Levis Ones To Watch: Marina and the Diamonds

Levi's one's to watch struck gold, or perhaps that should be diamonds last night (18/11/09) as pop princess Marina and the diamonds graced the stage during the half way point of a highly successful 5 night review.
Joined by Dragonette, Clock Opera and Wolf Gang, the night promised to be a massive success before it even started, having completely sold out of tickets way in advance, proving just how popular these nights are becoming.
The crowd packed itself into the fairly small Hoxton bar and Kitchen, patiently waiting for the first acts to emerge.
First up were Canadian band Dragonette. Despite being a long way from home, their fast fun pop rock tunes provided a fiery and energetic start to the night and made sure that everyone in the room was ready for a party. Undoubtedly a tough act to follow for the band next in line, Clock Opera.
The London four piece fronted by producer and singer Guy Connelly, blend together soothing synthesizers and mashed up samples to create stadium-esque sound reminiscent of Arcade Fire. They captured the eager crowd and as they walked off the stage fans were literally left begging for more.
Next on was the main support for Marina, fellow Londoner Wolf Gang; the stage name for singer Max McElligott. The pop star spent his earlier life at London School of Economics, but he now prefers wowing audiences up and down the country with his beautiful alternative pop music, which manages to be both catchy and original, whilst remaining stunningly simply.
As the last support act left the stage the already packed out venue seemed to fill up to almost breaking point. Anticipation was heavy in the air as eager fans waited for their pop goddess to take to the stage. She stepped out to glorious cheers and greeted the crowd with, 'I am Marina, you are the Diamonds', before unleashing her incredibly powerful voice over the excited fans, who were singing along with every song, despite the fact her album isn't due for release until February 2010. Although her set was quite short, adding up to only about 30 minutes, Marina managed to belt out singles, 'I Am Not A Robot' and 'Mowgli's Road', along with other favorites such as 'Seventeen' and 'Obsessions'. The set may have been short and sweet, but it was enough for a lot of people to be completely blown away by the power and the beauty that's in her voice (myself included). For her to be able to sell out a show before her album has even been released is truly an astonishing achievement, but it becomes crystal clear when you see her as to why. Keep an eye on Marina in the future, because her collection of diamonds is about to get a whole lot bigger.

Funeral for a Friend interview

Ffaf interview with Ryan
I managed to get an interview with Ryan Richards from Funeral for a Friend. Childhood dream come true...FACT. I LOVE this band. Anyway, here it is...

Jo: You just recently finished a UK wide tour. How was it?
Ryan: Yeah it was a lot of fun, we got to pretty much every corner of the UK, and over to Ireland so we covered a lot of ground, and got to play to a lot of people in the UK.
J: And you’re going to Japan in about a week to do a joint headline tour with Finch, are you excited?
R: Yeah, very much so, they popped up on my iPod a while ago, Finch, and I thought yeah yeah, next week will be fun. We were like, their first big support slot when they were in London a while ago, so it's gone like full circle, but it'll be good to catch up with the guys again, and to be back in Japan, which is one of our favourite places to play.
J: Do you get a different sort of reception from fans abroad?
R: Erm, I guess it's different because of all their little customs they have, Japanese fans are very generous, they tend to have little gifts waiting for you when you come over; they treat you which is quite nice. They have a lot of respect for you over there. It's almost like, it's weird because during a song they're going absolutely crazy, and then as soon as the song finishes and you stop to talk in between the songs, they're like deadly silent and completely attentive, it's a hushed silence while they're listening to what you're saying, it's good to go out and play there.
J: You’ve made a greatest hits album, what made you decide to do that?
R: Erm, I wouldn't say we really decided. It was just one of those things where we talked to our label and we took up the option to do that, and they just let us get on with it. We really wanted to make something worthwhile, so recorded four new tracks for it. We gave away a lot of the stuff that people had never heard before, we wanted to deliver like an authentic kind of package from the band instead of from the label. I know before there have been a lot of greatest hits albums where bands haven't really had a lot of involvement in it, just a bit of cash, and we really wanted to make sure it wasn't like that for us, and that there was something relevant on there, that the fans couldn't get elsewhere.
J: Yeah, because it isn't until you look at everything you've done you realise how many amazing songs you actually have.
R: Yeah, it was really hard, getting the songs together and actually agreeing on a track listing, we've all got our favourite songs on there, so yeah, it wasn't that easy getting a track listing, but then yeah there was the special 2 disc edition that had on like, all the unreleased B sides, stuff like that which some fans may have never heard before. But yeah we feel like it's the right time to do it, we thought about it and we just thought it would be a really good opportunity to do something really special.
J: It says on your twitter that you’re writing at the moment; are you planning another album for next year?
R: Yeah, yeah we are. That's the plan. We wrote the four new songs for our greatest hits and we got a really good response. There songs we really like playing live, and that we wrote together with our new bass player, so yeah it's going really good and it seems to be really easy at the moment, just writing as much as we can, when we're on the road, when we're touring, and when we've been back at home. We've been together every day this week, and yeah, we've got a lot of ideas, it's going to be a really exciting record. We're hoping to continue the same sort of theme as the songs on the greatest hits record.
J: Is the new album going to be anything like your older ones, because every one you have is slightly different?
R: Yeah they are, I think that with this one in particular we've put a lot of thought into how the tracks would come across when we play them live, yeah, an album full of songs that we just want to play live really. We've never really done that before, we just wrote so it sounded good on CD I guess. I think that with this way of doing it now the songs have a lot more energy, I guess the last time we did the tour we put the vote out for people to pick what they wanted us to play, and we really enjoyed it because a lot of people picked out the heavier and more energetic songs and it was a real buzz to play them, so I think that really set us on the path to go more rockier again.
J: You’ve been around for quite a while now, I remember getting into your music when I was about 14!
R: Haha, you make me feel old!
J: Yeah, because you've been around like 7 years now! What do you think it is that keeps people interested?
R: Erm, I think it's the fact that we've always progressed, always moved with the times I guess. Just try and keep ahead of things and not get stale. I think if we did the same record over and over again, people would be a bit tired by now. I think it’s a good thing that whenever a Funeral for a Friend record comes out you're never quite sure what it's going to sound like. I think that's what it probably is. That and we always tour hard and maintain a stable relationship with our fans.
J: At the minute the music industry seems to be full of x factor contestants that don’t even last 6 months. Does it make you feel proud of what you've done?
R: It does it does, it makes us feel very proud and I guess sometimes, it's hard for us to get perspective of reality. My wife was telling me the other day, she was watching the peter Andre TV programme, and it had the whole thing about him waiting for a phone call on the Sunday to see where his album was going to chart, and he was all ecstatic that he was number three, and I was just like, oh, our album went in at number three, we were like oh, same as Peter Andre (laughs). I think it's just though, that he's like a pop culture icon at the moment, but our record still went in at the same position as someone that everyone knows, and who is a real celeb, it's just weird, but it kind of puts it in perspective of what we've really achieved as a band, who are not really that commercially known.
J: And finally, where do you see Funeral for a Friend going; what would you ultimately like to achieve?
R: Erm, as long as we keep challenging ourselves, and really trying to just do better music than we have in the past. As long as we're setting ourselves new goals, and new targets and do the best we can. That's the best thing for the band I think, as soon as we start reflecting on the past I think that's the point I think we should maybe leave it, but yeah I mean with the new writing it has definitely been a step forward, so we'll see how it goes from there.
J: Cool, thanks.
R: Thanks, bye.
J: Bye.

Evita @ Wycombe Swan 17/11/09

It has more than 20 major awards to its name, has been turned into an Oscar-winning film starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, and now the brand new production of the smash hit show Evita visits Wycombe swan in a superb two-week viewing that will undoubtedly be the theatrical event of the year.
Starring West End superstar Rachael Wooding as Eva Peron who has featured in the multi award winning shows Hairspray, We Will Rock You, and Saturday Night Fever. Joining her in the role of Che Guevara is Seamus Cullen, a finalist from the hit BBC TV programme Any Dream Will Do, and Mark Heenehan as Juan Peron, whose film credits include The Road to Damascus, Spy Game and Thunderpants.
This fantastic new production is sure to capture the audience with its moving storyline and some of the most famous theatrical songs ever written, such as ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, ‘On This Night of a Thousand Stars’, and ‘Oh What A Circus’. The extraordinary musical event that is Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita is at the Wycombe swan for 2 weeks only , make sure you don’t miss it, there won’t be a dry eye in the house.

Matthew Bourne returns to the Wycombe swan with his dark and seductive dance event, freely adapted from Oscar Wilde's masterpiece that is Dorian Gray.

Unlike the novel, the piece is set in modern day image-obsessed London, where Dorian suddenly finds himself thrust into the spotlight as the new 'it boy' of the modelling world. Struggling to come to terms with his new found fame we watch the untimely demise of our young Adonis, as he deals with the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle, ultimately proving that no one is immortal.

The themes in Wilde's cautionary tale still resonate throughout the story; the destructive power of beauty, the pursuit of pleasure, and the corruption and evil that lies beneath such a charming facade.

Matthew Bourne is best known for his adaptations of classic stories such as Swan Lake, Nutcracker! The Car Man and Edward Scissorhands. Dorian Gray is his newest production, and it reunites the team that created the double Olivier award-winning hit Play Without Words.

The dark and sinister nature behind this piece made it captivating to the audience, and the transformation of classic novel into modern day theatrical dance was achieved perfectly by such fantastic choreography. The adaptation of this ‘black fairy tale’, told just by music and dance showcases Matthew Bourne’s fantastic theatrical ability, and any production of his is definitely not one to miss.

Kid British interview

I managed to grab Adio Marchant and Sean Mbaya, aka one half of Kid British for a chat just before their set at the union when they played on Halloween.

Jo: So, how are you guys?

Sean: Yeah, we’re good thanks.

J: This is the last night of your uLive tour, how has it been?

S: It’s gone well, we’ve had some fairly good crowds come down, and we’ve done this tour after not really promoting anything, it’s just been good to get out there and the receptions been really good. We’ve been visiting places that we’ve not really tapped into before.

J: Do you like playing to students?

Adio: Yeah, we don’t mind really, we like playing to anyone who appreciates our music really.

J: Do you find you get a better reception from younger people?

A: Yeah, we do. We find that we’ve got a nice little crowd from a younger generation. But we get quite a mixture, one night there can be loads of young girls, and then the next day there can be hardly any girls and loads of guys, it’s just shows we’ve got an eclectic crowd.

J: Ok, so you’re on the new war child single. How did that come about?

A: We got asked by our label if we wanted to be on the track, and the people who are making the song wanted artists who could all come together and put a similar sort of vibe onto it, and we were glad to be a part of it. It’s mainly for the cause more than the song, because I don’t think the songs as good as the original. I think it’s a good take on it, but it’s more about what the cause is all about really.

J: What was it like working with all the other artists? Have you made any good friends?

S: Yeah, we all got on. Obviously when you get that amount of people together there’s bound to be a few ego’s knocking about but to be honest everyone was just really professional and friendly.

J: So it was an enjoyable experience?

A: Yeah, it was fun. The whole experience was fun. Recording the song, meeting the other artists. It was good to see what everyone was like, because I haven’t met most of them before, but I didn’t leave thinking that any of them were idiots, everyone was alright.

J: Are you going to be doing a tour with the other acts on the single?

S: Yeah, Chipmunk and Ironik, it’s called the ... tour and it’s going to be in February, which will be good to play to a completely different audience, because our audience is different to what theirs is. So it’s good to open out, we just like playing to everyone, we’ll let you know how it goes next year.

J: About you guys as a band, how did you all meet?

S: Basically we met about four years ago and Adaio and James were in a band called ‘The Action Mankey’, I was producing at the time, doing my own stuff, and because we were doing stuff together anyway and we had a good relationship, our manager now saw what we were doing and said it was similar and we should form one band. So we did it, and in the space of 6 months we got signed, and from then which was 2 years ago, until now it’s just developed as Kid British, we just stuck with the name. Originally they had a name and I had a name and we just shortened it down to Kid British, and that’s it really.

J: So, for someone who’s never heard of you, how would you describe your music to them?

S: Ooh, er, happy, eclectic pop.

A: It’s pop with a social commentary, anything that’s good is always classed as pop, and we’re not afraid to say that. We’re not going out there, dancing and doing back flips, we’re just a proper band.

S: We just play feel good music. Any aspect for me that’s got a pinch of indie, reggae, ska, you name it, like we said, its eclectic pop.

J: Who would you list as your influences?

S: We could talk for hours but we were range from The Beatles to reggae like Bob Marley.

A: Yeah I mean, I’ve got different influences, as do the other guys. It’s like all 4 of us coming together.

S: Yeah, we all like different stuff.

J: Have you got any plans for next year?

S: The plans are basically, we have another year just to get some more singles out, and other things like getting our name out, so people know what we’re all about. You can’t take over anything in a day, so we’re just trying to build up our reputation.

J: What can we expect from your show tonight?

S: Same as always. Energetic, fireworks, yeah, it’ll be good. We always put on a show. It doesn’t matter if there’s 5 people or 1000 people; it’s like a party on stage. Thing is we’re always knackered by the end of it. (Laughs)

J: Cool, thanks then guys

Both: Thanks.

Coming up...

In the next few days, Kid British interview on their part in the new War Child single.

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