I walked into the Wiltern, alone this time, but happy to be. As I entered the standing room only I was checked out by a few chicks, as well as complimented. I was then quickly pushed into a corner by 6’7” giant men who I guess were jealous I was getting more action from the girls then they were. Beyond the hippie lesbian experience/atmosphere of the show, I felt awkwardly uninterested as a Lykke Li knock off came on stage as the opening act. Pretending like she knew how to play guitar, Anya Marina began her show by pressing ‘play’ on her 1985 Panasonic tape recorder. Why couldn’t she hire a band? I’d even pretend to play drums for $5 a show. Who knows who this chick is, but she looks like the spawn of Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera mixed in a bowl with a touch of Yoko. She kept saying her name, which is great for potential fans, but when she says her name so fast that it sounds like “Ave Maria,” it’s going to be hard for people to know who she is. On top of everything she was sure to tell the audience about her life’s journey – Actor? Dj? Dancer? Singer? Uhh what? She totally has had twelve abortions, too.
“I wrote this song for myself and I give it to you” “dream come true”… [At this point I felt like leaving]…throw a bit of Courtney Love in there right before a complete OD. Hmmm…. “I have this whistling part to my song it goes like this…’whistle whistle whistle’ (Girl trying to whistle unsuccessfully)” Great! 1985 taped “drummer” named Neo sucks. He’s totally invisible. And the song just ends. Great. The end. Slow and Steady, Seduction, Phase 2 is the name of her new album. At least she is able to clearly say the title. She mentioned that Britt Daniel from Spoon helped produce her album (completely not mentioning that Brian Karscig from Louis XIV as produced), but why didn’t they help get her hire a band?
Anya Marina, a singer – songwriter from San Diego, has an upbeat sound, but the voice of a creepy child. I can see where someone may like this music, but they are probably the same people who thought Twilight was a great movie. Granted, her music would be perfect to fill out awkward silences in dramatic television shows; hence why I am not surprised her music has been featured on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl and; my personal favorite, How I Met Your Mother. And moving back to Twilight, she will also have a song on the New Moon soundtrack, perfect!
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Paolo Nutini is a singer-songwriter from Scotland, who has the voice of an eighty-year-old smoker and the life experiences of a teenage prostitute (well, not really). His voice is very unique, which I think helps make his music stand out. Paolo grew up with the intention to take over his father’s trade (chip shop business), but was swiped up by his “music loving” grandfather and molded into the performer he is today. At 17, he moved to London where his music career began to take off. These Streets, his 2005 debut album, came out when he was only 19 years old. The album is pretty amazing, the kid can sing and the songs are well written. His most recent album, Sunny Side Up, has received great reviews. I have yet to hear the album, but the live performance of the songs was less then spectacular.
Before the entrance of Paolo Nutini, the audience, full of Twilight fans (aka 15 year old girls with “I love you” signs), rushed the stage in hopes to have the perfect spot to get hit my Paolo sweat. I didn’t originally feel like I was at a boy band concert until this and the text messaging board filled with “Marry me, Paolo”, “You are hot, Paolo”, “Call me, Paolo”, “I can see you, Paolo”, “Have my babies, Paolo”, “Becky sucks”, “Hi Joey, it’s Sally, Paolo is better then you” comments streamed across the screen.
After waiting what felt like a good hour, Paolo Nutini finally came on stage for his opening song – high energy, awesome song, strong voice – he totally got the crowd going. By the third song, his voice started to sound worn down and like an eighty-year-old smoker ready to die. His performance also began to decline along with his voice. Fortunately for him, his band kept the performance going (if only Anya Marina had that support).Unfortuneately, after being forced to watch Anya, waiting in silence for an hour, and watching stupid texts scroll across the screen, I was over the show once the performance started to go down hill. I was a bit disappointed with the sound of the fourth song on and was also a bit surprised. Buy the album and stay for the first handful of songs.
