Genres
Live Review: Blink-182 @ London, England’s Brixton Academy (07/25)
Band: Blink-182
Location: London, England’s Brixton Academy
Date: July 25, 2012
Brixton Academy certainly looked at its finest last night with a set up that you’d presume a relatively new band would be gracing the stage with, but no, they just want to show the fans a good time and that’s exactly what happened, with the band been no less than 20ft away from the front row. The venue was rammed and it was time for the support slot to come on; Watford born boys Lower than Atlantis gave it a shot and to be fair to the boys, they did pretty damn well. I mean, it’s not gonna be easy supporting any big band when you’re the only support slot on, but having to warm the crowd up for Blink, I have to give them a pat on the back, frontman ‘Mike Duce’ certainly gave it his all and then some. At one point even trying out a classic ‘Hulk Hogan’ ear salute to the crowd, and when it failed replying, “That was a tad Butlins wasn’t it?” and a lot of people had time for that kind of banter. Although, their actual playing and performance didn’t meet up to the mark and I would have liked to see someone more tight and professional filling that 30 minute slot they luckily received from God knows where. LTA seem like a great bunch of guys, but come on promoters, supporting Blink, wake up and listening to the great bands out there that deserve this instead of putting some FAD on that won’t last more than three years from now.
So it was time for Blink to come on as the black curtain of excitement drops, everyone’s screams simmer into the pits of their stomach where the butterflies have been dwelling, waiting to burst out full throttle back and forth across the room. Get ready for action, “Feeling This” opens the set and fans automatically charge towards the front, crowd surfing along the 5000 people venue. The atmosphere was never tainted with any negativity as everyone was enthralled with the spectacular and legendary pop punk band stood before them. It just got bigger and better for fans as they did not stop playing hit after of hit with classics such as; “All The Small Things”, “What’s My Age Again?”, and “Man Overboard”. They even intervened with an acoustic set of four songs including “Going Away To College” and “Roller Coaster”, which was a new experiment for Blink to try out this tour and they knocked it out the park and had fans dancing throughout. Travis even played “Can a Drummer Get Some?” off of his own debut solo album which had fans going wild throughout the venue.
Mark, Tom and Travis’ relationship seemed like it was better than ever. Mark was the most talkative of the bunch and often spoke to the crowd getting them warmed up even more so than needed. Tom and Travis had a little mix up during the set, as timing was of the essence; luckily it was just during “The Blowjob Song”. Tom went on to say on twitter last night; “I think this is the best time of Blink 182’s career, and we will be carrying on doing great things in the near future.” I hope they do as this is band that will never get old even with the next generation of music lovers to come. I’m happy I got to see this band during this point of this career.
Setlist:
- Feeling This
- Up All Night
- The Rock Show
- What’s My Age Again?
- Down
- I Miss You
- Wishing Well
- Dumpweed
- Always
- Violence
- After Midnight
- First Date
- Blow Job
- Heart’s All Gone
- Blow Job
- Man Overboard
- Fuck a Dog
- Ghost on the Dancefloor
- All the Small Things
- Josie
Acoustic set:
- Reckless Abandon
- Going Away To College
- Dick Lips
- All of This (without Robert Smith)
Encore:
- Can a Drummer Get Some? (Travis Barker drum solo)
- Carousel
- Dammit
- Family Reunion
- Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen cover)
Soapbox: Wild Nothing – Nocturne
Gemini had some great stand out songs but as all together it lacked the beautiful flow that these guys have now brought into Nocturne. After several listens to the new album, no song specifically stands out as being better than the rest; every song is solid. The songs are still incredibly catchy beats that are perfect for summer days. And the album isn’t one hit surrounded by a bunch of filler trash either — it’s an experience of hip synth vibes and again, a really strong beat with the drums. That’s one thing that I notice the most in Wild Nothing: the presence in the drums becomes quite dominant, all of the beats are put together beautifully; they give the song it’s originality. You have to greatly appreciate the instrumental structure to their songs. Incredibly impressive are the variations of sound in songs like “The Blue Dress”, which feel so much heavier but never out of place on their album.
These guys have been recently touring with Diiv, who also recently released a new album that is worth checking out.
Check out the song “The Blue Dress” below, from their new album.
Nocturne Tracklist:
01) Shadow
02) Midnight Song
03) Nocturne
04) Through The Grass
05) Only Heather
06) This Chain Won’t Break
07) Disappear Always
08) Paradise
09) Counting Days
10) The Blue Dress
11) Rheya
Listen: PORTALS Summer Mixtape 2012
PORTALS “is a refuge for emerging talent, for the young artist who may have no other place to be heard, for music that is better than its ability to seem cool.” The mixtape is full of phenomenal indie, lo-fi, and experimental artists thus, this mixtape is a perfect accompany for a relaxed, ‘chill mega chill’ Summer. Stream it below.
Giveaway: Sir Elton John’s New Memoir Love Is The Cure
Today, I’m also very glad to announce a special giveaway between Lost In The Sound and Little, Brown and Company. To support Elton and his organization, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, we are giving away three copies of the new book to readers from either the US or Canada (sorry, no PO boxes!).
We’ll be doing a random drawing in two weeks (July 31, 2012) to decide on three winners who will receive one copy each. How do you enter?
- Like us on Facebook for one entry.
- Follow us on Twitter for one entry. You can enter the contest twice by liking us on Facebook AND following us on Twitter.
- THEN send an email to giveaway@lostinthesound.com with a link to your Facebook or Twitter so that we can match you. If you do not want to enter using Facebook or Twitter, you can simply email giveaway@lostinthesound.com and you will be given one entry.
- On July 31, three winners will be emailed to obtain mailing information. Winners must be in the US or Canada and cannot have a PO box.
You can read more about the book below via press release.
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For the first time ever Elton John tells his own intensely personal story. Filled with exclusive details about his relationships with famous friends like Elizabeth Taylor, Freddie Mercury and Princess Diana, LOVE IS THE CURE (Little, Brown and Company/July 17, 2012/ISBN: ) is a truly revelatory look at one of the world’s most beloved singers and songwriters. LOVE IS THE CURE is a deeply personal account of his life during the era of AIDS and an inspiring look at what we must do to bring the epidemic to an end.
In the 1980s, Elton John saw friend after friend, loved one after loved one, perish needlessly from AIDS. In the midst of the plague he befriended Ryan White, a young Indiana boy ostracized by his town and his school because of the HIV infection he had contracted from a blood transfusion. Ryan’s inspiring life and devastating death led Elton to two realizations: His own life was a mess. And he had to do something to help stop the AIDS crisis.
Since then, Elton has dedicated himself to overcoming the stigma of AIDS and finding a cure. For the past 20 years he has done this through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised and donated $275 million to-date to fighting the disease worldwide. With powerful conviction and emotional force, Elton conveys the personal toll AIDS has taken on his life, and his infinite determination to stop its spread.
Elton John says, “This is a disease that must be cured not by a miraculous vaccine, but by changing hearts and minds, and through a collective effort to break down social barriers and to build bridges of compassion. Why are we not doing more? This is a question I have thought deeply about, and wish to answer-and help to change-by writing this book.” Sir Elton John’s first book is a deeply personal account of his life during the era of AIDS and an inspiring look at what we must do to bring the epidemic to an end.
The sale of Love Is the Cure will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), founded in 1992, has raised $275 million to fight the AIDS epidemic and help those affected by it. EJAF has supported hundreds of projects focusing on marginalized, stigmatized, and at-risk populations in 55 countries. EJAF is one of the largest AIDS grant-making organizations in the world, and the largest in the UK.
Listen: The xx – “Angels”
01 Angels
02 Chained
03 Fiction
04 Try
05 Reunion
06 Sunset
07 Missing
08 Tides
09 Unfold
10 Swept Away
11 Our Song
Listen: Dispatch – “Circles Around The Sun”
“‘Circles Around The Sun’ is the legend of our friend Larry Perry, who passed away this past year. In the early 1960s the space race had captured America. Looking to outdo the Soviets without putting their necks on the line, NASA, in an unprecedented, controversial move, took a very disabled young man away from his family to ready him for space flight. Both the USSR and USA had sent dogs and chimps into space, but the USA wanted more. Larry cannot walk or speak but was in perfect health and, more importantly, in the eyes of the government, expendable. Unbeknownst to them, from a very young age, Larry had always been an adrenaline junkie and the scientists and government officials were actually fulfilling the biggest adventure he could ever dream – to be launched into space. To everyone’s surprise, Larry returns from space triumphant and smiling.” – Chad
Stream: Passion Pit – Gossamer
PREORDER PASSION PIT’S GOSSAMER ON iTUNES
Listen: Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
Video: Blur – “Under The Westway”
Listen: John Legend – “Tonight (Remix) (feat. Pusha T)”
GOOD Music’s collaboration album Cruel Summer will hit the streets August 7th.
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