Shirley from Loads of Music introduced me to this awesome talented musician named Drew Cole. She showed me a video from his blind audition at The Voice US. It didn’t take me long to agree to join her at the little get together. Let me show you the video:
Would you have turned as well? I sure would have! And thank God he went with Adam LOL Fast forward a few months he’s been touring with ZIBBZ through Switzerland after they met each other in LA. And thank God they did because otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten to hear and see him here in Zurich at a little bistro called Chez Marion. Sounds great right? Have a look at the highlights in my Insta Stories by clicking here. My yummy Galette
This little bistro has this thing called “Mercredi Musique” where musicians can showcase their talent. I love this sooo much. It is sooo important for newcomers to show their talents and I admire any coffee owner who supports good music. So well done to you!
Sour Love
“Sour Love” is Drew Cole’s recent single. It’s such a fun uptempo song and the rhythm is super catchy. But listen to the single here.
Drew Cole performed “Kings and Queens” as well which you can listen on Spotify too. But what I didn’t expect was that he covered my favourite song. It was a pretty bad week for me and when I heard the first chords of “I Don’t Want To Be” I nearly freaked out. I sat there, sang along and nearly started crying. I am so grateful to Drew Cole for singing this song that night and especially for doing it justice. He’s got such a beautiful special voice you will recognize instantly.
Artist2watch
So if a musician is able to make you cry with his voice I think he is definitely an artist2watch! If you see Drew Cole is playing near please go and support this awesome artist! I wish him all the best and I hope that his music reaches as many hearts as it did mine that night.
Follow his journey via the below socials: Instagram Facebook Spotify Twitter
For years I wanted to visit the Country Night Gstaad and this year I finally found another Country Music Fan to join me! We started our little road trip at noon so that I could join the Line Dance workshop at 4. Of course the we couldn’t start without the right music: The hottest Country songs atm 🙂
When we arrived at the venue I kinda felt transported into a convention centre in the US. Obviously country music was playing, some people were eating and some were already line dancing. Let me tell you the work shop was a lot of fun and I never thought that line dancing is so exhausting! LOL
Krüger Brothers
They are Swiss but living in the US and they managed to get the most people into the actual concert venue! I quite liked their music and their performance however I was waiting for the other artists as my highlights unlike the majority of the audience. I think since the crowd is mainly middle-aged they prefer the good ol’ country music. And the Kruger Brothers perfect their unique style.
Maddie & Tae
If you google Maddie & Tae you quickly realize that they are two gorgeous girls but believe me they are even better looking in real life. But they are just good looking they are super cute and very talented too. God must have had a good day when Maddie & Tae were born. With big smiles on their faces they started with “Ain’t There Yet”, “No Place Like You” and “Friends Don’t”. Maddie & Tae’s harmonies were just perfect and together they played the guitar as well. I was super impressed and loved their set already. The girls continued with “Tourist”, “Fly” and “Waiting on a Plane”.
My absolute fav tune was “Your Side of Town”. It’s a super fast song including some clapping and it just has so much energy! I really really loved it. It doesn’t get more country than “Shut up and Fish”. For you country rookies let me show you what I mean with the following lyrics:
Oh I was fishing he was wishing
We were kissing I was getting
Madder than a hornet in an old coke can
Getting closer sliding over
Crowding up my casting shoulder
Reaching out and tryna hold my reeling hand
Saying I’m pretty saying he’s in love
And how it don’t get any better than this
I say yeah it could
Boy if you would
Shut up and fish
Just perfect! haha “Trying on Rings” was next before we got to hear a beautiful ballade with on point harmonies again: “Everywhere I’m Going”. I could listen to Maddie & Tae all evening. They deffo made a new fan 🙂 “I Don’t need to know” and “New Dog” followed. But of course the girls couldn’t leave without singing their biggest hit “Girl in a Country Song”. Such a cool song and the video is sooo funny so have a look below:
I think they loved it so much they added another lovely ballade “One Heart” to the set list. But what I really appreciated most was that they properly took time to sign the booklets of their fans and were just super sweet!
Midland
Midland looks like a band from the 80’s with their long hair and moustaches which one of the lads shaved off the day before and he got a lot of grief for it 😀 In any case I really really loved their set. You could feel that they love what they are doing and they were super grateful to be in Switzerland and play for us. They mentioned more than once that this was a once in a life trip and they enjoyed the beautiful views including a super dangerous hiking trip. I loved Mark’s storytelling skills. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a set list of all their songs since I was already crammed in to get a good spot for Brett Young’s first song.
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They played a lot of folky country songs almost leaning into blue grass and what I really liked was when they covered “Stand by Me”. Their harmonies were absolutely on point in all the songs and they tried to get the crowd going a few times! And of course at the end they played “Drinking Problem” 😀 So you just read that fishing is big in Country Music now I can tell you that drinking is almost as big and this song is just the perfect example. Have a look at the video:
Brett Young
He was the headliner but only started playing at 11.40 so I was already super exhausted however he managed to get me up dancing from the start! For the first song “Here Tonight” I was front row again and hoped to get some good close up shots. “Used to missing you” was next and then I couldn’t believe it one of my fav Brett Young songs was already up: “Like I loved you” was on and I was singing and swaying along. So my concert buddy and I decided we couldn’t watch it from the back so we joined others who were dancing on the side.
One of his biggest hits was up in 5 4 3 2 1 “You Ain’t Here to Kiss Me” 😉 Brett then started talking. He said that he grew up in California and that one of his biggest inspirations is Gavin DeGraw and I looked over to Shirley from Loads of Music completely gobsmacked. I didn’t expect this at all. I was over the moon and I loved him even more so when he started playing “Not over you” I could barely contain myself haha I absolutely looove surprises at gigs!
After that we had to catch a breath and calm down to “Making me Say”, “Crazy Love” and “Ain’t too proud”. I knew that the slow part was coming now so we sat back down and enjoyed the next few cover songs where you could hear his very beautiful voice. Brett Young started off with “Walking in Memphis”. I love the song even in a slow version. “Bartender Blues” and “Garth” was next. He then asked Maddie & Tae back on stage to sing with him “Whiskey Lullaby”. Let me tell you those harmonies were on point! And to finish the slow cover songs set he sang “Hallelujah”. Such a beautiful moment and I enjoyed the quiet part very much.
“Close Enough” and “Catch” got us up and dancing again. For “In Case you didn’t know” Brett Young said that if you are here with your partner this is the song to dance to. At first no-one stood up but then finally a couple started dancing and it was just the cutest! This guy earned some major husband points that night lol “Left Side of Leaving” I usually turn up the volume real loud so I was screaming it back at him haha thank God the music was loud enough so that no-one heard me 😉
His hour was over waaay to quick since we were already in the first song of the encore with “Mercy/Silence”. For the last song “Sleep without you” we were allowed back in front of the stage and some even got selfies with him! After a short thank you and good night Brett Young left the stage and lots of people were left without his signature in their programme booklet.
Who’s excited for the Country Night Gstaad 2019?
It was such an amazing day filled with good country music, nice people and loooots of fun! I hope I can come back next year – maybe we get to see Sam Hunt? 😉 The date is already out so mark your calendars on the 20th/21st September! Want to share your Country Night Memories? Just comment below.
This is most difficult task I’ve ever had to do for this blog. I cannot choose my highlights! I loved each and every gig I attended this year. So many special moments I witnessed thanks to incredible artists who gave 100% to their audience. So I will try to name a few gigs and I will let you know why they were special to me. I apologize already since this blog post will probably the longest I’ve ever done.
My gig highlight of the year: Marteria
I saw him twice – at Gurtenfestival and at his headline show in Zurich. Both times he completely took over the whole venue and the people were at his command. The atmosphere was incredible and the energy blew the roof of the building. But my fondest memory is actually the morning after the Gurten gig. We literally stayed awake until the clouds were purple again which is one of Marteria’s songs “Lila Wolken”. It was the perfect ending to a very special four days at the Gurtenfestival.
The most special venue: P!nk
When it was announced that P!nk would only play 5 odd shows this summer I knew I had to go to Berlin to see her. I’ve never been to Berlin so it was even more special. I love the city and I loved the two gigs at the Waldbühne. A stage set into midst of a very green forrest just outside the city. It was raining a lot but that didn’t matter. Finally after years I saw my P!nk again. I grew up with her and her gigs and it will forever remind me of my childhood. It was just perfect.
My first interview: Naturally 7
I’ve always been a huge fan of the 7 lads from America but this summer they actually made a huge accomplishment possible. They agreed to give me my first interview for Kekoas Korner after their wonderful gig at the Live at Sunset the day before. I will always be very grateful for that and will support them forever. Their shows are brilliant and I would suggest if you haven’t seen them – go see them!!! It’s well worth your money plus they really make an effort to meet the fans after the show. Go say hello.
My first time as a Merch Seller: Welshly Arms
The guys from Welshly Arms were looking for a volunteer to sell their merchandising. Obviously I took that opportunity 🙂 Let me just say each and everyone of them were super nice and very grateful that I helped them. I was happy to help plus I got to witness an amazing gig! Being a Merch girl is great and I loved to talk to all the fans about the band. I also got to interview the guys from Welshly Arms before their show.
The best entertainer EVER: Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams is hands down the best entertainer and knows how to put up a good show. He rocked the Letzigrund for around two hours and blew fireworks and confetti and fire into the air like there was no tomorrow. He also brought out his dad which gave the show a very cute touch. Only recently it was brought to our attention that Robbie Williams actually was quite sick during that performance after which he flew directly to London into the intensive care unit for a week. It was actually a miracle that he performed that night! Thank you for that but please next time listen to your body Mr. Williams and cancel the show.
The longest show with the most stars: Capital’s Summertime Ball
We spent 7 hours at the Wembley stadium in London and got to see so many stars. Bruno Mars opened the show. JP Cooper, Niall Horan, Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, Clean bandit and this is just the beginning. My highlight was that I finally got to see Sean Paul live. He did an amazing job and since he was quite close to the end he took my last energy so that I was seriously knackered and couldn’t enjoy Little Mix who closed the show.
The hottest gig: Pegasus
It was July and it was boiling hot. The Pegasus gig was at 8 IN THE MORNING on a ferry on lake Zurich. It was the perfect weather and the perfect gig. Pegasus are a super talented band from Switzerland and everyone just had a good time and by the time it finished we were already sweating.
The most colourful gig: Coldplay
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It took me years to like Coldplay and to make me want to see them. This summer I suddenly felt the urge so within two weeks I organised a little trip to go to Frankfurt and see them. The weather was awful but the gig was great! Tove Lo and Femme Schmidt supported them. But what I liked the most were the colours. I have never seen such a colourful concert and what I also loved was how appreciative the band was.
The best rock gig: Stone Sour
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That’s a hard one. I really loved Guns ‘N Roses and you know they are just legendary! Mando Diao were incredible to see live and I want to see them soon again! But I think I will give this one to Stone Sour because they seriously f*****g rocked and Corey Taylor has an amazing voice aaaand he looks gorgeous! 😀
The most special voices: Tom Grennan
This one was also very close. Jacob Banks and Tom Grennan went head-to-head. Both have super special voices which give me goosebumps and both are very very talented. But Tom Grennan got the call because he seemed more open to his fans and made the effort to meet each and everyone. This is what I want to see in an aspiring artist.
Best Newcomer 2017: KARAVANN
I got to meet the two lovely lads from KARAVANN for an interview before I even seen them live. They seem really serious about their venture and I have a good feeling about their journey. In August I finally got to see them live and believe me they didn’t disappoint. They have an incredibly international sound and they make sure that you have a good time at the gig. Please check them out and go say hi after the gig 🙂
The worst gig EVER: Kings of Leon
I didn’t think I would ever say this but unfortunately I had to witness the worst show ever from Kings of Leon. They didn’t want to be on stage, they didn’t know where they were and they played songs no-one wanted to hear. For an hour you could hear a pin drop in the Hallenstadion and everyone was quite baffled at how bad they were. Since I paid a lot of money to see them it was even worse. So two big thumbs down for you guys!
The most relaxing gig: Anastacia and Baschi at Bossard Arena
The people were super relaxed and to be honest the arena was quite empty. Nonetheless did we have a brilliant time! Anastacia was amazing and she is just a force on stage. Baschi is our Swiss Robbie Williams and entertained the sh*t out of the Arena. So I had space to dance, I knew the songs, I had an amazing time! 🙂
The Scandinavian gigs: Lukas Graham & Mans Zelmerlöw
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I got to see the sound check of Lukas Graham and we spoke a little afterwards. Super lovely lads and just very talented and grateful to travel the world with their music. I’ve seen them twice already and they’ve done a brill job both times. Mans Zelmerlöw won the ESC and came to Switzerland twice already. Always very special gigs!
Kekoas Korner’s soft spot: Gavin DeGraw
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I literally grew up with his music. His song “I don’t want to be” is my hymn for anything. When I listen to the song I always have to sing out loud. He is an incredible musician and I am so glad that I was always able to meet him after the show. He is so nice. If you have the chance please listen to this guy.
The Irish frenzy: Walking on Cars, The Coronas, Tom Walker
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As you might know I go a little crazy for Irish bands.. 😉 The lovely Walking on Cars came to Switzerland 4 times this year and I saw 3 of them. Zurich, Lausanne and Lucerne. Each gig was different and I just love their music! They were supported by Tom Walker. Another Irish lad who’s very talented and is coming to Switzerland on 20th April 18. Go check him out! Lastly I got to interviewthe Coronas in October and the lovely Danny gave me some tips for my trip to Dublin.
The good times with Bastille
Bastille always make sure that everyone has an amazing time. We jump, we kinda dance, we sing. They are an incredible live band and unfortunately I won’t be seeing them next year on April, 20th 18. But please go and let me know how it was. The very talented brits are coming back with their newest record and I’m very much looking forward to see them some other time…. maybe at a festival again.
Best Merchandising Top 5:
1. Welshly Arms – This has to be number 1 since I sold their merch and I proudly did so because they really were amazing. I love the designs of the T-Shirts and the Jackets. They also had Vinyls and hats too. I still wear their stuff every other day.
2. Guns N’Roses – The designs of the shirts are amazing and I nearly got two shirts.
3. Ed Sheeran – He had a various range of Merch. I really loved the Army Jacket and the lumber jack shirt. The jacket was one of my favourite this summer.
4. Stone Sour – Lots of nice designs on T-Shirts plus signed Vinyls.
5. Amber Run – I loved the lion on their shirt and I still regret that I didn’t buy that shirt. Jacob Banks came really close to making it into the Top 5. He was selling a shirt where it said in this is merchandising and below Jacob Banks. I thought this was hilarious and I was this close to buying it.
All those gigs wouldn’t have been possible without the help of ARTNOIR magazine, Just Because, Mainland Music, ABC production and Goodnews. Thank you for supporting Kekoas Korner!
Lastly I want to thank all my concert buddies for joining me at various gig and for having as much fun as I did! <3
I cannot wait for all the gigs in 2018! So bring on the new year 🙂
I’d love to know what your concert highlights 2017 are. Please leave a comment below or on Kekoas Korner social media channels Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
On Tuesday I got to see two brilliant artists: JP Cooper and Supporting him on his European tour the Irish band Picture This. Back home they are very well known but over here they are Newcomers.
I already started to feel sick when I went out so it was no wonder that by the time JP was one stage I had no voice at all. But first things first. I arrived at Papiersaal and this time it was mandatory to leave your jacket at the wardrobe. Me being sick and feeling cold I still had to give them my jacket. Plus pay 2 francs! So I was super furious but this feeling got stronger when I saw loads of people with jackets inside. Apparently they only started these shenanigans a bit later so the first to arrive were allowed in with jackets. This guaranteed chaos after the concert. I normally don’t add these kinds of things into my review because these things have nothing to do with the artist but is seriously taking the piss and I don’t understand it at all.
At 8 Picture This took the stage and I had kind of a deja vu. A few weeks ago I saw the Irish lads of the Coronas right on this stage and Ryan sounded a bit like Danny. However Picture This do have their own sound and I really really liked it. I also loved how Ryan spoke with us and told us some stories to the songs. For example the song “Jane” was written for a specific girl but he didn’t want to make her feel that special in naming the song after her so he just picked a random name. They started their set with “Let’s be young”, “Everything I need” and “Dream” – A beautiful ballade. Just before “Jane” we enjoyed “Addicted to you”… Well we is a bit much. There were loads of people chit chatting about their day. I seriously don’t understand how you can be so disrespectful to an artist.
The last three songs “Never Change”, “You & I” and “Take my hand” were over way to fast and the lads left the stage after some more stories. I mean they really had to go since Ireland was playing the World Cup qualification game and they had to cheer for them 😉 In case you wonder Ireland unfortunately lost against Denmark and is not going to the World Cup next year.
And I deffo lost my voice by 9pm while JP Cooper stepped on stage with his first song “Under grey skies” which is the title track of his debut record. Me trying to “woohoo” after the song to show my appreciated failed royally. So I enjoyed the concert quietly. The 2nd song “She’s on my mind” is a brilliant track to dance to and I was very glad I came. Next we heard “Change” and “Birthday”. After which someone shouted “happy belated Birthday JP!” and the whole crowd started to sing Happy Birthday. He was very touched and said I think this will be a good night.
It took him quite a long time to be successful with his music. Before his first record “Under Grey Skies” he released a few EP’s of which he will sing the next song called “Satellite”. A beautifully slow song with which he could show off his wonderful voice was this ballade called “Streetlights and the moon”. “Closer” he wrote for his son since he hopes that one day his son will understand why Daddy’s gone quite a few times during the year – A very touching moment. With “September Song” he sang the song literally everyone knew and loved. This song gave him his breakthrough and I am sure will be only the start of a great career.
“Wait” and “Shivers” were next. He then apologised to the people who came here and thought he was a dance artist since he collaborated with Jonas Blue to sing one of my last year’s summer hits “Perfect Strangers”. For the last song before the Encore he told us the story about him loosing his passport while he was in the process of writing his new album. So he thought I have to write a song about this and here it was “Passport Home”. After a quick break he came back on to cover a John Lennon song. However I know “Jealous Guy” by Gavin DeGraw and I did see some similarities. Both guys sang it beautifully and I had goose-bumps. Thank you JP for singing this beautiful song.
After 90 minutes JP said Goodbye with “Good Friend” and I really do hope that he is coming back soon and I can enjoy the concert without being feverish and including my voice. Of course the jacket chaos started and we decided to stay close to the backstage door since we were told that he’s coming out to meet fans. He did quite quickly after the show and I unfortunately couldn’t tell him at all how I loved his gig since I couldn’t utter a word. He understood anyway.. What a lovely guy and amazing musician so it is well worth supporting him. Were you at one of his gigs? Leave your opinion on twitter, facebook or instagram or down below in the comment section.
