Access All Areas: Hudson Taylor at Zwölfzehn, Stuttgart

Hey guys!

It's definitely no secret - I love honest and handmade music. And I also love powerful music.
You know, that kind of music which just grabs you.

And when both of these elements are combined, it's kind of like a jackpot.

On November 6th I got to work with the incredibly talented Hudson Taylor in Stuttgart. Not only did we film a few videso for house in the sand, but I also followed the guys when they went downtonwn to do some busking before their headline show at club Zwölfzehn.


Hudson Taylor are a folk duo consisting of brothers Alfie and Harry from Dublin, Ireland.

Two lads with a lot of passion and even more talent to make music.
They started out busking on the streets of Dublin and continued recording videos on their YouTube channel throughout the years which had millions of views by now.

Besides cover versions of famous tracks they also perform their originals and have released quite a few tunes.

Releases:
EP: Battles (2012)
EP: Cinematic Lifestyle (2012)
EP: Osea (2013)
EP: Battles II (2014)
Album: Singing For Strangers (2015)

Earlier this year brothers Harry and Alfie went on a busking tour through Germany, and just this week they came back and played a few headline shows.

I went to see the band perform at Zwölfzehn and interviewed them before the show. (Interview will be online tomorrow!)

The lads then went to do some busking in the city center and asked me to come along. Of course I took loads of pictures and also filmed some bits of their performance, you'll find all impressions below.

I hope enjoy! 

The duo made a few bucks playing their songs on the streets of Stuttgart; people stopped, listented for a while and gave them some money.

After the set Alfie went and gave the money to a homeless man, that was just an absolutely beautiful gesture and shows what lovely people they are.

Well done, lads!

After a delicious meal at a very lovely restaurant we went back to the venue, just in time to see the support act open the show.

Support act of the evening was Kilian Mohns, this guy was fantastic. He worked with a loop station and recorded backing vocals and percussions live on stage.

With a fantastic mix of ballads and up tempo songs, the singer/songwriter warmed up the crowd perfectly.

The venue was packed when Hudson Taylor came on stage and sang along from the very first to the very last note. It was honestly the nicest crowd I've seen in a while.
(Big thanks to the front row for letting me take pictures in such relaxed way!)

Seriously, the audience was fantastic.
They sang, they clapped, I think they even danced. It was very energetic and very passionate.







The two brothers definitely know how to work with a crowd in a charming and entertaining manner.
Making jokes, telling stories, bringing fans on stage and interacting with the crowd was all part of an effortless show.











What really stood out was the band performing unplugged, no mics - no amps. 

They started out on stage and went into the crowd for encores, you'll find some snaps of that below.

Besides creating a very intimate atmosphere that way, the unplugged performances also showed how incredibly talented Alfie and Harry are. They sound amazing live!













Setlist:
1) Drop Of Smoke
2) Second Best
3) Weapons
4) Called On
5) Don't Tell Me
6) World Without You
7) Two Of Us / Pray For The Day
8) Beautiful Mistake
9) Holly
10) Butterflies
11) Don't Know Why
12) Chasing Rubies
13) Care
14) For The Last Time
15) Battles







In the interview we filmed, Hudson Taylor told me they have been playing most of their shows with a band.
This tour was different as it was just the two of them on stage.


All songs were performed with two acoustic guitars, therefore they sounded just like the guys wrote them.































Here's a video of Hudson Taylor busking:





Hudson Taylor online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram



Massive thank you to Harry, Alfie and Ronan for being absolutely incredibly wonderful!



Thank you for reading!

Credits // Text, Photographs & Video: Vanessa Jertschewske
** Many thanks to FKP Scorpio for letting me visit the show for free. **

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On Tour With: Chris Pate

Hey guys!

 Earlier today I was on my way back home after I dropped off a friend at the airport.
Said friend is Chris Pate whom I met through music.

Almost four years ago I started blogging, I started going to gigs regularly and I started making friendships which I am so thankful for.
In May 2012 a band called The Arkanes supported my friend Jim Kroft on tour.

It didn't take much more than a few chords for me to fall for the band's music.
After the gig I messaged the band, they messaged me back and we stayed in touch ever since.

Over the years I documented 12 of their gigs, went on tour with them, was adopted as the "fifth member", sang Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" with them, reviewed their debut album, conquered their practice room and well, the list could go on.
 
Unfortunately the band broke up, which meant losing a fantastic band. It didn't mean losing friends though and I'm very happy about that. 

A couple of weeks (more like... days) ago former Arkanes singer Chris messaged me saying he's got a gig at one of our favourite venues, Riffelhof in Burgrieden.

Fast forward to arranging flights (and trains...), sorting a few things and eating tons of pizza at my place, Chris and I went off to Burgrieden.

Below you'll find tons of impressions from our journey, soundcheck, the gig itself, our hiking trip, a session and a very exclusive performance.


I hope you enjoy!

HITS on Instagram: "Joining this kid for his gig in Burgrieden today. Responsible for the train journey, so we might end up somewhere else. #tourfunsies #takingsnapsandnaps"

Chris on Facebook: "En route to Burgrieden with my temporary manager and all round life saver, Mrs Jetwash."

Whilst our seats and standing spots weren't quite the best, the view was incredible.
German Autumn at its' finest.

Who needs leg space anyway?



Because "it would be boring if things worked out as planned" (fantastic quote there, Mr Pate!), things didn't work out as planned. Missed our bus in Laupheim, so we decided to go on a 90 minutes walk to get to the venue.
It was absolutely lovely and turned out to be a fantastic decision. Had wonderful conversations, exchanged opinions, shared wisdom and did some sight seeing.



Arrived at Riffelhof and felt at home within a few minutes. I cannot recommend this venue enough.
 If you're ever in the area - please please please visit Riffelhof in Burgrieden.



After main act Dokken finished sound check, it was time for Chris to tune his guitar, jump on stage and set up his equipment.
Below are a few snaps from soundcheck.













We then got spoiled with fantastic food. (Can't recommend Riffelhof enough!)
Chris started writing his setlist, I continued taking pictures.



Stage time!
Below are quite a few photographs of Chris' set, enjoy!









Taking the step from being the frontman of a band to doing an acoustic solo set can be frightening and I do believe that it takes a lot of guts to get up on stage on your own.

I wasn't surprised when Chris sounded fantastic, probably because I've known him for years.
But what really stood out to me was the passion he showed.

The way he sang his heart out left a lot of people speechless, including me.
This set just showed how Chris is playing music because he needs to.

His set of 40 minutes including two covers ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and "Ace Of Spades" by Motörhead").
With the main act, Dokken, being a glam-metal-rock band from Los Angeles, the crowd was very metal orientated.

Chris won the fans over by playing honest and handmade rock tracks.
























Burgrieden - you were fantastic.
It's incredible how welcoming everyone at Riffelhof is and it's beautiful to see people being passionate about music.

A massive thank you to the owners and staff for making us feel at home and for supporting music!
You are brilliant!

And thank you to everyone I met before and after the show, it was a pleasure having a few laughs and beers with you!

Can't wait to be back!



The day after a gig can be very interesting.
Walking a few miles and shouting things at each other in different accents in the middle of the night certainly does leave its' stains.

Chris - this trip was well worth it and I've had such a fantastic time. Being the tour mum, the annoying little sister and pengweng in crime is an absolute blast! Keep going, kid!
Can't wait for the next adventures.



Travelling Germany in Autumn can be breathtaking!



Horseee.

Just because the 90 minutes walk wasn't enough, we hiked up another hill.
Casual activities.



Filmed a brilliant performance in a tower above the town, just scroll down to watch it.




Watch this exclusive performance of "High Above", an unreleased song.
I can't wait for everyone to hear what's coming up!






Thank you for reading and watching!

Credits // Text, photography & videography: Vanessa Jertschewske

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