Tag: Live music review

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Live Reviews Music

Japanese Breakfast goes deep at Roundhouse

Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner likes to describe her festival shows as dating, where she shows off the best, brightest side of herself. Headline shows are more like long-term relationships; more time with the audience means she can reveal more parts of her personality. At Roundhouse tonight she’s practically ready to move in together.

Which isn’t to say that her festival shows are one-dimensional — she’s mastered the art of burying personal trauma inside even her bounciest melodies. But over the space of 75 minutes, Zauner digs so deep into her catalogue that we even get three minutes of ethereal beauty from her soundtrack to the video game Sable. And she opens the encore with a song so new it’s never been played in public before.

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Live Reviews Music

Muse are bigger than ever at Milton Keynes Bowl

Muse have never been big on subtlety. Right from the opening track of their debut album — piano bombast, intergalactic guitar solo, that falsetto — they’ve clearly believed more is more. The same goes for their live shows. Since reaching venues massive enough to contain their songs, the trio have at various times treated audiences to: trapeze artists suspended from balloons, a three-metre tall robot patrolling the stage, 16 autonomous inflatable drones circling above, and a huge skeletal android (think Iron Maiden’s Eddie, but much, much bigger).

In short, Muse are the perfect band to fill a place as massive as Milton Keynes Bowl, a natural amphitheatre that holds 65,000 people. And they’ve brought their newest toys (and songs) along for the occasion.

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Live Reviews Music

Far From Saints are transcendent at EartH

Far From Saints

Kelly Jones clearly remembers the first time he saw Patty Lynn sing. It was about 10 years ago. Stereophonics are touring the US with their album Graffiti On The Train. The Wind and The Wave (Lynn and Dwight Baker), are the support act. Jones watches them from the side of the stage.

“There are lots of people that can sing. There are lots of people who can hit those high notes, all that bullshit on the telly. But there aren’t many people who can move you when they sing, and I was moved by Patty’s voice,” Jones says from the stage at EartH in Hackney.

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Live Reviews Music

Beth Orton shares her masterpiece at KOKO

About 45 minutes into her performance, Beth Orton asks: “Can we have the big ball?” KOKO’s massive rose gold mirror ball starts spinning, bathing the already magnificent venue in floating specks of red light. It’s yet another reminder — from the singer’s gold-sequined frock to the fairy lights decorating her keyboard — that this is less of a gig and more of a celebration. A celebration of an artist, her determination, and the resulting masterpiece.

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Live Reviews Music

Paul McCartney stands tall at The O2

Paul McCartney’s been at it for over half a century. He’s long since lost the element of surprise – yet tonight, during what’s billed as his 50th London show, that’s exactly what he delivers.

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