OBK CHANNEL

Category: Features

  • Concert review: Charli XCX, Kitten play Social

    Wait, was that a Twerk

    Charli XCX performs at The Social in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. (OBK STAFF)

    By OBK

    All age shows are always interesting and full of unique people. This was no different Wednesday night at The Social for English-diva Charli XCX and indie-rock band Kitten.

    While the doors did not open until 7 p.m., there was already a pretty decent line formed at 5:30 p.m. when I arrived to interview Chloe Chaidez of Kitten before the show. Some fans so early that they beat both artist to the venue and stated that they watched them arrive in their “normal clothes.”

    In the front of the stage, teens kept their “X” marked hands waving from side to side for the entire show, as their chaperones and miscellaneous older-couples drank and danced away by the bar.

    Decked out in all black, headliner Charli XCX approached her blue LED mic stand — backed by a band made up of schoolgirls band — and the already energetic crowd excitement quickly escalated even more.

    Charli opened up her 70-minute set with rap song “What I Like,” and gave those who never heard her major-label debut, a chance to enjoy “True Romance” in it’s entirety, as she ran through almost every song on the tracklist. While her performance to Icona Pop’s popular single “I Love it” — which she featured on and co-wrote — got the crowd jumping, it was her original material that got them to shake the club.

    Her latest single and fan favorite of the night “Super Love” went over well with the audience as the singer gyrated, giving her best 2000 Britney Spears’ reenactment. If Charli was not at the microphone stand she was out interacting with the crowd, showing she could also be a hardcore-rocker. During “You (Ha Ha Ha)” the singer thrased around the small stage, and during “Take My Hand” she encouraged members of the audience to do just that, as they pulled her into the crowd during the upbeat party anthem.

    Before ending her set with hard-hitting synth-pop jam “Grins,” Charli invited Chaidez on stage to join her in covering Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy.”

    Kitten opens up for Charli XCX at The Social in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. (OBK STAFF)

    Kitten did not let Charli XCX have all the fun, as the band kicked the show off. Lead by Chaidez, who performed the entire set shoeless, the band got into the thrasing early.

    From their lead singer down to their keyboardist, the band packs a ton of energy. Shows always go well when the crowd is familiar with the opening act, and doesn’t mind showing up early to see everyone perform.

    The band is a group one must witness live to fully enjoy. While their recordings are very clean and polished, the group provides more of a raw feel when on stage.

    It’s no surprise that Chaidez favorite song to perform is “Like A Stranger.” The album-titled track mixes an 80’s pop-funk vibe with a new wave synth sound, that someone of any age could enjoy and dance to.

    Chaidez lioness-like personality really transcended into the groups set. Not only does she provide excellent vocals, but the chick can dance. If she was not shaking her tail feather alongside her backing vocalist Fiona Grey, you could catch her on stop of the speakers raging, or mounted on the back of an audience member’s neck. With so much movement and so much hair, at times one could think Cousin Itt performing.

    She even took the time to honor a few fans of hers who tweeted her earlier in the day, letting her know they would be sporting homemade tutus.

    Both acts provided a very interesting sound, transitioning their recorded material into a live set that gave old songs new feels. It was cool to see them interact with everyone at the merchandise table following the show, providing that true fan experience.

    (Photos from the night)

  • Concert review: Every seats a good seat for Josh Groban and Judith Hill

    Concert review: Every seats a good seat for Josh Groban and Judith Hill

    Josh Groban melted the hearts of thousands of fans with his smooth baritone voice and handsome good looks during a performance for his “In The Round” tour Saturday night.

    During a set change, Groban was spotted by fans as he stood peering into the crowd in an area of empty space next to the bleachers. Fans began to shout and take pictures but nothing prepared them for what happened next.

    The crowd erupted in frenzy with many fans screaming out his name and crying as Groban sauntered through the crowd from one side of the Amway Center Arena to the other. Fans on the floor level were rewarded with up close glimpses of hair flips of the star’s signature wavy hair and flashes of his gorgeous smile.

    The arena exploded with loud cheer as the lights dimmed and Groban made his way to the stage to begin the show.

    He opened the show with “Brave”, the first single from his sixth studio album, “All That Echoes,” released in February. He followed up with another song from the album, “False Alarms.”

    In between songs he entertained the crowd with small talk about the weather and chatted about being thrilled to be in a city that he considers amusement park heaven. He also held a short question and answer session, randomly selecting questions previously submitted to him by fans.

    The audience laughed as Groban impersonated the voice of cartoon character Stewie from the show, “Family Guy.”

    After the moments of fun and laughter had ended, Groban got back down to business and softened the mood with an older fan favorite “February Song,” and several other songs that he performed in Spanish and Italian.

    The mood got even softer and more romantic as Groban was joined by opening act Judith Hill for a few duet songs including his song, “Remember When it Rained.”

    Hill is a very talented singer best known for her time spent as a contestant on the NBC television show “The Voice” where she was voted off after making it to the top eight in the competition.

    She was also chosen as a duet partner for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour and rehearsed with him for months leading up to his death. She has recently signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment and plans to release an album in the near future.

    Groban intended to close the show with his ultimate hit “You Raise Me Up,” but the rowdy crowd continued to cheer when he finished the song and began to make his way off the stage.

    He gave in and performed one last song by Charlie Chaplin called “Smile.” After that, the fans seemed satisfied, smiling as the made their way out of the arena.

    By OBK STAFF

  • Indie-band The Mowgli’s influences random acts of kindness (interview)

    To have people sing-a-long to your music is one thing, to be influential on their life is another.

    Take Colin Louis Dieden, vocalist of The Mowgli’s. On top of providing a great dance party at their shows, he looks to fill an open void in peoples heart.

    “I originally wanted to be a writer and write books, and then I realized I don’t have near much of an attention span to do that,” said Dieden, who started writing when he was 11-years-old.

    “So I turned to songs and found out I could tell the stories I wanted to tell in three- minutes and 20-seconds. I am able to get out what I need to get out and portray the messages that I feel is important.”

    The Mowgli’s are an eight-piece alternative rock-based band out of Southern California. They are named after a former band member’s dog Mowgli, itself named after a character from Rudyard Kipling’s novel “The Jungle Book.”

    Dieden is originally from Kansas City, Missouri and hooked up with group-mate Michael Vincze when he moved to Los Angeles and started writing music.

    Out of the eight-members in total, five of the members are from the Calabasas area of Northern Los Angeles.

    The group is best known for their single “San Francisco,” which reached No. 11 on Billboard’s alternative chart.

    The single was inspired by Dieden ‘s and Vinczen’s “wild adventure in the city. The song has been included on all three of the groups projects, including their major label debut “Waiting for the Dawn.”

    “Every single show their are more-and-more kids that are singing the words to every song on the record, its a wild thing,” he said.

    “Before when we first looked out into the audience, we seen kids singing the lyrics to ‘San Francisco’ and that was a trip. But now they’re singing the words to every song and it’s one of the most beautiful and humbling things I’ve ever experienced.”

    The Mowgli’s previously toured with Walk Off The Earth, and are currently headlining “The Random Acts of Kindness Tour.”

    “What we try to do is have people leave our shows happier than they came in,” said Dieden.

    They will also be performing on both dates at the Coastline Festival in Tampa and Jacksonville.

    By OBK

  • Q&A: St. Lucia excited for his Florida return

    South African born musician Jean-Philip Grobler, who goes by St. Lucia is set to perform at the first ever Coastline Festival presented by Live Nation.

    Only Black Kid Channel editor caught up with St. Lucia to discuss his newest album “When the night,” touring with Two Doors Cinema Club and performing at outdoor festivals.

    OBK: How and where did the name St. Lucia come about?

    St. Lucia: One day, out of frustration, I took a map of South Africa and a pen,closed my eyes, put the pen down on the map a few times, and the fifth try was St. Lucia. In that moment, everything made sense to me about the project.

    The South African St. Lucia, similar to the Caribbean St. Lucia, is a sub-tropical coastal area, and I used to vacation there as a child. The fact that the music I was developing has this hazy, nostalgic, melancholy feeling to it, and most of my memories of St. Lucia were the same made everything fall into place for me.

    OBK: You grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then moved around to Liverpool and Brooklyn. How has your times in different parts of the world influenced your music?

    SL: I think that being fortunate to not only visit but to actually live in all of these different places has afforded me a fairly unique perspective on the world of music, and to not beholden to one scene or style.

    All of the places I’ve lived have contributed amazing things to the world of music, but I noticed that often people who were a part of those scenes, or who had only ever experienced that one scene had a fairly narrow view of what music could or should be. Sometimes that approach turns out really well, but I’ve always been attracted to broader musical horizons.

    OBK: What type of reception have you been hearing on of your newest album “When the Night?”

    SL: From what I’ve read the reception has been good, but I try not to put too much credence into what other people think about my work. That being said, I’m fully aware that without other people liking my music I wouldn’t really be able to make it, so, of course I’m happy that people are enjoying what I’m doing and that I’m able to continue doing what I do.

    One of the things that keeps coming up is that people seem to think that the album seems to get better with each listen. I’m glad that it has that effect because my favorite albums are ones that grow and reveal themselves over time, as well as being satisfying on the first listen.

    OBK: Is there anything on “When the Night?” that you wish you could go back and change, and how will you incorporate that into your next project?

    SL: The fact that the album was made over such a long period of time means that there are inherently things that I would have done differently if I’d recorded all the songs at the same time.

    That’s not for better or worse, it’s just that my tastes have shifted slightly and my knowledge of certain instruments has grown over that time period. I do think that the songs being recorded over such a long time serves the album because it gives it a broader sonic palette.

    OBK: Your touring with Two Doors Cinema Club, how has that been? Any stops you remember most?

    SL: It’s been great! These kinds of tours are always whirlwinds for us because we have such long distances to drive each day, and so we can’t stay up or out too late each night. It’s kind of like getting a little sampler of each city that you’re in, but to me that’s better than not seeing the cities at all.

    I think that one of my favorite parts of the tour was driving from Calgary to Vancouver through the Canadian Rockies. Probably the most dramatically beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen on tour.

    OBK: Have you ever toured in Florida, and what do you expect coming in?

    SL: We played in Miami and Orlando on our tour with Ellie Goulding, and both stops were a lot of fun. I always love getting to the South because of the weather and how good it smells. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go to the beach as well.

    OBK: Which do you prefer, indoor shows or outdoor festivals?

    SL: Both types of venues can be great. However, there is something to be said for an outdoor stage in front of a sea of people in the perfect weather as the night is rolling in.

    By OBK STAFF

  • 3OH!3 needs your energy (interview)

    As the “Journeys Noise Tour” looks to get over the halfway mark, electronic-rock duo 3OH!3 makes their way to Orlando.

    3OH!3 is made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte — natives of Boulder, Colo. — the band is named after the city’s 303 area code.

    Best known for their 2008 single “Don’t Trust Me,” which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group’s commercial success has garnered them song placements on “The Real World: Cancun” and the opportunity to write an anthem for MLB’s Colorado Rockies.

    “In the end of it we are not trying to ride the trend wave; we are just trying to write music we like, that has a lot of energy,” said Foreman in a recent interview with the Voice.

    “Hopefully it’s a good song at the end of the day and you can listen to it five- years from now and not just be like ‘oh that’s just some dubstep song’ but instead be like ‘oh that’s a 3OH!3.’”

    3OH!3 released their fourth studio album “Omens” this year under Atlantic Records imprint Photo Finish Records.

    The “Journeys Noise Tour” is the first opportunity the duo has had to tour the album.

    “We play a handful of songs off the album and people know the words so that’s always a good test,” he says.

    “I think for us it’s all about the energy of the show and having a good time. I think that happens when we perform stuff all the new album as well as the old.

    The duo is at the half way mark of the tour and not looking to slow down. They makes their way to House of Blues on Thursday, Nov. 7 and can not wait to perform in Orlando.

    “We’re just kind of got over the half way mark, and still feeling good. We’re having a good time but we’re just excited to get back down to Florida.”

    30h!3 will be supported by some of their favorite bands; The Summer Set, Wallpaper and New Beat Fund.

    “The worst thing about a band that you like is that they suck live. These bands are all incredible performs; so if you haven’t heard any songs from these guys, when you come to the show you are going to be wanting more,” he added noting 30H!3 personally selected the groups to tour with them.

    All acts have recently collaborated on a track entitled “Turn the Night On.”

    “It’s something about our fans that are great. They are always the fans that show up and check out all the other bands,” said Foreman who saw Wallpaper perform at Warped Tour and got stopped and his track because they put on that good of a show.

    Tickets are still available for $27 via Live Nation and the House of Blues Box Office.

    3OH!3 will be posting updates throughout the tour on their Facebook and Twitter social media sites.

    By OBK

  • Steve Aoki: Electronic dance musician helps drive culture with hip hop sounds (interview)

    Steve Aoki makes his way to Orlando on Oct. 20 alongside Waka Flocka Flame and Dim Mak family. (Photographer: Dave Shore)

    Grammy-nominated musician and record producer, songwriter, and founder of Dim Mak Records — his father should be proud that his hard work genes wore off on his son. The work ethic of a wild animal, it’s no wonder Steve Aoki is one of the most requested artist in the music industry.

    No newbie to the music scene, the 35-year old entrepreneur founded Dim Mak in 1996. Since its creation, Dim Mak has evolved from a little-known hardcore band out of southern California to a movement looking to push the boundaries of music, through records, apparel and non stop touring.

    While Aoki has claimed a plethora of  fans over the years, acting as one of the front-runners helping push the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) world, his list of haters has also increased. Recently a satirical web publication deemed him as a “fake DJ” just looking to shake up the culture, going as far as quoting him on things he never said.

    “I thought it was funny, because they actually quoted me saying shit I never said,” said Aoki in an exclusive phone interview with the Valencia Voice. “It was so absurd that I was laughing until people actually believed it.

    “That’s when I was like: ‘You know what, the last thing I want to do is confuse my fans, because at the end of the day I am where I am because of  my fans. It’s because of them I’m doing what I’m doing.’ If they didn’t give a fuck about my music or never came out to my shows, I guess I would have decided a long time ago it’s time to move on.”

    Coming off what he credits as the biggest year of his career — Aoki put the “Tour Forever” mantra to full force performing in more than 350 stops on the Deadmeat Tour, released an album, and was nominated for a Grammy — he looks to only make this year better.

    While he has no plans to release his second studio album, “Neon Future,” until the spring of 2014, he does plan to continue putting out music and continue touring.

    It may be safe to say that Aoki does not stop working and may in fact be a vampire. Instead of taking the potential few days he had off from shows to rest following his performance at electronic music festival TomorrowWorld, he spent them on late night studio sessions leading all the way up to night before his “Aiokofy Tour” started.

    “I’m really proud of what my work ethic has grown to be. I got a good discipline that I learned from my father, who trained me like a fucking animal.”

    While many artist have trouble making and putting out music on the go, Aoki has managed to fit it in his tour schedule.

    “At the end of the day it’s all about discipline, because you have the time as long as you make use of it and manage it properly.”

    For a long period of time, Aoki could not produce records while he was on the road. Throughout the years he has evolved and credits a good part of that success to his peers. Rapper Kendrick Lamar being one in specific.

    “Kendrick’s work ethic really inspired me. His bus was a studio, so whenever I went there to jam out he was working hard. Dude has the best work ethic I’ve seen in a while from an artist.”

    Aoki and Kendrick spent three weeks together touring different colleges across the U.S., where he was able to soak up some of those influences. During this time, Aoki got to experience some of the best moments of his career, as he witnessed two different cultures and communities come together for one event to create a positive vibe and have the time of their life.

    Rather than just letting those memories fade away at the conclusion of that tour, Aoki began searching for another hip-hop artist that could help provide that natural organic bridge and supply that same spark if not greater on the “Aokify America Tour.”

    After doing some research and thinking of artist he already was a fan of, he turned to Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka Flame.

    “The thing about this tour is, I want to make it the most live tour possible. When I was looking at other artist, I checked out his YouTube videos and dude is fucking nuts,” says Aoki.

    “The guy is not just an incredible rapper, with a great catalog of songs and an amazing following, he is also a great performer on stage. He’s always interacting with the audience and jumping around; and some what reminds me of myself to be honest. When I see him going crazy, I’m like ‘that’s the guy I want to be touring with.’”

    A good fit in deed. Aside from touring together, Waka will also be one of the many featured artist on “Neon Future.” Others artist expected make guest appearances on the album are Machine Gun Kelly, Mac Miller, Linkin Park, and Will.i.am.

    As of now Kendrick and Aoki have not had the time to hook up for a studio session but don’t rule out a potential song from two, as they have collaborated on some ideas.

    “We definitely talked about it and hopefully there could be a time that happens in the future. You never know.”

    While Kendrick is not set appear on “Neon Future,” other California rapper Snoop Dogg does bless the album with both singing and rapping verses.

    “One of the best parts of working with him on a track is that you get to hear both Snoop Dogg and Snoop Lion in one song. You get to hear him rapping and you get to hear him singing, and it’s a very rare occurrence.”

    Aoki makes his way to Central Florida beginning Saturday Oct. 19, where he will play the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The following day he will take the Firestone Live stage in Orlando.

    “Florida is one of the best places in America for dance music. It’s like a hotbed for the type of music I do, so take that back it’s one of the best places in the world.

    “America is bubbling with energy and enthusiasm and growth, and interest of what we’re doing with the music. Florida is prime real estate for EDM.

    By OBK

  • CFE Arena came out for fun, period (review)

    CFE Arena came out for fun, period (review)

    ORLANDO — Most nights aren’t usually this bright. Most nights aren’t usually this loud. Most nights aren’t usually this interesting. Most nights usually don’t involve Fun..

    A name that certainly fits the trio; Nate Ruess – vocals, Jack Antonoff – guitar, and Andrew Dost – multi-instrumentalist, are everything but boring and proved that Thursday night, during their electrifying 90-minute set at the CFE Arena.

    On the tail end of their headlining “Most Night Summer Tour”, Fun. showed no hint of fatigue that would give any viewer the impression that they have been touring since early January of last year, following the release of their album.

    From the little boy watching the show sitting on his father’s neck — to the college kids pre gaming before they go downtown — to the nice older couple who could not stop dancing in their seats, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

    ”You wanna be louder than Boca Raton, don’t you?,” screamed frontman Ruess as he waved the microphone stand high in the air. Up for the challenge, the nearly sold-out venue conquered Ruess challenge, leaving him wondering “Boca Raton who”.

    Fun.’s pop meets Grease meets rock blend – provides the perfect night for sing-alongs – making it nearly impossible not to be loud. Whether you were right in front of the stage or high up in the stands — the performance involved everyone — involving a cannon full of paper confetti, which rained over the entire stage floor.

    While Ruess controls most of the vocal duties, bandmates Antonoff and Dost make sure their work and contribution to the band is not overlooked — in an attempt to “raise the dead” Antonoff showed off his shredding skills as he lead the crowd in “Rock and Roll” getting everyone to scream “Hey”.

    A performance for the big stage — besides an overhead projector which displayed the band playing live behind the colorful light show — Fun. focused on winning the crowd over with their performance skills and not special effects, as members of the audience danced with complete strangers to popular song “We Are Young” — nodding their heads from side-to-side in unison during songs “Carry On” and “Baralights”, which Ruess dedicated to the crowd.

    From their set opening of a cabaret version of “Some Nights” decked out in matching tuxedos, all the way to their final song Fun. kept their promise of making Thursday night, the best weekday ever. Following their performance — I almost can’t stand how awesome these guys are.

    Canadian twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara opened the show, and performed for just under an hour. The duo let it be known early, that no matter how poorly the crowd would respond to them they were going to rock out and have a good time since it was their birthday. The crowd caught on to their 80’s pop music early and seemed interested in everything they had to say — even when they stopped singing and told stories including their run in with a monkey backstage.

    Photos from the night

    By OBK

  • John Witherspoon to play Orlando Improv this weekend (review)

    Courtesy of John Witherspoon

    If laughter is universal than the cosmos were one on Friday night. Watching John Witherspoon’s stand-up was the closest I’ve ever come to a religious experience — a packed room, the lights dim, and teeth shining everywhere.

    Witherspoon is funny — not just “Friday” funny — not just “The Boondocks” funny, John Witherspoon is funny on his own.

    It’s a hard thing to be funny on your own; to stand on a stage and not only expect the audience to laugh, but command that the audience laugh.

    Witherspoon has a developed act — the astute observer will see no seams within the comedy force that is within him.

    He releases his material into the audience like a well oiled machine – never pausing for too long or getting tongue tied and forgetting what to say.

    It’s beautiful, when he laughs, it’s the laugh of a man who knows he has you exactly where he needs you.

    I’ll be the first to admit I went into the Orlando Improv with preconceived notions.

    Interestingly, Witherspoon knows who you think he is and what you’ve come to see, so he begins his show by delivering just that.

    There’s nothing more perfect than hearing “Bang, Bang, Bang!” in person.  All these years, that character we’ve grown to love, on screens both big and small, was just Witherspoon being himself.

    It should not be legal for a man to be this funny. At a certain point, laughter can become deadly — just imagine – a laughter so hard breathing is next to impossible, however it’s all that you can do so you attempt to wind it down and hope not to explode.

    That is the sort of talent that should be illegal and Witherspoon possesses it in spades.

    A comic’s comic to the fullest. There were points when one would look around and see other professional comics doubled over in laughter — their faces so red you’d think blood vessels were bursting in mass.

    Contrary to popular belief, this is a normal occurrence when dealing with true comic genius. Comedy may be truth in its purest form; able to both arm and disarm at the same time. Generally, people laugh at the same things because, at the end of the day, the human experience is shared by all of us. Friday night in that room, dozens of people became one.

    For a moment, we all became John Witherspoon.

    John Witherspoon will be performing live at the Orlando Improv this entire weekend. You can catch him live on Saturday, Aug. 7th at 7:30 PM and 10:15 p.m. and then again on Sunday, Aug. 8th at 7:30 PM.

    Tickets are $22 and seats are on a first come first serve basis. All guest must be 21 or older

    By OBK Staff

  • Concert Review: Icona Pop stops at House of Blues alongside girl-friends

    LAKE BUENA VISTA — You may not be able to put faces to the names Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo just yet, but with their recent success – attaining double platinum status for single “I Love It,” while having song placements on video games and television shows, there’s no way you can go anywhere without hearing or seeing something connected to the Swedish DJ duo, Icona Pop.

    After a year of performing on different festival sets throughout the world, the group have finally netted their well-deserved, first-ever headlining tour in America.

    Electronic dance music (EDM), hip-hop and rock are just a few of the genres you can hear at the festival-like, all girl “Iconic Tour,” presented by TIGI Bed Head, which made stops in Florida this past weekend.

    A mixed crowd of guys sporting the “Macklemore haircut,” hardcore rave fans, and toddlers whose bedtime is generally around the time the show started, filled the House of Blues Orlando Friday night, to see the “Iconic Tour” featuring Icona Pop and friends.

    Sultry redhead – Hjelt took the stage sporting a black and white, Judy Jetson-based, Spice Girl-influenced one piece costume, with the Icona Pop DJ Booth behind her resembling the Star Trek Auxiliary Control Center and her best friend, Jawo, on the other side.

    It’s great to see how far the duo has come in such little time — rewind to December of last year, when Icona Pop made their Orlando debut opening for “The Lonely Hearts Club Tour” where they had to cram all of their laptops and mixers onto a foldout table, limiting their movement- having to wrap the microphone cord up and swing the remainder of it over the table if they wanted to move from one side to the stage to the other.

    “On this song, I’m going to sing this together with you guys,” Hjelt said in her thick swedish accent before getting into “Girlfriend”, showing off her vocal strength as the crowd recited the lyrics in perfect cadence. Whether it was Aino – playing the electric guitar, or Hjelt- singing, neither member just sat around and watched sharing the spotlight evenly as they rotated back and forth between their midis and laptop setup.

    The energy was off the Richter scale from the moment the ladies shot on their black helmets and performed “Manners”, completely from behind their DJ booth, to their final song – performing summer hit single “I Love It” – in the middle of the stage with brews in hand as the ladies provided the perfect pre-game event for anyone who was going out afterwards to further enjoy their night.

    While the crowd could not recite the groups newer material off their upcoming album, This Is, as well as they could with some of the duo’s older and more popular songs, it did not stop them from enjoying the concert during songs “All Night” and “Light Me Up” as they danced and kept their hands waved high in the air during the entire performance.

    Between their singing, dancing and electrifying light show, Icona Pop managed to transition their studio sound into a live set. The duo is truly talented and appeared to be enjoying themselves the entire night which transitioned well into the crowd, hosting the prettiest party I have ever been to.

    Both supporting acts were very multifaceted and set the tone early. Los Angeles-based rapper Sirah opened the show singing a mix of pop and EDM jingles, which some of her newer fans know her for, but also managed to fit in some of her earlier hard in your face rap records, showing love to her underground hip hop past. Don’t let her petite size fool you, the wild-hair MC has a very strong presence demanding you tune into what she is saying.

    K.Flay took the stage next and was just as fun. Between the head bashing, fast rapping, and live beat making – K.Flay’s set was all over the place yet she managed to keep the crowd engaged the entire time. From the time she hit the stage, sporting her black jeans, black leather jacket, and black sleeveless “Black Skinhead” t-shirt- it was evident that female producer/rapper had no mindset of winning a fashion contest instead was just there to rock out. While K.Flay proved she could cross over into multiple genres, it would have been nice to see her focus on one specific style giving fans who may not be that familiar with her music the opportunity to get a general feel.

    Whoever said girls can rock out as hard as the guys must have never seen these ladies. All the ladies are fun, talented and exciting- bringing different elements in their set to combine for one great night. The “Iconic Tour” is hardly underway and I would suggest everyone to go check it out, as it is an event that the whole family could enjoy.

    T.Y. Moment of the Night

    It’s good to see supporting artist support – adding onto the bill and not just acting as a slot filler until the headlining act is ready. Sirah and K.Flay we’re dope on and off the stage interacting with fans concluding their set. Instead of listening from the back of the stage, both artist and their crew went into the crowd and watched as fans alongside of their supporters. K.Flay got so turnt up from Icona Pop’s performance that she decided to partake in the crowd surf.

    Photos from the Iconic Tour

    By OBK

  • Concert Review: The Maine and Friends, Tuesday, July 16 at The Beacham

    In support of their latest album “Forever Halloween”, rock band The Maine made their way to Orlando for the “8123 Tour”; alongside fellow rock band bands and good friends A Rocket to the Moon, Brighten, and This Century.

    It was a busy day for the rock group out of Tempe Ariz., who recently left their major label deal to work independently under management company 81 Twenty Three — hosting a free acoustic performance earlier in the day at Park Ave CD’s where they did a meet-and-greet before they had to attend their first interview on the day. (Be on the lookout for our interview with the group coming soon.)

    With only a few dates left in the North America segment of the tour — it’ s like God knew how sad the band was joked lead singer John O’Callaghan — noting the rain was symbolic that god felt the same way as the band. This storm did not stop fans from showing up early as the line to The Beacham was wrapped around the corner an hour before the venue doors opened.

    Although this was the first time the band has played at The Beacham, they were no strangers to the cold building catching a RX Bandit show the night before.

    Decked out in a white “I Met God, She’s Black” tanktop, front-man O’Callaghan took the dark stage unannounced; alongside best friends Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock – guitarists, Pat Kirch – drummer and Garrett Nickelsen – bassist with the band’s signature “M” illuminated in the backdrop behind them. Wasting no time getting into newer material the band opened up with the cheerful upbeat pop-rock single “Love and Drugs ” which brought a plethora of energy to the crowd.

    The lively ninety-minute set which contained songs dating back to their major label debut album (Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop) kept the crowd singing the entire performance. While the group performed mostly high energy tunes that allowed the crowd to dance and wave their hands high all night, they found time to slow things down — a solo performance from O’Callaghan and his keyboard of emotional “These Four Words,” provided the song with a more sentimental feeling after hearing it live.

    Although I did not know much of the opening acts, they were not too shabby. Unfortunately it was my first and last time seeing A Rocket to the Moon perform live in Florida as the group will be disbanding. The pop-rock band treated their set as if they were the headliners to a sold-out hometown show, jamming out from start to finish once they fixed their technical errors (which I will discuss later).

    T.Y. Moments of the Night:

    1. During the performance of one of the group’s earlier songs, “Count ‘Em 1,2,3,” O’Callaghan did something truly amazing and left the stage to perform the entire song in the midst of his young female crowd. “Put your f*ckin’ phones in your pockets,” he ordered the crowd, informing them that if they wanted to watch it again they could view it on YouTube later — telling them to enjoy the moment for what it was at the time. (Unfortunately everyone did not listen and two young ladies lost their phones in the rage-fest.)
    2. Following The Maine performance of “Like We Did,” O’Callaghan informed the crowd they could be anything they wanted if they believed before the three supporting acts joined the band on stage and helped the group perform fan favorite “We’ll All Be”, to end the show. As Kirch hammered away on the drums and other artist played their instruments crazily — Nick Santino (A Rocket to the Moon ) and Joel Kantitz (This Century) each sang a verse before everyone gathered to scream “potato” ending the show on a high note

    Nothings Perfect:

    1. I don’t know if the sound guy lost his notes or A Rocket to the Moon did not make the rehearsal — the fact that the crowd had to wait for nearly 30-minutes(not counting the 15-minutes it took for the group to take the stage after the previous act) and watch the group do their mic-check in the middle of the concert. We came to see you perform not tune your instruments — ain’t nobody got time for that.

    Conclusion:

    The Maine have grown up over the years and so have their fans — following the concert it’s worth noting that the band’s following truly appreciate their new sound as they applauded just as loud during newer songs if not louder. The group performance flows based off audience participation as they are aware of what’s happening around them make each show very personal and memorable. From the teens on the stage floor to the parents on the balcony level, it’s safe to safe everyone enjoyed themselves at the “8123 Tour.”

    Photos from the night