Festival Picks.

Muddy wellies on, hair dripping with rain and a (blantanly overpriced) pint in hand. Its that time of year again, folks- and guess who couldn't be happier?! With legends like The Stone Roses, The Who and Red Hot Chili Peppers featuring on lineups its an exciting time to be a festival goer/a breathing human being.
However, its not just the big names in bold that deserve attention. I can guarantee that 60% of the best bands you'll see this summer are ones you've (unfortunately) probably not even given enough love to yet.
With Catfish and The Bottlemen gracing Reading's Introducing stage only 3 years ago, nows the time to whack on those fake Raybans and discover your new favourite.
 
THE CROOKES
where can you find them? Tramlines, Testifest & Kendal Calling
Sheffield favourites THE CROOKES are shooting across the country this summer, just for us. Their poetic lyrics dance around their upbeat guitars and melodic vocals and they'll have you dancing too. After seeing them play venues that can't hold them, I cannot wait to see the lads play their latest album 'The Lucky Ones' out in the open this summer.
TOP PICKS: The World is Waiting, I Wanna Waste My Time on You, Afterglow...

LIBERTY SHIP
where can you find them? Live in Barnsley, Tramlines, Kendal Calling & Blackthorn
With their immensely well-received debut single, 'Learning to Fly', turning heads and a number of sold out shows under their belt, these lads are really kicking up a fuss. Why? The Sheffield four have the ability to captivate almost any audience with their energetic sets, funky basslines and exemplary chemistry. Holding harmonies that rival The Stone Roses and lyrics Dylan would be proud of, its time to fill up your hipflask and get yourself out of your tent to see them this summer.
TOP PICKS: Don't Wish, Learning to Fly, What Point...

APRIL
where can you find them? Godiva Festival & more TBC
One of my favourite discoveries this year has been APRIL.
These lads from Nuneaton cannot be ignored. They're creating music that memories will be made to and I'm not sure you'll have a much fonder memory this summer than belting out their tune, Ten Miles High, with your best mates in the (hopefully) beaming sun.

The JACQUES
where can you find them? Kendal CallingIncredibly charming and talented, these Bristol boys have got my whole-hearted attention. They're giving us energy that channels Sonic Youth and addictive riffs that you want to sing even louder than the endearing lyrics. Moody, yet refreshing, be sure to check THE JACQUES out.
TOP PICKS: Eleanor Ring Me, Pretty DJ, The Artful Dodger...

THE BIG MOON
where can you find them? Truck Festival, Bushstock, Latitude, Kendal Calling & more
They've supported favourites PEACE and YAK, they're cool as fuck, their latest single Cupid oozes magic and I think its about they get the attention they deserve. Not only have they mastered the perfect crescendo (which coaxes even the most solemn toe tappers into having a proper boogie)the chemistry these four ladies have is absolutely unreal. You get the impression that they definitely know something that we don't and I'm excited to find out what that is this summer. Check em out!
TOP PICKS: Cupid, The Road, Sucker...

MARIKA HACKMAN
where can you find her? Tramlines & more TBC
Unbelievably dreamy and undeniably angelic, Dirty Hit's Marika Hackman has recently released her debut album, We Sleep At Last, which speaks for itself. I'm personally dying to hear the album (that feels like you're being tucked up in bed whilst Oscar Wilde tells you a bedtime story) live; absolutely perfect for the hazy summer. Get yourself down to see Marika and feel what its like to let yourself be drowned in honey.
TOP PICKS: Animal Fear, Itchy Teeth, Drown...

MILBURN
where can you find them? Y Not, Kendal Calling & more TBC
'But Eleanor everyone knows about Milburn', YES,  just hear me out...
These well established legends took their 8 year break and have resurrected just in time to be the best act you'll see this summer. With tunes that have inspired the likes of Arctic Monkeys (despite the bollocks NME is spouting in an attempt to crawl even further up Alex Turner's backside, yeah, I didn't know it was possible either) and lyrics I've seen grown men scream, you cannot go wrong with Milburn. Honestly.
Why are they on this list? Because its more or less sacrilege to miss them, so I'm reminding you that its just not an option for those of you who didn't realise.
TOP PICKS: Roll Out the Barrel, 17, Storm in a Teacup


SUNDARA KARMA
where can you find them? Secret Garden Party, Tramlines, Y Not & more.
If you could capture 'that summer feeling' and sell it, it would go by the name Sundara Karma. (Particularly Indigo Puff, which encaptures that 'walking-home-from-a-party-at-5am-watching-the-sun-come-up-with-your-friends' feeling that you can never quiet put your finger on.)
Without even realising it you probably know atleast 3 of their tunes! Their riffs are bright and electric, Sundara Karma will have crowds dancing under the sky and you should defiantly be in the middle of that crowd. 
TOP PICKS: Flame, Indigo Puff, Loveblood

Bowie.


Once every lifetime a musician will come about and embed themselves into every fragment of society. They do not necessarily have to be musical geniuses; although Bowie was, but they cause a shift.

David Bowie created a landslide.

He was fearless, both with his music and with his attitude.
 He made it okay to be different, to look different and was one of the first in his generation to smudge the boundaries of gender- which legends like Michael Jackson and The Cure relied on.
He was a brutally honest, no-nonsense musician, in platform shoes, creating music that lifted people out of their bodies. Name me one person that hasn't dance round to Let's Dance in their underwear or burst out into Changes in the backseat of a car.
He was a transcendent artist and a man filled with enigmatic charm, matched with his raw passionate talent- Bowie soared above the rest.
He nurtured his audience and was a guiding hand and an encouraging smile to the kids in school and the suits in the office that saw themselves as something different or something more.

Ambitious but never obnoxious, Bowie was beyond human and now he is finally more than just a mortal being.

To an artist that has soundtracked huge parts of my life, that I somehow thought would out live me, Rest in Peace Goblin King x

Listen to my Top Ten Bowie Tracks

If you'd have told thirteen year old me, with my 'What became of the likely lads?' tshirt and my school folder ,which I'd scribbled the full names of each of the boys in the band across, that five years on I would be stood sipping rum in a field with The Libertines performing infront of me, then my mind would've exploded...and that is precisely what happened Friday night at Leeds Fest. Theeeeeey're back! (and with an album that's out done the rest)

When The Libertines announced their return to the music scene after eleven years half the world was cheering and three-quarters were wondering if they'd successfully make it back at all. However, a few days ago, after they failed to make an appearance at their London gig due to a disappearing Doherty,their highly-anticipated album Anthems for a Doomed Youth hit us all.

Structurally the new anthems on this album are very similar to the past releases, with Carl and Pete's raspy vocals mixed with bouncy beats and catchy hooks. They still seem to tell a poetic story in each of their tracks, but without it at all being obnoxious and being refreshingly honest. However, as you progress through the album, its clear the band have matured and become more polished- somehow without losing their values.

The track 'Anthems for Doomed Youth' itself is a rather obvious nod to The Libertines troublesome past and landing back into the real world. With lines such as, 'racking up the lines of shite', and, 'Yes we thought that they were brothers then they half murdered each other', being references to the bands# drug habits and the front-men's bittersweet relationship. Pete Doherty, who spent time in rehab before the album was recorded in Thailand, claimed that this song is based around the events that occurred after the band signed to Rough Trade records. 

Fan favourites still stand as Gunga Din, Fame and Fortune and Lust for The Libertines.  Particularly Gunga Din, which was released as  a single this July. This single came hand in hand with a music video which reassured fans that The Libertines may have got older, wiser and somewhat less intoxicated as the foursome rowdily walked the streets like drunken youths.

Aswell as the new tunes, You're My Waterloo, made the album! Gary claimed was the only one of the older songs to make it on the album due to the fact the band didn't want to seem 'lazy'.

Dubbed as their best album yet, its exciting and nerve-racking to see where Anthems for Doomed Youth will carry the likely lads and hopefully a tour is in check.

It's only a few days after Tramlines Festival and the city and its inhabitants are still recovering. Bottles and flyers litter the streets, everyone seems to still be hungover but Liberty Ship are already back in the practice room after playing the main stage on Sunday.

*Credit to Glenn Ashley*

Liberty Ship are Sheffield's very own indie four-piece, including Lewis Hancock (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Jack Eddison (lead guitar) , James Brown (bass) and  Kierran Bond (drums). They were still doing their GCSEs when they played their debut gig and  the lads have been no strangers to the music scene since. Before they could even drink at their own shows, they'd toured with a number of established legends, King Charles and Reverend and The Makers, as well as supporting Coventry's The Enemy, whilst still playing a number of their own headline gigs. Eight years on and they're now releasing music that demands attention.

With a lot of hard work these lads seemed to have found a way to break away from the typical mainstream 'indie' sound and make a strong impact. 'We've grown up and our sound has grown up a bit too', lead guitarist Jack explains. It's easy to get drowned in the Soundcloud generation of musicians where anyone can upload music at the click of a button, but Liberty Ship seem to have their heads safely above the water. So now, leaving their teenage years behind, they're breaking the mold and placing their stamp on the music scene. 

Even during their rainy Tramlines set there was a certain exemplary warmth in the crowd. Their mix of songs gathers a diverse audience, with crowd pleasures such as, 'Neon Light' and the band's favourite 'Fire Your Love', matched with slower love songs, 'For You'. 'We've got quite a large audience', says Kierran. Which is true, standing in the crowd you could see an array of different people, from students to bearded men in flat caps and I 'm pretty sure a Tinder first date were dancing next to me. 

What's noticeably admirable about Liberty Ship is their attitude towards music, and not just their own either. After spending some time with them you quickly  get a sense of how laid back they are, but it's matched with a passion which is clearly exhibited in their live performances. They'll try their hand at anything if it means promoting their music and having fun, such as playing an acoustic set on the tram during the Tramlines weekend. Alike other 'new generation bands' they seem to realise that platinum records aren't handed out on silver platters, but unlike the majority they're more than willing to work hard to produce quality music which demands recognition and that they love themselves.  'We'll definitely get a collection of songs we're happy enough with to put together for an album in the distant future' Brown claims. 

If you want to create your own sound in Sheffield then you first have to find a way to break free from the shackles of being compared to the Arctic Monkeys, as Liberty Ship found out. 'It's literally only cause we're from Sheffield and we play our own instruments!', they laugh when being asked about this bold yet common comparison. Whilst they claim that the Arctic Monkeys aren't a huge influence to  their own unique sound, they're  quick to show respect for the High Green A-Listers. 'When we first started playing as a band, at places like The Boardwalk, there was a load of Sheffield bands knocking about such as the Arctic Monkeys and Milburn. That was definitely inspiring cause it made it clear that you can do it when they're making it', Jack explains.
'Our sound isn't really like anyone else', bassist James says. 'We get asked to compare ourselves to other bands a lot, but that's not reyt something we can do', Jack adds. You would certainly file 'the Liberty Ship sound'  as indie, but they're quite right when they claim their sound is somewhat undefinable. It combines an established sound of old school rock mixed intensely with the wild exuberance of being a teenager in today's society. 

It’s not just a particularly dedicated portion of Yorkshire that’s coming round to the quartet’s charms either. Liberty Ship have been showing up on the radars of those across the nation, playing festivals in Wales and even being asked to play private parties by eager moon-eyed fans. 'It's all just a lot of fun', the band tell me.  As passionate as the band seem to be, you can't deny they're having a lot of fun. In between writing songs and (probably not) revising in school the band gathered some rock n roll stories. 'There was a story involving a table and a window', Jack laughs, going on the explain how the band decided to throw a table and an ironing board out of a window after playing The Leadmill in their teens. 'We went round with a bunch of flowers to say sorry though', Lewis quickly reassures us. 

You can expect to see a lot more from Liberty Ship in the following months, not only are they darting across the nation to play festivals, they're headlining their own gig at The Leadmill in Sheffield. The very same venue which has played a host to Arctic Monkeys and Pulp  is welcoming Liberty Ship back after two years, this October. Get yourself a ticket online and for a fiver you can become part of their inevitably promising story.

*Credit to Colin Wright*

*serious voices now*

The internet is commonly seen as a 'threat' to journalism. Whether you like it or not we're now in an age where with three clicks you can set up a platform to share your opinions and have them exposed to thousands of people.
There has been an uprising of freelance journalists, working solely off their own backs...which have again become seen as a 'threat'.
However, are these contemporary 'non-traditional' journalists a threat to journalism? Or are they just a threat to large, well-respected music journalism companies and their incomes? 

I think it's important that just like we welcome new musicians and fresh-faces to the ever-evolving music business, we do the very same for the world of journalism. 
Identically to the way in which MP3's revolutionized music, whilst somewhat wounding the sale of CDs, you cannot argue that the results of the rise of the MP3 were efficacious. In the same way, blogs are rising and major magazines are taking the fall, but they're still selling thousands of copies weekly! If you prefer, look at Tindr. Sure it may have taken the romance and initial excitement out of dating, but you can't deny it's practicality as it moves romance into the 21st Century...plus is it really like people now walk round bars with their eyes closed, refusing to buy anyone a drink? Ofcourse not. 

Personally, I have been shunned as 'unprofessional' for not writing for a magazine. Just take a step back though and look at the bigger picture.

Jim Morrison once said, 'whoever controls the media, controls the mind'. He isn't bloody far off either. One week you'll see some kids in the back of NME with their Jamie T haircuts' and their debut album being given four out of ten stars. Wait though, cause if you give it a fortnight this same album will have landed them their own cover-spread. Suddenly their someone and everyone loves them. Don't be fickle with your opinions and stick by your guns. Because money can't be the main motivator to why you're doing your job or what's the point?

In the soundcloud generation of musicians, where anyone can post their music online and get it out there, we've reached a beautifully overwhelming chaos. New music is now easily accessible, but great new music is lost, drowned and diluted. Darlia have their heads above the water.

The band are a three-piece from Blackpool, often compared to Nirvana (although how much of that is based on shaggy haired Nathan is arguable), have made an impact on the music scene with their hits Napalm and Queen of Hearts.

They've released three EPs(which you can nosey at, here)and a mini LP. They've had sell out UK shows, they're currently touring the world and they've popping up across the UK for festivals left right and centre. They're standing out as one as the 'one's to watch'.
So why do they stand out? Well, I think it starts with how stripped back they are. They've taken rock right back to its roots and thrown in some dirt- making them appeal to a huge range of people.

Their track names themselves hold  a lot of promise- Napalm, Pandemonium, Choke on Bones. Darlia aren't full of empty promises. Each song mixes raspy vocals and (dare I say) Nirvana-esque heavy, bursting riffs. It's the type of music that teenagers will mosh to in crowded sweaty rooms, middle-aged punks will admire and new rock revival will profit.

What this space for an interview soon. 

This year we've been faced with one of the most disputed and controversial line-ups for years. Whilst the mixture of pop/folk, pop-punk and music legends has some people already packing their wellies and taping their hipflasks to their ankles, it has some others claiming that this could be the end for the 54 year old festival.

The main issue music fans seem to have is the folk/pop band Mumford and Sons holding the place of a headliner, where Queens of The Stone Age stood the year before.
The fact that whilst year the main stage was bombarded with indie-legends and this year pop-punk seems be dominating the main stage has also caused a bit of a rumble.
Although...really, where is the problem? It appears that many people are looking at the line-up with their hands over their eyes. Whilst, for me, I'm more inclined to be at the main stage for The Libertines, Alt-J Jamie T and The Cribs (oh my god, why is no one freaking out about The Cribs?!) I can't wait to dance my legs off to Panic! At The Disco! Plus, it's I find that the acts that are the most exciting are those performing on the NME and Festival Republic Stage!

Don't starve yourself of indulging on the smaller acts on the smaller stages! The smaller, developing acts are what these types of festivals are about- so when you've necked your £7.50 rum and coke and you're waiting in the rain for Metallica, dance on over to a smaller tent and discover somebody new!

Recommendations: 

1. Peace (NME)

2. Swim Deep (NME)

3. Coasts (NME)
4. Wolf Alice (NME)

5. A$AP Ferg (Dance)
6. Rat Boy (Festival Republic)

7. Everything Everything (NME)

8. Catfish and The Bottlemen (NME)

9. Banks (Dance)
10. Slaves (NME)

11. Tyler The Creator (NME)
12. Darlia (Festival Republic)