Tag: Live Music

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SWMRS: Keeping Punk Alive

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on SWMRS: Keeping Punk Alive

If you haven’t heard of SWMRS, let me give you a glimpse into what it’s like to witness their insanely cool live show.

These Oakland, CA natives know how to throw a sick punk party. Starting off the show with their fun little tune, “Steve Got Robbed”, the crowd sang every word as the band took the stage ready to blow the roof off.

Four of the members played front and center with some huge guitar power, while the drummer (who is…of course…Billie Joe Armstrong’s son) kept the hard beats alive in the back.

Co-leader, Cole Becker flails around with Freddie Mercury-esque energy while wiping his sweaty bleach blonde hair out of his face and scream-shouting every harsh note. It’s easy to be entertained when Cole himself is such a show to watch.

They played several songs off their latest album, Berkeley’s On Fire, including “Lose, Lose, Lose,” “Trashbag Baby,” “Too Much Coffee,” and “Hellboy”. The band also performed the crowd favorite, and their 2015 hit, “Miley” while every tween shouted along.

Cole’s politically charged monologues spilled out throughout the set showing his support for the LGBTQ community, the Me Too movement, and how important it is to make a change in the world. “When you walked through the door, you joined a community. We gotta look out for eachother… and stop sexual assault.” He went on to motivate the crowd to stay hydrated and be safe; something not enough punk bands emphasize on.

The whole night felt like one big party full of pure fun. Not to mention, opening bands Destroy Boys and Beach Goons were fantastic starters to this hearty meal of music.

See tour dates here!

Learn more about me!

-Abbey

Music, New blog post, New music

Halsey’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour

by Blondie and the Beat1 Comment on Halsey’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour

(image via ticketfly.com)

The New Jersey-native released her Romeo & Juliet inspired album last June, titled, hopeless fountain kingdom. Brimming to the surface with themes of love, betrayal, friendship, and so much more. Each song spoke to a different piece of the puzzle we call love.

Halsey appeared from behind a large white sheet, ethereal in an all-white getup decked out with a lace veil. The crowd of twenty-somethings screamed in admiration as she belted the opening track, “Eyes Closed”. Her bright blue hair bobbed around as the dramatic visuals behind her set the mood.

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Image via https://www.instagram.com/donslens/

She sings, “I can put on a show” from “Heaven In Hiding” and boy, can she ever put on a show. Massive screens behind the singer showcase various artistic elements that enhance the themes we hear in each powerful song. Buzzing bugs, kaleidoscope colors, and religious symbols illuminate the stage. Halsey has remained the same throughout the years; a lyrical mastermind who knows how to execute beautifully. She twirls, stomps, and dances around to tracks you forgot you could even dance to (listen to “Don’t Play” with the bass up as high as it’ll go). hopeless fountain kingdom’s “Alone” had the crowd bouncing as if there were trampolines beneath our feet.

A sense of female empowerment could be felt miles away from the stage. With Halsey recently breaking the news of her relationship with rapper G-Eazy ending, she seemed to give fans a dose of her current reality. “I want you to know, it’s okay to be alone,” the singer confidently says into the mic, “I’m learning it again this week.” She went on to give a supercharged performance of “Don’t Play” featuring a choreographed stomp in shallow water, and a call & response exchange with the loud crowd; “WOMEN, DON’T PLAY NO GAMES!!” over and over. Hand me the torch, I’m ready to run around the world chanting that.

Halsey’s voice is already unique, but hearing her live is a different story. Frequent harmonic interludes and prolonged outro’s made the singer seem even more of a pop star by the second. Her drummer (tucked in by the corner of the stage) amplified each track to feel more organic and less like a guy in the back hitting a play button on a soundboard. Songs like, “Closer” (by The Chainsmokers), “Now Or Never”, “Bad At Love”, and “New Americana” had fans screaming from the rafters. It felt as though she couldn’t have done more if she tried – she did it all and has mastered this tour.

 

To see Halsey on tour, click here!

 

Music, New blog post

Live Review: Quinn XCII & SZA

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on Live Review: Quinn XCII & SZA

The Detroit native performed for a college crowd in a haze of vape smoke and waving arms. Playing songs from his latest album, The Story of Us, like “Fake Denim,” “Always Been You,” and “Flare Guns”. Students sang along to every word as Quinn hyped up each track; bouncing around and showing his love for Syracuse, NY.

 

Image via my assistant: www.instagram.com/abigailjudiith/

 

I was thoroughly impressed with Quinn’s live vocals. He actually wore himself out near the end and became a little hoarse; which is a testament to how hard he goes at each show. His band consisted of a drummer and keyboardist; simple but did a fantastic job at perfecting each tune. The three seem to have a fun friendship as they all danced and smiled with eachother.

Catch Quinn on tour here.

 

 

SZA walked on stage and the crowd went wild. The voice recording intro to her Ctrl hit, “Supermodel” played while fans screamed along the words. Big hair, camo pants, and a tiny off the shoulder top that kept exposing her chest made up the litte SZA; a dynamo in her own right. Playing all the favorites off her explosive album, Ctrl, left fans smiling and screaming for almost an hour. The singer addressed the crowd a handful of times, talking about her admiration for students getting their degree and trying hard to succeed. Admitting her stoner ways before singing “Drew Barrymore” and intro-ing the Kendrick Lamar-assisted “Doves In the Wind” by explicitly saying, “I wanna talk about pussy.”

The Missouri native amped the crowd up as the bass blasted behind her. She twirled and gyrated freely onstage while singing her biggest hit, “Love Galore”. The setlist also included “Go Gina,” “Normal Girl,” “The Weekend,” “Broken Clocks,” and “Garden (Say It Like Dat)”.

She professed her love for the crowd and then hopped offstage with the biggest smile. But just as the band was about to pack up, she came over the mic and said “WAIT, do you wanna do ’20 Something’? We should sing it together.” A song about getting older and living life in your 20’s. Her vocals were impeccable as she ended the song singing “God bless you, God bless you” over and over, just how you hear it in the song. She stops and says, “I couldn’t leave without saying God bless you.”

I would see SZA again every night for the rest of my life if I could.

 

To see more videos & pictures from these concerts, visit my Instagram 🙂

Music, New blog post, New music

Live Review: Cashmere Cat

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on Live Review: Cashmere Cat

The Norwegian DJ/producer Cashmere Cat, otherwise known as Magnus August Høiberg, came to The Westcott Theater this Thursday. Cat has quickly become one of the most sought-after producers in the industry. Working with big names like Ariana Grande, Diplo, Major Lazer, and more.

Starting off the show with what sounded like an action movie soundtrack, Cat made fans wait quite a while to see him on stage. Once he did arrive, he jumped right into his track “Night Night” featuring Kehlani. The crowd got krunk to water droplet drops while the purple-hued lights set the tone for the night.

The 30-year-old played fan favorites like, “Adore,” “Mirror Maru,” “9 (After Coachella)”, and “Trust Nobody”. Adding an extreme remix onto every track left the crowd pulsing, especially when he spun out an EDM version of “Bartier Cardi”. He also played crowdpleasers like “God’s Plan,” “Do You,” and a sweet cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

After watching him play, I now understand where his name comes from. Magnus paws at the records like a house cat with a string toy. Later in the night, he perches on the DJ table, waves at the crowd, and continues to nonchalantly bop his head to every song. Cat puts on an EDM show unlike any other, featuring video game melodies, suspended beats, and altered vocals.

 

 

Music, New blog post

Ty Dolla $ign’s ‘Don’t Judge Me’ Tour

by Blondie and the BeatLeave a Comment on Ty Dolla $ign’s ‘Don’t Judge Me’ Tour

The Los Angeles native’s latest album Beach House 3 scored high in the hearts of his fans. Featuring hot collabs with Lil Wayne, Future, Jeremih, Tory Lanez, and more. He kicked off his Spring “Don’t Judge Me” tour and damn…it’s a party.

Ty quite literally erupted onto the stage in a cloud of smoke and within minutes was lighting a joint. He jumped around with a fiery energy as he sang/rapped for almost two hours.

If there’s one thing you should know about Ty Dolla $ign, it’s that his features are just as good as his solo music. He performed bangers you almost forgot he was on to begin with; “Fade”, “Swalla”, and even “Work From Home”.

He also managed to show off his unique vocals on the acoustic ballad, “Famous” while giving a speech about social media and how the numbers mean nothing. Ty seems as real as it gets. He brought his best friends on tour with him and they look like they are having a blast.

Songs like, “Dawsin’s Breek”, “Droptop In the Rain”, and “Love You Better” had fans jumping and screaming in excitement. He sang more runs then Beyonce and got the audience to chant “Beach House 3” way too many times. Not to mention, invited a fan onstage to smoke with him.

Cue the blunt balloons, a killer light show, a cute documentary style film playing in the background, and a DJ worth hiring for every party for the rest of your life, and I’d say you have a successful tour.

(Image via headlineplanet.com)