Live Review: CHVRCHES @ The Anthem — 11/30/21

Posted on 12/06/2021 by ambienteye in Live Review and tagged CHVRCHES, Glasgow, new wave, Scotland, synthpop, The Anthem.

Lauren Mayberry fronts CHVRCHES at The Anthem in DC on Nov. 30, 2021. (Photos by Katherine Gaines (ambienteye.com); Words by Mickey McCarter)

“My social skills are gone,” quipped Lauren Mayberry. “I stayed inside for two years, staring at a wall. Now, I’m talking to you guys, and this is normal.”

Well, those guys were ecstatic that the CHVRCHES frontwoman was indeed talking to them, singing to them, and emoting like never before at a show bursting with energy at The Anthem DC recently. Maybe, however, it takes two years of lockdown experiences might result in a brilliant, memorable show like those on this tour, which has sent CHVRCHES around the world in support of their very good fourth album, Screen Violence.

Preview: CHVRCHES @ The Anthem, 11/30/21

Posted on 11/29/2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged CHVRCHES, Glasgow, new wave, Scotland, synthpop, The Anthem.

CHVRCHES (Photo courtesy Grandstand Media)

Synthpop trio CHVRCHES have took their impressive stage production on the road in support of their recently released, critically acclaimed album Screen Violence. The Scots play at The Anthem in DC on Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Live Review: Midge Ure @ City Winery — 11/2/21

Posted on 11/04/2021 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged City Winery, folk, Glasgow, Midge Ure, new romantic, new wave, Scotland.

Midge Ure performs at City Winery DC on Nov. 2, 2021. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Brimming with bonhomie, Midge Ure reflected upon the 2012 reunion of powerhouse quartet Ultravox and the resulting album Brilliant during his recent performance at City Winery DC.

Midge recalled reconnecting with his old bandmates for a series of performances, and the surprise offer of a record deal that was offered promptly to them.

Live Review: Nation of Language w/ The Wants @ Songbyrd Music House — 10/31/21

Posted on 11/02/2021 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Brooklyn, Nation of Language, new wave, New York City, post-punk, Songbyrd Music House.

Nation of Language perform at Songbyrd Music House on Oct. 31, 2021. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Perhaps Halloween shows should be spooky but the audience at a sold-out show at Songbyrd Music House was nothing but smiles for synthpoppers Nation of Language and their openers The Wants Sunday. While the performance may have dealt in its share of angst as musical inspiration, the 200+ folks gathered could only dance in delight as the young New York City bands also took a page from classic new wave and post-punk acts that would have made MTV’s 120 Minutes proud.

Interview: Midge Ure (@ City Winery, 11/2/21)

Posted on 10/22/2021 by Mickey McCarter in Interview, Preview and tagged City Winery, folk, Glasgow, Interview, Midge Ure, new romantic, new wave, Scotland, Ultravox.

Midge Ure (Photo courtesy Erika Tooker)

Midge Ure, the legendary voice of new romantic outfit Ultravox, returns to the United States for a fresh solo tour this month. Taking time off his successful livestream series, Midge presents “Un-Zoomed And Face To Face” at City Winery DC on Tuesday, Nov. 2!

And speaking of Zoom, Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter recently chatted with Midge via Zoom to get details on the tour and all of Midge’s other current creative endeavors.

Live Review: Colin Hay @ The Birchmere — 8/17/21

Posted on 08/23/2021 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Colin Hay, folk, Men at Work, new wave, The Birchmere.

Colin Hay performs at The Birchmere on Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Colin Hay was in lockdown at home in California, searching for ways to pass the time like the rest of us. He concluded, as perhaps many others did, “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself.”

Thankfully, the quick-witted Scotsman immediately connected the thought to a hit song of that title, written by Burt Bacharach and covered by Dusty Springfield in 1964. It was a song Colin loved from his youth, and he scoured his memories of his father’s record store in the ’50s and ’60s for other inspirational tunes. Colin recorded and released 10 of them as a covers album

So it turns out that Colin did in fact know what to do with himself, which was abundantly evident in a wonderfully engrossing show by the drily humorous veteran in the first of two nights at The Birchmere recently.

Song of the Day: “How Not to Drown” by CHVRCHES featuring Robert Smith

Posted on 06/03/2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged California, CHVRCHES, Los Angeles, new wave, Robert Smith, Song of the Day.

CHVRCHES and Robert Smith (Photo by Sebastian Mlynarski & Kevin J Thomson)

CHVRCHES recently announced their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Screen Violence, due out Aug. 27 on Glassnote Records. The band has also shared the second single from the forthcoming record, titled “How Not to Drown,” featuring one of the trio’s ultimate heroes, Robert Smith.

Song of the Day: “Noir” by YELLE

Posted on 04/07/2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged France, new wave, Paris, Song of the Day, synthpop, Yelle.

Yelle (Photo by Jerome Lobato)

Have you ever just put on an all-black outfit and stayed out as late as possible? That’s what the new single “Noir” from YELLE is giving us.

It’s moody. It’s fashion. It’s attitude.

Song of the Day: David Bowie’s “Five Years” by Duran Duran

Posted on 01/08/2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged David Bowie, Duran Duran, England, new wave, Song of the Day.

Duran Duran (Photo by Stephanie Pistel)

New wave legends Duran Duran long have embraced their David Bowie influences. And the quartet also have covered Bowie’s songs, first grabbing attention with their fantastic cover of “Fame,” which they introduced on their first-ever US tour (which included a date at The Bayou here in DC back in 1981).

Today, in celebration of what would have been Bowie’s 74th birthday, Duran Duran release a cover of his epic “Five Years” from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Livestream Preview: Culture Club @ SSE Arena, Wembley, 12/19/20

Posted on 12/17/2020 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Boy George, Culture Club, England, livestream, London, new romantic, new wave, SSE Arena Wembley.

Culture Club (Photo courtesy Ticketmaster)

New wave icons Culture Club sound better than ever, and you can hear and see for yourself when they take to the stage at SSE Arena, Wembley, on Saturday, Dec. 19, for a special livestream performance, Rainbow in the Dark!