I had a fun Monday night. I went with a friend, Nadia, to see Bjork in concert @ Madison Square Gardens. Thanks to my firm, we were able to enjoy the Club Suite experience - private room with snacks, dinner and drinks and a great view of the stage.
The concert started a little after 8pm with one of two opening acts - Santogold (Brooklyn-based performer). She had 2 good songs out of ~10 she performed. I am sure if I had heard about her beforehand, and had listened to her music in advance, I could have been more supportive. It was sometimes hard to hear her, and I was not invested enough to decipher what she was saying. To her credit, she had a very good finish - she saved her best 2 songs for last.
After about a 1/2 hr break, we then heard the Klaxons (UK-based group) - they had a higher success rate, about 70% of their songs were enjoyable. One of the singers was barefoot and dressed in a monk's robe.
Bjork hit the stage at 10pm. She was fantastic. High energy, peculiar, fluffy gold outfit (remember her terrible swan dress from a few years back?), and very strong vocals. A true performer. We couldn't always understand what she was singing, but she was highly entertaining and made good use of the stage, displaying in-rhythm dance moves as she pranced to and fro.
All in all it was a good night, although we felt the wait for Bjork was too long and the first performer a bit mediocre.
Santogold Profile
Santogold(out of Brooklyn NYC) has teamed up with producers like Switch, FreQNasty, Naeem (Spankrock), Disco D, and XXXchange for her forthcoming solo album. The handful of tracks that have already surfaced definitely showcase her versatility and talent as a vocalist, as well as a nice range of production styles and influences. Santi began with her rock band Stiffed in 2001 making new wave tinged punk/ska. Santi has since gone on with her solo career after hooking up with Lizard King records (most known for signing The Killers). While the backbone of her sound remains rooted in her punk/reggae past, her music is about as new sounding and exciting as pop gets right now! Klaxons Profile
Klaxons are a Mercury Prize winning English band, based in London. The word 'klaxon' is derived from the Greek verb klazō, meaning "to shriek", and most commonly refers to air-raid sirens or other warning devices. They are currently signed to Rinse Records, their own branch of Polydor Records. Following the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on January 29, 2007. The album won the 2007 Nationwide Mercury Prize. After headlining their first tour (the 2006 NME Indie Rave Tour), as well as playing numerous festivals worldwide, the band are currently working on their second album.They have also announced a full UK tour for November - December 2007 (their biggest UK tour to date).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaxons
http://www.klaxons.net/index.php
Bjork Profile
Björk first came to prominence as one of the lead vocalists of the avant-pop Icelandic sextet the Sugarcubes, but when she launched a solo career after the group's 1992 demise, she quickly eclipsed her old band's popularity. Björk went a different direction and immersed herself in dance and club culture, working with many of the biggest names in the genre, including Nellee Hooper, Underworld, and Tricky. Debut, her first solo effort (except for an Icelandic-only smash released when she was just 11 years old), not only established her new artistic direction, but it became an international hit, making her one of the '90s most unlikely stars. Björk's latest album VOLTA hit stores on May 8th.
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