Athens66: Live

The Downside of not living in Reykjavik

We may have had our night out here in Athens but up north in Reykjavik there was another free-entrance party. Gus Gus played an album releace concert at Nikita Garden for their latest album titled 24/7.

Their first single is also out titled Add this Song. The album is a bit too techno-dance for me but the full version of this song isn't half bad (although not even close to their old tracks).

And speaking of old tracks, here's an amazing live performance from back in time and their song Believe. Those were the Gus Gus that we came to love (when they were still counted 9). Thanks to gsus for posting this one!

EJEKT festival Day 1 (and only)

Another year, another Ejekt festival at the south of Athens. The venue and organization of the festival was quite good this year. If only there was a bit more audience attending (but the lack of a rock audience in Athens is a big issues which I'm not going to touch).

It all started off with White Lies on stage. I missed the first few songs (including my favorite Fairwell to the Fairground) but managed to enjoy the next few ones. They didn't quite excite me but they weren't half bad either. I guess they just need a couple more years (and another record) before we can see what these guys are really made of (they still annoyingly young!).

Next up were Starsailor. I'm not a big fan of them and they are not really the band to set the crowd on fire. With the exception of a couple of their older hits, they mostly filled the spot till the next band with some enjoyable background music.

Next up were the highlight of the night (for me), the Editors. They started off with some new material (they actually played quite a number of new songs from their upcoming third album In This Light And On This Evening), which is definitely different from their previous two albums but I must admit I quite liked them. They switched to a more synth/electro sound with obvious influences ranging from Joy Division to Depeche Mode. Of' course, they included their usual hits like my favorite Smokers outside Hospital Doors. This band really knows how to rock the house and were really appreciated by the audience.

Finally, the night ended with the legendary Pixies. I'll be honest, I only saw the first 30-40 minutes of their show in order to avoid the exit traffic. They gave a solid professional performance but lacked any real edge. I guess that's the real problem with bands like Pixies. If you didn't catch them on stage while they were dominating the indie scene back in the 90's, I guess you only see half of their glory. All in all, the first day of Ejekt wasn't bad but didn't offer anything spectacular (especially for its quite pricy ticket). Count me out for today's second day...

PS. I didn't bother taking too many pictures or any videos..so I just posted some I found from other fellow youtubers..

EJEKTing Tonight!

Well..due to unforseen factors, we didn't make it to Monika's live yesterday. Hopefully we'll at least make it to today's first day of Ejekt Festival. Legendary Pixies are headlining and along with them we'll catch Starsailor as well. But the other two bands are the ones that we're really going for. First of all, Editors, who are one of my favorite bands and quite good on stage (seen them 2 years ago back in Germany).

The other one is the new and up and coming White Lies. Their debut album quickly became a big success and they have been stuck on my playlist the last couple of days (especially Farewell to the Fairground). Hope to see ya all there!

Monika Night

Our favorite greek singer/songwriter Monika is playing tonight at Theatro Vraxwn around 21.30. Hopefully we'll be there this time. See ya!

Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Gagarin (inc. Flakes)

So we finally made it downtown for yesterday's live by PBPH. Before the "main event" however, there were 2 supports to be "served". First up were Flakes, an indie punk/rock/pop band from Patra (and a touch of UK). To be honest, we were happily surprised by their energy and sound on stage. Their music is clearly following the leads of Arctic Monkey and other british indie rock/punk-ish bands that emerged the past few years. Nevertheless, they really did make us jump around a bit and were more than enjoyable to catch live (sample song from their debut album below).

Next up were a pure greek band called Common Sense. This was by far one of the worst things I've heard in my life. Uninspiring, uninteresting and completely out of place with the crowd under them. They almost made us leave the venue! Who the hell booked them as an opener to PBPH???

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction

(Song hosted at Unnecessary Umlaut)

After around 50 minutes of suffering, they finally decided to do as the favor and leave the stage for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart! The band from NY was just amazing on stage. They "served" one hit after the other with everyone in the venue dancing and jumping around (or at least everyone around us). They played all their songs (after 2 encores they didn't have any more songs left to play...) and really gave a stunning end to their latest tour. These are the kind of bands we all want to see coming to Athens...fresh and at their peak...unlike most of the old fecking rockers that end up here. This was one Pain we'd love to feel again and again!

The Pains of Catching Pure at Heart Live!

After rumours of cancellation (which has become the standard way here in Athens lately), we're all set for tonight's gig from one of our favorite new bands here in Athens66...The Pains of Being Pure at Heart tonight at Gagarin around 21:00 (or most likely on stage around 23:00). See ya there!

Jarvis rocking Primavera

A small take from Jarvis Cocker's performance from this year's Primavera festival. Hopefully BLR will provide more videos, pics and comments since he was our representative there (no festivals for me this year).

Feck off Lindstrøm!!

We were all set and hyped about seeing Lindstrøm yesterday downtown at Bios. Unfortunately, Lindstrøm wasn't so hyped himself. We were already at the bar around 22.30 (with the live announced to kick-off around 23.00). Two and a half hours later and not even the support group (Fantasitkoi Ixoi) were on stage...To be precise, at 01.20 the stage was still closed. I have no idea what time exactly the freaking bustard actually got on stage since we were long gone..I guess this live was targeting teensters that haven't spent the whole day working and can easily wait for the asshole for more than 3 hours...From the rest of us...simply..

Feck off Lindstrøm!!!

PS. The only good thing about the whole night was the fact that I rediscovered in my pile of CDs in my car the little jewel by Sambassadeur...I should have stayed in the car all along..

Sambassadeur-Between the Lines

Lindstrøm @ Bios

Tonight at 23.00 at Bios...see ya there..

The tighter your grip around me

I've been waiting to see Tindersticks for a long time now. Finally on Saturday I got my dream fulfilled (now only Sigur Ros and Belle & Sebastian are left on my list of past-favs-must-see). The set was ready at Badminton theater and after the totally indifferent act of Irish singer-songwriter David Kitt it was time for Stuart Staples and his pals to fill the stage.

Most of the playlist came from their latest album Hungry Saw (as expected), which I have to admit is not that strong compared to their first three albums (a class of their own). However, seeing and hearing Staples live was worth every penny. The highlights of the show were the two encores with a number of past favorites (including Her and The Not Knowing). In full honesty, Badminton theater was the worst choice for this event (I so wanted to be in front of that stage singing along) and Staples never really showed true enthusiasm in his performance (perhaps the venue is to blame for this as well). Nevertheless, seeing Tindersticks live was well worth it..Hope they come back for another show soon (in a real stage this time).

PS. Videos are from Mix-Grill due to fucking Badminton theater (where pictures are not allowed)

Sunday night out with Monika

If you got no plans for tonight (and live in Athens) then I guess the best idea is a trip downtown to Bar Guru Bar around 22:00 where Monika is playing (free entrance courtesy of City 99,5 radio). Hope I'll make it and actually fit upstairs (since the bar ain't that big).

On a Highway to ... Athens

Finally...after years of anticipation it is finally happening...mark the date (May 28, 2009), the place (Olympic Stadium) and get ready for...

AC/DC Live in Athens!!!

Piano Magic Live

So, I finally made this one! Saturday night, after a pint of Guinness (since An Club didn't open until 22.00) and there we were just in front of the small stage with a second beer in our hands awaiting for the Magic to appear on stage. This took a while longer since the band finally made their appearance a few minutes before 23.00, but who cared? (not me definitely, since after Animals Collective's solo trip, we were in full company this time)

The club was quite packed (but not a full house by all means) and the atmosphere was just perfect for quickly diving into Piano Magic's dreamy guitar sound. The guys (and gal) were in a cheerful mood and felt right at home by the crowd (they keep coming back to Athens every year so they must be quite familiar with the local scene/crowd by now). What followed was something more than an hour of really beautiful music from new and old material (including a Dead Can Dance cover). The small stage of An Club really suits the band and the crowd made sure that this was going to feel like a pleasant Saturday night-out hanging around with friends on the local pub, while enjoying your favorite tracks. All in all, a really nice performance; if only it didn't cost 35 euros :-)

Time for some Piano Magic

It's time for some magic tonight...Piano Magic@An Club tonight at 21.30...See ya there!!

Fuck....I forgot Fuck Buttons

Quick question to our readers out there. Did anyone see Fuck Buttons at An Club on Monday? I totally forgot they where playing (and so wanted to see them live...). I guess it only proves that Monday ain't the best date for a gig in this city :-)

Live from Athens

Probably most people expected this blog to post about Obama's victory. Well, since music is our real candidate here, I decided to post some of the upcoming live dates that have been announced for Athens the following months instead. There are indeed some good acts coming and hopefully even more to be announced. In red are my favorite ones that I hope to attend.

November 8, 2008 ROISIN MURPHY Gagarin 205
November 8, 2008 PIANO MAGIC An Club

~~November 14, 2008 THE TEENAGERS Gagarin 205~~
November 15, 2008 STEREO MCs Fuzz Club
November 15, 2008 GURU'S JAZZMATAZZ Gagarin 205
November 16, 2008 THE RESIDENTS Pallas Theater
November 23, 2008 iLiKETRAiNS Gagarin 205

November 28, 2008 ΤRICKY Fuzz Club
November 28, 2008 DUB PISTOLS Gagarin 205
November 29, 2008 PUBLIC ENEMY Gagarin 205
December 12, 2008 MONSTER MAGNET Gagarin 205
December 13, 2008 FRONT 242 Fuzz Club
December 21, 2008 WEDDING PRESENT Tiki Bar

January 31, 2009 CALEXICO Fuzz Live Music Club
February 7, 2009 AND ALSO THE TREES An Club
February 15, 2009 NURSE WITH WOUND Kyttaro Live
February 21, 2009 TINDERSTICKS Badminton Theater

February 21, 2009 MOGWAI Gagarin 205
May 12, 2009 DEPECHE MODE Terra Vibe

PS. There are some rumors regarding Sigur Ros coming to Athens as well. Let's just hope our wish to see our beloved Icelanders turns out to be true..

Animal Collective Live

So I finally made up my mind and, although no one else followed, I went downtown on Wednesday to see Animal Collective live in Gagarin 205. The band was set to go live at 21.00 (a bit earlier than initially announced due to an early flight they had to catch), but nevertheless they finally came out around 22.00 (as originally planned). Prior to them, onstage was a quite dull solo violin-keys-electro act that thankfully quickly vanished 10 minutes after I arrived.

Prior to the band’s appearance, I set myself in the front row (unfortunately just opposite of the speakers) while the place was slowly filling up (although nowhere near a full house). Finally, Avey Tare, Geologist and Panda Bear made their appearance on stage and immediately started tweaking their (hi-tech) equipment. Everything was ready and Panda and quickly set the pace on their samplers while GeologistAvey continued to tweak even more buttons and pedals. It took a few minutes before their music finally settled in and along with Avey’s distorted lyrics at first and Panda Bear’s howls later on, the Animal Collective sound was finally at full scale.

I have to be honest, I really enjoyed the music and easily got into the Colletive’s reverie but I always felt something was missing. Perhaps it was Avey’s and Geologist’s stage appearance (the first kept on tweaking and fixing different equipment and pedals all the time while Geologist [with his headlamp] reminded me a bit of Orbital) that let me down. On the other hand, Panda Bear was a real joy, especially when he left the keys/samplers and got onto the drums. I guess that was the highlight of the concert for me, when on the second-to-last track Avey finally reached for his guitar and Panda Bear ecstatically pounded the drums. A 10-minute frenzy that finally awaken the crowd and made the whole night worth it. And that was basically it, with just a small 5-minute encore which naturally wasn’t enough. A not-that-bad live from which we expected a bit more and also reaffirmed most people’s thoughts (or at least mine’s) that the real driving force behind the band is increasingly becoming Panda Bear (especially after last year’s acclaimed Person Pitch)

PS. Yet again I forgot my camera so I had to settle with crappy pics and vids from my mobile phone.

Should I stay or should I go?

Animal Collective are coming to Athens this Wednesday 22nd of October at Gagarin. I certainly want to attend but once again I will decide on this at the last minute. Nevertheless, especially after last year's stunning Strawberry Jam, this seems like a really promising live. See ya (probably) there..

Reaching off to M83

I thought of digging up the 2-by-2 concept but actually transforming it into a 4-by-1 for once. This is another post regarding what I’ve been listening to this past couple of days, which is no other than M83. From their stunning debut album Dead Cities, Read Seas & Lost Ghosts back in 2003 to their follow-up in 2004 with Before the Dawn Heals Us (which saw the departure of Fromageau) and this year’s acclaimed Saturdays=Youth, M83 offer shoegazing ambient pop similar to their countrymen Air. Their last album is more synth pop rather than ambient, still it manages to travel us into their personal galaxy as in their previous albums (although the very first trip with Unrecorded remains unforgettable). The band (or Gonzalez to be more precise) is visiting us here in Athens on the 4th of October and we are looking forward to some more on-stage space trips this time. Until then, enjoy 4 videos from all 3 of their albums.

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Bjork vs Leonard Cohen (2-by-2 Live)

Last week was the end of the summer festival season for me. After Roskilde and Fly Beyond, it was time to give an end with two solo concerts by great artists. Unfortunately I had no camera with me at either venues and now don’t have too much time (before I leave for my only week of summer holiday) to post a separate post for each of them (although they deserve even more than that). The first one was on the 30th of July (last Wednesday) outside Athens at the Terra Vibe venue, where legend Leonard Cohen gave an amazing 3-hour performance that left everyone dancing to the end of love and beyond. Leonard is just such an incredible singer/composer/poet and performer, so I’m more than happy that a good friend from school convinced me to go along with her (seeing Cohen live on stage will be one of those things you’ll always come to remember in the future).
Dead tired though from work and the endless trip back after the concert, I was once again convinced by my brother and fellow blogger elafini this time to head over on Thursday (31 July) to the Olympic Basketball Stadium (OAKA) for Bjork’s concert. This one I had planned in the past to see, so it didn’t take me much to decide. After more than an hour, Bjork finally made her entrance. I’m not the biggest fan of her last albums (although I was a great fan of her early work), but on stage Bjork is just one of the best performers around. Highly energetic, constantly moving around, dancing, shouting, singing; backed-up by a great show of lights, flags, lasers and a handful of surprises, she kept everyone on their feet and especially after half way in the show, raised the beats and started an insane dance/techno party! While at the end we were all waiting for more (only lasted something more than an hour), one thing is for certain; Bjork remains one of the most unique singers in the world and seeing her live at least once should be on everyone’s list of things to do.
So that was it for this year as regards to concerts. Hope from September a new (even better) season starts, with lots of great artists and amazing performances. Until then, here are two clips on a head-to-head live confrontation of Bjork and Cohen in Athens .