The Band Perry

Type – Live Review

Artist – The Band Perry

Location – O2 ABC, Glasgow

Date –17-11-2012

We had the pleasure of interviewing The Band Perry at the O2 ABC in Glasgow not long before they hit the stage for their very first performance in front of a Scottish crowd, and I think it’s safe to say that they were really looking forward to it.

After our interview with the sibling trio we stayed for the show, and what an absolutely amazing night we had. The Band Perry had sold out the O2 ABC and the venue was completely packed. Selling out the O2 ABC on your first show is brilliant but as Lauren says in the interview “I think you need a bigger venue next time”. I totally agree with this, The Band Perry are clearly loved and they may have underestimated how popular they actually are in Scotland. 

As there were only two bands playing by the time The Band Perry’s support act John and Jacob got onto the stage the room was already full and they played through their set keeping the crowd on their toes. These are two enthusiastic young guys with great voices and musicianship. They got the crowd’s energy up and at the end of their set they left us all wanting just a little more.

There wasn’t much time between John and Jacob leaving the stage and The Band Perry coming on, which is always a good thing because you don’t want to leave the crowd on their own too long. After listening to a few songs while listening while the crew got the stage ready the music went off and the lights went down, this is the moment we knew our worlds were about to be blown away.

The Band Perry opened with ‘Sugar Sugar’ which is not on their album nor has it been officially released, however if you are like us and are big fans of them then you will have done your youtube research and found out that despite the fact that its not on the album or released you will know that the song is a fan favourite and they play it on a regular basis. This was the perfect opening song as it’s a very high energy song that really gets the crowd going and the lyrics are catchy and easy to learn.

The band powered through an amazing nearly 20 song set list playing favourite songs such as ‘Hip To My Heat’, ‘Miss You Being Gone’, ‘All Your Life’, ‘Double Heart’ and ‘Postcard From Paris’. They also played a mash up of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Falin’ with their song ‘Independence’. The Band Perry’s set also included covers of ‘Amazing Grace’, a mash up of ‘American Pie/Jack and Diane/Me & Bobby Mcgee’ and my personal favourite cover that they do ‘Fat Bottom Girls’ this was a fun song to watch them play live with Neil taking the lead and Kimberly telling the crowd “You best be shakin’ what your mama gave you”.

They played 2 new songs one of which was their new song ‘Better Dig Two’ which although it’s not out in the UK yet, the crowd have been listening to the song and were singing along with every word which was a fantastic thing to hear, I wonder how the band must have felt hearing it?.

Finishing their set with ‘If I Die Young’ a crowd favourite which Kimberly even let the crowd take the lead for a few lines while the entire band stood back and looked out at the extremely loud Scottish crowd in amazement as they sang their song back to them. The trio then left the stage as the rest of their band stayed and played a short instrumental version of ‘Queen Maybelline’ before they also left the stage. However after a few short minutes of composure The Band Perry bounced back onto the stage to play an amazing 3 song encore which included ‘We Are Young’ (fun cover) and ‘Night Gone Wasted/With A Little Help From My Friends’ (beatles cover) before ending their fist Scottish concert with ‘You Lie’ and they really went out with a bang.

After the show The Band Perry left their dressing room and made their way over to their merch table to sign autographs for the massive line of fans that stayed in the venue to meet them.

I really love to see when bands really show their fans appreciation because its one thing to say that you love your fans but its another thing to actually take the time to stand and talk to the fans that can’t make it to a meet and greet, when bands do little things like this it really makes the fans feel loved.

If you haven’t listened to The Band Perry go check them out they are an amazing country band that will steal your heart after listening to one song (it happened to me). If have listened to them before and haven’t seen them live I would suggest you get yourself a ticket to their next concert in a town near you, they put on a great show and they really get the crowd involved talking to them.

The Band Perry really are a fantastic band and their chemistry that comes from them being siblings is truly amazing and they have more to give us and I can see them going down in history.

Make sure you all hurry back to the UK, we miss you already.

www.facebook.com/lifeismusictv

@lifeismusictv

@GillianLIMTV

Tyler Hilton

Tyler Hilton Live Review 

October 31st at King Tut’s Glasgow

After setting himself free from the clutch of his former record label, Tyler Hilton has since started his very own label ‘Hooptie Tune Records’, in which he released his much anticipated third studio album ‘Forget The Storm’ in March earlier this year. We were lucky enough to catch him live at his Halloween show at King Tut’s in Glasgow.

With the dress code of the night being ‘vampire’ the queue was full of blood thirsty girls (and the occasional guy here and there). I actually didn’t have a clue about the dress code and turned up dressed like a zombie football player... smooth Lauren. With the queue stretching out the door of the venue and even further down the street and round the corner, it was clear this was going to be a great gig.

With everyone all squeezed in Tyler’s support act Dion Roy took the stage, and he got a great response. The crowd were screaming for him which I’m sure he was surprised about having not been to Glasgow before. He was wearing a Crispy Crème hat and Tyler’s glasses which had everyone giggling. He performed songs from his most recent release ‘Into The Day’ and he also played one of my personal favourites ‘Daughter’ which he explained to the crowd he had written for his little girl. He had the crowd in awe, and I’m sure he won some hearts. I know if he comes back to Glasgow everyone in that room will be the first ones to buy their tickets. As his set came to an end and he went for some fan photos, the crowd were more than ready for Tyler to get on stage.

As the lights went down, there was a deadly silence and then ‘AAAAAAAAAAH’ is all I can describe it as. Everyone in the room was going crazy as the lights went up to reveal Tyler Hilton, his guitar in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. He started picking out people in the crowd who were dressed up and threw them a couple chocolates, I managed to get a couple too. I mean it’s hard not to notice someone dressed as a zombie at a vampire themed night.. He kicked off the night with songs from ‘Forget The Storm’ and he had everyone bobbing their heads and singing along. I don’t think it had sunk in for some people that they were actually watching Chris Keller from One Tree Hill performing in front of them and not on their TV. He performed flawlessly. As he performed ‘When it comes’ there was not a person who wasn’t singing along. It was definitely a crowd favourite. He played a fantastic set and I’m sure everyone at the gig that night will agree he’s going to need a bigger venue next time around!

Check out Tyler Hilton and Dion Roy if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed, these are two great guys and great musicians. Stay Awesome, Lauren x

Lower Than Atlantis

Lower Than Atlantis Live Review

Friday 5th Oct at Glasgow Garage

We had the pleasure of interviewing Dec Hart, bassist for Lower Than Atlantis at The Garage in Glasgow. We also hung out to catch the show afterwards. With Gnarwolves along with our friends Don Broco and The Dangerous Summer supporting, this was definitely a great line up, a must go to Glasgow gig. 

As we entered the main hall before any of the acts had even set foot on the stage, it was already packed. This, straightaway told me that these guys definitely have an awesome fan base. I managed to speak to a few people who told me they were there just to see Don Broco -the same people at the end of the night who were buying Lower Than Atlantis merch and telling me how they have a new favourite band!

As the first support act Gnarwolves took the stage the crowd were already chanting LTA, but they were going to have to wait a little longer. Gnarwolves kicked off their set with what I can only describe as noise. The crowd didn’t seem to pleased with what they had to offer, and a short set later, Don Broco were on the stage completely killing it! With their well known walk and entertaining dance moves they had the crowd going crazy for them and even joining in. They performed a set consisting mostly of songs from their newest album ‘Priorities’ and even managed to perform an oldie ‘Thug Workout’ which just made fans go absolutely mental. The crowd were completely theirs and the energy in the room just kept getting bigger and bigger. They then asked the crowd to create a mosh pit/wall and I’m  not kidding, this was probably one of the biggest I’ve ever seen. It was fantastic!

Next to take the stage were The Dangerous Summer from the US. They tried to keep the energy at a high, although it was a little difficult for them as their set consisted of slower songs. The crowd responded great to the band, although I think it might have just been frontman AJ’s American accent they liked! Their set was great and they played a mix of songs from ‘War Paint’ and ‘Reach for the Sun’ and they also played my favourite song ‘Where I want to be’. They kept the crowd happy and the room was now buzzing with excitement for Lower Than Atlantis to take the stage.

With the crowd chanting LTA, the band walked on stage to a roar of applause and screaming. They started the set with ‘Love Someone Else’ from their newest album ‘Changing Tune’ and the crowd are going crazy for it. They perform a bunch of songs from albums ‘Far Q’, ‘World Record and ‘Changing Tune’ and it pleases the crowd. The crowd were hanging on their every lyric throughout the entire set. ‘Beech Like The Tree’ seemed to be a crowd favourite. The band continued to blast through their set and perform every song perfectly. Despite frontman Mike Duce being ill the band still manage to smash it and play possibly one of their best gigs to date. As the band finish their set, they leave the stage with the crowd still chanting their name. As the famous Glasgow ‘Here we fu#*ing  go’ is being screamed at the empty stage. Lower Than Atlantis return to perform ‘Another Sad Song’ and ‘Deadliest Catch’. The crowd sing along with them and it was definitely the best part of the night. The band were flawless.

If you haven't heard of any of the bands we've talked about in this review, then you should check them out. You won't be disappointed. 

Watch our interview with bassist Dec Hart here.

Young Guns

Type – Live Review

Artist – Young Guns 

Date – October 14^th 2012-10-27

We interviewed We Are The In Crowd before the show, you can check that out here.

This Vans Off The Wall tour had an amazing line up as Vans Off The Wall like to provide a variety of genres to appeal to a wide range of people, and kicking off the night was Marmozets and with them they brought both ferocity and a whole lot of energy. With songs such as ‘onemanwolfpack’ its easy to see that this band will soon be one of the UK’s next big metal bands. The band have a quirkiness that the music industry often lacks these days.

Your Demise were next up, these guys are fantastic and always a pleasure to watch perform. They played and extremely high energy set with plenty of circle pits and crowd surfers. The O2 ABC was packed for the YD set and you could see the band feeding off the crowds energy and vice versa. The crowd sang along with every word to every song the guys played and everyone was clearly having a fantastic time.

The main support for the night is one of my personal favourite bands, New York punk-rockers We Are The In Crowd. As of recently WATIC have been taking the UK by storm. After only playing their first UK shows in May 2011, the UK seemed to really fall in love them and this tour made it the third UK tour for WATIC this year alone playing with All Time Low in January, a headlining tour in April and now Supporting Young Guns. The whole crowd got involved during their set when they belted out hit after hit from both their EP ‘Guaranteed To Disagree’ and their debut album ‘Best Intentions’. Tay and the boys had the crowd right in the palm of their hand for their entire set and for a moment Tay stopped singing and let the crowd take over for her. The best part of the night was when the band played ‘Kiss me Again’ and  the entire crowd went wild – in a good way of course. WATIC are a perfect example that hard work and determination pays off. They walked off the stage leaving the crowd wanting more.

As the headliners Young Guns took to the stage there was deafening screams coming to from the crowd, they started their set with ‘Dearly Departed’ and the entire crowd was jumping and going mental before the boys even managed to burst into the chorus. The band played an amazing set of 14 songs and all of the girls in the crowd were in complete awe of them the entire time they were on stage. Their set included crowd favourites such as ‘Weight of the World’ and ‘D.O.A’. For their encore the guys played YG classics ‘Winter Kiss’ and ‘Bones’. These boys really know how to put on a killer show and its fantastic to see a band with so much gratitude towards their fans.

The mix of bands and genres playing the show was a bit of a risky move from the Vans Off The Wall team but for those thinking that these bands wouldn’t work together; they managed to prove them all wrong. Everyone got a taste of something they might not usually listen to and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time.

@GillianLIMTV

Newton Faulkner

Newton Faulkner Live Review 

October 3rd 2012 at O2 ABC Glasgow

With his new album going straight to number 1 Newton Faulkner is definitely one of the most humble and down to earth musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. We got to hang with him for a little before his show in Glasgow at the O2 ABC and we also stuck around to see the show.

As soon as the one man band stepped foot on the stage the crowd were roaring at him in admiration. This was going to be a great gig. He kicked off the night with ‘Pulling Teeth’ and in an instant his fans were singing along and bobbing their heads. There was such a huge mix of people at this event, it was awesome to see so many people come together and support Newton. After performing a few songs, then came ‘People Should Smile More’. He introduced the song with his famous story about him trying to help an older woman with her bags in an airport, but the woman just seen a ‘yeti’ as he put it and hit him with her bag. It gives us an insight into the inspiration behind the lyrics, he sings ‘I can’t change the world, cos trying to make a difference makes it worse’. It perfectly sums up his situation at that point.

As the night went on, Newton kept the crowd involved by having silly banter with us in between performing and sipping tea which he kept in a tea pot inside his little globe table. It was only at this point I noticed he didn’t have any shoes or socks on. He joked that if more of us came to the gig he could maybe afford shoes. He had everyone in awe, he had everyone laughing and has one of the best stage presences I’ve witnessed to date.

Newton went on to perform such hits as ‘Clouds’, ‘Sugar in the snow’ and ‘Brick by Brick’ whilst in between performing other songs from ‘Write it on your skin’ and his rendition of ‘Payphone’ which was a crowd pleaser. The way he can take a song and make it his own is beyond me, he is one talented guy! He done the same thing with ‘Teardrop’ which has over 3,350,000 views on YouTube alone, it was as though he’d written the song he performed it so greatly.  He continued on, performing ‘Dream catch me’ which was just one giant sing-a-long-a-newton. It was clear the crowd were loving every moment of it.

Finally he went on to perform his title track ‘Write it on your skin’ which completely blew me away, I loved each and every song he performed but this was my personal favourite both from the album and to see live. He just sings it so perfectly and everyone can see that as they’re still hanging on his every lyric, bobbing heads everywhere. He then finished with ‘Pick up your broken heart’ which was a great song to end on, everyone sang along and it was such a powerful performance, it was as though nothing else mattered in the room apart from your voice and his. If you were having a bad day, you definitely weren’t anymore.

This was a truly great event to be part of. It had everything, the music, the chat, the humor and the tea... oh and Newton of course. You just kinda want him to be your spooning partner, am I right?! :) 

If you haven’t checked out Newton Faulkner yet, you should, you'll be happy you did.

www.facebook.com/newtonfaulkner

www.twitter.com/newtonfaulkner

-newcitylauren

Ask: Memphis May Fire

Ask: Memphis May Fire!

We got the chance to ask Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins some questions about the bands music and plans for the future, see what he said below! 

What were the inspirations behind Challenger? 

We wanted to write an honest and transparent record about our lives and showcase our growth as musicians at the same time. 

How long did it take to record the album? 

Pre-Pro, Tracking and Mixing took about 2 months all together.

What was your favorite song to record from the album? 

I honestly can't pick a favorite. They are each valuable to me in different ways.

Your favorite song to play live from Challenger? 

Vices & Alive In The Lights are both tons of fun live.

What is your favorite thing about being in a band? 

Being able to share my poetry with the world!

What do you have planned for the rest of the year and beyond?

After Europe we are doing a full U.S. run with Asking Alexandria. 

Then SoundWave in Australia! We also have 3 other U.S. tours planned that we can't release yet. 

The Midnight Beast

The Midnight Beast Live Review (O2 Academy, Glasgow)
We were lucky enough to be put on The Midnight Beast's guestlist for their show in Glasgow.

I've never been to a more fun gig in my life. 

These guys are true entertainers and have so much energy. 

A fantastic live act!

After releasing their famous parody of Ke$ha's 'Tik Tok' in 2009 these guys have continued to make us laugh through both their music and recent TV series. Knowing what these guys were like from watching the show and listening to their music, I was eager to see what kind of live show they'd put on. And I wasn't disappointed.

With Glasgow support act 'Unicorn Kid' on stage, it was clear the crowd were getting hyped. Keeping the attention of the crowd can be difficult for a one man act, but Unicorn Kid didn't have any trouble at all. He had everyone dancing and created a great atmosphere. This crowd were definitely ready for The Midnight Beast.

With everyone in a dancing mood, The Midnight Beast boys took the stage in what appeared to be beach outfits and went straight into 'I kicked a shark in the face'. There were people in giant shark costumes taking over the stage, it was hilarious. After kicking off with one of my personal favorites they then went on to perform a bunch of songs including 'Quirky' and 'Begging'. The guys then performed 'Ninjas' and took the stage with toy swords, which were quickly snatched up by the fans at the front. 'Life is a Musical' was my favorite performance of the night, it was very High School Musical and just gave me that feel good feeling. There were jocks everywhere and lots of harmony's here an there, it was like being in an actual musical. With the night coming to an end and everyone sweating all over the shop, the guys performed 'Wands', 'Tik Tok' and finished up with 'Booty Call'. 'Booty Call' was such high energy, it was so much fun to watch, there was thrusting absolutely everywhere. not even kidding. Using Stefan's bum as a drum was a highlight for me during the song. It was so much fun!

This was truly a night to remember, one of the most high energy, dance-y and just plain fun gigs I've ever been to in my life. I would definitely go and see these entertainers again in a heartbeat.

If you haven't heard of The Midnight Beast, check them out on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/midnightbeastuk

-newcitylauren