Postcard from the home of Pele

The island of Hawaii, being the youngest of the long archipelago to break the surface as the Pacific plate moves past a hot spot is the home to five volcanoes, all still classified as active, the smallest of them has been erupting for the last 26 years. The others also have a real likelihood of future activity, unlike their sister on Maui, which is highly unlikely to produce more lava as it has almost moved past the hotspot powering the production of the island chain in the middle of the Pacific plate....

Beginning by far the largest of the eight Hawaiian islands, twice the size of the other seven combined, a round island tour was always going to be a long day - add return flights from Oahu, and it was a 16+ hour tour from leaving the hotel to returning....

Landing at Kona means I've now collected the full set of the airports in these islands served by the major airlines. Kona airport is an airport of contrasts. It was built in the 1970s as an emergency landing strip for the yet to be finalised Space Shuttle programme - so the runway is one of the highest spec runways in the world, 11,000+ feet in length, and capable of withstanding the heaviest of landings... But the terminal is the most low key set of building, connected by covered walk ways I've seen make up a modern international airport, post 9/11 enhanced security checks have meant they've had to enclose the departure areas, but it was still wonderfully low key for a NASA space port.....

Kona itself is a rather small town, one of the few places outside Japan to suffer damage as a result of the tsunami earlier in the year, albeit on a minor scale compared to the devastation in Japan. Having said that on multiple occasions in living memory the island has suffered major tsunamis of its own - which makes the billions of dollars invested in the eight resort complexes just north of Kona remarkable investment with the twin risks from the sea and from the volcanoes on who's slopes they are built...

The volcano closest to the resorts has a regular pattern of major eruptions, every 200 years, and it is now 210 years since the last one, so those investments many not look so secure... Having said that these volcanoes are amongst the most closely monitor pieces of geology in the world and there will probably be years of warning if Haualalai starts to wake up, and unlike most volcanoes, the shield type, that occur at this hotspot aren't of the explosive type found on the edge of the pacific plate, some of which have some of the worlds largest cities within there range...

This was my third trip to pay homage to Pele and in particular the active Kilauea, and for the first time I'd been there she actually put on a show, albeit only of hot gases venting from the summit of Kilauea... About the time of my first visit, Kilauea had just switched from erupting from a vent on her slopes that was feeding red hot lava into the Pacific with dramatic effect, to a smaller eruption at a different location – which has been active on and off ever since. This may have been a prelude to the events, a few months later which culminated in an explosion at the summit which opened the vent in the summit caldera. By the time I returned 2 years later, that vent was relatively quiet with only a small volume of gas escaping....

That wasn't the case this time, the volume of gas being thrown into the atmosphere combined with the fickle trade winds had caused the evacuation of the National park on a number of occasion in the previous week because of the dangers the SO2 being vented represent. Luckily for us the was enough wind in a safe direction to allow us to marvel at the power of mother nature...

Another highlight of the tour was the chance to see close up Green Sea turtles on Punaluu beach, one of the many black sand beaches that occur on the coast of these islands. The sand, formed when hot lava meets the cold sea and explodes is rather more course than the more usual white/yellow sand found elsewhere – formed of small balls of glass resulting from explosions as the lava cools rather than grains of eroded stone/shell…

It was a very long day – but seeing Kilauea active and the turtles on the beach were highlights that made the effort worth it…. Having said that, any future tours I take on this island will focus on the volcano – while interesting the rest of the island is a little uniform – not having had the time to develop the character of the older islands north of it.

Post card from the House of the rising Sun

I’m really not a morning person – and with hindsight I should have booked this fly away trip to Maui in the first week of my stay – while jet lag was still waking me before sunrise across Waikiki… But I managed to surface for the 5am pick up for the short flight to Maui to join the Polynesian Adventure Tour to the summit of Haleakala, Central Maui and Iao Valley … oh for the days of walking straight onto planes without the delays and early check-ins of the post 9/11 era 

On my last tour of Maui, I’d taken the tour that circles the Haleakala National Park via the road to Hana and the cliff hugging track along the southern coast of Maui. While the feet of man building a road along the twisting coastline is impressive – it is nothing compared to the views of what nature has built from the top of the dormant volcano! There is another tour to the summit of the volcano that allows you to observe the sun rise – maybe on my next trip to these paradise Islands I’ll have to arrange a few days on Maui to be able to witness that sight – yet another early rise….

Haleakala has many unique species living and growing on its slopes – amongst them plants that have developed a covering of hairs that give the plants a gray/silver colour that gives them their English name – silversword –  the Hawaiian is ʻāhinahina – “very gray”, the Hawaiian culture had no metals – so no silver to match to the colour of the plants to themselves…

We were lucky with the weather, clear blue skies and views as far as the two volcanoes on Big Island – however the 10,000+ foot of altitude meant the advice to bring some warm clothes for this part of the tour was good – and at that altitude the air was definitely lacking the oxygen I’d enjoyed relaxing at sea level on Waikiki beach!

Leaving the peak behind there was a long down hill drive, with a short break for lunch in the village of Makawao – which has an incredibly laid back felling to it – it felt like a place with a wonderfully slow pace of life. It could have been straight out of a western – apart from the cars lining the streets! Then on to Iao Valley State Park, one of the many valleys of the smaller and older mount of Wailuku – which being on the windward side of the mountain was a green oasis complete with a micro climate that had us all scurrying for the tour bus as a heavy down pour filled the valley.

The tour ended in in Lahaina, and for those of us returning to Honolulu a chance to browse the local shops and enjoy the sunset over Lānaʻi, while those from local hotels were returned to them…

Random monetary questions from/about the US of A

Why is the dime half the weight, and smaller than the nickel – yet worth twice as much as a token of currency? Also, why are the dollar notes of all the denominations I’ve encountered hard to distinguish – being uniform in size and colour (or color)… Yes I know they all have their value printed on them – but that requires removing them from your wallet/purse to inspect them, which is avoided in other nations by knowing the larger ones are the higher value ones – and that they all have distinctive colours – so a “the larger, purple, drinking token” will normally cover all but the largest rounds….

What is it with the practice of pricing everything without tax? This inevitably leads to people, at least tourists, not really knowing how much things are actually going to be – which is a minor inconvenience but I’d also guess it has an real economic impact, as it inevitably leads to totals even of a small number of items which aren’t nice round numbers with a few cent, nickels or dimes of change being needed – adding to the number of coins that need to be in circulation – or no longer in circulation, because they are lost down the back of the nations sofas. Judging by the state of some of the cents I’ve been give in change for my uniformly sized and coloured notes, some have been in and out of circulation for a long time…

Are these quirks driven by a nation that has almost become a cashless society? Using cash to pay for something has lead to a few funny looks – with the possible exception of tipping at the bar – which is one area I assume escapes all taxes!!!!

Bright Eyes in Honolulu

21st November - Bright Eyes supported by Shopping List at Hawaii Theatre Center, Honolulu

Bright Eyes ended a year of touring with a final night in Honolulu – as I also happened to be in Honolulu and there appears to be a lack of well advertised live music in this tropical paradise, other than the clichéd performances that accompanies eating in hotels along the Waikiki strip, it gave me one of two opportunities while away from the onset of winter in London to feed my growing addiction to live music.

The Hawaii Theatre Center must have been the only venue of a suitable size available as it was far from ideal for the event; all seated venues just don’t allow the atmosphere that is possible when standing at a “rock concert”… Had they been able to remove the chairs from the stalls and make downstairs a standing area it would have worked well – but that didn’t look like it was an option. As a result the overly polite audience remained in their, admittedly very confortable, seats until cagouled into breaking out and standing at the close of the evening! The situation could have been assisted if the band had positioned themselves at the front of the enormous stage – rather than spreading themselves across the back…

From Bright Eyes 2011

The support act were the local band Shopping List. Given the small number of gigs, the opportunity to be the “local support to travelling big act” must be hard fought for – and Shopping List filled the roll well – their music matching the genre of the main act and being up beat so as to warm up an audience primarily there to support the headliners. It did appear, that beyond the usual friends and family, they also had a substantial number of their own fans in the auditorium, which was well deserved for a band that gave a polished performance.

When Bright Eyes took to the stage I was a little worried that the vast array of instruments, including two drum kits and two keyboard positions would lead them in to the trap I’ve heard others fall into of over complicating the performance with different instruments and distracting from the music itself – they neatly avoided that.

 

Their music had elements of two other bands from the US that I’ve recently heard live in London – Group Love and My Morning Jackets. For me the most successful parts of the evening were those where the music was stripped back to the primary members of Bright Eyes with voice, guitar, single synth and occasional brass contribution.

Included in the set where a number of anti-war songs, I’d suggest targeting the recent conflicts which the US has involved itself in in the middle east, rather that the campaigns in Asia that inspired a previous generation of song writers – war appears to inspire more musicians than most topics, possibly other than love, to write – I’ve yet to hear too many serious songs prompted by the other current trend of hating the investment banking industry – maybe because that is mainly stoked up by the political classes themselves to deflect from their duplicity in the current world wide finical troubles by pointing the finger at the investment bankers, but contrast the anti war songs were/are directed against the political elites risking the lives of the young for their own causes…

I’m sure if I hunted hard enough, I’d find the smaller venue in Hawaii where the likes of Shopping List are developing – and being 6 flying hours from anywhere must be a distinct downside to other bands adding Hawaii to their tours – but it is such a pleasant place to be that I’m surprised it isn’t on more round the world musical adventures – especially considering the place it is 6 hours flying from, LA, is such a mecha for musicals – and that so many of the most successful of musicians have made homes in the island state.

Post card from Waikiki

It is easy to forget that even in Hawaii’s tropical location in the middle of the Pacific, being north of the equator – and actually not as far south as some would think – it is only just further south, for instance than Miami – so it is only just the most southerly state of the USA, November is officially “winter”… as such most of Oahu has actually been overcast most of the time since I arrived – Waikiki appears to have been fortunate to avoid this fate, and has probably benefited from the slightly cloudy sky to moderate the temperature a little…

One of my primary reasons to travel 1/3 of the way round the world at this particular time of year was to enjoy, what has been, during my previous two visits, the spectacular photographic opportunity of the worlds best surfers taming the mountainous surf on the North Shore… I’ve not been so lucky this year – apparently because of a second year of the El Niño, the surf has so far been too small at the location of Reef Hawaiian Pro for competition to begin – but the forecast is that there will be sufficient swell for a compressed event in the last 3 days of the scheduled 12 day window before the Thanksgiving break… Hopefully the winter waves will be back after Thanksgiving for the second event of the Vans Triple Crown on Sunset beach.

The lack of surfing has meant days of soaking up the sun, and the slightly less sunny conditions have given my London skin a more gentle introduction than it might otherwise have had… I’ve almost adjusted to the 10 hour time difference – but it has given me the chance to listen to the ATP World Tour finals during the day rather than into the late evening, which I’d probably have be watching in live in person if I wasn’t so far away, via the wonders of the internet and an iPhone application that appears to overcome the restrictions on listening to Radio 5 Live Extra outside the UK!

Escape to the tropics

Cashing in the American Airlines air miles I'd spent the previous two years collecting – a small part of the 700 billion dollars worth that have been issued by airlines over the years – I travelled a 1/3 of the way round the world to escape the on set of winter in London – which appears to have finally arrived… I hope it remains a little know secret that for the relatively small number of 125K AA miles, you can get a return first class ticket to anywhere in the USA – which includes Hawaii! Down side is that there are very few seats available at that rate of that longest of long hauls – so you have to book as soon as the system allows – 300 days in advance – and be flexible! If you are careful when you purchase them, you can buy 60K AA miles most years – and closing the gap between what you can buy in two years and 125K for that seat at the front of the plane is relatively easy with a couple of hotel stays… The front of the an AA triple 7 isn’t the most luxurious of 1st class options – but there is always a reason why one service is less expensive than the others, even if the purchase is in air miles… And it is hard to be that critical when you get a five course meal with accompanying fine wines as the 10+ hours from LHR to LAX allows me to catch up with 3 films as I stretched out on a seat that would go completely flat if needed – I’ll be taking advantage of that on the overnight return journey…

Switching to an internal flight for the 5 1/2 hour fly over the pacific towards a number of dots in the middle of the ocean meant downsizing to a 757 – AA appears to be running some of the original 757s on this route – possibly one of the few places the in flight entertainment is displayed on a CRT rather than an LCD these days! But having left home almost a full day before – chasing the sun round the world, after my third in flight meal of the day served with an engaging aloha spirit – I was soon giving into sleep…

Landing in Honolulu I was meet by a wall of warm humid air in the open walk ways between the gates and the baggage reclaim – reassurance that I’d well and truly escaped the fog, rain and generally miserable weather almost 24 hours travelling behind me….

It all starts with one support act and builds from there…

From Ane Brun 2011

I’d heard Ane Brun supporting Peter Gabrial twice and those small tasters had left me wanting to hear more so I snapped up a ticket to her headline show at Scala… The support came from Linnea Olsson, a member of Ane’s band – but clearly a talented soloist in her own right. Combining her cello cleverly with a pedal board that would have done a few lead guitarist proud she performed a set of nautically themed songs – some very haunting melodies. I feel a chain of wanting to hear more of support acts beginning – Linnea is now on my watch list for future gigs…

Looking at the stage set up it wasn’t entirely clear which genre of music was about to be performed – two large drum kits, two synth/keyboard positions and an electric guitar weren't quite want I’d expected for the folk based sound Ane had opened for Peter Gabrial’s with… Once the music began it became clear the drum kits where the centre of a very well crafted percussion section rather than rock drummers! Ane took over where Linnea had left off – producing a set of haunting melodies – one of the highlights was Oh Love, with audience participation that was controversially almost as good as the Scots! Compliments also go to the lighting engineer, managing to add to the atmosphere of the music while not resorting to “lack of light” lighting! It was a shame that Scala’s dual role as a club and live music venue on a Friday evening meant there was a strict curfew of 10pm to allow time for the Friday night club night to replace Ane’s fans…

Set List (Ane Brun – Scala, 11th November 2011):

• These days
• One
• Worship
• Words
• Let myself go
• Puzzle
• This Voice
• Oh Love
• Dirty Windshields
• Humming one of yours songs
• What’s happening to with you and him
• Do you remember
• Changing of the seasons (1st encore)
• Balloon Ranger
• The light from one
• Undertow (2nd encore)

Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy

This was an evening of live music only available to 250 people who pre-ordered Pixie Lott's new album, Young Foolish Happy , and lucky enough to win tickets - which may or may not have been everyone who pre-ordered the album, who could also make it to London on misty autumn Wednesday given the number of physical albums actually sold these days...

From Pixie Lott 2011 (Jazz Cafe)

Giving those who actually pay for music rewards such as this is a trend I really like and urge all labels and artists to adopt. It encourages people to pay for music rather than pirate it, and keeps the tickets out of the hands of the touts and resellers - no touts at all as the queue formed outside the Jazz Cafe at least an hour before the doors opened! The evening was opened by Angel, which given the audience was full of the most dedicated Pixie fans, plus one that will go to almost any live music in London, especially in venues that offer good photographic opportunities, was a brave effort - he'd clearly managed to get a few fans on the guest list, and by the end of his set may have gained a few more...

Pixie played a short set – unsurprisingly mainly from the new album. It was unfortunate, given Pixie's mainly younger fan base, that the venue’s license meant it was an 18+ event, as it would have been a perfect location for an early introduction to how good live music can be away for the large venue such as the O2 - which can support an all ages audience, but are just not the same..... It was a chance for me to hear again the new tracks from Pixie's second album – they benefitted from being stripped back even further than they had been at the HMV Forum for the Q Awards series of gigs… Stevie on the radio again being a highlight with a live standing for Stevie Wonder on the harmonica.

Set List (Pixie Lott – Jazz Cafe, 9th November 2011)

• Mama Do
• Everybody Hurts Sometimes
• Stevie on the Radio
• You Win
• Cry Me Out
• Young Foolish Happy
• All About Tonight

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize ‘11

None my own photographs this time, as this was a chance for me to be inspired by images created by others and judge to be the best of their genre captured this year…

Having recently become a member of the National Portrait Gallery, I had the opportunity to attend the members private viewing of the 60 images selected from thousands of entries to have the honour of being hung in the gallery. I viewed the images to the sound track of KT Tunstall’s newly released The Scarlet Tulip EP – a rarity these days – only available at gigs and via the artists own website – a proudly barcode free item, purchased the evening before after KT’s gig at the inspiring Union Chapel.

Having previously enjoy the stunting images selected for exhibition at the Natural History museum for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, I was left a little flat – all the images where certainly classic portraits – but few had any special qualities to draw the viewer into them – even the five prize winners where “good portraits” rather than stunning images.

Of all the images the one which drew me in and left me wanting to see more was Old Truman Brewery/Claudia, 2011, by Darren Hall – my highly commended would go to a portraits of Keria Knightly by Michael Brit which had a twinkle in her eye, and an image of Malega, Surma Boy by Mario Marino which had an almost 3D quality.

Halloween Spooktacular

It seamed very appropriate to be at a Werewolf Promotions event on 31st October – and there was a chance of a ghostly appearance of a headless apparition at The Old Queen’s Head in Islington…

Downstairs a double bill of Ghost Busters was playing to a fairly full bar – but the best show was going on upstairs with three live acts.

From FOE, D&C and Brother Gang 2011

Opening the evening with added “Gang” and the S dropped were Brother Gang – a young all female quintet hailing from Norwich Their drums and guitars, with everyone contributing to the vocals produced a raw sound, pleasantly balancing between punk and rock. They also have a great line in banter while the guitars are re-tuned, something many other musicians struggle with – sometimes there might even have been a little too much information! The highlight of the set was Horses – and the recently filmed video to accompany it sounds equally entertaining… One tip – for better pictures and fewer trip hazards you’ll need to work out a better arrangement for the forest of mic stands!

Dimbleby & Capper’s concession to the fact that it was All Hallows Eve was skeleton make up for their dancers. The audience by their set also contained a growing number of participants in the evenings fancy dress… Yet again D&C’s well produce show brought a sound that had elements of Goldfrapp and Siouxsie and the Banshees – or maybe that was a spiritual contribution… Anyone wishing to sample their experimental electronic pop should catch them at the Queen of Hoxton supporting Juan Maclean on Bonfires night…

The last act of the night, taking on board the ghostly theme whole heartedly were FOE.  They took the punk element from Brother Gang and mixed it with the electronic pop of D&C, mashing in guitar too. Then it was out into the night to avoid the trick or treaters plying Islington’s main street….

Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Changed the Music

Replacing Britney after her two night stay for their own two nights were the Arctic Monkey supported by The Vaccines – and the contrast couldn’t have been greater – there was absolutely nothing synthetic about the sound filling the venue from start to finish…

From Arctic Monkeys 2011

The Vaccines brought their take on British guitar based rock to the O2, adding a little punk to the mix – very different to the sound I’d heard from Justin Young as Jay Jay Pistolet a few years ago in the same venue supporting Katie Melua. For a band only just about to celebrate the anniversary of their first single release the sound was mature and it can’t be long before they will be headlining similar venues in their own right… With their first four studio Albums all having reached No 1 in the UK, the Arctic Monkeys clearly have a large fan base in the UK and I suspect they could have easily filled the O2 for more nights… By the time they came on stage there was a buzz building up – and as soon as they engaged their guitars the crowd were fully with them – mush pits formed – the largest of which must have briefly cleared a quarter of the space in front of the sound desks – quite an achievement given the packed standing area… I don’t recall a single song from the 21 strong set list that seamed out of place – the strong start with “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” continued right through to 505 that closed the evening – all as rock and roll as Alex Turners Elvis quiff…

Both of the night’s acts proved beyond doubt that live rock music is alive and kicking in the UK and quite capable of filling the largest of venues for multiple nights – even in these tough economic times….

Britney’s Final Finale?

Britney spears returned to the O2 with another tour – Femme Fatale – this time for only two nights – rather than the 8 nights of her mini residence in 2009 with the Circus tour…

From Britney 2011 (Thursday)

Destinee & Paris provided the opening act and their upbeat pop soon warmed up the audience on both nights under the dome.

From Britney 2011 (Friday)

The main support act was one of the Jonas Brothers – who along with his brothers had caused so much disruption by attracting an enormous crowd of teenage girls round the hotel I’d chosen last year for my stay in Sao Paulo. Joe Jonas brought a rock element to the nights, complete with live drums and synths. I’m not entirely sure Joe on his own would have drawn the crowds he would along with his brothers – but together they’d probably have been the headliners rather then the support act…

Britney’s show started, right on queue from the 30 minute countdown that started as Joe left the stage – unlike Jay-Z’s countdown there wasn’t a deva like last minute jump back in time… Anyone who’d read the reviews or attended the Circus tour, who was still expecting a truly live show was in for a disappointment.. That isn’t Britney – her music is finely tuned in a studio – she didn’t learn her trade in the small venues many others do, leaping straight to the top, bypassing that experience…. What she does is produce a show to go with her albums and use her back catalogue to great effect. In comparison to the Circus tour, this time round there appeared to be a little less budget – not even enough for a runway, really required at the O2 to bring the entertainment to the middle of what is an enormous venue. There were also fewer costume changes, and the on stage vehicle was based on a mini rather than something more elaborate…

While Britney appeared to be enjoying herself, she appeared to be less energetic than I recall her being under her Circus top two years ago. On the couple of occasions she did appear to sing live, for some of the less produced ballads it was rather faltering and not entirely up to the level you’d expect of someone headlining the O2. There are many fresh acts capable of selling many more tickets to the O2 than Britney currently is, and I wonder if this might be her last major tour for some time… Having said that, at the end of the both nights the audience were still cheering for more - there may not have been too much, if any, live music in the traditional sense - but there had been two night of entertainment that Britney's London fans, and from further a field had totally enjoyed. The critics may not have thought much of it - but they aren't the primary audience - and by cutting back on the number of nights, there was plenty of demand from Britney's loyal fans to fill the venue with a audience willing to over look the lack of a real band or even backing singers…

Bears hold off Bucks as Jet Lag appears to catch up…

From NFL @ Wembley 2011

76,981 NFL fans, of every team in the league, almost filled Wembley Stadium, London, UK and witnessed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers almost pull off an unlikely come back – keeping the game alive until the closing 30 seconds when a desperate attempt to keep a potentially game winning drive down the pitch going was intercepted to bring to an end a game that had at one point looked like it might be an easy win on their rather longer than usual travels for the Chicago Bears.

The final score of 24-18 was a fair reflection of a game that had had a faltering start – one early down taking a dozen plays before being punted up the pitch. Maybe the effects of jet lag needed to be shaken off – but once out of the first quarter the Bears took control with three answered touch downs – with the Bucks only managing safety and field goal in response.. Then in the fourth quarter the Bucks came to life – or did the Bears defence succumb to the effects of jet lag? Twice In quick succession the bucks crossed into the end zone, bring themselves within a field goal of taking the game into over time at 21-18 – then the Bears managed to get within field goal range themselves and pull six points ahead – making the Bucks strive for a touch down in the final minutes of the game, which proved just beyond them.

This was the fifth time the razzle dazzle of the NFL had been brought across the Atlantic to London, and despite the tight economy Wembley was almost sold out – there has been talk of more than one London game in future seasons and even of a Super Bowl. If the NFL can persuade teams of the calibre of  the Bucks and Bears to take part there will be a healthy audience – and the Super Bowl has the advantage that neither side has to give up a home game to take part as it’s highly unusual for one of the Super Bowl teams to happen also to be that year’s host franchise for the season closer.

Q'ing round the block for Q Awards Gig

The fourth night of the Q Award’s Gigs in the run up to Q Magazine’s 25th anniversary awards was headlined by Ed Sheeran – and he certainly brought his fans out early – it wasn’t quite as cold as it had been on the previous couple of nights – but it was still a brave audience that were queuing round three corners by the time the doors opened – with people joining almost as fast as security could let people in once they where open!

From Ed Sheeran 2011

Unfortunately much of the audience missed some or all of the opening act, We Were Evergreen, because we where still queuing outside - despite being there well before the doors were due to open... I'd suggest venues need to be able to beef up their entrance teams if faced by an early arriving audience - it is only fair to try your best to get them into the venue before the openers come on stage... From the end of their set that I heard, this trio hailing from France where a little out of their depth with such a large audience so excited about the headliner – would be interesting to listen to them in a smaller venue with a less distracted audience…

By the time Ed's main support act, Emeli Sandé, came on stage security had managed to get most, if not all of the audience into the venue. While many of Ed's fans might not have heard of Emeli, her powerful vocal soon had their attention! Ed later confided that one of the reasons he’d accepted the gig was so that he could book Emeli to support him – whether the choice was his to make or not, Emeli captivated the audience. She’ll soon be headlining her own tour, and with her contribution to Professor Green’s current hit is one to watch for the future.

Unusually, the preparation for the headliner consisted of emptying the stage except for a pedal board and two orange mics… Ed Sheeran looked a little lonely on the stage with only his guitar – but he would remedy that with three guests, and by filling the venue with his voice, guitar and clever use of the pedal board. Moving between all the genres in Ed’s range from acoustic rock to R&B Ed demonstrated why he’s nominated for Q’s breakthrough artist award as well as best male artist and best video.  Ed then introduced Pixie Lott who’d played the same series of gigs earlier in the week – their duet of Kiss Me meet a mixed reaction with Ed’s die hard fans who’d queued round the block to see him, rather than Pixie – but it demonstrated both Pixie and Ed range – contrasting with more upbeat style both usually perform. Ed’s next collaboration of the night was with Wiley, changing things up by mixing rap with Ed’s more mellow sound. The reception with Ed’s mostly student fan’s was good – the success of Professor Green and Emeli Sandé current collaboration demonstrate how popular mixing rap with other genres has become… The last collaboration of the night added Example to the length list of top talent that had graced the stage during the evening. The remix of You Changed the way you Kiss Me had the audience in the palm of the artists hands.

As the audience left the venue, most would have felt that the long queue in the Autumn chill had been well worth the wait – any that didn’t where at the wrong gig or very hard to please.

I predict the Forum will be rocking

It was clear that the sound tonight was going to be big – The Kaiser Chiefs had supplemented the venue’s own sound system with even larger stacks of their own speakers…

From Kaiser Chiefs 2011

This was the 3rd of the Q Awards gigs 2011 presented by Q Magazine – and it was clearly rock night! The night started with the first of two support acts - Spector. It was nice to see a male guitar based rock band trying to differentiate themselves from the hundreds struggling to make a space for themselves in a crowded genre. Suited and booted they got the crowd rocking, frequently introducing themselves to the growing crowd, in preparation for what was to follow…

Duke Spirit interacted a lot less with the now full venue - but Liela Moss’ vocals combined with talents on keyboard and the other members of the band continued building the atmosphere towards the headliners, who's backdrop dominated the stage…

From Kaiser Chiefs 2011

You could guess that there was going to be lots of energy on and off the stage, when a stage hand was carefully marking up, with hi-vis masking tape the edges of the speakers that could be stood on, and with large crosses those that won't support a band member! Ricky Wilson was soon confirming this – one song was performed with him standing on the crush barriers at the front of the mush pit, supported by his belt by two large members of the stage crew. Towards the end of the set he made his way to one of the balconies in the HMV forum between downstairs standing and the upstairs seating usually reserved for bouncers observing the crowd, crossing amongst those seated (or not) upstairs to the opposite side… I Predict a Riot had the crowd at full voice, and the mush pit in full motion. Returning to the stage for their encore Love’s Not a Competition and Oh My God brought the house down.

The difficult bridge to the second album….

The Q Awards 2011 gigs at the HMV Forum, Kentish Town, continued with Pixie Lott…

From Pixie Lott 2011

Making the jump to a second album, at the same time as the artist and their audience are maturing musically can be a tricky point in an artist’s career. Pixie is at that stage, and having finished her first headline tour last year, promoting her first album Turn It Up , this one off gig was a chance for her to try out some new material in front of a friendly audience. Being a one off it was very much stripped back, without the multiple costume changes and theatrics of the tour – allowing her musical talents to take centre stage. Of the new material, I felt Stevie on the Radio was the most successful – although whether all of those in the audience had ever heard Steve Wonder has to be asked – some of them haven’t matured as fast as Pixie’s sound has… Illustrated by the late arrivals who thought they have a right to steam to the front. It is a great argument for a well policed golden circle for those fans dedicated enough to be at the front of the queue, braving the cold onset of autumn, to get in early, they usually also forgo the bar to maintain prime spots. They might be a little naive treasuring a little space in front of them that is the envy of others.  There did appear to be two styles of material – a pop sound and a more club sound – Pixie may need to choose between the two to produce an cohesive album… Trying out new material is always a risk – but Pixie has an first album loved by her fans to fall back on and can certainly power out the tracks from that collection - Gravity when down particularly well.

Anyone treated to 2 hours of Jazz and power pop by Jamie Cullum the previous night might have felt a little cheated by the rather shorter set from Pixie – unless they’d bought their tickets via the 2 for 1 that had managed to fill the venue to a respectable extent – but Jamie is a multi-album performer with a significant catalogue – while Pixie is trying to make the jump to having multiple successful albums – judging by the new material she has a fighting chance of making that leap… Most people venturing back out in the the cold of autumn appears to be happy – perhaps with the exception of a few who’d had their hard earned views at the front stolen by a thoughtless few…

Twenty, no make that Thirty something

From Jamie Cullum 2011

Jamie Cullum may no longer be a twenty something, and returning to gigging following the birth of his first child - which he quickly pointed out was mainly not his own hard work - he confessed his enthusiastic jumping around the wasn’t quite as easy to combine with singing now, but he still left the other contributors to the 2011 Q Awards at the HMV Forum with a hard act to follow. I’d been surprised to find myself queuing round the block, even only minutes after the doors officially opened – that is usually something that only happens for act with much younger appeal. The audience was a great mix of young and older music lovers – all there to enjoy Jamie’s mix of Jazz, power pop and soul. He didn’t disappoint – one of many highlights of the evening was an impressive piece of audience participation, with three parts for the audience – which was then repeated to induce yet another encore from Jamie at the end of the evening…

Too Much, Too Little, Too Late

From Johnny Mathis 2011

When you pay £50+, the least you can expect is good sound – especially in a venue such as the O2, with a wealth of experience of setting up for a wide variety of acts… Hence my disappointment that Johnny Mathis’ performance was scared by an echo from the back of the half full O2… I’ve been to multiple event where the arena has been configured without the vertigo inducing 4th level – none of which have suffered in this way. A loud rock act might have over come it – but the subtly of Johnny’s music was lost when you got a second hearing reflecting off the back of the dome… Having said that my expectations had already been lowered by the fact that rather than a musical support act, there would be a comedian supporting Johnny between two short sets from him…  But Jeff Stevenson’s act was actual warming – totally un-offensive, but with good gags about the London tube and Little Chefs…

The night will lead to a slight adjunct to my “try any artist I’ve heard of” policy – don’t over invest in acts you’ve not heard before, that are on their way down rather than potentially up – the real shame is that I missed out on another gig which I’m sure would have been better, from an act looking to build a career rather than, by Johnny’s own admission, fund a golf trip to Europe! I wish he’d invested a little more in the sound engineer and system so those paying top dollar for the night could listen without the echo! I’m sure the O2 has enough equipment and technology to have been able to perfect the sound for the venue.

No need for the London fear – just learn to breathe on your own…

From Nerina Pallot 2011

Nerina selected Jen Armstrong as the opening act for her return to the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire at the end of her UK tour as the best performer of a cover of Turn Me on Again on YouTube – and Jen didn’t let her down… Looking a little alone on the stage with just a keyboard as support, she soon filled the venue with her soulful Yorkshire pop/rock vocals.

Adding a little country to the pop theme of the night, Jodie Marie quickly replaced Jen on stage – causing a rapid return from the bar for some of the audience!  I’ve not previously been to a gig at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire where the audience paid so much attention to the supporting acts – maybe the change to seating rather than standing in the stalls and allocated seating had something to do with that – but the quality of the performances was a big contributing factor.

I’d previously heard Narina at the launch of her fourth album, Year Of The Wolf, surrounded by fans who’d gained their free tickets by pre-ordering the album, in the much more intimate and smaller Borderline – it was similar audience that occupied the first few rows of seating…. After opening with Butterfly Nerina confessed she was no Tony Bennett when it came to her patter between songs – that maybe the case but musically she’s got a comparable range – from the subtlety of If I lost you now, via the pop of covers of Kylie (Is it a cover if you wrote and produced the song for the princess of pop?) and Beyonce to the rock of Everyone’s Gone to War, then the comedy/romance of Geek Love… Not sure HR would condone Nerina’s encouragement for “Geek Love” of those on an office outing wishing to avoid a long journey home by allowing beer goggles to determine if the night could end at someone's  home closer to the office… By the end of the night, having earlier confided that her previous gig at the same venue had ended badly and that she’d suffered from “London fear” – a phenomenon were artist dread the leg of their tour in the capital because of the reputation of the London audience to be rather cold and critical, Nerina had clearly over come both barriers and brought the tour to a storming conclusion.

One comment on the night is that I’m not sure if the choice of a seated layout for the stalls was the right one – it felt wrong being seated for many of the up beat periods of Nerina’s performance… The questions that remain are – will Nerina ever make it to Idaho – and has she really been on the road to Damascus? The second is a little off the tourist track at the moment, but any venue in Idaho could do much worse than extend an invitation for Nerina to end her drive at their establishment.