Music

Review: North East Live

29 June 2014

By Yasmine

On Sunday 22nd June, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland played host to the North East’s biggest party – North East Live. With acts amongst Neon Jungle, The Vamps and Rizzle Kicks, it was a day to remember especially as the star-studded Jessie J was headlining. Seeing as there were so many acts who deserve their own praise (or shame), here’s each act’s mini review in order of worst to best:

Katy B – 2/5

The 25 year-old singer was not fit to perform in front of a stadium crowd at all. After walking on the stage looking as though she was going for a jog, the fiery-haired Katy promptly announced herself and attempted to get an un-enthusiastic crowd to jump with her. I’m glad her set was one of the shortest out of all of the acts as if it had been any longer, the audience would’ve despaired.

Jason Derulo – 2/5

Sadly, Mr Derulo really did not impress. His performance consisted of him being shirtless and dancing in an extremely tacky white outfit around his metallic set. It was a complete waste of 55 minutes which would’ve been far better spent removing my eyebrows with duct tape. Derulo’s hit song ‘Trumpets’ did get me dancing, but was the only song he appeared to move his mouth during as his backing singers took on the vocal work.

Austin Mahone – 3/5

As the first act to kick off the show, the American-born singer/songwriter had to set the bar – it wasn’t that high, either. Mahone sang a few songs that got the audience going, but for some strange reason, he was clad in a beanie under the beaming sun. The only thing was, because he’s so new in the business, not many people knew his songs but give him his dues, they were all dancing along.

The Saturdays – 3.5/5

The pop girl band appeared towards the evening of the show and belted out some of their hits that were anthems to the older part of the crowd’s childhood. The only disappointing thing sprouted from them not being able to work well in a stadium. Unfortunately they just were not suited for a crowd so large and would be so much better live in an arena.

Union J – 4/5

George Shelley, JJ Hamblett, Jaymi Hensley and Josh Cuthbert make up one of the UK’s many pop boy bands and they appeared to outdo themselves at the stadium. While they couldn’t headline a venue so large alone, they certainly had the younger crowd dancing and singing – some even in hysteria. Their song ‘Beautiful Life’ went down a treat, the noise of the crowd reciting the lyrics back was deafening.

Neon Jungle – 4/5

Four girls with an extremely good history in the charts. Their time together has been short, but very successful with their most known hit ‘Trouble’, they had the stadium rocking. Neon Jungle are a force to be reckoned with.

Rixton – 4/5

The up and coming band that have not been around for too long impressed me and the rest of the crowd, especially with their catchy song ‘Appreciated’. There were definitely some seemingly heartfelt lyrics, which made an impact on the stadium. The band is similar to chart-toppers Lawson and could have a real shot at a big break. Definitely worth seeing if they ever tour near you.

The Vamps – 4.5/5

An amazing performance by the band included hit singles ‘Can We Dance’, ‘Wild Heart’ and their new single featuring pop sensation Demi Lovato, ‘Somebody to You’. The Vamps who have rocketed to sudden success in the charts had everyone up on their feet dancing and singing along to their 30 minute set. They have also sold out the Newcastle City Hall for their first headline tour, ‘Meet The Vamps’ in September which should be absolutely fantastic if this performance is anything to go by.

Rizzle Kicks – 4.5/5

The two bubbly boys were sensational on Sunday afternoon. They had each person – standing or sitting – singing their words back to them and it was an amazing feeling to be part of their set. Opening and ending with one of their hits ‘Lost Generation’, the whole stadium was up on their feet head bopping and pointing in the air.

Jessie J – 5/5

Absolutely remarkable. Jessie J was one of the best people I have ever seen live – her stage performance, vocals and her presence was truly electrifying and sent shivers down my spine. Her music is extremely meaningful and she outdone herself for the whole 60 minutes she was with us. During her emotional song ‘Who You Are’, Jessie did let some tears slip and claimed it was ‘one of the most emotional moments [I’ve had] on stage, ever’ and a lot of members in the audience cried with her. It was clear at the end of her set why she was headlining the event and was by far the highlight of the night and did not disappoint. Truly an amazing artist with an empowering vision.

While North East Live had its disappointments, it was still a good ten hours to spend with your friends and family. The ticket was a little over-priced as the line up wasn’t as good as it was last year, but it was still a great day out. The headlining act is going to be the best at any show similar to North East Live, so be aware when buying tickets that you won’t get any better. Despite this, the acts were a good mix of pop music and I’d still recommend it to teenagers in the North East as it really was our biggest party of 2014.

 

Like this article? Please share!