Charlotte Gainsbourg concert- 19th July/London

On the 19th of July, I had the pleasure to see Charlotte Gainsbourg in concert at the Somerset house in London- a wonderful location in the heart of London, with the stage placed inside the building walls, in the courtyard.

The opening band, which started around 8 15, was interesting enough, although it wasn't received that well. The 2 sisters and brother, playing guitars and drums, had an erratic set ranging from angry death threats to lullaby songs. The vocalist, one of the sisters, was a rather dark and angry soul, but the other girl, the drummer, was amazing- my eyes would always go to her.

Charlotte came on at 9 30, accompanied by Connan Mockasin and 4 band members, all wearing white. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed- most people chose to just watch and enjoy the music, although there were some crazy fans who kept screaming her name, making weird sounds, entertaining the audience, indirectly. By the way, the audience was very interesting, a little different from the people you usually meet at a concert. It was mostly formed by people over 25: some French, a lot of mature couples, with the occasional 20year old hipsters with a cigarette attached to their lips; I think most of them were there out of curiosity, just like me.

The concert itself was very good, as Gainsbourg proved to everyone that she's not just an actress wanting to sing, but a woman who loves music and who just happens to be good at it. You could also see her father, the famous Serge Gainsbourg, helped and influenced her more than she would realise, especially from a musical point of view- some songs were his, others were covers, but most were influenced by him and that era. I admit I wasn't very familiar with her songs beforehand, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself for the 1 hour and half. Most of the songs were extremely well performed, vocally and instrumentally, with the help of her fantastically funny and spontaneous band, who would basically do whatever they wanted, including singing laying down on the floor or dancing with a beer in hand during the performance. Highlights were 'Heaven can wait', the 'Ashes to ashes' Bowie cover and Jamais; check them out on Youtube or Spotify.

All in all, I wasn't impressed or blown away with the concert, but I did have a good time and I will certainly come back to visit Somerset House, which is a fantastic building.
P.s. Did I tell you I saw Jim Sturges at the concert? Yup, celebrity sighting. Nice looking guy, down to earth and friendly. I didn't talk to him, I am not the type, but I saw him being greeted by some fans and he was very nice to them.

NOW, I want to know about your concert experiences. Which was the best one you've ever been to? Who are looking forward to see? Please let me know in the comments

Florence and the Machine

Right now, I am pretty much obsessed about Florence and the Machine, which is a famous British act that I love with all my heart- their sound is beautiful, majestic, but sometimes peaceful and serene, and Florence's Welsh voice is out of this world (it can go so high and her vibrato is very interesting). I like the fact that their music is written by them and it always has hidden meaning or it is written in metaphors, with lovely lyrics, certainly better composed than the hip hop or pop songs of our days.

The name can be confusing for some: Florence started the band with a female DJ (which she called herself the Machine), but after a while she was gone, and so now The Machine is basically her backup band, containing guitarist, pianist/keyboards, harp player, choir and sometimes an orchestra. Other sources claim that Isabella Summers, her pianist, is actually the Machine...either way, now, the Machine is the band behind her.

So far, they (she?) have released two albums: Lungs and Ceremonials. Although I am not very familiar with the first one (I do love some songs from it), Ceremonials is just fantastic; most of it is breathtaking and has one of the most special sounds I have ever heard. You should really listen to it!

Recently, I had the pleasure of going to see Florence the Machine in concert, with the help of my friends, who gave me a ticket for it for my birthday. It was, by far, one of the most amazing concert experiences I have ever had. Held in Alexandra Palace, a large, spacious building on the hills of London, it featured a choir, an orchestra, visual effects, great lighting and amazing music. As I said, I love their music, and I was so happy to be able to sing along 90% of their songs, as I knew most of them. Florence's voice is stunning and sometimes she sounds like an angel; it feels surreal just listening to her. Yes, sometimes her voice cracks or she goes too high and it sounds wrong, but honestly, even that is part of her charm, and I don't mind!

Favorite songs: You've got the love, Dog days are over, My boy builds coffins, Cosmic Love, No light,no light, Shake it up, Only if for the night, Leave my body, Water gave me and my latest obsession is Never let me go.

Below you'll find some peculiar videos of Florence and the Machine

- Florence and Robert (her guitarist) playing You've got the love in an abandoned zoo

- A rare, old, but very sweet and informative video of early F&tM singing My Boy builds coffins in the park (watch the intro as well)

- Dog days are over at Glastonbury Festival in 2010- wait til the second part of the video and watch the audience's reaction (it must feel so amazing for an artist to see that)

- Florence and the Machine covering Drake ft Rihanna- Take care [you will be surprised, it's very good]

Let me know if you like Florence and the Machine and what songs are your favorites in the comments!

p.s. My Coen Brothers mini marathon continues tomorrow or Monday, stay tuned!