I Wanna Rock And Roll All Night And Party Every Day

So as I'm going to be absent for the rest of the week due to birthday celebrations (I'm 20 tomorrow and will spend the next 5 days celebrating it), here's an awesome playlist of totally awesome rock 'n' roll tracks I love to keep you all going. Enjoy!

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett: A jazz duo

To some this may come as a surprise but Lady Gaga is a real jazz geek. As a longtime Little Monster I fall in love with pretty much anything Lady Gaga does and whilst jazz really isn't my favourite, I think I could be about to delve into the glamorous world of pianos and saxophones. This morning Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett announced they're going to be releasing a jazz album entitled 'Cheek To Cheek' and it will include classics such as 'Anything Goes' and title track 'Cheek To Cheek'. Gaga and Bennett have been long time friends and anyone with ears can appreciate that together they are an unstoppable force in the jazz scene. Whilst Bennett is well established in the twilight of his career, Gaga has always loved to sing jazz (evident in her album 'A Very Gaga Holiday' from 2011). Both their voices are smoldering and I am sure that 'Cheek To Cheek' will have my fingers clicking and my body swaying. It's an exciting project for the pair and for Gaga, it has been a dream come true. Whilst I hope it's not a full time change of direction for Gaga (ARTPOP follow up please), it will be interesting to see where her and Bennett's friendship and music take them in the future.

'Anything Goes' is available to buy now.
'Cheek To Cheek' is available for pre-order now and is due for release on September 23rd 2014.

Room To Breathe

'Room To Breathe' is set to be the next single from You Me At Six's 'Cavalier Youth' and with it comes another beautiful video of some of my favourite men in the rock world today. The video sees the band in black and white perform the song individually whilst their silhouettes are filled with live footage of adoring fans. It's a clever metaphor about the fans and the music being within them and how that is what keeps them going, or at least that's what my deeper self interpreted it to be! Whichever way it's interpreted, the cinematography of the video is still stunning to the point where I've watched this video about 15 times. It makes for quite powerful footage and it's impressive that a video so refined can make such a strong impression upon you. I love it and I believe it is affirmation that You Me At Six are as strong as ever and will continue creating beautiful and artistic music.

'Further Sky' by Basement

'Further Sky' is the first release from a reformed Basement and it's been a long wait for some. 2 years after releasing the beautiful 'colourmeinkindness' and announcing an indefinite hiatus, the Ipswich 5 piece are back with a gloomfully grungey three track EP. Although it only lasts 10 minutes, it is an illustration of the evolution of one of the most loved bands to emerge in the scene in a long time. Many a teenager seems to relate with the words which emerge from Andrew Fisher's heavy heart and I'm sure they will continue to when listening to 'Further Sky.' Although it has the same echoes of sadness as their previous material, there is a much more upbeat feel to the songs, particularly with 'Summer's Colour'. 'Jet' is a catchy number too but for me 'Animal Nitrate' is the song I'll have on repeat. As far as covers go, this is one of my favourites. Originally by Suede, the Basement revamp reminds me of being a 15 year old kid who liked Good Charlotte and Nirvana and Green Day and just wanted something a little bit rock 'n' roll to listen to. It actually makes me happy. I can see all three songs being at home on the live circuit too and whilst I don't think it is their best material, I do think it will see the band to another full length album with a more grown up sound.

'Further Sky' is available to buy as of today.

Band of the Week: Lonely The Brave

I first heard of Lonely The Brave when I saw them open for Don Broco nearly a year ago now. They were pretty beautiful. Frontman David Jakes voice live translates into something quite haunting, I was taken aback and that's where my love for this band began. Alongside David are Andrew, Joel, Mark and Gavin and as a collective they create indie/rock with a doom and gloom vibe. Doom and gloom are not often words people warm to but in the case of Lonely The Brave you really connect and relate to the way they sound. Like indie ancestors Editors, they have that sad tone that makes you strangely happy. They strike the right balance between easy-listening and rocking out and that only makes them more endearing; you can turn them up to 100 and sing like it's the last song you will ever hear, or they can pop up on a shuffled playlist and be part of a chilled soundtrack. Although the five-piece are yet to release an album they have a small collection of songs including EP 'Backroads.' 'Backroads' as a single itself is probably their biggest song to date and it's a perfect example of the balance I was talking about earlier. Other songs to note are the beautiful 'Hope There's Someone', the more rock n roll 'Black Saucers' and latest single 'Victory Line'. With festival slots all over the place and a tour announced just this morning with Marmozets, Lonely The Brave stand a good chance of becoming major players in the doom and gloom arena.

Catch Lonely The Brave on The Big Cheese Tour this October with Marmozets.
Debut album 'A Day's War' is available to preorder now and is due for release on September 1st 2014.

The underrated and overrated: Reading and Leeds 2014

So, as you are all aware I am off to the greatest festival on earth next month, Reading. Today marks exactly 4 weeks until the music commences at Richfield Avenue in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds so I thought what better way to get more hyped (if that's possible) for that weekend than to let you lovely people know who I will definitely be seeing (these were very difficult to whittle down as there are so many awesome bands I'll definitely be seeing) and who I'll be avoiding over the weekend!

The underrated and must sees
Enter Shikari
R: Main Stage-Friday. L: Main Stage-Saturday.
As a long time Lion, Enter Shikari are a band I refuse to miss when I am in a vicinity where they are playing live. With this being their second of only two UK shows this year they are bound to give it their all with a reckless and powerful performance. Oh, and expect another attempt at breaking the crowdsurfing world record.

Blink 182 
R: Main Stage-Sunday. L: Main Stage-Friday
Making their long awaited return, pop punk royalty Blink 182 will headline the festival this year and I'm pretty sure it's going to be epic. They'll tell rude jokes, "Travis I'm pregnant" signs will be in abundance and a crowd of all ages will be jumping like nutters to classic after classic. There's also likely to be a drum solo and some new material so you definitely won't want to miss them.

Royal Blood 
R: NME/Radio 1-Saturday. L: NME/Radio 1-Sunday
Dubbed one of the most exciting bands to emerge this year, Royal Blood are set to gain new fans and make their current fans love them even more as they hit the festival this year. A debut album will have emerged around this time as well so it's likely the two piece will be rocking out with extra passion and energy.

Issues 
R: The Pit-Saturday. L: The Pit-Sunday
Issues are unique. They're metal, they're hip hop, they use electronics, they scream, they sing, they're definitely a fusion of all that is good in music. Pretty new to the UK scene, the band will be having a hell of a lot of fun at The Pit this year and they're certain to get the crowd riled for alternative/metal favourites Architects and Of Mice & Men.

letlive.
R: Lock Up-Sunday. L: Lock Up-Friday
There is no way I or anyone else can afford to miss letlive. A band that are worth the ticket price alone, letlive. will give you a show. Known for their frontman Jason Butler going crazy at gigs, you'll probably enter The Pit to find him in the crowd, on the crowd, above the crowd, pretty much anywhere other than in front of them. Despite this they still sound awesome and will definitely give something special for their UK fans.

Die Antwoord 
R: NME/Radio 1-Saturday. L: NME/Radio 1-Sunday
Possibly one of the weirdest acts to grace the NME/Radio 1 stage ever, Die Antwoord are South Africa's finest export for the festival season. They'll definitely be creepy and if I'm honest, I couldn't predict if they'll be good or bad but for that reason alone they're definitely ones not to miss.







The overrated and ones to avoid
Arctic Monkeys 
R: Main Stage-Saturday. L: Main Stage-Sunday
So I'm going to get a lot of hate for this but there is no way on earth that I will be stood watching Arctic Monkeys. Yes, they are widely adored by indie kids everywhere and yes 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' is a classic but all in all these Northern boys are just a bit overrated. I am bias because I think AM is 12 identical tracks and I prefer the heavier of sounds but really, there is so much better to be seen over the weekend.

Sleeping With Sirens 
R: Main Stage-Sunday. L: Main Stage-Friday
American sweethearts and baby-faced crew, Sleeping With Sirens are another band which are widely adored but I've just never been able to affiliate myself with them. I think they're overrated and I think there's high chances of disappointment of them as a main stage act. However, if I do end up watching them I could be surprised. Who knows, I'm just uncertain about them right now.

Disclosure 
R: NME/Radio 1-Sunday. L: NME/Radio 1-Friday
Another band which I will get a lot of hate for calling overrated are Disclosure. When they first emerged on the scene I actually quite liked them but now they are all I hear and I have come to find them unbearable. From what I hear, they put on a great show but how good can a show of lights and house beats really be?

Meridian Dan 
R: Radio 1Xtra-Saturday. L: Radio 1Xtra-Sunday
"See man driving a German whip..." erm, I think that is enough to explain why Meridian Dan should be avoided at all costs.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 
R: Main Stage-Sunday. L: Main Stage-Friday
Mainstream boys Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are oddly placed at this years festival. I do think they have the ability to hold a main stage crowd but who put them among the rock/alternative/pop punk bands!? It all seems very odd to me and with the likelihood that letlive. and Mongol Horde will be on at the same time as them, I think you'll find better shows elsewhere.

'Go Down In History': A first listen

'Go Down In History' is the latest release from Four Year Strong after a break which seems to have gone on for years. The American four piece have been away working on their music since 2011's 'In Some Way, Shape or Form' which was a flop among critics and a little bit of an anti-climax for long time fans. Despite the band saying how much they loved that album, they have decided that from now on they'll be focusing on EPs, touring and going back to more raw roots; 'Go Down In History' is perfect evidence of this. 5 tracks long, the EP bounces, jumps and fist pumps into your ears and reminds you of the Four Year Strong you fell in love with. The tracks could easily belong on 2010's 'Enemy Of The World' which is a hell of an album and although these new songs sound more like the old Four Year Strong you can still hear hints of 'In Some Way...' which just goes to show the band are sticking to what they enjoy creating most. The fusion of the old sound with the new is actually really refreshing and it's what makes the EP worth the wait. Title track 'Go Down In History' is one of those songs you can see a crowd singing along to and it has the classic pop punk "woah" sections which everyone loves. 'What's In The Box?' is a great opener too, full of energy and vigour and closer 'So You're Saying There's A Chance...' is a concise chunk of anger with a sweet little breakdown in the middle. As far as first listens go, I'm happy with this. I don't love it yet and I don't have a stand out favourite but it has potential to grow on me until I know all the words and I'm at the barrier of a Four Year Strong gig shouting every word back at them. With an EP like this, it can't suck to be Four Year Strong right now.

'Go Down In History' is available to buy now.

The Great Hardcore Swindle

"On Thursday 19th June 2014 Baby Godzilla were given £25 each to construct a battle suit, so they could die with honour." Queue one of the best music videos I've seen in a long time. Creepy upshots, crazy fisheye zooms and a hell of a lot of action shots creates a video which makes you laugh and realise what a cool bunch of guys Baby Godzilla are. Known for their pretty reckless shows and support from long time hardcore madmen Enter Shikari, Baby Godzilla are slowly making a name for themselves. 'The Great Hardcore Swindle' certainly makes an impression and with a Shikari Soundsystem remix accompanying the single as part of it's release through Ambush Reality, these boys could be about to get some real publicity. With just over 6000 views currently on YouTube it's about time this video went viral. So enjoy, as you get to see suits of armour made from cheese graters, traffic cones and foam mats and 4 bandmates enter battle with one another for the laughter and adornment of the public. Forget Game Of Thrones, Baby Godzilla is where it's at!

'The Great Hardcore Swindle' is available to download through Ambush Reality now.

'Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing' by Real Friends

'Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing' is the first full length LP from pop punk idols Real Friends. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the band, they have released a string of short EP's over the past years which have created a large following of fans who follow the "sleepy eyes and boney knees" ethos. Real Friends emblazon the chests of kids across the world with their "Pop Punk Sucks" slogan (yes, it is ironic, google it if you have to and that's right, the world) so this album is long overdue. It's been highly anticipated and prior to it's release it's received nothing but praise from all the big names in the industry, with Rock Sound giving it an 8 out 10 and Kerrang! stamping it's arrival with 4 out of 5 'K''s. But what does it sound like to a fan? Well, it sounds exactly as you want a Real Friends record to sound. It's moany and it's sad yet there are glimmers of positivity that kids in this day and age need to get by.

I reckon I could go through the album and praise every single one of the songs on this album. Unlike their EPs there are clear distinctions between songs. Yes, all 12 songs are bursting with the Real Friends pop punk sound but the album is also diverse in that there are some grizzlier noises coming from the mouth of frontman Dan Lambton and there are some tempo's which I thought the band didn't know existed. The album starts with a short announcement 'Maybe This Place Is The Same...' and ends with it's counterpart '...And We're Just Changing' which is 4 minutes of classic Real Friends in that it's heartfelt and raw. That's who Real Friends are though and they've stayed true to themselves with this album. They are a band who pour emotion and heart into their lyrics and it means kids can connect to them. That is why they are so undeniably popular. They can pen every teenage kids emotions and put music to it; they create a soundtrack for a generation of lonely teenagers and consequently bring them together.

Leading up to it's release, the band released a trio of singles over the space of 3 months. First track 'Sixteen' sits in the last third of the album and exudes gentle melody and is lyrically heartbreaking. The second month saw the release of track 'Loose Ends' which marks the middle of the album and is also the point where you realise that you are in love with this album. The last teaser in the trilogy and now official single 'I Don't Love You Anymore' is the first full length track of the album and it sits as a reminder of who Real Friends are as it echoes tracks such as 'I've Given Up You' (found on EP 'Put Yourself Back Together Again'). Whilst I said earlier that I could praise all the songs, my favourite and the song I recommend the most is 'I Think I'm Moving Forward'. This track is not only a song about strength rather than weakness but it also shows the growth that the band have experienced. It's not sleepy eyes and boney knees, it's being wide awake and moving on and that is an important message for anyone listening to this record to embrace. It again echoes a previous single ('Late Nights In My Car') in that "if you never break then you'll never know how to put yourself together again" and it's lyrics like that which make Real Friends the figures they are in this scene. They are relatable and the frustration and sadness and hope and happiness that we all experience is weaved through this album beautifully.

'Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing' is available to buy now.

Band of the Week: Save Your Breath

Save Your Breath are a 5 piece from Newport, Wales making classic pop punk music. Starting off releasing an EP back in 2009, the band have since released 3 LP's and have toured with bands such as Funeral For A Friend and Set Your Goals. Despite this and their 18,000+ Facebook likes, Save Your Breath don't seem to be as big as they deserve to be and I can't understand why. Similarly to the hottest pop punk band on the planet right now, Neck Deep, frontman Kristian and his band are from a small town in Wales and are making pop punk records that an army of fans can mosh to and listen to alone in their rooms whilst sulking about how no one understands them. They really are underrated considering their music has the sound that a lot of people love and can relate to. There's messages in their songs which echo that of Real Friends and The Wonder Years, there's a look which could plaster the bedroom walls of fans and there's hooks and choruses to sing your heart out to. If pop punk is your thing and you want to check these guys out, stand out tracks include 'Maps', 'Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy' and 'Whole.'

Latest album 'There Used To Be A Place For Us' is available for purchase now.
Video for latest single 'Airs & Graces' can be found below.

Trash Talk, Tunbridge Wells Forum, 13/07/2014

It's safe to say when I booked my Trash Talk tickets a little over a month ago I was pretty scared. I'd heard
a lot of crazy stories about the California 4 piece and how reckless and quite honestly dangerous their shows could be. A lot of my friends who knew of Trash Talk actually wished me luck. As a 19 year old girl with very little muscle, I live by the moto 'if you don't want to be hit, stay out the pit,' a moto which is hard to live by when the whole room Trash Talk play in becomes a mosh pit. Trash Talk are a truly unique band. They play 50 second bursts of hardcore punk, encourage skateboarding at gigs and they perform among the crowd. The venue I saw them in has a stage, but a stage means nothing to Lee, Garrett or Spencer. It is drummer Devan Bentley who fills the stage alongside some massive amps and speaker, the others play on the floor. Whilst this means the show is as much the crowd's as it is the band's, it is slightly annoying. Like I said, I'm a 19 year old girl who doesn't want to get hit at a gig and whilst I'm more than happy for the mosh pit to still exist, in a situation like this it meant that I couldn't see. I would have love to have seen frontman Lee Spielman's passion and chaos but I couldn't because he was constantly mobbed by testosterone filled young boys.

Anyway, I feel I have become a tad sidetracked so let's get back to the best bits of my Sunday night. Opening act Human Future opened the night by thanking the crowd for being at The Forum and not watching the highly anticipated and loved World Cup final. This was followed by a declaration of "F**k Lionel Messi" something which created a ripple of laughter through the crowd. Following Human Future were Palm Reader (my current Band of the Week). Palm Reader managed to hype up the crowd ready for Trash Talk more than I was expecting them to, they were awesome, but you can read about all that in my post about them. Their bassist said something in passing though which made me laugh: "21 and deaf as a c**t" which was an accurate description of most the people in the room that night, including himself. The crowd now nicely riled (and a bit deaf), it was time for Trash Talk.

Trash Talk's 35 minute set was everything I thought it would be and more. It was absolutely crazy. Kids were throwing themselves into each other, into the band, into walls. Lee was throwing himself about, he was throwing fans about, he was encouraging circle pits and complete mayhem. What I wasn't expecting was for the band to stop mid-set and get each and every one of us to sit on the floor to watch a man propose to his girlfriend who he had met in the venue 2 years previous. It was a surreal thing to be happening at a gig, especially a Trash Talk gig but it only riled the crowd more. "Come on! Two people have jut declared their f***ing love for each other man!" shouted Lee and the show went on with more energy and more mayhem. Other random things which would only happen at a gig like Trash Talk's was a song being dedicated to Biffy Clyro, a song in which the crowd were asked to do skateboard tricks throughout, a song which required the crowd to stand still and frantically fist pump and Lee almost "taking a slash somewhere [he] shouldn't." The venue being as small as it is got pretty hot which lead to the band demanding beer and opening the side doors to hang out of whilst performing. Lee also threw some kids out the door too, just for fun... It was crazy. I wish I could tell you about stand out songs and the gnarly musicianship I saw but it's all a bit of a blur and with Lee having microphone issues, it's difficult to remember what was played when. They definitely played The Hole though and that was pretty awesome.

A Trash Talk show is the sort of show you'll only experience once. They can be pretty scary guys but they're performance is awesome and it is worth seeing them live, even if you don't really know who they are. I loved it, and I'm glad I made it out alive.

Due to the craziness I didn't get any photos or the setlist. Bad times.

Band of the Week: Palm Reader

This week's Band of the Week are Palm Reader, a metal 5 piece from Woking, UK. I first heard about Palm Reader when I found out they were supporting Trash Talk on their UK tour which I would be attending, so naturally I checked them out. After listening to their most watched single 'Noble Host' on YouTube I was pretty excited to see them live but when I did I got quite the surprise. 'Noble Host' is a very tame single from the band; their set was actually full of thrashy, metally songs that got a crowd of testosterone moshing like their life depended on it. What I hadn't realised was that the band had a full length album, 'Bad Weather' already out and that this is where their sound is established. Their sound is exactly what you'd expect from a band supporting Trash Talk on tour: it's frantic, it's grizzly, it's loud and it's pretty awesome. What's nice about Palm Reader though is that frontman Josh Mckeown's vocals are clear which means if you're brave enough you can have a sing-a-long, something which is sometimes impossible with bands of this genre. Whilst on the topic of Josh, he's also a really nice guy; straight after performing he headed to the merch stand to sell to fans and despite how sweaty and out of breath he was I thought that it was cool he was selling the merch to me, not someone he and his band had employed.

The band have also played a few festivals this summer such as Hit The Deck, 2000 Trees and Sonisphere and they were also part of the Rock Sound/Impericon Exposure Tour, which goes to show this band could become something big. Their bio on tumblr reads "We play loud. We play heavy. We play hard. We play fast." and that is the most accurate thing I've ever read in any bands bio. Palm Reader are showmen as well as musicians. Seeing them live was a new experience for me as half of them spent their time playing their instruments in the crowd amongst some serious moshers. It was quite impressive to see a band mosh so hard whilst playing instruments and still make it sound like a song. With a new album out early next year, this band are definitely one to watch.

'Bad Weather' is available to buy now from iTunes and smalltownrecords.co.uk
Single 'Noble Host (Grace Pt. 3) can also be downloaded for free via the band's BandCamp

Band of the Week: Babymetal

This weeks band of the week is slightly different from usual. On a normal day I'd be recommending a band who are clearly full of potential and talent, who I actually like, and recommend for all good reasons. However, this week, Babymetal have been bought to my attention. A Japanese all female trio, Babymetal fuse metal with cutesy Gothic outfits and dance routines that belong in musical theater. They are quirky, odd, confusing and most definitely experimental. I have never seen or heard anything like this before and I don't know if I love it or hate it. They're backed by some pretty cool riffs and shouts but then they're shrouded in "kawaii" (Japanese cuteness) and it makes for the oddest combination since chilli and chocolate! They're supported by a band who look like they've done their own Halloween make up and they've turned the almighty devil horn hand into what looks like a giraffe ready for shadow puppetry. Novelty or not, Babymetal are a serious talking point right now.

So who actually are Babymetal? Su-metal, Yuimetal and Moametal are a vocal-dance group with their hearts set on conquering the world with their unique kawaii metal movement. And weird or not, they must be doing something right as Lady Gaga has just added them as a support act on the current leg of her artRave tour! Insane praise indeed, however, this is Lady Gaga we're talking about, the most experimental woman in music today. Not only this but they are already on a world tour which has included a UK debut on Sonisphere's main stage last Friday! It's insane what this group are doing already. With songs such as 'Gimme Chocolate!' and 'Head bangya!!' it's hard to take this band seriously; I don't whether to laugh or cry or mosh or dance. Naturally, a band as crazy as this is in both concept and reality has had mixed reviews. I think they probably are Marmite. There is no way you could watch this band and go "well, they're okay." Having said all this, I have sat through their debut album 'BABYMETAL' quite happily. It really isn't the most offensive thing my ears have ever heard but I won't be rushing to hit the replay button or brag about how much I love them any time soon. What can be said for Su, Yui and Moa is that they have balls and they've got a lot of people talking, even though no one can really explain what they're doing. They are definitely worth checking out, just to see what the hype is about. 

 

Debut album 'BABYMETAL' is available now.

 

Royal Blood: Figure It Out

A previous band of the week of mine, Royal Blood have just released new single 'Figure It Out' and my God, it is another epic track from the duo! As gnarly and grizzly as ever, this single is loud and in your face with some intense instrumental work from both Mike and Ben. You can literally feel the music through you and the louder you play it, the more you love it. I've already moshed around my house to this song an unrecordable amount of times and I can imagine that it will be nothing short of a spectacle to see live. There's nothing more to say about it really, it speaks for itself. It's awesome.

Self titled debut album 'Royal Blood' is due for release on August 25th.

Below is the band performing 'Figure It Out' in session but the track can be found on the duo's soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/royalblooduk/figure-it-out-single

Real Friends: I Don't Love You Anymore

'I Don't Love You Anymore' is the final single to be released before Real Friends release their debut studio album later this month. The song is unmistakably Real Friends and sounds very much like a mash up of 'I've Given Up On You' and 'Anchor Down.' In some ways, it's a shame that it's so similar to their previous material because it feels like the band are stuck in a sound that they've become comfortable with. Despite this, it's still a song that is enjoyable. If the Real Friends sound is something you enjoy then you will love this song. It's safe and I think that's why it will sell; it's the classic sound of a band that have a loyal fanbase and the song will therefore be received with open arms. It's a pop-punk anthem which gives the middle finger to anyone who has ever broken another person's heart. With lyrics such as "I'm gone and I'm never coming back" and "I woke up today and realised what we had is dead", it stands out as something powerful and something about being heartbroken, something which a lot of people, young and old will relate to. It is worth a listen and you can imagine kids singing and moshing to it like their life depends on it, but if you're expecting a new sound from Real Friends, you're going to be disappointed.

Debut album 'Maybe This Place is the Same and We're Just Changing' is available to preorder now and is de for release of July 22nd.