Tag: Gadget

Allgemein, Concerts

The wicked Isaac Gracie

kekoaskorner

Last year I saw Isaac Gracie supporting Angus and Julia Stone and enjoyed his set however the venue was too big. So when I heard about him playing the Papiersaal I knew I had to see him! Thanks to Loads of Music for sharing my passion and for keeping me company.
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Isaac Gracie started shortly before 9 o’clock with “All in my Mind”. A solid rock song and I already realised that this gig as a headliner will be much better. After a quick tuning of the guitar and chat with the audience Isaac Gracie continued his set with “that was then” and “terrified”. And again Gerry – the sound tech – was suppose to tune his other guitar which he didn’t do but Isaac used the chance to talk to the audience. He was incredibly humble and sweet and we enjoyed a great gig.


The slow songs were up next “all the burning lovers” and “love” made us listen to Gracie’s amazing voice. He can not only sing the grungy rock songs but also beautiful ballades. “Telescope” started slow but turned into an uptempo song. However if I heard telescope I think of Juliette’s song in Nashville. 😀 The two songs have nothing in common! But speaking of country music “one night” is a beautiful song perfect for a summer night. While the three lads on stage I could picture myself around a bonfire watching the stars listening to this song. A memorable evening and a special moment during the gig.

A girl in the audience shouted “silhouettes of you” a few songs ago and Isaac Gracie finally granted her wish. To be honest with you – again – Isaac Gracie is a live artist. I adored the songs during the gig but listening to them now after the concert isn’t the same. The memory of the gig and how he sounds live make them great. Another slower song “hollow crown” followed. Finally the first chords of “death of you and i” were played – my absolute highlight of the evening! It starts like a good old western song. You can literally picture a cowboy riding his horse through the desert and the BOOM! It turns into a very loud rock song and Isaac Gracie is screaming the lyrics. After the chorus the song goes back to the western sound and changes again. With this song you never know what comes next and I seriously adore this song!
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“running on empty” and “reverie” finished todays set. But of course Isaac Gracie came back and asked the audience what they wanted to hear and they shouted “last words”. Someone must have sneak peeked onto the setlist since he planned to sing this song as an encore anyway 🙂 However I loved how he spoke to the audience and was joking with his bandmates. A very humble and talented man this Isaac Gracie. He left the stage with two peace signs.

yes, peace out!

Have you seen Isaac Gracie live? Yes? Share your opinion with us and reply below.

Check out my latest gigs: Turin Brakes, Seven, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Allgemein, Concerts

Finland's finest Sunrise Avenue rocked Zurich

kekoaskorner

A sold out Hallenstadion. Not many artists manage this but the 5 lads from Finland did. I gotta say I’m very happy for them. Years back I got to see them in a much smaller venue and I still remember it today that it was an amazing gig and one that I fondly think of. So let’s see how last night’s gig went down.
Tim Kamrad
The support Tim Kamrad is a German singer songwriter. The songs are very mainstream and sound like I’ve heard them before. Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes will be happy to see that they inspired this young lad. I missed his personal signature but I am sure that it will work well on the radios. I do clapped a long and it made me want to dance.
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Nearly at 9 on the dot the lights went off and an amazing stage with an incredible light show supported Sunrise Avenue. Normally I would go right into the review but this time I want to make something clear. Sunrise Avenue are a band. It’s not just Samu Haber. Yes, he is the lead singer and more famous then the others but I cannot stand it if radio hosts introduce the next song and say Hollywood Hills by Samu Haber. It is wrong that’s why I want to introduce to you the band members first Raul, Sami, Riku, Osmo and yes Samu too.


 

They started with “Prisoner in Paradise” and a wonderful ballade called “Beautiful”. The atmosphere was amazing right away. Even the people seating were clapping and having a good time! The title track of their 2013 album “Unholy Ground” was next. Samu said that the band always feels a lot of love from the Swiss crowds and obviously everyone needs a “Little bit of Love”. The first chords of the newest single “I help you hate me” were played and everyone started to clap and sing a long again. It is one of the best songs to sing with large crowds and it made for a great moment.
Samu’s voice is so special and so incredible and in “Hurtsville” we could enjoy it in a slow ballade. “Heartbreak Century” the title track of their current record can’t be left out in this 20 songs strong setlist. “Never Let Go” and “Room” were next. Another great rock ballade is “Lifesaver”. The Hallenstadion was lit up with phone lights and everyone waved it in the right rhythm. Just beautiful. Each song had a brilliant rhythm where people could clap along too and that automatically creates a good atmosphere. In “Question Mark” I wasn’t sure if they spoke finish for a sec but it turned out that they just quickly speak English in their cute accent.
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The band thanked his long-time friend Anna who had the great idea to put the flag onto the album cover. The huge flag of the Swiss Sunrise Avenue Crew hung at the back of the venue. A lot of Swiss and Finish flags were in the audience so the next song “Flag” fitted perfectly. I enjoyed another very old song “I don’t dance” before the Hallenstadion was turned into a sea of lights again for “Afterglow”. Last time they played this song in this venue they were at the Energy Star Night and Samu tripped over the moving camera on the floor. Again he mentioned how much he hurt himself but like a pro he finished the set.
This next song was my highlight of the evening! Sunrise Avenue changed up “Forever Yours” to a complete new song. So intense, so dark and so good. Imagine this song is 9 years old! Sunrise Avenue already played two hours and they weren’t looking tired so we got see and listen to even more songs such as “Let Me Go” and “Point of No Return”. Riku and Raul always made sure to include the people on their side even out on the stands. I honestly love to see so much interaction with the audience. Sunrise Avenue seemed to be the same rock band from way back when just on a bigger stage with a huge production.
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The production is amazing. The lights and the 3 screens are part of this great rock show. But what makes them so likable is their charm. Samu addressed the audience quite a few times and joked with us. When he didn’t manage to open his water bottle he just ripped it only to realise that it was already open. Boys will be boys so he squeezed the bottle and water came out. 😀 Obviously Sunrise Avenue couldn’t leave the stage without playing one of their biggest hits “Fairytale Gone Bad”.
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Unfortunately the two hours fly by and the lads had to leave the stage only to come back for 2 more songs. A slow song called “Home” and their uber hit “Hollywood Hills”. Finally everyone was standing and partied and sang along to. It was the perfect ending to a great gig.
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Are you party of the Sunrise Avenue Crew? How did you like the gig? Leave a reply below.

Check out my latest gigs: Franz Ferdinand, Liam Gallagher, The Script
Allgemein, Concerts

Back to the 80's with Franz Ferdinand & Crimer

kekoaskorner

Thanks to Gadget I was able to attend my first Franz Ferdinand concert. They’ve worked together with Just Because to bring the legendary Scottish band to Zurich. What I love about Just Because concerts is that they publish the times late afternoon. This means you can actually plan your evening and know when to be there and how long you need to wait.
Crimer
When it was announced that Crimer was the support of FF I was so looking forward to see him too. I’ve heard so much about him and I gotta say he didn’t disappoint. The three lads on stage put on a great show of a mixture between Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and maybe David Bowie. I really liked their 30 mins performance and honestly he gave his best. The dance moves were crazy and people warmed up perfectly for the main act.
Crimer
I am completely honest with you guys now. I knew Franz Ferdinand but I don’t think I have ever listened to a song… I thought they’d be rock – rock like Foo Fighters, Kaiser Chiefs or The Killers. But they were so different to what I was expecting. They had this kind of 80’s vibe going. Yes, they were rock but not too hard core. At 9 o’clock the perfect party could start when the band took the stage. I was shocked I didn’t expect them to be this old haha But hey they were famous when I was little so what did I expect?! 😀
Franz Ferdinand
With the title track to their newest record „Always Ascending“ they opened the 90 mins show. I really couldn’t get my head around the fact that I was expecting something completely different. The people loved it and were already dancing and singing. „Walk Away“ and „Lucid Dreams“ were next and I really loved the atmosphere. Plus you could sense that the lead singer Alex Kapranos knew what he was doing. The kind of energy and presence he was presenting cannot be taught. You just have it or you don’t.
Franz Ferdinand
I really liked the song „Lazy Boy“ which was followed by „Glimpse of love“ and „No you girls“. I went to the venue Halle 622 without preparation and to be honest I started to like this. I used to listen to every song and get as much info on the band as possible beforehand but I learned that sometimes you need to surprise yourself. What I love is to check out the songs after the gig. Memories of the concert will flood in and you have an automatic connection to the song.


Franz Ferdinand continued with „The Dark of the Matinee“, „Lois Lane“ and „Do You Want to“. I felt like I knew the latter but I couldn’t singalong to so it must have been a distant memory 🙂 Before the crowd went wild for „Take me Out“ the band played „Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow“. Lots of hands and people jumping around and singing along which made for a great party and an amazing atmosphere. After witnessing two DJ gigs at this venue I was so glad to see a rock band play.
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Their newest single „feel the love go“ (which you can also find on my Spotify playlist: Kekoas Korners Favourites) was another one that sounded familiar. This made for the perfect time to introduce the band members to everyone. Alex Kapranos asked the Zurich audience:

Do you feel the love?

And of course we felt the love. We felt the love for Boyb Hardy, Paul Thomson, Julian Corrie and Dino Bardot! „Love Illumination“ and „Ulysses“ completed their great 80’s rock set. A few mins after 10 Franz Ferdinand left the stage for their long encore. I was really tired but I enjoyed the whole concert so they deserved to come back to a huge applause/roar from the crowd. The people partied even more for „Paper Cages“, „Jacqueline“ and „Huck and Jim“. The cherry on top was „This Fire“. Eeeeveryone knew the song and was dancing like crazy. Almost at the end Franz Ferdinand asked us to kneel down and everyone did it only to jump up for the chorus! The atmosphere is hard to describe but you can have a look at the highlight in my instagram profile. Let me tell you this. If you weren’t there you missed out on a great party!
Have you been to the Franz Ferdinand gig? Let me know your experience in the comments below.

See my latest gigs: Liam Gallagher, The Script Dublin, The Script Zurich
Allgemein, Concerts

Back to the 90s with Liam Gallagher

kekoaskorner

When Liam Gallagher announced his gig in Zurich I knew I really wanted to see this legend. But I was a bit cautious and I didn’t want to buy tickets right away. To be honest with you I was afraid of him not showing or showing up and leaving after 20 mins. So when I won the Gadget concert pass I was super happy and I was looking forward to the gig.
I walked into the venue and I felt like I was transported into the 90’s somewhere in England. Lots of people looked like part of the band and I felt right at home 🙂 At 8 the supporting act The Sherlocks from Sheffield took the stage and they really had a hard time warming up the crowd. It is not easy to perform in front of a rock legend but they did quite a good job however you could sense that everyone was waiting for Liam Gallagher.
Liam Gallagher
At 9 on the dot the lights went off and the long intro started. Liam Gallagher did show up and what a show it turned out to be. He started his set with “Rock’N’Roll Star” and the crowd went crazy. Everyone was singing along and people loved it. I have to admit I think I was too young to actually understand how much influence Oasis had on everyone back then. But I understand it now. Another Oasis song “Morning Glory” followed before “Greedy Soul”. “Wall of Glass” should be used in speech therapy for all the people who have got problems with their “S”. It was absolutely hilarious how he highlighted the S at the end.
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Whatever he said between songs was either not understandable or swearing. But to be honest I liked it and I didn’t expect anything else. Everyone had a brilliant time and were singing their hearts out. “Paper Crown”, “Bold” and “For What It’s Worth” were some of his solo songs and the crowd went a bit quiet since I think most people were there to listen to the Oasis songs. The smart rock star that he is he mixed in another 2 Oasis songs into the set list and people absolutely loved “Some Might Say” and “Slide Away”.
“Come back to me”, “You better Run” and “Universal Gleam” followed. Honestly I didn’t know a lot of the songs but I still had the best time watching this legend perform and looking into the crowd and seeing how much they enjoyed themselves. The time flew by as “Be Here Now” started. Then finally the song literally eeeeveryone knows started. 1 guitar and Liam Gallagher singing

Today is gonna be the day
That they’re gonna throw it back to you

The huge singalong started and during the chorus the crowd took over. It was magical to witness “Wonderwall” live. A truly special moment. Time to leave the stage after an hour.
Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher came back for 2 encore songs. First up “Cigarettes & Alcohol” . A classic. Then the last song “Live forever” was another song that everyone seemed to be able to singalong too. The little time capsule we stepped into was unfortunately over. I have to say that this was the first gig after the Script in Dublin of course that I really enjoyed in 2018. Plus Liam Gallagher proved to be an absolute professional. He played his set even though City was playing. I really hope that he was able to catch the highlights after the show 🙂
Have you ever been to an Oasis or Liam Gallagher show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Have a look into my last reviews: The Script, Galantis, Dermot Kennedy
Allgemein, Concerts

Galantis lit up Halle 622

kekoaskorner

Thanks to me winning Gadget‘s concert pass 2018 I am able to choose gigs and experience different kinds of music for free. So I decided to give Galantis a shot at winning me over even if house dance music is really not mine. I went to the concert completely unprepared and was ready to just be open minded.
Luckily I found two good concert buddies. One has seen them before (Check out Loads of Music) and one is a pro in this genre. At 9 the two Swedish lads took the stage and the party started. However my party didn’t start. I realised that it really wasn’t my music and I only liked the songs where they remixed “Rather Be” and Katy Perry’s “Feels” into it. Of course the only two songs I knew “Runaway” and “No Money” were pretty cool too. Galantis had also a pretty cool feature with a guy called Wrabel. He’s got an amazing voice! You should check him out. After a little more than an hour Galantis left the stage we were quite disappointed. My friend said that they weren’t good at changing songs and the messed up the drop. So I won’t be going into much detail here and let short videos on instagram and pictures speak for themselves:

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P.S: I loved the confetti! 🙂 And my Loads of Music concert buddy wants me to add that “Peanut Butter Jelly” was just the best and believe me it obviously was her highlight. My highlight of the evening was being together with two incredibly lovely ladies and having a good time! So Galantis did make us have a good time which I think is so important.
Have you seen Galantis live? Leave a reply below and let me know your opinion! 🙂

Wanna check out my latest gigs: Tom Grennan, Alt-J, Dermot Kennedy