No Grave But The Sea

Set Your Glory/New Found Goals/other less funny plays on band names...

2010-05-28T16:06:00.001+01:00

Yes, it has been a while since I last posted anything on here, but it's not as long as you last had to wait so count yourself lucky I'm posting at all. The truth is, I witnessed something so glorious last night that I had to share it through every medium possible.

Anyway here's a little back story to the events that occurred...

Wednesday afternoon I'm sitting at work, bored, and while checking Twitter on my phone I notice a post by Set Your Goals announcing that they will be playing a special last minute show at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston. After quickly verifying that this wasn't some heinous prank, I bought two tickets as soon as they went on sale. I'm pretty sure I was in the first five people to purchase them; I know, I know, cool dude alert. As some of you know, I really like Set Your Goals, as does Apryl so it made perfect sense to get tickets without even checking if she was working or not. Thankfully she finished at 4pm, giving us just enough time to get to Kingston in time.

The main reason why this show was going to be so special is that the venue is tiny. When I say tiny, I mean like 110 cap at most. I've been to some truly amazing shows in Kingston, all put on by the ever incredible people at Banquet Records but this was shaping up to a truly memorable event.

Anyway, after the initial excitement of seeing SYG for the 12th time (it'll be 15 by the end of Tuesday night. NBD.) the rumours of a "secret support band" began to circulate. I think pretty much all the bands playing Slam Dunk were mentioned at various points, but no one was confirming or denying anything.

On the day of the show, we left Norwich by 4.30pm and made the journey down. I hate the drive to Kingston because I ALWAYS get stuck in traffic and it stresses me out. Yesterday was no exception, but it was made 981624876 times worse by the fact that around half way through the journey it was pretty much confirmed that the support band were New Found Glory. I'll just let that sink in for a second...NEW FOUND GLORY. In the Fighting Cocks. Fucking hell. As my friend Alice put it, "OMG doesn't even come close to describing my excitement!" Quite.

Anyway that aforementioned traffic meant that come 7.30pm we were still stuck on the worst road in the world, the M25, and were pretty much resigned to missing one of our favourite bands ever play in a room roughly the same size as my kitchen. Not cool. Once we made our way through the traffic and on to the main road in to Kingston I was driving way too fast in order that we may be able to catch at least part of NFG's set. Then Apryl's friend Vix messaged her to say Spycatcher were the opening band and NFG would be on afterwards. I don't really like Spycatcher all that much, I think they're ok but pretty dull, but on this occasion I was overjoyed that they were playing. This meant that although it would be close, we would probably be able to see the rest of the show once they finished.

Parking at the station and running to the venue we met up with Alice and our friend Charlotte (who'd managed to get a ticket about four seconds before the Banquet website crashed) and were informed that NFG weren't even at the venue yet. Breathless but relieved, we headed inside where I noticed the dudes from Fireworks, just hanging around. "Oh..." I thought, they must just be here to hang out with SYG. Yeah think again. Just before 8.30 Fireworks took to the stage and proclaimed, "Hey, we're Set Your Goals!" before blasting through 'Detroit' and 'When We Stand On Each Other We Block Out The Sun'. A brilliant way to kick off the rest of evening for me.

After milling around for a bit after they played I looked over at the stage to notice some dude picking up a guitar. Thinking it was just a tech or one of Fireworks, I began to turn away, only to realise that it was Chad Gilbert. Seriously, I - and everyone else present- could barely contain themselves. The rest of NFG took the stage and immediately launched in to 'My Friend's Over You' which sent the entire crowd crazy. People crowd surfing, piling forward to sing every word with the band, I don't think I've ever seen so many smiling faces in one room before. To be this close to a band who you've been listening to and loved for nearly a decade is a truly surreal and incredible experience and I honestly can't thank everyone involved enough for sorting it out. The rest of the set consisted of 'Catalyst', their Gorilla Biscuits cover 'No Reason' and 'Hit Or Miss' (probably my favourite NFG song) and with that they departed so much high-fiving and general thanks. I don't think I've ever been so hot at a show before, but it was amazing nonetheless.

And it was only going to get better as Set Your Goals hit the stage and played an absolutely brilliant set. To be honest, I would have liked couple of 'special treats' as it were, especially having seen a couple of their recent set-lists from their Kimbo U.S. tour, but at the end of the day, this is one of my favourite bands playing in an incredibly small venue, so to want more is being greedy. I obviously sung every word and generally had a great time, along with the rest of the room. I first saw SYG at the Underworld back in '06 and this was seriously up there with the best times I've seen them. They're up there, if not number one, on the list of great modern pop-punk bands and having seen them on bigger stages in bigger venues the last few times I've seen them it was so so good to see them in a venue such as this one. As I said previously, the most sincere thanks must go to everyone involved in making it happen, mainly everyone at Banquet Records who are an incredibly inspiring label/shop/group of people. Support them and everything they do/are doing.

Sitting typing this I still can't quite believe that last night happened, but it did and I'm so glad that I decided to spontaneously buy tickets seeing as it sold out in some ridiculously short time like 20 minutes or something.

So erm, yeah; in conclusion, listen to Set Your Goals, New Found Glory and Fireworks, support Banquet Records and go and follow me here if you want to have more regular postings.

Waiting On Forever...

2010-04-10T10:34:00.003+01:00

Oh boy, did I forget this was still here. Apologies to the handful of people who liked to read my ramblings and diatribes, but I was cruelly seduced by Tumblr a few months ago and I haven't really looked back until now; much like when I tossed aside my trusty discman in favour of a shiny new ipod. This was mainly because, much like my discman, Blogspot is a clunky, awkward, pain in the arse to use; but still, here I am. For all it's foibles, Blogspot is a good place for just writing things though, mainly because no-one on Tumblr ever wants to read reams of text - no matter how interesting; they just want to look at pictures of girls in fashion shoots and "deep and meaningful" lyrics superimposed over the top of a pretty nature picture. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing overtly wrong with this particular penchant, it's just nice to have a bit of substance sometimes. Oh just me? Sorry, I'll post some Owl City lines over a photo of a sunset at the end I promise; if you could stay with me until then it'd be cool. Deal? Awesome.

So I guess the best thing to do is probably recap what I've been up to since I last checked in...

Well, I can't remember the end of January that well so let's just skip that bit. Sorry, I'm not doing very well so far am I? Anyway, at the beginning of February, I headed off on tour with Polar Bear Club, Shook Ones and Title Fight for three weeks in the UK and mainland Europe.

I love touring. It's pretty much want I want to do with my life for the foreseeable future, so to get opportunities like this one is awesome. As you probably know, I started selling merch for PBC last February on their tour with The Gaslight Anthem. It was only for a week, but the experience was one that I cherished and held dear. Making friends with the guys in Polar Bear Club has enabled me to tour with them another two times since then and every one has been brilliant. Getting to see new places, meet new people and hang out with a group of awesome people every day is such a good way to spend ones time that I never really want to contemplate the day when I have to get a full time job and cut back on my travels. Because of this nagging fear of growing up, I fully intend to make the most of any travel opportunity that presents itself over the course of the next few years and hopefully forge some sort of meagre living from it in the process.

Anyway, as expected this particular tour was ridiculously fun. Shooks Ones and Title Fight are both made up of such welcoming, friendly and funny guys and it was a pleasure to be on tour with both bands. I got to visit new countries that I've wanted to get to for a while and experience a host of cultures in the process. NB: One culture that I'll leave is the one that thinks it's ok to smoke inside venues in Germany. You can keep that one guys, or actually don't keep it; pull yourselves in to the 21st century so I don't have a laundry bag full of fowl smelling clothes and all the merch doesn't doesn't smell like your rancid smoke. Oh and a a few euros in my tip jar wouldn't go amiss sometimes either, just sayin'.

As always it was great seeing Polar Bear Club again too and I'm glad that I can honestly call those six guys my friends. Fingers crossed the next few months brings with it more tours with them.

Another major development since my last foray in to the world on blogging is the purchase of a van for Lonewolves/Jackals/myself. Essentially it's Lonewolves' van, but as of right now I'm the only one insured on it and it's my name on the logbook. Hopefully this purchase brings my desire of forging a living out of touring closer to being a reality while also meaning that Lonewolves can actually, y'know, do a proper tour. That'd be nice wouldn't it? We have enough fucking equipment, so it made sense to get a van so we don't have to carry around 'Tonehenge' in two cars and hopefully we can put it to good use. Purchasing a van is kind of scary though. The moment that I handed over the money and then sorted out the insurance, I felt like I grew up by about five years and a small part of my youth slipped away forever in to the ether. Then I remembered that the whole reason we were buying this vehicle is so we/I can drive all over the country and the continent, playing shows and generally avoiding real life/work and I felt a bit better. So yeah, if you're reading this and you either want to put Lonewolves or Jackals on a show, or you're in a band and need someone to drive you around in exchange for money, get in touch! Please.

Apart from these two fairly large events, the past few months haven't been overly exciting. I started back at work after getting home from tour, but to my surprise I am now working in a department that I actually enjoy, doing work that actually feels worthwhile and rewarding. It's a weird feeling, but it's cool. I'm sure it'll pass once the sun's out and I want to go away again though.

Speaking of going away, Apryl and I are planning another foray across the pond to America which should be awesome. I fell in love with that country when I visited for the first time, especially Portland, OR and New York City, so it's no real surprise that both these cities will be our destinations for this trip. Hello Voodoo Doughnuts, Soy & Sake, good public transport and nice weather; I've missed you all and many others like you and can't wait to sample your delights again. I have a vision of sitting in Central Park eating vegan ice-cream from Lula's, enjoying the sunshine with my soul mate and it's pretty much what's gotten me through the shitty winter that we're only now starting to come out of. I can't wait for it to become a reality.

Oh and one final bit of news, the Jackals 7" is available for pre-order now. Details are all on our Myspace page, as well as the upcoming shows we're playing. Cue jokes about hype trains and the like.

Yeah so that was my brief update. See you in another four months; same time, same place? In the mean time, if you want to read a blog that's actually funny, go here.

Now where's that Owl City lyric book...

Favourite Television Programme...

2010-01-22T17:18:00.003Z

The Wire.

This is another slightly tricky one, although not as tough as the previous two. I missed out of The Wire when it was originally shown on FX here in the UK a few years ago and only picked it up once BBC2 began braodcasting the seasons back-to-back (with a couple of weeks break in between each one) last year. I’d read and heard a hell of a lot of hype surrounding the show, so when Apryl and I finallt sat down to watch it I was a little skeptical and more than a little nervous that it wouldn’t live up to its tremendous billing. Withing about five minutes however, I was hooked.

It took a little while to get to grips with the dialogue and the myriad of characters, but once that was accomplished I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a television programme as much. David Simon has created a masterpiece of a drama and the realism on show is astounding (Simon spent a year following the Baltimore Homicide Department in 1988 as reseacrh for his book ‘Homidicde: A Year on The Killing Streets’, a book whose influence can be seen throughout the show.)

While I prefer some seasons to others, in my opinion there isn’t one bad season and every episode is gripping throughout. One aspect I like about the show is that it’s a slow burner; the audience doesn’t get any sort of payoff at the end of each episode as is the case in other crime dramas. The action builds gradually over the course of a season and even at its finale, the ending isn’t always conclusive or definite. It grabs you and pulls you in, leaving you wanting more at the end of each hour. It is truly compelling viewing.

Other honourable mentions for this category need to go to House M.D., Peepshow and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. All classic television prgrammes in their own right.

xo

Favourite film...

2010-01-21T20:24:00.002Z

Narrowing down a favourite film is a near impossible task for me. I tend to have to be in the right mood to watch a particular film and therefore find it difficult to just put on a film no matter what the occasion/my frame of mind/what I’m in the mood for seeing. With this in mind, I decided to try and narrow it down to maybe a favourite director or a favourtie genre and then attempt to pick a favourite from that list. Even that’s been damn hard though.

My favourite genre - well it’s not technically a genre it’s a more like a series of films that come under the anime banner, but let’s not get caught up in details - is probably the films made by Studio Ghibli and in particular the works of Hayao Miyazaki. His story-teling ability and eye for detail make him a seminal, world renowned director within this genre and as a result his films are adored by people of all ages in many countries around the globe.

Picking a favourite from his output is difficult because many deal with differing topics (for example Princess Mononoke differs greatly in its narrative style from say, Kiki’s Delivery Service) and all his films are just stunning to look at. I’d go as far as to say that they’re beautiful.

Anyway, after much thought I’ve chosen Howl’s Moving Castle as my favourite. In all honesty I could easily have picked Princess Mononoke or Kiki’s Delivery Service instead, but I’ve seen this film most out of the three so I felt I’d be able to write about it in a greater depth. Seriously check out all of Miyazaki’s work though, as well as everything else released by Studio Ghibli if you haven’t done so already.

‘Howl…’, essentialy a love story between a young witch named Sophie and a wizard by the name of Howl, is classic Miyazaki, featuring many of his usual thematic ideas. Heavily present are the themes of redemption and hope, as well as righting the negative aspects that affect one’s life. The setting for the story is also unsurprising to those familiar with Miyazaki’s work; stunningly beautiful natural landscapes surround a town strongly reminiscent of the Victorian era. Added to this, their is the seemingly standard addition of an animal sidekick, although they assume a lesser role here than Gigi does in Kiki… for example.

Overall one of the things I admire about Miyazaki’s work in general is his ability in binding stunning visual wonderment and a childish nature with more grown up ideas and themes and this is illustrated perfectly in this film. It rivals most Disney films in terms of its creativity and message and strikes me as an incredibly life-affirming piece of cinema whenever I watch it.

xo

Favourite song...

2010-01-21T20:22:00.004Z

This is something that people, including myself, are doing over on Tumblr but I thought I'd post some of it here too because I think it's a cool idea...

‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ by The Smiths.

Now for those of you who are close friends of mine, this will come as no real surprise. My love for The Smiths and all things Morrissey is unabashed and they are quite possibly my favourite band of all time (AFI run them close for this title.) They will always have a special place in my life and in my heart. Despite many people’s view that they are a maudlin, miserablist band I find quite the opposite in their songs. I find hope, happiness and joy. I love Morrisey’s voice as Johnny Marr’s intricate guitar work toys away almost playfully in the background. I love Morrissey’s lyrics, more so than almost any other poetry I’ve ever read. I love the fact that one band can evoke so many emotions in me simply from the music they play. I can be in any mood and I can find a Smiths song that suits it.

Everything I love about The Smiths is present in this song. The subtle guitar melody. The ambigious, yet personal and heartfelt lyrics. Morrissey’s trademark vocal delivery. And that keyboard melody makes the hairs on the back of neck stand on end every time I hear it. Every time.

This song makes me smile while at the same time leaving me fighting back tears. It reminds me of amazing times and terrible times. Current friends and ones past. It reminds me of feelings of overwhelming joy and overwhelming despair. But without fail it makes me happy. It makes me think that everything is going to be ok, no matter what happens, and for a song to do that is pretty special in my opinion.

xo

Death Knows Your Name

2010-01-17T23:53:00.003Z

On Wednesday (the 13th), I headed down to London on the train to see the return of The Hope Conspiracy to these shores. It's been a couple of years since they were last over, when they toured with Rise and Fall and this time was only a fleeting visit making up part of the incredibly brief European tour.

Hope Con are a band I admire because they do what they want to do on their own terms. It's been a while since you could refer to them as a fully 'active' band, what with only releasing one LP and one 7" since their sophomore record 'End Note' was released in 2002 and possesing what can best be described as a sporadic touring schedule in that period, but despite this you can tell that almost everyone inside The Underworld was eagerly awaiting their set.

I can't remember the name of the first band on (apparently they're from Kingston??) but they reminded at times of both Hot Snakes - mainly the guitar tone - and also La Quiete. A strange combinaion yes, but I enjoyed their set and was left rueing the fact that I couldn't afford one of their 7"s.

Next Up were Attack! Vipers! who I like, but often grow a bit bored of around the mid-way point of their set. It's not that they're a bad band by any means, but something about their songs just fails to hold my attention for longer than about fifteen minutes. They do the discordant, rock-and-roll-hardcore style thing pretty well though, evoking bands such as Suicide File as well as the headliners themselves, but personally it begins to feel a bit samey after a while.

Hope Con are the band everyone is clearly here to see and they launch immediately into the crushing 'In the Shadow of God' from their latest 7" 'True Nihilist'. From their the band run through a set that takes in every release, including several tracks from debut 'Cold Blue', as the mass of bodies at the front screams back every word. Closing proceedings with 'The Know Not' is a personal highlight and as the band bid farewell, I'm left with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I wish they'd tour more reguarly and release a proper LP soon but then their "do what we like" attitude towards every aspect the band means that when they do make these now rare forays across the pond, it's even more special.

xo

The Road

2010-01-11T18:55:00.002Z

Having read Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name in a matter of days and been transfixed by its portrayal of a father and son, braving everything a post-apocalyptic world throws at them, I was both excited and anxious to see how the story would translate to the big screen. After seeing the film yesterday, I can safely say that director John Hillcoat has done an excellent job.

It is a dark, haunting and incredibly bleak tale; man and boy braving harsh weather conditions, starvation and marauding cannibals. Their aim is simply to survive, to carry on, to keep "carrying he fire." Set in an America that has been ravaged by an unexplained disaster, the pair head south towards the coast surviving on what little food they can find along the way. They must save themselves, but there is also a feeling that they must save humanity; or what little is left in this ash covered wasteland.

The scenario may sound like classic horror movie fodder, but the main quality of McCarthy's book was the poignant relationship between the Man (an outstanding performance by Viggo Mortenson) and the Boy, focussing on the overwhelming power of a parents love. That this relationship has been recreated so perfectly here speaks volumes for Hillcoat and his actors.

The backdrop to the film is also magnificent. Filmed on location, every major scene from the novel is created with fine detail. Another key element of the book is McCarthy's talent when it comes to describing every detail of a scene and painting a vivid picture for the reader. Again, Hillcoat has faithfully recreated these images and it does so much in terms of bringing the story to life. The barren forests, the thin layer of ash that engulfs everything - living or dead - it's all here and it all lends to the impact of the story and the picture as a whole.

Overall, I'd go as far as to say The Road is a masterpiece of film making. Director, cast and crew have excelled in their respective roles. It has honoured the original story, but also enhanced it in parts and should certainly be considered for numerous awards this year. Outstanding work.

xo

Everyone's a writer, I'm just having general block...

2010-01-09T22:40:00.002Z

I set up a Tumblr account because posting cool pictures that I like doesn't really work here. I still fully intend to utilise both blogs though, but this one will probably be focussed more towards things I want to write about from now on and my Tumblr will - generally - be for photos, other pictures, etc.

If you want the former, stick with this. If you prefer the latter, go and follow me over there. If you want both...well you can work it out.

xo

Sin Represas

2010-01-04T16:34:00.002Z

I picked up this awesome Obey t-shirt today from Dogfish in Norwich. Really nice print.

Check out the story behind the design here. It's an interesting read about a worthwhile cause.

xo

Told him I belong on the road...

2010-01-04T11:49:00.002Z

When I think about 2009 in musical terms, the first thing that comes to mind is Polar Bear Club. I am genuinely lucky to count these six dudes (I include Tracker in that) as good friends and I can't wait to hang out with them all again next month. Tours with them were one of the highlights of the last year.

Polar Bear Club (Phase 1) from hate5six productions on Vimeo.

Records of 2009...

2009-12-30T14:33:00.014Z

Most people who read this will probably already know what my favourite records of the past year are, but what the hell; everyone else is doing it...

1. Converge - Axe To Fall

Up until a few days ago, this was a couple of places back down my list but then I gave it a couple more full listens through and it dawned on me just what a magnificent record it really is. It may quite possibly be Converge's most accessible record to date, what with they more mellow songs, 'Cruel Bloom' and 'Wretched World' towards its end, as well as 'Dark Horse' the album opener; but to say that would be to take away from the sheer pummeling, exhilarating fury of the other tracks here - as well as the sheer brilliance of those aforementioned songs. A whirlwind of Kurt Ballou's buzz saw riffs and solos, accompanied by the crushing rhythm section of Ben Koller and Nate Newton and topped with Jake Bannon's ever ferocious vocal delivery; this is a record that again raises the bar and shows every other 'heavy' band what they have to live up. It's also probably their best record since the incendiary 'Jane Doe' which is no mean feat.

2. Doomriders - Darkness Comes Alive

A new direction for a band who up until now have played 70's rock influenced party music to get drunk and skateboard to. That doesn't mean this record isn't packed with insanely catchy riffs that make you want to a) headbang your face off, b) circle pit until you're dizzy, or c) both of those at the same time; but the title is apt because there's definitely a markedly darker feel on show. The riffs have a more metallic edge to them but Nate Newton's voice is as gravelly and fearsome as ever as the band charge through 17 songs of rock 'n' roll tinged hardcore with nods to legends such as Danzig, Motorhead and MC5. While their debut LP may have come across as a little ironic in parts, there's none of that feeling here as Newton bears his soul on numbers such as 'Lions' and 'Come Alive' while the rest of the band create a gloomy, pulsating juggernaut of noise behind him. No other rock 'n' roll record came close to this in 2009.

3. The Horrors - Primary Colours

I used to hate the Horrors. Well maybe not hate, but their brand of Sonics influenced, goth heavy garage punk was pretty boring to me and I dismissed them as fashionable hipsters who'd disappear from the musical landscape within a year or two. But then they went and holed themselves up in a studio with a couple of home made effects pedals and made this masterpiece. 'Primary Colours' is equal parts My Bloody Valentine esque shoegaze, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Joy Division's brand of early 80's post-punk, but still retains enough of the bands earlier garage rock sound to provide the record with some bite, so that despite the epic-ness of most of the songs, there isn't a feeling of over-kill or boredom. It's all done with the minimum of fuss. Guitars swoon and organs ring out as if you're trapped inside a kaleidoscope of sound; ideas perfectly twisting and merging together. It's a record that although dark in nature, evokes images of dappled summer sunshine as undulating waves of erethral noise swirl around you. It is truly a rebirth and one that is all the more remarkable considering what preceeded it in terms of the group's musical output.

4. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg

No favouritism here I promise; this record really is good enough to claim fourth place on this list. A hybrid of indie-hardcore-punk, PBC have delivered a record that is an equal mix of angular strength and anthemic outpouring. It's an album that is packed with dense guitar riffs and subtle melodies; switching between the muscular aggressiveness of opener 'See The Wind' - probably the band's heaviest song to date - and the deft sweetness of 'Drifting Thing' and seemingly covering every point in between. This a mature, incredibly well thought out record that highlights the band's obvious talent as musicians as well as not being afraid to let their creativity run wild. It flows effortlessly from one song to the next, treading the fine between hard-hitting and accessible with ease and will hopefully gain them a host of new fans.

5. Paramore - Brand New Eyes

Paramore have certainly matured with this, their third album, but that doesn't mean they've lost any of their fiendishly catchy tunes. Hayley Williams' lyrics may be a bit more rage-filled this time around - "Next time you point the finger I might have to bend it back, and break it, break it off" - but these are still joyful, fun-filled songs to sing along to. The rest of the band pound and crash through their brand of fast paced pop-punk with the usual amount of energy and enthusiasm, but it's Williams' vocal that steal the show here; flawless as they are throughout. Probably one of the best pop-rock records I've heard in a long while.

6. Fireworks - All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion

If you like New Found Glory, then you probably already like this record. Or you're like lots of my friends and think "why bother, I'll just listen to New Found Glory!" Well all my friends who previously held that opinion have come around to my way of think; namely that this record is brilliant. It's not reinventing the wheel when it comes to pop-punk; by what they do, they do bloody well. This record is full of furiously fun guitar hooks and intelligent, sentimental lyrics that combine to put a smile on my face whenever I listen to it. A breath of fresh air when it comes to the genre they inhabit, Fireworks have created an album that they can truly be proud of and one that should stand the test of time.

7. Blacklisted - No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me

Another band who have reinvented themselves, Blacklisted take everything you know about hardcore and throw it out the window. In its place goes a handful of grunge style riffs, some interludes complete with violin and trumpet and George's characteristic blues esque vocal delivery and you have one of the most original and bold (read: brave) hardcore records in a while. Never afraid to do things on their own terms, Blacklisted have created an album that will divide fans the world over, but one that if persevered with, will reward you with each new listen. Much in the same way that Fucked Up make the music that they want to make, Blacklisted have gone in their own direction, but it's a direction that works. On paper it shouldn't work and who'd have thought that when they released 'Our Youth Is Wasted' they'd go on to release a record where their main influence are a host of grunge bands as well as Swans and Lemonheads? But in reality it does work and I admire them for attempting to push the boundaries of a genre that can so easily become stagnated with the same old tired clichés.

8. Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death Of Us

A top-ten list of mine isn't really complete unless there's a Set Your Goals record present. This record may be a bit different stylistically to their earlier opus', but it still serves up melodic hardcore influenced pop-punk with the emphasis on the catchy ('Summer Jam', an ode to being on tour with your best friends, is perhaps the catchiest song of the year). The first half of the record is classic SYG; all fast paced drums and searing guitar riffs, over which their trademark dual vocals compete for attention, singing about issues that they hold dear. The second half takes its lead from 90's Bay Area skate-punk; rabble rousing choruses' sandwiched between angular riffs that should incite circle pits at venues across the globe, while 'Gaia Bleeds' highlights the group's hardcore background. The guest vocalists employed here are also of the highest order with Vinnie Caruana from The Movielife/I Am The Avalanche, Chad Gilbert and Hayley Williams all making appearances - the latter producing one of the most bizarre moments of the musical year - and this adds to the record's feeling of solidarity and friendship that runs right through its core; in particular on album closer 'Our Ethos: A Legacy To Pass On' with it's refrain of, "So come with us if you feel what we feel, we'll turn these words in to something real". It's undoubtedly a summer record and that one that could - and should - propel the band to great new heights.

9. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

Although Wes Eisold is best known for his time in hardcore band American Nightmare and latterly Some Girls, this record is one of dark, synth-splashed pop songs heavily influenced by post-punk, synth-pop and new wave; a combination that although done so many times before, feels fresh and up to date here. Consistently catchy in their demeanour, the songs on show here are brilliantly constructed and possess a clear sense of purpose. Aided by Ian Dominick Fernow of Prurient and Caralee McElroy of Xiu Xiu - both of whoms influences are clear - Eisold has crafted a record of dark, bittersweet pop gems that sparkle and are uplifting as much as they are dark and gloom-laden.

10. AFI - Crash Love

AFI's evolution as a band has always been based upon progression, both in terms of their musical stylings and also of their reluctance to look to the past achievements for inspiration, and this record is no exception to that. Leaving the synths of 'Decemberunderground' to one side, this is an accomplished record that although nods to their earlier work on 'Sing The Sorrow' and 'The Art Of Drowning' presents enough fresh ideas to continue on their ever changing path. It is an intricate, well constructed album that offers focused quality at almost every turn and but for a coupled of mis-placed songs - especially first single 'Medicate' - that gives the middle section of the record a slightly disjointed feel next to the subtle refinement of 'Veronica Sawyer Smokes' and the camp, Bowie esque 'Too Shy To Scream', it would a lot higher in my list. A true return to form; not that they ever lost it.

xo

Let me be the last thing you forget...

2009-12-30T14:23:00.000Z

Title Fight Part One from KO Films on Vimeo.

Festivities...

2009-12-26T16:06:00.004Z

Presents from my parents:

My dinner. 14 types of vegetable. I love my Mum.

Presents from Apryl. She pulled out all the stops this year for sure:

I hope everyone else had a good Christmas. It's the one day when I feel totally relaxed and don't have to think about anything else other than being surrounded by my loved ones, eating delicious food and exchanging some presents. I love it.

xo

December 25th

2009-12-25T08:44:00.003Z

Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this.

I'm off to eat too much, exchange presents with my family and listen to the amazing Christmas Spotify playlist that I made last night...

xo

The Old Fisher Burial Ground...

2009-12-24T12:19:00.002Z

The whole country has seen snowfall over the past week. Norwich is no exception...

xo

Festive.

2009-12-23T11:18:00.000Z

The Christmas tree in Apryl's room that we decorated the other night.

xo

Brittany Murphy...

2009-12-21T11:05:00.001Z

R.I.P.

xo

Aaawhoooooooooooooooooo!

2009-12-21T10:31:00.004Z

This past weekend, Lonewolves played the Saturday of the Thirty Days Of Night 5th Birthday weekender.

Drove up on the Friday afternoon and luckily the roads were fairly clear. Arrived safe and sound, got food and then hung out with various friends that we haven't seen for ages.

The show itself on Saturday turned out to be really good and it was nice to play to a room full of people, a large number of which were singing along and generally enjoying themselves. It was a great way to finish off what has been a bit of an up and down year for us as a band, so thank you.

After we played, I headed in to town with Steph to get tea and generally catch up, after which Rob and I headed to Fuji Hiro to eat as Steph had to go to her work christmas meal. Cannot believe this was the first time Rob had eaten there as it's probably one of my favourite restaurants in Leeds. After a detour back to the venue to speak to a couple of people and help load out, Rob and I headed back to his and spent the rest of the evening chain drinking cups of tea and watching comedy re-runs on Dave. Good evening.

Sunday we got breakfast at an awesome cafe on Hyde Park corner that I always go to but can never remember the name of (see picture below) and then headed home. Thankfully the roads were again snow and ice free and we managed to back it back before it went dark.

We all had a massively fun weekend and it was a great way to see out 2009 for us in probably my favourite U.K. city.

Special thanks to: Sam for putting up the rest of Lonewolves and generally being an awesome guy, Faz for organising the whole thing, Closure, Saker and BreakingxPoint and Oathbreaker.

Here are some pictures...

xo

Back To Oregon

2009-12-17T15:13:00.000Z

"I won't feel home 'til I have Portland under my feet..."

xo

Invincible as we score the music to our own lives

2009-12-17T13:27:00.004Z

Yesterday Apryl and I headed to London for the day to hang out/eat Mexican food again/see Set Your Goals/Broadway Calls/Fireworks.

Awesome, if very cold, day.

That drink in the middle is one of the best things ever:

Finally a burrito that can compete with San Francisco. Well, kind of:

New gloves:

Soy hot chocolate from Costa; my new favourite winter drink:

Time number 11; I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing them live:

xo

"I need a siesta now..."

2009-12-17T13:18:00.002Z

On Tuesday Apryl and I headed to Cambridge and along with a whole nuch of awesome Cambridge based people, went to Chiquitos for Sophie's birthday. As it was a birthday meal, they'd provided each of us with a mini plastic sombrero and fake moustache. Pretty sweet...

xo

There are lots like us, witth no grave but the stage...

2009-12-15T14:30:00.002Z

My new band, Jackals, have our first show soon...

...and then we're playing this as our second show. Norwich represent.

xo

Empire State of Mind

2009-12-15T11:23:00.002Z

"These streets will make you feel brand new,
Big lights will inspire you..."

I need to go back.

xo

No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me

2009-12-14T12:23:00.000Z

Incredible.

xo

I hope you die soon...

2009-12-14T11:35:00.002Z

Summer Holiday...

2009-12-09T23:32:00.003Z

"Last night I dreamt you called, from Costa Rica, the place you've been for the last two weeks..."

xo

Itchy feet...

2009-12-08T22:57:00.000Z

"Chum Club"

2009-12-08T19:18:00.004Z

Here are a few pictures from yesterday evening when Wes, Jack, Phil, Gus, Robbie and myself headed out to the Wildman for a bit. Nothing special - although we did come up with an amazing idea for a four-way split 7" featuring our respective bands - but it was nice to hang out and catch up with them all and, in the case of Wes and Jack, discuss at length who's better, Tragedy or Victims?

70p Lemonade and Blackcurrant ("so just fizzy Ribena yeah?"):

Ladies man:

xo

"We were challenging the very fabric of logic"

2009-12-04T23:30:00.001Z

Crying with laughter while watching this on 4OD. One of my favourite comedy programmes of recent years.

xo

Highlights reel..

2009-12-04T20:44:00.005Z

I haven't done that much of interest for the last couple of days, but these are some pictures of the highlights:

Apryl and I went for dinner at Joe and Maddie's house; their dog Paco took centre stage as always. She's adorable...

I got tattooed yesterday; just to show how much appreciate my parents...

Christmas is coming; I'm getting more excited by the day. Time to break out the vegan mince pies...

xo

We'll all drown unless we cut ties to the anchor

2009-12-04T20:41:00.001Z

HMV, Norwich Gentleman's Walk branch in sold out of Lonewolves cd shocker!

xo

Washington Square Park

2009-12-04T09:12:00.002Z

"The whole world’s full of losers. If you get a chance to win, take it"

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago just how excited I am for the new The Wonder Years record. Yesterday they put a new track up on their Myspace and it's awesome; this band never fail to make me smile when I hear them.

xo

Passing time...

2009-12-03T11:08:00.000Z

(taken from Hateful Notebook)

xo

Finally...

2009-12-01T10:35:00.003Z

I finally managed to pick up one of these super limited edition balloon pin badges that were released in conjuction with Disney stores and Vue cinemas across the country. If you took in your cinema ticket from a Vue showing of 'UP' then you could get a free badge. Trouble is, we saw the film while we were away and now they've stopped the promotion. Luckily though, the Disney store in Norwich had one on their "exchange lanyard" which is basically where unwanted badges that customers bring back go, so all I had to do was buy a £3 Finding Nemo badge and I got to exchange it straight away for the 'UP' badge. Amazing. Even more amazing when you consider that these badges are changing hands on ebay for around £15.

Also, big thanks to the super helpful shop assistant in the store who ran after us to tell us this information after we'd been in the first time and another assistant had informed me that they couldn't give out any more. You saved me a lot of hassle as well as £12!

xo

Everybody Lies..

2009-12-01T10:28:00.003Z

Gregory House M.D. you are an amazing bastard.

When we were in America, Apryl and I saw a few episodes of the latest season of House M.D. and I finally realised why everyone over there (and here) loves it so much. I'd been meaning to watch it since its inception ans I'm a massive Hugh Laurie fan, but I'd never had the time to sit down and watch it on a regular basis.

Now though, beginning this week, we're working through each season online from the beginning and cursing ourselves for not becoming huge fans of this show sooner. I've asked for the complete seasons 1-5 box set for Christmas, so hopefully as of December 25th 2009 I'll be able to immerse myself in this wonderful programme at my leisure.

xo

Told him I belong on the road...

2009-11-27T19:47:00.002Z

taken from SewingCircles:

"ever get homesick for somewhere you wish was home?"

xo

Black Friday

2009-11-27T19:45:00.002Z

...and I thought the Boxing Day sales here were ridiculous.

black friday madness at 3:45 am outside Kohl's from mindymaygan@gmail.com on Vimeo.

Suspended Daylight

2009-11-27T14:33:00.003Z

Yesterday, Jack, Rob and I headed down to London to see Sex Vid, The Shitty Limits and Sex Dungeon at the Grosvenor in Stockwell. Turned out to be a really fun day/night out and a really good show.

We left mid-afternoon and picked up Rob from Cambridge. The rest of the drive was surprisingly stress free, which was a nice change and mine and Smalls' nightmare journey down to Kent on Sunday.

Anyway we parked and got the tube to Angel so we could get Thai Buffet as we had a fair bit of time to spare. I'd only been to this Thai Buffet once before after the Ceremony show last December, but I remember it being infinitely better than the other outlets in London. It didn't prove me wrong. Annoyingly though when we left the restaurant we saw that three doors down was a really nice looking Mexican restaurant that had a sign outside which proclaimed it to possess, "the best burrito in the capital!" as voted by one of the London papers. Epic fail that we didn't see this before we got food, especially as I've been craving a good burrito since we returned from America. I'm back in that area of London at the beginning of December though for the Set Your Goals/Broadway Calls/Fireworks show at the Islington Academy so I'll be hitting it up for sure.

After food we headed down to Stockwell and got to the venue about half an hour before doors. This was the first time I'd been to this venue and I was really impressed. A nice atmosphere and the back room where the show was held was pretty much perfect size wise for this type of show. We hung out in the pub and Jack managed to sell a couple of zines which was cool. If you haven't checked out the latest issue of WWHRD? then do so here.

Eventually the first band, Sex Dungeon, played and they were pretty good. A pretty straight up power-violence type band, they reminded me of bands such as Iron Lung and Infest and got a good reaction from the people gathered. Their set was pretty short (they played for what seemed to be about five minutes, although it was probably nearer 10 in actuality) but I enjoyed it and picked up one of their demo tapes afterwards.

Next up were The Shitty Limits, a band I was really excited to see live again. I'd previously caught them in Norwich well over a year ago at the now defunct (show wise anyway) Cricketers Rest and was really impressed. I don't think they'd been around long at that point and the hype surrounding them was gradually beginning to build. Since then I've picked up most of their 7"s and loved each one and so I was eager to see these songs in a live environment. When we were getting food before the show, I'd mentioned to Jack that I'd yet to hear/buy their new LP ad he'd remarked that he didn't really like it as much as their 7"s. After seeing them live I can kind of see what he means. Although I enjoyed their set, the new songs (I assume they were new songs as I didn't recognise them from any of the 7"s I have) seem to lack a lot of the energy and urgency of their predecessors and seemed to get lose their way in parts. I still thought they were catchy songs don't get me wrong, but when played next to their earlier opus', there was just something lacking for me. I'm still going to pick up their LP as I'm interested to see whether this is the case on record as well, or whether the band were just having an off night, but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when their set concluded last night.

Finally Sex Vid took to the stage and the majority of the room went suitably crazy. I'll admit that I've only properly got in to Sex Vid in the last six months or so after getting their back catalogue from Apryl's itunes and I was really excited to get the chance to see if they could transport the frantic, breathless energy of their records in to their live show. They certainly didn't disappoint last night.

Launching in to their set at a frenzied pace, they didn't let up for entire 25 minutes that they played for and put in a truly captivating performance that the assembled crowd repaid with a truly rapturous reception; bodies flying everywhere for the duration of the band's set. I didn't know how popular or well known the band were before yesterday evening, but it was great to see such a good turnout (the room was pretty much full) with everyone enjoying themselves. No shitty attitudes or certain people being dicks and ruining it for others; just a really fun show and a good time for all those present.

I picked up their LP on vinyl afterwards and then the three of us headed back north to where my car was parked. The tube journey seemed to take forever, but we eventually made it back and the drive home was thankfully uneventful, except for our discussion as to who's better: Nirvana or The Foo Fighters, accompanied by Jack's air-drumming to the former. We all agreed to disagree in the end - a sentence Jack never likes to hear - and just listened to The Smiths for the remainder of the journey. A pretty relaxing end to what had been a much needed evening out of Norwich.

xo

Movember

2009-11-25T21:38:00.003Z

Want to know why my good friend Stan went from this:

To this:

???

Read about it here.

xo

Light of Local Eyes

2009-11-25T14:44:00.004Z

Yesterday I made a trip to Pulse with my friend Alex to get some lunch and generally hang out for a bit while we were both free in town. Below is the excellent spicy bean burger w/ sweet potato chips, onion ring, guacamole and salad that I enjoyed. So good...

Being a vegan in Norwich can be a bit of a pain sometimes; if feels even worse since I returned from America where there were a plethora of vegan eateries to choose from in every city. There is one shining light in the dark though: Pulse Vegetarian Cafe. Since The Treehouse (R.I.P.) sadly closed down a few years ago, Pulse has shouldered much of the responsibility for providing good, reasonably priced vegetarian and vegan food within the 'fine' city of Norwich. If you're ever here, or if you live here and have never been; check it out. It's even better since they've brought in their winter menu.

xo

A worthwhile cause

2009-11-23T17:36:00.001Z

SKATE FOR CANCER

Support what they're doing.

xo

"Look at Johnny Miner over there with the head torch!"

2009-11-23T14:29:00.001Z

Yesterday Lonewolves played a show at the Tap 'n' Tin in Chatham. The show was an all-dayer with around 12 bands playing throughout the day. We were on at 6pm.

Leaving Norwich at 12pm, Smalls and I thought that would leave us enough leeway to arrive at the venue with time to spare and would allow for the potential hold-ups caused by any traffic we encountered on the way. Good job we did.

Upon hitting the M11 we became stuck in a traffic jam that was the result of a multi-car accident no more than 300 yards in front of us. We remained stationary for around 90 minutes, in which time we airdrummed to Baroness, decorated the car with some Christmas decoration smalls had found in the boot and both ate the food that we'd brought to lst us the day. Cabin fever is a bitch.

Anyway, we arrived at the venue just after 5pm and loaded in. AMS and Payne were already there and said we were on at 5.30pm so we leisurely set up our equipment and then played what turned out to be a really fun set. Maybe it was being stuck in a car for five hours, but all four of us gave it everything when we played and the reception we got from the 50 or so people gathered (a pretty good turnout for a Sunday all-dayer in my experience) was really positive. We loaded out straight after our set and managed to sell a fair bit of merch which is always a bonus when you've travelled quite a long way to play.

We stuck around for Almost Home as we've been scheduled toplay with them a few times but have had to pull out at the last minute on every occasion, plus they're really nice guys to we wanted to show our support. They played a really good set which made me feel a bit sorry for them in a way really. See, Almost Home and More Than Life both started at around the same time and I actually got the AH demo before I got the MTL one. Both bands play melodic hardcore in the style of Go It Alone, Stay Gold, etc and both do it really really well. It's just MTL are signed to a 'bigger' label and tend to receive a lot more recognition; which is a shame because Almost Home deserve their share of credit. That's hardcore I guess.

Anyway, thank you to anyone who watched us yesterday. Smalls and I were talking on the way home and we both agreed that one of the things we love about being in bands is driving for hours all over the country just to play a show. As a good friend of mine once said, "everything is ok when I'm behind my drums" and that's true. Try explaining to a work colleague that you drove all the way to Chatham, stayed there for just over an hour and then came home again and they probably won't understand your motivation or reasoning, but there's honestly nothing I'd rather be doing than playing music to a group of like-minded people. Those people who do make the effort to come and watch us play, especially on a wet Sunday tea time, they make it all worth it.

xo

Hope and Glory

2009-11-23T14:03:00.001Z

Tattoo TV - Oliver & Tem - Hope & Glory, Swaffam (UK) on MUZU.

Video interview with my good friends Tem and Ollie from Hope and Glory Tattoo in Swaffham. Check them out here.

xo

Cash Rules Everything Around Me

2009-11-21T15:58:00.002Z

This is mine and Wes' setlist from our set last night at Distaste.

Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Beastie Boys - No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn
Method Man - What The Bloodclot?
Jay Z - Dirt Off Your Dhoulder
Creedance Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son
Jamie T - Sticks 'N' Stones
Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.
Morrissey - First of the Gang To Die
Nice Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
New Order - Blue Monday

From what I saw, the whole night was a massive success with a really good turnout. Thank you to everyone who was upstairs and dancing when we were on. We had a blast.

xo

2009-11-21T10:44:00.002Z

Pre heading out to Distaste last night, Jim headed round to my house to hang out for a bit and discuss the recent travels that we've both been on. Really good to catch up and cement our plans to visit Moscow next year, as well chats about football and other aspects of our lives.

Oh and Jim brough his homebrew...

xo

It's a revelation, a moment of clarity.

2009-11-21T10:33:00.003Z

On Friday Apryl and I met up with our good friend Jamie at the Playhouse for a quick drink and to properly catch up as we hadn't seen him much since we returned from America. Always good to hang out and drink a couple of mugs of tea, but this meeting was made even better by the really thoughtful present(s) that Jamie had made for Apryl and I.

Jamie goes to the art school in Norwich and is working on using screen printing as a medium for his work. One of the screens he'd made up featured some Set Your Goals artwork from the Mutiny! record and to this he'd added the lyrics to 'Work In Progress', 'This Very Moment' and 'Echoes' and put the whole thing on a partchment style paper. The effect works really well I think...

Jamie has some pieces in an upcoming sale of student's work, so be sure to check it out.

xo

Are you keeping up? Are you falling down?

2009-11-19T12:57:00.003Z

Seriously, not being able to upload photos for two whole days?! Cheers blogspot, may just go and get a tumblr account instead.

Anyway, there are some photos from our stay on Portland, Oregon here.

Photos from Seattle, Boston and New York later today hopefully. Not on here though obviously.

xo

You make us feel so invincible, you make us feel at home, when we're with our friends on the road...

2009-11-19T12:21:00.001Z

Check out the new songs by Save Your Breath, they're both awesome.

xo

Don't that lady look surprised?!

2009-11-17T17:54:00.002Z

I was going to spend the time I have between getting home from work and going to band practice tonight uploading the remainder of my photos from my trip to America, but blogspot is having one of it's semi-regular periods of not functioning properly so I can't. Instead I'll just let you watch this video; I can't even begin to think of anything to post that can compete with it anyway...

xo

The Red, White and Blues.

2009-11-16T12:23:00.002Z

Incase you didn't already know, the band Defeater have two new tracks from their forthcoming EP up now on their Myspace page. Go check it out now, they're both awesome.

Great band, great people.

xo

I know you feel it too, these words get over-used...

2009-11-15T17:39:00.002Z

This coming Friday - November 20th - Wes and I will be DJing at the second installment of Distaste along wth lots of our friends. I wasn't in the country for the last night, but by all accounts it was awesome and this one is shaping up to be no different.

It's free, so come down and check it out.

xo

My friends and I are all fucked on the inside...

2009-11-14T21:01:00.002Z

The Wonder Years have released details about the forthcoming new record, 'The Upsides' and I'm pretty excited to hear it. They're one of a few bands who can out me in a good mood whenever I hear them.

The main reason I wanted to post this though was because of the description of the new record that the lead singer Soupy gave...

"More than anything else, The Upsides is a record about fighting back. I felt like the past year left me and all of my friends defeated. Our early-twenties had beaten us down. We listened to sad songs and we watched sad movies and we talked about sad shit. It was like everyone looked at the rest of their lives and decided that now was the time to start being miserable. A lot of the lyrics for this record were written on my bike while I avoided traffic and bad parts of the city. Before we actually started writing songs, I had compiled a notebook full of the lines that I pulled from the fog my breath produced on all of my freezing, snowy morning bike rides. I had given up, and this was going to be a record about just that, and then, one day, I was riding my bike down 19th Street on the way to work and from the top of Callowhill, I could see that the fountain at Logan Circle had been turned on. Something clicked in my head and I guess it was because this meant it was Spring, or maybe it was just because it reminded me of happier times, but I decided then that it wasn’t okay to be this defeated at twenty-three. A few months later the band moved into the house I was living in South Philly with my girlfriend and roommate. They slept on the floor of our living room and every day we would wake up and walk down into the 15-square foot basement to write songs. We spent a very long, very hot month between May and June surviving on freezie-pops and Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee alone. Everyone, literally and figuratively poured themselves into this record as we must have lost a collective ten pounds from sweat alone. My basement still smells terrible to this day. There were a few times when we walked upstairs after an argument and I didn’t think we’d ever come back down because every song was that important to every one of us. The result is a record that we’re all very proud of and that I think carries a very real message. The whole world wants you to be miserable. It wants you to put your head down, sigh to yourself and give up on being happy, and I know just as well as anyone that sometimes, giving up seems like the only option, but if you take one thing from this record, I hope it’s this: Don’t give those mother-fuckers an inch. Stand your ground every chance you get because everybody deserves a chance to be happy.

I back these sentiments 100%.

xo

Carcaroth Reviews

2009-11-14T21:00:00.000Z

Pretty Stoked.

xo

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco

2009-11-14T19:29:00.009Z

I took so many pictures in every city that we visited, so I thought I'd just post a few of my favourites from each place.

San Francisco:

xo

Планирование для нашей поездки в Москве

2009-11-13T13:28:00.002Z

"Planning for our trip to Moscow."

xo

One year on...

2009-11-13T13:25:00.004Z

The lights in the parking lots would lead us, through the night and to sunrise...

2009-11-13T13:20:00.002Z

Can't wait until February 15th. I miss these dudes.

xo

These tired eyes know where you've been...

2009-11-12T17:17:00.002Z

Our show on Monday with Rise and Fall et al was great. Sound was kind of weird for us/in general, but it was still a fun night. Getting to see most of my friends in one place was cool, although it being a show in environment it made it kind of hard to talk to everyone that I wanted to, but I'm sure I'll get another chance to properly catch up with people soon.

Rise and Fall were awesome; they never fail to dissapoint me live and it was nice to see such a good turnout. Their new record has grown on me so much and is definitely one of the best hardcore records of the year; although I'm not sue it even classifies as hardcore as it's heavily influenced by a more metal orientated sound. Oh well. A good night al round anyway.

Also, Apryl graduated today and I couldn't be any prouder.

xo

England is mine and it owes me a living...

2009-11-07T17:49:00.002Z

So I am finally back in England, at home, drinking a proper cup of tea for the first time in a month and catching up on the football results.

I have no concept of what day or time it is and I miss America so much already, but it is nice to see my parents again and, as I say, have a proper brew. Monday will be a massive silver lining in being home as I get to catch up with pretty much all my best friends in one place and finally play drums again.

I have just had four of the best weeks of my life and I can't even begin to comprehend in my mind how many amazing things I've seen and experienced over the past month. I have 700+ photos to sort through before I begin writing up my time away, but I can't wait to look through them and relive all these incredible memories.

xo

I'd tear out my eyes for you my dear...

2009-10-26T13:55:00.001Z

AFI setlist from the House of Blues show Apryl and I attended in Boston last night.

Torch Song
Girl's Not Grey
The Leaving Song Pt II
Too Shy to Scream
The Despair Factor
Kill Caustic
End Transmission
Don't Make Me Ill
Beautiful Thieves
Dancing Through Sunday
The Leaving Song
On The Arrow
Okay, I Feel Better Now
Death of Seasons
Medicate
Love Like Winter
The Interview
Miss Murder
Silver and Cold

Awesome night.

xo

Just checking in...

2009-10-22T02:35:00.002+01:00

America is amazing.

I never want this trip to end and I want Portland, OR to be my home for ever more.

xo

America bound...

2009-10-06T21:03:00.003+01:00

So here it is. After a good few months of planning, Apryl and I leave for our month in America tomorrow and right now I couldn't be more excited or more nervous.

I've wanted to visit the 'States since I was little, but I never had the opportunity until now really and it's taken me a while to save the money required for a 29 day sourjon to one of the biggest, diverse and most wonderful countries on earth.

Stephen Fry said it best when he talked of the phrase "Only in America!" When uttered by our neighbours across the pond, it, usually, refers to some extraordinary feat of human or natural accomplishment or some sort of endearing quality. When it's said here, replacing the America with "Britain", it invariably refers to some sort of god-awful queue or the insufferable weather.

After so many months longing to visit though it feels strange that tomorrow is the day when I'll finally be able to see and experience all the things that I've wanted to do for so long. I'm not just referring to the tourist element of our trip either, but also all the niche shops and awesome shows that we'll be attending and just generally sampling the food, atmosphere and culture of each place in which we'll be staying.

Obviously, as with any unknown quantity, there is an element of nervousness but I think this is purely down to it being uncharted territory for me. I'm incredibly fortunate that Apryl has been to both San Francisco and New York before and therefore knows her way around and where everything is. Equally I'm indebted to Jim and Steph who have provided us with guides to Boston and Portland respectively, as both have spent some time in these cities and have been only too happy to give us a head start and a slightly different perspective from the one you may get in the standard guide book. (NB The Lonely Planet travel guides have been a massive help too though!)

Added to these nerves is the fact that I'm not a brilliant flyer. However, I think the fact that I finally get to watch 'Grand Torino' and 'Coraline' on the plane as well as episodes of Friends and Peepshow, plus listen to my ipod and read my book will make the 10 hour flight to SF a great deal more bearable. Oh and I get a vegan meal on board; although it remains to be seen whether this is anything more than dry bread, pasta and a piece of fruit.

Anyway, as we're heading off for a month we managed to gather a few of our mutual friends for a farewell Nando's last night. Although a few of our bests were sadly absent, it was good to have those present there and it made up for what has been a thoroughly - and largely unnecessarily - stressful couple days. My friends are one of the few things I'm going to miss while I'm away so it was good to see them all in one place. Postcards for all. Annoying I forgot to take any photos of the meal and the other regualr blogger at the table Mr James Moore made the same error, so unfortunately the night is lacking visial documentation. I'm sure you'll get over it.

Also last night we had another Jackals band practice and recorded everything we have so far on to the four track at Plug Studios. I'm really pleased with how it's going so far and hopefully we'll be recording a proper demo/EP towards the end of the year and then starting to play shows from January onwards. Oh and remember Myspace? I know it's turned in to the internet equivalent of the grandparent that goes in to a home and you see once every couple of months and every time you do go and visit you promise yourself that you'll visit more but never do, but go and pay a visit now and add us up. Cheers.

So obviously as I'm going to be away for a few weeks without regular access to the internet apart from when we take advantage of the Mac store or scam wireless using my Blackberry, I'm not really going to be updating this much before I get back. Only three people regularly read this anyway so it doesn't really matter, but in the meantime go and read all of the blogs in that list over on the right hand side of the page.

BRB, see you in a month.

xo

2009-10-06T11:02:00.000+01:00

Record of the year? Certainly top three at the very least...

xo

Super Chrissy Martin...

2009-10-03T23:50:00.002+01:00

Fall Children

2009-10-01T20:16:00.000+01:00

Pretty stoked I get to see Boston in Autumn...

xo

No one move me, I just want to lie right here, right in my warm bed...

2009-10-01T10:01:00.003+01:00

I am so insanely jealous of anyone who was at AFI's recent show at The Roxy and got to see this happen.

xo

Where The Wild Things Are

2009-09-29T14:53:00.000+01:00

Far too excited to see this film!

xo

File Sharing...

2009-09-29T14:49:00.002+01:00

A lot has been writeen on the subject of illegal downloading of music; especially since Lily Allen chipped in with her two-penneth's worth.

Anyway, I found this on Fred Blood-Royale's blog and it pretty much summed up how I feel about the whole issue...

"And Whitey on his blog:

A response to Patrick Wolfs response to Lily Allens Blog...

I have a slightly different view to Patrick. I think that this whole moment is a natural evolutionary extinction. Empires rise and fall, species come and go, there are huge seismic cultural changes going on but- so what. Its natural. Its happened. So- now what?

Yes- sales are as good as dead. But music itself is thriving, and what we have now is the widespread appreciation of music, of all types, by a generation with the greatest free musical banquet in history spread out in front of them.

Sales are dead- but live and ticket sales, merchandise... all healthy and thriving, bigger than before.

There is no point, no matter how well intentioned, to pleading for people to develop a sense of guilt and cease free sharing. I've said before- thats King Canute behaviour. Its too late, the genie is out of the bottle.

The reality is that now, musicians have to go out and play to make money. Your single, or album, is now a 'flyer' for the live experience.

And by living like this, musicans are now returning to the life of a musician, the real life that countless endless musicians lived over and over throughout history, since music was invented. You see, before this brief 'silly money' period of the last 60 years, musicans, like actors, or variety performers, or circus folk- had to go out and perform to survive. And if you wanted to hear it- you went to see it. Thats how it had been since somebody banged two sticks together around a fire.

Thats the real 'norm' of being a musician- thats the truth of it. The last 60 years were an exception to the rule. This is not the end of music- just the end of a strange era within musical history- the Pop era. Things are now going back to normal. To finish, I'll tell you why this may be good:

(1) To do it now, you have to love it.

(2) You will have to suffer to do it. This means the fakes, the opportunists, the fame-hungry empty souls, all no longer have any reason to clog up the air. Evolution is thinning the herd.

This puts the new musicians in the same boat as Leadbelly, or Robert Johnson, or the Jazz purists still carrying a torch since their era ended with the 1950's. Mozart died poor, remember? Basically- now you really have to BE a musician. You will do it because you love music. No frills, no Lear jet, no Ferrari collection. The surreal 20th century party is over.

Sure- moneys nice. But that not why I started, and you wont catch me whining online about my lawyers fees and the fact I cant buy a nice detached house in the country. That was never my mission objective.

I'll end this where I started- evolution:

Survival of the fittest is a powerful evolutionary force- it creates new forms, and it always pushes onwards, upwards.

How can that be a bad thing?"

xo

Party Down

2009-09-28T16:34:00.001+01:00

I've been catching up on Party Down this week. Such a funny show.

It reminds me a lot of Arrested Development in terms of the way it's shot and the style of the humour. Plus the theme music is pretty much identical.

xo

Snakes of Christ

2009-09-25T20:34:00.002+01:00

Hurry up January so I can move in to my new house and get a black and white kitten called Glenn Danzig.

xo

True love

2009-09-23T17:44:00.000+01:00

Apryl makes the best brunch ever.

xo

2009-09-19T12:07:00.004+01:00

There are a few things in life that should be just taken as fact.

Y'know like crunchy peanut butter is better than smooth. Tea is better than coffee. Liverpool aren't going to win the Premier League any time soon. Oh and that Dan Yemin is the best front man in hardcore.

A year ago, almost exactly to the day, I saw Paint It Black at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston and they blew me away. Last night I saw them at (the slightly bigger) Peel and yet again they were incredible. That's another thing that should be accepted as a fact; Kingston shows are always fun. Fuck London.

But anyway, I'm not sure what it is about Paint It Black that makes them so good live. I mean obviously the songs are brilliant; a breathless, heartfelt, angry selection of tracks that incite mayhem whenever people are present. But I also think Dan Yemin plays a massive part in making the band such a force to be reckoned with live. Stalking the stage like a caged panther, Yemin is both intimidating and welcoming in equal measure. Getting in people's faces, while at the same time encouraging everyone in the room to get as close as possible so people can stage dive and grab the microphone, he possesses a stage presence that others can only dream about. He's also an incredibly intelligent man. Speeches last night about gay rights, women's rights and how bad organised religion is can sometimes veer towards cliched when front men talk about them, but this is never the case with Yemin. Unlike some of his peers and contemporaries who you sense couldn't back up their words, you get the feeling that Yemin would fight tooth and nail to uphold the beliefs and values which he holds dear. Truly an inspiring band in a scene that is so often filled with the same bands shouting about the same problems.

Last night also marked the end of an era for UK hardcore-punk, as it was The Steal's last ever show.

I've always liked the Steal whenever I've listened to their songs, but they've never been a band that I've properly got in to and loved, if that makes sense? After last night though, I feel like an idiot for not absolutely loving this band to death. Their set was ridiculously fun and the perfect send off for a band who seem to have inspired a lot of people in and around the punk and hardcore community. I honestly don't feel like I have the authority or knowledge to talk about what they've achieved as a band, but all I know is that this morning I woke up and felt gutted that I'm never going to get the chance to see them play live again.

Here's a video I found on the Strike A Chord blog:

xo

Axe To Fall

2009-09-18T09:11:00.001+01:00

New Converge sounds insanely heavy.

Check it out here

xo

"I love The Smiths!"

2009-09-17T16:35:00.002+01:00

Last night Apryl and I finally went to see (500) Days of Summer at the cinema. I've heard a lot of positive reviews about this film and I was eagerly anticipating watching it. It turned out that it was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.

A charming, moving and charismatic film that was visually brilliant as well as possessing large amounts of humour, depth and warmth. Both the lead actors were marvelous in the playing of their respective roles; Zooey Deschanel is amazing and to top it off, the OST was pretty much perfect. I really can't recommend this film highly enough, seriously.

xo

Food, glorious food...

2009-09-13T20:59:00.004+01:00

Every highlight of my weekend involved consuming food or drink with my best friends. Good times...

Here's looking at you...

This is what happens when you stay in England all summer, while you're friend become an international jet-setter...

xo

Leeds; Sunday

2009-09-12T12:40:00.003+01:00

This is it; The final installment of my Leeds Festival round-up. Yeah I know know-one really cares now, but if I just leave it at two posts the OCD in me will never let me forget it. So let's just get this over and done with for everyone's sake and then I can go back to writing blog posts about light sabre chopsticks and videos of Saves The Day and where you can buy the Lonewolves cd (all good record stores, amazon.com, play.com, itunes; in case you were wondering.)

After the plethora of bands that I was excited to see on the Friday and Saturday, Sunday was a lot more relaxed and there were only really a couple of bands that I was really looking forward to watching.

The day begins with The Plight in the Lock Up tent. I got to watch these guys every night when I was on tour with Cancer Bats so today's set is nothing new to me, but this doesn't stop me enjoying their brand of rock 'n' roll punk rock. Although fan-favourite 'Ball and Chain' gets the biggest reaction from the ever filling tent, it's their new outputs that impress me most, with Al's gruff, throaty vocals complimented excellently by a pounding rhythm section and infectious riffs that get everyone present tapping their feet or nodding their head.

After the snooze-fest that was Brand New's main stage set yesterday, I'm a little apprehensive about watching Alexisonfire on the same stage in early afternoon. What makes the previous day's events even more frustrating is that Alexis pull it off with aplomb and produce a massive sound, coupled with an electric stage presence. Front man George Pettit spends a large section of their set on the barrier as crowd surfers continually fly past his head from all angles and he leaves the stage with no shoes and a torn shirt and I'm left awaiting their Lock Up set later on that day with eager anticipation and excitement.

New Found Glory are amazing live. This is a fact of life that everyone should accept. Whether it's a tiny, sweaty club or an enormous, wind-swept field in West Yorkshire they put on such a good show that no-one present can fail to be impressed. After the problems that threatened to sour the show at the Highbury Garage the week before, today's set list is packed full of hits and incites mass sing-a-longs from those occupying the front section of the main stage area. Arguably I have more fun today than I did at that aforementioned show and by the end of closing song, 'My Friend's Over You' my voice is beginning to become well and truly shot to pieces.

Thankfully no-one I'm with gives a shit about Funeral For A Friend so we get another amazing vegan burger before heading over to the Radio 1 tent to catch The Horrors. A lot has been written about The Horrors in the past; both positive and negative, but today the band sound absolutely brilliant. I was never a massive fan of them before their new record was released, but that all changed when I heard Primary Colours (so much so that I thought they should have won the Mercury Music Prize; at least it didn't go to Florence and the Machine I guess...) Mixing the sound of seminal shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Swirlies and Slowdive with Joy Division and retaining all the best bits from their earlier raw, Sonics esque, garage punk sound, they have me mesmerised for the entire set. I just can't get over that guitar tone. Seriously a contender for one of the bands of the weekend.

Fall Out Boy divide opinion like few other bands, but I'll happily stand up for them and their catchy pop-rock. Even though it starts to rain before their set I can't not smile as they bust out hits 'Sugar We're Going Down Swinging' and 'Dance Dance' and I join Chris Graham in our second sing-a-long of the day. Highlight of the set though is Chad Gilbert's appearance on stage to sing the middle section of 'I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy...' and marvelling at just how covered in tattoos the drummer is. "If my job was just playing drums in Fall Out Boy, I'd sure as hell get sealed with tattoos then grow my hair really, really long!"

Weather wise we'd been quite lucky so far this weekend. Fucking hell did that all change on Sunday tea time. A torrential rain shower means that we all run for the shelter of The Lock Up tent just in time to catch the start of The Bouncing Souls. They may have terrible stage presence and have been doing this for longer than I've been alive, but I'm never going to get bored of singing along to 'True Believers' or 'Hopeless Romantic'.

Next up Alexisonfire prove just why I was so excited for their appearance on this stage with a thoroughly captivating set. Playing songs that span their entire creative output the band never let up and are repayed with a truly amazing reaction from the assembled crowd. New songs from Old Crows/Young Cardinals are greeted with as much hysteria as 'Water Wings' from their first record and the band leave triumphant, knowing that the following two bands have a lot to live up to.

We don't get to see whether they manage it or not, because Apryl and I are running over to the Radio 1 tent to catch at least some of Jamie T's set. He's obviously wasted and the tempo and intonation of the songs are changed somewhat from their counterparts on record, but it's still a highly enjoyable set full of classics. This could be a big year for the south London troubadour, and don't be surprised if Leeds Festival 2010 sees him making the jump to the main stage.

King Of Leon round things off and while the crowd is full of idiots and it's raining I still have fun watching them. Getting to watch with Apryl is also pretty special as they're one of her favourite bands and a lot of their songs have a special meaning to me; so as with Lightspeed Champion the previous evening, it's nice to finally get to hear them in a live setting. The band also seem to genuinely enjoy their time on stage which, after the much publicised problems that marred their appearance at Reading on Friday, is good to see. For me, they are the perfect band to close a festival like this and I'm glad that they got the reaction the did as they deserve it after the year they've had.

Leaving the festival site for the last time, I'm exhausted but I'm glad I decided to go to this festival this year. Who knows if I'll return again, it depends on if the lineup is this good again anytime soon and whether I can wangle guest passes so I can avoid the toilets which pose a danger to ones health and allow respite from the hoardes or morons in the main arena, but I know one thing for certain; this weekend was one of the funnest I've had in a long time and I'm very fortunate that I got to spend it with such amazing people.

Now, normal blog service can resume. If you read all three posts about my weekend, you probably need to get out more.

xo

My Weekend...

2009-09-08T16:04:00.003+01:00

This past Friday was the Dorian Gay release show at the Marquee. Not the greatest attendance, but it was still fun and I got to hang out with lots of good friends...

Then on Saturday, Phil 'King of the Gypsies' Hunt drove Lonewolves to our show in Windsor. I have way funnier photos on my phone which I'll upload soon, but I just wanted everyone to see just what our surroundings were like on the way down...

"are we over the border yet?..."

xo

Leeds: Saturday...

2009-09-06T14:51:00.004+01:00

Day two of my foray in to the world of the music festival begins with another arduous bus journey, before Broadway Calls kick things off on the NME/Radio1 Stage. This is the first time this weekend that I've been inside this tent and it seems strange that a band of Broadway Calls' size and playing here. To me they'd have been better suited to playing high up on the Lock Up Stage the previous day, but despite the 12pm start time and the fact the tent is pretty empty when they first take to the stage, they launch into their own brand of pop-punk with vigour and by the end of the set the tent is probably about three quarters full, which is pretty good going for one this size. I only picked up their new record a couple of days before the festival so the songs that they play from that record aren't too familiar to me as yet, but they all sound catchy as hell, which is exactly what I'd expect from Broadway Calls. Another band this weekend who personify summer in musical form for me.

After Broadway Calls, there's a bit of a gap until Frank Turner who's also playing the Radio 1 stage so we all get food, hang out and take full advantage of the fact that we have access to proper toilets in the guest area, rather than the cesspits that are the chemical portaloos in the arena. Seriously, when I imagine hell on earth, it's located within one of these claustrophobic, foul-stenched plastic boxes. I used one within the first five minutes of Friday morning and even then it smelt horrible. I honestly shudder to think what they must have been like by Sunday evening.

Anyway, I ended up watching Frank Turner by myself as no-one I was with really likes him. That was fine by me though as I really enjoy Frank's take on the Billy Bragg esque folk-punk sound. It may not be the most original or incendiary music played this weekend; but he writes witty, intelligent lyrics and fits them to catchy, foot-tapping melodies that result in pretty much the entire tent singing along to every word. Plus, the end of 'The Ballad of Me and My Friends' gives me goosebumps when the crowd sings it today, and any music that does that is pretty good in my book.

Brand New are the next band I watch on the main stage and to be honest, I'm bored throughout. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Brand New and was really looking forward to seeing them today and it's not as if they play badly; there's just no atmosphere. The set-list is pretty good for a festival even if they don't play a few of my favourites, but the crowd is so non-plussed and the sound gets so lost in the windy afternoon air, that I'm left feeling utterly underwhelmed and pretty bummed out. Especially as I had to miss them at the London Forum in June and Apryl keeps reminding me how incredible they were then!

We spend some time chilling out again after this let-down before heading over to the Radio 1 stage for the third time today for the "tri-force" that is The Gaslight Anthem, Gallows and AFI.

I love Gaslight Anthem. There's no two ways about it, they are seriously one of my favourite bands of all time. No joke. I was lucky enough to get to tour with them back in February and it was incredible getting to watch the every night. Today is the first time I've seen them since then and they're on exceptional form. From what I'd read recently, I was expecting them to stick to songs from recent hit album, The '59 Sound, but they also throw in some older stuff including the brilliant 'Angry Johnny and the Radio', one of my favourite Gaslight songs and one that I never thought I'd get to hear live. Brian's onstage chat is as ridiculous as ever, but he seems genuinely touched that this many people are singing his words back to him, an impressive sight especially as the year before the played the Lock Up stage half-way through the day. Truly a band for our times.

Next up Gallows do what they do best; play sneering, aggressive punk rock to a crowd mainly consisting of push-moshing 15 year olds. While a lot of their fans may annoy me, there's no denying that Gallows are a really good punk rock band who've managed to mature and hone their sound without compromising any of their passion or attitude. Songs from the new record are given a rapturous reception by the gathered throng and personally I prefer them live to their older stuff, but it's these old songs that garner the biggest reaction, with classics such as 'Abandon Ship' and 'In the Belly of A Shark' inciting mayhem at the front. Frank also seems genuinely staggered by reaction (must be the day for it) and proclaims this to be one of his favourite Gallows shows ever, which is pretty impressive considering how much they've toured in the last few years.

Next up is AFI. I could write and write about this band. They are one of very few bands who have had a profound impact on my life and I can't express just how much they mean to me. For this reason, I'm loathe to write a gushing review of their set because it's not going to be especially unbiased or fair. However, judging by the fact that every single person I'm with says they're the band of the weekend, that gives you some indication of just how good they were. Put it this way, they played 'Single Second' and Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing'; there was no way their set couldn't be anything less than incredible. I'm also enjoying the more mature looking AFI appearance: fitted off-white shirts, blue jeans rather than black and white t-shirts. It's like they've decided to grow old gracefully rather than always being the goths from the Total Immortal video and it works really well.

Ok so I gushed a bit in that review, my apologies.

After AFI I manage to catch the final two songs of Dev (Lightspeed Champion's) set and I'm pleased I did because it's awe-inspiring. I always forget just how young he is because the songs he writes are so well crafted and the lyrics so clever and poignant that they belie his young age. The record Falling Off The Lavender Bridge has some pretty personal meanings for me too, so it's nice to finally get to hear at least some of the songs in a live setting.

After that, Apryl and I head over to the back of the main stage area so watch a bit of Radiohead, but after the high that's been the last two and a bit hours, it just starts to bum me out (the light show is cool though I must admit) so we go and watch the last three songs of Lostprophets, who are actually really good. I may think that they're all idiots as people, but I can't hide from the fact they write stupidly catchy rock songs and do it well.

Leeds Leeds Leeds Leeds Leeds

2009-09-01T09:55:00.011+01:00

I know I said in my last post that I've been pretty slack with updating recently and well, nothing's changed since then but I thought I'd make up for that properly now with a monolith of a blog post recounting my past weekend at Leeds Festival.

(NB: after spending three days so far writing this, I've decided to write a post for each day of the festival, mainly because no-one ever wants to read that much text in one go...)

I'd only been to one festival prior to this and that was Reading in 2004 when I camped with some friends for the weekend. Suffice to say that I pretty much made a promise to myself that I'd never camp again and no be fair this promise has been kept. The other reason that I'd not been to a festival since that first experience was because well, the lineups had never looked worth it. I mean £170 for a few bands I kind of want to see isn't exactly great value for money in my book. This year was different though (mainly because AFI played) but also because there were 20 or so bands that I was genuinely excited to see play. Plus I knew a lot of people who I'm friends with were going to be in attendance either for the entire weekend or for one day so with this in mind Apryl, Steph and I bought our tickets.

A few months rolled by and then before I knew it, it was the day before and I hadn't packed anything. Hastily throwing some t-shirts and my jeans in to a bag Apryl and I set off for t'north and after a pretty uneventful journey arrived at casa del Walker around 4pm. Steph was still at work so we hung out with her dad for a bit while he made us a brew and explained the various routes in and out of the festival site via the M1. Suffice to say, Mr Walker is amazing.

In the evening we had every intenton in making our first foray to Bramahm Park to watch Holy State play on the BBC Introducing Stage, but we were all too tired so we just got food in town with Stan, Saker, Niall and Liena and then went home to sleep.

Friday was day one proper of the festival and I was pretty excited. Not just because of all the great bands that were playing that day (most of them on the same stage) but also because I got to hang out with a bunch of awesome people who I hadn't seen for ages. Top of this list were the six dudes in Polar Bear Club, who I hadn't seen since early June.

Anyway, we headed off in dappled sunshine with a light wind blowing and caught the 40 minute bus to the site (vaguely interesting fact #1; the new Leeds Festival site is actually closer to York.) Having judged the weather to be not too bad I'd only worn a t-shirt and a windbreaker, but this decision was proved foolish when we got to the site and it was blowing a gale and drizzling steadily. Not to be peturbed we made our way into the main arena via 'wrist band exchange' where as the name suggests you exchange your ticket for one of those wrist bands that you see kids wearing seven months later in the hope that if they keep it on until next year's festival they'll get a free crate of beer (interesting fact #2; this doesn't happen as Carling don't sponser the festival anymore. Stop being a dirty mosher and cut that wrist band off, no one cares that you went to Reading three years ago.)

Once inside the arena the rain did actually stop and the sun made a brief appearance. Fortunately the rain that had been falling all morning wasn't that heavy so the mud bath I'd been anticipating hadn't occured and the ground still had most of it's grass coverage intact.

As I mentioned a few paragraphs ago, one of the main reasons that I was excited for this day was due to the prescence of Polar Bear Club, and Tracker had been good enough to organise passes for Apryl, Steph and myself so that we could actually hang out in the relative quiet of backstage, rather than out in the main arena. However, while speaking to Stan the night before he thought that these passes came with an 'optional' charity donation of £25. If this was true, it sucked so I headed back to the 'Guest Pass Enquiry' window near the entrance to the site and asked about our passes. Luckily the passes we had weren't the normal guest area passes but stage and dressing room access ones that were the same as the band's, and best of all there was no charge. Having picked my pass up successfully I headed back to find the others and tell them the good news. Lack of phone signal and our lack of forsight in arranging a meeting place meant that I didn't find them until just before PBC started to play, but they said they'd pick there's up after the set and just watch from out front.

Anyway enough inane rambling, on to the main reason over 70,000 people were stood in a cold West Yorkshire field for three days: the bands.

The first band I watched were Polar Bear Club and they kicked things off well. Although Goose's bass decided to break about two seconds in to the first song and no one seemed to know what was wrong with it, they soldiered on and had an impressive number of people singing along. A few minutes passed before the second song of the set while the problem with the bass was sorted, but when the band got going again they played pretty flawlessly and got a really good reaction from a tent that was, despite the early start, almost full.

After the set Apryl and Steph headed off to pick up their passes while I caught up with PBC, Stan and Saker. It was good to see all these guys as it'd been a while and they've all been pretty busy so it was good to hang out and what about what we've all been up to.

Next up were A Wilhelm Scream and although I only managed to catch the last couple of songs I was really impressed. It took me a while to get into this band on record and to be honest there are still some songs that I'm not a massive fan of, but live they are mesmerising to watch. This is largely due to the two guitarists, who have to be two of the most technically proficient musicians I've seen in ages; certainly in a punk or hardcore band anyway. If you gte a chance to see them live, you won't be dissapointed.

After another short break it was time for Municipal Waste and as expected, the tent was packed by the time they came on stage. I managed to meet up with Rob, Max and Victor before their set so we watched 'The Waste' together from out front. I've seen MW play before a couple of times in fairly small venues so I wasn't sure how they'd translate onto a bigger stage inside a tent during the middle of the afternoon, but I needn't have worried. Anyone who's ever seen or heard MW will know that they never let up when it comes to tempo, never straying from the break-neck speed of their songs that today get two huge circle pits going (interesting fact #3: as these circle pits are next to each other the singer refers to them throughout as "circle tits". Brilliant.) and puts a smile on the faces of everyone present. Hits such as 'Unleash the Bastards' and 'Thrash is my Business and Business is Good!' are given a raptuous, fist-pumping reception and the band leave to the the entire tent chanting, "Municipal Waste is gonna FUCK YOU UP!".

After a bit of a break while we eat, dodge the rain showers and generally hang out with everyone, Set Your Goals take the stage and the front of the tent is transformed into a surging mass of bodies singing along to every word, even those of the new songs taken from SYG's latest record 'This Will Be The Death Of Us'. The six people who read this blog will already know that I love Set Your Goals so they'll also know that any review I write isn't going to be especially unbiased. This one is no exception, sorry! This is my eighth time seeing SYG and today they, like every other time, are brilliant. It's especially nice to be able to hear some new songs played live having seen essentially the same set-list every time I've watched them previously and the new tracks they do give an airing to fit with their older outputs seemlessly. My personal highlight of the set though is Jimmy from PBC joining the band on stage to do the Hayley Williams 'rap' part. He nailed it. It's ironic though that the band who have the most summer orientated sound today, manage to play at the exact time as the first proper heavy rain shower of the day. I don't care though as I'm in a massive tent with a huge smile on my face the whole time.

After Set Your Goals, we said our goodbyes to PBC as they were all super tired and jetlagged having only arrived in the UK that morning and wanted to head back to where theywere staying to get some sleep. It's a shame we didn't get to hang out for the whole day as I've really missed them all, but we'll be seeing each other again when Apryl and I are in Portland and Syracuse in October/November so it's not all bad. But I digress...

Next up were Rival Schools, a band I've been waiting to see for about four or five years (basically since their album was released) but was never able to to. Today they sound massive and seem genuinely pleased to be playing their songs to the people gathered. To me the crowd seemed a little flat, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment and it was great to finally hear classics such as 'The Switch' and of course 'Used For Glue' in a live setting. Walter said they hope to return to the UK next year which is brilliant news too.

The Bronx played next and were, for me, the performance of the day. Few bands possess the energy or aggression live that these five guys do and they manage to whip the entire tent into a frenzy from the moment they launch into a frantic rendition of 'Heart Attack American'. Front-man Matt has incredible stage prescence and his speach about, "what we have in here is better than anything they'll ever have out there!" is delivered with a venom and sincerity few today can match. He also climbs the supporting pillar that holds the tent up, before front-flipping into the crowd below. So many bands seem to go through the motions live these days and play it safe, but The Bronx are one band that this accusation can never be levelled at. Truly inspiring stuff.

After The Bronx everyone we were with headed off to eat or watch some other bands, but Apryl, Steph and I stuck around to watch Thursday. I was a little apprehensive about seeing Thursday as the only time I've seen them live before today was at the Garage in London (obviously pre-refurbishment) and they were incredible. I've also not really heard too much of their latest record and the one before that is pretty average. I needn't have worried though as they open with 'Understanding In A Car Crash' from classic album Full Collapse and from there run through a pretty much flawless 'festival' setlist. Crowd favourites such as 'Cross Out The Eyes', 'Division St.' and a brilliant rendition of 'Jet Black New Year' are greeted raptuously by the the people who've stuck around and even the new songs they throw in sound great. I didn't really want to say anything here about watching from side of stage as I don't want to sound like some bragging dickhead, but fuck it it's not every day I get to see one of my favourite bands and favourite singers in this close proximity and the 40 or so minutes that Thursday are on stage are pretty special for me.

The day is rounded off by Bring Me The Horizon, who I know for a fact are hated by everyone who reguarly reads this with the exception of one person, but I honestly really like their new record Suicide Season and tonight they're on top form once they sort out the sound problems of the first couple of songs. Yes, a lot of their fans are idiots but that doesn't mean they don't write super catchy metal songs or put on a good live performance. Oh and new guitarist Jonah climbs to the very top of one of the supporting pillars and plays the end of 'Chelsea Smile' while procariously sitting about 40ft above the crowd; which is pretty cool to watch...

Out Of Reach

2009-08-24T16:25:00.002+01:00

I've been pretty slack with updating this past week, mainly because I've been so damn busy.

Anyway, I was going to write a big post about everything I've done, but I'm not sure I can remember every detail so I thought I'd just do this for now...

Last Wednesday I saw the Get Up Kids at The Electric Ballroom. It was amazing. That is all.

xo

Norwich Body Art Convention

2009-08-18T01:01:00.001+01:00

The second of my two tattoos this weekend, courtesy of Tiny Miss Becca.

Both photos taken by Alex Batten.

xo

Fancy Sauce

2009-08-15T19:08:00.003+01:00

I got the first of my two tattoos that I'm getting at the Norwich Body Art Festival today. It's frankly ridiculous, but it reminds me of amazing times with amazing people.

Oh and it only really makes sense if you watch this video.

xo

May the force be with you...

2009-08-14T20:26:00.002+01:00

I need these in my life. Seriously, lightsaber chopsticks! Amazing.

Read more about them here.

Getting tattoed tomorrow and Sunday. Pictures will be up soon.

xo

You Vandal

2009-08-09T13:42:00.002+01:00

Dear Saves The Day, please tour the UK again. Thanks.

xo

Escape to the country

2009-08-08T20:32:00.005+01:00

One of the cool things about the fact that Apryl lives in the countryside is that we can go for nice peaceful walks in the evening whenever we want. Here are some photos from the one we went on last night along the river...

Oh yeah, and there's an ice cream factory/company just down the road fromApryl's that I found out about last night when we walked past. It was kind of strange seeing all the vans parked up waiting to go out and about the next day...

xo

"If you put another house on Mayfair, then I'm going to bed..."

2009-08-06T09:48:00.002+01:00

I am a land baron.

xo

Dedicated to Tshirts

2009-08-06T00:32:00.001+01:00

When Apryl and I were in Copenhagen last month, I chanced upon this really good store selling unique tshirt designs. I browsed for a while and picked up a really nice white shirt with a purple Marilyn Monroe themed comic strip graphic on the front, but there were a host of other designs that I'd have bought if I had the money.

Anyway, turns out that the store is one of a few across Scandanavia. If you're there I highly recommend checking them out, but if you don't have any plans to be in Denmark or Sweden in the near future, fear not; you can check them out HERE.

xo

Tours Tours Tours

2009-08-05T09:19:00.003+01:00

Found these little gems on World Moves Fast. They're all happening when Apryl and I are in America and the dates below are when we're in the respective cities...

Mastodon, Converge and High On Fire:

10/27 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
10/30 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom

Set Your Goals, YouMeAtSix + others:

10/11 San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom

The Wonder Years:

10/15 Portland, OR @ TBA

Strike Anywhere, Polar Bear Club, Crime In Stereo, Ruiner:

10/16 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre

EDIT: Oh and Apryl just reminded me about this show too. No big deal...

The Get Up Kids

10/31 New York City, NY @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza

Stoked.

xo

THSF

2009-08-04T15:53:00.002+01:00

The Hundreds store San Francisco.

The hostel that Apryl and I are staying at is less than a block away. Infact, you can see it from the hostel itself.

Another reason why this is going to be the best holiday ever.

xo

In the belly of a shark...

2009-08-03T20:43:00.002+01:00

Ridiculous...

xo

Long Island's calling me...

2009-08-03T20:15:00.003+01:00

October 8th - November 6th I will be in these places.

As well as all the standard tourist-y things that I want to do, I'm also intent on attending an NBA game and hopefully, maybe an NHL game too. Looking at the fixtures and the prices for various stadiums, this is definitely feasible and this makes me even more excited. When I was younger I used to watch basketball and ice hockey on Saturday morning television and having the chance to finally attend a game is amazing for me.

Oh also, we've found some awesome tours that coincide with our trip; stoked on that too.

xo

The Journey

2009-07-28T22:35:00.002+01:00

My good friend Ben Saker's band Breaking Point have their demo up for free download at the moment.

Check it out HERE

xo

The only thing to do was go...

2009-07-25T17:55:00.002+01:00

"We were all delighted, we all realized we were leaving confusion and nonsense behind and performing our one noble function of the time, move."

If it was in any way possible to move here, then I would do in a flash. Aslong as my best was with me, I wouldn't look back...

xo

Tales from Earthsea

2009-07-23T13:26:00.002+01:00

Newsest output in the Studio Ghibli collection. Just as incredible as all the others.

xo

Gainsville Rock City

2009-07-23T11:28:00.002+01:00

Seriously need to be at The Fest this year. Counted 32 bands I want to see and there are still a few more to be announced.

Fingers crossed Apryl and I can find a cheap flight down from somewhere on the east coast.

xo

Swim back to me...

2009-07-20T16:56:00.002+01:00

Kiki's Delivery Service...

2009-07-20T16:49:00.001+01:00

I love Studio Ghibli films so much.

xo

75 years of waiting...

2009-07-20T13:42:00.002+01:00

YES! England finally beat Australis in a Lords test match.

xo

Blast from the past

2009-07-20T09:05:00.003+01:00

Had my ipod on shuffle yesterday and a bunch of awesome UK hardcore bands that are no longer together came on at various times. Here are some of my favourites; I wish they were all still together...

Sadly, I couldn't find any videos of Spitfire Down or In The Clear, if you have any please hook me up...

xo

Summer Jam

2009-07-14T13:05:00.003+01:00

Any lingering doubts I may have had about this record were well and truly unfounded. Seriously, such a good record.

They've starting selling the cd/vinyl on their current U.S. tour, so enevitably it took little time for the record to be leaked and I'm seriously glad it did as it's an incredibly impressive output. On the the first few listens, it seems to possess a greater level of accessibilty that 'Mutiny!' but this is no bad thing. Even if they blow up and become massive in ala New Found Glory, then I'm going to be pleased for them because as a band they've worked incredibly hard to get to the position that they're in now. I've never seen them put in a band live performance and their touring schedule shows them to be one of the most hardworking bands around right now in the punk/hardcore/whatever scene. They deserve all the accliam that this record will undoubtably bring them.

Stand out tracks for me so far are 'Summer Jam' and 'Like You To Me' and 'The Few That Remain'; the first former being onee of the catchiest things that I've heard in ages.

I've found my album for the summer for sure.

xo