When Obsession Becomes Respect: A Lesson To Learn

For the majority of my life i've been really into music. As in i'm not a passive listener, i'll actively search out for music to listen to, I go to shows, I buy merch and now i'm going to do a degree in music journalism. But along with this formed my inner fan girl. The obsessive side to this passion, the part that knows every detail about band members to a point it is actually kinda creepy - never as much as Ali King or those girls that broke into Hayley Williams' house, mind. I'm sometimes guilty of putting band members on a pedestal and lose sight of them as a person. And then I met a bunch of these band members and shattered the illusions I created for myself and began to see them as just talented people. I remembered that at the end of the day it's about the music and you should never expect more than that from a band - if they offer it that's great but you shouldn't expect it.

And then last week Anavae played their first show in Plymouth and I went to see them for the first time. Beforehand Becca had asked on twitter if there was anyone in the area who could put them up for the night and so as it happened they were to be staying at my house after their show. My mum went all mumsy and instantly started making beds and buying a ton of different foods for them while me and my dad went off to Plymouth.

Due to the intimacy of the show the members of Anavae were wandering around all night and I knew at some point I needed to go and say 'hey i'm here you're staying at my house' but I had worked myself up into this fan girly mess who would only of made an idiot out of herself  and if I wasn't like that I had gone completely shy and was too scared to speak to them. My dad thought it was very amusing. But my head was screaming at me 'omg its them its really them the band I have loved for so long are stood in front of me' until after about half an hour I found my sane side and went in search of Jamie who I had seen go out the back. Luckily the idiotic fan girl shut the hell up and I managed to introduce myself to Jamie without him running a mile and he told us we had saved their lives tonight before I received one of the best hugs i've ever had. When we went back into the room my shyness returned and for the rest of the night I didn't speak to the rest of Anavae until after when we gave James directions to my house and I briefly chatted with Becca who expected me to have pink hair instead of my boring blonde. Our parking ticket had run out at like 10pm and it was now 11 so we had to leave them to chat with other people and left for home.

And I can now say that after spending the day with them - I made them watch Honey Boo Boo and took them to see the thrilling sights of the tiny village I live in - that not only are the nicest people i've ever met but it really was a sort of eye opening experience. I saw this band that I had admired and fan girled over as just normal people with lives and friends and opinions and feelings and who themselves were fans of bands - they all geeked out over me meeting Paramore. We talked weird fans, the unfair female vocalist comparisons, tattoos, how damn good my chocolate orange soap is and old bands amongst other subjects and spent a long time trying to get a photo of all of us and nearly killed James when he jumped/fell off the climbing frame. Eventually they had to leave so we hugged and said our goodbyes and my dad gave them the 'keep up the hard work you're welcome anytime' speech and off they went in the Anavan. So I suppose what i'm trying to say in a round-a-bout long winded rambly kind of way is that band members are just people too. Treating them like anything but that freaks them out - trust me on this one - but talk to them like a sane person (no matter how hard it can be) like you're just one of their friends and I assure you it'll make for a nicer experience.

People are just people.

Take Me Back: Anavae (16/05/13)

Walking into The White Rabbit it became immediately apparent that we were 2 of about 5 people who weren't either in one of the four bands playing or related to them in any way. The first band playing - who's name I didn't catch - had potential to be good if they could just progress beyond the same three chords and tune and The World Defined were let down by the venue's poor sound quality but as for the band themselves they are clearly fantastic and ooze stage presence. Then what I came for - it was Anavae's turn on stage and they certainly didn't disappoint. Opening with "Sunlight Through A Straw" and blasting their way through their 5 song set of "Zero Fidelity" "Storm Chaser" new song "I Won't Return" and "Invaesion" and of course an epic drum based outro the quintet proved to the small south-west minds that they sure as hell know how to play their instruments and Becca's vocals never seemed to falter, hitting high notes with as much ease as breathing.  Before playing "Invaesion" Becca told the crowd - who had been keeping a respectable metres distance from the stage - that she's actually short sighted and can't see any of us and beckoned us to stand right in front of them. Although the set was short is was proof enough that i'm right in saying that this band is going to be huge. After them we had The Hype Theory who played a selection of songs from their new album "Captives" due out soon showcasing both their faster upbeat songs and slower tracks too.

Artists Everyone Should Love: Brand New

Brand New are one of those bands that if I get started on them I won't stop, so writing this sentence now I feel like i'm going to regret choosing to do this but the problem is they are also a band that every single person on this planet should adore and worship endlessly. And I also know i'm one for exaggeration but trust me that in this case i'm not. In fact, it pains me that there are people reading this who don't know who they are. I honestly refer to them as gods. No - really, really.
With four official full length albums and Fight Off Your Demons the bands' music showcases something different with every release making it impossible to pick a favourite album. And with music and lyrics as good as there's I challenge you to find someone that doesn't like at least one of their songs. There is something so genius about them that forces your brain to really listen and then once you've done that they steal your heart forever.
Your Favourite Weapon - their first album - encapsulates the angst of growing up with pop-punk music at its side and finishes with Soco Amaretto Lime an anthemic acoustic number which has been on my summer playlist year after year. Following this up is Deja Entendu which has always amused me being that it's french for "already heard" when it's actually completely different to anything i've ever heard. There's something darker about these songs in a ache-in-your-heart kind of way. During the process of recording their third album the songs leaked causing Jesse Lacey to decide to completely re-write the album and out of this we have the leaked album Fight Off Your Demons and their official third full length The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me. Both of these again are different from their other releases getting darker still and more experimental thus creating some their best tracks yet and then finally we have Daisy which goes above and beyond the weird scale - even for Brand New. It's not an easy listen at first and a lot of people may dismiss it entirely but after a while the chaos becomes welcoming and I think the only way to appreciate the madness of Daisy is is with open ears.
Their live performances as well are incredible. They play every song you could possibly want to hear and their stage antics bring in an atmosphere like no other. They're intense in every possible way and their brand of angst ridden music is timeless - i'm pretty sure that at the age of 60 i'll still turn to them in times of fury. Or y'know every other emotion under the sun.

Album Review: The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation

Years ago now - back in the days I left my brother in charge of the music on my iPod - he added a track called "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" and from that my love for The Wonder Years was born. With three fantastic full lengths and a ton of EP's/Splits to their name I had no doubts in my mind that fourth album The Greatest Generation would be just as - if not more - incredible. And it is just that. Loaded with meaning these are possibly the best thirteen songs they have ever written that build on what they've done before but better, so much better. They've improved the old, tried something new and embraced their quirks, particularly vocally with some of the most choking moments being Soupy's voice breaking. I expected an album that I would keep on repeat for a very long time but what I received is an album that catapulted it's way into my favourites from the first listen. 

Right off from the start on opening track "There, There" the bands' continued growth is shown with Soupy's new found fragile vocals and quiet guitaring that gives way to full band and growling vocals in their trademark style for the chorus of "I'm sorry I don't laugh at the right times" with urgency like never before. One of my favourite things about The Wonder Years is the intertextuality between their songs and this album is no let down on this. The first single from the album "Passing Through A Screen Door" has Soupy's voice break on the line "Jesus Christ, did I fuck up?" in the most heart breaking way before chanting "I was kinda hoping you'd stay" to make sure your heart stays well and truly shattered. The song is everything about The Wonder Years that was good but improved 10 times over to create a truly pounding pop-punk song.

Continuing on in a similar manner "We Could Die Like This" and "Dismantling Summer" juxtapose upbeat music with hard hitting personal lyrics and the use of harmonies on these tracks compliment the vocals perfectly. Anger fueled song "The Bastards, The Vultures, The Wolves" is the kind of song you want to yell at the top of your lungs and it sounds as though Soupy is doing just that and fellow band mates are hammering their gear to within an inch of their lives alongside him. The clattering of the music representing the lyrics, "I came here looking for a fight," is brilliant and a far cry from "The Devil In My Bloodstream" which features singer Laura Stevenson providing subtly beautiful backing harmonies alongside Soupy and an intricate piano. Two minutes in and the calm of this heart wrenching song is taken over by an ear shattering yell of "I bet I'd be a fucking coward" and if you haven't cried yet, then this song is what will start you off and probably finish you off too.

The pace picks back up full steam ahead with a relentless four tracks in succession that leave you with no chance for a breather. "Teenage Parents" is an upbeat pop-punk track from start to finish about growing up poor with a hook that will stick in your head for weeks. It's the kind of song that at live shows will leave you with a stitch as just when you think you can stop yelling/jumping Mike Kennedy fills the void with pounding drums - and I'd give up trying to match Soupy's falsetto before you even try. Following on from this is "Chaser" that boasts a face melting guitar solo and bass led "An American Religion (FSF)" before finishing this power fueled section of the album on  "A Raindance In Traffic" with glorious gang vocals.

Another sob inducing, goosebump evoking, breakdown causing song is "Madelyn" which has been dubbed by some as the "Hey Thanks" of the album. But where "Hey Thanks" was fun and jolly "Madelyn" is saddening and causes an ache like no other and will haunt the deepest parts of your mind and awaken the skeletons you've kept under lock and key. 

Album closer "I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral" is an ambitious 7 and 1/2 minute hat tilt to the entire album that breaks the epic scale and sums everything up leaving your jaw dropped on the floor at the thought that has gone into it and the fact they pulled it off. The music builds, starting with a simple understated drum to the clashing of the full band until the 3 minute mark when the tone changes to signify the beginning of the sickest summary of an album you've ever heard and ending with a hard hitting verse, leaving the album for good on the line "I just want to know that I did all I could with what I was given"

Watching them grow from an unknown pop-punk band to getting signed to Hopeless Records and gaining a strong fan base has been exciting to witness and the best thing is they've stayed true to their music and haven't changed who they are to please anybody else and showed the world they have staying power. Each album has the familiarity of their previous work but they improve and grow so much between these releases adding in something new each time to keep it fresh. Lyrically, Soupy is a genius and shows this off with the theme of war subtly thread throughout the album in an entirely unforced and unobtrusive manner with lyrics here and there and the titling of songs - "Passing Through a Screen Door" and of course he's the king of devastatingly relatable lyrics and the guys match him musically making each song explode. If you still haven't given them a chance then you're a fool as these guys are so god damned talented and no doubt one of the best or greatest pop-punk bands around to date. 

The Greatest Generation will grab have you clutching your heart with tears streaming down you face.

The Greatest Generation is a battle cry against growing up and the shittiness life can throw at you. 

The Greatest Generation is hope for the future. 

Introducing: One Fell Swoop

America is full of bands - some good and some not so good - but luckily for New Yorkers One Fell Swoop they fit firmly in the category of bands I consider really, really good. Amazing, in fact. The quartet is comprised of A.J. Chiarella (Vocals/Guitar), Brandon Florich (Guitar), John Rodriguez (Bass/Vocals) and Frank De Santis (Drums) and amusingly describe themselves as "two scrawny white kids and two chubby pink kids that like punk rock" but i'm here to tell you all that these guys don't just 'like' punk rock but boy, oh boy, they can play punk rock.
The band currently have a stand alone single and three EP's, including one they used to support the Robinhood Foundation to help victims of hurricane Sandy. Ditching the usual heavy guitaring and angry gang vocals of punk rock, the EP showcases their softer side with three haunting acoustic tracks - and if that wasn't enough they even did a mini acoustic tour to promote the EP and raise even more money for the charity.
Bayside, Title Fight and Senses Fail are just some of the bands that they name as their influences but i'm sure that in a few years time, with all the honest hard work they put into the band, i'll be writing introducing posts about bands inspired by them. They've played a ton of live shows with the likes of Set Your Goals, A Loss For Words and other bands destined for a loud future, so my advice to all of you lucky enough to live anywhere near one of their gigs is to go and check these guys out for what is guaranteed to be a crazy energetic show.

Oh and for all you eager fans that already exist you'll be glad to hear they've got a new EP coming out in June. And if you're not a fan already, what are you doing?! Get on with it: 

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