Found in London made a trip to FoundTrack HQ a few weeks ago and despite all good intentions of keeping up my posts, LA sucked me in and have been playing catch up ever since! Anyway, I'm back and you can all breathe a sigh of relief - better late than never I say...
So committed am I to experiencing live music, I found myself at Music Box in Hollywood a few hours after landing, just in time to catch the talented British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. Having gained popularity in the UK with her album Lights (Polydor) last year, it was re-released as Bright Lights with extra bonus tracks including a cover of Elton John's "Your Song" which featured on a popular UK TV commercial over Christmas.
Having spent 11 hours on a plane, of course I hit the bar first and so only showed up at the gig at the tail end of her support act, The Knocks. The NY electronic music duo who have made a name for themselves as producers and remix extraordinaires, but knocked (!) it out the park with their original songs like "Make it Better" and "Something I Can Dance To". Free downloads available here.
Once Ellie came on stage, my Red Bull had kicked in and the high school audience were ready to go. She worked the stage well, engaged the audience with decent chat and came across as a genuine talent enjoying herself on stage. Due to technical difficulties (i.e. jetlag) I wasn't able to record the performance but check out another set of performances in LA filmed for T-mobile's Live Rising gigs.
Soundtrack aficionados will recognise this from the Kick Ass OST, "Starry Eyed":
My personal favourite, "Every Time You Go":
Lights and Bright Lights are available to buy now.
