of Montreal ~ Concorde 2 Brighton 27th April 2012

I've seen of Montreal 2 times prior to this show & both times the gig proved to be a neon psycadelic treat to all the senses. Not so much a gig as a fully realised trip an of Montreal gig always stands out in my mind with it's interesting choreography and use of projections, not to mention the band are just incredibly tight with Kevin Barnes commanding the stage as good as any certified pop star. This show blew even the absaloutly incredible performance at ATP 2008 out of the water with the real stand out was the stellar performance of 'She's A Rejecor' which totally blew me and the rest of the crowds collective minds. Words can never do an of Montreal show justice so I'm just going to say that this was one of the best gigs I've ever been to in my life, period. 

Daniel Johnston/British Sea Power ~ St. Bartholomew Church, Brighton 16th April 2012

Well that was a bit special, the atmosphere & the venue chosen for this event was just perfect! This seated, dead silent, sold out 850 attendance really added a lot to this show, having seen Daniel Johnston at Matt Greoning ATP it sort of felt awkward & the surrounding where the were many bands putting on stellar show's we had Daniel Johnston on a gigantic stage on his own with his guitar stumbling threw his set & it made for quite hard watching (just make it clear it wasn't bad, it certainly had an aura to it but looking at the crowd they felt uncomfortable watching it) here, complete with backing band, it all sort of fitted together a lot better. So first of all we had British Sea Power doing an acoustic set for 30 minutes which introduced the show well, British Sea Power are certainly a diverse band adapting to this more church friendly sound well & whilst nothing special the ever dependable band put on yet another solid show, especially once the sound got balanced better. After a 30minute intermission we saw Daniel Johnston come out to a huge reaction as he played a couple of songs solo & much like the Matt Greoning gig it was met with some awkwardness from the crowd (myself included it has to be said) but after the first song people were starting to get fully invested, the gig really came to life once he and British Sea Power (his backing band for the night) joined forces and performed a repertoire of his hit's including 'Casper The Friendly Ghost', a particularly moody take on 'Walking The Cow', 'Funeral Home' & of course 'True Love Will Find You In The End' to close things off in the encore. A very short set, not exceeding 35 minutes but I think everyone in the church shared a bit of a moment. This wasn't a gig for anyone seeking a clinic in musicianship and stellar vocals but what you got was a spectacle and emotionally charged gig which will most likely stay with you for some time which was met with a standing ovation.

Laura Gibson/Gordelia[needs verification]/Do You Feel What I Feel Dear ~ Brighton Komedia 13/04/12 review

So as mentioned earlier in the Blog I was off to see Laura Gibson an was excited by it & by golly was my excitement justified! Whilst I enjoyed the new album 'La Grande' I wasn't totally bowled over by it, but now after tonight's show, I can say with confidence that I am in love with the new CD. So what element of the show stood out most for me? Was it Laura Gibson's fantastic and unique vocal delivery? Yeah that. Was it her charismatic band? Yeah that as well. Was it the quality of the songs in general? Yeah that as well. Was it the 2 guys clearly rushing their tits off and raving to very traditional folk music? Of course that would contribute. Was it the fantastic moment when she had the whole crowd provide the oooo's that make up 'Red Moon' & everyone in the crowd actually doing so? Yes that totally sealed it.
   Out of the support acts I got 2 names from the poster though I'm not sure the 2nd was correct. The first band 'Do you feel what I feel dear', despite the mouthful and somewhat pretentious name, came out very well with their sweeping 6 person orchestra and fantastic harmonised vocals had the crowd really paying attention. The 2nd act who I have down as 'Gordelia' (though as mentioned earlier, was never refered to as such during the set) was a solo female artist who had a stunning voice and did a couple of great covers, however her own stuff other then the 3rd track of her set totally went over my head, despite this I still I see a great deal of potential here and really wouldn't mind seeing her again. Overall though it was a fantastic gig & I really hope to see Laura Gibson and her band back down here soon, the support acts were functional with 'Do You Feel What I Feel Dear' coming off the better of the 2, who are a band I would perhaps like to get familiar with after tonight's performance.