Mark Forrester - Independent digital designer and online entrepreneur

Seeing my last live gig post went down so well, and made so many of you green with envy, I thought I’d do it again and share with you my latest experience – Matchbox Twenty live at Wembley Arena. (more…)

Last night, my fiance and I (still trying to get used to saying that) went to see one of my favourite bands, Dashboard Confessional perform at Kings College University in Waterloo, London. It was actually just Chris of Dashboard Confessional performing a solo acoustic set, but it was absolutely, flipping awesome. Chris’s stage presence is astonishing, as can be witnessed in my video clip a little later. DC always manage to completely captivate their groupy fans who all seem to know every word of every song they have ever produced.

There were moments when you could have almost heard a pin drop in the packed out student union building, a sign of the appreciation the crowd had for DC and his amazing vocal abilities. That was of course in between all the screams of fans yelling, “I want to have your babies”, guys included (I might have said it under my breath once. Ok twice.).

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My Lastfm account and I have quite a close bond, in fact, according to my profile page Lastfm has played me over 1729 songs! What a mate. I’ve discovered lots of indie rock bands, budding solo artists, and emo ballets, but my latest finds have not been through Lastfm, but through Facebook.

Andrew Schär

The first artist I’d like to bring to your attention is Andrew Schär. Andrew and I were mates at the university of Cape Town, we both studied Information Systems. Andrew Schär is now known better as:

“a singer/songwriter from South Africa, known for his informal gigs, and ability to make up songs on the fly. He has spent time recording in London, but returned home to South Africa, where his heart is. With somewhat of a Jack Johnson/John Mayer style, and lyrics that tell a story of broken hearts and idealistic hopes, his music will hit home with a resounding glow.”

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One of my favourite bands at the moment, Arcade Fire, have just released a jaw droppingly brilliant interactive online video to advertise their latest album Neon Bible.

It will take a little time to load, especially for you South Africans, but it is well worth the wait. Make sure you click all over the place to fully engage with the site.

I saw these guys perform at Glastonbury earlier this year and they were absolutely brilliant. They defintely have a winning formula when it comes to engaging with their fans, both online and offline.You want evidence? Check out this video of them performing “Wake Up” (my favourite track) with David Bowie at some awards show. They manage to get a theatre full of snotty nosed Hollywood celebs up on their feet and screaming.