Concert Review Site

It’s been 17 years since Britt Daniels and Jim Eno formed Spoon but the indie-rockers are still getting better as a band. Spoon is one of the only bands in the last decade that churns out Rock N’ Roll that is both contemporary, yet, rooted in the genre. Daniels is one of the best rock songwriters in the business. The band struggled to gain the audience it deserved until a major label deal failed in 1998, and the band moved to indie label Merge Records at the turn of the century. Girls Can Tell was released in 2001 to critical acclaim and Spoon’s fan base at home and abroad began to grow. Spoon released their fifth album, Transference, with Merge Records this past January. Just in the last week, Spoon opened for Arcade Fire at Madison Square Garden and played a terrific set at Lollapolooza in Chicago. Spoon will tour the US into October before jumping across the pond in November to tour Europe.

Out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Cage the Elephant are developing into a reputation for infectious punk rock both in the US and UK. Their debut album scored a surprise hit with the gritty storybook punk parable “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked”. It’s rare that a rock song that touches on the desperate, dirty side of life gains traction on the charts, but Cage the Elephants single was a Top 40 hit in the UK and was Top Ten hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock and US Modern Rock charts. The young band led by lead singer Matthew Schultz has toured with bands like Silversun Pickups and The Pigeon Detectives.  Their sophomore album, Computer Says More, is expected in the near future. For now, the band heads out on tour with alternative rock legends Stone Temple Pilots.

Americans might not be aware of the Isle of Wight Festival, but the three day festival held on England’s largest island has developed into one of the best music festivals in the world. This year the show’s saw hip hop superstar Jay Z, the return of The Strokes, and the legendary Sir Paul McCartney perform. Despite the muddy conditions, concert goers poured into the festival with such big names on the bill. Jay Z headlined the show on Friday night which marked a special guest appearance from Kanye West. On Saturday fans tuned in on big screens to watch England and USA’s 1-1 World Cup tie and saw bands like Vampire Weekend, Blondie, and The Hold Steady. Sir Paul brought the festival to a epic crescendo on Sunday night with his rip-roaring set which included a cover of Jimmi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and Beatles gems “Helter Skelter”, “Yesterday”, and “Let It Be”.

The quartet from Columbia University, Vampire Weekend, is becoming almost impossible to ignore. The band’s self title release in 2008 garnered them praise as they became the “It” band, but also heaped a boatload of pressure for the band to follow up with a equally successful album. “Contra” (released this past January) has been a instant success and tracks like “Giving Up the Gun” and “Diplomat’s Son” have been burning up ITunes. Their most recent show at the Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ earned great reviews from The Arizona Republic. The reviewer remarked about the growing up Vampire Weekend has done in the past two years, calling the band “full blown rock stars”. Their is a great enthusiasm for the band in young people across the country and by the next album I wouldn’t be surprised to see the band playing biggest venues…maybe even arenas.