Nina Nesbitt 21/11/2017

Venue; Manchester Sound Control
Capacity;450
Status; Limited ticket availability
Support Act; Goody Grace


Teenage girls in 2013 were either obsessed with One Direction, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus (etc), for me it was Nina Nesbitt. The first time I saw Nina irl, was at her signing tour after the release of her debut album Peroxide, so many people turned up, it was absolutely insane (after queuing for around four hours I met her and got the album signed).

The second was at her Manchester show at the Methodist hall, it was honestly one of the most beautiful nights of my life, atmosphere wise - it's amazing, never have I experienced crowd synchronicity like I have at a Nina concert - it was like we were one big family.

Wolf Alice 09/11/17

Venue; O2 Apollo Manchester
Capacity; 3,500
Status; Limited ticket availability (Standing sold out)
Support Acts; Superfood & Sunflower Bean

Redondo dos!

Wolf Alice have always been that band for me - that band that I thought I'd never get to see live, it'd be too surreal - like I'd be in denial that I was there? To be honest, I'd always worried about seeing them live, I'd hyped it up so much in my head, and I adore their music, and I was low-key anxious that they wouldn't be as good in real life, and that the magic would be gone in a split second - but this wasn't the case.

Feet and Declan Mckenna 23/10/17

Venue; Manchester O2 Ritz (upgraded from Manchester Academy)
Capacity; 1,500
Status; Sold out!!!

Round two! Here we go..

After a phenomenal performance from both parties at Neighbourhood Festival, there was no way I'd pass up the opportunity to experience it again, but it a bigger better venue, (they could've filled Gorilla five times over). Declan Mckenna is the newest sensation in the indie world, after his political single 'Brazil' hit the radio, he absolutely shot into fame, he's become something of a teenage icon, and has captured the hearts of thousands of fans from around the globe.

Cleagreen 14/10/17

Venue; Rebellion Rock Bar, Manchester
Status; Sold-Out


Cleargreen are an up-and-coming four-piece indie rock band from Manchester who first shot onto the radar with their hit single 'Burnsey'. With vocals and guitar from Ali Staley, Jack Blair on lead guitar, Tyrone Heeley with drums, and Liam McIver on bass - supported by Sollo and Sauce - and a sold-out headline gig, these guys never fail to disappoint. Cleargreen cast a wide net and caught a wide variety of fans, of all age groups, all of whom joined together to sing along to the guy's catchy lyrics.

Wolf Alice Signing 05/10/17

Ellie is such a lil bean I love her

Venue; HMV Manchester
Status; Sold Out

aka. the best day of my life
aka. the day met my favourite band
aka the day I confronted the guys about why they never play my favourite song in their live shows

Wolf Alice. If you're never heard their name, where have you been for the past few years? Their eclectic guitar riffs and flitting between grunge and folk have hypnotized a generation, and by god are they wonderful. This quartet are the best indie band to come out of the 21st Century by a long shot, I couldn't live without them.

King No-One and Raffer 22/09/17

Left to right;
Alex, Zach, Me, Alana, Joe and James

Venue; Manchester Gorilla
Capacity; 650
Status; Sold Out !!!

It's very rare that I'd go to a concert again after having seen the band(s) once previous, to me - it's a bit like seeing the same movie twice, it loses it's magic - but I would gladly relive this night a thousand times over, and if I ever get the chance, I'll definitely get myself down to another one of King No-One or Raffer's gigs.

Raffer's Set;

Raffer absolutely took the stage by storm, and this being the biggest venue played thus far - it is definitely a night to remember by both the band and the fans alike. Raffer fearlessly tested out new tunes on the Mancunian crowd and was met with definite cheers of approval and enthusiasm. With his last song 'How You Lay' Raffer got the entire crowd jumping up and down, waving their arms around, screaming and moshing to his catchy guitar riffs and undeniably magical lyrics.

An Ode To Destroying Beauty Standards

A world without beauty standards is a world without low self esteem

I can in no way pretend that I have some sort of moral high-ground when it comes to the subject matter at hand - because I don't. I earn a living by working within in the fashion industry, every weekend I find myself in the heart and soul of everything that I stand against, and it makes me feel so hypocritical - but it's the only job that I could get and I have to have work experience to boost my CV and University Application. Being employed within the retail world has really opened my eyes and made me realise a number of things;

A) We force radical notions and expectations onto young girls from the age of one - we may not think twice about it, but advertising 'skinny jeans' to young girls plants an idea in their heads that they must look skinny, but clothes which makes them appear as such - to be beautiful, which can lead to self-confidence issues when they're older and that isn't something that I think the fashion industry should be promoting.

Don't conform to unhealthy beauty standards! 

Girlpool & Ian Sweet 08/09/17

A night fueled by teen girl angst and feminist vibes, was topped with a lovely little photo-shoot with Jillian (front gal of 'Ian Sweet'). Ian Sweet's melancholic lyrics, angelic vocals and sweet undertones were the perfect combination leaving the crowd wanting more. And for some reason the crowd and Jilian have an inside joke about cheese (some chanted 'cheese' during Girlpool's set leaving them hella confused).

Who said girl bands died with the noughties?

Ian Sweet's most recent album 'Shapeshifter' debuted on the 9th of September 2016 and is full of tracks that jump around from genre to genre. # 23 is an ode to Jilian's favourite athlete (Michael Jordan), this album is all about appreciating the little things in life, ignore all the sorrow and negativity, and instead love skateboarding whilst wearing crocs, holding a basketball with your pockets over flowing with candy, be happy with the little things in life. Jilian delivered a fun-filled set, with enigmatic lighting and a laid-back L.A. attitude, it's amazing how one girl with a guitar can captivate a whole room, bring together a group of people that may have absolutely nothing in common and unite them in being entranced by music. It's not a performance that I'll be quick to forget - I only hope that she returns to Manchester soon so I can relive the experience.

Skating Polly & Kate Nash 04/08/17

Venue; Manchester O2 Ritz
Capacity; 1,500
Status; Sold Out


One of the best nights of my life consisted of American punk-alt band 'Skating Polly' rocking their Wolf-Alice vibes on stage to get the crowd riled up for the star of the show - Kate Nash. Skating Polly recently released an EP 'New Tricks' - which perfectly encapsulates Bikini Kill Vibes (you can order on their store here), establishes the band's rock genre and exceeds all expectations. If Wolf Alice's 'Giant Peach' track was a band - it would be this trio.

Motopony E-Interview

I can't put into word how ecstatic I was when the band 'Motopony' agreed to do an interview with me, they have long been my favourite band, and this opportunity for me is amazing. Due to the guys residing in America, the interview was conducted over Email by the lead singer - Dan.

Lead Singer; Dan

You can follow the band on their Social Media;

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Spotify

Instagram

Online Store

Q; Your song ‘Wait For Me’ was featured on the movie ‘The First Time’ with Britt Robertson, Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Justice and Craig Roberts, what was that like?

{The First Time is available to watch on Netflix}

A; When the request came in to use 'Wait For Me' from the director of 'The First Time' all of the sync and licensing questions on the first record were being handled by our label.  We were blowing up and on the road a lot so a lot of things kind of went by me that weren't immediately about me learning how to be a touring musician all the sudden.  So, I actually didn't even realize it happened until someone said, "Hey you know that indy film we said yes to? Well it got picked up by Sony pictures and it might end up being kind of a big deal."   And I was like, "indy film"?  I remember our keyboardist at the time saying "Yeah two kids put on our record and pretty much loose their virginity to 'wait for me'."   I remember being kinda freaked out like, they did what?  Later having a chance to see it, I felt differently...they actually really honored us by making that moment with our music and loosing your virginity is a big deal!  Its nice to know that your music is meaningful to people and that the emotions you were expressing are giving people memory markers for their life's waypoints, or stories about life's waypoints...at any  rate.

No Hot Ashes/ The Nix/ The Claremonts Live 18/06/17

Pre-gig Antics

No Hot Ashes took to the stage at Manchester's Sound Control with support acts The Claremonts and The Nix. Playing their biggest sold-out venue to date, NHA were joined by a crowd of avid fans, in an atmosphere rife with eccentricity and electricity.

The four piece indie band from Stockport have been compared to bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Arctic Monkeys.

With the lead singer of The Nix

Streamers were shot into the crowd, Isaac jumped over the barriers to surf among his fans, attendees were screaming their praises and chanting about Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Backstage after the show, the lads popped bottles of champagne (which consequently ended up dripping from the ceiling) to celebrate their night-to remember gig. I got the lads to sign my bag (it's kind of a tradition for me), and Isaac was so sweet about it "It's a Kanken, are you sure you want me to sign it?"

 If you ever get the chance to see these lads live, take it - it's not something you'd ever regret. I think it's safe to say that the guys will be back in Manchester soon - hopefully playing a bigger venue to house all of the fans that didn't manage to bag tickets for Saturdays sold-out show.

An Interview with 'All Us On Drugs'

SOURCE; All Us On Drugs Instagram

A band with a political statement as a name, five guys making freaky music for freaky people to get freaky to. All Us On Drugs. 2017's upcoming alt rock band.

The Support Acts; Pool Art/ Darma/ Witch Fever

Whilst the rest of the band were prepping to go on stage, and doing sound checks, Blue and Drey agreed to have a little chat with me to discuss their music and what they have in store for fans in the future.

Q; If you guys could tour with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be?

D; David Bowie
B; They're all dead though to be honest, one that's alive, I'd probably say Josh Homme, Queens of the Stone Age, or Dave Grohl, something like that
D; Prince would've been really nice, we almost had a gig with Prince but then he died, yeah.

Fundraiser at COW 28/05/17

We Stand Together

After the tragedy that shook Manchester to it's core, no-one could be more proud than I to be a part of this beautiful city, people took to Facebook offering food, money, a ride or a room for the night for those affected by the attack at the MEN Arena.

You can donate to the Manchester appeal here.

Lauren Maccabee

Photographers 'Vote for Patmore' and Lauren Maccabee organised a fundraiser at We Are Cow in Manchester to raise money for those affected. The day was filled with arts and crafts, photography workshops, t-shirt making, with live music from Kate Nash and Onyda, we saw the people of Manchester come together to help the most vulnerable people in our city right now.

Ariana Grande is also performing a concert in Manchester to raise money for the victims, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Take That, One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan and Katy Perry also join the line-up.

Will Joseph Cook 04/05/17

Pretty in pink; Will playing guitar

Will's debut album 'Sweet Dreamer' was released on the 14/04/17, rife with an indie aura and melodic guitar riffs, this album is the headline of his most current tour. Last night he took to Manchester Sound Control with his support act Ten Tonnes, to play an intimate, idyllic gig to countless fans.

Ten Tonnes

Album Tracklist;


1. biggest fan
2. sweet dreamer
3. treat me like a lover
4. plastic
5. beach (i wanna make you mine)
6. alive
7. girls like me
8. hands
9. habit
10. light of day
11. take me dancing
12. for thursday
13. water's gone cold

Blaenavon 11/04/17

Front-Man Ben (left) and Frank on the keyboard (right)

Blaeners are an indie trio from Hampshire, consisting of frontman Ben, drummer Harris, and bassist Frank. After a plethora of singles and EP's under their belt, Blaenavon's debut album 'That's Your Lot' was released on the 7th of April, you can order it on their online store.

Ben

Tracklist;

1. Take Care
2. Let's Play
3. Orthodox Man
4. My Bark Is Your Bite
5. Lonely Side
6. Let Me See What Happens Next
7. Alice Come Home
8. Ode To Joe
9. I Will Be The World
10. Prague '99
11. Swans
12. That's Your Lot

The Seamonsters: New Single

I did a post about these girls in July of last year, and since then they have played at festivals Tramlines and Outlines, and are currently playing a few venues in the coming months around the UK;

14/04/17 - Lead Mill Sheffield - Free Entry
06/05/17 - Nottingham  The Bodega Social Club - £7
16/05/17 - The Rocking Chair Sheffield - £6

Their new single 'Lost and Found' is an eclectic summer tune rife with angelic voices and catchy guitar lines, with an overlying dreamy feel.

The Big Moon 10/04/17

Meet and Greet at Fopp Records Store in Manchester

The Big Moon are a quaint all-female indie quartet from the UK, consisting of members - Fern, Soph (who is also the front woman of another band - Our Girl), Juliette and Celia (Instagram).

Signed poster and 'setlist'

Before their meet&greet they performed a small intimate set, which was adorably informal (they asked everyone to sit on the floor so the people at the back could see), they were giggling with each other, talking to the audience, acoustic sets have a much better atmosphere than concerts.

Set List;

1. Silent Movie Susie
2. The Road
3. Cupid
4. Pull The Other One
5. The End
6. Formidable
7. Happy New Year
8. Sucker