Work: Kasabian Tour!

This November, Kasabian are hitting the road and doing a UK tour. With any luck the guys over at Concert Live have or are about to get the go ahead for a deal to do their instant live CD thing for the tour.

They've told us that a verbal agreement has been reached and we'll be on it! Doing a recording for such a popular band is always a massive thrill. The crowd noise you get from those pure Kasabian fans is just amazing. Plus Kasabian's sound is just so cool. This cannot possibly be a bad product.

I'm well excited.

Kasabian

Concert Live

Music: Marit Larsen

So after promising to have a recommendation from my re-listening of our recordings I came across this one. She was the first support on Jason Mraz' UK tour earlier this year, and I believe has picked up quite a following in her native Norway and throughout some of Europe. Marit Larsen is her name. Her live set up was a fairly usual set up for a folk-pop band. Acoustic guitars, piano, a few strings and some light percussion. Her character shines through the music. Which is what really lights up performance and makes her stand out.

Now it's strange to say, but I feel that her studio albums are way over-produced. The live performance is where she and her music really excels. If I have to pick any songs from her albums, that are worth checking out; from her album "The Chase" the song Fuel, for it's stripped back feel. I'd also say check the single called "If a Song Could Get Me You" which is just annoyingly catchy pop.

But more importantly, seek her out live. I think since the Jason Mraz tour she has retreated back into mainland Europe, but still worth trying to look out for Marits shows!

Click the pic to get to Marit Larsens site!


(picture sourced from flickr)

Work: Rick Wakeman @ Hampton Court Palace

The last two weekends of April, I was working with Rick Wakeman and his production crew for his latest show, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, live at Hampton Court Palace. The show is based on the music from his concept album, released in 1973, of the same name. Rick has said he wanted to do this show that year as part of the promotion for it. He was denied, but has now been given full permission for it to go ahead. It now happily coincides with a 400 year anniversary of the rule of Henry VIII, which Hampton Court Palace is rightly celebrating.