Antoine Dufour is a classical guitar player, and an innovative one.
Who says you need a band when you can do everything with one guitar?
'Nuf said, let's watch!
PS: If you like this kind of innovative classical guitar, I strongly recommend you visit the CandyRat Records YouTube page. It is full of incredible artists like Antoine Dufour, Tommy Gauthier, Andy McKee and Ewan Dobson.
I first came across Nils Frahm while browsing the lineup of the Dour Festival last summer. I had never heard about him and was curious when I saw a picture of him displaying rows of synthesizers and grand pianos.
I started listening to his music and was projected to another dimension. His old-school synthesizers give out a unique sound which he is able to modulate into magnificent harmonies and his virtuosity and creativity at the grand piano is mind-blowing.
I finally saw him at Dour festival and he is very different from what I was expecting. He is a shy and very humble guy that comes on the stage with the intention to bring good music and have fun doing it. He is actually quite awkward when communicating with the crowd and this makes him all the more intriguing.
But what he lacks in social skills, he makes up for in musical talent. I have rarely seen someone so passionate about what he does. Just look at the video below around the 20:00 mark. He is bringing himself to a state of physical pain to perform something truly extraordinary.
This is what make him incredible in my opinion: his dedication.
He will soon be playing at the Barbican, along with some of his friends for a 3 day music marathon. The tickets are not released yet, but keep your ears open, as they will sell out fast! http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=31658
He also released a new album last year which he gave out for free in honour of Piano Day. You can still get it by going to the link below. http://www.pianoday.org/
Thanks to all of you who joined us last Wednesday for the Jazz Jamming Session in the top floor of Ronnie Scott's. We were treated with the best table of the room, right in front of the stage, thanks to Evelyn who booked it for us. After sipping on a few beers and cocktails under candlelight (due to the London-wide power cut), the band started playing. This quartet was composed of a crazy trumpet player, an agile pianist, a creative drummer and an amazing double-bass player. They delivered a wonderful show.
We had a great time and we hope you all enjoyed yourself.
Something I just discovered today. Probably one of the most impressive interface I have encountered for electronic music! Electronic music provides a degree of liberty unrivaled in any other genre. The innovations we go through in half a decade are mind-blowing, and this guy just crossed a new boundary.
This Sunday was truly a Irish-full day. After watching the Ireland-France rugby match in a nice pub outside Angel station, Conor and I headed to the O2 (one with a bigger smile on his face) to see an Irish band .
I have been a fan of God Is An Astronaut for years now and I was eager to see them live for the first time. When I discovered them, their music was like nothing I had ever heard before, somethingI can only describe as an instrumental eargasm. I was recently informed by Julien, our very own Metal expert, that their genre is called Post-Rock. This kind of music transports you to another world and this astral journey is usually underlined by spacey song names such as 'Suicide By Star' (on the right) or 'Obscura Somnia'
Needless to say, I was excited.
After a one hour wait - which I later found out was due to one of the first supporting act's artist being involved in a car accident - the second supporting act came on: Overhead, The Albatross.
Under this rather complicated name hides another Irish gem. Seven artists on stage delivering a mind-blowing performance. Look out for them in the future, they are a must-see! Here's a song of there's where they use a ladder as percussion.
Finally God Is An Astronaut came on, and they did not deceive. Eyes closed, I was just transported to another dimension. They played a few songs from their new album which I was discovering for the first time (and instantly bought on my way out passing by the merch stand). They also played some classics from their previous albums including the magnificent 'Forever Lost', which was the best one live I would say.
Overall, a great night surrounded by a vibrant crowd in a very nice venue.
Aahh Saturday was an amazing day! There were several bands we had already planned to see and we also found other bands while walking around, that's the beauty of the Hellfest. And all that with the same clear sky and a blazing sun!
It all started with Haken, a progressive rock/metal band from London that I heard about not so long ago. Their music is quite unique and hard to describe, as it encompasses diverse progressive rock and metal elements, as well as some weird jazz influenced bits. Ok, they may not be the only band mixing different genres but Haken manages to create unpredictable melody driven songs, sometimes introducing an almost pop-like structure - oh you didn't! - avoiding to fall in the pit of endless technical complexity (cf. UneXpecT).
That being said, these guys are also amazing live! The issue with really technical music is the capacity of the musicians to reproduce it live, and they really nailed it! The vocals were spot on and there is absolutely nothing to reproach to the rest of the band.
See for yourself with this small extract, even though the sound quality is quite dreadful, or you can check them live on September 17.
Black goth clothes, makeup and horror mask, here comes the American metalcore band Motionless in White! I think Metalcore bands, a fusion genre of extreme metal and hardcore punk, are usually either absolutely great (Trivium yay!) or an utter disgrace (Attack Attack!, a perfect example of crabcore).
Well without revolutionising the genre, Motionless in White is quite enjoyable live, especially with a dynamic crowd.
Isn't he cute?
Change of scenery, direction the Valley for a bit of funeral doom (ice cream not provided), with German band Ahab.
I didn't know the band but it can be summarised by: slow tempo, typical stoner distorted sound and a German dude growling about something that seemed to be super sad. Extremely relaxing and enjoyable actually.
One of my most awaited act of the Hellfest 2015! After a jaw-dropping concert in 2012, Slash is back to Clisson!
For those who may not know, Slash was the lead guitarist of the legendary hard rock band Guns N' Roses! After leaving the band due to artistic differences with singer Axl Rose and several side projects (Velvet Revolver had its great songs too!), Slash released his first solo album in 2010.
A couple of years and 2 albums later, the solo formation turned into a collaboration between Slash, Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge vocals and rythm guitar) and the Conspirators (slight shortcut to mention the rest of the band).
My opinion is most probably a bit biased, but this new formation is absolutely rocking it! Even though their latest album "World on Fire" can be a bit lengthy (17 songs!) compared to the previous ones, it already has several rock anthems!
But nothing can beat a hit from the Guns N' Roses era!
If you like old school stuff, you should have enjoyed the rest of the night!
After 46 years, ZZ Top blues rock is almost predictable: "Same three guys, same three chords" said Billy F Gibbons. But their blues has a real flavour, from the characteristic voice to the guitar tone, and not to forget the half-stroll to the mics. Simple but effective!
This edition of the Hellfest was really special: it was the 10th! To celebrate, the organisers came up with a 15 minute firework in music, while displaying photos from the previous editions.
Lead by Slayer's South of Heaven, the finale lighted the sky, followed by the cheers of the crowd. What an amazing moment!
Last but not least, the headliner of the day: Scorpions!
The German band, formed in 1965, is an absolute master of melodic hard rock. They proved it once again with a setlist incuding their best rock ballads, such as Send me an Angel, Wind of Change, Still Loving You... metalheads can be soft-hearted too.
The concert was concluded by the rock Anthem "Rock you Like a Hurricane", backed up by a few more fireworks!
John Butler Trio sold out the four level venue, which was quite packed at its standing ground floor.
The event was supported by Kim Churchill, a great Austrian solo artist who managed to play drums, guitar, and harmonica at the same time whilst keeping up on amazing vocals.
Truly quite impressive, recommended.
John Butler Trio came on stage at around 9 pm and played until 11. They covered most of their famous songs, as well as a lot of the tracks on the latest album.
The trio definitely had great synergy and they were enjoying themselves on stage, which made it all the better for those attending.
The highlight, as expected, was "Ocean", an instrumental track played by only John Butler. The track is notorious for having an amazing build-up and had the entire audience on their feet the whole time.
Great performance and experience overall, it was evident that they were all truly talented and enjoyed what they were doing.
