The Kooks- 10 May 2015

I don’t know if it’s just me or if this is a general opinion, but to me, The Kooks is just one of those bands that I will always love but never thought I would actually see live. Well, I guess the joke is on myself because last night, I saw THE KOOKS. I still can’t believe it. And man, was it a special show. Young Rising Sons opened, and Joywave made a surprise guest appearance which was awesome. So, here is the breakdown.

So Young Rising Sons was first up, and I have always really liked them, although I will admit I haven’t listened to any of their material other than the stuff that’s been on the alternative radio station. After their set, I feel like I definitely need to go listen to more of their stuff because they put on a good set. It wasn’t anything too amped up, which I thought was good because usually it can be difficult for the opener to get the crowd going anyway. However, they didn’t need to work as hard to do that because a lot of people seemed to know their stuff, so like good for them! One little extra note: the lead singer seemed to be channeling Harry Styles a bit with his appearance. Not that it matters.

I won’t discuss Joywave much just because I did a review of their set like a month ago when they were in Boston opening for Bleachers (see here) and they were a surprise opener! Things to note: they are still awesome. The lead singer is still v funny. And we were lucky enough to not have to hear the first song twice (although I do quite enjoy that song.) In the words of the lead singer “You do not have to experience the wrath of “Destruction” today.”

And now for the main event, The Kooks. Wow. There is a reason this band has been around for almost 10 years, and their live show could very well be that reason, or at least one of them. Obviously, they have bucketloads of talent. From the riffs on the guitar to the riffs in the vocals and everything in between, there is no doubt these guys can play. What really made the show was how they worked the stage. The lead singer threw around some cute little hip (or lack thereof) shaking moves and some can-can kicks, which was hilarious and the crowd loved it. The backdrop was minimalistic but they really used it to their advantage by lighting it with different colors and that was cool. What I think was really cool is after all this time, they are still so incredibly thankful of everyone that is coming out to see them. They aren’t these jaded, rich rockstars, or at least they don’t seem to be.

I had a blast. I also feel that part of my life has been fulfilled. The damn Kooks.

Has anyone else caught this show, or is anyone going to in the future? Let me know with a comment below!

I also love when people send me stuff to check out, so if you find yourself thinking “Man, this song should grace the pages of The Lucky Velvet”, let me know people!

You know what else is awesome? Taking the music of The Lucky Velvet with you everywhere you go! And you can now do that with this Spotify playlist.

If you like my music blog and you like stickers, you can get a sticker with my music blog on it. Cool, right? http://www.redbubble.com/people/elanamaling/works/14163744-the-lucky-velvet-music-blog-logo?grid_pos=2&p=sticker

Bleachers- 7 April 2015

Photo: Erica Navar

instagram: @navarerica

Alright folks, it is officially concert season here at The Lucky Velvet. Prepare to be hearing about all of the glorious concerts you should be attending. Next up is Bleachers, who I had the absolute pleasure of seeing last night at House of Blues here in Boston. We shall begin at the beginning.

Have I ever told you all how important it is to see the openers? Well, it’s important to see the opener. For this show, the first act was Night Terrors of 1927, who has graced the pages of The Lucky Velvet a couple of times before and who you might even be seeing again some day soon (i.e. today for Weekly Obsession.) Clearly, I already like their sound, but the live shows always give you a good look into the feel of a band, you know? This group of humans was eccentric, but in a really funny and endearing way. The vocals actually reminded me a bit of Brandon Flowers, and I thought the backing vocals really added a nice and rounded out sound. Fun fact, the bassist was turning 22 last night and that absolutely blows my mind because she looked so much older and also way to be 22 and touring the country. Too cool. Overall, really good stage presence and definitely talented.

Now on to Joywave. The thing about this band is that I’ve only heard a couple tracks from them, and they’ve all been collabs. I heard from a friend that she wasn’t really into the other stuff she had heard, so I was a little apprehensive. Let me tell you, I was massively impressed by their live show. They are definitely a quirky group and they had some pretty wild gimmicks (I don’t want to give it away for those of you that may be seeing them in the future) but their live show is seriously awesome. They manage to hype up the crowd really well, and their songs hit really hard. Honestly, if you have even a remote interest in alternative music, go see these guys. Also, the drummer was wearing a Korn shirt so that was funny.

And now, the main event. What a show. To be honest, I wasn’t all that familiar with the songs, but it didn’t even matter. The entire band has this amazing stage presence, and Jack Antonoff is such a good performer. HE played into the crowd so perfectly and he was still so humbled to be there and so thankful. They did a cover of “American Girl” that was seriously so good and they brought out a saxophone toward the end which always gets the party going. They also did a cover of Kanye’s “Only One” and that was just amazing. Of course, they played the staples, “Rollercoaster” and “I Wanna Get Better” and the crowd went nuts for both. There was a confetti cannon that everyone went crazy for. I have to say, what blew me away wasn’t the talent of the guys on the stage, but how they played the stage. It’s really great when you can see that the people up there are really doing what they love, and that they appreciate people for being there. This really showed through the energy on the stage. The hype was really next level. Also, Jack Antonoff wore a white denim cutoff and that was amazing.

Go to concerts. Go to this concert. That is all.

Thoughts? Let me know with a comment below!

I also love when people send me stuff to check out, so if you find yourself thinking “Man, this song should grace the pages of The Lucky Velvet”, let me know people!

You know what else is awesome? Taking the music of The Lucky Velvet with you everywhere you go! And you can now do that with this Spotify playlist.

If you like my music blog and you like stickers, you can get a sticker with my music blog on it. Cool, right? http://www.redbubble.com/people/elanamaling/works/14163744-the-lucky-velvet-music-blog-logo?grid_pos=2&p=sticker

A P R I L 2 0 1 5

April 6

The Wombats- Glitterbug

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/glitterbug-deluxe-version/id955812139

April 7

Delta Rae- After It All

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/after-it-all/id967126600

Matt & Kim- New Glow

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/new-glow/id956394919

Priory- Need To Know

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/need-to-know/id920153128

WATERS- What’s Real

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whats-real/id960239761

April 13

Mt. Wolf- Red EP

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/red-ep/id967295325

April 18

Violent Femmes- Happy New Year

(no iTunes link)

April 20

Passenger- Whispers II (all profit going to UNICEF)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whispers-ii-deluxe-version/id976668065

Tom DeLonge- To The Stars…

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/to-stars…-demos-odds-ends/id979423810

April 21

Alabama Shakes- Sound & Color

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sound-color/id963011510

Passion Pit- Kindred

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kindred/id965405199

Joywave- How Do You Feel Now?

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-do-you-feel-now/id965050044

Guys, please let me know if there are albums coming out that I missed!

I also love when people send me stuff to check out, so if you find yourself thinking “Man, this song should grace the pages of The Lucky Velvet”, let me know people!

You know what else is awesome? Taking the music of The Lucky Velvet with you everywhere you go! And you can now do that with this Spotify playlist.

If you like my music blog and you like stickers, you can get a sticker with my music blog on it. Cool, right? http://www.redbubble.com/people/elanamaling/works/14163744-the-lucky-velvet-music-blog-logo?grid_pos=2&p=sticker

Tongues // Joywave feat. KOPPS

The beginning of the song is so freaking cool.