Miles Kane @ The Nick Rayns LCR, Norwich

Gig: Miles Kane

Support: The Family Rain

Date: Monday 7th October

It wasn't until I saw Jay Sharrock and George Moran  stood outside smoking, standing only a few metres away from me that I realised I would finally be seeing Miles Kane. The man that I love so dearly. 

Support came from The Family Rain who originate from Bath. Heavy bass and guitar riffs suffused the room much to the delight of the crowd. The Family Room produced insouciant tracks which without question warmed up the crowd in preparation for the headline act.

The crowd erupted as soon as Miles arrived on stage. As expected everyone sang word perfect to every single song, proving that Miles is a significant artist to many.

Songs from 'Colour Of The Trap' and 'Don't Forget Who You Are' were sung effortlessly. 

The atmosphere was incredible, I could feel my voice dissolving into the heaving baselines and riffs that echoed around he room. I still cannot believe I've finally seen Miles Kane live.One of my favourite songs of the night, not forgetting the brilliance of Inhaler, Kingcrawler, Better Than That and Taking Over, was the acoustic version of Out Of Control. It was sublime and truly intimate.

Ignoring the fact we were immediately removed from the venue due to the fire alarm, it was a superb gig. Luckily, we were able to re-enter the venue and see Miles perform Come Closer - which due to the longer instrumental, always sounds exceedingly better live. Finishing with Come Closer was brilliant, as it was THE song that recognised Miles as a solo artist. 

what doesn't kill you

As usual I tuned into Radio 1, only to find out that Zane Lowe was going to play a single of Jake Bugg's new album. This single happened to be 'What Doesn't Kill You'.
(No, it's not a remake of Kelly Clarkson don't worry).

"Rick Rubin is also working on Bugg's second album. After hearing the reworked version of Broken, I fear that Bugg's second album may not be as great as the first. But I shall wait until it is released to make my final decision and opinion, after all I will always love Bugg."

I can't help but be excited for the new sounding Bugg, who sounds quite punk-like, think Sham 69 and The Ramones. I really do like this new song and after also hearing 'Slumville Sunrise' (multiple times) and 'All Your Reasons', I cannot wait for Shangri La - Bugg's second album - to be released in November.

i AM disappointed

I was so so so excited to visit my local HMV and buy AM on Monday morning. I had resisted the urge to listen to the live stream and I just couldn't wait to unwrap the CD and just listen to it for hours. 



Here's where I start my rant.. 

I'm a huge Arctic Monkeys fan and the singles they had released from the album were brilliant, I loved them. But the album..

Well after my first listen, I was disappointed. Completely. 

It just wasn't what I had expected. Maybe because there was so much hype about the album, I just expected some absolutely superb album that would knock my socks off, but unfortunately it didn't. 


S I G H

So as I'm currently on a rant...

• It is VERY rock 'n' roll, but maybe not the rock and roll we're all used to.
• Matt's voice seems to be able to enter supersonic frequencies.
• Alex's voice sounds A LOT different from the other albums.
• No.1 Party Anthem is not what I expected. It sounds like something Lana Del Rey would create.
• Fireside makes me feel like I'm in Spain. 
• "shoowop shoowop" is soooo 1950s.
• For everyone who said all the songs on the album sound they same, THEY CLEARLY DON'T. 
• Snap Out Of It sounds familiar, but I can't place the song. 
• 'AM' doesn't sound like Dr Dre?

BUT after listening to it a few more times, I do quite like it and I'm sure I'll come to love it. 

I'm the first person to defend a band for 'changing' as every band has to grow up and mature. But I do feel this album isn't as great as it could have been? It just sounds.. erm... lame?  

I understand that NME really like Arctic Monkeys but they were way too over-the-top about their review of the album. 'AM' really isn't a 10/10 album at all and I think NME misjudged this so much. Maybe they just want to be BFFL's with Alex (sorry that place has already been taken by Mr Miles Kane, MILEX FOREVER)?

R U Mine?, Arabella, I Want It All, Fireside, Knee Socks and I Wanna Be Yours are, in my opinion, the best songs on the album.

Now, I may in a few weeks blog again and tell you that I'm in love with the album and that it's one of the best albums I've ever bought.. Maybe this will happen. But at the moment, this is not the case. I don't "love" the album, I simply enjoy and like the music.

Please make your own opinions on the album though as I hate to write negative things about Arctics as I do love them quite a lot. Check out the stream via iTunes.

Also check out last night's performance from The Roundhouse, London for the iTunes Festival. This wasn't their best performance, but it wasn't too shabby.

Alex tried his best to hype up the crowd who didn't seem that interested:

"wake up fuck sake"

"All the pretty visitors came and waved their arms.. why aint ya doin' it, DO IT"


On the other hand, I'm excited to see them live in October. Mwah.

introducing... caves

It's very rare nowadays that you come across a band that can actually create foot-tapping upbeat indie pop...

Introducing... CAVES

Caves are an indie band formed in Liverpool (just like The Wombats) which consists of Andy Pink (vocals/rhythum guitar), Dan Carney (vocals/lead guitar), Jon Huntley (bass) and Dan Walsh (percussion).

Their new EP titled 'One' is available to listen to on their soundcloud page: Official Caves
It's a fun and quirky 3-track EP, that'll instantly make you want to dance. A real feel-good EP that you should definitely check out!

'Swim' is below, but don't forget to visit their soundcloud page!!




Out of all the songs on their new EP 'One', to me, this one sounds like it has been heavily influenced by Foals.

Unique and catchy.. it's genius.

And to finish here's a final word from a band themselves: 

"Well, we're four musicians from Liverpool who came together to collaborate and make music."

Straight to the point, I like it.

introducing... the sss

Okay, so you all know I'm a sucker for a small unsigned band..

Well, once again, I've found another incredible one!

Introducing... THE SSS

A five-piece band from Sheffield - that instantly reminded me of Miles Kane - are definitely a band you should acknowledge and love. Super talented and with Brandon Flowers-like vocals, The SSS will not disappoint with their lovable tracks. 

With over 2,000 views on Youtube after only joining in February this year, The SSS are definitely increasing in popularity. 

With other hugely popular bands such as Milburn, Arctic Monkeys, Reverend & The Makers, Pulp and The Human League all coming from Sheffield, hopefully The SSS will follow in their footsteps. (Think more 'Cornerstone' than 'Don't You Want Me'.)

Check out their songs on either, Soundcloud: sss-14 or Youtube: SSSmusicchannel.

saints + sinners

SAINT:

Saint Raymond (aka Callum Burrows) is a singer songwriter from Nottingham. 

Recently signed to Asylum/Atlantic Records (I feel like a proud Mum), Saint Raymond is THE singer songwriter to watch out for .! With a signature voice and catchy lyrics, Saint Raymond is bound to go far! 

Also, with already supporting Gabrielle Aplin, he can't be too shabby, right?

His latest EP 'Escapade' includes 4 tracks of pure brilliance. 
Which you can buy from iTunes!
My favourite song on the EP is 'Everything She Wants'. It's a real feel-good song that will instantly make you happier, not forgetting the catchy tune and lyrics that, trust me from experience, you will be singing for days.

Check out 'Everything She Wants' below:

Saint Raymond has a 7 date tour at the end of September / beginning of October, none of which are close to me, which sucks! But I can't be angry at him can I? Seeing as he is so perfect? Okay, no, I'm not angry at all, I look forward to seeing more tours to come and I will make sure I attend at least one, wherever it is.. 

SINNER:

'Sinners' is a new EP from 18 year-old Lauren Aquilina, which was also Single of the Week from iTunes last week!

With a voice of an angel it's hard to believe that Lauren Aquilina is only 18 years old! Not forgetting how beautiful she is either.. 

The outstanding vocals combined with the simplistic sound makes this EP completely superb. Every song is unique and you will love them as soon as you first hear them. 

Listen to 'Sinners' and see for yourself how incredible she is:

You may have recognised Lauren's name from one of my past blogs. This is because Lauren featured on 'Flaws and Ceilings' which is my favourite Frank Hamilton song!

Autumn Lauren Aquilina Tour? I think so.

Check out this video of Lewis Watson, Lauren Aquilina, Hudson Taylor (who recently supported Jake Bugg), Orla Gartland and Mike Dignam singing 'I'm a believer' by The Monkees.

july playlist 2013

So the sun has finally decided to make an appearance in England and I cannot express how much better England has become already, the heat, the sun, the ice cream.. ahh perfect!!

Scrolling through my iPod I've realised that I do not make many playlists, this is probably because I usually leave my iPod on shuffle and just listen to whatever comes on. (Don't we all?) The only playlist I have is titled 'Party' which is pretty self explanatory.. However, the drastic change in the weather has changed my mind on the whole 'making a playlist' fiasco.

I decided to choose 20 songs, which makes the playlist just over an hour long. Personally, I think a playlist which is around an hour is perfect as it's not long and boring and tiring and blah blah blah, you get what I mean.. I've included a range of artists in this playlist, including some you may never have heard of until now, but here it goes..

JULY PLAYLIST 2013:

Every single playlist this summer needs to start with 'Do I Wanna Know?'. It's a must! 

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?

Swim Deep - She Changes The Weather

Daughter - Youth

Big Sixes - The Hunter (Live)

(original version here)

Nina Nesbitt - Way The World Works

The Other Tribe - Skirts

Peace - Lovesick

Monaco Bears - Alison's Statue

Daytona Lights - Midnight Beach

Swiss Lips - U Got The Power

Eliza Doolittle - Big When I Was Little

Jake Bugg - Saffron

Fenech-Soler - Maiyu

& The Centurions - Skeletons

Professor Green ft Miles Kane - Are You Getting Enough?

Miles Kane - Taking Over

Twisted Wheel - You Stole The Sun

Bastille ft Erika - Sweet Pompeii

Breach - Jack

Disclosure - F For You

'F For You' is one of my favourite songs at the moment, and it is such a great song to finish the playlist with! Well there you go, that's my July playlist, enjoy!