The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMusicLive music

Owl City at Heaven

Owl City at Heaven | Live review
26 October 2012
Emma Cooper
Avatar
Emma Cooper
26 October 2012

Adam Young, better known as Owl City, seems like a genuinely nice chap. No overt ego (despite being interrupted by occasional girlish chants of “we love you Adam!”) and defiantly giving his all to the performance at London’s Heaven for his (it has to be said: adoring) fans. But it’s a curious thing that he managed to play for nearly an hour and a half without anyone realising it was the same song – on repeat. 

Ok, a slight exaggeration perhaps, but this is pretty formulaic stuff. Opening the gig with a popular choice of Dreams and Disasters from his latest album, The Midsummer Station, Adam quickly segued into The Yacht Club from third album All Things Bright and Beautiful. These tracks sound like they were created in blueprint, like a Dan Brown novel.  And unfortunately most of the gig felt the same. Meteor Shower, from 2009’s Ocean Eyes, with its epic rock intro and slightly more atmospheric feel, provided a little variety and gave a brief respite from the relentlessly high pace of the gig, and The Real World (All Things…), described as “an oldie but a goodie”, was indeed a slightly better crafted song, with more diversity than the rest. The tightly-packed crowd cheered continually and sang along happily, particularly of course with the chart-topping hit Fireflies (which they had to wait a good 45 minutes for), and the encore opener Good Time had everyone in a party mood.

Poor Adam was visibly feeling the effects of his own runaway train of a gig after about 25 minutes, and it did have the feel of a particularly gruelling body pump class. But he dug deep and kept it going – full-on, power-up vocals never failing and always with a smile on his face, even having a good old bash on the drums at one point. Kudos for that.  An instrumental “3-minute mental vacation”, as he put it, was perhaps really an excuse for him to catch his breath, but we won’t tell if you don’t.

The support from New Yorker Matthew Koma deserves a mention, not least for his own brand of playful, energetic pop which got the crowd’s heart rates up just enough for the main workout, but also for the interesting marketing ploy of offering two lucky audience members the opportunity to win meet-and-greets with Koma via a real-time Twitter competition. This was amusingly met with disappointed howls as the underground venue’s wifi cut out/was switched off and the competition was swiftly dropped.

This was a high octane evening by two very energetic and committed acts, and Owl City obviously has a loyal following and served up what the hungry fans wanted. But musically, it was far too full-on and didn’t showcase enough variety of song-writing or set-plotting to satisfy.

★★★★★

Emma Cooper

For further information and future gigs visit Owl City’s website here.

The album The Midsummer Station is available to download on iTunes now.

Watch the video for new single Shooting Star here:

Related Itemslive musicreview

More in Live music

Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd

★★★★★
Dan Meier
Read More

Weezer with the LA Philharmonic and YOLA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Online

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online

★★★★★
Mark Worgan
Read More

Bat for Lashes Online

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Barker-Turner Overdrive: An Evening of Duets at the Tunbridge Wells Forum Online

★★★★★
Catherine Sedgwick
Read More

Ben Howard: Global Transmission from Goonhilly Earth Station live stream

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

The Sherlocks at Sheffield City Hall Online

★★★★★
Francis Nash
Read More

The Snuts at Stirling Castle Online

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Valley Maker – When the Day Leaves Livestream

★★★★★
Jasper Watkins
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • London’s best pizzas for takeaway and delivery
    Food & Drinks
  • The Year Earth Changed
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Syml – Dim EP
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Ride or Die
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Weezer with the LA Philharmonic and YOLA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Secret Connection – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Rankin: Fishlove at Pertwee Anderson & Gold | Exhibition review
Dappy – Bad Intentions | Album review