26th July in a packed, baking hot room in the Vibe Bar, East London. A couple of hundred people were there for the single launch of Graffiti6 song 'Annie You Save Me'. The single has been getting good airplay in the UK, and it's a corker of a song.
Graffiti6 is a collaboration between producer Tommy D and singer/songwriter Jamie Scott. To be honest, it's like no sound I've heard before, and its this sound that has been on my headphones a lot recently. It's pretty chilled out and uplifting, and as a live 6 piece they are absolutely cracking. On top of all that, they are both friendly and funny. Their collaboration is completed with the addition of artist Jimi Crayon, whose artwork is distinctive, unusual and used in their live shows in background projections, and on their merchandise... (my pink graffiti6 t-shirt is absolutely one of the favourite things I own now).
Graffiti6 have already played a mini uk tour and have had sold out shows in the Netherlands. Definitely one to watch, here's the video for the single Annie You Save Me.
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
The Temper Trap, Somerset House
Last night I went with friends to see The Temper Trap. I don't remember exactly what first got me listening to them, it was a while ago, but this is an Aussie band that I really like, although I can't exactly put my finger on why.
The lead singer knows how to work the stage, he moved around it all snake hips like, and switched between instruments a number of times - my favourite moment being a drum bashing once they'd poured water onto the top. The bass player mainly stuck out to me for his wacky hair and lovely black shiny bass guitar.
It had been a while since I'd listened through the album, and I couldn't really remember most of the songs, but I found that the stage show, the lighting and just the general atmosphere made up for that. They finished with the fantastic Sweet Disposition, and set against the backdrop of Somerset House, where the sound always comes across so well, and the beautiful lighting, it just added so much to the atmosphere. One of the best all round shows I've seen this year.
The lead singer knows how to work the stage, he moved around it all snake hips like, and switched between instruments a number of times - my favourite moment being a drum bashing once they'd poured water onto the top. The bass player mainly stuck out to me for his wacky hair and lovely black shiny bass guitar.
It had been a while since I'd listened through the album, and I couldn't really remember most of the songs, but I found that the stage show, the lighting and just the general atmosphere made up for that. They finished with the fantastic Sweet Disposition, and set against the backdrop of Somerset House, where the sound always comes across so well, and the beautiful lighting, it just added so much to the atmosphere. One of the best all round shows I've seen this year.
AIR, Somerset House
I'd never really heard of AIR, but Rob is quite a fan, so we got tickets to see them in the Somerset House summer season.
I did know a few more songs than I thought I did, Cherry Blossom Girl being one of them.
Overally, I thought the gig was OK, but thought the tickets were a bit overpriced. For £30 a head once you've added on the fees, it would normally be a band I really liked who would get me to spend that much to see them live. I found the music quite repetitive, but the other people in the crowd seemed to be having a good time, so maybe it was just me.
All in all, a more chilled out affair than the gigs we saw last year. I think I prefer to listen to that sort of music straight off a CD, the live gig-ness doesn't add much for me personally.
I did know a few more songs than I thought I did, Cherry Blossom Girl being one of them.
Overally, I thought the gig was OK, but thought the tickets were a bit overpriced. For £30 a head once you've added on the fees, it would normally be a band I really liked who would get me to spend that much to see them live. I found the music quite repetitive, but the other people in the crowd seemed to be having a good time, so maybe it was just me.
All in all, a more chilled out affair than the gigs we saw last year. I think I prefer to listen to that sort of music straight off a CD, the live gig-ness doesn't add much for me personally.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
L'Autre Pied
Last year, E and I went to the restaurant Pied à Terre and munched through 10 courses of goodness. Birthday time came around again, and this year we decided to try the sister restaurant, L'Autre Pied.
It really wasn't difficult for either of us to decide on the 7 course tasting menu, and being a little bit cheeky this time I got the camera out to take a snap of each course. E decided to also have the six wine sampler with each of the courses. Knowing that I struggle with posh food and fancy wine together, I decided to be good and stuck with the gin.
So, first up... Chiled Carrot and Ginger Soup, Blood Orange, Cristallized Ginger, Coriander Cress
Very impressive from the first mouthful, it was deliciously velvety and we were able to taste all the different flavours individually. I found it quite filling, it looked like a small portion in the bowl, but there was more in there than I expected! We had some tasty olive bread to go alongside.
Second course... Poached and Roasted Breast of Quail, Broad Beans, Wild Garlic and Herb Broth
Again, great flavours. The egg was a lovely touch, the quail was tender and the broth was just light and delicious. I could have happily drunk a pint of it. The portion was the perfect size and not too heavy.
Third up...Pan Fried Cod, Wye Valley Asparagus, Jersey Royal Potatoes, Lightly Smoked Sabayon
The cod was falling apart lovliness, the potatoes were perfectly crushed underneath and again, each of the flavours individually stood out - even the tiniest piece of herb on the top of the fish.
Onto four...Roasted Loin of Pork, Potato Fondant, Peas a la Francaise, Tarragon Jus
Starting to get a bit full at this point, but the pork was deliciously tender. The potato and peas had a lovely bit of bite and the sauce was delicious (I love sauce of any kind really).
Fifth course... almost there now... Selection of French and British Farm House Cheeses
Bit disappointing here... the waitress brought out a platter of 6 cheeses and explained them each to us, but then it seemed like we couldn't say 'all of them please' so we ended up picking 3. We ate them along with some tasty crackers and I thought they were all nice but not outstanding.
Number six course... Vanilla Panacotta, Cinnamon Foam, Poached Rhubarb
After a decent selection of meat, fish, bird and veg, it was nice to have something light here. It was melty in the mouth, again the flavour of vanilla, cinnamon and rhubarb coming through in equal measure.
Finally at the end...White Chocolate Mousse, Toasted Almonds, Strawberry Sorbet, Almond Foam
I'm not personally a fan of white chocolate or strawberry sorbet, but this was perfectly fine to finish off with... light and tasty and a nice ending to the meal. Being very full at this point, I really didn't need anything heavy.
As with all the dishes, the presentation of the food was immaculate, as you can see from the photographs. The ambience of L'Autre Pied is very very different from that of Pied à Terre. The former has more of a bustle to it, it's a little more for casual eating with groups of friends. The latter you talk to your dining companions in whispers and it is a much calmer atmosphere. All in all though, the food was excellent, I'd definitely eat here again. 8.5/10.
It really wasn't difficult for either of us to decide on the 7 course tasting menu, and being a little bit cheeky this time I got the camera out to take a snap of each course. E decided to also have the six wine sampler with each of the courses. Knowing that I struggle with posh food and fancy wine together, I decided to be good and stuck with the gin.
So, first up... Chiled Carrot and Ginger Soup, Blood Orange, Cristallized Ginger, Coriander Cress
Very impressive from the first mouthful, it was deliciously velvety and we were able to taste all the different flavours individually. I found it quite filling, it looked like a small portion in the bowl, but there was more in there than I expected! We had some tasty olive bread to go alongside.
Second course... Poached and Roasted Breast of Quail, Broad Beans, Wild Garlic and Herb Broth
Again, great flavours. The egg was a lovely touch, the quail was tender and the broth was just light and delicious. I could have happily drunk a pint of it. The portion was the perfect size and not too heavy.
Third up...Pan Fried Cod, Wye Valley Asparagus, Jersey Royal Potatoes, Lightly Smoked Sabayon
The cod was falling apart lovliness, the potatoes were perfectly crushed underneath and again, each of the flavours individually stood out - even the tiniest piece of herb on the top of the fish.
Onto four...Roasted Loin of Pork, Potato Fondant, Peas a la Francaise, Tarragon Jus
Starting to get a bit full at this point, but the pork was deliciously tender. The potato and peas had a lovely bit of bite and the sauce was delicious (I love sauce of any kind really).
Fifth course... almost there now... Selection of French and British Farm House Cheeses
Bit disappointing here... the waitress brought out a platter of 6 cheeses and explained them each to us, but then it seemed like we couldn't say 'all of them please' so we ended up picking 3. We ate them along with some tasty crackers and I thought they were all nice but not outstanding.
Number six course... Vanilla Panacotta, Cinnamon Foam, Poached Rhubarb
After a decent selection of meat, fish, bird and veg, it was nice to have something light here. It was melty in the mouth, again the flavour of vanilla, cinnamon and rhubarb coming through in equal measure.
Finally at the end...White Chocolate Mousse, Toasted Almonds, Strawberry Sorbet, Almond Foam
I'm not personally a fan of white chocolate or strawberry sorbet, but this was perfectly fine to finish off with... light and tasty and a nice ending to the meal. Being very full at this point, I really didn't need anything heavy.
As with all the dishes, the presentation of the food was immaculate, as you can see from the photographs. The ambience of L'Autre Pied is very very different from that of Pied à Terre. The former has more of a bustle to it, it's a little more for casual eating with groups of friends. The latter you talk to your dining companions in whispers and it is a much calmer atmosphere. All in all though, the food was excellent, I'd definitely eat here again. 8.5/10.
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Green Day, Wembley Stadium
Well, it took a whole 24 hours to sink in. At times I could hardly believe that since buying my tickets in November, the time was finally here, and this wonderful band were standing in front of me, doing their thing which they do so amazingly well. The Idiot Club members were posting their arrival times to the site and checking in with each other, saying how close to the front they were and happily chatting about having their tickets to the golden circle. Knowing that I can't stand for that long, we arrived in the queue at about 2pm (for a 4.30 door opening) and were easily able to choose front row seats instead.
Support was provided from Frank Turner, who was clearly having an amazing time on stage, giving it the full 'Hello, Wembley!!!' treatment and rocking out with his band.
Main support was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who I was only familiar with for two of her songs, 'I Love Rock n Roll' and the fabulous 'Bad Reputation'. I thought she was absolutely brilliant, clearly the band had been doing this for a long time, they were incredibly tight, and as the stadium filled out, she got the audience prepped for the main act. I'm not sure GD could have picked a better support.
Rolling on to a couple of minutes to 8, out came the drunken bunny and the whole of the stadium got on their feet and joined in with YMCA. At bang on 8, the bunny wandered off, the intro to 21st Century Breakdown started, and Tre Cool came storming down the runway to huge cheers before launching his drumsticks back towards his kit. Billie Joe Armstrong didn't need to tell everyone to get up, we already were, although he did anyway. And so started a fantastic, storming, almost 3 hour long set, played at super speed and covering a huge amount of songs from the very early to the most recent. Fans were brought up on stage to join in with songs, super soakers and to stage dive. And you couldn't help but feel that for the band, this might just be a little bit special too... Billie Joe describing it as the 'Biggest show of our F***ing lives'.
Favourite parts for me was the whole audience singing along to Hey Jude, and even better, a whole verse of Boulevard of Broken Dreams - this being my first time at Wembley Stadium, this just made the whole evening amazing, the sound of that many voices, all beautifully clear and reverberating around the stadium. Billie Joe got to his knees, head to the floor and arms behind his back, Tre came out from behind the drums to listen and Mike held his fist to his heart. It sounded amazing from my seats, I can't even imagine how it was from the stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rh0fQxZVK8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P9cAD3QO54
Tre Cool swapped places with Billie Joe to sing Dominated Love Slave, and both Tre and Mike had fun with Shout, kicking their legs up in the air and having a whale of a time - this is a band who knows how to make their shows fun, there are plenty of pyrotechnics - I could feel the heat from halfway back in the stadium, and couldn't help but squeal like a big wussy girl every time one of the big bangs happened, even when I remembered there was one coming. There was also plenty of funky camera stuff on the big screens. They are masters at totally engaging with the audience, although I always have the feeling that a huge amount of planning is there in the background as the various changeovers are so smooth. There wasn't a huge amount of change to the setlist from the October show last year, but that was to be expected really, these guys always seem to be on the road doing what they love. Their voices are as perfect live as they are on the studio recording.
Being fairly new to the whole Green Day experience, I'd had time to go back to the older songs and get familiar with them, and I enjoyed the gig a lot more for this. I loved that whole families seemed to have turned out for the event, the kids and their parents enjoying it in equal amounts, and you can't help but feel that Green Day actually give a stuff about their fans - the tickets aren't ridiculously expensive as for many shows these days, there are many benefits for the true fans - golden circle for those arriving early, plus early entry giveaways for fan club members, t-shirts fired into the crowd through the gig...these guys make an effort to engage with people as much as possible and the audience get to sing along and join in at many points in the gig. This time, '21 Guns' got an amazing reception, and as part of the encore, we also got to hear the new song 'When It's Time', which was spine tingling.
It's impossible to describe how amazing it was, but here are some of my favourite videos of the show from youtube:
American Idiot (look out for the wall of death!)
Second Encore - Billie Joe signing off / When it's Time / Wake Me Up When September Ends / Good Riddance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGgqsbKA1pA
As my friends who were in the mosh pit commented - Green Day set the bar so high for all other gigs, especially with the Wembley show. I just hope there's a DVD of the show in the pipeline. It's going to take a lot to beat these guys, they sure know how to Rock and Roll.
See the setlist on NME here.
Support was provided from Frank Turner, who was clearly having an amazing time on stage, giving it the full 'Hello, Wembley!!!' treatment and rocking out with his band.
Main support was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who I was only familiar with for two of her songs, 'I Love Rock n Roll' and the fabulous 'Bad Reputation'. I thought she was absolutely brilliant, clearly the band had been doing this for a long time, they were incredibly tight, and as the stadium filled out, she got the audience prepped for the main act. I'm not sure GD could have picked a better support.
Rolling on to a couple of minutes to 8, out came the drunken bunny and the whole of the stadium got on their feet and joined in with YMCA. At bang on 8, the bunny wandered off, the intro to 21st Century Breakdown started, and Tre Cool came storming down the runway to huge cheers before launching his drumsticks back towards his kit. Billie Joe Armstrong didn't need to tell everyone to get up, we already were, although he did anyway. And so started a fantastic, storming, almost 3 hour long set, played at super speed and covering a huge amount of songs from the very early to the most recent. Fans were brought up on stage to join in with songs, super soakers and to stage dive. And you couldn't help but feel that for the band, this might just be a little bit special too... Billie Joe describing it as the 'Biggest show of our F***ing lives'.
Favourite parts for me was the whole audience singing along to Hey Jude, and even better, a whole verse of Boulevard of Broken Dreams - this being my first time at Wembley Stadium, this just made the whole evening amazing, the sound of that many voices, all beautifully clear and reverberating around the stadium. Billie Joe got to his knees, head to the floor and arms behind his back, Tre came out from behind the drums to listen and Mike held his fist to his heart. It sounded amazing from my seats, I can't even imagine how it was from the stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rh0fQxZVK8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P9cAD3QO54
Tre Cool swapped places with Billie Joe to sing Dominated Love Slave, and both Tre and Mike had fun with Shout, kicking their legs up in the air and having a whale of a time - this is a band who knows how to make their shows fun, there are plenty of pyrotechnics - I could feel the heat from halfway back in the stadium, and couldn't help but squeal like a big wussy girl every time one of the big bangs happened, even when I remembered there was one coming. There was also plenty of funky camera stuff on the big screens. They are masters at totally engaging with the audience, although I always have the feeling that a huge amount of planning is there in the background as the various changeovers are so smooth. There wasn't a huge amount of change to the setlist from the October show last year, but that was to be expected really, these guys always seem to be on the road doing what they love. Their voices are as perfect live as they are on the studio recording.
Being fairly new to the whole Green Day experience, I'd had time to go back to the older songs and get familiar with them, and I enjoyed the gig a lot more for this. I loved that whole families seemed to have turned out for the event, the kids and their parents enjoying it in equal amounts, and you can't help but feel that Green Day actually give a stuff about their fans - the tickets aren't ridiculously expensive as for many shows these days, there are many benefits for the true fans - golden circle for those arriving early, plus early entry giveaways for fan club members, t-shirts fired into the crowd through the gig...these guys make an effort to engage with people as much as possible and the audience get to sing along and join in at many points in the gig. This time, '21 Guns' got an amazing reception, and as part of the encore, we also got to hear the new song 'When It's Time', which was spine tingling.
It's impossible to describe how amazing it was, but here are some of my favourite videos of the show from youtube:
American Idiot (look out for the wall of death!)
Second Encore - Billie Joe signing off / When it's Time / Wake Me Up When September Ends / Good Riddance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGgqsbKA1pA
As my friends who were in the mosh pit commented - Green Day set the bar so high for all other gigs, especially with the Wembley show. I just hope there's a DVD of the show in the pipeline. It's going to take a lot to beat these guys, they sure know how to Rock and Roll.
See the setlist on NME here.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Wicked
On Friday night I went to see Wicked for the second time at Apollo Victoria. I first saw it last October. This was one of the few shows I've been to see knowing almost nothing about it beforehand.
The set and costumes are big and beautiful, and I was surprised how many of the songs I remembered well from the first time, and happy to find that the hair on the back of my neck still stood up when the two main characters sang. They've had a pretty major cast change since last time, and the highlight again for me was the end of Act 1, when Elpheba sings Defying Gravity.
A nice surprise was Lee Mead in the role of Fiyero, he was spot on in the role and I'd definitely go and see another show of his.
If you like musicals and you haven't seen this one, go see it, it's one of the best I've ever seen.
The set and costumes are big and beautiful, and I was surprised how many of the songs I remembered well from the first time, and happy to find that the hair on the back of my neck still stood up when the two main characters sang. They've had a pretty major cast change since last time, and the highlight again for me was the end of Act 1, when Elpheba sings Defying Gravity.
A nice surprise was Lee Mead in the role of Fiyero, he was spot on in the role and I'd definitely go and see another show of his.
If you like musicals and you haven't seen this one, go see it, it's one of the best I've ever seen.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Brum and Bang
Yesterday I went over to Canary Wharf after work to meet a friend and found that they had the motor expo on. As if Canary Wharf isn't shiny enough, there was even more shine as everyone tried to sell their super polished motors. The minis were very cute, white soft-top was adorable, but really I don't like the wibbly window on the back (I don't drive anyways, so it's not like it would actually matter to me). The purple Bentley was big and meaty...The James Bond car (no, I have no idea what type of car it is, I'm not even going to pretend I do) was my fave I think. Here's a picture:
Today, I spent the morning playing the drums on Green Day Rock Band. This was going to be quite interesting for me as I've got the kit for Band Hero, which is more closely aligned to Guitar Hero, so the first cymbal on the BH drum kit is the same as the second drum in the RB kit and this takes a little getting used to.
It looks like there's tons of stuff on the disc, including a whole heap of drumming tutorials which is great for a beginner. I played on easy, which I found had trickier combos than Band Hero does - you get thrown straight in playing more than one pad at a time - but thankfully it doesn't fail you if you play a few notes in a row badly, you at least get a chance to recover. I particularly enjoyed playing Warning and Minority at beginner level, as they weren't too tricky and made me feel like I was getting some aggression out!
If you're a big Green Day fan, it's perfect and great fun. I find it easy to pick up for 30 minutes and then leave for a while.
Here's the site, check it out:
http://www.greendayrockband.com/
Today, I spent the morning playing the drums on Green Day Rock Band. This was going to be quite interesting for me as I've got the kit for Band Hero, which is more closely aligned to Guitar Hero, so the first cymbal on the BH drum kit is the same as the second drum in the RB kit and this takes a little getting used to.
It looks like there's tons of stuff on the disc, including a whole heap of drumming tutorials which is great for a beginner. I played on easy, which I found had trickier combos than Band Hero does - you get thrown straight in playing more than one pad at a time - but thankfully it doesn't fail you if you play a few notes in a row badly, you at least get a chance to recover. I particularly enjoyed playing Warning and Minority at beginner level, as they weren't too tricky and made me feel like I was getting some aggression out!
If you're a big Green Day fan, it's perfect and great fun. I find it easy to pick up for 30 minutes and then leave for a while.
Here's the site, check it out:
http://www.greendayrockband.com/
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