JLS are officially the best boyband in the world at the moment. After watching their heart stopping show at the HMV Apollo, Hammersmith I was left without a voice and absolutely high on sheer excitement and I’m not even a bona fide JLS fan. I can only imagine what the hardcore fans must have experienced.

Due to the filming equipment which had been planted throughout the venue, one of which was right where our seats should have been, we were upgraded to the front row. I must admit I was quite thrilled as I had never managed to get front row at the Apollo; row four is the closest so far, and that was close. I felt a little guilty as there were clearly people (girls) in the audience who would have given their short lived lives to be sitting on the golden row. The guilt did not last long though.

The venue was jam packed from top to bottom with girls and their mothers. I think I saw one guy sitting behind us who had clearly been dragged there kicking and screaming by his other half. Girls wearing JLS t-shirts, hoodies and the letters painted on their faces let out shrieks every now and then hoping their idols would show their faces and not just another techie walking on the stage. ‘JLS’ was simultaneously chanted and echoed through the venue and I was getting more and more excited. I had camera at the ready and touched up the eye liner just in case one of those cameras caught a glimpse of me.

Well, the next hour and a half was a bit of a blur but a vivid blur, if that makes sense?! The boys really know how to work the crowd; the smiles, the winks and the crotch movements etc were enough to tickle any prudish female. Marvin’s ridiculously toned body and Aston’s cute little back flips were on show throughout. The performance was polished, maybe due to the entire show being filmed but actually I think they are true professionals and would have delivered regardless.

 Mixed in with the songs from their debut album JLS the boys paid tribute to their hero, Michael Jackson, with each taking the lead in a MJ classic. Aston sung his little heart out to ‘I Want You Back’, JB lead on ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, Oritsé took on ‘Beat It’ and Marvin ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’. With very tight dance moves the guys really did the King of Pop proud and they were thoroughly enjoying themselves throughout, as were their fans.

They also played the hit that made people sit up and take notice whilst they were in the finals of the X Factor in 2008, Rhianna’s ‘Umbrella’, a better version  to the original in my eyes and also a cover of the Shai classic ‘If I ever Fall In Love’, where they presented four lucky ladies with red roses. I was so close to getting one from JB (check out the video footage!). But then Oritsé made up for the rejection by touching my hand during ‘Only Making Love’, magical.

They went through four costume changes, and in the interim their amazing dancers put on a great show to keep the crowd entertained, even though I think the screamed out girls could have done with some mellowing to get their breaths back. The screaming continued and increased slightly at every flash of torso. The atmosphere was electric and I actually felt like a teenager again.

The setlist included: ‘Heal This Heartbreak’, ‘Kickstart’, ‘Beat Again’, ‘If I Ever Fall In Love’, ‘Crazy For You’, ‘Close To You’, ‘Only Making Love’, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, ‘Beat It’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ , ‘One Shot’, ‘Keep You’, ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Everybody in Love’.

Although they didn’t officially win, I think JLS definitely have the X Factor and they have come a long way since they finished second to Alexandra Burke in the 2008 show. You can see in their performance how hard they have worked over the past year; their dancing, their singing and the actual songs are all at a high standard, which makes them almost invincible at the moment. With boybands like Westlife, Boyzone and Take That acting their age and sticking to the chilled and relaxed performances, JLS set the stage alight, oozing an immense amount of energy and creating mass hysteria.

There are only a couple of acts who have come out of the reality TV music shows fighting, Will Young, Girls Aloud and now JLS. They will be around for quite a while and have the potential to conquer the world. I bet Simon Cowell is a little gutted.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Peter Andre heads to the Indig02 on Saturday 6th March 2010 as part of his Revelation Tour.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Chart-topping X Factor boyband JLS come to the HMV Apollo, Hammersmith on Thursday 4th March 2010 to a crowd of screaming girls (just a guess!)

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Tuesday 16th February 2010 may have been the night of the Brit Awards but a little further south of Earls Court was where all the cool kids were watching one of the best bands of the past couple of years (in my opinion), Vampire Weekend. Due to overwhelming demand they added a second date to their stint at the O2 Academy, Brixton and the venue was overflowing with their dedicated followers.

I love them and will not hear a bad word said against them. For me, Vampire Weekend is exactly what the alternative music scene, especially here in the UK, needs; something a bit different. Their music is very infectious and also leaves you with that warm fuzzy feeling inside where you just can’t help smiling a little.

The gig was nothing spectacular, no pyrotechnics or fancy sets but I guess that is not really their style. They had enough songs over their two albums to fill in the time nicely and I don’t think fans were disappointed by their setlist. I would have liked to have heard a cover song as that was my highlight of their HMV Forum, Kentish Town gig that I went to in 2008. They played ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac; however, on this occasion it was purely Vampire Weekend tracks. There was slightly more enthusiasm shown by the crowd through the songs on the first album but I put this down to the fact that their new album ‘Contra’ has been only out for just over a month. The crowd were exceptionally excited during the encore when favourite tracks ‘Mansard Roof’ and ‘Walcott’ were played; both from their first album and the latter never actually released as a single.

Although some of their song titles and lyrics leave you trying to figure out what they were thinking when they were written, this doesn’t seem to affect the gusto of the crowd even when they are shouting ‘Blake’s got a new face’ or singing about drinking Horchata. Very clever lyrics even if they don’t make that much sense, or maybe they do?

Front man Ezra Koeing kept the crowd very much engaged in their performance and it’s always refreshing to see a band that are gracious and grateful rather than glaring with attitude.

The setlist included: ‘White Sky’, ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’, ‘I Stand Corrected’, ‘M79′, ‘Cousins’, ‘Taxi Cab’, ‘Run’, ‘A Punk’, ‘One (Blake’s Got A New Face)’, ‘The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance’, ‘Giving Up The Gun’, ‘Campus’, ‘Oxford Comma’,  ‘Horchata’, ‘Mansard Roof’ and ‘Walcott’.

The Vampire Weekend boys put on an excellent show and I had a great night.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

American Indie Rock band Vampire Weekend will be playing at the O2 Academy Brixton on Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th February 2010.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

There is no doubt in my mind that Paramore have officially ‘arrived’ and made their mark on the music scene. After witnessing their performance at a sold out Wembley Arena on a snow filled Friday night in London, no one should be uttering the words ‘Who are Paramore?’.

With support from our very own You Me At Six, I could tell it was going to be one of those evenings where I would be leaving the venue with my ears ringing and not just from the loud music but from the screaming. I had recently experienced this at the Backstreet Boys concert at the O2 Arena but I guess it was expected, with them being a boyband and all. Paramore are not a boyband, however they have the ability to cause the same amount of hysteria. Described as Emo/Pop Punk and Alternative Rock, this American band have brought something a little unique to a mass audience and this is where they have hit the jackpot.

Lead singer and girl, Hayley Williams is in her early twenties, she looks her age however in her performance she brings so much confidence, professionalism and energy that it seems as though she has been doing this for decades. She comes across as the typical girl next door, dressed in casual clothes and not looking like she has spent hours in hair and make up. This is definitely part of her and the bands appeal, her female fans can easily look up to her but without putting her on the unreachable pedestal as with some of her pop counterparts, Beyonce, Britney Spears etc. She comes across like she is already your friend and the rest of the band are your extended family. Her male fans (of which there were many) could be left thinking that they actually had a chance with her.

The band as a whole are tight, each song was performed with precision. They had no problem performing in a huge arena; in fact I’d say they were better suited here rather than in a smaller, more intimate venue. There doesn’t seem to be a band around at the moment quite like them, although there are other Emo type bands, Paramore have something a little different to offer. I’m not sure if it is just down to the lead singer being female although that does make a huge impact as we have not had a band like this since maybe the likes of No Doubt or Evanescence. The audience consisted of mainly young fans, in their teens and early twenties. Although there were a few older members in the crowd who at first I thought had accompanied their children or younger siblings but actually they were singing along word for word. Their fans are loyal and dedicated and seem to get as much appreciation from the band as they give to them. During the show, Hayley called two fans to the stage, one of which had written in previously to the band to propose to his girlfriend and the 12,000 strong audience witnessed a live marriage proposal. Although it probably should have been, it didn’t seem corny, but actually quite sweet.

Quite surprising to some, Paramore were touring their third album Brand New Eyes, and although on album number three they are only now starting to hit the mainstream. ‘Decode’ was the lead single for the popular film Twilight which helped to make them better known to a wider audience.

The show was a non stop energy filled extravaganza, the setlist consisted of; ‘Ignorance’, ‘I Caught Myself’, ‘That’s What You Get’, ‘Looking Up’, ‘Crushcrushcrush’, ‘Turn It Off’, ‘The Only Exception’, ‘Pressure’, ‘Careful’, ‘Where The Lines Overlap’, ‘Decode’, ‘My Heart’, ‘Misguided Ghosts’, ‘Misery Business’ and new single ‘Brick By Boring Brick’.

I had an entertaining evening, it was something a little different from the usual. Paramore are great entertainers/musicians and deserve top marks for causing such crazed hysteria in such a prestigious venue and it was a perfect way to start the Christmas holidays.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

I would have loved to have walked out of the HMV Forum in Kentish Town left speechless from the performance of the lead singer in The Strokes. Well, I did leave the venue speechless, but unfortunately for the wrong reasons.

It does literally pain me to say that I was not impressed with Julian Casablancas performance, but I have to say it. I half wish I could say that ‘I can’t put my finger on what I didn’t like about it’ but that wouldn’t be honest and I am an honest lady! It was a number of things; the lighting, the sound, the stage presence and the songs, so basically the whole show. The problem is I absolutely love The Strokes, they are one of my favourite bands ever so it is difficult to understand why this gig wasn’t as amazing as it had the potential to be and many people thought it would be. His solo album is good, the first half is probably better than the last but there are a handful of great songs on there; it’s just a shame I couldn’t hear them clearly tonight.

When performing in The Strokes, Casablancas is an amazing front man; precise, a little eccentric/quirky but intriguing. In tonight’s performance he seemed a little all over the place, a little too drunk maybe but definitely not great. He reminded me a little of our Paolo Nutini, in a hunched heap fighting to stand on his feet, but just not as cool. He lunged into the crowd a couple of times and was obviously mobed by fans, I’m quite impressed he managed to get of out there unscathed. The sound was bad; we all know that Julian’s vocals are always half lost in the music but we like that because that is his sound and that is what gives The Strokes their unique sound but tonight there was hardly any vocal to be heard. There was an unexpected screeching sound that came from the microphone in the middle of ‘Out Of The Blue’ which was loud enough to wake up those who had dropped off from disinterest.

I couldn’t get any decent photos because the lighting was so poor, his face could only be seen on rare occasions, in fact anyone could have been standing up there and the crowd wouldn’t have known the difference. We know he is touring his solo album so we do expect him to play the majority of the songs on there, but I’m not too sure the crowd expected him to sing just those songs. With a huge back catalogue by The Strokes, he had so many to choose from but only managed ‘I’ll Try Anything Once’, a demo version of ‘You Only Live Once’ for which he was accompanied by a piano. He was on stage for no longer than one hour, surely he could have packed out at least an hour and a half with some more songs, maybe even a cover track if he didn’t want to delve too deep into The Strokes territory.

The setlist was; ‘11th Dimension’, ‘River Of Brakelights’, ‘Out Of The Blue’, ‘New One’, ‘Left And Right In The Dark’, ‘I’ll Try Anything Once’, ‘30 Minute Boyfriend’, ‘4 Chords Of The Apocalypse’, ‘Ludlow Street’, ‘I Wish It Was Christmas Today’ and ‘Glass’.

I haven’t had many, but, this was a bit of a disappointing evening. If you’re looking for a hint of silver lining, The Strokes will be back in 2010 with an awesome album I’m sure.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Tennessee band, Paramore come to Wembley Arena on Friday 18th December 2009.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

David Gray may not be one of those artists that causes hysteria among a crowd in an over exaggerated way but he definitely has the power to win the hearts of every person who goes to see him live.

The show commenced with those on stage hidden behind a white curtain and then ‘Fugitive’ started; the screen dropped and a huge cheer rang through the venue as David Gray and his many musicians came into view. The man is a genius; he is not phenomenal, not eccentric and not a superstar but he is a genius. He sings note perfect; some describe the vocals at live shows as ‘just as good as the CD’ this was the case with the Will Young gig I attended just recently, David Gray’s seemingly effortless vocals are unsurpassable and better than the CD. For some reason many people like to describe Mr. Gray as boring, maybe because you wouldn’t find him in celebrity magazines or see his personal life splashed across a tabloid. Perhaps it’s because he isn’t in your face, overly confident/bordering on arrogant or  appearing as a ’special guest’ on the X Factor; the point is he is very far from boring. He is humble and genuine and exceptionally talented, he is also very funny as we experienced with his sporadic bouts of banter. He stated that he had been given a ’schedule’ before he came on stage to remind him to smile and interact with the audience, while not forgetting to throw in the occasional anecdote.

The audience consisted of a real mixture of people; old and young, male and female which helped create the perfect atmosphere in this intimate venue. There were cheers, laughter and even some screams of ‘I love you David’ coming from the 5,000 strong crowd. The band he shared the stage with were exceptional musicians and effortlessly created a simple yet powerful sound. David Gray kept jumping from guitar to piano and although he didn’t show it, he must have been exhausted. His sweat soaked suit jacket was evidence enough.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, during the encore the crowd were greeted with a very special guest, the one and only Annie Lennox. She created shock and hysteria and everyone who was on their way out of the doors rushed back to see what all the excitement was about. There was something quite brilliant and unexpected about this duet. Both artists are legends in their own right and when brought together created such electricity on stage that was felt by every person there.

There was a mix of songs from all his albums, the set included; ‘Fugitive’, ‘Draw The Line’, ‘Nemesis’, ‘Jackdraw’, ‘Kathleen’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Babylon’, ‘This Year’s Love’, ‘Sail Away’, ‘Be Mine’, ‘Slow Motion’ ‘Please Forgive Me’, ‘The Other Side’, ‘The One I Love’, ‘First Chance’, ‘Full Steam’ and a wonderful version of ‘Sea Of Love’ both featuring Annie Lennox. There were a few missing, including; ‘Hospital Food’ and ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’.

David Gray is one of the best live performers around and you haven’t experienced anything quite like one of his shows. A definite thumbs up.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Julian Casablancas has a short break from fronting, one of the best bands ever, The Strokes and plays the HMV Forum in Kentish Town on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th December 2009.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro