Allgemein, Artist2watch

Artist2watch: Dermot Kennedy

Kekoas Korner has been on a winter break for a while but now I’ve got a real treat for you guys. Dermot Kennedy is an Irish singer songwriter who is coming to Papiersaal in Zurich on Jan, 31st. The show is already sold out so congrats to the lucky ones who scored some tix. If you didn’t Just Because are giving 2×2 tix on their website.
Dermot Kennedy has been busking on the streets of Dublin for years. Glen Hansard another Irish singer songwriter organises the annual Christmas Eve Busking Event. Musicians can take their guitar and play along big names such as Bono from U2, The Coronas or The Script. It’s gotten bigger and bigger over the years but this is how Dermot Kennedy met Glen Hansard – his idol and inspiration – for the first time. Years later Glen invited Dermot to join him on stage and in this video you can see the result:

 
Last year he went on tour in America and Europe where the shows were mostly sold out. He also supported Glen Hansard and Lana del Rey on their tours but not only that Taylor Swift recommended him on her Spotify playlist available to her fans. So he’s already gotten big names to support him. All of this sounds really promising, doesn’t it?
Kekoas Korner agrees with them. Dermot Kennedy has a beautiful unique voice with just a little rasp. If you hear him on the radio you gonna know it’s him. In addition to his voice he has beautiful songs with meaningful lyrics. His newest single is called “Moments Passed” and premiered on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show which has to be a huge honour. But have a listen for yourself:

I personally love it. It reminds me a bit of Jacob Banks and Tom Grennan. I cannot wait to see him live and get to know a little of his personality. Since Dermot Kennedy is Irish I bet he is quite funny and good craic. That little green island has so much talent! As you know I am a huge fan of Irish musicians so stay tuned to Kekoas Korner to read about the gig on Jan, 31st!
Check out Dermot Kennedy’s website: http://www.dermotkennedymusic.com

Allgemein, Concerts

Concert Highlights 2017

This is most difficult task I’ve ever had to do for this blog. I cannot choose my highlights! I loved each and every gig I attended this year. So many special moments I witnessed thanks to incredible artists who gave 100% to their audience. So I will try to name a few gigs and I will let you know why they were special to me. I apologize already since this blog post will probably the longest I’ve ever done.

My gig highlight of the year: Marteria

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I saw him twice – at Gurtenfestival and at his headline show in Zurich. Both times he completely took over the whole venue and the people were at his command. The atmosphere was incredible and the energy blew the roof of the building. But my fondest memory is actually the morning after the Gurten gig. We literally stayed awake until the clouds were purple again which is one of Marteria’s songs “Lila Wolken”. It was the perfect ending to a very special four days at the Gurtenfestival.
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The most special venue: P!nk

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When it was announced that P!nk would only play 5 odd shows this summer I knew I had to go to Berlin to see her. I’ve never been to Berlin so it was even more special. I love the city and I loved the two gigs at the Waldbühne. A stage set into midst of a very green forrest just outside the city. It was raining a lot but that didn’t matter. Finally after years I saw my P!nk again. I grew up with her and her gigs and it will forever remind me of my childhood. It was just perfect.

My first interview: Naturally 7

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I’ve always been a huge fan of the 7 lads from America but this summer they actually made a huge accomplishment possible. They agreed to give me my first interview for Kekoas Korner after their wonderful gig at the Live at Sunset the day before. I will always be very grateful for that and will support them forever. Their shows are brilliant and I would suggest if you haven’t seen them – go see them!!! It’s well worth your money plus they really make an effort to meet the fans after the show. Go say hello.

My first time as a Merch Seller: Welshly Arms

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The guys from Welshly Arms were looking for a volunteer to sell their merchandising. Obviously I took that opportunity 🙂 Let me just say each and everyone of them were super nice and very grateful that I helped them. I was happy to help plus I got to witness an amazing gig! Being a Merch girl is great and I loved to talk to all the fans about the band. I also got to interview the guys from Welshly Arms before their show.

The best entertainer EVER: Robbie Williams

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Robbie Williams is hands down the best entertainer and knows how to put up a good show. He rocked the Letzigrund for around two hours and blew fireworks and confetti and fire into the air like there was no tomorrow. He also brought out his dad which gave the show a very cute touch. Only recently it was brought to our attention that Robbie Williams actually was quite sick during that performance after which he flew directly to London into the intensive care unit for a week. It was actually a miracle that he performed that night! Thank you for that but please next time listen to your body Mr. Williams and cancel the show.

The longest show with the most stars: Capital’s Summertime Ball

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We spent 7 hours at the Wembley stadium in London and got to see so many stars. Bruno Mars opened the show. JP Cooper, Niall Horan, Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, Clean bandit and this is just the beginning. My highlight was that I finally got to see Sean Paul live. He did an amazing job and since he was quite close to the end he took my last energy so that I was seriously knackered and couldn’t enjoy Little Mix who closed the show.

The hottest gig: Pegasus

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It was July and it was boiling hot. The Pegasus gig was at 8 IN THE MORNING on a ferry on lake Zurich. It was the perfect weather and the perfect gig. Pegasus are a super talented band from Switzerland and everyone just had a good time and by the time it finished we were already sweating.

The most colourful gig: Coldplay


It took me years to like Coldplay and to make me want to see them. This summer I suddenly felt the urge so within two weeks I organised a little trip to go to Frankfurt and see them. The weather was awful but the gig was great! Tove Lo and Femme Schmidt supported them. But what I liked the most were the colours. I have never seen such a colourful concert and what I also loved was how appreciative the band was.

The best rock gig: Stone Sour


That’s a hard one. I really loved Guns ‘N Roses and you know they are just legendary! Mando Diao were incredible to see live and I want to see them soon again! But I think I will give this one to Stone Sour because they seriously f*****g rocked and Corey Taylor has an amazing voice aaaand he looks gorgeous! 😀

The most special voices: Tom Grennan


This one was also very close. Jacob Banks and Tom Grennan went head-to-head. Both have super special voices which give me goosebumps and both are very very talented. But Tom Grennan got the call because he seemed more open to his fans and made the effort to meet each and everyone. This is what I want to see in an aspiring artist.

Best Newcomer 2017: KARAVANN

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I got to meet the two lovely lads from KARAVANN for an interview before I even seen them live. They seem really serious about their venture and I have a good feeling about their journey. In August I finally got to see them live and believe me they didn’t disappoint. They have an incredibly international sound and they make sure that you have a good time at the gig. Please check them out and go say hi after the gig 🙂

The worst gig EVER: Kings of Leon

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I didn’t think I would ever say this but unfortunately I had to witness the worst show ever from Kings of Leon. They didn’t want to be on stage, they didn’t know where they were and they played songs no-one wanted to hear. For an hour you could hear a pin drop in the Hallenstadion and everyone was quite baffled at how bad they were. Since I paid a lot of money to see them it was even worse. So two big thumbs down for you guys!

The most relaxing gig: Anastacia and Baschi at Bossard Arena

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The people were super relaxed and to be honest the arena was quite empty. Nonetheless did we have a brilliant time! Anastacia was amazing and she is just a force on stage. Baschi is our Swiss Robbie Williams and entertained the sh*t out of the Arena. So I had space to dance, I knew the songs, I had an amazing time! 🙂

The Scandinavian gigs: Lukas Graham & Mans Zelmerlöw


I got to see the sound check of Lukas Graham and we spoke a little afterwards. Super lovely lads and just very talented and grateful to travel the world with their music. I’ve seen them twice already and they’ve done a brill job both times. Mans Zelmerlöw won the ESC and came to Switzerland twice already. Always very special gigs!

Kekoas Korner’s soft spot: Gavin DeGraw


I literally grew up with his music. His song “I don’t want to be” is my hymn for anything. When I listen to the song I always have to sing out loud. He is an incredible musician and I am so glad that I was always able to meet him after the show. He is so nice. If you have the chance please listen to this guy.

The Irish frenzy: Walking on Cars, The Coronas, Tom Walker


As you might know I go a little crazy for Irish bands.. 😉 The lovely Walking on Cars came to Switzerland 4 times this year and I saw 3 of them. Zurich, Lausanne and Lucerne. Each gig was different and I just love their music! They were supported by Tom Walker. Another Irish lad who’s very talented and is coming to Switzerland on 20th April 18. Go check him out! Lastly I got to interview the Coronas in October and the lovely Danny gave me some tips for my trip to Dublin.

The good times with Bastille

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Bastille always make sure that everyone has an amazing time. We jump, we kinda dance, we sing. They are an incredible live band and unfortunately I won’t be seeing them next year on April, 20th 18. But please go and let me know how it was. The very talented brits are coming back with their newest record and I’m very much looking forward to see them some other time…. maybe at a festival again.

Best Merchandising Top 5:

1. Welshly Arms – This has to be number 1 since I sold their merch and I proudly did so because they really were amazing. I love the designs of the T-Shirts and the Jackets. They also had Vinyls and hats too. I still wear their stuff every other day.
2. Guns N’Roses – The designs of the shirts are amazing and I nearly got two shirts.
3. Ed Sheeran – He had a various range of Merch. I really loved the Army Jacket and the lumber jack shirt. The jacket was one of my favourite this summer.
4. Stone Sour – Lots of nice designs on T-Shirts plus signed Vinyls.
5. Amber Run – I loved the lion on their shirt and I still regret that I didn’t buy that shirt.
Jacob Banks came really close to making it into the Top 5. He was selling a shirt where it said in this is merchandising and below Jacob Banks. I thought this was hilarious and I was this close to buying it.
All those gigs wouldn’t have been possible without the help of ARTNOIR magazine, Just Because, Mainland Music, ABC production and Goodnews. Thank you for supporting Kekoas Korner!
Lastly I want to thank all my concert buddies for joining me at various gig and for having as much fun as I did! <3

I cannot wait for all the gigs in 2018! So bring on the new year 🙂

I’d love to know what your concert highlights 2017 are. Please leave a comment below or on Kekoas Korner social media channels Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Allgemein

Christmas time with Mikki and her 15 angels / Advent mit Mikki und ihren 15 Engeln

For the German version please scroll down / Für die deutsche Version bitte hinunterscrollen. 
The wonderful Mikki from Mikki’s Blog had a brilliant idea this year and found 15 people who helped her put together an advent calendar for all of you readers. Yesterday Claudia from Hamerlike share her story which finished like this:
… And what are you going to do to stall the kids or in this case the bloggers before eating the yummy dinner and unwrapping the presents?
20th December – KEKOAS KORNER
Of course with singing songs! It increases the Christmassy vibe and makes you happy and de-stresses you from all the X-Mas preparations. Our make-up artist Stefanie already said Goodbye since she was expected at home. In her place we welcome Nina, our next guest. She actually took place at the piano and asked everyone to gather around her to sing the most beautiful songs. The piano sounds incredibly good but we can still work on our singing.
BTW some people don’t like to sing. What can they do about it? Our lovely Nina keeps you up to date with the most recent and best gigs in town. Maybe you let someone else sing next year and visit one of her suggested concerts. Have a look at the latest gigs Kekoas Korner reviewed: Tom Grennan, Stone Sour, Hoodie Allen, Jake Isaac, Marteria. I bet there is something in it for you 🙂
As Mikki mentioned in her story there are people who don’t like to sing so they let others sing. And yes that’s me so I will introduce you to the best Christmas songs.
Evergreens
1.
Last Christmas by Wham!
2. Wonderful Dream by Melanie Thornton
3.
All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey
4.
Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea
5.
White Christmas by Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye
6.
Santa Clause is coming to town by Michael Bublé
7.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Frank Sinatra
8.
Happy X-mas (War is over) by John Lennon
9.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
10.
Do they know it’s Christmas time? by Band Aid
Best Christmas records
1.
Christmas by Michael Bublé
2.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Christmas by Overtones
3.
Christmas with Boney M by Boney M
4.
RTL Christmas Megastars
5.
The very best of Nashville Christmas by Country Christmas
Every year singers release new covers or even new songs. This year Sia wrote a whole new record with Christmas songs. She’s a very famous and talented singer-songwriter. If a person can write new songs it is Sia. The new album is called Everyday is Christmas and is in stores now.
If you want to know how the story continues please have a look onto Evi’s blog Develi tomorrow.
2017_11_19 Adventskalender 172
21st December – DEVELI
At some point you start to get out of breath even if Nina brought the most beautiful Christmas songs with her… 
Would you like to get to know the other 13 angels? Yes, then follow the below links:
Sarah from www.dressupjournal.com
Simi from www.kaffeepauseamsonntag.ch
Muriel from www.momof4.ch
Daniela from www.swissbeautylicious.ch
Rosy from www.momentswithrosy.com
Kathi from www.keinsteins-kiste.chÂ
Benni & Daria from www.pm-rentadress.ch
Lynn from www.lynns-kostuemverleih.ch
Rita from www.ritasschirmwelt.ch
Fabienne from www.hairtivitysiebnen.com
Steffi from www.visagistin-steffi.ch
Rene from www.artandactionstudio.lima-city.de
Peter from www.photo4emotions.com
 


 
Die wunderbare Mikki von Mikki’s Blog hatte dieses Jahr eine tolle Idee und trommelte 15 Leute zusammen, welche gemeinsam einen Adventskalender für ihre Leser realisierten. Gestern teile Claudia von Hamerlike ihre Geschichte, welche so endete:
…Und was tut man, um die Kinder, in diesem Fall die ungeduldigen Blogger, noch etwas hinzuhalten, bevor sie das feine Essen geniessen und die Geschenke auspacken dürfen?
20. Dezember – KEKOAS KORNER
Klar natürlich, mit dem Singen von Liedern! Dies erhöht nämlich nicht nur die Weihnachtsstimmung, sondern gibt gute Laune und etwas Luft zu dem teilweise stressigen Weihnachtstag, an dem so viele Vorbereitungen getroffen werden müssen. Unsere Visagistin Stefanie hat sich von uns leider auch schon wieder verabschiedet, da auch sie Zuhause von ihren liebsten erwartet wird, dafür hat jetzt Nina, unser nächster Gast, ihren Platz eingenommen. Genauer gesagt hat sie den Platz am Klavier eingenommen und alle dazu aufgefordert, rum um sie herum zustehen, um die schönsten Töne von sich zu geben. Zugegeben, das Klavierspiel tönt wirklich herrlich, an dem Gesang kann noch etwas gearbeitet werden.
Übrigens, manche Leute mögen es ja nicht sonderlich, wenn sie singen müssen. Was also kann man dagegen tun? Unsere liebe Nina hält dich stehts auf dem Laufenden über die neusten und besten Konzerte, vielleicht lässt du dieses Jahr für dich singen und besuchst eines dieser musikalischen Zusammenkünfte. Schaut mal bei den letzten Konzerten nach, die Kekoas Korner reviewed hat: Tom Grennan, Stone Sour, Hoodie Allen, Jake Isaac, Marteria. Ich wette, da ist auch etwas für dich dabei 🙂 
Wie Mikki bereits in ihrer Geschichte erwähnt hat, es gibt Menschen, die nicht gerne singen und lassen dafür andere singen. Dazu gehöre auch ich und stelle dir deshalb die besten und schönsten Weihnachtslieder vor.
Evergreens
1.
Last Christmas by Wham!
2. Wonderful Dream by Melanie Thornton
3.
All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey
4.
Driving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea
5.
White Christmas by Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye
6.
Santa Clause is coming to town by Michael Bublé
7.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Frank Sinatra
8.
Happy X-mas (War is over) by John Lennon
9.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
10.
Do they know it’s Christmas time? by Band Aid
Best Christmas records
1.
Christmas by Michael Bublé
2.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Christmas by Overtones
3.
Christmas with Boney M by Boney M
4.
RTL Christmas Megastars
5.
The very best of Nashville Christmas by Country Christmas
Jedes Jahr werden auch Covers oder sogar neue Lieder ausgekoppelt. Dieses Jahr wurde sogar ein ganzes Album mit neuen eigenen Weihnachtsliedern released von Sia. Sie ist eine sehr bekannte und talentierte Songwriterin. Wenn eine neue Lieder schreiben kann, dann ist es Sia. Das Weihnachtsalbum heisst “Everyday is Christmas” und ist im Handel erhältlich.
Wenn ihr nun wissen möchtet wie die Geschichte weitergeht, dann schaut doch morgen bei Evi und ihrem blog Develi vorbei.
2017_11_19 Adventskalender 172
21. Dezember – DEVELI
Irgendwann aber geht einem ja die Luft zum Singen aus, auch wenn Nina die schönsten Weihnachtslieder überhaupt mitgebracht hat…
Möchtet ihr die anderen 12 Engel kennen lernen? Ja, dann klickt doch mal auf die folgenden Links:
Sarah von www.dressupjournal.com
Simi von www.kaffeepauseamsonntag.ch
Muriel von www.momof4.ch
Daniela von www.swissbeautylicious.ch
Rosy von www.momentswithrosy.com
Kathi von www.keinsteins-kiste.chÂ
Benni & Daria von www.pm-rentadress.ch
Lynn von www.lynns-kostuemverleih.ch
Rita von www.ritasschirmwelt.ch
Fabienne von www.hairtivitysiebnen.com
Steffi von www.visagistin-steffi.ch
Rene von www.artandactionstudio.lima-city.de
Peter von www.photo4emotions.com

Allgemein, Concerts

Huge party with Hoodie Allen

Hoodie Allen partied hard with his Swiss fans on a Tuesday night. It was the first time the American rapper came to Europe and he was blown away by the reception of his European/Swiss fans. Before the gig Hoodie himself stood by the merch table and sold his own T-shirts. Of course I had to say hi and got his signature onto my ticket.
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Goody Grace warmed up the crowd for Hoodie and he did quite a good job. However I was super annoyed by the people constantly chatting and disrespecting the artist. Seriously it was so loud I could barely hear him sing. From what I’ve heard though I can tell you guys that he is quite talented. He did two acoustic songs and a few party songs. Unfortunately I didn’t get his set list but please check this lovely lad out.


A little later Hoodie Allen took the stage with “Believe” and the people already went crazy. I gotta say that I was among the oldest people in the crowd. Hoodie attracted lots of teenies. With “Sushi” the Swiss audience could prove that they knew the lyrics inside out. “Fun” and “Fakin” were next and I was seriously amazed how good the crowd was.. I think Hoodie Allen was too. You could see how much fun he and his four musicians had on stage. He spoke a lot and told us how much he appreciated us coming out to see him since without us he’d still be in the garage at home.
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“Something Dangerous”, “Robot” and “Act my Age” followed. It was good fun and I wish I would have know a bit more songs but unfortunately I couldn’t really listen to the songs since I had so many gigs this week. “Small Town” seemed to be a crowd’s favourite and I get why. I loved the song as well. The fun continued with “Surprise Party” where balloons where thrown around and for the crew it really was a special day. It was the official tour photographers Birthday and of course we sang “Happy Birthday” to him. Hoodie Allen was really happy with the audience and asked us to choose between 3 songs. “Cake boy” and “Two Lips” got around the same amount of noise so he just played both.
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During “Cake Boy” they threw two cakes into the audience! I was like “Wait what?!” but the crowd seemed to love it. “Two Lips” was done acoustically and all the cell phone lights went up. It looked great! Hoodie addressed the people who were just dragged along and said you just need to know three words for the next song “Champagne and pools”. The gig continued with a brilliant drum solo and the song “Fame”. For “Heartbreak” Goody Grace came back on stage to sing/rap with Hoodie. “Know it all” and “No Faith” were next and I was still amazed how everyone seemed to know all the lyrics to every song! It made for a great atmosphere and I was so glad I came to witness this gig.
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Hoodie Allen said then you might know of a very talented musician called Ed Sheeran and we did a song together! Yesss! I finally was able to singalong to “All About It”. Back when it came out I played it constantly and it’s the reason why I came to this gig. “Ain’t Ready (for love)” was the last song before the encore. When Hoodie left the stage the audience started to shout “Hoodie, Hoodie, Hoodie” and after a minute he came back on. He asked the crowd to form a circle in the middle and I was like wait a minute I’ve heard that before… Oh right Marteria on Saturday. This was the baby version of Saturday’s mosh pit. It still was great fun and it looked like we were celebrating a huge party with Hoodie in the middle. The final song of the night was “No Interruption” and people started jumping and singing. It was a great finish to a brill gig!
Enjoyed the party as well? Share you story below or on Kekoas Korner’s social media accounts Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Check out my latest gigs: Jake Isaac, Marteria, Xavier Naidoo
Allgemein, Artist2watch

Artists2watch: Tom Grennan & Jake Isaac

Just Because is bringing two amazing artists to Zurich in December and you can still get tix for both shows. Both musicians are born in England and very talented. In any case if you love amazing music from artists who will make it big one day but are at the start it is well worth to check out other shows of Just Because. They have a talented in booking brill musicians like Jacob Banks or Angus & Julia Stone.

Tom Grennan

Let’s start with Tom Grennan. He made it onto the BBC sound of 17 list which is a huge indicator that he will make it big soon. Previous nominees are Ellie Goulding, Adele, Hurts and the list goes on and on. Tom Grennan already had a hit as the voice of Chase and Status’s song “When it all goes wrong” which was named as the hottest record by Annie Mac. Before that he was busking on the streets of London and now he is working with the producer of Florence & the Machines for his debut record. All of this sounds super promising but as you know I can only judge someone after seeing him live.
Tom Grennan plays the Papiersaal on Dec, 17th and tickets are available on starticket. But of course YouTube allows us to check his music out before the show and boy he sounds really really good and I totally understand why he made the sound of 17 list. But have a listen for yourself:

 
His voice is amazing, innit? 😉 Tom Grennan has a nice raspy voice and seems very down to earth. And like I already mentioned I think he is a super talented singer songwriter and I am very much looking forward to see him in December.

Jake Isaac

Jake Isaac is playing the Papiersaal on Dec, 10th and tickets are also available on starticket. He’s played Glastonbury and supported Ella Eyre and Paloma Faith. To me that shows he must be very good and it is well worth to spend a few quids on a ticket to his gig. After a few EP’s Jake Isaac released his debut record this May called “Our Lives” and he was signed to a record label called Rocket Records which is owned by the legendary Elton John. But enough about his background, let’s listen to some music:

 
Jake has a very warm deep voice and I know that I will be clapping my hands a lot. He’s just got that rhythm and soul that I love and he really does remind me a bit of Jacob Banks. Since he has already been on tour I’m expecting a good show and lots of good music.
Sometimes it’s the smaller shows that will be in your mind for quite a long time. Do you know why? Because the musician can actually see the people and even a small conversation can arise. JP Cooper or The Coronas are good examples for that. So if you decide to go to these gigs please let me know and say hi. I’d love to get to know my reader’s opinion 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

Under grey skies is a lot of good music

On Tuesday I got to see two brilliant artists: JP Cooper and Supporting him on his European tour the Irish band Picture This. Back home they are very well known but over here they are Newcomers.
I already started to feel sick when I went out so it was no wonder that by the time JP was one stage I had no voice at all. But first things first. I arrived at Papiersaal and this time it was mandatory to leave your jacket at the wardrobe. Me being sick and feeling cold I still had to give them my jacket. Plus pay 2 francs! So I was super furious but this feeling got stronger when I saw loads of people with jackets inside. Apparently they only started these shenanigans a bit later so the first to arrive were allowed in with jackets. This guaranteed chaos after the concert. I normally don’t add these kinds of things into my review because these things have nothing to do with the artist but is seriously taking the piss and I don’t understand it at all.
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At 8 Picture This took the stage and I had kind of a deja vu. A few weeks ago I saw the Irish lads of the Coronas right on this stage and Ryan sounded a bit like Danny. However Picture This do have their own sound and I really really liked it. I also loved how Ryan spoke with us and told us some stories to the songs. For example the song “Jane” was written for a specific girl but he didn’t want to make her feel that special in naming the song after her so he just picked a random name. They started their set with “Let’s be young”, “Everything I need” and “Dream” – A beautiful ballade. Just before “Jane” we enjoyed “Addicted to you”… Well we is a bit much. There were loads of people chit chatting about their day. I seriously don’t understand how you can be so disrespectful to an artist.
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The last three songs “Never Change”, “You & I” and “Take my hand” were over way to fast and the lads left the stage after some more stories. I mean they really had to go since Ireland was playing the World Cup qualification game and they had to cheer for them 😉 In case you wonder Ireland unfortunately lost against Denmark and is not going to the World Cup next year.
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And I deffo lost my voice by 9pm while JP Cooper stepped on stage with his first song “Under grey skies” which is the title track of his debut record. Me trying to “woohoo” after the song to show my appreciated failed royally. So I enjoyed the concert quietly. The 2nd song “She’s on my mind” is a brilliant track to dance to and I was very glad I came. Next we heard “Change” and “Birthday”. After which someone shouted “happy belated Birthday JP!” and the whole crowd started to sing Happy Birthday. He was very touched and said I think this will be a good night.
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It took him quite a long time to be successful with his music. Before his first record “Under Grey Skies” he released a few EP’s of which he will sing the next song called “Satellite”. A beautifully slow song with which he could show off his wonderful voice was this ballade called “Streetlights and the moon”. “Closer” he wrote for his son since he hopes that one day his son will understand why Daddy’s gone quite a few times during the year – A very touching moment. With “September Song” he sang the song literally everyone knew and loved. This song gave him his breakthrough and I am sure will be only the start of a great career.
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“Wait” and “Shivers” were next. He then apologised to the people who came here and thought he was a dance artist since he collaborated with Jonas Blue to sing one of my last year’s summer hits “Perfect Strangers”. For the last song before the Encore he told us the story about him loosing his passport while he was in the process of writing his new album. So he thought I have to write a song about this and here it was “Passport Home”. After a quick break he came back on to cover a John Lennon song. However I know “Jealous Guy” by Gavin DeGraw and I did see some similarities. Both guys sang it beautifully and I had goose-bumps. Thank you JP for singing this beautiful song.
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After 90 minutes JP said Goodbye with “Good Friend” and I really do hope that he is coming back soon and I can enjoy the concert without being feverish and including my voice. Of course the jacket chaos started and we decided to stay close to the backstage door since we were told that he’s coming out to meet fans. He did quite quickly after the show and I unfortunately couldn’t tell him at all how I loved his gig since I couldn’t utter a word. He understood anyway.. What a lovely guy and amazing musician so it is well worth supporting him.
Were you at one of his gigs? Leave your opinion on twitter, facebook or instagram or down below in the comment section. 

Allgemein, Concerts

Herz und Kopf / Heart and Head

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


Die Backstage-Crew brachte drei Stühle auf die Bühne und wir durften ein tolles Akustik-Set geniessen. Bevor sie anfingen, erzählte Max eine kleine Geschichte über seinen ersten Besuch in Basel. Damals, als er noch Strassenmusiker war, traf er ein Pärchen aus Basel, welches ihn zum Musik machen in ihre Stadt einluden. Er nahm die Einladung an und spielte die ersten zwei Minuten des nächsten Songs “Alles auf Anfang” – dann stoppte ihn die Polizei. Lars und Paul kamen zurück auf die Bühne, um mit Max, Steffen und Klaus “Der Junge, der rennt” mit einem Country-Musik-Touch zu spielen.
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Wir haben nicht nur sehr familiäre Momente mit Max Giesinger erlebt, sondern bekamen auch Reisetipps für Mannheim und Minnesota. Max hat mich als Fan gewonnen und ich weiss nun, dass ich sein Album kaufen und zu seinem nächsten Konzert gehen werde. Ich konnte echt nicht glauben, wie falsch ich lag! Nach dem Akustik-Set wechselten sie wieder zu den normalen Instrumenten mit “Vielleicht im nächsten Leben”. Die Jungs rockten die Bühne und fingen an für “In Balance” synchron zu tanzen. Max holte sogar eine Glückliche auf die Bühne und tanzte mit ihr. Nachher sagte er uns, dass er das schon immer mal machen wollte. Sehr sympathisch! Max setzte sich hinters Piano und für das Intro von “Nicht so schnell” war nur er und sein Piano im Mittelpunkt. Einfach nur wunderschön!

Natürlich konnte Max nicht gehen, ohne seinen Hit 80 Millionen zu singen. Die Leute hatten Riesenspass! Als Zugabe nahm Max drei Girls aus dem Publikum und bat sie, seine Background-Sängerinnen zu sein. Die Jungs und die Mädels sangen eine wunderschöne Ballade “Für immer”. Es war ein wundervoller Moment und ein perfektes Ende für ein tolles Set! Für mich konnte der Abend nicht besser werden. Tim Bendzko wird’s nicht leicht haben…
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Ums Vorauszunehmen der Abend wurde nicht besser. Tim Bendzko hatte sehr strenge Regeln für die Fotografen und normalerweise ist das ein Zeichen, dass das Konzert schlecht wird. Er kam auf die Bühne und sang ganz alleine das erste Lied “Das wissen wir beide” – nur er und seine Gitarre – sogar ohne Mikrofon. Dies fand ich toll und es war sehr anders. Die Band kam auf die Bühne, die wie ein Wohnzimmer dekoriert war, um etwas Familiäres zu kreieren, so als ob er in seinem oder deinem Haus spielte. Während “Leichtsinn”, “Ohne zurück zu sehen” und “Hinter dem Meer” konnten wir Bilder schiessen. Und wieder rannten viele weibliche Fans vor die Bühne.
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Vor der Treppe von Max platzierte Tim eine schwarze Kiste, damit kein Fan ihm zu Nahe kommen kann. Er hat uns in den ersten Reihen nie richtig angeschaut – nicht wie Max. Tim Bendzko sprach mit uns und erzählte viele lustige Sachen, aber es schien mir alles sehr durchdacht und es fühlte sich nicht an, wie wenn es von Herzen kam. Er spielte weitere langsame Lieder “Am seidenen Faden” und “Ich steh nicht mehr still”. Endlich kam ein Lied, das ich kannte: “Keine Maschine” – Ich mag den Text sehr, aber das nächste ist mein Lieblingslied von Bendzko: “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten”. Das ist bis jetzt sein grösster Hit und man merkte es auch. Es war der längste Song und das Publikum musste natürlich mitsingen.
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Das letzte Lied vor der Zugabe war “Keine Zeit”. Viele der Frauen um mich herum kannten den Text und es war sehr süss anzusehen. Er kam zurück mit “Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären” und Leute, das ist eine wunderschöne Ballade! Schön, konnte ich dieses Lied mal live sehen. “So fühlt es sich an” und “Sag einfach ja” folgten. Die Band ging wieder Backstage, um wieder nach vorne zu kommen und 2 weitere Lieder zu singen. Tim suchte eine Person, die alle seine Lieder kannte und fand auch eine. Ein Mann namens Chris, der seinen Lieblingssong wünschte. Tim und Fabian am Piano sangen dieses Lied ohne Probe! Dies war recht beeindruckend – vor allem der Klavier-Part! Mit dem Lied “Warum ich Lieder singe” endete das Konzert.

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


 
Tonight’s the last night of this year’s Baloise Session and the motto is “Mann sings Deutsch” which means “Man sings German”. And tonight they show an old Session with Silbermond which makes so much sense. Silbermond is German band and they are seriously incredible live. They’ve got so much energy on stage and they don’t take their success for granted. And just FYI they started out as a band playing in their garage.
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First up we got Max Giesinger. He started out with The Voice and turned big after a few years. I don’t know why but I felt like I wouldn’t like his set. I thought he’d be distant and played only slow songs. Unbelievable how wrong I was! Max got 4 musicians to support him on stage. They started with “Roulette” and “Barfuss und Allein”. I was taking pictures and was super focused however I already liked what I was seeing and hearing. During the 3rd song I nearly got run over by fans who wanted to get front row. I took my spot next to the stairs in the middle to finish taking pics and then I realised that I actually wanted to stay here.
At the end of “Kalifornien” Max headed into the audience and shook hands and just created a very nice atmosphere. He also talked a lot and had a lot of stories to tell. It felt like we were just 10 people he was singing to – so intimate – but it actually was a 100 times more. He managed to touch everyone’s hearts and to get even the seated people standing. His hit single “Wenn Sie Tanzt” was next and everyone was singing and dancing and jumping. “Für Dich, Für Mich” is a beautiful song where we were the back up choir singing “ohhh ohhh” :-).


The stage hands came on and brought some chairs. We were about to enjoy a lovely acoustic set. Max explained that he met a nice couple from Basel years and years ago when has busking on the street. They invited him to busk in Basel. He said he took their invite and so he tried to play in the streets of Basel. Two minutes of “Alles auf Anfang” was all he could manage before the police stopped him. Max, Steffen and Klaus were joined by Lars and Paul to sing and play “Der Junge, der rennt” with a country touch.
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We not only got very intimate moments but also travel tipps for Mannheim and Minnesota. Max Giesinger won me over by then and I knew that I will buy his record and will come back to a full gig. I really couldn’t believe how wrong I was. After the acoustic set they went back to normal with “Vielleicht im nächsten Leben”. The guys were absolutely rocking the stage too and now they got their dance moves out for “In Balance”. Max even took a lucky lady on stage to dance with her. At the end he said I always wanted to try this. So cute! Max now sat down behind a piano and the intro of “Nicht so schnell” was just him and his piano. Just beautiful!

Obviously he couldn’t leave without singing this hit “80 Millionen”. Everyone went crazy! As an encore Max asked three girls on stage to help them out as a backing choir. All the lads and the girls sang a beautiful ballade called “Für immer”. It was a wonderful moment and very brilliant end to an amazing set! To me the evening couldn’t get any better so Tim Bendzko had big shoes to fill.
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Let me tell you this already he didn’t fill them. Tim Bendzko had some very strict photographers rules and usually that’s an indication of bad performances. So he came on stage alone and sang the first song “Das wissen wir beide” with his guitar and no microphone. This I quite liked and I thought it was quite different. The band came on stage which was decorated like a living room since he tried to make it as intimate as if he would play in his or your living room. “Leichtsinn”, “Ohne zurück zu sehen” and “Hinter dem Meer” were the songs we could capture in pictures. Again lots of mainly female fans were running towards the stage.
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Where Max had his stairs Tim put a small black box there so that no fan will be able to get close to him. He never looked at us properly – not like Max. Tim did talk to us and also told a lot of jokes but it felt like it was well thought out and it didn’t feel like it came from his heart. He continued with mainly slow songs “Am seidenen Faden” and “Ich steh nicht mehr still”. Finally a song I knew “Keine Maschine” – I quite like the lyrics of that song but my favourite came now: “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten. It’s his biggest hit so far and you could deffo see it. It was the longest song and the audience had to sing along to.
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The last song before his first encore was “Keine Zeit”. A lot of the ladies around me knew the lyrics and it was quite lovely to see. He came back with “Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären” and let me tell you that this is one beautiful ballade! I enjoyed seeing it live. “So fühlt es sich an” and “Sag einfach ja” followed. The band went backstage again only to come back to sing another 2. Tim was looking for the one person who knows all his songs and he found one. A guy called Chris who wished for his favourite song and Tim and his band mate Fabian on the keys were singing it without any rehearsal. This was quite impressive – Especially the piano part! The final song “Warum ich Lieder singe” finished this quiet set.

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

Allgemein, Concerts

God Bless Naturally 7

! Naturally 7 are amazing !
There are not enough words to describe how talented and lovely those 7 lads are. So I will give my best to review yesterday’s brilliant concert. I’ve been looking forward to this concert since their announcement and you know that means a lot since I’m going to gigs quite a lot lately. But you can count on Naturally 7 to give a 110 % and to make these two hours the best you’ve ever had.
At 8 they started with “Jericho” and “Wall of Sound” two of my favourite songs! Each time it is mesmerising what they can do with their voices! Plus it is very familiar now and I’m already dancing along which is what I love to do. Roger always asks the audience: “How many of you see us for the first time?” And always quite a few people raise their hands which surprises me every time. But just as much people have seen them before and come back as friends. I would also like to mention that each time they are playing in Zurich the crowd is incredibly loud and is cheering almost from the start. This really doesn’t happen a lot but Naturally 7 manages to turn the quiet Swiss people into a loud crowd within just 1 song. Yesterday evening it was even louder than the last time!
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In my interview in July they told me that we are very loud and that they love to come here because of it. They said it again yesterday and I have to agree. You could really see that they were enjoying it too. As you might know Dwight is originally from Jamaica so they covered the Rastafarian song “Rivers of Babylon” which was sang by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton in 1970. Later it was covered by the famous Boney M. It was an early highlight and a change to their set which I didn’t even expect.
Tonight they also sang two songs of the new record Both Sides Now. Roger explained that the new one is quite different to the older ones since they were singing acappella for the most part which differs to their usual Vocalplay. The first one “Going Home” is a beautiful ballade and I sat back and just enjoyed those angelic voices. Before the next song they asked us if there were couples in the house and how long they are married. Eventually we found a couple who are married for 40 years! So they dedicated this love song to those two people. BEAUTIFUL!


Before the next Roger asked the youngest in the audience how old they were. So he told a little story about himself and his life. Bottom line was that when you are 10 years old you don’t know how easy your life is without any worries. A few years ago they found the song called “Stressed out” by twentyone pilots and they Naturally 7’ed it yesterday and I absolutely loved it! Warren the “Drummer” got his solo part and it is seriously amazing! You could feel the drums vibrating even if there weren’t any to be seen! They continued with another cover “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. Just WOW.
As many people know three of the 7 members are originally from England: Roger and his brother Warren and Garfield. So the three of them are each an “English man in New York” and the whole Kaufleuten sings along. They remix this song with Jay Z’s and Alicia Keys’ “New York” and they bring the “Jamaican Man in New York” back at the end. Dwight then takes the whole Kaufleuten to Jamaica while we sing “One Love”. I felt a lot of love in the room and it was embracing everyone. Funny enough on the way home Bob Marley’s “One Love” came on the radio and my concert buddy and I smiled at each other.
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Before the encore they sang another cover “Fix you” by Coldplay. I’ve seen them in Frankfurt this summer (click on Coldplay to read more) and they were good but I adored Naturally 7’s version of this song. It is a quiet highlight of their 2 hour set. And the last song brings the party back! Dancing, clapping, jumping and singing and the whole Kaufleuten went crazy. Just before they left Kelz – the bass – played the chords to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and naturally we Swiss people know what to do. I think they were quiet a bit surprised how loud and well we sang that part.
And as always Naturally 7 says Goodbye with a bow and these words:

God Bless You

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

Allgemein, Concerts

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

A few weeks ago I wrote about their newest album Snow in my New Music category. So I was quite curious how Angus and Julia Stone sounded live and lucky for me Just Because made it happen. I was quite afraid that I wouldn’t like Julia’s voice since it’s quite mellow and usually I don’t like that kind of voice. Little did I know that I’d be a fan by the end of the night.
Isaac Gracie
Isaac Gracie opened the night. He has a special voice and it was nice listening to him. However it seemed like he didn’t click with the audience even though he seemed super nice. Maybe it was just because the venue was too big for him.
Finally just after 9pm the siblings took the stage and I immediately was super impressed. They had a huge LED screen in the back where beautiful pictures were shown. In front of that screen Angus and Julia Stone had a totem which had LED lights included too. A smoke machine run wild with a lot of smoke coming off the stage. All of this created a mysterious atmosphere.
Angus and Julia Stone
The two were accompanied by four other musicians coming together from all over the world. They started with “Baudelaire”  and “Make it out alive”. Then they directed a few words towards the crowd and I could see that they loved to be here and enjoyed being on stage. Next we heard “Cellar door” and “Heart beats”. By then I was in love with them. The artists created a beautiful atmosphere with their music, their stage and spreading the love all around Zurich.


The new song “Chateau” came on and I loved it! It is such a beautiful song and live it was even better. The voice of Angus is much stronger and deeper live and Julias is just incredibly beautiful. My worries that I wouldn’t like her voice were blown away in an instant. I enjoyed every song 🙂
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Julia then said that she loved writing love songs which the next song “Wherever you are” is. In “Bloodhound” Angus took the lead with his raspy voice and I adored it. Their harmonies were incredible and you could sense that the two of them know each other since they were kids. All guitar lovers were made happy too with the wonderful guitars (including a banjo) Angus and the other musicians played.

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

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

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


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

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

So this is what the next song is about. Such a lovely song and we had to help them sing the chorus which created a unifying atmosphere full of love. For the title track “Snow” they brought out the big guns. In the middle of the song it literally started snowing and it wouldn’t stop. What a wonderful idea! This seemed like the last song to me but they only disappeared for the encore and came back to sing 3 more songs. “A Heartbreak” and “Uptown” of their own songs. But they finished with a shanty called “Stonecutters” since they grew up with sailing parents and grand parents. I love those kinds of songs and it was the perfect end to a wonderful evening.
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If you can make sure to check out Angus and Julia Stone live. Click here to check out their  tour dates!
Were you at the concert in Zurich or in Geneva? Let me know how you liked Angus and Julia Stone in the comments below.