All Settled In + Paramore

I have been busy recently moving in to my university place and in some ways it has been easy but there has been a few annoying points but now that I have been here for a few days I have got into the swing of things and all is comfortable. I have also been to a gig last night as you can probably tell by the title. Yes that's right I went to see Paramore at the LG Arena in Birmingham. This is the second time having seen them, the first being in 2008. This show was really brilliant and they put on a great performance but in my opinion I preferred watching them in the smaller venue, The Carling Academy I think it was. I just like that closeness you get with the band that you tend to lose in the larger arenas.

I'm glad the band mostly played songs from the new album and only a few of the big hits from previous albums because I have listened to the latest CD a lot more than the older ones. One of my favourite tracks I heard was Last Hope, it really was a great sing along moment for most of the crowd and myself. I also enjoyed seeing Hayley picking a fan from the crowd to help sing Misery Business. For me this kind of audience interaction really shows the band as more human in a way.

Supporting Paramore were Charlie XCX and Eliza The Bear. I didn't particularly enjoy Charlie except for her big hit I Love It. I just think that kind of music is not for me and I don't think I would choose to listen to her further. As for Eliza The Bear, I had listened to a couple of their tracks beforehand and quite liked it. It was slightly generic indie rock to me but I still thought it was good and maybe worth a second listen.

Overall it was a great night and I would happily see them again especially if they keep producing music like they are.

Bruce Springsteen Live at Ricoh Arena Coventry!

Last night I went to see Springsteen with my papa at the Ricoh Arena. This was my first stadium sized show I have been to and let me tell you it was brilliant. Driving there and back was a proper ball ache due to the amount of traffic but once we got inside the venue all was good. It was quite easy to get a decent spot in the crowd and we didn't have to wait too long before the main man came on stage. I was impressed with him not having a support act and doing the whole set which was roughly 3 hours long just himself and the band. He has so much energy, running all over the stage and putting so much effort into singing and guitar playing, it really is amazing. With The E Street Band I was sort of expecting a backing band like The Roots are on Jimmy Fallon's show but I was dead wrong. It was much more of a partnership, those guys are so talented and brilliant musicians and I was particularly impressed with the saxophonist, some of his solos really stood out for me. Another thing I really liked about the show was Bruce's interaction with the audience, either by picking people to come join him on stage or getting handmade signs from audience members he particularly likes, more bands should learn from this guy. On the set list side of things I think he had a decent mix of older tracks and stuff from the new album, there were both songs for me and my dad to sing along to. I can honestly say he kept me excited and pumped up the whole way through compared to some bands in the past where at points my interest wavers. He was easily worth the money paid for a ticket and I would for sure see him again.

The Darkness Coventry Kasbah Live!

Last night me and a couple of mates went to see The Darkness at the Kasbah in Coventry. Straight away one thing that annoys me about the Kasbah is that they don't let you keep your ticket. The main reason being because I collect all of my tickets for a scrapbook kind of thing. 

Their support was a band called Glass Guns. Not my cup of tea particularly but they got everyone relatively pumped up for the main act. When The Darkness got onto stage in my opinion they put on quite a show. Justins interactions with the audience was one of the best compared to bands I have seen in the past. Crowd surfing off of the balcony, joking around with the crowd and at one point even getting a guy to throw all his clothes on stage (literally he was just left in his gross pants and socks) he really made it a good time for everybody. I went into this gig not knowing the majority of the songs that were played but I really enjoyed the fact that I could sing along with them because most of the songs were pretty easy to pick up with catchy choruses or little hooks. After seeing this show I really rate Justin Hawkins as a lead singer and showman more than I used to. To me his personality is a mix of Jack Sparrow and Russell Brand, he is a great front man and he has really gone up in my books. Great show and would totally go see them again.