Anniversary concerts have become increasingly popular over the last few years. For fans, they offer the opportunity to experience a beloved album live in full, often for the very first time. With the rise of indie bands between 2005 and 2010, there are now more and more milestones worth celebrating. The same goes for Tourist History by Two Door Cinema Club, whose 15th anniversary the Northern Irish band are celebrating with a slight delay. Speaking to bassist Kevin Baird ahead of the band’s show in Zurich this July, however, one thing quickly becomes clear: the band did not decide lightly to take the album back on the road.
Interview with Freya Ridings:
I’m a dark indie girl at heart – and I’m excited to go back there.
Freya Ridings wrote «Mother of Pearl» by trusting her instincts over outside expectations, even when it meant going against strong industry opinions. In conversation, she reflects on the importance of staying authentic, her songwriting process between voice memos and pen and paper, and how personal experiences shape the sound and direction of her music.
Interview with White Lies:
Lyrics can be poetic, but they’re not poetry
White Lies recorded their new album Night Light largely live, drawing on years of shared experience and a renewed focus on performance over perfection. In conversation, Charles Cave and Jack Lawrence-Brown talk about recording together in real time, the role of lyrics, and how songs like «All The Best» continue to evolve on stage night after night.
Interview with Biffy Clyro:
The catchphrase for Futique was „let Biffy be Biffy“
Biffy Clyro brought their impressive live show to Schaffhausen, headlining Stars in Town in August, one month before releasing their tenth record, «Futique». There, they performed «Hunting Season» live for the first time. Ben and James Johnston, two-thirds of Biffy Clyro, sat down to discuss the new album, the band’s live energy, and a legendary night at Wembley Stadium. Next February, the Scots will bring «Futique» to Switzerland for two nights, with shows in Zurich and Bern.
Interview with Christopher:
«A Beautiful Life» changed everything
Christopher is not only a celebrated musician in his home country of Denmark and in Asia, he has also established himself as an actor with his leading role in the Netflix hit ‘A Beautiful Life’. He wrote the songs for the film and breathed life into the role of Elliott with his performance. Currently he’s touring Europe and visited the Kaufleuten in Zurich for a sold-out concert. Before the show, he spoke about his double life as a musician and actor, being a father and his great love for live shows.
Interview with Bob Hardy and Audrey Tait:
Unapologetically Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand visited Zurich with their sixth record «The Human Fear». The Scots performed at the sold-out X-Tra for the first time in eleven years. Bass player Bob Hardy is the only remaining founding member alongside singer Alex Kapranos. Audrey Tait inherited the drumsticks from Paul Thompson and is the most recent addition. The perfect line-up for an interesting conversation.
Paul McCartney in Manchester: The boyish look in his eyes does not age
It’s no secret that Paul McCartney isn’t getting any younger. If possible, you shouldn’t miss the rare chance to see the Beatle live. The Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester was the second last stop on the 2024 ‘Got Back Tour’. At the first of two gigs in the brand new venue, McCartney put on a top-class show despite his 82 years and showed no signs of fatigue even after more than two and a half hours.
Interview with Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws: All of us are wildly complicated and wildly different
Nada Surf visited Zurich with their current record «Moon Mirror». It was the band’s fourth time playing at Dynamo since 2016. Before the show, singer Matthew Caws, took some time to talk about the record, the way of living as a nice person and on how his ADHD diagnosis helped him.
Interview with Royal Republic: We’re in for the long run
Royal Republic brought their fifth studio album «LoveCop» to Switzerland and performed their biggest show in this country to date. Ahead of the gig in Zurich, guitarist Hannes Irengård explained the bands 80s influence, talked about their growing success and the creation of their records as well as the complexity of coming up with their catchy, yet sometimes stupid lyrics.
Interview with Birdy: I just wait for inspiration to hit
Birdy played her first show of 2024 on 8th April at Zermatt Unplugged. The festival not only is located in a beautiful scenery on the foot of the world famous Matterhorn, but the artists are also encouraged to perform a special unplugged set. Birdy put lots of efforts in that task and brought a grand piano as well as a string quartet to the stage. In the interview before the show she explained how she built up her show, talked about cover songs, remixes and her approach of creating new music.