April 20th 2011, I won a pair of tickets to go to the JDSet (Jack Daniel’s whisky) in Glasgow at the O2 ABC.
They organise different gigs in London, Glasgow, Manchester, inviting artists to perform songs on a particular theme.
In London, several artists like Tim Wheeler (Ash) will cover songs from Pixies, in Manchester it was covers from The Smiths, and in Glasgow it was Sharleen Spiteri, Kate Nash, Ramona, Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen), Kid Adrift who will cover songs from David Bowie.
We waited a bit too long before the concert (about 1h 🙁 ) but then Sharleen Spiteri is on stage with some members of her band Texas. Artists will sing either solo or in duets.
Some well known songs such as The man who sold the world, Andy Warhol, etc … will be performed by the different artists.
As my pictures weren’t as good as expected I started recording videos.
Kate Nash – Under Pressure
Sharleen Spiteri & Kate Nash – Life on Mars
At the end, Sharleen went to grab her guitar, cheered by the audience to what she answered “Ah you recognize me now” 🙂
She will then play 2 Texas songs : Black Eyed Boy, et Inner Smile
It was good for us … We are now looking forward to being in June 3rd at the Barrowlands for Texas concert !!! 🙂
It was a really good evening.
If you want more pictures it’s better to go on JD Set website, you will find some videos too.
Heather Peace, I already said something about her last November when she played in Glasgow (Article). Best known after Lip Service as Sam Murray, her acting didn’t start in this serie. She’s also known to be part of London’s Burning … but if you ask her what she’s doing as a living, she would say she’s a singer before being an actress
Since then her 1st album This is me is out, you can find on it covers along with her own songs.
Then ? It’s really easy : A UK Tour she wouldn’t do alone as Jill Jackson and Lisa Tring will be there on stage with her.
What we can say it’s not a crew stuck in Scotland on the way to Northern Ireland or a doctor who advises her to be careful with her voice that will stop Heather to enjoy herself on the road to please her audience.
I planned to go to the 2 gigs in Glasgow + the one in London (I was meant to celebrate my 10 years anniversary with my buddy Muriel I met for a Texas concert in 2001 in Belgium). In the meantime, I added the gig in Newcastle to the list.
This tour was a bit different for me as I was meant to take pictures for Heather Peace in Glasgow …
I enjoyed myself in a different way and I liked it.
During the gig she performed Thank god for you on keyboard (she’s got this little thing which is different I can’t explain when she plays keyboards!), Ain’t no sunshine, Never been a girl like you, I will make a wish, it’s about love.
She asked Jill to show a Jackson move … Jill did it … but failed as she couldn’t do more than a little move. Heather is now wearing a shiny hat and Lisa a shiny glove (quite similar as P!NK’s one I would say) to perform a really good Human Nature.
Better than you, a song dedicated to her ex, then she will sing My way only, Harmony, and then You’re for keeps.
The next song will be a new one, she wrote it with Jill Jackson : Sabotage. What I can say is that it’s a good mix and when you’re more used to listen to Jill’s music you can feel she’s part of it too !
She will end this part with Ushe’s cover DJs got us falling in love.
Heather and Jill will be back on stage then to perform a breathtaking Forgive me … #goosebumps.
The gig will end with 2 Rihana’s cover Te Amo et Only Girl in the world. The audience wants more now 🙂
Two days after this gig in Glasgow … Heather was organising a “Tea Party” at Sloan’s. A way to listen to good music while having a tea (or wine) and cake. She wanted to organise something special so she had special guests along with her.
First with Susan Calman. She was already taking part of the Comedy Festival in Glasgow as the next day she was on stage too. I would have loved to go and see her as I quite liked her … Next time.
then Heather, Jill and Lisa will perform something a bit intimate I would say.
It was Mother’s day on this sunday, to celebrate this, Heather invited her mother to sing with her on stage for a really special duet.
At the end of the gig Jill & Heather will take time to sign autographs, take pictures with their fans ….
My friends Lisa and Wendy wanted to queue, they were the last ones. I was waiting on the side talking with Sarah and Lee … when it was Lisa’s turn I went to take the picture and Heather sees me and point me out saying “here is my photographer !” … I must admit I was surprised ! Then she asked me to take a picture with her, I said no at first but she insisted so Lee took the picture (good one, thanks Lee), and I talk a bit with her.
Time to leave then, and say to Sarah that I will meet them in London for now …
A day off in Heather’s schedule, and then I’m on my way to Newcastle. It wasn’t planned at all but Wendy convinced me to go … which wasn’t really hard to do :p
We arrived earlier than we thought, in a very little venue. I thought I was at a really good spot to take my pictures but it wasn’t and managed to go to the 1st row to take better ones.
The gig was better than in Glasgow regarding the audience, even if some could have stopped talking …
On stage even if there was some problems with the sound, it was all fine.
After the gig I met Karen, I already “know” her as I saw her at some of Jill’s gig in Glasgow, and she tells me she will go to London as well.
While driving down to France I planned to stop in Leeds and noticed Heather was playing on the same day there … but bad timing …
A week after, I’m back in UK and stop in London for 2 days, to go to Heather’s gig with Muriel. It was her first gig and seemed to enjoy it.
This time it’s not Susan Calman but Suzi Ruffell on stage. With the energy she’s got and some really good jokes she managed to make the audience laugh a lot and that was good.
The supporting act was the same as in Glasgow, Midas Fall. Their music is quite similar to Radiohead and Portishead. They had 2 of their songs in Lip Service, so quite obvious to see them on stage.
Heather’s gig was really good. And after a week I could say that Heather and Jill were working better and better together, and with Lisa as well. It was good to see that.
This time the only difference was this man, the only one maybe (appart from the security guys … and Daddy Peace :p ), Dave, bassist.
Oh … Jill still doesn’t know how to do the moonwalk by the way …
I did the best pictures I I could feel it during the evening .. That made me be happy 🙂
After the 1st part of the gig, Suzi Ruffell is back on stage, joking again and again, and she introduced Ruta Gedmintas (Frankie in Lip Service) who announced the 2nd part of the gig.
The gig will end as usual but I can say that Forgive Me was the far better than at the beginning of the tour, the duet improved a lot ! And the audience is on fire after Rihana’s covers.
This tour is now over … oh no it’s not .. Heather had to postpone Cardiff to May 2nd due to her voice.
Jill has already announced 3 gigs in May in Glasgow. She will be with Heather again on stage at Go.Go Festival in June (along with Uh Uh Her).
Here are all my pictures from the 4 gigs I’ve done : Heather Peace UK Tour 2011
And you can have a look at the Road Diary
I would like to thank obviously Jill Jackson and Heather Peace that made me have a good time when taking my pictures … but I would like to thank Lee & Sarah as well because without them nothing would have happened 😉
In France, no need to introduce Nolwenn Leroy. In 2002 she won the french X Factor. Since then some like her, some really doesn’t. That’s a choice … I won’t discuss it.
At first I never said if I liked her or not (maybe because she was part of this x factor thing), the only thing I liked was her voice. Then I began to like her … more and more.
June, 12 2006, first time I will see her live, and first time I will meet her (My review – sorry only in french). Since then I have never stop liking what she’s been doing.
The same year, on October 6th, I’m going to her concert, part of her Histoires Naturelles tour (My review – sorry again in french only).
Even if I didn’t really liked her album Le Cheshire Cat et moi I never said she wouldn’t do anything good again.
December 2010, here she is again, back for good, reaching easily the top of the french charts, with an album nobody would have expected. Bretonne is an album really special for her as it’s a link with her own roots, from Brittany.
Nolwenn Leroy stays n°1 in the charts, everybody talks about it … and now it’s even more, even abroad !
I’ve already seen somewhere online she would like an english version of her album … Will it be true ? If so, this is good because The Telegraph published something about her this morning France falls in love with Brittany as Nolwenn Leroy’s album tops the charts …
In the meantime … maybe next year she will be part of Celtic Connections here in Glasgow #dream …
As you don’t know who Nolwenn Leroy is, here are some videos :
Videos from Bretonne Mna Na H-Eireann (Women of Ireland)
Ok, this time I wont talk about gig and music but cinema
This week I watched The Black Swan because my cousin wanted to know my point of view.
I must admit that I prefer to decide when to watch a movie cause it all depends on my mood. But I did it.
I did everything not to be disturbed by anything (no facebook, no msn … nothing 🙂 Let’s go !).
If you haven’t heard anything about this film … here is a sum up : Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballet danser does everuything to win the lead in “Swan Lake”. She’s perfect for the role of the white swan but Thomas (Vincent Cassel) thinks that Lily (Mila Kunis) is better for the black swan.
Nina does her best to fit in this role, and the dark side of it is getting on her day after day …
I was scared that the danse part would bored me, even if I like classical music, I was scared that all the stuff with the Golden Globes/Oscar would aftect my abjectivity … But I can say it now : Natalie Portman deserves her award !
Talking about schizophrenia isn’t easy but they did well, Natalie Portman play it well too. The duality between black and white, the fight between Nina and Lily … everything is a fight in Nina’s life, Nina danse to succeed, this role is a fight for her to achieve something she’s not, so she can aim to her goal and being the best.
This film is like a music score going crescendo, as a ballet to the final point. Breathtaking at some point !
The way the movie is recorded you can feel as if you were Nina, as if the swan’s wings are yours, to be closer to her world.
Yes, I won’t deny it : You should go and watch it ! Better twice than never 🙂 !
Wednesday, February 23rd 2011. Even if I’m really tired on that day, I’m ready to go to Jill Jackson‘s gig @The Ferry in Glasgow.
This gig must be special for her as it’s the album launch, her brand new album Back to Zero. A gig she will be able to perform with the whole band as well. It’s been a long time it hasn’t been this way (as far as I’m concerned, since last year).
The gig is at The Ferry, a boat on the River Clyde. The bar is upstairs, the stage underneath but you can enjoy the performance from upstairs too.
I prefered to go downstairs, my friend Sophie followed me later.
Jill is now on stage and starts performing in front of an audience full of fans, and her family and friends too. She even introduce some of them (on her left handside) as “her bitches”. I’m not saying that, she did!
Without any surprise, Jill will perform most of her album. I must admit that I took lots of pictures, but it’s not as if it was the 1st time I was listening to Jill’s music … it’s been about 1yr1/2 now … ;-).
I didn’t record any video … but found one on youtube, taken from upstairs:
After the gig, Jill stayed available for a while and you could have a signature, buy her album/shirts … taking pictures with her. With Sophie we went in the line … but for my part I already bought the album online so we just took a pic with her. While waiting we talked for a while with Mary at the merchandising stand, with 2 girls we taught some french and who taught us some lines from Aberdeen (with the accent 😉 ), when I asked Jill about tattoos she recommended her friend, the one who made one on her forearm … Was quite a good fun too.
Some of my pics :
If you want to see all of them : Album Launch @The Ferry, Glasgow
It was a really good evening for me … Wasn’t tired anymore at the end of the evening 🙂
You can download the album on the Apple Store.
(clic on the pic to access to the store)
~*~*~
Saturday, February 26th. Jill played in a local music store in Paisley, her hometown. A wee accoustic set that let people who couldn’t come to the gig early the week listening to her performing her new album. In the audience there were children who weren’t allowed to attend the gig on wednesday, her granny who find these gigs too noisy ;-), and some fans who came straight from Manchester !
My pictures from this accoustic set : Mini Accoustic Set, Paisley
Next step for me will be on April 1st at Classic Grand in Glasgow, where she will perform along with Heather Peace during her UK Tour.
Before that, an video she did before her gig in Glasgow : Jill Jackson Album Launch
Glasgow – Lyon, 1600km (995 miles … by plane!) to go and see K’s Choice’s concert … It’s not that bad for a 2hrs concert ! 🙂 … But … K’s, it’s been about 10 yrs I haven’t seen them live all together … The 1st time, and last time, was in February 2002 …
Everything will start on saturday, when Muche (my bestfriend) surprised me by being in Lyon too, and told me she will be there for the concert too with Nini and Sophie !!! I was so happy ! I knew I would go to the concert with Céline, but it was even better !
Then on sunday, after a wee brunch at Julia’s with Céline, we will go to The Transbordeur to try to meet Christelle and/or Anou and being there for the soundcheck. When we arrive we can hear that we arrived a bit too late. We will enter and as thought, we’ll be standing in front of the band playing, 3 girls are sitting in front of the stage, we can see Christelle a bit further.
30min later it’s over, Céline will stay there when I’m going to pick up Vic, Muche, Nini and Soso to drive back to The Transbordeur.
When inside I lost everybody .. But Céline saw me, and I’ll go with her at the 1st row.
The supporting band … We were told it would be someone like Jeff Buckley … But there’s nothing in Arid which is like Jeff Buckley. Nevertheless, this belgian band from Gent is not bad at all.
When installing everything on the stage … I could see the setlist, which is half size of the page … that made me rememeber that a band or singer need to perform minimum 45min to get paid … so that scared me a bit …
9pm, all lights off … They all arrive on stage, to sit down on a chair. Sarah says hi and explains how the concert will be orgonized. There will be a 1st part, accoustic set, a break and then the 2nd part more lively, with old tunes. Like that 🙂
I don’t remember which song they played during the 1st set, but I remember the fact that when “Virgin State of Mine” started, Céline and I were so astonished that everybody around us could here us shouting “OMG!!!” !
One thing I must admit is that it was really good to hear Gert’s voice on some songs, songs we were used to hear from Sarah only. At some point we were nearly sure it would be Shadowman they would play … But it was How simple it can be 🙂 … Sarah even asked for some help from the audience by singung “love, love, love” at the end
I remember that they played Let it grow, When I lay beside you… Well, in fact most of Echo Mountain album.
After about 10 songs, the 1st part is over, everybody’s back backstage and that’s me going at the back too … but back of the audience, to finish the concert with Soso, Muche et Hélène. After some minutes the place is in the dark again and not it’s now the turn of old good stuff 🙂
This time I’ve got the setlist to help me … :
I left the 1st row a wee bit too early otherwise I would have been able to enjoy Believe with Céline … .
… And for Not an Addict, I was a wee bit too far …
It was all so good !!! We can see that the audience is full of people who already know the band for a long time, a part of Sarah’s audience was there and melted really well, everybody seems really pleased.
After a couple of minutes, the band is back on stage for some other songs …
Oops ! It’s not the whole band, but only Gert and the guitar player (sorry I forgot his name) … Lights again off … only 1 or 2 enlightening the stage .. and then .. yes !! …Shadowman !!!! I know it would be bvious to have it … but still ! It was so good !!!! 🙂
Then we had Perfect and Everything for free which could have been good songs to end the concert … but they won’t be .. the band is back for only 1 song God in my bed.
As usual after the concert the tell us they will be at the merchandising stand to sign and take picture with how ever wants it (1/4 of the audienc 🙂 ). Yes, with Céline we went too :-P. I told Sarah that it’s great to play in London but they can come to Glasgow too as the city is full of places for them to have a gig. She sign my ticket and gave me a plectrum …
It all worth the journey ! 🙂
A special day for me on this Thursday, January 20th. It’s my birthday. It should be friends, family who buy you presents on this day … but this time I wanted to buy me something special 🙂
In December, I decided to go to Ani DiFranco‘s concert. Her concert is part of Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow … whereas it’s nothing but celtic …
Which is good so you can discover other artists throughout the festival too.
As far as I’m concern I know Ani DiFranco, but not that much. I listened to some songs of her but without really paying attention. But I know I like her songs, I just should have been more interested before. But maybe I didn’t do it because she’s one of these singers who have thousands of songs, so if you discover her too late, you’ve got millions things to learn …
No need to say I never went to any of her gigs, I can’t link a song to a title. I listen to them but I don’t know much more about them … Yes, I must admit it !
I decided not to go to the supporting act, I arrived right on time for the concert … on time ? But it’s only 8.20pm !!!
She’s a bit late … but Wendy managed to come and she told me she’s the same as me regarding Ani ! Perfect lol
I managed to discover somebody who’s got lots of energy and who has got a really good voice.
Somebody who talks a lot and who explains why she decided to write this song.
Oh, I forgot to say, Ani was sharing the stage … with her guitar only.
Songs after songs, I start to really really like the way she is on stage and her songs.
I can say I had a really good birthday evening !
The setlist :
Anticipate 78% H20 Swim Dilate Who Is She (And What Is She To You?) Promiscuity Unworry Jay Splinter Present / Infant Amendment Two Little Girls Rain Check Unknown Song Zoo Which Side Are You On Both Hands Angel From Montgomery
Thursday, January 11th, I’m off, and I can see on twitter that Emma’s Imagination will have a wee set in HMVs in Dumfries and Glasgow.
I said myself “why not” … As I wanted to buy the album, it was a good excuse to go into town :).
If Emma’s Imagination starts to be known in UK, it’s not the same abroad, appart from some who already know her, she’s everything but well known.
She’s from Edinburgh, she started playing in the streets of Glasgow a year before being known.
She first started to be known thanks to the english show Must be the music. Same kind of show as X Factor, but on this one, singers are a bit more professional, they have already started something and just want to improve in it. They can also perform in front of the judges (Jamie Cullum, Dizzee Rascal et Sharleen Spiteri) their own songs not doing covers.
As soon as the show started she was doing better and better in the show until she won it (us watching the show, we were able to vote only when it was the final, not before)
Her 1st single This day is already in the Top 10 in UK charts, her album Stand still is out since a week or so.
Must Be The Music – Emma’s Imagination, This Day
That’s why this afternoon I went into town to attend this mini accoustic set (mini as there were only 2 songs). At the end she was there to sign anything and take pictures. It wasn’t too bad as there was only 15 persons in the queue. Thing is there was no adverts at all and she only announced it earlier in the morning …
She’s a really nice person, all smiling. I just need to listen to the album now 🙂
