Panic! At The Disco + [ME] @O2 Academy Brixton, London

February 2nd, 2012

I knew this was going to be a special evening, because I got the chance to help out a band, which I'm sure is going to be huge by the end of the world, I mean this year. The last time I saw [ME] was at the Evanescence gig, but only for a minute. Thanks to the flyers people were receiving at the venue, I was able to track their music down. I think it's a really good marketing tactic, so I took the evening as a learning opportunity too.

I've been flyering outside on the streets and that is not the easiest job, however I was surprised how willing people were to take a flyer inside the venue. What surprised me even more was their willingness to sign up for the mailing list. What I wasn't surprised about was people's questions about the band's name. No doubt will '[ME]' be on the list of worst band names ever, but if your music is good and you have the chance of becoming successful, you might become 'googleable'.

And a sign of them being a good band was the huge amount of people cheering for them, not too many support acts get that. Also 100 Twitter followers after a gig is 'alright'.

Never have I seen so many Australians in my life (though they really don't sound like ones).

I haven't been listening to Panic! At The Disco that much after high school. But no doubt they know how to put up a show with the singer doing back flips and everything. They even played 'I believe in a thing called love' by The Darkness.

It was funny to hear how the crowd went crazy everytime they heard the word 'beer' or a swear word. Never have I seen so many teens in my life.

The Smashing Pumpkins @O2 Academy Brixton, London

16.11.2011

Back to what happened last year in November, after my visit to Finland (A Surprise Visit). In London again with the busy life; from the airport home, quick dinner and then to Brixton to see a gig.

When I saw the scene in the picture above, the first thought was that if the world ended, it would start from Canary Wharf.

Luckily the world didn't end yet, so I got to see the legedary Pumpkins! Or nowadays the Billy Corgan show. Of course everyone would love to see the original line-up, but no way will that be happening. And honestly, who even likes the new songs?

Not saying that it wasn't a joy to witness great musical talent for a couple of hours, but there was a waiting atmosphere amongst the fans. Waiting to hear the good old stuff.

Fans were delighted at the end, as one hit after another was played. However they felt quite sped up, as if maestro Billy was just trying to get rid of the 'compulsory fan pleasing moment'. Can't complain though..because apprently they didn't play any hit songs at some gigs a few years ago.

But it certainly was an amazing feeling to hear 'Tonight, Tonight', the song, which I heard on MTV a thousand times when I was six. Also hearing 'Cherub Rock' was ace.



Billy was quite a joker too, saying things like; 'We're a great band, we're from America. The Beatles are from America. The Rolling Stones are. Coldplay is from Indiana.' And that's when someone throws a water bottle to the stage almost hitting the bassist. Did they not like Coldplay or were they lacking humor?

The whole experience made me wish it was sixteen years ago. I would have loved to be going crazy in the crowd then. But high five for seeing Billy!

Explosions In The Sky @O2 Academy Brixton, London

January 27th, 2012

I asked my South African friend Jordan, if he liked Explosions In The Sky. He told me this:

i find their music predictable, but incredibly transportive. visual.

you see stories when you listen.

you can feel their music with your body, live: it's huge, swallowing.

That's exactly how most of the people would describe the band, which completely owns the art of composing instrumentals that take its listeners inside a story. A story, which one builds in their mind and feels it being told forward with the help of the 'mini-symphony resulting into a catharsis'.

Some consider the music to be sad, having for example war pictures in their minds. No doubt that it does have the melancholic side in it, but it also transmits happiness. Thus I call it my 'happy melancholia'.

As the stories I build in my mind are joyful.

The first time I saw the band play was in The Netherlands last May (Explosions In Paradise). I remember being all depressed, because of leaving Ireland, the place which I very much enjoyed and then hoping that 'explosions in the sky in amsterdam would cheer me up'. I'm lucky that no one came to arrest me due to that Facebook status update.

Another lesson learned from that gig was not to drink beer. Otherwise, I would have ended up having a miserable time building stories, with a picture of a toilet.

The show couldn't have started better by playing one of my favorites 'Postcard from 1952'. And I love how they introduce themselves.

It's amazing to see how the audience at their gigs sway peacefully, eyes closed, so deep into the music. Then suddenly start to bang their heads, when the climax strikes. They are simply one of those bands, which everyone needs to see live.

I was so happy that this time they played 'The Birth and Death of The Day', the piece, which made me fall in love with them at the first place. What I was missing in Amsterdam, I got in London. I guess the 1½ hour of non-stop superb musical talent celebration, filled with several emotional purifications, was an enough dose to fill up my 'feel-good factor tank' for a long period.

Until next time;

 

Or like my Spanish friend Sara, who will 'super take care'.