who: keane
where: leas cliff hall, folkestone, uk
when: 4 june 2012
support: zulu winter
after two busy days at two wonderful festivals in london, we headed to folkestone on monday morning to see keane at the leas cliff hall. folkestone itself is not really a place you’d expect a band like keane to play a gig but i’m sure everyone who was there would agree with me when i say it was one of the best keane gigs i’ve ever seen. the support band zulu winter was alright and might be worth keeping an eye on in the future. earlier this year, keane played two shows in bexhill-on-sea to promote their new album strangeland (which was released in may). i was at one of those gigs and not really that impressed… probably only because it was the first time they played the new songs, no one knew them, no one was able to sing along. the atmosphere was a bit odd. folkestone on the other hand was insanely amazing. it felt like everyone knew the lyrics to every single song, old favourites like somewhere only we know or crystal ball and the new tunes like day will come or everyone’s new favourite sovereign light café. the highlight though was sea fog – only a piano and tom chaplin’s clear vocals… absolutely beautiful!
who: tom williams & the boat
where: lexington, london, uk
when: 5 june 2012
buying tickets to see a band i don’t really know is something i do fairly often and so far it’s usually been a success. tom williams & the boat is one of those bands that a friend recommended to me, only this time this particular friend was able to join me too. we went to the lexington quite late and therefore missed the support bands. we could not have cared less though as tom williams & the boat were really good. their folk/rock/pop sound comes across great live, so it was no surprise that i ended up buying their album teenage blood the next day. they seemed to be quite relaxed on stage and obviously enjoyed the show, just like us.
who: father john misty
where: shacklewell arms, london, uk
when: 6 june 2012
support: ?
now… josh tillman aka father john misty might just be one of my favourite musicians of all time. i absolutely love his music, his “old” stuff (released as j. tillman) and his new stuff (released under his new pseudonym father john misty) are equally amazing and simply brilliant. it’s impossible not to fall in love with his unique lyrics. his humour certainly needs some getting used to but people who are not easily offended will definitely enjoy his little stories on stage. i was dying to see him live and basically jumped at the chance when i found out he'd be playing in london. the support band was something i just had to deal with, so i'm sorry i can't even tell you anymore what the band's name was. father john misty certainly made up for the boring support act. his voice is unbelievable live and something everyone should experience at least once. i don’t think there’s anyone out there who knows josh tillman but not that he used to be fleet foxes' drummer. but in case there are fleet foxes fans out there who didn’t know that yet… check out mr. tillman. it’ll be worth it. he’s back on tour in europe later this year.
who: reptar
where: birthdays, london, uk
when: 7 june 2012
i’ve discovered reptar only a few months before seeing them live. they were a great recommendation from a friend from germany. i instantly fell in love with their “disco dust” sound and was thrilled to find out they’d come to europe for a few gigs. i couldn’t wait to see them live and thankfully they did not disappoint at all. their energy on stage is absolutely insane. the only unpleasant thing about this show was the group of drunk people right in front of the tiny stage. but by the time the band came back for an encore and played my favourite reptar tune stuck in my id, i totally forgot about those people. anyway, reptar are sure a band that knows how to make people dance and enjoy themselves.
who: tom williams & the boat
where: deaf institute, manchester, uk
when: 8 june 2012
support: clockwork radio, the gramotones
when tom williams & the boat announced that they would be supported by one of my favourite local manchester bands, the gramotones, i persuaded a friend to come along. as if seeing tom and his boat again wouldn’t have been enough, the gramotones as a support was basically the cherry on top. the first support act that night was clockwork radio who didn’t really convince me (unlike many others in the audience) but since the rest of the night was really promising, having to sit through their set didn’t bother me at all. the gramotones were brilliant as always and ended their set with yet another amazing performance of little river. and tom williams & the boat? well, there’s not much to add. their manchester show was at least as good as the london one earlier that week. over all a great end to what was an exhausting but very exciting week.
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keane
keane
tom williams & the boat
(in london)
reptar
the gramotones
tom williams & the boat
(in manchester)
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