They are my favorite 'new band' for a good reason....they are simply awesome!!! I was debating on whether I should attend this gig as it was at the end of term and I had a lot of work before I left for my holidays. Then I thought to myself... get real... you ain't gonna miss this. Ticket bought, ticket sent home, ticket made it to the door and was chopped in half - one half was left behind with the door man and the other half made it into the venue.
I went straight after work so again not the greatest gig going attire but all through 2016 my work attire has served me well. Got my usual soda drink and this time as the venue was still relatively empty I planted myself on the right end of the stage. People started filling up the room. The supporting gig was a band called 'Hot Soles'. I must admit I don't like the band's name perhaps they would want to reconsider for marketing purposes! But... once they got on stage and the lead singer started dancing and singing... you get it! That boy's feet are on fire!
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He was jumping up and down - dancing like a maniac (in the greatest sense). He reminded me of Elvis Presley. Rock'n' Roll and all the good vibes. He had humor - teasing the crowd for being too silent. He wanted us to sing a lyric back at him. He tried his best but nobody replied back! He then teased a lad in the crowd, that did reply back at some point regarding a question he had made, by leaving the stage and singing next to him! |
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Not only did he have a great stage presence but he also had a great voice! I tried to find them on youtube to share with you a song because you do need to hear them. But dudes, yes Hot Soles I'm talking to you, you do need to change your band name - it took forever to find a video! The lead singer's voice is effortless. Absolutely superb. I hope I hear more about them....but first they need to sort out their band name! |
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Next, The Crookes. I must note, and you may have noticed in the picture above, that the Hot Soles used The Crookes drums! In every gig that I have attended each band has their own instruments and it takes a long time to dismantle one set and put together the other. This is the first gig that the main act 'allowed' the supporting act to use their instruments. Kudos to The Crookes drummer!
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I won't gush over The Crookes in this gig review... yeah right, think again!!!! They were brilliant. Plain and simple brilliance. They are energetic, they are skillful, they have humor, they have style, they're my favorite new band.
I wonder how known they are. They do fill the Bodega every time they come but I haven't heard them on the radio so I wonder. And more importantly - I wonder why! They should really be recognized for their talent. Maybe in two years time they will become a household name, like the Vaccines or the ...gee can't think of another group at the moment but you get the gist. It's not only that they have a great vibe on stage, or that they are easy on the eyes, they are also skillful musicians with great songs. They did sing my favorites 'Sofie'. 'Backstreet lovers' and 'I wanna waste my time on you'. Given it was their Christmas Tour, they also sang the song that introduced me to them 'Yes, yes, we are magicians' and their Christmas song 'You're just like Christmas' which is just beautiful. (Reader please give me a second to check if it charted during Christmas - hmm... I didn't find anything...why?). One of the other Christmas songs they sang was 'All alone for Christmas'. The lead singer asked who remembers the song from Home alone 2? Who spent their childhood watching that movie every Christmas? But nobody replied! He felt so old! I really don't think any of the people in the crowd even knew the Home Alone movies...they were quite young. If you are asking about me... yes I am of that age but never watched those movies cause I found Kevin to be annoying! |
The night was coming to an end. The lead singer did thank the boys who took a picture with him in the toilets! They ended their gig with crowd-pleaser 'All I want for Christmas is you'. Everybody was singing and dancing along. It was a great Christmas party! I'm glad I decided to go. It was a great final gig for my 2016 gig going.
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