How Your Favourite Musicians Are Passing the Time

Published on 31 March 2020

Last week, we ran through some of the best gigs we could find on YouTube and unearthed some absolute gems. The list goes on folks... Spend a bit of time having a dig yourself and you'll soon find footage of the greatest moments in rock history!

So, this week, we thought we'd bring things back to the present and check out what some of our favourite artists are doing to pass the time! They may be superstars but that doesn't mean they're not bored at home too, so let's dig into what they're doing to keep you and themselves entertained.

Luke Combs Weekly Live Stream

First up we have North Carolina native and all-around beer-chugging good guy Luke Combs! Known for unstoppable hooks and good old Nashville style country that both pulls on your heartstrings and makes you roar along at the same time, Luke's been keeping busy during lockdown. He's streaming once a week from his garage (why doesn't my garage look like that!?) and playing some of his biggest hits with a cover tossed in every now and then to spice it up. It's great hearing Luke's gigantic voice without a backing band for a change so we've been absolutely loving these performances and can't wait to tune in again next week. If you ain't familiar yet, get that changed, you'll be ordering your trucker hat in no time...

Dropkick Murphy's Streaming Up to Boston

You know what we really need during these trying times? The Dropkicks, that's what. Their run of Boston Paddy's Day shows were cancelled and in typically Dropkick fashion, they simply weren't gonna let that happen. Their stream went out to rowdy celtic punk fans all over the globe and is the only thing that's gonna get you unstuck from the couch and jumping around the living room. Your neighbours may not thank you for it, or other people in the house for that matter, but since when did you care about that!? Get it watched and you may need to order a flat cap to go with that trucker hat. Oh, we forgot to mention, it's called Streaming up to Boston - get it done.

#togetherathome

The Together at Home campaign is an effort to engage and mobilize people to take urgent action in support of the World Health Organization (WHO), and help protect the world’s most vulnerable people from the effects of the pandemic. To raise awareness, they've enlisted the help of a seriously star-studded list of performers who have been performing intimate gigs from their own homes. The list of names involved here is pretty astonishing and not only is it for a great cause, but there has also been some awesome music getting played. A quick search on YouTube will bring up loads of results but you've got everyone from Chris Martin, to Common, to John Legend to choose from. We've included a clip of Jack Johnson because we all need some laid back, beachy vibes right now. Have a look for yourself and let us know your favourite session in the comments below...

Travis Barker Keeping Busy

While all too many of us may have spent the time at home so far eating all of the emergency rations in the house and watching Netflix, Travis Barker has been a little more productive. Shocker, right? The Blink 182 drummer has been keeping up his practice with samurai-like discipline and creating as much music as his arms will physically allow him too. Adding drum parts to formally acoustic Blink tracks, dropping tracks and teaming up with anyone who will bash out a tune with him, think Machine Gun Kelly covering Paramore... Yep, you read that right... Mr Barker has been using the time the only way he knows how - by absolutely punishing his drumkit and his neighbours at the same time. 

Metallica Mondays

Chyeeeaaah! Who knows what the 'Tallica guys are getting up to with their time at home. Hopefully staying away from the chocolate... Anyway, they're doing their bit to keep us entertained by dropping old gigs on YouTube every Monday night! Now THAT'S how you pass the time, big riffs and straight-up hard rockin' with Mr Hetfield and the lads! Metallica never do things by half measures and their gigs have always been a spectacle so grab a drink and get yourself strapped in, let's face it, there isn't much else to do on a Monday night! Get those horns up!

Neil Young's Fireside Sessions

Neil Young can be pretty reclusive at the best of times so we didn't expect to see him popping his head up but then again, he's a man who prides himself in doing the unexpected! The legendary songwriter has been performing some deep cuts in a series called Fireside Sessions filmed at his home. It's always great to see Neil play and these intimate mini gigs filmed by his wife are about as up close and personal as you can get. If you're a fan of Neil's these are an absolute essential. We can't share a video on this page right now as they're hosted on his site and updated every week but you can check out the latest here, trust us you won't be disappointed. 

Marcus Mondays

Not a Metallica fan? BOO!! Kidding... If you're more about your blues than your big riffs then we've just the ticket for your Monday nights as well. Marcus King, one of our favourite current guitarists is broadcasting gigs every week as well and they're an absolute blast. There's nothing like some smooth slide and effortlessly cool licks to take your mind off of things and Marcus is dishing both out in spades. We're huge fans of his and he has a killer band backing him up, so it's easy to get lost in these performances. Get these checked out if you need a little guitar inspo, with a powerful raw voice and the tasty tones to go with it, you cannot go wrong with any of these gigs.