Although I've only been here just over a month, I've been to two concerts, and have two more in the near future. About two weeks ago I went to see a band called Maps & Atlases with Kate, Lisa, and Spain. It was at this venue by Old Street called XOYO, which apparently used to be an indoor swimming pool. I had only ever heard of Maps & Atli (as I pluralized it), and until the concert I literally had no idea what they sounded like. When we got to XOYO, there was a warm up band on, and we were all excited when they stopped playing and another group (presumably Maps & Atlases) began to set up. A group of guys came on stage and started playing what I can only describe as the most abrasive, non-musical techno I've ever heard. I was ready to suggest an early exit and to call the night a failure, but then the band announced that they were not, in fact, the main attraction. Maps & Atlases came on, and it was a really great concert. I actually went home and bought (yes, not illegally downloaded) their music. They are actually one of those bands that's better live, which I love.
Ze band
The Fearsome Foursome in concert-mode
My next concert experience was just last night with Ayenat. The band: Young the Giant. The venue: Monto Water Rats (I know, right?). It's right around the corner from our dorm, and every time we've walked by it before, we chuckle, probably enhanced by the fact that it is right next to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic. Really? An entire clinic just for ears, noses, and throats? Seems unnecessary to me. But I digress...we listened to a couple of warm up bands, and once again had no idea what the band actually looked like. A group of 5 hipsta looking guys came on stage, and we thought they might be Young the Giant, but during their sound check they sounded British (Young the Giant=Californians). But apparently I can no longer tell the difference between british and American accents (so well adjusted to London right now), as they were in fact American. I can only describe the concert as utterly fantastic...Aye and I were literally in the front row, standing approximately 1 foot away from the band (yes, we inched up a little every song). We quickly fell in love with every member of the band, but particularly the main singer. In addition to having a hauntingly amazing voice, he also used instruments such as a tambourine, maracas, and an orange filled with something (we hypothesized for a while as to the possible contents) that sounded like a rattle.
Best Frands (I wish)
After they finished their set, we got to meet a couple of the band members (!!!) and tried our best to become best friends. Didn't work exactly as we had hoped, but we did get to chat with them for a bit. The next band on stage was a truly horrendous cover band that butchered winning tracks such as Poker Face, some Justin Bieber, and others. Did I mention that they were the most motley group of middle aged people I've ever seen? That made it a lot funnier.
Concerts to come: next week I'm going with Kate to see Alex Ebert (lead singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros), and in mid-March Ayenat and I are trekking to Oxford to see King Charles.
Other exciting news: spring break planning (we have off from March 25-April 26) is going swimmingly. The agenda is looking like Greece, Italy, the South of France, Spain, Paris, Amsterdam, and Belgium.
This weekend I'm going to Iver to visit our family friends Mike and Maureen. Looking forward to getting out of the city for a day or two, and not having to live in a dorm! Next week we have off because it's "Reading Week", which in the US would mean studying, but in London it means traveling. Instead of traveling, I'm planning on trying to knock out some of my final essays, catch up on sleep, and do some London sightseeing. Until next time.
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