The first time I saw Motion City Soundtrack was only by accident. I had no idea who they were but bought tickets to the show since Straylight Run was supporting. I did listen to a few of their songs before going to the gig. At the gig, I really enjoyed the show they put on and decided to listen to them a bit more, including them in my playlist.
On Friday, I got the chance to watch them again. This time, I was at Electric Ballroom specifically for them, and them alone. It was one hell of a night.
The night started early though as it was a Friday and this at Electric Ballroom meant a club night. Even though the ticket said doors opening at 6:45, I ignored it and left home at my usual time.
Due to this, I totally missed the first support which was Jenny Owen Youngs save for her last song which I thought was a bit too country for me plus, I was still too busy buying a pint of cider. Just listened to her myspace page and her music is quite good. Shame I missed her then.
The second support was no consolation though as they were Free Energy and from their first song alone, I already had an impression of them, I did not like them one bit. The first impression did not change as the rest of their set was pretty much the same. In fairness, they did play with such enthusiasm.
Motion City Soundtrack was up on stage a few minutes after 8 and kicked off their set with Worker Bee which has a nice slow intro which quickly changes pace. An excellent choice for their first song. This was quickly followed up by The Future Freaks Me Out which is an old favourite. Justin hardly had to sing on this one though as everyone in the crowd was doing it for him and he was simply loving how everyone was responding to it.
This gig was part of their tour for their new album, My Dinosaur Life, so a number of songs came from this record. This included songs like Delirium, @!#?@!, Hysteria, Her Words Destroyed My Planet, A Lifeless Ordinary, Pulp Fiction. Even though the new record has only been out for a few weeks, the crowd was happily singing along to most of them.
Of course, a few old ones were thrown in to the mix which obviously made the crowd go crazy. Included were Broken Heart, Even If It Kills Me, Capital H, Attractive Today, When You’re Around, Last Night, and This is For Real.
As for their encore, they had Disappear from the new record and Everything Is Alright.
For song I expected them to perform but didn’t where Modern Chemistry and Calling All Cops. With that said, their setlist for the night was in no way disappointing. A good amount of old faves sandwiched in between the new ones.
Aside from their very upbeat and catchy music, the band always plays with such energy on stage. Justin (lead vocals) is still one of the most enjoyable lead vocals to watch on stage.
Thanks to Straylight Run, I’ve discovered such a great and fun band. I’m so glad I bought tickets for this one.
Last year, I watched Foals in Heaven and along with them was this surprisingly amazing three-piece band called Two Door Cinema Club. From the first song they played at Heaven, I immediately loved their music.
When I got home, I was slightly disappointed to find out that they hardly have any music released which you can actually download. I went ahead and purchased their first song bundle on Amazon entitled Kitsuné: Something Good Can Work which contained the songs Something Good Can Work and Do You Want It All?. A few months later, another bundle came out which contained I Can Talk and Costume Party.
Less than a month ago, their first full-length album came out, Tourist History, which is such a brilliant record and also allowed me to listen to Undercover Martyn anytime I wanted.
On Wednesday last week, I had the chance to watch them headline for the first time.
This was at the Hoxton Square Bar and Restaurant in Shoreditch which is another amazing and small venue tucked away in lovely Shoreditch like Cargo. It also had the same format for the venue, a bar, a restaurant, and a small stage area for live music performances. The stage here was so much better than Cargo’s since it is quite high and provides a better view for the audience.
First support was Citadels which is a lovely new band from London. I don’t know how to describe them but they were really great. Stef usually does the main vocals which is pretty good, but when Lucy steps in to sing Sons of Clovis II, my mind was blown. Do check their Myspace page to sample their songs.
These support bands have been surprisingly good lately and I really need to get my act together and write up a support band post.
Before Two Door Cinema Club came up on stage, I suddenly realized something. There was a drum kit. When I saw them at Heaven, there was no drummer and drum kit to be found, just the 3 members of the band with their guitars and electronic samplers (or whatever they are called). I remember mumbling to myself that having a drummer on stage would make them so much better to watch live.
When they came up on stage and played their first song, Cigarettes In The Theatre, I immediately noticed the difference and it was awful. Thankfully, it was just a volume problem which was quickly fixed before the second song started. A minor tech issue really. Whew.
Fixing the drum volume issue was quite essential since they followed the opening song with Undercover Martyn which is such an upbeat and fun song. I would have been pretty disappointed if they messed this one up as well.
As for the setlist, I attempted to take notes while watching them on stage and dancing a bit in my spot.
The items with XXX’s are songs I don’t really know and have never heard from them before. The first one had a title but I didn’t catch it, the band mentioned the second one. Apologies for my ignorance.
They played all of the songs on Tourist History plus Costume Party which is only on the I Can Talk bundle.
Due to the music they have, I was expecting a bit more dancing but there wasn’t really. Could be the Shoreditch type of crowd. The lovely French girl in front of me was dancing her heart away though and this, among others, made my evening.
I might as well say this now, Two Door Cinema Club is now one of my favorite bands second only to Los Campesinos!
Until next time guys. And by next time, I mean Monday when you support Phoenix at Roundhouse.
Last Wednesday, we were back in Koko to catch another band who supported a band I watched in the past but surprisingly enjoyed.
Back in December, there was this oddly and similarly named band supporting Modest Mouse at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. For me, Frightened Rabbit supporting Modest Mouse was genuinely amusing.
Then they played with such intensity on stage, and I immediately liked them.
When I got home, I checked them out online and was surprised to find out that one of their songs, Keep Yourself Warm, was used in a scene on Chuck, one of my favorite shows.
Since that time, the show has featured two more songs from the band, of which, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, was on the episode I watched earlier.
On to the actual gig then, if anyone is still around that is.
The first support band was from Iceland with a name I can’t pronounce or spell and hence have long forgotten. It is a shame though as I’d be interested to listen to them again as their music was quite upbeat, fun and easy to the ears.
A familiar band was on as the second support band. It was Airship whom I saw back in December when they supported Asobi Seksu at Cargo. I enjoyed them at Cargo when I was right in front and this evening was no different. They played a very good and energetic set. According to them, they are releasing their first single soon which is really great as it’s nice to see a band like them start getting some traction. Do check them out.
The main course for the evening was of course Frightened Rabbit, who eventually came up on stage to the joy of the crowd. From the front alone the view of the venue is pretty impressive, so I can only fathom to imagine how it would be from the stage looking at the crowd and the three (four) tiers of standing areas. Sure it would be such a humbling experience and the band was much thankful for this.
And they did not disappoint as the show they put on was quite remarkable though not as mind-blowing as the first time I saw them. Also, no songs from Sing The Greys were played this evening. After a few plays, Square 9 has really grown on me.
Still, the song selection was pretty decent mixing memorable songs from The Midnight Organ Fight and their new album, The Winter Of Mixed Drinks. I tried quickly pillaging Google for a setlist, but failed.
As far as I can remember, they played The Twist, Fast Blood, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, The Modern Leper, Nothing Like You, The Loneliness And The Scream. For their “encore”, Scott, the lead vocalist, attempted to sing Poke without a microphone but gave up and sang into a microphone with his acoustic guitar for one of the highlights of the evening. After this song, the rest of the band joined him on stage to end the night with Keep Yourself Warm.
Having no clue who they were hence no expectations made seeing them the first time quite an enjoyable surprise and new discovery. Their performance at Koko was still pretty great though, but once you know a band, you start expecting them to play songs you like and they will always miss one.
Square 9.
Discovering (great) new music is one of joys in life. I came across Los Campesinos! through Wichicta Records mailing list which I joined because of my favourite band, Bloc Party.
I was immediately intrigued by their very normal appearance which introduced me to their insane, crazy and brilliant sort of music.
I’ve been living in London for almost 3 years now, but I only discovered them sometime during the middle of 2009. I will forever beat myself with a stick for not hearing about them earlier.
Last Thursday, I had the chance to finally see them on stage and it was one of the best experiences of my life and I am in no way exaggerating.
The venue was once again Koko in Camden. It was another rainy evening in London, so 10 minutes till the doors opened, there was still no queue. At this point, I was 4th in the queue but the place quickly filled up as the evening moved forward.
Two support acts offered a mix bag of surprises prior to Los Campesinos!.
The first was Islet which as mentioned by LC! on their twitter page is the best band you’ve never heard about. This is very much true. At first, their sound seemed a bit too crazy (there is such a thing) but it quickly grew on me and I soon found myself really enjoying what they were doing on stage. They are a four-person band and for each song they seem to swap all their instruments around. My memory is a bit hazy now but I am pretty sure no one member used the same instrument on more than 2 songs. They were that great! Sadly,they hardly have an online presence at the moment but there is a BBC recording on one of their fan sites.
They were followed up by Swanton Bombs which were a two-person act quite similar to The White Stripes except their both men. An ok band but I felt they were trying to sound too much like The White Stripes.
And then, it was time for Los Campesinos! Before we go into the details, I’ll bore you with a short story (not that anyone really reads this).
At work, it was known that I was going to a gig and a colleague of mine asked if there was going to be any mosh pits. I reply by saying probably not.
Boy was I wrong. As soon as LC! came up on stage, the crowd went crazy and everyone started dancing around and moshing.That is, everyone from where I was. This was of course different from the hurtful circle pits at hardcore rock events and this was so much more enjoyable with everyone singing and dancing around. I never thought I could sweat so much here in February before this gig.
The energy levels never settled down and the band kept the crowd on their feet from start to finish.
Since this was the tour for their latest LP, Romance Is Boring, most of the songs came from this album which is actually quite goo since it is a great record.
Hightlights of the evening would be You! Me! Dancing! which was absolutely insane and The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future when everyone was singing the song. Also, Straight in at 101 with the most genuis bit of lyrics ever:
“I think we need more post-coital and less post-rock. Feels like the build-up takes forever but you never get me off.”
Oh, and of course, This Is How You Spell, “HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics” which along with Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks were part of their “encore”.
Here’s what I remember of the playlist;
The 8-piece band was absolutely amazing. They played each song with the same intensity as the last song. As you watched them on stage, you could clearly see they were really enjoying themselves.
This was the most fun gig I have been to in quite sometime. I would have loved to take more pictures or a video even, but I was having too much fun and decided to pocket the camera and just sing and dance along with everyone.
I say this a lot, but this is another band I will definitely be seeing again. And again. I can’t wait for them to play in London again. They currently wrapped up their UK tour and now have a long US tour lined-up. I thought about it but may just wait until they are back.
It is a real shame that I have not had the chance to see them before.
“It’s you! It’s me! We’re dancing!”
