Long time no see!
So over the weekend I went to see two very different concerts and thought I’d do a quick review of both shows…
Friday 10th March 2017
Act: Against The Current | Support Act: Hunger | Location: Liverpool 02 Academy
I went to see this show with my brothers. I’d listened listened to the band’s debut album, In Our Bones, although I didn’t know it inside out. After waiting outside for over an hour, we eventually made our way in and we were quite close to the stage. It was very crowded and very warm but the venue was absolutely buzzing.
The support act were an Austrian band called Hunger, who put on a good show. I’d never heard of them before but their strong melody-led songs and the enthusiasm of the band members (particularly the lead singer) soon had the crowd on their side and they put on a good set. As well, we got to meet the band afterwards and got a free signed poster and a photo, which was a nice touch!
When Against the Current came out, the venue erupted! From their opening number, Blood Like Gasoline, it was clear that this was going to be driven by vocal power and sheer energy. The lead singer, Chrissy Costanza, was like a fire cracker bouncing round the stage. Her energy was infectious and the band slipped seamlessly from track to track. Some slower moments came from the emotive Chasing Ghosts and the title track In Our Bones, whilst the energy was kept alive by the likes of Running With The Wild Things and Young & Relentless.
I liked the fact that the band had placed a small stand for Chrissy to stand on, as it meant more people were able to see. This was clearly a band on the rise and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, despite not knowing all the tracks, which can only be a good thing! I’d definitely go and see them again as the energy in the room was electric!
Sunday 12th March 2017
Act: Laura Marling | Support Act: Ethan Johns | Location: Manchester Albert Hall
I had already seen Laura Marling back in 2012, also in Manchester with one of my friends, and we both went back for this show. It was in support of her recent album Semper Femima, which I’d listened to just under half of before the show, as it had only come out on the 10th March.
Ethan Johns and his band did a good job at opening – not my favourite support act I’ve seen, but he was alright. Laura came on to massive applause, as she opened the show with recent single Soothing before going on to play several of her new songs with her backing band.
She then did a solo set, which I thought was a nice touch and the response when she started playing tracks from her second album was incredible. I particularly loved her performance of Daisy, a new track to me as I didn’t get the deluxe version of Short Movie. However, the biggest response from the crowd came from Sophia. Now backed with the band, the song continued to grow and most of the people around me were tapping their feet, whilst some of the standing crowd were dancing along.
A personal highlight came when she played Darkness Descends, one of my favourite tracks of hers, and she closed the show with the well chosen Rambling Man. She seemed much more confident on stage this time around and it was a great show!
So anyway, I had an absolutely fantastic weekend, filled with 2 very different types of concerts. It’s reminded how much I enjoy seeing music played live, and I’m looking forward to seeing Amy MacDonald & Newton Faulkner in a few weeks time!!
P.S. It’s going to be song overload today, but I thought I’d include another track down here as well as the two up above! I’ve chosen a song I’ve been semi-obsessed with over the past few weeks. I really love the song and the video as well so I hope you like it to! 🙂
Adam's Random Ramblings 