I have the biggest music crush on this woman right now. Her voice is completely mesmerising and she really does sing from her soul.A stand out song of hers is 'Oh Mississippi', a gorgeous, old fashioned country tale with a heart-rending sound. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I hear it. Her sound seems to have had an effect on me as I've found myself listening to a lot more folk and laid back rock genres recently, particularly Band Of Horses, Mumford And Sons, Noah And The Whale and Laura Marling. Perfect soundtrack for the summer.
Fresh from another support slot with friends and fellow Welshmen Lostprophets earlier in the year, Kids In Glass houses return to London to showcase their very big second album ‘Dirt’ to a packed, sold-out Koko. As one of the Dirt musical’s most anticipated dates, the band finally got their moment to shine; and what better place to do it than Koko, a classy venue fit for a classy band.
From the second set opener ‘Artbreaker I’ drops and explodes like a bomb, it is clear that this show is going to be one exhilarating trip. They are here for one reason and one reason only; to entertain. This is something they have never had any problems doing in the past thanks to those trademark infectious hooks and their huge on-stage presence. They are obviously here to show off the new record but a few tracks from debut ‘Smart Casual’ are thrown in for good measure and even a sneaky cover of Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’ makes an appearance. Every single song is received enthusiastically by the crowd, particularly fan favourite ‘Give Me What I Want’ and recent single ‘Matters At All’, as their catchy choruses are bellowed by almost every person in attendance. The band’s energy instantly rubs off on the crowd as the whole floor is engulfed within an enormous mosh-pit at the drop of ‘Fisticuffs’ and ‘Artbreaker II’. As they continue to smash out one hit after another, it is clear that their live sound has significantly improved. The new record being notably heavier definitely plays a role in this as the powerful riffs of ‘Youngblood (Let It Out)’ and ‘Hunt The Haunted’ challenge a number of their pop rock predecessors; many of which are loyal fans of the band. Tonight, members of One Night Only, You Me At Six, The Saturdays and Mcfly turn up to show their support and check out their new competition.
The chaos of the night is only briefly paused during ‘The Morning Afterlife’, as poignancy fills the room and shows that this song is in a completely different league to anything they have ever done before. Front man Aled Phillips’ vocals sound stronger than ever and he manages the epic power ballad as if he’s been whipping them out for years. Set concluder ‘Sunshine’ also echoes this as every single member of the band puts everything they have into the last few seconds. The powerful track leaves an emotional lasting impression on every person in the room. I’ve seen Kids In Glass Houses conquer many venues over the last four years, but this performance completely thrashed them all. They were already on their way to becoming one of the biggest breakthrough bands in the U.K, but this show just confirmed that they are well ahead of any competition. One thing is certain, they have a very exciting future ahead of them and I’m honoured to have been paying attention from the very beginning.
This is my extended review, to see the edited version on Rock Midgets, click here: rockmidgets
(Sneaky snap of One Night Only frontman & Burberry model, George Craig)
Last night I went to see Kids In Glass Houses at Koko in Camden. I was so excited to hear their new stuff live and they completely exceeded my expectations. I've seen them quite a few times over the last 4 years, but last night was by far the best. I usually stand down the front for gigs but Koko is such a cool venue that this time I decided to get drunk as a skunk and hang out on the balcony. Glad I did because I found myself amongst some of the bands I grew up with: One Night Only, You Me At Six, Mcfly, The Blackout, The Saturdays (ok except the last one). Too many bands in one room for me to handle! Such a fun night though, now i'm just waiting for memories to come back to me so I can write a review of some sort...
The first time I saw Kids In Glass Houses was back in 2007 when they played with Lostprophets and Enter Shikari at the Astoria as part of the NME awards tour. Although I was familiar with their music, it wasn’t until this gig that I began to really pay attention. One more support slot for Lostprophets, appearances at Reading Festival and two headline tours later, the rest is history. I am completely hooked. This is not surprising when you consider how likeable they are; great live sound, enthusiastic stage presence, catchy music and they’re not too shabby on the eye either...As far as debut albums go, ‘Smart Casual’ was a pretty good effort. But I always felt from the beginning that this band had the potential to be a lot better that good, and new record ‘Dirt’ has proven me right. Now it may have a dirty mind, but this album drips of class at every angle.
In a similar fashion to ‘Smart Casual’, the album is opened with the fastest and heaviest song. ‘Artbreaker I’ and ‘Artbreaker II’ work well split up and placed as the introductory and conclusive tracks; they certainly ensure the album starts and ends with a bang. The beginning of the song slightly reminds me of ‘Everyday Combat’ by Lostprophets. By no means could that ever be a bad thing, the fact that they are starting to make songs at the same level as their fellow Welsh predecessors is a compliment in itself. ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ is the first indication of the DIRTiness that is to follow. ‘Youngblood (Let It Out)’, a song about “getting it on” as vocalist Aled puts it, is probably the strongest song on the album, with its powerful chorus, loud lyrics and that distinguished guitar riff. ‘Matters At All’ and ‘Sunshine’ follow suit, proving to be a really decent rock songs. ‘Lilli Rose’ is most reminiscent of songs from their debut. It has a much poppier edge than all the others and reassures fans that fell in love with their original sound. ‘Giving Up’, a self-explanatory song covering themes of small-town attitudes where lacking ambition is prevalent, “you lie in the grief, you lie in the depression”. It’s a subject that a lot of people can relate to; it’s so spot on that it could even be written about the tiny town I am from. ‘For Better Or Hearse’ is the big party song...a real toe-tapping, sharp, swing number if you can overlook the pun.
I first heard ‘Undercover Lover’ on Radio 1 before I had heard the new album. I recognised Aled’s vocals so I knew it was them but because it’s a lot poppier than anything they’ve done before, I was secretly hoping it wasn’t. It’s a big song but I’m not convinced at just how well it works as a duet with Frankie from The Saturdays. However, there’s no doubt that this will give the song some extra attention and open up a whole new fan base. ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ also features guest vocals, this time from American punk rockers New Found Glory. This one is slightly more convincing. ‘Hunt The Haunted’ returns to familiar KIGH territory. Just like ‘Matters At All’ and ‘Youngblood’, it’s full of up-tempo, pop punk greatness. If it wasn’t for ‘The Morning Afterlife’, it would probably be my favourite. ‘Smart Casual’ didn’t feature any power ballads so I’m really glad they decided to breach into the unfamiliar and do one for this record. ‘The Morning Afterlife’ is a beautifully mastered tale about not taking moments for granted. I love how the acoustic and piano accompanied introduction gradually develops into a compelling ending, lead by Iain’s mighty guitar riff. It’s also refreshing to be able to hear a song that shows off Aled’s voice more and it soon becomes apparent that he is a much better vocalist than he perhaps gets credited for. He also pretty much sums up everything that is wrong with society in one line “When we're full we want to be empty”. In honesty, the first time I heard it I was quite stunned. It’s definitely the song that confirms every member of the band have improved as musicians. The youthful lyrical content apparent on Smart Casual has significantly matured; instead of singing about ‘Dancing All Night’ with ‘Girls’, Dirt approaches a more deep and meaningful tone, covering sombre topics such as depressing small-town attitudes and struggling with the problems that life throws at you.
Dirt may be a huge improvement on their first album, but what they have managed to keep constant is the amount of memorable songs that really stand out on their own. It’s what made their debut such a hit in the first place and it’s going to do even bigger things for this record. It’s obvious that they are in fact aiming for bigger things this time round, it looks like they’ve been taking notes from Lostprophets, Fall Out Boy, Paramore and any other big bands they’ve been on the road with. Their new sound is notably heavier with stadium sized choruses achieved by more dominant guitars, drums and vocals and as a result they have produced a record worthy of selling out big venues. This band were already on their way to becoming one of the biggest breakthrough bands in the U.K, but this record just put them well ahead of any competition.
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Kids In Glass Houses' new album is finally released today. I've heard very good things about this record, can't wait to get my hands on it! In other exciting news, Reading & Leeds Festival tickets go on sale tonight at 6:45pm and some of line-up is released around the same time.
Predictions of who will be playing: Blink 182, Arcade Fire, Guns n' Roses/Libertines, My Chemical Romance, Lostprophets, Paramore, Pendulum, Julian Casablancas, MGMT, Ellie Goulding, Mumford & Sons, Tinie Tempah, Plan B, Yeasayer, 30 Seconds To Mars, Them Crooked Vultures (maybe), Laura Marling, The Maccabees, Foals, Biffy Clyro.
Who I wish would be there: Blink 182, Greenday, The Strokes, Muse, Lostprophets, Kids In Glass Houses, White Lies, General Fiasco, Vampire Weekend, Lykke Li, Florence, Pendulum, Deaf Havana, Gallows, The Big Pink, The Subways, The Gaslight Anthem.
The last time I saw MGMT was at Reading Festival 2008. Their debut album ‘Oracular Spectacular’ had been released a year prior and was taking the music scene by storm. It’s undoubtedly an electrifying record and NME even named it the best of the year. At the festival, there were so many people eager to see this band that I could barely make it into the tent. Due to the hype surrounding them, I had very high expectations. However, the only thing that I seemed to have come away remembering was Andrew’s amazing technicolor dreamcoat outfit. Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining show good show and the crowd loved every out of tune second, but they were either so off their faces or nervous (or both) they could hardly construct a song. However, instead of thinking they are a over-hyped piece of psychedelic poop, I decided not to let this performance affect my opinion of them and just put it down to alcohol/unnamed substances consumption and being overwhelmed at playing such a big show.
After almost two years of being away from the spotlight, the duo are finally back with a brand new album entitled ‘Congratulations’. Fortunately for me, they chose to show it off to the U.K at London’s Heaven Nightclub. It was weird going from seeing them two years ago within a crowd of 10,000 to standing in a tiny venue amongst only a few hundred people, but I wasn’t complaining. I was eager to see them up close and personal without any fancy props to hide behind. This time I can proudly say that they definitely proved their worth. Even though their set was mostly made up of new songs such as ‘Flash Delirium’ and album titled track ‘Congratulations’, the crowd were very encouraging and received the new material with enthusiasm. I was pleasantly surprised at just how good vocalist Andrew VanWyngarden’s voice sounded live. The new songs definitely seem to show it off a lot better. Amongst the set was a 12 minute track called ‘Siberian Breaks’ which Andrew describes as “an epic folk song’. It wasn’t really that folky, but it was still good all the same. All of the new songs come across as equally good, none of them seem to majorly stand out on their own (unlike the first album which featured a lot of radio friendly’ songs such as 'Kids', 'Time To Pretend' and 'Electric Feel'. I understand now why they confirmed that they’re not releasing any singles from this one.
Their onstage presence has noticeably matured over the last few years. There’s no awkwardness anymore, instead they seem comfortable, something that is portrayed through them constantly smiling at each other and the crowd. ‘Hmm I think we should have played that one last!’ was Andrew’s gratifying reply to the wild reception they received from playing ‘Time to Pretend’. Shortly after, they concluded their set with another new song (not ‘Kids’ like everyone in the room assumed), thanked the crowd and left the stage to a deserving ovation. As a result of not playing one of their biggest hits, the night ended with everyone simultaneously shouting ‘Kids’ in desperate hope for an unlikely second encore. There was slight chaos for a moment, but soon people got the hint, booed for a bit and then finally accepted it. Overall, a satisfying performance that perhaps would have been made better if they had played more of the familiar stuff, but then I guess if they had, that would have defeated the whole point of the gig.
