LIVE REVIEW: Kodaline @ O2 Academy Bristol 18/11/2013

Originally published at Middle Boop Mag: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/live/live-kodaline-o2-academy-bristol-18112013

Radio friendly. Soft rock. One for the mums. These are some of the connotations that your mind may subconsciously throw up at the mention of Kodaline, and you could be forgiven for this for it’s certainly how they’ve been packaged. You’ll probably recognise them from tracks like ‘High Hopes’ and ‘Love Like This’, which are played religiously on the hour, every hour on Radio One.

Essentially, the Irish four-piece are all of these dreadful things, but (hang on in there) they were bloody good live, and their album In A Perfect World is bloody fantastic too, despite it all. They’ve been compared with Coldplay, Muse and The Script, so they really are a mixed bag of what some people might call 'easy listening'. 

The gig was comprised of 30 something’s and swooning teenage/a little older girls. Their album washed appreciatively over the crowd as they fiercely and some a little too intensely (listen to ‘High Hopes’ and imagine the person next to you wiping a tear from their eye and singing along in a rather wobbly voice)  lost their minds to their biggest hits.  

It was easy, it was pleasant, and for a gig on a Monday night after a rather messy weekend, they were just what the doctor would have prescribed, if doctors dabbled in events based remedies.  I entered the building jaded, over it before it had even begun. I left a fan, and listened to the album on repeat for upwards of a week. To all your high-brow muso's out there, initial thoughts deserve to be cast aside on this one. 

LIVE REVIEW: Disclosure @ O2 Academy Bristol 16/11/2013

Originally published at Middle Boop Mag: http://www.middleboopmag.com/music/live/live-disclosure-o2-academy-bristol-17112013

The Disclosure brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence kicked off their eight-date UK tour at Bristol’s O2 Academy on Saturday night. The pop/house duo have been extremely busy since the release of their debut album Settle (which reached number one in the UK back in June) and their smattering of top 10 singles including ‘Latch’, ‘You And Me’ and ‘F For You’. The pair also played just about every summer festival going, and have just finished off a string of US and European dates.

Support came from Aussie music whizz- kid producer Flume, could there have been a better warm-up? Flume set the tone of the evening with his experimental and avant-garde beats, and took it beyond a gig, coupled with the fact is was a Saturday night, his tracks ‘Sleepless’, ‘Insane’, ‘Holdin On’ and ‘On Top’ went off in a huge way.

Disclosure’s sound was crisp, their set flawless, yet there was noticeably a certain lack of atmosphere. The boys didn’t really talk much between tracks, and it felt as if they were hammering through their set in the same fashion a check-out operator might idly scan through someone’s grocery shopping. It lacked a certain something, and although a joy to hear all of their summer infused tracks in succession, it felt as if you may as well be hearing them in some club played out by the resident DJ.

The highlight of their set was on last track ‘Latch’, which debuted at number one in the UK back in spring. Vocalist Sam Smith came to join them on-stage and his silky smooth vocals echoed around the room. The Disclosure album seemed to divide opinions, some found it amazing, some even stated it the best thing to happen to current dance music, others found it monotonous and sterile. This difference in opinion may well be true of their live shows too, but coming from a huge fan of the album, it was overall rather disappointing.

ALBUM REVIEW: Pink Martini – Get Happy (Wrasse Records)

Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée: November/December 2013. 

Pink Martini, fronted by China Forbes, formed in 1994. Get Happy is the groups’ sixth album, and sees the self titled ‘little orchestra’ doing what they do best, playfully genre hopping from classical, latin, jazz and classic pop. 

‘What‘ll I Do?’ is a highlight, with its spine tingling romanticism. Legendary singer/composer Rufus Wainwright also lends his delectable vocals on tracks ‘Kitty Come Home’ and ‘Get Happy’. 

Their glamorous blend of cafe culture ambience is nothing short of remarkable, with lyrics in German, Spanish, Japanese and Turkish. Get Happy is eclecticism at its very finest, to be enjoyed with a crisp glass of white on many a dusky summers eve.  

BOOK REVIEW: Bon Courage! A French Renovation in Rural Limousin, By Richard Wiles

Originally published in the print edition of French Entrée: November/December 2013. 

Author and journalist Richard Wiles is famed for a succession of DIY books, and was previously Senior Editor of Ideal Home Magazine. After a failed marriage and the loss of said job, Wiles felt compelled to embark on an ultimate DIY adventure all of his own. He, along with new partner Al, decided to renovate an uninhabitable, rodent infested barn in the picture perfect Limousin region. 

This autobiographical account of their trials and tribulations, titled thoughtfully Bon Courage (which is a French tongue- in-cheek expression, nodding knowingly to the enormity of life’s necessary and unexpected renovations) is a charming, easygoing and insightful read, and serves as great inspiration to anyone who is contemplating their own similar project.