Robyn: Live at the Roundhouse

All due apologies for the lack of "witty" title.

Last night, we traipsed down from Oxford to the Roundhouse in Camden to see perennial Pop Web favourite Robyn perform live. Let it be known from the outset that whilst we will certainly try to deliver the jounralistic objectivity loyal readers have come to occasionally see expect from this reputable blog, we were so bloody excited about the whole thing that she could have stepped on stage and read the local Chinese takeaway menu and we'd have loved it. Such excitement, we hope, will also explain the fact that we forgot to bring a camera and thus have no photos of the event which was (in hindsight) a bit of an error.

Let's get the tedious negatives out of the way first. The set was fairly short. The whole concert lasted just less than an hour, and appeared to be suffering from some delays in the earlygoing. The reasons for this became clear when Robyn eventually took to the stage and addressed the crowd. Robyn has been suffering from a throat infection, which in fact has caused her to cancel tonight's gig in Bristol. Given these caveats, what Robyn actually delivered in the hour she was on stage was nothing short of amazing.

From beginning to end there was no wasted motion, and track after track was delivered with staggering energy. There wasn't a single point that we could discern that the crowd's energy level dropped, which is absolutely a testament to Robyn's ability to engage an audience. For someone who is clearly a bit under the weather (to say the least) the Swedish dynamo was constantly leaping around the stage, dancing every bit as frenetically as she does in the video for Dancing On My Own. It was certainly an 'A' for effort from us.

The setlist delivered hit after hit, but nostalgia was noticeably lacking. Starting things off with Time Machine was an inspired choice as it got the by-now restless crowd firmly on side with one of Body Talk's more undersung anthems. Vocally, this was a polished performance (again, amazing given her current bout of illness), but frankly, the singing along of the crowd on Dancing On My Own (be warned, that video contains liberal use of strobe lighting) and Cobrastyle meant that Robyn could have sang every single note off key and it wouldn't have mattered. Dancing On My Own was given a very early airing, which initially had us worried that after her biggest recent hit, the energy levels would drop. Those fears were utterly unfounded, as We Dance To The Beat/Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do built on "Dancing's" momentum and actually made us appreciate two of the more experimental (read, skippable) tracks on Body Talk. We could enthuse at length about the many other phenomenal performances Robyn delivered, including Love Kills, and Stars 4-Ever which were two of the more impressive sleeper hits of the night. Instead, what we'd like to focus on are the three tracks which, to be quite honest, if we died tonight we'd be glad we lived to hear live.

Firstly, Indestructible. (Apologies for the slightly fluctuating sound quality on this video)

Particular highlights here included a man standing behind us bellowing this song with such gusto that it almost made us want to turn around, hug him, and tell him that everything was going to be all right. Also, the mini-breakdown after the "four to the floor" bit where everyone did the right thing and clapped along. Well done Camden.

Secondly, The Girl and the Robot

Of all of the songs in the Robyn corpus, this is the one that can, at any given moment, dissolve us into floods of tears and force us to atonally warble along. Seeing it live magnified that feeling tenfold. Absolutely beautiful performance of a beautiful song.

And finally, With Every Heartbeat. With one performance, Robyn absolutely cemented her reputation as the queen of disco-fuelled heartbreak (yes, that well known monarchy). The noise from the crowd when those first beats kicked in was frankly astonishing, and the feverish refrain of "And. It. Hurts. With. Every. Heartbeat" as the concert drew to a close was (not to be too gushy about this) inspiring. An amazing conclusion to a phenomenal concert which sent the room's two key demographics (i.e. Scandinavians and gays, or, as we loudly termed them on the tube going home, "Scandigayvians"...) hope both happy and heartbroken.

With all that said, there were some unfortunate omissions from the evening. Hang With Me was conspicuous by its absence as was None of Dem similarly, Cobrastyle and With Every Heartbeat Aside, there was no room for going over old glory in this concert. This was all about Body Talk, and as such Be Mine! and Who's That Girl? were somewhat missed, to say nothing of Show Me Love or Keep This Fire Burning. This was not a greatest hits concert, but it was also far from self-indulgent. Robyn had the crowd singing along to every single word, and she showcased Body Talk beautifully, remaining accessible for new fans whilst indulging the rabid fanbase she had attracted to the show. 

All it remains is for us to do is to count down the seconds until Robyn is back in the UK, in rude health. Because, frankly, if we can be left this buzzing with excitement 24 hours after a concert in which she wasn't at 100%, we can't wait to see what she'd deliver when she's back on top form.

...In which Leona Lewis DANCES

So we've just returned from the very first date of Leona Lewis' first ever tour. Expectations on the way there were not high for two reasons.

1. It was taking place in Sheffield.
2. There was a genuine fear that the entire night would involve Leona talking about everything being "amazing" and how she's "just pleased to be here."

And, to be fair, there was a fair bit of the latter.

THAT SAID, any doubts about this girl's ability to perform and put on a show were completely and utterly smashed on that stage last night, which bodes well for the upcoming dates.

Firstly, the whole thing was themed (loosely) to the movie Labyrinth. Calm down, calm down, Leona never came out wearing trousers like this:

Truth be told, the Labyrinth thing was basically an excuse to have some plastic looking trees and a swing involved but the whole concept worked genuinely brilliantly. It lent the whole show a real atmosphere which from the very opening gave the whole thing an energy and a darkness which worked fantastically with Leona's voice, the staging and the choreography.

Yes, readers, Leona Lewis danced.

Without wanting to give away the entire setlist for those who are planning to attend the future dates, we'll point out some of the real highlights.

Firstly, there was a definite "horse" theme but at no point did Leona ride an actual horse. Health and safety were probably involved.

Secondly, Better In Time was majorly ramped up and was guitar rather than piano driven. It definitely worked and injected a real energy into the song. Leona looked absolutely commanding up there during this and the darker and rockier tone to the song was a sublime choice. To this end, can we please advise SyCo that this girl is more than comfortable singing up-tempo songs. Indeed, she can more than keep up with a guitar or three. Please, please, don't make the next thing she releases a mid-tempo ballad. If we left with one impression of Leona after this concert, is that she is incredibly versatile when she's given the chance.

Thirdly, there was nothing "safe" about these performances. Forgive Me, one of her few naturally up-tempo numbers, was chuched out in the first half and massively re-jigged, again to lend the whole thing a darker sound. Remember Cheryl's Brits performance with Loretta Holloway mixed in to the second verse. Think that type of effect. It was VERY good

Fourthly, the costume changes were hidden with some amazing work by the dancers (she's borrowed the aerialists which P!nk used on her last tour performing "Glitter In The Air"). Usually, this was accompanied by some properly amazing VTs. One featured Leona looking demented while riding a swan. Another featured a mash-up of Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster Stronger" and Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" this was properly amazing. And frankly, was good enought to be released as a single. It would certainly stop her being seen as a one trick pony.

Fifthly, there were some cover versions. Run of course was there and was the climax to the pre-encore show. It was suitably epic and elicited a genuine standing ovation. Also, The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face was a choice we really questioned at first, but she delivered an absolutely blistering vocal which slowed the tempo down without killing the momentum. She completely won us over. What was truly special, however, were the decisions to cover Could It Be Magic and Sweet Dreams. The latter was full-on mental with strobes, amazing choreography and got the whole place finally on their feet. It was an excellent choice, a very competent cover which did something new with the song not only by its choreography but also by the very fact that Leona's vocals were involved. She also did a very acoustic version of Cry Me A River which was brilliant as well.

Sixthly, there were some very interesting omissions to this setlist. There was no Stop Crying Your Heart Out, no My Hands and, amazingly, no Footprints in the Sand. This was not a concert for playing it safe. And my God it worked.

Seventhly, we've mentioned elsewhere how we felt that Outta My Head should have been released as a single. She did it last night and the place went mental. For the first time in the night, people were on their feet which, given that this is just an album track, is no mean feat. There was strobe lighting, laser shows, and Leona danced and didn't look terrified about the prospect of moving. Why this hasn't been released as a single is just beyond us as it's one of the strongest showcases for Leona's evolution as an artist and a performer. The video below really doesn't do justice to how well this was put together. Think about 50x more stuff going on with the lighting and you'll be there.



Finally, the encore was, predictably Bleeding Love. Watch the video below and just witness how much improved a performer this girl has become.



It was an absolutely stunning concert, which certainly reminded us of why we thought she was such a special talent from the start. Crucially, it proved that this girl is not just "a big voice for hire". She's an accomplished, polished performer who clearly isn't afraid to take risks with her live showcases. We just hope that Syco learn from this and allow her to take risks with her recorded output.

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Also, Gabriella Cilmi was there. On A Mission was alright (is it supposed to sound like Van Halen's jump, or is that just us being mental?). On the other hand we're so over Sweet About Me it's ridiculous. Also, the whole thing would have been better if she'd done the song from the Co-Op ad at Christmas.

Dear the Music Industry

We here at the pop web don't often foray into the world of the "unsigned". Truth be told, we're a rather lazy, doughy lot, and much prefer our music to come to us through the traditional media of itunes or spotify, rather than getting up off our behinds and stumbling along to a "venue" and inevitably get too drunk off the watered down Carling to remember anything of note. There are a couple of acts at the moment,however, who have or will definitely buck that trend.

1. Inlight

Inlight are an Oxford-based band who we've seen perform live on a number of occasions. The experience is a perfect mix of well-crafted pop-rock songs and audience interraction featuring lines like "this is for anyone who's ever had a broken heart... or leg". They've got a pretty impressive repertoire of songs with particular highlights including Icarus (which we sincerely hope will help to buck the UK pop bias against winged creatures one day) and the actually beautiful Dido and Aeneas. If a song title which referencis the Aeneid isn't enough to whet your apppetite then, ladies and gentlemen, please feel free to bear witness to Space.



Two initial comments. Firstly, the video and audio quality of this performance really doesn't do justice to the song. We *highly* recommend that you try and pick up the recorded version from their website (inlightband.com). Secondly, if you do so, you'll hopefully come to the same conclusion that we have: this song really bloody well had better be this decade's "Mr. Brightside". There are a number of structural features to the song which lend themselves to this interpretation. Firstly, the chorus begins with an epic "YOU" which is really just crying out to be bellowed atonally by a dancefloor full of sweaty people who've had a few mojitos too many. Secondly, we've already come up with a few signature moves to the guitar and drum line, so if someone doesn't go ahead and sign these guys, they'll be DESTINED to go unnoticed. Great power; great responsibility.

In all seriousness, however, there's very little not to like about this band. Firstly, they are big twitter users, with the lead singer Charlie Atlantic frequently sending out tweets which are hilarious (personal favourites include this and this). Secondly, over the advent period, THEY ACTUALLY DID AN ADVENT CALENDAR which was, by all accounts, brilliant and very much helped to "set the mood" and which you can still have a look at on their youtube channel. Thirdly, and this really is the crucial thing, they produce music which would sit quite nicely alongside the radio "playlists" of the GCap network or whatever the hell it is that Radio 1 pay Fearne Cotton to bang about all day. In these cash-strapped times for the music industry, surely snapping up a band like this would mean one is "on to a winner"?

Also, Mike who is the band's guitarist, once said in our hearing "even my shadow looks fit." Rock and roll.

2. Simon Curtis

The great thing about the internet is that as you're dicking around avoiding all the other things you probably should be doing, you stumble across hidden gems which really help brighten the day.

Or, more accurately, you check popjustice and encounter some fairly good music.

Enter Simon Curtis.

First thing's first, yes, we're fully aware that the whole "boy made not created" thing has a very real danger of becoming something which is a fair few shades less brilliant than Ziggy Stardust (c.f. Prince's whole "symbol" thing and Brandy's "Bran'Nu").

But stick with it. You can download his whole album for free from the website and it's very well worth doing so. His voice definitely has a late 90s boyband quality to it which is layered over the top of some fairly interesting electronic backing tracks. The whole thing works fairly well. And particular highlights thus far include the tracks "Diablo" which features the line "Here's the thing, yeah, we started out friends, but this is not a Kelly Clarkson song and this is not how it ends" and "Fell In Love w/an Android" which features the repeated line "hate to say it but I'd rather f*ck a robot". That probably says it all.

In terms of "commerciability" it's at first sight a little difficult to see where Simon Curtis into the contemporary pop landscape. We will say that it's a damn site better than "If We Ever Meet Again" if that counts for anything. Equally, however, we can see Simon's pop-friendly vocals masking some very interesting and edgy lyrical and musical presentation (in other words, Fearne Cotton probably wouldn't be "mad" about it). We'd like to think, however, in this post-JLS world that we've gone past radio's chronic fear of boybands that aren't Take That or Boyzone and we could find a place for a new artist, who, with perhaps a little bit of polishing, could turn out to be very, very good. If he makes it over to the UK, we'll certainly endeavour to "check him out". We hope you all will do the same.

I feel like such an insomniac

Cheryl Cole was today's special guest on the Live Lounge and, amongst talking about a few current issues pertinent to her career (not Ashley, for God's sake don't mention Ashley!) she belted out a cover of Fireflies



As part of our continued commitment to quality control we've "scoured" youtube for a video which minimises the presence of Fearne Cotton. A couple of things we feel are noteworthy with this performance.

1) This literally could not have been a better song choice. In so far as it's not vocally challenging (you may not have noticed, but Cheryl is not the world's greatest live vocalist).
2) There are points where Cheryl's vocal is actually verging upon beautiful. We're thinking principally of the first chorus and the start of the second verse where she pronounces "lightning bugs" with a definite geordie intonation, which pleases this North-Eastern reviewer, at least.
2a) The improv-ed "might get them out later" (referring to the dreams she has hitherto kept in a jar) is one of our top 10 pop moments of the year so far.
3) There are equally points when the whole thing very definitely ventures into the "pitchy" territory, as she was careful to explain, however, Nicola Roberts had taken her out and gotten her drunk earlier. Nicola should be ashamed. If we were in charge of the country, we'd put Nicola under house arrest except for when she was flogging make up or creating vocals for one of the three PROMISED Girls Aloud albums.

Above all, however, we weren't unimpressed. Cheryl is very definitely one of those artists that, if you had any sense, you'd limit to the "recorded" performance sphere unless she's lip-synching (convincingly!) and accompanied by a smalll nation's worth of backing dancers. What we'd ultimately conclude is that this performance would probably see her through to Boot Camp but she'd struggle when "the pressure is on".

Most worryingly, however, the COVER VERSION was streets ahead of her performance of HER OWN SONG!