Sunday, 11 March 2012

Concert Review: Rachael Yamagata - Live! in Singapore 2012

Above: Rachael Yamagata (Meh quality, I know)

Rachael Yamagata is one of those artists worth seeing live.

Back for the fourth time since her very first concert in 2007, she was the same old candid self, seducing the crowd with her witty banter and charming vocals. This was also her first concert since parting ways with Warner Bros. Records and self-releasing her third LP Chesapeake.

Kicking off with an upbeat "Even If I Don't", she serenaded the house with an assortment of new and old ballads including "Letter Read" and "Starlight" while alternating between the piano and guitar. The mood turned sombre when she launched into "Elephants" and "Sunday Afternoon", both taken off her Elephants album, leaving the audience in spellbound silence.

Her early hits "Be Be Your Love" and "Worn Me Down" (given a bluesy makeover) were evident crowd pullers, as the fans eagerly lapped up both songs.

Even though she was nursing a cold, nothing seemed to stop her. That is, until she hit a snag on "Dealbreaker", where her voice cracked and her bassist had to fill in the high notes. She wrapped up the set with a heartfelt rendition of "Reason Why", striking a chord with everyone like she did many times before.

Singapore can't wait for her to get back here soon enough.

Rachael Yamagata - Live!
Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore
Thursday, February 23, 2012

Setlist:
1. Even If I Don't
2. Letter Read
3. Starlight
4. Elephants
5. Sunday Afternoon
6. Saturday Morning
7. Full On
8. Be Be Your Love
9. Worn Me Down
10. Dealbreaker

Encore:
11. You Won't Let Me
12. Meet Me By The Water
13. Reason Why

Monday, 27 February 2012

Concert Review: St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2012

When I first heard about the stellar line-up for this year's Laneway Festival, I told myself I had to go. I'd missed the inaugural edition so I wasn't going to sit out on this one.

So on a sunny Sunday, we arrived at Fort Canning past 3, missing show openers Cults, and caught a snippet of Yuck's performance. By the time we settled on a shady spot and laid out our picnic mat, Chairlift took to the stage.

Chairlift

Chairlift were brought on to replace WU LYF, who had been forced to cancel their appearance at Laneway Festival. Caroline Polachek, the self-assured frontwoman, managed to charm the crowd with her airy vocals which she put to good use on offerings like "Sidewalk Safari" and "Amanaemonesia". When "Bruises" came on, everyone recognised it as the song that was featured in the iPod commercial, and started to cheer and sing along.

Austra

Austra hypnotised the crowd with their dark synthpop songs, while decked out in amazing costumes. Singer Katie Stelmanis and her band enthralled everyone as they flailed their arms and danced to the music, and the crowd responded with enthusiasm.

Girls

Christopher Owens of Girls paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston, who passed away the previous day, by launching into heartfelt rendition of "I Will Always Love You", leading the crowd in a massive sing-along.

The Drums


Jonathan Pierce, the insouciant frontman of The Drums, let his natural charisma shine through, encouraging the audience to dance to indie-pop numbers like "Let's Go Surfing".

Anna Calvi


Anna Calvi was decked out in fine livery, strumming her guitar and displaying her vocal prowess on stage. Though she didn't blow me away with her live performance, I felt her determination and passion for her craft.

Twin Shadow


Twin Shadow's show kicked off late due to a technical glitch. Thankfully, I was at the long-ass queue for drinks, so by the time I returned I was ready to soak up the performance. I was duly rewarded when George Lewis Jr. brought his songs to life, such as the nostalgic-sounding "Shooting Holes", with his smooth and charming delivery.

Laura Marling


I am a fan of Laura Marling, the young folk doyenne, so it was brilliant to see her in the flesh. What was more surprising was when she emerged on stage, the audience let out a few hollers, that I realised she had a considerable number of fans in the crowd.

Despite being a woman of few words, she was assured and well-connected with the audience. Her voice was pure and ethereal, and she did a fresh take on "Alas, I Cannot Swim", one of my favourite hidden tracks off her eponymous debut album.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's performance was marred by another glitch, causing them to halt their show midway through their second song. Despite that, they managed to bounce back. Keyboardist Peggy Wang apologised for the delay and even thanked the audience politely after every song. I'd readily admit I'm not a big fan but it was a good performance from a very grounded band.

Toro Y Moi


Chillwave pioneer Toro Y Moi, otherwise known as Chaz Bundwick, toned things down with his brand of soothing electronic pop. He preferred to let his music do the talking, peppering his show with some thank yous, so I relaxed and basically swayed to his music.

Feist

Feist was the undoubtedly the main act of the night, so when she came on, everyone rose to their feet. She was the seasoned, consummate performer: Charismatic and magnetic, playful yet charming. As she wound her way through new songs such as "How Come You Never Go There" and older ones like "Mushaboom", she had the audience transfixed. It was a solid performance, albeit a tad short.

The Horrors

By this time, a portion of the crowd had trickled out. Although The Horrors put up a brave performance, unleashing a torrent of rock songs, most people were exhausted by then and were conserving their energy for the last act of the night.

M83

When M83 bounded onto the stage sometime past midnight, the crowd sprung to life again. The massive, danceable numbers like "Midnight City" and "Reunion" had the crowd head-bopping, and banished all their tiredness. Anthony Gonzalez had great showmanship, and literally had the crowd eating out of his hands. It was a magical way to end the night.

Friday, 6 January 2012

Daily Randomness

A look at what's happening right now:


"National Anthem", the latest track off Lana Del Rey's album Born To Die, just leaked online [link].



Zooey Deschanel files for divorce from Ben Gibbard -- and she has no balance on her three credit cards [link]!
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