Fireflies & Laserbeams

Wolf Alice Rocked the Deluxe Room in Indy!

Wednesday April 6, 2022 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | music | Leave Comments

My life accomplice Twila and I went to the Old National last night to see Wolf Alice live and they did not disappoint. It was one of the best shows I've been to in a very long time.

One of the things I love about this band is how versatile they are. Musically they are an eclectic bunch, covering the genre gamut from heavy metal to pop to folk and at the highest level. The band has been receiving accolades from the music world since they hit the scene in 2012, including the Best Breakthrough Artist of 2014 at the UK Festival Awards and 2022 Brit Award for Group of the Year. I've been a fan from nearly the beginning, so I felt very fortunate to catch them live in such an intimate venue as the Deluxe room. It is a basement room with a very cool vibe that the band even called out during the show.

The sound man, John Haskett, who's been travelling with the band for more than half its existence, did an amazing job with the quality of the music we heard. We could actually hear the singing very clearly. John is also the friend of a friend and so it was nice to make a connection. He is serious craftsman and an awesome dude!

The lead singer, Ellie Rowsell, was in perfect voice and hit every note beautifully on key, even when she was screaming at certain points. She is brilliantly primordial, a combination of Joan Jett and Kate Bush and completely fearless.

Bassist Theo Ellis was larger than life and brought the energy as I suspect he always does, all the time.

Drummer Joel Amey killed it and sounded incredible as the accompanying vocalist.

Ryan Malcom is the touring keyboardist and backup singer and his impact was felt throughout the show.

Lead guitarist, Joff Oddie, was absent, but Joey B. Keefe did a fantastic job filling in.

They did an acoustic piece with Ellie, Joel, and Ryan singing in harmony, and then a bit with just the guys that was off the hook.

Here is the set list:

  1. Smile
  2. You're a Germ
  3. Formidable Cool
  4. Delicious Things
  5. Lipstick on the Glass
  6. Planet Hunter
  7. Bros
  8. Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)
  9. How Can I Make It OK?
  10. Play the Greatest Hits
  11. Silk
  12. Visions of a Life
  13. Moaning Lisa Smile
  14. No Hard Feelings
  15. Giant Peach

Encore:

  1. The Last Man on Earth
  2. Don't Delete the Kisses

They were absolutely incredible live and if you ever get the chance to see them DO IT!

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Who are your 3 dream Music Festival Headliners?

Sunday August 22, 2021 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | music | Leave Comments

I am picking Bread, The Police, and Bee Gees.

None of these are touring anymore, so that makes it kind of special.

If I had pick 3 that still touring I would pick:

Alter Bridge, Foo Fighters, and Wolf Alice.

We are going to RIOT Fest in Chicago in a few weeks and will get to see a huge number of bands. It will be my first one and I'm very excited.

Chime in with your top three!

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5 Things Friday: Favorite Bands

Friday August 23, 2019 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | 5 Things | Leave Comments

[caption id="attachment_1649" align="alignnone" width="717"]Wolf Alice Wolf Alice. Photo: Clockenflap.[/caption] I listen to a lot of music. My taste is all over the map. I generally lean in favor of heavy guitar, but if you look at this list there are several bands here that don’t feature the guitar. I like melodic stuff. If it doesn’t have a good melody I probably won’t care for it. There are exceptions, like some Beastie Boys or some Clash stuff, but overall, I have to have a good melody. I like Classical, Rock, a little bit of Country, and a lot of Alternative Rock. I enjoy the Blues and a dabble of Reggae and Pop, as well. When I went to make this list it, on the first blush I noticed something. My first list covered a period of almost 50 years. I decided to go with it and it works out like this:

  1. Early 70s – Bread – They are probably the band you don’t know, but if you heard one of their songs you would immediately recognize it. I absolutely love David Gates. His melodic pop songs are what made this band a hit back in the early 70s.

Their top ten songs are all fantastic:

Everything I Own                    Make it with you

Guitar Man                              If

Diary                                        Baby – I’m a want you

Aubrey                                     Lost Without Your Love

It Doesn’t Matter to Me           Sweet Surrender

Go find them online. I think they will surprise you.

  1. Late 70s to early 80s - The Police – They are legendary. The made great music for only 5 years, from 78-83. Sting has had a long career afterward, but they made an indelible mark on the music scene and then stopped when they were on top. They were my favorite band when I was in high school.
  2. Early 80s to 90s - U2 – I can still remember the first time I heard one of their songs. I was a freshman in college and was in a dance club in Denver when the video for Sunday Bloody Sunday appeared on the huge wall display over the dance floor. I went back and found all of their albums and then followed them through the years with each release. They made a big switch when I was in pilot training with The Joshua Tree, and initially I didn’t like it, but after listening to it more I began to appreciate it. Under a Blood Red Sky is bittersweet for me, as I had tickets to that concert and ended up not being able to go. I did catch them live in the late 80s and it was epic. Of course, they are still making music, but the early stuff is the stuff I really love.
  3. 00s - Alter Bridge – I was sad when it looked like Creed was done. But the lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti is a workhorse and a prolific songwriter and took the original lineup from Creed and found a new lead singer, Miles Kennedy from the Mayfield Four. Much to Tremonti’s surprise, Kennedy was also a world class guitarist. Their stuff is serious rock and on the heavy side. Their ballads are fantastic, too. My favorite album is Blackbird, there is not a bad song on this album. I can put their stuff on endless loop and listen all day. They have a new album coming out in October for my birthday!
  4. 10s - Wolf Alice – I think I was listening to the alternative rock station on my cable television My Choice, when I first heard them. I went immediately to the internet and started searching for them. They are very young and fresh and the talk of the British rock scene. They have an eclectic rock vibe and a very distinctive sound. Ellie Roswell and Joff Oddie started as an acoustic duo then added a bassist and drummer and went electric and found their sound. Visions of Life won the Mercury Prize last year for best British Album. It is cool and breezy and wonderful. It also will rock your ass off. Here is one of my favorites: Mona Lisa Smile
  Who are your favorites?

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