Tag Archives: concert

Glitterbug Gold.

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{{ Cheerleader }}
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Wombats fan.  It all started way back when they first released their first songs and I was living in London.  I would put their tunes on with my head phones and wander in new directions.  I feel like I grew with them along the way and always feel grateful for their contribution to my adventuring self.  Not to mention, their sound is pure perfection.  Every time they come to SF, I make sure to snag some tickets to their show before they sell out because the show never disappoints.  This time around they sold out the iconic Fillmore venue for the first time and brought two other kick ass bands with them, Cheerleader and Life in Film.  I have to be honest, I’d never heard of the openers but love hearing new music.  Both bands were great and made a great combo of music for the night.

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{{ Cheerleader }}

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{{ Cheerleader – my favorite song of theirs is The Sunshine of Your Youth but all songs were easy to listen to. }}

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{{ Life in Film }}

Next up was Life in Film, a British band with a beautiful and fun upbeat sound.  They sound a little bit like Young the Giant with the deeper voice and bouncing beats.  I really like the song “Alleyway” but found their entire set to be enjoyable.

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{{ Life in Film }}

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{{ Life in Film }}

  Both openers were great bands that I now have on my playlists and would love to see again.

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Taking photos of bands at indoor venues is actually extremely hard.  The light is dark and the bands usually move around a lot making it hard to capture the right moments.

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{{ The Wombats }}

Then came the Wombats.  Le sigh.  They have just released their new album Glitterbug and this is the first tour where they are playing the majority of their set with these new tunes.  They did a sample show a while back where they tested a few songs at the Rickshaw before the songs were released and it just made me so excited for this tour.  Glitterbug is pure gold.  They came out and opened with Your Body is a Weapon, the first single off of Glitterbug.  Then followed with an older tune, Jump Into the Fog, probably because they know how to please us San Franciscans :).

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They wove in and out of the new and old albums.

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Tord brings so much energy, it’s amazing he can provide some vocals as well as play bass.

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Murph rips the guitar and writes some really interesting lyrics.

IMG_3626Glitterbug seems to be about a relationship that has gone sour but I can’t help but wonder if the album is really even about a relationship or if it’s a witty play on words.

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In the past, the Wombats have been compared to the sound of the Cure but this new album really shows their unique sound that is hard to fit into one specific genre.  It’s catchy, smart, witty, and less aggressive but still edgy.

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They have a way of pulling the crowd in without even trying.

IMG_3801They closed out the night with songs including Give Me a Try and Let’s Dance to the Joy Division.  The whole house was bumping and bouncing and since they sold out the Fillmore we were sent home with custom Wombats posters from the Fillmore.  It’s a tour that’s just getting started and I highly recommend it.  I may be biased but it’s definitely worth the ticket so go check ’em out!

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.

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In case you didn’t know, Chelsea and I are MAJOR Florence and the Machine fans.  I mean major.  We have followed her musical career and tours for years.  When we heard about two last minute pop up shows happening in San Francisco, we were waiting by our computers and counting down the minutes until they went on sale so we could make sure we were there on opening night at the Masonic (literally, I watched the clock countdown).  When Florence was announced to play Coachella this year, we knew a new album was on the brink and we were overjoyed.  So with further adieu, here’s our review of her first show on her new album tour (Weds April 8th, 2015)!

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We gathered all our other ride or dies for Flo’ (Tim and Lindsay), and headed to the Masonic early.  With no opener and the show said to start @ 8pm sharp, we were not messin’ around.

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This was actually my first time at the Masonic and it was perfectly cozy with the floor open for standing and the balcony with seats.

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We got some great row 2 seats close to the side of the stage.  Tim and Lindsay were on the floor.

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Flo came out around 8:30p in this awesome velour suit and we were a bit puzzled at this point because she usually wears elaborate gowns but we weren’t going to judge, she can do no wrong.  She opened with a powerful What the Water Gave Me and commanded the stage and the audience as hers.

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She started calm at the mic and then ramped up by running and dancing on each side of the stage and grabbing people’s hands and singing straight to fans in the first few rows.

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She quickly shed her jacket to reveal this beautifully large bell flow sleeved white see through blouse which she elegantly swung around with her tunes.  She went back and forth between old and new songs.  With every new song, she explained where the song came from and the meaning behind them which I loved.

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Her energy all night was high and she absolutely killed it.  When she played Dog Days, she had the entire audience shed some clothes and embrace each other.  She even ended up with a bra onstage.  She also took everyone’s gifts that they brought for her and read them, shared them with the audience and personally thanked everyone for the gift.

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If you want to get up close and personal with Florence, get in the front row at one of her shows and she will connect with you.

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Her voice sounds better in person every time.  She played How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, St. Jude, What Kind of Man, Ship to Wreck, and a few others from the new album along with classics like No Light, No Light and Shake It Out.

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I had chills throughout the entire night her show was so magnificent and I knew ahead of time how great she was.  She’s a timeless act that’s only progressed and improved.  If you want to catch a show of a lifetime from a beautifully voiced soul, get to a Florence and Machine show!

Funny thing about “Pompeii”

There’s in fact nothing funny about the real happenings at Pompeii but as Chelsea said in yesterday’s post, the tune was crushing the airwaves in Europe while we were there.  After Chelsea headed back to the state, I actually had the chance to see Bastille and photograph their live show in Holland!  I’d never seen them before and LOVED their live show.  So much energy and a tent full of pulsing Europeans.  It was a recipe for a good time and I enjoyed it immensely.  Check out this up and coming band that will be sure to blow your socks off if you catch them on tour this year.

IMG_2483(Their stage set up and people piling in)

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IMG_2572(Packed tent!)

I didn’t know many of their songs besides Pompeii before I saw Bastille live but now can say I’m a huge fan of their entire album, Bad Blood.  I’ve seen a lot of bands and Bastille brought non-stop energy and good tunes.  Check them out!