Allgemein Archives - Page 11 of 16

Herz und Kopf / Heart and Head

November 12, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Es ist der letzte Abend der diesjährigen Baloise Session und das Motto des Abends ist “Mann singt Deutsch”. Zur Einstimmung ist auf den Leinwänden eine frühere Session mit Silbermond zu sehen, was sehr viel Sinn macht. Silbermond sind unglaublich live! Sie haben so viel Energie auf der Bühne und sie wissen ihren Erfolg zu schätzen, denn sie haben in ihrer eigenen Garage ganz klein angefangen.

Als erster betritt Max Giesinger die Bühne. Er hat in einer Casting-Show angefangen und wurde erst später berühmt. Ich weiss nicht warum, aber irgendwie hatte ich das Gefühl, dass ich seinen Auftritt nicht mögen würde. Ich dachte, dass er nur langsame Lieder spielt und die Nähe zum Publikum nicht sucht. Es ist unglaublich, wie falsch ich lag! Max hatte vier Musiker auf der Bühne, die ihn unterstützten. Sie haben mit “Roulette” und “Barfuss und Allein” angefangen. Ich war super fokussiert am Fotografieren, aber ich merkte schon jetzt, dass ich mochte, was ich sah und hörte. Während des dritten Songs wurde ich fast überrannt von den Fans, die in die erste Reihe stürmten. Da ich noch nicht fertig war mit Fotografieren, stellte ich mich neben die Bühnentreppe in der Mitte. Nach dem dritten Lied merkte ich, dass ich da bleiben und das Konzert von Nahem verfolgen wollte.
Gegen Ende von “Kalifornien” ging Max ins Publikum. Er schüttelte viele Hände und irgendwie schuf er eine tolle familiäre Atmosphäre. Er sprach viel mit dem Publikum und erzählte viele kleine Geschichten. Es fühlte sich an, als ob er nur für 10 Leute spielte – jedoch waren es 100 Mal mehr. Er schaffte es, alle Leute zu berühren, sodass sogar die Leute mit Sitzplätzen aufstanden. Eine seiner Hit-Singles “Wenn Sie Tanzt” kam als nächstes und alle sangen, tanzen und sprangen mit. “Für Dich, Für Mich” ist ein wunderschönes Lied bei dem wir im Chor “Ohh ohh” sangen :-).

Die Backstage-Crew brachte drei Stühle auf die Bühne und wir durften ein tolles Akustik-Set geniessen. Bevor sie anfingen, erzählte Max eine kleine Geschichte über seinen ersten Besuch in Basel. Damals, als er noch Strassenmusiker war, traf er ein Pärchen aus Basel, welches ihn zum Musik machen in ihre Stadt einluden. Er nahm die Einladung an und spielte die ersten zwei Minuten des nächsten Songs “Alles auf Anfang” – dann stoppte ihn die Polizei. Lars und Paul kamen zurück auf die Bühne, um mit Max, Steffen und Klaus “Der Junge, der rennt” mit einem Country-Musik-Touch zu spielen.

Wir haben nicht nur sehr familiäre Momente mit Max Giesinger erlebt, sondern bekamen auch Reisetipps für Mannheim und Minnesota. Max hat mich als Fan gewonnen und ich weiss nun, dass ich sein Album kaufen und zu seinem nächsten Konzert gehen werde. Ich konnte echt nicht glauben, wie falsch ich lag! Nach dem Akustik-Set wechselten sie wieder zu den normalen Instrumenten mit “Vielleicht im nächsten Leben”. Die Jungs rockten die Bühne und fingen an für “In Balance” synchron zu tanzen. Max holte sogar eine Glückliche auf die Bühne und tanzte mit ihr. Nachher sagte er uns, dass er das schon immer mal machen wollte. Sehr sympathisch! Max setzte sich hinters Piano und für das Intro von “Nicht so schnell” war nur er und sein Piano im Mittelpunkt. Einfach nur wunderschön!

Natürlich konnte Max nicht gehen, ohne seinen Hit 80 Millionen zu singen. Die Leute hatten Riesenspass! Als Zugabe nahm Max drei Girls aus dem Publikum und bat sie, seine Background-Sängerinnen zu sein. Die Jungs und die Mädels sangen eine wunderschöne Ballade “Für immer”. Es war ein wundervoller Moment und ein perfektes Ende für ein tolles Set! Für mich konnte der Abend nicht besser werden. Tim Bendzko wird’s nicht leicht haben…

Ums Vorauszunehmen der Abend wurde nicht besser. Tim Bendzko hatte sehr strenge Regeln für die Fotografen und normalerweise ist das ein Zeichen, dass das Konzert schlecht wird. Er kam auf die Bühne und sang ganz alleine das erste Lied “Das wissen wir beide” – nur er und seine Gitarre – sogar ohne Mikrofon. Dies fand ich toll und es war sehr anders. Die Band kam auf die Bühne, die wie ein Wohnzimmer dekoriert war, um etwas Familiäres zu kreieren, so als ob er in seinem oder deinem Haus spielte. Während “Leichtsinn”, “Ohne zurück zu sehen” und “Hinter dem Meer” konnten wir Bilder schiessen. Und wieder rannten viele weibliche Fans vor die Bühne.

Vor der Treppe von Max platzierte Tim eine schwarze Kiste, damit kein Fan ihm zu Nahe kommen kann. Er hat uns in den ersten Reihen nie richtig angeschaut – nicht wie Max. Tim Bendzko sprach mit uns und erzählte viele lustige Sachen, aber es schien mir alles sehr durchdacht und es fühlte sich nicht an, wie wenn es von Herzen kam. Er spielte weitere langsame Lieder “Am seidenen Faden” und “Ich steh nicht mehr still”. Endlich kam ein Lied, das ich kannte: “Keine Maschine” – Ich mag den Text sehr, aber das nächste ist mein Lieblingslied von Bendzko: “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten”. Das ist bis jetzt sein grösster Hit und man merkte es auch. Es war der längste Song und das Publikum musste natürlich mitsingen.

Das letzte Lied vor der Zugabe war “Keine Zeit”. Viele der Frauen um mich herum kannten den Text und es war sehr süss anzusehen. Er kam zurück mit “Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären” und Leute, das ist eine wunderschöne Ballade! Schön, konnte ich dieses Lied mal live sehen. “So fühlt es sich an” und “Sag einfach ja” folgten. Die Band ging wieder Backstage, um wieder nach vorne zu kommen und 2 weitere Lieder zu singen. Tim suchte eine Person, die alle seine Lieder kannte und fand auch eine. Ein Mann namens Chris, der seinen Lieblingssong wünschte. Tim und Fabian am Piano sangen dieses Lied ohne Probe! Dies war recht beeindruckend – vor allem der Klavier-Part! Mit dem Lied “Warum ich Lieder singe” endete das Konzert.

Die zwei deutschen Jungs beendeten die diesjährige Baloise Session. Ich kann es kaum erwarten bis die Acts des nächsten Jahres verkündet werden und freue mich jetzt schon riesig auf die nächste Ausgabe der Baloise Session. Ich möchte euch nochmals sagen, wie toll dieses Festival ist und wie freundlich alle Helfer sind. Ich kann es euch nur empfehlen 🙂 Wie ihr wisst, durfte ich vier tolle Abende hier verbringen und jeder einzelne war wunderbar. Seid ihr neugierig geworden, dann lest es doch nach: Clean bandit/Goldfrapp, Kaleo/Asgeir und Dabu Fantastic/Kool & the Gang oder das lustige Interview mit Dabu Fantastic.
Wart ihr an der diesjährigen Baloise Session? Lasst es mich in den Kommentaren wissen 🙂

Tonight’s the last night of this year’s Baloise Session and the motto is “Mann sings Deutsch” which means “Man sings German”. And tonight they show an old Session with Silbermond which makes so much sense. Silbermond is German band and they are seriously incredible live. They’ve got so much energy on stage and they don’t take their success for granted. And just FYI they started out as a band playing in their garage.

First up we got Max Giesinger. He started out with The Voice and turned big after a few years. I don’t know why but I felt like I wouldn’t like his set. I thought he’d be distant and played only slow songs. Unbelievable how wrong I was! Max got 4 musicians to support him on stage. They started with “Roulette” and “Barfuss und Allein”. I was taking pictures and was super focused however I already liked what I was seeing and hearing. During the 3rd song I nearly got run over by fans who wanted to get front row. I took my spot next to the stairs in the middle to finish taking pics and then I realised that I actually wanted to stay here.
At the end of “Kalifornien” Max headed into the audience and shook hands and just created a very nice atmosphere. He also talked a lot and had a lot of stories to tell. It felt like we were just 10 people he was singing to – so intimate – but it actually was a 100 times more. He managed to touch everyone’s hearts and to get even the seated people standing. His hit single “Wenn Sie Tanzt” was next and everyone was singing and dancing and jumping. “Für Dich, Für Mich” is a beautiful song where we were the back up choir singing “ohhh ohhh” :-).

The stage hands came on and brought some chairs. We were about to enjoy a lovely acoustic set. Max explained that he met a nice couple from Basel years and years ago when has busking on the street. They invited him to busk in Basel. He said he took their invite and so he tried to play in the streets of Basel. Two minutes of “Alles auf Anfang” was all he could manage before the police stopped him. Max, Steffen and Klaus were joined by Lars and Paul to sing and play “Der Junge, der rennt” with a country touch.

We not only got very intimate moments but also travel tipps for Mannheim and Minnesota. Max Giesinger won me over by then and I knew that I will buy his record and will come back to a full gig. I really couldn’t believe how wrong I was. After the acoustic set they went back to normal with “Vielleicht im nächsten Leben”. The guys were absolutely rocking the stage too and now they got their dance moves out for “In Balance”. Max even took a lucky lady on stage to dance with her. At the end he said I always wanted to try this. So cute! Max now sat down behind a piano and the intro of “Nicht so schnell” was just him and his piano. Just beautiful!

Obviously he couldn’t leave without singing this hit “80 Millionen”. Everyone went crazy! As an encore Max asked three girls on stage to help them out as a backing choir. All the lads and the girls sang a beautiful ballade called “Für immer”. It was a wonderful moment and very brilliant end to an amazing set! To me the evening couldn’t get any better so Tim Bendzko had big shoes to fill.

Let me tell you this already he didn’t fill them. Tim Bendzko had some very strict photographers rules and usually that’s an indication of bad performances. So he came on stage alone and sang the first song “Das wissen wir beide” with his guitar and no microphone. This I quite liked and I thought it was quite different. The band came on stage which was decorated like a living room since he tried to make it as intimate as if he would play in his or your living room. “Leichtsinn”, “Ohne zurück zu sehen” and “Hinter dem Meer” were the songs we could capture in pictures. Again lots of mainly female fans were running towards the stage.

Where Max had his stairs Tim put a small black box there so that no fan will be able to get close to him. He never looked at us properly – not like Max. Tim did talk to us and also told a lot of jokes but it felt like it was well thought out and it didn’t feel like it came from his heart. He continued with mainly slow songs “Am seidenen Faden” and “Ich steh nicht mehr still”. Finally a song I knew “Keine Maschine” – I quite like the lyrics of that song but my favourite came now: “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten. It’s his biggest hit so far and you could deffo see it. It was the longest song and the audience had to sing along to.

The last song before his first encore was “Keine Zeit”. A lot of the ladies around me knew the lyrics and it was quite lovely to see. He came back with “Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären” and let me tell you that this is one beautiful ballade! I enjoyed seeing it live. “So fühlt es sich an” and “Sag einfach ja” followed. The band went backstage again only to come back to sing another 2. Tim was looking for the one person who knows all his songs and he found one. A guy called Chris who wished for his favourite song and Tim and his band mate Fabian on the keys were singing it without any rehearsal. This was quite impressive – Especially the piano part! The final song “Warum ich Lieder singe” finished this quiet set.

The two German lads finished this years Baloise Session in style and I cannot wait to see who the organisers get to perform next year! Again I want to tell you how amazing this festival is and the staff is just super friendly. I can deffo recommend it. As you know I enjoyed 4 evenings here and I loved each and everyone of them. Have a read of Clean bandit/Goldfrapp, Kaleo/Asgeir and Dabu Fantastic/Kool & the Gang or the funny interview with Dabu Fantastic.
Have you been at this years Baloise Session? Leave a comment below 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

God Bless Naturally 7

November 8, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

! Naturally 7 are amazing !
There are not enough words to describe how talented and lovely those 7 lads are. So I will give my best to review yesterday’s brilliant concert. I’ve been looking forward to this concert since their announcement and you know that means a lot since I’m going to gigs quite a lot lately. But you can count on Naturally 7 to give a 110 % and to make these two hours the best you’ve ever had.
At 8 they started with “Jericho” and “Wall of Sound” two of my favourite songs! Each time it is mesmerising what they can do with their voices! Plus it is very familiar now and I’m already dancing along which is what I love to do. Roger always asks the audience: “How many of you see us for the first time?” And always quite a few people raise their hands which surprises me every time. But just as much people have seen them before and come back as friends. I would also like to mention that each time they are playing in Zurich the crowd is incredibly loud and is cheering almost from the start. This really doesn’t happen a lot but Naturally 7 manages to turn the quiet Swiss people into a loud crowd within just 1 song. Yesterday evening it was even louder than the last time!

In my interview in July they told me that we are very loud and that they love to come here because of it. They said it again yesterday and I have to agree. You could really see that they were enjoying it too. As you might know Dwight is originally from Jamaica so they covered the Rastafarian song “Rivers of Babylon” which was sang by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton in 1970. Later it was covered by the famous Boney M. It was an early highlight and a change to their set which I didn’t even expect.
Tonight they also sang two songs of the new record Both Sides Now. Roger explained that the new one is quite different to the older ones since they were singing acappella for the most part which differs to their usual Vocalplay. The first one “Going Home” is a beautiful ballade and I sat back and just enjoyed those angelic voices. Before the next song they asked us if there were couples in the house and how long they are married. Eventually we found a couple who are married for 40 years! So they dedicated this love song to those two people. BEAUTIFUL!

Before the next Roger asked the youngest in the audience how old they were. So he told a little story about himself and his life. Bottom line was that when you are 10 years old you don’t know how easy your life is without any worries. A few years ago they found the song called “Stressed out” by twentyone pilots and they Naturally 7’ed it yesterday and I absolutely loved it! Warren the “Drummer” got his solo part and it is seriously amazing! You could feel the drums vibrating even if there weren’t any to be seen! They continued with another cover “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. Just WOW.
As many people know three of the 7 members are originally from England: Roger and his brother Warren and Garfield. So the three of them are each an “English man in New York” and the whole Kaufleuten sings along. They remix this song with Jay Z’s and Alicia Keys’ “New York” and they bring the “Jamaican Man in New York” back at the end. Dwight then takes the whole Kaufleuten to Jamaica while we sing “One Love”. I felt a lot of love in the room and it was embracing everyone. Funny enough on the way home Bob Marley’s “One Love” came on the radio and my concert buddy and I smiled at each other.

Before the encore they sang another cover “Fix you” by Coldplay. I’ve seen them in Frankfurt this summer (click on Coldplay to read more) and they were good but I adored Naturally 7’s version of this song. It is a quiet highlight of their 2 hour set. And the last song brings the party back! Dancing, clapping, jumping and singing and the whole Kaufleuten went crazy. Just before they left Kelz – the bass – played the chords to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and naturally we Swiss people know what to do. I think they were quiet a bit surprised how loud and well we sang that part.
And as always Naturally 7 says Goodbye with a bow and these words:

God Bless You

And yes, God Bless Naturally 7. 7 incredible musicians and lovely people who take time to meet their fans or friends as they say right after the show. Everyone left that night with a smile on their face and I think this is their goal which they achieve every time. So if you have never seen Naturally 7 live you missed out BIG TIME! So stay tuned to my blog and you won’t miss their next concert. Can’t wait that long? Have a look at my instagram and facebook stories to get a little sneak peek or get their newest record “Both Sides Now”
Have you seen Naturally 7 live? Share the love in the comment section below.

Allgemein, Interviews

Dabu Fantastic's Träume und offene Geheimnisse / Dabu Fantastic's dreams and open secrets

November 5, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Vor dem tollen Konzert an der Baloise Session traf ich Dabu und DJ Arts von Dabu Fanstastic für ein kurzes Interview. Wie das Konzert war erfährt ihr hier.
Please scroll down for the English translation.
Ihr habt ein Konzert im Seebad Enge 2015 gegeben und ich war dort.
DJ Arts: Ja?! Warst du dort?
Ja, es war sehr cool!
Dabu: Er hatte einen guten Abend.
DJ Arts: Ja, da hatte ich ein All-time-high an diesem Abend. Ich weiss nicht warum.
Dies war ja ein sehr spezieller Ort und heute an der Baloise Session auch. In welchem Venue habt ihr sonst noch gespielt, das sehr speziell ist oder in dem ihr mal spielen möchtet?
Dabu: In der Schweiz gibt es unfassbar viele kleine Festivals, für die wir jetzt fast schon zu gross sind, um da zu spielen. Die Leute geben sich dort immer sehr viel Mühe. Solche Gigs waren immer toll. Es gibt auch grosse Venues, in denen ich noch spielen möchte, z.B. das Volkshaus in Zürich.
DJ Arts: Ich fände es toll, wenn wir in die Westschweiz gehen würden. Das Paléo Festival z.B. oder auch ins Tessin wäre super. Sie verstehen es dann nicht oder nur ein wenig. Wir würden dann versuchen, etwas zu sagen und das leider eher schlecht als recht. Das fände ich cool, weil im Moment ist dies noch ein schwarzer Fleck. Wenn du auf Mundart Musik machst, ist es sehr schwierig.
Dabu: Für uns ist es auch ein Traum, nach Deutschland und Österreich zu gehen. Einfach mal zum Ausprobieren und schauen was passiert, wenn wir ins Ausland gehen würden. Patent Ochsner hat es probiert, aber sonst macht es fast niemand.
Man muss es ja nicht immer verstehen. Tokio Hotel und die Toten Hosen spielen auch Konzerte auf der ganzen Welt.
DJ Arts: Ja genau. Wenn wir ehrlich sind, 90 % der Leute die Musik, vor allem auch Rap, auf Englisch konsumieren, verstehen den Text auch nicht und es funktioniert trotzdem.
Eure Live-Shows sind speziell und immer voller Energie. Bemerkt ihr Unterschiede des Publikums zwischen den Kantonen?
Dabu: Es gibt tatsächlich Unterschiede, die man spürt. Es ist aber heikel, wenn wir gleich mit dem Klischee anfangen. Wir hatten lange das Gefühl, dass die Bündner ein anstrengendes Publikum sind, weil sie viel reden. Aber das ist doch nicht überall der Fall. Wir haben auch immer gehört, dass es eine Weile braucht bis die Walliser mitmachen, aber bei uns waren sie schon nach 2 Minuten dabei.
DJ Arts: Volltrunken von der Bar heruntergefallen!
Es ist halt auch je nach Band unterschiedlich.
DJ Arts: Ja schon. Aber es ist schon lustig, wenn wir immer Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag in meistens gleich grossen Venues auftreten, das gleiche Programm spielen, die gleiche Band dabei haben, dann ist es zweimal komplett anders. Das ist schon extrem spannend. Es sind z.T. nur so kleine Mikrosachen wie man einen Gig empfindet, und ohne das wäre es glaube ich sehr langweilig! Wenn du nur noch so riesig spielst – stadionmässig – dann bekommst du nichts mehr mit vom Publikum und das stelle ich mir komisch vor. Weil so spielst du 2 Jahre lang und es ist jedesmal das gleiche. Da bin ich froh, ist das bei uns nicht so.
Dabu: Letzten Freitag haben wir im Bierhübeli gespielt und da war viel Liebe. Das habe ich gespürt auf der Bühne. Es war so warm und irgendwie ein umarmendes Gefühl. Lustigerweise haben wir dies öfters in Bern, z.B. in der Mühle oder auf dem Gurten. Irgendwie ist im Moment ein guter Vibe da.
Ihr habt verschiedene Einflüsse in eurer Musik. Wer sind eure Vorbilder, die euch inspirieren?
Dabu: Das ändert natürlich im Monatetakt. Man hört dies den Alben auch an. Beim Drinks-Album war die österreichische Band Bilderbuch sehr wichtig. Wenn man genau hinhört, merkt man den Einfluss. Insgesamt ist mein Musikgeschmack sehr breit gefächert, auch viel Black Music.
DJ Arts: Alles soulige, funkige und wenn es nicht gerade eine plumpe Melodie hat, dann finden wir das geil – ob es jetzt Hip Hop, Rock oder Pop ist.
2016 habt ihr ein Konzert gegeben mit nur Übersetzungen der Fanta 4 Songs. Hat die Band euch ein Feedback dazu gegeben?
DJ Arts: So halb.
Dabu: Es war eine sehr erfreuliche Geschichte, weil uns dies viel Spass gemacht hat. Wir haben sie auch vorher getroffen und sie haben uns gesagt, wir seien eine gute Live-Band. Der Wermutstropfen an dieser ganzen Geschichte ist, dass wir von Ihnen eigentlich nie ein richtiges, ernsthaftes Feedback bekommen haben. Via Seven haben sie ausrichten lassen, wir haben es gehört und dass sie es cool finden. Wenn eine Band unsere Lieder auf Maori interpretiert, dann würde ich schon genau hinhören und ihnen schreiben: „Ey, ist geil!“ oder auch wenn es uns nicht gefällt.
DJ Arts: Andererseits hat Thomas D eine Videobotschaft geschickt, die wir auch gezeigt haben. Sie waren schon committed, aber sie haben glaube ich einfach viel zu tun.
Ich war vor kurzem auf Korfu und habe einen eurer Drinks-Kleber gesehen.
DJ Arts: Hmmm…
Dabu lacht.
Also habt ihr Fans auf der ganzen Welt oder war es sogar einer von euch?
DJ Arts: Ja, vielleicht.
Dabu: Meine Challenge ist immer, ob irgendein Mensch die Kleber sieht, die ich auf der ganzen Welt verteile. In Korfu war es tatsächlich ich. Das finde ich jetzt sehr geil. Ich war in Tel Aviv, habe ca. 5 Kleber verteilt und jemand hat dies auch gesehen. Ich bin fast durchgedreht und jetzt hat es jemand auch in Korfu gesehen. Da waren es auch nicht mehr wie 5!
Ja, ich fand es auch lustig. Ich bin vom Markt Richtung Hauptshoppingmeile geschlendert und plötzlich habe ich den Kleber gesehen. Natürlich habe ich ein Foto gemacht. Ich musste wirklich schmunzeln.

Die nächste Frage habt ihr eigentlich schon beantwortet. Ihr würdet gerne nach Deutschland und Österreich expandieren.
DJ Arts: Ja, sowieso! Das wäre geil.
Dabu: Wir sind sowieso eine Band, die immer Neues ausprobieren möchte und sich möglichst nicht wiederholen will. Das war schon immer so. Wir haben noch nie gesagt: „Komm wir gehen ins Ausland und spielen wieder die kleinen Festivals!“
Oder nach Korfu 🙂
Dabu: Ja, oder nach Korfu. Wobei, da hat es sicher viele Deutsche und Schweizer, die uns verstehen würden. Wir würden gerne irgendwohin, wo wir noch nie waren und ausprobieren, was dort passiert. Vielleicht zerstört uns dies, weil wir nach 10 Shows merken, es interessiert sich niemand für uns oder vielleicht ist es auch so, dass sie doch etwas verstehen und sie es lustig finden. Wir müssen das mal ausprobieren.
Die letzte Frage: Was muss passieren, dass ihr sagen könnt, ihr habt es mit der Musik geschafft, oder ist dies schon passiert und was war dieser Zeitpunkt?
DJ Arts: Ich glaube, das darfst du im Leben nie sagen. Klar haben wir mittlerweile einen Erfolg, den nicht viele Bands haben und das ist geil. Ich habe es geschafft heisst für mich immer es geht bis hier und nicht weiter. Unser Ziel ist es einfach, dass es immer weitergeht, und dass es, wenn möglich, nicht wieder abwärts geht. Ob du es dann wirklich geschafft hast mit deiner Musik zeigt sich, wenn du nicht mehr auf dieser Welt bist.
Dabu: Bei mir sind es kleine Sachen: Letztes Wochenende der Platinaward für „Angelina“, und zu hören, in welchen exklusiven Kreis wir aufgenommen worden sind, dann haben wir es schon irgendwie geschafft.
DJ Arts: Ja, das ist schon mega geil!
Dabu: Aber gleichzeitig denke ich morgens, wenn ich aufstehe: „Yes, wir haben es geschafft“. Aber am Mittag, denke ich schon: „Shit, ich muss etwas Neues machen!“. Es geht bei uns immer weiter.
Als allerletztes habe ich noch eine Leserfrage von meiner treuen Leserin Anna. Was ist euer Lieblingsdessert?
Beide lachen.
Dabu: Wie geil, über Essen reden wir gerne. Lieblingsdessert, hmm? Ich bin recht ein Süsser. Ich finde, fast alles geil. Ich esse sehr viel „Schoggi“ oder so ein richtiges frisches gut gemachtes Panna cotta.
DJ Arts: Ein geiler „Schoggi“-Kuchen mit flüssigem Kern und Rahm und Krokant oben drauf.
Super! Danke vielmals. Das wärs.
Dabu: Danke dir!

Before the brilliant concert at the Baloise Session on Friday night I’ve met Dabu and DJ Arts from Dabu Fanstastic for a short interview. Please click here to read the review of the gig.
You’ve played a gig at Seebad Enge in 2015 and I was there.
DJ Arts: Oh yeah, you were there?!
Yes, it was really cool!
Dabu: He had a good night.
DJ Arts: Yeah, I had a all-time-high that night and I don’t know why.
It was a very special location and tonight at the Baloise Session as well. So what’s your most special venue you’ve played in or you want to play in?
Dabu: There are so many little festivals in Switzerland for which we are almost too big now. But the people there always make a huge effort. Those gigs are always great. There are also bigger venues we’d like to play in such as the Volkshaus in Zurich.
DJ Arts: I would love to play in the west of Switzerland, e.g. Paléo Festival. Or we’d love to go to the Italian Part of Switzerland (Ticino). They wouldn’t understand much but we would try to say something which would be a challenge for us too. I’d really like that because at the moment it’s still a black area for us. If you sing in Swiss German it is quite difficult.
Dabu: It is a dream for us to go to Germany or Austria. Just to try and see what happens if we’d go abroad. Patent Ochsner tried it but no-one else does it.
You don’t always have to understand it. Tokio Hotel or die Toten Hosen play concerts all over the world.
DJ Arts: Exactly. To be honest 90% of the people who listen to English music, especially rap, don’t understand the lyrics and it still works out great.
Your live shows are always special and full of energy. Do you see differences between the cantons (regions) of Switzerland?
Dabu: In fact there are differences you can feel on stage. It’s a bit tricky if we start with the cliché. For a long time we felt like the people from Graubünden are exhausting because they talk a lot. But then we found out that it wasn’t always the case. We also heard that the people from Wallis are taking their time to go crazy but for us it has only taken us 2 mins.
DJ Arts: Drunk and falling off the bar!
Every band is different.
DJ Arts: Yeah. But it’s really funny to see that even if we play the exact same on Thursday, Friday, Saturday with the same band in similar type of venues it is still not the same. That is extremely interesting. It’s the little things that make a gig different to the one before but without it, it would be incredibly boring. If you only play the big venues – stadiums – then you don’t get to feel the audience and that I think it’s very weird. Because then you play 2 years and every time it feels exactly the same. That’s why I am glad it is different for us.
Dabu: Last Friday we played the Bierhübeli (in Berne) and there was a lot of love. I felt it on stage. It was very hot and just an embracing feeling. Funny enough we always have this at our gigs in Berne, e.g. in the Mühle oder the Gurten. There is a very good vibe there.
You have different influences in your music. Who is your idol which is inspires you?
Dabu: That changes on a monthly basis. You will hear that in each record. The Austrian band Bilderbuch was super important for the Drinks record. If you listen carefully you can hear their influence. Generally our range is quite big but we also love black music.
DJ Arts: We dig the soul funky stuff and all songs that have a good melody. It doesn’t matter if it’s hip hop, rock or pop.
In 2016 you’ve played a gig with only Fanta 4 songs translated into Swiss German. Did the band give you any feedback?
DJ Arts: More or less.
Dabu: It was generally speaking a good thing because we had a lot of fun. We met them beforehand and they told us that we are a good live band. The only fly in the ointment was that we never really got a serious feedback from them. Through Seven (Swiss musician) they told us that they’ve heard it and that they liked it. But when a band translates our songs into Maori then I would listen carefully and write them: “Hey, awesome!” or we didn’t like it.
DJ Arts: On the other hand Thomas D sent us a video message which we were showing at the gig. They were committed so I just think they have a lot on their plates.
I went to corfu recently and I saw one of your Drinks stickers.
DJ Arts: Hmmm…
Dabu laughs.
So you have fans all over the world or was it one of you two?
DJ Arts: Yes, maybe.
Dabu: My challenge is if anyone sees the stickers which I scattered around the world. The Corfu sticker was in fact me. That is so cool right now. I was in Tel Aviv and put up around 5 stickers and someone saw them and went nuts! And now you saw the one in Corfu! I didn’t put up more than 5 there either!
It was also funny for me. I walked down from the market to the shopping main street and then suddenly I saw your sticker. Obviously I took a picture. I had to laugh.

The next question you actually already answered. You would like to go to Germany and Austria.
DJ Arts: Yes! That’d be great!
Dabu: We’re a band who wants to try new things and we don’t want to repeat ourselves. It was always like that. We’ve never said: “Let’s go abroad and play all the small Festivals!”
Or you could go to Corfu! 🙂
Dabu: Yeah, to Corfu. I bet there are a lot of Swiss or Germans who could understand us. We would love to go somewhere where we have never been and see what happens there. Maybe it will destroy us because we realise after 10 shows that they don’t care about us or we see that they understand us and love us. We just have to try.
Last question: What needs to happen that you would say “Yup I made it with my music!” or has it already happened and what was that point?
DJ Arts: I think that you can’t say that ever in life. Of course we are quite successfull and a lot of bands will never be and that’s quite cool. But making it means to me that you can go that far and no further. Our goal is to always go further and hopefully never down hill. And if you really made it is for the people to decide when we are not on this earth anymore.
Dabu: For me it’s more the little things: Last weekend we got a platinum record for “Angelina” and to hear in what an exclusive circle we got in is a little bit like saying we made it.
DJ Arts: Yeah, that was awesome!
Dabu: But at the same time when I wake up in the morning I’m like “Yes, we made it!” and then at lunch time I go “Shit I have to do something new!”. It always goes on and on.
Last but not least I have a question from a loyal reader Anna. What’s your favourite dessert?
Both laugh.
Dabu: How cool to talk about food! Favourite dessert, hmm? I’ve got a sweet tooth. I love almost anything sweet. I eat a lot of chocolate or a really well made fresh Panna cotta.
DJ Arts: An awesome chocolate cake with a melted core and whipped cream and brittle on top.
Brilliant! Thank you. That’s it.
Dabu: Thank you!

Allgemein, Concerts

Party Night at Baloise Session with Kool & the Gang and Dabu Fantastic

November 4, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

It’s Friday night and it’s party time! That’s why tonight’s motto “Let’s celebrate” fits perfectly and is a perfect match for these two artists: Kool & the Gang and Dabu Fantastic. Please click here to read more of my interview with the latter. Again I’d like to mention that the staff at Baloise Session is incredibly friendly and helpful! Plus the concerts shown on the screen is a treat. They chose Parov Stelar again who will be coming to Samsung Hall on 9th March!

First up was Dabu Fantastic. They are a band from Zurich singing in Swiss German. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics you gotta see them live. Their energy is off the chain and they are super entertaining. Unfortunately it’s only been the 2nd time I’ve seen them live. The first time was at a free concert on a float at Badi Enge. It was an magical gig and a lot of fun. They started with “Autobahn” and “Grosse MC” which was mixed with one of my favourites “Vo Vorn”. This song is perfect for a gig! “Vo Vorn” means to start again so it makes perfect sense to say let’s start again.

The 3rd song was “MsG” – Mir seget Grüezi which is a translation of the German Fanta 4 song “MfG”. They did a whole set with those kinda song and in my interview you’ll hear about Fanta 4’s reaction. Next up was “Schön” and “Fredi” before they got a bit quieter and mellowed down a bit for “Min Ort”/ “My place”. It is a beautiful ballade about Dabu’s hometown. You don’t expect these guys to be able to do slow but they really can do slow! Just before they suddenly vanished they played a song called “Maybach”.

Suddenly Dabu and DJ Arts showed up on a B-stage in the middle of the room. They had a short old school break where just the two of them were doing their thing 🙂 On the way back they were dancing with the audience. Another favourite moment of mine was when they remixed Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of you” and KRS-One “Sound of da Police” and replaced it with Jeans and made it to their own song. Such a funny song! Before the next song “Hässlich”/”Ugly” they announced that either we have to dance really bad or really good and the best people get a shirt for free! 🙂 And yes, people were dancing or the posh people sitting where trying their best. One lady won and she put the shirt right on and stood on a chair. How great is that??!!

Just before the encore we enjoyed “Paradiis and Het Sie Xeh”. They came back just to say “Gang Jetz” which means “Off you go” and they remixed it with another Swiss artists “Brütigam” by Dodo. And lastly the song a lot of people have been waiting for – their “Angelina”. It basically is about a relationship where it’s working on top of each other but not next to each other if you know what I mean 😉

Will mir händ so viel Liebi zge
Als wär das öppis wos Läbe lang hebt
Aber morn bisch wider weg
Will ufenand gats aber näbenand nöd

I was ready to take pictures of Kool & the Gang but I wasn’t really ready for this! The 11 musicians took the stage and their energy just blew me away! But I wasn’t the only one within seconds they’ve managed to get the people standing and the security had problems keeping them back for the first 3 songs. They started with “Fresh” and I took pictures but I was also singing. I guess that looked quite funny so the lads on stage smiled at me a few times. A singing photographer must be new to them too 😉

Shawn McQuiller and Lavell Evans and Walter Anderson switched the lead vocals between each other. Plus the latter took to play the keys a few times. It is incredible how versatile all these musicians are. I expected old men on stage but they managed to bring on the new generation too! In “Tonight” and “Too Hot” the guys showed off their dancing skills and the people in the audience were too. As soon as the security released them onto the dancing floor I had to flee! I’ve never experienced anything like it and thankfully there was a tiny space left out for the camera which I fled into. I really didn’t envy the camera guys’ job that night! 🙂

The crowd was on fire that night. We were dancing, singing and just having a good time. These incredible musicians were giving it their best and you could sense it. “Joanna” and “Open Sesame” was next and during “Jungle Boogie” I found myself way back onto the dance floor. The boys were dancing in sync to Hollywood Swinging and it just looked incredible and by then I knew that it was going to be a very good gig. For all the lovers in the house Kool & the Gang played their huge hit “Cherish” and the lights of the phone and lighters went up.

What followed can only be described as a huge party and everyone joined in to celebrate this wonderful evening. With “Let’s Go Dancing” we were turned into a big backing choir to sing the “Oh la la la’s”. Now the next song they sang for all the beautiful ladies in the house:

Oh, yes, it’s Ladies’ Night
And the feeling’s right
Oh, yes, it’s Ladies’ Night
Oh, what a night (oh, what a night)

And the feeling was really right! I think by then everyone at Baloise Session was standing or should I say dancing. “Get Down on it” was so so cool and it was amazing to see these Legends on stage. All those songs were written in the 80’s and I still know them and they can travel the world singing it. This must be the dream of every musician. The final song of the night was of course “Celebration”. What impressed me the most was that the band stayed on stage and shook a lot of hands and said thank you. They do not need to this anymore. They are huge stars and still they thank every person who came out that night.

Those are real musicians and are well worth supporting and seeing. I adore artists who show their appreciation and I tend to see those kinda artists more than once. For example Naturally 7 are like that too and they are coming to Zurich next week! After the 3rd night at the Baloise Session I can tell that I am in love with this festival. If you want to read about my first two nights check out Clean Bandit/Goldfrapp and Asgeir/Kaleo.

Have you been to the Baloise Session? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

British Indie Rock and English Charme at its finest

October 31, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Amber Run’s first Swiss concert nearly got cancelled because their tour bus broke down in the middle of – I quote – f***ing nowhere in Germany! Just Because informed us via facebook about this and that the show started an hour later. I love the fact that this organiser cares about us fans and is communicating problems early enough so we can adjust. So well done to you Just Because! 🙂

At 9 the support band Flyte started. Well it wasn’t really a band since only the lead singer/guitarist Will made it to Zurich. His whole band had to stay back because I assume there wasn’t enough room in the 2nd bus. Poor him! Even by himself he did a great job and it was very charming how he explained that he is very nervous since he has never done this before without his band. Someone shouted a request which he fulfilled. It was absolutely adorable. His 20mins set was great and I cannot wait to see them in February.

At 9.30 Amber Run took the stage with “Pilot” and “Spark”. After a few seconds I knew I loved them! 5 musicians giving their best for us. The crowd seemed to enjoy it too so they clapped and wooped loudly. This animated the band even more so they went on with “Insomniac” and “Stranger”. During “Fickle Game” people started singing even louder. I loved their mix between uptempo rock songs and slower songs.
In-between songs Joshua talked to us. It was hilarious! He said that we didn’t know how close they came to cancelling the show because they just couldn’t make it. He was also totally overwhelmed by us singing along since English is not our mother tongue. I have to say I was surprised to how the sold out Papiersaal reacted to Amber Run! “JMS” and “Dark Bloom” were next. One of the highlights of the evening was “Good Morning”. My concert told me it’s perfect for early mornings and she was right! It is a feel good song which makes you dance.

After this amazing song the set went on with “Island” and “5am”. During “Noah” we were asked to be their back up choir and it was just incredibly beautiful. The lads proved again that they can sing in this wonderful ballade called “Wastelands”. We nearly reached the end of the show with “Heaven” as the last song before the break.
Amber Run came back for three encore songs. Joshua explained that a few years ago they didn’t like each other very much and they had problems within the band. So this is what the next song “Haze” is about. It is a beautiful slow song and the harmonies of Joshua, Will and Henry were just perfect and gave me goosebumps. During “I Found” the Swiss audience proved that they know their lyrics and can sing! 🙂 “No Answers” is rock song to head bang to and a brilliant way finish to this 1 hour and 40 mins gig. Their last words were

Thank you very much for coming out to see us! It means the world to us!

I am officially a fan of Flyte and Amber Run and I gotta say their Merchandising is on point! Tonight they play in Basel and later they tour Germany. Click here to see dates and get tickets. Please support these amazing british bands!
All pics were taken by Denise Stocker. Check out her lovely pics on her site.
Have you been to one of their shows? Show your love in the comment section below!

Allgemein, Concerts

Two cool Icelandic voices warmed the Swiss hearts

October 30, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Again I am at the wonderful Baloise Session listening to the amazing Kaleo and in our regions Newcomer Asgeir – Iceland Calling. As soon as I stepped into the venue they showed the old Session of the Kaiser Chiefs. What a show it was, you gotta love them. I really love this concept of showing past concerts especially if they are that good!

First up is Asgeir. I meant to see him at Gurtenfestival but you know how it is at festivals.. So when I read that he will play the Baloise Session I knew I had to go. Let me tell you he didn’t disappoint! Asgeir’s got a beautiful – high pitched at times – voice which is just incredible live. During the first three songs “Hold”, “Fennir Yfir”, “Higher” I was able to take pictures and the songs were very psychedelic and so different to what I expected. I did like it though and the beautiful red lights for “Here comes the wave in” were great. After “Underneath it” one of my highlights came on: “New day” is a beautiful ballade and I listened to it with my eyes closed. Beatrice Stirnimann – the organiser – said at the beginning we should turn on our “Kopfkino” which doesn’t translate literally into English. It means to turn on our imagination and enjoy our own movie in our head.
She was very right. “Head in the Snow” and “Dreaming” were next after which Asgeir said his first words: Thank you! We wouldn’t hear any more words out of him which is a bit of a pity. I would have loved to know more about his songs but I get it – it’s the Scandinavian Coolness…

“In Harmony” is another one of my favourites. Just an absolutely wonderful song to dream to. His incredible voice came out perfectly in this song and made this song another highlight. During the next song “Afterglow” Asgeir brought out the Icelandic fires. It looked amazing! We stayed in the warm regions of the colours and for “I know you know” we were transported into the jungle. For me the instruments created jungle noises and the lighting was in warm colours. This is quite special from a musician born in the cold regions of the world 🙂

“King and Kross” was the first song that came up when I YouTubed him and I quite liked the song. “Unbound” and “Going Home” went by really quickly and I was completely lost in my thoughts until “Stardust” happened. Jesus! The whole earth was shaking from the bass and the lights were supporting it. So people started to go to the dance floor just before the encore and what an encore it was. “Torrent” is the only up-tempo song Asgeir had in his repertoire. This song was my highlight of his set but he had to make way for his fellow countrymen Kaleo.

I knew Kaleo from their hit “Way Down” which is a slow rock ballade so I was utterly surprised when I realised they are basically a rock/ blues/ country band! I love this style and I adored their show! I am so so happy that Baloise Session made this happen. But first things first. Lots of fans were already waiting to hit the dance floor even before the band came on stage. For the first three songs the photographers took up the dance floor but I already noticed a few singing along to “Broken Bones”. Jokull – the lead singer – started to whistle beautifully for “I Can’t Go On Without You”.

When the third song “Save Yourself” started I had to stop photographing because I liked the music so much that I couldn’t focus and didn’t want to anymore. Plus I had some great shots of this beautiful man and his fellow musicians! Yes, you heard me – Jokull is gorgeous! That’s why half of the fans were young women and the other half were older men rocking out. I loved this mix! It made for a great crowd who were dancing, jumping and clapping. David on drums and Daniel on bass made sure of that. They were animating the crowd and Daniel was running around and jumping up and down himself. You could fell that they were enjoying themselves a lot!
I joined the crowd in front of the stage when they played “Alter Ego” and “Pour Sugar on Me”. Rubin Pollock on guitar did an amazing job and Thorleifur normally on keys showed off his harmonica skills in a few songs and that was just incredible to witness. It is such an underrated instrument but it creates an amazing sound. “Automobile” is a country song and I couldn’t stop dancing! “Hot blood” and “No Good” followed just before Kaleo introduced us to their language. The beautiful ballade “Vor i Vaglasogi” was enchanting. Jokulls voice in perfect harmony with David’s accompanied by just a guitar was just pure bliss.

They covered Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” and wow it was really really good. It’s so special and interesting to me that a band from Iceland is doing so well in this country music genre that they could as well be born and raised in Nashville. Jokull did dress his part at yesterday’s Baloise Session however if you would see him you wouldn’t put him into this genre which makes this band even more appealing. “Back Door” and “Texas” made sure that I would definitely see them again. I also think that quite a few people at that event would go see them again. Us fans made sure that Kaleo knows that we love them and that they have to come back.
You could see that they didn’t expect us to be this good. A few times they said thank you and you were a wonderful crowd tonight and to be honest I have to agree. It was wonderful to be part of this evening. With “Way Down” they finally played their – so far – biggest hit. It sounded completely different live – for me it was even better. You know that I am a fan of live music and usually prefer the live versions over the record one. Way too fast Kaleo went off stage before the encore.

After a little over an hour Kaleo finished their set with “Rock N Roller” and the crowd went mental. Maybe not the people sitting but definitely the people in front of the stage. I have to thank the Baloise Session again for inviting these two artists and for letting me cover such amazing talent from a little island called Iceland.
I am very much looking forward to see Kool and the Gang/Dabu Fantastic and Tim Bendzko/Max Giesinger at this brilliant festival. So keep following me here on WordPress or via my social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Have a look at my past review of Clean Bandit/Goldfrapp.
Have you been at this amazing concert? Please share your opinion in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Angus and Julia Stone brought a whole lotta love from down under

October 28, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

A few weeks ago I wrote about their newest album Snow in my New Music category. So I was quite curious how Angus and Julia Stone sounded live and lucky for me Just Because made it happen. I was quite afraid that I wouldn’t like Julia’s voice since it’s quite mellow and usually I don’t like that kind of voice. Little did I know that I’d be a fan by the end of the night.

Isaac Gracie opened the night. He has a special voice and it was nice listening to him. However it seemed like he didn’t click with the audience even though he seemed super nice. Maybe it was just because the venue was too big for him.
Finally just after 9pm the siblings took the stage and I immediately was super impressed. They had a huge LED screen in the back where beautiful pictures were shown. In front of that screen Angus and Julia Stone had a totem which had LED lights included too. A smoke machine run wild with a lot of smoke coming off the stage. All of this created a mysterious atmosphere.

The two were accompanied by four other musicians coming together from all over the world. They started with “Baudelaire” and “Make it out alive”. Then they directed a few words towards the crowd and I could see that they loved to be here and enjoyed being on stage. Next we heard “Cellar door” and “Heart beats”. By then I was in love with them. The artists created a beautiful atmosphere with their music, their stage and spreading the love all around Zurich.

The new song “Chateau” came on and I loved it! It is such a beautiful song and live it was even better. The voice of Angus is much stronger and deeper live and Julias is just incredibly beautiful. My worries that I wouldn’t like her voice were blown away in an instant. I enjoyed every song 🙂

Julia then said that she loved writing love songs which the next song “Wherever you are” is. In “Bloodhound” Angus took the lead with his raspy voice and I adored it. Their harmonies were incredible and you could sense that the two of them know each other since they were kids. All guitar lovers were made happy too with the wonderful guitars (including a banjo) Angus and the other musicians played.

“Private Lawns”,”Who do you think” and “Nothing Else” were the songs before the big big hit “Big Jet Plane”. Everyone seemed to know the it and sang along. Julia asked the audience to get out ours phones and light it up. This created and incredible sight to a beautiful song. They seemed to enjoy it as much as we do. Being at concerts as often as I am I mostly enjoy the concerts where the artist loves to be there too. So this was definitely one! For the next song “For You” Julia explained the story behind it. She was dating a guy for 8 years when they broke up. She realised later that she was still in love with him so she wrote this song on guitar hero (How adorable! :-)) and sent it to him in an e-mail.

If I talk real slowly
If I try real hard
To make my point dear,
That you have my heart

It took him weeks to write back but eventually he did. It said “Cool song!” and attached was a random song he wrote which was a mix of metal and hip hop. My heart flew out to her.

The duo introduced the next song “My House” by saying:

We are in your house and you are kinda in our house

So this is what the next song is about. Such a lovely song and we had to help them sing the chorus which created a unifying atmosphere full of love. For the title track “Snow” they brought out the big guns. In the middle of the song it literally started snowing and it wouldn’t stop. What a wonderful idea! This seemed like the last song to me but they only disappeared for the encore and came back to sing 3 more songs. “A Heartbreak” and “Uptown” of their own songs. But they finished with a shanty called “Stonecutters” since they grew up with sailing parents and grand parents. I love those kinds of songs and it was the perfect end to a wonderful evening.

If you can make sure to check out Angus and Julia Stone live. Click here to check out their tour dates!
Were you at the concert in Zurich or in Geneva? Let me know how you liked Angus and Julia Stone in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Electro times 2! The lovely Clean Bandit and the mysterious Goldfrapp

October 26, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

I’ve never been to the Baloise Session before and I was positively surprised when I entered the venue. It is a super classy location and the people dress their part. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. So if you haven’t been to this amazing festival you’ve definitely missed something.

Clean Bandit opened the evening which surprised me quite a bit since they are huge at the moment. Luckily I was able to see them this summer at the Summertime Ball in London. Back then they had two singers who were changing for each song. Today, instead of the second singer Grace herself sang a few times which surprised me even more since she seemed very shy in London. You might not know this but Clean Bandit is just an instrumental group formed by the brothers Luke on drums and Jack on keys and Grace on cello. They get supported during their live performances by Sam on bass, Stephanie on violin and as previously mentioned Yasmin on vocals.
They started with a funny intro where we were transported into a rainforest. The electro dance vibe was there and after 3 songs the audience couldn’t be kept on their seats anymore so the dance floor in front of the stage was opened. Of course the majority stayed at the beautifully candle-lit tables and enjoyed the concert seated. However I felt that there was a great atmosphere and everyone was happy. The 4th song was already “Symphony” a huge hit and brilliant live – especially sung with a great voice such as Yasmin has.

Clean Bandit mixed slow songs where the singer could show her talent with dance songs where they got everyone jumping and dancing. The band got also a Reggae song called “Come Over” and I haven’t mentioned it on my blog yet but I love this genre. So this song was a lovely surprise and one of my highlights of the night. “Rockabye” followed which features Sean Paul and Anne Marie (who is coming to the Energy Star Night as well as to Kaufleuten on April, 18th) and had to be included in the set. Unfortunately today without the original singers of the song. This makes me realise how lucky I was in June!
With “Should have known better” Yasmin got everyone singing. “Disconnect” came after which is originally sang by Marina from Marina and the Diamonds. Her voice suits this songs incredibly well. The last song before the encore was “Real Love” another dancy song and one of their biggest hits. The first encore song was “Tears” originally sang by Louisa Johnson who is more or less unknown in Switzerland but in the UK she’s a rising star. And finally the song everyone knew was “Rather Be”. I was dancing and singing and this song is just brilliant. I’ve heard it at a small fair in a village in London sang by a choir and I adored what they did with it.

After an hour the lovely British musicians left the stage to make way to their fellow countryman or should I say woman. Goldfrapp took the stage after a short break and what a start it was. It was all dark and you could only see her features. I assumed this would change after a while and the light would shine on her but I made a wrong assumption. For the whole hour she stayed in the dark. Lots of lights in different colours were shining behind her and it looked quite impressive. During the set Alison didn’t talk to the audience much and because she was so distant I didn’t really connect with her.

A few people had the same issue and left the Baloise Session early. However I’d say the majority loved it. The dance floor was opened again and many people were dancing not only there but also next to their tables. Funny enough out of the blue I recognised a song which I quite like called “Train”. It was played on the radio a lot as well as the encore but let’s not go there yet.
Someone described her sound to me as a mix of mellow tunes and electro beats which is so accurate that I had to mention it here. She went through her set quite quickly and professionally. Goldfrapp’s “dance” moves are quite special and in hindsight it reminds me a bit of the German electro band 2Raumwohnung who I got to see and review for the music magazine ARTNOIR. The set finished just before 11 with “Strict Machine”. Another song I knew and enjoyed seeing it live.

During the break we got to see a previous concert of the Baloise Session with Parov Stelar. Obviously I was quite intrigued and started to pay attention more closely. I quite enjoyed their performance and their lead singer seemed super nice and talented. Suddenly “All Night” came on and I bet you know that song! Lucky for us they are coming back on March, 9th 2018. Get your tickets here.
Lastly I can only recommend this brilliant venue and I should have come here sooner! Fortunately I get to come here another 3 times this year to cover the Islandic Night Kaleo/Asgeir, Kool and the Gang/Dabu Fantastic and finally the German night with Tim Bendzko/Max Giesinger. There’s a lot more to come so keep following Kekoas Korner and stay up to date with my social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Did you enjoy Clean Bandit and Goldfrapp? Share your opinion in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Jacob Banks’ voice is pure magic

October 24, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

I’ve only discovered him a few weeks ago as you might have seen on my blog. I nominated him as one of my artists2watch and boy is he one artist to watch! I had the pleasure to listen to his voice yesterday at Mascotte Zurich thanks to Just Because. After listening to „Chainsmoking“ on YouTube I had high expectations but he did not disappoint.

First of all Jacob Banks brought out a young talented singer called Joy Crookes. She’s got a beautiful jazzy voice and plays the guitar. For all the guys reading check out how beautiful she is 😉 In addition to this she is also very funny and warmed up the crowd pretty nicely.

At 8.30 Mr. Jacob Banks took the stage and I was blown away from the very first minute! I don’t have enough superlative words to describe his voice. Seriously if you are a fan of Rag’N’Bone Man’s voice then check out this guy. With „Worthy“ and „Unholy War“ he started gloriously and from reactions of the audience they were as blown away as I was. It took him only a few minutes to win over the sold out Mascotte who were clapping, wooping, whistling louder after each song.
Apparently both artists tonight had shit relationships because they used almost the same words to introduce their next songs. Me being cheeky is wondering if they might talk about each other ;-)) Oh well we’ll never know but we got a beautiful song called „Part Time Love“. He then took his e-guitar and sang „Pilot“. Just his voice and the guitar it was magical.

„Silverlining“ and „Diddy Bop“ were next and then something happened which has never happened to me before. The music was quite loud so I put it my earbuds at the beginning of the concert and then suddenly one of them fell out. It seems like his voice popped it out. I couldn’t stop laughing. After he sang „Emty/Photograph“ he told us a joke:

What’s the church of Batman?
Christian Bale!

Everyone had to laugh! It was so random which made it very charming. After „Unknown“ someone from the audience shouted „Another Joke“ but he to sing his next song „Mercy/Grace“ so he we didn’t hear another joke. Overall he didn’t talk a lot but he didn’t really need to. His voice transported so much emotions that you felt connected to him without a lot of words in-between. So the next three songs „Love ain’t enough“, „Homecoming/Redbone“ „Sink or swim into Monster“ he sang without talking between them except a humble „thank you“.

On the setlist it says „Talk my Shit“ when he’s supposed to say something to us. Very funny! This hour of incredible music went by way to quickly and the last song before the encore was „Unholy War“. Us front-rowers we were feeling it and were dancing to it. Again I have to praise live music! This song and his voice is undescribably good but live they are fantastic!

This song took my breath away when I first heard it and now I had the honour to listen to it live. „Chainsmoking“ is one hell of a song. I will add the YouTube video again because I was enjoying it too much to video it. However a snippet of this incredible song can be found in my Instagram stories. Mr Jacob Banks left the stage after this wonderful show and me and my two concert buddies felt blessed to have seen this guy performing live in such a small venue because believe me he will come back in a much bigger venue. Jacob Banks has a thriving career in front of him.
Were you there and witnessed Mr. Jacob Banks live? Please share your opinion with us in the comments below.

Allgemein, New Music

New Music: Shania Twain is back NOW

October 20, 2017 kekoaskorner

Everyone knows Shania Twain. She’s the Taylor Swift of her time. Shania started off in Country Music but has since then moved to Pop/Rock tunes which probably helped to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time. It’s been quiet around Shania Twain for a few good years and her last album dates back to 2002. So 2017 is a good year for all the Twain fans out there because finally she found her voice again and brought out “Now“.
I don’t have to introduce her so let’s get right on to her new album “NOW”. The first single is called “Life’s About To Get Good”. I love the song and its message so please listen to the lyrics. For those of you who don’t know Shania lost her voice a few years back and with specialists help she luckily got it back which you can hear on “NOW”. So this single is exactly about her journey and that’s why it’s perfect as a first release. Listen for yourself.

She has such a special voice which you immediately connect to. I also thing it was made to sing country! That little twist she got gives every song that special touch. On her 16 song album she has a lovely mix of up-tempo and slow songs. You can also hear the country music influence in a few songs. I will point out a few of my highlights of the record.
“Roll Me On the River” is a powerful intense song. In the back ground you can hear the choir. At the moment I love this kinda music. It reminds me a bit of “Chainsmoking” by Jacob Banks. Since this is my favourite on the record I will show you the YouTube video and you can listen to this amazing track yourself.

“Swinging with my Eyes closed” and “You Can’t Buy Love” is a fun song and makes you dance and just enjoy the moment. If you feel down listen to this positive song and let me show you the perfect lyrics from “You Can’t Buy Love”:

When life gives you lemons
They pour down from the heavens
This is what you’ve got to do
Make some lemonade
Drink it in the shade
Don’t let a bad day get to you

Great and so true, isn’t?! Now to the more somber songs. “Soldier” is just beautiful. Her voice and the lyrics and the piano. Just perfect. “Home Now” fits perfectly into the country genre and has a very catchy chorus. I’d love to listen to “Light of my Life” in an acoustic version just with her and guitarist on a round stage in the middle of a huge arena. I think this could be a special moment.
Lastly I just want to show you guys my favourite old song of hers “Ka-Ching!”. I was 10 when it was released and I was obsessed with it. I haven’t listened to it in year which happens with songs you don’t hear a lot on the radio but it still catches me and I know why my 10 year old me liked it. It was super modern back then and even now you can listen to it and you wouldn’t know when it got out.

Let me mentioned another few oldies: “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (1998), “Man! I feel like Woman!” (1999) and lastly a beautiful ballade “Forever and for Always” (2003).
Flash forward: In 2018 we are in for a treat because she is going on a huge American tour as well as a few European dates. Check out her website for exact dates. Since she I’ve known her music almost all my life I’d love to see her live sometime. If you do be proud and make sure to appreciate the effort she put in to get there.
I’d love to know your favourite song by Shania Twain! Let me know in the comments below.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: