I’m not too sure where to start with this one; maybe a little summary first. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta aka Lady Gaga, 24 years old and international superstar. For those of you unfamiliar with this Lady, just think Madonna meets Christina meets Britney, a sprinkling of Gwen Stefani and moments of David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. She has done what Madonna took decades to achieve in just under two years. What makes Gaga just that little bit different from her pop predecessors is the fact that she writes her own music; not only has this given her credibility as an artist but also means she has a bit of cash to flash.

The Monster Ball Tour kicked off in November 2009 in Canada and the US on the back of her second album ‘The Fame Monster’, the follow up or supplement to her 2008 album ‘The Fame’. This tour had already graced the O2 Arena in London in February 2010 before travelling to Australia, Japan, the rest of Europe and is now due to go all the way round again! Those that know Lady Gaga would have expected an evening of eccentricity and madness and she didn’t fail to disappoint. With some tickets at a pricey £75 (not including service charge), those non super fans may have expected slightly more for their money but it wasn’t hard to see why the record company had to try and recoup their costs somehow. Approximately 15 extravagant costume changes, some indescribable; huge stage production sets including stairs; a car; a train carriage; a forest; a water fountain, oh and a huge animatronic sea monster.

The outfits were lavish, some very peculiar, one looked like a tasselled lampshade crossed with a shaggy dog. Lady Gaga is notorious for her crazy style and unusual outfits so this wasn’t a surprise to the audience;  most of the initial oversized outfits only stayed on for a short time before being flung off to often reveal Gaga in her underwear. Some may wonder what the point was, especially knowing that she is about to break out into a dance routine or roll around on the floor; neither of which can be done whilst wearing said lampshade. Also the fact that her face was obscured under a lot of these costumes meant that connection with the audience was minimal at these times.

In contrast her stripped down (literally) performances when she was sat at a rather haggard looking piano singing her heart out to songs like ‘Speechless’ show you the real Lady Gaga in all her talent. She then continued to play the keys with the stiletto heels on her boots. This was before the top of the piano looked like it had caught fire and every now and then a random pyrotechnic shot out of the top. A rather fitting cover in the form of Ben E King’s ‘Stand By Me’ was also played on the piano by the popstar; fitting as she had announced to the audience ‘no other popstar will love you as much as me’ and thanking them for standing by her.  As well as the piano, Gaga played a couple of strange looking instruments; one being a cross between a guitar and a cello during ‘The Fame’and the other a large accordion/melodica/keyboard looking instrument during ‘Money Honey’.

The show was divided into four sets with a somewhat sceptical narrative where Gaga and her friends (the dancers) are trying to get to the Monster Ball but are met with various obstacles on their way. The first set was the backdrop of New York City which saw Gaga dance her way down the fire escape leading to the street below where a giant green Rolls Royce was parked and had a piano hidden in it. The second set was the Subway which saw the start of the performance of ‘LoveGame’ taking place inside a New York City train carriage. Here she dedicated ‘Boys, Boys, Boys’ to her gay fans and in good taste gyrated with a group of well toned men in their underwear. Gaga and co made their way to the smaller centre stage where they were hidden by screens which had been lowered from the ceiling and subsequently projected a tornado. The third set was the Forest where a water fountain that spouted blood was placed towards the back of the stage which Gaga climbed into at one point; this was after she had covered herself in fake blood. The last set was of course the Monster Ball which is where the huge sea creature was lurking. It was of course slain by the singer just after she protested ‘it’s taken my clothes off’ the gang made it to the Ball in the end but not before pyrotechnics shot out of Gaga’s skimpy metal outfit towards the end of ‘Paparazzi’.

From the moment Lady Gaga announced ‘In the Monster Ball all the freaks are outside and we lock the doors’, there was no doubt in my mind that this was going to be an unusual event to watch. The crowd included such a variety of people; men and women, old and young, all of which were super Gaga fans, jumping and singing every word back. The show was nonstop; before I noticed Gaga had left the stage she appeared somewhere else in a different outfit at one point holding a huge light stick that she pointed at her fans.

Without thinking too much about the flimsy storyline, outrageous costumes, crazy stage antics and sometimes quiet foul obscenities; this Lady is a true genius. Her appreciation for her fans, which she regularly voiced, is immense and she even calls them her monsters and demands the monsters claws to be on show regularly.

The setlist included: ‘Dance In The Dark’, ‘Glitter and Grease’, ‘Just Dance’, ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich’, ‘Vanity’, ‘The Fame’, ‘LoveGame’, ‘Boys, Boys, Boys’, ‘Money Honey’, ‘Telephone’, ‘Brown Eyes’, ‘Speechless’, ‘Stand By Me’, ‘So Happy I Could Die’, ‘Monster’, ‘Teeth’, ‘Alejandro’, ‘Poker Face’, ‘Paparazzi’ and ‘Bad Romance’.

A two hour marathon of pure electro pop craziness by one of the most popular and eccentric artists of the decade - a top night!

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

LGR’s very own Lydia Nicolaides brought her super cool band RoseRed and the Butterflies to the heart of the Greek community in London, Palmers Green for a very special album launch event for her debut album ‘Just A Glimmer’.

The Live Room was the perfect setting for this intimate gathering to celebrate an amazing and very talented musician. The Butterflies were Christopher Finnerty on drums, Douglas Currie on Cello and Mardi Williams on bass. With support from fellow singer/songwriter Jessica Grace, the night was filled with some wonderful live music.

The setlist included: ‘Divine’, ‘Where’s The Summer?’, ‘Turtle Race Turtle Power’, ‘Outside’, ‘Just A Glimmer’, ‘Drive’, ‘Ticket To Oz’, ‘Surreal’, ‘Sedaj Innuendo’, ‘Stonecold’, ‘I Feel Fine’, and ‘For You’.

Congratulations to RoseRed and the Butterflies for a brilliant album and a great album launch party. Grab yourself a copy of the album now!

http://www.roseredmusic.com/Rosered/Music.html

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Following her hugely successful sell out gigs at the O2 Arena in February 2010, international pop superstar Lady Gaga returns to the venue on Sunday 30th and Monday 31st May 2010.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

George Dalaras recently embarked on a journey to celebrate 25 years since his first European tour whilst also singing for the 50 years of the Cyprus Republic. This highly acclaimed and much loved Greek artist has wowed fans all over the world and touched the hearts of many. This tour is definitely not one to be missed; the emotive atmosphere and heartfelt sentiment will not be forgotten in a hurry.

Dalaras brings with him a myriad of talented musicians performing Demotika, Laika, Rembetika and modern songs incorporating music by Manos Loizos and Mikis Theodorakis. All the musical arrangements were created by Dalaras and Giorgos Papachristoudis, who plays piano on the tour. The band includes; Dimitris Kostopoulos on keyboards, Giorgos Kontogiannis and Nikos Mermigkas on bouzouki, Thanasis Sofras on bass, Christos Zervas on guitar, Dimos Vougioukas on accordion, Apostolis Vangelakis on wind, Andreas Papas on percussion, Petros Kourtis on drums and Giorgos Skordalos on lyra. Dalaras also plays guitar and baglama.

As well as the exceptionally gifted musicians, accompanying Dalaras on his tour is Cretan Michalis Tzouganakis along with his amazing lute playing abilities and Cypriot born Despina Olympiou. The combination of these three amazing singers and the authentic and live sound of Greece lifted the roof off the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London and has been doing the same in venues across Europe. The Encore Tour started at the end of April in Serbia and has visited countries including: Romania, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and will be heading to Sweden, Finland and Turkey.

The evening started at 7.30pm sharp and ended at 10.30pm with a brief interval. The audience was buzzing with emotion throughout and the strength of each song, even the instrumental performances created an indescribable effect on the audience. Conjuring memories of the country they may have left behind and encapsulating these feelings from the lyrics and music from these songs was a recurring theme.

Despina Olympiou showcased her own songs including the popular ‘Pes To Dinata’ and the more recent ‘Vale Mousiki’as well as providing a soft tone as backing singer to some of the songs performed by Dalaras, Despina also gave a spine tingling rendition of the well known Portuguese ‘Cancao Do Mar’(Song of the Sea). What Despina lacked slightly in affability she made up for in vocal ability.  Michalis Tzouganakis depicts a man possessed when on stage. I have not experienced anyone who exudes such passion and emanates this wonderful hypnotic temperament whilst singing and playing his instruments. He commanded the stage and musicians with merely a raise of an eyebrow and a flick of the hair; leading to some of the most stunning improvisations I have ever seen. The lute is clearly his close companion, he plays it with such precision and very rarely glances down. The unique ambience created during the collaboration between Tzouganakis and Dalaras is evident during the performance of ‘Itane Mia Fora’; the intensity of the song was generated by the amalgamation of the evocative lyrics and the flawless and dramatic sounds of the instruments.

The setlist included: ‘Gia Afto Iparhoune I Fili’, ‘Otan Pefti To Vradi’, ‘Astra Mi Me Malonete’, ‘Mia Vradia Sto Leverkuzen’, ‘O Dromos Einai Dromos’, ‘Pame Gi Allou’, ‘Pes To Dinata’, ‘Vale Mousiki’, ‘Anemologio’, ‘Tin Porta Anigo To Vrady’, ‘San Ton Metanasti’, ‘Stin Alana’, ‘Aspro Peristeri’, ‘Itane Mia Fora’, ‘Fotia’, ‘Egines Pouli’, ‘Tha Perimeno Edo’, ‘Ta Veggalika Sou Matia’, ‘To Pepromeno’, ‘Karavia Sti Steria’, ‘Ki An Se Thelo’, ‘Cancao Do Mar’, ‘Matia Mou’, ‘Ti Einai Afto Pou Mas Enonei’, ‘An Iparhi Logos’, ‘Eho Ena Kafene’, ‘Paraponemena Logia’, ‘Sta Hronia Tis Ipomonis’ and ‘Kali Tihi’.

I feel very privileged to have witnessed such an amazing show by some of the world’s greatest performers and musicians. The audience which was made up of  a range of ages and nationalities exited the venue satisfied and evidently moved after experiencing  a truly wonderful evening of Greek music.  

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

The much loved Greek singer George Dalaras performs at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London on Sunday 16th May 2010.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Thanos Petrelis has got to be one of the smoothest performers I have ever seen. Following an exhausting two and a half hour performance you’d expect some shortness of breath or even a bead of sweat on his brow…nothing. He was like a robot on stage, pure perfection both in movement and vocal ability. Yet at the same time his professionalism gave way to a caring, compassionate, warm, and affectionate character.

With support from Greek X Factor finalists Ioanna Protopapa who sang popular pop songs by Lady Gaga (‘Just Dance’), Kesha (‘Tik Tok’) and Despina Vandi (‘Yparxei Zoi’) and Eirini Papadopoulou. Also supporting was girlband Candy Rock; hmmm let’s leave it there.

The Forum was a nice size venue to hold the 2,000 fans; the upstairs unreserved seating area caused some issues as it was a tight squeeze to get everyone sitting comfortably on the benches. Once the concert started though this didn’t seem to be a problem. There is always such an amazing atmosphere when the Greek/Cypriot community congregate for an event; it is almost like one huge family gathering.

The show was divided into three sections and Petrelis encountered three costume changes; all three very smart, trendy and cool outfits. He commanded the stage like a king would his kingdom; yet there was no arrogance present, just sheer charm. He even jumped off stage and walked along the front to shake hands with his fans to show his appreciation.

Petrelis is a modern Laiko and pop singer and he gave homage to his Laiko predecessors in the form of Stelios Kazantzidis and Dimitris Mitropanos as well as his fellow Greek pop singers Michalis Hatzigiannis (‘Heria Psila’), Antonis Remos (‘To Filaraki’), Giannis Ploutarhos (‘To Kalitero Pedi’) and Notis Sfakianakis (‘Mia Matia Sou Mono Ftanei’ and ‘Soma Mou’). With at least two Zembekiko medleys to get the audience involved in the proceedings, there were hoards of Petrelis fans charging the stage for a little dance followed by a kiss and hug from their idol. Something I have not seen at a concert before, not even at JLS was the rather large bra that came flying from a member of the audience and landed at Petrelis’ feet during ‘Efharisto’.

The only downside to the whole evening was the continuous medleys of songs; I counted about three-four songs that were actually sang in their entirety, the rest were amalgamated into a series of medleys throughout the show; many were actually repeated up to three times! I want to hear the whole of the song from start to finish! The rest of the audience didn’t seem to mind though.

The setlist included: ‘To Aima Mou’, ‘Den Eho Matia Gi’ Alli’, ‘1 2 3′, ‘Efharisto’, ‘Aman Kai Pos’, ‘Kernao’, ‘Ah Den Iha Ki Esena’, ‘I Orea’, ‘Adiorthoti’, ‘Heria Psila’, ‘To Filaraki’, ‘To Kalitero Pedi’, ‘Mia Matia Sou Mono Ftanei’, ‘Soma Mou’, ‘Thimizis Kati Apo Ellada’ and ‘Pente To Proi’.

The night was filled with great music and great community spirit. I enjoyed it!

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

The Courteeners, although not an amazingly awesome band, are a great band. I am yet to understand why comparisons to Oasis are always in very close proximity of any mention of the Courteeners. Apart from one similarity, their home city being Manchester oh and both singers called Liam sporting similar hair styles, they are nothing alike. Saying that, I’m not too sure whose idea it was to blast out an old Oasis song to the audience before the band had appeared on stage. Was this supposed to be a counter attack on those Oasis comparisons, highlighting the fact that both bands have a different sound (although those attending the concert would already know this) or was it a tribute to their fellow Mancunians, or maybe a message to the world that they are the new Oasis?

There was nothing spectacular about this gig but it was refreshing; a great band, playing great music, no attitude from any of the band members and lots of interaction with the audience. At one point Liam took a camera from a fan and took a picture of the audience, and another fan got given Liam’s guitar pick. The Courteeners are your modern indie rock band; showcasing catchy up tempo numbers and meaningful slower tracks. The audience were full of enthusiasm and keen to keep up with the energetic front man as he moved around on stage, clapping and waving his arms simultaneously.

There are hints of Kings of Leon, The Libertines and even Elbow in the Courteeners sound. Liam’s vocals are easily identifiable as are the somewhat intriguing lyrics that are found in various tracks over the two albums. Liam was left alone on stage to perform stripped down versions of ‘The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home’ and ‘No You Didn’t, No You Don’t’ which showed quite a vulnerable side to the front man. ‘The Opener’ definitely looks to be a Courteeners anthem. The venue was well suited to the band and was filled quite nicely from top to bottom, although with the majority of fans being male there were quite a few more ladies than I had expected.

The setlist was made up of songs from their debut album St Jude and the follow up, recently released Falcon. Songs included; ‘Cavorting’, ‘Good Times Are Calling’, ‘Kings Of The New Road’, ‘The Opener’, ‘Bide Your Time’, ‘Cross My Heart And Hope To Fly’, ‘Sycophant’, ‘Please Don’t’, ‘Take Over The World’, ‘The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home’, ‘No You Didn’t, No You Don’t’, ‘You Overdid It Doll’, ‘Not Nineteen Forever’, ‘What Took You So Long?’. Strangely there was no encore, but the crowd seemed content with the evening’s performance.  

The Courteeners may never be as big as Oasis but with both their albums reaching the Top Ten, they are doing very well and with no sibling rivalry in this band there is nothing to hold them back.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Popular Greek singer Thanos Petrelis will be performing at the HMV Forum, Kentish Town on Sunday 28th March 2010. Support acts are CandyRock and Ioanna Protopapa.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

The Courteeners play the O2 Academy, Brixton on Thursday 18th March 2010, on the back of their recently released second album Falcon.

Gabriella the Gig Shiro

Peter Andre came to my high school to perform in the nineties, huge puffa jacket, dead straight gelled hair and an eight pack. He has come a long way since then…more specifically to the IndigO2, located in the O2 Arena. Fifteen years later and he is on top form. Touring all around the UK on the back of his latest album Revelation and recently released (for Valentine’s Day) album Unconditional: Love Songs, which consists of covers of his favourite love songs.

Supporting acts were G2L and X Factor 2008 finalist Laura White who seems to have come a long way since her controversial and unexpected exit from the popular TV show.

Let’s get the negative out of the way first; IndigO2 is one of the worst venues I have been to. Disappointing, especially because it wasn’t built that long ago. Yes it looks swanky and a little posh but not up to scratch in my eyes. Sitting on the left or right hand sides of the balcony means you can’t actually see the stage in its entirety and therefore every time Peter would walk to the right of the stage, to me, he had disappeared. That could be the reason why they had placed screens hanging down from the ceiling on both sides, because you can’t actually see the stage. Small venues should not need screens! OK rant over.

A star studded audience was in attendance, which included Peter’s children Junior and Princess, who created a photo taking frenzy once they were spotted. They were accompanied by Peter’s management team including manager Clare Powell who is now fairly well known as she appeared in his reality documentary show. Sitting with Princess and Junior was the ‘I’m a Celebrity Get me out of Here’ champion of 2009 and celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo along with his family. Although I hadn’t managed to spot him but Peter announced that Aston from JLS was also in the audience and famous choreographer (and Peter’s choreographer) Sean Cheesman. Peter’s brother Mike also made an appearance opening with a dj set.

Although Peter looks a lot different to how he used to he does look good for his age and still has a great voice as well as being able to bust a few moves. The audience was mainly female and ranged from young girls to women in their 30s; all screaming at the top of their lungs and having a whale of a time. Another artist paying tribute to the King of Pop saw Peter singing ‘Human Nature’ and ‘Man In The Mirror’ accompanied by MJ dance moves. Strangely enough out of all the singers around today he does have the closest sounding Michael Jackson voice. There was a bit of raunchy dancing, a bit of an emotional performance during Unconditional where footage of him and his children was projected onto the big screen and also a blast from the past in the form of  ‘Flava’, ‘Natural’ and of course ‘Mysterious Girl’. Missing was the slightly questionable ‘Insania’ which was penned whilst Peter resided in the Australian jungle for his stint on ‘I’m a Celebrity Get me out of Here’.

 There was also strange remixing in some songs including a sample of Nirvana’s hit ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’ in the middle of opening song ‘Behind Closed Doors’ where Peter was simulating a sequence where he was fighting off paparazzi. He performed a couple of songs from his love song covers album including  ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ originally recorded by Bonnie Raitt but made famous by George Michael and ‘Sign Your Name’ (a hit originally recorded by Terence Trent D’Arby) remixed with Adamski’s ‘Killer’ featuring Seal on vocals. His most popular song to date ‘Mysterious Girl’ was juxtaposed with lyrical blasts from Inner Circle’s ‘Sweat (A La La La La Long)’, Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’ and ‘Stir It Up’.

The setlist included; ‘Call The Doctor’, ‘Ready For Us’, ‘Go Back’, ‘The Way You  Move (Up In Here)’, ‘Human Nature’, ‘Man In The Mirror’, ‘Flava’, ‘Natural’, ‘Behind Closed Doors’, ‘Sign Your Name’, ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’, ‘Unconditional’ and ‘Mysterious Girl’.

Peter Andre back at the top - where he belongs!

Gabriella the Gig Shiro