Asher Roth live is just like the Asher Roth I had imagined. I’m so happy that Just Because brought him to Mascotte last Friday. It was the perfect start to the weekend. To the peeps who weren’t there you deffo missed a party! ๐
Let’s start the party
At 8.20 Asher Roth came on stage. He didn’t need a support act warming up the crowd because we were ready. But let me tell you I really didn’t expect this. As soon as the first beats came blasting out Asher said hello to us. Not just a wave, no. He came down to us and shook everyone’s hands or fist pumped us. I loved it. So cool. He started with his first mix tape and some people already knew the songs but most of us were still a bit shy.
We still love college! ๐ 10 years after Asher Roth released his debut album “Asleep in the Bread Aisle” we get to see him live at Mascotte on Friday, May 17th. So I’m expecting a frat party times 10 since it’s the start of the weekend. I hope lots of people show up and are ready to party with Asher Roth. But first things first. Let me introduce you to him:
This is Asher Roth and he must have had a good time in college. His debut record is all about the experience every school kid in America goes through. With his old school hip hop vibe he hit a nerve and went from myspace to the big spotlight – so much that little me in Switzerland heard his song and fell in love with it. I still party to “I love college” in my car haha
That party last night was awfully crazy I wish we taped it I danced my ass off and had this one girl completely naked Drink my beer and smoke my weed But my good friends is all I need Pass out at three wake up at ten Go out to eat then do it again
I love college by Asher Roth
Another one of my favorites is “She don’t wanna man” featuring Keri Hilson. It’s such a cool party tune. Both songs found their way onto my iPod. Since we are already talking about featurings…. This album has a few of them with big names! Cee-Lo Green – the “Crazy” singer and a party of Gnarls Barkley and the legendary Busta Rhymes – who’s the fastest rapper I’ve ever heard. How cool is that to have them on your debut record?
I would deffo recommend you to listen to “Asleep in the bread aisle” and now I’m really excited to see all those songs live at Mascotte on May 17th thanks to Just Because. And maybe just maybe we get to listen to some newer material as well. You will deffo hear about here on my blog. Get your tix here: justbecause.ch
Asher Roth loves College and I love his debut record “Asleep in the bread Aisle”. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since the release but now I finally get to hear it live. So mark your calendar peeps May 17th at Mascotte! Let’s put our drinks up and party like back in 2009 ๐
I was super excited to see Noah Kahan and Dean Lewis on April 7th at Kaufleuten Zรผrich. I’ve only heard good things about both of them and I guess I wasn’t the only one. When we started queuing an hour and half before doors opened we never expected so many people already there. By the time the doors actually opened people queued around the block! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this at this venue before.
Noah Kahan
We managed to get a good spot in front row and now it was time to wait. Luckily when you are in good company time flies. At 8 o’clock Noah Kahan and his band mates came on stage. The wooping and clapping was already unusally loud. Not only did we get to experience very good songs we enjoyed Noah’s funny stories as well. The guys started with “Passenger” and “False Confidence”. I love when artists crack a joke or tell us the stories behind the songs and Noah Kahan did just that. The set continued with “Carlo’s song” and “Mess”.
But here it is. The song that everyone knows and can singalong to. It’s been on the radio for weeks and the Swiss audience surprised Noah by singing loudly along to “Hurt Somebody”. Noah and his band are incredible musicians and I would have loved to hear more of them but he’s “Only” the warm-up so unfortunately after just a few songs they had to leave the stage. They finished the set with “Young Blood” and I hope they are coming back for a headlining show soon!
Dean Lewis
Holy smokes! Wow! The Swiss audience screamed their lungs out when Dean Lewis took the stage at 9pm. I think I’ve never needed my earplugs more haha Dean Lewis started his set with “Hold of me” and the Swiss crowd knew every single lyrics. I was super suprised and so was Dean. I think this was one of the loudest singing crowd’s I’ve experienced. “Need you now” and “Place we knew” were next and the singing never stopped. A very emotional song for everyone was “Stay Awake” and I think this totally overwhelmed Dean Lewis. He said that he’s never heard a crowd sing this song as loudly as we did. You could tell by his smile that he loved this show and he loved the Swiss audience.
“Chemicals” and “lose my mind” followed this lovely moment and when he sat down to play a song by himself on his key board he was literally in front of me. And the funniest thing was he actually asked me and the girls how we were and if we’re good. Of course we were and I did my famous two thumbs up haha. With “Half a man” he enchanted Kaufleuten. His beautiful voice, the thoughtful lyrics and his piano skills was all it took to shut the usually chatty Kaufleuten crowd up. I loved it! What a great night it was ๐
The band came back for “Time to go” and “Don’t hold me”. Back at the piano Dean Lewis performed his biggest hit “Be Alright” and the crowd’s singing got even louder! A magic moment with all the camera lights in the air swaying to the song. Check out my highlights on IG to get a little glimpse of that special moment. A lovely girl in the front row thought of something really cool. She printed out loads of A4 paper with “We won’t stop loving you! <3” on them. During “7 Minutes” we were suppose to hold it up. And our moment came now. A sea of white paper swaying along to the full song and the reaction to this was priceless. First Dean Lewis looked confused and then he read what was written on them and the biggest smile appeared.
Again we were told how cool and awesome of an audience we are and I think he really meant it. Because it really was true. The girls in the first rows were incredibly loud and knew every song. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it now. Now this made me like Dean Lewis even more. He said that this band made him want to be a musician and of course he’s talking about the incredible Oasis! (Last year I got to see Liam Gallagher live, read more here) I loved Dean Lewis’ rendition of “Don’t look back in Anger”. Since the Manchester attack at the Ariana Grande gig this song means even more to me than before.
“For the last time” which reminded me a bit of the Script’s “For the first time” – just because I’m a bit obsessed with them as you know – was the last song before the encore. I think the people weren’t ready to let Dean Lewis go. With a deafening applause the Swiss crowd wanted him back on stage and of course they got their wish. “Straight back down” and his first single which got him known in Australia “Waves” were his last two songs of the night. Just after 10 Dean Lewis was finished and I think everyone in the crowd loved this amazing gig. A few of us stayed a bit longer and we were rewarded with an unplugged rendition of “Be Alright” on the streets of Zurich. I’ve never seen an artist come out and instead of taking pics and giving autographs he gave us a little private concert. I loved it and again it was such a special way to finish the night.
Dean Lewis and Noah Kahan treated us with a special night of great voices, great music and amazing lyrics to singalong to. I hope they both will be back very soon! ๐
Dean Lewis and Noah Kahan – Two incredible singer songwriters going on tour together! This is a must go to gig for everyone who loves a man and a guitar shows. In addition to that I think this will be your last chance to see them in a relatively small venue at Kaufleuten because both of them are rising stars and will soon fill much bigger venues.
Dean Lewis
Dean Lewis is an Aussie slowly making it all over the world. With his first single “Waves” gaining traffic in Australia while his 2nd single “Be Alright” is already getting airplay in Europe and he sold out his show last winter at Papiersaal. So it’s only fitting that he’s playing the next bigger venue now. Fast forward into 2019 where he released his 3rd single “7 Minutes” and his back for another show on Sunday, April 7th at Kaufleuten. You can get tix here.
In an article I read that he is a huge Oasis fan and that they basically thought him how to write songs. So we all know the legendary hits “Wonderwall” or “Don’t look back in Anger” and we can only hope that Dean Lewis will be writing hits just like that and you can say you’ve been there from the start! ๐
Noah Kahan is an American singer who released his first song “Youngblood” in 2017. He is working with with Joel Little who is also responsible for the hits of Lorde and Khalid. But I’m sure you know this guy from his most recent single “Hurt Somebody” featuring Julia Michaels. The song has been playing on the radio non-stop over the last few months.
twitter.com/noahkahan
Like Dean Lewis I think that Noah Kahan will be making it big time since he is such a talented singer songwriter and he’s got great people backing him. I can only recommend you to come to the show on April 7th and see/ hear for yourself those two amazing individuals putting up a brill show which you’ll be remember as your “I see them first”-moment.
After seeing Jacob Banks last year at Mascotte and trying to see him at his uber full gig at the M4 Music Festival I was stocked to learn that Just Because invited him back to play a gig at X-tra.
Anna Leone – a tiny lady with a big voice
A very shy girl in sweats came on stage with her guitar. Anna Leone fascinated with her voice. However lots of people decided to continue talking which was a shame. They missed out on a very talented artist and I could only hope that they would stop during Jacob Banks’ performance.
Jacob Banks is back and he got moves
Last year I was front row too but I really don’t remember him having those super sexy moves. What was the same was Jacob Banks incredible voice. A voice that so soulful and magical that it gives you goosebumps every time you hear it. I loved the first song. It had sooo much energy! Unfortunately I didn’t get a setlist this time so you will get a little different review.
Jacob Banks said thank you for being here very early on and he explained that he will sing songs off his newest record VILLAGE and some songs off his previously released EP’s. With “Mercy”, “Mexico”, “Be Good To Me” we got lots of amazing songs already in the first 30 mins. But one of my highlights – sooo romantic – was the song “Caroline”. X-tra was turned pink and we enjoyed this slow soulful ballade. I bet the many couples in the crowd loved it too. Speaking of the crowd it was so diverse! There were teens, couples and older people enjoying the same good music by Jacob Banks.
This next song “Pilot” is for the people who are coming to the gigs. It is not on any record because I want you guys to have something special others don’t.
With that Jacob Banks took his guitar and sang “Pilot” which is a very beautiful ballade and I was mesmerized by his voice and that song. The time flew by listening to Jacob Banks because he fully captivates you.
Time to dance
Jacob Banks origins are Nigerian and so to honour them he wrote “Kumbaya”. You can literally feel the African vibe and the three LED screens in the back showed some videos from back home. The crowd started moving too. After focusing on him and his voice so much it was good to let loose a little. Another highlight for me was when he covered “Fix You”. Usually I get to hear it during Naturally 7‘s gig without any instruments! I keep repeating myself but I was fascinated to see the actual guitar sounding just the same! It was amazing!! ๐ He earned so much applause which I think he didn’t expect. His face lit up and we got see a huge smile. So cute!
With “Say Something” and “Unholy War” Jacob Banks rang in the last part of his show. After a versatile music mix we were getting the biggest soulful energetic songs at the end. The crowd loved it! ๐ And of course all good things have to come to an end so Jacob Banks and his amazing 4 piece band left the stage before the encore. One by one they re-emerge and Jacob introduced them in a very sweet way. Each of them were brothers from other mothers and sisters from other misters ๐ I loved the fact that Jacob Banks seemed to have opened up a little and spoke to us a little more.
Finally he said that:
Thank you for choosing to be here. You could have spent your evening doing something else but you chose to support us. We really appreciate thank you so much!
and with that he introduced his biggest hit “Chainsmoking” and wooo’s and yeah’s rang around the X-tra. What a song! What a voice! What a man! Amazing moves! But see for yourself:
Amazing right? I’m so glad Loads of Music and I got to see this brilliant gig which was the last one in 2018. Here’s to 2019 with many more gigs to be review here on Kekoas Korner! ๐ Share your memories right here or on Instagram. ๐
Thanks to Just Because I always get to try out new music I don’t know yet. So on Tuesday I went to see Selah Sue – a Belgian musician who came back from the mommy break to shut up the Kaufleuten crowd.
A little after 9 a piano player and cello player took the stage and played an intro and then Selah Sue came from the blackness into the light. It was a super weird intro at least that’s what I thought. I really didn’t know if I was going to like what I’m about to hear. I was pretty critical. Selah Sue started with “So this is Love”. I was still observing…
Credit: Patrick Holenstein from Bรคckstage Magazine
She then told us that she became a Mum this year and that she loves laying down in a hammock with her son. I could picture her just doing that. Of course Motherhood inspired her so the next song was written for her little boy called “In a Heartbeat”. I loved it and I loved how she explained the story behind this song. She warmed my heart already.
Plus she started playing the guitar now. Soft chords for the last song and loud ones for “Fyah Fyah”. Surprisingly the Kaufleuten crowd knew the song and sang with her! What I feared the most seeing her at Kaufleuten was that the crowd would constantly chat and you could hear the bar people working. This is what normally happens. However she must attract a different audience than most. They were quiet! I was really impressed and happy ๐ When looking around into people’s faces they were actually listen to her singing. I absolutely loved the atmosphere. “Fyah Fyah” was my favourite and after seeing Julian Marley a few weeks ago it was right up my alley ๐ She must have grown up with a lot of Jamaican buddies.
Credit: Patrick Holenstein from Bรคckstage Magazine
Selah Sue brought out the loop thingy too and you know I’m a huge fan of it. Ed Sheeran can fill a stadium with his guitar and a loop station. This little thing is so impressive. She created a whole band and backing singers with it. So for the next few songs I was focused again on her being a very talented musician and her special raspy voice: “Peace of Mind”, “I won’t go for more”, “Alone”, “Full of life”. Then she explained that she was working with another Jazz musician on a cover song the past month so she started with some very famous lyrics:
When I was just a little girl I asked my mother what will I be?
Of course it’s “Que sera, sera”. “Always home” and “I Need” followed. I don’t know why but I seem to know the next song. It’s “This World”. Her last official song. For this one she brought out another gadget. It replaced the drummer. It’s quite difficult to explain so best to have a look in the highlights on my Instagram account. Of course the effect of the that gadget was supported by the lights and those two things together made for a great show.
Credit: Patrick Holenstein from Bรคckstage Magazine
The three musicians left the stage and I really didn’t think they would come back. But Selah Sue came back with her guitar and asked us so what songs do you want to hear? 5 different songs were shouted at her. It came down to two songs after trying the loud-o-meter with audience. First she sang “Summertime” a very lovely ballade. The 2nd favourite song was “Raggamuffin”. Another song with Jamaican roots. She changed the lyrics again and sang:
In Zรผrich they want me
And yes we really do! I hope Selah Sue comes back really soon! Thank you for surprising me and turning me into a fan ๐ Have you seen Selah Sue in concert? Share your experience in the comments below.
Selah Sue sounds like a mix between Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse and she is coming to Kaufleuten on Aug. 28th with her very special acoustic set.ย
Who’s Selah Sue?
Selah Sue is a belgian artist who debuted her self titled record in 2011. She earned herself various recognitions along the way until she released her 2nd album in 2015 called Reason. But what struck me as the most interesting is that she participated in an open mic night which was organized by none other than Milow himself who then asked her to be his supporting act.
What does Selah Sue sound like?
To me she sounds like a mix between Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse. She’s got a very special and recognizable voice and the chill factor of Erykah Badu. I think her music is perfect for your chilled evenings with friends. The most famous song which also got some air play is the following:
When can I see Selah Sue live?
Selah Sue is currently touring with a very special acoustic set of her songs. And believe me if you hear a show is strictly acoustical you gotta go. This is something you don’t get to hear every day. I bet you won’t regret it. Just Because and Kaufleuten are presenting Selah Sue – Acoustic on Aug. 28th !
Tickets:ย Starticket.ch
Share your experience:ย facebook.com
Thanks to Gadget I was able to attend my first Franz Ferdinand concert. Theyโve 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.
When it was announced that Crimer was the support of FF I was so looking forward to see him too. Iโve heard so much about him and I gotta say he didnโt 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.
I am completely honest with you guys now. I knew Franz Ferdinand but I donโt think I have ever listened to a songโฆ I thought theyโd 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 80โs vibe going. Yes, they were rock but not too hard core. At 9 oโclock the perfect party could start when the band took the stage. I was shocked I didnโt expect them to be this old haha But hey they were famous when I was little so what did I expect?! ๐
With the title track to their newest record โAlways Ascendingโ they opened the 90 mins show. I really couldnโt get my head around the fact that I was expecting something completely different. The people loved it and were already dancing and singing. โWalk Awayโ and โLucid Dreamsโ 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 donโt.
I really liked the song โLazy Boyโ which was followed by โGlimpse of loveโ and โNo you girlsโ. 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 โThe Dark of the Matineeโ, โLois Laneโ and โDo You Want toโ. I felt like I knew the latter but I couldnโt singalong to so it must have been a distant memory ๐ Before the crowd went wild for โTake me Outโ the band played โSlow Donโt Kill Me Slowโ. 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.
Their newest single โfeel the love goโ (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! โLove Illuminationโ and โUlyssesโ completed their great 80โs 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 โPaper Cagesโ, โJacquelineโ and โHuck and Jimโ. The cherry on top was โThis Fireโ. 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 werenโt 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.
Yesterday I enjoyed my first gig in 2018. Alt-J played their biggest show in Switzerland to date at Hallenstadion Club and it was a super special gig. I am very grateful to Just Because for bringing these interesting artists to Switzerland and for always supporting my blog.
Like I said in my New Music post I am so curious about these british lads. So I got to the venue with mixed feelings. As soon as Alt-J started their show they had me. I was in awe of their light show and I still am. It was fascinating to see how it matched the music. The patterns and the colours were absolutely incredible. Who would have thought that a few light bulbs can make for such a show!
I do have a few pictures to show you but this show is really hard to catch in a picture. This is why I recommend you to go onto my Instagram page and have a look at my Alt-J highlights. The trio started their show with “Deadcrush”, “Fitzpleasure” and “Something Good”. I spent the first few songs staring at the lights and was mesmerized by it. “Nara” and “The Gospel of John Hurt” followed. I finally got round to focus on the voice of Joe Newman. He’s got a super special way of singing but it totally matches their sound and their show.
mde
oznor
Before “In Cold Blood” Alt-J spoke to their Swiss fans and the first woop’s were heard. But I gotta say the crowd was very quiet but I guess everyone was just fascinated by the show. What I really loved about last night’s audience was that they were really relaxed. Everyone had a good time even if they weren’t the loudest crowd I’ve seen at least they seemed to enjoy themselves. “Ripe & Ruin”, “Tessellate” and the Intro of “This is All Yours” followed my favourite Alt-J song.
The lights sparkled and changed colours from green to pink to blue. “Every other Freckle”, “Hunger of the Pine” and “Bloodflood” were next. I wasn’t really dancing because I was watching the show so I started to get really cold. I think there was also a draft in the Hallenstadion and I looked like an eskimo with my jacket and scarf on ๐ Finally for Matilda the crowd started to wake up and dance a little more. For the last few songs “Dissolve Me”, “Pleader” and “Taro” there was quite a good atmosphere. After an hour they played “Left hand free” before Alt-J went off stage for the encore.
oznor
oznor
Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Green obviously came back for two more songs before they sent their Swiss audience back into the snowy rain to get home. The encore began with an intro of their debut record An Awesome Wave. Their huge hit “3WW” followed. But my favourite song because of the light show and the up-tempo feel of the song was “Breezeblocks”. Alt-J put all the lights in action with as many colours as possible and it was a brilliant to their 90mins set. Were you at the gig yesterday? Did you enjoy the light show as much as me? Leave a reply below.
Alt-J is a current 3 piece British band from Leeds. Alt-J fans are enjoying their unique indie electronic pop since 2007. Last year they released their 3rd album Relaxer and lucky us Just Because is bringing them to Club Hallenstadion on Sunday, 21st February 2018. There are still tickets available on Ticketcorner: Just click here.
Alt-J reminds me of an artist called Jean-Michel Jarre who I’ve seen a few years ago. Their sound seems to go in this direction. From instrumental tunes to main stream songs over to very mellow songs. It is quite interesting and I am looking forward to see how their Live show is. Will they be working with lights and laser? Will it be very DJ-like? I’ve got lots of questions and the answers will follow next Monday right here on Kekoas Korner.
Enough talking let’s listen to some music! The lead singer of the record is a feature with Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice and is called “3WW”:
Special right?! Special is always good. I love how the song starts really quiet and slow and it builds and it breaks again. And another special song of the new album with a beat that I like is called “In Cold Blood” and is their 2nd single of the album Relaxer.
And finally I want to show you an old song “Matilda” from their debut album An Awesome Wave. Over the years the band experienced some changes but also great success. Alt-J played various festivals and won the British Mercury Prize in 2012. Another fact is that Alt-J’s band name looks actually like this โ. But I guess no-one would be able to pronounce the name. To me this is another interesting fact about the band. And you guessed right I have another fun fact about Alt-J. The cover of Relaxer was especially made for them by a Japanese artist Osamu Sato who created the Playstation Game LSD.
wikipedia.org
Track list:
3WW
In Cold Blood
House of the Rising Sun
Hit Me Like That Snare
Deadcrush
Adeline
Last Year
Pleader
Sounds interesting? So go get your tix for Sunday and say hi to me at the gig ๐ If you can’t go keep following Kekoas Korner on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep a close eye on the concert.
