Bands in Concert: El Vy

Sunday night (December, 12th), El Vy played at the Astra Kulturhaus in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

The room fits about 2000 people and as far as I know, the concert was sold out.

About half of the people were there to watch the preact 'The Penny Surfs'. The songs they played were quite different to one another, starting off with a slower song then going over to rocky songs and finally to soft psychedelic songs. Therefore they reminded me of different bands such as Placebo and Tame Impala   

Even though some of the music was very different to the actual act, the crowd seem to enjoy their performance.

The actual concert of El Vy was with about 50 minutes a bit shorter than most concert, but I wasn't really surprised since they only have one album yet. Their performance was very powerful and atmospheric which the light show increased even further. 

It seemed as if the band had been playing together for several years when in fact it was one of their first shows.

When they covered "She drives me crazy" the crowd really did go crazy. Especially Matt Berniger's performance made the cover at least ten times better than the original song; he put so many emotions in the song while rocking the stage. 

Very impressive were also Brent Knopf's skills, who was playing the guitar and the keyboard, both very well. During some songs he had to switch between the instruments which he was doing with an ease that really was incredible.

Overall, I can say that the concert was really enjoyable and musically on point. It was definitely a concert I won't forget so fast. 

Bands in Concert: The Neighbourhood

On Monday, November 16th, the Neighbourhood played at Postbahnhof, a venue that fits about 1000 people.

The preact 'Tunji Ige', an American rapper, started on time and fit to the music of The Neighbourhood hence the crowd was enjoying his performance very much. He was accompanied by a DJ, whose music helped entertaining the crowd even further.

After 40 Minutes of waiting, The Neighbourhood finally came on stage. Their entrance was musically underlined by the Intro of their song Ferrari, a song of their new album 'Wiped out', which was released October, 30th. It was a really good intro to the concert and made the crowd heat up even more.

Their concert was overall a good mixture of some old songs and songs from their new album. They played 14 songs of which 6 were taken from their new album.

Through out the whole concert, the band created a very special atmosphere and the lead singer Jesse made a very own version out of all of the songs. Due to that, the band rhythmically stuffed up once, but they didn't make a big deal out of it, they just confidentially interrupted the song and started anew. 

The band was also doing a great and very entertaining performance with a nice light show which I really enjoyed. Nevertheless, they still managed to focus on the emotions of each and every song and so it was a great balance of emotions and entertainment.

The only thing I found surprising was  that they didn't comment on the attacks in Paris even though the concert was only 4 days after. But maybe they just wanted the crowd to forget about it for a while and therefore didn't say anything. 

All in all, I can say that the concert was really enjoyable and unique. Due to Jesses very personal performance it was even better than I expected.

If you want to see 'The Neighbourhood' as well, go check out their website for tour dates. They will be touring some German cities next year in March, and the pre sale has already started. 

Song of the month: 'In your Bones' by Crooked Colours

Today, I want to show you a song from a band that I've been loving for the last year. The band I'm talking about is the Australian electronic-trio 'Crooked Colours'. The Perth-based Trio fromed in 2012 and they only started releasing their Music early last year so they are still known by only a few people. The first song they ever released is 'Come Down', a very chill electonic song with incredibly nice singing. The Singer, Philimon Slabb, has a very soft voice that's capable to give you goosebumps and makes their Music even more special.
This month's song 'In your Bones' is the title song of the first EP the band has released. It's a great song that'll definitely get stuck in your head! The song has a very nice, summery vibe to it and is perfect for dancing and to forget about all your problems!
Usually, I've been only talking about alternative Music but I've really been getting into electronic Music, so if you like this band, I'll also post some similar Music in the future! :)

You can check the song out below. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dsnoef8y-Q

You can also check out their social media accounts below:

Youtube, Soundcloud and Facebook

Album Review: 'Speakerzoid'

The Album 'Speakerzoid' is the second studio album of Brisbane-based band 'The Jungle Giants'.
It was released on August, 7th in Australia via the recordlabel 'Amplifire'; the official release date for America, Canada and the UK is October, 2nd. Therefore you can only listen to 5 of their songs on spotify as a preview.
'Speakerzoid' is not very similar to their first Album 'Learn to Exist'. While 'Learn to Exist' was a very loud, powerful and happy album, The Jungle Giants experiment in 'Speakerzoid' with different sounds that are similar to 'MGMT' and 'Arcade Fire'. Their first Album was really only an Album to listen to when in a good mood, but 'Speakerzoid' is one for all moods. The Album is a great mixture of very different songs and 'The Jungle Giants' have made a great developement.
'Speakerzoid' is definitely one of my favorite Albums this year and you should totally give it a listen!
The Band is touring from September until October through Australia.

Check out the official music video to the first single of their new Album 'Kooky Eyes' below, that's been released on August, 16th:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFG8HafUsfM

Song of the Week: Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread

Today, I want to recommend the song 'Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread' by British Indie-Rock Band Everything Everything to you. The Song is taken from their third studio album 'Get to Heaven' which was released in June 2015. 'Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread ' is the 5th song on the album.
To me, it's a very typical Everything Everything song, putting you in a good mood when you're listening to it. Once you listen to the song it'll be stuck in your head for days, it's an absolute earwig that I think is a great song for summer. The song is easy to listen to but if you pay some attention to the lyrics you will find some great lines that you can interpret a lot into.

You can find their music on Itunes, Spotify and Youtube.

Here is the official music video of  'Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread' that's just been released:

Due to their newly released album, they are touring through europe from the end of August until December. You can check out their tour dates at their official website.

Album Review: 'Letters'

Last Thursday (July,23rd), Nick Cunningham dropped his debut EP 'Letters' with 6 songs on it.

The Album is a great mix of more quiet and powerful songs that you can listen to, no matter what mood your in.

To me, the EP is an easy summer listen that I can imagine listening to while on a road trip.

Nick Cunningham is an Australian Newcommer artist who is currently playing at bars and a few shows in Byron Bay in Australia. The Singer-Songwriter also played at the Australian Music Festival 'Splendour in the Grass' this year and last year as well.

In my opinion, Nick's Music is comparable to Ben Howard's and Matt Corby's so if you're a fan of either one you should definitely give him a listen. Due to Nick's unique voice and 6 guitar-based heart-warming songs, 'Letters' is definitely a set part of my this year's summer playlist.

You can find his music on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.

To get your hands on a hard copy of the EP, head to his webpage: nickcunningham.com.au 

Introducing a Band: Oslo Parks

Stevie McMinn and Jeremy Lloyd form the Brighton based band 'Oslo Parks' together. Their indietronic music strongly reminds of some great 80's music (especially their song 'Fiction' from their 'Fiction-EP') and has a very atmospheric, remarkable sound. In my opinion, their music is well fitting for a listen during hot summer days and nights.
The band is signed to the recordlable 'X Novo' via which it has released it's debut single, including the two songs 'Twin' and 'The Night'.
With only 1200 likes on facebook, they're one of my insider's tips.
You can find their music on youtube, spotify, itunes, soundcloud and hypem.com.
7 days ago, Oslo Parks has released their new song 'Slipping Away'. You can find it on soundcloud here: 'Slipping Away' by Oslo Parks.

Introducing a Band: Satellite Stories

In 2008 the four Finns Esa Mankinen, Marko Heikkinen, Jyri Peson and Olli Pekka Ervasti formed their indie dance rock band 'Satellite Stories'. They are signed to the independent recordlabel 'XYZ Berlin', and have released 2 Ablums so far:
Their debut Album 'Phrases to Break the Ice' was released September, 21st 2012 and they released 5 Singles from it, such as the songs 'Anti-Lover' (Track 1) and 'Family' (Track 9).
Their second Album 'Pine Trails' was released November, 1st 2013 and they are currently touring with it. The first track 'Campfire' was released as a Pre-Single October, 18th 2013.Additionally, they've released 3 EP's and the Single 'Scandinavian Girls'.
All of their songs have the same sound but are still very different to one another. They all have very nice guitar riffs and are very catchy. To me, their music has a summer atmosphere and always puts me in a good mood. I also really like the lyrics of their songs and the lead singer's, Eda Mankinen's remarkable voice. If you like one of their songs, you're probably going to like all of them.
You can find their music on youtube, itunes, amazon, spotify and soundcloud.

Following is the official video to 'Campfire':

                                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt43vyqoRHY

Bands in Concert: The 1975

On November, 18th The 1975 had a show in Berlin.
They played at Bi Nuu, a small Club in Kreuzberg
that fits around 200 people. The line in front of the Club was quite long so I had to wait a while. Even though it was not sold out, the club was pretty full. The people in the crowd were all very open and easy to talk to.
The preband 'Pool' (introduced in the second post on November, 25th) played for about 45 minutes and despite not many people knowing them, almost everybody in the crowd moved to their music and visibly enjoyed their show. Pool weren't too dissimilar from The 1975, so it was a good choice to pick them as preact for the show.
After approximately 30 minutes of waiting and of the roadies doing their job, The 1975 finally came on stage. They started off with 'The City', the first song on their EP 'IV', which was released May, 20th

and the second song on their debut album 'The 1975', released September, 2nd.
Since 13 of the songs on their setlist were from their Album, they sadly didn't play many songs of their Ep's which I would have liked.
Still I can say that it was a great concert with a cool light show and the band interacting with the audience. I had a very fun night.

Introducing a Band: The Belligerents

The Belligerents are a five-pieced indie dance rock band from Australia formed in 2010. The band is currently unsigned but they have already released 2 EP's, the 'Less Arty More Party' - EP and the 'She Calls The Shots' - EP. Both of them have each 5 Tracks on them that all have a very high earwig-potential. You can buy all of their songs on itunes and listen to them on soundcloud.
Their Music is characterized by strong and catchy guitar riffs that you can find in every one of their songs. Also the voice of Lewis Stephenson, the lead singer of the band, is pretty extraordinary and adds something very special to their music.
The Belligerents have been selected to play at the Festival 'Big Day Out' at the Gold Coast in Australia next year, which will be a big step for their career path.
Following is the official videos to their song 'Such a Crime' from their first EP 'Less Arty More Party':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh_K47rYl4E

Introducing a Band: Milky Chance

Milky Chance is a German duo, consisting of Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch. Milky Chance's music isn't really apportionable to a certain genre; their sound is influenced by pop, reggae, soul and electronic music. The two band members said about their music that they wanted it to be 'dancable melancholia'.
Even though Milky Chance are not very unknown, they are still very independent. They are signed by their self-made independent record label 'Lichtdicht Records', which they made with some friends to be able to produce and release their own music.
What makes their music unique is the mixture of many different genres, the deep and meaningful lyrics and the extraordinary voice of Clemens, the singer of the Band. Even though most of their lyrics are quite sad, the sound is very carefree. This mixture makes their music really emotional and I think their attempt to make 'danceable melancholia' was very successful.
They will tour again in Germany early next year but loads of their shows are already sould out.
Their single 'Stolen Dance' is currently number 3 in the German charts and their debut album 'Sadnecessary', which was released October, 18th , is available to download on Itunes and Amazon.
Here is their song 'Sadnecessary', track 7 on their Album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dojrvo_TBDQ

Introducing a Band: Pool

The band 'Pool' is an indie rock band from Hamburg, Germany. They have a contract with the german record label '2diy4' , a sister label of Diynamic records, and have released 2 EP's so far. They've released their debut EP 'Game Over' at the beginning of 2012 and about a year later their second EP 'Flex'. Each of the EP's have four songs on them, two original ones and two remixes.
Pool's music makes you want to dance and it's not possible to keep your feet still while listening to it. The lyrics of their songs are quite simple to pick up and therefore easy to sing along. These two features make their concerts unique and make them have a great atmosphere since the whole crowd is moving to the music and almost everyone joins in singing. Their live shows are always brilliant. I've seen them live three times so far and every show was great. When they're on stage you can clearly see that they are enjoying themselfs and that they are having fun.
You can listen to their songs on youtube and on soundcloud. Their song 'Harm' was also the soundtrack for the 'Berlin Festival' 2013 and is free to download on the official page of the festival.
Here is the link to 'Harm' on their Youtube-Channel:  'Harm' by Pool

Introducing a Band: Magic Man

If you are looking for some music, that will put you in a good mood, Magic Man's definitely you're band! Their happy tunes are very catchy and stay in mind for quite some time.
Magic Man is an electropop band from America. They are signed by 'Neon Golden Records', a New York/London based Independent Record Label.
The band has released one EP so far,called 'You are Here'. It has 5 Tracks on it, that you can listen to on soundcloud. 'You are Here' is available to download on Amazon and Itunes. You can also download the song 'Every Day', track 3 on their EP, for free on their Facebook page.
Magic Man are currently touring in the US.

Below is the link to the second song on their EP called 'Paris'.

Paris by Magic Man

Introducing a Band: Kadie Elder

After seeing the danish synthie pop band 'Kadie Elder' live at the 'First we take Berlin' - Festival in Berlin, I can't stop listening to them. Their songs are very easy to access and have really nice and meaningful lyrics. The Band has released one album so far, called 'Kadie Elder'. You can buy it on Itunes and Amazon but since they are not very known yet you can only buy it as an MP3 if you live outside of Denmark. As far as I can see it's still worth buying though. All of the songs on their album are quite quiet but still sound very different to one another. The whole album is sung in English.

They haven't got any tours planned for next year so far, but if you get the chance to see them live you should definitely go. They were amazing live and probably one of the 5 best concerts I've ever been to.

You can listen to a few of their songs on youtube and you can also download their song 'Widen Rift' , Track 3 on their debut Album, on their soundcloude page.

Below is the official video of  Kadie Elders song 'Simple Guy'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYii-0pOqX0