Tag Archives: Arcade Fire

Weekend goodies: Spot on Denmark, Arcade Fire @ Montreux Jazz Festival

Posted on by
Reply

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Time is flying away in a blur, and soon I’ll be leaving these fair summery shores for cooler climes. This week has been madly busy but I’ve got two concerts to savour before I leave.

So many good things come from Denmark – Efterklang, The Killing, smørrebrød, and now there is Spot on Denmark, a Danish music spotlight this Saturday evening at the Montreux Jazz Cafe – Vinnie Who (disco pop), Figurines (indie pop/rock), and Reptile & Retard (electro-punk). When I was trawling through the Montreux Jazz programme I picked these ones as being of particular interest, so I’ll be keen to see what they can do, especially Figurines.

And then there’s Arcade Fire. Need I say more, except, hallelujah, I’ve been waiting to see them for years, and now’s my chance. Hopefully there will be a mini tweet-up as well – that would be fun.

Figurines, Vinnie Who and Reptile & Retard play at the Montreux Jazz Cafe on Saturday 09.07.11 from 10pm.

Arcade Fire play at the Auditorium Stravinski at the Montreux Jazz Festival on Sunday 10.11.11 from 8pm.

Make It Pink + Anna Calvi @ Montreux Jazz Festival 2011

Posted on by
1

Anna Calvi © Emma Nathan

I’m all excitement – after the beer-soaked festivities of Open Air St Gallen on the weekend, I’m now in the refined environs of the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Why am I here? Anna Calvi, of course – I’ve been chasing after her for a while. She is on my must-see list for tonight, as well as French Swiss band Make It Pink (both playing for free at the Montreux Jazz Cafe) – I’ve been enjoying their tremulous folk music for while now, so am interested to see them live.

Like I mentioned before, it’s my first time at Montreux Jazz, so I’m heading off on a reconnaissance mission (spotting best possible logistics and locations for Sunday’s sold-out Arcade Fire gig), maybe an icecream, and a sit down along the lakeside before I go and secure a spot for Anna – there’s already a queue forming.

Update: Actually, there wasn’t a queue, it was just a few steezy-looking guys milling around. I got a spot bang in the centre at the barrier. More to come soon.

Make It Pink + Anna Calvi play at the Montreux Jazz Cafe from 10pm, Monday 4th July 2011.

Montreux Jazz 2011 – Arcade Fire, Anna Calvi, Crystal Fighters, Wu Lyf, The Vaccines + more

Posted on by
3

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This year I’ll be going to my first Montreux Jazz Festival – that venerable institution, now in its 45th year, held over 16 days in the most beautiful festival location in Switzerland. I’ve been meaning to go for years but never managed it, so this year I’ll be popping my Montreux Jazz cherry in order to finally see the band that have proven so elusive to me in the last few years – Arcade Fire.

Now that the free programme has been released (and wow, the free programme is almost better than the paid programme!), here are my picks for this year’s festival:

Friday 1st July: Crocodiles + Funeral Party + Indiependance

Saturday 2nd July: Crystal Fighters + Wu Lyf

Monday 4th July: Anna Calvi + Make It Pink

Tuesday 5th July: The Vaccines, Laura Marling

Saturday 9th July: Figurines + Vinnie Who + Reptiles & Retard

Sunday 10th July: Chapel Club + Cold War Kids,  Arcade Fire (sold out!)

Monday 11th July: Friendly Fires + Kaspar Bjørke

Tuesday 12th July: Cascadeur + Agnes Obel

Wednesday 13th July: Lamb + Mogwai

There’s some interesting stuff there, eh? Looks like there might be a tweet-up of sorts happening at the Arcade Fire gig – now that would be fun. So stay tuned for tweets, reports and other tidbits from the front row – I’ll be queuing with the best of them, elbows sharpened and at the ready.

The 45th Montreux Jazz Festival runs from 1-16 July 2011.

See the full programme here, and buy tickets here.


General newsiness 30.12.10

Posted on by
Reply

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So here we stand, at the cusp of the new year, on the threshold of things to come. Here’s a little of what has been happening while I’ve been away stuffing my face with Christmas sticky date pudding:

Arcade Fire release track listing for new album The Suburbs

Posted on by
Reply

Arcade Fire have released the track listing for their new album The Suburbs – 16 tracks of listening pleasure available for your delectation from July 2nd (UK)/3rd (US/Canada/elsewhere). Needless to say I’m eagerly awaiting the release of this one, and  I’m sure I’m not the only one. Expectations are high, though – I don’t envy them the undoubted pressure.

Interesting to see the different pre-order options available for The Suburbs – variations and combinations of CD, vinyl, premium digital, premium CD etc etc. Music formats are moving and changing fast – before we know it we’ll be back to cassettes…
01    The Suburbs
02    Ready To Start
03    Modern Man
04    Rococo
05    Empty Room
06    City With No Children
07    Half Light I
08    Half Light II (No Celebration)
09    Suburban War
10    Month Of May
11    Wasted Hours
12    Deep Blue
13    We Used To Wait
14    Sprawl I (Flatland)
15    Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
16    The Suburbs (Continued)

Belle & Sebastian added to Zurich Openair line-up

Posted on by
Reply

The magicians over at the Zurich Openair festival (27-29th August 2010) have pulled another one out of the hat and added Glaswegian tweesters Belle & Sebastian to the mega line-up. It looks likely that they will play on Sunday 29th August. Someone over there is working their way through my list of bands-most-wanted, and ticking them off gleefully as they go – seriously, why isn’t it August yet?? (and, Zurich Openair people, how about Arcade Fire or The National for one last final hat-trick?! Hint hint!)

Belle & Sebastian have managed to elude me over the years – I’ve never seen them live (they are infrequent tourers, I know), much to my chagrin. I keep a list at the back of my head of bands that I MUST see before I shuffle off this mortal coil and Belle & Sebastian are one of them, not because I think they will especially blow my socks off live (although I’m sure they will be wonderful), but because I spent so many seminal years of my early adulthood listening to the dulcet tones of Stuart Murdoch singing about tea, ministers, child-sized jeans and herbaceous borders. Stuart and co. took me through many a seismic life change, and although they aren’t currently on high rotation in my household at the moment, I still have a secret spot reserved for them in my heart.

But just listening to the music – it’s not enough anymore. I want to see them in the flesh, standing before my very eyes. So you understand my excitement at finally being able to cross them off my most-wanted list. Thank you, Zurich Openair!

Belle & Sebastian are currently putting the finishing touches to their new studio album (watch their twitter for updates), and are curating the All Tomorrow’s Parties Bowlie 2 Festival (10-12th December 2010). They will play a select number of festivals  – see where they land here.