MTV Brand New for 2012 - Wednesday 25th January

After Tuesdays performances my faith in MTV was even stronger and with Emeli Sande headlining and support from Delilah and Michael Kiwanukua I knew I was in for a good night!.... On the Tuesday I bumped into a friend, Steve who was working on the filming for MTV. When I saw him again on the Weds he worked his magic and hooked me and my best mate, who I dragged along for the night up with the best places to view the gig - for this I am forever in his debt as there is nothing that inspires me more than to see people who love and believe in the music that they are performing or listening to.

Delilah was first up, and originally the main reason why I wanted to attend the event... any of my Facebook or Twitter friends would know that I have been posting links to her music for months since hearing her perform with Chase and Status - particularly 'Go (RAK Sessions)'. Delilah has the ability to stand static on a stage but still keep you mesmerised and never bored. I almost fainted when she covered Jean Jacques Smootie's 'Two People' which is arguably one of my favourite songs EVER! Her look was fresh and I later found out from the girl herself that she was wearing one of her own creations... so maybe there are even more strings to her bow that we first thought?!

Michael Kiwanukua has also been on my radar since hearing 'Home Again' on Radio One, which has since been on constantly at home, on my iPod and in the Car. I hadn't heard much of his other stuff prior to the gig but have now pre-ordered his album and can't wait for its release. The band are tight and dress code is dapper. Kiwanukua is the man to listen to when you need to know that every thing is going to be alright.. and once you listen, I am pretty sure it will be....

The final act of the night was Emeli Sande, having already been nominated for Best Newcomer at MOBO's and Virgin Media Awards 2011, winning Critics Choice Award at MOBO's 2012 and also being nominated for Best Collaboration for 'Read All About It' with Professor Green at the Virgin Media Awards 2011 you would think she would be used to the attention, when in fact she still seemed very humble and endearing.  Prior to the gig I had no idea that she had already written several songs for other artists, such as, Cheryl Cole, Tinie Tempah and Leona Lewis or that she was amazing on the piano! The girl is an absolute powerhouse and mixes upbeat songs with more relaxed music - in fact my favourite song of the night was 'Suitcase'  which Sande claimed was inspired while she was listening to a lot of country music. She paid homage to the artists she had collaborated with by singing a medley of songs from Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk, Wiley and Professor Green - and with backing like that it is easy to see why Emeli Sande is someone we should all be looking out for!

So all in all.... I think it is safe to say that MTV Brand New for 2012 has definitely pulled it out of the bag for another year...

http://www.delilahofficial.co.uk//

http://michaelkiwanuka.com/

http://www.emelisande.com/

MTV Brand New for 2012...... I should KoKo

Normally when attending live gigs there is always a fly in the ointment for me - the line up, the location, the crowd, the ticket price etc, however last week I was luckily enough to attend the MTV Brand New for 2012 events at KoKo in Camden.

KoKo has always been a fave venue of mine.. I have fond memories of nights out in my late teens when it was the infamous Camden Palace... the former theatre holds a feeling of nostalgia and the set up is perfect for intimate gigs... providing a dance floor to skank out on, boxes for industry types and gorgeous panoramic views which make filming and photographing events simple and quite beautiful.

Admittedly for some people Camden can be a bit of a mission to get to, but those who really love their music go out of their way to make sure that they are the first in line to see their favourite acts. On both nights the crowds were mixed in age, sex, race... there was no attitude and everyone was there for one reason and one reason only, the music.

MTV have been renowned for spotting and acknowledging up and coming talent and in my view have rarely got it wrong... This years line up being no different... check out my reviews on both nights covering  

The Maccabees, Lana Del Rey and Charli XCX from Tuesday 24th January and Delilah, Michael Kiwanuka and the gorgeous Emili Sande from Weds 25th January.

http://www.koko.uk.com/