Lewis Watson @ The Arts Centre, Colchester

Gig: Lewis Watson

Support: Shannon Saunders + Frank Hamilton

Date: Friday 21st June

I had purchased tickets way back in March for this gig and I had been so impatient waiting for the day to arrive.

18 year old singer-songwriter Shannon Saunders was the first act on stage Friday night, and boy did she impress. Her down-to-earth approach with the audience won everyone over in a second. From the moment she started to sing, the whole crowd were captivated by her angelic voice. The simplicity of an acoustic guitar behind most of the songs creates a very minimalistic sound which complements her vocals perfectly. I predict big things from Miss Saunders. This isn't the only time you will hear this name.

As a proud member of #TEAMFRANK, I already knew about Frank Hamilton. I first heard of Frank when his song 'Flaws and Ceilings' (featuring Lauren Aquilina) was iTunes Single of the Week last year.

For the whole of 2012, Frank took on the task of writing, producing and releasing #onesongaweek. And he did it! I must admit, there isn't one song from that whole year that I don't like. They're all so unique.

Frank sung a selection of songs from his album 'The Best of #onesongaweek' and even sung a cover of Teenage Dirtbag. I already love this song but Frank’s cover is to die for - he even changed the lyrics to “I’ve got two tickets to Lewis Watson baby”, which Lewis filmed and you can see here.

Frank's voice is amazing as I have already told him before (fangirl moment) and I definitely want to see him again! And I'm in luck as Frank has announced a two month tour in September and October 2013. BRING ON MORE FRANK!! 

  

As soon as Lewis walked onto the stage, the whole venue erupted into screams and shouts from both girls AND boys (which is slightly weird but yeah). Lewis performed plenty of his songs, ranging from his very first EP 'It's Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW' which he called 'my baby', to his latest EP 'Four More Songs' which is released in July; including new song ‘Calling’ which has been played recently on Radio 1. 

The atmosphere was incredible as everyone was chilled (ironically, the venue was boiling hot and everyone was sweating, ew) and happily singing along. Lewis’ live vocals are just as brilliant as his recorded EPs and I’m glad I have been able to experience him live. For one song, Lewis got into the crowd and made everyone circle around him; this was brilliant as the people at the back were able to see Lewis up close. The venue is quite small compared to other venues I have been to, but this gives it a very intimate and personal performance. But a much deserved round of applause goes to Lewis for his outstanding performance!

"I am Doolittle, but I do-a-lot"

It’s been three years since we first heard from Eliza Doolittle. Her self-titled first album 

went to number 3 in the UK Album Charts, and rightly so! 

Eliza's gentle yet powerful vocals are expressed throughout the 13-track album which combines a whole range of songs, which include well-known 'Pack Up' and 'Skinny Genes'.

Weirdly, my Dad questioned me the other day about Eliza’s whereabouts, asking me:
“So, where’s Eliza Doolittle been lately? We haven’t heard from her for ages”. 

This is when we found out that Eliza was to be featuring on Disclosure’s next single ‘You and Me’. After hearing this, I was sure that Eliza must be writing new material. Maybe for her much anticipated second album?

And I was right!

On Sunday, Eliza finally posted her new music video for ‘Big When I Was Little’ on YouTube. I must admit, I was slightly anxious to watch it after her collaboration with Disclosure, as I thought that maybe Eliza’s “sound” would have changed. And yes it has, but it’s not a bad change at all. It seems that Eliza’s music has matured rather a lot over these past three years.

Eliza's references in the song such as ‘Dancing to cassette tape singles’ and ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ makes me even more of a Doolittle lover. The references make her sound very down-to-earth and relatable to. Eliza’s definitely not a fame-craving songwriter and she has definitely got her own unique style of music and lyrics. I’m sure this is why many people love her.

Here is ‘Big When I Was Little’ for those of you who haven’t seen it yet! I guarantee you will be singing this later as the tune is rather catchy, be warned!

Also, can anyone else see the resemblance of Amy Winehouse in the video? The hair? The dancing? The use of effective eye movement? Maybe it’s only me who sees the similarities? I don’t think it’s a bad comparison though; Amy was and still is an icon. 

like mother, like daughter

I'm a massive fan of Radio 1's Live Lounge and I always tune in specifically to listen to it.

Any artist who goes into the Live Lounge is asked to perform one of their own songs and a cover of another song. Over the years, there has been many artists involved with the Live Lounge, such as Mcfly, Arctic Monkeys, Beyonce and even Lady Gaga. 

Now... I'm a massive fan of Daft Punk's Get Lucky, so I was very interested in how Daughter would cover it considering Daft Punk and Daughter are very very different from each other.

BUT...

I have fallen in love with this cover and may I even dare say that it's better than the original!?!

It's definitely a much calmer version of the song, and it's very minimalistic. Yet, I think this is why it sounds much better. Elena Tonra's vocals are amazing (as usual) and her tone of voice totally compliments the simplistic sounds used in the song. Also, I believe this version gives a whole new meaning to the song as Daughter have slightly tweaked the lyrics, which now portrays the song from a female's perspective. 

Check out old Live Lounges on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/rnc5d4