We had a wonderful night out on a Thursday night, courtesy of Mikro, back in 2010 at Jasmin Rock Club which, by the end of the night, had turned into Jasmin "Electro" Club. Although not a lot of people had come at first, Jasmin was gradually filled to capacity (amazing considering it was a weeknight) and Mikro came on the stage at around 10 to midnight and played for almost two and a half hours. They played some songs that were new at the time from Upload/Download (depends on which version you have) and several older favourites. On top of that, there were three amazing covers, Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode with Nik on vocals, plus I Feel Love by Donna Summer and Sexy Boy by Air with Ria. And there was also an amazing electro medley.
Nik's inexhaustible energy moved the crowd who were dancing non-stop during the second part of the night. At some point we got confused when we thought that he was texting through his mobile while he was singing. What he was in fact doing was programming his vocoder.
They finished their set with "My Friends" the end of which was mashed up with samples from Prodigy, Killers, Fatboy Slim and Underworld among others...
I had been aware of Mikro for a long time, and had in fact seen them live in 2007 at Fly Beeyond Festival where they appeared purely by chance at the last minute, since another band had withdrawn from the line-up. I had already discovered Marsheaux, an electro-pop duo, who come, as do Mikro, from Salonica and were also part of the roster of independent record company UNDO Records. Mikro and Marsheaux had appeared together in November of the previous year (2009) at London's La Scala club as part of an electro-pop night, with other British electro bands.
The story of how I ended up in London in 2019 watching Little Boots is quite a long one. Back in 2007 I saw Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark live at Lycabettus Theatre in Athens. Back then I thought that no-one was listening to synth-pop anymore. But at the same gig I discovered that support band Marsheaux not only listened to, but played synth-pop as well. Trying to find a way to buy their albums I joined their MySpace page. Through that page I was informed when they decided to start a forum page. At that forum we didn't just talk about Marsheaux but about other synth pop artists. One of the artists that I discovered through the Marsheaux Forum was Little Boots. Another one was La Roux. Anyway back then I thought of Little Boots as "the Lady GaGa of synth-pop". So having seen the real Lady GaGa in 2014, I thought "Why haven't I seen Little Boots yet?". One of the reasons was probably that she preferred doing DJ sets instead of gigs. My chance finally came up with the 10th anniversary of her first album "Hands". She released a special deluxe edition of it and I was part of the crowdfunding process. She also announced an anniversary mini-tour where most of the dates were in the USA and one, just one in the UK: London on the 23rd of November 2019. I bought a ticket even though I didn't know if I was going to be able to go and it was lucky that I did because it was soon sold out.
On the night of Friday the 22nd I went straight to the airport from work. And since I wasn't working on Monday I was going to make this a long weekend. I was able to find a hotel room in my favourite area of London, Bayswater (where I had also lived for a year!) and the venue was on Holloway Road near University Of North London (it has a different name now), where I got my first degree from. So this was like a trip down memory lane!
I was there on time, before the doors opened and so I joined the queue that had formed. Once we got in, I didn't go to check the merchandise stand, I just went to secure my place as close to the front as possible. As this was a sold out gig, I knew that it would fill up quickly.
Opening act Girli was a pleasant surprise. At that time I was worried because I couldn't find her music anywhere, however she has now released an album and I'm planning on ordering that soon.
The wait for Little Boots was over when the opening notes of "New In Town" were heard. Because yes, she was going to play the complete "Hands" album from start to finish! One of the highlights was a special extended version of "Stuck On Repeat", while "Remedy" was, at least for me, the best part of that night... so far (Because the best part of the night for me would come at the after show party... read on!).
On "Perfect Symmetry" Phil Oakey's part was sung by Tom Aspaul. Unfortunately her beloved Tenori-On gave up halfway through the gig.
After the main part of "Hands", she sat at the keyboard and treated us to an acoustic medley of "No Brakes" (the last track from "Hands"), "Echoes" (an outtake now finally released in the deluxe edition) and two cover versions: New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill".
And she told us about how her boyfriend had proposed to her (and that she had said yes!). It wasn't over though, because then she treated us to songs from her later albums, ending with my favourite from "Nocturnes" (her second one) called "Shake" where Girli, Tom Aspaul,her mum and several members of the audience joined her on stage.
That was the end of the gig but there was an after show party coming up upstairs. I still hadn't decided whether I would go to that one, so I hang out at the merchandise stand which was manned by her brother, so I got to meet him as well. I bought a 12 inch EP I didn't have and a long-sleeved t-shirt.
Then we were told that the venue would have to close and would we please move on upstairs for the after-show party. So, right there and then, 12 inch in hand, I decided to go. I wanted to experience one of her DJ-sets anyway. And the fact that the London Underground is now running through the night on weekends meant that I wouldn't have any trouble getting back to my hotel. Technically, the upstairs area of The Garage is a different club called The Grace. So I found myself on a Saturday night in London going nightclubbing! Not bad!
She didn't spend much time behind the decks though. She was mostly among the crowd. I was too shy to talk to her though. But then someone from the crowd noticed me standing there with my 12 inch and thought that I wanted her to sign it for me (well, I did!) and he talked to her mum (I got to meet her as well!) who in turned talk to Victoria who signed my record and took a picture with me. Thank you Wayne for taking that picture! Meanwhile, I told her all about how I had come all the way from Greece for that gig. All the while I was enjoying the music, this was a very good DJ set featuring amazing soings from the 70's ("Use It Up And Wear It Out"), 80's ("Funkytown"), 90's and even 00's favourites ("I Follow Rivers"). And even Little Boots' own songs ("Get Things Done"). I even got a drink from the bar and I was surprised at how reasonably it was priced. Totally unlike the clubs in Greece.
And so, at the end of the night, with my now signed 12 inch still in hand I made it to the London Underground and back to Bayswater and my hotel.
I spent the next day strolling through London, I went to the Clash's "London Calling" Exhibition at the Museum Of London and shopping for clothes at Primark among other things but these will probably be the subject of another blog post. On Monday morning I went to the airport to go back to Greece. What I didn't know then was that this would be my last trip and gig abroad because of the subsequent lockdowns. It was a special one, though!
And so we finally come to the final gig of 2009. The concert year ended in a similar way to which it had started, as far as concerts abroad went. It started with Paul Weller in London (if we exclude the Monica gig in Athens), whom I saw not just once, but twice in the same year, and so it had to end with From The Jam, the band which featured the two other members of The Jam, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. The Jam had been my favourite band since I first heard "David Watts" on the POP + ROCK compilation album that was released in 1979, and since the band split up in 1982, I thought I would never have the chance to hear those songs live. Well I already had actually, since Paul Weller plays a couple of Jam tracks at his gigs, but this would be the closest to the real thing since it would feature the original rhythm section. Well, by the time those December gigs took place, Rick Buckler had left and he was replaced by Mark Unpronounceablenameofbigcountry as Smash Hits used to call him back in the day, so this was essentially a Bruce Foxton band, but still, I had to go, since the songs were going to be played in the way they were originally intended. A friend had warned me not to go, saying this would be just nostalgia and basically just a tribute band. But no, I had to. It's true, that Russell Hastings' voice (the singer) resembles a lot that of Paul Weller but isn't this the way it's supposed to be? And how many singers can claim that they can sing like Paul Weller? The trip to see that concert didn't go as it was originally planned back in the summer of that year. I think I had purchased tickets for Manchester which was on the weekend (Saturday the 12th of December). I had bought a ticket for the London gig as well in case I could get a couple free days from work but I didn't know if I would be able to go. So I was going to have to go with Manchester. However a Bruce Springsteen party was arranged for that particular day by No Surrender, the Greek Springsteen community and I didn't want to miss that. So I decided to go to London and actually get a couple free days from work (I didn't even have any free days left - not surprisingly with all the places I've been to in 2009 but they gave a couple unpaid ones). I think I had already booked flights and hotels for Manchester, so I had to rearrange everything at the last minute. So, for the first time in many years I would travel with British Airways instead of EajyJet. And I would fly not just to Heathrow, but to the then new Heathrow Terminal 5 which had had its disastrous inauguration the year before. The irony was that I booked myself a room at the EasyHotel in Heathrow. The new terminal looked good, with a great Christmas tree and what added to the Christmas spirit was that it was snowing in London on that day! I remember taking selfies in Piccadilly Circus and sending them to my friend in Athens. Oh and I also went to Sister Ray Records to buy the limited edition "Breakthrough" CD single by Marsheaux. Imagine going to London and buying a single from a Greek band. Oh and by the way the cover of the copies sold in London was a misprint which probably makes them collectors items now. I bought two of them and I also bought two from Greece featuring the original print. And since only 300 of these were made I can now claim that I own more than 1% of them!
Anyway, back to the gig. I got a taxi from the hotel to Sheperd's Bush that night if I remember correctly so that I would be on time. At the venue I got some amazing t-shirts from the merchandise stand. I only wanted to buy one but the guy made me an offer and I got three plus some stickers. Their design was amazing with mod targets and what have you.
The gig started with The Longsands, the support band who were actually more than quite good. I actually met the singer after a gig and got one of their CD's. I told him I had come all the way from Greece and he asked me to play that CD to other people when I got back.
After the Longsands set it was finally time for From The Jam with "The Circus" (an instrumental Foxton track from "The Gift") blasting out of the speakers as the band members got on stage and kicked off with "Going Underground". That was it! A dream coming true! What I did not remember though was that part of The Jam experience was pogo dancing and that was what everybody around me started doing seeing as I was very close to the front of the stage.I tried to keep up for a couple of songs but eventually I retreated a bit towards the back for the rest of the gig. That did not lessen the enjoyment in any way and I got to hear all my favourites including "David Watts" which was sung by Bruce Foxton originally anyway.
When the gig was finished, and after I had talked to the Longsands singer in the lobby I got on the venue to go to the tube station. But just outside the venue there were some guys who had set up a temporary stall selling unofficial t-shirts with the original Jam logo on them. So, I bought one of these as well...
It had already been more than a year since the OMD gig in Athens when I discovered Marsheaux and the time had finally come to see them for a second time. The gig was a free one, part of an exhibition at Technopolis called Athens Digital Week. And this time they were not the support band so I hoped they would play for a bit more time. They did, but only just. (You have to remember they had only released two albums at that time). I arrived at Technopolis, just as the gig was starting. The synths were playing and I could see the shadows of Marianthi and Sophie as they were preparing to come on stage.
I really enjoyed that particular gig and I took quite a few videos which were some of the first I ever posted on YouTube. Unfortunately, I managed to ruin a couple of them in the process by singing along (mainly "The Promise"). Being a YouTube newbie, I did not realize that I would be heard over the music.
Over the years, I have taken many videos at concerts where people were singing along and I have often wondered why it was my voice only that could be heard on these early videos. And then it dawned on me: I was probably the only person that knew the full lyrics by heart. At that time I was a member of a Marsheaux fan forum on the internet and for a while I was the only Greek in there.
I also took a few photos as well which you will notice that they are quite dark. It was indeed very dark there. There were no stage lights and in fact the only light was coming from the projection screen at the back of the stage. And as I was sitting at the very first row I didn't think it was proper to use a flash. Apart from stage lights there were other things missing on that night: changing rooms. As a result of that, Marsheaux, whose stage outfits are usually quite spectacular, performed wearing their everyday clothes.
The main reason however that this particular gig was special for me was that I met Marsheaux (as well as Nick and George from UNDO Records and Fotonovela) after it had finished and took a couple of photos with them. I would have to wait three more years to see them again, playing support to Thirty Seconds To Mars.
As it turned out, my first 3 gigs of 2018 were all electro gigs. The first one was Erasure, the second one Kraftwerk, and the third one turned out to be Kid Moxie.
It's funny how one gets to discover new acts in the internet age. I discovered Kid Moxie via Marsheaux. How did that happen? Well, many years ago she released her "Selector" album on UNDO Records, the same record company that Marsheaux release their music. When I saw that CD on the UNDO Records online store I decided to investigate. The fact that the CD contained a "Marsheaux Remix" of one of the songs was a plus. So, I bought it immediately without listening to a single note of it first (We used to do that often before the internet, you know). I wasn't disappointed. Her next album, 1888, was even better and, since I'm a "physical format" kind of guy I was happy when she finally released her latest, "Perfect Shadow" on CD. But, the question was, would I ever see her live? I had seen Marsheaux a few times, so why not Kid Moxie? From what I could tell, she hadn't played any gigs. But finally, earlier this year, an announcement came on her Facebook page: "Stay tuned for live gigs in Greece later this year". The first one, was, predictably on a Monday, when I could not go because I was working. But this, the one at Death Disco was taking place on a Thursday and I could go after work.
So, there I was on the 29th of March, trying to catch as much of the support act as possible who were starting earlier. And that's funny, because, Someone Who Isn't Me (the support band) was another discovery for me. I may have discovered Kid Moxie through Marsheaux, but I can now say that I discovered Someone Who Isn't Me through Kid Moxie.
Their latest single, "Gomenaki", is probably the best thing I have heard this year so far.
And one of their members was a familiar face. If I am not mistaken she used to be in The Berlin Brides.
Kid Moxie's set was next. She and her band, started with Lacuna, my favourite song from "1888" accompanied by projections on a big screen behind the stage.
There were a couple of sound problems (sometimes her voice was louder than the instruments, and at other times the instruments were louder than her voice, at least from where I was standing), but these were soon smoothed out.
And she had a big surprise for us towards the end: a cover version of "Big In Japan".
All in all, it was a wonderful night and she will appear live again, at the Release Festival in a few days. I don't know if I can make it yet, but it's certainly worth it.
It was 10 years ago today, when Marsheaux went on stage (June 1 2007 to be precise), at the Lycabettus Theatre in Athens. And within a few minutes my life was changed forever...
I had started my walk from Syntagma Square in the city centre all the way up to the top of Lycabettus hill. (There is a cable car there somewhere, but that day I didn't find it).
I arrived at the Lycabettus Theatre
very early and the doors were still closed. As I was waiting outside I
could hear the soundcheck. It was "Empire State Human", originally by
Human League with female vocals. "Who is singing Empire State Human
now?" I thought. "In fact, Who remembers "Empire State Human" in the
year 2007?" I wondered. "Marsheaux? Is that possible? We'll see"
I got inside when the doors opened and I went and sat at the back. I was
not in a very good mood anyway. At some point Marsheaux came up on
stage. They started with some downtempo songs of their own. (In fact it was "Hanging On" as I can now see from the video I dug out from my hard drive)
And suddenly, when the next song started, I heard a synth riff that
reminded me of something. What did it remind me of? "The Promise" by
When In Rome. And Marsheaux have covered that? Now? So did that mean
that there were other people in Greece who remembered it? That helped my
mood to start picking up, but still I could not imagine what would
happen next. I heard another synth riff that reminded me of something.
What? "Pure" by The Lightning Seeds! At that point I could not hold myself
any longer, I got up from my seat, ran down the theatre stairs and went
and stood at the first row to enjoy the rest of the concert from there.
And of course I heard "Empire State Human" and "Pop Corn" (an
instrumental you must all have heard somewhere) and I started to notice
their own tracks that I liked such as "I Dream Of A Disco". So, I
finally found out what kind of music Marsheaux played: synth-pop. By that time I had forgotten that the reason I had gone to the Lycabettus Theatre that day was to see OMD. IInstead I discovered Marsheaux! (More on Marsheaux on that day and some of their later gigs on this post : Marsheaux Live In Athens 2007-2014).
"Thank you and have fun with OMD next" is what they told us as they came off stage. I was already at the front of the stage and I wasn't about to relinquish my position there. I noticed behind me a 44 year old guy with a 22 year old girlfriend who was telling her all about the music from the era of OMD. It already looked like it was going to be an emotional time and indeed it was as OMD came on stage. "We are old" said Andy McCluskey at some point. "We are old, too!" shouted the woman next to me. And some people were crying as they were singing along with the band.
In fact, as you will notice, most of the videos are unwatchable. Not only because of my 2007 digital camera being constantly shaken, but mainly because of audience participation. Yes, in several parts of the videos, instead of Andy's (or Paul's) vocals you will hear the words sung by the audience. "Out of tune" is too kind a phrase to describe them, but still, it shows you how enjoyable the whole experience was. (It's fun to see Andy do "the dance" on "Maid Of Orleans" though.)
As Andy said on the night, this was supposed to be the "Architecture & Morality" tour, but since it had taken them such a long time to come to Greece, they opted for a "Greatest Hits" set. And indeed all the hits were there. The title track from "Architecture & Morality" may have been playing while they came on stage, but then they launched straight into "Messages" and this was followed by "Joan Of Arc", "Maid Of Orleans", "(Forever) Live And Die", "If You Leave", "Electricity", "Sailing On The Seven Seas", even "Walking On The Milky Way". And of course "Enola Gay".
As I was slowly walking down Lycabettus Hill after the gig, I knew that I would remember this as one of the best gigs I have ever attended. And certainly one of the most emotional...
We had a wonderful night out on a Thursday night, courtesy of Mikro, back in 2010 at Jasmin Rock Club which, by the end of the night, had turned into Jasmin "Electro" Club. Although not a lot of people had come at first, Jasmin was gradually filled to capacity (amazing considering it was a weeknight) and Mikro came on the stage at around 10 to midnight and played for almost two and a half hours. They played some songs that were new at the time from Upload/Download (depends on which version you have) and several older favourites. On top of that, there were three amazing covers, Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode with Nik on vocals, plus I Feel Love by Donna Summer and Sexy Boy by Air with Ria. And there was also an amazing electro medley. 
They finished their set with "My Friends" the end of which was mashed up with samples from Prodigy, Killers, Fatboy Slim and Underworld among others...
