I'd rather die than be dying: Modern Baseball, London, 18/02/17

I discovered Modern Baseball around the same time that I found The Front Bottoms (approx. August 2013). I'm a big fan of slightly nasal American pop punk artists, what can I say. Modern Baseball and TFB supported Brand New on a tour of the states last year, I wish I could have been there!

On Saturday 18th February I made my way to Kentish Town's o2 forum (potentially my favourite gig venue in London - I love how I can arrive quite a while after door's open but still get really near the front and just love the atmosphere). Modern Baseball came to the UK to promote their latest album, Holy Ghost, which was released last year. 

Support came from Thin Lips and Superweaks, the latter coming on stage a few times to sing with Modern Baseball. Prior to coming, I didn't know either band that well (just a quick Spotify stalk a few days beforehand) but they definitely got the crowd going. 

I really loved Modern Baseball's set. To me they represent the start of uni, when things were going really well yet I still remembered how unhappy I had been at school previously. Their lyrics often concentrate on the impact of social media on my generation, which I can obviously relate to. 

A highlight of the set was when they played 'Hiding'. This is one of my favourite songs from the Holy Ghost album but I wasn't expecting them to play it. It's always a great feeling when you recognise each song that is played, and it seemed like the crowd were loving every minute. 

Following an energetic rendition of 'Your Graduation', the concert finished with an incredible cover of The Killers' 'When You Were Young'. (See shaky video below, I was very excited). 

While the gig was really enjoyable, and Sean, Ian and Jake did a great job, it was still sad to not see Brendan perform. Anxiety and depression are not to be taken lightly, and I think I speak on behalf of all the fans when saying I fully understand his decision not to play. 

Additionally, a few days after the gig Jake posted a message on Facebook saying that the band will be taking a break while they all individually focus on their mental health. My heart goes out to you all, stay strong. 

Do you want it all? No, but a little more atmosphere would've been nice: Two Door Cinema Club, London, 09/02/17

Last Thursday, I saw Two Door Cinema Club for the second time at Alexandra Palace. While it was an enjoyable experience, I can't say it was the most inspiring concert I've ever attended. 

First things first, however, I was very impressed with the logistics of getting to Ally Pally. The bus from Wood Green dropped us off directly outside the venue, so we didn't have to mission up the hill in the cold. It was also such a beautiful building and I wasn't expecting to be greeted by some huge trees as we entered... Also, before arriving at the main stage there was a big area full of bars and food stalls which added to the relaxed vibes.

Alexandra Palace's 'atrium'

We missed Sundara Karma, the first support act, thanks to a combination of an earlier pull of sushi and the time required to actually get from central London to Alexandra Park. When we arrived Circa Waves were seemingly mid set and the crowd was beginning to warm up. 

Around 8:30pm, Circa Waves appeared to finish and we expected Two Door to start, but it turned out that they had simply taken an exetnded break and they returned 20 minutes later. I found this a bit strange, and it also made me less excited for the main act who didn't get on stage until 9:30pm. I would have appreciated knowing this in advance so I could have planned accordingly, but hey.

THE classic gig photo, no?

Set-list wise, it was evident that Two Door know their fan base well. The majority came from earlier albums, with classics such as 'Undercover Martyn' and 'Something Good Can Work' going down a storm. I wasn't blown away by the acoustics at Ally Pally, granted we were standing quite far back but it wasn't always the most engaging experience. 

I don't want to come across too negative, because I did enjoy my evening. I'm just conscious that things could have been slightly better. Overall I'm glad I got to test out Alexandra Palace as a venue and now I'm looking forward to seeing Modern Baseball on Saturday.

We're going through phases

"If music be the food of love, play on." Now I've got your attention with a cheesy, over-used quotation, I can introduce myself. Hello, I'm Alice and I'll be using this blog to chronic my musical discoveries and concerts I attend.

I wish I could say that I've always had a finely tuned taste in music, but it would be incorrect. I'm unashamed to say that I go through phases. In the last ten years I've had a Twilight phase (the least said about that the better), grime phase, theme park phase and Lady Gaga phase, to name but a few.

My first live music experience was at the Cbeebies prom in the park in the early 2000s (deadly serious). The day was slightly tainted by losing my Dad halfway through which resulted in much panicking and tears, so I didn't make a lone venture into the world of concerts until I was a 'cool' (read: loser) teenager.

At 14 I dragged three friends to Shepherd's Bush's Empire to see Tinchy Stryder. I remember feeling very young compared to other attendees, but it definitely started a love affair with live music. In the years that followed I saw an eclectic mix of artists including Bullet for My Valentine, Ke$ha, Gorillaz and Lady Gaga.

When I finished sixth form, I moved to Paris for my degree. A few months after my arrival, I saw The 1975 play at a tiny venue (La Maroquinerie). This made me realise just how much I prefer intimate venues and since then I jump at the chance to see up-and-coming artists just for the experience itself

While 2016 was truly an awful year for a myriad of reasons, it also turned out to be 'the year of the gig' for me. I entered some competitions and was lucky enough to win tickets to a few concerts including Låpsley and a tiny Enter Shikari acoustic set at the Deezer HQ in Paris:

The night before the acoustic set, a friend and I saw Shikari at Le Trabendo. This was the polar opposite to the chilled out Deezer set, and probably the most fun gig I've ever been to (it also helped that we'd had quite a lot to drink beforehand).

While in Paris I also got the chance to see Hozier, The 1975 (again) and attend a UK grime night which was super fun. Shortly before I left in September, I went to Rock en Seine - a three day festival in the Bois de Boulogne (a huge park on the outskirts of Paris' bourgeois 16th arrondissement). Particular highlights of the festival included CHVRCHES, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Anderson .Paak, Little Simz, Sigur Ros, Bring Me The Horizon, Birdy Nam Nam and Peaches (look her up if you don't know her, you won't regret it).

I'm lucky enough to live about 30 minutes from London, so once back in the UK I kept buying tickets for various concerts in the capital. I saw Jamie T and Jack Garratt which went well, and then I finished off 2016 with an 'epic' three day weekend consisting of The Cure, The Front Bottoms and Los Campesinos!

LC! are my favourite band (I talk about them far too much for them not to be). This was however the first time I'd seen them live and I wasn't disappointed. It took place in The Moth Club, Hackney, which was a great intimate venue. I got the chance to chat to lead singer Gareth at the merch stand and loved the fact we could talk so easily. I don't know many other bands who invest such time in their fan base.

So now you're a little more up to speed with my music tastes, I can start to get excited about what 2017 will bring. Tonight marks the first gig of the year for me, I'm heading up to London after work to see Two Door Cinema Club at Alexandra Palace. I've never been there for live music so looking forward to seeing how it goes.

I'll write up tonight's gig comments over the weekend. In the meantime you can check out the other events I'll be attending by clicking here.