Last week I went to see Nicole Atkins in concert. I didn't really know her very well, I heard her new, and first, album on the Luisterpaal. Great website for people like me who don't often listen to the radio but who are interested in discovering new music. Without the Luisterpaal I probably wouldn't have discovered Bright Eyes, Eleni Mandell or Mondo Leone, three firm favourites now.
Anyway, Nicole played with her band in a small venue quite close to Amsterdam Central Station. Just a small hall, bar in the corner, balcony, table at the side to sell t-shirts and cds after the concert. The stage was just big enough for Nicole and her five musicians. The band did not just consist of base, guitar and drums, but also included violin and keyboard.
I got there quite early, so I had a good view of the stage, I was about one step away from it. The only person in front of me was a lady photographer, who was quite small. Standing so close to the stage I also ended up right next to one of the speakers, which meant that once the music started I could not only hear it, but I could feel it. The base sound was literally thrilling, and it affected my legs as much as my ears. The legs of my jeans were moving about, so to speak.
Nicole is a singer from New Jersey and she has managed to create her own sound and style while reminding you very much of the music of the sixties, especially of the girl groups. If you check her out on YouTube you will find her singing some original girl groups songs. And she does very well. But she generally writes her own songs, and they are good. They stick in your head and keep popping up. It's phrases, both words and music that seem to keep coming back.
Someone in the audience made some short videos and put them on Youtube:
Together We're Both Alone
The Way It Is
And there are two more. They don't quite catch the strength of the live show, but they give some idea. She's coming back to Amsterdam in July, so I have another concert to look forward to.
No comments:
Post a Comment