GIG REVIEW: JAIN at Melkweg, Amsterdam
JAIN had such a groove, and she was just alone with her laptop. I'm always a big fan of independent singers who combine loop stations or technology to enhance their show. The fact is though, this girl makes the music herself and it's so obvious! I loved the show. I took my best Dutchy Viv and we grooved along all night. JAIN has a real innocence about her, (well she's just 25), but she has lived in different countries all over the world for example Dubai, Congo, Peru and you can hear these influences in her beatsy and touch of world-music flair. Her music is up-beat and fun, but rhythmic and clever. She combines her voice with layering and electronic programming sounds which is a modern-day twist. She reminds me a bit of a younger Camille, or at least a pea who comes from a similar pod. And she is so incredibly sweet and loves to involve the audience to help her with her looping. She was even giggling at some point because of the audience member who she recorded for the loop.
All in all, great first show for JAIN and can't wait to see how she progresses as an artist.
Check out more JAIN:
Official website: http://www.jain-music.com/en/
Check out this live version below of JAIN performing "Makeba" - Victoires de la musique 2017
GIG REVIEW: Alessia Cara at Melkweg, Amsterdam
The night I went to Alessia Cara's concert it was my birthday. My very good and dear friend Jen took me out on the occasion. I don't consider myself old, but it was a bit of a coincidence that on the day of my birthday, it was the first concert where I felt super old (ok, at Justin Bieber's concert as well, but I expected children to be there..).
The first support act was a handsome singer songwriter, Craig Stickland (who turned out to be the guitarist of her band) and all the young girls were screaming at him. Usually Dutch crowds are not so enthusiastic for support acts but that's when I realised there was something unusual about this crowd. They were super young. I saw a lot of parents in the crowd. When the support act left and the dj was playing some tunes to fill in the gap, he played Justin Bieber's 'Sorry', and at once, the whole crowd cheered and started singing along. I actually had to laugh about it, because we were there to see live music, but they were excited to just hear any familiar song.
Alessia herself is just a mere 19, but she has a very big voice. I liked a lot that she had a lot of positive energy and motivational words for her equally young fans. They all tried to touch her hand and give her letters, just as teen fans do. She was sweet, and so were they. They all put their phones up and I could see that a lot of them were recording videos on snapchat. This was when I really felt like I'm in a different generation.
Alessia's band was really good, and the production of her songs are excellent. A great little pop act, she was a delight to see.
GIG REVIEW: Chvrches at Melkweg, Amsterdam
Arrived a little late but managed to catch Chvrches' support act, Australia's homegrown Mansionair, who's song 'Hold Me Down' is really catchy. They seemed a bit fresh though and I was really there to see Chvrches.
Chvrches' music is really strong, and the music production is really good. One can tell their band has some experienced backbones. Singer Lauren Mayberry has a crystal clear voice and despite her petite stance on the stage, she still manages to make a presence. But for me it's the music that makes Chvrches so successful. The beats and electronic sounds are so powerful.
GIG REVIEW: Christine and The Queens at Melkweg, Amsterdam
I first stumbled the French Christine and The Queens at Lowlands festival earlier in 2015. I was walking towards another stage and literally had to stop because I heard amazing beats from the stage. So when I saw she was giving a concert in Amsterdam I bought tickets straight away, so I could see her perform a full set where she was the headliner.
Christine, (real name Héloïse Letissier) has a very unique way of performing. The show was a visual feast full of movement and strobe lighting, and it was definitely not only about the music. She is much better live than by listening on Spotify by the way. Together with her dancers she has a modern choreography which is more about moving the whole body and not your typical "hip hop" or "pop" style moves.
Since I had already been blown away once, it was hard to be blown away for the second time, since I already had a first impression and therefore expectation of the amazing performance. The Lowlands stage was much bigger and the screens were also bigger so the light show had more impact.
Christine is a curious being. She reminds me of a younger version of Camille, my favourite French singer who is crazy in an eccentric way. She is openly queer and sings about gender fluidity (read this interesting interview!) and is just an inspiration that you can be good as yourself.
Photos by Podium Info (because my phone literally died and erased itself during the concert! It never happened to me before but I was so sad)
More about Christine and The Queens: