sing us a song, and we'll sing it back to you

So, this has been a long time coming – my review of the Paramore (w/ You Me At Six) gig at Wembley. This was a gig that I had been looking forward to for so long, and there is a sense of not fully realising what it is that I have been lucky enough to experience, of not knowing that that experience is now gone.

Now, now every children was the only other support band (apart from YMAS) worth my early arrival. Paper Route were...simply shit. Well, they had some good sounds, but it was so incredibly boring that after a while I literally wanted to go out for a break. But, I didn't.

You Me At Six came on stage and gave a set which, I have to say, was much too short! It just went, like that; I clearly did not enjoy it enough while it lasted. They played more new songs than old: Kiss and Tell, The Consequence, If I Were In Your Shoes, Save It For the Bedroom, Jealous Minds Think Alike, Finders Keepers. Did they play Underdog? Can't remember. Oh, and Always Attract, with a special guest appearance from Elissa Franceschi (it's actually not that special – I'm pretty sure she appeared at Reading too...). Anyway, it was great, but not that great, I think. In my diary, I wrote 'they were as good as they can get', i.e. not amazing. You Me At Six have seriously dropped in my esteem, probably since they got big. Mainly because their sound has majorly mainstreamised (phwoar, I invent words by the day) for the worse. I won't go on about how I prefer 'raw' sound again. Haha, I'm about to undermine and contradict all that I've said so far, but whatever, I loved them during that set, and still love them as I now listen to 'Underdog'.

'Underdog' - You Me At Six [first play on BBC Radio 1]

'Save it For The Bedroom' - YMAS

Paramore came on stage relatively quickly, considering they're the next big thing and I expected them to take at least half an hour. I guess they've really not let fame get to their heads. Josh Farro came on stage, closely followed by Hayley, opening with... I can't quite remember. Anyway I know that Ignorance was next and that's enough. The tracks not from 'brand new eyes' were Pressure, That's What You Get, Crushcrushcrush, I Caught Myself, Misery Business, Decode, My Heart. One track that they didn't play from their album was 'All I wanted', which I was SO upset about. I can't imagine what that would have made me feel, listening and watching them play such an epic song. Sob. I'll put it up here for you to see what it is I missed. Check out 2:30 onwards. Spine-chilling.

'All I Wanted' - Paramore

'Crushcrushcrush' - Paramore

'My Heart (live)' - Paramore
My favourite live track by them

What made me enjoy their set apart from the music has to be Hayley's interaction with the crowd. You guys who weren't there really have no idea what Paramore's idea of crowd interaction is. Get this: Hayley started talking about a letter that Josh Farro (the guitarist, and also her ex (?)) had received, from (username) liam1. They asked 'Is liam1 here?' And some other girl's name which I don't remember. It took a little while for the two to come up on stage, and there was a variety of things which I was expecting, but definitely not what actually happened. Of all the things I was expecting (the two singing a song to Paramore about how awesome they are, or something) I was NOT expecting... a marriage proposal. That's right, liam1 proposed to his girlfriend. I'm so slow, when he went down on one knee it took me at least five seconds to get what he was doing and why the whole room erupted in screaming. But, when I got it, I screamed alright. While the girl hugged and kissed Liam (I assume that's his name), Hayley gently took the microphone from Liam's hand, saying 'I'm guessing that's a 'yes'', and dedicated the next song to them. That's 'The Only Exception', which I've got here for you.

'The Only Exception' - Paramore

Which song did I most enjoy? 'Misguided Ghosts', which they performed as part of their encore. Its being acoustic automatically puts it in 'tear-jerker' category, and though my tears were not jerked, I did feel something inside of me stirring and my heart going kaboom-kaboom-kaboom for Paramore. I know, I'm cringey, but I'm just saying, is all. If Paramore can make me say the cringiest of things, doesn't that mean something about their ability to move people to EXPRESS themselves? Hah, what bullshit, I'm just cringey anyway.

'Misguided Ghosts' - Paramore

Hayley was so fit that night, even a straightie like me cannot deny it. They were all on form, which I think is something you can expect from Paramore. You know, not letting fame get to their head, keeping their heads focused on the what they're doing, doing it for the music. They went out on the stage to enjoy themselves, that's undeniable, but also to share the night with a few thousand of their fans. And you can tell, as well, that even though they're guaranteed big bucks (big for a band like them, anyway) they still put their everything into those gigs and don't take them for granted. Concluding note to self and to you readers: Paramore will not disappoint. So I'm defs gonna see them next time they're in town.

And I'm gonna say it. Paramore are my perfect band. Call me emo, call me fangirl, call me teenage... but you're just an old, boring, lifeless soul who listens to... what do you listen to? Ok I was just about to say something but I'll restrain myself, because I totally respect your music. Yeah, totally.

:P love you really.

xxxx

18.12.09

A date I may never forget.

The day I tasted live music at its best.

The day I saw You Me At Six and Paramore.

More to come, soon.

<3

Finally, the Noughties: vampires galore

I've decided, because we're nearing the end of the first decade of the 2000s, that I should do something acknowledging that on this blog. So I came up with a feature where I'd do a post on something that defined our decade. Because if I think about it, I'm a real noughties kid. I'm turning the big 18 at the very end of the noughties, so looking back on these years will mean looking back on my youth. So, let's rejoice in that fact, and show some appreciation for some great ten years!

Today, I'm writing about something that you probably know is raging around the country - vampire mania. Yep, it's Twilight. But no, it's not Twilight, in that I'll be focusing on the soundtrack. The music featured in the film receives relatively little attention in the fandom, if you consider the amount of attention the actors get.

Just lolz. No wonder they're so ugly then.

I can wholeheartedly say that Twilight's OST is one of the albums that I most enjoy listening to. Note, Twilight's OST, not New Moon's OST – that, I haven't listened to yet. I'm half looking forward to listening to it, half doubting its worth, considering that they've collected a number of huge names and put them on an already million-selling movie's soundtrack. Is that another commercial trap I smell? Can't be. Still, won't judge a book by its cover. It'll probably turn out amazing and I'll end up being one of the people who fell for their trap.

I downloaded the whole album after Twilight came out, but for some reason I only kept a handful of songs: Paramore's, R-Pattz', Iron & Wine's, and the 'Clair de Lune'. They were my favourite after all. I have to say, I really liked R-Pattz' two songs, not because they're R-Pattz' (or maybe a little because of that), but because they're genuinely nice songs. I can sit and relax to them…if it weren't for his mumbling which sometimes turns into snarling. I think it's with his great acoustic guitar playing that he redeems himself.

'Never Think' - Robert Pattinson

How can you listen to that and NOT feel like you're in heaven?!

… -_- cringe alert.

I seem to have gone crazy with Twilight lately haven't I? That's cause I am. Face it, sorry little Twilight hater: if you haven't read it, you can't judge. You can't judge the Twilight fandom on the fangirls. They're just swooning over R-Pattz and Taylor Lautner. If you read it and THEN hate it, fine. Just don't judge a book by the film!

Errrrr... where's Taylor? Who the hell is this beefy bunch...

I'm actually not as obsessed as I was this time last year. This time last year I was at the Twilight premiere. Yep, the Twilight premiere. omgomgomgomg I saw R-Pattz....'s back. Who else did I see.. Alex Zane, Dev Patel, N-DUBZ (why they were invited i have no idea), Jasper (? I think), K-Stew, and I don't really remember who else.  And soon after that, I went to the 'Tales of Beedle the Bard' release party in Piccadilly Waterstone's. I'm just that sad! God, I'm such a nerd.

'Decode' is played the most out of the soundtrack, so I thought I'd give the other song some limelight. Haha, sorry, not 'the other song', I mean 'I Caught Myself', by Paramore.

So I just downloaded the New Moon soundtrack. It's sounding preeettty good. There's a piano piece played by Alexander Desplat – a French pianist, I'll have you know – and it's beautiful. He also happens to compose/play (?) the New Moon score. Here's the offical soundtrack tracklist - I've highlighted my fave bits.

New Moon OST

1. Death Cab for Cutie, 'Meet Me on the Equinox'
2. Band of Skulls, 'Friends'
3. Thom Yorke, 'Hering Damage'
4. Lykke Li, 'Possibility'
5. The Killers, 'A White Demon Love Song'
6. Anya Marina, 'Satellite Heart'
7. Muse, 'I Belong to You (New Moon Remix)'
8. Bon Iver and St. Vincent, 'Rosyln'
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, 'Done All Wrong'
10. Hurricane Bells, 'Monsters'
11. Sea Wolf, 'The Violet Hour'
12. Ok Go, 'Shooting The Moon'
13. Grizzly Bear, 'Slow Life'
14. Editors, 'No Sound But The Wind'
15. Alexandre Desplat, 'New Moon (The Meadow)'

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'Meet me on the Equinox' - Death Cab for Cutie

'Hearing Damage' - Thom Yorke

'I Belong To You' (New Moon Remix) - Muse

'Shooting the Moon' - OK Go

'New Moon (The Meadow)' - Alexandre Desplat

'Possibility' - Lykke Li

PLEASE READ: Summit Entertainment, Thom Yorke, Muse, Lykke Li, Death Cab for Cutie, OK Go, Alexandre Desplat, Robert Pattinson, and (my beloved) Paramore: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP TO ANY OF THE ABOVE SONGS. I'm not making them available for downloads, I'm not scheming behind your backs to try and bring you down and cheat your stinkingmoney out of you, i'm just promoting

That's a lot of tracks to load you with, but, if you haven't seen the movie, you can understand the mood of it through this soundtrack. What can make me really happy is when films or television shows have some really good soundtracks - and not just a load of good songs plonked together, but songs that fit the meaning of the show/film, and I think that the Twilight music crew have done that amazingly. I can picture each song being played in  specific scenes (that I imagine from having read the book). Pity the acting isn't up to the same level.

I wonder whether Twilight will be remembered in fifty years' time, or whether it'll be a one hit wonder. Or four-hit wonder. OK, not particularly articulate today: what I mean is, whether it's just a phase. Just a phase? Yeahhh, how can something that's adored by teenagers be concretised as a classic?

Erm, the Beatles? Elvis Presley? A load of other things which I could name but can't because my brain is not functioning?

Point made.

xxxx

Dorset

[written on Saturday 07 Nov]

I dragged my mum and myself all the way to Dorset last night, to sit the SAT this morning at 7.45. In the morning. A bit of a waste? Hm, I think I failed that test. Because I did not revise enough. What a waste.

On a sidenote, does anyone know anything about the club/bar 'Jewel' in Covent Garden? Or the one in Piccadilly Circus? If you're a clubber extraordinaire reading this (why are you reading my blog) please get in touch : )

Back onto the topic. How awful, I wrote a terrible essay for the SAT. It was about rights – women's rights and LGBT rights. AWFUL. Worst piece of writing I've ever done. Rushed, thoughtless, poorly structured, just... hmm. Ok, I've just realised, what if the marker is reading this blog, they're gonna get majorly influenced. Correction, I've just written the best piece EVER for my SAT, it was an innovative piece that was insightful and masterfully structured and will be groundbreaking towards establishing rights for those mandemz.

...

Yeah.

It was so time-pressured! And the whole you-get-1/4-of-a-point-off-if-you-answer-wrong really threw me off, so that I didn't know whether to risk answering or to leave it blank. Blah. I'll just have to wait for my scores and see if i need to re-sit it. FML. December SAT Subject Tests next.

Travelling was good though. Rushed last night to Waterloo in late afternoon, to get on a train to Poole. I understate when I say that I love journeys. Just, sitting. Not sitting an exam, not sitting listening to a teacher drone on, not sitting in a waiting room. Just, sitting, cause you can. And I did some SAT revision. Go me. Meanwhile, there was a group of uni students sitting adjacent to us, so my SAT revision constituted of eavesdropping on their convos. Listening to them made me sure of how bloody excited I am for uni life – travelling, clubbing, being with friends – living the life, basically. Oh and the studying, obviously.

That's reminded me – I can't get this out of my mind (not to be corny) – but my mum said to me: if I knew that you'd wanted to do Classics (undergrad degree), I wouldn't have sent you to [my current school]. She wasn't angry at all when she said that. It was more mild disappointment/regret/benefit of hindsight. Because she thinks that I deserve doing something high-brow like Law, or something really specialised because I have the brains for it. No comment for now.

Onwards and upwards, I found out You Me At Six have announced a 2010 tour. Support: We The Kings, Forever The Sickest Kids. Sickk. Except, er, not that sick. You Me At Six have really deteriorated since I first heard them (approx early 2008). Back then their sound was so raw it was butchered.

Fine, bad joke.

The 'Save It For the Bedroom' demo is the epitome of their raw sound, with no industrial mainstream riff-raff making sound too clean-cut and Josh's voice still sounding quite fresh and unique. Now it's just.. teenage fangirl material (cause I'm defs not a teenage fangirl). I still like them – I think – just definitely not as much as before.

And We the Kings? I overplayed them back in January/February and am suffering the consequences now. Forever the Sickest Kids? I don't know their songs. I have their album on my iPod, just haven't bothered to listen. I'm such a bad music fan.

But I'm really not. Guess who's seeing Paramore with You Me At Six! And..two other bands, that I WILL look up beforehand! Can't wait. And the day after that gig, is my 18th PARTY. Great start to my holiday. I actually cannot wait to go mad once I'm 18.

xxxx

I BOUGHT SOMETHING

[Post from 22/10/09 that I just haven't had the time to put out]

What Paramore fan would resist buying this magazine (well actually I could understand why you wouldn't. Hayley looks a bit up herself and chubbier (!) and the guys are - as always - in the background). But anyway, it's a great article about them. It talks a little bit too much about the fact that they're a non-Christian Christian band, but I can deal with that. And yeah, this was the first time I'd got out and bought something in like a week.

I know this isn't new, but I wanted to rebutt something I heard on BBC Radio1.

Greg James said 'Now, I'm a Killers fan, and this isn't the best cover of the song, but I think it could creep into the top 10. It won't beat Cheryl Cole to number 1, but it'll be up there.' Firstly: how is that not a good cover?! Greg James, can you not feel the artist solidarity in there, can you not feel the sense of getting together to fight for a cause, can you not feel them singing their all into the song?

Secondly, Cheryl Cole = pshhhh. Don't even get me started on her.

Ok, too late, I've started.

I appreciate, she has worked really hard to get to where she is right now. But oh my god I was in Sainsbury's today and saw at least three magazines with her on the front cover. Alright, I'm jealous. But can you honestly tell me she has a good singing voice?

I listened to this song this morning [i.e. the morning of the 22nd] and cried.

As Greg James (again) put it, 'it's beautiful in its own right'. It's chilling. Calming, awe-inspiring, tear-jerking, heart-wrenching.

Ok, that's probably enough emo rant for today.

The only reason I decided to revisit this song is because I saw the following on TV this morning:

Whenever I caught peeks of this video when flicking TV channels, I always thought the guy was Jereminh. And just because of the concept of the Birthday Sex song (I'll rant about this another day), I immediately flicked away. I only just realised today that it's not Jereminh, but Jason Derulo, whose name Nick Grimshaw (on Radio1) slated.

The night I first heard this, i thought WHAT A RIP-OFF of Imogen Heap's 'Hide and Seek'. Then I rushed to my iPod and went on an obsessive repeat play of 'Hide and Seek'. I've kinda laid off this Derulo character since then, but I still think, where would this song be without the enormous sample takenborrowed from IH?

Go watch the real video.
xxxx