When I asked my 14-year-old niece who she would like to see live for her first concert, she said Ke$ha without hesitation.  As one of my favorite guilty pleasures, I happily obliged. On August 20th we drove out to Long Island to see the show at the Nikon Theatre, cautiously tripping over piles of beer bottles, french fries and underage drunk kids in the parking lot.  There were a few more “cover your eyes/ears” moments during LMFAO’s opening set and Ke$ha’s self-proclaimed Get $leazy Tour (including a penis costume), but it was a perfect introduction to live music.  My first concert was TLC’s FanMail Tour (with opening act Destiny’s Child)  in 1999 in Albany, New York. What was yours?

Check out some live videos I captured from Ke$ha’s gig, say what you will be she is a badass onstage and put on a great performance. More pictures HERE.

Ke$ha – Blow (Cirkut Remix)

Friendly Fires 2011 Debut at Bowery Ballroom!

Last night New York City welcomed the long awaited return of St. Albans’ Friendly Fires. The show marked the band’s very first gig of 2011 in which they shared songs from their upcoming album Pala (release date TBA) for the very first time! Three years ago I saw the nearly unknown Friendly Fires for the first time at Bowery Ballroom during CMJ and have closely followed their every move leading up to last night’s brilliant show at the same venue.

The Hundred in The Hands

After a fantastic opening set from New York’s The Hundred in the Hands (one of my favorite live acts of 2010), my many overhearings at the venue clued me in that they’ve made many new fans. Unfortunately THIH will not join the Fires for the remainder of their tour but have announced a European tour kicking off in London on February 25th, full dates here.

Stream: The Hundred In The Hands – Pigeons (Foals XIII Remix)

Stream: Friendly Fires – Photobooth

Florence + The Machine at Bowery Ballroom

This just in! Florence and Co. are coming back to New York in April! Last time they were here we had the pleasure of seeing Florence + The Machine‘s NYC debut at Fader Fort for CMJ and Bowery Ballroom, but this time they’ll be playing the MUCH LARGER Terminal 5 with Holy Hail! Wow!

Stay tuned for full Cosmic Love Tour dates on Florence’s MySpace. Full tour dates can be seen HERE.

New York and London Dates

April 9th Terminal 5, New York, NY
May 13th – 15th Hammerstein Apollo, London, UK

US Tickets on sale HERE. Presale for UK dates HERE.

mp3: Florence + The Machine – Hurricane Drunk (The Horrors Remix) or zShare

Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall 1/23/10

Two years ago I attended an Anti-Valentines Day themed party with my cousin at the now defunct Le Royale.  Toward the end of the night, in walked a blonde wearing sunglasses, heels, a huge white fur coat…and not much else. We snickered “Who the hell does she think she is?” and continued checking out the scene. Shortly after open bar we were on our way out but stayed to check out The Lady Gaga Revue at the insistence of the bouncer. As the set began we soon realized that the show was being spearheaded by that female with the questionable wardrobe from earlier in the night…

Our initial reactions were “What the hell is this?” along with chuckling at the naughty choreography and silly, innuendo-heavy lyrics of Boys Boys Boys, Paparazzi, LoveGame and Beautiful Dirty Rich. However a few minutes into the show, we were hooked fans dancing and singing along to the mega-catchy songs that we’d never heard before. That night I described The Lady Gaga Revue as a strange breeding of Missy Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly (lyrically), guilty pop, S & M and girl on girl burlesque. At the time of the show Gaga’s debut album The Fame had not yet  been released and Just Dance (which went on to be her debut single) was omitted from the live performance but played by the DJ as a preview after the performance. From that moment on I had no doubt that Lady Gaga would blow up but I had no clue HOW FAST!

Two years later I found myself at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday night for the third of four SOLD OUT Lady Gaga shows, a feat preceded by a monstrous string of record-breaking hits, nominations, awards and her overall domination of the industry. As I walked into the madness that was Radio City Music Hall, not only was I totally excited for the show, but I felt really proud of Lady Gaga’s coming full circle.

The venue was packed with people of all ages and mostly consisted of teenage girls and older gay men, many of which dressed in some form of Gaga incarnation and ridiculousness. It was what I always imagined going to a Madonna concert in the 80′s would have been like. At 9:30 PM the venue darkened and a transparent screen flashed visuals in front of Gaga whose outfit comprised of strategically placed lights for the fitting opener Dance in the Dark. For the next two hours Gaga delivered a non-stop kick in the teeth with every performance from the set.

Personal highlights from the show (to name a few) include the avant-garde S&M performance of Paparazzi, the steamy Alejandro, the stunning downtempo piano medley and the showstopping Pokerface. Visual backdrops, about 10 costume changes, unpredictable crowd interaction and video montages (including a surprising use of Mobb Deep’s Shook Ones) kept the show fresh and concertgoers on their toes.

It’s amazing to see how much Gaga has evolved in 2 years and how she has crafted her performance: from a small stage in the West Village on a random weeknight with 2 backup dancers and backing tape, to having the hottest sold out tour at Radio City Music Hall in 2010. The Monster Ball was an impressive headlining tour and a strong vantage point for Lady Gaga, which in turn set the bar high for 2010′s pop stars to follow suit.  An arena tour including a show at Madison Square Garden will follow the wrapping of The Monster Ball, which will surely bring  a polished show to a much larger audience. Can’t wait!

Enjoy a few pictures below, many more: FULL GALLERY HERE.

mp3: Lady Gaga – Eh Eh (Frankmusik Remix) [alt]
mp3: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance (Starsmith Remix) [alt]
mp3: Lady Gaga – LoveGame (Space Cowboy Remix) [alt]

LONDON

:: Get Loaded in the Dark

If this is what we can expect from London clubland in 2010 then we must brace ourselves. Get Loaded in the Dark is a NYE party on serious steroids with something to offer everyone and their mom. There will be dj sets from the likes of BBC Radio goddess Annie Mac to production sensations Chase & Status to the mammoth Simian Mobile Disco.

One of TLC’s favorite acts of 2009, Golden Silvers, will be performing a live set and will be joined by a myriad of other djs/performers throughout the night. Yes, advance tickets are sold out but another allocation will be released shortly. If you plan on going big this NYE, there’s no better place than good ol Sarf London with this impressive lineup.

Thursday December 31st, 2009
Time / 8.30PM – 6.00PM
Venue / Brixton Academy

More info HERE.

:: Ministry of Sound Present Ministry of Sound Live at the O2

Another amazing option in London would be Ministry of Sound’s NYE event at the o2 with special live sets from Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Justice, Plump DJs, Dave Spoon, Example and Eric Prydz!

It’s sure to be an all nighter so make sure to rest up beforehand if you can score tickets!

Thursday December 31st, 2009
Time / 9PM – 6AM
Venue /The o2

More info HERE.

MP3: Eric Prydz – Call on Me or zShare

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Quite the contrast from our high profile picks for London, but as a New Yorker I prefer to go “off the radar” for NYE celebrations…

NEW YORK

:: Mr. Saturday Night

Justin Carter, Eamon Harkin and Omar S will keep you dancing while open bar keeps your spirits high. And it’s super local. The Market will be full of win!

Thursday December 31st, 2009
Time / 10PM – ??

More info and tickets HERE.

:: Pendu + Self Help Present Temple: 2010

For those of you on the other side of Brooklyn I recommend the Temple 2010 New Year’s Eve party. This jam-packed night of awesomeness kicks off at 9PM and includes performances by Noveller, Magic Is Kuntmaster, Flaming Fire, LYDSOD and DJ Sets from The Xx’s Romy, Lauren Flax, Aaron Kolfage (Germs NYC), Lauren Dillard and Liz Armstrong (Self Help.)

A great array of talent for only $15 at the door or $10 w/RSVP to rsvp@pendu.org

Thursday December 31st, 2009
Time / 9PM – 4AM
Venue /Eternal Christmas : 525 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY

More info HERE. Check out the highly-addictive Lauren Flax track featuring Sia below!

MP3: Lauren Flax – You’ve Changed (Featuring Sia) or zShare

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Other Notable NYE Events (Click for more info)

Dragonette at Santos Party House, 11.05.09

I actually didn’t plan on catching Dragonette‘s 1:30 AM set at Santos Party House last week but luckily I decided to sacrifice a few hours of sleep last Thursday night for a thrill. I’ve never written about Dragonette on Tastes Like Caramel before so in an effort to educate myself and TLC’s readers who may not be familiar with Dragonette, I did a little bit of research:

Canada’s Dragonette consists of lead singer Martina Sorbara, guitarist Chris Hugget, producer and bassist Dan Kurtz and drummer Joel Stouffer. They have released two full-length albums 2005′s Galore and this year’s critically-acclaimed Fixin To Thrill, both recorded in London. Dragonette has toured with the likes of New Order, Basement Jaxx and Sugababes!

Having never seen the electro-pop band live before, it was a great introduction to rebelliously see Dragonette perform a late-night gig at Santos on a school night. Fans gobbled up Martina’s exuberance onstage, smiling and dancing her way through a fantastic set clad in awesome latex overalls.

The pleasantly long set covered fan favorites from Galore, Fixin To Thrill and the 2005 self-titled EP before closing with the yet-to-be-released Get Your Titties Off My Things. Remaining tour dates can be seen HERE and more pictures from the show can be seen HERE.

MP3: Dragonette – The Boys (Calvin Harris Cover) or zShare

MP3: Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone (Richard X Remix) or zShare

We’re looking forward to seeing this extravagant “electro pop-opera,” full tour dates can be seen HERE. The expanded debut The Fame will be released as The Fame Monster on November 23rd!

Tour Dates:

New York: January 20th & 21 at Radio City Music Hall [Tickets]
London: February 26 & 27 at 02 Arena. [Tickets]

MP3: Lady Gaga – Paparazzi (Stuart Price Remix) or  zShare

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Simian Mobille at Webster Hall, 10.30.09

Last Friday (pre-Halloween) we danced our asses off in costume at Webster Hall for Simian Mobile Disco’s epic live set. We saw SMD at Highline in April and again at Lollapalooza in August and every time it was as if James Ford and Jas Shaw were playing exclusively for my dance circle. Another flawless set at Webster, come back soon?

More pictures from the live set can be seen HERE.

MP3: Simian Mobile Disco – Hustler (A-Trak Remix) or zShare
MP3: Simian Mobile Disco – Audacity of Huge (Dada Life Remix) or zShare

Jack Peñate Backstage at Mercury Lounge, 9.15.09

In September Jack Peñate and Miike Snow embarked on a joint US tour with 2 stops at New York’s famed Mercury Lounge. We were lucky enough to catch both shows and interview both artists during their stay (see: TLC vs. Miike Snow: Behind the Masks) No topics were off limits. Check out our interview with Jack Peñate where we discuss death, music scenes, and that horrible break up with New Young Pony Club’s Tahina Bulmer!

Check out our review of Jack’s gigs here: Tonight’s Today: Jack Penate Croons Mercury Lounge and Jack Penate Charms at Brooklyn’s Bruar Falls.

MP3: Jack Peñate – Everything is New or zShare
MP3: Jack Peñate – Pull My Heart Away (The Xx Remix) or zShare

> Have you had any time to do anything in New York?
JP: Not yet no. I feel like I’ve done my fair share of fun stuff as I’ve been here quite a lot in the past few years. I love it. I normally feel like I’m somewhere I shouldn’t be when traveling to other cities, whereas I don’t have that there. It feels quite normal.

> Is that because it’s a bit like London?
JP: Yeah and I’ve got friends here, real friends. You just ring them and it’s completely comfortable. Whereas if you’re in Tokyo or wherever, you don’t feel that same kind of ease. I always have an amazing time here.

‘That style of music seemed the most natural to bring in at this point in my life.’

> I was listening to an interview you did with Jo Whiley after visiting New York and she asked you what the top 3 things to do in New York were and you mentioned Crif Dogs…
JP: Yeah I love that place.

> Anything else to add to that list? Like “Jack’s Guide to New York.”
JP: Oh God I’m the worst person to ask. It’s always based around food. I really like that place Freemans Alley, they do amazing artichoke dip which I’m really into. I just really like the large drinks you get, you seem to pour out more spirit than we get back home. In England they sit there for hours making sure it’s exactly the amount, and it’s the most frustrating thing to watch! They almost wipe off the top if there’s too much. They’d rather you not have more, but in America I love the heavy handed drink pouring.

> That’s also dependant on your tipping..
JP: (Laughs) Yeah exactly it’s very true!

Jack Peñate at Bruar Falls, 6.3.09

> With your second album its a very drastic difference — I  know you’ve covered that in a million interviews — but what we’re interested finding out is why you chose this specific direction of afro-pop Caribbean beats, all this lush sound going around…
JP: First of all, growing up all of  these styles of music were very familiar to me. I went to see Dr. John when I was 9 with my mum, my father was obsessed with Afro-beat, and my brother loved reggae so I grew up listening to Buju Banton, Sizzla, Red Rat and all these guys. I loved all of it but for some reason I didn’t feel like I could ever be obvious with loving that in my own music, and then something kind of clicked during the first record and I thought “If you love something surely you can bring it into your own music.” That style of music seemed the most natural to bring in at this point in my life.

There’s  lots of stuff I’d like to bring in later on but at this point I wanted that.  I didn’t want to come back with a serious second record. I wanted it to carry on that kind of joyous feeling from the first record but contextualize it in music that I loved and felt maybe hadn’t been explored in a lot of pop, and try to combine it with how I write songs. It felt kind of natural for some reason.

> You said you wanted to keep the second record joyous but when it comes to subject matter there is some serious lyrical content. We were talking to (even though your music is very different) a band like White Lies who say that their songs are about macabre themes but it’s still essentially pop music –
JP: I do it in a sort of tongue in cheek way though…

> Where does your perspective on this come from?
JP: I suppose that mainly I still have this teenage way of thinking about life and how it’s going to end. It’s one of those things that kind of carries on and is constant in my head, I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. A song like Let’s All Die actually came about from someone else’s influence. I went on a road trip across America when I was 19 with my bassist Joel, and we saw a funeral procession in New Orleans.

It took me back in quite a shock actually because death is a very different thing in Britain (and most of America) but to see a little pocket of where it was this incredible amazing celebration…I was almost jealous as I’d want that. Music and color, it’s a great way to send someone away and say goodbye instead of quietly sobbing in all black the rain in Bexley Heath, South London. It’s what I grew up with -  heartbreaking funerals that didn’t have that sense of joy which life does have. I also like the idea of 14 year old kids in England singing along to the words, I think it’s kind of funny and in some way sort of punk rock.

‘I still have this teenage way of thinking about life and how it’s going to end. It’s one of those things that kind of carries on and is constant in my head’

> Was that the reception you’ve gotten at festivals? We heard that your set at Reading was huge!
JP: Oh my god it was insane. I wasn’t sure how these gigs would go because of the new record, but it was crazier than any gig we’ve ever done. There were like 15,000 people moshing, you know it’s going to be good when the crowd starts doing the thing where they sway and fall over and screaming. As soon I hit the note the thing went (crash sound.)

Jack Peñate at Mercury Lounge, 9.15.09

> How was it to go from those kind of shows to playing here at Mercury Lounge?
JP: Yeah that was only 2 shows ago! It is definitely a learning curve, it makes you re-evaluate everything and realize there is so much work to do. I’m gonna have to be really strong and make sure I’ve got a huge backbone and just be like (we played last night it was a lovely show but it’s a pretty small crowd) ” Fuck it, this is how it is and you can’t expect much more.”  I think it’s a positive and it kind of knocks you in a way.

> It’s good so you don’t take anything for granted.
JP: Yeah I don’t want to be knocked for too long though (all laugh.)

> Are you working on new material?
JP: Yeah,  I’ve been in the studio any day off at the moment really. Went in the studio with The Streets the other day which was cool, we didn’t finish it though because we only had 6 hours because of our schedules.  I’ve been writing on tour and just looking forward to getting back to do more. I want new music out in the next few months, hopefully an EP soon for people to hear.

> Back to the live show, what was the craziest experience you’ve had? I read a bit about how fans went mad during Torn on the Platform…
JP: We played in a place called Hull in Northern England, they call it “hell hole.” I love it but it’s real, really fucking intense.  We played this place which is a pretty famous bar, if you saw this place…I mean this room (boiler room of Mercury Lounge) is beautiful in comparison and it’s not that much bigger. The people who have played there Radiohead, Coldplay, u2, it’s one of those institution places. They oversold it by about 200 kids, so there were 500 kids in space for 300 IF that. The sound man is severely disabled, it was all sort of a head fuck AND in the middle of a whole estate, the whole vibe is fucking mad.

All the kids got onstage for pretty much the whole gig. I just bought a new guitar and I remember looking over and saying “Where the fuck is my guitar!?” My tour manager had to chase after this kid, they stole everything. Kids were trying to undo the drums but it was all ’cause of love, very much like mementos. I can’t really get annoyed about that, in fact it was kind of funny. My drummer was having to smack kids hands with the drum sticks while he was playing and kids were trying to take my guitar. It was fun, that was a good one.

‘I wanted it to carry on that kind of joyous feeling from the first record but contextualize it in music that I loved and felt maybe hadn’t been explored in a lot of pop, and try to combine it with how I write songs.’

> Over here they just go for the set list or a guitar pick! You’re based in London — is there music community you have? I know you and the Maccabees are friends.
JP: Yeah definitely! I live in a home that’s kind of by the record label. I rent a room and below is a record label called Merock. There’s lots of bands around. It’s a good thing but I kind of want to break away, kind of like the idea of LA because it’s kind of ridiculous. I love New York but it would be too easy but it’s quite close to England. I like the idea that if I’m going to move,  it’ll be 12 hours from home.  There’s definitely a great musical community in London but sometimes it can also be a fucking nightmare. You don’t want to talk about “Did you hear the new (this) single…” and there’s a lot of that, which is what those scenes do. It gets a bit intense, I kind of want to opt out.

> You jokingly mentioned dating one of the girls from New Young Pony Club in a previous interview.
JP: (Fumbles his words) My girlfriend’s here, no. Someone wrote a bit in a magazine and then everyone was saying it. I met her once.

> Not to put you on the spot but I read that she came up to you in a festival and said “You’re my boyfriend.”
JP: Yeah she did, we definitely don’t know each other…

> Oh was it off of the tabloid thing?

JP: Yeah it was a joke, it’s odd to be dating someone you don’t know…

> So you guys are broken up I can assume? (All laugh)
JP: Horribly painful, horribly painful. It’s like a Bon Iver kind of record, crying in my teacup.

Major Lazer at Terminal 5, 10.10.09

We arrived at Terminal 5 for HARD before midnight to catch Major Lazer‘s set. The whole time I was under the impression that it was just going to be a “DJ set” …but I was way off. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I turned to a friend and said “this is fucking crazy” or “this is insane!”

Terminal 5 was an absolute circus on and offstage. The crowd looked about ready for a rave, while the onstage dancers during Major Lazer’s set performed some of the most jaw dropping stage antics I’ve ever seen including, ladders, weightlifting, gold booty shorts and scandalous dance moves.

Crookers at Terminal 5, 10.10.09

Diplo sans Switch represented Major Lazer, with special guests Nina Sky for Keep it Goin’ Louder and Santigold for Hold The Line. It was a solid 1 hour set show that went above and beyond any of my expectations.

Italian duo Bot and Phra aka Crookers slid right in after Diplo wrapped around 1 AM. Crookers’ set focused heavily on connecting with the crowd through the music and visual montages that rotated between Peter Cottontail, text, animation and footage of Crooker’s DJing live via the camera attached to the turn tables.

I’d seen Crookers DJ at Webster Hall with Annie Mac earlier this year but this was a much grander scale. I was greatly impressed yet again, left anticipating the full-length debut this January, titled Tons Of Friends. Spotted at HARD: M.I.A. and Trouble Andrew.

MP3: Crookers – Knobbers or zShare
MP3: Proxy – Raven (Crookers Remix) or zShare
MP3: Major Lazer – Jump Up (Featuring Leftside and Supahyp) or zShare

Crookers