GIGS - How Much Do I Pay? How Do I Act?

Hello lovelies,

I have decided to write a general post about gigs, they play a large part in my life and in the lives of many of my friends. But there are some things which bother me.

Firstly price. I know, I'm a student and I really don't have that much money to spend, therefore I really appreciate it when bands have a standing area, and whether you are right at the front or not depends on how committed you are as a fan, and how early you get there and how long you are willing to wait out in the cold. However recently more and more so it seems that you can buy your way to the front with VIP tickets for many events, which I find sad. I would happily wait hours to see my favorite bands and be right at the front, in fact I have waited up to 10 hours before, but now it's the case that rich kids can just buy a ticket and be at the front. It is more difficult for us poor students now to get the experience which we are so dedicated for. I don't know it just seems a little unfair, some of us have been loyal to bands for years and now just because we cant afford to spend £100+ on one ticket we are denied what we used to have.

Another thing, how do acts decide how much they are worth? How is it that some artists decide that they can charge so much more for tickets than others. I saw Biffy Clyro and my ticket was around £35. I wanted to go and see Justin Timberlake and standing tickets were in the region of £80! I cannot afford to spend £80 on getting crushed and hot and sweaty (Muse tickets were only £50!) So why is it that JT is worth £30 more than muse?! I don't get it. They are making it more and more difficult for their music to be accessed by all. Especially us most dedicated (obsessed), the teenagers and the students.

Next is how to act at a gig. This one really bugs me. Firstly if you go to a standing gig you should expect that people will ram into you at some point, and they can't help it it's just a sort of domino effect. But you have got tickets for that area, so you should be willing to accept it, and not get rude and shout at people (me and my friend experienced an incredibly rude woman's wrath at Biffy Clyro once). Secondly when you go to a gig like Bring Me The Horizon and then get angry at the people moshing around you. YOU chose to go to BMTH and YOU decided to go standing, you knew what it would be like, so stop bruising everyones ribs with your elbows and go to balcony to sit if you don't like it. Lastly ENJOY YOURSELF. In my eyes there is nothing more frustrating than seeing miserable people not enjoying themselves, and even worse is when they feel the need to look down their noses at people who are dancing and enjoying themselves.


After this whole post you may start to think that I don't like going to gigs, but I do I love them, and I mostly have brill experiences, there are no better memories than the magic of hearing your favourite songs and bands live. It's just that I'm curious to know what everyone thinks about these issues.

Let me know,
Seeya x

Jake Bugg!

I know I'm a little behind with this one. Well actually a lot behind on this one, but nevermind! In half term I went off to the O2 Academy in Birmingham to see Jake Bugg ( I saw him at Cambridge Folk Festival last year and he was ace, despite being late) and I must say that he himself put on a great show, however the crowd on the other hand were a different story.

Jake is bringing out a new album very very soon, and having enjoyed his first album so much I was wondering if it would be as good, especially as he has boomed in popularity and been off performing with all the big shots, however all my doubts were soon put to rest when he played his newer stuff. His set was split pretty equally between old and new, and his new stuff contains more rocky guitar stuff, and is a bit more angsty than his folk ballads. Jake sings about life in a very blunt way tackling all of the often taboo subjects, which is what I like so much about his music, it's REAL. I would strongly recommend seeing him live, his music just has to be listened to live.

Unfortunately I had to spend the night next to a "Jake Bugg wonnabe". He dressed like Jake and spent the whole evening trying to be "cool" He didn't crack a smile once and spent the whole evening complaining about everyone else. It seems odd to me that Jake's fanbase started off at Cambridge, with people playing his songs on guitar and us all singing along while we waited for him to arrive, to some of these miserable "too cool for anything" people. You're supposed to enjoy gigs, otherwise you might as well stay at home! It was a shame that our "Jake" complained that the crowd was too boring and there was no "mosh pit" however when one did oddly open up, he was the first to run away from it! Oh dear.

Anyway, if you were into "2 Fingers" and "Taste It" you will deffo like Jake's new stuff. He's also blossomed as a guitar player. It's all sweet.

10 Years of McFly, Live at the RAH!

I know this is late.
Actually it's really late.
Blame sixth form.

On Friday 20th and Sunday 22nd Sept I went on a little adventure to the Royal Albert Hall to see McFly show me what they like to call a party.

Firstly the Royal Albert Hall was such an excellent venue for them to choose. It made the shows SO special. The last time I was at the RAH I was 7 and watching the cirque de sol. All I remember of that was running around. So to go back to the venue at an age where I can appreciate just how stunning the building really is was fabulous.

Now, to the important part, the SHOW. And that is exactly the word to describe it. A Show, not a gig, or a concert. The boys put on probably the best show I have ever seen. The Royal Albert Hall was transformed before our  eyes from "Prestigious Music Hall" into basically a nightclub, as all the columns flashed different colours (Yes there was even a disco ball woheeey!)

Being a "Galaxy Defender" for 10 years means a lot. It means that I've seen the transformation of Danny Jones who sings the songs, to Danny Jones who OWNS the stage, who takes the stage and controls it, who knows just how to work the crowd and get the show going. I've seen Dougie change from being almost silent on stage, to Dougie playing the organ in the RAH! I've seen Harry go from skinny to buff! And a Harry who talks to us more. I've seen Tom blossom as a musician (and in appearance) and seen how his sensitivity and creativity has grown so much. I have to admit it was all pretty emotional.

And what made it even better? The set list for sure. I had managed to avoid pretty much all the spoilers, so had no idea what I was in for. Little Joanna. WOW HOW LONG HAVE WE ALL BEEN WAITING TO HEAR THIS ONE LIVE? hmmpfh apparently it's really hard to play. Whatever McFly, it made my night! Alongside Walk In The Sun. This was a magical moment. I adore this song. When the others went off stage and left Danny I had no idea of the treat I was in for. Mmmm we all sat in silence mesmerized by Dannys gorgeous voice as he sung Walk in the Sun to us. There is just something about the raw emotion in his voice that gives you that funny feeling when you listen to it. And of course McFly The Musical (possibly the best surprise of the night) This deffo needs to happen, or at least be included in Album 6 cough cough. It was the best demonstrator of Tom's ability as a songwriter and lyrical mastermind. We all thought he was a god with his wedding speech but this was something else. It was funny and beautiful and a trip down memory lane for many of us.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better... McBusted happened. Yep Mcfly and 2/3 of Busted. It was like all of my childhood dreams had rolled into one. I never got to see Busted when I was younger, but this totally made up for it. There was so much energy on stage and off, and as I screamed Busted lyrics to my mate next to me, I think I felt happier than I have felt for a long time. sigh

So, after 2 nights of singing yelling dancing partying screaming and jumping I can safely say that these two shows were the best that I have seen in a while. I felt so proud and happy seeing my favourite band of 10 years taking the stage and sharing with us their 10th Birthday. I've been here for 10 years and I'll be here for the rest. I've made so many new friends through the band as well. Thank you McFly.

Here's to the next 10 years! (where's the party gonna be then!?)

My Cheeky Sign ;) 

Welcome to the new academic year!

maan, those are the words I love and hate at the same time.

If you're in school, welcome back ey! However, a new year does mean a new start and a new calendar of things to look forward to!

For me, this is my last year of school ever (eek exciting, but VERY scary!) so I will be spending a lot of time this year working for my A Levels, however that deffo does not mean that I won't have time for concerts!

So what have you all got lined up?

From here until Christmas I have:

McFly's 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL!
Jake Bugg
Arctic Monkeys
Bring Me The Horizon

I can't wait to go and bring back the photos and hopefully a lot of positive experiences!

I also have a new calendar for music school concerts!
It's my last ever year of county music and that seems crazy, I have been there since I was 11!
So I will be able to post more about playing music tooo


Have a good weekend xxx

READING 2013

Heya Blog Readers!

Since Monday I have been in post-festival recovery mode (still coughing choking dying from festival flu now) after coming home from Reading Fest 2013! But maan, this illness is manageable seeing as it was exchanged for one of the best weekends I have had all year, and deffo the best festival I have ever been to. My weekend was jam packed full of everything I could want, and to write down everything would be ridiculous (especially seeing as I only have half hour spare now to write up my blog post) so I thought I would share with you my Reading 2013 highlights!

HEADLINERS

EMINEM

Eminem seems to have been around for AGES and has released some absolute CLASSICS. He hasn't done anything recently so this was a performance that I was sort of like hmm could go either way, but I have to admit it was a good performance all round. He put on a good show and had the crowd rapping along, and lets be honest, seeing Eminem live is something that just HAS to be done. Despite being harassed by some horny teenage boys, I still had a great time, there was this insane guy standing with us who knew EVERY word to EVERY song, that is what I call dedication. It was a class way to end Saturday.

BIFFY CLYRO

MON THE BIFF. I love Scotland. I love Simon Neil. I love Biffy Clyro. After seeing Biffy on their tour in March at Birmingham, I must admit that I was very very very excited to see Biffy headline Reading on the Sunday. I was not disappointed at all in any way shape or form (not that I could ever be). The wait for Biffy to come on stage was eternal it felt so long, but was made a lot better by some lovely scottish students that we chatted to :) When Biffy came on stage finally there was a glorious moment as everyone sung along to Different People and we knew we were in for a good show. The set list was just about perfect and included classics like Many of Horror, Bubbles and Mountains and their newer stuff Biblical and Stingin' Belle (The only thing that I thought was missing was Victory Over The Sun boo I really want to hear that one live!) And then the magical moments of Folding Stars and Machines (aaaaaah there's nothing better than hearing everyone around you singing along to an acousticy song) The stage was great, and included a lot of fire (and Simon setting fire to his guitar) and then fireworks at the end. If I'm completely honest I can't think of a better way to end my festival experience. Biffy were on top form, music quality was superb and Simon's energy just radiated everywhere across the crowd.

OTHER ACTS WHICH I LOVED

SKRILLEX - In the NME tent. Wow, okay so I must admit that I wanted to see Skrillex just for a laugh, but actually once I got there I realised that I was in for more than just a laugh. Skrillex actually put on a really good set. Plus the whole experience of thousands of people crammed in a tent skanking it out around me was something I have never experienced before. It was soo hot, crazy hot, sweating ravers everywhere. I took a couple of cups of beer to the face, was temporarily blinded by booze, and carried on raving it out, however I wasn't strong enough to stick it out till the end (only Chloe survived out of our group until the end, HERO)

BRING ME THE HORIZON - I thought I would quite enjoy seeing this, when in fact I LOVED them. Like BMTH were probably one of the best acts I saw all weekend. Oli's screaming is just as legit in live concert as it is on the albums, plus there were some pretty awesome things that happened. A wall of death between the whole festival crowd, and a circle pit around the VIP tower, which when I watched back on Iplayer actually looks so cool! Yep. BMTH have definitely earned themselves a new fan here.

FALL OUT BOY - Excuse me but if it wasn't your childhood dream to see Fall Out Boy live in concert you are lying to yourself and everyone around you. Having been a very happy Rachel when FOB brought out new music this year (which is great new music) I was an even happier Rachel when i found out that I was going to be seeing them LIVE at reading! Woohooo! They played a mix of their old stuff and their new stuff, and I even had the chance to get on this sweet guys shoulders for the Phoenix (which was my ambition from the start of their set, it felt AMAZING). Fall Out Boy were just wow. A lot of attitude and sasss from Patrick on stage and from the crowd around me belting out the words to the songs we have loved (my fav moment was turning to some guy also on someone else's shoulders and us both just screaming at each other "I don't care what you think as long as it's about me")

TWIN ATLANTIC - Ahh, back to my love of scottish bands, we have Twin Atlantic. A highlight of everyone turning around and yelling "FREEEEEEE" and making a beast of themselves;) And you can't forget the beautiful moment of everyone singing Crash Land together, perfect

IMAGINE DRAGONS - When they brought their album Night Visions i fell in love with it. An album that I can genuinely listen to from start to finish and love every song, so I was deffo not going to miss them at Reading. Having nearly died during the wait (due to a lot of surges of pushing which resulted in being crushed on the floor, but luckily having a lovely bloke pull me back up to my feet) I really enjoyed the whole set. They played all the songs I hoped they would and there was a lot put into the performance by the whole band.

So these are my main highlights, I may come back and add some more. Of course alongside these acts I experienced all the weird and wonderfullness of campsite activity, spoke to a lot of drunk ranodms and had to deal with the dreaded toilets.

Oh well, see you next year Reading!

Thanks for reading (thats reeeed-ing not red-ing) ;)

xxx

So much has changed, Down memory lane

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday too you, Happy Birthday to McFly, Happy Birthday to youuu!

It's a given that if you're in a band or a group or whatever else you will have 2 birthdays. You're own birthday, and then the group birthday.

Today marks 10 years of McFly. 10 WHOLE YEARS. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel very old. I still remember going to see them for the first time ever in 2004. I remember seeing the video for 5 colours at the age of 7 on Top Of The Pops and Pop Party. I remember falling completely in love with Danny Jones and his brown straightened fringe - sigh -

5 Albums and 11 Tours later, McFly are still going stronger than ever, and are (hopefully) finishing off album 6 for us. I know you might call them just a poppy boy band or whatever, but they deserve so much respect. Even from early on they did work for comic relief, and since then, alongside their music they have been continuously raising money and doing charity work (Tom on the Cube, Harry's Cricket and the MARATHON!)

And then there was I'm A Celeb and Strictly Come Dancing, where we were shown the boys competitive side (May i just add another 2 victories for McFly). C'mon, even if you don't love McFly you LOVED Dougie in Im A Celeb! 

McFLY have been a huge part of my life for 10 years of it (over half) and I wouldn't change it for the world. They were the first band I saw live, and the first band I fell in love with. The first band I collected all the albums for and the first band I knew the words to every song for. The first band I saw 2 dates for the same tour and the first band I waited for hours outside a venue for. I am so proud of them for reaching 10 years, as these days none of the new bands like them seem to make it last that long. They have shared Wedding Speeches and their life with us through tweets and SuperCity and videos and VLODCASTS and their book! We have been so lucky to share days like these with the boys and each other. I am a proud Galaxy Defender FOREVER! Here's to the next 10 years xx 

"Home is where the heart is, it's where we started where we belong"

"Another year over, and we're still together, it's not always easy, BUT MCFLY'S HERE FOREVER"

"The world would be a lonely place, without the one who puts a smile on your face"

"Cause I'm Not Alone"

"If this is love, love is easy"

Spain Tour!

On here I spend a lot of time writing about various gigs that I have been to, and people that I have watched, but I don't really tell you about the music I play. So here is just a little insight to my additional music-ness.

We have an absolutely cracking music school where I live (I have been in it for six years now and really joining it was the best decision that I have ever made). This year our Concert Band and Brass Band went on tour to Spain. I had the best time ever, sunning myself by day and performing by night. Seeing as we played in some really amazing venues I thought it would be rude not to share them, so here.

We played in the most AMAZING bank I have ever seen in my whole entire life. Who knew that a BANK could look so stunning?!

We got to sit back and watch the Brass Band do their concert outside (us concert banders just kicking back in the sun enjoying some great music) Here is a video of their performance of Don't Stop Me Now, you can't not enjoy it! (unfortunately not from spain this video)

We played our last 2 concerts in the most beautiful churches. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the first one as photos were not allowed, but here is a photo of our very last concert venue:

Obviously have to finish with just a general tour photo, 

at the start of tour on the ferry! 

I didn't really learn much Spanish, but I spoke a bit.

I also ate my first ever Paella whey!

Thanks for readin! 

Rachel x

McFLY

As promised here is the start of my blogging about the recent gigs that I have been to, so lets start on the 18th May.

Here is a brief summary of my day:
Get up at 6AM!
Get to the train station at 7am
Get to Wembley Arena at 9:30am
*wait wait wait*
McFLY (doors opened at 6:30)

So, why would I get there at 9:30am? That's crazy right? Well it meant that I was right at the front, and that's all I wanted. For those of you that don't really know me, I am an extreme Galaxy Defender (the name given to McFly fans). I know all the words to every song and own every album.

The Best Of McFly tour at Wembley Arena (the final night) was so special. For me, I have been following the boys since I was seven. Mum took me to their first ever tour, and I have been to pretty much every tour since then (in fact in September I will see McFly live for the 10th time!) so to see them play a sort of greatest hits, Memory Lane tour brought back all kinds of memories for me. It's amazing to watch the band grow better and stronger over the years, and watch them all develop as individual musicians.

What was even better about the show was the fact that it was actually a show, and not really a concert! There was a host, Mr Antastic (you might remember him, from the band V if you're old enough haha!) who made such a smashing contribution to the whole evening. He literally makes you forget about exams or relationship problems or friendship problems or any problems. He built up such a great atmosphere, cracked some (awful yet funny) jokes, and had us all doing the YMCA while waiting for McFly to come on stage, could not have had a better warm up for the show!

For support acts, we were very lucky to be given two great acts, James Bourne was first (you know JAMES FROM BUSTED!) he was great as a solo act, he even played us Year 3000 (which is great of him to go back and play a busted song so much respect for that, plus the crowd loved it!). Following that we had The Vamps, a cute looking band, which make a lot of noise and jump a lot. They make a great sound together as a band and were the perfect entertainment while we were waiting.

As for the main act, McFly, there is soo much to be said. They played a collection of all their greatest stuff, from the loud stuff, to the original stuff, back to the quiet stuff, back to the loud stuff. 5 Colours In Her Hair, The Heart Never Lies, Lies, Corrupted, Room On The Third Floor, just, everything I could have asked for. They brought emotion and fun and smiles and tears to the room just in one night. The energy they have on stage is just incredible, running around, jumping about, Danny did some disco dancing and Dougie did "the snail". For me, it was amazing to see a band that I have followed since the age of 7, 10 years later to be selling out Wembley, and now running around and performing with such confidence.

To make the whole day even better, I made some wicked new friends, the queueing experience at Wembley was great because we had a security guy who was full of banter, the passing football songs seemed to only know the song "It's All About You" AND Danny Jones pointed at me (well my inflatable banana) and laughed and said he liked it. Wow.

Now we have the Royal Albert Hall show in September to look forward to, which marks their 10th Birthday! (And of course album 6 but who knows when that will come)

Galaxy Defenders, Stay Forever!

Is it really that time of year again?...

I don't want to start this blog on a negative, but the dreaded E word is here again...

dun dun dunnn.....

So in order to help myself, you, and everyone suffering everywhere I thought I would write you a revision music blog, in order to make the next couple of months as painless as possible. Revision music is great, it helps you get through the mile long list of topics you need to cover, it makes equations mildly entertaining, however, revision music has to be suitable.

I don't know how many times I have whacked on the radio with the intention of knuckling down and embracing my textbooks, and then five minutes later found myself out of my chair, dancing around, air guitaring, and singing my heart out. No. STOP IT RACHEL. Concentrate.

Hmm. Okay lets take a new set of music.
I find that the music I listen to is very subject specific. If it's latin I'm revising I HAVE to listen to epicy film music, it only seems right. However most of the time that is the last thing I want. When revising maths and physics a more tranquil environment is needed in order to keep Rachel's sanity in a stable position.

So what do I listen to?
My personal favorites this year are Passenger, Ben Howard (the ultimate revision companion), Of Monsters and Men, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Lucy Rose, Two Door Cinema Club, Imagine Dragons and The Lumineers.

What about everyone else? I could really do with some more music to add to the list as I have a further 11 exams to take this exam season!

Good Luck Everyone,

And remember, if all else fails,

"Success isn't permanent and failure isn't fatal"

xxxx

I'm back!

Hello lovely people,

Sorry I haven't been posting for a while, there are 3 main reasons for this:

1 - Preparation for my THIRTEEN exams coming up, crazy
2 - My VERY busy music schedule, been playing in Birmingham and at concerts and at the concert band festival and various other random things.
3 - I have been filling a live music shaped hole in my life (which i can't wait to tell you all about!)

One of the holes I have been filling in my heart is one taking the form of Pop Music. Try and deny it all you like, but everyone has a guilty pleasure. Even if you are into acousticy stuff or loud screamy shouty music (which are both great in their own way) you will know all the words to at least one pop song. And who can blame you? The lyrics are easy to learn. The tunes are catchy. The chords are predictable, but that is the whole point to pop music.

So while I have been away I have been to Olly Murs, The Script and McFly ( And i am going to see McFly again in 3 weeks, judge me, I don't care #GalaxyDefender ) all of which I intend to blog about.

And then there is the other side to my random music taste, which takes the form of Scottish rock. I have been to see Biffy Clyro. Which is definitely worthy of its own blog post to come!

I have a lot coming up to come back and report from, and I will make sure I take pictures and videos for those of you who don't want to spend every penny of their income on gigs (I am officially poor as of now)

18th May - McFly at Wembley
25th May - Muse at Emirates
Summer - Cambridge Folk Festival, Reading Festival
October - Jake Bugg at Birmingham

What are you guys looking forward to?
I hope you've all had a great time recently,
I look forward to writing some Live Posts for you all

seeya xx

Useful Uses of Music

Hello lovely music fans,

Today I thought I would write a blog post about all the uses of music, as there are sooooooo many!
The first is soundtracks. Could you imagine watching a film, and there being no music at all in it? Music is what makes you want to cry (think about it, that scene in Titanic wouldn't be half as eye welling without "My Heart Will Go On"), it's what makes you feel so tense, it's what makes you jump, it's what adds to humour, and so many other emotional parts of films. How many times have you thought "I wish I had a soundtrack to my life" (which might make for an interesting experiment, perhaps in another blog ey keep reading;) ).

And then, there's your own emotions in general. I don't know about you, but when i'm feeling reallly emotional (it happens a lot, being a teenage girl and all) there's nothing I love more than screaming my feelings out. It works trust me, and musicians know this, so there is a song for every occasion!

What about playing instruments? It's a great work out in some cases. And can be so rewarding when you finally manage a passage that you couldn't play. Even better it's a quick and fun way of meeting some amazing people, musicians work together loads, and are so friendly and fun.I think everyone should learn to play an instrument of some kind, there's never a dull moment!

Happy music making :D

Do you hear the people sing?

Musical - a play or motion picture in which the story line is interspersed with or developed by songs, dances, and the like. 

Yesterday I went to see Les Mis at the cinema, which was absolutely amazing can I add, I wasn't convinced when I first heard they were making the film for it that they would be able to do it properly, but they nailed it (I have only ever cried once that much at a cinema and that was for Titanic 3D) 

Anyway, it made me think that I should write you guys a post on musicals, love them or hate them, you can always relate to them in some way shape or form. Everyone has been the character in love, the character not in love, the character that's the outcast, the character that's the hero, the character that isn't the hero at some point in their life. 

And who doesn't love singing out their emotions anyway? If you tell me that you don't find any pleasure in belting out the classic songs that everyone knows from musicals like Joseph and Wicked then you are lying to yourself and everyone else. 

Take Defying Gravity for example, a song about having freedom and not needing anyone else. There is no better song to blast from your lungs when you are having a bad day and need to prove to yourself that you are on top of the world and unstoppable!

And Joseph's Coat? Everyone knows that song, and makes it a silly goal to learn the colours, in their correct order. And the rest of the Joseph songs. This musical is full of energy, and when I came out of seeing it in London years ago I certainly came out with a smile on my face.

And of course, probably one of the emotional tales in Les Mis. Everyone knows "I dreamed a dream" and probably "On my own" too. The songs to listen to to get in touch with your emotional side. Just at the film I was crying. I hope to see this in London soon, as I believe it will be even more amazing and emotional. sob.

So there we have it, my reasons for watching musicals. Love them, sing with them and connect with them! 

Happy singing:) 

xxx