Live On Music

Greenbelt

There has been a gaping hole in my experience of live Christian music up till now. Since the early 70s the Greenbelt Festival has established itself as THE event of the year when it comes to live Christian music in the UK. Deciding it was about time I witnessed this festival for myself, I headed towards Cheltenham to see Delirious? perform at the final day of Greenbelt. Whilst on route I received a call from Jon and we arranged to rendez vous at the Air Balloon Pub, about 20 minutes outside of Cheltenham where he and his friend Jamie were stopping for lunch. Once there Jon filled me in on the band’s recent tour to Asia, an eventful trip with numerous stories ranging from bomb-threats to police raids. A little while later (and several trips around Gloucestershire’s roundabouts) the three of us arrived in convoy at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Making our way through the festival site, we located ‘mainstage’ and the glamorous ‘backstage area’. Said place is a fenced off area immediately behind ‘mainstage’ where technical crews and artists ‘hang out’. Yep, this is the place to be. You’ll be needing your red ‘mainstage pass’ (see below) to get past the yellow-jacketed security personnel and into this exclusive, no doubt luxourius, part of the festival. Or so I thought. On arrival it appears that dressing rooms at Greenbelt are not quite what you may expect. In fact they’re just small portacabins with a couple of chairs and a table (see above). So disappointing.

Jon was particularly keen for me to take photographic evidence of the provisions that had been laid out for the band. Yes I think it’s fair to say that this band have some outlandish demands on their rider. A bowl of crisps - EACH, and a whole basket of fruit. Nothing but the best for these superstars. Anyway, enough about the backstage facilities.

Rumour had it that there was a ‘contributors patio’ which was reserved for holders of the ‘purple pass’ with provisions for contributors. I followed Jon and Jamie through the throng of people gathered by mainstage to watch Chas & Dave as we weaved our way towards this alleged nirvana, all the while feeling slightly guilty that I would be passing myself off as a ‘contributor’. It turns out that Jon is a pretty popular guy. We could barely walk a few steps without him passing somebody he knew and stopping for a chat. Eventually we arrived at our destination, which was also slightly less glamorous than it sounded but did have a very pleasant man offering tea and coffee. After most of Littlehampton had said hello to Jon, we departed on a walk to the far side of the site guided by Mr Andy Hutch (lights and video genius) to visit the tented village he was sharing with another group of people who all seemed to know Jon (he really is Mr Popular). Anyway, in the interest of not getting completely bogged down in irrelevant details (and before I start writing about festival toilets), I’ll just skip the next few hours of general browsing of the festival.

The remaining Delirious? band members had by now arrived, and they were due to do ‘press’ backstage, so I wondered off in search of some music. Before long I discovered a tent where Retrofect were playing. For those not in the know, there is a d: connection with this band, Jon’s brother Ben is the drummer and Martin’s nephew Tom plays guitar. I noted Mum & Dad Thatcher proudly watching their youngest, and Jon also had a quick listen. Anyway… some more time passed [skip to the interesting bit] and at last it was 9:30pm and time for Delirious? to go on stage. I stood at the back of the stage watching as the band walked on and rocked straight into new song ‘God Is Smiling’. The view from on stage was stunning. I could see endless faces stretching out into the darkness like a vast sea, all focused on the 5 guys on stage just a few meters away from me.

Armed with a camera and my red pass I walked round to where the pit between stage and crowd was located. The yellow-jackets had other ideas. Apparently it was fine for me to stand within spitting distance of Stew and his drum kit on stage, but going in front of the stage was a no-no even with a red pass. After some careful negotiation they reluctantly agreed to let me in, on the condition that I wore ear plugs “for health and safety reasons”. Their concern for my hearing was touching but it occurred to me that standing in front of a band with yellow and pink blobs of foam stuck in your ears was about as big an insult as you can pay any band. So I graciously accepted the ear plugs I was offered by the yellow-jacket, shoved them in my pocket and entered the pit to start taking photos. A tap on my shoulder and apparently yellow-jacket had noticed I wasn’t wearing my life-protecting ear devices and was non too pleased. Reluctantly I stuck them in my ears and hoped the band wouldn’t notice.

There were more photographers in the pit than I’ve ever seen at a Delirious? concert, but being a Christian festival there was no jostling or pushing. Just polite excuse-me-pleases and envious looks from me that everyone else had professional looking gear with lenses longer than your forearm. One yellow-jacket took one look at my less than impressive camera and whispered in my ear (well it was more of a shout to be heard through my ear plugs) “are you sure you’re meant to be here?”. I scowled and moved to the other side of the pit.

Before I knew it Delirious? were coming back on stage for their final song encore. I made my way round the back of the stage again and up the steps to watch from the side of stage as they received their applause and took their bow. It was an impressive sight. Back in the portacabin dressing room Tim was relieved they’d done ok without a sound check and everyone seemed happy. Now to negotiate the Gloucestershire countryside for the journey home.

Tags: Artists, form, music, Photos, site, Son, Video

Those suits

So the UK leg of The Mission Bell Tour has now come to an end, and the band head out to mainland Europe to continue the tour. It has been a quite extraordinary tour, notable for it’s stunning visuals (you’ve got to love that History Maker video), superb theatricals (the dramatic ‘curtain drop’ and comedy Happy Song routine), excellent music (just how good is Take Off My Shoes) and… of course… THOSE white suits! I took the above photo in the band’s dressing room, about 2 minutes before they went on stage for the very first night of the tour in Southampton. They’d just got changed into the suits and wanted a photo taken for their scrap books, so Martin handed me his camera and asked me if I could take a photo of them. I obliged, and then rather cheekily and sneakily, quickly pulled out my own camera and with a sheepish grin asked if they’d mind me taking a photo of my own. They agreed, but imposed one condition on me. The photo was not to appear on my website until after the UK tour finished. They didn’t want the surprise to be spoilt for anyone who might be going to one of the tour dates. (They’d made a similar request back on the World Service Tour in 2004 when I took a photo of them in their matching pin-striped suits, and held the photo back until after the tour ended).

So anyway, now the tour is over, here’s the photo. You can see the matching white suits in all their glory. Each one is individually tailored with it’s only little quirks. I love the poses they’re pulling for this photo. Martin looking as casual as anything, Stu in his own little world, Jon without a neck and Stew and Tim standing to attention with heads held high, chins up. Sorry about the annoying flash reflection in the dressing room mirror - I only had time for one snap so didn’t get a chance to adjust my angle. There has been quite a debate about the suits and I think for many, the jury is still out. They’re certainly a bold statement by the band. Personally I love the quirkiness of them, and the fun side of the band that they show. What ever you think about ‘those suits’, the guys wearing them certainly know how to put on a show.

Tags: music, site, Son, Video

Now Is The Time DVD

I’ve been desperate to review Now Is The Time - Live At Willow Creek for ages now, and finally today I’ve posted my review on Delirious.org.uk I really can not express just how much I love it and just how incredible it is. I’ve never been particularly eloquent when it comes to writing, so I quickly run out of superlatives. Over and over I wanted to write words like ‘Stunning’, ‘Incredible’ and ‘Emotional’ when reviewing the DVD. That last word in particular kept coming back to me as I watched it. It hadn’t really dawned on me from the tracklisting alone - but actually this DVD has a very high concentration of emotion filled power songs. Our God Reigns, Take Off My Shoes, Miracle Maker, Every Little Thing, Majesty, What A Friend, Investigate. They all give you the chills as Delirious? work their way through some of the best tracks they’ve ever written.

I was never a huge fan of Our God Reigns on The Mission Bell (I gave it 3/5 stars in my initial review). But the version on this live album is just such a huge improvement that the chorus is now up there with one of my favourites. There are loads of nice touches on the DVD, things like Take Off My Shoes being shot in black and white, and then the colour gradually fading back in towards the end. I also love the occasional shot of Jon, Stew or Tim singing along.

The bonus features on the DVD are excellent too. The 30minute documentary is fascinating, full of interviews with each of the band individually, and lots of previously unseen photos and video clips. Some very scarey hair styles on display from the ‘early days’ too. Then there is a short behind the scenes look at shooting the DVD at Willow Creek, and the ‘monitors wall’ which shows what the DVD’s director saw during the filming of Fires Burn. 8 diffferent camera angles on screen at once (see right), with the voice of the director choosing which shot to take next.

I can’t stress enough just how brilliant this DVD is. Everyone involved, from the band, to the crew and technical staff at Willow Creek, should be congratulated on a superb product.

(You can view more screen shots from the DVD here)

Tags: Album, Photos, Son, Video

UK Tour Rehearsals

Yesterday I had the enormous privilege and pleasure of going to the rehearsals for the Delirious? UK Tour, which starts tonight in Southampton. I arrived at the Guildhall shortly before 4:30pm and met up with the band who were preparing to sound-check. The venue had already been set up by the crew, boxes of equipment lay everywhere, the lights and the video screen were being tested and before long the band were called to the stage to start their rehearsal. After some sound checking, they began running through the songs they’ll be playing on the tour, and trying out a few of the surprises they have in store for the fans this tour.

I don’t want to say too much and risk spoiling the experience for those of you going on the tour, but I will say this. From what I’ve seen, I would say that it’s going to be more like a ‘Show’ than a ‘Concert’. There are some superb visuals and lights, and some fantastic surprises and things you won’t be expecting. It really is going to be one of the most incredible tours Delirious? have ever done.

There is a huge video screen at the back of the stage, nothing too unusual there, but expect some very creative uses of some tiny video cameras. The infamous Mr Andy Hutch was on-hand at the rehearsals yesterday, helping to choreograph the whole visual experience. Some of you will already have seen the backing videos that the band have been using lately for the Mission Bell songs. My particular favourite was the Paint The Town Red visual, with bright red silhouettes of the band against black and white city landscapes, brilliantly put together with the lyrics cleverly built into road signs and advertising boards.

In terms of the music, the band seem to have put together a superb setlist, featuring a few surprise appearances that will keep the crowd happy, and the best that The Mission Bell has to offer. I could spend all day watching Stu G play the big guitar piece at the end of Take Off My Shoes. Simply stunning. The band also have a few new pieces of kit with them, guitars, piano, amps, you name it.

There was a short interlude for some food around 7:30pm (Indian, not Chinese Takeaway) before it was back to work running through some more songs and rehearsing a few bits of the ’show’. By 9:30pm the band were unplugging their earpieces, setting down their instruments and heading home to Littlehampton. The real thing starts tonight. 13 UK Dates, followed by 12 more across Europe (see the full list of tour dates). Catch a show if you can - you will absolutely love every minute of it. (See also, more rehearsal photos)

Tags: Album, music, Photos, Son, Video

Southampton Guildhall

What a gig last night! Delirious? played the opening night of the UK Tour at the Southampton Guildhall, and as I hinted at in yesterdays post about the Tour Rehearsals, there were some superb moments. (See the review and photos for more). I arrived at the venue for the second day running, in time for the sound check. This time I watched most of it from up high in the balcony, which offered an excellent view of the stage. I had a short moment of panic when my camera decided that its memory card was not valid, but visions of not being able to take any photos of the gig disappeared when a bit of fiddling around solved the problem. When Delirious? had finished, Tim Hughes and his band took their turn to have a sound check and I joined Delirious? in the catering area for some dinner. When the d: boys wondered off, Tim H’s band came in for their food and I chatted to a few of them for a while. It turns out that Mark, the bass player, was Jon Thatcher’s stand-in last year when he missed a tour of Australia due to the birth of his son, and Paul the drummer had been Stew Smith’s stand-in earlier this year on the US tour. Steve the keyboard player was no stranger either, being Cathy Burton’s regular keys man.

Delirious? sound check. (Top-Right: Paint The Town Red video.
Bottom-Right: Rehearsing the Happy Song keyboard routine)
Back in the Delirious? dressing room, the band were milling around, checking their e-mails and passing the time until they were due on stage. As the time arrived for Tim Hughes to take the stage, I decided to go and watch from in the crowd, only to change my mind when I saw how packed the auditorium was. You couldn’t squeeze from the backstage area to the first row, the crowd were crammed in so tightly. Instead I watched Tim and his band while looking over Trevor’s (monitors engineer) shoulder at the side of stage. It pretty soon became clear that the crowd absolutely loved Tim Hughes! They cheered him at every chance, sang practically every word, and worshipped to his songs through out. I watched, deeply impressed, as he kept the crowd’s attention and performed a superb set littered with familiar worship songs, belted out at full pace. I don’t usually watch the entire support set, but I enjoyed every minute this time.

Martin and Jon dressed in white (note the ‘bat wings’)
With Tim finished, I headed back to find the d: boys. I walked into their dressing room and very nearly walked back out thinking I’d got the wrong room. Inside they were all dressed in brilliant white suits, each with it’s own unique twist. As my eyes took in the scene, Jon lifted up his arms to reveal bright red bat wings sown into the sleeves of his jacket. Eventually it was time for the boys in white to hit the stage. There was a general nervousness about the opening sequence. The plan was for the band to appear on stage from behind a large black curtain, with spotlights shinning down on them so that the crowd could see their outlines through the curtain. Then, as the opening song Here I Am Send Me kicks off, the curtain was to drop dramatically to the floor, revealing the band in their new outfits. The problem was, yesterday’s rehearsal of the curtain drop was less than perfect, with the curtain getting stuck half way and the band having to stop while the crew removed it.

The crowd watching Jon
I stood just off stage with the band as they waited for their cue to go on stage and take up positions behind the curtain. The intro music begun, with it’s wailing sirens and flashing red lights, and the band marched onto the stage. The spotlights came on, the crowd cheered, the song started…and bang - the curtain dropped to the floor in near perfect fashion. A collective sigh of relief, not least from the poor crew member with the stressful job of pulling the rope to release the curtain. It was then that I discovered to my horror that my trusty pen was no longer in my pocket - relying on memory to write my review later on was never going to be a good idea, I needed a pen to take notes during the show if I was to remember all the best parts. Tour manager Ian Cattle came to my rescue, offering me a chunky marker to make my notes.

Solid Rock
Time for me to head to the pit for some photos. The usual lecture from the security man by the crowd barrier about 3 songs maximum then I’d have to leave. Anyone holding a camera was going to follow his rules no matter what pass they were holding. Anyway, I shuffled my way up and down between stage and crowd, taking as many photos as I could, before getting an appreciative smile from Mr Security as I left before the end of the third song without giving him hassle. My next plan of attack was to head back to the balcony. No easy task when the venue was absolutely jammed full of fans. I pushed my way back, ran up far too many flights of stairs and found a suitable vantage point in the balcony to take some more photos.

Top: The History Maker video. Bottom: Performing the Happy Song
I stayed in the balcony for several songs, just taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the show. The view from up there was excellent, and I could really appreciate the full impact of the lights and visuals being used on stage. The History Maker video in particular was fantastic. Loads of mock Newspaper frontpages, featuring photos of fans and lyrics as headlines. Brilliantly produced. I headed back down to the stage to my earlier position just behind the monitors desk a couple of meters to Jon and Stew’s left. From there I took more photos while the band entertained the crowd with a comedy version of Happy Song. When the show finally came to an end I joined up with the band back in their dressing room as they chatted about the highs and lows of the show. Everyone seemed exceptionally pleased with how the opening night had gone.

Tags: Album, form, music, News, Photos, Son, Video

Pop: Shakira - Love in the Time of Cholera EP

Written by Chap�n
All we hear on “Despedida” is Shakira's incredible vocals, two acoustic guitars, and a subtle drum here and there. Exactly enough to move your deepest insides. The simple but effective lyrics, the guitars (sometimes delicate, sometimes furious), and most of all: that spectacular voice….

Original story at

La Onda Tropical
.

View our complete collection of news and blogs, plus related videos, photos and more at
Boxxet for Shakira .

…

Tags: News, Photos, Video

Shakira to front beauty line

 UK - Feb 19, 2008

One fan paid £1500 to own a Roberto Cavalli jewelled bra that Shakira wore on her Oral Fixation world tour in 2007.

Original story at

ITN
.

View our complete collection of news and blogs, plus related videos, photos and more at
Boxxet for Shakira .

…

Tags: News, Photos, Video

Shakira Biography

Shakira Biography After achieving superstardom throughout Latin America, Colombian-born Shakira became Latin pop’s biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez broke down the doors to English-language success. Noted for her aggressive, rock-influenced approach, Shakira maintained an extraordinary degree of creative control over her music, especially for a female artist; she wrote or co-wrote nearly all of her own material, and in the process gained a reputation as one of Latin music’s most ambitiously poetic lyricists. When she released her first English material in late 2001, she became an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly-dance moves. Shakira Shakira Mebarak (full name: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll) was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian and her father was of Lebanese descent, and so as a child Shakira soaked up music from both cultures; she also listened heavily to English-language rock & roll, listing her favorite bands in later interviews as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Police, the Cure, and Nirvana. Shakira wrote her first song at age eight, began entering (and winning) talent competitions at age ten, and started learning the guitar at age 11; one story runs that around this age, she was kicked out of her school choir for singing too forcefully. In 1990, at age 13, …

Tags: music, Son, Video

Shakira performs at 2006 MTV Video Music Awards

MTV announced that Shakira and OK Go have been added to the performers line-up already set for the “2006 MTV Video Music Awards.” It was previously announced that Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Panic! At the Disco, T.I., The Killers, Ludacris with Pharrell, The All-American Rejects, The Raconteurs, and Justin Timberlake are confirmed to perform at the star awards show.

Tags: form, music, Video

Shakira in Bollywood Movie

Shakira may shake her hips in the Bollywood movie Om Shanti Om. She was inspired by her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Shakira and her dancers performed a hip-shaking, Bollywood Version of Hips don’t Lie. Shakira was impressed while working with top Bollywood choreographer Kahn. During rehearsals for the show she asked if she could dance in the new movie. Kahn will begin shooting later this year. Bollywood Movies are known for their song and dance numbers. Khan said Shakira would be visiting India for a concert in March (2007) and that the dance scenes could be shot at that time.

Tags: form, music, Son, Video