mari62 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 (edited) Here you can find 3 reviews: 1 - Guardian 2 - Timesonline 3 - officialfearnecotton.com -------------------------------------- Mika Roundhouse, London Betty Clarke guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 August 2009 21.30 BST Michael "Mika" Penniman, 2007's clown prince of pop, reveals a new look to close this year's iTunes festival. His mascara-starred right eye, black hat and white clothes nod to Alex, the antihero of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. But, like his strangely skewed pop, Mika's homage is a little off; he wears not a bowler but a top hat, and his white dungarees are not the uniform of a murdering rapist, but the gleaming garb of a children's television presenter. Backed by his four-piece band and an 11-strong choir, Mika bounds on stage chanting "We are not what you think we are", the refrain from his upcoming single, We Are Golden. It's the start of an hour-long gig that's a rollercoaster ride of pure pop highs and generic lows. Jumping atop his piano, he sings Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) from beneath a silver umbrella, untroubled by the prospect of bad luck as fake thunder roars and forks of lightning flash across five giant screens behind him. Like the rest of the guilty pleasures that make up his debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, it's singalong fun on a giant scale, and Mika gets as carried away by its garish charm as everyone else. "You can do better than that," he taunts the crowd, and comes very close to offering sweary encouragement before remembering that the gig is being broadcast on TV. Sitting at the piano, however, he mutters "****ing glitter" while attempting to brush away some sparkles. "If we're still on ITV, I probably owe Ofcom about 10 grand," he adds with a shrug. When he needed a name for his second album, Mike asked fans to send in ideas via Twitter, the reward for "the most ridiculous title" being three tickets to this gig. But he finally chose the safe option with We Are Golden – and the new music is equally unadventurous. Rain has the chilled, clubby beats of Relax, Take It Easy, but lacks its heady appeal. Blame It On the Girls sounds like a bored S Club Juniors, and the infectious spirit of the rollicking Dr John can't hide Mika's anxiety. He is on safer ground with Happy Endings: the change of mood and lack of falsetto are refreshing. But Mika doesn't make the most of it. Love Today and Grace Kelly are played in similarly dismissive manner, and there is no banter, just tight musicianship. Along with his bass player and keyboardist, Mika bashes a dustbin for a Stomp-like intro to the encore, Lollipop. But then it's back to pantomime-by-numbers, the wannabe rebel quelled by the pop professional. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/aug/02/mika-review ---------- same article:Mika: the clown prince of pop http://www.bangbangmusic.com/category/mika Edited August 4, 2009 by mari62 adding link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mari62 Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 From The Times August 3, 2009 Mika at Roundhouse, NW1 The old hits provided the biggest highs in a set that barely stopped for breath Lisa Verrico More than two years on from a multi-million selling debut album that positioned him as one of pop’s most colourful characters, Mika is set to return to increased competition, not least in the artists-who-like-sparkles department. Outrageous outfits and camp dance moves are no longer trademarks he shares only with Scissor Sisters, and though the current fashion for frothy pop certainly suits the Beirut-born singer, it suggests he will have to work harder to stand out. Fortunately Mika is no slouch when it comes to showing off. His one-off concert on the final night of the iTunes festival was gloriously glitzy and endlessly energetic. The set took its cue from school Christmas concerts; the floor and instruments were strewn with silver tinsel, a female choir sported homemade hats that looked like antlers and glitter cannons showered the crowd. Two backing singers wore dresses sewn from silver ribbons, but Mika easily outshone them in a ludicrous outfit of black bowler hat teamed with white denim dungarees over a bare chest and silver glitter shoes. When he wasn’t striking silly poses, Mika was hurling handfuls of tinsel at fans, dancing on top of a piano or down on his knees, head back, arms outstretched. His antics could have overshadowed the songs, but both a handful of new tracks from his second album, We Are Golden, due out in September, and falsetto-laced favourites such as Love Today and Relax, Take It Easy were too tuneful to be ignored. Those who consider Mika’s music too sickly sweet may yet be won over by the more muscular, less cartoonish nature of several new songs, notably Dr John and the synth-driven Rain. The latter sounded like an anthem already, though the cheekier Blame It On The Girls oozed the most obvious chart-topping potential. The old hits, however, provided the biggest highs in a set that barely stopped for breath. Grace Kelly sounded better than ever, Big Girl had the dancefloor bouncing and Lollipop began with giant balloons thrown out into the crowd. “See you in September,” shouted Mika on his exit. By then, you won’t be able to avoid him. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article6737181.ece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Love the line about swearing on the glitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Thanks for posting! Love the line about swearing on the glitter Me too ... it was very funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I like the second review better, but both are okay. T4P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mari62 Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 The Last Night Of The iTunes Festival Reviewed! 03/08/2009 @ 2:37 pm After 31 nights of live music at the Roundhouse, Mika bounced on stage comically dressed in white dungarees (with no shirt underneath) as the final act to grace the stage. Known for his flamboyant and overtly camp performances, Mika lived up to the hype with a sparkling silver set filled with giant balloons, glittery confetti and an abundance of glitzy lights. Mika may resemble a slightly ridiculous human-being but I think this is part of his appeal. You may not be able to take him seriously yet I really don’t think you’re supposed to! At one point in the night he whipped off the top half of his dungarees, whipped on a black top hat and started banging a drum … need I say more?! As he pranced about on stage delivering his hit songs Love Today, Big Girl (you are beautiful) and material from his new album We are Golden, I had to appreciate that aside from the outlandish persona, Mika is actually an extremely talented individual. Once you strip away the garish lights, eccentric costumes and overbearing personality you are able to focus on the fact that he has an impressive vocal range and definitely knows how to entertain his audience. Mika has honed onto the British’s love for happy, ‘poptastic’, feel-good music and has personified the genre making himself the perfect export for a cheesy tunes-loving nation. I always remember my mum once confiding in me that when she is feeling a bit down she plays Mika’s Grace Kelly as it always cheers her up. Although at the time I pityingly judged my mother with the shaking of my head as being ‘uncool’ I realised just what she meant as Mika blasted out his hit in all its glory. Although the song itself is slightly preposterous you just can’t help but to smile and dance along. As I took a quick look around the audience we certainly resembled one extremely happy bunch! Love him or hate him Mika is a true entertainer who has so much fun with what he does. Maybe we all need to stop taking life so seriously at times, dress up in a sequined top and dance along to Mika! http://www.officialfearnecotton.com/2009/08/the-last-night-of-the-itunes-festival-reviewed/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikalollipop_karla Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 thank u Mari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 MikaRoundhouse, London Betty Clarke guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 August 2009 21.30 BST Michael "Mika" Penniman, 2007's clown prince of pop, reveals a new look to close this year's iTunes festival. His mascara-starred right eye, black hat and white clothes nod to Alex, the antihero of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. But, like his strangely skewed pop, Mika's homage is a little off; he wears not a bowler but a top hat, and his white dungarees are not the uniform of a murdering rapist, but the gleaming garb of a children's television presenter. Backed by his four-piece band and an 11-strong choir, Mika bounds on stage chanting "We are not what you think we are", the refrain from his upcoming single, We Are Golden. It's the start of an hour-long gig that's a rollercoaster ride of pure pop highs and generic lows. Jumping atop his piano, he sings Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) from beneath a silver umbrella, untroubled by the prospect of bad luck as fake thunder roars and forks of lightning flash across five giant screens behind him. Like the rest of the guilty pleasures that make up his debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion, it's singalong fun on a giant scale, and Mika gets as carried away by its garish charm as everyone else. "You can do better than that," he taunts the crowd, and comes very close to offering sweary encouragement before remembering that the gig is being broadcast on TV. Sitting at the piano, however, he mutters "****ing glitter" while attempting to brush away some sparkles. "If we're still on ITV, I probably owe Ofcom about 10 grand," he adds with a shrug. When he needed a name for his second album, Mike asked fans to send in ideas via Twitter, the reward for "the most ridiculous title" being three tickets to this gig. But he finally chose the safe option with We Are Golden – and the new music is equally unadventurous. Rain has the chilled, clubby beats of Relax, Take It Easy, but lacks its heady appeal. Blame It On the Girls sounds like a bored S Club Juniors, and the infectious spirit of the rollicking Dr John can't hide Mika's anxiety. He is on safer ground with Happy Endings: the change of mood and lack of falsetto are refreshing. But Mika doesn't make the most of it. Love Today and Grace Kelly are played in similarly dismissive manner, and there is no banter, just tight musicianship. Along with his bass player and keyboardist, Mika bashes a dustbin for a Stomp-like intro to the encore, Lollipop. But then it's back to pantomime-by-numbers, the wannabe rebel quelled by the pop professional. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/aug/02/mika-review ---------- same article:Mika: the clown prince of pop http://www.bangbangmusic.com/category/mika Not only a dismissive review but a misinformed and slightly lazy one! But thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 The Last Night Of The iTunes Festival Reviewed!03/08/2009 @ 2:37 pm After 31 nights of live music at the Roundhouse, Mika bounced on stage comically dressed in white dungarees (with no shirt underneath) as the final act to grace the stage. Known for his flamboyant and overtly camp performances, Mika lived up to the hype with a sparkling silver set filled with giant balloons, glittery confetti and an abundance of glitzy lights. Mika may resemble a slightly ridiculous human-being but I think this is part of his appeal. You may not be able to take him seriously yet I really don’t think you’re supposed to! At one point in the night he whipped off the top half of his dungarees, whipped on a black top hat and started banging a drum … need I say more?! As he pranced about on stage delivering his hit songs Love Today, Big Girl (you are beautiful) and material from his new album We are Golden, I had to appreciate that aside from the outlandish persona, Mika is actually an extremely talented individual. Once you strip away the garish lights, eccentric costumes and overbearing personality you are able to focus on the fact that he has an impressive vocal range and definitely knows how to entertain his audience. Mika has honed onto the British’s love for happy, ‘poptastic’, feel-good music and has personified the genre making himself the perfect export for a cheesy tunes-loving nation. I always remember my mum once confiding in me that when she is feeling a bit down she plays Mika’s Grace Kelly as it always cheers her up. Although at the time I pityingly judged my mother with the shaking of my head as being ‘uncool’ I realised just what she meant as Mika blasted out his hit in all its glory. Although the song itself is slightly preposterous you just can’t help but to smile and dance along. As I took a quick look around the audience we certainly resembled one extremely happy bunch! Love him or hate him Mika is a true entertainer who has so much fun with what he does. Maybe we all need to stop taking life so seriously at times, dress up in a sequined top and dance along to Mika! http://www.officialfearnecotton.com/2009/08/the-last-night-of-the-itunes-festival-reviewed/ Somebody definitely needs to lighten up! I suppose this is on the positive side (it acknowledges his talent) but honestly, Mika is a 'slightly ridiculous human being'?? Lordy me T4P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mari62 Posted August 4, 2009 Author Share Posted August 4, 2009 Somebody definitely needs to lighten up! I suppose this is on the positive side (it acknowledges his talent) but honestly, Mika is a 'slightly ridiculous human being'?? Lordy me T4P We must admit he's quite a particular guy, isn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Sky Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 TBH I expected Fearne's review to be worse. I thought I detected a certain "tone" in her voice when she introduced him at the festival. I have never seen her before, but I disliked her immediately! Yet her story about her mum speaks volumes to me. It isn't about cool. It is about talent. At least her mum can see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazGirl Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 The Last Night Of The iTunes Festival Reviewed!03/08/2009 @ 2:37 pm After 31 nights of live music at the Roundhouse, Mika bounced on stage comically dressed in white dungarees (with no shirt underneath) as the final act to grace the stage. Known for his flamboyant and overtly camp performances, Mika lived up to the hype with a sparkling silver set filled with giant balloons, glittery confetti and an abundance of glitzy lights. Mika may resemble a slightly ridiculous human-being but I think this is part of his appeal. You may not be able to take him seriously yet I really don’t think you’re supposed to! At one point in the night he whipped off the top half of his dungarees, whipped on a black top hat and started banging a drum … need I say more?! As he pranced about on stage delivering his hit songs Love Today, Big Girl (you are beautiful) and material from his new album We are Golden, I had to appreciate that aside from the outlandish persona, Mika is actually an extremely talented individual. Once you strip away the garish lights, eccentric costumes and overbearing personality you are able to focus on the fact that he has an impressive vocal range and definitely knows how to entertain his audience. Mika has honed onto the British’s love for happy, ‘poptastic’, feel-good music and has personified the genre making himself the perfect export for a cheesy tunes-loving nation. I always remember my mum once confiding in me that when she is feeling a bit down she plays Mika’s Grace Kelly as it always cheers her up. Although at the time I pityingly judged my mother with the shaking of my head as being ‘uncool’ I realised just what she meant as Mika blasted out his hit in all its glory. Although the song itself is slightly preposterous you just can’t help but to smile and dance along. As I took a quick look around the audience we certainly resembled one extremely happy bunch! Love him or hate him Mika is a true entertainer who has so much fun with what he does. Maybe we all need to stop taking life so seriously at times, dress up in a sequined top and dance along to Mika! http://www.officialfearnecotton.com/2009/08/the-last-night-of-the-itunes-festival-reviewed/ My only reaction to this article was WTF :roftl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiza Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Love the line about swearing on the glitter that was very funny:roftl: t4p marina:thumb_yello: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAK1 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 The Last Night Of The iTunes Festival Reviewed!03/08/2009 @ 2:37 pm After 31 nights of live music at the Roundhouse, Mika bounced on stage comically dressed in white dungarees (with no shirt underneath) as the final act to grace the stage. Known for his flamboyant and overtly camp performances, Mika lived up to the hype with a sparkling silver set filled with giant balloons, glittery confetti and an abundance of glitzy lights. Mika may resemble a slightly ridiculous human-being but I think this is part of his appeal. You may not be able to take him seriously yet I really don’t think you’re supposed to! At one point in the night he whipped off the top half of his dungarees, whipped on a black top hat and started banging a drum … need I say more?! As he pranced about on stage delivering his hit songs Love Today, Big Girl (you are beautiful) and material from his new album We are Golden, I had to appreciate that aside from the outlandish persona, Mika is actually an extremely talented individual. Once you strip away the garish lights, eccentric costumes and overbearing personality you are able to focus on the fact that he has an impressive vocal range and definitely knows how to entertain his audience. Mika has honed onto the British’s love for happy, ‘poptastic’, feel-good music and has personified the genre making himself the perfect export for a cheesy tunes-loving nation. I always remember my mum once confiding in me that when she is feeling a bit down she plays Mika’s Grace Kelly as it always cheers her up. Although at the time I pityingly judged my mother with the shaking of my head as being ‘uncool’ I realised just what she meant as Mika blasted out his hit in all its glory. Although the song itself is slightly preposterous you just can’t help but to smile and dance along. As I took a quick look around the audience we certainly resembled one extremely happy bunch! Love him or hate him Mika is a true entertainer who has so much fun with what he does. Maybe we all need to stop taking life so seriously at times, dress up in a sequined top and dance along to Mika! http://www.officialfearnecotton.com/2009/08/the-last-night-of-the-itunes-festival-reviewed/ FINALLY, SHE GETS IT!!! Only taken her 2 years, but Fearne got there in the end! Now perhaps, she'll stop making her snidey remarks about him on her shows, especially as she's taking over Jo Whileys, and will probably have to have him in the Live Lounge (although I hope he'll still do that for Jo, on the weekends). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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