Tag Archives: Show Review

Music, On Tour

Chloe Moriondo Dazzles NYC’s Irving Plaza

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Chloe Moriondo proved that she’s a popstar when she brought her “Suckerpunch Tour” to NYC’s Irving Plaza this week. Kicking off the show with the campy “Popstar”, “Knockout”, and “Celebrity”, Chloe was a ball of energy criss crossing the stage like a veteran performer.

“Suckerpunch” is a rare record filled with early 00s pop references and interpolations, sickly sweet hits like “Fruity” and “Cdbaby<3” while wearing it’s candid heart on their sleeve on tracks like “Cry” and “Hearteyes.”

Chloe bared her teeth with the fans when asking who’s had their heart broken before launching into “Hell Hounds” and the ultra angsty kiss off track, “Trophy.”

Going for a costume change, Chloe played the ringleader extraordinaire during “Hotel For Clowns” and “DRESS UP” that reinvigorated the crowd energy that carried through the encore.

The fans gave as good as they got and at one point, helped Chloe crowd surf from stage to the middle of the venue before gently setting her down to part the crowd so she could get back to stage!

Be sure to stream Chloe Moriondo’s latest record, “Suckerpunch” on your favorite streaming platform or pick up a box set with exclusive merch HERE!

Follow Chloe Moriondo and Secret Fangirls for the latest on your favorite artists!

Album Release, Music

Silverstein Sell Out Webster Hall

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Celebrating 20 years as a band is a milestone many dream of and even fewer achieve.  Canada’s own alt rockers Silverstein have been packing in the fans for two decades and hope to continue rocking for another 20 years!  They celebrated their 20 year anniversary and the release of their new album, “A Beautiful Place To Drown” with a sold out show at Webster Hall in NYC.

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Ottawa bred and road tested, Silverstein laid everything they have on stage playing three sets – one set full of new and classic hits, one acoustic set, and finally a full album set for “Discovering The Waterfront.”  Feeding off the high octane energy of the sold out NYC crowd, the band gave the fans a greatest hits run including new favorites like “Burn It Down” and “Infinite” from their new record, “A Beautiful Place To Drown,” as well as classic favorites like “The Afterglow,” “A Great Fire,” and a medley of their record “This Is How The Wind Shifts.”

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As he strummed the opening chords of “Massachusetts,” for the stripped down second set of the night, lead singer Shane Told exclaimed to the NYC audience, “Boston thought that was the end of the show and left so thanks for sticking around!”

Silverstein hit all of the bittersweet spots with tracks like “Toronto,” “Still Dreaming,” and the emotional “Aquamarine.”  We definitely shed a few tears when he spoke about how difficult it was coming back to certain tracks like “Aquamarine” that was written at one of the darkest points in his life.

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Picking it back up, they dove right into the reason we gathered together on Friday night, the full album play through of their sophomore record, “Discovering The Waterfront.” You could tell what the album meant to everyone in the room and the sing along reached a fever pitch during “My Heroine” with the crowd drowning out the band at one point.

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The energy in the room was off the charts, the band and crowd both feeding off each other was such a treat.  Silverstein are proving that you can have a decades spanning career and still churn out new hits and old favorites in the same show without alienating anyone.

Silverstein’s 9th studio record, “A Beautiful Place To Drown” is now available on streaming platforms worldwide and are in the midst of an extensive 20 year anniversary tour with I The Mighty, and Four Year Strong.  Grab your tickets to the remaining tour dates HERE while they last!

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Be sure to follow Silverstein and Secret Fangirls on Twitter for the latest on your favorite artists.

 

 

 

Chase Atlantic, Music, On Tour, Show Review

Chase Atlantic Sell Out Webster Hall in NYC

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Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!  OY OY OY!  Chase Atlantic brought their massive headlining “PHASES Tour” to Webster Hall in New York City last week and the boys sold the place out!  Newly independent up-and-coming artist, Lauren Sanderson kicked off the night and comanded the stage like the rockstar she is.  Breezing through new tracks and old favorites like “Electric,” “Differently,” “Hotel Room,” and “Better Anyway,” Lauren got the crowd pumped up and won over lots of new fans.

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Clinton, Christian, Mitchel, Pat, and Jesse took the stage and it was like the stars aligned and the energy in the room went from a solid 8 to infinity and beyond! Chase Atlantic are known for giving their all during every show, but Webster Hall has a history of pulling out THE BEST shows from artists. Maybe it’s the NYC crowds that are superior, or maybe it’s the water, but this was hands down the best Chase Atlantic show we have ever seen!

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They burned through an extensive setlist mixing old favorites like “The Walls” and “Friends” with new tracks like “Angels” and “Heaven And Back” keeping the energy at a solid 10 all night long.  Mitchel covered the stage back and forth without missing a beat and Christian took to an inflatable pool raft to crowd surf towards the end of the set.  Clinton’s saxaphone solos brought down the house every chance he got!

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Next up, Chase Atlantic are heading over to Europe starting in October. Check out the dates below and grab your tickets while you still can!

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Phases Tour – UK, Europe, & Australia Ft. Chase Atlantic 
Oct 3rd – O2 Institute – Birminghamg, UK – Buy Tickets
Oct 4th – Manchester Academy 2 – Manchester, UK – Buy Tickets
Oct 5th – SWX – Bristol, UK – Buy Tickets
Oct 6th – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London, UK – Buy Tickets 
Oct 7th –  BiNuu – Berlin, Germany – Buy Tickets 
Oct 9th – Zoom – Frankfurt am Main, Germany – Buy Tickets 
Oct 10th – Poppodium Q-Factory – amsterdamn, Netherlands – Buy Tickets 
Oct 15th – Sala Caracol – Madrid, Spain – Buy Tickets
Oct 16th – Razzmatazz 2 – Barcelona, Spain – Buy Tickets 
Oct 18th – TBD – Milano, Italy – Buy Tickets
Oct 19th – Hirsch – Nürnberg, Germany – Buy Tickets 
Oct 20th – Club Volta – Cologne, Germany – Buy Tickets
Oct 21st – NUOVEAU CASINO – Paris, France – Buy Tickets 
Nov 6th – JIVE – Adelaide, Aus – Buy Tickets
Nov 7th – The Brightside – Brisbane, Aus – Buy Tickets
Nov 8th – Wrangler Studios – West Footscray, Aus – Buy Tickets 
Nov 9th – Stay Gold – Melbourne, Aus – Buy Tickets 
Nov 10th – The Factory Theatre – Sydney, Aus – Buy Tickets

Grab a copy of  “Phases” on Apple Music and Amazon, or stream it on Spotify so you can sing along on tour!

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Be sure to follow Chase Atlantic & Secret Fangirls on Twitter for the latest on your favorite artists.

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Artist to Watch, Music, Show Review

Show Review: The Faim Electrify NYC

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Australia is on a hot streak with exports and their latest, The Faim, are bringing their brand of pop rock with a side of on stage charisma that could fill an arena.  We caught them at the Gramercy Theatre on their tour opening for Andy Black, which wraps up this week in Virginia Beach.

Armed with an arsenal of new music and enough energy to power Manhattan, The Faim are here and they will not be ignored.  Frontman Josh Raven commanded the stage with swagger and poise, drawing the crowd in from the start, even walking off the stage and connecting directly with the crowd in the middle of the pit.

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@mac_praed

The Faim, singer Josh, guitarist Sam Tye, bassist/keyboardist Stephen Beerkens, and drummer Linden Marissen felt more like the headliner than an opener but we bet they’ll be in that headliner slot sooner rather than later.

They will be back in Australia and Europe over the Summer.  Check out all of their upcoming tour dates here!   We’re hoping to see them back in the States soon!

TF NYC (86 of 115)
@mac_praed

The Faim set list – NYC Gramercy Theatre – May 1st, 2019
Saints of the Sinners
My Heart Needs To Breathe
Beautiful Drama
When It Comes
Infamous
Midland Line
Fire
A Million Stars
I Can Feel You
Make Believe
Summer Is A Curse
Amelie

TF NYC (84 of 115)
@mac_praed

Grab a copy of The Faim’s EP “Summer Is A Curse” on iTunes and Amazon, or stream it on Spotify!

Follow The Faim and Secret Fangirls on Twitter for the latest on your favorite artists.

Photos by @Mac_Praed

Music, Show Review, The Vamps

New Hope Club, HRVY, & The Vamps Wrap Up US Tour in New York City

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It’s hard to believe it’s been 3 years since The Vamps’ last headlining show in NYC, back at Webster Hall in 2015.   Since then, The Vamps have released a new two part album, “Night & Day,” and played venues all around the world.  We were thrilled to see them back in NYC, especially since the city was where the band played their first ever headlining show at Gramercy Theatre in 2014!

New Hope Club got the night started with a fun set that included their hit “Fixed” and new tracks like “Crazy.”  They certainly had the crowd going crazy and set the tone for the evening.   Their guitar driven tracks are so much fun to hear live.

HRVY had a super energetic set, and even showed off his dance moves during songs like “Holiday” and “Hasta Luego.”  Could he be the next one man boyband to steal your heart?   He also showed off his softer side on his covers like Bazzi’s “Mine” and Ed Sheeran’s smash single “Perfect.”

The Vamps absolutely rocked their set, and from the excitement in the crowd it was like no time had passed at all.  They knew every word and sang along, even louder than the band sometimes.  Brad, Connor, Tristan, and James were better than ever, showing off their musicianship,  signature pop-rock sound, and fun onstage personas.  We’re hoping it won’t be 3 more years until we see them again!

Be sure to follow New Hope Club, HRVY, The Vamps, & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

Big Time Rush, Music, On Tour, Show Review

Logan Henderson Debuts New Music at Gramercy Theatre in NYC

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Logan Henderson played a high energy set to a packed crowd at NYC’s Gramercy Theatre over the weekend.  It was his first solo tour and he performed his entire debut album, Echoes of Departure and the Endless Street of Dreams – Part 1.  The concert, presented by Z100, also featured  openers Skela and Thutmose.  Logan showed off his songwriting skills with new unreleased tracks like “Zodiac,” “End Of The World,” and an upbeat high energy encore of “Body Language.”

With the addition of a live band backing the show, Logan made sure the crowd had the best night whether they knew the words or not.  After taking a lengthy break from the spotlight, he debuted new solo music with a darker grunge pop sound and we love it!  He honed his songwriting skills while still in Big Time Rush, and even played a song he wrote while on their last tour called “Change In The Weather.”

Logan is no stranger to performing for massive audiences and his on stage energy was infectious.  He had the whole crowd singing and dancing along to every song all night long! Crowd favorites included “Sleepwalker,” Logan’s first solo track, and “Bite My Tongue.”

Watch our clip of “Body Language” below.

Make sure you grab a copy of his debut album “Echoes of Departure and the Endless Street of Dreams – Part 1” on iTunes or Amazon now.  Catch Logan Henderson performing at Billboard’s Hot 100 Fest at Jones Beach this August!

Follow Logan Henderson and Secret Fangirls on Twitter for more on your favorite artists.

Music, Show Review

Alex Aiono Brings “Feels Like Tour” to NYC

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Alex Aiono slayed his sold out “Feel Like Tour” stop at Highline Ballroom in NYC!   With his good friend and collaborator Trinidad Cardona kicking the show off, the duo brought the house down and made sure the crowd had the night of their lives.


Alex sang and danced his way through his high energy set with a huge smile on his face the entire time!   The energetic crowd was singing along to every word.  The show was one nonstop dance party from start to finish, and Alex did an awesome job keeping the crowd involved.   He even brought up a special fan and serenaded her on his acoustic guitar halfway through the set.


Alex got his start by posting his now iconic mashups of songs on YouTube.  He included his Drake/Nicky Jam “One Dance/Hasta el Ananecer” mashup as part of the set, and it was 🔥🔥🔥.   We love that Alex has the moves, the vocals, and producing skills.  He is the total package.


We’ve been hearing “Does It Feels Like Falling” absolutely everywhere lately, and judging by the reaction that Alex got during his sold out show, you’ll be seeing and hearing much more from him soon!  We can’t wait to see him on his next tour, and we can see him selling out even bigger venues around the country.


Pick up a copy of “Does It Feel Like Falling” featuring Trinidad Cardona on iTunes now!


Be sure to follow Alex Aiono & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

Music, Show Review, Tennis

Jack & Jack, Why Don’t We, & Alex Aiono & More Headline Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the US Open

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The 2017 US Open started with a bang on Saturday at the annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day Celebration.  AAKD is a celebration of music and tennis, in honor of the late tennis legend Arthur Ashe.  Proceeds from the event benefit the USTA Foundation and the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network (NJTL).  We love coming to this event every year because they have a knack for booking the hottest up and coming artists in music before they hit it big!  (Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears are just a few of AAKD’s past performers!)


This year’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day also served as the official launch of Net Generation, the USTA’s new program to help inspire the next generation of tennis players.  Net Generation provides a fun, kid-friendly format to help younger players get into the game.  The next generation of American players including Frances Tiafoe, Claire Liu, Cici Bellis, & Jarden Donaldson, helped show off just how easy it can be!


Saving Forever, made up of 3 brothers from Chicago, got the stadium show started by rocking the house with their new single “Million Ways.”  Their high-energy performance featured dozens of dancers on court on Arthur Ashe Stadium getting down to their blend of perfect pop-rock sounds that just make you wanna dance!  Watch our interview with Saving Forever here!


New Hope Club, fresh off their Summer tour with Sabrina Carpenter, played their new single “Start Over” along with their hit “Fixed.”   The guys were thrilled to be playing their first ever stadium show!


What makes AAKD so fun is that it’s all about music AND tennis!   This year featured tennis icons Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Venus Williams & 2016 US Open Champion Angelique Kerber.  The players competed in a skills competition to see how many targets they could hit on the forehand and backhand side, with each target hit raising money for their individual charity.  One lucky participant from the NJTL also got to join the players on court and he had SKILLS – he hit almost as many targets as Roger Federer!


Sofia Carson, who co-hosted the event with Alex Aiono, took to the stage to perform her brand new single “Ins and Outs” for the first time.  Sofia’s powerful voice carried throughout the stadium and brought down the house!


One fun fact we learned this week is that pop duo Jack & Jack used to play doubles together in high school!  We’re sure they had a major fangirl moment when they realized they would get to perform on court on the legendary Arthur Ashe Stadium!  We love that their performance took place on opposite sides of the net, as if they were playing a match.  We wish we could have seen them put their tennis skills to the test!  Watch our interview with Jack & Jack here!


The screaming and excitement in the stadium for boyband Why Don’t We started the moment the boys hit the red carpet before the show even started.  It hit an all-time high during their performance of “Something Different” and “Taking You.”  Fans throughout the 23,000 capacity stadium were loudly singing along to every word and cheering as loud as possible.   We imagine this was what it was like at AAKD in 1998 when the Backstreet Boys performed!


As we said, AAKD always have a knack for booking future stars.  Judging by the crowd’s reaction, look out for much more from Why Don’t We soon!  We wouldn’t be surprised to see them headlining their own stadium tour one day.  The boys took the time to answer fan questions and assured that they are hard at work on their upcoming album!  Watch our interview with Why Don’t We here!


Co-host Alex Aiono brought down the house to wrap up the show.  He gave everyone a sneak peak at his brand new single, “Falling,” which is coming out on September 15th!   The multi-talented Alex played the guitar during “Falling” before launching  into his hit single “Hot 2 Touch,”  getting everyone in the stadium to dance along.  As his co-host Sofia pointed out, Alex had actually performed on the grounds on the festival stage back in 2012!  We loved seeing Alex graduate to the main stage!   Watch our interview with Alex Aiono here!

This year’s AAKD was a blast from start to finish, with one of the strongest lineups we’ve ever seen.  We’re already counting down to AAKD 2018!   But for now, we’ll enjoy being at the US Open for the next two weeks.


Make sure to check out our interviews from Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day with Alex Aiono, Jack & Jack, Why Don’t We, Saving Forever & Spencer Sutherland!  Head over to Secret Fangirls on YouTube to watch them all!


Be sure to follow AAKD & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

AJR, Music, On Tour, Show Review

AJR Play 1st Sold Out Hometown Show At NYC’s Gramercy Theatre

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AJR have been killing it lately.  Their latest single, “Weak,” has gotten over 100 million plays on Spotify and is climbing up the charts.   Their first major headlining tour, the “What Everyone’s Thinking” Tour, has had sold out shows across the country.  The tour rolled into Adam, Jack and Ryan’s hometown of NYC over the weekend for a two night stand at the Gramercy Theatre.

AJR have played Gramercy Theatre in the past, but their show on Saturday night was their first ever hometown show that sold out. And it didn’t just sell out – the show sold out so quickly that a second date was added on Sunday.   How successful has the “What Everyone’s Thinking” Tour been?  They were nearly out of their stock of merch, with a few shows left to go!

If you’ve been to an AJR show, you know that things can “get weird,” as Jack told the crowd.  For their first big headlining tour, they brought out all the stops.  They are by far one of the most energetic acts we’ve ever seen on stage.  They honed their skills performing on the streets of NYC, where they learned how to win over a crowd. Jack never stops moving, flailing across the entire stage in a continual dance as he switches from playing the Maschine to the drums to the Melodica to the guitar.   All three brothers took turns playing the drums, even hopping into the crowd at one point.

One of the things we love most about AJR is how true they stay to themselves and to their music.   After playing “Let The Games Begin,” the band told the crowd how the music industry had tried to change them and told them they couldn’t do things.   “You can’t get that sound on the radio.  You can’t record in your living room.”  Even Jack’s hat was met by criticism.  Through it all, they stood by what they believed in.  We saw quite a few fans (including a mini Jack) rocking “the hat” in the crowd.

We love that AJR are confident in their sound and their growing fanbase proves that you don’t have to fit into a certain mold to make good music and connect with people. When they wrote the songs for their latest EP, “What Everyone’s Thinking,” they wanted to make songs that were very honest and the reaction has been unbelievable.

Adam told the crowd more about their songwriting process – the brothers write countless songs together, then let them sit for a few months.  The ones they like that “pass the test of time” get the go ahead, while others get shelved.  One track that has stood the test of time, and that the band still loves to play live is “Infinity.”  They also did a new rendition of fan favorite track “Woody Allen,” turning it into an acoustic song with a heavy kick drum.   Ryan said he was inspired to write the song after watching Woody Allen movies for film class: he wanted to capture that feeling of how he always gets the girl in the end.

They incorporated some of their remixes in the set, turning “I Got No Strings” and “Tiptoe Through The Tulips” into tracks you wanted to dance to.  They also created a “New York” remix on stage, breaking it down piece by piece to show the crowd how they create their unique sound.

AJR closed out their set with their breakout single, “I’m Ready,” which had the entire room dancing and clapping along.   They rolled out a giant banner printed to look like Jack’s Maschine, which he started to play.   The band came back out for one more song, their current hit “Weak.”  We got chills hearing every person in the room singing along.

It was by far the craziest AJR show we’ve been to!  The enthusiastic crowd knew every word,  loudly singing along from start to finish.  It’s amazing to see how far they’ve come (they’ve been performing together for 12 years!) and to see such an incredible response to their music.  There’s no one else quite like them.  AJR,  you just keep doing you.

Setlist:
I’m Not Famous/Thirsty
The Green and The Town
Call My Dad
I Got No Strings
Come Hang Out
Woody Allen
Tiptoe Through The Tulips
Let The Games Begin
Pitchfork Kids
Infinity
Remix
Turning Out
No Grass Today
I’m Ready
Weak

Be sure to follow AJR & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

Country Music, Music, Show Review

Cam’s “Burning House” Tour Hits Highline Ballroom in NYC

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We saw Cam for the first time in 2014 when she opened for Dan + Shay on their first headlining tour at Highline Ballroom in NYC.  Her set was so much fun (one of our favorite openers ever!) and we knew we’d be hearing much more from her in the future.  Since that show, Cam signed with Sony, released her debut album “Untamed,” and had her first #1 single, “Burning House.”    Cam came full circle last week when she came back to Highline Ballroom on her first headlining tour, the “Burning House” Tour.

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Cam played every track from “Untamed” during her set.  The enthusiastic crowd sang along from start to finish.  We love that Cam took the time to introduce every track, telling the crowd anecdotes and the inspiration for writing each song.  She has a knack for storytelling, evident in both her songwriting and her on stage banter.  Every story was heartfelt or hilarious, or a little bit of both.  She reminded us of another blonde country star: Dolly Parton!

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Cam had one of the coolest sets we had ever seen, turning the stage into a beautiful house in the woods complete with forest creatures and flashing stars.  It got even cooler when a blacklight made it seem to glow in the dark about halfway through the set.

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Cam played some new material during the show, including the head-banging “Man Hunt,” which showed that Cam can totally rock.   She closed her set with the hilarious “Fireball Whiskey,” which Cam had actually pitched to the company.   She said they declined since the track “does not promote responsible drinking.”

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The night ended with Cam’s breakout single, “Burning House,” which turned into a very loud singalong.  The “Burning House” Tour runs through December.  Click here for tour dates!  Don’t miss your chance to see this rising star.

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Setlist:
My Mistake
Want It All
Hungover on Heartache
Half Broke Heart
Mayday
Sweet Dreams (cover)
Old Men, Young Women (cover)
No One Gets to Heaven
Untamed
Runaway Train
Cold in California
Country Ain’t Never Been Pretty
Man Hunt
Village
Fireball Whiskey
Encore:
Burning House