Isle Of Wighttt + More

As a few festivals line ups have been released, I figured I would take a look and see which festivals line up sounds the best, and what's going on.

Straight away initially you can see some names that are clearly doing the rounds this summer: Ben Howard, Jake Bugg, The Vaccines, Emelie Sande and Alt-J to name but a few. Obviously not all of them I'm interested in or I think would make particularly good live performers but I would definitely love to see The Vaccines on a main stage and I think Jake Bugg would be brilliant in like a larger tent for a more intimate feel.

It does seem a thing this summer so far for a big female as one of the headliners, seeing as T In The Park have got Rihanna on the bill along with The Killers and Mumford & Sons, and V Fest has Beyonce with Kings of Leon. Reading and Leeds have only released a handful of artists but it will be interesting to see who they put in the headlining slots. There is so much hype for who is going to be headlining Glasto, quite a few huge names have been thrown around but as of yet no confirmed artists. I really wished I managed to pick up tickets :( stupid popularity. Another festival worth a mention is Boardmasters. A slightly smaller fest than most but is awesome with The Vaccines, Everything Everything and Cosmo Jarvis playing. And in such a beautiful location right by the sea. Awesome!

My favourite festival line up so far happens to be the same as last year, which was surprise surprise Isle Of Wight.For a start, they've got your big names: The Stone Roses & The Killers, they've got the older crowd draw with Bon Jovi, Boomtown Rats and Blondie (which is fuckin' awesome) and fresh newish bands like Palma Violets, Everything Everything and Bastille. Plus loads of other bands, check it out!!!!: www.isleofwightfestival.com/

I've also been listening to the General Fiasco album Unfaithfully Yours pretty much non stop for the past week. Great album by a great band, for sure worth a listen.

FIDLAR Live

Last Thursday evening i went to see FIDLAR play in the 02 Academy 3. I have to say I prefer the smaller venues especially for bands like this because you get a more intimate feel with the band and even standing at the opposite side of the room from the stage, you are still really close and you can see and hear everything pretty easily. That is to say as long as no huge men decide to stand right in front of you when there is easily enough room anywhere else not obstructing anyones view grrr.
If there is anything that can make you feel old. The majority of the crowd was 15 year old boys. And to make matters worse when they played any song with even the slightest bit of energy, the kids started doing borderline gay action I.E. hopping around against somebody they don't know and who are quite happily just standing watching the show.
The show was extremely fast paced and full of energy which was to be expected with the main set lasting about 45 mins. They played all the hits from the album you would want to hear and it was funny to see the lead singer embracing the UK in a Union Jack tee. They were for sure one of my favourite live performances and I am interested to see where their next album will take them, be that staying in the same vein as the debut or experimenting in some other area, who knows? But I'm excited. :)

New Time, New Music

It seems like there is an influx of new music coming onto my radar. At least new music to me. Firstly I've been listening to the Jim James song A New Life. This song has a proper dreamy feel to it. And once the song gets into it, it has a really good and catchy beat.

I've also been listening to the folk stylings of The Staves after hearing an interview with Jo Whiley. They have released a few EPs and one proper album late last year which I want want want!

A band called Little Green Cars from which I have heard only a couple of songs from recently but they are another good sounding group.

I also can not wait for the Sound City DVD to be released, it sounds proper epic.

BBC Radio 6 Music

Basically I want to show my fondness for the radio station that is BBC Radio 6 Music. It is one of my favorite radio stations ever and easily my favorite BBC radio station. They play a great mix of music from all different decades. Mainly quality rock and alternative music which is the genres I like the most. This week there are live music sessions at Maida Vale. Just yesterday The Strypes played a great set and The Foals & Everything Everything and more will be playing later on in the week which is gonna be brilliant.

One band that I have found out about through the station is Mama Rosin. Song to check out:

http://m.youtube.com/results?q=mama%20rosin#/watch?v=psaxQoAaXas

Foals, Fidlar & Local Natives

Well, I have been meaning to post for a while now and have only just got a decent amount of spare time. Exciting news! Earlier this morning I received an email telling me the Fidlar album was on its way. Hopefully the rest of the album are as good as the singles I've heard so far :) and seeing them live is getting even closer so that will be awesome!

I also have just purchased both the Foals and Local Natives debut albums and yes I know I'm a couple of years behind but seeing as their both releasing new albums, I figured I should catch up.

Folllk

Firstly I have to say I'm properly addicted to the new Paramore track, I cant get enough of it and really considering pre-ordering the album.

I have been perusing the web for any kind of interesting blog about folk music and I have came across this video (link below) by Tallest Man on Earth. I have only listened to it a handful of times but I think his vocals are quite unique and his guitar playing is very impressive. I found the video on Folk Alleys blog, definitely one to check out for plenty of other good tunes :)

I have also pre-ordered the début Fidlar album which I'm looking forward to seeing them in less than a month, Feb 21st to be precise lol.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JLRTleMY_mc

New Paramore single

Well I have listened to the new Paramore track 'Now'. It is still as powerful as the songs they have made in the past, keeping the rock loudness and strong vocals. And after listening to it a few times it really is catchy.

I also went to HMV to see if I could get any cheap albums before they close down, and after a lot of looking around I found this album by Bob Mould which I have wanted for a while. Plus I got it for nine quid which was cheaper than amazon. Yeah!!!!

The season of new tech.

In the mail today after a lot of messing around I have finally received my nexus 7 tablet which is the final bit of tech I have gathered in this past season. I firstly bought a HP envy all in one desktop which has touch smart technology in the screen which is really fun to mess around with and great Xbox music program which is basically the same idea as spotify but with no limit on listening to single tracks. For Christmas I got an amazon kindle fire HD from my awesome girlfriend which is really fun to use and great for reading the Keith Richards auto biography on (which I'm currently powering through) :) and as mentioned the nexus 7 which I'm writing this on and so far it seems pretty slick and speedy so yea I've got more than enough to keep me busy.

I am totally excited for this new year in music, with all the great music promised let's hope 2013 produces a lot of good tuunes!!!

New Years Music

So Christmas is over and even now I have a shit load of chocolate and sugary treats to eat. I wanted to show my appreciation to my friends and family for all the amazing gifts and stuff I've received seeing as I'm writing this post off of my new kindle :) I also got a fair amount of money to buy some new CD's, the majority of which are pictured above and I'm just waiting for the last one or two to arrive but I've got more than enough to last me. Good times!!!!

Since I have had some time off uni I have been trying to sort out my room into more of a presentable state. My girlfriend (with the same idea) was sorting out one of her living room cupboards and found a box of old CD's that I gave to her to store before I moved house. Listening to them again has brand back a lot of good memories from when I was first getting into music. Its really nice to look back to good music just before the new years. Let's hope this 2013 will bring even more brilliant music.

Have a good NYE!!

Esquire

As the title suggests, yesterday I finished reading the latest esquire. The only reason I bothered to pick up such a magazine was the large photo of Jack White on the cover and it claimed to be the music issue.
Inside, the interview they had was pretty interesting, talking about his life growing up and his relationship with Meg and the several different bands he has been a part of. After reading it I'm thinking about picking up the book The White Stripes - Sweethearts of the Blues to find out more.
They also had a segment about The Rolling Stones which can never be a bad thing :)

On top of this I have got a ticket to see Fidlar in the new year! Lets hope it's a good gig.

Merry Christmas!!

New Albums

Only 3 days till Christmas 2012 and this morning I've been into town and picked up two albums. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake and Crosby, Stills & Nash - Greatest Hits.

I know I'm like more than a year behind getting L.E.S. seeing as it was the top of lots of different Albums of the Year 2011 charts but I am not the best for getting up to date albums :) And I wanted to start a bit of a collection for C.S.N seeing as I had none to begin with and what better place to start than a greatest hits album. Even more stuff to listen to in these 3 weeks off.

I also wanted to include a photo of a cardboard model I have made whilst at my 1st term in university. Not in the shot is a full drum kit and electric guitar which the team made.

Christmas Holidays

Over the past couple of months I have been extremely busy at university. But now its the christmas holidays and I have enough time to update my news/goings on. I am really lucky to have received tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in June at the Ricoh Arena. I'm really looking forward to it!! Also in the past couple of weeks I have seen Mumford & Sons and Florence & the Machine. Both of which were really good but very different. I probably would say I preferred Mumford just because the whole crowd were more up for it. They both put on a great show.

Since starting uni, I have found out about a lot of new music, new genres and a load of artists. I'm getting into my great guitarists. Like right now I'm listening to a Susan Tedeschi greatest hits album and she is brilliant. But yea I have lots of new music to be getting through during the holidays. :)


Merry Christmas!

Howler

In just under a week I'm going to see Howler and The Cast of Cheers at the HMV institute in Birmingham. I have been listening to the Howler album a lot recently and am really enjoying it. Along with NME promoting them majorly, I think they are going to be a really good live act but we will see.

I have also been really busy at uni, below is one of my best drawings I have done so far.

More and more live shows

I'm really looking forward to getting my university timetable partly to see what dates I'm free to go to concerts. Up until early December there are lots of gigs that I want to go see. I found out about them thanks to SongKick, one of my favourite apps. Gigs that I want to see in date order are: The Enemy, The Gaslight Anthem, Ahab, Jack White, Jake Bugg, Bellowhead, Sonic Boom Six, The Vaccines, The View, Florence and The Machine and The Black Keys. Lets hope I can go to as many as possible, they should be really good.

I'm glad Impractical Jokers is back on tv. I have just watched the first episode of the second season and it is so so funny. I love it!

The Cribs

Exciting news, I am going to see The Cribs play at The Assembly in mid November I think it is. The same week as The Civil Wars. Also just today I bought three albums that I have wanted for my collection more than anything. Foo Fighters - In Your Honour, Green Days - Nimrod and Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly - The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager. All on a three for ten pounds thank you Head.

I'm also starting uni in just over two weeks and can not wait. It's going to be so fun. :)

The Civil Wars

I recently got my next gig ticket through the door. I'm going to see The Civil Wars and The Lumineers at the Warwick Arts Center in a few months. I mainly got the ticket just to see The Lumineers but seeing as they are the support act I may as well stay and see if The Civil Wars are any good. I bought the debut Lumineers album after seeing them on the american Billboard charts and i really liked it. I definitely think their kind of folksy/rock music would be great to see live and if The Civil Wars are anything as good as them it should be a awesome night. I found out about this gig through the SongKick app and it is a great and very convenient way to find out about gigs in your local area.

And seeing as it was my birthday fairly recently I got a couple of HMV gift cards and so far i have got Oasis - Definitely Maybe, which I have been needing to get and Bellowhead - Hedonism and from having a good time seeing them live I hope the album equals their quality.

Lou Reed

Last night I went to see Lou Reed at The Assembly in Leamington. I didn't really know what to expect from him, what his voice would be like, who he would have on stage with him and what instruments he would play. It turned out to be a really good gig. His voice in my opinion has definitely not got worse with age and still sounds really good. Listening to both the songs I knew and didn't know I enjoyed both and his flair and style with playing them. Both him and the rest of the band played their instruments really well and sometimes in ways I haven't heard of before. You could tell he was a musician who knows his stuff. I would for sure see him again. After it ended I bought his latest record Lulu that he made with Metallica. I have heard a few mixed reviews but I'll see what it's like for myself.

I'm also currently watching season 5 of Breaking Bad and its still as good as ever and the drama is building and building. Brilliant show!

Art Of Rap

Last Saturday I was looking through a free magazine that came with the Guardian and I saw an advert for The Art Of Rap, it's a movie starring Ice T where he talks to all the big hip-hop legends in America. The advert was promoting the movie and afterwards a live streaming of a gig and Q&A. So when I get to the cinema to watch the movie there is only like seven people there so it was pretty nice to have a whole row to myself. After watching the movie I was expecting the live stream to come on screen or at least some cinema assistant to come in and announce something but after watching all the credits, the main lights coming on and the screen turning off I came to the conclusion there would be no more. I decided to walk out after about 10 mins leaving a couple of people there who obviously wanted to stick it out. It was really disappointing not to see the live gig featuring Ice T, Chuck D, Melle Mel and Raekwon. But I was really happy to pay seven pounds to watch a one night only screening of the movie. I'll definitely buy it when it comes to DVD.

Amy Winehouse

I have finished the book about Amy Winehouse. I seriously couldn't put it down since I got it on Friday and finished it on Monday. The whole book is written from the view point of Amys father Mitch. The book was revealing in terms of Amys addiction to drugs and alcohol and how the press and media played it to the public. It was also interesting finding more out about her relationship with Blake and how that affected her mainly for the worse. I have definitely gained a lot of knowledge about addiction and how it affects everybody around. It is a very sad book about a life that ended way too early. I would definitely recommend reading it.

And I received a early birthday present. A ticket for Lou Reed at the Assembly, yea.

The Stones

When I was down in cornwall I brought a book to read during the rainy days. It is called The Stones and its a biography of the Rolling Stones as a band. I just finished reading it and started a new book yesterday. I found it really interesting finding out about life inside the band, about Brian Joneses and his death, about the changing guitarists and the drug usages & busts. I really wanted to find out more about the band because I knew about them being like one of the worlds biggest rock bands but to be honest I didn't really know the ins and outs of the group or much about them at all. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a truly interesting read.

As for the book I'm reading now is Amy written by her father Mitch Winehouse. I'm only a few chapters in to it but so far so good.