Reach for the... Beach? Zoo?!

My my, I've been slacking on this front for a wee while.
I have my excuses.
Beach Break being one of the main.
The other? Packing my life into boxes in preparation for becoming a real life human being. As opposed to a student.

But back to Beach Break.
After some irritable locals from my home-county deciding they aren't fans of people having fun, Beach Break Live was swiftly moved from St Agnes, Cornwall, to Port Lympne, Kent.
We punters were minus a beach, but plus a zoo. Which I must say was mighty impressive. Especially due to the abundance of monkeys.
We were however still surrounded by 9,994 other like-minded students, which, combined with copious amounts of alcoholic substances (obviously, we are students after all) and very little sleep, made for an entertaining week to say the least.
The show certainly did go on, with Friendly Fires, Ladyhawke and the wonderful Mr Rascal keeping the crowds entertained. Dizzee was a personal highlight, due to me being dragged, initially against my will, further and further into the mass of the crowd ending up a few rows from the front, having a sing scream along to his version of That's Not My Name (ala Live Lounge), Paper Planes, Fix Up Look Sharp, and, of course, Bonkers, and getting soaked by unnecessarily huge water canons.

And, thanks to me being a student rep, this was all free. And I made a tenner on ticket sales. AND I got free Pimms in the zoo's manor house.

What's not to love?

Hopefully this is a sign of the festival season to come...

Go have a looksee on Daily Music Guide for a slightly more comprehensive insight, and while you're at it, check out their gallery.
And while we're on the subject of link-clicking, go visit my friend Jo over here at her blog, she went VIP-ing it up for the week in order to get some goss from the bands...

Laters kids

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"How could I forget how good this song/album is?!"

Slight change to the title today, insert 'band' as well.

The Shins.

WHY had I forgotten about them?
Although maybe that is one of their charms, you forget about them, and rekindle your love as SOON as you press play months and months and months later...

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New Music is the Cause of a Large Portion of my Current Debt

Patrick Wolf, Kasabian, Little Boots, all in a week.
And soon this will have to be added to the list, this being the OFFICIAL video, rather than the one I posted a few weeks back:



Now, on with the job hunt to pay for all this...

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"How could I forget how good this song/album is?!"

Beautiful.



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In the Post

The title lies a *little* bit, I got this in the post on Saturday morning, even though I wasn't supposed to receive it until today (thank you Amazon).



It is, of course, the special edition of Kasabian's 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'.
And I must say, it does not fail to impress.

I am a massive Kasabian fan, so my opinion may be a little bit biased. But following from where they left off with 'Empire', this is dirty, filthy, and makes me want to drink whiskey.
'Thick as Thieves' sounds as though it wouldn't go amiss in twisted Victorian circus. I can picture the video now - Tom, blackened teeth, in a top hat, spinning a cane, strutting down a street while peasant children lurk in alleyways... Think watching Oliver Twist on a bad trip...
And of course, 'Fire', the most recent single, still sounds amazing, especially at full volume.

Now, I have seen Kasabian on many an occasion, and have always been blown away. One gig of note was at Dublin Castle (actually in DUBLIN, not the Camden venue, unfortunately) where this was taken:



Does this need a caption?
I think not.

And I'm off to see them again in a few weeks here, a family outing, avec my lil bro and my mum, also both massive fans, who'd have thought it, 'Kasabian - Fun for all the family' eh?

I reckon a trip to Camden is in order too, just to be vain and pose in front of this:



And maybe pinch have a drink out of a 'West Ryder' glass...

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"How could I forget how good this song/album is?!"...

It's back, I remembered it, hooray for me!

Number three in this series:

Jape - Floating



Richie Egan, I salute you.

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Doing it for the Kids

I know this is typical internet fodder at the moment, but everyone needs to see this video... It's just so... Cruel/horrible/weird/wonderful/kind of funny...
And if it didn't form part of the soundtrack to your summer (albeit LAST summer), first off, you must have been living under some sort of rock and should feel ashamed of yourself, and secondly, this gives you the chance to make it so THIS summer:



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In the Post: Pt 1

I am officially no longer a student.
This is a very scary thought in my mind.
So, in 'honour' of this, the last few weeks have been spent in a bit of a drunken, celebratory haze, hence the lack of presence. This came to an end last week when the painful goodbyes to my partners in crime began...
I'll get back to you on that note when I get my results in a few weeks... Eeeek...

However, curing my blues this week have been a number of things, namely goodies which have been arriving through the post, firstly:

Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
I think by this stage my love for Mr Wolf need not be mentioned.
This album, number 982 of 2000, funded by Bandstocks arrived on my doorstep mid-week.




Investors collectively raised £100,000 through £10 shares which are being put to use by Patrick and his team in the same way an advance from a record company would be. However, unlike typical record deals, this method allows artists full creative control and eliminates restrictions which typical deals sometimes impose.

(Proof of my investment can be seen on the second page of Bandstocks credits, first name, sixth row down, 'fifitxbl' ;) )

The album was initially intended to be released as the double album 'Battle'.
'The Bachelor' firstly signifying Patrick's desperation experienced following 'The Magic Position' era, where he was under Universal's control, attempting to be made into a superpopstar, and night after night singing about happiness and emotions which were in no way reflecting his personal life at the time. 'The Conqueror' following this, telling the story of his defeat of these personal demons after he met his now-partner and found hope.
Deciding the release of a double album depicting so much might be a little too intense, it was decided the two were to be released separately.

Throughout 'The Bachelor' Wolf, along with some help from narrator Tilda Swinton, drags you along his journey of the past few years, constantly reaffirming his bachelor status, telling tales of desperation ('Who Will'), the pain of suicide ('The Sun is Often Out') and calling for a 'Revolution' (soon-to-be-single 'Hard Times'). All to the sounds of Patrick's character vocals, pianos, strings, organs and just a tad more electronics thanks to Alec Empire's collaboration. The theme up to this point is unavoidable, but with closing tracks 'Battle' and 'The Messenger', with his Tribe behind him, ready to fight, and a new found personal happiness, Patrick Wolf certifies himself, and his tribe, as a force to be reckoned with, proving the naysayers, within himself and the real world, wrong, and ultimately establishing the links to the second instalment of his 'Battle' - 'The Conqueror'.

Buy the CD, check out the artwork, listen to the album, over and over (in some sort of picturesque setting if possible), follow the story... Then get back to me and try to tell me it's not beautiful.

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