CONCERT & GIG REVIEWS

Reviews on international artists can be found on this page - for Dutch artists see link HERE

PLEASE NOTE THAT REVIEWS CAN BE IN THE ENGLISH OR DUTCH LANGUAGE

2007

Gezien & gehoord:

ARCADE FIRE

HMH, Amsterdam - Tuesday 13th November 2007 (SOLD OUT)

Most newspapers in NL on Tuesday (13 Nov) seemed to have a feature with either Mika and/or the Kaiser Chiefs, the former having played the HMH on 11 Nov, the latter playing consecutive nights at the same venue on 14 & 15 Nov. However, what they all seemed to have missed was the important fact that tonight would see a sold-out HMH witness an unforgettable concert from the Arcade Fire. In keeping with the theme throughout their most recent album, "Neon Bible", the set began at ca. 9.15pm with some stirring visuals showing various American evangelical television personalities working their ‘magic’ and continued throughout with live close-up projections above the stage of both Win, Régine and the other band members in full swing. Lasting a good 1.5 hours and including tracks from both albums Funeral and Neon Bible, the sold-out HMH crowd was treated to the high-points, amongst others, including: keep the car running, intervention, the well & the lighthouse (Neon Bible) and neighborhood, wake up and rebellion (Funeral). This truly was a great live performance, both musically and visually. The multi-instrument talents of Régine were clear to see (and hear) as she switched between the violin, organ, drums and keyboards during the set, while other band members were fanatically drumming away at random bits of the stage-set as well as commanding their instruments and passionately singing along. The only downside, unfortunately, was that Arcade Fire were undeservedly treated to a minor bout of that seemingly chronic (lack of) crowd reaction that the Dutch can be so good at. At one point this prompted Win from Arcade Fire to make a direct request to the crowd to ‘get the fuck up and move’, which they eventually did. Then, at a later stage, he almost issued the order to those seated on the balcony, ‘you WILL be out of your fucking seats when we do our encore’. The arousing atmosphere continually building within the hall, created by Arcade Fire’s impassioned performance meant that for the majority of those sitting, they were in the end standing and dancing along with the rest of us! A memorable concert from an extremely talented and highly passionate group of musicians, led by the influential husband and wife Win and Régine. The night is, I think, best summed up by Win himself when he announced to the crowd just before the encore, ‘you get what you paid for’. Well, to be honest, I certainly got that and a lot, lot more besides! - 9/10 - Nick

The review of "Neon Bible" (from March 2007) can be found - > HERE

The review of "Funeral" can be found - > HERE





Gezien & gehoord:

SIOUXSIE

Melkweg, Amsterdam - Friday 2nd November 2007

Back in the late 70`s, Siouxsie & The Banshees emerged as one of the most exciting and later as one of the most influential bands from the punk scene. In their early days they even had the likes of Sid Vicious (who later joined The Sex Pistols) and Robert Smith (who later went onto form The Cure) in their line-up. As a direct result of her influence, the Goth and New Wave scenes would emerge. - In short, Siouxsie Sioux is a true legend! The last time that I saw Siouxsie perform live in Holland was back in the early 90`s in Utrecht when Siouxsie & The Banshees * were out promoting "The Rapture" (at the time it was their eleventh studio album since 1978). I was then lucky enough to be one of the few fans who was present when she appeared with The Creatures on a live BBC2 programme at the Edinburgh Festival in the late 90`s. Fast forward ten years and Siouxsie has since turned 50, but you would never have guessed that from the recent footage that has emerged for the promotion of her new single ’Into A Swan’. Tonight, Siouxsie has returned to also promote her first ever solo album "Mantaray" (Universal) and it is a pleasant surprise to see that even though there had hardly been any pre-gig promo or airplay, over 2,000 people (a mix of all ages and not just aging Punks and Goths) had turned up. As the lights begin to fade her 5-piece band take up their positions on the stage, and they open up with a really cool adaptation from Ennio Morricone`s Dollar Trilogy (I think its the ’La Resa Dei Conti’ theme?), before Siouxsie makes her entrance, the crowd go wild, and the gig commences. Apart from songs from her new album she also gives us three Siouxsie & The Banshees classics (’Arabian Knights’, ’Spellbound’ and ’Nightshift’) while throughout the entire show people were often stood in awe as not only did Siouxsie sound amazing, but she also looked absolutely stunning as she moved around the stage looking mean and lean (like she had been on some kind of intensive SAS training schedule that Madonna had missed out on!), providing occasional kung fu kicks, her familiar hand gestures, and teasing the gathered audience to maximum effect. This was already a great gig before she went onto treat us to two encores which included ’Hong Kong Garden’ and ’Israel’, and an unexpected cover of the Doors ’Hello, I Love You’. After around an hour and twenty minutes what is probably the best gig that the new Melkweg venue have had ended. Siouxsie Sioux is still the gothic-punk queen and will remain a true legend.
9+/10 - TerryA

* - more info (in the Dutch language) about Siouxsie can be found at: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siouxsie_and_the_Banshees

The review of "Mantaray" (from September 2007) can be found - > HERE






Gezien & gehoord:

BLOOD RED SHOES & The Sugarettes

Rotown, Rotterdam - Thursday 1st November 2007

As it turned out, this gig ended up becoming a bit of a Dr.Jeckle & Mr. Hyde experience. Tonight's support band are The Sugarettes, a post-grunge band from Eindhoven, who are competent enough and have clearly been inspired by the likes of Sonic Youth, Belly and The Breeders. Sadly, apart from their female bass player who stood at the rear of the stage, it is a bit like watching an aging band who have been practising for over a decade with the same tunes, but in today's music scene they add nothing new to this very much outdated genre and along the way they have also clearly forgotten the entire punk aspect that should have been added to their presentation. If they'd come up with these songs in the mid 90`s then they may have had a stab at a bit of popularity outside their home town. On tonight's showing they end up becoming a waste of a support slot - Another band who may not have been as competent, would have at least been a lot more interesting! - For this The Sugarettes deserve no more than a 5 out of 10. Blood Red Shoes on the other hand are a powerful 2-piece post-punk band from Brighton consisting of Steven Ansell (vocals and drums) and Laura-Mary Carter (vocals and guitar), who may also have been influenced by The Breeders, sound at times a bit like The Subways, and who have turned their influences into something fresh and exciting as they deliver an exhilarating drum and guitar assault on the gathered crowd. They are incredibly tight and well rehearsed, having been touring across Europe virtually non-stop since the last of the summer festivals and they are here tonight to play their first ever gig in Holland. The most impressive aspect for me is the way that throughout the entire gig Steve Ansell is able to sing along without it affecting his powerful speed drumming. Their gig definitely made an impact and Blood Red Shoes are a band to keep an eye on. So far they have only released a handful of independent singles, but the good news is that their debut album on V2 Records is expected to be out early next year. - 8/10 - TerryA





Gezien & gehoord:

BJORK

Westerpark, Amsterdam - Sunday 8th July 2007

This should have been a review from Björk`s appearance in Amsterdam but unfortunately Universal Records decided to give all the press passes to the Dutch national newspapers & magazines (for previews only?) and therefore nobody ended up delivering a gig review.





Gezien & gehoord:

KINGS OF LEON

International Centre, Bournemouth, UK - Wednesday 4th July 2007

Despite me sitting on the second to back row of the upper balcony in this impressive venue, Kings Of Leon once again delivered a set packed with catchy, energetic and crowd-inspiring songs. Caleb and the boys, clad in impossibly tight jeans, launched straight into ‘Slow Night, So Long‘, and had already completed 4 songs before addressing the crowd. In usual KOL style this interaction was kept to a welcome minimum, the band instead choosing to entertain with their music rather than witty retorts. The ploy of playing ‘Four Kicks‘ immediately before current favourite ‘On Call‘ only served to increase the intensity of the captivated audience, with even the seated sections of the crowd unable to resist the temptation to get up to show their appreciation. A total of 22 songs were played, with a well-chosen mix of the current album and previous favourites such as ‘Molly's Chambers‘ and ‘California Waiting‘ selected. All in all a very impressive performance, and one that I can thoroughly recommend if you get the chance to see them in the future. - 8.5/10 - Dave




Gezien & gehoord:

ENTER SHIKARI

Waterfront, Rotterdam - Tuesday 26th June 2007 (SOLD OUT)

After being forced to listen to my ipod and sink more whisky and coke due to the abysmal support acts, I was praying for a good showing from Enter Shikari. After all, AAPA have been touting these since January on the back of their success in the UK during 2006 and they should have originally played the Waterfront back in April of this year but unfortunately were forced to postpone due to illness. Tonight, they enter stage to a very subdued crowd and stutter through an opening looking a little bit rattled. Second song in “Anything can happen…..” which should have pleased the MTV happy Dutch provided no solution to the wooden and quite overwhelmed crowd. After a quick dressing down from the band things do lighten up a little, Enter Shikari then launch into their set and I was surprised how well the electronics and the Guitars/Drums worked together and their vocalist Rou can actually sing live between all his screams and growls with the end conclusion being that I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the set, highlights of which were the latest single “Jonny Sniper” and the popular “Sorry your not a winner” which completed the set. Due to the crowds lacklustre reception I really didn’t expect an encore but the lads returned and blasted through “Ok time for Plan B” which maybe was a message to the majority of the crowd with the exception to the 4 or 5 crowd surfers/stage divers. Enter Shikari did give us what can only be described as a mind blowing gig but the audience in attendance seemed for the most part to be the wrong type of crowd, possibly not helped by whoever was responsible for having selected the 2 local support bands along with their entourage? - I can’t wait to see them again in the right setting over in the UK. Hopefully Enter Shikari will make more impact during the European summer festivals so that come the Autumn they will have been able to secure the crowds they deserve when (or if?) they return! - 7.5/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

The Music in My Head Festival

With: Mando Diao, Sparklehorse, Badly Drawn Boy, Oi Va Voi, The Rifles, Just Jack, Starsailor and others…

Paard van Troje – The Hague - 8th & 9th June 2007

Since 2002, The Music in My Head Festival has taken place in The Hague. This year it was held on June 8th and June 9th in Het Paard van Troje, with two evenings of music, along with a programme that was free to the public on the Saturday afternoon which gave us a combination of good music and a friendly environment (which also included free use of both the cloakroom and toilets). Even the artists themselves must have felt that the crowd was ‘pretty grown up’ since Badly Drawn Boy and the four members of Starsailor were all seen in the crowd during their free time with nobody out to bother them. As for the performances, this was not the first time that I got to see Starsailor play live and I have to say that I have never seen and heard a crowd so enthusiastic! Even singer James Walsh seemed a bit surprised with this warm welcome and he thanked the crowd politely after almost every song. But maybe it was just this, what made the show loose it’s energy. Although James’ voice was absolutely stunning – it seems like he’s getting better and better through the years - opening song ‘In my blood’ didn’t kick in as well as it should have. Then after a while, all the songs in the rest of their set seemed to sound a bit like each other after a while, with one new song being played, a cover (which I personally didn’t recognise) and some small interludes of Jeff Buckley’s ‘Hallelujah’ and the Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow never knows’. It resulted in what was just ‘a good show’ but not a ‘a great show’ in which their debut album "Love is here" had been well represented. Next time I’d wish for some more edge and roughness from Starsailor, who made it known they were still hoping for an invitation to the Lowlands festival this year. (And after seeing this crowd going mad, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invite them along, Mr. or Mrs. Lowlands!) Meanwhile, The Rifles had put on an amazing show. With the age of the crowd dropping down like Dutch rain in June, there was actually some crowd-surfing going on and ... a lot of jumping and dancing. Deserved praise, because The Rifles played it well with their good old uncomplicated English rock ‘n roll. Nice one. Another surprise of the Saturday evening was Oi va Voi, with their broad range of instruments and talent. With different lead-singers, a rock ’n roll violist and strong vocals, they definitely knew how to draw the crowds attention.

While Saturday night may have been a party, the Friday night was the ‘warming-up’ of the festival. Mando Diao rocked and gave one hell of a show – they might well have been the best performing act during the entire festival! – but the planning from the organisation behind the festival turned out to be poor, because while Mando Diao were up on stage at 8pm there were still far too many people still walking in which was a great shame. And while one could only wish the rest of the night was going to be just as good as far as performances were concerned, unfortunately next up was Sparklehorse and since most people had just been dancing around and seemed to be in the mood for more of the same, Sparklehorse became merely a lullaby which made you want to crawl back in bed. This then resulted in most people trying to find their way to a smaller room in the venue, where Just Jack was performing but I have to say that my attendance didn't last very long; it was just not my cup of tea I guess. I suddenly felt like being in a poor high school performance, where the cool kid in school tries to rap and everybody cheers because he’s supposed to be popular. Most of the people around me seemed to enjoy themselves though. So it was just a long wait from there on before showstopper of the evening, Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough), was to make his way onto the main stage. Damon politely thanked Sparklehorse and Mando Diao for opening his show, and played his songs laid back and relaxed. With the company of a cigarette, he made his way through some old and some new songs – like ‘Silent sigh’, ‘Promises’ and ‘Born in the UK’ – with even a bit of Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ stopping by. Unfortunately, time was up for Badly Drawn Boy sooner then we had all wanted. Not only because it was a lovely performance (nothing less, nothing more) but mostly because the last planned song of the evening (I could peek on the set list) was recent hit ‘Nothing’s gonna change your mind’ which was left unplayed. I guess we have to come back for that one, someday. - 7.5/10 - Irene




Gezien & gehoord:

TRAVIS

Melkweg, Amsterdam - Tuesday 5th June 2007 (SOLD OUT)

With the release of a brand new album in May - "The Boy With No Name" (independiente) * - TRAVIS are back in Holland for their first gig in ages. Unfortunately someone forgot to add our name to the press list but Irene who was one of the lucky ones to get inside has very kindly supplied us with a review.

Fran Healy is just spot on when he mentions, just after playing the first song of the gig (and new single) “Selfish Jean”, that the atmosphere is similar to being in a living room. He then suggests to get everyone a cup of tea, and starts asking several audience members if they like their cup black or with sugar. People laugh and the tone is set: it’s a night full of interaction between band and crowd, in which they even manage to get everyone shaking the hands of the people standing around. You just gotta love that. The connection was there from the moment the lights went off and the crowd cheered to get the band on stage. With the well-known-start-of-a-movie-tones of Twentieth Century Fox, followed by the grooves of Rocky’s theme song, everyone stares at the stage when the four Travis’ lads come walking up from the back of the venue - through the crowd - and climb on stage. Once in the spotlights, they put on a show which could almost be called a ‘Greatest Hits’ evening. Just standing there it hit me how many lovely songs they have produced on five studio albums so far. To mention a few highlights: “Turn” (in which the second verse was sung by bass player Doug, after lead-singer Fran sung his lungs out in the chorus), the banjo on “Sing”, “Driftwood”, “Love will come through” and “Side”. Guitarist Andy even jumped in the crowd with his guitar, causing the technicians almost a heart-attack – but he manages to play it well! Between sensitive and sweet songs, dancing around on old hits like ‘All I want to do is rock’ and ‘Why does it always rain on me?’ and funny in-between-mentions from singer Fran – the overall conclusion is that it was just a great rocking party. If you were looking for a band who would play loads of songs from their fourth album, ‘12 memories‘, you might have been disappointed. If you didn’t know the lyrics and wanted to hear the exact words, you just might have not been able to follow. But if you were looking for a warm, cosy feeling in an intimate gig – you were at the right place. Travis just do what they do best: have fun on stage, make contact with the audience as every band member does his own thing – whether it is flirting with the crowd (Doug) or rocking like it’s the last night on earth (Andy) – they manage to give you just that warm feeling inside. For those who have never seen them live: just go. It’s been a week, and I’m still glowing. Just a bit then. - 9/10 - Irene

* The review of "The Boy With No Name" (from 24th May 2007) can be found - > HERE




Due to a re-location of the office, the AAPA website will not be updated as much during the month of May.
Hopefully everything will be back to normal by June..




Gezien & gehoord:

The May Bees

Effenaar (small hall), Eindhoven - Friday 6th April 2007

Review can be found / Recensie is te zien in onze NL Bands section - > HERE





Gezien & gehoord:

TOM HINGLEY

Civic, Wolverhampton - Friday 16th March 2007 (Acoustic)

I was told at the last minute by a well informed person to get myself along to this gig as this was “the greatest singer ever to come from Manchester!" So who was I to argue? Well I’m going to, as Tom is originally from Oxford… (thanks Google) - Although appearing tonight with a solo acoustic show, Tom Hingley is also the lead singer of one of the most popular indie bands to come out of Manchester: Inspiral Carpets, and although I do remember them from back in my student days, I’ll be honest to say that I didn’t recognize Tom when he walked on stage, probably due to his humbleness as he took off his jacket slung it over a mic stand and commenced to unpack his guitar and banjo, so of course I was right to initially think this was a roadie… Doh, but this roadie could sing!! From the first note Tom’s bellowing voice thundered around the room, he sang so clear and load that in fact he really didn’t need a microphone! His guitar playing was enthusiastic which along with his singing you could see that he really enjoys his job. I can’t name many songs from the set having not heard his solo album before but got the impression that maybe Tom has had issues in the past as his songs are so full of woe that I felt sorry for him at one point, however my two favourite Inspirals` songs (This is how is feels & Dragging me down) were slipped in so I left happy and satisfied, ... and mightily impressed with his voice! Recommended. - 7+/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

AIR

Melkweg, Amsterdam - Tuesday 27th March 2007 (SOLD OUT)

As always, technically a well executed set by the French duo plus ensemble and unfortunately as always it seems, an anally retentive reception by a Dutch crowd! In a sold-out main hall at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, with it’s recently enlarged capacity and renewed sound system, you would have expected from this gig a great sound quality and a good atmosphere. Sadly it was just the opposite; a partially uninterested and unaware crowd made worse by the volume being far too low during the entire set for the music to make any real impact or create any sustained crowd appreciation. The result was that the live gig became not much more than background lounge music, something that in my opinion does not do justice to AIR and their musical talent. That aside, the gig itself saw a mix-mash of tracks being played covering pretty much all their EP/album releases. Interestingly I only remember 2 songs (once upon a time & mer du japon) being played from their recently released Pocket Symphony album *, which although seeming a bit curious to me probably can be explained as ‘crowd pleasing’ for the Dutch public not (yet?) familiar with the new material. Worth a specific mention and outstanding whenever played was encore track ‘La Femme d'Argent’ * which was the opening track on their "Moon Safari" album (1998), one of the most inspired pieces of modern day instrumental music written. On a slightly critical note however, the 2 other encore tracks with guest vocals from Charlotte Gainsbourg, taken from the 2006 album "5.55" *, which in-itself is a fantastic album, did not lend themselves to either the occasion or especially the sound system's low volume, with one member of the Dutch crowd deciding to heckle her barely audible voice at one point. Overall this gig was a frustrating experience due to the combination of (lack of) sound and the resulting (lack of) crowd appreciation. I just feel that AIR must also have picked up on this (lack of) atmosphere from the start of their set, causing their performance itself to be that little bit more introvert than normal. I nearly feel the need to apologise to Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin on behalf of both the venue and the paying public. However, I end this review by confirming that of my 3 AIR concerts in The Netherlands to date, this one in Amsterdam was ranked a clear-cut 3rd in descending order, way behind that of previous performances in ‘provincial’ Groningen (2002) and Utrecht (2004). When I lay in bed later that night, for the first time in countless gigs I had no ringing in my ears, which in this case was a big shame ... 5.5/10 - Nick

* The review of "Pocket Symphony" (from March 2007) and Charlotte Gainsbourg`s album "5:55" can be found - > HERE

* It was amusing to read in the gig review supplied by OOR magazine that their writer wasn't familiar with ‘La Femme d'Argent’, describing it instead as a psychedelic jam session (Met een extra toegift die verzandt in een psychedelische jam, hebben we lang niet al onze favorieten gehoord)?! - Their Dutch language review can be found at: http://www.oor.nl/deruit_concertverslagen_details.asp?id=474





Gezien & gehoord:

INSPIRAL CARPETS

ABC, Glasgow - Saturday 3rd March 2007 (SOLD OUT)

Inspiral Carpets have returned with a UK tour, as well as releasing an exclusive digital album through Mute Records - "Keep the Circle", which comprises of all the flip sides of their thirteen Top 40 UK singles and various rarities featuring, amongst others, a previously unreleased version of Saturn 5 (featuring Mark E Smith of The Fall on guest vocals) and is available worldwide from March 2007. This tour includes Glasgow where we are tonight, Manchester Academy on 9th March and London's Shepherds Bush Empire on 10th March, the Inspirals' first date in London since their sold out shows in 2003. The ABC venue in Glasgow is a converted cinema, and as soon as the band took to the stage the thousands of fans who were crammed inside at this sell out gig just went berserk, and as all those hits from the late 80`s and early 90`s were being played it quickly made you realize what had been missing from the majority of gigs by indie bands that took place during the late 90`s - brilliant indie pop songs with a matching live performance! You see, apart from making some great albums, Inspiral Carpets have also always been an amazing live band (see previous review below from August 2006) and tonight there was further evidence that this was still very much the case. The ease in which the band interacted with the crowd, or in the way that they switched from one song into the next. Singer Tom Hingley was in particular fine voice tonight, especially during "Uniform", "Come Back Tomorrow" and "Weakness", and the crowd agreed with a huge roar after Clint Boon`s comment that Tom was "the greatest singer ever to come from Manchester!", while during "She Comes In The Fall" they may not have had the addition of those military style drummers marching in midway through the song but Craig Gill was still able to maintain a fine rhythm all on his own. This was a fantastic gig! - 9/10 - TerryA.




Gezien & gehoord:

BAT FOR LASHES

Oran Mor, Glasgow - Saturday 3rd March 2007

Natasha Khan, in the form of her musical alter-ego BAT FOR LASHES, has a voice which can be powerful, haunting, touching, but always pure and unstrained, was one of the highlights on the live gig circuit during 2006 (see previous gig review below from Paradiso in November 2006), drawing attention wherever she performed. Tonight she is in Glasgow with her band as part of a UK tour and on Monday (5th March) they are set to release their new single "Prescilla". Natasha comes on stage in a white outfit along with face-paint and a sequined headband. It was good to see the band play tonight in a venue that was near enough full, while their set is delivered to near enough perfection. There is also a good interaction with their audience and as an encore they then treat us to "Moon and Moon". Natasha has a unique aura within her delivery and therefore she has the capability to stand above the present-day music scene. As a band BFL bring a welcome feel of freshness to a more frequently stale music scene. - 8+/10 - TerryA.

The review of their debut album "Fur and Gold" from October 2006 can be found - > HERE





Gezien & gehoord:

LUSHUS

Koornbeurs, Delft - Thursday 1st March 2007

Review can be found / Recensie is te zien in onze NL Bands section - > HERE





Gezien & gehoord:

FIELD MUSIC & TOKYO POLICE CLUB

Paradiso, Amsterdam - Sunday 18th February 2007

It is a bit strange going to an indoor gig late afternoon instead of in the evening. But both bands playing here today (Field Music from the UK, Tokyo Police Club from Canada) have recently seen their UK Record Company (Memphis Industries) agree a distribution deal for the European mainland with V2 Records and are here to embark on a joint tour, of which Amsterdam is their first port of call before they then both head off to do several dates in Germany. It is therefore only 6pm when Field Music (as a 3-piece) take to the stage, by which time the venue was about half full and then gradually increased throughout their 45 minute set, but to those who had arrived on time it quickly becomes apparent that FM are an incredibly talented and very tight band. They play a selection of songs from their brand new album and debut album from 2005 *, while 2 of the lads take it in turns to swap drums, bass and guitar while providing lead vocals and their band mate orchestrates the keyboards and provides backing vocals to great effect. The audience reaction is a little disappointing but not totally unexpected when you consider that during the past 3 to 4 years they have hardly had any airplay over here despite delivering 3 albums which is a crying shame. The really positive aspect however was that by the end of their set most people in the audience were genuinely impressed (even those "talkers" who tend to come along to gigs in Holland were quiet for a change!), and it was during their set that it also dawned on me that should Arcade Fire require the perfect guests on their forthcoming tour then Field Music would be the only natural choice. By 7pm when TPC enter the stage and kick into their set with a Strokes style intro, the crowd inside the venue has increased to almost capacity, and even though it soon becomes apparent that this band pack the sort of ferocity the likes of The Strokes only wish they could muster these days but haven't the heart for anymore, the crowd have been joined by the infamous "doe normaal politie!" (a hidden force at Dutch gigs that ensures the majority of the public in attendance show no emotion and preferably stay rooted to the spot!), which then results in a rather placid affair everywhere in front of the stage instead of what should have been a frantic, energetic, slightly chaotic and sweaty live show, which was a shame for TPC who showed that as a live band they can deliver an extremely tight and powerful set with bags of energy, and where their live performance was much more impressive than their current CD and on this showing you can already see them getting rave reviews at all the festivals this summer. As far as their live sets are concerned tonight, Field Music and TPC, although very different, are both worthy of an 8 out of 10, but unfortunately the assembled statues that are supposed to be the audience end up adding virtually nothing to the overall experience! As for the increasing amount of people who seem to think it is ok to go to gigs and then talk Dutch throughout the actual sets, can you please just stay at home next time? - Lets hope both bands receive a more worthy reception during the rest of their European dates? - TerryA.

* FIELD MUSIC released their second album "Tones of Town" on 22nd January, while TOKYO POLICE CLUB released their mini album "A Lesson In Crime" on 12th February (both on V2 in Europe). You can find both reviews in our ALBUM REVIEWS section.





Gezien & gehoord:

THE FRATELLIS & About

Patronaat, Haarlem - Tuesday 23rd January 2007

Tuesday evening in the Patronaat and I always get the feeling here in Haarlem that for half the crowd it’s their first ever gig. A cross section of the public, confirming the Fratellis’ sudden rise to mainstream popularity in NL this past month since their current single has been played constantly by the likes of 3FM and TMF and the album being sold by Van Leest et al. The evening starts with Dutch support act ABOUT, best described as a combination of Hot Chip meets Rammstein meets Panic at the Disco. An electronic mishmash covering hardcore to electro pop, with a female rock lead guitarist and a hyperactive bloke singing out a few high-pitched lyrics. I was actually quite impressed by the alternativeness of this Dutch duo and give them a 7 out of 10 - Unfortunately it was rather lost on the provincial Dutch crowd, a number of which we heard stating ‘gewoon herrie’ (just noise). It's now 9.30pm and THE FRATELLIS enter to give an outstandingly well executed and enthusiastic live gig, doing more than justice to the CD from which they performed all songs bar one. "Chelsea Dagger" was predictably the best for crowd sing-a-long factor and "Got Ma Nuts From A Hippy", at the end of the act, was best for crowd reaction. An encore of "The Gutterati" from their self-titled debut EP from April 2006 as well as a great cover of Goldfrapp’s Supernature single ‘ooh la la’ ended the night. Seeming to genuinely enjoy themselves and surprised by the positive reaction of the crowd, I also think I spotted the Fratellis’ secret formula towards the end when I caught the drummer taking a big swig from a 2 litre bottle of IRN-BRU, obviously imported especially from Scotland to keep them going during their European tour! A good gig which I left feeling upbeat and with a head full of catchy songs. For their performance The Fratellis deserve 8 out of 10 - Nick

You can find more info on promising Dutch act ABOUT under MUSIC NEWS 10 - 2006
or you can listen to songs by both bands via AAPA`s MySpace

And if you want to know more about IRN-BRU (Scotland's other national drink!) then check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irn-Bru




Gezien & gehoord:

JARVIS & Roosbeef

Paradiso, Amsterdam - Monday 22nd January 2007

It's a great feeling when on the odd occasion that you go to see a gig you are blown away by the support band who you knew little about beforehand. I first caught Jarvis (Cocker) by chance in the early 90`s when he was fronting PULP at Manchester University who were there as the support at a SAINT ETIENNE concert. Soon afterwards they moved from Fire Records to Island, re-released their earlier singles, finally received the attention they deserved, and then went onto become indie legends with a string of fantastic albums. No such luck tonight as the band who had been selected to support JARVIS are a Dutch band called ROOSBEEF and on tonight's showing their singer still can't sing and as a band they have no memorable songs and what can only be described as a "fabricated" image (see also a previous review on them during the Crossing Border Festival in The Hague last year under November below) and subsequently this is a waste of a support slot that could and should have been filled by a more original and deserving act * - Thankfully they only get to play a short set! At around twenty to nine its time for the main event, and Jarvis Cocker follows his band on stage to play his first ever solo gig in Holland and to help promote his self titled debut album which came out towards the end of last year (see also the ALBUM REVIEW under December 2006) that has unfortunately so far been virtually ignored by the Dutch media since its release. Tonight's gig covers almost all the songs on this album, along with 2 other songs not on the album during the main set, while his interaction with the audience is great, although at times it became obvious that the locals didn't understand him, or maybe didn't want to understand him due to their own hidden fear of participating with the unknown? As an encore, and as expected, Jarvis and his band then give us the eagerly awaited "Running The World" where he emphasizes a lot of the lyrics with added emotion and hand gestures, followed by a rather odd if competent version of Hendrix's "Purple Haze" to close off their set. Jarvis thanks everyone for coming before leaving the stage and the crowd turn to vacate the building. The conclusion is that it was a good, but due to now almost familiar crowd non-participation at Dutch gigs, not the best one that Jarvis will have on this European tour which is a shame. However, to those who could follow his sarcasm and wit, or appreciate genuine talent for that matter, this was still worthy of an 8 out of 10 - TerryA

* - What is becoming more and more apparent here is that unlike the UK were upcoming bands are given the support slots with more established artists in an attempt to help widen their profile, in Holland they seem to prefer no support act or if they must then it usually turns out to be some band that is already tied in to the big promoters which sadly often has nothing to do with genuine upcoming "talent" or suitability. One recent example that springs to mind would be when the INFADELS toured here during 2006 and the promoters declined any support bands, opting for local DJs instead even though the band were happy to have suitable local bands open up for them?! - Or maybe this also has something to do with their bad habit of not wanting to take risks or deal with the unfamiliar, opting for "safe and predictable" instead? (see also the article about the Dutch music scene - > HERE )

2006

Gezien & gehoord:

THE WONDER STUFF

Music Hall, Shrewsbury (UK) - Sunday 19th November 2006

Who you might ask? In fact I asked the same question when invited to go along ... `They did "Dizzy" with Vic Reeves` in the early 90`s was the reply. So you can imagine my thoughts on the way to the venue. Having been briefed on their extensive discography I thought I knew what to expect ... 90`s indie band who were popular with the students in their day. They enter stage and the looked “younger” than I had imagined and enter into some of their classics which the crowd enjoyed and then hit single “Size of a cow”, what they had clearly come for proving very popular during their encore. To be honest it was a good and tight set however I do have a few gripes ... first of all the violinist, although extremely accomplished was way too loud. In fact I actually thought I was watching River Dance a few times during the night! And the Irish folk melodies she bellowed out were totally out of place when the song in question is all about teenage angst, which brings me onto the second gripe ... Aging rockers can’t produce the screwed up teenager tunes that made them successful, and The Wonder Stuff simply haven’t progressed musically from what I have heard tonight. But they must sell records and they certainly have a loyal following. - 5/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

CROSSING BORDER (Indoor Arts Festival)

Het Spui Theatre - Den Haag (The Hague): 15th - 18th November 2006

This annual indoor arts festival ran for 4 days at Het Spui Theatre in The Hague (Wednesday 15th till Saturday 18th November) where it attracts people of all ages and backgrounds - Apart from live bands from most corners of the world there was also theatre, literature and spoken word on offer. Compared to previous editions, this year the promoters appear to have spent more effort on their live music schedule. We opted for the Thursday night simply because The Futureheads would be playing (go to our review below from March 2006 of the London Calling event to see why!) and so we arrived around half past seven to discover that there were continuous activities on 3 separate stages in the main theatre, as well as a live radio broadcast throughout the evening from the bar area.

The first band up on the main stage are billed as PSAPP (although someone suggested the band playing were a late replacement and in fact a different band altogether?) and they didn`t exactly do themselves any favours by telling everyone they were The Futureheads and then Razorlight but falling short of actually saying who they really were? - They can best be described as British Folk with alternative electro keyboard sounds who had a female singer with a strong English accent who was obsessed with cats and came across all giggly and way too chatty as a result of smoking far too much substances of the herbal kind and the end result was that their music was pleasant enough in an instantly forgettable way ... On to the bar it was here that we discovered that you couldn't pay with cash and were forced to buy tokens instead (1 token = 1 Euro). It was then that you quickly realized with their pricing policy that with beer being 3 or 4 tokens (depending on the brand) and all spirits at 4 tokens plus another 3 for any mixer it was going to be an expensive night out - So we dealt with it by opting for Rusty Nails (Drambuie & Scotch Whisky on ice) at 8 tokens a drink instead and just got drunk!! The next act up was Dutch band ROOSBEEF, or at least their singer (Roos Rebergen), who is doing a live radio session in the bar area accompanied by keyboards, which is preceded by an interview where the aging female presenter keeps calling her "meisje" (girl) to which Roos suddenly snaps and starts calling her "Oma" (grandma). As for the music, her band may have won all these national pop prizes and she probably even looks the part to local kids who only get to see what Dutch MTV offer but with her dyed red hair and "off the peg" alternative clothing the reality is that she looks totally manufactured and to make matters worse she simply can't sing! ... It's then back to the main hall for THE FUTUREHEADS - They come on stage and do look the part before they've even played a single note. What follows is how a gig should be with an energetic, incredibly tight set where the songs come across a lot faster and more frantic than if you were sat at home playing their albums, only the crowd tonight are an odd mix who for the most part probably wouldn't normally go to a gig, or are only there out of curiosity, and it soon becomes apparent that the majority don't even know a single song, let alone have any desire to dare I say it - dance, which is a shame for the band but I suppose not totally unexpected in the land where they only get to hear a fraction of new music and where as a general rule they much prefer to "doe normaal" (play safe and stay normal). We on the other hand had a great time (including tons of punky dancing and that my muscles still ached 3 days later!), of which "Favours for Favours", "Area", their version of "Hounds of Love" & "Worry About It Later" were the favourites on the night, while one disappointment is that we have still to witness them playing "Burnt" (a song that really should be released as a single lads?) live. ... After replenishing our drinks it was then into another room to see THE DRAMS - who are best described as ageing rock & rollers with very little melody on show tonight who should appeal to all those ageing geography teachers and Readers Digest subscribers who occasionally get around to buying a new record through some CD and Book club! ... And so onto the final act of the night: RAZORLIGHT who due to their singles actually being played on Dutch TV and radio, and following their appearance at this years Lowlands Festival appear popular with the waiting crowd. They come on stage and their set is tight, while some of their recent singles are well received and they do have a stage presence (although it probably won't appeal to everyone), only there is also something missing here tonight? Their live set still leaves me cold and I can't help but think that Razorlight really want to be Talking Heads. They had also maybe been too keen to tell everyone in their press release before this event that because they combine rock `n roll with rebel pop songs this then proves that they are more than just a hype. Oh really? And then it hit me; if a poll was conducted to find out what people thought was the least impressive Talking Heads B-side then that track would still be much more original and exciting than Razorlight`s best selling single, and that in all honesty just about sums them up. ... Once the live acts had all concluded it was back to the main bar for the after-show party that commenced from midnight, where more Rusty Nails were consumed and people had to put up with a young DJ who claimed to be specializing in 70`s disco classics but had never heard of The Trammps or Tavares, opting instead to churn out those cheesy 80`s dance hits and even threatening to get the bouncers to chuck us out if we didn't recognize his immense reputation as a top DJ?!

Overall rating: An evening of highs (Rusty Nails, The Futureheads) and lows (overpriced drinks, an arrogant clueless DJ at their after show party, The Drams) and a lot in between, while the stormy downpours outside resulted in an audience that for the most part resembled drowned rats, but all in all a worthwhile experience. - 7/10 - Nick & TerryA

More info on all the artists who appeared at the Crossing Border event can be found at: http://www.crossingborder.nl/





Gezien & gehoord:

BAT FOR LASHES

Paradiso - Amsterdam: Tuesday 7th November 2006

It can't be easy when your first ever gig in Holland coincides with national music magazine OOR celebrating their 35 year anniversary across the road in the Melkweg venue with a mini festival and that for whatever the reason they (OOR) have also forgotten to list your gig in the Paradiso? - Or that even though your debut album ("Fur and Gold" - Echo Records) is out in the UK the only way to get hold of a copy in Holland is to import it from the UK? That said, BAT FOR LASHES were in Amsterdam and their gig was going to go ahead for those lucky ones who get their latest music info from other more up to date sources (see additional OOR feature - > HERE under November 2006). Singer Natasha Khan leads her all girl band on stage who for the most part are wearing hippy style clothing from the 70`s or headbands and face paint. They open with "Horse And I" and then go straight into new single "Trophy" and what follows is a mesmerizing set where apart from at times truly haunting vocals, the band mixes piano, all kinds of percussion instruments, violin, a huge bass drum carried over the shoulder, bass guitar, hand claps, while even wolf howls are also requested from the gathered audience to help introduce one of their songs, and on one occasion a big stick is pounded onto the stage to beat out the rhythm! - All brilliantly executed and as far as debut gigs go in Holland they get a great response from the gathered audience and their return is already assured. - 7.5/10 - TerryA

See also our opinion on their debut album "Fur and Gold" under ALBUM REVIEWS or go to a Dutch language version - > HERE




Gezien & gehoord:

RAZORLIGHT

International Arena, Cardiff - Saturday 28th October 2006

I travelled all the way down to Cardiff in Wales for this gig, as these were the only tickets still available for their sell out UK tour on the back of all the hype that has been generated recently. After all I did give their second album “Razorlight” a decent review earlier this year and it was time to see them live. Upon arrival I could mention the support band The Like at length who from a distance looked excellent but as I said it was from a distance… Instead I decided I would try and conquer the queue for beer. I mean come on Cardiff its a Saturday Night and I have wait 30mins for a beer!! - No wonder the Welsh are insane! Razorlight enter to a drum solo and jump straight into recent single “In the Morning” and immediately the place is bouncing with excitement. They then race through three more songs before even addressing the crowd. Songs from their first Album “Up all Night” prove very popular which surprised me as I thought it would be mainly a crowd on the back of their chart success, I was wrong. The song "America" which I guess 90% of the crowd were waiting for after extensive radio play here in the UK was unfortunately the only let down as during the intro a bass string was accidentally strummed and a small groan fluttered through the stalls but the charismatic front man Jonny Borrell recovered well and produced a fantastic performance which had everyone inside the CIA hanging on to his every word. Two encores later after every song bar 4 had been played ended with “Somewhere Else” which at the size of the beer queue I wished that I was ... Great Gig which had everything, and I can only see them getting bigger and bigger. - 9/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

THE AUTOMATIC & Alterkicks

Corn Exchange, Brighton (UK) - Tuesday 24th October 2006

The Alterkicks to my amazement were the support band for this gig as just a couple of years ago Zane Lowe from BBC Radio 1 fame was touting them as “the next big thing” - just goes to show that not everything he touches turns to platinum. However the Alterkicks perform as if they are the main act tonight and deliver a tight and impressive set, and certainly turned a few heads, while their new single “On a Holiday” is out on November 13th (on B-Unique Records) … you can listen to it at: http://www.myspace.com/alterkicks - The Automatic came on stage with great enthusiasm and delivered what I can only describe as the most energetic set I have ever seen. I was expecting some form of boy band pretending to play guitar and keyboards but this exciting young Welsh band blew me away, while the artistic lighting and background displays added to the futuristic rock they performed. Of course we also got the huge summer radio hit of “Monster” and they encored with “Recover”, but surprisingly these were not the main attraction they offered tonight which was in fact a customised cover of Kayne West’s “Golddigger"!!! - yes, I was not dreaming, but my god did it work... you can also have a listen to it at: http://www.myspace.com/theautomatic - A second album will be worth waiting for, and if nothing else they have there festival slot for the next 10 years already sewn up! Well done lads.
7.5/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

PANIC! AT THE DISCO & The Sounds

Paradiso, Amsterdam - Thursday 19th October 2006 (SOLD OUT)

Panic! At The Disco, with their blend of music spreading across genres of punk, rock, pop, emo and dance, pulsating with electronic laced pop beats, are one of the hottest new bands of 2006. Some sections of the press have been describing them as an "emo" band but this also then means that some of the same reporters are also having a dig at them - Now if you define "emo" as “the nexus point where teen culture, music and the Web converge to create something new,” then P!ATD are indeed a stereotype, but lets also try not to forget that music means different things to different people and as their debut album offers a hell of a lot more than the majority of "emo bands", they are in fact a breath of fresh air and a much needed kick up the arse to that old "emo" thing some of the kids are still drooling over, which probably helps explain their dramatic rise? - P!ATD started out in Las Vegas when drummer Spencer Smith and guitarist Ryan Ross formed the band in high school before vocalist Brendon Urie and original bassist Brent Wilson (who according to Urie was replaced by Jon Walker earlier this year because "We needed somebody who could also play a few other instruments besides bass") completed the line-up. For their gig tonight however there are 6 of them who come on stage to then be greeted by ultra high pitched screams and the swell of teenage girls at the front, and with a real buzz in the air, you could tell it was time to dance! What followed was an almost flawless performance by a band now very high on confidence who made the audience feel part of the show, with hit after hit of superb, high octane emotional tinged punk rock, where they also play 2 covers (Radiohead`s "Karma Police" and Smashing Pumpkins "Tonight"), along with some exciting onstage dynamics, and where singer Brendon Urie goes onto rightly tell everyone "If you talk, you better walk, you better back your shit up" you could say that this was finally hype that is genuinely lived up to! - It was also one of the best crowd reactions I have ever witnessed over the past decade at the Paradiso, and this in itself was great to see as maybe now there is finally hope that the youth in Holland are no longer satisfied in just listening to all that outdated dance and techno music that their older brothers and sisters had held onto for so long? - The only dampener on an otherwise great gig is the sound system at the Paradiso, which in truth is urgently in need of upgrading or better still a total replacement. That said, what P!ATD gave their audience tonight was a real treat. Support on the night came from Swedish indie pop band The Sounds, who with their female singer can best be described as energetic! - 8/10 - TerryA

As for P!ATD, their debut album ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ was released in Europe on 13th February.
You can also find the review in our ALBUM REVIEWS section (under May 2006) - > HERE





Gezien & gehoord:

iLiKETRAiNS

Rotown, Rotterdam - Wednesday 27th September 2006

Atmospheric, dark, powerful, cinematic, at times even haunting, iLiKETRAiNS play their first ever gig in Holland to about 120 people which to be honest is impressive for a band making their live debut over here who have only had limited press so far. Wearing British Rail uniforms, sporting long hair and beards, and with cool imagery provided by a series of films played onto a screen at the back of the stage, this 5-piece from Leeds who are out promoting their mini album "Progress Reform" (which was released on Fierce Panda Records during the summer) provide a very impressive gig with the stand out tracks being "A Rook House For Bobby", recent single "Terra Nova" and "The Beeching Report" which was played during their encore. The audience were for the most part impressed. The chess game played out on the screen during their set had an impressive conclusion. I too was impressed. Hopefully it will not be too long before they are able to return?
7.5/10 - TerryA




Gezien & gehoord:

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2006

Edinburgh, Scotland - 6th to 28th August 2006

The review of our trip to the EDINBURGH FESTIVAL can be found - > HERE




Gezien & gehoord:

CAPTAIN

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, UK - Monday 21st August 2006 (SOLD OUT)

Captain are a new five-piece band from Cambridge who have already released 3 great singles ("Broke", "Frontline" and "Glorious") in the UK and are here to play the last date of their sell out month long UK tour which also coincides this week with the release of their debut album "This Is Hazelville" (see also our ALBUM REVIEWS section). Tonight the venue is that full that some people cannot even get to see the stage! What follows is a great gig by a band now full of confidence who in today's music scene have a unique ability to hypnotize their audience with dramatic, at times poetic songs, where the dynamics and harmonies are highlighted by their clever use of space and where the lead guitarist (Mario Athanasiou) is clever enough not to feel the need to play his instrument continuously and where the singers (Rik Flynn & Clare Szembeck) form a perfect duet. Although only formed a year ago, its already apparent that venues of this size are too small for them! By this time next year Captain will already be playing those bigger venues and that in turn will also do their sound much more justice. - 7.5/10 - TerryA




Gezien & gehoord:

INSPIRAL CARPETS

Digital, Newcastle, UK - Sunday 13th August 2006 (SOLD OUT)


The last time that I saw the inspirals live was about 3 years ago in Manchester when they were out promoting their 20 track "Greatest Hits" album (Mute/EMI Records) and it has to be said that they are a band who have never ever played a disappointing gig, which is some record considering that I first attended one of their gigs in the late 80`s! On the approach to tonight's venue just up from the rail station it was rather fitting that it was located within the recently constructed LIFE arts complex (for the uninitiated, also the title of their critically acclaimed debut album in 1990). Upon reaching the entrance I could already hear Tom Hingley`s voice bellowing out onto the street (It turns out that the band had been delayed having played Aberdeen the previous night and were still going through their soundcheck). So it was around 10pm, just after several classic Hacienda tracks (which for the most part were lost on the locals) had been played that Inspiral Carpets took to the stage - What followed was yet another very entertaining and tight set of 15 of their more popular songs starting with "Joe" and finishing with "Dragging Me Down" (which is probably still their best song), followed by an encore that ended with "Saturn 5". It was also really good to finally hear a live version of "Sleep Well Tonight". This was yet another great gig by a band who have been so influential on the alternative music scene over the past few decades! (see also our Best Albums of the Year / BESTE CDs section - > HERE) - 8/10 - TerryA




Gezien & gehoord:

Sigur Rós & Amiina

Miklatún Park, Reykjavik, Iceland - Sunday 30th July 2006

Tonight we went to a free outdoor concert in downtown Reykjavik of native Icelandic band Sigur Rós, along with about 15,000 other Icelanders who had turned out for the occasion. Following a 45 minute warm-up from fellow ´countrymen´ Amiina (actually ´countrywomen as it was an all girl band), Sigur Rós took to the stage at about 10.30pm with it still fully light outside and a helicopter and small plane circling overhead. What followed was a 1.5 hour set of songs largely from their most recent album Takk (2005) and a few crowd pleasers from their most critically acclaimed album Ágætis Byrjun (1999), which at helped catapult them from a cult following into a well known name in the ambient scene a few years ago. Although the first number seemed out of tune and the band nervous (maybe because this gig was being screened live in London and Austria and was being recorded for a new DVD release), they settled down to give a good performance, the music as always for me conjuring up visions of the weird and inhospitable Icelandic landscapes and extreme temperatures. I couldn't tell you the names of which songs were played or what they were singing about (all in Icelandic), but with this music it doesn't really matter, its all about the sounds. Although in my opinion the music doesn't lend itself to live performances, but it was a decent enough gig and great to see them. - 6.5/10 - Nick




Gezien & gehoord:

LILIAN HAK

Parade Festival, Den Haag (The Hague) - Tuesday 11th July 2006

Recensie in nu verplaatst naar NL Bands section - > HERE




Gezien & gehoord:

SAYBIA

Paradiso - Amsterdam: 12th June 2006

Het was alweer een tijdje geleden dat SAYBIA in de Paradiso stond. 17 Februari 2005 om precies te zijn. Net zoals toen (en die keer daarvoor) was het concert binnen een paar dagen uitverkocht. Ik, een SAYBIA fan in hart en nieren, was er natuurlijk als de kippen bij om een kaartje te bemachtigen. En vol goede moed op naar de Paradiso! En wat is nou leuker dan op een knetter hete dag vooraan in de Paradiso te staan? Eenmaal aangekomen kon ik me niets beters voorstellen. Het voorprogramma 'Kira And The Kindred Spirits' waren al aangekondigd op de website van SAYBIA, dus ik had me alvast voorbereid. Kira had maar een kindred spirit meegenomen, en deden samen een accoustische sessie. Zelf had ik wel een favoriet, de rest van wat ik gehoord had sprak me niet zo erg aan. En ja, dit nummer (I Believe) speelde ze als eerste. De rest geloofde ik wel. Het leek allemaal een beetje op elkaar en na een paar nummers gaat de stem van Kira Skov een beetje irriteren. Nadat het tweetal van het podium verdween, werden overal op het podium planten neergezet. De Paradiso veranderde langzaam in een sprookjesbos, waarvan je kon denken dat het misschien iets te overdreven was. Maar dat mocht mijn pret niet drukken, ik was er helemaal klaar voor. Na veel plakken en zweten kwamen ze de jonge hippies uit Denemarken eindelijk het podium op. Met de opener 'Brilliant Sky' van hun laatste album werd het meteen duidelijk. Het publiek had er zin in, en de band bijna nog meer. En na het volgende nummer 'The Second You Sleep' was het meteen een groot feest. Ja hoor, SAYBIA is nog steeds een geweldige live band en ze speelde uitmuntend, vooral gitarist Sebastian Sandström maakt de band compleet. Met zijn zwepende, soms zelfs blues -achtige gitaarsolo's zweept hij iedereen mee en vergeet je even dat er nog een wereld buiten de Paradiso is. Na een toegift komt de band nog even terug met Kira herself, om het nummer 'I Surrender' te spelen. Leuk. Gelukkig volgt nog een toegift, met het nummer 'Come On Closer', en mij een raadsel waarom dat nummer nooit op CD is uitgebracht, want het knalde. Een goede afsluiter van alweer een geweldig concert. Zanger Saren Huss haalde helaas niet meer de hoge noten die hij voorheen wel haalde, maar dat hinderde niet. De eerste keer dat ik hem zag (ook in de Paradiso, 17 februari 2003) was het een verlegen mannetje, dat weg liep tijdens een solo om in een hoekje een joint te roken. Nu was hij duidelijk aanwezig en hield een verhaaltje na ieder nummer. Zo vertelde hij dat SAYBIA een eigen studio had gebouwd, en na de festivals daar de nieuwe cd op ging nemen. En natuurlijk kon een voorproefje niet uit blijven. Zo speelde ze onder andere het politieke 'Soldier', Makes Me Wonder' en 'The Pretender. En ik moet zeggen, het beloofde wat. Na de toch iets tegenvallende 'These Are The Days', heb ik goede hoop voor de toekomst! 8.5/10 - €ngel




Gezien & gehoord:

Miss Antarctica & 40 Stone

Speakers, Delft - Thursday 8th June 2006

Recensie in nu verplaatst naar NL Bands section - > HERE




Gezien & gehoord:

GOLDFRAPP

Paradiso - Amsterdam: Tuesday 30th May 2006 (SOLD OUT)

The last time that GOLDFRAPP graced a stage over here was when they were out promoting their second album "Black Cherry" (2003) and already showing signs then that they were moving away from the more ambient sounds that could be found on their debut album "Felt Mountain" (2000) to the more glam rock & electro pop influences which are in abundance on their 3rd and most recent album "Supernatural" (2005). Their stage presence has also changed and tonight at the sold out Paradiso venue in Amsterdam we witness what can best be described as a "best of" show that covers all the hits from their 3 albums [All on Mute Records] to date. It is a very professional and clinical performance by the entire band with singer Alison Goldfrapp in good voice although at times rather aloof (or maybe that was intentional as part of their new cooler, more arty image?) - As far as I can recall, GOLDFRAPP have always been a great live band and tonight was no different. Some people claimed after the gig that it was maybe a little too polished (that the end result was a bit like just playing the CDs at home) but if that was the case then I can only conclude this to be an additional compliment to a band who both musically and visually add something important to the at times (especially here in The Netherlands) rather dull music scene and industry! - 8/10 - TerryA




Gezien & gehoord:

THE DELAYS

Velvet - Delft: Thursday 18th May 2006 (acoustic session)

The Delays were over in the Benelux as part of a European tour to promote their second album "You See Colours" and new single "Hideaway" (Rough Trade Records). Having played a sell out gig at the Paradiso in Amsterdam the previous night, they were going to make a live in-store appearance at Velvet Record Shop in Delft at 6pm before they were then off to play another gig at De Paard in The Hague on the Thursday night. Unfortunately no one had bothered to promote their appearance in Delft (apart from a few posters advertising the album which had been put up at the very last minute in various shops and the local cinema!) which was an injustice to both the band and their potential fan base, especially when you compare them to the majority of bands who have played the live music venues in Holland so far this year! So when it became apparent that only a handful of people had turned up by 6pm, a bit of improvisation was required and so they quickly opted to sit outside the shop to play a short acoustic set instead, which as it turned out was to become a brilliant move. They only played 3 songs ("Hideaway" & "Lillian" from their current album, and previous single "Nearer Than Heaven" from their 2004 debut album) but by the end of their short but impressive set the handful of fans had rapidly grown to about 40 enthusiastic kids which they had even managed to get clapping along to their songs, which in a country where (contrary to belief) the majority of people here are usually very reserved and at times just far too conservative this was no mean feat! ... And just when you thought that this entire scenario couldn't get any more bizarre, it was just as they hit their last chorus of "Nearer Than Heaven" when thousands of people suddenly came marching around the corner in what transpired was part of the annual `4-daagse` in Delft (a Dutch tradition in which families take their kids on a set route walking around their city for 4 consecutive evenings) - a great little gig. - 7.5/10 - TerryA

On Friday (19th May) The Delays played a gig in Brussels. They will be back on 17th August when they will be appearing at the Pukklepop Festival in Belgium.




Gezien & gehoord:

SKIN

Paradiso - Amsterdam: 22nd April 2006 (SOLD OUT)

Het was al snel duidelijk, het concert dat Skin zou geven in de Paradiso zou snel uitverkocht zijn. Daar waren toch eigenlijk maar twee redenen voor. De eerste is omdat Skin toch nog steeds beter bekend staat als de vroegere zangeres van SKUNK ANANSIE. En ten tweede omdat haar laatste single plat gedraait werd op de radio de afgelopen weken. Ik was voornamelijk erg nieuwschierig. Nadat ik haar in het voorprogramma van Placebo had gezien op 7 oktober 2003, was ik nogal van haar onder de indruk geraakt. Een kleine vrouw met een enorme stem. Dus met niet al te veel verwachting (aangezien ik haar solo werk niet ken) ging ik naar de Paradiso.

In het voorprogramma stond ABSENT MINDED. Best goed moet ik zeggen, en erg leuk om ze dolblij op het podium te zien staan. Zanger Jeroen van Woezik kon dan ook niet vaak genoeg zeggen hoe gaaf hij het wel niet vond. Grappig om te zien dat hun trouwe fans aanwezig waren in de vorm van een paar gillende meisjes vooraan het podium. Al met al een leuk bandje. Niets meer en niets minder. Het zou best eens kunnen dat ze over een paar jaar iets meer zullen worden dan een tweede Di-rect. Voor degene die naar Werchter gaan: als er niets anders speelt best vermakelijk om even naar te gaan kijken. Dan was het tijd voor Skin. Al springend komt ze op, en stuiterd zo nog even een paar nummers door. Enthousiast is ze zeker, en duidelijk is het meteen dat ze het goed naar haar zin heeft. Gelukkig deed haar gitartist daar vrolijk aan mee, maar helaas stond de rest er de hele show als zoutzakken bij. Na een paar nummers kwamen ook een paar bekende Skunk Anansie nummers voorbij, zoals de tot langzame ballad omgetoverde "Weak". Die kende natuurlijk iedereen, en werd het feestje voor de liefhebbers nog groter. Helaas kon ik op een of andere manier niet mee gaan in deze feestvreugde. De nummers grepen me totaal niet, niets sprak mij aan. Halverwege het concert betrapte ik mezelf dat ik in mijn hoofd een boodschappenlijstje aan het maken was voor maandag. Het was saai. Iets anders kan ik er niet van maken. En hoewel ze haar best heeft gedaan, kan ik het concert niet meer dan een 5 geven. Voor de moeite. En voor vergane glorie. - 5/10 - €ngel




Gezien & gehoord:

THE KOOKS & THE ZUTONS & DUELS

Backstage, Munich: 19th April 2006

I went along to see this concert roughly knowing what to expect from THE ZUTONS having seen them on three previous occasions, although two of them being at festivals, so I was a little interested to see how they adapted to a small European club. Well to start with they sound great and totally blew me away with such a raw sound which really is totally uncharacteristic for two albums worth of relatively mellow pop tunes. As mentioned in a recent AAPA gig review (ED: see Amsterdam Paradiso review below in Dutch language from 7th April) their set was made up mostly with material from the new album although only having heard the new album "Tired of hanging around" a few times I was very impressed and can already see it outselling their very popular debut "Who Killed the Zutons". Tonight they are sharing the stage with two other bands so time was limited. They of cause did play a few songs from their first album, with "You will you won't" even causing movement from the very stubborn Kooks crowd. Overall the set was very good and by the end of the night it became apparent that The Zutons are clearly in a different league than the rest of the bands on display here, but it just a pity that the set was so short. - 7/10 - Hughsie

THE KOOKS arrived on stage to a very good reception to a crowd that appeared to be made up of at least 80% Kooks fans, which I think for Germany is fantastic for this new band who only released their debut this year (Their album review can be found HERE). However, the opening to the set was not one I would recommend for them to do again, in fact it was utter shite, the lead singer deciding to open with a one minute solo acoustic tune which to be honest sounded awful and a let down to the crowds anticipation, and maybe he should have at least let his voice warm up first before attempting this type of intro. The set thankfully got a lot better and much more upbeat, although by standing towards the rear of the venue I struggled to actually hear the singer, which may have been an outhouse sound issue but he didn't sound that good. Musically I thought they were very good and had some catchy tunes which they seemed to pull off playing live successfully. I can see them being a good hit for the summer festivals providing the singer brings along a megaphone! But believe it or not, I did like them. - 6/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

MORRISSEY

Amsterdam - HMH: 10th April 2006 (SOLD OUT)

It has been over 6 years since Morrissey last appeared on stage in The Netherlands and this was his first ever solo gig in Amsterdam (back in the 80`s he had previously appeared in the Dutch capital when he fronted The Smiths). The HMH was packed out with a mix of locals and visitors from the UK of which many had travelled across because they had not been able to get hold of a ticket for any of his 20 sold out concerts there! That's right; as part of his current world tour he has already done about 20 concerts over in the USA and is set to play another 20 concerts in the UK that have all been sold out. Meanwhile here at the HMH in Amsterdam the legend that is Morrissey comes on stage and for the next 70 minutes he tries to get the audience going with a mixture of songs from his new album, previous album and songs from his period with The Smiths (with "How Soon Is Now?" his current band need two guitarists to reproduce Johnny Marr`s guitar sound of the original version) but unfortunately and through no fault of himself everything ends up going a bit lame! - This was partly because a lot of people present probably hadn't bothered to get to know the new songs, some of whom only came to hear classics by The Smiths which he didn't play tonight and others who in all honesty have never got themselves going at any gig and they certainly weren't going to start now! - This would probably also explain the abrupt ending to the night when Morrissey returned to do an encore which ended up consisting of just one song - "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", while reports from other gigs on this tour show that the encores have usually consisted of at least 3 if not 4 songs! So if we now look back over the past 20 odd years it's no real surprise anymore to see that Morrissey (as solo artist or with The Smiths) hasn't performed that many gigs in The Netherlands, which may be a shame for his loyal fan base but of very little concern to the majority of the Dutch CD buying public who will always prefer their MTV and Sky Radio approved rock sounds! - And if you prefer not to believe me, then check out some interesting views (in the Dutch language) in response to the gig review by Dutch magazine OOR at: http://www.oor.nl/deruit_concertverslagen_details.asp?id=251

As for myself, there were plenty of highlights at this gig - the songs from his new album, a brilliant live version of "Still ill", Morrissey's comments and sarcasm (which a lot of people simply didn't get, just like so many appeared puzzled when they heard him start singing "Girlfriend in A Coma") and to hear a singer who's voice has now matured magnificently. Its just a shame that certain sections of the crowd tonight would have been better staying at home with their cup of hot chocolate before going to bed early because they had to go to work the next day! - MORRISSEY is without doubt (still) one of the most influential indie artists since the 80`s - His new album "Ringleader of the Tormentors" is out now and a highly recommended release. He is also due to appear in The Netherlands again at the annual Pink Pop festival and hopefully he will get a much better reception there, otherwise I fear that Morrissey will never return?! - 7.5/10 for this gig, although with the right crowd it should have been an 8.5 - TerryA




Gezien & gehoord:

BE YOUR OWN PET

Ampere - Muffatwerk, Munich: 10th April 2006

The crowd inside the venue was a very good mix and wasn't full of those Avril Lavigne wannabes that I thought would litter this gig. Also, the amount of people that had turned up was quite impressive due to the small amount of publicity this band have had. Although good in numbers doesn't mean good gig knowledge, with the crowd creating a huge void at the front of the stage ...With no support band it was therefore left to bassist Nathan Vasquez to create a unique start by jumping into the crowd and pushing them forward, not sure if it was the first for them to do this but it did the trick, after this there was no time for pleasantries, with the mike handed over to front lady Jemina Pearl who ripped into the opening number with crazed enthusiasm, and if Juliette Lewis is reading (which is doubtful) this is how you front a band! I can't remember the last time I saw so much passion in a band who actually care about the music that they are playing, Be Your Own Pet continued to race through the set in which singles "Damn Damn leash", "Vacation" and the fantastic "Adventure" proving popular with the assembled punk crowd. If there is one gripe I had with the set it was that the band had a tendency to turn there backs too often to the crowd. This is a tight unit that plays as a unit, with the lead singer taking none of the limelight away from the band and the fact that they seem more than competent musicians helps. They have the look and most certainly have the tunes, now let's get a following behind them to do it all justice.
There is a lot more to come - of that I am sure. - 7.5/10 - Hughsie




Gezien & gehoord:

THE ZUTONS

Paradiso (kleine zaal) - Amsterdam: 7th April 2006

Na 2 keer in Nederland te hebben gespeeld op Lowlands 2004 en London Calling 2005, was het nu eindelijk zover. The Zutons gaven hun eerste eigen concert in Amsterdam om hun nieuwe cd "Tired Of Hanging Around" te promoten.
Het concert was dan ook helemaal uitverkocht, maar dat was niet raar aangezien ze in de kleine zaal van de Paradiso speelden. Het was dus ook erg gemakkelijk om naar voren te lopen, om extra goed van het optreden te genieten. En dat deden we! Het vijftal uit Liverpool begon meteen goed met "Zuton Fever", en die koorts sloeg goed over naar het publiek! Ook de nieuwe nummers vielen erg goed, en hoewel de meeste mensen de nieuwe cd nog niet gehoord hadden (want die komt pas uit op 17 april) kon er in dat kleine zaaltje goed gedanst worden! Vooral het hitje "Pressure Point" van de eerstse cd zorgde voor een goeie uitspatting zowel op het podium als daarvoor. Gitarist Boyan Chowdhury speelde erg strak, en ook de zang van Dave McCabe was geweldig. Het lijkt wel of hij met ieder optreden beter wordt, en de band steeds losser. Zeker tijdens het laatste nummer, waarbij Dave samen met drummer Sean Payne een drumsolo weg gaf. Dat liet nog maar eens zien dat The Zutons niet alleen apart zijn dankzij saxafoniste Abi Harding, maar gewoon muzikaal heel goed in elkaar zitten. Het enige nadeel, vond ik persoonlijk, was dat de meeste nummers die gepeeld werden nieuwe nummers waren. Als iets meer terug was gegrepen naar de eerste cd, was het dak er gegarandeerd af gegaan! Maar ik zal de laatste zijn om te klagen. Degene die erbij zijn geweest zullen tijdens de komende festivals nog met weemoed terug denken. Want daarna zal de kleine zaal zeker te klein zijn! - 8/10 - €ngel

LONDON CALLING

Paradiso - Amsterdam: 31st March & 1st April 2006

Towards the end of last year we questioned the selection process used by the promoters when planning this alternative music event (see gig review below from Saturday 5th November 2005 which also gives more of an insight into the history) that usually takes place a few times a year at the Paradiso and gives the Dutch public a chance to go and see new, recently established, or up and coming bands from the UK. In all fairness the last London Calling was very poor (we only saw 3 bands worth praising back in November!) However, on this occasion we got the distinct feeling our comments and review (which at the time had been sent to the Dutch OOR magazine) had struck some kind of a raw nerve? - For one, the line up this time looked a lot more promising (at least 5 bands having already had some kind of AAPA coverage), and the second reason was that upon arrival the main promoter kept doing a really bad job at not seeing us throughout the entire 2 days we were there (and just in case you’re wondering, yes he does know me ... since around 1993-94!) - But the way I looked at it was like; if our review ensured that this event is now an improvement on last time then surely that’s good for everyone? Anyway, enough of that … the event had sold out and we will be going back and forward between the main hall and the 2nd room upstairs to give our verdict on as many of the bands as we can that came over to Amsterdam (31-3 & 1-4-2006):

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS – The band who contain the other former members of The Libertines are first up on the Friday evening because the opening act (Tiny Dancers) hadn’t even arrived yet. The main hall was almost full when Dirty Pretty Things hit the stage. They even had a small section of the crowd who had obviously travelled across with them (and later they had one stage diver but unfortunately he wasn’t caught – although thankfully the stage isn’t that high in this venue!) The latest band to be adored by the likes of the NME then launched into what can best be described as a very experienced band playing a very energetic set. Their drummer was excellent and their changeovers almost immaculate, while their interaction with the crowd was more than acceptable and on the evidence here tonight DPT are a lot better than Babyshambles, but the stark reality here is the question: where were those exciting songs that are going to be required to help propel them onto becoming the new Clash or The Jam which their press pack implies? 6.5/10

THE IMMEDIATE – This band are appearing because Young Knives couldn’t make it. The Immediate go through their entire set swapping instruments and taking it in turns to sing while spending most of their time on stage resembling novices in search of an identity and most definitely in need of an actual drummer – Not one song stood out (or should I say they all became instantly forgettable) while the final impression was that as a band both musically and image wise they were all over the place! Their only consolation is that they are young and have time to change direction (something that Humanzi who played on Saturday haven't got!) 2/10

THE FUTUREHEADS – They exploded into their set ... very tight, loud, in your face, along with a great response from the crowd. Their set was a mix of their self titled debut album and songs from their forthcoming album (see Latest News section) ... They had about 40 or 50 fans at the front who went berserk throughout their entire gig, including 8 or 9 crowd surfers of which one managed well over a minute on everyone's raised arms. Tonight the star in the band was their drummer who was able to belt out all kinds of different tempos while sat almost rigid throughout the entire gig whilst using only his wrists, hands and the occasional nod of the head. By the end of the gig there were even people dancing on the upstairs balcony and The Futureheads instantly became the act to beat! 8.5/10

WE START FIRES – A real breath of fresh air from this young band from Darlington who came on straight after THE FUTUREHEADS in the upstairs room with a tight, well-rehearsed set of garage punk and pop songs driven along by an impressive rhythm section that consists of a great little speed drummer who reminded me off Craig Gill (inspirals) and a really cool bass player. They maybe lack a bit of experience or confidence with their public interface skills but that is bound to improve over the coming year and most definitely a band to watch out for … as for their image, polka dots and leopard skin printed tops on the same stage don’t really mix girls! 7/10

TINY DANCERS – This band were called up at the last minute as replacements and where late in arriving so ended up playing the last set on the Friday. When they finally sorted themselves out they came on stage but it quickly became apparent that their image was in contrast to their style of music which turned out to be Country & Western influences mixed in with one or more members most likely having over played their Ocean Colour Scene CDs at home! – They are competent at what they do but totally irrelevant in 2006! 4.5/10

saturday...

THE LONG BLONDES – Here was a female dominated band who the NME keep reminding us are "still without a record deal" - and on the evidence of this gig that doesn't really come as a surprise! Ok, musically they were pleasant enough but in this kind of setting that immediately translates into boring. Only one of their songs (with the line "I just want to be your sweetheart") is worth checking out again while the 3rd song they played had a distinct mid 90`s Morrissey jangle thrown in, while on stage the female lead singer ended up spending far too much time turning around to wiggle her arse at the gathered crowd instead of concentrating on her timing and singing! - or maybe that's why some of the music papers are hyping them up?! 5/10

THE CINEMATICS - Although our expectations were high prior to the gig based on the reports we had received about this Scottish band from contacts in the UK and as far away as Munich (where as far as we know they haven't even actually played there yet?), we didn't expect The Cinematics would turn out to be that good that they ended up being one of the best bands who played here over the entire weekend. Powerful songs, a really tight set, cool image, fantastic voice along with a very impressive guitar and mike change at the same time midway through their set when both fell apart. Some say that they sound like Suede, which is partly true and not a bad thing in our opinion, but at the same time we also have a singer who can really sing with fantastic range, while the band came across as a solid unit that any record company will be both proud and excited about. This was a great gig. In fact, thinking about it, if THE FUTUREHEADS hadn't returned to do their second London Calling event then THE CINEMATICS (and contrary to what OOR magazine are implying with their review) would easily have been the best band at the entire event! - We can't recommend them highly enough and a band to keep your eyes out for this coming summer. 7.5/10

HOWLING BELLS – Back in the main hall we then get to see a band with a female singer who according to their press release come from Australia, while her voice is compared to PJ Harvey?! The Australia info may well be true but the voice comparison most definitely isn't! - The Howling Bells in fact have a singer who probably can't sing going on the amount of false notes she came out with and almost zero stage presence going on the amount of time she spent rooted to the spot. When they got to a song with the repeated line "look away" my impression was that a lot of the audience wished that they could but as she had been given a slot on the main stage there was nowhere really else to look! Which was a shame as the rest of the band, especially the bass player, seemed to have a lot of decent ideas. 4/10

HUMANZI - Now I know that its supposed to be all about the music and appearances are only superficial but that is only the case when your songs or music are that strong that people are willing to ignore the fact you are ugly! With Humanzi we have a problem because musically they had nothing new to offer while appearance wise they consisted of a singer who looked like Meatloaf`s younger brother, a balding bass player who the longer the gig went on resembled the singer from 70`s band Mud, and some old bloke with a really bad perm on drums! - If there was a "most comical band of the event" award then Humanzi would win it with ease - They really were that bad! 1.5/10

THE KOOKS - With a new album - Inside In / Inside Out - in the shops now on a major label (Virgin/EMI), good press and a tour budget that most of the other bands here tonight could probably only dream about, The Kooks enter the main stage to flashing blue lights and the dramatic theme tune from the Tarantino produced film "From Dusk Till Dawn". A superb entrance ensured the audience at the front went wild, but sadly that then remained the high point of their gig! The singer didn't have any range, which may have explained why the instruments were given a loud outhouse sound along with a flashing light show? OK, at times they did have some catchy choruses but there was nothing new or anything to really get excited about. It is of course possible, maybe even likely that The Kooks will shift enough albums to keep their record company happy but I think that this will have more to do with the shift in attitude from the buying public on the European mainland who appear to have finally realized that the MTV influenced Americana Rock really is past its sell by date now rather than the fact that bands like The Kooks are unique! And this change in attitude could now help bands like them to obtain more press and eventual sales than those British bands from the mid to late 90`s like Dodgy, The Bluetones or Supergrass, which raises the question: is that a good thing for the future of music?! 6/10


Unfortunately we had to leave straight after The Kooks left the stage, so missed the last main gig of the night by The Mystery Jets. We did however include one of their songs on our Play-list for April. More info on all the artists who appeared at the London Calling event in Amsterdam can be found at: www.londoncalling.nl/

Overall rating: A lot better than last time but still too many non-starters amongst the bands on show to make it a memorable event. The highlights this time around were THE FUTUREHEADS, THE CINEMATICS, WE START FIRES and possibly DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. The rest of who we saw were more or less forgettable. Overall rating: 6.5/10 - TerryA – 6th Nov 2005

May 2006 update - see also our proposal for future events - > HERE





Gezien & gehoord:

INFADELS

Patronaat - Haarlem: 30th March 2006

After missing their first Dutch live performance during the previous edition of ‘London Calling’ in November 2005 (they were the last band on and we had to catch our train) and having seen only five minutes of their after-show set following the Kaiser Chiefs gig in the Heineken Music Hall on 1st March (standing in the queue to pick up our coats before leaving), I finally got to see the first of East Londoners The Infadels Dutch tour dates in the newly opened Patronaat in Haarlem. On arrival and expecting to be sent in the direction of the ‘kleine zaal’ (small stage), we were unexpectedly sent to the ‘grote zaal’ (main stage) as The Infadels had sold enough tickets to be granted an ‘upgrade’. For a Thursday night in Haarlem it was impressively full and from the start The Infadels were able to get the normally anal Dutch crowd moving and shaking with their infectious mix of high-energy punk attitude, ska guitar rifts and disco electronica, with a dustbin thrown in for good measure! Their hour log set playing pretty much every song from their debut album ‘we are not the infadels’ was extremely tight and without fault, each song full of energy and the whole band clearly enjoying every bit of the performance. On talking to the lead singer in the bar following the gig, it was clear that this was an unpretentious bunch of ‘cockneys’ having a great time doing their live gigs and already looking forward to the next one in The Melkweg, Amsterdam the following night. A great live performance from a band combining three ‘in’ music styles of the moment. It’s a fad, but one that The Infadels seemingly pull off with ease. Listening to their album on CD alone does not do them nearly enough justice, my advice is to go and see them live! One of the best gigs I have been to in a while, highly impressive, enjoyable and certainly an 8.5/10 - Nick




Gezien & gehoord:

KAISER CHIEFS & WE ARE SCIENTISTS

Amsterdam - HMH: 1st March 2006 (SOLD OUT)
Geschreven door: TerryA

Having delivered an excellent debut album (Employment) and been the highlight at a lot of the summer festivals last year along with their recent Brits Awards appearance where they picked up the prizes for Best British Band and Best Live Band this sell out gig in Amsterdam was full of expectations. Hopefully we would also get a glimpse at some new material to warrant the rather high ticket prices for a band that to date had only given us one album’s worth of material? – We should have a better idea by the end of the night.
The snow infested journey from Amsterdam Central Station to the HMH was shared with tens of thousands of football supporters who were on their way to watch a Holland – Ecuador international which was being played right next door to the gig venue which resulted in amusing sights (you had to be there to witness this rather bizarre cocktail of colours) when a mixture of three totally different cultures met on the same tram at the same time! Once inside the HMH our evening kicked off with a lively and very tight performance by WE ARE SCIENTISTS, who are currently over in Europe to promote their new album (With Love And Squalor – Virgin records). This 3-piece from New York were able to keep the large crowd entertained throughout their set with their bass player in particular in fine form. And on their showing tonight we recommend paying them another visit when they do their own tour this year in Holland and surrounding countries. Their gig tonight was deserving of a 7.5/10

The build up for the main act was now underway with a selection of cheesy 80’s hits being played through the PA, only we are in Holland so the irony and sarcasm that should have been spent laughing and listening to the likes of Kim Wilde and Dire Straights was met with genuine dancing and hands in the air clapping enthusiasm from a large section of the crowd – oh dear! This then meant that as soon as KAISER CHIEFS entered the stage to kick into their own set of songs they were immediately put onto the defensive in their attempt to get things going. Singer Ricky Wilson led the KAISER CHIEFS charge with bags of energy and it wasn’t too long before he was able to get things moving but it was also quickly apparent that he was suffering from a strained voice - a bit of shame but these things can happen. Their gig for the most part went as predicted with the highlight being their 2005 single “I Predict A Riot”, but they never really got themselves in a position to get the crowd going and the two songs they played during the main set which weren’t on the album didn’t really impress, while the encore of two songs, which of course had to include the as yet un-played “Oh My God”, turned out to be a dreadful cover version of “I heard it through the grapevine” and with that a very average gig at best was concluded, which in all honesty after the build up was disappointing and therefore despite the hype only gets a 6.5/10

On leaving the main hall the PA began playing more 80’s hits, this time Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” while a couple in front of us were overheard to say “Deze vind ik een leuk dansbaar nummer maar ik vond die concert een beetje tegen vallen” (This is a good song you can dance to but I was a bit disappointed with the concert). Sometimes a band can rise too quickly and it will be interesting to see just how KAISER CHIEFS end up delivering their second album when they may have spent too long riding on the crest of what is still an excellent debut with “Employment” but may not have allowed them enough time to go away and write a good follow up? I suppose time will tell...

2005

Gezien & gehoord:

STEVE WYNN & THE MIRACLE 3

Vera - Groningen: 1 december 2005
Geschreven door: Jeroen Dijkema

Steve Wynn was de liedjesschrijver van de jaren tachtig gitaarband Dream Syndicate. Hun eerste album Days of Wine and Roses is inmiddels verheven tot klassieker. Het spetterde gitaarwerk van Karl Precoda, inclusief prikkeldraadsolo’s en beheerste feedback was een ware revelatie in het alternatieve muziekcircuit. Wynn zou later verklaren dat ze probeerden de Velvet Underground na te spelen. De zanger/gitarist heeft een lange geschiedenis met de Vera. Zowel met de Dream Syndicate als solo was (is) hij een graag geziene gast in de Groningse club.

De songs van Steve Wynn mogen in het huidige muziekklimaat dan niet zo relevant en hip meer zijn als in de hoogtijdagen van de Dream Syndicate, de man weet nog steeds hoe een goed liedje geschreven moet worden (getuige zijn laatste plaat … tick… tick… tick…). Daarnaast heeft de sympathieke Wynn in twintig jaar tijd een trouwe fanschare opgebouwd, die alles waar Wynn zijn hand inzet blind aanschaffen. Want Steve Wynn staat garant voor kwaliteit. En dat al twee decennia lang. De man heeft een neusje voor muzikaal talent en weet de juiste musici bijeen te rapen. Dat blijkt vanavond ook weer, want The Miracle 3 is een behoorlijke strakke band. De niet onaantrekkelijke Linda Pitmon is een beest van een drumster die samen met de nieuwe Nederlandse bassist Erik van Loo een uitstekende ritmesectie vormt. De derde van de Wonderlijke drie is gitarist Jason Victor. Hij heeft met zijn gekrulde haar en gigantische bril het uiterlijk van een computernerd en kan qua podiumuitstraling wel wat peper in zijn reet gebruiken. Maar eerlijk is eerlijk: Victor is een uitstekende gitarist.
Elke ouwe gitaarrocker die thuis op de bank naar Paradise Hotel of aanverwante troep op de buis zat te kijken mag zichzelf voor de kop slaan. Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 is uitermate geschikt voor de veertig plussers. Het zijn simpele gitaarliedjes met catchy refreinen die zich direct in je hersenpan nestelen. Tel daar de psychedelische gitaarsolo’s en de altijd enthousiaste podiumact van leeftijdsgenoot Wynn bij op en je bent verlost van je midlifecrisis. Ook voor jongeren valt er wat te halen. Al is het maar om de Dream Syndicate te ontdekken: ‘Merritville’, ‘That’s What You Always Say’, ‘Boston’ en ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ worden prima doch niet verrassend uitgevoerd. Dat geldt eigenlijk voor het gehele concert. En daar is eigenlijk niks mis mee. Het publiek is tevreden en de band heeft er zichtbaar plezier in. Gewoon een lekker potje gitaarrock. 6/10 - JD (ED: so Groningen is still "the prog rock" location then?!)




Gezien & gehoord:

I AM KLOOT

Hedon - Zwolle: 16 November 2005

Living up in the North of The Netherlands mid-week live events are usually to be had in Groningen, but I travelled all the way down to this gig for a number of reasons: I liked their last album Gods & Monsters (Echo), having just been released by their record company midway through their European tour the chance of them returning again to these parts in the future were remote and reports over the years have always suggested that I AM KLOOT are a good live band. For this Wednesday night gig the cold and pouring rain hadn’t prevented the downstairs area of the venue being almost full. I AM KLOOT came on stage at around half past nine and then for the next one and a half hours (including encore) it was in all honesty left to their singer to put on a really good show, while his other two band mates went through phases of total support to the other extreme of what at times appeared total indifference, with the drummer being more interested in chain smoking than keeping up with his band while the bass player spent the entire gig sat on his arse, which was a real shame considering the circumstances. In hindsight their gig earlier this year at the Vera in Groningen was a more memorable occasion, but this one was still worth the admission fee.
For anyone not yet familiar with the Hedon in Zwolle it’s a very decent gig venue, not too big and not too small with a superior sound system to a lot of other venues in the north of the country and worth checking out should you ever be in the area. 6.5/10 - TerryA

LONDON CALLING

Paradiso - Amsterdam: 5 November 2005
Geschreven door: TerryA

This alternative music event which takes place at the Paradiso has been running for over ten years now and gives the Dutch public a chance to go and see new or up and coming (mostly British) bands. As a result this can often be a very much hit and miss affair, for the most part dependent on the vision of both the promoters and agents in being able to predict and then persuade the right kind of bands to appear.
Leading up to this weekends event the press pack proudly boasts that a lot of the new British bands who broke through in Holland at Lowlands this summer had all seen their Dutch debuts at a previous London Calling event, but this kind of statement can be a double edged sword because although guaranteed to attract extra people to this weekends event, it has a huge risk of back-firing should the new crop of bands on show prove to be less impressive or just plain copyists compared to their predecessors. All my previous experiences with London Calling have usually turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag, and over the years have ended up looking at it in a somewhat cynical way.
For a start, the name of the event has always puzzled me, with the title presumably taken from a song by The Clash? But the reality is that the vast majority of British bands don’t come from London and have never been based there. It’s a bit like a certain American thinking that Holland is the capital of Amsterdam! But let’s not worry about that for now, because it’s just gone 8pm on Saturday 5th November and apart from one non-music event worth mentioning (see *), over the next five hours we will be going back and forwards between the main hall and a 2nd room upstairs to give opinions on most of the bands that are on show tonight. #

AMUSEMENT PARKS ON FIRE – The only American sounding band to appear at this event are about to come on stage in the main hall which was filled with people standing or sitting full of anticipation. Their press release implied they were a sensational live band, influenced by The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. Instead we got a set that was full of extended feedback and guitar solos, while their singer has either got a really bad cold or is purposely trying to sound nasal? This band have obtained their influences from the 90’s but without moving on which makes you ask what’s their point or relevance? About half way during their set gaps started to appear in the crowd. Maybe they should just ditch their name and re-name themselves “The Nasal Drones”? 4/10

GUILLEMOTS – Next up are a band who (if you believe their press release) has been compared to Eels and Arcade Fire. Now every band will have its influences but this lot appear to have excluded subtlety and added a large dose of all the indie bands from the 90's instead. On tonight’s showing Guillemots are a bit like a rich college band that are desperately trying to look cool and have forgotten about songs, in particular melody. For a live performance they have no bite whatsoever, looked dreadful and towards the end of their set it looked like a recent visit to a coffee shop was also starting to kick in. 2.5/10

BATTLE – Back down in the main hall we then get to see Battle, who turn out to be one of the liveliest bands of the night. A very tight rhythm section and up tempo set, who with the exception of their last two songs kept reminding me of The Cure, but as a band they looked like four individuals of which none will ever appeal to the new Goth’s, even if it was a decent performance. 6.5/10

FORWARD RUSSIA! – A cool sounding name for a band but these also quickly disappoint the gathered crowd and unless things changed dramatically then this entire evening was probably going to end up being a waste of time. Forward Russia! had no stage presence and their singer looked like he was a reject from The Darkness. Their female drummer wasn’t that good which may have explained why she’d resorted to wearing a short skirt and no bra in an attempt to divert attention away from her lack of drumming skills? They ended up coming over as a noisy novelty act, especially when you consider that as far as the audience was concerned the highpoint of their set was when one of the bar staff walked through the crowd with about 200 plastic cups stacked on top of each other! 2/10

DOGS – This band consist of four young lads and a 5th member who I thought at first was a roadie left on stage to add some extra guitar! This lot do come from some place in London and while trying to look the part, their dress code gave impression they were real fashion victims. They were here tonight to help promote their new single “Tuned to a Different Station”. Unfortunately by calling themselves DOGS they’ve also left themselves wide open to having their music described as DOG SHITE! 3/10

DUELS – Back up to the 2nd room to see the hotly tipped Duels, who are very much influenced by David Bowie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing and so far tonight they’re the best band on show. They’re a tight unit with a lot of stage presence and recommended for future listening. 7/10

*At around half past eleven it was time for a bit of fresh air and while stood outside the main entrance we then got to witness some of the Paradiso door staff in action, or rather how two of their staff dealt with a harmless drunken youth who had chosen to simply sit down on the curb next to a vehicle that then turned out to belong to a mate of the door staff. After initial threats to move away were not fully understood by the youth, two of the door staff quickly moved onto violence at which point the owner of the vehicle then thought it was a good time to also jump in and deal out a few shoves and the occasional punch with it now being three against one! The end result being that they chased him away wearing only one shoe, and just when you couldn’t imagine the scenario getting any more pointless, the smallest doorman (he was no taller than 1.70m) decided it was then really big and clever to pick up the discarded youth’s shoe and then throw it across the other side of the road? – Now I know that door staff can have a difficult job but this was just unnecessary and very cowardly behaviour.

CLOR - As it approaches midnight, we return to see the last band to play in the main hall. Their set was very tight and goes down really well with the audience. They have an excellent rhythm section, with some of their keyboard sounds turning very glam rock at times and in parts even resembling Goldfrapp. On tonight’s performance it was maybe a shame that the singer and keyboard player never bothered to dress for the occasion. They currently have a self-titled album out and just like previous band Duels are also recommended for future listening. 7/10

TEST ICICLES – There had been a lot of hype about this band prior to this event so it didn’t come as any real surprise that they became the first band of the night not to be ready when they were due on stage. But with at least 40 minutes since the last band had vacated the stage in the upstairs room there shouldn’t have been any excuses or delays for a band that didn’t even have a drum kit? Then it slowly began to annoy the audience that once on stage they continued to mess around for another 15 minutes before they were ready and it wasn’t long before their front man was then whining that his monitors were not working properly. They were rapidly coming across as a bunch of amateur spoilt brats, to whom the hype was no longer justified. When they did finally get into their set they then seemed to think they were the new Prodigy without the songs to back it up with and it wasn’t long before they were losing their audience. This wasn’t so much hype but “over hype”. 4.5/10

Unfortunately we had to leave just after 1am to catch our last train out of Amsterdam so we missed Chikinki & The Infadels who will have played their sets after we left. If you would like further info on these 2 bands then please go to: www.chikinki.co.uk or www.infadels.co.uk

FIELD MUSIC – We also just missed this set at the very start of the evening by this much-touted band from Sunderland, but reports from people who did see them were all positive. They currently have a new single/EP out called If Only The Moon Were Up. For more info go to: www.memphis-industries.com

# Please note that the LONDON CALLING event is usually on two consecutive nights, but we didn’t attend on Friday 4th November, which saw gigs by The Zutons, Brakes, White Rose Movement, Kid Carpet, The Race and Queen Adreena. There should have also been an appearance by Manchester band Alfie but apparently they pulled out at the last minute.

The Paradiso press pack for this London Calling event can be found at: www.londoncalling.nl/

So, another event has now drawn to a close and some of the bands who’ve played here will have attracted some new fans, but the simple fact and harsh reality is that the majority of bands who’ve ever appeared at a London Calling event over the years have usually ended up never actually doing anything worthwhile afterwards, which unfortunately once again questions the selection process used by the promoters when planning this event which surely with more time and effort could be so much more than just a over hyped showcase for mainly average at best bands. Overall rating: 5/10 - TerryA – 6th Nov 2005




Gezien & gehoord:

AMUSEMENT PARKS ON FIRE

Vera - Groningen: 4 November 2005
Geschreven door: Jeroen Dijkema

Amusement Parks on Fire is de twintigjarige Bloke Michael Feerick. Op het onlangs verschenen debuutalbum heeft hij vanaf zijn zestiende alle liedjes op de plaat geschreven en ingespeeld. Een uitmuntende prestatie. De plaat staat boordevol soundscapes en exploderende gitaarmuren waarin het heerlijk wegdromen is. Met dank aan de vroegere shoegazer-garde en een effectenpedaal (delay). Het debuut heeft inmiddels zijn weg gevonden naar de alternatieve muziekliefhebber. En dus kan een optreden in de undergroundtempel Vera niet uitblijven.
Om met de deur in huis te vallen: Feerick en zijn mannen op bas, gitaar en drums (hij is zo slim geweest om een band bij elkaar te zoeken) stellen vanavond in Groningen niet teleur. Het is heerlijk om zo’n nieuw, jong en fris bandje zo bevlogen bezig te zien. Zanger/gitarist Michael Feerick, qua uiterlijk een kruising tussen de vroegere Billy Idol en Johnny Rotten, is een geïnspireerde frontman. Bassist Jez Cox en drummer Peter Dale staan vooral in dienst van de liedjes. Amusement Parks on Fire produceert een orkaan van (gitaar)geluid, dat nergens in een chaotische geluidsbrij uitmondt, maar altijd melodieus en toegankelijk klinkt. Echte hoogtepunten zijn er niet, daarvoor is het te veel van hetzelfde. Maar het gehele optreden is van een hoog niveau en je wordt telkens weer omver geblazen door de breed uitwaaierende, noisy gitaren van Feerick en Daniel Knowles. De groep uit Nottingham sluit af met prijsnummer ‘Venus in Cancer’ om met ‘Local boy makes god’ nog even lekker na te dronen en het publiek te irriteren. Een toegift spelen ze niet, ondanks dat een groot deel van het publiek daarop wacht. Niet slim, want liefhebbers die de plaat na afloop op prachtig wit vinyl willen kopen vallen buiten de boot. 6.5/10




Gezien & gehoord:

RICHMOND FONTAINE

Paradiso Amsterdam: bovenzaal
Donderdag 20 oktober 2005
Geschreven door: Jeroen Dijkema


“…Casino, six nights a week
drinking whiskey and cokes
and gambling. Only home
when his stomach would burn …”
(Casino lights)

Richmond Fontaine is de band rond zanger/gitarist Willy Vlautin. Een begenadigd liedjesschrijver met een voorliefde voor gokkers, alcoholici, zwervers, verloren liefdes en andere ‘losers’. Verhalen over personages die aan de zelfkant van de maatschappij leven. Hun laatste plaat,‘The Fitzgerald’(2005), staat er bol van. Deze uiterst sobere en akoestische plaat werd, net als de vorige cd ‘Post to wire’ uit 2003, door de critici onthaald als een meesterwerk. De band uit Portland, Oregon kan ook rocken in de trant van Uncle Tupelo en The Replacements. Dankzij de dreinerige, intense zang van Vlautin wordt de melancholie nooit uit het oog verloren. Live is Richmond Fontaine dan ook een mengsel van sobere ballads en meeslepende gitaarrockliedjes. Naar aanleiding van de fantastische platen is het hopen op een avondje kippenvel in de Paradiso. Zo’n avond dat alles lijkt te kloppen: van begin tot einde ontroering, bewondering en intimiteit. Zo’n avond dat je alle persoonlijke misère even vergeet, ondanks de depressieve teksten van Vlautin. Teweeggebracht door vier doodnormale, onopvallende gasten die toevallig weten hoe een goed liedje geschreven moet worden en hun instrumenten beheersen. Helaas, vanavond zijn in Amsterdam de magische momenten ver te zoeken. Geen kippenvel, geen ontroering en in zijn geheel weinig inspirerend. Al valt Richmond Fontaine weinig te verwijten. Het is niet slecht wat zanger/gitarist Willy Vlautin, gitarist Dan Eccles, bassist Dave Harding en drummer Sean Oldham het publiek voorschotelen. De band opent redelijk sterk met ‘Out of state’, ‘White line fever’ en ‘Through’, maar de liedjes lijken voor een deel van het publiek aan dovemansoren gericht. Mogelijke oorzaak: tientallen bezoekers zijn gekomen voor het akoestische duo Ezio en blijven in de zaal hangen tijdens de set van Richmond Fontaine. Op zich niet erg, alleen zijn ze helemaal niet geïnteresseerd in het concert. Deze egoïsten zijn zo luidruchtig dat liedjes overstemd worden door geklets. Vooral akoestische, intieme nummers als ‘The warehouse life’ en ‘The Janitor’ moeten het ontgelden. Ze komen niet uit de verf. De verhalende teksten van Vlautin zijn nauwelijks hoorbaar. De band is zichtbaar teleurgesteld.
Na driekwartier heeft een groot gedeelte van het Ezio-publiek Richmond Fontaine de rug toegekeerd en is vertrokken. Een handvol liefhebbers blijven de band trouw. De bovenzaal is nog voor ¼ gevuld. Een trieste aanblik in een toch al niet te sfeervol Paradiso. Zet deze mannen in een rokerige kroeg of kelder en de liedjes komen ongetwijfeld beter tot hun recht. Het dieptepunt van de avond moet nog komen. Wanneer Vlautin ‘Making it back(3AM)’, één van de mooiste nummers van ‘The Fitzgerald’ inzet, is het publiek muisstil. Op een gillende keukenmeid voor het podium na. Zij meent geheel misplaatst Vlautin aan te moedigen. Dit tot ergernis van de zanger/gitarist die het droevige liedje abrupt afbreekt en vraagt of zij verder wil zingen. Vervolgens slaagt ze erin het liedje om zeep te helpen (ze kent de tekst niet) en de serieuze luisteraars tegen zich in het harnas te jagen. ‘Piss off, fuck off’, klinkt het vanuit de zaal. Een gênante vertoning. Richmond Fontaine sluit de set af met ‘Western skyline’. Op de plaat ‘Winnemucca’ (2002) een ruim zeven minuten durend, slepend nummer opgesierd door een desolaat klinkende pedal steel gitaar. Vanavond wordt het lied flink ingekort en moet het de ondersteuning van de pedal steel missen. Het zegt wat over de gemoedstoestand van de vier muzikanten op het podium. De band heeft het na een uur musiceren gehad voor vanavond. Ze komen terug voor twee toegiften, ‘Post to wire’ en ‘Polaroid’, alvorens af te druipen richting kleedkamer: ‘Broken, blown, lost and blue’. Website: www.richmondfontaine.com






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