Surely I don’t need to fill you in on who Alt-J (∆) are, and their awesomeness – the media tidal wave from their Barclaycard Mercury Prize win will surely have taken care of that. Suffice to say, the Leeds-based ‘folk-step’ foursome are now a rather Big Thing. Their 2012 debut album An Awesome Wave has won them … Continue reading »
Montreux Jazz Festival to the rescue! With the release of their bumper crop of free gigs at the Montreux Jazz Cafe, the venerable festival has just saved a previously pretty dull 2012 Swiss summer festival season – a round of well-deserved applause, if you please. You can check out the full free programme here, but these … Continue reading »
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas….because a) Anna Calvi is back in town again, and b) I’ve got a bumper crop of free tix to give away. Woohoo! Yes, that would be me in the red jingly hat. It’s been hard to miss Anna Calvi this past year. She’s ignited both critical and … Continue reading »
I last caught up with Danish indie rock band Figurines at the Montreux Jazz Festival during the heady days of summer, where they played a short but rocking set with great aplomb. Now they’ve embarked on a European tour in support of their fourth album, Figurines, and will be back in town for a gig … Continue reading »
French Swiss folksters Make It Pink have built a loyal following over the course of their career, releasing their debut album Youth in 2005, Birth in 2008, and now their third album Dirth in April of this year. A couple of weeks ago they played a jam-packed Montreux Jazz Café, and I got a sense … Continue reading »
For the second time in a week I’m back in the dark confines of the Montreux Jazz Café (previously I saw super talented folksters Make It Pink and the formidably-voiced Anna Calvi), this time for the SPOT on Denmark night of Danish delights. Supported by ROSA, the Danish Rock Council and MXD, Music Export Denmark, … Continue reading »
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 … Continue reading »
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 … Continue reading »
Beefing up sales of red lipstick everywhere, Anna Calvi has just released ‘Desire’, the second single from her brilliant self-titled debut album: Love her throaty howl. Her album is one of my favourites of 2011, but I’ve yet to see her live. That will be remedied shortly, as she has a slew of Swiss gigs … Continue reading »
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 … Continue reading »
