2014 Round Up: Favourite Gigs

Paramore

Reading Festival
Obviously any year where I get to see my fave trio is fantastic and every time i've seen them has been incredible but this Reading appearance, although having the potential to be destroyed because of shitty sound, actually ended up being more magical because of it. They prove to me time and time again why they're my favourite and, if possible, make me fall more in love with them. Side note: apologies again to those who were near us and heard our singing. You may have mistaken us for cats fighting.

Tonight Alive

Cardiff, Solus 27/11

Oh my days these guys have just become so heartbreakingly stunning live. Their Reading performance was amazing and a good warm up for this show but it had nothing on the passion and energy in that room. This tour felt important and that night felt poignant.

Fall Out Boy

Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena 15/03

Blargh, Fall Out Boy, still questioning how I made it through their four year break. I mean what a show this was - I got to see The Pretty Reckless, there was an acoustic middle, a drum solo and they played 'Save Rock And Roll.' Quite honestly it felt a lot like dying and going to heaven.

A Day To Remember

Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena 26/08
One cancelled gig, several months and a Reading performance a day beforehand and I was finally at their headline show which absolutely did not disappoint. The set list was excellent and the fun they bring to their shows was infectious enough to carry throughout the entire the arena which in itself is amazing to see them playing venues of that size. Just a couple of years ago I saw them in university cafe.

Taking Back Sunday
Bristol, o2 Academy 08/12

Finally. FINALLY. After something like 13 years listening to them I saw them live with my brother and sister and it was just everything I could have dreamed it being. Not many words are required here because they simply would not do the night any justice. They carry the prize for the loudest crowd moment i've ever witnessed.

The Wonder Years

Cardiff, Great Hall 06/05

They provide an emotionally charged, safe place to expel ones demons and make everything ok and for that I will forever be thankful. Whether at their own headline show or Reading festival they win all the awards and gratitude for simply existing.

We Are The In Crowd

Cardiff, Slam Dunk 27/05

Earlier in the year I saw them at their headline show where we had M+G and they were epic and then their Slam Dunk performance was even better. They're seriously coming into their own and becoming quite unbelievably striking.

La Dispute

Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach 17/05

The very first time I saw them and they were brilliant. They're so unique in their sound and performance, its very raw and the energy is like a shaken up bottle of coke just waiting to explode - which of course for King Park it does.

Mayday Parade

Cardiff, Solus 03/02

I discovered a new band, affirmed my love for another, finally got to see Man Overboard after years of trying and was turned into an emotional wreck thanks to the triple threat of 'Miserable At Best', 'Stay' and 'Hold On To Me.' Pretty standard then for a Mayday gig.

New Found Glory

Cardiff, Solus 23/11

I'll probably never tire of seeing these guys live especially if they keep dragging out songs like 'Hold My Hand' and 'The Story So Far' and, incidentally, bringing said band on tour with them.

Jimmy Eat World

Reading Festival
Like with Taking Back Sunday there aren't really any words that can describe how I feel when seeing Jimmy Eat World. There's a lot of nostalgia, tears and teethy grins. Plus, I saw them twice that day.

2014 Round Up: Favourite Albums

Lights

Little Machines

Favourites: Muscle Memory, How We Do It, Running With The Boys

Earning one of the top spots in my list is the beautiful synth-pop Little Machines. From start to finish it took me on a journey of the last year of my life in particular, sound tracking my trip around Europe for me to relive over and over when I got home. Lights' vocals are sweet and stunning as ever and the musical arrangements draw the very best from her previous albums whilst introducing new elements even on the equally as sublime bonus tracks. My original ramble described Little Machines as breathtaking and a masterpiece and honestly, I still stand by that. 

PVRIS

White Noise

Favourites: Holy, Ghosts, Let Them In

This album is what dreams are made of I swear to whatever higher entity there is up there. If I could write an album this would probably be it. If I could sing I would pick Lynn Gunn's voice. If I could pick someone to work on my album with it would be Blake Harnage. Honestly this has got to be the most impressive debut i've ever heard. PVRIS have found their sound and holy hell is it good. Everything about this album is so incredible I don't really have the right words for it, the only disappoint is that it ends. If you do just one more thing this year please, please, please make it listening to White Noise. 

We Are The In Crowd

Weird Kids

Favourites: Manners, Come Back Home, Reflections

After Best Intentions and seeing them live several times I was wondering whether the five piece would head into a more pop direction or if their second full length would be more punk and Weird Kids kind of does both. I don't think it's necessarily the music with We Are The In Crowd I think it is a lot to do with them. They've made an album which has honed in on their own unique sound that straddles both sides of the fence jumping back and forth for different songs and depending on the crowd. They sound better than ever and their future gets brighter looking every single day.

La Dispute

Rooms Of The House

Favourites: Woman (In Mirror), Stay Happy There, For Mayor In Splitsville
I can't think of any other band that sounds like La Dispute they're in their own league where they continue to make albums unaffected by what the rest of the music world is doing. Rooms Of The House continues to hit hard and beautifully and is verging into Deja Entendu worship worthy territory. 

The Pretty Reckless

Going To Hell

Favourites: Absolution, House On A Hill, Blame Me

Long awaited second offering from The Pretty Reckless exceeded my expectations. Light Me Up was brilliant but made a lot of people stick their noses in the air and I wasn't expecting Going To Hell to be able to change that but I think it did. Yes, in places there was crass immaturity but overall this album has something more to say than 'hey i'm high and underage but please have sex with me.' A couple of the songs are pretty hard hitting, musically they've changed it up a bit dabbling with different sounds and Taylor's vocals shine as ever. 

Moose Blood
I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time
Favourites: Cherry, Bukowski, Boston
ENGLAND HAVE THEIR VERY OWN BRAND NEW CIRCA YFW. There isn't much more to say about this really other than the album artwork is one of my favourite people shot by another one of my favourite people so there's that.

Transit

Joyride

Favourites: The Only One, Follow Me, Ignition & Friction
Transit have done it again. Joyride is yet another exceptional album that I will spin all summer long. I feel bad for people that don't understand their sound and the direction they're going in and can't see past their own ideas for the band because their sound is such a uniquely charming one.

You Me At Six

Cavalier Youth

Favourites: Forgive And Forget, Cold Night, Wild Ones

It took a long time for this album to grow on me. When I first heard it I thought all the songs sounded the same and they lacked any real feeling. Generic music with a generic emotion. Eventually though after listening to it so many times something about the way my brain perceived it changed. It's not Sinners Never Sleep and they were never going to write Sinners Never Sleep Part II because somewhere during that album cycle and the potential break up they grew up. And that's what Cavalier Youth is - a nostalgic, half terrified half hopeful collection of songs for darker summer days.

Taking Back Sunday

Happiness Is
Favourites: Better Homes And Gardens, All The Way, Nothing At All
I have a lot of time for Taking Back Sunday. For me, despite their line-up being anything but, their music has always been consistently fantastic and whatever stage I am at in my life it is always relevant and there for me to go back to. They are a safe place. Happiness Is hits all the emotions with its' sound progressing forward but somehow being more reminiscent of earlier Taking Back Sunday albums.  

Taylor Swift

1989

Favourites: Out Of The Woods, Bad Blood, New Romantics
Ah, Taylor Swift who knew that 2014 would be the year the world watched you learn and grow and turn into a kick butt fairy princess feminist icon? And as for 1989, whilst a lot of the older die hard fans are gutted by the disappearance of the country sound, as a sucker for synths I am completely in love with the synth pop direction. There's straight up love songs, songs blasting the shitty media and songs for shitty friends that all come with excellent vocals and synth goodness. Scattered throughout is a fairy tale theme and on the bonus track 'Wonderland' tips over and, obviously, plays a lot on Alice In Wonderland which made me positively giddy with joy.

Honourable Mentions:

Neck Deep / Wishful Thinking

Real Friends / Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing

Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties / We Don't Have Each Other

Charli XCX / Sucker

Tigers Jaw / Charmer

Modern Baseball / You're Gonna Miss It All

Yellowcard / Lift A Sail

New Found Glory / Resurrection

Natives / Indoor War

Bayside / Cult

Top Tunes: September

Lights - Lucky Ones

"Cause after all this time still don't know where we're going but look how far we've come and as long as you're just as lost as I am"

Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat

"I dream all year but they're not the sweet kind and the shivers move down my shoulder blades in double time"

We Are The In Crowd - Manners

"What do you see when you close your eyes? Do you sleep? I know you do and I'm not surprised while your ego keeps you warm"

You Me At Six - Forgive and Forget

"See, all of your demons became my demons, on your front line I fought. But we're oceans away, our glory days went up, went up in flames"

New Found Glory - Selfless

"Anxiety is a crippler, nothing meaner than loaded eyes followed by a smirk and a whisper"

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Take Me Back: Slam Dunk Wales (27/05/14)

A last minute decision to grab tickets for the final Slam Dunk show of 2014 ended up being one of my best decisions this year. After showing up early to a gig for perhaps the first time in my life we found ourselves waiting in the queue for a good hour when just as the doors were due to open the heavens poured and soaked everyone through. Filing into the tiny student cafe that was used as a stage last year it didn't take long for the room to fill up and with the line-up being a true pop-punk fest I knew it was going to be fun but I was not prepared for just how amazing every one of the bands were going to play.

Save Your Breath started the night off and by their second song had everyone up on their feet and a rowdy mosh pit going. Clearly more known on their own side of the pond,than when I saw them in February, the crowd had just as much energy and enthusiasm as the band themselves as they played some of their best tracks with their closing song, "Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy," drawing the loudest response.

Jumping on stage next were Decade who played with such perfection and were blessed with the rarity that is good sound showing off vocalist Alex Sears' faultless vocals. They had the room in the palm of their hands for an impressive set of up and coming pop-punk that deserves a lot more attention. There were plenty of people that weren't familiar with the band but plenty more comments about how good they were and going home to download their music asap.

If ever there was a band that could make a room full of ecstatic teenagers go wild it would be the relatively new on the scene Neck Deep. Easily future headline material staying stood up when they hit the stage was nearly impossible. Opening with "Losing Teeth" it immediately became a crowd surfing fest with sweaty limbs flying everywhere right until the end of their set "Over And Over." New songs like "Crushing Grief (No Remedy)" had the floor passionately throwing fists in the air whilst the older "A Part Of Me" was on par with some of the loudest singing i've ever heard.

The last time I saw Hit The Lights I was my sister's age back in '08. As they came on stage their upbeat blend of pop-punk was a welcome change from the previous bands' serious tone. Wave after wave of nostalgia hit me as they played tracks mostly from their Skip School, Start Fights LP. "Breathe In" and "Stay Out" garnered the strongest reactions along with golden oldie "Three Oh Nine." 

Finally We Are The In Crowd joined the rest of us in the teeny cafe for their hugest show i've ever witnessed. Every time i've seen them their performance has been better and better but I wasn't expecting just how much better they would be this time around. Opening with "Long Live The Kids" the fire in Tay's vocals were matched by everyone else in the room as we roared back to her, reaching deafening levels when they hit the bridge 'you can't tell us no.' The weirdest stage anyone had apparently ever seen - it was miles back from the barrier with steps and every band commented on it - didn't stop Tay from getting right up in the crowd and ferociously singing "The Best Thing (That Never Happened)" with the rampant crowd. Their fast-moving, intense set slowed down when they played "Come Back Home" for only the third time and we got to hear Tay and Jordan's gorgeous harmonies in real life. They continued on with their high spirited set playing an array of old and new songs 'closing' with "Never Be What You Want" which always garners an electric response. Cardiff is renowned for it's Ferri Chant so much so that the cluster of Cardiff fans at the last Bristol show I went to got the chant going much to Mike's amusement. This time was no exception as the second the fireball of talent left the stage all you could hear was "FERRI, FERRI, FERRI!" Shuffling his way back on stage Mike did a hilarious little rap before being re-joined by his band mates. Launching into "Both Sides Of The Story" the room erupted and stayed crazed right up until the very moment they left the stage after closing their phenomenal set with "Rumour Mill." 

Top Tunes: May

HalfNoise - Mountain

"But half of me is half of you I runaway so you would know. And half of me is half of you I wonder why I let you go"

Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties - You Ain't No Saint

"I grew up and grew dull and you say I wished I hadn't"

We Are The In Crowd - Reflections
"Pinning paper wings on problems hoping that they'll fly away, turn our backs, ignore the truth if they can't support the weight"

La Dispute - a Letter
"I think the thing is that I shut off from everything. From friends and family and my own ambitions. From having fun. I just shut off from everything"

Neck Deep - Crushing Grief (No Remedy)
"I'm sick and tired of all your bullshit when all it is who can scream the loudest"

YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Take Me Back: We Are The In Crowd (07/02/14)*

We Are The In Crowd / Neck Deep / Save Your Breath

Bristol, The Fleece

07/02/14

Review Here