ADateZ Inc.

You're at: Front Page

Reviews

Gigs

The Gigs / Concerts Review

James Blunt at Hammersmith Apollo

James Blunt

Live from Hammersmith Apollo, London, 14 January 2008. Some people seem to have a natural dislike for James Blunt and admittedly I am not a massive fan myself, but I must give this guy some proper credit. On the way there I was wondering whether I’d be bored after a while, but when I left the Hammersmith Apollo I was head over heels in love with Blunt, sobbing I should have said Hi to his mum who was sat right in front of me.

Metronomy at Amersham Arms

Lightspeed Champion

Live from Amersham Arms, London, 12 January 2008, plus Lightspeed Champion & Underground Railroad. The words 'free entrance' are sweet ones for any student. But when it's to see bands that boast as much talent as this bill boasts it's a rare thing. The Amersham Arms in New Cross, a local hangout for Goldsmiths students as well as the odd cluster of old boys in the adjacent pub, has recently been tarted up and is now under the able management of the owners of the Lock Tavern in Camden. Regular nights include the idiosyncratic 'musical bingo', 'ska burlesque' and all manner of live acts, from Chas and Dave to nu-rave electro fare.

Diamond Hoo Ha Men at Camden Barfly

Supergrass

Live from Camden Barfly, London, 09 January 2008. The latest incarnation of Supergrass, Diamond Hoo Ha Men (conceived while their bassist recovers from a broken back) showed just why Danny and Gaz were so popular in the 1990s.

Getting back to their roots with a one off show in the tiny Camden Barfly, the duo produced a wall of noise- thrashing guitars and matching drums. Leading with Michael Jackson’s infamous 'Beat it’, the twosome, newly monikored as Duke Diamond and Randy Hoo Ha, played for forty minutes, combining news songs such as 345 and Bad Blood before finishing with the new Supergrass single, Diamond Hoo Ha Men.

Jeffrey Lewis at Cargo, London

Jeffrey Lewis

Live from Cargo, London 18 December 2007. The first time I heard Jeffrey Lewis I was curled up under my duvet with headphones stuck to the side of my head, trying to listen to the revolutionary John Peel show on Radio 1. He played this incredible folk voice, singing tales of LSD and rooftops, and I knew that this guy was something special. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before, and I wasn’t content with only one listening. The very next day I hunted down the debut LP from this inspirational voice, and I was not disappointed. LSD tales morphed into Chelsea Hotel stories, with unrequited love, and inadequacy, and remorse, and drugs, and New York, and everything challenging to my youthful mind. I simply adored it.

The Chemical Brothers at Brixton Academy

The Chemical Brothers

Live from Brixton Academy, London, 13 December 2007. The Chemical Brothers are the only one of dance music’s nineties big guns to remain at the top of their game. While the likes of Orbital, Leftfield, Underworld and The Prodigy also helped to drag dance music from the underground into the mainstream, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons are really the only artists from that old elite who continue to produce dance music that is both popular and credible.

Evanescence Live at San Jose State Event Center

Evanescence

Live from San Jose State Event Center in San Jose, CA 14 November 2007. The lights go down at the San Jose State Event Center as Evanescence prepares to hit the stage and the crowd begins to chant – “Amy, Amy, Amy!” Evanescence singer Amy Lee has developed a growing cult of personality, and it’s not hard to understand why. With her dynamic voice, dark angel charisma and hard-rocking band, the 25-year-old Lee has put together a sound that is unparalleled in music today.

Silversun Pickups at Fillmore Auditorium

Silversun Pickups

Live from Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, CA 19 October 2007. Headlining the legendary Fillmore Auditorium for the first time is a pivotal career milestone for any young rock and roll band. More than any other venue of similar size, a date before a sold out crowd of 1200 or so at the Fillmore says that a band has made the big time. The Silversun Pickups reached this milestone on a Friday evening in October and made it a night to remember for everyone present.

Van Halen United Center, IL

Van Halen

Live from United Center, Chicago, IL 18 October 2007. Having enjoyed the Van Hagar reunion tour of 2004 and having equal affection for Van Halen Mach I, I was thrilled to score tickets to the second show in Chicago on the current tour. Sammy’s reign was marked with terrific melodic oriented tracks like “Dreams,” “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Right Now.” The Roth era was all muscle and pubescent thrills. This time around, as Mr. Roth so eloquently informed the sellout crowd, the band was three parts original (Roth, Eddie and Alex) and one part inevitable (Eddie’s 16 year old son, Wofgang on bass).

NME Indie Rock Tour

No image available

Live from Academy, Birmingham, 7 February 2007. Whatever you think of the magazine itself, the NME tour has earned itself a reputation in recent years for showcasing genuine superstars-in-waiting. Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay - they all went stratospheric after this tour. They all played the mythical opening slot, too. Does success on that scale beckon for the band? Probably not. They have bags of potential, and new single What Would Steve Do is a soaring, shiny gem, but overall they don't appear to have the songs to truly crack the big time in the manner of the above. The likes of She's Got You High and Song B stand them out from the hordes of identikit indie groups, and more than justify the hype.

Massive Attack at Brixton Academy

Massive Attack

Live from Brixton Academy, London, 7 February 2007. One man struggles while another relaxes. The lyric from Massive Attack's Hymn of the Big Wheel is an all too fitting epigraph for their gig at the Brixton Academy this evening. Not only does it capture the dichotomy that The Hoping Foundation, who the concert was in aid of, is trying to alleviate in its work with children in Palestinian refugee camps but also highlights the duality behind the band; the pugnacious, 3D Robert Del Naja and the taller, laid back Grant Marshall.