St. Lucia and Ellie Goulding-best side salad ever

By Angela Thomas

Opening acts to me are like side salads to Italian dinners-I can take ‘em and I can leave ‘em. (nice analogy, har har)

However, St. Lucia proved me wrong to the point where I didn’t want them to leave the stage.

St. Lucia. Photo credit: Angela Thomas

On Jan. 25, British pop-singer, Ellie Goulding, came to the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. I’ve been a huge fan of Goulding since my WCUR days when her first album was on the shelves on WCU’s radio station.

After standing in the snow for a mere hour and a half, fans rushed in the building, eager to get front row seats while my friends and I opted for the “21+” section where we ultimately had the best seats in the house.

I am normally impatient with opening acts. I just want them to get over with. However, when St. Lucia came on stage and started to play their first song, it was a jaw-dropping, holy shit experience. I don’t think I have ever seen a group of fans dance so hard in my life. I think the best way to describe their sound is ethereal, ’80s-like but not in the “ohmyGAWD this is like sooooooooooo 80s” kind of way.

Side note: Check them out on Itunes and I highly recommend “We Got It Wrong”, “Closer Than This”, “All Eyes On You” and the sickest beat you will ever hear, “September.”

Get ready for your mind to be BLOWN.

Anyways, after fan-girling over St. Lucia, our girl Ellie came on (ya know…after 20 minutes)

That moment when every lesbian's heart exploded

And let me tell you…

I am still recovering from the show.

Ellie Goulding gives her fans the ultimate satisfaction of attending the best-concert-known-to-EVERYONE feeling.

Meaningful eye contact moment #3 ladies and gents (and everyone in between)

The thing about Goulding is that she writes songs about heart-break, about disappointment, about hopes and dreams and everyone can relate to that. Everyone has had their heart broken by someone or something and everyone has had hopes for their future.

And the other thing about Goulding is that when she performs, she relives the pain over-and-over again and you can see it in her face and her fans are right there with her, every step of the way. We are reliving our own memories and we are relating our experiences to her songs.

Girl knows how to play her drums

Also, Goulding has dance moves that could make the straightest girl turn gay and the gayest man turn straight.

So cheers to you Ellie, for making me lose my voice, making my legs wobbly and putting on the best concert I have seen in a long time.

Shining Bright Like a Diamond—Lights!

By Angela Thomas

Forgive me; I am a few days late on this one. With the Thanksgiving holiday (more like Black Friday preparation), I have been a bit busy to write this review.

On Tuesday, Nov. 20, I got the chance to see Lights perform live for the second time at the Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia. If you have something else to do besides read this blog, in short: she was amazing as always.

Honestly, this girl comes in one tiny package but boy can she belt out a tune. I personally don’t think her tracks give her voice justice because she can hold and belt out a note better than most pop singers—not to mention she is absolutely adorable and a style icon.

Photo: Angela Thomas

Lights has a knack for picking some amazing opening acts. Last October, The Ambassadors opened for her. I think both my friend and I got headaches from jamming to their song, “Unconsolable.” (Go check it out…like…NOW!) This year, she had The Arkells open for her and let me just say—amazing. Not only were their originally tracks incredible but they performed a killer rendition of Hall & Oats “You Make My Dreams Come True” with special guest—Lights! It was awesome and had the entire crowd dancing. You can check out a performance here  on the Arkells Youtube page.

However, Lights was center of the show. Every song she performed live was just fantastic and she put on an extravagant show. Not only does she have amazing vocals but she has keyboard skills that would make any musician envious. Her music reaches out to everyone—that is the best aspect about her. Ages ranged completely in terms of her audience but it was apparent that the youth dominated the show. Lights has this great way of reaching out to these young kids with her music and her style. They were memorized by her and knew every lyric to her songs.

Photo: Angela Thomas

She performed some of her trademark songs like “Second Go,” “Ice,” and “Drive My Soul” while playing new songs off her album, “Siberia,” including her new single “Timing is Everything.”

Overall, the concert was amazing. I am excited to see what is next for her career!

Dev mixes pop-rock and hip-hop styles, charms crowd in Center City

By Angela Thomas, News Editor of The Quad.

“The album is finally out,” popular singer, Dev, shouted to the audience during her April 17 concert at The Trocadero in Center City, Philadelphia.

She was known for the longest time as the girl who provided the back-up lyrics for The Catarac’s and Far East Movement’s top 40 single, “Like a G6.” Now, Dev is making big waves for herself, producing and singing top-40 songs with artists like Enrique Inglesias and Fabolous.

Her debut album, “The Night the Sun Came Up,” was released in March of 2012. However, before her debut album was released, Dev teased fans with singles like “Killer,” “In the Dark,” and “Bass Down Low,” before releasing her very own anticipated album.

The 22-year-old pop sensation performed both songs from the new album as well as performing the song thatskyrocked her to fame, “Like a G6.” She mixed things up a bit by including techno and dubstep tracks into her songs, with fans screaming, jumping, dancing, and enjoying themselves. Although her partners during both “Like A G6” (TheCataracs and Far East Movement) and “Naked” which featured Enrique Inglesias, were both absent during the performance, Dev made the song her own and did a fantastic job without either artists.

Dev has started a trend in the music field, creating a pathway for young women with a unique style to enter the industry with no shame. Her collective sound can range from hip-hop to pop-rock while providing an indie-edge to her image.

During the show, Dev thanked her fans as well as dedicating her song, “Perfect Match,” to her fiancé, Jimmy Goreckiand her baby daughter, Emilia Lovely. Dev brought an energy to the audience that was like no other, laughing and joking with the DJ on stage, dancing with her back-up singers, and waving, blowing kisses, and shaking hands with her fans. She was endlessly thanking her fans for making her the artist she is today.

Dev has three more gigs left in Pennsylvania. She will be performing at York College of Pennsylvania on April 26, at The Crocodile Rock Café in Allentown, Pa. on May 2, and The Community Arts Center in Williamsport, Pa. on May 7. For more information, visit www.devishot.com.

*story originally published in The Quad.