LIVE music photography

So 2009 certainly has been an interesting year for female British artists. In January I predicted on my Blog that Little Boots, Florence & the Machine and La Roux would rule the roost as the UK’s most hyped artists and it refreshing to see that my predictions were right (old a&r men don’t die, they just end up writing blogs)!

The argument of who of those is the most credible it utterly pointless however it’s nice to see female artists shaping the music scene and  giving the boys a run for their money. Although I say that each of these artists have been hyped it’s refreshing to see that the music press has pretty much turned their back on the pop fodder which has been dominating the charts for years. Move over Cheryl Cole and the Saturday’s Victoria Hesketh is in town!

Out of the three aforementioned singers probably my favourite is Little Boots, closely followed by Florence & The Machine. I saw Little Boots  earlier in the year at a show case in the Apple Store and since then her popularity has gone strength to strength.  A huge amount of interest was surrounding her back in March and there was  real possibility of her debut album being lost in a sea of hype. Thankfully her album has done very well and has silenced many of her critics.

Tonight’s gig certainly was a hard one by anyone’s standards. The Gibson Guitar studio is probably the sweatiest venue in Central London and only used for showcases and not open to the public. Bebo who have recently announced a partnership with Samsung  have lined up a number of showcases of various bands and artists and Little Boots was their second act to perform at one of their gigs.  Despite the intimate environment, and unbearable heat, Little Boots put on an excellent show and payed roughly nine or so songs from her debut album. I particularly love the Tenori-on which has to be the most bonkers instrument invented since the stylophone! If you have not seen one in action check out her video for her single “Remedy”.

Written by John  Rahim

So finally after 31 packed shows the iTunes Live festival has ended it’s third year with Mika closing the show. The iTunes Live festival has become progressively bigger over the past three years with the first year being held at the ICA and last year’s festival being held at Camden’s Koko. This years event was by far the most ambitious and it will be interesting to see what iTunes pull off next year. Bigger is not necessarily better however Mika was the perfect choice to end the festival.

Michael “Mika” Penniman who stormed the charts in 2007 with his camp hybrid of disco and pop came dressed looking like a character from Stanley Kubrick’s ” A Clockwork Orange”. OK he was missing the bowler hat and bass ball bat however other than that there was an uncanny resemblance. This was the first time that I had seen Mika live and I was suitably impressed with his musical skill and on stage theatrics. The roundhouse normally is quite a somber and gloomy venue to photograph however Mika had turned the stage into an over the top pantomime with tinsel cannons and decorative photo brollies. Set wise there was an even split of songs from his debut album, “Life in Cartoon Motion” as well as from his as yet to be released second album “We are Golden”.

Mika is garish and trashy however he pulls it off incredibly well with songs which are so catchy they will inadvertently rattle around in your head for days.

Written by John Rahim

I originally heard about Florence Rawling around a year ago. At the time there were many within the music industry who were getting quite excited about the young singer who many thought could be the next Duffy or Amy Winehouse. Florence who was 19 had signed been signed to Dramatico records by the former Womble creator Mike Batt. Batt discovered her years earlier when she was 13 and had worked with her nurturing her talent however felt it sensible to wait until after her schooling before signing her to his label.

Since then his other signing Katie Melua, has done fantastically well which no doubt has helped her profile as both singers were discovered at the same audition session. Not unsurprisingly many are looking at Rawlings as the  next Katie Melua however Rawlings is nothing like Melua. Her influences are more in the line of Aretha Franklin and 50’s Detroit soul singers rather than mainstream pop.  However her looks and tremendous voice gloss over what otherwise sounded like quite a weak set list. Subsequent to the show I have listened to her tracks a number of time on her MySpace page and whilst the songs are OK they don’t really do her justice. Her single “Hard to get” is a great song however some of the others leave me uninspired.

The gig at Bush Hall was supporting the Blues legend Booker T and despite being second on the bill managed to  pull off an excellent performance. Backed by a 10 piece band Rawlings seemed very relaxed and confident. I know that this was a support concert however if I was managing her I would be aiming at a much younger contemporary audience. Judging by the people at the show most of the audience would have been old enough to be her grand parents!

I think that Florence Rawlings in time will do very well. She has a brilliant voice and looks to match however probably needs to work with writing teams outside of the Dramatico stable.

Written by John Rahim

It’s been a couple of weeks since I saw Boc Party perform at the iTunes Festival however I thought their show deserved a blog entry albeit a somewhat belated one. I have always been a fan of Bloc Party and whilst their second album “A weekend in the City” was a disappointment after their excellent debut “Silent Alarm” the band are quietly intelligent and have written some fantastic songs.  Also unlike many other indie bands they are continually exploring a new music direction which sets them apart from many of their peers.
Tonight’s show at the Roundhouse was part of a month long festival by iTunes. All of the tickets were given out free to competition winners and gig had a distinctively carnival feel.  The band in the past have been criticized for their sullen performances however tonight’s show was  an upbeat affair which started with a dedication to their fan Nettie “Jennifer John” who had died in a car crash the week earlier on the way to the Eden project to watch Kasabian. The band dedicated the performance to her and Kele the lead singer said that he was floored by the news. They had all seen Nettie the week before at Glastonbury and sent their condolences to her family. This heartfelt message was strangely moving and it’s seldom that you hear bands talking about their fans in such an affectionate manner. 
The band then played for over 90 minute’s tracks from all of their three albums including all of the singles. The crowd went absolutely mad for their singles “Helicopter” and “Banquet” still two of their finest records to date. This was the first time that I had seen Bloc Party in over a year however judging by their performance at Glastonbury,   which many think was the highlight of the festival they have found a new enthusiasm and passion for their live shows.
Written by John Rahim