Gig Review: Brandon Flowers @ Brixton Academy, London 22/5

Brandon Flowers- O2 Brixton Academy, 22nd May 2015

Right I’m going to be honest about this from the start, I’m writing this review as a fan so there may be more than a hint of bias. The Killers are by far and away my favourite band (2 years since Wembley! Where’s the time gone?) so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Brandon without his regular band mates.

Having seen The Killers three times previously I knew he was good. He is a brilliant frontman; singer, performer and stage craft are all top notch. But that was with The Killers, would he be as good performing his own material? The answer was an emphatic yes… and some.

I had been in possession of his new album The Desired Effect got a week before the show and fell in love with it on the first listen. It is brilliant from start to finish and with the drip feed of singles leading up to its release you got the idea there was going to be a strong pool of songs to choose from. Each of the singles that were played were instant fan favourites and crowd pleasers.

Flowers kicked the show off with ‘Untangled Love’ which unsurprisingly is an 80s enthused party anthem. The slow build up leading up to the big sing along chorus made it a perfect opener. He followed it up with ‘Can’t Deny My Love’ which sounds awesome live; it sounds a much mightier beast in a live environment. Released as the lead single here in the UK it was the best known of the ‘new’ songs and definitely went down well with the crowd.

He then went back to his previous solo effort ‘Flamingo’ playing the wonderful ‘Crossfire’, the ‘Mr Brightside’ of his debut. It’s his most famous solo hit and had every single person inside Brixton singing along. He followed it up with ‘Magdalena’ another song from Flamingo, a song that very much channels ‘Spaceman’ vibes, keeping up the high energy start.

So far so good.

He then slowed it down by going back to some old Killers material and playing a wonderful yet completely different version of ‘Jenny Was a Friend of Mine’. Usually it is a huge high energy sing/dance along anthem, but this is was a more laid back affair. It wasn’t in a lounge style as such, but it shows the versatility and class of the music. Definitely went down well with the crowd as it is a popular fan favourite. Flowers bookended the song by asking the crowd whether they thought the subject in song was guilty or not (he is). He followed that up with ‘Lonely Town’, another one of the pre-release singles. This was in fact better than the album version as it didn’t have that little auto tune interlude in the middle.

My night was then made when he played ‘Digging Up the Heart’, my personal favourite off the new album. Having been looking at recent setlists and noticing its omission I had no idea it was going to be played.  I’ve heard it described as the ‘Walk of Life’ of the album, but in a way it’s similar to From Here on Out from Battleborn. It’s an upbeat song that you cannot stand still to. The second surprise of the night then followed when Killers fan favourite Human started and for 4 minutes we were all at a Killers concert. Even better it wasn’t played in a different style; it was played as heard on the original. It was a great and unexpected addition to the setlist.

He then slowed it down again before ending the set with one of my favourites off Flamingo ‘Only the Young’ and then the Jacques Lu Cont remix version of ‘Mr Brightside’… which again had the whole of Brixton academy singing as one. It might not have been the original but that didn’t matter, the chance to sing along to ‘Mr Brightside’ in a live environment is a special moment, especially when you have 4/5000 other Killers fans in the room with you.

As ‘Mr Brightside’ drew to a close Flowers trooped off stage with his band, with the crowd not letting up till his return. As on the previous night, he had a special guest accompany him for the encore and we were lucky enough to have the brilliant Chrissie Hynde join Brandon on stage. They performed a cover of The Pretenders classic ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ before duetting  on ‘Between Me and You’. He then finished off a fantastic evening with ‘I Can Change’, which sounds even better live than it does on the album before rounding it off with the brilliant ‘Still Want You’ complete with crowd participation.

It was a fantastic evening and has given me the bug for seeing The Killers again, something that had been lying dormant for the last two years. The music may be different, as are the musicians who join him on stage, but the songs of the same superb quality of any Killers material. The only disappointment was that they didn’t play a cover of ‘Read My Mind’, my all-time favourite Killers song as they had done the previous night, but you can’t have everything. An inclusion of ‘Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts’ would have been nice too.

All in all it was a fantastic evening and lived up to and surpassed expectations.

Just have to wait for the next Killers tour now….


Setlist

Untangled Love
Can't Deny My Love
Crossfire
Magdalena
Hard Enough
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
Lonely Town
Diggin' Up the Heart
Human
Swallow It
The Way It's Always Been (Acoustic)
Only the Young
Mr Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)

Encore

Don't Get Me Wrong feat. Chrissie Hynde
Between Me and You feat. Chrissie Hynde
I Can Change
Still Want You

Christmas Songs

Well December is finally upon is (where has this year gone??) so I thought it would be worth doing a blog on Christmas songs. Everyone has their favourites and there’s no point in listing the ones that everybody knows. There a few covers in here, but they’re well done and may make a change to hearing the usual versions. They are all fairly recent releases so here’s a list of songs that might be worth adding to your festive playlist. Enjoy J

Amy MacDonald- Fairytale of New York: A song that has been covered many times but not much comes close to matching the classic Pogues & Kirsty McCall version released back in 1987. It has been frequently voted the best Christmas song ever and is my personal favourite. Saying that, this version with Amy MacDonald, which appears on the deluxe version of her second album ‘A Curious Thing’ is pretty good. I’m a fan of Amy’s and I have to say she and her bass player did a good job with the cover. It’s not easy to do well as Shane McGowan has such a distinctive voice but it works well. It also helps that Amy is Scottish so it maintains a Celtic feel to it.

Cee Lo Green- All I Want for Christmas: Cee Lo Green covering Mariah Carey. It works as well as you think it does. It’s been given a little make over to fit with Green’s soul style but it works wonders. It hasn’t lost its festive edge either so it still feels like a Christmas song. The song appears on ‘Cee Lo’s Magic Moment’, Green’s first Christmas album, which was released last year. It features a number of covers including ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’, ‘Silent Night’ and ‘White Christmas’. The album also features collaborations with artists ranging from Christina Aguilera to Rod Stewart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9syS765P7Q- All I Want For Christmas

Coldplay- Christmas Lights: One of the biggest Christmas songs in recent years comes from British giants Coldplay who spin their own festive charm with their song ‘Christmas Lights’. It has Coldplay written all over it, but that doesn’t stop it being a good song for this time of year. It might lack the ‘fun’ element of some of the other songs on the list, but it fits perfectly in any Christmas playlist.

Deacon Blue- You’ll Know It’s Christmas: Anybody who has heard the song ‘Dignity’ will know that Deacon Blue know how to write a very good song, and the Scottish veterans have struck gold with this Christmas effort. ‘You’ll Know It’s Christmas’ features on their new festive EP which is due for release mid-December. Will definitely be one I am downloading.

Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler- Christmas Day (Wish I Was Surfing): This is one of my favourite Christmas albums from recent years. Titled ‘This is Christmas’, it’s a collaboration between Hong Kong born singer songwriter Emmy the Great and Ash frontman Tim Wheeler for real festive treat. It’s packed full of fun, catchy songs including ‘Christmas Day (Wish I Was Surfing)’, ‘Home for the Holidays’ and ‘Zombie Christmas’.

Kelly Clarkson- Underneath the Tree: Taken from her recently released 6^th album ‘Wrapped in Red’, ‘Underneath the Tree’ is a shoe in for being one of the best Christmas songs of the year. ‘Wrapped in Red’ is Clarkson’s first attempt at a Christmas themed album and it sounds fantastic.  It’s very festive and puts you right in the Christmas mood.

KT Tunstall- 2000 Miles: Back in 2007 Scottish singer songwriter KT Tunstall released a Christmas EP titled ‘Sound of the Season: The KT Tunstall Holiday Collection’ featuring various covers of old festive songs.  This includes a cover of the 1983 Pretenders song, ‘2000 Miles’. It’s not easy to cover a Chrissie Hynde song, but Tunstall pulls it off brilliantly. To be honest you’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference. Definitely does the song justice. Another track to check out is her version of ‘Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas in Hawaii)’ if you want something a bit different.

Lady Antebellum- Let It Snow: Released last year, ‘On This Winter’s Night’ is the first Christmas album by American country trio Lady Antebellum. Filled with covers plus three of their own songs, it’s slightly different take on some of the festive favourites. Songs such as ‘Let It Snow’ work really well after their make-over and their self-penned songs such as ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas’ are well worth a listen as well. Makes a change from listening to ‘Need You Now’.

Mary J Blige- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: This may be Mary J Blige’s eleventh studio album, but ‘A Mary Christmas’ is her first Christmas album. However that doesn’t stop the R&B songstress from putting her own spin on classics such as ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.  Even ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ has been given the R&B treatment and it sounds good for it as well. Another Christmas album that is well worth a listen.

The Killers- Christmas in LA: This is the latest Christmas release by The Killers and it is one of their strongest. It is the eighth year in a row that they have released a Christmas single with all the proceeds again going to AIDS charities as part of the Product Red campaign. ‘Christmas in LA’ is actually a collaboration with indie band Dawes and is a very good song. It has the usual Killers charm and the voices of Brandon Flowers and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith work really well. Even if you’re not a fan, will be worth downloading anyway as it’s for a good cause.

Well there you have it, hopefully there’s plenty there for you to add to your Christmas playlists. Should make a change from the usual Wham!, Slade, Wizzard et al. songs. 

New Music: The Best of 2013 so far #5

This is the fifth time I've done one of these and the format is pretty simple:

New blog post consisting of new music.

Go ahead and check it out :)

Alter Bridge- Addicted to Pain: Fresh from their side projects (Singer Myles Kennedy working with Slash recording and touring his solo album and Guitarist Mark Tremonti promoting his own solo work), 2013 sees Alter Bridge return with their 4^th studio album ‘Fortress’. ‘Addicted to Pain’ is the first single and it is awesome.   It typifies the modern hard rock genre. Kennedy, widely regarded as one of the best singers around, has his distinctive vocals set against a bone crunching riff and thumping rhythm section. This may not sound like anything special, but it is an experienced at the top of their game and on first listen is really does make you sit up and take notice. People may question where the next “great” rock band is going to come from, but Alter Bridge are certainly making their claim.

 

Avenged Sevenfold- Hail to the King: Arguably the biggest hard rock act around at the moment, Avenged Sevenfold return with this, the lead single off their new latest album. With ‘Hail to the King’ being their sixth album release, they have now established themselves as one of the titans of the modern rock genre. Even though the band had to contend with the sudden death of drummer James ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, they returned with vengeance with their 2010 album ‘Nightmare’ and have continued in the same vain with the current album. There is very much a 1970s heavy metal feel to the single with the intro showing particular influences in Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. However there is still that 21^st Century sound running throughout showing they are not copying old bands past glories. It’s proved to be popular with the album going straight to number one in the UK and US charts.

 

Babyshambles- Nothing Comes to Nothing: One of the most infamous rock stars of recent years makes his return with a brilliant new song. 2013 sees Pete Doherty return with his other band, Babyshambles for their third album after 2007’s ‘Shotter’s Nation’. I’ve never really been a big fan of Babyshambles or The Libertines, apart from a few songs, but I liked this song straight away. There is a signature Doherty sound running through the song in both the vocals and the music and it just seems to have a class about it that makes it a really good song to listen to. He is evidentially a very talented musician and on this kind of form, he writes fantastic music.

 

Halestorm- Get Lucky: Fresh from their Grammy win for best Hard Rock/Metal song with ‘Love Bites… (So Do I), Halestorm return with their second covers EP named Reanimate2. As with the original Reanimate EP, it includes covers of various rock songs including those from AC/DC and Judas Priest. However the first song they have made available for the public’s enjoyment is a cover of one of the biggest, and most annoying, songs of the year. Yes, it is the ‘Get Lucky’ you’re thinking of. The Daft Punk song that you can’t seem to get away from. What Halestorm have done is taken it away, given it some new clothes and turned it into a rock song. And you know what, it doesn’t sound too bad. It sounds a bit clunky in places, but that’s due to the original’s annoying structure. That’s not to say it’s a bad song. Lzzy Hale’s vocals are typically strong and powerful while it features a nice little guitar solo halfway through. It’s a good cover a song that I had got bored of and it certainly gave it something fresh. Very much looking forward to hearing their ‘Shoot to Thrill’ cover from the EP.

 

Hey! Hello!- Swimwear: Hey! Hello!’s self-titled release I think will certainly go down as one of the most interesting albums of the year. Comprising of ex-Wildhearts frontman Ginger Wildheart and American singer Victoria Liedtke, they joined forces to create an album full of light-hearted pop rock. The result is brilliant quite frankly, as evidenced here by the single ‘Swinwear’.  Short, punchy, but incredibly catchy it showcases Ginger’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist (the video shows him playing drums, bass and guitar and he recorded each part himself when making the album). It also brings Wildheart together with Liedtke again, with the pair having worked together on the former’s 555% project. Fair to say they make a good team. Definitely music that lifts your mood and puts a smile on your face.

 

Jake Bugg- What Doesn’t Kill You: Jake Bugg has had quite a year. A number one debut album, multiple sold out tours, various popular festival appearances and he has still found time to record a new album. Working with veteran producer Rick Rubin, Bugg has finished working on his second album ‘Shangri La’, due for release in the UK in November. ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ is the lead single of said album and immediately you can tell a difference to his music. Gone is the folky kind of sound from the first album which has been replaced by a much more guitar led indie sound. For this song at least, will have to wait and see what the rest of the album is like. I like it though. Bugg is a very accomplished guitarist, something he shows in the live act, and this has obviously been picked up by Rubin who has encouraged a different approach. It’s worked a treat though and shows a versatility that proves he is more than a one trick pony. Not that he is was anyway.

 

Keane- Higher Than the Sun: There appears to be a trend that bands who appeared on the scene while I was at school are now at a stage in their careers where they can release a ‘Best Of’ compilation. The Killers are one such band (more on them below) and Keane are also in on the act. After four studio albums plus an EP, there is plenty of material to choose from. I am a big fan of their first two albums and was very impressed with last year’s release ‘Strangeland’ so I’m always interested to hear what Keane’s new music sounds like.  It doesn’t disappoint. It has Keane written all over it and very much has their signature sound. It perhaps isn’t their best song compared to the rest of their collection, but it can sit perfectly comfortably amongst their other hits in the knowledge that it helps provide a great introduction to the band.

 

Kodaline- All I Want pt2: Released roughly a year ago, Irish indie band Kodaline captured the public’s hearts with a frankly brilliant video to their single ‘All I Want’. It was a fantastic video which told the story of a man ‘with a different kind of face’ (*), standing up to the bullies as well as trying to win the heart of the girl in the office. Thing is, it wasn’t just a good video, the song was brilliant as well. With over 4 million hits on YouTube, the song proved to be immensely popular, and all before the band had even released their first album. So the band have returned to finish the story, with an equally fantastic video set to the same song. This time it’s set around the story of losing his dog Digby. I’m a dog person so I fell in love with the video immediately and I challenge and I challenge anyone not to do the same. It manages to stir emotion in the viewer just as they did with the last video and they’ve done it perfectly. The song works equally well live, I saw them perform at Hard Rock Calling, and I think they are a band that are going to go from strength to strength.

*http://www.promonews.tv/videos/2013/10/08/kodaline-all-i-want-part-2-stevie-Russell

 

Lissie- Sleepwalking: ‘Sleepwalking is the latest single from Illinois songstress Lissie and it’s an absolute stormer. Having had huge success with her debut album ‘Catching a Tiger’, she came to further prominence with her cover of the Fleetwood Mac classic ‘Go Your Own Way’. Having already released ‘Shameless’ and  ‘Further Away’, ‘Sleepwalking’ is the third track to be heard from an album that hasn’t even been released yet. Not that I’m complaining. I warmed to ‘Shameless’ and ‘Further Away’ quite quickly but fell in love with ‘Sleepwalking’ immediately. It caught my attention on the radio immediately. It’s a great song, very catchy and with a brilliant beat and chorus to it. It has a real laid back charm to it that is hard not to like, as well as a good bass guitar solo. If the rest of the album is as good as the tracks we’ve already heard then I think we’re in for a cracking album.

 

NoNoNo- Pumpin’ Blood: This is, hands down, one of my favourite songs of the year. It has everything; a great hook, sing along chorus, perfect tempo and you can’t not dance along to it. I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it. It is going to be a massive hit around the world, there’s no question about that. With already over a million hits on YouTube, a good number of them mine, word is spreading fast. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, it is Scandinavian pop at its finest. Icona Pop may have felt they had the title for best song of 2013 from that part of the world, but NoNoNo have put up a very strong challenge. There are differences between the two however. Whereas Icona Pop are purely pop,  NoNoNo have more of an indie sound, similar to New Zealanders The Naked and Famous. In the end though it might be easier not trying to pigeon hole them; they have put out one of the best songs of the year which makes any sub-genre choosing pretty irrelevant.

 

The Dead Dasies feat. Slash- Lock n Load: Not a band that I had heard of before, but after being introduced to them by Classic Rock Magazine I thought they’d be worth a look. Worth the effort as this song includes a guest appearance with Slash on guitar, and any song with him playing is going to be worth listening to. A classic rock song that is well worth checking out. Having recently opened for Aerosmith, The Dead Daises might be a name to look out for in the future.

 

The Civil Wars- Dust to Dust: Not a band I am overly familiar with, but thanks again to Classic Rock Magazine I have ended up listening to a gem of a band. ‘Dust to Dust’ is the third single of the duo’s self-titled second album. It is a wonderfully gentle song (think ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ by Bruce Springsteen and you get the idea) and has the ability to capture you within the opening seconds. The voices of John Paul White and Joy Williams complement each other so well I can see why they won a Grammy as well as other awards for their debut album. Definitely a band that are worth investigating further.

 

Terry Malts- I Was Not There: Sometimes a random find can turn out to be an absolute gem, and that is exactly the case here. The Hard Rock Facebook page posted the video for this song and I decided to take a look as it appeared on my timeline. Well I’m glad I did because it’s a cracking song. Not only that, I’ve given a listen to the whole album and it follows pretty much in the same vein. There is a Britpop crossed with Alternative Rock sound to the song, with the riff sounding like it has been influenced by Placebo. In fact it was the riff that made me stop and give the song a proper listen. It is very catchy and soon has you breaking out the air guitar. It will also have you singing along to the chorus within a couple of listens. A great little find and a song that any fan of indie music will love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXBL5eTe7VY

The Family Rain- Pushing It: 2013 seems to be a good year for young British rock bands and Bath trio The Family Rain are the latest to put their name forward. To be honest I’ve included them here as I recently saw them open for Miles Kane in Portsmouth and I was really impressed with them. Well impressed enough to warrant telling people about them and suggest giving them a listen. ‘Pushing It’ has bluesy rock sound to it, not unlike The Black Keys, with a riff reminiscent of ‘Joker and the Thief’.  That’s not to say they are ripping anyone off. They have a tight but individual sound with a range of songs that made them worth checking out after I had seen them. They might not be a name you recognise but they might just be a name you will become familiar with the future.

 

The Killers- Shot At the Night: 2013 has been a mammoth year for The Killers. Not only have the Las Vegas rockers concluded their mammoth ‘Battle Born’ tour, including a sell -out show at Wembley Stadium in London, they have now announced their ‘Greatest Hits’ album, a collection spanning their career thus far. It’s hard to imagine they’ve been around ten years, but after 4 albums, B-Sides and rarities as well as one off and Christmas singles, you can now get a Killers starter kit, with all the essential tracks to get you hooked. Plus two new tracks, including this one. Produced by Anthony Gonzalez from M83, the song sees the band return to a 1980s influenced sound. They have always had a different sound with each album they have done, and this song has a slightly different sound once again. It’s not the same as the New Wave influences found on Hot Fuss and doesn’t fit with the style on Day and Age. As with all The Killers music, it’s a real grower. After a few listens you find yourself becoming rather fond of it. With another new song ‘Just Another Girl’ on the album, as well news of a new Brandon Flowers solo album due in the not so distant future, there is plenty of music for fans of The Killers to look forward to.

 

The Strypes- What a Shame: Irish youngsters The Strypes release the third single off their debut album ‘Snapshot’ and they continue to make a big name for themselves. For a band so young, they already appear to have a well-established sound. They know the kind of music they want to play and they go ahead and smash it. While it doesn’t have the same intensity of ‘Blue Collar Jane’, it still has a similar catchiness that keeps you listening. They might be taking their look and sound from the 1960s, but since when was that a bad thing. For now it makes them stand out as something a bit different which can only be a good thing.

 

 

There you have it, another brief round up of some of the best new music around at the moment. Feel free to check out some of my other posts and keep a look out for some gig reviews that will be coming up in the near future. Will have two that will be up in the next 10 days or so.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time :)

 

 

Gig Review: The Killers @ Wembley Stadium

The Killers- Wembley Stadium, 22/6

What a night. This was the third time I’ve seen The Killers and they didn’t disappoint. They have a reputation for being brilliant live and this was no exception. They are a band that was born to play stadiums, and in the biggest stand-alone concert of their career so far, they took to it like a duck to water. Now I may be a bit biased because they’re my favourite band, but what can’t be denied is that the sell-out crowd was treated to a really special evening.

Even the support acts were fantastic. First up were Manchester veterans James. Having seen them once before, when they supported The Killers previously actually, I had a pretty good idea what to expect. With over 20 years’ experience they know how to put on a good show.  Even though they only had time for 7 songs (would have been 8, but they overran), they certainly made a good impression on the crowd. With Tim Booth’s famous dancing, the band has a real energy and stage presence that comes from a career that has spanned over two decades. Finishing their set with fan favourites ‘Sit Down’ and ‘Laid’ they really got the crowd going for the rest of the night.

Next up were New Jersey rockers Gaslight Anthem. They played a mixed, ten song set that consisted mostly of tracks from their latest album. Personally I would have preferred a few more well-known older tracks instead, but you can’t have everything. Either way they were still a very good live act and they seemed to enjoy their slot at Wembley. Even though they appeared to have a few sound issues, they still put on a good show. One thing I did notice is they probably weren’t as appreciated as much as a support act compared to their own headline shows. I know there were quite a few Gaslight fans in the crowd, but I can only talk about the people that were around me. Still, by the time they finished their set with ‘The Backseat’, they had won the crowd over and were ready to hand over to them over to the headline act.


The Killers arrived on stage just before 9pm and proceeded to treat the crowd to a brilliant two hour set. They kicked things off with Brandon Flowers playing ‘Enterlude’ solo on the piano, accompanied by a sell-out crowd (although there were gaps in the unreserved seating) before exploding into ‘When You Were Young’ and ‘Spaceman’. This got everyone jumping and singing along and pretty much set the standard for the rest of the night. ‘The Way It Was’ and ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ were followed by a nice surprise with the inclusion of ‘This River Is Wild’, one of my personal favourites off the Sam’s Town album.

A pyrotechnic accompanied version of ‘Miss Atomic Bomb’ preceded fan favourite ‘Human’ which got the crowd bouncing and dancing along once more, as did the Hot Fuss classic ‘Somebody Told Me’. One of the real surprises of the evening was a cover of ‘I Think we’re Alone Now’, the track made famous by 80s one hit wonder Tiffany. It was a good cover, although people seemed to only really know the chorus.

The phones were then out for ‘Here with Me’, before a great rendition of ‘For Reasons Unknown’. Flowers then asked the crowd if they had their dancing shoes on, before asking each of his band mates individually the same. Dave Keuning answered with a nice little guitar solo, before Ronnie Vannucci outdid him with an impressive crunching drum solo that lasted for a good two minutes or so. “I think his answer is hell yes,” commented Flowers. Vannucci is an absolute beat behind the drum kit and, in my opinion, is a much underrated drummer. This led into the track ‘From Here On Out’ from the album Battle Born. However, even though it’s one of my personal favourites from the album, the reception wasn’t as strong as it perhaps could have been. Maybe it could do with being released as a single to raise its profile as it’s a cracking song.

A Dustland Fairytale’, one of the best songs off Day and Age, always goes down well, before a new song written especially for the show was premiered. Named ‘Wembley Song’ it was one of the highlights of the night. Before they started though, Flowers commented on his hometown’s motto “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” “That’s a crock of shit,” he said, “Cos The Killers are here at Wembley tonight!” The first half of the song paid homage to previous artists who have played Wembley Stadium accompanied by pictures on the big screens (including the line “George Michael stay away from cars”, with a picture of a crashed car on the big screen).

The second half of the song charted their journey from humble beginnings to Wembley hosts since their first UK gig ten years ago. Considering it was a brand new song, it was an instant crowd favourite. Mentions of the England football team, the 1966 World Cup success and humour meant the Wembley crowd fell in love with song written for them. There was plenty of chances for the crowd to get involved as well; “…and I can still hear Freddie sing “Day Oh!!”” sang Flowers, before having it repeated back to him. If anything it showcased the band’s talents as songwriters.

‘Read My Mind’, arguably their best song’ followed which had the whole stadium clapping and singing along before they kicked into a rocking version of ‘Runaways’. They finished their set with another favourite ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ which included the usual ‘I got soul, but I’m not a soldier’ crowd solo and confetti shower, before leaving the stage.

 They returned for an encore playing Battle Born opener ‘Flesh and Bone’ before playing  Hot Fuss classic ‘Jenny Was a Friend of Mine’, another song that got people dancing even harder than they were before. They then threatened to close their set with the title track of the ‘Battle Born’ album.  It’s an underrated epic and, in my opinion, is the best song off their last album. The studio version sounds huge, but live it is a different animal completely. They strung it out a bit so Flowers could introduce each member of the band before jumping down into the crowd. Coupled with impressive pyrotechnics and fireworks it would have been a fantastic end to the night. The band still had one song left however, and finished with a frankly fantastic rendition of their 2004 classic ‘Mr Brightside’. Of the three Killers gigs I’ve been to, this was the best version of the song I’ve heard. It was amazing and a perfect end to a truly brilliant evening. There were always going to be a few songs that didn’t make the setlist, but I would have liked to have seen ‘Bones’ and ‘This Is Your Life’ make the cut. Maybe next time….

Physically shattered and with a ruined voice, it certainly won’t be a concert I’m going to forget in a hurry. The crowd were loving it, as were the band, and they were clearly enjoying themselves. There was a great energy from both the crowd and band and this helped to create a brilliant atmosphere. If you’ve seen The Killers before, you know what you’re going to get and they didn’t disappoint. They can only get better from here and I get the feeling  this won’t be their only stadium show for long.

Someone very kindly uploaded a recording of 'Wembley Song'. Enjoy :)

Albums You Should Own #1

This is the first instalment of albums that you really should own, or failing that, just listen to. They’re not all necessarily albums or artists you may have heard of, but they are all personal favourites of mine. The kind of album when you’re listening to it, you don’t skip a track and you go “oh that’s a good song’ when the next one starts.

You will also hear the term ‘underrated’ quite a bit. Partly because they are.  And partly because I’m trying to give exposure to music that deserves it. Trust me you will not regret parting money for any of these albums.

 

Amy MacDonald- This Is the Life: The debut album from Scottish singer/songwriter Amy MacDonald, one of Britain’s most underrated music talents. That’s not to say she isn’t appreciated though. On the continent especially she regularly headlines festivals ahead of more ‘established’ artists that are popular in the UK. This, her debut album, released when she was just 19, is superb. It is flawless from start to finish. It starts with two singles ‘Mr Rock & Roll’ and ‘This Is the Life’, songs that will get your foot tapping, stick in your head and eventually singing along. To be fair the next track ‘Poison Prince’ will do exactly the same. ‘Youth of Today’ is a slower song, but still wonderfully written. ‘Run’, ‘Barrowland Ballroom’ and ‘L.A.’ are just perfect. They are Amy at her absolute best.  They showcase her strength as both a singer and a songwriter. ‘Let’s Start a Band’ is a slow burner, but have patience to stay the course and you’ll be rewarded. The tracks ‘A Wish for Something More’, ‘Footballer’s Wife’ and ‘The Road to Home’  the album brilliantly. It’s just a classy album. The mixture of her distinctive vocals and quality song writing make for a very strong album. I have a really downer on the X-Factor blocking the way of genuinely talented people making their way into the charts and getting the recognition they deserve, because this girl deserves to be a million times bigger than she currently is. She has released three albums so far, all of them fantastic. And she has got there through pure hard work. She really is one of the country’s hidden musical gems. You’ll realise this once you’ve given this a listen, and afterwards I guarantee you won’t be able to keep it to yourself.

Feeder- The Singles: Wasn’t sure whether to include this or not as it’s essentially a ‘Best Of So Far…’ album, but seeing as it’s one of my favourite albums, and Feeder are criminally underrated, I warrants its place. You will get no better introduction to Feeder than with this album. If you are only familiar with ‘Buck Rogers’, ‘Feeling A Moment’ and ‘Just A Day’ then you are in for a treat. This album really shows what a diversely talented band they are. Feeder have evolved from a harder, post-grunge sound in their early albums to a more radio friendly sound, and it is that sound that appears on this album. There are harder sounding songs, the likes of ‘Insomnia’, ‘Pushing the Senses’ and the brilliant ‘Seven Days in the Sun’, but there are also gentler ballads that add a wonderful balance and contrast to Feeder’s back catalogue. The likes of ‘Tender’, ‘Just the Way I’m Feeling’ and ‘Turn’ are just three such examples. Other songs that stand out are ‘Burn the Bridges’, ‘Just the Way I’m Feeling’, ‘Save Us’ and ‘Yesterday Went Too Soon’. To call just those stand out tracks though is grossly unfair, there really isn’t a bad track on the album, as you may have guessed as I’ve mentioned nearly all of them, and the argument is that there are too many songs to make just the one album. They could easily have made a double album. Once you listen to this album you will realise what an underrated and consistently brilliant band Feeder are.


Stone Gods- Silver Spoons and Broken Bones: Essentially The Darkness minus Justin Hawkins, Stone Gods so far have just the single album to their name, but it’s an absolute gem. Without Justin’s falsetto it allowed for a much sound than that from The Darkness, almost moving into metal in places, but on the whole staying in hard rock territory. ‘Burn the Witch’ is a thunderous opener with crunching riff, fist pumping chorus and finishes with a two minute instrumental. ‘Don’t Drink the Water’ and ‘You Brought a Knife to a Gun Fight’ are fantastic hard rock tracks and really keep up the impetus of a hard and fast start. ‘Magdalen Street’ then slows the pace down and is brilliantly catchy. It also shows the albums versatility, as does ‘Lazy Bones’another quieter, slower song. ‘Where You Comin’ From’, ‘I’m With the Band’, ‘Start of Something’ and ‘Making It Hard’ are all more ‘classic rock’ sounding songs. ‘Knight of the Living Dead’ just edges ‘Burn the Witch’ as the heaviest song on the album, and ‘Where ‘O My Beero?’ is a light-hearted end to the album showing that some the sense of humour from The Darkness has carried on. What makes this album so good though is its accessibility, it is very radio friendly. The vocals are very strong without being aggressive and the riffs work really well. Personally I prefer this to The Darkness, but that’s just me. If you’re a rock fan, you need to own this album. It’s one you won’t regret.

The Dandy Warhols- Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia:  An album that has it all. From the enchanting and almost psychedelic opening tracks ‘Godless’, ‘Mohammed’ and ‘Nietzsche’, to then contrast that with a ‘Country Lever’, a country sounding song. Followed by the indie sounding ‘Solid’ and the almost grunge like ‘Horse Pills’.  The next track is then another complete contrast with ‘Get Off’ being an upbeat acoustic number. The mood of the album is then changed again with ‘Sleep’ a brilliant peaceful and laid back track. ‘Cool Scene’ picks up the pace next, another more indie sounding song. The next song, ‘Bohemian like You’ is the one most people are likely to have heard, and the song that brought the band most commercial success. ‘Shakin’ is next, with this song being more difficult to define. Perhaps Indie is the right way to describe it. The album finishes with ‘The Big Indian’ and ‘The Gospel’ which rounds the album off perfectly. They are both slower, more laid back acoustic driven songs. I read somewhere once that one of the strengths of this album is the order of the tracks, and this observation is absolutely spot on. I think something would be lost from this album if the tracks were ordered differently. It’s almost as if you’re taken on a journey through the album. This album gets under your skin, it’s such a barrage of different sounds but somehow it clicks and works perfectly. You’ll have to listen to it yourself to find of out, but it is a truly brilliant album.

The Killers- Sam’s Town: Voted by Rolling Stone magazine as the most underrated album of the 00s and I wholeheartedly agree. This album is epic from start to finish.  Some people may say that it doesn’t match up to their debut ‘Hot Fuss’, and they’re right it doesn’t. It’s a far better album. Now before I go any further, I must admit it took me a while to love this album, but as with all their music, this album grew on me. And it grew on me big time. There is a more ‘rockier’ sound on Sam’s Town compared to the 80s sounding synths on ‘Hot Fuss’ and this is perhaps why people jumped to conclusions about it. Their sound changed, as it has on subsequent albums, and it is not a bad thing. There is not a single bad song or filler track on this album. The singles ‘When You Were Young’, ‘Bones’, ‘Read My Mind’ and ‘For Reasons Unknown’ give you a good taster of what’s on the album, but there is so much more. ‘Enterlude’ and ‘Exitlude’ are brilliantly simple and effective ways of opening and closing the album, while the title track is a massive state of intention and prepares the listener for what is to come. ‘Bling (Confession of a King)’, ‘Uncle Johnny’ and the phenomenal ‘This River Is Wild’ are all sing along anthems. ‘My List’ and ‘Why Do I Keep Counting’ are gentler, but they build to explosive finishes if you perceiver with them. What this album really does though is show case what a genius and brilliantly talented song writer Brandon Flowers. There are few better around at the moment.  To write down how good ‘Read My Mind’ is will not do it justice, you need to turn up the volume, close your eyes and just let the awesomeness run through your body. The same can be said of ‘This River Is Wild’. They will send shivers down your spine. “The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun…” is a beautifully poetic lyric. They are songs written from the heart, and sung with passion. I’ve seen The Killers live twice, soon to be thrice, and it sounds even better in concert. This album may be the reason that their last two albums have faced a bit of trepidation. They’re not bad albums, far from it, they are fantastic. They just haven’t topped this.

So there you go, give these a listen and there is a very good chance you will become fans of each of these artists.