Ten things I really should have blogged about in 2015...

One of the best things about writing a blog like this is that it's a nice way to look back and remember the things I've done over the years, especially as I don't have the best memory in the world. However, there are many things in day-to-day life that get in the way of writing and, as a result, there were several events last year that I really should have blogged about but never quite got around to. So, before they are lost to the sands of time, here are few 2015 events worth a mention.


1) JANUARY: NEW YORK KNICKS AT THE O2
Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while will know all about my love for the Knicks and particularly Pablo Prigioni (damn you Clippers, I hope you know how lucky you are), so it was great to start the year by watching them play the Milwaukee Bucks at the O2, especially now that the O2 is only ten minutes from our house. Other sports highlights of the year were seeing two NFL games at Wembley.

Meeting Hakeem Alajuwon and posing with Prigioni

2) MARCH: THE BLACKOUT AT KOKO
What an emotional day! My love of The Blackout was a dirty little secret for quite some time, until I decided to confess to the world (you can read that whole sordid confession here), so naturally I was pretty darn sad to hear that they were splitting up. You can always rely on them for a fun show and I have many fond memories over the years, from acoustic sets at Download to a memorable trip to Wales to see them in their home town at a little festival called Merthr Rocks. This show at Koko was their last ever and we weren't going to miss out. It was really fun night but tinged with sadness knowing that it was the last of its kind. Farewell guys and thanks for the memories!


3) MAY: SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL
Bayside and Taking Back Sunday at the same festival? Count me in. The weather wasn't great but there's nothing a little Jack Daniel's can't fix. Highlights included Finch, Reel Big Fish, Cartel and YouMeAtSix (another of those dirty little secrets). We also met Sean from the Blackout who very sweetly stopped to talk to the crazy woman who shouted 'legend' at him whilst shovelling chips into her mouth! Yeah, I'm classy.

Bayside at Slam Dunk 2016

Meeting Sean from The Blackout

4) MAY: CAMDEN ROCKS
This was my first time at Camden Rocks and it surpassed all my expectations. What an amazing day! For those of you who have never been, it involves over 100 bands bands playing at various venues across Camden. It's essential like planning your own pub crawl with an incredible selection of live music. Highlights included Funeral For a Friend, Dinosaur Pile-up, The Graveltones and Brawlers.

The only frustrating thing about Camden Rocks was that after we had bought tickets, Bayside announced a show at Oslo (the other side of London) with Tiger Cub. We had accepted that it was one we would just have to miss, but after Funeral For a Friend we decided we had more than got our Camden Rocks money's worth, so we dashed over to Oslo just in time to see Bayside! It was a long day but so worth it.

Dinosuar Pile-up at The Jazz Cafe

5) JUNE: TAYLOR SWIFT AT HYDE PARK
Possibly the least rock 'n' roll thing I've done in my whole life, but you know what? I'm not sorry. I spent a fantastic sunny day in St James' Park drinking prosecco with my beautiful sister and friend Charlie, before heading to Hyde Park (via Buckingham palace, because naturally heavy daytime drinking with only a sandwich for lunch convinces you that the Queen would really love you to drop by!) to see the mighty Taylor Swift. Did I have fun? Hell yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. From what I remember there was a lot of talk between each song aimed at boosting the crowd's self-esteem. Wonderful if you are a teenage girl in need of an emotional pick-me-up, but in the words of my rather inebriated sister... "Just shut the f**k up and sing!!"


6) AUGUST: SUNSET SAFARI AT LONDON ZOO
The Sunset Safari at London Zoo was quite possibly one of my favourite evenings last summer. The basic idea is that you can buy tickets to visit the zoo after hours when it is much quieter and with the addition of some fantastic food and drinks stands. Anyone who knows me will know it doesn't get much better than spending a beautiful sunny evening drinking beers and watching some giraffes eat their dinner!

7) SEPTEMBER: LOUIS VUITTON SERIES 3 EXHIBITION
Louis Vuitton isn't the first name to trip off my tongue when I am asked what my favourite brands are, but I have a deep appreciation for an iconic brand with a lengthy history, and I do love a good exhibition. If it's free then even better! The start of the exhibition was rather abstract and initially I was concerned that the whole thing was going to be a bit pretentious, conceptual, and a little too 'fashiony' for my tastes. But as it progressed I became increasingly engrossed in the world of Louis Vuitton and this incredibly curated exhibition had it all, from 360 degree screens to live demonstrations of bags being made.

8) NOVEMBER: THE VIRGINMARYS
This was a very rare occasion for me that I went into a gig completely blind. A friend of my husband had invited us and although I knew The Virginmarys by name, I didn't know the music. The band formed in 2009 and are from Macclesfield (which admittedly doesn't sound very rock 'n' roll) and have previously supported a whole host of great bands including Eagles of Death Metal, Terrorvision, Skunk Anansie, Feeder, Ash and We are Scientists. After a handful of EPs they released their first full-length album in 2011 and I recommend checking it out.

9) DECEMBER: REFUSED AT THE ELECTRIC BALLROM
I think my award for best gig of the year has to go to Refused. I mentioned my excitement at seeing them in my very first blog post back in 2012 and expressed how phenomenal they are live here. Sometimes it is very hard to drag your cold, tired, cash-strapped ass out on a week night in December, but this was a classic example of why some bands are worth the effort every single time. Playing a mixture of old and new songs (their highly anticipated album Freedom exceeded my expectations) they remain one of the best live bands I've seen, and this particular night there was nowhere else I would rather have been.

10) FILM SCREENINGS
I love film, but my husband really loves film, so aside from the usual regular trips to the cinema to see new releases (I won't start talking about these or we will be here all day), he is very good at finding something a little bit different. In summer there are always plenty of great outdoor screenings around London, and my 2015 highlights include a screening of Alien at Brompton Cemetery, The Princess Bride at the British Museum and Clueless at Camden Lock. We also went to a Halloween screening of the The Exorcist at Pop Brixton.

Last but not least on a personal level there were a few more highlights: two of our beautiful friends getting married (congratulations Clare & Simon!) and the arrival of another gorgeous nephew, Theo.

I think that just about covers it! In truth this post could easily have been called '50 things I really should have blogged about in 2016' but nobody has the time to read that. Anyway, I will try and be a more consistent blogger this year so that I don't have to write a similar post in 2017...

Happy New Year to you all! Hope it's a good one x

Happy New Year!

That’s right, it’s January, which means two inevitable things; plenty of shit weather, and New Year’s resolutions that are predestined to fall by the wayside before the month is out. However on a more positive note, it is also the month in which I will finally turn thirty, so for once January seems like an ideal time for new beginnings to me. My twenties have been interesting to say the least – the highs have been high and the lows have been low – but it's true that you have to experience darkness if you want to see the stars.

I lost my creative mojo at the end of last year. Life was a little hectic/stressful, winter weather and short days make me incredibly lethargic and, as a result, writing fell by the wayside, particularly this blog. I knew things were getting bad when I failed to write about any of the gigs that I went to in November or December. It seems a pity to let them slide into obscurity, as they were definitely some of my highlights in recent months, so here’s a little summary...

Bayside at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton – Sunday 16 November

This was Bayside’s first headlining gig in the UK for a long time and, as I’ve said before, I love seeing my favourite bands play tiny venues. The unnervingly named Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar is certainly one of those places where you are right in the middle of action; cosy in winter but no doubt unbearably hot in summer.

I never have anything bad to say about Bayside and as usual they lived up to expectations. They sounded great and gave us 16 songs of pure joy, starting with Boy and The Walking Wounded and working their way through to Stuttering (from their latest album Cult) and The Ghost of St Valentine, a personal favourite.

I’ve seen Bayside many times before, but the standout moment for me came after the show. Being such a low-key affair, bassist Nick and guitarist Jack were selling merchandise at the bar. It was an opportunity not to be missed and, having drunk just the right amount of beer, I decided to stroll on over and proclaim my undying love for the band. They were very sweet, happy to take photos and gracious enough not to make me feel like the idiot fan that I am! I honestly didn't think I could love Bayside any more....
 

You can watch the video for Pigsty from Cult here.

 

Trapt at Borderline – Tuesday 18 November

This was a moment that I had been anticipating for more years than I care to remember. To say I was excited when Trapt finally announced a London show would be a serious understatement, and to finally see them at a place like Borderline was a bonus. It’s another venue that is small enough to have the perfect atmosphere and conveniently located in Soho.

Pre-gig dinner was consumed at Kua ‘Aina (worth a mention as I have to love a Hawaiian burger joint that serves Kona Big Wave beer and has options in the menu that can easily be adapted for vegans). We then arrived at Borderline and something to note if you are going to a show here, once you have gone in you can’t leave and come back! We had time to kill so we headed to the back of the venue and found a spot by the bar to drink some beers and pass the time, before heading forwards just before Trapt arrived on stage.

They didn’t play the longest setlist in the world but it as a good one and the energy on stage and in the crowd was fantastic. From the opening chords of Bring It right through to Headstrong and an encore of Stand Up and Still Frame, the momentum never slowed – except perhaps for Black Rose which was a nicely timed change of pace before the more recent Love Hate Relationship.

I think like me, many people had been waiting a very long time for Trapt to come to London. It's been just over 12 years since their self-titled album found them a loyal following and if you live in the UK, chances are you might never have seen them live before. Was it worth the wait? Hell yes. And hopefully next time they won't leave it so long before returning.

Gaslight Anthem at Alexander Palace – Wednesday 18 November 

Sadly this night began with an epic failure. Transport issues, bad judgement and the fact that the venue is on top of a great big bloody hill meant that we missed the support act. This wouldn’t normally be a problem but the first band on stage was Bayside.

In our defence their stage time was ridiculously early, in fact so early that it warranted a tweet or two from the band, who were clearly aware that most people would miss them if they didn’t spread the word! Luckily Bayside's Brighton show, just days before, was so good that missing them didn’t upset us as much as it could have, and at least we were in time for Gaslight Anthem.

I’m not the biggest fan of Alexander Palace as a venue, it’s too big and lacking in atmosphere (although the selection of food and beer is pretty darn impressive). The last time I was there was to see the legendary Alice Cooper and the fact that he puts on such an impressive stage show kind of distracts you from the venue’s lack of personality. Now Gaslight Anthem may not have incorporated live animals or pyrotechnics into their show, but they are just so bloody good that they made me forget where I was.

I’ve reviewed their shows several times before, so if you want to read more then click here, but I do want to mention my highlight – a moment that truly made up for the fact we had missed Bayside. Brian Fallon brought out Bayside’s Anthony Raneri to sing Great Expectations with him. It was one of those beautiful moments that send shivers down your spine and makes all the hassle of getting to certain shows seem worth it.

Taking Back Sunday at The Roundhouse – Tuesday 9 December

©Michael Dubin

The Roundhouse isn’t my favourite venue either, but whether Taking Back Sunday are playing here or in a field in the Welsh countryside, they are never anything short of brilliant. This was my third time seeing them in 2014 alone so I won’t bore you with the details (you can find more TBS ramblings here), but as always they put together a setlist that left me smiling and singing my heart out.

Seriously, this band know what they are doing. They always manage to integrate new material into their setlist flawlessly, playing new songs like Beat Up Car, Stood A Chance and Better Homes and Gardens alongside classics like Liar, Timberwolves at New Jersey and My Blue Heaven. Predictably they closed with Cute Without the 'E' and Make Damn Sure, and you know what? I'm happy they did! Another flawless performance from a consistently brilliant band.

Random moment of the night would probably be when I decided to purchase a bottle of Prosecco at the bar (I’d consumed a lot of beer and mulled wine and it’s not often that Prosecco is an option at a gig so I thought, why not?!), without considering that we wouldn’t be allowed the glass bottle and therefore my friend and I had to consume our halves out of plastic pint glasses! Not the smartest plan or the classiest behaviour in the world but amusing nevertheless.


Danny Elfman at The Royal Albert Hall – Friday 12 December

My last event to wrap up a busy few weeks came courtesy of my beautiful sister and brother-in-law, who bought us tickets to see Danny Elfman's music from Tim Burton films being performed at The Royal Albert Hall. We had a fantastic seat in a box with just two other people and it was a truly memorable night.

The orchestra were fantastic, as were the choir, and while they performed music from Burton's classics (including Edward Scissor Hands, Batman, Beetle Juice and Sleepy Hollow), clips from the films were shown on a screen above.

At the end of the evening Danny Elfman himself arrived on stage to perform a selection of songs from my favourite, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was another of those magical moments that you know will stay with you forever.

And that just about wraps up my brief rundown of gigs from the end of last year. Hopefully I have got my writing mojo back as I have one or two shows on the horizon already. But first up was a different event – I went to see my beloved New York Knicks playing at the O2 last week. Despite the fact they are having a difficult season (and lost yet another game), I was still very excited to show some support, drink some beers and get another glimpse of the legend that is Pablo Prigioni.

Until next time, I hope you are having a very happy New Year.

Official Music Video: Pigsty – Bayside

This is the new video for Pigsty from Bayside's latest album Cult. And yes, they play some dodgeball. There's not much more I need to say, just watch and enjoy!

Bayside and Alkaline Trio at The Forum, Kentish Town

We all know that getting a person's name tattooed is usually a very bad idea. Tacky? Probably. Risky? Definitely. But committing your love for a band to ink is another matter entirely (unless you have a Lost Prophets tattoo in which case you probably regret it for numerous reasons), which is why I'm happy to wear my Bayside bird with pride. They are my favourite band and I don't use the word 'favourite' lightly.

If you ask me to name my favourite film or fashion designer, the best that I can do is come up with a top five, and with bands I would probably need to make it a top ten. But when push comes to shove and I have to pick a favourite, it's always Bayside. I won't try and rationalise why. I could bore you for hours talking about their beautifully clever lyrics and infectious melodies, their talent as musicians or passion as live performers... but like all great loves it really just boils down to chemistry. And man am I smitten.

So on Saturday morning I woke up with a big fat smile on my face knowing that they were back in London for the first time in several years. Better still they were supporting Alkaline Trio, a band that I have recently rekindled my feelings for after a love affair that ended inexplicably without me even realising many years ago.

The fact that Bayside are still a support act baffles me. Formed in 2000, they have six studio albums under their belt and have been on numerous high profile tours with bands such as Taking Back Sunday. I can't work out for the life of me how they are so incredibly underrated. To see a support act of their calibre is pretty rare and I've seen them play some small venues, supporting bands that are clearly inferior. (Sorry A Day To Remember but you know I'm right...)

On the plus side it does mean that I'm still getting to see my favourite band up close and personal at venues like The Forum, and on Saturday I had a first class view just a few rows back, smack bang in front of bassist Nick Ghanbarian.

Bayside are currently promoting their latest album Cult and kicked things off with a new song Big Cheese before working their way through classics like The Walking Wounded and Devotion and Desire.

Anthony Raneri's completely unique voice gives the band a distinctive edge and guitarist Jack O'Shea effortlessly proved why he has been nominated for Best Guitarist at the first Alternative Press music awards, a well deserved accolade. Check out Devotion and Desire and you'll see what I mean – for the record he's just as flawless live.

Quite simply Bayside killed it. Once they had finished I knew that I had already got my money's worth. Were it not for an impending set by Alkaline Trio I could happily have called it a night and gone home to my sofa to celebrate Bayside's success with my good friend Jack Daniels. Instead I settled for another trip to the bar, which sadly lost us our prime position. The atmosphere isn't the same when you are further away from the stage but we still had a pretty good view. Luckily it was nowhere near as packed as last year's Refused gig which made me dislike the Forum immensely for a while...

Alkaline Trio put on a great show as expected and I, along with the rest of the crowd, happily sang my way through nine albums' worth of gold. I'm not sure I can pick out a highlight but This Could Be Love, Stupid Kid and Private Eye were all pretty incredible. In fact here's the setlist so you can see for yourself:

Yes, Alkaline Trio were fantastic but for me they were simply the icing on the Bayside cake. I got my fix. But a high like that is inevitably followed by a low, and the next morning I found myself wondering if I'd be waiting just as long for them to return to London. Or will 2014 be the year they hit the big time?

After all these years I'm completely torn between wanting Bayside to take over the world and achieve every bit of success they deserve, and wanting them to stay exactly as they are – seriously underrated but perfect. A Bayside gig is the only place that anyone has recognised my tattoo and if I'm honest I like it that way. I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve every single day but only a fellow Bayside fan will ever know it.



www.baysidebayside.com
@BaysideBand


www.alkalinetrio.com
@Alkaline_Trio

Today's Soundtrack: Alkaline Trio – Radio

Today's soundtrack is Radio by Alkaline Trio for one very good reason. My beloved Bayside are supporting them at The Forum in April and I've been so darn excited about Bayside returning to London that I almost forgot to be excited about seeing Alkaline Trio for the first time!

The band started out in 1996 and over the years have been labelled everything from goth punk to pop punk, but I'm just going to roll with punk rock. I've been listening to my old favourites (dig out Crimson if you've never heard it) and a few new songs –  I haven't actually heard their most recent albums This Addiction (2010) and My Shame Is True (2013) but from what I can tell they're still making great music!

With almost 18 years of history and nine albums it was fairly difficult to pick a song to post – I certainly couldn't pick just one favourite – but after a bit of thought there was really only one choice. First lines don't get more memorable than this!


@Alkaline_Trio
www.alkalinetrio.com

New music from The Used, Bayside, Taking Back Sunday and more...

I'm eagerly waiting for spring to arrive. Firstly because I hate winter (sorry but not even Christmas can salvage a season that comes with this much rain and general gloominess), and secondly because a handful of my favourite bands are releasing new albums and returning to the UK to promote them. For the latter reason I wanted to devote a post to some of the ones that I'm most excited about.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY

First up are Taking Back Sunday who are heading to Europe later this month to promote their upcoming album Happiness Is, due out on 18 March. They've just released a video for Flicker Fade, the song I posted a live video for and wrote a bit about back in October.

It's a great song and I have high hopes for the album as the band have been stronger than ever since reuniting the original lineup in 2010. I'll be seeing them at KOKO on the 26 February so look out for a review of that show – they always live up to expectations so I'm very much looking forward to having them back in the UK.

Pre order Happiness Is here

www.takingbacksunday.com

@TBSOfficial

For those of you lucky enough to be in the US and Canada, you may well have heard the recent news that TBS will also be touring with the next band on my list later in the year. That's right, they'll be hitting the road with none other than....

 

THE USED

In addition to the TBS tour, The Used have also been added to this year's Download Festival lineup – probably the most exciting Download announcement to date in my humble opinion! Their new album Imaginary Enemy will be released on 1 April and you can get a taste of it with the new video for Cry below.

Pre order Imaginary Enemy here

www.theused.net

@WeAreTheUsed

 

BAYSIDE

Another new album to look forward to in just under two weeks is Cult by the mighty Bayside. It's been three years since their last record so I'm really looking forward to this one. I'm even more excited that, after what feels like an eternity, they are returning to the UK and I'll be seeing them at The Forum with Alkaline Trio in April. Like The Used and TBS, Bayside are currently signed to Hopeless Records, who seem to be doing a very impressive job of collecting some of the best bands around!

Pre order Cult here

www.baysidebayside.com

@BaysideBand

 

ROYAL REPUBLIC

Do you remember me declaring my love for Swedish band Royal Republic on several occasions? Well they happen to have a new acoustic album – Royal Republic and the Nosebreakers – funded by a Pledge Music campaign, as a result of popular demand from fans. I can't wait to hear this one as I've seen acoustic versions of some of their songs at live shows and they really are incredible. Talented and hilarious in equal measures, these guys can turn their hand to all manner of styles from bluegrass and barbershop to gangsta-rap. I think this album will have a pretty universal appeal, but to truly appreciate how clever it is you need to first get to know their previous records.

www.royalrepublic.net

@RoyalRepublic

 

IN THIS MOMENT

Last but not least here's my song of the moment – Whore by In This Moment. Admittedly this isn't going to be to everyone's taste but I absolutely love it and I hope some of you do too!

I think that's all my music news for now – I'd mention Motley Crüe's farewell tour with Alice Cooper but even the band itself seems a little sketchy on the details at the moment! I'll be posting reviews of all the bands mentioned today as and when I see them so stay tuned...

Today's Soundtrack: Bayside – Masterpiece

Today’s soundtrack is Masterpiece by Bayside, because despite the fact they are probably my favourite band of all time, they haven't had a single mention on this blog over the last year! This is purely because I haven't had a gig to review, so I’m going to take this opportunity to put my pride to one side and beg:

Bayside please, please, pleeeeeease come back to England! We miss you and quite frankly I’m getting Bayside withdrawal symptoms...

Right, now that the shameless begging is over with, let's get on with the song. It was hard to pick just one out of such a fantastic back catalogue, but I went with Masterpiece because it's the very first track from their 2004 debut album Sirens and Condolences, and what a way to kick-start a career.

So here it is – the reason that, despite my incurable indecision, I am able to pick one favourite band above all others. An achievement I will never accomplish with my shoes...

www.baysidebayside.com
@BaysideBand