Kings of Leon: On Fire at Madison Square Garden!

When TLC saw Kings of Leon’s opening slot for Radiohead last summer at All Points West we thought, “Wow that’s huge for them.” They went on to play Webster Hall on September 23rd, 2008 the same day that Only By The Night was released. The band’s new aesthetic and the overall big sound of Only By The Night pointed to something much bigger. Then shortly after selling out Webster Hall, the band announced a headlining gig at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden.

In these harsh times when CD’s won’t sell, ambitious tours are canceled, and the biggest acts (besides legends such as Madonna and U2) won’t even dare book a major stadium in the US, I honestly thought “What are Kings of Leon thinking?!?!” The band, who released their debut album Youth and Young Manhood in 2003, has found greater success abroad and has sold out consecutive stadium shows with ease. However, it’s been the same old story as many other American bands who have not been embraced in the same way in the States. This was definitely not the case last night.

We arrived in time to catch The Whigs, a garage band from Georgia who supported Kings of Leon on the last tour. The Whigs played an enjoyable set that felt like a throwback to 90’s grunge then bowed out for our headliner.

The night’s most anticipated moment occurred when the lights dimmed and 4 shadowy figures took the stage. The opening notes of Crawl triggered an uproar, and the crowd jumped on board for what would be a most emotional, epic and monumental evening for the Followills. Being in the General Admission pit at Madison Square Garden for this show felt really intimate, it almost made us forget we were in a giant arena until we turned around in awe and saw an ecstatic crowd of 20,000+ clapping in unison. The sound was phenomenal and the energy of the crowd was very uplifting, I can only imagine what the boys felt!

The moment in Kings of Leon’s show last night that I’d love to live over and over again was when they performed Sex on Fire. The entire stadium sang their hearts out in synch. Lead singer Caleb was clearly taken aback, taking moments to genuinely thank everyone, and declaring that they finally made it. This show really set the bar and gave me hope for 2009; maybe the Kings of Leon are here to save the music industry?

MP3: Kings of Leon – Taper Jean Girl or zShare
MP3: Kings of Leon – Use Somebody (Dolby Anol Mix) or zShare

«More Photos of Kings of Leon and The Whigs at MSG!»

The Whigs

Flight of the Conchords Spring 2009 Tour!

Your favorite New Zealanders, Flight of the Conchords, have just announced their spring tour of the US! The boys will hit New York’s Radio City Music Hall on 4/14 with special guest Kristen Schaal, who plays the hilarious mega-fan Mel on the show!

Tickets go on sale next week, don’t miss out!

MP3: Flight of the Conchords – Song for Sally

Flight of the Conchords Spring 2009 Tour!

Your favorite New Zealanders, Flight of the Conchords, have just announced their spring tour of the US! The boys will hit New York’s Radio City Music Hall on 4/14 with special guest Kristen Schaal, who plays the hilarious mega-fan Mel on the show!

Tickets go on sale next week, don’t miss out!

MP3: Flight of the Conchords – Song for Sally

Bat For Lashes Gets Dazed

Check the gorgeous Bat for Lashes feature Dazed Magazine put together for their online counterpart, DazedDigital . They spoke to Natasha Khan last September in LA about her new album which was inspired by time spent in the Joshua Tree National Park desert.

The stunning pictures and interesting interview can be enjoyed HERE. I personally cannot wait to hear the new record, Two Suns, and to see her on tour this spring. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

How important is your image to you?
With this shoot, it was lovely to push boundaries in terms of what you’re wearing, or body-painting… just being free and childlike. I like to do that in a fashion context, because in the fashion world there’s a lot of airbrushing bullshit and people starving themselves. I mean, I’m a skinny bean but that’s not purposefully – I like my food. For girls, young women, and men, for everybody, I just want to be like I can feel confident, and beautiful, and powerful, but I don’t have to conform to other people’s expectations. And I would like to push it even further, really.

MP3: Bat for Lashes – Horse and I

Follow The Streets!

Mike Skinner aka The Streets joins the ranks of millions who have way too much to witty things to share daily (count TLC among those) on Twitter, the “micro-blogging” network.

See what he’s got to say HERE.

MP3: The Streets – Everything is Borrowed

Regina Spektor Goes Amnesiac For Bowery

TLC friend Shawn Mac sent us his hilarious review of Regina Spektor’s gig at Bowery Ballroom last week. Enjoy the coverage below:

Don’t get me wrong. I LOOVE Regina Spektor, but tonight she made just enough mistakes while performing to make me stop being polite and start getting real.
Early in the show she giggled and warned the crowd that she’s “fucking nervous.” Aww, it’s ok Regina! We love and adore you! Then she forgot a verse of On the Radio, a single she’s performed at about every tour since the song’s conception, but the crowd cheered anyway. As it happened a second time she blamed the “teleprompter” and the crowd came to the rescue to sing the verse a capella. After finishing the song said “You guys sing, and I’ll just accompany you!” to wild applause. “This is what happens when you do a show every 5 months.” Oh.

Part of Lucky Penny was forgotten, words strategically placed with “fuck.” Not too long before she’s forgiven, though. I mean wow, she is breathtaking to watch, and delightfully modest. But, I was less forgiving when she forgot the RUSSIAN verse to Apre Moi, which totally fucked up the entire climax of the song. I was starting to think a teleprompter might have been a good idea. When she did Us for her encore, the mic was still accidentally turned off. Yet the crowd just assumed she forgot the lyrics again and started singing to guide her. Was this a concert or a sing-a-long?

Sounds harsh, but the woman needs to get it together. I’ve seen her a lot of times before, and sure, she forgets songs sometimes…but it always astounds me how she can forget a song she performs so damn often. Granted the woman is a walking book of songs, with many floating around in her head unrecorded, and she does get so cute and nervous. She’s so damn cute, we just prod her along, lovingly, and hold our breaths as the does her thing. Just imagine us naked, Regina! Or maybe not. I wouldn’t be able to recite my own phone number if a sold out crowd was watching me in the nude.

«More photos Regina Spektor, The Bloodsugars and Ra Ra Riot at Bowery Ballroom»

MP3: Regina Spektor – Better or zShare

MP3: Ra Ra Riot – Ghost Under Rocks (Passion Pit Mix) or zShare

Blood Sugars:
Lead singer sported a curly haired mullet with a cute smile. Simple upbeat hooks with wedding singer sentiments and Jimmy Eats World-sque vocals. The keyboardist is gay and flaming, but with very overgrown [fake?] sideburns. With slightly upbeat, happy-go-lucky hooks, these guys have a place in your library, somewhere, if only for mindless background music. Like a band you’d hear in a 1980’s straight-to-VHS movie soundtrack on TBS at 4am, one random Sunday morning. Good bassist, though. Aggressive drummer.

Ra Ra Riot:
Driven, confident beats. Electric cello and violin, orchestra quality…these guys already have my attention. Dreamy music, reminiscent of The Cure. Brad can’t decipher the lyrics, therefore doesn’t like them as much (automatic point deduction for him.) Lead singer comes off as “sensitive.” Guitarist looks like an overgrown, 60’s version of McLovin. The Cellist literally shredded the hairs on her bow. She got a new bow for the next song, but more hairs started to break, so she just ripped the loose threads off mid-stride. That’s fucking hardcore.

I had this feeling like, “What does this song remind me of?” Couldn’t place it. Pen is drying up…fuck. Pretty good—with repeat listens, I could get into them.Brad: seemed pretty, instrumentally, but couldn’t get into them at all due to inaudible lyrics. (this is a huge pet peeve to brad…don’t mind him) After their set, I noted a very good crowd response. A photographer next to me remarked, “lowest low-rise jeans EVARRRR.” Was he talking about the cellist?

Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor Goes Amnesiac For Bowery

TLC friend Shawn Mac sent us his hilarious review of Regina Spektor’s gig at Bowery Ballroom last week. Enjoy the coverage below:

Don’t get me wrong. I LOOVE Regina Spektor, but tonight she made just enough mistakes while performing to make me stop being polite and start getting real.
Early in the show she giggled and warned the crowd that she’s “fucking nervous.” Aww, it’s ok Regina! We love and adore you! Then she forgot a verse of On the Radio, a single she’s performed at about every tour since the song’s conception, but the crowd cheered anyway. As it happened a second time she blamed the “teleprompter” and the crowd came to the rescue to sing the verse a capella. After finishing the song said “You guys sing, and I’ll just accompany you!” to wild applause. “This is what happens when you do a show every 5 months.” Oh.

Part of Lucky Penny was forgotten, words strategically placed with “fuck.” Not too long before she’s forgiven, though. I mean wow, she is breathtaking to watch, and delightfully modest. But, I was less forgiving when she forgot the RUSSIAN verse to Apre Moi, which totally fucked up the entire climax of the song. I was starting to think a teleprompter might have been a good idea. When she did Us for her encore, the mic was still accidentally turned off. Yet the crowd just assumed she forgot the lyrics again and started singing to guide her. Was this a concert or a sing-a-long?

Sounds harsh, but the woman needs to get it together. I’ve seen her a lot of times before, and sure, she forgets songs sometimes…but it always astounds me how she can forget a song she performs so damn often. Granted the woman is a walking book of songs, with many floating around in her head unrecorded, and she does get so cute and nervous. She’s so damn cute, we just prod her along, lovingly, and hold our breaths as the does her thing. Just imagine us naked, Regina! Or maybe not. I wouldn’t be able to recite my own phone number if a sold out crowd was watching me in the nude.

«More photos Regina Spektor, The Bloodsugars and Ra Ra Riot at Bowery Ballroom»

MP3: Regina Spektor – Better or zShare

MP3: Ra Ra Riot – Ghost Under Rocks (Passion Pit Mix) or zShare

Blood Sugars:
Lead singer sported a curly haired mullet with a cute smile. Simple upbeat hooks with wedding singer sentiments and Jimmy Eats World-sque vocals. The keyboardist is gay and flaming, but with very overgrown [fake?] sideburns. With slightly upbeat, happy-go-lucky hooks, these guys have a place in your library, somewhere, if only for mindless background music. Like a band you’d hear in a 1980’s straight-to-VHS movie soundtrack on TBS at 4am, one random Sunday morning. Good bassist, though. Aggressive drummer.

Ra Ra Riot:
Driven, confident beats. Electric cello and violin, orchestra quality…these guys already have my attention. Dreamy music, reminiscent of The Cure. Brad can’t decipher the lyrics, therefore doesn’t like them as much (automatic point deduction for him.) Lead singer comes off as “sensitive.” Guitarist looks like an overgrown, 60’s version of McLovin. The Cellist literally shredded the hairs on her bow. She got a new bow for the next song, but more hairs started to break, so she just ripped the loose threads off mid-stride. That’s fucking hardcore.

I had this feeling like, “What does this song remind me of?” Couldn’t place it. Pen is drying up…fuck. Pretty good—with repeat listens, I could get into them.Brad: seemed pretty, instrumentally, but couldn’t get into them at all due to inaudible lyrics. (this is a huge pet peeve to brad…don’t mind him) After their set, I noted a very good crowd response. A photographer next to me remarked, “lowest low-rise jeans EVARRRR.” Was he talking about the cellist?

Regina Spektor

M.I.A. to Appear on Tavis Smiley Tonight!

If you missed the airing of the Tavis Smiley show earlier today at 7PM EST, be sure to catch the repeat at 12AM EST (US)!

This will be M.I.A’s first live interview since announcing her pregnancy, the release of Slumdog Millionaire, as well as the Grammy and Oscar nominations. Lots to discuss, don’t miss it!

More info about the episode HERE. Check your local listing HERE.

Update: Very intriguing interview, seizing the opportunity to shed light on the ongoing genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Check out M.I.A.’s blog update on this and upcoming appearances HERE, M.I.A. I.Y.F! A podcast of the interview can be found HERE.

MP3: M.I.A. – Come Around or zShare

TLC vs. The Metros: The New Year Interview

Over the course of 2007-2008, The Metros emerged as one of the most promising young bands in London. TLC made no bones about the fact that we’ve become quite enamored with this rabblerousing Peckham 5-piece and their infectious debut album, More Money Less Grief.

After a year of touring up and down the UK (including a stint supporting The Streets) and a detour to Japan, vocalist Saul Adamczewski chatted to us in true good-humored Metros fashion about what the band is looking forward to in 2009 like growing up a bit and not letting their hometown confine or define them.

With no current plans to release the album in the US, they recently made a small splash with a track featured on Gossip Girl. Watch out for The Metros this year!

> Happy New Year! Congratulations on a busy and successful 2008! The first time I heard of The Metros was when you played the BBC Electric Proms in ‘07. You’ve certainly come a long way since then. What moments stand out as highly significant for you from the past year?

SA: Playing Japan was wicked, the girls all dressed like school girls. Also Glastonbury was fun and all the rest of the festivals and obviously putting a record out.

> How did you meet Baxter Dury? As a producer, how much of an influence did he have on your sound and the overall direction of the album?

SA: I bet Baxter he couldn’t swallow a huge lump of cheddar cheese for a tenner and the rest is history. He brought a raw blues sound to the album and kept it feeling as close to live as possible.

> Your songs are mostly about the experience of being young in London – particularly South East London. How important is it to you to represent and bring attention to where you come from, considering how much attention is paid to the scenes in North and East London?

SA: When I wrote the songs, South London was quite important to me, I grew up there but now it doesnt really matter to me and we are writing songs about other things, more interesting things like boneless human beings.

> I lived in SE London for a time myself and was lucky enough to witness the growth of the music scene there, especially in and around New Cross. How do you feel about being lumped into that scene? Who are some of your favorite fellow SE London bands and is there a sense of camaraderie amongst you?

SA: Most of the bands I hung around with have now disbanded. There isnt much of a scene anymore but it was a blast and it lives on in my kitchen on Thursday nights. The bands I like now include soon to be smash hit Koran Koran and Rum Shebeen, The Coolness, oh and The Pepys are a shower of shit…!!!

> Mike Skinner is a veteran of rock n roll indulgence and excess, did he impart any wisdom to you while you were on the road together?

SA: He came into our dressing room once and I was locked in the fridge so he left and I think he may have rightly thought that we were a bit juvenile.

> Now that you’ve been through the process of recording and releasing an album and touring rigorously, what kind of advice would you give to a band just getting started in the music industry?

SA: Touch the leather, open the limit, come on out to play and enjoy it (something I almost forgot how to do but have recently remembered!) sniff sniff

> Are you working on any new material? How will your experiences as a successful band be reflected in your songwriting from now on?

SA: Yes we are going into the studio tomorrow – it’s all a bit top secret, but yes all our experiences are reflected in our songs.

> If The Metros were showing us around SE London, where would you take us?

SA: Brixton or my dad’s house for partridge

> We’re hoping to see The Metros play in NYC at some point in the near future! What are your plans for 2009?

SA: Overcoming my fear of flying, making a record I am proud of and generally just opening the limit. I would like to marry Anna and have skinny babies.

MP3: The Metros – Live a Little or zShare
MP3: The Metros – Robbin Hood or zShare

Bat for Lashes Announces US Tour Dates!

I caught Bat for Lashes at Bowery Ballroom during the promotional tour for Fur & Gold in 2007, and have since been eagerly awaiting her return. The wait finally over as tickets go on sale this Friday for Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg! Make sure you catch the eclectic songstress as she promotes her new record Two Suns which will be released on April 6th. (I snapped the picture to the left at the 2007 Bowery gig.)

April 30 Bowery Ballroom
May 2 Music Hall of Williamsburg

MP3: Bat for Lashes – Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics Cover) or zShare