Delilah
“The Next Big Thing” is one of those buzz phrases that can either be a blessing or a curse. The hype surrounding artists can bump up record sales but then the inevitable skepticism that follows can, in the case of Lana Del Rey, see one bad performance on Saturday Night Live have you torn to shreds on Twitter.
Tonight, Delilah is headlining one of the gigs in HMV’s ‘Next Big Thing’ series and judging by the music industry types dotted around the crowd, there is clearly a buzz building around her already. We watch the support acts with a critical interest but they mainly serve as a comparison to Delilah, whose performance is far more honed and knowing; from her all-tartan outfit and freshly styled hair, to a subtle curve of her hips and flutter of eyelashes as she breathes some of the softer vocals.
The rumour is that she took the stage name Delilah because she liked the idea of herself as a temptress, and we can certainly see that coming into play. Soulful and downbeat, it’s her solo music we’re treated to tonight with her band hiding in the misty stage lights, a poignant metaphor as Delilah’s vocals are the focal point. The surrounding music has dub influences and an almost atmospheric vibe, something akin to Massive Attack or Zero 7. Layered vocals on a backing track are done with subtlety as the live ones are prevalent, but after turning her back while singing a high note one too many times we do start to wonder as to Delilah’s live vocal range.
However, as everything else is so stunning we’ll give her the benefit of a doubt and hope she has a cold. ‘Breathe’ is the standout track of the evening, striking an emotional chord, and previous single ‘Go’ is as hauntingly beautiful as ever. We hope that she’s one of the ‘Next Big Thing’s to do well out of the hype.
Original copy for my review of Delilah’s gig at The Garage on February 9th, the edited version can be seen at The-Fly.co.uk.
Panic! At The Disco
“…frontman Brendon Urie seems to have found a renewed vigour and passion for the band’s older material. In a surprising turn, Urie’s vocals range from menacing growls to a girlish falsetto in ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’ as he becomes the characters in the tale. It’s one of his talents as a frontman, with Urie leading the band’s performance, which has lost none of its charm, excitement or intrigue since the departure of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker…”
Read my full review of Panic! At The Disco’s gig on The-Fly.co.uk. Please note that the second to last line is an edit of my original copy, I promise I didn’t write “propelling them out into the night ecstatic with joy”…
Hurts
“…Hurts keyboardist Adam Anderson asks us to be gentle in our criticisms, but this hardly seems appropriate when their performance has so teased and impassioned us, rather than treading gently itself. Soft, caressing ballads lull us into a false sense of security while the intro to ‘Silver Lining’ creeps in, heavy and rumbling like a foreboding thunderstorm…”
Read my full review of Hurts’ gig on The-Fly.co.uk.
fun.
“…Tonight we’re witnessing one of those mythical debuts. Handclaps, sing-alongs and even brass help fun. live up to their name, but the best bit is the band’s good natured, warm, open interaction with their assembled fans. Considering the venue isn’t exactly packed, most people are squished to the front by choice and singing every single word. It’s the devotion that comes with knowing you’ve found something special before everyone else…”
Read my full review of fun.’s gig on The-Fly.co.uk.
Live At Leeds 2010
“Put on some comfy shoes and grab an umbrella, it’s time for Live At Leeds 2010. Like the Camden Crawl, it involves running from venue to venue to catch the best acts and anyone from Leeds will know the weather is bound to be temperamental…”
Read my full review of Live At Leeds 2010 on The-Fly.co.uk.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
“…Black Rebel Motorcycle Club also boast solemn, down-tempo songs which lull and soothe, but unlike Dark Horses they compliment and contrast with openly visceral rock tracks which so utterly thrill. You’ll find The Fly rocking on our heels to ‘War Machine’ and then feeling liberated as we dance to the oh so sexy ‘Berlin’…”
Read my full review of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s gig on The-Fly.co.uk.
Lostprophets and Kids In Glass Houses
“…If Kids In Glass Houses are polished and shiny, Lostprophets are like sandpaper, or having someone throw gravel in your face. Yet this must make us masochists as we’re loving every exhilarating second of it, with the phrase “that was a little bit too awesome” being gasped after a very raw cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Omen’…”
Read my full review of Lostprophets’ gig on The-Fly.co.uk.
Thirty Seconds To Mars
“…However for the die-hard fans it’s a reassurance that the band are still on their side, with the line, “what’s with the fascination with the Echelon”, being left for those in the audience to sing and ‘The Kill’ prompting emotive sing-a-longs from almost everyone in the venue. Before the last song of the night there are chants of, “this is war”, and it certainly feels like it.”
Read my full review of Thirty Seconds To Mars’ gig on The-Fly.co.uk.
The xx
The Autumn weather is starting to creep in and with all those atmospheric rainy days upon us, the airwaves are shifting from Ibiza-friendly anthems to something a little more subdued. Turning leaves and blustery gales seem to be demanding School Of Seven Bells’ lush soundscapes along with new releases from The Temper Trap and The Big Pink.
Post-rain shower, The xx are the perfect band for us to see this chilly evening. They have a similarly enveloping sound, with individual notes dripping through clearly like water from soaked leaves. Yet all the instruments rarely assault us at once and in this lies the beauty of their music. With understated charm it holds us in a foggy daydream, interchanging vocals from Romy Croft and Oliver Sim complementing notes from other instruments, rather than overpowering them.
However with the new season, the students have returned to Leeds and they’re determined to be drunk every night. And one of them is standing in front of us during The xx’s set. Audiences can make or break gigs and tonight our fellow music fans are ruining The xx for us, with chattering louder than the music and comments like “is that La Roux singing?” To the girl in front of us at the gig: we wish you’d keep your voice down and refrain from whooping and clapping like a seal after each song. To The xx: pardon the pun, we can’t help ourselves, you are xxcellent.
Originally posted on The-Fly.co.uk. Photos below.
Leeds Festival - the music, the rain, and more rain.
In true Leeds Festival fashion, a massive downpour greets us as we arrive and attempt to put up our tent. It says “hello, there’s going to be as much rain as rock music this weekend”, and this is exactly what we get.
In fact, there is so much rain and rock music that it all blends into one big soggy, musical mess, with the highlights standing out like shiny pennies in the mud. Patrick Wolf’s fantastically diva-like performance precedes our shiniest penny of the first day, in the form of a secret set on the NME/Radio 1 stage. Josh Homme walks on stage and we are literally running to the front of the tent. He is joined by Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones to make up Them Crooked Vultures, one side-project worth watching. They are exhilarating, sexy and raw, making otherwise brilliant sets from White Lies and The Blackout seem rehearsed and tame in comparison.
Unfortunately Radiohead also fall into this tame category the next day. We know they should be a highlight, if not the highlight of the weekend, but they are disappointingly lacking in energy and passion and so we see Lostprophets instead. Who are brutally excellent. Ian Watkins literally has the shirt ripped off his back and crowd surfers start a mini-pit on the wrong side of the barrier. Rock ‘n’ roll, eh?
More carnage takes place first thing on Sunday morning when The Ghost Of A Thousand initiate the first successful Wall Of Death of the weekend. And then the rain swoops in, driving everyone into the tents for cover. A siren voice and drenching raindrops make Florence And The Machine’s set a little bit epic, with the weather leaking through in a column of water onto Florence’s drummer. Even when the rain stops the tent is still packed for Friendly Fires and goodness, what a dancer! Forget nu-rave, we’d rather dance to this cowbell-heavy indie-dance-pop hybrid.
Kings Of Leon are the perfect festival headliners. The hits are big, the sound is rich and full and pretty much everyone’s singing along. ‘Closer’ is deliciously eerie but overall it’s a feel-good set to end the weekend on a high, even though it’s started raining again.
