an hour. And that was just the first of many queues for the night. I was rather upset at the thought of missing Soulwax's opening number, but, as it turned out, we caught the tail-end of supporting act Mixhell's set, and managed to catch the whole of Soulwax, which, to be perfectly honest, wasn't all that great, but I seriously doubt anyone who goes to one of these events goes because of the rock band portion of the night.

After Soulwax's set, Erol Alkan came on. I'd been looking forward to listening to him spin ever since, well, 2002 when I discovered this intriguing night called Trash at The End which, among other things, refused to let anyone wearing suits enter. However, it was time to get drinks, and, as with all things, there was a long queue. There was also a really long line for the restrooms and I decided to ration my water so that I wouldn't have to go. So I only really managed to catch the last 20 minutes of Erol's set, and while what I heard sounded good, I can't really say that I heard enough to judge for myself whether I like his work. I definitely rated Waves though. An awesome tune and one hell of a way to end a set.

And at 1 am, the main act everybody had been waiting for came on: 2ManyDJs. And it was well worth the cold weather, the long queues and everything else. It was one huge mash-up fest, with the Dewaele brothers segueing from one song into another with great aplomb. To top that off, it was accompanied by a video mash-up too. I was in awe at how well the songs went together, and how 2ManyDJs had linked up each song. Their knowledge of music must be phenomenal.

And they really knew how to entertain a crowd as well. I seriously doubt any of us who hadn't been to any of their other shows this year expected to hear Major Lazer - Pon de Floor being remixed with Aphex Twin - Windowlicker, and, even better, Richard D. James in a bikini! The visual for Justice - Phantom (Part II) was really cool as well. Though, for me, the best part of the night was when they dropped KLF - What Time Is Love?. It's the ultimate dance floor anthem and I'd been dying to hear it dropped in a big room. It made my night. And probably resulted in the leg injury too! Heh. All I know was that I'd had one hell of a workout. I was completely drenched in sweat by the time their set ended at 2.20 am.

And while I don't usually like leaving before a concert ends, this time, I made an exception. Much to my delight, I managed to get home less than an hour later, and promptly dropped into bed to get some much-needed rest before the following night out for David Mancuso's Journey through the Light party the day after.

Faithless Soundsystem were amazing. I'm really disappointed by how short their set was - less than 45 minutes - but my first time on Matter's bodykinetic dance floor in a long, long time was wonderful. In fact, it's probably the first time in years that I'd hurled myself straight into the dance floor without the aid of any alcohol. It wasn't intentional, but the great organisation that is matter meant that despite arriving at the club at 12.20 am and having purchased a ticket beforehand, I ended up in the main room around 1.05 am after having waited quite some time in the queue outside, then in the queue for the cashier (to get my ticket scanned) and then in the queue for the cloakroom.

So, in my bid to ensure I got the most out FS's short, short set, I threw myself on the dance floor (no dancing on level 1 for me this time) and had the time of my life. Given that the floor turned into one gigantic mosh pit, and how much I hate crowds, that statement, coming from me, means a lot.

Thankfully, unlike the last time I saw Maxi Jazz, he seemed a little more with it (i.e. not too stoned) and he was bang on form, as was Sister Bliss and their drummer. This being their last gig of 2009, Maxi told all of us how much they'd enjoyed themselves touring, and that he wasn't bulls****ing us when he said that this was the best one of the night. Matter's got a great sound system, and the crowd are generally not too bad, so I don't doubt that in the least. I went completely mental when the oh-so-familiar hook of Insomnia dropped, learning, for the first time, just how much timing mattered when it comes to moshing (i.e. you can't jump up when the rest are coming back down). But I think the very fact that I was actually taking part in the general craziness instead of trying to escape (as I did with Simian Mobile Disco last year) can be chalked up to the fact that I was really enjoying the show, and that Faithless' hits are f***ing chooooooooons! I had a similar reaction when they performed We Come One. To the crowd's disappointment, they didn't play God is a DJ, although I didn't really mind that much as I'd had a wonderful time, although it was the first time in my history of UK clubbing that I'd been completely soaked with perspiration.

I nipped off for a quick drink in Room Two only to discover a grand total of three punters on the dance floor. The night at Matter was sold out, meaning that, of the thousands in the club, only three were in Room Two, with the rest turning up for Faithless. Impressive, though entirely logical.

Returning to the dance floor in the main room for Sister Bliss' set from 2.15 am to 3.15 am, I found myself with an almost absurd amount of space, particularly compared to how packed it was just 20 minutes before that. And that was heaven. I love dancing, that's a fact, but I'm a lot happier when I get loads of space and if fellow crazy dancers are dancing along with me. If the second part isn't there, then preferably, my friends aren't around looking at me when I dance. I always get a little more stressed when people I know are observing me, so last night - yet another solo clubbing night - offered me the opportunity to just bust out loads of moves and go nuts, as it were. Not having danced like that in quite some time, I was just so incredibly happy. It helped that I'd downed a gin-and-tonic right before returning to the dance floor, and I could definitely feel it as I danced, but I'm sure most of it was due to Sister Bliss' choice of tunes as well. In a short set (i.e. two hours or less), the DJ usually doesn't have any time at all to build up any sort of mood or atmosphere, and, for the large part, just drops choons. I don't know if that was the case last night, but my only other experience of Sister Bliss' leads me to believe that that's her general style, and while I would ordinarily object, I really didn't mind at all last night. Her set was as her name is: sheer bliss.

Truly a worthy post-birthday celebration.

My concert going has certainly increased exponentially since I moved to London two years ago. Thankfully, the quality of the performers hasn’t dropped. There have been so many concerts that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself at and have been convinced that that one would have been the concert of the year for me, only for it to be topped a couple of weeks later. Not that each concert gets better and better, just that they’re all so good that it’s hard to pick just one. And they’re all good in different ways too.

Last night’s concert by Snow Patrol (the fourth show in their Reworked tour showcasing their previous work as The Reindeer Section in addition to their body of work as Snow Patrol) was one such concert. I know what everyone says about the band: they’re Coldplay-light, they’re bland, they’re safe. Whatever. They’re incredibly radio-friendly and accessible by a wide range of people, yes. They do a lot of songs about love, yes. But what’s wrong in that?

And as performers, Snow Patrol certainly do give their all. Gary Lightbody was full of energy and just like a kid on Christmas day yesterday night. The Royal Albert Hall does seem to have that effect on the bands I’ve seen perform there. Much like Glen Hansard from The Swell Season, Gary was awed at performing in this most hallowed of concert venues, and it showed. In a way, he looked very much like Ian Curtis dancing, with slightly jerky arm movements, unable to restrain his joy, yet not daring to move too much in case he'd wake up from this wonderful dream. It was great just seeing how happy he was, particularly in the wake of the review of the first concert of this tour which seemed to feature an audience much more placid than tonight's.

The one thing I will say about Snow Patrol: they are one of the few bands whose songs never fail to make me just want to close my eyes and sink into the music. Their songs are soothing, relaxing and, in so many ways, very relatable. And when I’m seeing them performed live, it always gets me right there, and I have to struggle a little not to cry either out of sadness or sheer joy. And a performer that’s capable of drawing such emotion out of his/her audience is to be admired, regardless of how you might feel about ‘safe’ music.

I enjoyed the entire concert, except perhaps the very first single they released as Snow Patrol. Fortunately - for me at least - they've gone from strength to strength ever since. You Could Be Happy, once again, got to me. Seeing as it is the song which triggered my relapse back in the summer (particularly when Gary sings "for the tiniest moment, it's all not true"), that's perfectly understandable. However, several months on, I've come to the revelation that this song is, as Gary says to us on this night, is ultimately about happiness, and not regret.

It is also the moment I realise that I am well and truly over MD. Not that I'd been moping over him before that, but that I can honestly stand up and say that he's in my past, and that I loved him, without any hesitation before pronouncing the 'd' in that.

But tonight isn't about loneliness or past loves or regrets. It's all about the music I enjoy. And following that revelation, I just throw myself into the music, joining in with the clapping and hollering and am just generally to be found grinning from ear to ear the whole night. Yes, I am disappointed that they don't play You Are My Joy or Signal Fire, but, hey, I love a lot of their other songs too, and I'm having such a great time that I don't really care. In fact, if it weren't for work, I'd probably have come back to see them once again at the Royal Albert Hall!

P., thoughtful brother that he is, decided to surprise me by getting me tickets to Massive Attack's gig at the O2 Academy in Brixton on Friday. Unfortunately for him, I managed to guess what the surprise was (comes with being a walking Time Out guide of any city I'm in), but it was still very much appreciated.

Massive Attack may not have very much new material, but, one certainly has to respect the fact that they practically invented trip hop. And even though it's been over a decade since Mezzanine was released, it's still one of the greatest albums ever produced. And, yes, I'll admit it, it's definitely the album to put on if you ever want to set the mood for... you know. *cough* I don't think there's a single person alive who can resist the onslaught that are the first four songs on the album (Angel, Risingson, Teardrop and Inertia Creeps)... The menacing, inexorable beats of each tune simply evoke a physical response from me, and I'm sure, a lot of other people. And, of course, Robert del Naja has one of the sexiest voices in the business. 

That being said, Massive Attack is most definitely not at its peak anymore... and it showed. Del Naja and Grant Marshall didn't really say too much. They aren't the showmen that, say, Bono and Chris Martin are, for sure. Not that they should be, but I do like it when the band makes an effort to interact with the audience, because the interaction and spontaneity is what makes the difference between going to a concert, and staying home to listen to an album. I'll say one thing though: del Naja doesn't really dance or even sway. He did a side-to-side trot whenever he was on stage, which made him look a little like he needed to find the nearest restroom, stat.

And their new material? Well, it didn't really grab the crowd. It certainly didn't grab me, but at least I listened respectfully, unlike the long-time fan beside me who kept complaining to his companion that he didn't come for the new songs, just their classics.

What really made my night - and that fan's night too - was the appearance of Horace Andy, the original vocalist on Angel. It was an incredible thrill listening to him sing this. It was amazing how ominous yet heartbreaking he made it sound. Just... wow.

Other guest vocalists included supporting act Martina Topley-Bird, who did a rather poor job of replacing Liz Fraser from the Cocteau Twins on Teardrop, particularly when it came to the high note which Fraser does so well, and Deborah Miller who did a wonderful job on Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy, both of which originally featured the vocals of Shara Nelson. 

My one big quibble, though, has got to be that the band hasn't changed its light show at all since they performed at Meltdown last year. I get that del Naja has a political agenda and wants to put it across at each show, but, surely they could have come up with something new more than a year down the road rather than doing the commercial flights bit and having them all head or depart from Guantanamo Bay?

What a night! Coldplay with Jay-Z and Girls Aloud as supporting acts. Personally, I couldn't give a crap about Girls Aloud but the hot-blooded male in our group did, so we got to Wembley earlier than I would have preferred.

While walking there, my friend asked me who I was there to see given that I'd seen Coldplay three times already prior to tonight. And, naturally, I responded, "Jay-Z." She thought I'd be in the minority, but I was confident she'd be proven wrong. And, indeed, she was.

But before I start on Jay-Z's performance, I'll just give a recap of Girls Aloud. None of them can sing and their sound system was incredibly bad, which didn't help things.

Back to the good stuff. Jay-Z was definitely on top form. I didn't think I knew any tunes other than 99 Problems prior to tonight, but, as it turned out, I knew way more than just one, such as Hard Knock Life and the song I always hear in any hip hop night, and which some beatboxers can do the bassline to, but which I don't know the title of. I was incredibly thrilled that he ended off with Numb Encore, because, well, I'm a bit of a closet Linkin Park fan. Jay-Z most definitely got the crowd rockin'... or maybe, groovin' or bouncin' seeing as so many of us dropped into urban dancing as if it was second-nature to all of us, something I'm sure isn't expected of anyone going to see Coldplay.

You'd think having a top-notch act such as Jay-Z would mean that Coldplay wouldn't have a chance in hell of outperforming him. After all, some would consider the band to be among the blandest bands on the planet at this point in time. Well, if there was anyone in Wembley who thought that before tonight, I'm sure they've reconsidered their position following the concert. Coldplay totally owned Wembley. I don't think I've ever heard them perform better than tonight. Like U2, most of Coldplay's songs sound best when performed in a stadium, especially tunes such as Viva La Vida. Even Fix You sounded grander than it usually sounds, and that's meant in a good way. I haven't ever listened to Coldplay perform Fix You when I'm not depressed, so tonight was a tad unusual for me in that respect, and it just sounded much better, more like the promise that Chris Martin intended it to be, and less like a slightly hopeful but still depressing tune.

And Yellow. Where do I start? The song that propelled Coldplay to fame and also one of the songs I love to hear live. What with the somewhat cheesy but still incredibly fun beach balls which rained down on the crowd (I got to play with one too! Heh.) and the X-Factor additions to the sing-a-long... good stuff.

Coldplay even performed a cover of Billie Jean on a mini-stage in the middle of the crowd. No disrespect intended to the King of Pop, but Chris imbued his rendition with more paranoia than the original, something I didn't think was possible. And, yes, I thought it was wonderful.

The band ended off the night with Life in Technicolour II, which has one of the most cheerful openings I have ever heard. I loved it, as I did everything else.

Yes, I know. In my eyes, Coldplay can do no wrong. I have seen them twice in Singapore, and twice in London, and it's remarkable how much they've matured. Chris, when the band first started out, was a terrible showman, and did little to interact with the audience. Now, he's running around with unbridled enthusiasm and energy and just going nuts with the crowd. Utterly amazing, and a joy to watch.

What else can I say? I left the concert happy. And, sure, it may be temporary, but I was - and still am - truly and utterly happy. And when life is as unpredictable as it is, one takes the uncommon moments of happiness where one can.

SW4 was incredible. I had doubts over whether I should go as I was going by myself, but Sander Kleinenberg's entertaining "This is Your Night" set which was, I'll admit, very much for the masses, and Sasha and Digweed's absolute blinder of a set more than affirmed my decision to go.

Sasha and Digweed's back to back set - the first one I've attended in recent memory - was amazing, and should go down as one of the best sets ever in the history of electronic music. They were ripping up the dance floor from start to finish. And I can't explain it, but I almost cried because their set was just so beautiful. 

What's the most amazing thing? I didn't have a single alcoholic drink. That's how much of a corker their set was.

Separately, they're geniuses. Together, they're the stuff legends are made of. Respect.

A fellow clubber - clearly on something or other - said to me, right before their set, "This day must rank as one of your best London experiences ever." I said, "Well, actually, that would be the U2 concert..." He then repied, "No, that was about watching someone. This day isn't about watching anyone. It's about you, being here, and being an amazing dancer."

I laughed and just said, "you haven't even seen me dance yet!" but I later realised he had. I'd been dancing next to him for Sander K's set and had somehow managed to return to the exact same spot after going off to grab something to eat.

It's really strange what clubbers say half the time, but what he said was still nice to hear! 

And I'm definitely going to have to agree with him; it does rank as one of my best experiences ever now!

U2, as always, were amazing.

The 360 degree stage set-up aka The Claw was an incredible feat of technology and definitely something that only the biggest band in the world could afford. It was great for someone like me, given that I a) am not that tall and b) wasn't standing right at the front and able to see the stage. The video set-up was such that no matter where you were at the stadium, you could see everything happening (at least, for the big songs, as some of the other songs featured graphics instead).

Elbow was the supporting act for U2. I'll repeat that: the supporting act. A band which has been around for 11 years, and won the Mercury Music Prize last year was U2's warm-up act. U2 have always been able to attract some incredibly big names as their supporting act - Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Snow Patrol - and this just reflects just how awesome this band is. They've been around for ages, and have been the at the top of their game for the greater part of my life, and that's most definitely no small feat. Even though, like most fans, I prefer their older stuff to their more recent stuff, there's always been a song in every one of their albums I really enjoy. Magnificent off No Line on the Horizon,  Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own off How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Walk On and Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of on All That You Can't Leave Behind... the list goes on.

U2 kicked off the concert with four songs off NLOTH: Breathe, No Line on the Horizon, Get on Your Boots and Magnificent. I still think Get On Your Boots isn't that great a song, in part because of silly lyrics and also because it's just not that strong a song, but Magnificent definitely belongs in the 'stadium rock' category. With Bono's yearning vocals and The Edge's soaring guitar work, this is most definitely a song meant to be played to and sung by the masses (and that's not a bad thing!). 

After that, they went into some of the older stuff. I guess it felt a little like travelling through time, from their more recent songs into the classics, and that might be a painfully obvious thing to state as any concert by any established band tends to feel like that, but I felt this a lot more with U2, and I've been to quite a few concerts in my time. 

For me, the concert didn't really turn into the crowd-rocking experience I wanted it to be until they launched into I Still Haven't Found (What I'm Looking For) which was truly spectacular, and then into an acoustic version of Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of which featured just The Edge and Bono sounding incredibly soulful and simple, which isn't your typical U2 sound. I really enjoyed the latter as the song's definitely something I can relate to at this point in time. Heck, I could probably relate to any U2 song at any moment in time, and that's why they're such a great band, because of their ability to write music that touches people.

Other stand-out moments for me were I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight which turned Wembley Stadium into a giant rave venue for a couple of minutes with the house beats and amazing clubby lights, Unknown Caller which I think is an incredibly stupid song but which made me crack up with the lyrics being displayed and lighted up a la karaoke on the giant screen, Where the Streets Have No Name, which must have the most amazing guitar intro of all-time because it always gets me just there, and Walk On, which was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Say what you like about U2's soapboxing - which is really just down to Bono, and not the other three, to be fair - but it is effective. Because of just how big they are, they're able to focus people's attention on matters which would otherwise escape notice. And they can't be accused of doing something because they're trying to expand Ireland's influence, that's for sure. 

The one thing I'll admit to being disappointed by? That they didn't play Stay (Faraway, So Close!). Yes, it's not a typical feature on their setlist (they haven't performed it on tour since 2001), but they have played it a few times so far on this tour (Berlin, Dublin, Gothenburg and Zagreb) and I was really hoping their first night in London would be one of the rare times. Damn. I swear the day I finally get to experience this song live, I'll break down and cry.

Still, U2 live is a truly incredible experience, and I'm lucky enough to have seen them three times. I saw U2:3D earlier this year as well, and while that was almost as good as going to a concert seeing as it's almost as if you're on the stage with them, I think standing in a crowd full of fellow fans, getting to jump up and there and just go crazy, knowing full well that the view's better in the seating area but the atmosphere's ten times better where you are... Enough said.

"It's summer and you're not at the beach, so you must really want to be here!" Bono said midway, almost as if he couldn't believe why anyone would want to spend a lovely summer evening with the best band ever. Silly man.

John Digweed spun at matter, one of my favourite clubs in London, last night for Bedrock 10.5. I had an awesome time at Bedrock's 10th anniversary and was just a little miffed at the timing of this, seeing as it was on the eve of Good Friday, which is a definite no-late-night-shenanigans time for me. Ah well.

I had to content myself to listening to his live set at Zouk in Singapore, one of my top three clubs of all-time, where he spun in November last year. It's also fitting given that Zouk's 18th anniversary is coming up. 18 years is a long time for any institution, particularly in the clubbing industry.

Well done to Lincoln, Aldrin and everyone else who's worked so hard to get it to where it is!

Snow Patrol, as I blogged enthusiastically after the show, was amazing.

They're not the biggest band around, nor would you ever expect to find yourself crushed amongst moshing fans, but they certainly are awesome live. And you honestly wouldn't expect it, given that their songs aren't exactly anthemic (in the U2 sense) or "anything above 32 bpm" as I put it the of the concert.

The band kicked off the show with If There's a Rocket, Tie me to it from A Hundred Million Suns, before digging into their back catalogue and performing crowd favourites Chocolate and Spitting Games. I was having a generally good time and just pointing out the bigger hits to my friend's date (another member of Snow Patrol's Lonely Hearts Club, as she had also just come out of a relationship, although she had never really listened to the band before), when You Could Be Happy came on. It's an achingly sad song, a song about "everything going wrong" as lead singer and guitarist Gary Lightbody put it, and was one of the reasons why I was hesitant to come to this concert by myself. I mean, just look at the lyrics: You could be happy / And I won't know / But you weren't happy / The day I watched you go. And I was sad... but happy at the same time. The song's incredibly beautiful live, just brimming with emotion and regret, but a strange kind of happiness too, as you realise that the person you've let go is doing much better without you, and, because you love that person, you're happy for them too.

I really like how this photo turned out.

After this, Gary announced it was his mother's and aunt's birthdays and the next song, "a song about everything going right," was for them. And, of course, it was the gloriously uplifting Run. And it was incredible. The whole crowd just swaying and singing along as Gary exhorted us to "light up, light up, as if you have a choice." This song just about made my night. Just thinking about it now, two weeks on, still makes my spine shiver with how beautiful it was.

A couple of songs later, Shut Your Eyes came on. Midway through the song, Gary divided the crowd into two and made us sing along to the chorus. It's a little cheesy, to be sure, but I do like it when the band makes an effort to interact with the crowd, as opposed to going through their enormous back catalogue (The Cure, I'm looking at you). My only complaint about this song was that I had started out recording it on my camera and was then forced to record the entire segment which went on for eight minutes. My arms were really aching by the end of it!


Of course, right after this, it was Chasing Cars so there was no respite for my arms. Chasing Cars was my song of 2006, and still remains among my favourite tunes. I mean, it's all about love, about how one of the greatest pleasures in life is just wasting time doing nothing with the person you love. For a person like me, someone who's so intent on filling up her spare time with experiences and memories, I'll admit that some of the best times I've had have been just spending time, walking, sitting in the park, doing absolutely nothing but enjoying the other person. The incredibly recognisable opening guitar strains never fails to make me stop doing whatever it is I'm doing, and just... listen. And the melody, the way the song builds up from such a quiet beginning to an incredible climactic crescendo... utterly amazing. I only wish my friend would stop making me sing this in karaoke. Just because I love the song doesn't mean I want to mangle it! That's only true of U2 - Stay (and I would add that I sing that quite well).

The enraptured audience

Next up was the band's duet with Martha Wainwright Set the Fire to the Third Bar. She wasn't present, and I can't recall who filled in for her, but the performance was great. Just as dark and dramatic as on the album.

The band concluded with a couple of songs off their most recent album Crack the Shutters and Take Back the City. I much prefer the former to the latter; the former's more in the style of Snow Patrol's previous hits, while Take Back the City's rather more jarring and ordinary.

I like this photo for it's 'scene-within-a-scene' quality.

The concluding song was, of course, Open Your Eyes, my favourite Snow Patrol tune. I can't say anything bad about it, and I've gushed about every other song before this, so I'll just say that their performance of this was very inspiring, and what made me leave the venue on a high. Yes, there was an encore (The Lightning Strikes and You're All I Have, set against an impressive CGI-animated background) but it was this song which absolutely did it for me and catapulted them above Coldplay in my list of favourite bands.

Fine, it's cheesy, but cute.

I did have one wee nitpick. I'd have liked to have heard Signal Fire. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of old material they played. A Hundred Million Suns isn't bad, but I much prefer their earlier stuff.

Edited on April 2nd: I'd totally forgotten that I very much enjoyed Death, the only song I heard the supporting band, White Lies, play. It starts out a little Ulrich Schnauss-y, but then turns into a more typical indie Britpop tune. Listen to it over at My Old Kentucky Blog.

I'm absolutely overjoyed right now. Snow Patrol were awesome! I was incredibly worried that I'd be a little down because Snow Patrol's a band you're meant to see with someone special, with someone you love... But I didn't feel any of that at all! They were brilliant. And I'm so glad I didn't waste this on someone I wasn't meant to be with.

All this feels strange and untrue
And I won't waste a minute with you...