Concerts Archives - Page 8 of 11

God Bless Naturally 7

November 8, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

! Naturally 7 are amazing !
There are not enough words to describe how talented and lovely those 7 lads are. So I will give my best to review yesterday’s brilliant concert. I’ve been looking forward to this concert since their announcement and you know that means a lot since I’m going to gigs quite a lot lately. But you can count on Naturally 7 to give a 110 % and to make these two hours the best you’ve ever had.
At 8 they started with “Jericho” and “Wall of Sound” two of my favourite songs! Each time it is mesmerising what they can do with their voices! Plus it is very familiar now and I’m already dancing along which is what I love to do. Roger always asks the audience: “How many of you see us for the first time?” And always quite a few people raise their hands which surprises me every time. But just as much people have seen them before and come back as friends. I would also like to mention that each time they are playing in Zurich the crowd is incredibly loud and is cheering almost from the start. This really doesn’t happen a lot but Naturally 7 manages to turn the quiet Swiss people into a loud crowd within just 1 song. Yesterday evening it was even louder than the last time!

In my interview in July they told me that we are very loud and that they love to come here because of it. They said it again yesterday and I have to agree. You could really see that they were enjoying it too. As you might know Dwight is originally from Jamaica so they covered the Rastafarian song “Rivers of Babylon” which was sang by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton in 1970. Later it was covered by the famous Boney M. It was an early highlight and a change to their set which I didn’t even expect.
Tonight they also sang two songs of the new record Both Sides Now. Roger explained that the new one is quite different to the older ones since they were singing acappella for the most part which differs to their usual Vocalplay. The first one “Going Home” is a beautiful ballade and I sat back and just enjoyed those angelic voices. Before the next song they asked us if there were couples in the house and how long they are married. Eventually we found a couple who are married for 40 years! So they dedicated this love song to those two people. BEAUTIFUL!

Before the next Roger asked the youngest in the audience how old they were. So he told a little story about himself and his life. Bottom line was that when you are 10 years old you don’t know how easy your life is without any worries. A few years ago they found the song called “Stressed out” by twentyone pilots and they Naturally 7’ed it yesterday and I absolutely loved it! Warren the “Drummer” got his solo part and it is seriously amazing! You could feel the drums vibrating even if there weren’t any to be seen! They continued with another cover “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. Just WOW.
As many people know three of the 7 members are originally from England: Roger and his brother Warren and Garfield. So the three of them are each an “English man in New York” and the whole Kaufleuten sings along. They remix this song with Jay Z’s and Alicia Keys’ “New York” and they bring the “Jamaican Man in New York” back at the end. Dwight then takes the whole Kaufleuten to Jamaica while we sing “One Love”. I felt a lot of love in the room and it was embracing everyone. Funny enough on the way home Bob Marley’s “One Love” came on the radio and my concert buddy and I smiled at each other.

Before the encore they sang another cover “Fix you” by Coldplay. I’ve seen them in Frankfurt this summer (click on Coldplay to read more) and they were good but I adored Naturally 7’s version of this song. It is a quiet highlight of their 2 hour set. And the last song brings the party back! Dancing, clapping, jumping and singing and the whole Kaufleuten went crazy. Just before they left Kelz – the bass – played the chords to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and naturally we Swiss people know what to do. I think they were quiet a bit surprised how loud and well we sang that part.
And as always Naturally 7 says Goodbye with a bow and these words:

God Bless You

And yes, God Bless Naturally 7. 7 incredible musicians and lovely people who take time to meet their fans or friends as they say right after the show. Everyone left that night with a smile on their face and I think this is their goal which they achieve every time. So if you have never seen Naturally 7 live you missed out BIG TIME! So stay tuned to my blog and you won’t miss their next concert. Can’t wait that long? Have a look at my instagram and facebook stories to get a little sneak peek or get their newest record “Both Sides Now”
Have you seen Naturally 7 live? Share the love in the comment section below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Party Night at Baloise Session with Kool & the Gang and Dabu Fantastic

November 4, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

It’s Friday night and it’s party time! That’s why tonight’s motto “Let’s celebrate” fits perfectly and is a perfect match for these two artists: Kool & the Gang and Dabu Fantastic. Please click here to read more of my interview with the latter. Again I’d like to mention that the staff at Baloise Session is incredibly friendly and helpful! Plus the concerts shown on the screen is a treat. They chose Parov Stelar again who will be coming to Samsung Hall on 9th March!

First up was Dabu Fantastic. They are a band from Zurich singing in Swiss German. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics you gotta see them live. Their energy is off the chain and they are super entertaining. Unfortunately it’s only been the 2nd time I’ve seen them live. The first time was at a free concert on a float at Badi Enge. It was an magical gig and a lot of fun. They started with “Autobahn” and “Grosse MC” which was mixed with one of my favourites “Vo Vorn”. This song is perfect for a gig! “Vo Vorn” means to start again so it makes perfect sense to say let’s start again.

The 3rd song was “MsG” – Mir seget Grüezi which is a translation of the German Fanta 4 song “MfG”. They did a whole set with those kinda song and in my interview you’ll hear about Fanta 4’s reaction. Next up was “Schön” and “Fredi” before they got a bit quieter and mellowed down a bit for “Min Ort”/ “My place”. It is a beautiful ballade about Dabu’s hometown. You don’t expect these guys to be able to do slow but they really can do slow! Just before they suddenly vanished they played a song called “Maybach”.

Suddenly Dabu and DJ Arts showed up on a B-stage in the middle of the room. They had a short old school break where just the two of them were doing their thing 🙂 On the way back they were dancing with the audience. Another favourite moment of mine was when they remixed Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of you” and KRS-One “Sound of da Police” and replaced it with Jeans and made it to their own song. Such a funny song! Before the next song “Hässlich”/”Ugly” they announced that either we have to dance really bad or really good and the best people get a shirt for free! 🙂 And yes, people were dancing or the posh people sitting where trying their best. One lady won and she put the shirt right on and stood on a chair. How great is that??!!

Just before the encore we enjoyed “Paradiis and Het Sie Xeh”. They came back just to say “Gang Jetz” which means “Off you go” and they remixed it with another Swiss artists “Brütigam” by Dodo. And lastly the song a lot of people have been waiting for – their “Angelina”. It basically is about a relationship where it’s working on top of each other but not next to each other if you know what I mean 😉

Will mir händ so viel Liebi zge
Als wär das öppis wos Läbe lang hebt
Aber morn bisch wider weg
Will ufenand gats aber näbenand nöd

I was ready to take pictures of Kool & the Gang but I wasn’t really ready for this! The 11 musicians took the stage and their energy just blew me away! But I wasn’t the only one within seconds they’ve managed to get the people standing and the security had problems keeping them back for the first 3 songs. They started with “Fresh” and I took pictures but I was also singing. I guess that looked quite funny so the lads on stage smiled at me a few times. A singing photographer must be new to them too 😉

Shawn McQuiller and Lavell Evans and Walter Anderson switched the lead vocals between each other. Plus the latter took to play the keys a few times. It is incredible how versatile all these musicians are. I expected old men on stage but they managed to bring on the new generation too! In “Tonight” and “Too Hot” the guys showed off their dancing skills and the people in the audience were too. As soon as the security released them onto the dancing floor I had to flee! I’ve never experienced anything like it and thankfully there was a tiny space left out for the camera which I fled into. I really didn’t envy the camera guys’ job that night! 🙂

The crowd was on fire that night. We were dancing, singing and just having a good time. These incredible musicians were giving it their best and you could sense it. “Joanna” and “Open Sesame” was next and during “Jungle Boogie” I found myself way back onto the dance floor. The boys were dancing in sync to Hollywood Swinging and it just looked incredible and by then I knew that it was going to be a very good gig. For all the lovers in the house Kool & the Gang played their huge hit “Cherish” and the lights of the phone and lighters went up.

What followed can only be described as a huge party and everyone joined in to celebrate this wonderful evening. With “Let’s Go Dancing” we were turned into a big backing choir to sing the “Oh la la la’s”. Now the next song they sang for all the beautiful ladies in the house:

Oh, yes, it’s Ladies’ Night
And the feeling’s right
Oh, yes, it’s Ladies’ Night
Oh, what a night (oh, what a night)

And the feeling was really right! I think by then everyone at Baloise Session was standing or should I say dancing. “Get Down on it” was so so cool and it was amazing to see these Legends on stage. All those songs were written in the 80’s and I still know them and they can travel the world singing it. This must be the dream of every musician. The final song of the night was of course “Celebration”. What impressed me the most was that the band stayed on stage and shook a lot of hands and said thank you. They do not need to this anymore. They are huge stars and still they thank every person who came out that night.

Those are real musicians and are well worth supporting and seeing. I adore artists who show their appreciation and I tend to see those kinda artists more than once. For example Naturally 7 are like that too and they are coming to Zurich next week! After the 3rd night at the Baloise Session I can tell that I am in love with this festival. If you want to read about my first two nights check out Clean Bandit/Goldfrapp and Asgeir/Kaleo.

Have you been to the Baloise Session? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Allgemein, Concerts

British Indie Rock and English Charme at its finest

October 31, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Amber Run’s first Swiss concert nearly got cancelled because their tour bus broke down in the middle of – I quote – f***ing nowhere in Germany! Just Because informed us via facebook about this and that the show started an hour later. I love the fact that this organiser cares about us fans and is communicating problems early enough so we can adjust. So well done to you Just Because! 🙂

At 9 the support band Flyte started. Well it wasn’t really a band since only the lead singer/guitarist Will made it to Zurich. His whole band had to stay back because I assume there wasn’t enough room in the 2nd bus. Poor him! Even by himself he did a great job and it was very charming how he explained that he is very nervous since he has never done this before without his band. Someone shouted a request which he fulfilled. It was absolutely adorable. His 20mins set was great and I cannot wait to see them in February.

At 9.30 Amber Run took the stage with “Pilot” and “Spark”. After a few seconds I knew I loved them! 5 musicians giving their best for us. The crowd seemed to enjoy it too so they clapped and wooped loudly. This animated the band even more so they went on with “Insomniac” and “Stranger”. During “Fickle Game” people started singing even louder. I loved their mix between uptempo rock songs and slower songs.
In-between songs Joshua talked to us. It was hilarious! He said that we didn’t know how close they came to cancelling the show because they just couldn’t make it. He was also totally overwhelmed by us singing along since English is not our mother tongue. I have to say I was surprised to how the sold out Papiersaal reacted to Amber Run! “JMS” and “Dark Bloom” were next. One of the highlights of the evening was “Good Morning”. My concert told me it’s perfect for early mornings and she was right! It is a feel good song which makes you dance.

After this amazing song the set went on with “Island” and “5am”. During “Noah” we were asked to be their back up choir and it was just incredibly beautiful. The lads proved again that they can sing in this wonderful ballade called “Wastelands”. We nearly reached the end of the show with “Heaven” as the last song before the break.
Amber Run came back for three encore songs. Joshua explained that a few years ago they didn’t like each other very much and they had problems within the band. So this is what the next song “Haze” is about. It is a beautiful slow song and the harmonies of Joshua, Will and Henry were just perfect and gave me goosebumps. During “I Found” the Swiss audience proved that they know their lyrics and can sing! 🙂 “No Answers” is rock song to head bang to and a brilliant way finish to this 1 hour and 40 mins gig. Their last words were

Thank you very much for coming out to see us! It means the world to us!

I am officially a fan of Flyte and Amber Run and I gotta say their Merchandising is on point! Tonight they play in Basel and later they tour Germany. Click here to see dates and get tickets. Please support these amazing british bands!
All pics were taken by Denise Stocker. Check out her lovely pics on her site.
Have you been to one of their shows? Show your love in the comment section below!

Allgemein, Concerts

Two cool Icelandic voices warmed the Swiss hearts

October 30, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Again I am at the wonderful Baloise Session listening to the amazing Kaleo and in our regions Newcomer Asgeir – Iceland Calling. As soon as I stepped into the venue they showed the old Session of the Kaiser Chiefs. What a show it was, you gotta love them. I really love this concept of showing past concerts especially if they are that good!

First up is Asgeir. I meant to see him at Gurtenfestival but you know how it is at festivals.. So when I read that he will play the Baloise Session I knew I had to go. Let me tell you he didn’t disappoint! Asgeir’s got a beautiful – high pitched at times – voice which is just incredible live. During the first three songs “Hold”, “Fennir Yfir”, “Higher” I was able to take pictures and the songs were very psychedelic and so different to what I expected. I did like it though and the beautiful red lights for “Here comes the wave in” were great. After “Underneath it” one of my highlights came on: “New day” is a beautiful ballade and I listened to it with my eyes closed. Beatrice Stirnimann – the organiser – said at the beginning we should turn on our “Kopfkino” which doesn’t translate literally into English. It means to turn on our imagination and enjoy our own movie in our head.
She was very right. “Head in the Snow” and “Dreaming” were next after which Asgeir said his first words: Thank you! We wouldn’t hear any more words out of him which is a bit of a pity. I would have loved to know more about his songs but I get it – it’s the Scandinavian Coolness…

“In Harmony” is another one of my favourites. Just an absolutely wonderful song to dream to. His incredible voice came out perfectly in this song and made this song another highlight. During the next song “Afterglow” Asgeir brought out the Icelandic fires. It looked amazing! We stayed in the warm regions of the colours and for “I know you know” we were transported into the jungle. For me the instruments created jungle noises and the lighting was in warm colours. This is quite special from a musician born in the cold regions of the world 🙂

“King and Kross” was the first song that came up when I YouTubed him and I quite liked the song. “Unbound” and “Going Home” went by really quickly and I was completely lost in my thoughts until “Stardust” happened. Jesus! The whole earth was shaking from the bass and the lights were supporting it. So people started to go to the dance floor just before the encore and what an encore it was. “Torrent” is the only up-tempo song Asgeir had in his repertoire. This song was my highlight of his set but he had to make way for his fellow countrymen Kaleo.

I knew Kaleo from their hit “Way Down” which is a slow rock ballade so I was utterly surprised when I realised they are basically a rock/ blues/ country band! I love this style and I adored their show! I am so so happy that Baloise Session made this happen. But first things first. Lots of fans were already waiting to hit the dance floor even before the band came on stage. For the first three songs the photographers took up the dance floor but I already noticed a few singing along to “Broken Bones”. Jokull – the lead singer – started to whistle beautifully for “I Can’t Go On Without You”.

When the third song “Save Yourself” started I had to stop photographing because I liked the music so much that I couldn’t focus and didn’t want to anymore. Plus I had some great shots of this beautiful man and his fellow musicians! Yes, you heard me – Jokull is gorgeous! That’s why half of the fans were young women and the other half were older men rocking out. I loved this mix! It made for a great crowd who were dancing, jumping and clapping. David on drums and Daniel on bass made sure of that. They were animating the crowd and Daniel was running around and jumping up and down himself. You could fell that they were enjoying themselves a lot!
I joined the crowd in front of the stage when they played “Alter Ego” and “Pour Sugar on Me”. Rubin Pollock on guitar did an amazing job and Thorleifur normally on keys showed off his harmonica skills in a few songs and that was just incredible to witness. It is such an underrated instrument but it creates an amazing sound. “Automobile” is a country song and I couldn’t stop dancing! “Hot blood” and “No Good” followed just before Kaleo introduced us to their language. The beautiful ballade “Vor i Vaglasogi” was enchanting. Jokulls voice in perfect harmony with David’s accompanied by just a guitar was just pure bliss.

They covered Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” and wow it was really really good. It’s so special and interesting to me that a band from Iceland is doing so well in this country music genre that they could as well be born and raised in Nashville. Jokull did dress his part at yesterday’s Baloise Session however if you would see him you wouldn’t put him into this genre which makes this band even more appealing. “Back Door” and “Texas” made sure that I would definitely see them again. I also think that quite a few people at that event would go see them again. Us fans made sure that Kaleo knows that we love them and that they have to come back.
You could see that they didn’t expect us to be this good. A few times they said thank you and you were a wonderful crowd tonight and to be honest I have to agree. It was wonderful to be part of this evening. With “Way Down” they finally played their – so far – biggest hit. It sounded completely different live – for me it was even better. You know that I am a fan of live music and usually prefer the live versions over the record one. Way too fast Kaleo went off stage before the encore.

After a little over an hour Kaleo finished their set with “Rock N Roller” and the crowd went mental. Maybe not the people sitting but definitely the people in front of the stage. I have to thank the Baloise Session again for inviting these two artists and for letting me cover such amazing talent from a little island called Iceland.
I am very much looking forward to see Kool and the Gang/Dabu Fantastic and Tim Bendzko/Max Giesinger at this brilliant festival. So keep following me here on WordPress or via my social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Have a look at my past review of Clean Bandit/Goldfrapp.
Have you been at this amazing concert? Please share your opinion in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Angus and Julia Stone brought a whole lotta love from down under

October 28, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

A few weeks ago I wrote about their newest album Snow in my New Music category. So I was quite curious how Angus and Julia Stone sounded live and lucky for me Just Because made it happen. I was quite afraid that I wouldn’t like Julia’s voice since it’s quite mellow and usually I don’t like that kind of voice. Little did I know that I’d be a fan by the end of the night.

Isaac Gracie opened the night. He has a special voice and it was nice listening to him. However it seemed like he didn’t click with the audience even though he seemed super nice. Maybe it was just because the venue was too big for him.
Finally just after 9pm the siblings took the stage and I immediately was super impressed. They had a huge LED screen in the back where beautiful pictures were shown. In front of that screen Angus and Julia Stone had a totem which had LED lights included too. A smoke machine run wild with a lot of smoke coming off the stage. All of this created a mysterious atmosphere.

The two were accompanied by four other musicians coming together from all over the world. They started with “Baudelaire” and “Make it out alive”. Then they directed a few words towards the crowd and I could see that they loved to be here and enjoyed being on stage. Next we heard “Cellar door” and “Heart beats”. By then I was in love with them. The artists created a beautiful atmosphere with their music, their stage and spreading the love all around Zurich.

The new song “Chateau” came on and I loved it! It is such a beautiful song and live it was even better. The voice of Angus is much stronger and deeper live and Julias is just incredibly beautiful. My worries that I wouldn’t like her voice were blown away in an instant. I enjoyed every song 🙂

Julia then said that she loved writing love songs which the next song “Wherever you are” is. In “Bloodhound” Angus took the lead with his raspy voice and I adored it. Their harmonies were incredible and you could sense that the two of them know each other since they were kids. All guitar lovers were made happy too with the wonderful guitars (including a banjo) Angus and the other musicians played.

“Private Lawns”,”Who do you think” and “Nothing Else” were the songs before the big big hit “Big Jet Plane”. Everyone seemed to know the it and sang along. Julia asked the audience to get out ours phones and light it up. This created and incredible sight to a beautiful song. They seemed to enjoy it as much as we do. Being at concerts as often as I am I mostly enjoy the concerts where the artist loves to be there too. So this was definitely one! For the next song “For You” Julia explained the story behind it. She was dating a guy for 8 years when they broke up. She realised later that she was still in love with him so she wrote this song on guitar hero (How adorable! :-)) and sent it to him in an e-mail.

If I talk real slowly
If I try real hard
To make my point dear,
That you have my heart

It took him weeks to write back but eventually he did. It said “Cool song!” and attached was a random song he wrote which was a mix of metal and hip hop. My heart flew out to her.

The duo introduced the next song “My House” by saying:

We are in your house and you are kinda in our house

So this is what the next song is about. Such a lovely song and we had to help them sing the chorus which created a unifying atmosphere full of love. For the title track “Snow” they brought out the big guns. In the middle of the song it literally started snowing and it wouldn’t stop. What a wonderful idea! This seemed like the last song to me but they only disappeared for the encore and came back to sing 3 more songs. “A Heartbreak” and “Uptown” of their own songs. But they finished with a shanty called “Stonecutters” since they grew up with sailing parents and grand parents. I love those kinds of songs and it was the perfect end to a wonderful evening.

If you can make sure to check out Angus and Julia Stone live. Click here to check out their tour dates!
Were you at the concert in Zurich or in Geneva? Let me know how you liked Angus and Julia Stone in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Electro times 2! The lovely Clean Bandit and the mysterious Goldfrapp

October 26, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

I’ve never been to the Baloise Session before and I was positively surprised when I entered the venue. It is a super classy location and the people dress their part. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. So if you haven’t been to this amazing festival you’ve definitely missed something.

Clean Bandit opened the evening which surprised me quite a bit since they are huge at the moment. Luckily I was able to see them this summer at the Summertime Ball in London. Back then they had two singers who were changing for each song. Today, instead of the second singer Grace herself sang a few times which surprised me even more since she seemed very shy in London. You might not know this but Clean Bandit is just an instrumental group formed by the brothers Luke on drums and Jack on keys and Grace on cello. They get supported during their live performances by Sam on bass, Stephanie on violin and as previously mentioned Yasmin on vocals.
They started with a funny intro where we were transported into a rainforest. The electro dance vibe was there and after 3 songs the audience couldn’t be kept on their seats anymore so the dance floor in front of the stage was opened. Of course the majority stayed at the beautifully candle-lit tables and enjoyed the concert seated. However I felt that there was a great atmosphere and everyone was happy. The 4th song was already “Symphony” a huge hit and brilliant live – especially sung with a great voice such as Yasmin has.

Clean Bandit mixed slow songs where the singer could show her talent with dance songs where they got everyone jumping and dancing. The band got also a Reggae song called “Come Over” and I haven’t mentioned it on my blog yet but I love this genre. So this song was a lovely surprise and one of my highlights of the night. “Rockabye” followed which features Sean Paul and Anne Marie (who is coming to the Energy Star Night as well as to Kaufleuten on April, 18th) and had to be included in the set. Unfortunately today without the original singers of the song. This makes me realise how lucky I was in June!
With “Should have known better” Yasmin got everyone singing. “Disconnect” came after which is originally sang by Marina from Marina and the Diamonds. Her voice suits this songs incredibly well. The last song before the encore was “Real Love” another dancy song and one of their biggest hits. The first encore song was “Tears” originally sang by Louisa Johnson who is more or less unknown in Switzerland but in the UK she’s a rising star. And finally the song everyone knew was “Rather Be”. I was dancing and singing and this song is just brilliant. I’ve heard it at a small fair in a village in London sang by a choir and I adored what they did with it.

After an hour the lovely British musicians left the stage to make way to their fellow countryman or should I say woman. Goldfrapp took the stage after a short break and what a start it was. It was all dark and you could only see her features. I assumed this would change after a while and the light would shine on her but I made a wrong assumption. For the whole hour she stayed in the dark. Lots of lights in different colours were shining behind her and it looked quite impressive. During the set Alison didn’t talk to the audience much and because she was so distant I didn’t really connect with her.

A few people had the same issue and left the Baloise Session early. However I’d say the majority loved it. The dance floor was opened again and many people were dancing not only there but also next to their tables. Funny enough out of the blue I recognised a song which I quite like called “Train”. It was played on the radio a lot as well as the encore but let’s not go there yet.
Someone described her sound to me as a mix of mellow tunes and electro beats which is so accurate that I had to mention it here. She went through her set quite quickly and professionally. Goldfrapp’s “dance” moves are quite special and in hindsight it reminds me a bit of the German electro band 2Raumwohnung who I got to see and review for the music magazine ARTNOIR. The set finished just before 11 with “Strict Machine”. Another song I knew and enjoyed seeing it live.

During the break we got to see a previous concert of the Baloise Session with Parov Stelar. Obviously I was quite intrigued and started to pay attention more closely. I quite enjoyed their performance and their lead singer seemed super nice and talented. Suddenly “All Night” came on and I bet you know that song! Lucky for us they are coming back on March, 9th 2018. Get your tickets here.
Lastly I can only recommend this brilliant venue and I should have come here sooner! Fortunately I get to come here another 3 times this year to cover the Islandic Night Kaleo/Asgeir, Kool and the Gang/Dabu Fantastic and finally the German night with Tim Bendzko/Max Giesinger. There’s a lot more to come so keep following Kekoas Korner and stay up to date with my social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Did you enjoy Clean Bandit and Goldfrapp? Share your opinion in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

Jacob Banks’ voice is pure magic

October 24, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

I’ve only discovered him a few weeks ago as you might have seen on my blog. I nominated him as one of my artists2watch and boy is he one artist to watch! I had the pleasure to listen to his voice yesterday at Mascotte Zurich thanks to Just Because. After listening to „Chainsmoking“ on YouTube I had high expectations but he did not disappoint.

First of all Jacob Banks brought out a young talented singer called Joy Crookes. She’s got a beautiful jazzy voice and plays the guitar. For all the guys reading check out how beautiful she is 😉 In addition to this she is also very funny and warmed up the crowd pretty nicely.

At 8.30 Mr. Jacob Banks took the stage and I was blown away from the very first minute! I don’t have enough superlative words to describe his voice. Seriously if you are a fan of Rag’N’Bone Man’s voice then check out this guy. With „Worthy“ and „Unholy War“ he started gloriously and from reactions of the audience they were as blown away as I was. It took him only a few minutes to win over the sold out Mascotte who were clapping, wooping, whistling louder after each song.
Apparently both artists tonight had shit relationships because they used almost the same words to introduce their next songs. Me being cheeky is wondering if they might talk about each other ;-)) Oh well we’ll never know but we got a beautiful song called „Part Time Love“. He then took his e-guitar and sang „Pilot“. Just his voice and the guitar it was magical.

„Silverlining“ and „Diddy Bop“ were next and then something happened which has never happened to me before. The music was quite loud so I put it my earbuds at the beginning of the concert and then suddenly one of them fell out. It seems like his voice popped it out. I couldn’t stop laughing. After he sang „Emty/Photograph“ he told us a joke:

What’s the church of Batman?
Christian Bale!

Everyone had to laugh! It was so random which made it very charming. After „Unknown“ someone from the audience shouted „Another Joke“ but he to sing his next song „Mercy/Grace“ so he we didn’t hear another joke. Overall he didn’t talk a lot but he didn’t really need to. His voice transported so much emotions that you felt connected to him without a lot of words in-between. So the next three songs „Love ain’t enough“, „Homecoming/Redbone“ „Sink or swim into Monster“ he sang without talking between them except a humble „thank you“.

On the setlist it says „Talk my Shit“ when he’s supposed to say something to us. Very funny! This hour of incredible music went by way to quickly and the last song before the encore was „Unholy War“. Us front-rowers we were feeling it and were dancing to it. Again I have to praise live music! This song and his voice is undescribably good but live they are fantastic!

This song took my breath away when I first heard it and now I had the honour to listen to it live. „Chainsmoking“ is one hell of a song. I will add the YouTube video again because I was enjoying it too much to video it. However a snippet of this incredible song can be found in my Instagram stories. Mr Jacob Banks left the stage after this wonderful show and me and my two concert buddies felt blessed to have seen this guy performing live in such a small venue because believe me he will come back in a much bigger venue. Jacob Banks has a thriving career in front of him.
Were you there and witnessed Mr. Jacob Banks live? Please share your opinion with us in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

The Coronas are always good craic

October 4, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

Mainland Music brought the 4 lovely lads from the Coronas back to Zurich! It’s been years since I got to know them as the support of the Script. I immediately fell in love with their music and been a fan of theirs ever since. The thing is they are not just brilliant musicians but also very nice down-to-earth people.

This time Polar Circles a Swiss band from Lausanne got to be their opening act on the whole European tour. I really enjoyed one of their last songs a lot and they seemed like really nice people. I especially loved the red guitar <3
Just a little after 9 The Coronas took the stage at Papiersaal with their new single “Real Feel” off their latest album “Trust The Wire”. “Get Loose” and “Addicted to Progress” were the next two songs they chose to play. The lads went on with a mix of new and old songs. Their songs just get you immediately and within minutes everyone was rocking out. From time to time I was looking at people and they were smiling back! I absolutely loved the atmosphere. Everybody had a good time or how the Irish would say good craic.

For “A Bit Withdrawn” Danny made us close our eyes to fully enjoy the song and it was well worth it. What a beautiful song – especially when you listen to it closely! “Who We Are” woke us back up and was full of energy! In “Dreaming Again” you can hear the Irish influence. It makes you sway from side to side and you can almost feel that you are in a proper Irish pub. From the new album this song “We Couldn’t Fake It” is one of the best in my opinion. “Gut Feeling” was next and it’s time to praise Danny incredibly special voice. The Irish accent and the voice itself is a mix that you just have to love.

My personal highlight of the show was when Danny stepped off stage and into the crowd to sing “Heroes or Ghosts” with us as back ground vocals. 🙂 This song is very old but still one of my favourites. Before the show I was able to meet him for an interview which you can read on my blog too. I took the chance to ask him if he could sing this song in Gaelic. So the 2nd verse of “Heroes or Ghosts” he sang in Gaelic. It was amazing!

Before the title track of their last album “Closer To You” they played “Someone Elses’s Hands” a beautiful rock ballade. In “What A Love” we could prove our singing abilities again before Danny toned it down again for “Give Me A Minute”. Sitting at his keys we enjoyed this wonderful slow song. The last song before the encore was “Mark My Words” which Danny announced like this:

So we tell you that this is the last song before we go off stage and then you hopefully clap as loud as you can and then we come back to play more songs. I’m actually not suppose to tell you this! This is not how it works.

This gave everyone a good laugh and it just shows how incredibly funny and normal they are. As announced they left the stage and we started to shout “One more song, one more song”. They came back on and he said well actually we’ll play four more songs! 🙂 “Look at all the lovers” was the first encore song before they covered “Learning To Fly” to honour the late great Tom Petty. Another of my favourites called “San Diego Song” was next. This song is brilliant but just too short! One last song “Just Like That” and this 90 minutes set was over.

The four Irish lads Danny, Dave, Conor and Graham who are always supported by a 5th unofficial member Jonathan are brilliant musicians and their live shows are top notch. So please visit their homepage for tour dates and check out their new album “Trust the Wire“.
Have you been to one of their shows and enjoyed it too? Let me know in the comments below.

Allgemein, Concerts

From the view of Welshly Arms' Merch Seller

September 28, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

A few weeks ago I read that Welshly Arms are looking for a volunteer at their concert in Mascotte on the 27th Sept. This was my cue since I haven’t bought a ticket yet and I love to help out. So this is how I became their Merch seller 🙂 A few days later I also got the job to interview them for the online magazine ARTNOIR! Lucky me!
I arrived at the venue at 6 and they were still sound checking and I was already lovin’ it. I expected a different sound but this was even better! So I couldn’t wait to interview them and later sell their Merchandising. A few minutes later I met the lovely singer of the band Sam Getz and the brilliant drummer Mickey Gould. The interview in English will follow tonight on my blog. The interview in German is already up on ARTNOIR.
30 mins before the doors opened I got instructed and as soon as the first people strolled in I sold my first pieces. I’m not saying this now because I sold their Merch but I really really loved their stuff. Someone has done a pretty good job at designing them. My two favourites are the grey t-shirt and the red hoodie. I will deffo wear the grey shirt a lot I can already tell 🙂

The incredible Andrea Bignasca opened for Welshly Arms that night. I’ve already seen him before and again he blew me away with his powerful voice. Please check this Swiss artist out or visit his next gig in Zurich at Piccolo Giardino on 28th Oct.

At 9 the six musicians took the stage and the energy just radiated off them. They couldn’t have started with a better song! “The Touch” is full off energy and the rhythm gets you the minute they start playing it. It was also the song I heard at the sound check. My new favourite song! Have a listen for yourself but let me tell you it has nothing on the live version!

The next two songs “Ain’t supposed to rain” and “Love in a minor key” are off their 2015 record titled “Welshly Arms”. The incredible energy continued through out their set. They performed “The Only” before “Hold on I’m Coming” which featured in Tarantino’s H8ful Eight movie. Find out more about this cooperation in my interview. “We move easy” has a super souly vibe and I was dancing and clapping behind my Merch table. One advantage of this table was that I had a lot of space to dance to and I was still able to see them quite well!

In “Two seconds too late” they have quite a different clapping rhythm but most people managed to get it right. This song is from 2013 and also a fav of mine. Right after this older song “Who we are” followed and you can literally see their musical journey. By then I knew that I will always come back and see their shows. Some bands you just need to see live and they are definitely one of them. After Welshly Arms’ “Bad Blood” not Taylor Swifts they got the crowd singing with “Dirty Work” and the whole Mascotte gave their best.

Sam introduced everyone on and off the stage which I personally think it’s a very nice thing to do. This is how you appreciated the people you work with. Let me tell you it is a reflection of the character of the band as well. Only the good down to earth bands – who also care about their fans too – do it. Welshly Arms are deffo one of them bands. I got to witness first hand how they treat their fans and me. They are thankful for each and everyone and they take their time to meet them and try to fulfill all their wishes.
In “Down to the river” Bri – the only woman of the band – got to step into the limelight and show off her singing skills as well. Sam introduced the next song like this:

If you are here because of this next song we want to say thank you for coming to see us!

And so they played “Legendary” – their uber hit which is currently played non-stop on the radios. It was a magical moment and it is a brilliant song. However the first song remained my favourite of the night. “Never be the same” was the last song before the encore. Usually the band goes backstage just to come back and play some more songs but those guys they just went off the stage had a quick break and came back on. I loved it! 🙂 Lastly they covered Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over troubled water” in a special way.

Right after the concert Sam Getz hopped off stage to come to my Merch table and to meet all the fans. MY work began now. I was glad that the people were nice and had the patience to wait a little. Overall it was an incredible night and every fan left the venue happy. When they were gone the guys came to put the t-shirts away and they were thanking me for helping them sell their Merch but I have to thank them for this amazing experience I would always do it again!
Have you been to the concert then I want to know your opinion below. Did you came to see me at the Merchandising stand, say hi in the comment section 😉
Black and white and indicated pictures by Denise Stocker.

Allgemein, Concerts

Justin Nozuka brought the summer back

September 27, 2017June 23, 2019 kekoaskorner

I discovered Justin Nozuka 10 years ago and I’ve been a fan of his soft voice and singer songwriter style ever since. Yesterday evening he kicked off his European tour with an intimitate show at Eldorado in Zurich and let me tell you it was one of the hottest gigs I’ve ever been to. It was already very warm when he started but after a little over an hour of dancing and jamming the bar temperature felt like 60 degrees.
Justin Nozuka took the stage at 8.30 accompanied by 3 musicians and started with “Down” and “Be Back Soon” which I really loved because they were up-tempo, had a summer feeling to them and I was already dancing. “Be Back Soon” was my favourite song of the night because it was so surprising and it had a nice country vibe. I adore this track especially played live.

He then announced new music and that the next one is the first single. “All I need” continued to be in the country music genre. By then it was clear that this would turn out to be an amazing concerts which will bring back the summer – even if it’s just for the duration of the concert. The tempo slowed down for the next three songs “No Place in Mind”, “Unwoken Dream”, “Swan in the water” and we got to hear those amazing ballades. The drums were played very innovatively and you could see that the four musicians harmonised perfectly on stage.
The set continued with “Gray” – a very rocky song – and you could literally see the passion for music on stage. I loved “Golden train” too because it has such a catch melody. One of the crowd’s favourite was next “After tonight” got everyone singing and dancing even more. “Woman put your weapon down” is a very intense song and is the complete opposite to the next two songs “Carried you” and “right by you” which were an easy breeze compared to the other song 🙂

With only one encore “Heartless” Justin Nozuka finished a beautifully performed set. During the last song the whole bar was singing together with Justin and his guitar. It was wonderful. After last week’s massive Rolling Stones gig at Letzigrund I enjoyed this intimate set in a small bar a lot. I only have one small thing which I was disappointed in he didn’t play my two favourite songs “Criminal” and “Mr. Therapy Man” but I get it they are 10 years old and you cannot always catch everyones favourite 🙂
As mentioned above Justin Nozuka and his band are on European tour right now. Make sure to check him out if he comes to a town near you. Click here for dates. Say hello too he is a really nice guy.

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