The 1975: Robbers

Sometimes a song means something to you because it marks a moment in your life. 'Robbers' has marked a very specific moment in my life- which I can truly say was simultaneously one of the best and most exciting moments of my life so far.

On the 10th of December, my best friend, Emily, and myself travelled all the way to Manchester to meet The 1975. Being huge fans of the band, even though we couldn't afford tickets, we stood eagerly at the stage door waiting for out chance to meet our favourite band.

Whilst stood outside (me eating sushi from the Tescos garage, keeping it classy) we could hear the flawless performance inside the Manchester O2 Apollo. Then, a miracle occurred. Such an amazing event that it I believe that someone out there must've prayed for me. A roadie gave us free tickets to go in and the see the band.

We literally ran into the venue, where Robbers was being performed,  and danced manically at the back of the crowd, shamelessly singing back every lyric to Matty Healy.
The performance quality of the songs we managed to hear; Robbers, Chocolate and Sex was what made the experience so magical. Each word was flawlessly sung and Hann, Ross and George never missed a beat. 

It was an amazing experience- even if all we saw actually saw/heard was Robbers, Chocolate and Sex. However, each of these songs were amazingly performed and I could not have been happier.

On the cue of, 'Thankyou and goodnight Manchester', we rushed outside. After 20 minutes Matty and George came out.

I gave Matty the personally engraved zippo I had done for him a while back- plus we had a little chat and some pictures. Then, I did the same with George- who even complimented my jacket! (Monochrome all the way!)

Both of the boys were nothing but helpful and lovely- even if they must've been incredibly jetlagged!

We didn't get to meet Ross and Adam- but there is always February in Sheffield!

So yes, not only is this song utterly exceptional and a perfect mix of rhythm and poetic lyrics- it now has a very special place in my heart.

Thankyou boys.

A (not particularly little) chat with: High Tyde 

(in full) 
It's a cloudy Sunday night, most people are at home watching I'm a Celebrity or catching up on overdue coursework...but not me. I'm at South Sea, in Sheffield, having a chat with the High Tyde lads. 

Cody Thomas-Matthews - Vocals, Bass 

Spencer Tobias-Williams - Lead Guitar 
Connor Cheetham - Guitar, Vocals

Louis Semlekan-Faith - Drums, Vocals

To start with how did you guys form as a band?

Cody: We met through mutual friends, Louis and Spencer knew each other first.

Louis: We went busking all the time- we started off with bluesy-stuff. Then we one day we thought, ‘let’s start a band’, but Cody and Connor were already in metal bands at the time. 

Cody: Eventually we all got together and thought, ‘lets start this indie band’. It was just as a side project and then it took off.

High Tyde is a pretty cool, specific name. Is there a meaning behind it?

Spencer: There is this song with the lyric ‘high tide’ in it.

Connor: Yeah, there’s a Noel Gallagher lyric.

Louis: It was on the first practice, and we were all stuck on the songs we were listening to at that minute and Noel Gallagher’s song was hit at the time…me and Spence were into mod stuff…and 'High Tyde' just really clicked.

Cody: And also in Brighton we live by the sea! 

You’re in the middle of this little tour at the minute, are you enjoying it so far?

Everyone: Yeah!

Cody: We pretty much finish today but then we’ve got next weekend aswell. Leeds last night was cool- it was sold out. It’s really nice to play a town you’ve never played before.

Louis: Last night there were about twenty people that could sing every song back- out of our town that was weird.

Spencer: Yeah, cause you’re used to your own home town being your thing, but to go somewhere completely different…its weird.

So, has Leeds been your favourite city so far?

Everyone: Probably, yeah.

Spencer: But everyone has been really, really nice.

Got any festivals planned for the future, then?

Louis: Yeah, definitely.

Spencer: We’re gonna work our arses’ off to play them.

Cool. So, what’s your major aspiration as a band? Number one album…or headlining Glastonbury?

Louis: There are so many things in the category of number ones.

Connor: To play a show every night- like at the minute.

Cody: What we really wanna do is just get our name out there and have everyone hear us and be like, ‘Ah, they’re fucking cool. I wanna see them.’ 

Louis: You get a sense of what all the  big bands have done. I read Keith Richards’ book and back in the 60s this guy was going across America- I want something like that one day.

You’ve been comapared to The 1975 a lot, are they an influence of yours?

Louis: We go through phases really.

Spencer: You can’t be just like one band, really. You’ve got to have your own sound- but we wanna take a little bit of everything and put it into one band.

Cody: But, we do really really like The 1975…we like what they’re about. You take tips from all bands- but we wanna do our own thing.

Connor: Yeah, I mean we started off way into Two Door Cinema Club…

Yeah, you’ve been compared to them a lot too.

Connor: Yeah, yeah, but then we started listening to DJs. Then 80s music. 

Louis: The 80s are mental at the minute.

Cody: Bands like Churches, we listen to them a lot. We have major inspirations.

So, if you could collaborate with any band, who would it be?

Cody: Personally, for me, I'd pick something like...Disclosure.

Spencer: Or, like a remix.

Louis: Or, if Amy Winehouse was still alive...she's incredible. 

Connor: It's mostly DJs now though...

You should bring collabs back!
(laughs)
Connor: Yeah, we'll bring them back.

So, I went on tumblr and I asked about. Some fans have questions, so I picked a couple of clean ones out. (Seriously, some of you girls need a cold shower)

Louis: Clean ones? (laughs)What were the others?

            (YOU CAN SEE THE TUMBLR QUESTIONS IN THE VIDEO)

Do you write all your own songs?  

Louis: Spencer comes up with the foundations and then we work together with the rest. We'll just jam something out.

Cody: Subconsciously we started writing about our lifes and what we're about.

Louis: You can see in our songs how we started out quite naive, maybe, when we were young. Like, the lyrics were really innocent.

Connor: But we did a thing with the BBC and they said the one thing they liked most about us was the fact we could've written about going out and getting drunk...but we wrote about having a cup of tea (laughs)

Spencer: We're little cuties at heart.

So, what do you do in your spare time?

Cody: Have a sleep? Or listen to music.

Louis: We all study music aswell! So everyday of the week, we're doing something musical. 

Cody: And we do a lot of clothes shopping!

Louis: Yeah, nothing we get is ever really new. (laughs) Kilo sales! 

Spencer: Going to Morrisons is a big one, we love our meal deals.

Louis: I'd happily play a gig in Morrisons cafe

Everyone: (laughs)

Where can people buy your music? And will there be merch out soon?
Cody: iTunes! Or you can buy a physical copy after a gig!
Connor: Yeah, we want merch out too!
Louis: No tie dye though... (laughs)

Overall, after talking to High Tyde and seeing them perform, I came to the rather quick decision that these guys are super passionate about what they're doing. Their live performance was, also,  impeccable. Not only that either, but they are genuinely nice, fun lads. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be hugeeee some day! So, do yourself a favour now and give them a listen! 

Thank you for taking the time for the interview too, if you're reading. Plus, a big shout out to Jazz for stepping in as my camera girl and being super helpful and lovely! 

EXPECT THE VIDEO VERY SHORTLY: SORRY FOR THE DELAY! BLAME YOUTUBE!

Arctic Monkeys

"Good Evening, Sheffield. We are the Arctic Monkeys- we're from High Green and we're home, baby!"

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing one of my ultimate favourite bands last week- and you know what? I chuffin' loved it. Alex's dancing. Matt's cheeky grin at himself on the big screen. Old Arctic's tunes. Dry ice. AM Hendersons Relish. Adorable apologies. What's not to love?

So how where they live?  I cannot express in words how amazing this gig was without using a few taboos. It was literally the best gig of my life. The local High Green lads (eh? Looks like all the best people come from there, right? *cough cough*...me)had everyone dancing, singing...crying. They pulled out all the old Arctic Monkey's tune with a beautiful setlist. Including, Crying Lightning, Teddy Picker, Cornerstone and even Mardy Bum. With the likes of Arabella, Snap Out of It and No 1 Party Anthem also thrown in. I wouldn't have changed a thing. 
You could really tell how happy the lads were to be back home in the Steel City. With Alex constantly reassuring that, 'we are truly yours Sheffield, but, baby, are you mine?' and wowing us with his frankly...beautiful (?) dance moves. Especially to Don't Sit Down. 
They had literally everybody dancing and smiling, with their beautiful presentation of the songs we all know and love. The vocals, riffs and beats were infaultable. Hats off to you.

Favourite song? It'd be tricky to pick one song, as I adore this band so much. However here is a chart of my general feeling through out each song:

(If you think they're too many tens then I think you underestimate these guys, believe the hype)

To conclude this is the best band I've ever seen and I only wish them the best of wishes for their future.

Meadowhall Light Switch On

Meadowhall Light Switch On
Every year Capital FM hold the 'Meadowhall Christmas Light Switch On' where 15,000 northerners huddle together, in the rain, to watch and listen to the best that Capital has to offer. This year the line up included the debut performance from the incredible The Brit School, and the  likes of Little Nikki,  Union J and The Vamps- including many more!

Who stole the show?

In my opinion The Vamps were the ones who really got me engaged and excited about the show. I was previously a fan before seeing them perform and they did not let me down. Now, normally in a crowd of pre-teen, angst-fueled girls I'd feel somewhat scared/out of place. However, when I saw swarms of twelve year olds chanting,
The foursome include Brad Simpson (lead vocals and rhythm guitar , Connor Ball (bass), James McVey (guitar) and Tristan Evans (drums). The four lads not only had teenage girls in swooning and screaming, but their parents singing along too. 
The band managed to mix pop and some reggae (yes, I know) qualities together to create a unique sound. I must admit, I really enjoyed their set.
Also, after listening to their covers of personal favourite songs  of mine I really appreciate what they're trying to do and their sound. (FYI Miley Cyrus' cover of 'why'd you only call me when you're high?' is impeccable) 

All the members performed to a high quality and, dressed in festive onesies, had the crowd singing all the lyrics back to them. I highly recommend seeing this band live! Or atleast give them a listen!


Who to look out for.
The three headlining acts (Little Nikki, Union J and The Vamps) were great performers and have great careers ahead of them. However, The Brit School were truly exceptional. Both the singers had outstanding vocal control and had everyone dancing. The covered Bruno Mars and Daft Punk beautifully, and in my opinion performed the songs better than the originals. 

Recommendations

Recommendations?

Here, there is something for pretty much everyone, I give you four recommendations to help vary your music taste!

1. The Smiths - if you haven't heard of them then you're missing out on so much! The music that The Smiths create can easily be compared to the feeling of a hug...from a giant, friendly polar bear. The Smiths will show you that you don't have to be alone, they can pick you right up (Hand in Glove) or calm you right down (Asleep). Do yourself a favour and have a listen!

2. Liberty Ship - Liberty Ship are an indie band originating from the good old Steel City! The band consists of four school friends who are passionate about the music they're creating. With just one listen, you can they are tell are going to be big! Think the next Arctic Monkeys.

3. King Charles - what is not to love? With amazing lyrics and music that is refreshing and easy to along with, but nothing far from perfection, give King Charles a listen! I recommend them if you The Gorgeous Chans, Grouplove or Dog is Dead.

4. The Wombats - this funky pop trio are for those of you who like to dance around with the biggest of smiles of your faces'. If you can listen to The Wombats without at least tapping your foot- then you have amazing restraint! I'd trust you to work in a bubble wrap factory! Enjoy!

Track by Track Album Review: The 1975

Album Review: 
The 1975 // The 1975

Well, well, well look who's here again! I just cannot get enough of the Manchester foursome, The 1975!
One thing admirable about The 1975 is the fact that they are so honest with the music that they create. They don't avoid 'touchy subjects' and they create music about real issues/adventures that life involves. Drugs. Love. Sex. So these topics are discussed on the album- which is so refreshing and charming that you can't help but love them! Then at the same time they can pair these lyrics with upbeat tunes of a high quality.
This album ticks ALL the boxes. So, here is my track by track view of the self-titled album!

Rating: *****

'The 1975'
The opening track is here to set the tone for the self-titled album- which it achieves perfectly! This track is short but builds to an epic crescendo which quickly cuts...leaving you excited for what's in store!

'The City'

This song perfectly captures the essence of The 1975. It has a catchy tune,  heavy drums and an infectious beat. The lyrics to this song are flawlessly sung by Matthew Healy who you can't help but sing along with. A round of applause to The 1975, we're already in love. 

'M.O.N.E.Y'

What a song! On only the third track The 1975 throw out some of their best work. 'M.O.N.E.Y' again give us their signature sound and robotic-style harmonies. I get the feeling of some Prince influences from this track- and I'm not complaining! 

'Chocolate'

This track is most likely the most well known song by The 1975- as you can't go a day without hearing it on the radio. The boys caress our ear drums with the amazing tune of this song and catchy guitar hooks. The lyrics tell us of the hinted drug-fueled adventures of the youthful band. It's truly exceptional, honest and a delight to hear. With such lyrics as, 'guns hidden under our petticoats', 'run, run away from the boys in the blue'- which show us how this songs has hints towards the police/law enforcement using their power to control youth. A youth which don't necessarily need controlling.

'Sex'

If you couldn't tell already The 1975 love to tell us a good story, and this song is no exception! You can hear the power in Matthew Healy's voice as he delivers perfect vocals and catchy lyrics. You can tell that this song would be great live- having everybody dancing and singing, 'She's got a boyfriend anyway!'. Awesome.

'Talk!'

'Why you talk so loud?'.This song perfectly showcases Ross McDonald's bass skills. This is a very easy song to get along with and changes from a choppy rhythm to a slow groove. 

'An Encounter'
This track is a very short, almost trippy, interlude. There isn't much to say about it except that it's a good pallet cleanser and refreshes you. 

'Heart Out'
I get a 'Prince-feeling' (if you will) from this track. After being refreshed by the previous track, I really like the song. 

'Settle Down'

Probably my favourite song by The 1975- this is much slower than tracks such as, 'Girls'. When Matty sings, 'For crying out loud, settle down', I cannot help but get chills and want sing with him. 

'Robbers'
'Robbers' is a much calmer song where we get to hear more of Healy's romantic vocals. This song, again, tells us a story which implies violence, drugs and trouble. For me, this is one of the best songs on the album. I adore it.

'Girls'

Wow. Wow. WOW. This song is complete pick me up and a definite favourite. I'm not sure if it's the handy work of Adam Hann or the catchy lyrics but this song is truly something else. It's a contrast with the previous calmer track, but this colourful injection is not one that would go without a miss. Whether or not it's intentional I can hear the sound of Cyndi Lauper in here, 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', even though the lyrics hold the antheisis of Cyndi's hit.

'12'

Much like the opening track, '12' is short, but most definitly sweet. 

'Menswear'

Such a cool track. It really grabs your interest and I love the line, 'Why don't you talk to Matty about it?'.It makes you feel involved in the song which bursts into life after a synthesized introduction. Again, we get a mention of drugs in here- a running and refreshingly honest theme that The 1975 involve.

'Pressure'

I believe that this track could quite easily be about the pressure of suddenly being a band that has gone from playing together in Matty's bedroom to having a world tour. However, we are promised, 'There's a change in pressure, we're never gonna le to you'.
This is quite a laid-back song but with the same The 1975 beat. This track is very inspiring. This song is great to listen to when you're studying as it's not too 'dance-around-your-room-happy' but isn't 'sit-and-think-about-the-meaning-of-life-laidback'. A quality track.

'Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You'
This is the big finale for an exceptional album. You can really hear the emotion in Healy's voice and tell that the lyrics come from close to the heart. This song is almost a lullaby, a great send off to a great album.

BUY THE ALBUM HERE!

*********************
102
This is a beautiful song, you can hear the raw emotion in Healy's voice as he executes, 'you yapping on about him'. It is relatable to anyone who has ever been in the chokehold of unrequited love. Possibly my faovurite song of all time.

Book Soundtracks: The Fault in our Stars

I've been a HUGE fan of John Green since I read Paper Towns in 2010. I've deeply admired and cherished his work for so long- and now I'm beyond happy that The Fault in Our Stars (his latest best seller) is being adapted into a film! Yay! 

So, I highly recommend that you read the book before the film release, if you haven't already- and here's a lovely little playlist for you to listen to along the way! Enjoy!

Discalimer: you're going to fall in love with Augustus Waters whether you like it or not. So just let it happen.

Playlist

Listen here!
Free Fallin' // John Mayer
In this Aeroplane over the Sea // Neutral Milk Hotel

Anti-D // The Wombats

Back Seat Serenade // All Time Low

Oh My Stars // Andrew Belle
Lola // The Kinks

Love is a Laserquest // Arctic Monkeys

Winter Winds // Mumford & Sons

Friday I'm in Love // The Cure

Bigmouth Strikes Again // The Smiths
Seaside // The Kooks

Amsterdam // Coldplay

Getting Away with it all Messed up // James

Ghosts // Cast of Lions

Broken // Jake Bugg
Wake Me Up When September Ends // Green Day

All I Want // Kodaline

The Fault in our Stars // Troye Sivan

Song of the Week

Get Up Tonight // High Tyde

You can listen to the song here.

Or, buy the song here.

Who are they? High Tyde are an indie/rock band that have been graced to us from the lovely Brighton, England. They're pretty much everything that is good about music and if you haven't heard them yet- then please do yourself a favour!

Why is this song so good? 'Get Up Tonight' is a complete pick-me-up song, with the stress of this month it's defiantly in the September survival kit. The beat of the song and catchy lyrics make you feel dance-around-your-bedroom-singing-and-having-a-one-man-mosh happy! I recommend it if you like The 1975!

Also, this song, for me, sums up the gig/party lifestyle. So if you like gigs, then you'll really relate to this song! Plus, with a lot of gigs lined up for me (and hopefully you too!)this song gets me so excited! I'd love hear this song live- so let's see what 2014 brings!

Oh and guys...if that's not enough for you. They aren't exactly lacking in the looks department. Sssh!

Keep Smiling! 

Splendour - Jake Bugg (Gig Review)

Gig Review: Jake Bugg

Upon hearing Jake Bugg for the first time my initial thoughts were, 'Wow, this guy is talented. I wonder if he's this good live...'. So when I got the chance to go and see him at Splendour Festival this summer I jumped at the chance! At only 19 years old the Nottingham raised, indie-rock/folk, singer/songwriter has made major accomplishments in music. Already with a number one album under his belt and currently in the midst of his world tour- this is my review of his performance in August!

Where? Splendour Music Festival, Nottingham.

So how is he live? One word...amazing. I was so impressed with the way that Jake Bugg sounded exactly as he did on his self-titled album. His voice was so pure and his guitar skills were unfaultable. There's no greater joy in the world than seeing an entire crowd of people just living in the music! Everyone was dancing and looked so happy to be there, even in the rain! Though Jake himself didn't interact with the crowd much, but for him it worked. This is probably due to the fact as he has a huge 'element of cool' about himself and clearly gets engrossed in the music that he plays. Don't get me wrong, though- by NO means was he arrogant and seemed constantly happy to be playing in his home town! I thoroughly enjoyed his set and he even covered Neil Diamond which was brilliant! 

Favourite song? It'd be tricky to pick one song, so I'm going to choose three! Broken, Seen it All and Two Fingers. 

Broken: This was amazing because he played it so well, he managed to bring tears to my eyes. You could really hear the emotion in his voice.

Two Fingers: Pretty much everyone knew the words to 'Two Fingers', with everyone saluting two fingers to the stage when the moment felt right! This was the song where you could really feel the energy and I loved it!
Seen it All: Now, this is my favourite Jake Bugg song- I love songs that tell stories! So seeing this live was exceptional!

To conclude I loved Jake Bugg live so much! It was a great experience and I cannot wait to see him again in November and I hope you get to go too!

Lovely Links:

Buy tickets for his tour!
Or, his album!

Or, check out some live footage!

All credits for the picture go to one of my lovely best friends, Em! Check out her blog!

Song of the Week

Sex // The 1975

You can listen to the song here.

Or, buy the EP here.

Who are they? Unless you've been having tea in Narnia for the last few months,then you'll have defiantly heard of the indie-rock, perfectly-handsome, Manchester-based  band, The 1975! These 4 guys started creating music in their bedrooms and they've really taken the world by storm!

Why is this song so good? So, I recently became a fan of theirs when my friend played me 'Chocolate' (another single, and fab song!)on my way home from college...and I'll tell you, it really lifted my spirits.

This got me interested and I got home and listened to'Sex'. 'Sex' for me is my favourite song from The 1975 as it's upbeat but still manages to tell a story!Whether you're studying, on the bus or having a party,you can always play it and, trust me, it'll fit the occasion.

Happy listening and keep smiling!