If raving to hard-house and snare-infused, synth-drenched
beats is the language that you speak, look no further than Hadouken’s gig at
the Academy 2 on Wednesday. Their live shows are frenetic, pulsating affairs, with
frontman James Smith possessing a sound grasp of how to work a crowd.
Their latest album, Every
Weekend, was released last month, with singles ‘Daylight’ and ‘Levitate’ immediately
becoming centrepieces of their sets. Expect them to showcase further singles
from the album alongside household tracks like ‘That Boy That Girl’ and ‘M.A.D.’,
the video for which features a six-foot tall, Strongbow-slugging, demented
mouse. It does have to be seen to be believed, so here’s a link:
Here's a live performance of Hadouken's 'Levitate':
Paul Brady - The Lowry Centre, Wednesday 24th April, 20.00, £23.50
Irish folk singer Paul Brady is performing at The Lowry
Centre on Wednesday. Brady has been on the music circuit since 1965 with twelve
studio albums to his name and a terrific legacy. His songs have been championed
by no other than Bob Dylan and he has collaborated with the likes of Santana
and Richard Thompson.
Brady’s songs are often of a political and romantic nature, with
his rich, powerful and emotive vocal carrying his eloquent and thoughtful craftmanship terrifically. He truly is a magnificent lyricist, not to mention a
criminally underrated guitarist. Brady’s
stage presence always exudes charm, and a quiet, heartfelt self-assurance. Tracks such as ‘Crazy Dreams’, ‘Steel Claw’
and ‘The Island’ are classics. Keep an ear out for them at the gig.
Paul Brady’s ‘The Island’:
Paul Brady performing 'Nobody Knows' earlier this year:
OneRepublic - The Ritz, Thursday 25th April, 19.00, £22.50 Adv.
Remember the track ‘Apologize’? The one that everybody
associates with Timbaland? Well, the original was actually written by
OneRepublic. Timbo remixed it. The differences between the two versions are
negligible, so if you enjoyed the remix, you’re bound to really like
OneRepublic’s effort.
You might also remember the track, ‘All The Right Moves’,
the lead single from the band’s second album, Waking Up ? Frontman Ryan Tedder’s superb falsetto is at its most
daringly acrobatic here, running up and down notes with a striking elasticity.
His bandmates’ accompanying piercing, crashing string section and stomping
drums make the song perhaps the group’s finest hour.
The five piece have expressed that U2 are a major influence
on their music, and this is undeniably reflected in their more anthemic,
guitar-led tracks, with Zach Filkins’ licks very reminiscent of those of U2 axe-man, ‘The
Edge’.
In addition to their own material, the band have been known
to cover tracks ranging from ‘Mercy’ by Duffy to ‘Last Goodbye’ by Jeff
Buckley, so look out for some renditions at the gig.
OneRepublic’s ‘Apologize’:
OneRepublic’s ‘All the Right Moves’:
Death to the Strange - Ruby Lounge, Friday 26th April, 19.30, £3.
Alternative / Electro-Acoustic act Death to the Strange are
heading to Ruby Lounge on Friday for the launch of their four track EP, ‘Sign
On’. The five-piece have supported the likes of Gomez, Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly, and Starsailor’s vocalist James Walsh.
Daniel Clarke’s and John Lowndes’ rising and falling
harmonies are evocative of Woodface-era Crowded House, and musically the band shift
between early R.E.M mysticism, the rhythmic pulse of Cast, and the
introspective folk of Vashti Bunyan.
Attendees can probably afford to hedge their bets on witnessing live
performances of tracks such as the menacing cautionary tale ‘Drink and the
Devil’ and the waltzy ‘Openshaw Blues’, both of which can be found on the new
EP.
Death to the Strange’s ‘Openshaw Blues’, live in Castlefield:
Death to the Strange's 'On the Clock', also live in Castlefield:
Excellent blog mate. Death to the Strange actually sound awesome, maybe we should go... I can't decide!
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