The plan for the last year was to spend this weekend sleeping on the floor in a tent, spending most nights in something that resembles a war zone and generally turning into a dirty festival goer at none other than the quite frankly fantastic Reading Festival. I'm now typing this from the comfort of my bed in rather wet Wales. The big glaringly obvious difference is that I'm not in a tent, I'm not in Reading and I'm not at a festival. This is down to a number of reasons, but mainly the fact that I'd have missed a whole day's worth of music due to a particularly evil exam I had yesterday (which, by the way, I'm fairly convinced I failed due to a migraine). Money also had a small part to play in this but if I hadn't had the exam I'd have put up with that.
Bands I'm missing that I was planning on seeing:
Day 1 - Blood Red Shoes, byoP, Florence and the Machine, Biffy Clyro, Ida Maria, Friendly Fires, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, The Wombats, Rage Against The Machine
Day 2 - Collapsing Cities, The Subways, Mystery Jets, Los Campesinos!, Editors, Justice, Bloc Party, Manics (Clash of the festival for me, I'd be so tempted to see The Killers instead, but have a feeling I'd have been dragged to see the Manics. Not that I'd have complained)
Day 3 - Adam Green, Holy Fuck, Johnny Foreigner, Lethal Bizzle, Pendulum, Tenacious D, Wiley, The Cribs
When I realised I'd definitely have to miss Friday, most people reacted by saying something along the lines of "Oh well, at least it's the weak day". Not for me it wasn't. Bands I love, plus no clashes. Saturday was the 'bands I like and a few I love' day, but with a few clashes, and Sunday was, to be honest, fairly meh-some. A catastrophic clash between Holy Fuck and JoFo, nothing much worth seeing for 2 hours, and everyone seemingly bumming headliners I have no interest in whatsoever.
Actually putting it like that, it's probably just as well I ended up not going. I'm feeling a bit better about not being there. I'm missing some bands I'd love to see live, but of the 26 I'd have planned on seeing at least some of, I've seen 10/11 and will be seeing another in a few weeks.
At least I'll be buying next year's ticket on Tuesday :D
Music: Friendly Fires - Paris
Socks: I'm not wearing any :P
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Super Busy
The past few weeks have been a total blur really. I've been so busy and I just haven't had time to sit and update. I've hardly been online at all.
On the 27th I failed my EU exam, and to de-stress went on this. It didn't exactly work. I ripped my toenail in half backwards and had to spend 3 hours having it sorted/pushed back into place in A&E, sending my stress levels through the roof. So much for a fun surfing session.
Wednesday and Thursday were revision and do very little due to pain days. Friday however was much better. It started with a 3 hour Criminal exam, that I think I failed, but at least it was better than I expected. From there it was food, nap and tidying before Lowri arrived. A quick trip to Siro's was had before we popped home to change and get ready for the big night out. Seeing as Danielle and Rachel were visiting, and quite a few of us finished exams that day, it always was going to be a drunken affair. Starting at Siro's then heading to all you can drink at Jak's and finishing at Monkey made it really good fun. The only downside was the awful queues at Jak's for the first half of the night. They really need to get more staff and open both bars on nights like that. With the amount of pain I was in (toe is more painful than it sounds) I really didn't want to be queuing for ages. Luckily they eventually died down somewhat as most people moved towards the dancefloor, having drunk as much as they could early on. This left me the opportunity to grab as much to drink as I could. The tiny amounts of lemonade used allowed me to down an Archers & lemonade without it even touching the sides and going straight back for another. This = fairly drunk Amie. You know it's been a good night when you're totally hyperdrunk and hobbling down the road at 4.30am as it gets light.
The weekend started with a café breakfast before Lowri and I headed to Swindon. It was nice to see everyone for the first time in 8 weeks. Having relatives visiting from Melbourne was good too. I haven't seen them in 5 years so it was nice to go out for a big family meal. I'll definitely be heading out to see them next Summer. The weekend was fairly quiet really, but gave us all a good opportunity to catch up. I spent a few days recharging before coming back to uni for the madness that is the end of year.
On the 3rd I spent 4 hours on trains. Or at least that was the plan. Two lots of delays and a broken train pushed it to over 5. I would have got quite pissy about it, but I saw Black Kids so that made everything good. Grabbing my usual spot at Clwb Ifor Bach helped as I could lean on an unused speaker stack, but wearing shoes for the first time in a week HURT. A fantastic set by them and a surprisingly good opener in Collapsing Cities (who were better live than on myspace) made me smile. I was in the perfect position to sing and half-dance and grab my first setlist at the end. Spending the nightmare journey home on a train full of hyperactive Girls Aloud fans was...interesting.
The 5th was Playzone! After going there for the CIN Dance social, I'd been looking forward to going back, even with an injury. As long as I didn't overdo it with the toe and start it bleeding again I thought I'd be fine. Thought being the key word there. James came running towards me, we collided and I flew through the air. In true Amie style, I was left in a ball on the floor, half struggling to breathe and half trying not to laugh and make it worse. Being badly winded is not fun. Whoever thought of opening a kids play area to adults is a genius though. Loads of drunk students, some sober students and a kids play area is a recipe for organised mayhem. It's quite tempting to do something there for my birthday party. I'm v proud of myself too. I overcame my severe dislike of heights and went down the big red slide. I was too scared to do it the first time I went, but this time I was determined and got on with it. I'm so glad I did, just so that I can say I did it. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but then again things like that never are.
The 7th was the yearly village carnival. Going back to where I lived last year was slightly surreal, and I knew it could never be as good as it was last year, when i could run in and out of my house for supplies all day. It was still a good day though. There was a bouncy castle, drunk students (when are there not in Swansea!), sun, some semi-decent bands, a doughnut stand, general fun stuff... If it had rained it wouldn't have been anywhere nearly as good, but luckily the weather was kind to us for the day.
Monday 9th for everyone else was spent on the beach, in most cases getting sunburnt. Seeing as I have PLE and Lowri was arriving that night I thought it would be a good idea to stay out of the blazing sun and tidy my room. I swear my room has never been so tidy. After picking Lowri up from the train station, we had a fab beach BBQ. I love living so close to the beach. I also love taking pictures of fire. I'm quite proud of some of them. There are far worse ways to spend a Monday night than with food, a fire and friends.
Tuesday was chilling in town, getting nails done, last minute ball shopping and drinking wine on the beach. Luckily the heat had dropped since the day before so I could enjoy it a lot more. Sunbathing on the beach in the late afternoon with a bottle of wine is a good way to do things.
Wednesday was THE day...Ball day. I always love getting dressed up for a big event with my friends. Sadly it poured. I got some good photos before the rain started, but nowhere near as many as I'd have liked. I ended up very cold and very wet. Luckily I'm happy with the photos I got of me in my dress. I did my first spot of drink-driving on the dodgems and proved that I am definitely better at driving than Paul. We had a good few goes on there. By the time it had been raining an hour I was bored and ventured out to the main stage. Killa Kela was surprisingly good. It's not my sort of music at all but he was definitely worth seeing. The announcement that Mutya Buena was on next instead of The Vengaboys was time for a toilet/jagermeister bar run, and I arrived back at the front of the stage a couple of songs into her set. By this time most people had disappeared as everyone fought for space inside the tents. I braved it out with Matt, James and Emily right to the end. Dancing to The Wombats in pouring rain is probably even more fun than doing it in the sun. I was quite surprised by the number of crowdsurfers, even girls in dresses. There's no way I'd have done it in mine. It was bad enough being on the barrier in a silk dress.
Since then I've just been chilling really. This update has been somewhat delayed by the fact that I've just been busy doing not much so I've not massively been online and the laptop has been off for repair. Yes, even this one has problems. My phone is away at the moment too, but I've been borrowing one, so that's not been so much of a problem.
On the 27th I failed my EU exam, and to de-stress went on this. It didn't exactly work. I ripped my toenail in half backwards and had to spend 3 hours having it sorted/pushed back into place in A&E, sending my stress levels through the roof. So much for a fun surfing session.
Wednesday and Thursday were revision and do very little due to pain days. Friday however was much better. It started with a 3 hour Criminal exam, that I think I failed, but at least it was better than I expected. From there it was food, nap and tidying before Lowri arrived. A quick trip to Siro's was had before we popped home to change and get ready for the big night out. Seeing as Danielle and Rachel were visiting, and quite a few of us finished exams that day, it always was going to be a drunken affair. Starting at Siro's then heading to all you can drink at Jak's and finishing at Monkey made it really good fun. The only downside was the awful queues at Jak's for the first half of the night. They really need to get more staff and open both bars on nights like that. With the amount of pain I was in (toe is more painful than it sounds) I really didn't want to be queuing for ages. Luckily they eventually died down somewhat as most people moved towards the dancefloor, having drunk as much as they could early on. This left me the opportunity to grab as much to drink as I could. The tiny amounts of lemonade used allowed me to down an Archers & lemonade without it even touching the sides and going straight back for another. This = fairly drunk Amie. You know it's been a good night when you're totally hyperdrunk and hobbling down the road at 4.30am as it gets light.
The weekend started with a café breakfast before Lowri and I headed to Swindon. It was nice to see everyone for the first time in 8 weeks. Having relatives visiting from Melbourne was good too. I haven't seen them in 5 years so it was nice to go out for a big family meal. I'll definitely be heading out to see them next Summer. The weekend was fairly quiet really, but gave us all a good opportunity to catch up. I spent a few days recharging before coming back to uni for the madness that is the end of year.
On the 3rd I spent 4 hours on trains. Or at least that was the plan. Two lots of delays and a broken train pushed it to over 5. I would have got quite pissy about it, but I saw Black Kids so that made everything good. Grabbing my usual spot at Clwb Ifor Bach helped as I could lean on an unused speaker stack, but wearing shoes for the first time in a week HURT. A fantastic set by them and a surprisingly good opener in Collapsing Cities (who were better live than on myspace) made me smile. I was in the perfect position to sing and half-dance and grab my first setlist at the end. Spending the nightmare journey home on a train full of hyperactive Girls Aloud fans was...interesting.
The 5th was Playzone! After going there for the CIN Dance social, I'd been looking forward to going back, even with an injury. As long as I didn't overdo it with the toe and start it bleeding again I thought I'd be fine. Thought being the key word there. James came running towards me, we collided and I flew through the air. In true Amie style, I was left in a ball on the floor, half struggling to breathe and half trying not to laugh and make it worse. Being badly winded is not fun. Whoever thought of opening a kids play area to adults is a genius though. Loads of drunk students, some sober students and a kids play area is a recipe for organised mayhem. It's quite tempting to do something there for my birthday party. I'm v proud of myself too. I overcame my severe dislike of heights and went down the big red slide. I was too scared to do it the first time I went, but this time I was determined and got on with it. I'm so glad I did, just so that I can say I did it. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but then again things like that never are.
The 7th was the yearly village carnival. Going back to where I lived last year was slightly surreal, and I knew it could never be as good as it was last year, when i could run in and out of my house for supplies all day. It was still a good day though. There was a bouncy castle, drunk students (when are there not in Swansea!), sun, some semi-decent bands, a doughnut stand, general fun stuff... If it had rained it wouldn't have been anywhere nearly as good, but luckily the weather was kind to us for the day.
Monday 9th for everyone else was spent on the beach, in most cases getting sunburnt. Seeing as I have PLE and Lowri was arriving that night I thought it would be a good idea to stay out of the blazing sun and tidy my room. I swear my room has never been so tidy. After picking Lowri up from the train station, we had a fab beach BBQ. I love living so close to the beach. I also love taking pictures of fire. I'm quite proud of some of them. There are far worse ways to spend a Monday night than with food, a fire and friends.
Tuesday was chilling in town, getting nails done, last minute ball shopping and drinking wine on the beach. Luckily the heat had dropped since the day before so I could enjoy it a lot more. Sunbathing on the beach in the late afternoon with a bottle of wine is a good way to do things.
Wednesday was THE day...Ball day. I always love getting dressed up for a big event with my friends. Sadly it poured. I got some good photos before the rain started, but nowhere near as many as I'd have liked. I ended up very cold and very wet. Luckily I'm happy with the photos I got of me in my dress. I did my first spot of drink-driving on the dodgems and proved that I am definitely better at driving than Paul. We had a good few goes on there. By the time it had been raining an hour I was bored and ventured out to the main stage. Killa Kela was surprisingly good. It's not my sort of music at all but he was definitely worth seeing. The announcement that Mutya Buena was on next instead of The Vengaboys was time for a toilet/jagermeister bar run, and I arrived back at the front of the stage a couple of songs into her set. By this time most people had disappeared as everyone fought for space inside the tents. I braved it out with Matt, James and Emily right to the end. Dancing to The Wombats in pouring rain is probably even more fun than doing it in the sun. I was quite surprised by the number of crowdsurfers, even girls in dresses. There's no way I'd have done it in mine. It was bad enough being on the barrier in a silk dress.
Since then I've just been chilling really. This update has been somewhat delayed by the fact that I've just been busy doing not much so I've not massively been online and the laptop has been off for repair. Yes, even this one has problems. My phone is away at the moment too, but I've been borrowing one, so that's not been so much of a problem.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
The Muxtape
http://amie.muxtape.com
So after much mind changing and getting annoyed with the internet here it is. It's largely as I originally made it, but I had to edit the ending a few times. It's kinda in two parts, but I've made it so that they fit together as one whole list pretty well. It's best listened to on iTunes as I made it, with a few seconds crossfade, but ah well. Just imagine each song is merged into the next.
Part A - the "listen to" songs
OK Go - Maybe, This Time
If I could play any instrument it would be Bass Guitar. I've had a fascination with Bass for a long time. You don't notice it being there so much, yet really notice when it isn't. I love how this song is so bassy, yet still sounds quite minimalistic to me.
Aqualung - Cinderella
I downloaded this as part of a playlist a while ago, and it really stood out to me. It stood out enough that I went and bought the third album, Memory Man. I'd heard quite a few Aqualung songs before, but none of them had made me want to buy an album. I love how this song has quiet moments, yet really builds up into something a lot more powerful at times. It's an album that I quite often put on and lie listening to in the dark.
Paramore - My Hero
If I could sing, I'd want Hayley Williams' voice. This was the first song I immediately put in the list of potential songs. It's the first of two covers on this list, but I think it's probably my favourite cover ever. It's totally different to the original, but so much better. Links pretty well here too.
Regina Spektor - Us
The first song I ever heard by Regina was Carbon Monoxide and I'm still determined to learn it on piano, but this is probably my favourite. It's so...unusual.
Death Cab For Cutie - Summer Skin
This is another song I love to listen to in the dark. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I put this on, lie in the dark and by the end of it I'm usually feeling a bit better. I love how it's so slow, but doesn't feel like it's dragging.
Bloc Party - So Here We Are
This is possibly my favourite Bloc Party song. I seem to change my mind ever few minutes, but it always seems to revert back to this. I love Russell's guitar work. On this song, it's really delicate, almost like it could shatter at any second. Even when the song builds up, that fragile guitar line is still there. On top of this, it blends really well into part B...
Part B - The "dance to"songs
Lostprophets - Cry Me A River
In a change from the usual, I have a Lostprophets cover. I loved the original, despite not being a massive JT fan. There was always something about it that appealed to me. I think it's pretty perfect as a pop song. This cover though improved it, and showed just how great covers can be when they're done well. I'll make no secret of the fact that I love Lostprophets, and live they're something else, but this just showed how fab they are, when they can totally rearrange a great song and make it even better.
Metric - Monster Hospital
This isn't exactly typical Metric, but it's still fantastic. On top of that, it was rocky enough to perfectly bridge the gap between Lostprophets and Mystery Jets. Pretty good to dance to too.
Mystery Jets - Metal Soul
I picked this after seeing them live at the beginning of May and loving them. It would be rude not to have included them. I thought I'd go for something a bit unusual though and pick a Young Love B-side. It's just as fantastic as the album and would probably have fitted in quite well.
Pin Me Down - Cryptic
I first heard this online without realising who was in the band. The second it started I just wanted to dance, and I love to dance. It's a perfect mix of 80s electro-pop and choppy guitars, by none other than the master of danceable choppy guitars, Mr Russell Lissack.
(We Are) Performance - Vandals
This is a song I first heard when it was iTunes song of the week. I quite often download whatever iTunes are kind enough to give away, and 9/10 times never listen to it again. In this case I listened again, and again, and then it was stuck in my head for a week.
Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen
I thought I'd finish with something instrumental, purely because quite frankly, it's amazing.
Song: Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen
Socks: One sailor blue one, and one bright stripy one
So after much mind changing and getting annoyed with the internet here it is. It's largely as I originally made it, but I had to edit the ending a few times. It's kinda in two parts, but I've made it so that they fit together as one whole list pretty well. It's best listened to on iTunes as I made it, with a few seconds crossfade, but ah well. Just imagine each song is merged into the next.
Part A - the "listen to" songs
OK Go - Maybe, This Time
If I could play any instrument it would be Bass Guitar. I've had a fascination with Bass for a long time. You don't notice it being there so much, yet really notice when it isn't. I love how this song is so bassy, yet still sounds quite minimalistic to me.
Aqualung - Cinderella
I downloaded this as part of a playlist a while ago, and it really stood out to me. It stood out enough that I went and bought the third album, Memory Man. I'd heard quite a few Aqualung songs before, but none of them had made me want to buy an album. I love how this song has quiet moments, yet really builds up into something a lot more powerful at times. It's an album that I quite often put on and lie listening to in the dark.
Paramore - My Hero
If I could sing, I'd want Hayley Williams' voice. This was the first song I immediately put in the list of potential songs. It's the first of two covers on this list, but I think it's probably my favourite cover ever. It's totally different to the original, but so much better. Links pretty well here too.
Regina Spektor - Us
The first song I ever heard by Regina was Carbon Monoxide and I'm still determined to learn it on piano, but this is probably my favourite. It's so...unusual.
Death Cab For Cutie - Summer Skin
This is another song I love to listen to in the dark. Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I put this on, lie in the dark and by the end of it I'm usually feeling a bit better. I love how it's so slow, but doesn't feel like it's dragging.
Bloc Party - So Here We Are
This is possibly my favourite Bloc Party song. I seem to change my mind ever few minutes, but it always seems to revert back to this. I love Russell's guitar work. On this song, it's really delicate, almost like it could shatter at any second. Even when the song builds up, that fragile guitar line is still there. On top of this, it blends really well into part B...
Part B - The "dance to"songs
Lostprophets - Cry Me A River
In a change from the usual, I have a Lostprophets cover. I loved the original, despite not being a massive JT fan. There was always something about it that appealed to me. I think it's pretty perfect as a pop song. This cover though improved it, and showed just how great covers can be when they're done well. I'll make no secret of the fact that I love Lostprophets, and live they're something else, but this just showed how fab they are, when they can totally rearrange a great song and make it even better.
Metric - Monster Hospital
This isn't exactly typical Metric, but it's still fantastic. On top of that, it was rocky enough to perfectly bridge the gap between Lostprophets and Mystery Jets. Pretty good to dance to too.
Mystery Jets - Metal Soul
I picked this after seeing them live at the beginning of May and loving them. It would be rude not to have included them. I thought I'd go for something a bit unusual though and pick a Young Love B-side. It's just as fantastic as the album and would probably have fitted in quite well.
Pin Me Down - Cryptic
I first heard this online without realising who was in the band. The second it started I just wanted to dance, and I love to dance. It's a perfect mix of 80s electro-pop and choppy guitars, by none other than the master of danceable choppy guitars, Mr Russell Lissack.
(We Are) Performance - Vandals
This is a song I first heard when it was iTunes song of the week. I quite often download whatever iTunes are kind enough to give away, and 9/10 times never listen to it again. In this case I listened again, and again, and then it was stuck in my head for a week.
Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen
I thought I'd finish with something instrumental, purely because quite frankly, it's amazing.
Song: Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen
Socks: One sailor blue one, and one bright stripy one
Thursday, 15 May 2008
Update...
It's been a while since I last updated. Too long really but I've been busy. I keep starting posts and never getting around to finishing them before I'm distracted. I've got so much to do at the moment but I never know what to do first so nothing gets done.
5th May: CSS/The Futureheads/MGMT
It's fairly safe to say that that day led to me hating Arriva Trains Wales more than ever. First Great Western have a pretty poor reputation, but at least they have nice trains and in this case at least they got me to Cardiff. Getting on a train, it breaking and having to get off again without even leaving the station was not a good start. I then found out that the next train wasn't running and I wouldn't be leaving until 6.30. With doors at 7 and the band I wanted to see on first, I wasn't happy. Pulling out of the station an hour after we were supposed to didn't leave me exactly confident that we'd make it in time. This wasn't helped when we pulled out of the station and stopped for 10 mins. Luckily catching up time on the way and crossing Cardiff in record time meant that I'd only missed 5/10 mins of MGMT. I'd heard various reports about their live shows, so wasn't sure how much to expect from them, but I was really glad I've seen them. They didn't play the one song I really wanted to see, but at least I didn't miss it. When I was at the bar after they'd finished, it became apparent that a lot of people had gone purely to see them. The Futureheads followed and weren't that great. They have the odd song I like, but just didn't seem to be on form. After the stage was reset and loads of balloons appeared for the end of filming. I tried to get one of the balloons passed into the crowd but spectacularly failed. It made for fun spotting people as they walked through Cardiff afterwards anyway. CSS were good, but not as good as MGMT. The songs went down well but the set was full of new songs, as it was being filmed for a MTV special and it was the first time they'd ever played most of them. Overall it was good, but the best band were on first and I came out still singing Mystery Jets songs from a few days before.
Since then I've not been to any more gigs but I have had fun, with the exception of getting ill for a few days. It wiped me out last weekend, but at least the weather was good so I relaxed on the beach and eventually I'm feeling better. I fail at revision in a big way so I'll do something I'm good at by having fun. Foam party, a stupid number of beach parties in glorious sun, BBQs, trips to Siro's, shopping and a trip to an Indian come to mind. I may fail the year, but at least this year is memorable. Cramming really is my only option.
Music: Delays - Pieces
Socks: Not worn any in days, it's flip-flops weather :D
5th May: CSS/The Futureheads/MGMT
It's fairly safe to say that that day led to me hating Arriva Trains Wales more than ever. First Great Western have a pretty poor reputation, but at least they have nice trains and in this case at least they got me to Cardiff. Getting on a train, it breaking and having to get off again without even leaving the station was not a good start. I then found out that the next train wasn't running and I wouldn't be leaving until 6.30. With doors at 7 and the band I wanted to see on first, I wasn't happy. Pulling out of the station an hour after we were supposed to didn't leave me exactly confident that we'd make it in time. This wasn't helped when we pulled out of the station and stopped for 10 mins. Luckily catching up time on the way and crossing Cardiff in record time meant that I'd only missed 5/10 mins of MGMT. I'd heard various reports about their live shows, so wasn't sure how much to expect from them, but I was really glad I've seen them. They didn't play the one song I really wanted to see, but at least I didn't miss it. When I was at the bar after they'd finished, it became apparent that a lot of people had gone purely to see them. The Futureheads followed and weren't that great. They have the odd song I like, but just didn't seem to be on form. After the stage was reset and loads of balloons appeared for the end of filming. I tried to get one of the balloons passed into the crowd but spectacularly failed. It made for fun spotting people as they walked through Cardiff afterwards anyway. CSS were good, but not as good as MGMT. The songs went down well but the set was full of new songs, as it was being filmed for a MTV special and it was the first time they'd ever played most of them. Overall it was good, but the best band were on first and I came out still singing Mystery Jets songs from a few days before.
Since then I've not been to any more gigs but I have had fun, with the exception of getting ill for a few days. It wiped me out last weekend, but at least the weather was good so I relaxed on the beach and eventually I'm feeling better. I fail at revision in a big way so I'll do something I'm good at by having fun. Foam party, a stupid number of beach parties in glorious sun, BBQs, trips to Siro's, shopping and a trip to an Indian come to mind. I may fail the year, but at least this year is memorable. Cramming really is my only option.
Music: Delays - Pieces
Socks: Not worn any in days, it's flip-flops weather :D
Sunday, 4 May 2008
Last Night
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Adventuring
I ran out of aniseed balls :(
The past few days have been busy but really good fun. Thursday was "Fake North" adventuring day. It started with a train to Crewe, then another to Stoke. Almost 5 hours on a train is a lot more enjoyable if its a FGW and is generally nicer but at least we weren't delayed. This is where things could have gone very wrong.
I trekked all that way to see The Wombats. I first saw them last June and then again in December, and they cannot be described as anything other than fun. Thursday night was the biggest venue I've seen them in by a long way. We got there during the first support. I've no idea who they were, but they were a local band who were well known by quite a lot of the crowd. It was first time I've ever seen a pit and crowdsurfing before 8pm. Half the time I think they were just acting like it because they could. I could tell already that there were going to be a lot of annoying people. I was later proved right. The band weren't bad and played quite well, but would be liked by fans of The Enemy/The Twang.
It then got worse. We worked our way forwards and were almost at the front when I Was A Cub Scout came on. I now have another band to add to the "Oh Dear God That Was Awful" list. I felt sorry for the drummer really. It looked like he was stuck in a band of idiots. There was a Keyboard player who went AWOL during every other song and a fat guy at the back who didn't seem to do much. He spent half of it with a trombone in his hand walking about the stage, looking at a keyboard and walking off again. I think he played in about half a song. By the end it was just the guitarist and drummer left with backing tracks. The music wasn't good either. I'd love to know who told them they were good or who gave them a record deal. If I never see them live again it will be too soon. As usual the crowd were going mental, but then got worse and started the football chants. Yes, your football team are doing well and are going up. Good for you. Now shut the hell up.
By the time The Wombats were due on stage it was a contender for gig from hell. Half the crowd looked under 12, including the girls in front of me on the barrier, who could only just see over it. The other half probably couldn't have passed a GCSE between them. Annoying was an understatement. Luckily the band were fab. The first time I saw them was in a pub with about 150 other people. When it was announced that they'd be playing an arena by the end of the year I thought it was seriously over ambitious. After Thursday I'm not so sure. I've now seen how they've adapted to 3 totally different sized venues and they done each with ease. If anything they put in an arena performance at a theatre. They played pretty much what they were expected to, but didn't play any of their older songs as the have in the past. The only additions were a new song they wrote at new year, and 'Girls, Boys & Marsupials', which they played the first time I saw them, but not in Cardiff. Highlights were going mental to 'Moving To New York' and 'Let's Dance To Joy Division'. It was worth going just for those alone.
The trip home was...notable. As far as Crewe it was fine. Nice, even. Arriva Trains Wales should note that halving the number of carriages on a Friday before a bank holiday is not a good idea. Not everyone fitted, even standing. By then I was tired, hungry, thirsty, bored and squashed. After a stop or two enough people had got off for me to sit on the floor in the bike rack, but that's not exactly the best way of reading the Guardian, let alone attempting Sudoku or Kakuro puzzles. Eventually I got a seat and it even turned into a train party with 3 groups of Rugby fans and a group on a hen weekend all heading to Cardiff leading to banter flying across the carriage. Not something I'd do again in a hurry though.
Last night was the drunken BBQ/Tooters trip that I'm surprised so many people can remember. For some reason it seems a lot easier to get drunk there than anywhere else. After a busy few days I could do with a night in to recharge but no...I'm off to see Mystery Jets in Cardiff in 10 mins. Woot!
Music: Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down
Socks: 2 different sailor ones.
The past few days have been busy but really good fun. Thursday was "Fake North" adventuring day. It started with a train to Crewe, then another to Stoke. Almost 5 hours on a train is a lot more enjoyable if its a FGW and is generally nicer but at least we weren't delayed. This is where things could have gone very wrong.
I trekked all that way to see The Wombats. I first saw them last June and then again in December, and they cannot be described as anything other than fun. Thursday night was the biggest venue I've seen them in by a long way. We got there during the first support. I've no idea who they were, but they were a local band who were well known by quite a lot of the crowd. It was first time I've ever seen a pit and crowdsurfing before 8pm. Half the time I think they were just acting like it because they could. I could tell already that there were going to be a lot of annoying people. I was later proved right. The band weren't bad and played quite well, but would be liked by fans of The Enemy/The Twang.
It then got worse. We worked our way forwards and were almost at the front when I Was A Cub Scout came on. I now have another band to add to the "Oh Dear God That Was Awful" list. I felt sorry for the drummer really. It looked like he was stuck in a band of idiots. There was a Keyboard player who went AWOL during every other song and a fat guy at the back who didn't seem to do much. He spent half of it with a trombone in his hand walking about the stage, looking at a keyboard and walking off again. I think he played in about half a song. By the end it was just the guitarist and drummer left with backing tracks. The music wasn't good either. I'd love to know who told them they were good or who gave them a record deal. If I never see them live again it will be too soon. As usual the crowd were going mental, but then got worse and started the football chants. Yes, your football team are doing well and are going up. Good for you. Now shut the hell up.
By the time The Wombats were due on stage it was a contender for gig from hell. Half the crowd looked under 12, including the girls in front of me on the barrier, who could only just see over it. The other half probably couldn't have passed a GCSE between them. Annoying was an understatement. Luckily the band were fab. The first time I saw them was in a pub with about 150 other people. When it was announced that they'd be playing an arena by the end of the year I thought it was seriously over ambitious. After Thursday I'm not so sure. I've now seen how they've adapted to 3 totally different sized venues and they done each with ease. If anything they put in an arena performance at a theatre. They played pretty much what they were expected to, but didn't play any of their older songs as the have in the past. The only additions were a new song they wrote at new year, and 'Girls, Boys & Marsupials', which they played the first time I saw them, but not in Cardiff. Highlights were going mental to 'Moving To New York' and 'Let's Dance To Joy Division'. It was worth going just for those alone.
The trip home was...notable. As far as Crewe it was fine. Nice, even. Arriva Trains Wales should note that halving the number of carriages on a Friday before a bank holiday is not a good idea. Not everyone fitted, even standing. By then I was tired, hungry, thirsty, bored and squashed. After a stop or two enough people had got off for me to sit on the floor in the bike rack, but that's not exactly the best way of reading the Guardian, let alone attempting Sudoku or Kakuro puzzles. Eventually I got a seat and it even turned into a train party with 3 groups of Rugby fans and a group on a hen weekend all heading to Cardiff leading to banter flying across the carriage. Not something I'd do again in a hurry though.
Last night was the drunken BBQ/Tooters trip that I'm surprised so many people can remember. For some reason it seems a lot easier to get drunk there than anywhere else. After a busy few days I could do with a night in to recharge but no...I'm off to see Mystery Jets in Cardiff in 10 mins. Woot!
Music: Mystery Jets - Two Doors Down
Socks: 2 different sailor ones.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Post :D
What arrived through my front door this morning was an envelope. Inside the envelope was this...
Aren't WeePOP Records fantastic? I order one CD, and it comes in its own little envelope with a handwritten note, badge and a tasty orange sweet. Orange = my favourite.
Inside the little envelope was this...
One 3" CD in handmade card case, complete with furry animal on the front (available in about 6 different colours!), one yellow handmade authenticity card ( I got 36/160), a little booklet with tracklisting and band details and little pictures, and a sticker.
How lovely.
The lovely band in question are Little My. They supported Los Campesinos! in Cardiff, and although we didn't get much chance to see them, I thought they were...lovely. 12 people on one stage with glockenspiels, recorders, kazoos and whatever it seemed they could buy from Early Learning Centre's music section made the sort of noise with a shambolic charm that made me smile. They, in their own words, can be compared to the sound of a primary school music lesson. They are twee and perhaps overly so, but totally unashamed about it. 'All But The Beeps Meep' will be the perfect song to listen to on the walk into uni as the weather gets nicer, on the days that I can walk along the beach in my flipflops and sunglasses.
Music : Little My - All But The Beeps Meep
Socks: Two different striped sailor ones.
Aren't WeePOP Records fantastic? I order one CD, and it comes in its own little envelope with a handwritten note, badge and a tasty orange sweet. Orange = my favourite.
Inside the little envelope was this...
One 3" CD in handmade card case, complete with furry animal on the front (available in about 6 different colours!), one yellow handmade authenticity card ( I got 36/160), a little booklet with tracklisting and band details and little pictures, and a sticker.
How lovely.
The lovely band in question are Little My. They supported Los Campesinos! in Cardiff, and although we didn't get much chance to see them, I thought they were...lovely. 12 people on one stage with glockenspiels, recorders, kazoos and whatever it seemed they could buy from Early Learning Centre's music section made the sort of noise with a shambolic charm that made me smile. They, in their own words, can be compared to the sound of a primary school music lesson. They are twee and perhaps overly so, but totally unashamed about it. 'All But The Beeps Meep' will be the perfect song to listen to on the walk into uni as the weather gets nicer, on the days that I can walk along the beach in my flipflops and sunglasses.
Music : Little My - All But The Beeps Meep
Socks: Two different striped sailor ones.
Sunday, 27 April 2008
Sunday
I've just noticed that my sundays are all the same. Unless something is planned, I've realised that I always do the same things. It's quite nice really.
12.30: Get up and eat
1.30: Shower
2.00: Laze about, usually online
4.45: Come Dine With Me (one of the best things on TV)
7.25: Jamie At Home
8.00: Eat
8.30: Start working on whatever is due the next day
The only difference if I'm at home is that after dinner I'll get ready to go to the pub. None of it is intentional, but I've done it through habit. I'm surprised I've never noticed before.
I've spent the last few days listening to Pin Me Down. They remind me of grown-up pop, and best of all, they make me want to dance. 'Cryptic' is about to be released, and is one of my favourite songs at the moment.
Music: Pin Me Down - Cryptic
Socks: pink spotty, and yellow spotty
12.30: Get up and eat
1.30: Shower
2.00: Laze about, usually online
4.45: Come Dine With Me (one of the best things on TV)
7.25: Jamie At Home
8.00: Eat
8.30: Start working on whatever is due the next day
The only difference if I'm at home is that after dinner I'll get ready to go to the pub. None of it is intentional, but I've done it through habit. I'm surprised I've never noticed before.
I've spent the last few days listening to Pin Me Down. They remind me of grown-up pop, and best of all, they make me want to dance. 'Cryptic' is about to be released, and is one of my favourite songs at the moment.
Music: Pin Me Down - Cryptic
Socks: pink spotty, and yellow spotty
Monday, 21 April 2008
Musings...
Why is it that updates are so much easier to do when I have a stupid amount of work to do? Criminal law is one of the more popular areas but it bores the hell out of me. For some reason I'm in the minority and prefer Land/Property. I've noticed that I seem to prefer areas that don't necessarily involve somebody doing something wrong. I like the idea of being able to help people get over an issue or problem in their life. They may not have done anything wrong, but just need help in moving on and reaching another stage in their life, whether that's buying/altering a house, marriage/divorce or having a child. Criminal law is rubbish.
Saturday night was Ice Cream Social. I've been looking forward to it for a long time. The problem with monthly club nights is that it's always clashed in the past. It was the 7th, but only the first I've been able to go to. It was well worth it. Roll on May 24th and ICS8. Ok, so being fairly drunk helped, but I was good drunk, not bad drunk as I can be sometimes, but it was really nice to go out and dance to bands that don't get played at the standard "indie nights". There's no way I could go out on any other night and dance to Vampire Weekend or Los Campesinos! I was in such a good mood and giggly drunk, yet dancing always puts me in an even better mood. It was probably one of the best nights out I've had in a long time.
Roll on Wednesday!
Music: Johnny Foreigner - Suicide Pact, Yeah?
Socks: Well actually, they're tights.
Saturday night was Ice Cream Social. I've been looking forward to it for a long time. The problem with monthly club nights is that it's always clashed in the past. It was the 7th, but only the first I've been able to go to. It was well worth it. Roll on May 24th and ICS8. Ok, so being fairly drunk helped, but I was good drunk, not bad drunk as I can be sometimes, but it was really nice to go out and dance to bands that don't get played at the standard "indie nights". There's no way I could go out on any other night and dance to Vampire Weekend or Los Campesinos! I was in such a good mood and giggly drunk, yet dancing always puts me in an even better mood. It was probably one of the best nights out I've had in a long time.
Roll on Wednesday!
Music: Johnny Foreigner - Suicide Pact, Yeah?
Socks: Well actually, they're tights.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Holiday summary and LC! review
It's been a long while without an update. 3 1/2 weeks without an internet connection wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but it was still horrible. It was almost like living in a parallel world. Life was still carrying on, but I wasn't part of it. Being separated from the best friend I've ever had wasn't much fun either. Thankfully trips to Bath/Bristol and London were the highlights of my holidays thanks to the people I was with. Bath/Bristol and the afternoon in Swindon made for lots of new in-jokes, even though we forgot to play Thomas Top Trumps and I then forgot to take them to London too. They will be coming to the next meetup, sometime in the summer. If I have to sit at a party dressed as a character from Aladdin, drinking wine and playing Top Trumps Junior, so be it.
Although it was during the holidays, I came back to uni early so that I could see Los Campesinos! Although they're based in Cardiff, they hadn't played there much, and hadn't at all for 10 months, so I'd never had the chance to see them. After getting the train with Duncan, we met Olli and Rosie for a much needed Pizza Hut dinner before trying to find Cherry Pie (tradition) and heading off to the union.
After being told that first support, Little My, were far too twee for their own good I wasn't holding up much hope for discovering a new band, but was pleasantly surprised by them. Any band who use recorders, kazoos and glockenspiels is fine by me. It's a good job Solus has a big stage. fitting bands of 7 and 12 onto a stage is no mean feat. Having found via the medium of myspace that Little My have 3" cds with handmade covers featuring furry animals I had to have one and its now on its way, so I think I'll have to review that once I get my eager hands on it.
Lovvers were as expected...horrible. They were horrible when they supported BRS, and equally horrible, if not worse on Thursday. This seemed to be a sentiment echoed across the crowd, small though it was at the time. On arriving, we'd discovered that not many people had arrived yet, and those who had were stood towards the back, allowing us to score a decent spot on the barrier. While this meant we'd had to suffer through Lovvers at the front, it also gave us a perfect view (and Sweet Dreams... dancing spot) for the night's headliners.
Los Campesinos! were as I'd imagined they'd be and more. The band were obviously nervous about playing on a stage they'd looked upto many times before as students, but they put their nervous energy to good use. The crowd were in good spirits, with many knowing the words to every song. This wasn't something the 7-piece were used to judging by Aleks' reaction when she realised that the crowd could be heard singing over her during Math(s). By the time they got onto Y!M!D! the crowd were singing and dancing, front to back and right out to the sides. There's something wrong about standing still to that. It's a song that makes your feet lose control. You have to dance like nobody's watching and your body takes over, which is quite apt really, given the lyrics. Being on the barrier gave me a perfect spot to do the Sweet Dreams... dance with Olli and Rosie, but the band didn't bring it back for the night. Shame on them. They really are the perfect band to shout random lyrics at the top of your voice whenever you feel like it. And I did. More than once. Although it was the first time I'd seen them, it definitely won't be the last. 9/10
So now I'm back and have 4 seminars to prepare for Monday, Tuesday and Friday. It's just as well that I don't have any gigs to go to until April 25th now, but I'm really looking forward to that one.
Music: LC! - C Is The Heavenly Option
Socks: Snoopy and rainbows
Although it was during the holidays, I came back to uni early so that I could see Los Campesinos! Although they're based in Cardiff, they hadn't played there much, and hadn't at all for 10 months, so I'd never had the chance to see them. After getting the train with Duncan, we met Olli and Rosie for a much needed Pizza Hut dinner before trying to find Cherry Pie (tradition) and heading off to the union.
After being told that first support, Little My, were far too twee for their own good I wasn't holding up much hope for discovering a new band, but was pleasantly surprised by them. Any band who use recorders, kazoos and glockenspiels is fine by me. It's a good job Solus has a big stage. fitting bands of 7 and 12 onto a stage is no mean feat. Having found via the medium of myspace that Little My have 3" cds with handmade covers featuring furry animals I had to have one and its now on its way, so I think I'll have to review that once I get my eager hands on it.
Lovvers were as expected...horrible. They were horrible when they supported BRS, and equally horrible, if not worse on Thursday. This seemed to be a sentiment echoed across the crowd, small though it was at the time. On arriving, we'd discovered that not many people had arrived yet, and those who had were stood towards the back, allowing us to score a decent spot on the barrier. While this meant we'd had to suffer through Lovvers at the front, it also gave us a perfect view (and Sweet Dreams... dancing spot) for the night's headliners.
Los Campesinos! were as I'd imagined they'd be and more. The band were obviously nervous about playing on a stage they'd looked upto many times before as students, but they put their nervous energy to good use. The crowd were in good spirits, with many knowing the words to every song. This wasn't something the 7-piece were used to judging by Aleks' reaction when she realised that the crowd could be heard singing over her during Math(s). By the time they got onto Y!M!D! the crowd were singing and dancing, front to back and right out to the sides. There's something wrong about standing still to that. It's a song that makes your feet lose control. You have to dance like nobody's watching and your body takes over, which is quite apt really, given the lyrics. Being on the barrier gave me a perfect spot to do the Sweet Dreams... dance with Olli and Rosie, but the band didn't bring it back for the night. Shame on them. They really are the perfect band to shout random lyrics at the top of your voice whenever you feel like it. And I did. More than once. Although it was the first time I'd seen them, it definitely won't be the last. 9/10
So now I'm back and have 4 seminars to prepare for Monday, Tuesday and Friday. It's just as well that I don't have any gigs to go to until April 25th now, but I'm really looking forward to that one.
Music: LC! - C Is The Heavenly Option
Socks: Snoopy and rainbows
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Songwriting
I have discovered that I can't write songs to save my life and I am very envious of anyone who can. It is harder than it looks. This is most unfair. I'm especially jealous of anyone who can write Los Campesinos style lyrics.
On a kinda related note, my signed album arrived today. I believe the best word to describe it is snazzy, in an understated way. Snazzy is not used often enough in everyday life. I think I should start a campaign to make people say snazzy and pesky more...
Socks: pink & spotty on the left, with black and pink cocktail one on the right foot
On a kinda related note, my signed album arrived today. I believe the best word to describe it is snazzy, in an understated way. Snazzy is not used often enough in everyday life. I think I should start a campaign to make people say snazzy and pesky more...
Socks: pink & spotty on the left, with black and pink cocktail one on the right foot
Monday, 11 February 2008
Looking Back...Musically
I'm really missing my music. Having no laptop for a while is bad enough, but being unable to listen to most of my music collection at the moment isn't helping. To be honest, it's making me miserable. I've just been thinking about all the live music I've now seen. Moving away from home is one of the best things I've ever done. Even though I'm not where I wanted to be, I'm still a lot better off than I was, and I'm thankful for that.
Bands I've Seen (inc. supports, festivals & club nights where I can remember)...
Arcade Fire
Au Revoir Simone
Billy Talent
BRMC
Bloc Party
Blood Red Shoes (4)
Boy Least Likely To
CSS
Crystal Castles
Delays
Elle Milano
Fall Out Boy
Funeral For A Friend
Gym Class Heroes
Hellogoodbye
Jimmy Eat World
Kanye West
Kings Of Leon (2)
Klaxons (2)
Lostprophets (2)
Mates Of State
Maximo Park
Mika
New Young Pony Club
Paramore (2)
Pendulum (2)
Razorlight
Red Hot Chili Peppers (awful)
Reel Big Fish
Shy Child
Switches
The Automatic (2)
The Dead 60s
The Gossip
The Killers
The Like (worse than awful)
The Little Ones
The Pigeon Detectives
The Stills
The Subways (2)
The Sunshine Underground (2)
The Wallbirds
The Wombats (2)
We Are Scientists (2)
...and there's actually more than that. I can't remember many of the club night bands, or some of the supports. I've seen Nine Inch Nails too, but I didn't bother counting it because it was just the one song. Seeing as all of those 59 have been in the past 17 months, I'm quite pleased with my list. There's still 3 more I'd love to add to the list though...Air Traffic, Muse and The Strokes. I can't see any of them happening any time soon, but I've got a few more booked and a ticket to Reading again this year so that number is going to shoot up again by the end of 2008. I've missed out on seeing Air Traffic 4 times now, but hopefully they'll be on the list by this time next year.
Today's post was brought to you with the help of... last.fm, a borrowed laptop, insomnia and Amie's new colourful spotty socks.
Music was helpfully provided by Los Campesinos! (add them to the "I want" list too)
Bands I've Seen (inc. supports, festivals & club nights where I can remember)...
Arcade Fire
Au Revoir Simone
Billy Talent
BRMC
Bloc Party
Blood Red Shoes (4)
Boy Least Likely To
CSS
Crystal Castles
Delays
Elle Milano
Fall Out Boy
Funeral For A Friend
Gym Class Heroes
Hellogoodbye
Jimmy Eat World
Kanye West
Kings Of Leon (2)
Klaxons (2)
Lostprophets (2)
Mates Of State
Maximo Park
Mika
New Young Pony Club
Paramore (2)
Pendulum (2)
Razorlight
Red Hot Chili Peppers (awful)
Reel Big Fish
Shy Child
Switches
The Automatic (2)
The Dead 60s
The Gossip
The Killers
The Like (worse than awful)
The Little Ones
The Pigeon Detectives
The Stills
The Subways (2)
The Sunshine Underground (2)
The Wallbirds
The Wombats (2)
We Are Scientists (2)
...and there's actually more than that. I can't remember many of the club night bands, or some of the supports. I've seen Nine Inch Nails too, but I didn't bother counting it because it was just the one song. Seeing as all of those 59 have been in the past 17 months, I'm quite pleased with my list. There's still 3 more I'd love to add to the list though...Air Traffic, Muse and The Strokes. I can't see any of them happening any time soon, but I've got a few more booked and a ticket to Reading again this year so that number is going to shoot up again by the end of 2008. I've missed out on seeing Air Traffic 4 times now, but hopefully they'll be on the list by this time next year.
Today's post was brought to you with the help of... last.fm, a borrowed laptop, insomnia and Amie's new colourful spotty socks.
Music was helpfully provided by Los Campesinos! (add them to the "I want" list too)
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