Category Archives: Live

Lykke Li : Live At Webster Hall Review

Seeing Lykke Li live for the first time this week at Webster Hall took my love for her to a completely different dimension. I had heard great things about her live show, but I was not prepared for her to be quite as mind-blowing as she was!

I headed down to catch Grimes‘ set, who as I expected was phenomenal and an absolutely perfect opener for Lykke (be sure to catch her when you can.) After that there was a long break before suddenly the lights dropped to reveal a dramatic stage with intense strobe lighting, thick smoke and long black billowy curtains. Seconds later the shadowy, veiled figure of Lykke emerged, and she burst into Jerome, which I thought was an interesting choice for a set opener but was electrifying!

The setlist was a brilliant mix of a tracks from her debut Youth Novels and Wounded Rhymes and included a remarkable rendition of Kleerup‘s Until We Bleed. The crowd of course loved every song, but particularly flipped out over older tracks like Little Bit and Dance, Dance, Dance. Other highlights for me were Get Some,which saw her grinding up against her mic stand and sexing it up for the crowd, I Follow Rivers which unbelievable got even better live, and Rich Kid Blues during which red lights created a fiery atmosphere and Lykke pounded away on the drums and cymbals, eventually forgoing sticks and using her bare hands!

In a live setting she has such an intensity about her that her energy just vibrates through the whole room, and engulfs everybody right from the very first sight of her. The show was an incredible experience start to finish, you simply see her live if you get the chance (see the dates here) Be sure to check out these links for more photos and videos from the show! – Camille

SETLIST
Jerome
I’m Good, I’m Gone
Sadness Is a Blessing
Velvet
I Follow Rivers
Dance, Dance, Dance
Made You Move I Know Places
Little Bit
Love Out of Lust
Rich Kid Blues
Until We Bleed (Kleerup cover)
Get Some

Encore:
Youth Knows No Pain
Possibility
Unrequited Love

PinExt Lykke Li : Live At Webster Hall Review

Janet Jackson: Number Ones Up Close & Personal Tour Review

Comments

On Saturday night I excitedly raced down to Radio City to see Janet Jackson live in concert for the very first time. I was expecting to be thrilled after my friends who attended the previous night told me that I would love the show. They certainly were not wrong!

From the very first notes of Pleasure Principle, which was starting as we rushed into our seats, she had me won over! The Number Ones Up Close & Personal Tour, saw her rapidly work her way though hit after hit, singing and dancing her heart out. At first I was caught of guard by the medley format when I realized she got through the first 4 songs including the classic Control, in what I think I was less than 10 minutes from the start of the show. I found myself longing for more of each song as it felt a bit rushed, but I quickly realized we would be getting to hear a lot of hits at the rate she was going through them, so that was good news!

Although she had a large LCD screen up on stage behind her, most of the time it did not serve much purpose, but it was put to good use every now and again! During one interlude, much to my surprise they played a video of the best of Janet’s on-screen performances ranging from her as a child in Good Times, her memorable line in Poetic Justice, that yielded rowdy applause and cheering (sickos! haha), right up to her smashing up the furniture in Why Did I Get Married Two.

A great moment was when the Scream video came on an and Janet looked up at Michael and mouthed “I miss you”. Michael appeared again later in the show when pictures of him and his sister showed up on the screens during Together Again, in what was a touching and somewhat surprising number to close the show with.

This show was all about Janet’s voice, complimented by the fantastic live band, and her choreography which was, as always, on point. Janet proved she doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles to send the audience into a frenzy. I really loved the show, although I’m sure some of the fellas in the audience were disappointed she didn’t bring along the harness!

NUMBER ONES UP CLOSE & PERSONAL (LIVE IN TORONTO)

SETLIST

Pleasure Principle
Control
What Have You Done For Me Lately
Feedback

You Want This
Alright
Miss You Much
Nasty

Nothing
Come Back To Me
Let’s Wait Awhile
Again

Doesn’t Really Matter
Escapade
Love Will Never Do (Without You)
When I Think Of You
All For You

That’s The Way Love Goes

What About
Black Cat

Medley
If
Scream
Rhythm Nation

Make Me
Together Again

PinExt Janet Jackson: Number Ones Up Close & Personal Tour Review

Major Lazer, Miike Snow & Santigold: Downtown Music Festival (Live At Terminal 5) Review

Comments

Photos by Thomas Fricilone & Louise Tillery

Hard Candy teamed up with Downtown Records and sent our guest reviewer Daniel Feldstein off to the Downtown Music Festival at Terminal Five on Friday night to see Major Lazer, Santigold, Miike Snow and a whole host of other talent perform. We love his review of the event and hope you do also!

Going into Downtown Records’ 5th Anniversary bash at Terminal 5 Friday night I had high expectations. For one night Major Lazer and Miike Snow would be performing back to back sets along with support from the French DJs from Ed Banger records. The musicians all came in top form and were matched by the sold-out crowd’s irrepressible energy.

Normally opening acts can be hit or miss, but So Me and DJ Mehdi delivered back-to-back sets that got people dancing and jumping as soon as they stepped on the dancefloor. So Me dropped a set of fresh electro that sounded Miami-ready, while Medhi dug up some house classics!

Major Lazer brought their Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do manifesto to life with a killer light show and even more lethal performance. The setlist mixed gems like Swedish House Mafia‘s One, Ace of Base‘s The Sign and Duck Sauce‘s Barbra Streisand with Major Lazer‘s trademark techno and reggae fusion, with stage entertainers ranging from the trademark hip-hop MCs to mimes and dueling Jedis. Santigold stuck to her “special guest” billing, coming out for one song and to hype the crowd, but the New York audience loved her anyway. The audience truly exploded every time Major Lazer dropped one of their album cuts, from Pon de Floor to Keep it Going Louder, and they closed strong with the Ricky Blaze track Just You and I.

After the high of the Major Lazer set, the crowd waited impatiently for Miike Snow to arrive on stage and the band rewarded the waiting throngs with an electric rendition of Cult Logic. They ran through Burial and an extended Black and Blue complete with dance-breakdown before removing their trademark masks and tearing through five more songs in their main set, including audience favorites Sylvia and Animal. The band proved they deserve their reputation for incredible musicianship and live gigs; songs featured new arrangements to bring the crowd to life and lead singer Andrew Wyatt matched the enthusiasm by bouncing from just singing to playing guitar and piano along with his band mates. After announcing that this would be their last gig before going back into the studio to finish their second album, the band came back for an encore of In Search Of and an electronic version of Vampire Weekend‘s The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance, performed wearing Tron-like LED light up vests.

The lights came up close to one and the sweaty, exhausted crowd left in search of food, cabs and the rest of their Saturday night. Downtown Records marked five years of influential music in style with a kinetic night that, even for those of us who have seen the individual acts perform on their own, won’t be forgotten anytime soon! – Daniel Feldstein

PinExt Major Lazer, Miike Snow & Santigold: Downtown Music Festival (Live At Terminal 5) Review

Oh Land: Live at PopShop Tammany Hall NYC (Review)

Comments

On Thursday night I excitedly headed down to see Oh Land live for the first of what I’m sure will be many times at the new Neon Gold hosted monthly club night PopShop held at Tammany Hall here in New York. I am happy to report that her live show is just as brilliant as I imagined it would be, I guessed that she would be a spirited performer and I was proved right!

She worked the stage expertly moving between banging away on her drum pad machine and taking center stage with just the mic letting her powerful voice be the focus of all attention. The hour-long set included the songs from the EP like White Nights & Sun Of A Gun that apparently a lot of people now know and really love (the crowd was going wild for her!) She also dropped several from the full length album, which I have been listening to for a few weeks now since the label shared it with Hard Candy in advance of the March 15th release. One song that particular came alive for me seeing her perform it live was Voodoo, it’s now firmly stuck in my head and I have not stopped playing it! I also loved the energetic We Turn It Up which she closed the show with.

Seeing her live for the first time confirmed that she really is the total package. She has successfully created songs with interesting production, which in places remind me of greats like Bjork, but she has managed to keep her music accessible and fun to sing along to! She also excels with her fantastic live show – the inclusion of the fabulous visual elements (see above pictures and in the videos), tremendous live vocals and a friendly persona make her the real deal on every level! Catch her live and pick up her album! – Camille

VOODOO

WOLF & I

PinExt Oh Land: Live at PopShop Tammany Hall NYC (Review)

Adele: iheartradio live at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater

Comments

Photos by Chris Owyoung for iheartradio

When our friends at iheartradio hooked us up with the opportunity to attend the Adele show at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater, we could barely contain our excitement! We first got hooked on the lovely lady with her debut album 19, and now with her sophomore effort 21, our love for her has solidified!

On Friday, we headed down to the show with our friends in tow and excitedly waited for her to take the stage. Having met her outside the Sony building a few months prior, and having had a great but albeit brief conversation, we expected her to be instantly likable on stage and she certainly was! As soon as she wandered out smiling, waving and admitting she was slightly nervous, she had us in the palm of her hand (and we hadn’t even heard her sing yet!) She remarked that since she was nervous she’d better get on with singing and would chat to us later before breaking into Hometown Glory. After just a few notes we were floored, she sounded even better than the record!

After Hometown Glory, true to her word and feeling more relaxed, she launched into a story about giving up smoking (yay Adele!) and erm tomatoes on the advice of her vocal coach, this sounds rather boring as she herself remarked “I can’t believe I just told that story, how boring!” however, it was anything but, she was so chirpy and funny that we loved it!

It was a night of perfect parallels, on the one hand we had the funny and irreverent girl having a laugh with us, telling jokes about fans wanting Beyonce‘s sweaty tissues, and on the other she had us speechless with the power of her vocal ability and poignant lyrics that could move a girl to tears!

21 is released in the U.S on February 22nd and Adele will be embarking on a Spring tour in the U.S (hit more to see the dates) which you just can’t miss! - Camille

SETLIST

Hometown Glory
Don’t You Remember
Turning Tables
Chasing Pavements
Lovesong
Make You Feel My Love
Someone Like You
Rolling In The Deep

ROLLING IN THE DEEP

CHASING PAVEMENTS/LOVESONG

HOMETOWN GLORY

TURNING TABLES

Continue reading →

PinExt Adele: iheartradio live at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater

Duffy: Live at iHeartRadio

Comments

Photos by Chris Owyoung for iheartradio.com

Duffy sauntering out on to a stage already filled with her big band orchestra…and belting out Well, Well, Well, the first single from her forthcoming sophomore album, set the mood of last night. We were given the opportunity to bring a few our readers to the iHeartRadio show in Tribeca at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater + all what we left thinking was…Duffy is one hell of a performer!

The pixie sized Welsh crooner tore up a set of new tracks from her new album Endlessly, telling us she was excited to introduce her new material at such an intimate venue (and that she was surprised she had so many American fans!). Towards the end of her set she gave a fabulous rendition of Freda Payne’s Band Of Gold, then the 12 penguin suited orchestra boys threw it down for old favorite Mercy.

She has a flawless voice that somehow emanates from within, we seriously wonder just where it comes from! Totally one hot chick that we’ll be paying more attention to this year, we left excited to hear more from the album when it is released on November 29th.

You can preview two tracks that she performed last night, with full clips coming next week! Can’t deny raw talent like hers, the girl has got pure class on stage. She’s even got some jokes in her back pocket!

SETLIST

Well, Well, Well
Keeping My Baby
Don’t Forsake Me
Endlessly
My Boy
Band Of Gold (Freda Payne Cover)

WELL, WELL, WELL + MERCY

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JIqTStdZsI

I Blame Coco: Live At Scala!

Comments

Matt & I are both massive fans of I Blame Coco and are eagerly awaiting them playing some U.S dates. They have been out on the road over in the U.K and our good friend Will Hines of Strangers In Stereo attended the show at Scala and reviewed it for Hard Candy. Check it out…

Coco (nee Eliot) Sumner stands out on the merits of her own talent, yet we cannot pretend that the associations that come with her surname have had a negative influence on her fledgling career. The daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler is a precocious talent, and cannot avoid the gifts of inheritance; those familiar tones are present in her voice, yet whist her early demos (she kicked off the career aged 15) allowed Sting to live vicariously through her similarly reggae-influenced songwriting, the new Coco is another proposition entirely.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La_x5_7wnJs

BEHIND THE SCENES

Unlike the rest of the Hard Candy team, my exposure to I Blame Coco’s debut album The Constant has been minimal, limited to a few plays before the show. Regardless, I can appreciate a work of quality, and was surprised at the complex lyricism teamed with a commercial MA. The same approach is taken with the no-nonsense live setup, which works a solid live band around Sumner’s distinctive voice. And that is that.

This tour has been a long time coming. The Constant has been in the works since 2007, and this show represents the final date of the group’s first major headlining tour. Emerging on stage following two support sets, Sumner’s stage attire included a bow tie and her quirkiness spilled over into stilted dancing and muted interactions with the crowd. The instrument at the centre of it all is electrifying, her voice as clear cut and arresting as on record, rising above the heavy undertones of the instrumental. Latest single “Self Machine” arrives early on, bolstering a crowd made up of adolescent girls and industry bods, all looking for a piece of this rare live show. The slick set had the feel of a showcase, whistling through 9 tracks in under 45 minutes, and the post-gig ambience was a strange mix of “Is that it?” and “Wow”. For now, however, the suggestions of nepotism are largely pointless: the girl has a talent.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCEfTXP6y1s

CEASER (with Robyn)

Having looked up the tour set-list we were concerned when things appeared to be settling into the same old routine; surely Coco would pull something special out for her home-date, and the finale of her tour? The doubts were unfounded, as Sumner introduced “one of the biggest pop stars in the world” for a rousing rendition of “Caesar”. It was, of course, Robyn, outfitted in a stocky cardigan and with her trademark pixie cut; catch a short video of the performance below.

The showcase feel of this performance contributes to the fact that I Blame Coco are still a somewhat unknown entity, at least on the bigger stage. The expected transformation from talented singer songwriter to global entity will come in the next phase, as Sumner steps outside the comfort zone of her home and flies further afield. America, prepare yourselves. - Will Hines

SET LIST
1. Party Bag
2. Self Machine
3. Turn Your Back On Love
4. In Spirit Golden
5. Please Rewind
6. It’s About To Get Worse
7. No Smile
8. Quicker
9. Caesar (ft. Robyn)

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paZTuAKCYGg

QUICKER (LIVE AT HALDERN FESTIVAL)