Ask: Campbell's Wild

We managed to catch up with Scottish Indie band 'Campbell's Wild' here's what we asked -

How did the band get together?

FRASER: I Started the band with my mate Webster about 4 years ago   because we had been jamming together and thought it would be a good idea. We’d already written a couple of songs, so I asked my little brother Keir to drum for us at a few rehearsals...
KEIR: I was only asked to play until the guys found a new drummer. Technically I’ve never been in the band, they were just too lazy to get someone else!
HAIGY: Fraser thought he'd written the best song in the world and it would make us super rich.  He was wrong, we don’t even play it anymore.
STEVEN: The band had formed before I joined. I was asked a week before the band were due to play their first show! I’d played with Fraser before in an old band and knew Keir and Haigy quite well so, I slotted in pretty easily.

How did you come up with the band name?

FRASER: I had seen the name of this guy Campbell Wild in the paper and thought he had a pimp name so I stole it!

HAIGY: A guy Fraser went to primary school with ran away from home when he was 11 and started living on the streets, he moved to a rubbish dump due to the increased levels of available food.  He was a bit like Stig of the Dump and his name is Campbell.  So literally, Campbell is Wild!

KEIR: I genuinely don’t even know anymore, every time we answer this question there's an elaborate story. I think Fraser’s is closest to the truth this time. 

What made you want to start a band?

FRASER: I had been in bands before and I missed it so wanted to start again, this time playing guitar instead of bass.

STEVEN: Music has always been a major part of my life and having been in previous bands it was something I loved being involved in!

KEIR: Drums is pretty much all I do, it was a great way to play somewhere other than my room and pissing off my neighbors!

HAIGY: All my favourite bands went on indefinite hiatus around the same time so I wanted to be able to listen to something!

Individual musical inspirations

FRASER: The Housemartins, Beautiful South, Barenaked Ladies all bands with singers with similar styles to me really.

KEIR: I’m more punk rock. Drumwise its from Travis Barker to Atom Willard. Musically, my taste in music is so varied it's hard to give an overview! one minute it's Screamo, the next it's Johnny Cash and then brutal pop songs. I think all of that influences me.
HAIGY: Early Biffy Clyro, Explosions in the Sky...

Can you describe your sound in 3 words?

HAIGY: Really Really Good.

FRASER: Pop Indie Rock

KEIR: Dark Indie Pop

STEVEN: Alternative Post-pop

Who is the girliest member of the band?

FRASER: Keir by a f*#!ing mile he has more haircare products than any girl I know.

STEVEN: Keir
HAIGY: Keir

KEIR: Harsh...but fair.

Describe each other in 1 word (one good thing, one bad thing)

FRASER:

Keir - dedicated, moody

Haigy - laidback, indifferent

Stevie - talented, talented

HAIGY:

Me - #UnbelievablyBeautifulAndTalentedAndFunny, Lazy
Stevie - Musical, Unpunctual
Keir - How do you say 'Actually looks like he should be in a band' in one word?, Noisy
Fraser - Man skills, Incontinent

Keir:

Calum - Funny, ridiculously-Lazy
Stevie - Talented, anti-pop
Fraser - Gifted, Lazy

STEVEN:

Fraser - performer / lazy

Calum - co-writer / perfectionist 

Keir - encouraging / diva

Tell us a bit about your most recent release:

KEIR: It was the Superman Pill’s E.P.
HAIGY: A Lot of it needs re-recorded.
KEIR: Yeah, we were writing things and changing bits literally as we recorded it. With our songs normally they’re played for months and they evolve. Most of those songs, have evolved drastically from the recorded versions! So proud of the single ‘Superman Pills’ Itself though. First time I’ve ever been in a vocal booth!
STEVEN: ‘Superman Pills’ was the first recording I did with the band and was a song I have been playing around with for a while so was good to have a proper studio recording of it, very catchy and I am proud of it!

Favourite song to play live? 

FRASER: ‘Spinning circles’, I only play one chord so can concentrate on looking cool
KEIR: Same, the drums are crazy, different timings, my arms fly all around the kit. plus it usually gets the best response I feel.
HAIGY: ‘Forever unfinished’ - its how we close the set
STEVEN: That or ‘Halfway Home’ is mine.

Do you have any new material we should look out for?

FRASER: We’re doing an acoustic set for ‘The Student Sessions’ on december 6th. It’s being filmed for release online and the recording will be on East-coast FM shortly after that.

KEIR: Their advice for us was to look pretty and not swear, the two things our band isn’t great at..

Any crazy fan experiences?

FRASER: Playing to what was effectively a kids party when supporting Amy Can Flyy in Glasgow was quite surreal. They were really into it though.

KEIR: on the first night of ‘The Superman Pills’ tour back in February, a girl came up to me and Fraser outside the venue with a group of her friends after we’d played. She was really nice and told us she loved our set and really liked the band. We kind of panicked as it was the first time we’d been confronted with people looking at us and no music to hide behind. So in the panicked moment we ended up coming across quite mean. We felt really bad though, gave her some free stuff and apologized. We’re cool now! Sorry again!!

If people haven't heard of you before, why should they check you out?

FRASER: We are newm different and interesting, we have catchy tunes that stick in your head.

HAIGY: Because we all like such different music all of our songs sound different depending on who played big roles in the writing of them, so hopefully there should be something in them for everybody.

STEVEN: Because we are different from other bands sound-wise, we write and play music we love and we are all about performing and having fun :)

The Band Perry

Type – Live Review

Artist – The Band Perry

Location – O2 ABC, Glasgow

Date –17-11-2012

We had the pleasure of interviewing The Band Perry at the O2 ABC in Glasgow not long before they hit the stage for their very first performance in front of a Scottish crowd, and I think it’s safe to say that they were really looking forward to it.

After our interview with the sibling trio we stayed for the show, and what an absolutely amazing night we had. The Band Perry had sold out the O2 ABC and the venue was completely packed. Selling out the O2 ABC on your first show is brilliant but as Lauren says in the interview “I think you need a bigger venue next time”. I totally agree with this, The Band Perry are clearly loved and they may have underestimated how popular they actually are in Scotland. 

As there were only two bands playing by the time The Band Perry’s support act John and Jacob got onto the stage the room was already full and they played through their set keeping the crowd on their toes. These are two enthusiastic young guys with great voices and musicianship. They got the crowd’s energy up and at the end of their set they left us all wanting just a little more.

There wasn’t much time between John and Jacob leaving the stage and The Band Perry coming on, which is always a good thing because you don’t want to leave the crowd on their own too long. After listening to a few songs while listening while the crew got the stage ready the music went off and the lights went down, this is the moment we knew our worlds were about to be blown away.

The Band Perry opened with ‘Sugar Sugar’ which is not on their album nor has it been officially released, however if you are like us and are big fans of them then you will have done your youtube research and found out that despite the fact that its not on the album or released you will know that the song is a fan favourite and they play it on a regular basis. This was the perfect opening song as it’s a very high energy song that really gets the crowd going and the lyrics are catchy and easy to learn.

The band powered through an amazing nearly 20 song set list playing favourite songs such as ‘Hip To My Heat’, ‘Miss You Being Gone’, ‘All Your Life’, ‘Double Heart’ and ‘Postcard From Paris’. They also played a mash up of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Falin’ with their song ‘Independence’. The Band Perry’s set also included covers of ‘Amazing Grace’, a mash up of ‘American Pie/Jack and Diane/Me & Bobby Mcgee’ and my personal favourite cover that they do ‘Fat Bottom Girls’ this was a fun song to watch them play live with Neil taking the lead and Kimberly telling the crowd “You best be shakin’ what your mama gave you”.

They played 2 new songs one of which was their new song ‘Better Dig Two’ which although it’s not out in the UK yet, the crowd have been listening to the song and were singing along with every word which was a fantastic thing to hear, I wonder how the band must have felt hearing it?.

Finishing their set with ‘If I Die Young’ a crowd favourite which Kimberly even let the crowd take the lead for a few lines while the entire band stood back and looked out at the extremely loud Scottish crowd in amazement as they sang their song back to them. The trio then left the stage as the rest of their band stayed and played a short instrumental version of ‘Queen Maybelline’ before they also left the stage. However after a few short minutes of composure The Band Perry bounced back onto the stage to play an amazing 3 song encore which included ‘We Are Young’ (fun cover) and ‘Night Gone Wasted/With A Little Help From My Friends’ (beatles cover) before ending their fist Scottish concert with ‘You Lie’ and they really went out with a bang.

After the show The Band Perry left their dressing room and made their way over to their merch table to sign autographs for the massive line of fans that stayed in the venue to meet them.

I really love to see when bands really show their fans appreciation because its one thing to say that you love your fans but its another thing to actually take the time to stand and talk to the fans that can’t make it to a meet and greet, when bands do little things like this it really makes the fans feel loved.

If you haven’t listened to The Band Perry go check them out they are an amazing country band that will steal your heart after listening to one song (it happened to me). If have listened to them before and haven’t seen them live I would suggest you get yourself a ticket to their next concert in a town near you, they put on a great show and they really get the crowd involved talking to them.

The Band Perry really are a fantastic band and their chemistry that comes from them being siblings is truly amazing and they have more to give us and I can see them going down in history.

Make sure you all hurry back to the UK, we miss you already.

www.facebook.com/lifeismusictv

@lifeismusictv

@GillianLIMTV

Tyler Hilton

Tyler Hilton Live Review 

October 31st at King Tut’s Glasgow

After setting himself free from the clutch of his former record label, Tyler Hilton has since started his very own label ‘Hooptie Tune Records’, in which he released his much anticipated third studio album ‘Forget The Storm’ in March earlier this year. We were lucky enough to catch him live at his Halloween show at King Tut’s in Glasgow.

With the dress code of the night being ‘vampire’ the queue was full of blood thirsty girls (and the occasional guy here and there). I actually didn’t have a clue about the dress code and turned up dressed like a zombie football player... smooth Lauren. With the queue stretching out the door of the venue and even further down the street and round the corner, it was clear this was going to be a great gig.

With everyone all squeezed in Tyler’s support act Dion Roy took the stage, and he got a great response. The crowd were screaming for him which I’m sure he was surprised about having not been to Glasgow before. He was wearing a Crispy Crème hat and Tyler’s glasses which had everyone giggling. He performed songs from his most recent release ‘Into The Day’ and he also played one of my personal favourites ‘Daughter’ which he explained to the crowd he had written for his little girl. He had the crowd in awe, and I’m sure he won some hearts. I know if he comes back to Glasgow everyone in that room will be the first ones to buy their tickets. As his set came to an end and he went for some fan photos, the crowd were more than ready for Tyler to get on stage.

As the lights went down, there was a deadly silence and then ‘AAAAAAAAAAH’ is all I can describe it as. Everyone in the room was going crazy as the lights went up to reveal Tyler Hilton, his guitar in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. He started picking out people in the crowd who were dressed up and threw them a couple chocolates, I managed to get a couple too. I mean it’s hard not to notice someone dressed as a zombie at a vampire themed night.. He kicked off the night with songs from ‘Forget The Storm’ and he had everyone bobbing their heads and singing along. I don’t think it had sunk in for some people that they were actually watching Chris Keller from One Tree Hill performing in front of them and not on their TV. He performed flawlessly. As he performed ‘When it comes’ there was not a person who wasn’t singing along. It was definitely a crowd favourite. He played a fantastic set and I’m sure everyone at the gig that night will agree he’s going to need a bigger venue next time around!

Check out Tyler Hilton and Dion Roy if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed, these are two great guys and great musicians. Stay Awesome, Lauren x

Lower Than Atlantis

Lower Than Atlantis Live Review

Friday 5th Oct at Glasgow Garage

We had the pleasure of interviewing Dec Hart, bassist for Lower Than Atlantis at The Garage in Glasgow. We also hung out to catch the show afterwards. With Gnarwolves along with our friends Don Broco and The Dangerous Summer supporting, this was definitely a great line up, a must go to Glasgow gig. 

As we entered the main hall before any of the acts had even set foot on the stage, it was already packed. This, straightaway told me that these guys definitely have an awesome fan base. I managed to speak to a few people who told me they were there just to see Don Broco -the same people at the end of the night who were buying Lower Than Atlantis merch and telling me how they have a new favourite band!

As the first support act Gnarwolves took the stage the crowd were already chanting LTA, but they were going to have to wait a little longer. Gnarwolves kicked off their set with what I can only describe as noise. The crowd didn’t seem to pleased with what they had to offer, and a short set later, Don Broco were on the stage completely killing it! With their well known walk and entertaining dance moves they had the crowd going crazy for them and even joining in. They performed a set consisting mostly of songs from their newest album ‘Priorities’ and even managed to perform an oldie ‘Thug Workout’ which just made fans go absolutely mental. The crowd were completely theirs and the energy in the room just kept getting bigger and bigger. They then asked the crowd to create a mosh pit/wall and I’m  not kidding, this was probably one of the biggest I’ve ever seen. It was fantastic!

Next to take the stage were The Dangerous Summer from the US. They tried to keep the energy at a high, although it was a little difficult for them as their set consisted of slower songs. The crowd responded great to the band, although I think it might have just been frontman AJ’s American accent they liked! Their set was great and they played a mix of songs from ‘War Paint’ and ‘Reach for the Sun’ and they also played my favourite song ‘Where I want to be’. They kept the crowd happy and the room was now buzzing with excitement for Lower Than Atlantis to take the stage.

With the crowd chanting LTA, the band walked on stage to a roar of applause and screaming. They started the set with ‘Love Someone Else’ from their newest album ‘Changing Tune’ and the crowd are going crazy for it. They perform a bunch of songs from albums ‘Far Q’, ‘World Record and ‘Changing Tune’ and it pleases the crowd. The crowd were hanging on their every lyric throughout the entire set. ‘Beech Like The Tree’ seemed to be a crowd favourite. The band continued to blast through their set and perform every song perfectly. Despite frontman Mike Duce being ill the band still manage to smash it and play possibly one of their best gigs to date. As the band finish their set, they leave the stage with the crowd still chanting their name. As the famous Glasgow ‘Here we fu#*ing  go’ is being screamed at the empty stage. Lower Than Atlantis return to perform ‘Another Sad Song’ and ‘Deadliest Catch’. The crowd sing along with them and it was definitely the best part of the night. The band were flawless.

If you haven't heard of any of the bands we've talked about in this review, then you should check them out. You won't be disappointed. 

Watch our interview with bassist Dec Hart here.

Young Guns

Type – Live Review

Artist – Young Guns 

Date – October 14^th 2012-10-27

We interviewed We Are The In Crowd before the show, you can check that out here.

This Vans Off The Wall tour had an amazing line up as Vans Off The Wall like to provide a variety of genres to appeal to a wide range of people, and kicking off the night was Marmozets and with them they brought both ferocity and a whole lot of energy. With songs such as ‘onemanwolfpack’ its easy to see that this band will soon be one of the UK’s next big metal bands. The band have a quirkiness that the music industry often lacks these days.

Your Demise were next up, these guys are fantastic and always a pleasure to watch perform. They played and extremely high energy set with plenty of circle pits and crowd surfers. The O2 ABC was packed for the YD set and you could see the band feeding off the crowds energy and vice versa. The crowd sang along with every word to every song the guys played and everyone was clearly having a fantastic time.

The main support for the night is one of my personal favourite bands, New York punk-rockers We Are The In Crowd. As of recently WATIC have been taking the UK by storm. After only playing their first UK shows in May 2011, the UK seemed to really fall in love them and this tour made it the third UK tour for WATIC this year alone playing with All Time Low in January, a headlining tour in April and now Supporting Young Guns. The whole crowd got involved during their set when they belted out hit after hit from both their EP ‘Guaranteed To Disagree’ and their debut album ‘Best Intentions’. Tay and the boys had the crowd right in the palm of their hand for their entire set and for a moment Tay stopped singing and let the crowd take over for her. The best part of the night was when the band played ‘Kiss me Again’ and  the entire crowd went wild – in a good way of course. WATIC are a perfect example that hard work and determination pays off. They walked off the stage leaving the crowd wanting more.

As the headliners Young Guns took to the stage there was deafening screams coming to from the crowd, they started their set with ‘Dearly Departed’ and the entire crowd was jumping and going mental before the boys even managed to burst into the chorus. The band played an amazing set of 14 songs and all of the girls in the crowd were in complete awe of them the entire time they were on stage. Their set included crowd favourites such as ‘Weight of the World’ and ‘D.O.A’. For their encore the guys played YG classics ‘Winter Kiss’ and ‘Bones’. These boys really know how to put on a killer show and its fantastic to see a band with so much gratitude towards their fans.

The mix of bands and genres playing the show was a bit of a risky move from the Vans Off The Wall team but for those thinking that these bands wouldn’t work together; they managed to prove them all wrong. Everyone got a taste of something they might not usually listen to and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time.

@GillianLIMTV

Newton Faulkner

Newton Faulkner Live Review 

October 3rd 2012 at O2 ABC Glasgow

With his new album going straight to number 1 Newton Faulkner is definitely one of the most humble and down to earth musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. We got to hang with him for a little before his show in Glasgow at the O2 ABC and we also stuck around to see the show.

As soon as the one man band stepped foot on the stage the crowd were roaring at him in admiration. This was going to be a great gig. He kicked off the night with ‘Pulling Teeth’ and in an instant his fans were singing along and bobbing their heads. There was such a huge mix of people at this event, it was awesome to see so many people come together and support Newton. After performing a few songs, then came ‘People Should Smile More’. He introduced the song with his famous story about him trying to help an older woman with her bags in an airport, but the woman just seen a ‘yeti’ as he put it and hit him with her bag. It gives us an insight into the inspiration behind the lyrics, he sings ‘I can’t change the world, cos trying to make a difference makes it worse’. It perfectly sums up his situation at that point.

As the night went on, Newton kept the crowd involved by having silly banter with us in between performing and sipping tea which he kept in a tea pot inside his little globe table. It was only at this point I noticed he didn’t have any shoes or socks on. He joked that if more of us came to the gig he could maybe afford shoes. He had everyone in awe, he had everyone laughing and has one of the best stage presences I’ve witnessed to date.

Newton went on to perform such hits as ‘Clouds’, ‘Sugar in the snow’ and ‘Brick by Brick’ whilst in between performing other songs from ‘Write it on your skin’ and his rendition of ‘Payphone’ which was a crowd pleaser. The way he can take a song and make it his own is beyond me, he is one talented guy! He done the same thing with ‘Teardrop’ which has over 3,350,000 views on YouTube alone, it was as though he’d written the song he performed it so greatly.  He continued on, performing ‘Dream catch me’ which was just one giant sing-a-long-a-newton. It was clear the crowd were loving every moment of it.

Finally he went on to perform his title track ‘Write it on your skin’ which completely blew me away, I loved each and every song he performed but this was my personal favourite both from the album and to see live. He just sings it so perfectly and everyone can see that as they’re still hanging on his every lyric, bobbing heads everywhere. He then finished with ‘Pick up your broken heart’ which was a great song to end on, everyone sang along and it was such a powerful performance, it was as though nothing else mattered in the room apart from your voice and his. If you were having a bad day, you definitely weren’t anymore.

This was a truly great event to be part of. It had everything, the music, the chat, the humor and the tea... oh and Newton of course. You just kinda want him to be your spooning partner, am I right?! :) 

If you haven’t checked out Newton Faulkner yet, you should, you'll be happy you did.

www.facebook.com/newtonfaulkner

www.twitter.com/newtonfaulkner

-newcitylauren

Ask: Memphis May Fire

Ask: Memphis May Fire!

We got the chance to ask Memphis May Fire vocalist Matty Mullins some questions about the bands music and plans for the future, see what he said below! 

What were the inspirations behind Challenger? 

We wanted to write an honest and transparent record about our lives and showcase our growth as musicians at the same time. 

How long did it take to record the album? 

Pre-Pro, Tracking and Mixing took about 2 months all together.

What was your favorite song to record from the album? 

I honestly can't pick a favorite. They are each valuable to me in different ways.

Your favorite song to play live from Challenger? 

Vices & Alive In The Lights are both tons of fun live.

What is your favorite thing about being in a band? 

Being able to share my poetry with the world!

What do you have planned for the rest of the year and beyond?

After Europe we are doing a full U.S. run with Asking Alexandria. 

Then SoundWave in Australia! We also have 3 other U.S. tours planned that we can't release yet. 

The Midnight Beast

The Midnight Beast Live Review (O2 Academy, Glasgow)
We were lucky enough to be put on The Midnight Beast's guestlist for their show in Glasgow.

I've never been to a more fun gig in my life. 

These guys are true entertainers and have so much energy. 

A fantastic live act!

After releasing their famous parody of Ke$ha's 'Tik Tok' in 2009 these guys have continued to make us laugh through both their music and recent TV series. Knowing what these guys were like from watching the show and listening to their music, I was eager to see what kind of live show they'd put on. And I wasn't disappointed.

With Glasgow support act 'Unicorn Kid' on stage, it was clear the crowd were getting hyped. Keeping the attention of the crowd can be difficult for a one man act, but Unicorn Kid didn't have any trouble at all. He had everyone dancing and created a great atmosphere. This crowd were definitely ready for The Midnight Beast.

With everyone in a dancing mood, The Midnight Beast boys took the stage in what appeared to be beach outfits and went straight into 'I kicked a shark in the face'. There were people in giant shark costumes taking over the stage, it was hilarious. After kicking off with one of my personal favorites they then went on to perform a bunch of songs including 'Quirky' and 'Begging'. The guys then performed 'Ninjas' and took the stage with toy swords, which were quickly snatched up by the fans at the front. 'Life is a Musical' was my favorite performance of the night, it was very High School Musical and just gave me that feel good feeling. There were jocks everywhere and lots of harmony's here an there, it was like being in an actual musical. With the night coming to an end and everyone sweating all over the shop, the guys performed 'Wands', 'Tik Tok' and finished up with 'Booty Call'. 'Booty Call' was such high energy, it was so much fun to watch, there was thrusting absolutely everywhere. not even kidding. Using Stefan's bum as a drum was a highlight for me during the song. It was so much fun!

This was truly a night to remember, one of the most high energy, dance-y and just plain fun gigs I've ever been to in my life. I would definitely go and see these entertainers again in a heartbeat.

If you haven't heard of The Midnight Beast, check them out on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/midnightbeastuk

-newcitylauren

Tonight Alive

Type – Live Review

Artist – Tonight Alive

Location – King Tut’s

Date – 3-10-2012

We caught up with Tonight Alive when they played at the King Tut’s in Glasgow during their UK tour. While their support bands Blitz Kids and Lost Alone were eating their dinner we headed up to the band room for an interview.

You can watch our Tonight Alive interview here

After our interview we stayed for the show, and we had a fantastic night. The King Tut’s venue is one of Glasgow’s smaller gig venues, having a capacity of 300 this venue is extremely intimate and fantastic for showcasing talent and Tonight Alive had it absolutely packed.

As the venue began to fill Blitz Kids took to the stage and started the night with a very high energy set, next up were Lost Alone and by the time they took the stage the crowd were warmed up and ready to party and party is what they done during this set. Lost Alone left the stage and the energy in the room was electric.

As the lights went down the crowd began to chant “Ozzy ozzy ozzy, oi oi oi” they continued for a few minutes and then the Australian punk-rockers took to the stage kicking off their set with ‘Eject, Eject, Eject!’ from their latest alubm What Are You So Scared Of?. The band then went on to play both new songs as well as older ones.

The King Tut’s was filled all the way to the back of the room and the entire crowd was singing along and jumping up and down during songs such as ‘Breaking&Entering’, ‘Starlight’ and ‘Let It Land’. Tonight Alive also played two cover songs – ‘In My Eyes’ by Rufio and ‘Little Lion Man’ by Mumford & Sons and the crowd absolutely love them. They then went on to play ‘Ameila’ an extremely emotional song about a friend of the bands that sadly passed, the crowd went silent for the verses and then helping Jenna out a little with the vocals during the chorus. By the end of the song not only  had Jenna shed a tear but quite a few members of the audience were a little teary eyed.

Tonight then brought the mood back up by playing ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ and  ‘Listening’ and once again they had every single person in the crowd jumping and singing along before they left the stage. However this wouldn’t be the last we would see of Tonight Alive. Once again the crowd began chanting “Ozzy ozzy ozzy, oi oi oi”, after a minute of chanting Jenna bounced on to the stage by herself to join in the chant and have a little chat with the crowd before she was joined by the rest of her band mates, they ended the night on a high by playing ‘Wasting Away’ the crowd were going crazy and by the end of the song no one wanted them to leave everyone wanted more.

It’s clear to see that Glasgow have much love for Tonight Alive and you can see the band feeding off of the crowds energy, totally loving every minute they were on stage.

 

Tonight Alive are a band that I have been listening to for a couple of years now and I really enjoy their music. This was the first time have seen them play love and before the gig began I was expecting a high energy show and that was exactly what I got. I recommend that if you haven’t heard of Tonight Alive you give them a listen chances are you’ll fall in love with them.

            www.facebook.com/TonightAlive

www.twitter.com/TonightAlive

- @Gillian_x3

Halestorm

Type – Live Review

Artist – Halestorm 

Location – Glasgow Garage

Date – 23-9-2012

For the first time ever Halestorm headlined a UK tour and we were lucky enough to be able to attend the sold out show at the Glasgow Garage. The Pennsylvanian rockers were supported by British bands Zico Chain and Heavens Basement.

The Garage was packed to the brim and the band kicked off the show with ‘The Strange Case Of…’ number ‘Love Bites (so do I). What Halestorm have is not just their undeniable for what they do but a connection to both each other and the crowd which many bands lack. Aside from their family tie, there is a chemistry that you can hear and see in their performance that out ranks most bands by a landslide.

The delicate vulnerability shows in Lzzy’s voice as she takes to the piano for ‘Break In’ and ‘Private Parts’, as Lzzy approaches the piano the crowd falls silent for just a moment to listen to her speak. There are so many parts to this band that it is difficult not to find yourself attracted to at least one element, or like most people, all of them. They are just one hell of a unit.

Straight up rock tracks such as ‘Rock Show’ stand out and the energy and atmosphere in the room was electric and it’s moments like these is the factor of Halestorm that really makes people fall in love with them. However at the same time it’s the more elegant moments of purely vocal and piano numbers that are so spectacular and the entire crowd hangs on to every one of Lzzy’s words. From Arejay’s amazingly crazy drum solos to the crowd sing a longs, through older tracks such as ‘Familiar Taste Of Poison’, to new tracks ‘You Call Me A Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing’ and ‘Here’s To Us’.

Halestorm were absolutely mesmerising. They were completely worthy headliners, perhaps there is a bias in myself being a fan. The show was unbelievably fantastic and if you have the chance to catch one of their shows any time soon I suggest you grab a ticket without a second thought, their shows sell out fast.

www.facebook.com/halestorm

www.twitter.com/halestorm

- @Gillian_x3

Carly Rae Jepsen

Type – Album Review

Artist – Carly Rae Jepsen

Title – Kiss

Who would have thought that the runner up of Canadian Idol 5-years ago would have had the biggest selling single of 2012, the odds were certainly against her. No one could have predicted the mammoth success of 'Call Me Maybe'. Follow up single, 'Good Time' with Owl City also made sure that Carly wouldn't be just another one-hit-wonder. However, recording two catchy pop tracks is one thing, but producing an entire album of them is something else entirely.

A quick scan of the album credits and some of pop music’s go-to hitmakers are nowhere to be found: there’s no Dr. Luke or Ryan Tedder, no Shellback or Benny Blanco. There are two co-write assists from Dallas Austin, a single track with Max Martin’s hands on it, and ... that’s it. Jepsen has opted to work with a very close circle of producers and songwriters, and she co-wrote every track on her album save three. Jepsen’s game of spot-the-influence continues even on the peppy opener “Tiny Little Bows”, which despite a charming bit of overproduction (string stabs and synth-squeals all quick-edited BT-style), still manages to carry a sugar-sweet melody and features—of all things—a slowed-down sample of Sam Cooke’s classic “Cupid” part-way through. Unlike JoJo’s pointless re-appropriation of Toto, this bit of sampling actually hems close to the intention of the song, and if this gets one tween closer to discovering who Sam Cooke is, all the better.

Standout track 'This Kiss' wouldn't be out of place on an Alphabeat album with its use of electronic synths and feel good euro pop vibe. 'This kiss is something I can't resist/ your lips are undeniable' - there is no refuting that it is one hell of a catchy tune.

'Beautiful', a duet with boss Justin Beiber. It sticks out a bit like a sore thumb amongst the poppy track listing, this folksy ballad about friendship feels out of place, however it is still a fantastic song.

On a songwriting level, ‘Kiss’ manages to avoid the single most common pitfall of most mainstream pop albums: an overabundance of ballads. Rather smartly, every single song (save the admittedly inveigling Bieber-assisted track “Beautiful”, which has the misfortune of sharing the exact same lyrical theme as One Direction’s tramped-up “Summer Night” rewrite “What Makes You Beautiful”) is either mid- or uptempo, meaning the album’s 42 minute runtime breezes by fairly quickly. The production is warm and inviting, although its default setting is “amiable synth-pop”—Jepsen doesn’t detour far from her new sound. For those wondering: no, there is no knock-‘em-dead classic on the same level of “Call Me Maybe” on here, but the songs featured here are by-and-large surprisingly strong. An Owl City album this is not (but more on him later).

 

Jepsen proves she has more talent than half of the stars out there, managing to not only sell virtually every word on the album but also managing to make it all sound off-the-cuff and effortless, ultimately creating a bubbly pop playground that is both catchy and endearing without having to turn base or crude to get there. At the moment, Carly Rae Jepsen is best known for a monstrous #1 worldwide smash. If she keeps putting out quality material like virtually all of Kiss, that thankfully will not be the only thing that defines her.

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-          Gillian_x3

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P!nk

Type – Album Review

Artist – P!nk

Title – The Truth About Love

P!nk’s major-label solo debut landed way back in 2000, and her sixth studio album, “The Truth About Love,” was released last week. This means the 33-year-old singer has been releasing music for 12 years – which is an eternity in pop music, unless your name is Madonna or Michael Jackson. The reason P!nk has been able to achieve such longevity is that she never allows the public to get sick of her, she does this by taking years-long breaks form the industry.

Amazingly whenever P!nk feels like jumping on the scene again, she finds a
audience for her music, this is mainly due to the fact she comes up with at least one defiant, anthemic song that really speaks to us.

Even though she doesn’t actually call him out by name it’s hard to listen to P!nk’s new album without taking her year-long separation from husband Carey Hart into consideration. In the title track she unfurls each syllable slowly as if drawn from a coy smile. Backup singers chime in at the chorus. As background music, it sounds like a perfect beach jam.

Turns out, though that the sweeter P!nk sounds the more cynical she becomes. “The truth about love is, its all a lie/ I thought you were the one and I hate goodbyes,” she sings at the chorus’ end. P!nk once confessed, “L.A told me, you’ll be a pop star / All you have to change is all you  are.” She was referring to the L.A Reid-approved, slick R&B treatment of her 2000 debut ‘Can’t Take Me Home’, which seems tailor-made for Destiny’s Child in hindsight.

"Here Comes the Weekend" takes fans back to P!nk's early days, to the days of "Get the Party Started." There is no profound message, no anthem for wayward misfits. It is a pure and simple party rocker. The tune comes to a head with an unmistakable Slim Shady-style rap from Eminem, who assisted in writing the track. His influence is also apparent in the steady and heavy bass beat that runs throughout the track. "Here Comes the Weekend" is easily a track that could become prominent in dance clubs and house parties as the album gets a few more spins behind it.

All of us here at Life is Music TV absolutely love this new P!nk album and we recommend that if you haven’t got it yet you should go out and get it you most definitely won’t be disappointed.

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- @Gillian_x3 

Of Monsters And Men

Type – Album Review  

Title – My Head Is An Animal

Artist – Of Monsters And Men

Huge stars in their native Iceland, rockers Of Monsters and Men have what it takes to achieve the same success in Britain. Combining Arcade Fire's exuberance and Mumford & Sons' undemanding take on folk. And yet for all the wide-eyed charm of its finest songs – recent single Dirty Paws is electrifying.

The debut album by this Icelandic sextet finally gets a British release, a full year after topping their home chart and six months after making the US Top Ten. The record’s primary appeal is that it straddles two seemingly irreconcilable genres. The scrubby acoustic guitars, glockenspiels and campfire songs of  nature and fairy tales seem to reek of indie-folk, as do the cooing vocals of Kate Nash soundalike Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, who tends to sing an octave higher than her male co-singer Ragnar ‘Raggi’ þórhallsson. 

However, before it degenerates into a painfully whimsical world of hairslides and gingham frocks, the rhythm section adds a touch of heavy metal menace – all stomping drums, distorted guitars and anthemic  chant-along vocals. The resultant stadium folk collision just about works.

This is a fantastic debut album from these Icelandic rockers and we really enjoyed it. We want to know what you thought of this album, leave us a comment below telling us.

                                                                                                -Gillian_x3