[GIG REVIEW] Birdy @ Muffathalle, Munich

Having just released her third album “Beautiful Lies” in March, Jasmine van den Bogaerde, a.k.a. Birdy, performed to a sell-out crowd at Munich’s Muffathalle on Monday.

 I went to the concert expecting to be surrounded by teenage girls. The diversity of the crowd, however, proved once again that true talent – which Birdy has in abundance – is appreciated by people of all ages.
The teenage singer-songwriter who turns 20 on 15th May kicked off the evening with “Growing Pains” from her new album followed by her 2011 hit “People help the People”. The 90-minute performance included “Shelter”, “Wings” and “Words of Weapons” (both from her second album “Fire Within”) as well as “Wild Horses” and “Unbroken” – Birdy’s favourite track from her new album.
Birdy is a somewhat shy performer which is not surprising perhaps given her age. She makes no attempt at the banal chit-chat of some artists, but lets her music speak for her – with one good song after another. “Keeping Your Head Up” saw her leave the comfort of her piano (and guitar). It was back to the piano for the encore which finished with the wonderful “Skinny Love”.
Birdy’s final words were “Thank you so much for coming”. Ditto, Birdy.

Gig review by Roberta Brown

Nothing But Thieves cover Birdy classic in the Live Lounge

Essex five-piece Nothing But Thieves claimed their moment in the Radio 1 Live Lounge today with an outstanding cover of Birdy classic, 'Wings'. The alternative rock band managed to present their own twist of the usually quiet, but powerful track. Lead vocalist Conor proved to show the capability of his range. With beautiful effortless notes into the higher octaves it is clear that he has an undoubtedly unique talent. Although the band are used to playing heavier tracks, the calmness and eeriness of this cover gave a whole new dimension to their sound. The element of faint guitar parts in the first section of the song ensured that the ultimate climax of the track would be even more effective than anticipated later on, with an epic, heavier feel being revealed later on, as well as the classic Nothing But Thieves sound being brought back in.

The variation of styles throughout the cover show us again that this band are extremely talented and competent at bringing exceptional musical arrangements to the table. Nothing But Thieves are releasing their debut album on 16th October and will be heading out on a headline UK tour in late October/November. They also announced today on Radio 1 that they will be touring in February 2016 as well! Catch them at a city near you while you can!


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Check out the incredible cover below:

[WATCH] Rhodes & Birdy - Let It All Go

Rhodes and Birdy release their eagerly awaited duet 'Let It All Go', September 11th on Rhodes Music / Ministry of Sound. Written and produced by Rhodes and Birdy with additional production by James Kenosha and Dan Grech and mixed by Dan Grech, 'Let It All Go' is a powerful union of the writers' stunning vocals.

Having been mutual fans of each other's work, Rhodes and Birdy were introduced and quickly started writing together. The powerful 'Let It All Go' is the astonishing result. Today sees their video get an airing, and it's just as beautiful as the track, watch it below.

[LISTEN] The Weekly Soundcloud Catch-Up (w/e 9th August)

We've got a whole hour of the best new music found on Soundcloud.com over the past week - with a vast array of sounds there is something for all here.

Go and find something exciting today!

[LISTEN] Rhodes & Birdy - Let It All Go

Written and produced by Rhodes and Birdy with additional production by James Kenosha and Dan Grech and mixed by Dan Grech, "Let It All Go" is a powerful union between two of the best singer-songwriters the UK has to offer.  Having been mutual fans of each other's work, Rhodes and Birdy were introduced and quickly started writing together. The powerful "Let It All Go" is the astonishing result.

Speaking about the track Rhodes said - "I wanted something in the last quarter of my album that was a slight departure from the rest of the songs and after being immediately struck by the beauty and honesty in Birdy's voice I thought this would be the perfect way to do it".