La Roux Trouble In Paradise Album/Concert Review
*Paradise In Trouble
Moments before Iâd begun writing this piece, I made an attempt to draw my very first photo of appreciation for T.I.P. (letâs just say Stevie Wonder would have done a better job with one hand tied behind his back)
- I never knew what to expect from the album, then known as âUntitledâ With lyrics from 2009â˛s debut album still surrounding my mind with Growing Pains. My brain had become boggled with questions, âWhat if I donât like or understand the new music?â âAm I ready for a new chapter with the artistâs music?âÂ
- There I was, 17 years old pretending that my life was in absolute great shape, when my heart and mind had been mangled by love and death. I carried along throughout my school year drenched in endless emotions. Iâd lost everything that had ever meant something to me. Having given up on my hopes, dreams and future. Months later I discovered La Roux music. I got this weird look on my face and this unforgettable creepy grin when I heard âBulletproofâ on the radio station Channel 95.5. I started dancing like a complete geek which celebrated the fact that they would play the song at least 3 times a day during the summer, Gosh⌠Months later, I decided to do my research on this âLa Roux: character. Listening to more songs, the truth came through to me as I could relate to the lead singers story. I was revived after a while, then came âI Love La ROUXâ, more of a quoted teen name for the page but I kept it because I loved how the typo of all caps within âROUXâ accentuated the lead singers rather erect ginger quiff #Convinced
*Trouble In Paradise - October 2, 2014
I was no longer a La Roux concert virgin and I definitely didnât mind. My friend and I were racing down a small streets to find the venue and ended up running through construction work and all kinds of busy situations. It took us 30 minutes of non-stop running and finally we spotted the ancient brick of St. Andrewâs Hall. Crossing a small street, I spot Mickey, the sassy, hilarious, raspy voice keyboardist of La Roux. (I knew that blue jean romper anywhere) There was a line halfway around the corner which was a good sign, signifying that we were in fact not late. Chatting with other fans a random (obviously older guy) standing behind me spat out âWhoâs La Roux?â A few other people along with myself looked at him as if he said he had to take a shit⌠Randomness lingered in the air. Minutes later we were walking into the venue. I nearly bumped into a fit guy, who was clearly not a city native. I turned to say âsorry, excuse meâ and it was William and Ed, the very nature bound drummer and soft spoken guitarist of La Roux.
Show Time: MagicÂ
The disco ball was blaring unforgiving reflections of vibes from 1976. Midnight Magic graced the stage with their sweaty magnetic funky fusion of jazzy disco and sexually charged synth tunes. The room hugged everyone with clouds of purple and red smoke. By then, I had no choice but to ditch my heated jacket. From rise to sunset of their performance, there wasnât one dry body in that place. They were completely amazing.Â
Bedroom Vibes:
The smoke clears, releasing the shadowed human figure that Iâd only known lyrically. From the hum of a clearly inner adult like change, in the mist of âLet Me Down Gentlyâ. I grab my friend and jokingly say âIs this real? I canât handle it, Iâm going to bed.â The lights deepened the vibe as 4 figures were wrapped around their musical lovers (instruments). 7 hums in, âLet Me Down Gently, thatâs what I think I need⌠But when you let me down gently, it still feels hardâ I became silent, letting the room take the lead. Gleaming eyes were focused on the stage, even the intoxicated ones. The mood went from ebony to a icy blue, hearts were warm as the ceilings were chilled by the company of the huge disco ball.
Still frozen, the song had come to an end as we all eagerly awaited Ellyâs (Kinkâs) opening call. After a few smiles, helloâs and waves were shared with the room, she says âOne of my biggest fans are here tonight.. *pauses and searches the room*.. I Love La ROUX?â My lips were glued from shyness as a girl I met before the show yells and points across the room âThatâs you!â pointing her manicure towards me. My friend yells and points down to me âHere she is!!â Elly looked directly at me like a cat spotting a ball of yarn. I giggled from the bright lights and eyeballs glued to meâŚ. She smiled saying âHelloâ waving as my face got hot⌠Iâm absolutely shy. I finally speak and wave quickly (I hope she could hear my distant mouse greeting) and I say âHello! Whooh!â and she laughed, carrying along into the next tune. Each track gave me great nostalgia. Every tune had itâs own groove, making your hips move in a completely different direction, verse to verse. Iâve never seen nor acknowledged such an iconic live band before. Songs from 2008 til 2014 were in synchronized melody and perfectly themed. From the tropical synths of emotions in âQuicksandâ to âTropical Chancerâ, a sunny Caribbean slicksters biography. âBulletproofâ seeped into the night, bringing everyone back down to earth. The lyrics were the same but the sound was much different than I remember. By that meaning, it was performed in a different emotional melody, almost as if you could hear the story behind it. Appearing as a celebration, fin, a night well kept, approaching differently than the range before. The overall performance was glee! And peaceful. From one emotional swing right into the muscle bound bassline in âSilent Partnerâ. Mickeyâs skull shaker gave the battle a breather with shakes of Michael Jacksonâs shoes. William joined her with jolly clashes similar to tap dancing, complimenting the system 100. The set was a breath of fresh air. Overall: Prodigious *Fin The smoke cleared as quickly as the crowd. We headed our way towards the stairway, awaiting our greeting from an earlier invintation. About 10 minutes later, William scurried down the wooden stairs sporting a tangerine long sleeve, with a pleasing handshake. I awkwardly joke and say âMatty!â William says âIâm WilliamâŚ.â I laughed a little bit #BadJoke We make our way up stairs to find everyone standing and walking around chatting. Everyone turned our way nearly saying hello in a domino effect. In order to get rid of my butterflies, I warmed up by handing out hugs lol then wishing Mickey and Matty a Happy Birthday! The room was filled with proportioned stories, questions and jokes. Mid conversation Elly told me how she came across my page and how much she and the band admired it (Thank you again) Then dear Mickey fixed me a drink (what a sweetie) as my friend made her way towards the long awaited pizza arrival with William. I kicked back and chatted with Elly, talking about music we listened to growing up, following me giving a terrible singing example of Sam Robertâs Band âWeâre All In This Togetherâ to talking about our love of cats âI miss her every time Iâm awayâ she explained speaking of her kitty Calypso showing me a picture of the round eyed Tuxedo cat. I then showed her a photo of my Calico- Tuxedo mix cat Bella, that was lost not even a month before the concert. Elly looked at her saying âOh my God! Sheâs so beautifulâ which then made me think of how much Iâve missed her even more⌠Noticing an up close vision of her graphic shirt, which I really admired by a French designer (Iâm not sure of his name) After a while Elly introduced me to Tiffany, the lead singer of Midnight Magic, who was also a flaming ginger. We talked a bit of fashion, as well as her hometown, NYC. As the night grew a bit older by the minute, we finally took photos and said our final goodbyes. Elly signed my CD âTo Brionna, Thank You for all your hard work & support Lots of Love, La Rouxxxâ The thought finally settled into my stomach that I wasnât going to see them until the next tour but satisfied with their musical touch. I gave her one last squeeze (Elly, sorry if you couldnât breathe). My friend and I sailed into the night smiling and rambling our way down the hallway. Mickey was re-entering the building and still high off of the night, I said bye to her giving her one last hug âEnjoy the night Birthday Girl.â This was absolutely one of the best nights of my life and Iâll never forget it. Iâm very proud and humbled to support this band and their music of our generation. Itâs so colorful and powerful to be a band that actually understands one another, support each other and produce earth shattering music. Our parents grew up listening to good music and this allows our generation to do the same. It shows that itâs okay to be different, itâs okay not to like the same music as everyone else but most of all, itâs okay to express yourself. Thank you Croux for the invite to your show and everything you have done for me. I couldnât do it without you all or the Grouxpies/Rouxbies đ Happy Writing! See you on the next tour May the palm trees be with you đ´đ Lots of love, B đ
