Tag: music

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

Howl at Turin Brakes

kekoaskorner

Thanks to Mainland Music I got to actually see Turin Brakes this year. A few years back they performed at the Zermatt Unplugged in Zurich and I only got to hear them from outside since I didn’t have tickets for that show. They smashed it and I really wanted to see them too so last Wednesday I finally had the chance.
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An Italian band called Dog Byron opened up. They performed quite a few songs of their record Eleven Craters. I loved the voice of Max – the lead singer. He has a very deep characteristic voice you can listen to all night. Make sure to check them out on Spotify.
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A little after 9 the four lads took the stage in a very casual manner. Turin Brakes presented songs from their new album Invisible Storm as well as old songs from their 9 year career as a band. Turin Brakes started with “Would you be mine”, “Wait” and “Life Farms”. Around 100 people came to the London lads at Papiersaal. I loved the atmosphere. We had space to dance and just enough space to fully enjoy the brilliant music.
“Future boy”, “State of Things” and “Rain City” were next. Turin Brakes are able to play slow songs as well as rock songs but what I enjoy the most is that all of them have a certain rhythm. I was stamping, clapping or nodding the whole time. Eddie the base player looked a bit wild to me and he confirmed it when he said that he loves wolfs and feels like he is almost one. So he asked us:

Zurich, are you ready to howl with me?

The whole Papiersaal howled a few times while the first chords of “Lost in the woods” started. One of the highlights of the evening to me. “Last chance” and “72” followed which I really liked too. Such a good rhythm. Gale – the guitar player – tried to joke with us but no-one laughed so Eddie started howling again. Apparently Swiss people like to howl 🙂
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The set continued with “Painkiller”, “Fishing 4 a Dream” and the title track to the new record “Invisible Storm”. Olly said that they had some time off today and watched some Swiss people doing loops with their bicycle and now in their mind every Swiss person can do this. For my international readers: No, not every Swiss person is able to do this ;D
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Like they said they know that we know that they know that we know that they will head off stage soon only to come back if we are loud enough 🙂 So “Black Rabbit” was the last song before the break. The audience got louder and louder. We enjoyed a great evening with amazing live music from Turin Brakes.
Rob on the drums was the first one to come back on stage to play “Keep me around”. Of course we wanted to keep them around! 🙂 My favourite song and the loudest so far was “Everything All At Once”. We got another one called “Under Dog”. The four lads from London left the stage again and we started howling again. Eddie was so happy about this and promised to come back soon after they came back for a 2nd encore.
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“Don’t Know Much” and the final song “Slack” finished this evening. I was really glad to have seen them however I think last time was more special when I couldn’t see and just hear them. 🙂
Have you seen Turin Brakes? Share your experience below and leave a reply.

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

Seven: 4 colours, 2 hours, 8 musicians

kekoaskorner

Many of my international readers probably won’t know Seven. He’s a Swiss musician and he’s been around for quite some time. I’ve seen him last summer at the Gurtenfestival and Seven and his band shared a very special moment with us. He asked us to close our eyes and listen to “Help”.
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With “Help” Seven and his 7 musicians started their set at the sold out Kaufleuten last night. A very brave move to start with a slow song. Unfortunately in this venue most of the people are not there to actually listen to the lyrics. They are there because it’s the place to be so they are chatting throughout the gig. So disrespectful! Now let me introduce you to Seven’s show concept. His newest album is called 4 colours and it supports the various songs on the album and gives a bit of structure to it.
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First he started with blue and after “Help” we got hear “Thank you Pain” and “Lisa”. The colour changed to yellow and the tempo of the songs got faster. A little summer thunderstorm started to break out in Kaufleuten and they performed “I can’t wait for the rain”. Another warm song “City of Gold” got us dancing and singing. Then Seven spoke about his incredible year he had last year after he was invited to join the programme “Sing meinen Song” (Sing my song). It’s a German programme where around 7 musicians participate. They meet up and sing each others songs and the outcome are beautiful new songs of classics.


So Seven sings Xavier Naidoo‘s version of his song “Go Slow” which like he said is sing sing my song song. Absolutely hilarious! Seven is an entertainer and shared private stories as well as jokes which I really really loved. And of course this concept goes both ways so he sang one of Xavier’s song and my favourite “Das hat die Welt noch nicht gesehen”. So different but so cool! 🙂 It was time to change the colours again…
Time for Red. During “Trick” I stood up again and danced away. Luckily I had enough space and I really enjoyed this moment. This next song “Black Pearl” he sang for his wife. They are sharing two kids and Seven said how humbling it is to come back to a normal life after a gig like this. His son won’t ask him how the gig was but he will ask

Papi, Lego?

Again the whole Kaufleuten was laughing. Finally he sang his first single and my favourite. But of course Seven being Seven he didn’t perform it the way it was. Him and his super talented band mates turned it into a complete new song. A song that I even like more than the old version! Again you have to be really brave to do that or maybe as talented as they are to pull that off.
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Another interlude and a colour change followed. Time for Purple. Time to dance. Time for funk. “Africa”, “1978”, “Brave” and “Partytown” turned Kaufleuten into a disco party. More and more people stood up and the people downstairs were already dancing. A quick walk through the crowd and high five’s to everyone on the way to the stage was also part of the set. Seven knows how to feel everyone welcome and to entertain big or small crowds. He is a an incredible musician and so talented. I am repeating myself but it’s true. He deserves all the praise he gets and I wish that he and his band can continue to do what they love. The passion, the love for music is palpable and this transfers onto the audience. Concerts like these are the best!
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After a quick party set Seven did something I have never seen at Kaufleuten. He was able to shut up the chit chatters with “What if”. A beautiful moment. With “High” the band finished a brilliant two hour set. It was time to go home and play lego. 🙂
Have you seen Seven live? Please share your experience with us and leave a reply below.

Latest gigs: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Sunrise Avenue, Franz Ferdinand
Allgemein, Concerts

Say it louder with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

kekoaskorner

Two years ago I saw Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at Kaufleuten and I just loved his set so when they announced that they are coming back I knew I had to go. I was very much looking forward to this gig and to listen to some new songs of his brand new album Tearing at the Seams released March, 9th.


We had to wait a long time for the support to come on. But finally at 8.10 a band called Slim Cessna’s Auto Club took the stage. And for the first time ever I don’t know what to tell you guys. I think they were completely nuts! I mean they were nice. They greeted us in the front row by handshake but the weirdness continued.. They stepped into the crowd and were just dancing weirdly and the songs… It was kinda country but also almost goth, rock and just very disturbing. But I think that’s what they want. They are on a European at the end of this year so if you’re into dark goth country music check them out!
At 9.30 Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats finally took the stage with a whiskey in his hand and his first word to us was:

Proscht!

I was kinda mad at them for letting us wait but that intro just made me laugh and I couldn’t stay mad anymore. In “Shoe Boot” Nathaniel Rateliff showed off his dancing qualities or should I say sliding qualities 🙂 It was a brilliant start and with “Grüezi, I’m Nathaniel Rateliff and we are the Night Sweats” it was enough said. “Be there” from the new record was next before he played “Look it here”  of his self-titled older record. The front row was already dancing and clapping along.


“I did it” came before “Howling at Nothing” which definitely got the crowd going and is an old one I really liked. What I really love about this band is that we have three horn/saxophone players, a drummer, a key/piano player, a bass and a guitar player so this fills up the stage quite nicely and transports the music right into your soul. It’s raw live music. Nothing can beat this! They are all so very talented and know their instruments inside out. Plus what I really loved to see that they had sooo much fun on stage making good music. I think this good vibe feeling is so easily transported over to the crowd. That’s why the Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats gigs are always good fun!
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
“A little honey” is just a good feeling song and I can already picture myself driving down the road with the windows open in summer and having a good time listening to amazing music. For the next one the band put together a new and and old song “Cooling Out” and “Shake”. “Out on the Weekend” followed before Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats played their first single of the new record called “You Worry Me”. I must have listened to it so much that I actually thought it was one of the old songs 🙂 But hey, that’s a good sign! An actual old song “Wasting Time” was performed next. I really really enjoyed the good atmosphere and the brilliant live music with an incredible voice.
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That beautiful voice of Nathaniel Rateliff was shown off even more in “Babe I know”. After a short solo and a song called “Intro” we got to enjoy “I need Never get Old” and the party definitely started and the crazy continued. After a little dance on stage Nathaniel decided to walk down the stairs in front of me and actually lean over the barrier. I quickly moved out of his way. It was hilarious! Check out the video on my Instagram account by clicking here.  It’s one of my favourite tracks on the last record next to “Mellow Out” which I was hoping he would play. Unfortunately because he came on so late there was no time for more than 2 encore’s. And from what I gather is that this song would have been an option for an encore. Well I guess I just need to go see them again and hope for the best 🙂
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Nathaniel Rateliff asked us now to join in and sing-along to “Say it louder”. He said it’s really easy just “Say it louder, say it clearer” and the whole X-Tra joined in. Again what an atmosphere! “Baby I lost my Way” and “Hey Mama” rounded off the brilliant set. However Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats couldn’t leave without playing S.O.B. The Party was on and we all kneeled down just to jump up during the chorus. We were also turned into a huge choir and it was just a lot of fun!

The lads left the stage to the audience’s “ohhh ohhh ohhh” which didn’t fade until they started the first chords of “Trying so hard”. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats finished the set with a beautiful slow song and the title track “Tearing at the Seams”. His last words were:

Ich liebe dich

Adorable! He thanked us for our support more than once and you could really feel that it was appreciated. We – the audience – allow them to do what they love. It has to be an incredible feeling and I hope that they can continue to live their dream.
Have you been to one of their gigs? Leave a reply below and share your experience 🙂

Check out my latest gigs: Sunrise Avenue, Franz Ferdinand, Liam Gallagher
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

Freedom Child Tour Diary: Zurich – Six Degrees of Emotions

kekoaskorner

The Swiss The Script Family has been waiting for this for three years and finally on March 8th we were blessed with a gig or so we thought. Unfortunately the flu made the rounds and Danny caught a chest and a viral infection so the gig was cancelled. However the outcome I had an amazing day with lots of good friends. Let me share some emotions with you.
I woke up feeling very excited which is very unlike me before a The Script gig. I couldn’t wait to get to Hallenstadion and meet everyone. So at 2.30 I walked to the venue and met already people I know on the way. I felt really happy and excited. It was like a big family reunion. Two of us stood at the other end of the venue and tried to catch a glimpse of the band. The majority gathered in front of the entry. So what to do for the next 3 hours? Two of us found 2 Lime Bike’s laying around so they circled the venue.
The 2nd time they came around they brought bad news. The gig is cancelled. Our first thought: Yeah right. I don’t believe it. Then I got a text from the 2 on the other end. Security went home. Gig cancelled. No way?! Let me call the venue. Yes, gig cancelled. Seriously? This can’t be happening?! We decided to stay and wait for the lads to tell us or tweet us. Again people started circling the venue to get more info. We don’t believe it. Finally we found Matt – one of the roadies – Yes, gig is cancelled. Unbelievable…
We all started getting texts from people at home. We heard rumours that the gig is cancelled is it true? Do you know more? It was 3, 3.30 and more and more sources started to confirm it. However Good News the organiser still told people they don’t know anything while the venue confirmed it right away. I think they were already trying to reschedule the gig. I’ve heard they tried to do it on Saturday but I am glad that they didn’t do it. People forget that performers are still human. Yes, they get most likely super great care but still a chest infection hurts and takes weeks to heal. We love them and we want them to be healthy and happy to perform. A cancelled gig is never fun but we understand.
I completely understand if people are upset about having paid accommodation and travel fees but then again would you really want someone sick performing? Put yourself in their shoes and then ask yourself would you be able to perform a two hour gig? No. I read a few comments when Lady Gaga and Helene Fischer cancelled their gigs of people saying they should pay for their travel expenses. They were angry and didn’t even consider another persons health! That’s why I am glad they The Script didn’t reschedule to Saturday! In fact I would have understood if they cancelled Milano and Vienna too. This would have given them a week of rest and they’d be ready to rock out the two sold out shows in Amsterdam and Paddy’s day in Brussels.
But you know them they don’t cancel gigs lightly. So I’m actually sitting on the train to Milano not knowing if the gig tonight is going ahead or not. But you know what?? I am not even the slightest bit worried. If it doesn’t go ahead I still had a nice day out and I’m meeting another member of our The Script family! How great is that?!
Back to yesterday’s events. Like I said we all had messaged floating in from people at home and we all told them to stay at home and wait for the announcement at 4! At 4 The organiser finally announced that the gig was cancelled. So it was finally official plus the lads posted a video which got deleted shortly after for whatever reasons and got replaced by an official message. So if people traveling from far away didn’t have someone at the venue who told them to stay home by the time the cancellation was official they would have been already on their way. That’s why we saw lots of people with sad faces later that night.
All 18 of us stayed at the venue because we wanted to quickly speak to Glen and Mark. Me personally I wanted to know about Milano and what they were planning about tomorrow’s gig. So a little while later someone managed to see Glen and he was quite positive about Milano so let’s see! I will keep you posted. At 7 Mark came out and spoke the ones left however I was too cold and too hungry so we left right before. But seriously can I just say how cool it is that they come out at this huge venue and talk to us? How many artists do this? Not many…
And what did Ella Eyre do? She went to the zoo and enjoyed her day off like the other guys from the crew. They finally had some time to get a drink in Zurich. So to some it was a blessing, to some it was devastation and to others it was a fun day out. To finish this article with words of the Script: All we heard is nothing… but at least we got a poster! 😉
Want to share your experience? Leave a reply below.

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

Can you feel Dermot Kennedy's struggle?

kekoaskorner

Thanks to Loads of Music I got a last minute invite to the sold out Dermot Kennedy show at Papiersaal last night. I was pretty excited since this Irish lad got hyped the last few months. I wanted to see for myself if this hype and my Artist2watch is justified or not.
Dermot Kennedy chose Sam Fender as his supporting act. I am sure you’ll be hearing more of this British talent from Newcastle. He was named onto the BBC Sound of 18 list and yesterday we got to see more of this young artist. His 7 song set started with “All is on my side” and “Living without”. My favourite song was “Millennial”. It was very powerful. He mentioned that normally he’s playing with a band but today he was alone on stage with 2 guitars and a keyboard.
Sam Fender
After some more jokes he continued with “Greasy Spoon”, “Start again” and “Hold out”. He finished the set on the keyboard and sang a powerful ballade called “Use”. I like the set and I am sure that we’ll be hearing more of him soon.
Dermot Kennedy
Dermot Kennedy came on stage shortly after 9. He seemed like he was either sick or drunk. He wore trainers, a hoodie and a hat it seemed like he was ready for bed. Dermot Kennedy started his set with “Evening” and his incredible voice resonated through the venue. You could hear a pin drop and no-one was chatting. It really was a special atmosphere. He continued with “A Closeness” and “All my friends”. All of his songs are slow ones and his voice is full of struggle and pain. The stories he tells with his songs are powerful and full of emotions.
After each song he said a quiet thank you and if we were lucky he murmured a short explanation into the mic how the song came about. I was actually asking myself how people understand him who don’t know English that well. He didn’t make us feel welcomed even though he is still a new artist. Tom Grennan has got some pretty deep sh*t as well but he has been a joy to watch. He looked at the audience spoke with us and owned the stage. I am honestly not sure if Dermot Kennedy is arrogant, shy or just doesn’t give a damn anymore.
Dermot Kennedy
My highlight of the set was “Young & Free”. This will be his next single. I loved it and enjoyed this song a lot. I was fascinated by the drummer Micheal who was super passionate and did an amazing job! Dermot Kennedy said that everyone has a place or a person to go to where you feel safe. So for him it’s a little island off the west coast of Ireland and this is what the next song “For Island Fires and Family” is about. I spent the whole song listening to his every word. A very beautiful ballade and my depressing mood skyrocketed. Like I already mentioned in my Artist2watch post Taylor Swift put “Boston” on her Spotify playlist and we got to listen to it live now.
Apparently it was the best time in Dermot Kennedy’s life busking on the streets of Boston. On the Setlist it says “Malay” but it doesn’t have a name yet. It’s a new song and a work in progress. The song everyone knew came on “Moments Passed” and a little more than just the super fans started singing a long. “Glory” and “After Rain” finished the set without an encore. After 50 mins Dermot Kennedy has done his job for the day. He left a sold out venue wanting more and clapping and wooping for minutes hanging. People couldn’t believe that it was finished already and hung back. Only after a few minutes of disbelief people started queuing up to reclaim their jacket.
Dermot Kennedy
I felt his struggle. But was it also a struggle to be on stage for him? I was left wondering and a bit disappointed to be honest. I get the hype around his voice but I don’t think he deserves a hype around his person. If he really was sick he could have told us. I think everyone would have understood. But his performance yesterday doesn’t make me want to see him again which is a shame really.
Did you feel the struggle? Leave me a reply below and share your opinion on Dermot Kennedy.

Kekoas last gigs: Alt-J, Tom Grennan, Stone Sour
Allgemein, Concerts

All of the Lights

kekoaskorner

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.

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.
Alt-J
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 🙂 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.

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.
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Were you at the gig yesterday? Did you enjoy the light show as much as me? Leave a reply below.

Check out my latest gigs: Hoodie Allen, Stone Sour, Tom Grennan
Allgemein, New Music

New Music: Relaxer by Alt-J

kekoaskorner

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 ∆. 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.

Alt-J_-_Relaxer_cover
wikipedia.org

Track list:

  1. 3WW
  2. In Cold Blood
  3. House of the Rising Sun
  4. Hit Me Like That Snare
  5. Deadcrush
  6. Adeline
  7. Last Year
  8. Pleader

Sounds interesting? So go get your tix for Sunday and say hi to me at the gig 🙂 If you can’t go keep following Kekoas Korner on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep a close eye on the concert.
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