Blur @ Hyde Park

I think it was sometime during Foals' set that it dawned on me. I was just about to see Blur. I mean Blur, the band that started my whole obsession with music, the band that create Parklife, the soundtrack to my life aged 10, the band that I've wanted to see live since then. They were going to take to the stage in matter of minutes. I was excited to say the least.

This was the first of two nights at a full capacity Hyde Park and after hours of sitting/standing in the scorching sun, watching uninspiring bands, it was a relief for the 55,000 slightly drunken, eager fans when the sounds of Lot 105 rang across the park.

The band strolled on from stage right, looking so casual you'd swear they do this every night, and went straight into their first single She's So High. The crowd erupted. Every lyric that Damon Albarn sang was resonated right back at him. The four-piece seemed overwhelmed by the reaction and as they began the Parklife one-two of Girls & Boys and Tracy Jacks, the crowd and the band bounced and flailed to every beat.

They ran through song after song, hit after hit, anthem after anthem at top speed, only breaking now and again for gasping intros and slightly awkward banter but each song made me realise how good Blur were/are. Alex James just grooved on his bass like no one else while mounted his monitor, Dave Rowntree's kept an insistent rhythm while adding playful fills, Damon is a mix between Suggs, Ray Davis and Mick Jagger, full of the vigour and energy of a twenty-year-old, especially when armed with a megaphone. But its Graham Coxon, the coolest man alive, that steals the show for me. His chunky, squealing guitar sound soared through the evening air on Beetlebum and This Is A Low. At one point he flung himself through the end and landed on his knees while planning some serious mean guitar. It was one of the most rocknroll things I've ever seen. And although he's always been my favourite member of Blur, after that performance he may just be my favourite musician ever.

The big stage was perfect for Blur. It may not have been obvious when they were released but near every song they played tonight is an anthem. Song 2. Anthem. There's No Other Way. Anthem. Popscene. Anthem. Even the novelty that is Country House sounds like an anthem when 55,000 people are hollering it out. That's what this gig was great for. Arms in the air, head point to the sky and just belting out the words to songs that haven't meant that for years.

It's the slow numbers that work better for this. While Jubilee, Trimm Trabb, Parklife(feat. Phil Daniels) were great, it was Out Of Time; End Of A Century; Tender, who's refrain continues to be sang long after the song had finished, and the utterly incredible closer The Universal that blew the crowd away, everyone with their arms around everyone else. An Everest-sized high.

It wasn't until we were trudging back to the train station that I realised they didn't play Charmless Man, one of my favourite Blur tracks, but that goes to show that they still had albums worth of material that is comparable to it and for two hours in Central London, I was 12 again, Blur had never been away and I didn't have a care in the world. Bliss.

Blur - The Universal (live)
Blur - Song 2 (live)
Blur - This Is A Low (live)

Photos taken from MTV.com and Jellybeanz

The Bronx @ ULU

I forgot how crazy hardcore fans can be.
This was a post ATP show for The Bronx and having already performing under the guise Mariachi El Bronx earlier in the night to a rapturous reception (the review of this will be in funfunfun zine #2, out soon...hopefully), I was worried that the band might be a little bit weary. Oh how my fears were instantly quashed as soon as Matt and the boys took to the stage. I wasn't prepare for the onslaught from the band and the crowd.
Seemingly fuelled by the kineticism of the rowdy audience below them, the band flew straight into They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy) followed by Shitty Future and the baying masses went feral and I was stuck in the middle. Arms flailed as the pit grew and swelled like a living organism, chewing up people and spitting others out at the opposite side of the venue.
Like the pit, The Bronx feed on this energy and give a performance to match it. Vocalist Matt beat his chest or punch the air with every breakdown and sang/screamed his fucking heart with every member of the audience. The way the band have mixed old-school rock with hardcore elements really creates a fun and lively atmosphere with the guitarists surely loving the high velocity chords as well as the fiddly high lead parts.

I thought the crowd surfing and general pit antics couldn't get any more frequent when they played White Tar and Past Lives but when they kicked into Knifeman, from their most recent release The Bronx (III), I realised I was wrong. Crowd-surfers whizzed past my ears and avid fans bounced off each other metres away from me. I was tempted to join in, to relive my teenage days of unrestraint and bruising but my older self stopped me, mainly due to having an expensive camera over my shoulder.
The band were egging us on. They wanted us to become more unruly. They needed more sustenance to keep this electric set going with all the aggression, passion and vitality they could muster. With stage-divers taking over the stage, each one welcomed enthusiastically by Matt, the band closed the set with the first song they wrote together, Heart Attack American, and as the throbbing audience strained their voices as one to join the band in this farewell, I thought about this being my first hardcore/punk in years and how I should come to more like it as this gig was one of the most exciting, visceral performance I'd seen in ages.
Come back soon The Bronx. I'm waiting.

The Bronx - Heart Attack American

You can view more photos of the gig on my flickr.

Johnny Foreigner @ Flowerpot

As I'm working on the next issue of the, seemingly annual, funfunfun zine, I don't have much time to scribe a detailed review of Johnny Foreigner's performance at Flowerpot. I'll just say that it was cochlea-crunching loud - my ears weren't the same for a good few days after -, the new tracks sound amazing and I still get mesmerized by Alexei's guitar playing, I couldn't take my eyes of his fretboard. I love the way he pushes his guitar to the limit. Highlights were probably new single Feels Like Summer, Suicide Pact and Salt, Peppa... I'll let photos do the talking now.






Johnny Foreigner - Feels Like Summer
Johnny Foreigner - Camp Kelly Calm

Alessi's Ark @ Rough Trade East

I was up in London last Thursday, with not much to do and a whole day's travelcard to make use of so I popped over to Rough Trade East, near Brick Lane, to see Alessi's Ark. I hadn't really heard much of her stuff before this but had heard and read a lot of positive things about Alessi, so I was intrigued.
My intrigue turned into delight as Alessi performed 6 or 7 tracks of pure wonderment. Her simple guitar patterns were the perfect canvas for her to paint glorious pictures with a clever turn of phrase and imaginative imagery. This kind of lyrical storytelling reminded me of Joanna Newsom and Alessi also shares vocal similarities with Ms Newsom. Its an uncompromising voice but when the music and content of the songs are so caked in mystique and fantasy, it just works.
The set consists of some tracks from her debut album, Notes From The Treehouse, like the haunting The Horse and the lovely Over The Hill but she also aired some new songs, none I can remember the name of unfortunately, but all were mesmerizing.
When the power cut out mid-set, Alessi just step aside from the broken mic and performed a couple of tracks completely acoustically. It really showed the talent and confidence of this kooky young songwriter. Maybe kooky's not the spot on but Alessi has this cute, hippy thing going on.
She finished with full power and a rapturous applause from the small crowd that had formed and I left, in hope that the rest of my day would be filled with as much adventure and fantasy as one of Alessi's songs.

Alessi's Ark - Magic Weather

You can buy Notes From The Treehouse from Rough Trade and get a free ep

Laura Marling @ Flowerpot

Well it was actually billed as More Alarming but the venue's listings actually told you it was a secret show and to work it out yourself. Unsurprisingly it seemed that most of North London did as when Laura Marling took to the stage, the small venue was filled to bursting point and as hot as the devil's armpit. Flowerpot is a new drinking, musical establishment in Kentish Town and over May, its first month of business, it has put on a different band every night for FREE. Hoorah!
Ms Marling, and her cellist friend, actually had to clamber over the bar to reach the stage, due to the anchovy-like state of the crowd but the scramble didn't effect the performance as she burst in Ghosts from her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim, straight off. Laura's voice was edged with a slight tremble, maybe a sign of nerves, and the constant feedback from her microphone and the background chatter of the fucking people at the back almost spoilt the first song, but when the whole crowd joined in with singing the chorus, you could see Laura swell in confidence.
She aired three new songs, none of which I can remember the names of, but all of which left me mesmerized. The accompaniment of the cello added a richness to Laura's simple guitar and vocal work which complimented the tracks incredibly well. It bodes well for future releases.
She finished off with Cross Your Fingers/Crawled Out Of The Sea, which prompted an almost pub-like singalong from the cramped, but probably very drunk, masses. Ended on Alas I Cannot Swim, Laura neglected the microphone that had persistantly caused her problems all set and stepped to the front of the stage to conduct the crowd in their singing, even willing us on with her arms. For a song that seems so personal, it worked well as a group singalong and was the highlight of the night.
And that was it. Laura climb back over the bar, the crowd subsided, spilling out into the dark streets of Kentish Town and as I walked back to Camden tube, I realised I just seen something special. Next stop for Laura is the Southbank Centre!!!! Fricking crazy.

Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim (Black Cab Session)

You can view more photos of the gig on my flickr

Fanfarlo + Kill It Kid @ Northampton Square Bandstand

Another great event from the Bandstand Busking team on another glorious Sunday afternoon. Both acts were on top form. Fanfarlo brought the epicness with their Arcade Fire-esque melodies and multi-instrumentation. They played a number of tracks off their new album, Reservoir, like Harold T Wilkins and Comets and by the sounds of it, its going to be excellent.
Kill It Kid, who I'd never heard of before, were a surprise. Their singer had a Anthony Hegarty like, bluesy growl of a voice which sounded very put-on to begin with but by the end of their four songs had the whole crowd hanging on his every note. The music was similarly bluesy and a bit folky with banjos and bongos complimenting expertly played 6-strings and hushed harmonies. They have an single coming out later this month on One Little Indian records, which was produced by John Parish, so will definitely be causing a stir.
Lets let some photos do the talking though:

Fanfarlo



Kill It Kid



Fanfarlo - I Am Pilot
Kill It Kid - Date It The Day

There's more photos of the afternoon on my flickr and I'll let you know when the videos of the bands go up on the Bandstand Busking site