Lorde - Gelatos

I have seen a lot of concerts.

I have seen heroes and icons. I've seen dingy neighbourhood bands and pub bands, I've seen church bands and latin bands. I've seen artists from all over the world ranging from 15 to well past 70.

But I've never seen anything like Lorde.

Last night I was privileged (and I don't use that word lightly) to see 16 year old Ella Yelich O’Connor in one of her first public concerts.

I missed out on tickets to Thursday's R18 gig (it sold out in minutes), so I went to the All Ages instead (which also sold out in minutes, I was just more organised this time). The venue was barely bigger than my bedroom, and the bar was all non-alcoholic, but it didn't matter. Once Lorde was on stage, nothing much did.

Singing hits from her debut EP as well as some new ones from her upcoming album, Lorde had the audience in the palm of her hand from the very beginning.

Opening with Bravado, she was captivating. Her voice has perhaps matured a little from the recording, but it's even better live.

Between songs, she let her character down, once admitting that because the audience was filled with her peers, they were 'less intimidating'. Her banter was friendly and excited, seeming to enjoy the experience as much as the audience was.

Her new tracks were a real treat to hear. They are more mature than the EP. The sound seemed heavily influenced by Lana Del Rey, but in a good way. She flips the mirror on Del Rey's consumer driven, sex-laden style and looks at things which matter to her in a honest way.

This girl is going to blow up. In the past few weeks her Facebook page has gone from 6,000 fans to 30,000. She's been picked up Buzzfeed and Perez Hilton. She has record deals in the US and UK. She's often compared to Kimbra, but having seen them both - Kimbra has nothing on the presence Lorde has. I fully expect the next time I see her will be in a venue like the Powerstation, with a pricetag much higher than the $25 I paid this time.

In the end, Lorde left us wanting more (it was a 45 minute set), but she didn't leave us wanting. I saw something very special last night, and I can't wait to see where she goes from here.

Related links
The Love Club EP on Spotify

Moment of Awesome

After that post about YouTube, I began looking around for more channels. Long story short, I found this concert.


This is incredible to me because I was there. In New York. At that gig.

The YouTube clips are actually a way better view than we had, but it's so awesome to think that I was there, at that time, and I can always go back and experience it again.

I just thought that was cool.

My Favourite YouTube Channels

I love YouTube. I've been a small part of the community for 5 or 6 years now and over that time I've collected a wide range of channels in my subscriptions list.

YouTube is a place that entertains me, educates me and changes me for the better. My feelings about YouTube can be expanded on another day, but today I watched an interesting video about YouTube from my favourite channel, Vlogbrothers.


Inspired by this, I've decided to write a post about some of my favourite channels in the hope that it might expose you to something new, and help good content creators continue to create amazing content. This is far from an exhaustive list. I could easily make another one, so if you like it and you want to see another one, let me know. In no particular order...

1. Vlogbrothers
These guys are the reason I am a part of the YouTube community. They are smart, funny and big supporters of social responsibility. They are the inventors of the annual YouTube charity drive 'The Project for Awesome' which last year resulted in giving over $400,000 away to charity. Hank Green also runs the annual YouTube conference VidCon. A number of the channels you'll see below are their brain childs. If anyone I know on YouTube is working hard to create a sustainable business model on YouTube as well as creating good content, it's these guys.


2. Baracksdubs
Ever wanted to see Barack Obama sing pop songs? Probably not, but this channel takes video from official White House archives, mixes in a liberal amount of autotune and produces what are often the funniest thing you've seen all day. A brilliant little gem to have in your subscriptions, if only to be the first one of your friends to put it on Facebook.


3. C. G. P Grey
For some of the most innovative, simple and interesting educational videos on YouTube, you cannot go past C. G. P. Grey. Of special note are his videos on electorial systems and how one would go about being elected to a particular office (like the Pope, see the video below). He makes complicated systems simple.

Each C. G. P. Grey video takes months of research, but he manages to upload one or two videos a month, and they are always one of the first things I'll watch.


4. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
This is one for those who love Jane Austen.

Imagine Elizabeth Bennet lived today, and imagine she was broadcasting her story to the world via video blogs. Well, that's the general idea behind The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. This channel is the brainchild of Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers and it's another must-watch for me. The series is almost at an end (no word on if they're planning to do another classic any time soon), but you can start with the video below, and if you like it, there's a handy playlist with all the episodes here.


5. Epic Rap Battles
Every fortnight, two personalities from history take each other on in an epic rap battle. Sometimes geeky, sometimes political, always funny and well written. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched the video below.


6. Crash Course
Another brainchild of the Vlogbrothers (I did warn you). Crash Course is an educational channel which has so far run series' on World History (a personal favourite), Biology, Literature and Ecology. They are currently running American History and Chemistry.

Crash Course manage to make learning interesting and fun. They are aimed to integrate with the American syllabus, but you'll definitely learn something if you subscribe to this channel.


7. charlieissocoolllike
Charlie McDonnell was an early success on YouTube. He was the right age and the right amount of cute to get the girls swooning, but he's also the right amount of thoughtful and funny to keep the older audience entertained. Charlie tends to approach his videos from a more personal point of view and sticks mainly to a vlog-style.


8. CDZA
CDZA (or Collective Cadenza) make musical video experiments. I discovered them of the back of this amazing Fresh Prince-Google Translate video and proceeded to watch everything they'd ever made and then tell all my friends about them. As a music geek, I adore this channel, and I really did struggle to work out which video to embed below, but I settled with the one that made me cry.


9. The Most Popular Girls in School
I'm relatively new to this channel, but I watched the entire first season, and the first two episodes of the second season last week and completely fell in love with it. There is probably a lot of thoughtful societal commentary within the videos themselves, but mostly I just thought they were freaking hilarious.


10. Nerimon
Alex Day is a bit of an internet phenomenon. He's the kind of guy that has an interesting idea, then follows through. His internet following has meant he's sat in the top 10 of the UK charts at Christmas two years in a row without a record company. He's a little bit odd, but in a good way. He's not afraid to be himself, and he's not afraid to tell the audience who he is, and why.

The video below is the first in a series. If you want to find out what Alex thinks of the rest of Twilight, the playlist is here.

Laneway 2013

Laneway is consistent for providing some of the most memorable musical images I have ever been privileged to witness. In 2010, Florence Welch set the bar by wailing into the wind from the top of a speaker stack. In 2013, Natasha Kahn (Bat For Lashes) took to an abandoned stage in a red dress under the spotlight and surrounded by billowing smoke to perform her melancholic love song to her best friend, Laura.



I'm always in two minds about publishing my experiences at Laneway. I usually find that (with the exception of one or two acts each year) the music is beyond me. The fact that it's effectively held in a carpark in the middle of Summer means it's always a sweltering day and the threat of sunburn is never too far away.

Laneway make huge improvements to the venue each year. They add shade and they clearly put a lot of thought into the food vendors (the food at this festival is always amazing). There are more than enough toilets for everyone and the expansion to include a beautiful waterfront view was to be commended. Unfortunately, even with all the improvements, it never quite feels like enough.

The lines for booze were still very long, and like every year I have been, they ran out before the liquor licence was up. While I don't tend to drink at concerts or festivals, my friends do, and the lines impact me as well. I get the feeling that the lines might be part of forcing the festival goers into a little bit of moderation. You're forced to wait, so you're forced to pace yourself. Given the amount of drinking going on, it's probably not a bad idea.

All of these things make me hesitate to write this blog each year (and explain why this one is coming a month late). Ultimately, the worst of our experiences from the first Laneway are fixed. There's plenty of food and the only lines are for booze. There is a whole heap more shade and there are markets (although the lack of festival staples like hats, sunglasses and sunblock in the markets did frustrate me). It really does get better every year, and yet, I'm still left thinking, maybe I shouldn't go back next year?

And maybe, next year I shouldn't. This year Laneway was my filler for the Big Day Out. If we'd had the BDO, I probably wouldn't have bothered with Laneway this year. Next year, maybe I should look at going to Splore - a biennial festival held in one of our regional parks which, despite having always wanted to, I've never actually attended.

That all said, the music I got to see was top quality. Of Monsters and Men were note-perfect and worth standing in the harsh January sun for. Bat for Lashes was resplendent and sealed her place as my favourite female artist of the moment, and on our way out at the end of the night we caught an amazing performance of We Only Go Backwards from Tame Impala.

I was unfortunate enough to smash my phone just prior to Laneway, so unfortunately I don't have any photos of the day, but an ex-workmate has put this video of a few performances on YouTube, feel free to enjoy it from the comfort of wherever you are.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Walking into Vector Arena tonight, I was a little dismayed to discover exactly who Macklemore's primary audience seems to be. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the audience was under 20. In the bathroom, the wait to get to the sinks was longer than the wait for the loos themselves because of all the young ladies checking and reapplying their make-up in the mirror.

While I'm going to blame that audience on his catchy 1 worldwide #1 hit, Thrift Shop, it was his other more serious tunes that caught my ears a few months ago, just after his concert was announced.

I bought my Macklemore ticket the day it went on sale. I was a holder of an original Powerstation ticket. Since then, however, the venue was bumped not once, but twice, and tonight I caught Ben Haggerty (better known as Macklemore) and Ryan Lewis at Vector Arena.

Despite that, Thrift Shop's recent popularity left me dubious about what I might expect. I shouldn't have been worried. You don't get to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' level of popularity without a record label unless you can pull off an amazing show.

I've never seen anything like what I witnessed tonight. I have seen some great concerts in the last few years. I've seen acts from all kinds of genres, and levels of success, but I have never seen an artist really turn a concert into the kind of conversation we, as his fans in "Auckland New Zealand", had with Macklemore tonight.

Yes, he played songs. Yes, he played the ones we knew - and some I didn't. He introduced me to his Vs. EP and played many others I already knew from The Heist - but he also shared himself... and I feel like we shared ourselves with him too, in a way.

It sounds corny, but that's how I left feeling. I left feeling like he got as much of a kick out of that experience as we did.

Audience participation during Starting Over. When was the last time you saw lighters in the air?

But feelings aside, the man knows how to craft a show. The songs were spliced with stories, introductions, audience participation and one rather memorable moment with some New Zealand possum fur.

Before launching into Thrift Shop, Haggerty called for someone in the audience with a fur coat to throw it to the stage. (If this makes no sense to you, then I strongly recommend this video, no matter how annoying you might find the song).

One (actually two) duly appeared, and what would you know - the one he chooses to perform in is made of New Zealand possum. A real thrift-shop winner, he announced it to smell like a grandmother who "liked whisky and marijuana".

Needless to say the audience loved Thrift Shop, performed with Wanz, who sings the hook. Afterward, Macklemore justified his fur coat by saying the possum was probably having a more exciting life in death, than it did while it was alive. To chants of "crowd-surf the possum", the coat was duly returned to the owner. I got the feeling that if it hadn't, the show would not have continued.

I will admit, tears were at my eyes during the equality anthem Same Love. I had a giggle that he'd done enough research to discover we are close to passing marriage equality into law, but not enough to know that NZ was a world leader when it comes to issues of equality and that in this case, compared to our track record, we're actually a little behind the 8-ball.

But nonetheless, I love that song, and the audience 'vote' at the end of it spoke obviously of young sentiment on the issue.

I had a great time. As amazing as it would have been to see him at a more intimate venue like the Powerstation with an older audience, he still killed it at Vector.

Don't judge Macklemore on Thrift Shop, judge him by the rest of his songs, his amazing videos, and for all he has achieved outside of the mainstream music system. He has well and truly earned everything he's getting.

Related Links

• I've created a YouTube playlist for this shows setlist. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have beautiful videos, and where they are available, they have been included. If you're not familiar with his music, head over to their official YouTube channel and check them out.
• Buy The Vs. EP on Bandcamp (it's only $5, and it's pretty damn awesome)
• New Zealand Herald Review

Pretty Lights

I've just got home from a night at Studio where I saw Pretty Lights. To say I had one of the best nights I've had in a long time is to understate. I am sitting here in a very sweaty (and I'll be honest here, stinky) top, guzzling water, listening to my Pretty Lights list on Spotify and thinking of how I could describe the magic that happened tonight.

I guess I'll start at the beginning. We rolled up 10 minutes before Pretty Lights was due to hit the stage. We were in time to grab drinks and get warmed up by Nick D, who was into the tail-end of his set. I like Nick D - he's never failed to make me dance the few times I've seen him and tonight was no exception.

Nick kept the place going for a good 20 minutes after we got there, and it looked like he was having a great time. Soon his set was at an end, and he left one a great note - playing Lorde's Royals while the crew set up for the main attraction (click that link. You probably won't regret listening to that song).

More drinks were procured and Pretty Lights lit up the stage. From the moment he hit the decks, he had the audience in the palm of his hand. Big beats were mixed with fat pace at a tempo which practically forced you to move your feet.

He occasionally hit the mic to say "hello New Zealand!" but mostly stuck to making his trademark blends of rock, hip hop and soul.

While I did my white girl shuffle the whole gig, some of my favourite moments coming from recognising my favourite artists blended into the layers of music. The absolute highlight of the night was when he played Finally Moving. The lyrical component of this song (many of Pretty Lights' songs lack any meaningful vocal threads) had the audience singing along, hands and bottles in the air. It's his top-rated song on Spotify and there's a good reason for that.

We left Studio at about 2am - exhausted, sweaty, smiling and exhilerated. This was my favourite gig so far this year, and I have every intention of seeing Pretty Lights whenever he is back.

If you're interested in finding out what the fuss was about, head over to his Website and get downloading - his work is available free of charge or on a donation basis if you feel like it.

Related links
Photoset from Cheese on Toast

Alabama Shakes

As part of my preparations for my trip to New York last year, I went looking for a gig. I wanted something awesome, and when I found Alabama Shakes playing with Jack White at the Roseland Ballroom, I knew I'd found it. Unfortunately, that gig was sold out, and I ended up seeing something else instead.

All of this served, however, for me to fall in love with Alabama Shakes. I rate their Boys and Girls album as one of the best of 2012. When they were announced for the Big Day Out in Australia, I was ready to pack my bags and go, but then an Auckland show was announced.

I have chased this band all over the world and finally, they came to me.

The thing that will forever stand out about Alabama Shakes is lead singer Brittany Howard. Her voice is the kind you expect to hear from someone much older. Live, it is as flawless as it is on the album. The band slowed down most of their tracks - probably out of necessity given the 90 minute set time - but it only served to show exactly how much control and depth Howard has.

Auckland was treated to a couple of new songs, and I'm pretty sure every song off the album. There were several crowd favourites, but the main sing-a-long moment came with their debut single Hold On.

As much as I love the band, the album and the concert, I feel like Howard is destined for greater things. I'll be very surprised if she isn't proved one of the greatest voices of her generation in years to come.

Check out the videos below to see them in action.

Weezer

Lat night I had the pleasure of seeing Weezer perform their 'Memories' show. It was probably the most crowd-pleasing show I have ever seen.

Beginning in 2009 with (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To from the Radditude album, Weezer played all the hits - moving back through time via Pork and Beans, Troublemaker (including a rousing chorus from the top of the bar after Rivers got off the stage and ran around Vector Arena in the same way Billy Joe from Green Day did a few years ago), Beverly Hills, Hash Pipe, Island in the Sun, El Scorcho and Tired of Sex.

The second half concert began with a slightly corny slideshow. It was sweet and built for the fans. It gave us a look back at who Weezer were and what made them the act they are today. How the members came together and how they were received in the early days ("blatant Nirvana wanna-bes") complete wiht all the nightmarish haircuts and fashion choices of the early 90's.

And then, The Blue Album. I have never been so satisfied with a performance. Songs like Say it Ain't So, Buddy Holly and Undone (The Sweater Song) were performed practically note-perfect.

And then it was over. It felt short, but incredibly satisfying. Weezer were worth the wait, and completely aware of it, they gave the audience exactly what they wanted.

An excellent show by consummate performers.

If you want to hear the set list and re-live the concert (or to pretend you were there), I've put it onto Spotify. You can listen to it here.

Other Reviews
Cheese on Toast
Libel.co.nz

101 Wishes

This year I managed to cross off 7 wishes. It has definitely been a good year.

I joined the Green Party, saw both Radiohead and Gossip live. I visited New York and  got to see some of the Terracotta Army while I was there.

As is usual practice, I have revised my list for 2013. Boxing Day is the only day I'm allowed to make changes, and I can't change anything I've already crossed off. Not many changes this year, but I still think it's good practive to revise the list each year.

Items in blue were achieved in 2012. Items in red were achieved in 2013.

Art / Art History

1. Have a painting on public display
2. See the Mona Lisa
3. Own a really nice piece of art by someone other than me
4. See a piece of art by each of the Teenage Mutant Turtles’ namesakes (Mona Lisa OK for Leonardo, Sistine Chapel OK for Michelangelo)

Charity/Politics

5. Donate to charity regularly
6. Volunteer
7. Donate blood (regularly)
8. Join the Green Party

Concerts / Music

9. See Radiohead live
10. See Kings of Leon live
11. See Green Day live
12. See Gossip Live
13. See Foo Fighters live
14. See Portishead live

Education

15. Learn Maori
16. Learn to dive
17. Learn to drive (and get my full drivers license)
18. Get a degree
19. Get my Masters
20. Get my PhD

Experiences

21. Order room service
    
22. Empty a mini bar
23. Fly first class
24. Go to Glastonbury
25. Tour the Whitehouse
26. Go to Easter Island
    
27. Build a snowman
28. Experience a white Christmas
29. Go to Disneyland
30. Wear a diamond necklace
31. Pat an elephant
32. Drink French Champagne
33. Go to the Olympic Games
    
34. Take part in a protest
35. Go to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida
    
36. Wear a designer dress
37. Spend a year in another country
    
38. Witness a historic event
39. Move out of Rocklands
40. Go out dancing all night

Friends and Family

41. Meet and marry my soul mate
42. Visit my grandparents
43. Find Steven More
44. Make friends with someone I don't like
45. Be able to recognise a liar

Health

46. Quit Smoking
47. Join a gym
48. Get down to size 14
49. Fix my teeth

Material

50. Buy a bookcase
51. Buy a house
52. Buy a new computer
    
53. Be debt-free
54. Be 'comfortable' money-wise
55. Own a yellow drum set
56. Own my own land
57. Be mostly self-sufficient

Music – See Concerts

Random

58. Write my novel
59. Go drinking with a celebrity
    
60. See all the movies on the IMDB Top 250
61. Bake and decorate a tiered cake
62. Remember to buy fireworks before 5 November
63. Get a tattoo
64. Sew a shirt
65. Join a tramping club

Russia – See Travel – Russia

Travel - Asia

66. Explore China
67. Go to the Geisha Districts in Japan
68. See the Terracotta Army
69. See Tiananmen Square

Travel – Australia

70. Go diving at the Great Barrier Reef
71. See Adelaide
72. Go shopping in Sydney for a day
    
73. See Perth

Travel – Europe

74. Explore London
75. See Stonehenge
76. Go up the Eiffel Tower
77. Visit Amsterdam

Travel – Italy

78. Explore Italy
79. See the Sistine Chapel
80. See the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Travel – New York

81. See a Broadway musical
82. Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
83. Have a picnic in Central Park

Travel – New Zealand

84. See the South Island
85. Go snorkelling at Leigh Marine Reserve
86. Do the Tongariro Crossing
87. Go to Milford Sound
88. Take the Auckland-Wellington train
89. Walk the entire length of the Te Araroa track (although perhaps not in one go!)
    
90. Take the Greymouth-Christchurch train

Travel – Other

91. Drink tequila in Mexico
92. Holiday on a Pacific Island
93. Gamble in Vegas
94. Walk down Hollywood Boulevard
95. See the Amazon
96. Look at Russia from Alaska
97. Go to Emily Dickinson's birthplace
    

Travel – Russia / Russia

98. Read War and Peace
99. Read Anna Karenina
100. See Lenin's Mausoleum
101. Drink vodka in Russia

Robyn at The Powerstation

I see a lot of gigs. I have begun calling this Summer the 'Summer of concerts' because I currently have tickets to six of them.

Blurry photo is blurry

I saw the first of the six last night at The Powerstation when I got to see Sweedish songstress, Robyn.

I can't say I was much of a Robyn fan until recently, when I sat down and began listening to her Body Talk albums. I quickly fell in love with what I found to be some of the most upbeat, meaningful, interesting pop currently available.

Rather than relying on high-stakes theatricality like Lady Gaga or choreographed dance routines like many of her contemporaries, Robyn is a serious burst of fresh air.

Her music is varied but nearly always upbeat. Her catalogue goes back of 15 years, and her dancing makes you realise just how very fit she is.

Unlike most pop concerts I have been to, there were no costume changes. Robyn simply danced, jumped, shimmied and spun for an hour and a half in her trademark off-beat tights and body suit.

She had some impressive dance moves. Anyone who has seen the 'Call Your Girlfriend' video can attest to her talent, and she bought those to the stage during her first encore.

I went into the show knowing I was going to see one of the most inventive and interesting pop artists currently touring, but I had no idea just how good it was going to be. I danced the whole time, which despite seeing a lot of live music, is something I rarely do. Robyn's music begs you to dance and is difficult to resist.

Ultimately I had high expectations, and Robyn outperformed them by a long shot. She is a brilliant performer and one every music fan should see. I hope she returns to our shores again soon.