We asked for your reviews, and you came through! We were hit with a deluge of quality write ups of your Josh Tour experiences, unfortunately we could only pick a few winners and the below pieces, from Taylor Saunders-Wood via Josh’s Facebook, and Khalida on our Myspace page are more than deserving a signed photo- winging it’s way to our winners now. Keep checking back for more Josh competitions and updates.
Team JR
Taylor Saunders-Wood – Submitted via Facebook:I was at the Manchester Academy gig two nights ago. i thought the supporting acts were brilliant, particularly Thomas J. Speight. It was lovely to have a chat with them where they sold their merchandise at the end, everyone was very friendly. I thought Joshua Radin was absolutely amazing live. Some artists only have a good recorded voice but personally I liked him even more live. My favourite part was his good nature and how friendly he was with the crowd. Getting an insight into the ideas behind his music was good as well, especilally for me as I have been trying my hand at singing/
songwriting recently. He didn't just sing, he performed! It was an amazing gig and I would love to see him again. My one regret is not bringing enough money for a signed cd :(
khalida – Submitted via Myspace: ....JOSHUA RADIN LIVE @ KOKO MUSIC REVIEW .
I arrived at Camden’s Koko music venue on a cold Monday night; it was my first time at Koko and my first time to see Joshua Radin perform live. I brought his first record ..“We were here..” a couple of years ago. Since then I wanted to see him play live, when he was on the “Hotel Café Tour”. And I went to see Cary Brothers perform. Also when he came to London last year, but I kept missing the dates. So I was glad I managed to make it this time round.
The show started just after 8.00pm we watched a couple of support acts two very different styles of music both easy listening and nice to jam too. After a while Joshua Radin came out in this quaint waistcoat, tie and acoustic guitar, really cute looking. He said hello to the crowd that included a full house of fans filling up the entire floor space and the upstairs balconies.
He began the show with a few of his new songs, which was cool, and created a warm atmosphere while we watched and listened to the words of each song humming along. Then he beautifully sang ..“One of those days”.. which my sister and me love singing along to, which was cool. And then ..“Everything’ll be.. ..alright (Will’s Lullaby)”. I loved the lyrics to this song, though it starts of quite sad, I think we all can relate to having our hearts broken, and feeling a little half empty after a break up of a relationship. Also a girl in the crowd got really excited and asked Joshua to marry him and come and live with her in London, which was so random, but Joshua handled it well like the Gentleman he is and said ‘ I think we have to get to know each other first” and the audience laughed in agreement.
I thought it was cool when Joshua Radin gave us some background information on what inspired him to write song. And how it was supposed to be about his ex-girlfriend but was also used as a lullaby for a friend’s baby. I also liked the reference to the people of the New Orleans and the way in which the song tells two stories’ both of love, frailty and strength, endured of the human spirit. The ending is so right ..“ It’s a beautiful night and I know everything is gonna be alright, yes now I now it’ll be alright”.
Later on Joshua and his live band improvised with their instruments and created some great acoustic beats. Which was great and got the crowd moving and cheering. Joshua also sang ..“Today”.. which was awesome, then he talked about what that song meant to him and how long ago it was written. When he was a kid he met this older sophisticated lady who was sitting opposite him on the train, but he was to young and shy to have the courage to say anything, so this song is like a an open letter of what he would say. I thought this was such a sweet story. And it reminded me of when I was a teenager, and had my first crush and how difficult it was to really express my feelings without feeling vulnerable.
When Joshua sang ..“Id rather be with you” ..it was so great, he completely changed the vibe more up-tempo, and I started to rock out, my hips swinging and really enjoyed the rhythm of this song. Then Joshua sang ..“ No envy no.. ..fear” I loved listening to the lyrics of this song, and felt it was a universal message that unites everyone, In a positive thought, of having a basic understanding and love for one another to want what is best for you and you’re fellow man / woman. This was heartfelt and a wonderful message to sing about and a great anecdote to ones fears.
Towards the end of the set Joshua sang my favourite song ..“winter”.. this was great and felt so magical I was waiting for this moment. For me that was my favourite moment as that song means so much to me and has a lot of resonance in my life. I particularly like the line ..“I should know who I am by.. ..now. ..This to me reminds me of self-discovery within a relationship, and when you have to step back and see your self as the person you are, and what the relationship could be. .. .. .. ..I’m so glad I was able to attend his show this year; the entire show was beautifully sung and precious.
I wait patiently for Joshua Radin’s next instalment.