Mania for Life

Matthau Mikojan / Eves End – Bahnhof Langendreer, Bochum; September 25th 2010

On short notice I found out Matthau Mikojan were playing a free concert in Bochum, organized by the Deutsch-Finnische Gesellschaft. I had seen them at the Seasons of Sound in Helsinki at the beginning of the year and enjoyed the music. Nothing I would necessarily pay much money for, but very listenable and entertaining. Bochum is close and Saturday was convenient so off we went.

The place was small, but very well lit. I love it when there is enough light to actually take decent photos. The crowd was enthusiastic, even if there weren’t so many. Some Matthau Mikojan fans had cme from quite far away to see them and now occupied the front row. I stayed back a bit, switching sides often to see and photograph the bands from different angles.

First up were Eves End from Germany, very listenable and fun to watch. The five piece band was really into it and especially the singer played to the crowd. He was constantly moving on stage and showing off too. It was very entertaining and what he lacked in charisma he made up for in enthusiasm. The songs were nothing special in my opinion, but not terribly bad either. A good support act overall.

Matthau Mikojan came on stage to quite some cheering. It was clear people had come to see them and they did put on a good show. They had fun, so did the audience. I didn’t recognize any of the songs, but enjoyed listening to them. Some were really good, others not so much, but overall it was a good performance. They were really into playing, urging the audience to participate and just showing their skills. The drummer reminded me of “the Animal” from the muppet show, while the bassman was cool enough to light a cigarette and Matti played his guitar even with his teeth. A very entertaining concert.

I’m tired of saying that I won’t get lost ever again

Lissie – Cologne, September 22nd 2010

Another night in Cologne, another club I have never been to before. The “Luxor”, in the south of the city. It’s small (yay!), it allows smoking (yuck!) and the lights are awful for taking pictures even with a DSLR (mostly red light), but the sound was pretty good.

As opposed to many others I had discovered Lissie only a few weeks back. I didn’t seriously consider going to Cologne to see her on a weeknight until I found out that Martin and James were the support act. I had loved them at the Milow concert and the prospect of seeing them again just made me happy. So for the package of Martin and James and Lissie I went to Cologne. As usual I got there early and took a spot in front row.

Time passed quickly until Martin and James walked on stage at 9:00 p.m. They were simply amazing. I love their voices, I love their guitar playing and thoroughly enjoyed their set. They got a bit more than 30 minutes of time. When they announced ‘Crashing into love’ I yelled and James looked at me in surprise “You know that song?” I nodded “Sure”. Of course I do, it’s my favourite.

A short break, then Lissie followed. She is lovely and came across very natural. She chatted, told a few stories, sang beautifully. The guitarist, Eric, stood on stage barefoot, which didn’t keep him from jumping, drummer Stewart and bassist Lewis enjoyed themselves too. They obviously had fun playing and the audience was singing along nicely too. Lissie had a shot of Tequila in-between songs and made a cute face. She was happy to be there and loved that her album was being received so well. Overall it was a bit too short, she played barely 75 minutes, but it was worth the trip.

Afterwards I went and got Martin & James’ second EP, told them how great I thought they were. They were almost embarrassed by so much flattery, but hey: they are amazing! Got autographs from Eric and Stewart. Stewart wanted to hear a joke in exchange for it. A funny ending to a good night.

List of Songs (out of order and incomplete)

Record Collector
Wedding Bells
Loosen the Knot
When I’m alone
In Sleep
Cuckoo
Little Lovin
Oh Mississippi