Kekoas Korner got to travel to Basel to see Mumford and Sons at St. Jakobshalle on Sunday. I’ve never been to the venue and I have never seen them live so I was pretty excited. I heard only great things about their live performances and I’ve seen them on TV a few times so I was expecting a lot. Surprisingly the stage on the Delta Tour was set in the middle of venue which I already liked. So here’s a little more how the evening went:
Gang of Youths got the moves
The support act Gang of Youths is an Australian indie rock band from Sydney. Unfortunately I was quite distracted because I couldn’t find my phone and I thought I’d lost it. However, silly me, I put in my boots just minutes ago – which I always do when I have my boots on but I completely forgot. So the first 3 songs were kind of a blur. After huge waves of relief were flooding through me I could finally focus on Gang of Youths. Oh boy, David – the lead singer – can dance. Those moving hips were another distraction. He looked like the dancers on Let’s Dance Germany haha
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.
Yasmin
Grace
Stephanie
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.
Check Out Grace’s Cello!
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.
One Direction went into hiatus just a little over a year ago after Zayn left the group to pursue his solo career. Officially they were on a break until March 17 but yes we are in July and they are all pursuing solo careers now. So let’s have a look on all their projects. Zayn Malik
He was the first one to release solo material. With “Pillowtalk” he landed a huge hit. Was it because the song was good or was it because the video included his new girlfriend Gigi Hadid or because he was the first of the group to release a song? I am not so sure which one it is. This song was also the soundtrack to the movie fifty shades darker which helped to make it successful too. Don’t get me wrong I like his voice but I don’t like the image he has at the moment. The only single who could match that success was a collaboration with Taylor Swift. All other singles weren’t that successful. He is not on tour at the moment. Click here to get album via iTunes or Apple Music. Niall Horan
Niall released two singles. “This Town” about a year ago and “Slow Hands” in May. I didn’t know his first single but it was one of the most special moments of the Summertime Ball at Wembley this year. 80’000 people lit up the stadium and where waving their lights to that song – just beautiful. His 2nd song “Slow Hands” is super catchy and it’s been stuck in my head for days. I like it a lot. It’s sounds really innocent but have a look at the lyrics it is everything but innocent 🙂 Kind of like Milow’s “Ayo Technology”. And you know that I have thing for Irish musicians so I would never thrash him. Niall is on tour soon. He will play in Ireland, UK, Sweden, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and the US. Click here to get to his his homepage to get more info and tickets.
Harry Styles
Harry took his time to work on his album and you can really hear it. His first single “Sign of Times” is still constantly played on the radio and it is a beautiful soulful song. I listened to his album “Harry Styles” and I am quite surprised. It sounds like a real musician has produced it. Besides making a good album he has been acting in the recently released movie “Dunkirk”. He will also be on a huge world tour next year. Click here to get more details on dates and tickets. Switzerland, March 11th. Germany, March 24th-27th. US, June 5th- Jul 14th. Australia, April 21st-28th. Click here to buy the album via iTunes or Apple Music.
The two last ones were busy starting their own families. Liam Payne
Liam surprisingly started dating Cheryl Cole (or whatever her name is at the moment) and this lead to their first son Bear Payne (I know what a name!). Probably almost at the same time he release his first single “Strip that Down”. He performed his only song at this year’s Capital Summertime Ball and who would have thought that Liam can dance like that?! I also have to admit that I love the Chorus because it’s very catchy and you can dance to it. The single also made it as MTV’s cover of the month and this guy has literally stripped it down to a guitar and his voice. I love this version and if you watch the video until the end it will surprise 🙂 On his official website are no live shows scheduled for the moment.
Louis Tomlinson
The first 1D baby is Freddie and he’s already a year old so his daddy Louis was able to record his first solo single “Back to you” featuring Bebe Rexha. I don’t like her voice and I think she is screaming instead of singing so I don’t agree with her in the first place. Plus this song sounds like a million other songs various DJ’s produce but worse. I really hate to say this since he is my favourite of the group but he either should stick with being a dad or look for some good producers to help him make better song choices.
So all the boys have released new music and let’s see who will make it as a solo artist and will still be here in a few years. Judging by their first attempts it has to be Harry. But who knows the other boys might work with better producers and make a great record. Only time will tell… Who is your favourite 1D boy and how do you like their solo stuff? Comment below I’d love to hear your opinion or message me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Photo credit: https://www.thecut.com/2015/05/there-is-only-one-direction.html
