Oooh Sparkly! - Marina & The Diamonds, Sheffield Leadmill, 22/05/2010

She has a pretty distinct voice this Marina. I last saw her live on the NME radar tour below The Golden Silvers in early '09. Since then she's had an album out and burst into the scene. With a headline slot on the Festival Republic stage at Leeds and Reading Festival and a sell out headline tour, shes going somewhere indeed. To fair in personal opinion the album was average. I liked her demos. A lot. The album seems a bit dull. Not all the great demos are on it and they seemed to be replaced with pointless and boring songs that talk about frogs and various other strange subjects.

Onto the gig. Nice Sheffield gig. We like Sheffield gigs. So to the pub for a quick drink we went then onto Leadmill. We got into Leadmill, not much of a queue and sat... for a while. Didn't bother with the support this time, sounded pants.

For Miss Marina Lambrini Diamandis herself we got a decent enough place in the middle quite far back but still a pretty clear view. She came onstage in a most eloquent way with a video of her doing various strange things on in the background. Wearing over sized shades and a large amount of UV makeup she stood out like a sore thumb. But in the words of The Maccabees 'The most beautiful sore thumb I'd ever seen...' this girl coulda been a Bond girl. Strange fashion sense, musically talented, just stunning.... wow. My only complaint is that it feels the publicity may of gone to her head a little bit. Calling her crowd 'Her diamonds' felt like she thought she was better than the hundreds of people that paid good money to see her perform. Anyway as the stage was darkened with only UV lighting, her lips glowed as she started to sing 'Seventeen'. Possibly my favorite MATD song. The crowd didn't seem to really agree.

I dunno whether its where i was but the crowd was a bit timid. Not really moving. Apart from one middle aged guy who was camper than a pink row of tents, clapping and dancing about. Much to the amusement of the teens stood close by. Like a young, eloquent Kate Bush with only a piano and a stunning range of vocals, she transformed an exuberant crowd to hushed silence during 'Numb' followed by an equally moving 'Obsessions'. After another video and a quick change of eyewear, she returned after a teasing electro instrumental for the ego-sating 'Hollywood' which was only outdone by a dazzling rendition of 'Shampain'. For behaving on such a heady evening, her adoring Diamonds were treated to a stripped down cover of 3OH!3's 'Starstruck' before Saturday night was in full swing with the concluding 'Mowgli's Road'.

She was great, beautiful. Can't fault her. As for the crowd... well maybe I'm just getting used to this rock and roll style of gigs but it was quiet. Unnecessarily.

Peace

x

Ben Burtt would be a proud man - A Wilhelm Scream, MOHO Manchester, 18/05/2010

Change of style of music with this one. Bit heavier than recent gigs, a warm up for Slam Dunk/Download perhaps? Can't complain.

New venue too, never been to Moho before but i plan on going again. The stage is pretty much floor level with only a barrier separating the crowd from the band. The roof is low and the entire venue is painted black with various drink logo's and clothing makes painted on the walls in white paint. It's like someone took Fibbers in York, squashed it so it was more of a square shape then threw Corp's interior designer in there. I loved it.

Failsafe and Thought Explode supported AWS. Thought Explode were only young lads. Bit rusty in their own words. Did enjoy it though, very melodic hardcore punk esc. Not much to say really. Failsafe are fairly known anyway, 2 albums under their belt and a 3rd on the way, plenty of material to play with. Another pretty melodic hardcore band, Failsafe knew how to play to a crowd. They got the crowd going and energy generally in the room flowing.

A Wilhelm Scream time (after approx 72.5% of the Jay-Z and Linkin Park cross over album on the sound system to which Adam seemed surprise i knew all the lyrics to the raps and singing :D ). The reason i love this band is because they are fast... very very fast and loud... very very loud and heavy... pretty damn heavy. Yet no real shouting. No heavy deep rough voices that over power the lyrics and music as a whole. If anything this band represent talent at its best. Ironically opening with 'Me Vs. Morrissey In The Pretentiousness Contest' in a Manchester venue the band quickly get the crowd jumping and crashing about. The set went on to have people crowd surfing directly onto the stage, almost knocking the lights off the roof. The band were pretty damn funny too with many an anecdote to tell we all seemed to be laughing when not violently moving our heads and feet to the musings of the 1000mph drums and bass. A big shout out has to go to the bassist.. ridiculously talented man. Possibly the best ive ever seen live. The crappy picture shows how manic and small that venue was.

Only complaint is that they didn't play my favourite song :( 'God Loves A Liar'. Otherwise.. Amazing night. Very warmed up for the next few weeks.

Peace

x

Stables of fun....- New Young Pony Club, Lets Go Disco @ Sheffield Union, 7/5/2010

Yey i love free gigs. Especially ones of bands from my past. New Young Pony Club (or NYPC as they will now be called to save time while typing) was from my late school/early 6Th form years. Their indie electro pop sound is one that reminds me of years of indie club nights and festival playlists. This was a club night gig again so was late. Great fun though.

The support was in 2 forms. One band and one DJ. The music was supplied by Nicola Bear (Ibiza Rocks / Reclaim The Dance floor) a great indie mix for the night including underground and popular indie hits. The band was Maps Of Columbus... possibly the most insane band I've ever witnessed. Drugged up? Drunk? I dunno but it was very funny. As far as the music goes... meh. Was very stereotypical 2007/2008 indie sound. Nothing to shout about. However the performance its self was! With such achievements as getting the entire crowd to chant 'BADGER, BADGER, BADGER!' they instantly clicked and well and truly warmed up the small but eager crowd.

NYPC time and i totally forgot the majority of the band was female. Singer, keys and drummer all female.. all pretty hot. Through the set I'm gunna admit.. i fell in love with the keyboard player a little. Stunning. The band opened with my favorite NYPS (which i was a little gutted about) 'Get Lucky'. Was great to be fair and got the crowd bopping about. They played all their big songs and 4 or 5 off their new album. First gig Ive been to in a while where 1) the crowd was all guaranteed over 18 and 2)PEOPLE DANCED! The lead singer had a good set of lungs on her and lots of energy. As a whole the set was a lot of fun.. the drunken times afterwards also was a good laugh.. well what i remember.

Peace

x

TUNE IT IN JOHN!! CORRIE'S ON!! - 65DaysOfStatic, Sheffield Octagon, 6/5/2010

The most wonderful thing about this gig is the fact i got to meet and interview the band before hand.. well, no i lied. The most spectacular wonderful thing about this gig is that it was amazing and FREE! I'm not a tight ass but a free gig that i enjoy... the perfect gift.

The interview went really well (with help from Mike on camera.. kinda). It was Joe, the 'lead' of the band, i had the satisfaction of meeting and questioning. Friendly chap with lots to say about how he's been truly inspired by decent music and good times. An edited video of the interview will be online soon enough (ill link it when its done).

Anyway on with the gig! This is 65days biggest ever home town gig. After all they are born and bread Steel City goodness. It felt homely and proud, like a decent mug of Yorkshire Tea. The Octagon hasn't been used much of recent months. I think the music scene blames the Academy for this. Big corporate venue booking all the bands and all... bastards.. but not for 65days!! From interviewing Joe i learnt that this venue had some meaning for him anyway and that they wanted to stick to a proper Sheffield venue for this gig. And I'm very very happy they did.

I'll mention the support... but that's about it. Firstly, Nerdy. A Bjork esc lead singer mixed with a brick left on a synth on full blast. I say Bjork, if Bjork was being forced to push a Land rover up her fanny, that's about the right sound of her voice. This was followed by Loops Haunt.. a man with a skill... a skill to push buttons in time with a 4/4 beat. That's all he did. One long 30 min song where he pushed buttons and spun something now and again to change the sound or make a squeeky effect... actually suicidal. I have no idea why these two supported 65DOS but all i was thinking at this point was 'If they don't blow my mind.. im gunna be pissed off i had to sit through this bollocks'.

They made up for it.

The new album is a lot dancier than the older stuff but it mixed perfectly within the set list. Opening with 'Go Complex' off the new album, straight off the mark everybody was moving one way or another. As the set went on, people got heavier and livelier with their dancing. The band themselves had an aura about them that can only be explained as a mix of the atmospheric feel of Radiohead and energy of someone like Fall Out Boy (early, good FOB) yet the music sounds like neither. 65 have no lyrics in their songs. 65 have no set time signature. 65 have no typical song layout. Live, they are pure energy and atmosphere through music. Heavy guitars, beating drums, thriving synth. Its just pure sex. They went on to play songs of both old and new including 'Tiger Girl', '65 Doesn't Understand You', 'A Failsafe', 'Await Rescue', 'Dance, Dance, Dance' and the fantastic 'Retreat! Retreat!' to which, the very little, amount of lyrics/words were screamed back at the band before people were jumping, spinning, moshing, raving about the venue like a room full of epileptic fits.

All the way through the set i couldn't help but feel a faint sense of horror in the bassist eyes. He looked angry, murderous you might say. Yet there was a distance in his eyes of reality. So into the music he was. He seemed to lose concept of normal human facial expressions. It was fun.

They ended the set (after going off and coming back on for the encore) with a true bang. 'Radio Protector' with the slow piano start is simply spine tingling live. Every person in that venue knew what was coming and as the piano got louder and higher in pitch, we all including the band went stiff for a second before those wonderful drums kick in with toms and crashes that make muscles you didn't even knew you had move in ways you never thought possible... that was only the first couple of minutes of the song. Never mind the 'breakdown' before the massive explosion of the song that turns into the pure rhythmic spiral orgy of dance, classical and rock that is the final 3 mins of the song. I know Ive gone on about one song for an entire paragraph... but it really is that good.

SEE THIS BAND! That's my only advise. They are playing Tramlines Festival in Sheffield on the 25Th July for FREE! Take some time out and just see them.

Peace

x

Late Night Reading - The Book Club, Flux Club @ The Leadmill, 2/5/2010

Well the award for first band with 2 reviews goes to *drum roll*... THE BOOK CLUB!! Well, technically not... i saw Frankie T 2 days in a row but i did both gigs in one review. So that don't count.

Any who... This gig was a club night gig so was a late one. Book Club went on stage about half 11ish. No support. Therefore this will be short un'. This was however in the main room of The Leadmill. It'd been a while since a gig in this room, first one of 2010 if my memory is correct. SO the band came on stage to a medium sized crowd and a pretty small cheer. 'Hi's and 'thank's straight away then into 'Justice for the 96' followed straight into 'Anarchist'. To be honest the entire set list was pretty standard Book Club.. mainly due to the fact there is only 1 demo and 1 EP to go off. Half way through the set they did spring a new one onto the crowd that seemed to go well. Before playing their most famous song 'Somewhere Near Oxford'. Which to my surprise i turned round to see the crowd had grew and quite a few people sang along. Throughout the night Joe winked, nodded and smiled at various people in the crowd (presuming he knew them) which gave the gig a more homely, unsigned feel. Ending the set with the newest released single 'Wheelbarrows for Wallets' they went off stage with a big thanks to the crowd. Another fine set from Joe and the gang. A true decent home grown band. God Bless Sheffield.

Peace

x

Jock Takeover - Biffy Clyro, Sheffield Academy, 30/04/2010

The level of Biffy Clyro's success is a varying one. Two years ago i saw them on the main stage at Leeds Fest. Back then they were a big'ish' rock band with one or two realised songs that truly got a lot of air time. Since then at least 4 songs have been realised and another album which has truly propelled Biffy and especially lead singer Simon Neil into the lime light. With the new album they've gone for a more main stream sound than previous tracks. Withs songs such as 'Mountains' and 'The Captain' played constantly where ever you go. The day before the gig they announced a UK arena tour and main support for Muse at Wemberly Stadium... ultimately reflecting the success they really are. So this potentially is the last ever Biffy Clyro Academy tour. This was certainly not a gig to be missed.

I went to the gig alone.. sad i know but i didn't wanna miss out. I had no idea who the support were when i went in either. I went straight from work and again seen as i was alone... i had nothing to do but go straight in. I'm so glad i did.

Opening was the local but arising synth driven mathcore band Rolo Tomassi. With a new album on its way (Cosmology) I'm guessing this opener slot was to get their name out there. Not to mention the fact they seem to be playing every festival going this summer. Their performance was short lived but impressive. Lead singer Eva is what a female front woman should be. Good looking and a little mental. The crowd didn't seem to impressed... I feel it may of been a bit heavy for them. Problem is my money was on that 75% of the crowd know Biffy through Radio 1 and have no idea how heavy they are live. As an opener goes, Rolo Tomassi were great on paper. Loud, fast and energetic. I thought Biffy was on next, i had no idea there was to by another little surprise.

The Twilight Sad... If you haven't heard of them. Listen to them. Think a cross between Editors and Biffy and you have the general idea. Now these were the perfect support. The 30-40 min set was perfect in its atmospheric heartfelt sound. The crowd was pretty quiet and watched in a sense or awe. The lighting helped, who ever they take on tour with them did a great job. They didn't say much while playing but didn't need to. Ending the set with 'Cold Days From The Birdhouse' The Twilight Sad made me feel happy i turned up early. Happy i was at work till 6 not leaving enough time to go home. Happy i bought the ticket 6 months previous on a whim that i would have anyone to go with.

The sold out crowd started to grow and grow and get more and more cramped. Biffy took to the stage half naked (top half) which only led me to think 'Well i suppose you save on washing'. Opening with a heavier than recorded version on 'Golden Rule' the crowd cheered with excitement. The hard hitting songs like 'Shock Shock' and 'Saturday Superhouse' seemed to split the crowd. Half instantly loved it and went mental, the other half looked confused for the first few seconds to almost say 'This isn't biffy... its too heavy'. What that latter half seem to be blissfully unaware of is that Biffy Clyro are a rock band.. not an indie band as they have naively seen as of recent months.

They can also chill the crowd with softer tracks including 'Many Of Horror', 'God and Satan', 'Machines' and 'Justboy' before inspiring them into chorus with the more rock orientated hits like 'Who's Got a Match', 'Mountains', and 'The Captain'. Biffy cover all grounds with their live performances. The bare-chested and bearded Simon Neil is as wild a front man as you'd ever want to see and hear while flame haired bassist James and his drummer brother Ben also engage themselves to the crowd, who can't help but lap up the unique atmosphere. For the mainstream songs such as 'There's No Such Thing As A Jaggy Snake' the crowd responded well with hardcore fans singing along and going mental. Its apparent at this gig that its the recent album that's truly captured the nations heart. The encore consisted of 4 songs 'Cloud Of Stink', 'Machines' which had the crowd singing passionately along, 'Convex, Concave' and 'The Captain' which was the perfect way to end the night with a massive amount of movement and singalong waving of arms.

I advise people to see this band one way or another. They do not fail to impress.

Peace

x

EEAAAGGGLLLEEEE - Joshua Radin - Academy 2, Manchester, 22/04/2010

Ah man I'm behind on these things. Ive been busy doing uni and other stuff. I will get them all done before the festival season though!!!

Anyway so Joshua Radin is solo singer songwriter from Ohio, USA. If I'm entirely honest i didn't know a ridiculous amount of his music when i went to this gig. But i looked at it from 3 angles.
1. The stuff i did know i do genuinely love.
2. He's on the brink of getting big and this could be the last small venues he plays.
3. I heard he's fantastic live. I never pass on that opportunity.

I was however a bit worried... with his recent fame... would it have the Owl City effect (as its now formally known) where i love a band/artist then go see them live to be surrounded by Radio 1 loving 12 year olds....

So Manchester bound me, Kit and Mads went! Usual deal for a Manc gig... Nice drive through the peaks and pre gig Subway/McD's. We got into the queue just in times for doors. I'd never been in academy 2 before.. 1 is the big one (see Owl City entry) and 3 is the small one upstairs which i had the delight of seeing Bromheads Jacket in on their, essentially, last ever tour. When walking into academy 2 it felt like I'd walked into a school hall. Stage at one end, long and fairly evenly rectangle with a high rise roof. Basketball court sized to a tee. The sound of the room could of gone one of two ways.

First on were 3 very English girls in the form of 'The Staves'. 3 sisters from Watford, they throughout the night felt like Joshua's younger siblings. The three beauties boast angelic, enchanting harmonies led by nothing but the acoustic guitar of older sister Jessica. It was enchanting in its vocal perfection to watch and really did seem to blow, the more mature/musically respectful members of, the audience away.

Next was a long, blond, electric guitar mistress sandwiched between two bearded musicians, who came out right on cue to inject a little bit of funk rock into the now serene audience. Her name was 'Lissie'. The three of them on stage very much reminded me of a country funk rock Blondie. No other way to explain it. Kudos goes to the 'bassist' of the three who somehow managed to play an entire drum kit at the same time as slapping the hell out of his bass. The Staves and Lissie were the perfect mix of support for Joshua Radin.

After an agonising 40 minute wait Joshua Radin took to the stage. Now it was a long time ago now so I'm not going to go into details of the night but just concentrate on the bits that truly stood out for me. Firstly the stage banter.. Never have i seen someone take the stage quite like this guy. He's funny, charming and has the talking voice that quite literally made underwear fall off the women in the room. His reactions to the crowds heckles and constant little stories in between songs didn't get old. At one point someone shouted something at him to which he responded 'YEAH! ... People shout things at me and i have no idea what they mean. Yet everybody in the room laughs... its a British thing I'm sure'. HAIL BRITANNIA!

Onto the music and simply his voice. The man must have a massive set of lungs on him. At various points throughout the night he simply stood away from the mic and filled that School Hall room with his booming yet perfectly pitched voiced. Most gigs i go to its all about the music and sing alongs. This was a performance of his voice. The music mealy backed him along. With an outstanding performance of songs such as 'Brand New Day', 'You Got Growing Up To Do' and the song as made famous by Scrubs 'Winter' the night was a calming one that made me thankful for just experiencing it. Speaking of his ties with Scrubs... the only complaint i have of the entire night was the group of idiot teenage boys that stood in the middle holding a sign simply saying 'WE LOVE SCRUBS' and shouting crap all night... morons, provide me a noose and i will happily kick away the chair.

The inevitable happened with the big song and sing along of the night been the one that's had some radio time 'I'd Rather Be With You' ... to even Joshua explained his shock in this all of a sudden fame and love for that song. He explained that the entire UK tour was because of the sudden love for the song and he wanted to share the rest of his music with the fans.

As a whole its safe to say it was a great gig. He was a thankful man to his fans and he gave his whole heart in his performance. He said himself he loves the UK crowds comparing us to the US ones because we 'just listen and enjoy'. The man has a cracking voice on him and I'm 99% sure he impregnated a few women in that room without even trying.. maybe even a couple of the guys too.

Peace

x

Rolling Unplugged - Bowling For Soup (An Acoustic Evening with Jaret and Erik) - Sheffield Academy 2, 16/04/2010

I'd seen Bowling For Soup only 6 months ago in this very building. Granted in the main room and was a full band but still. I didn't know what to expect from 'An Acoustic Night With Jaret and Erik' but i looked forward to it very very much.

The support was in the form of a guy called Bob Schneider. A solo acoustic artist with the same satire comedic lyrics of BFS. Very enjoyable and a fantastic warm up for the headliners if I'm honest. Well picked and well played. Already this felt like more of a comedy show than a gig.

BFS came onto stage to rapturous applause. This is BFS stripped down to just the vocalist and the bass player, but both playing acoustic guitars. It was an intimate setting, a couple of chairs, some table lamps and a lectern holding the BFS Songbook. The gig to be talked about properly has to be divided into 2 parts. The comedy/banter side and the music.

Firstly the banter. From Monty Python impressions to stories (mostly made up for comedy effect) about shagging each others dogs and mums Jaret and Erik are naturally funny.

Music wise, hearing the BFS back catalogue unplugged in this way gave it a different dimension. You really appreciate how good these two are at vocals & harmonies and what cracking songs they write, (although we later discovered that Erik is a songwriter and Jaret is a song maker-upper). They took requests from the audience (although ignored the frequent calls for Emily - which I imagine is a bitch to play on an acoustic guitar), played songs from years ago through to the brilliant latest album ("Sorry for Partyin'") and, after discovering that Two-Seater had the same chord progression as a recently revived Journey song, they played a blinding version of Don't Stop Believing. Outdoing Glee by a country mile. The song that really had the crowd singing along was obviously 'Girl All The Bad Guys Want' most likely because its the song that every single person knew even if they got dragged along to the gig by their partner, kids or mate. 2 and a half hours they played.... 2 and a half god damn hours. I'm not complaining as it was a fantastic show but i use 'God Damn' in its shocked form. They literally played a bit of everything. From songs that Erik had wrote and sang for a previous band to the Phineas and Ferb theme tune famously by them.

Just a cracking, intimate night filled with sing alongs and laughs. I'd advise any BFS fan to see them in this way.

Peace

x

Steel City Musical Treat - The Backhanded Compliments, The Forum, Sheffield 08/04/2010

Local music in Sheffield has lacked in its fame recently but what still remains from the 2004-2008 scene are some great great bands. Possibly the greatest is Backhanded Compliments. Consisting of Greeny and Tom from Milburn and Ryan (housemate of Greeny). This gig was a round up of a few local bands.

We got there and to my surprise the Mike Hughes gig wasn't a gig.... it was a video of a gig on a projector. Still it was enjoyable.

The first band on was Mike Hughes' band with Tim Hampton (Bromheads) called Lenders in the Temple. They're unique sound of Bob Dylan esc vocals and guitar mixed with Primal Scream esc drumming seemed to leave people impressed. Myself however, as much as i enjoyed it, much prefer to see Tim on guitar and singing :) but what can i say... i love Bromheads.

Backhanded Compliments came onto stage to a crowd made up of family, friends and die hard fans (some of which Milburn fans, some just love them themselves). So plenty of people to sing along. They don't have a lot of material to play seen as they've only been around just less than a year but what they did play was great. Some off both the first demo and the newest released EP. Tom isn't a big chatter on stage so there wasn't much banter but they made up for it in the music. With Greeny quite literally going mental on the drums songs like 'Radio Blockage' and 'Black Sparks' had enough energy in them to have my feet tapping and head nodding without me even realising. First demo songs such as 'The Mansion' and 'Annabel Was Her Name' had a few people quietly singing along.

I hope to god that these get big.. they are just a great band both recorded and live. If they got a decent active crowd their gigs would be one to remember forever. Don't get me wrong tonight was great, they sounded great and i enjoyed it but a proper fan filled crowd singing their heart outs along with Tom would of topped it off. Greeny been one of my drumming idols truly proved himself why once again tonight, just such a great great drummer.

Bowling For Soup acoustic gig next.

Peace

x

'The night of the living dead is on its way...' - Mayday Parade, Corp, 04/04/2010

Short one. Mainly because i remember little....

Mayday Parade were Great! A lot of fun and sing songs. Opening with 'Jersey' was a perfect start and including 'Three Cheers for Five Years' made me a very happy chappy. Great performance from a great pop-punk band. Met the singer afterwards at the merch stand and he was a top lad too. Told me they were opening as 'friends' to Madina Lake... thank god... so much better than the other two bands.

In between MP and WATO... a lot happened. For some reason me and some scruffy looking emo kid started fighting. All i know is that i had a bruise on my forehead and he had a bleeding mouth, Adam rightly dragged me away... he deserved it the little prick. *disclosure* i am in no way a fighter, i do not condole it. he started it and got what he deserved.


We Are The Ocean.... meh, from what i remember it was loud and made no sense. Last time i saw these we supported em and they were better from what i remember. May be the alcohol.

Madina Lake... i watched these from the bar. They weren't bad... pretty good live band if I'm honest. Just not my cuppa tea. I felt about as comfortable as Hitler in a Synagogue... also... i seem to remember confetti.


Backhanded Compliments next,

Peace

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'Somewhere Near The Big Wheel'...ish - The Book Club, Frog and Parrot, 01/04/2010

Free gig at Frog and Parrot to celebrate the launch of their newest single/video... good stuff. Gig started at half 10 so been at work till half 9 meant i didn't miss it... Great stuff.

So first on way the F&P regular Mike Hughes. Seen him here before and reviewed him for his headline gig (mid Jan). Once again he provides a great performance with his Bob Dylan esc sound, he fills the room with warmth. With Beatles and Dylan covers included. The highlight been his fantastic song 'Shake the Shakes'.

Now The Book Club... or Joe Carnall and The Book Club (formally known as). The buzz around this band mainly comes from the lead singer been the infamous (in Sheffield at least) Joe Carnall, singer from Milburn. Book Club has a very similar feel to Milburn yet a maturity that shines through. This been their (hopefully) final line up after many changes. I saw this bands first ever last summer in The, now shut down, Shakespeare pub. Back then it was Greeny (from Milburn) on drums, Louis (from Milburn) on guitar, Joe (from Milburn) lead and Andy (ex Arctic Monkeys) on bass. Andy now in Rev and Makers, Greeny in Backhanded Compliments and Louis..... hopefully still alive. Then again in various places including the Bowery, tramlines, Harley and leadmill. But this was smaller and a celebration.

I knew the majority of the songs from been to many of their gigs and been a keen fan online so i was looking forward to their new material been preformed live. I can't remember the exact order if I'm honest (was a couple of weeks ago) but 'Somewhere Near Oxford' was a cracker of a live un'. Probably their most well known tune, they burst into the chorus with many singing along to which Joe looks and smiles. New (ish) songs included the video track 'Wheelbarrows for Wallets' that includes a fantastic line 'The red tops tell us we're drowning, and the broadsheets say we're using too much water...' simple in its greatness. Also 'What was said on the Landing' made another great appearance in the set list. For me either an old favorite 'The Test' or new (again..ish) song 'Justice for the 96' stood out as best song of the set. 'The Test' because i love it... biased. But 'Justice for the 96' because previously seeing Joe preform this solo acoustic, i knew what this was about. The Hillsborough Disaster is a big deal for any born and bred Steel City civilian. But the heart and soul put into this song for that purpose comes across live and really does show how much Joe loves his city. Great great song.

Overall was a nice gig, nice to see Joe again (playing and to have a quick chat with) also nice to see some Sheffield faces showing their support. What makes the city what it is and music scene as great as it is.

Mayday Parade (well...kinda) next but after that another Sheffield Music gig in the form of Backhanded Compliments.

One last note for anyone who reads this from Sheffield. If you like gigs you'll be pleased to know 'Sheffield Gig Goers' are back!!! http://www.facebook.com/dyall?ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=4217199987&ref=ts there's the link. Join it for news on gigs in Sheffield, comps and various other info. Truly a bunch of great guys and gals who are passionate about their live music.

Peace

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Its been a good year, a good new begining... - Motion City Soundtrack, Leeds Cockpit 23/03/2010

My Dinosaur Life is my album of the year so far. I love every song from the go and it even claimed its place in vinyl I’ve shipped in from the US. So a chance to see Motion City Soundtrack at The Cockpit, Leeds was something in which no way I would miss out on. Greatest thing about this wasn’t the only one who felt like this so I had someone to go with!

And luckily again...Mike and Jesse decided to tag along too so travel wasn’t a problem. I love our little road trips to gigs. The excitement, the music, the wondering if Jesse is gunna break down and leave us stranded. Fun times.
So Leeds bound we went. Found a place to park, passed the highest cash machine in the world and headed for the station to meet Dillon and grab a Subway. Standard. After in depth conversation about ways in which to kill hookers over a 6inch meatball Sub it was gig time.

First Cockpit gig if the year so I’ll say a few words about it. Its dark, it’s a bit dingy, it’s small; it’s more like a mini airplane hangar than a ‘cockpit’. It’s Corp but Leeds. First act on was Jenny Owen Youngs, a normally solo singer/songwriter that screamed ‘JUNO SOUNDTRACK!’ at you. This isn’t a bad thing. Mixing funny with sad and rude lyrics with nice guitar riffs and a quiet yet powerful voice sounded great. Yet a bit repetitive. The Good thing about all this was the fact she had a ‘band’ behind her, members of Motion City and her own bassist assisted her in making her quiet acoustic songs in lovely harmonious tales of rise and falls of love and life. She stated at one point that this was the first time they’d ever been played together, they were impressive. Listening to her previously I was a bit worried that she would be alone on stage, that would have been dull. Thankfully this wasn’t the case.

For Motion City Soundtrack however I had no doubts at all I would be fully entertained. Their music screams good times and from Justin’s blogs and twitter I knew they were gunna funny and fun.

They came on stage to start with the great opening track from My Dinosaur Life ‘Worker Bee’. Which in its self states ‘It’s been a good year, a good new beginning....’ And that for Motion City it had. I’d say I good 90% of the crowd knew every word to all the new albums songs. Presumably the other 10% had come from been a fan of the first couple of albums. Couple of songs in and they played the BIG one. ‘The Future Freaks Me Out’ mealy needed Justin to sing “I’m on fire...” for the entire crowd to sing every remaining word of the intro back to them as loud as humanly possible. Everyone was bouncing around and having a good time. This is what is was all about. The entire band go crazy when playing, the keyboardist literally rags his keys about to the extent at point I thought he was gunna drop em.
‘Pulp Fiction’ had a warm welcome into the set before kicking into ‘@!#?@!’ which swear induced lyrics had people starting a small pit as well as smiling as singing ‘you all need to go away you mother fuckers!’. The other new song that stood out for me in the main set was ‘Her Words Destroyed My Planet’. I didn’t realise until now how big a song this is. Especially live it seems to have this feeling you wanna just jump around with arms in the air. Great stuff. Some older songs they played included ‘My Favourite Accident’, ‘When Your Around’ and the great ‘LG Fraud’. All showed that what they have on the new album they always had to an extent.

For the encore they played my favourite song off the new album ‘Disappear’.... the way in which the song starts is simply mind blowing. This showed even more live. Such a great great way to start the end of the night. The actual end was in the form of the superb song off the album Commit This to Memory ‘Everything is Alright’. Great end to a great gig. With recent rumours/self confirmations of them playing Leeds Fest... I know I won’t be missing them.

Peace

X

We wasn't nineteen forever... - The Courteeners, Sheffield Academy 19/03/2010

Now if I’m honest I don't remember too much of this one. Nicky Jackson is a bad influence. I don't usually drink before gigs but been the 4th or 5th time we've seen this band together I thought it was only polite to do it properly. So a pint or two with tea... 4 pack of cider... then head to the venue for a couple more before the support band.... oh dear this was gunna be a headache.

With this gig been sold out before I had a chance to get tickets I have a friend to thank for this, guest list is a glorious thing. To make things worse on the alcohol front I had friends on the bars doing me good deals.... oh dear oh dear.

We got there and stood a little back to watch the support band.... The Whip (pic above)... last time i saw these was in 08 at 3volution Festival in Newcastle. They were shite then and not much better now if I’m honest. But neither the less their dancy indie pop got the crowd going (not to mention a distinct similarity to the dancier songs on The Courteeners latest album). Although it was nice to see all but one of the Courteeners (bet you can't guess which one thinks he's too big to hang around the public...) we're stood behind us and even had a chat with us. Good times.

Any who we moved into the crowd and waited for Liam & Co to come and show us a good time once again. We managed to get pretty close. By this time I was...tipsy to say the least. So I was ready to go for it. So were the other couple of thousand people in the venue. It got very squashed very quickly; I expected from this the gig to be pretty still one just very tight. I couldn’t of been more wrong.

They came on and instantly burst into ‘Cavorting’ to which every person in that sold out gig bounced to and sang every word. I’d never seen the academy this crazy. I’ve seen Bloc Party, Kasabian, Bowling For Soup, You Me At Six plus loads more in here. This was mental. Once finished with that they carried straight into the pre-first album hit ‘Acrylic’. To which I found myself arm round Nicky singing in an almost football chant way. I turned round and majority of the crowd were doing exactly the same.

After that I don’t really remember much apart from singing along a lot. But going by the set list I somehow acquired.... they played a lot of new songs divided up with the big hitters off the first album such as ‘Kings Of The New Road’, ‘Please Don’t’ and mine and Nicky’s anthem ‘Bide Your Time’... easily the song of the gig for me. I remember thinking ‘if it meant losing my voice by singing as loud as possible to this one... it was will be worth it’.

For the first encore only Fray stayed on stage to play ‘Rest of the World’ and a superb acoustic solo version of ‘No You Didn’t’.

Second Encore the entire band came on to play their current single off the new album ‘You over Did It Doll’ which had the crowd dancing rather than bouncing. This song didn’t really take my fancy at first but live... it defiantly won me over. The last two songs were a non brainer really. The biggest two songs (in the media eyes) off the first album. ‘Not Nineteen Forever’... which actually reminded me that I was 20 for first time seeing them... and ‘What Took You So Long?’ which had the crowd chanting ‘Wooohh ohh oooo woh oh oh ohhhhh’ all the way home (if you know the song you’ll know how that supposed to sound).

After the gig I got more battered on very cheap booze and somehow found my way back to Nicky’s where he was already asleep..... No idea. But it was fun.
Next one is Motion City Soundtrack. Granted they have the best album of the year so far in my eyes, it should be swwwveeeet.

Peace

X

I think I have an addiction.... I best talk to Frank :D - Frank Turner, Manchester and Leeds Academy 17,18/03/2010

Mainly because I'm lazy but also due to the fact that i would be repeating my self a lot.. I'm gunna do both Frank dates in one entry.

The opening support for both dates came from Crazy Arm. A punk band from the UK, both nights they were full of energy and impressed the crowd. Opening slot at an academy gig has gotta be hard with people arriving as your playing. But they managed and did a great job. Ending on a song with, the second support act, Chuck Ragan. Their singing voices been complete opposite, this could of been a mess yet it seemed to flow brilliantly. Good job, crowd warmed up for Chuck.

For many years Chuck Ragan was the front man of a great punk band called Hot Water Music. In a similar way to Frank Turners change in heart, Chuck also went from punk rock to folk. More specifically southern America folk. The rest of his 'band' didn't help this feeling. With a double bassist looking like simply a 'hick' and a violinist with a massive hair/beard mix, difficult to see where one starts and one ends mixed with the gruff 40 fags an hour voice of the Lost character look-a-like of Chuck... It felt like Texas had invaded our ear drums. Never the less, he was great. He was thankful to frank, he bid thanks to his wife, his friends Alkaline Trio and teased the crowd with news of a collaboration with Brain from The Gaslight Anthem. He was a stand up guy. Music wise for me at both gigs his performance of 'The Boat' was the highlight of his set. Mainly because its the one i know the best.

Ah..... Frank Turner. So many lyrics of yours help me through day to day problems. It helps me give advise. It helps me take advise. No matter what mood I am in... Frank Turner can be heard. So two days of Frank for me is two days of heaven.

This tour is a weird one... October saw the 'Poetry Of The Deed' tour (which was amazing) but this one was simply titled 'Always On Tour, Tour'.. so i didn't know what to expect set list wise. I wasn't disappointed. At both venues the crowd was warmed up with songs from Frightened Rabbit and Bob Dylan playing through the speaker system. For them the lights to drop. The FTHC logo projected onto the large white screen behind the drum kit and the indistinguishable sound of Franks guitar playing the first few chords of 'Photosynthesis'... stunning. Every single person in both venues sang every word. And he loved it. He went on then to play 'Try This At Home' followed by 'Once We Were Anarchists'. TTAH was a fantastic second song that had everyone dancing about. OWWA was perfect for the long term fans (being off the first album)and gave this sense of knowing and commitment, for him to recognise this was a fan favorite it showed he knew his roots. At both Manchester and Leeds he played the songs would expect. But been a 21 song set at both venues he swapped and changed the order and a couple of songs. In Manchester, to my utter shock, he played 'Hold Your Tongue', off the First 3 Years album (a gathering of rarities, b sides and alternative recordings) this was not expected. It was stunning. Him solo on stage preforming this truly separated the fans from the one album lovers. Following this with a beautiful version of 'Jet Lag'.... I was gobsmacked. In Leeds he played 'Dan's Song' but for a twist got a member of the public on stage to do the harmonica solo. Luckily the girl who went up knew the words to the song, had some sense of rhythm and had enough balls to get the crowd clapping and the lot. He followed this with 'Casanova Lament'. One of my favorite Frank songs. This was getting too much. A pinnacle moment in this song was just before the first chorus he looks up at the crowd and smiles. Heartwarming stuff. At both gigs he played all the fan favorites that rang the venues with passionate sing along such as 'The Real Damage', 'I Knew Prufrock', 'Take You Home' and of course 'Ballad Of Me & My Friends' which had the thousands of fans shouting "AND WE'RE DEFIANTLY GOING TO HELL!" ... as always (11Th and 12Th time for me) a stunning spectacle that fills me up to the point of tears. I love Frank Turner and this is the reason why. The reason thousands do.

The Manchester gig was on Paddy's day. Frank had already stated he doesn't like Guinness at the beginning of the gig but does enjoy a Jameson's. When he came back on for the encore he said 'What day are we celebrating today then? Wednesday?' ... I wasn't having that so i chucked my green paddy's day hat on stage (suitably decorated with the Frank Turner logo).... he picked it up!!! Someone else then threw one on stage. He looked at mine and laughed. Shouted Chuck on stage and simply said 'Which one do you want? I'll wear one if you do?'. I was praying chuck took the other one sop frank would wear mine! He did! but then to 'chuck' (excuse the pun) it into the crowd. Then snatching mine/franks and doing the same... ugh, knob. Aw well, frank had hold of it. Good times.

At the Manchester gig for the encore he came back on to play a duet with Chuck Ragen which he simply called 'Revival Song' which he told the tale of him and Chuck on the Revival tour in the US. At both venues he closed the show with 'St Christopher' and probably his biggest hit (in terms of lime light) 'The Road' which seemed a perfect end with the venues both ringing with 'I face the horizon everywhere I go,
I face the horizon the horizon is my home' as the band left the stage and the fans left with grins and smiles all around.

Moments of the gigs - Manchester was either Ballad or Hold Your Tongue. Leeds was Casanova Lament.. Amazing. (http://www.youtube.com/user/JimBobBTVS?feature=mhw4#p/a/u/0/6osylh2H2Hg)

I realised after the gig over all the times I've seen him there is only one song i haven't seen him play that i would want to. 'Thatcher Fucked The Kids'. Maybe one day.

HE HAD FAKE T SHIRTS FOR SALE OUTSIDE! Shockingly... he is that big. Following him from practically nothing, this was a nice sight if anything. Although i write this (very late) in the knowledge that he is also on the FIRST announcement for Leeds Fest... That's a massive deal.

Got some more of these things to write, but these gigs, this week... was mind blowing. Same again soon i hope.

Peace

x

Very Scared Hamster?..... Yeah I know... Lame.... - Frightened Rabbit , Leadmill 2, Sheffield 12/03/2010

Less excitable gig tonight. High expectations though.

Frightened Rabbit are a Scottish indie rock band. For any person who hasn't heard of them... LISTEN TO THEM. THEY ARE AMAZING! If your unsure and only listen to mainstream stuff i'll say this.... imagine Biffy Clyro mixed with Mumford & Sons... take that.... times 2000 in mind blowingness ... Wah la.. Frightened Rabbit.

I'll keep this short. Mainly due to the fact i haven't got much to say... i was drinking during the support band and was speechless for the main act.... but here i go trying.

Sold Out Leadmill - Steel Stage is always a fantastic sight and crowd to be in. Everyone in that room (with exception of partners, mates and random guest list spots) went speciffically for FR. Majority i imagine fell in love from first listen. They have that effect. They came on about 9ish (even though they themselves had just sound checked their equipment)to a great sound i haven't heard in a while. Cheers from a small enough crowd you can hear ever individual person. The band could too.

They kicked off the set with a song of the new album called 'Skip The Youth'. Great start. The crowd who had the album for a while seemed to know the words and the rest stood in silence and amazement. Well...all apart from one bald bloke... he was jumping about like a lunatic all the way through their entire set. After they finished the bald guy heckled something on the lines of 'That was awesome!' to what Scott (Lead singer) responded amusingly with 'Thank you kind sir. We will try to keep it up. We should take you to all our gigs'. I could tell instantly this band were a fun loving, respectful, honest band. A rarity these days.

Following this they played a stunning rendition of 'The Modern Leper', 'Old Old Fashioned', 'Loneliness & The Scream' and 'The Wrestle' all in my eyes were perfect to the last note, can't complain one bit.

Out of the entire first half of the set the most two stand out performances were the last two songs. 'Twist' and recent single 'Swim Until You Can't See Land' had people moving a bit and the bald guy going crazy. Scott full of energy, thrashed around the stage on the solo's and break downs.

Second half of the set was as good as if not better than the first with songs including 'Head Roll Off' and 'Good Arms vs Bad Arms'. Both passionately sang and getting Scott to the point of dripping with sweat. His broad Scottish accent live is a spectacle and a half in its own. You can't help but sing along in the same accent. To do it in a Yorkshire twang would be insulting to his work.

Encore time. And the best 15 mins of live music I've experienced in a long long time. This gig was a gig. Pure and simple. It wasn't a 'concert', It wasn't a 'show'. This was 5 music loving jocks playing for a crowd that quite simply was in awe of them. Kicking off with Scott alone on stage for a mesmerising solo acoustic performance of 'Poke' followed by a crowd hopping and pleasing 'Living In Colour' with finally ending on an emotional, energetic, ecstatic 'Keep Yourself Warm'. With Scott literally spitting as he sings from the bottom of his heart "But, you won't find love in a, Won't find love in a hole, It takes more than fucking someone,To keep yourself warm" with his eyes closed and bashing/strumming the guitar like a drum. The song climaxed in a mash up of solo's and skill. They went off to massive applause and great amount of respect to all that just witnessed.

Great great gig. Listen to them, see them live. You won't regret it.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip next.. bit of a change in style. Should be fun.

Peace

x

Hip Hop.. Me? Nooooooo.... Really? - Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Sheffield Union 14/03/2010

Now I'm not normally the type to go to hip hop or dance gigs. The venues 'Tuesday club' is something that literally makes my stomach turn at the thought of. Yet Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip (or DLSvSP for the case of typing so much) aren't hip hop as it normally comes. Their comedic element and fact that they are very very white and very very un-stereotypical makes them a massive indie scene rap 'band'. Their first album 'Angles' came out in 2008 and again to my surprise. I adored! 'Thou Shalt Always Kill' being the big single back then, they had an effect on scene that no one else had touched. Spoken word poetry to a hip-hop beat (since done by many many a band)... pretty much the same as just rap.... there is a difference though. Promise.

Sound Of Rum and B Dolan provided the support. I'd seen Sound Of Rum play before (or at least the lead singer) doing poetry at Leeds Fest last year... I didn't then or now have any part of me aspiring to see her again. B Dolan on the other hand....



Coming onto stage with a John Kennedy mask he bursts into a fantastic rap. A large white man with this much rhythm and speed is a rare sight. He takes the mask off but continues with the rapping. After a couple of songs he stops to talk to the crowd and talks about how its his first time in the UK, his first ever gig in the UK at that. He says how the fact we're all British he expected us all to be really smart... naive American. One song he took out a lump of what looked like American dollars and through them into the crowd... they weren't real :( but it was good besides. Three quarters way into his set someone shouted 'GET YOUR TITS OUT' to which he stripped off to reveal a slightly shabby Evel Knievel costume. This was starting to get funnier and funnier. He then went on to do 'a daring stunt'. Making a Steward lay on the stage for him to pretend he's on a motorbike and jump over him.... silly but it warmed to crowd to him so can't complain. Good set all around. Audience well warmed up for the headliners.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip time. This 'band' can only suit university venues in my eyes, dunno whether its the fact its 'poetry' or just the general nature of them but this venue seemed perfect. Opening with the obvious yet great 'Beat That My Heart Skipped' instantly had the entire crowd bouncing and singing along. The second album had only been released that day yet many people seemed to know the words to 'Sick Tonight' and 'The Beat'.... they have been previewing it on myspace for a week so yet something tells me it may of leaked early. The first album tracks were all great. With 'Look For The Woman' been a slower yet epic feeling atmosphere with Dan Le Sac singing his heart on while on the decks. 'Fixed' was a great performance too, the song that is inspired/spoofs Dizzee Rascal had the crowd bouncing their hands like it was a Jay-Z gig. New songs like 'Get Better' got a great response and gave me promise in the new album (to which I'd only listen through a couple of times prior the gig). Last 3 songs were the highlight for me though. First of all my song of the gig and probably their biggest song 'Thou Shalt Always Kill' filled up the room with a mass poetry reading. Only once ever have I seen so many people speak words in union (King Blues - What If Punk Rock Never Happened? at Corp...stunning). After this they went off only to come back to the encore that they previously announced... smooth. Last two songs consisted of the new song 'Great Britain' and fan favorite 'Letter From God To Man' which everyone sang along until Pip went off stage to rapturous applause. Dan stayed on stage to drop some 'heavy beats' for the 5 minutes of 'solo' he had to leave the crowd bouncing on the way home.

'Dan le Sac, Scroobius Pip, Singing hip-hop, as BEST we can' seemed to be a suitable lyric. Their best was great. I've only seem a handful of hip-hop artists but these wiped the floor with Dizzee and Lethal. I would advise anyone to go see these guys as they fit into so many mediums.

Next ... :D Frank Turner.... TWICE!! :D :D

I'm very very very very excited :D

Peace

x

You Me Hayley Jess Anna At About Half 7? Ok. - You Me At Six, Sheffield O2 Academy 11/03/2010

Ohh the first blog of a busy busy couple of weeks and I'm already late.... awwww well.

SO..a nice pop punk music night ahead of me. Lets start from the beginning. We got to the venue (O2 Academy) at about quarter past 7ish. MASSIVE QUEUE! It was no surprise. You Me At Six's fan base averages about 14 and female. This is where my recent trip to see Owl City came in handy. I found myself desensitised and not bothered by any of this. Stood near the front of the queue yet not in the queue i caught sight of a sign that read 'O2 Priority' .... I figured 'if you don't ask, you don't get'. So i asked... showed my phone and got in straight away :)

First band on, once we made our way into the crowd, was We The Kings. I am a big fan of the first album. Great pop songs in effect that i imagine would come across ina way taht All Time Low did recently on the Kerrang tour. I was wrong.... We The Kings out did all my expectations. Opening with 'She Takes Me High' the crowd (not surprisingly seen as they are a bigish pop punk band) joined in. Later they covered Jimmy Eat Worlds 'Middle'. The Cure's Robert Smith once said 'there are two types of covers, those which are note for note and those that have the artists own twist. Neither are bad. Neither are good.' ... This applied to the first. It was note for note with JEW. BUT not bad at all. Got the crowd going too. Although i felt old knowing every word. It was an 'old school' punk song to the majority of the crowd. Any who... WTK played couple more songs then ended on their big hit 'Check Yes Juliet' which had rapturous applause from all.

Next on were Forever The Sickest Kids. I had high hopes for these from friends experiences through to just the fact they are well known. They came on and i eagerly waited the first song. They only went and pulled out 'She's a Lady'... amazing.

Full of energy every member of the band (all 6 of them) went mental. With the lead singer and guitarist worryingly making explicit hand and tongue gestures towards the young girls in the crowd..... other wise.. amazing. From 'She's a lady' they went into 'Believe me I'm lying'. Another big hitter for fans and great sing along song. They continued to please the crowd with jumping and shouting until they finally played 'Whoa Oh'. The big one,every one was jumping up and down. To the point where i ended up at the front of the crowd..... great stuff :)

Now it was time for the headliners of this tour, You Me At Six. I wasn't that excited but i was eager to hear what they are like live. The crowd got tighter and i started to feel a little crushed watching the roadies sound check all the stuff. I didn't know whether it was because i was delirious from been squashed or if the one beer i drank went straight to my head but at one point i heard drums been sound checked yet no one was on the drum kit..... weird. The stage was also still surprisingly small, usually its only small for support bands.... weird again.


YM@6 came on to a piercing sound of screams and went straight into a song off their latest album 'Hold Me Down' called 'Safer To Hate Her'. The crowd knew every word and sang in unison with the lead singer Josh. Half way through the second song 'The Truth Is A Terrible Thing' i noticed a familiar face at the side of the stage. It was only Bring Me The Horizons lead singer and owner of the Sheffield based clothing company Drop Dead's Oli Sykes! Singing along too. Would of thought YM@6 was a bit timid for the hardcore singer. Friends perhaps? After a couple of more songs the band went off stage.... weird. The drum kit was taken away by roadies.... weirder. A minute or so later air raid sirens were blasted through the speaker system... 'ahh i see'. 'Consequence' was the next song to be played and when the drums kicked in, the curtain dropped to reveal a transparent platform in which the drum kit stood with ramps both sides for the rest of the band to play with. That explained the ghost drum kit i heard and the fact they had only about 20% of the available stage. To be honest the whole 'surprise' element could of gone a lot smoother. Felt slow and unnecessary to do it after 3 songs. If they opened with all this it would of been a lot more effective.

The rest of the set was a mix of new and old album. Nothing that exciting except a nice 'closer' in the form of 'Always Attract' attracting a massive sing along and arms/lighters in the air situation. The encore was where it got really fun. Coming back on, saying thanks then bursting into the intro for 'Save It For The Bedroom'... It was awesome! Been their biggest the song, every person in the crowd sang every word to their hearts content. Even i was jumping up and down with excitement. In the legendary 'bridge' of the song people screamed 'TOO LATE, SAVE IT FOR THE BEDROOM' at Josh making him smile every time he looked out at the crowd. For this and the memories of singing along to this at Corp... this was the song of the gig. After that energy drainer they played their final song. It was pretty obvious what it was going to be. 'Underdog' their most recent hit showed the devotion of the fans and sold out academy to this band. To top the set off i caught a drumstick :) good times.

As a whole the entire gig was very good. Unfortunately none of the 3 bands played my favorite songs - WTK didn't play 'August Is Over', FTSK didn't play 'Becky Starz' and YM@6 didn't play 'The Rumour'... besides this all three were great. Hats off especially to We The Kings and Forever The Sickest Kids for coming over and playing under a band of equal or perhaps even less status in the US. I felt they played to impress where the headliners played to satisfy.

After the gig we headed to the Leadmill for the after party where i met the majority of all three bands. Travis the lead singer of We The Kings was a genuinely nice guy and was very thankful for the support. At the bar i also had a good conversation with Caleb from FTSK. Discussing the fact that his $20 was worth about 3p over here and chatted about Brand New. Nice guys in a whole. YM@6's DJ set was great, pretty much Corp playlist but that's never a bad thing.

I was rough the next day....

Next gig I've already been too so it just means me typing it all up. Frightened Rabbit.

Peace

x

MEDIC!! - First Aid Kit, Bungalows & Bears. Sheffield 01/03/2010

Monday night Corp turned out to be quite the night last Monday. Went for a quiet drink with Mike and ended up coming across this little beauty of a gig.

Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, armed with a drummer, become the folk/country band known as First Aid Kit. Very much for fans of bands like Fleet Foxes, Mumford & Sons and Slow Club. We got into B&B, got a pint and stood at back watching the support act. A guy called Sam Airey, anti folk hero from Leeds. Bit Franky T esc. Wasn't shabby at all.

First Aid Kit came on and people seemed to crowd round the front right away. It was busy for a B&B gig. So we went round the back stairs to the side. (Hence the picture of the side of the band). With their debut album "The Big Black & The Blue" only recently released, it was expected they would play majority of it. I only knew 3 songs if honest, only having the album a few days before hand. But the whole set was great. Both sisters have amazing, powerful voices, equal to those like Laura Marling. One song, they even ditched the power and drums and played acoustic with no mic's. You could still hear every word. My best song of the gig is out of two - 'Hard Believer' which in its self was just stunning. Or the closing song 'I Met Up With A King' which had people singing along, swaying. It was such a great story/song to end the night on. Their speaking accents sounded more Canadian than Swedish. Either way when they asked 'So where's nice to see in Sheffield?' in which someone shouted somewhere random and insignificant, they responded amusingly with 'People always shout somewhere, everybody laughs and we have no idea.... stop that please'.

An enjoyable little folk gig. Very different from whats coming up next. Almost a shame really, it's made me in the mood for some more of similar style (Frightened Rabbit pretty soon should fill that void). I also really liked the poster. look at it :) >>>


Best of all. It was free.. Ta Bungalows.

Peace

x

Owl City?? No, Manchester actually..... Owl City, Manchester Academy 1 22/01/2010

RE: Last November time, general conversation between me, Mike and Hayley-
You Heard this band? Owl City? Kinda like Postal Service but with a bit more beat and structure. Yeah, he's really good. We should go see him in Academy 3, Manchester.

Now:
Right, yeah Academy 3.... that all changed.I'm happy for the guy but at the same time gutted. You see Owl City's fan club are the bottom of the scales. And by that i mean the age scale and weight scale. They are very very young. More on that later.

The trip there was fun. The snow worried us, made us take 2 de-tours and made the Peaks look like the Alps. We passed the giant nipple hill and made our way through the hills. Struggling upwards in the car that somehow got us to London and back without a blink.....always an event with Dyall. Passing an absurd amount of derelict boozers also worried me. I had a rather 'ARE YOU LOCAL?' feeling in my stomach.


We got to Manchester in good time though so all was well, got parked, nipped to subway. Standard. In subway was an interesting student newspaper which had a review of Owl City's album 'Ocean Eyes'. One out of five stars..... I like the album myself, the fact it bares resemblance to Postal Service is a good thing. Not for that reviewer. Ripping the shit out of him seemed enjoyable in his writing. Aw well, we were there by then, we were gunna see him live.

The queue was ridiculous, so a pint was in hand. To do this we had to walk down the line of youngsters. I'm not gunna lie, there was a sinking feeling in my tummy. But all was well, a nice cold pint helped that. In we went to the Academy and stood in the crowd. I could see everything :) it was nice. The support band The Lights from Canada had started. They were very Owl City style to be honest but a woman singer. A stunning woman singer at that. The fact they were Canadian made all her talks to crows hard to listen to because all i wanted her to say was 'about' or 'aboot' in Canadian. She was alright musical wise though. Apart from the last two songs were just her and an acoustic guitar, they were a bit boring.

Owl City time. Now by now i was looking forward to this, but scared shitless of 'Fireflies' at the same time. Screeching girls in my ears was a terrifying thought. He came on and people went wild. Accompanied by 2 keyboard players, a drummer, 2 violinists and a guitar player. Played a lot of Ocean Eyes, as expected, including *sigh* 'Fireflies', 'Saltwater Room', 'Vanilla Twilight', 'Dental Care' (which has the worst lyrics of any song ever written) and my song of the gig - 'Meteor Shower'. For the 5 mins that he/they played that song, it felt like a proper gig not a concert. It felt more like Airborne Toxic Event then Owl City. Starting with a stunning violin/synth intro then a moment of silence crescendoing into the slow, light played piano start of the verse. Then bursting into the chorus with a true sense of atmosphere. Lovely. Adam/Owl City had a great sense of stage presence, reminded me of Thom Yorke from Radiohead in the way he moved, held onto the mic. Yet looked like Damon Alburn from Blur. Interesting mix.

He played 'Fireflies' and the daunting sense of people around me knowing only that song sunk in. Starting with the annoying girls behind us that thought an amusing way to spend the rest of the gig would be to steal mine and Mikes hats and complain about wanting to home. Urgh.

We decided to play it safe and use the motorway to go home. Didn't fancy the Alps at night.

All together a good night and a surprisingly good gig. Good times. Next gig is You Me At Six w/ Forever The Sickest Kids and We The Kings. This I am looking forward to :)

Peace

x

p.s. Jesse did it again... Good girl

We Stole The Sun! - Twisted Wheel, Leadmill Sheffield 19/02/2010

Twisted Wheel are a 3 piece indie band from Manchester. I kinda knew what was coming from this gig, I've seen em twice before and knew what the crowd was like. To my surprise, it was on the Steel Stage at The Leadmill. Tiny stage, no barrier. Nice.

So yeah we got there half way through the first support band, not much to say about them, dunno who they were and they didn't sound that great to be honest.
Second support band i heard from the bar area, they sounded half decent enough. Local band, no idea of their name. Met em in Take Away after, seemed like dicks to be honest.

The crowd was a mixed one, ages young to old, indie to mod to full on football hooligans. One guy seemed to think he was actually taken out of the film 'The Firm'. I even bumped into a few people from Goole there. Always a nice surprise at gigs. The crowd bounced around enough to keep the energy going, seemed pretty tame compared to some recent gigs I've been to if I'm honest. At least they weren't moshing...

Anyway so yeah Twisted Wheel came on stage to a light cheer. Gave a good 45 min set, no encore. They played the 'big' hitters including 'You Stole The Sun' and 'We Are Us'. YSTS was my song of the gig, mainly because it was what got me liking Twisted Wheel, and the crowd seemed to mainly be of the same thinking. 'You stole! You Stole! You Stole THE SUN!' Rang through the room as the crowd joined in in the chanting.

Short but sweet set, almost felt like a pre warm up for a night out. Best time I've seen em live if I'm honest (most likely because the other 2 times were at festivals), this is only a short entry purely due to time and the fact I feel pretty ill. Also, not that much else to say.

Owl City next... That will be.... well interesting.

Peace
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EYEBROWS! - Fightstar, Corp Sheffield, 12/02/2010

Sorry this is so late; my Microsoft Office trial ran out. Finally worked out how to get it going again. So yeah, I’m back. Got this and one more to write in 2 days.... so this will be short.

Yeah, yeah... that guy from Busted. I feel sorry for Charlie Simpsons, not only has he gotta put up with those huge caterpillar eye brows he fashions, he has to live his life knowing that before his actually decent current band, he was a teenage girls dream boy in the sickening ‘band’ known as Busted. So many jokes all round tonight then?

Well getting past that fact, Fightstar are actually a great alternative rock band. Mixing different parts of metal, hardcore, light rock even indie at parts.
Back to gig. The first 2 bands were All Forgotten and Cars on Fire. Neither was anything to rave about. Both sounded identical. The third support band however was pretty damn good. The Xcerts, a Scottish ‘distorted rock pop’ band had so much energy, a great clear sound to them and on stage were very thankful for the attention. I was already familiar with this band due to the fact that they are signed to Xtra Mile, the same record company of Frank Turner (the greatest man alive). Their wasn’t long but sounded great. Unfortunately some idiots though it would be funny to start a pit to them.... they are not ‘mosh pit’ music. At all.

Fightstar time. Now bearing in mind this gig is in Corp in Sheffield. A small but great venue for gigs. My watering hole most Monday nights if i’m honest. The place was pretty packed. People of all ages at that too. The set was a decent enough one with a good selection of ‘hits’ and fan favourites. Including ‘The English Way’, ‘Mercury Summer’, ‘Paint Your Target’, ‘Chemical Blood’ and ‘Deathcar’. At one point all but Charlie went off stage for him to then play one song acoustic. ‘Deathcar’ was my song of the gig though, last song the band played and indeed the most manic. ‘Paint Your Target’ was the big sing-a-long though. Charlie seemed pretty happy with the crowd that turned up and even managed to plug the special edition of the album ‘Be Human’ which comes out soon. All in all, pretty fun gig.

Twisted Wheel next at Leadmill.

Peace
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Hello Sunshine! - The Sunshine Underground, Plug Sheffield 9/2/2010

Fightstar will be the next one... I promise. So another 'surprise' gig for me here. Text off Nicky saying he's got a spare ticket. Also Marrit, a friend from home was off. I'm not gunna say no am I? But I am gunna make this a quick un'.

So we got there just before the support came on. Cosmo Jarvis. A solo artist, singer song writer type, with a 3 piece band behind him. He was impressive. Very much a mix between The Kooks and Paulo Nutini. He used various instruments including a recorder and a ukulele. One song particularly that stood out was 'Crazy Screwed Up Lady', easily, if he gets his break, a chart hit (maybe a top ten at a push).

So onto The Sunshine Underground. Everybody there seemed to be of a particular type of style. The 'trendy' style. Fred Perry tops, smart shirts up to the top, bomber jackets, very 'MOD' esc. Unusually (to say i they looked like football hooligans) they were fairly quiet all the way through. So The Sunshine Underground came on for what was an hour set (including encore). They played pretty much their 'Raise The Alarm' album in its entirety. Which i won't complain about as it was great, the band had fun and the crowd sang along with all hearts in it. About half way through the set they played the first of 2 massive songs though. So moment of the gig for me this time was 'Borders'. As soon as he started singing, arms went in the air. People got really into it and the band responded with passion and energy back. So they finished the rest of the set, went off stage and came back on for one final song. Everybody knew which song it was gunna be, there was no way they wouldn't play 'Put You In Your Place'. And they did that exactly, after a lengthy intro (to which many looked confused at) they burst into it with the crowd chanting 'I'm on top but you're trying to stop me now' with the band. The great part though was when the music went quiet at the pinnacle moment going into the chorus and everybody there shouted.. 'Well just don't think I'm coming down'. Magic.

Was a nice little gig with the 2 songs making it so much better than it could of been. Maybe its because I'm not an obsessive fan, maybe it's because I wasn't drunk, maybe it was because I was still hungover but I failed to (in their words) 'av it' with the rest of the crowd.

Also, PLUG WILL YOU TURN THOSE BLOODY LIGHTS OFF ABOVE THE CROWD OR FACE THEM AWAY FROM THE CROWD, YOU CAN'T SEE A BLOODY THING WHEN THEY'RE ON!!!

Fightstar is next...

Peace

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A Nice Suprise - Mike Hughes, Frog & Parrot Sheffield 3/2/2010

Before I start this blog entry I wanna draw attention to something I noticed yesterday in the Metro daily newspaper. On a picture of Florence, the caption said 'Don't forget you can still win tickets to be in the mosh pit at the 30th Brit Awards...' MOSH PIT? I just though the fact the Metro thinks there will be a mosh pit at the Brit awards is hilarious, they clearly have never been to rock concert.

Any who, this gig was a bit of a suprise, a nice one at that. After a few pints watching the Leeds match, we headed down Div Street in Sheff. Ended up at Frog & Parrot where Mike Hughes was just starting a small acoustic set. Mike Hughes is one half of the Sheffield band Lenders In The Temple, the other half been Bromheads Tim Hampton. This set was a solo acoustic one and was nice to come across. We walked in at the beginning of a stunning cover of The Beatles 'Help'. After this he went on to play 4 more songs by himself, all with a nice settling feeling. Then with some help from a friend (on the electric guitar for effects), he finished off with 2 more country esc songs including a personal favourite song of mine 'Shake the Shakes', both seem to have a similarity to Bob Dylan. This was the third time I've seen Mike live now. Thoroughly enjoyed it once again,
Fightstar is next now :)

Peace
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Let's Rock 'n' Roll. Kerrang Tour, Leeds Academy 31/01/2010

Well this was exciting for more than one reason, firstly because this gig consisted of 4 of the great names in modern alternative rock. Secondly because I WAS DRIVING! My mum’s Micra mind but still. I hadn’t driven since over a year ago. So I spent the entire morning aimlessly driving around Goole and Howden. I even made a practise run to Reedness (where I picked Hayley up from). So yeah, I picked Hayley up later on and away we went to Leeds. I hadn’t been to Leeds Academy before (about the only academy I haven’t been to) yet I pretty much knew what to expect. I wasn’t far off wrong, yet there was some surprises.

Once in Leeds (with the help from Mr. Tom Tom) we had to find somewhere to park. Luckily (again after last week’s luck in London) I know someone in Leeds! So big thanks to Sean for letting us park at his house. We got to the city centre and it was apparent where the academy was from hundreds of young girls and boys draped with colourful skinny jeans and more colours in their hair than the McFly song. I already felt old. This also meant the queue, an hour before the gig, was already massive. McDonalds it is then. After been fed and watered we headed back to the Academy. By this time, the line was almost entirely round the building (which by the way didn’t look like a typical o2 ‘warehouse’ academy, more like an old bank). So we did what all gig goers know best to do in this situation, find someone you know to ‘get your ticket off, your bus was late’......honest. With this trick we ended up near the front of the queue at the door opening time. The amount of blankets and even duvets being chucked around suggested some of these kids had been there since the morning. The inside of the academy once we got in was unusual. It seemed smaller and the balcony was about twice as high as the Sheffield branch. It felt more like an opera house than a gig venue. This aside we were stood so I didn’t care. Cloakroom, merch stand, crowd. Where I ate my free cheeseburger from McDonalds, it was nice, and prepared to have my socks rocked off.

First band on was the rock dance act My Passion. Been the opening band for the tour I didn’t expect what was about to come. They came on stage wearing smart all black clothes, playing matching guitars with their logo on. It seemed all very professional and well funded. Not to mention the remarkable likeness of the guitarist to bi-sexual Chris from Hollyoaks. Nether the less, they performed and performed very well indeed. The crowd jumped up and down to every song. Highlight for me was the song ‘Play Dirty’ and ‘Fabulous Blood Disco’, both being just as dancy as rocky. The band themselves were full of energy and talked to crowd plenty. They genuinely seemed to be flattered to be there.

Next on the bill was the pop punk band Young Guns. Now these seemed more genuine in their rock roots. As far as matching attire goes about the closest these guys had were skinny jeans. As for their set it was pretty standard. With only an EP out and a free downloadable single currently out, they didn’t have much sing-a-long effect. They made up for this with energy on stage and atmosphere. The crowd took this and went crazy for it. Gustav the lead singer jumped into the crowd at one point and seemed to get lost within the sea of people. The song ‘The Weight of the World’ really stood out as anthem for them, great song, pretty decent band.


Welsh post-hardcore band The Blackout was next. Now I do like this band, and have both albums of theirs so I was excited for this. Last time I saw them they impressed me except the fact as singer Sean is an absolute tool. This hadn’t really changed. Although this time it was a form of humour rather than just him been a dick. The fact that his stage ‘sign’ is him sticking middle fingers up at the crowd seemed a bit arrogant and self aware. The gig itself though was outstanding. Opening with ‘Children of the Night’ they burst onto the stage, first thing Sean did was clumsily climb up the stage frame to eventually sing the last couple of lines of the song upside down. The crowd lapped this up and went mental, pits opened up and the hundreds of kids jumped up and down in unison. They went on the play the majority of the newest album ‘Best in Town’ and a few big hitters of the first. The thing that makes The Blackout different to the rest was the crowd participation; they got the entire crowd to wave, click, and clap and even sit down throughout the gig. This made a great a great atmosphere into an amazing one. Last 4 songs made the night if I’m entirely honest. I even went into the pit and ended near the front of the stage to jump up and down like the crazy kids I was surrounded by. The final song ‘I’m a Riot? You’re a Fucking Riot’ was superb with the band going crazy on stage and the crowd to match, I was singing and shouting so loud my throat felt like I’d swallowed barbed wire by the final scream. They went off stage and I eventually found Hayley again, who also went a bit mental....nothing unusual about that though ;) (Trust me I’ve seen her see Fightstar).

The tour headliners up next in the form of All Time Low. The reason the majority of the kids turned up was for these. I can see why. They came on stage and played one hell of a set, full of all the hits and fan favourites. An All Time Low show consists of great pop punk hits mixed with the humour of Bowling for Soup. Great match. They opened with the song ‘Lost in Stereo’ followed by ‘Stella’ and ‘Break Your Little Heart’. Then they did the usual Hello’s and what have ya followed by a ‘We want to finger you all’ announcement..... They went on to play more songs with plenty of humour. Including confusion between ‘YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE’ and ‘YOUR SHIT, YOUR SHIT’ and a long chant for a kid called ‘Brian’... Alex (lead singer) decided to get him a girl and in an almost royalty fashion this kid was crowd surfed to the girl at the other end of the room, greeted with a snog. Lucky little bugger. After more laughs and songs, they went off stage. Encore time. However it was the most obvious last 2 songs ever thought of by a band. The fact they hadn’t played their biggest 2 hits made it apparent that they were saving the ‘best till last’. So ‘Damned if I Do’ and ‘Dear Maria’ it is then. This set up the biggest sing-a-long of the night. With my Moment of the Night (an award I’ve decided to include in this blog. (Why the hell not?)) being the first 4 lines of ‘Dear Maria’. Just the words ‘I got your picture, I'm coming with you, Dear Maria, count me in....’ sent energy into my lungs and feet. I was bloody knackered by the end.
So that was the end. With me and Hayley had our socks well and truly rocked off. We headed home. Bloody TomTom got us lost... but we still made it home alive. Great night, same again soon I hope.

Next gig – Fightstar (with Hayley....)Corp :D 12th Feb.

Peace
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