This Sunday morning, many will be stifling yawns and reaching for that extra cup of coffee after partying into the early hours of the morning at Nasimi Beach with YouTube sensations Boyce Avenue.
Coming on at 10pm, the band of brothers opened their acoustic set with their hit single Every Breath. Their call to fame, however, hasn’t been their original music but rather their covers of popular tracks.
Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian Manzano quickly broke into Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream – lyrics slightly changed to better suit the cultural sensitivities of the country. Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris was next on the agenda.
Bruno Mars is headed our way and we suggest he come here fast – Boyce Avenue’s rendition of his popular track Just The Way You Are had us believing it was one of their own. The trio was eager to showcase some of their very own music – which included tracks Find Me and Broken Angel – sadly for them, the sizeable crowd was more interested in their cover songs.
From the cool sands of Nasimi beach, the band took us on a journey back in time with Oasis’ Wonderwall and Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car before bringing us to recent times with Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars.
The atmosphere was relaxing – the sand cold, a nice chilly breeze and the perfect accompaniment, Coldplay’s Fix You.
Ending the note on a high, getting the crowd all pumped up, was Rihanna’s We Found Love and Taio Cruz’s Dynamite.
Dubai has played host to some big names in the past months and is set to entertain stars of the calibre of Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber, but what was refreshing about the Boyce Avenue concert was the simplicity of it all. Instead of relying on big, flashy stages and costume changes with supporting dancers to put on a performance, Boyce Avenue put their faith in their musical abilities. And the best thing about a band that’s famous for their covers is they sing the songs we want to hear.
By Yusra Farzan, Staff Reporter
