I'm sean. This is me, away from all the tech stuff.
Mostly music gigs, occasionally something else to spice things up.
note: dates using the Holocene Calendar
With Sadie Fine, and Chloe Levaillant
Sadie Fine was... fine? I came for the one song on my spotify playlist (Detox), and got it. Others sounded a bit rougher than expected. Chloe Levaillant was my favourite of the trio, it felt calm and relaxing, giving off ocean or forest vibes. eundohee was ok? It took a bit for me to catch on what language I was listening to...
Lively, and loud clapping, but I can't say I understood the singing parts.
With clarence
UPSAHL was one of my favourite shows last year, and it is most definitely making the list this year. The atmosphere was what can only be described as electric, even the slow songs turned into energetic dances. The crowd sang almost every song, thankfully we didn't have to jump for every one, but when we did, it was fun. Standing at the front edge, there's definitely peer (crowd?) pressure to join in, plus you get to have Taylor lean into your personal space...
With Kaeto, Unflirt, Mae Stephens, Isabel LaRosa, Valencia Gtace, Nieve Ella, Griff, Paris Paloma, girl in red, and HAIM
I wandered into the festival grounds and saw an empty main stage, wondering where everyone was and if I got there too early. Making my way to the other end, I saw Kaeto who set the mood for the rest of the day. Mae Stephens I was wondering who that was until she got to her last song, If We Ever Broke Up, and I doubted if I could ever escape the repetitive tiktok musoc.
Isabel LaRosa was coverying BABYDOLL as I approached the stage, in the set were quite a few covers of songs currently at the top of my playlist, I loved it. girl in red was just as good as I remember, maybe slightly more relaxed than last time, still very active and jumpy. HAIM sort of had a face of shock for most of their performance, I didn't really know their songs, but it was still enjoyable.
My legs were sore after this. I feel like I could sort of distinguish between things I liked and things I didn't, but it did sort of all blur together a bit too much.
A ballet performance in Oslo. GONE felt like a collection of scenes, no strong single thread of a narrative, but pretty overall. THE RING felt stronger story wise, though I can't say I enjoyed the music as much. Both felt modern-ish, with a bit more focus on expression, and less on precision choreography.
With Sabrina Carpenter, Rebecca Black, The Rose, Peach PRC, Caity Baser, and Annika Bennett
Annika Bennett, the sad songs set of the festival, but I liked it. Cool and relaxing. Caity Baser had a joyous african/caribbean vibe(?) Not bad, but not my jam. Peach PRC was, by contrast, wilder, with fairy wings and catchy songs (I think). The Rose, a K-POP boy band, it was fine I think. Just fine. Rebecca Black felt like forever trying to outrun a dark history (Friday...), which came back as a remix(?) in the penultimate song. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but she gave off a feeling of wanting to be more mature. Sabrina Carpenter I could barely see her on stage (sooo many people), but I still loved the set. I think her speaking voice was slightly deeper than expected, singing was just like the records. Blackpink was... so much screaming and singing from the fans. I think I recognized a surprising number of their songs, and the visuals were over the top in a good way. High production at its best.
With lleo, and carpark
I think the music for the night was fine. Beth was palpably excited.
With Uninvited
Active, intense. I don't think I've heard much of her songs before then, but it was good fun for the night.
With Jayd Marie, Detweiler, and Lekna
My hopes weren't high when I saw the venue was one of the smaller ones, but it was surprisingly good. Catchy and enegertic, with a cooperative audience that danced along.
With Aisling McGlynn
A concert of video game music played by an orchestra, it was as amazing as it sounds. Having been to way too many rock converts recently, it was a good reminder that there are a lot of other instruments than a guitar, bass, and drums. A few moments were, "oh so that's how those sounds were made". To top it off was the ethereal voice of Aisling McGlynn for some truly memorable songs.
Apparently already my third PVRIS show of the year. This time an acoustic solo session by Lynn. It's lovely to hear the focals so clearly. And the contrast between her voice in talking (soothing), and singing (strong?), is just so cute.
With LØLØ, Scene Queen, Charlotte Sands, Maggie Lindemann, and PVRIS
With 5 main stages (3 of which were double stages with to minimize downtime), I thought I'd have a nice variety, but I pretty much ended up just staying at a single stage for most of the day. LØLØ was a fun, energetic performance that set the mood. Scene Queen was interesting (bimbocore?), though I'm not sure if I'd voluntarily listen to it again. Charlotte Sands was once again a set I loved, noticeably messier this time. Maggie Lindemann was who I came for (front row anyone??). A solid, powerful voice, though with less deviation from studio versions. And finally, PVRIS on the main stage, maybe I was too far on the edge but the crowd didn't feel as into it, but I enjoyed it.
I think the real audience was just me and 4 other people, with everyone else being either one of the performances or staff. Slightly uncomfortable experience tbh.
With briskin
In a narrow room with bright lights (Heaven is a nightclub after all...), I could barely see Nessa through the crowd, but the show itself was still great. Sad-ish pop songs hits the feels, and the audience sang along for almost all of it. An experience for sure.
With phem
phem was... fine? Not bad, but also not especially memorable, besides the oversized mask she came on stage with. Avril on the other hand... so many memories. Someone next to me said: "everyone here either has Avril as a childhood hero or childhood crush", and i could totally believe that. There were a lot of throwbacks in the music, and they weren't perfect deliveries of the studio versions, they all had that live twist. Every song was a hit, and i think this ranks among the best show i've been to this year along with PVRIS.
With Clean Bandit, Chineke Orchestra, National Children's Orchestra, and more
The launch event for a trust dedicated to the mental health of artists (musicians). There was a wide range of shows, some things that I can appreciate, like orchestras, and others that I wouldn't go see on its own (spoken word, solo instruments). Of course the highlight was the final performance, a combination of the orchestras, a choir or two, and Clean Bandit. It was a full, rich sound, but I can't help but feel the distinctness I expected was drowned out by everything else.
With Louis III
Chill, smooth were the vibes I got out of Louis III, good, but doesn't really hook me in. girli on the other hand felt better than expected, with contrast between the quiet and loud parts. It was... therapeutic.
With Xandria
Xandria was... noise like a stormy day, with a ray of sunshine piercing through the clouds. Or at least that was what I thought of the vocals, and a bonus point of the voice being more like an instrument is that they don't ask the audience to sing along. Compartively, Delain was a more rowdy, less contrasty affair. Popular sounding, but less distinct.
With emlyn
Ava Max was pure pop ecstasy, fun and energetic throughout, though it did seem to lean more heavily into dance compared to a pure music show. The music was a pretty faithful reproduction of the recorded versions, with a heavy mix of backing vocals. Oh, and for some reason, there was a dense population of gay male couples.
With Eva Under Fire, and Like a Storm
I think Eva Under Fire was one of the bands that YouTube just decided I must like one day, and it wasn't wrong. Their live performance was a pretty faithful rendition of the recorded versions. Like a storm was... meh. I never really got into it, and it sort of just blended together into the background. Skillet started off strong with energy and flashy visuals, but somewhere around the halfway point, they lost of a bit of momentum and never quite recovered.
With Beth McCarthy
I loved the support act, enegetic, excited, yet it gave off a relaxed overall vibe that was just pleasant to be around. On the other hand, from the moment Emlyn came on, it was a full on intense barrage. It felt a bit too much for a full night, but it was great for the more popular songs where the audience sang along.
With Rebmoe, and Eden Hunter
We start with a digiatl bedroom vibe, feels a bit like a throwback. Then into some pop, which was fine. Finally, we have Anna. There's a nervous/excited energy in the air and I'm there for it. The only reason I'm here has been Youtube's constant recommendations of her music videos, I guess they were worth it.
With Elena Flury
Best described as a chill night out, away from the banging drums I've been hearing for the past few weeks. Both are beautiful voices, makes me want to look for more acoustic sessions.
Heavy on the visual imagery, this was I think a night of pop music. There was a DJ set as support, still don't know who it was. As for the main event, it felt good, but not amazingly memorable.
This was a much smaller show than I expected, with no support act. Also, I happened to be surrounded by the friends and family group, which was interesting. The show itself was great, though the start/end of it all was sudden. Mostly what I remember from the released versions, and it didn't hurt that I was right up at the edge of the stage.
We start with a singer songwriter, she was good. Then a band, which.... had a feel of compressed audio where everything is just full blast all the time. And finally, the star of the show, Sonia. I think it was pretty much what I heard from spotify, but live.
A very synthetic(?) show. Lots of effects up to a point where I couldn't quite tell associate the action I saw with the sounds I heard. Also, quite a bit of talk about inner self and reflection, but I guess that's par for the course for album launch events.
With Maggie Lindemann, and Charlotte Sands
One of the shows where I loved every part. Charlotte Sands opened with what felt like boundless energy, I expected nothing less and wasn't disappointed. Maggie Lindemann was in comparison more muted. A softer performance that ramped up as it went on, I think slightly hindered by "not my audience". And PVRIS, I'd been looking forward to this for almost a year. By the second song there was a mosh pit which generally didn't let up until the very end. It felt like every song was a hit, bringing back good memories and making new ones.
With Sophia Alexa
An evening of sad, but not depressing, songs. The show opened with someone quite forgettable. Act II by Sophia Alexa felt refreshingly better, upbeat in contrast with the lyrics, mixing in a hint of country. The headliner, Kings Elliot, brought a much fuller experience. A rich sound that draws in your attention. I don't think there could have been a better end than the final song with strings accompaniment. It rounded off the night so well, like everything before but turned up to 11.
An impulse decision to go in the middle of a work kickoff week. Last minute reveals of location and artists to try and build an air of mystery? 60 people in a bar, all seated. Michael Bird - singer guitarist: not bad, but not really memorable either. Woodzy - poet: I wasn't expecting a poet for the night, but with puns abound, it was the best part of the night. Ruth Brown - singer: a powerful voice, but I did wonder if the tonal variations were in there just for the sake of it. Also, way too loud with the audio systems turned up.
With Against the Current
Pierce the Veil was the headliner, and they obviously had a very excited crowd. The performance felt more spectacle than music, with smoke screens, confetti, flying guitars, and general acting out. Something I've noticed with support acts is they usually get the short end of the stick in terms of lighting, and it detracts from the experience a bit. I also felt like Against the Current weren't quite all in for this show...
This was fun, and I was jumping around quite a bit for both of these. I witnessed crowdsurfing and playing a song again for the music video. As the final show of the tour, you can see them all letting go and just enjoying it. Halflives' music seemed most aligned to my taste, while Halocene seemed a bit more all over the place.
With Lizzie Esau, and Eyelar
Someone certainly knows how to leverage a live show to create an experience. Apparently I liked a lot of her songs. The live versions don't aim to be pitch perfect recreations of the studio versions, but emotion filled variants enhanced by the stage presence.
With LonelyTwin, and Katelyn Tarver
It counts as pop (I think), but it's slower than I expected. Not bad, but not amazing either.
With Valencia Grace
Such an exciting little show. Not sure what I was expecting but this was fun and energetic and actually knew most of the songs. Maybe a bit of it is just standing in with the crowd instead of sitting up somewhere far away, but I loved it either way.
Another small bar / music venue, all the scary looking people outside made me wonder if I had walked down the wrong alley. 2 heavy metal bands, then... witch metal? alchemy? For all 3 bands, many of the songs just felt the same, with no real differentiation.
With The Cruel Knives
They were amazing. For once, I felt the music pull its weight, and going to the show is a balance of the music and the experience. The songs were revitalizing and the crowd was hyped for them. I think this is the frequency I'm on, I havent changed much since I found them. O2 Academy, circle front center off right.
With Overlaps
It was okay for the night, but a bit bland. The songs sound like they should have energy, but I just wasn't really in tune with them. O2 Forum, balcony center.
With Maeve
The roundhouse, as the name suggests, is round, and gives off circus vibes. This is the second show I've been to where there are 2 backup dancers dancing around, they still feel a bit weird... The lighting felt on point, cementing our focus on Banks. Alternating between high energy and slow (love?) songs, overall a bit of a throwback for me (Gemini Feed).
A cozy little bar, a little reminiscent of times past. Halfway bwteen acoustic and rock.
Outdoor festival, and with a song catalogue that's a bit ethereal. Hannah forgetting the lyrics to a song (and feeling bad about it) is fine, the joy she shows when the crowd also forgets the lyrics to another song makes it much more human. Front centre.
A theatre show, superfically about playwrights, but maybe really about feelings around success (or lack thereof). I went into this blind, having picked the show based on the lead Emilia Clarke. There are no fancy settings, just a box, chairs and actors who never leave the stage.
With girl in red
Seated centre back in an arena full of screaming teenage girls (and their guardians)... The songs flowed well into each other, and even with the high production experience, it didn't feel artificial or detached. With a crowd this size, they could just be an amorphous blob, but it didn't really feel that way, maybe except when she stands to take in the adoration showered onto her. Bonus points for coming out much closer to the crowds in a swinging crane arm.
With Yeule
We're into the more mainstream hyperpop territory, and it shows. Polished high production with more focus on the performance and spectacle, less on the music and crowd. Front centre right.
With Gracey, and UPSAHL
In a female domninated (90+%?) audience, I stuck towards the back of the crowd near the sound tech. Fletcher certainly knew who her fans were, addressing the crowd directly.
With Halflives, and Yours Truly
After a pandemic and a move to country with way more events, guess who's back first? Around mid centre in the crowds, the energy is as high as ever.
This time I actually knew the openers: Halflives were very similar to ATC, working up the crowd in a similar fashion (high energy bounces). Yours Truly had a slightly stronger metal lean(?), I think it took a while for people to recognize them from their songs.
ATC again, this time I got VIP tickets because why not? That got me a 2(?) acoustic performances, a poster, and a photo op. In the crowd, close to front, the energy levels are high.
One of the first bands I learned to recognize by name, for this show I sat on the upper floot and mostly just enjoyed the music. Chrissy is a bundle of energy bouncing around the front of the stage.