Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Live Review - Soundtrack of Our Lives @ Irving Plaza

When you boast fans from everyone like Liam and Noel Gallagher to David Letterman, your chances of success around the world are pretty high. For Swedish band The Soundtrack of Our Lives (TSoOL), success around the world has happened since the release of their 2001 debut, Behind the Music. I have been a massive fan of this band since that release, yet I have never been able to catch the band live...until now. The Soundtrack of Our Lives are on another run of American tour dates in support of last year's release, Communion. In a stop at New York City's Irving Plaza, TSoOL proved why they are one of the most talked about live acts the world over.

Arriving on stage dressed like dapper gents that just stepped off the runway's of Fashion Week, also going on at the same time as the band is in town, the six piece band brought forth a combination of mellow music and heavy rock and roll. Singer Ebbot Lundberg, dressed in a long black tunic and draped in a gold and red scarf, looked like music's Messiah, stretching his arms out singing the first few chords to the opening number, "Pictures of You." From a few mellow and melodic songs, the band then cranked in high energy 30 minutes in with a cover of the late Nick Drake's "Fly," then crashing into crowd favorites from Origins Vol 1, the band's hardest album to date. Songs like "Big Time," "Believe I've Found," and "Heading for a Breakdown," were all stretched out in epic rock and roll jams. Guitarist Ian Person and Keyboardist Martin Hederos are two balls of energy, pounding on their instruments and really getting into what they are doing. As the crowd got into the energy of the band, the band fed off the energy of the crowd. Fan favorites like "Sister Surround," and "Babel On," would get the highest applause, yet each song was better than the next.

Opening the show was LA buzz band Nico Vega. Nico Vega can best be described as the West Coast's answer to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, the trio is a great dirty rock and roll force. Singer Aja Volkman is much more seductive and sexier Karen O and at points I was not sure if I was to fall in love with her or be deathly afraid. Nico Vega are a band to keep an eye out for, as they stormed the New York crowd, everyone became a fan.











Special thanks to Tierney Stout and Tell All Your Friends.
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