I know it's been ages and I keep promising to write more and I will! Just I've had exams and stuff, but I will make this more regular.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to see My Chemical Romance.
MCR's new album "Danger Days: True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" is a concept album based around the lives of "The Fabulous Killjoys" set in California 2019. To be honest, when listening to it I didn't really "get" the concept much. But it's definately one of the best albums I own. Most of the songs make you want to party or have a deep think. My favourite songs off the album are "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na)" - which is an excellent song with up-beat rhythm, great lyrics and catchy riff - "Planetary (GO!)" - again, a great party song with great lyrics that just makes you want to dance - and "Vampire Money" - another dancy song having a poke at the many people who critisized the band for not making a song for vampire film "New Moon".
When we went to see MCR on 12/2/11 at Wembley Arena, for once we didn't turn up hours early, but we had seats so didn't really need too. I wanted to be in the standing area, but in a way was glad I wasn't because it looked really violent. We were later told over 100 people got pulled out. Supports were Lost Alone - which we didn't really see any of but they seemed quite good - and The Blackout, who we really enjoyed and definately got the room excited. After a while of waiting and a lot of Mexican waves, the whole room went dark and MCR opened with "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na)" (after "Look Alive Sunshine" - the spoken introduction to the album). MCR played with a lot of energy and kept the audience dancing the whole way through, even in the seating area. However, I did think they let themselves down slightly with the setlist. Although it included a lot of favourites such as "Mama", "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", "Destroya", "Party Poison" and a lot of other good ones there were some noticably missing tracks such as "Dead!", "House of Wolves" and "Bulletproof Heart". The band were only on about an hour and a half, and although I throughly enjoyed the gig, it was definately over to quickly and I thought they could've definately tried to include more songs.
After the gig, my friends and I decided to wait at the stage door in hope of getting something signed (this time we did our waiting after the gig). After waiting two hours, we were told the band were not coming out, but we still met a few members of The Blackout and had quite a good laugh. If anyone was there and knows what I'm talking about when I say beef, please comment :)
All in all, it was a good night, despite the few missing songs, thanks for reading and I'll try write soon!
Emily
Friday 25 February 2011
Tuesday 8 February 2011
My Top 5 gigs
I know it's been a really long time since I've written, things have just been really busy at the moment. I'm definately going to try and keep this more regular though, at least weekly.
I noticed at the back of last weeks NME, it said this weeks issue is going to contain "100 gigs you should've been at". Obviously, only being 15 and a couple of weeks, I haven't been to 100 gigs, but I'm going to do my top 5 gigs.
5 - John Mayall
Shepherds Bush Empire, 22nd November 2006
I'm not entirely sure if this was the date, but it was definately this venue and it was the first proper gig I'd been too, so this probably was it. I went with my dad and his friend. I was definately the youngest person there. I didn't know a lot of the music, but despite this, I still had a really good time and thought Mayalls ability to involve everyone, from the youngest to the oldest person was incredible, so this would definately have to be one of the top five gigs I've been too.
4 - Hadouken!
Underage Festival Victoria Park, 1st August 2010
This was one of the best gigs I've been to simply because the crowd were so fun. My three friends and I were split up in the first two minutes or so of the gig, which was a downside, but we still had an amazing time. It was the first time I'd been in a proper mosh pit (apart from Green Day, but I was right at the front, so didn't really have that moshing expierience. So, when I get stuck in the middle (and underneath) the wall of death, it's probably the most fun I've had in my life. Although the inbetweeners descried it as being "beaten up to music", I've fallen in love with moshing since this gig. As well as the fantastic crowd experience I had, Hadouken! were amazing and are also one of my favourite bands, so how could I leave this out of my top five?
3 - Florence And The Machine
Hammersmith Apollo, 13th May 2010
This was one of my favourite gigs mainly because of Florence Welches voice. It's amazing when it's recorded, but it's even more astounding live. Her music is really good, somewhere between rock and pop but not really either. Florence's energy on stage and involvement with the whole audience, combined with her spellbinding voice and amazing music made for one of the best gigs I've been too.
2 - Frank Turner
Brixton Academy, 12th December 2010
I've already written about this one, but it really was one of the best gigs I've been too. We managed to get to the front (after alot of waiting, which paid off after we got to meet Frank Turner) which added to the excitement. I think the main thing that made this gig so enjoyable was the passion showed by Frank Turner, it was obvious he was enjoying it as much as the audience. Again, Frank Turner got the whole audience involved, but the most obvious and best time was during "Photosynthesis", the last song, when he asked everybody, in the words of Frank Turner "I want everybody to sing...including the people at the back who have been dragged here by a friend and have no clue what the fuck is going on". For the last time we sung the chorus, it was quite evident that none of the audience was going to sit down or shut up. This gig was just generally amazing, seeing my favourite solo artist play all his songs with such pasison and feeling as if he genuinly meant it when he said thank you made for an excellent gig.
1 - Green Day
Wembley Arena, 19th June 2010
If you know me, or have read much of this blog before, you probably won't be suprised to read this. After waiting ten hours, Green Day finally came on stage. I think this is my favourite gig not only because Green Day are my favourite band, but Green Day have the same passion on stage that you can see in videos from when they first started over 20 years ago. Similarly to Frank Turner, it felt like the band was having as much fun as the audience, which I think is one of the most important factors in the audience. It was also the biggest crowd I'd been in, but Green Day managed to make it feel like the smallest through getting everyone involved, pulling people up on stage and even shooting t-shirts out through a t-shit cannon. "Jesus of Suburbia" was the best 10 minutes of my life, seeing my favourite band playing my favourite song after waiting so long was just amazing. To be honest, I don't think another band will beat this, simply because Green Day are my favourite, and probably always will be. This was my favourite gig because it was my favourite band putting on an amazing show and involving the whole crowd.
So there they are, my top favourite 5 gigs. Feel free to comment, add yours and disagree!
All for now, but will post soon
Emily
I noticed at the back of last weeks NME, it said this weeks issue is going to contain "100 gigs you should've been at". Obviously, only being 15 and a couple of weeks, I haven't been to 100 gigs, but I'm going to do my top 5 gigs.
5 - John Mayall
Shepherds Bush Empire, 22nd November 2006
I'm not entirely sure if this was the date, but it was definately this venue and it was the first proper gig I'd been too, so this probably was it. I went with my dad and his friend. I was definately the youngest person there. I didn't know a lot of the music, but despite this, I still had a really good time and thought Mayalls ability to involve everyone, from the youngest to the oldest person was incredible, so this would definately have to be one of the top five gigs I've been too.
4 - Hadouken!
Underage Festival Victoria Park, 1st August 2010
This was one of the best gigs I've been to simply because the crowd were so fun. My three friends and I were split up in the first two minutes or so of the gig, which was a downside, but we still had an amazing time. It was the first time I'd been in a proper mosh pit (apart from Green Day, but I was right at the front, so didn't really have that moshing expierience. So, when I get stuck in the middle (and underneath) the wall of death, it's probably the most fun I've had in my life. Although the inbetweeners descried it as being "beaten up to music", I've fallen in love with moshing since this gig. As well as the fantastic crowd experience I had, Hadouken! were amazing and are also one of my favourite bands, so how could I leave this out of my top five?
3 - Florence And The Machine
Hammersmith Apollo, 13th May 2010
This was one of my favourite gigs mainly because of Florence Welches voice. It's amazing when it's recorded, but it's even more astounding live. Her music is really good, somewhere between rock and pop but not really either. Florence's energy on stage and involvement with the whole audience, combined with her spellbinding voice and amazing music made for one of the best gigs I've been too.
2 - Frank Turner
Brixton Academy, 12th December 2010
I've already written about this one, but it really was one of the best gigs I've been too. We managed to get to the front (after alot of waiting, which paid off after we got to meet Frank Turner) which added to the excitement. I think the main thing that made this gig so enjoyable was the passion showed by Frank Turner, it was obvious he was enjoying it as much as the audience. Again, Frank Turner got the whole audience involved, but the most obvious and best time was during "Photosynthesis", the last song, when he asked everybody, in the words of Frank Turner "I want everybody to sing...including the people at the back who have been dragged here by a friend and have no clue what the fuck is going on". For the last time we sung the chorus, it was quite evident that none of the audience was going to sit down or shut up. This gig was just generally amazing, seeing my favourite solo artist play all his songs with such pasison and feeling as if he genuinly meant it when he said thank you made for an excellent gig.
1 - Green Day
Wembley Arena, 19th June 2010
If you know me, or have read much of this blog before, you probably won't be suprised to read this. After waiting ten hours, Green Day finally came on stage. I think this is my favourite gig not only because Green Day are my favourite band, but Green Day have the same passion on stage that you can see in videos from when they first started over 20 years ago. Similarly to Frank Turner, it felt like the band was having as much fun as the audience, which I think is one of the most important factors in the audience. It was also the biggest crowd I'd been in, but Green Day managed to make it feel like the smallest through getting everyone involved, pulling people up on stage and even shooting t-shirts out through a t-shit cannon. "Jesus of Suburbia" was the best 10 minutes of my life, seeing my favourite band playing my favourite song after waiting so long was just amazing. To be honest, I don't think another band will beat this, simply because Green Day are my favourite, and probably always will be. This was my favourite gig because it was my favourite band putting on an amazing show and involving the whole crowd.
So there they are, my top favourite 5 gigs. Feel free to comment, add yours and disagree!
All for now, but will post soon
Emily
Wednesday 19 January 2011
James Blake
I haven't written in a while - I've been really busy, but I'm going to try and make this a lot more regular.
I've recently started listening to James Blake, who is probably the hardest person to fit in to a genre (iTunes describes it as electro/dance, and although I don't think it's really either of them, it's probably as close as you'll get to describing him). I heard his song "Limit to your Love" on XFM and completely fell in love with it. The mix of his voice, the piano, various types of drums and different beats in between pauses of complete silence makes for an amazing song. If I had read about him, rather than heard him, I probably wouldn't have botherd to listen as he doesn't sound like somebody I'd like, but I really do. I've since downloaded his "Klavierwerk" EP from iTunes and would highly reccomend it. I couldn't name hardly any of the instruments in it, they're probably mainly computer generated, but it has really opened my eyes to another genre of music which I haven't previously explored.
So, the moral of the story is to never judge an artist by their genre, and go and listen to James Blake straight away.
Sorry this is so short, I'll write something longer and better next time,
Emily
I've recently started listening to James Blake, who is probably the hardest person to fit in to a genre (iTunes describes it as electro/dance, and although I don't think it's really either of them, it's probably as close as you'll get to describing him). I heard his song "Limit to your Love" on XFM and completely fell in love with it. The mix of his voice, the piano, various types of drums and different beats in between pauses of complete silence makes for an amazing song. If I had read about him, rather than heard him, I probably wouldn't have botherd to listen as he doesn't sound like somebody I'd like, but I really do. I've since downloaded his "Klavierwerk" EP from iTunes and would highly reccomend it. I couldn't name hardly any of the instruments in it, they're probably mainly computer generated, but it has really opened my eyes to another genre of music which I haven't previously explored.
So, the moral of the story is to never judge an artist by their genre, and go and listen to James Blake straight away.
Sorry this is so short, I'll write something longer and better next time,
Emily
Wednesday 12 January 2011
Frank Turner - Brixton Academy
I've decided to write a review of Frank Turner at Brixton Academy, 12/12/10. Not only because it was one of the best gigs I've been to, but also because I think Frank Turner is one of the most talent artists currently working. His lyrics are clever and inspiring at the same time as expressing exactly what he feels and along with his folk/punk music, he manages to produce some of the best music currently around.
So my friend and I turned up to Brixton Academy at 2 o'clock. The gig didn't start till 7. We were the first people there, perhaps a tad early, so we decided to go to Nandos, at least until they changed the sign from the gig held there the night before. So we finished our Nandos, stocked up on food supplies (well a 2 litre bottle of coke and fizzy apple laces, god bless poundland) and waited. In a way, I think this is one of the best parts. In a way I prefer it to waiting inside right before the gigs about to start. We meet some nice people, all because we have one thing in common, a shared passion for music and a love for Frank Turner. I don't know how to explain it, but it's probably one of the only places (in London anyway) where you can talk to a complete stranger and not be looked at as if you're mad.
Also, the best part of the evening came, well in the afternoon. My friend, another Frank Turner fan and I were sitting on the steps to Brixton Academy talking when suddenly I saw somebody turn the corner. "OH MY GOD IT'S FRANK TURNER!" I said to my friend. She didn't believe me at first (to be fair, we'd both said it to each other about 6 or 7 times before that when it was just another man with a beard). As soon as we realised we stood up and ran straight to meet him. He was really lovely and very happy to give us autographs and have a photo with us.
So after that, we waited another few hours and were finally let in. This was, of course, after all of the O2 priority customers, no matter how long they'd been waiting. Yes, despite being the first people there, we were let in after about 1,000 other people. I think it's awful that just because you're with a certain phone provider, you can be let in before people who had been waitinf 4 or 5 hours, even if you onlyarrive there at 6.30. Personally, This has made me want to avoid O2 venues in the future.
So we got in to the venue and, despite being let in to the venue after 1,000 or so people, we got up against the barrier. We saw the support acts, Dive Dive was first, who I thought were good but not amazing. After that was Ed Harcourt, who I thought was really good. It was just him on stage, but he used loads of different instruments it weird ways, I'd definately see him again.
So after that, Frank Turner came on stage. It was an energetic start, he opened with the short but sweet "Eulogy" and then went on to "Poetry of the Deed" along with a few other hits. Right from the moment he stepped on the stage, his energy captivated the whole audience and it was quite clear he was having as much fun, if not more, than us. Frank Turner certainly involved the audience than most of the aritsts I've seen before. Before he played "I Still Believe", he made sure the whole audience knew when to sing with him.
Frank Turner seems to involve the audience in another way. Between pretty almost every song, he stops and talks, though it seems more like he's having a personal chat. Frank Turner told us about his Grandma trying to get him drunk when he was ten, a messy night he had in New Orleanes and quite a few other anecdotes, before introducing his songs with lines such as "Please sing along, it makes my mum feel like I've got a real job" and "This song is about throwing a brick at a policeman when you're young and wondering if it was a good idea when you're older".
Frank Turners band leave him for a while to play a few acoustic songs, including a new acapella song about the New Forest. After this, he played my favourite song of his "Love Ire & Song" which Frank Turner (on another occasion) said "The title refers to the things I think you need in life to be happy, the perfect ingredients. Why "ire” (instead of, say "anger")? Because I feel like it." The band slowly rejoined him in the process of this song to then play "Fathers Day". Frank Turner then played mainly old songs, but he did have a couple of new ones off his new EP "Rock and Roll", including an "ode to drinking" called "The Next Round". He finished the gig with "The Road".
Frank Turner came back on a few minutes later to play "The Ballad of Me and My Friends" a song he said he wrote "when no one gave a shit". Although unprompted, the whole audience joined in with the lyrics "We're defiantely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell" which to me kind of showed how big he's become in the last 5 years since he started playing solo. 4,000 people singing the words to a song he wrote when no one gave a shit, slightly ironic in my opinion, but a good type of irony. Finally, Frank Turner, along with the only member of Dive Dive who isn't in his band and Ed Harcourt played "Photosynthesis". By the end of it, I don't think there was a single person in the audience not singing along to the lyrics "I won't sit down, and I won't shut up, but most of all I will not grow up". And after this, Frank and his band were gone (though we weren't, we were standing around asking the roadies to give us the setlist, which we obtained).
Overall, this was one of the best gigs I've been too. The amazing songs, hearing one of my favourite artists live and feeling like every one in the audience and on stage was having fun, makes for the perfect gig.
All for now,
Emily
So my friend and I turned up to Brixton Academy at 2 o'clock. The gig didn't start till 7. We were the first people there, perhaps a tad early, so we decided to go to Nandos, at least until they changed the sign from the gig held there the night before. So we finished our Nandos, stocked up on food supplies (well a 2 litre bottle of coke and fizzy apple laces, god bless poundland) and waited. In a way, I think this is one of the best parts. In a way I prefer it to waiting inside right before the gigs about to start. We meet some nice people, all because we have one thing in common, a shared passion for music and a love for Frank Turner. I don't know how to explain it, but it's probably one of the only places (in London anyway) where you can talk to a complete stranger and not be looked at as if you're mad.
Also, the best part of the evening came, well in the afternoon. My friend, another Frank Turner fan and I were sitting on the steps to Brixton Academy talking when suddenly I saw somebody turn the corner. "OH MY GOD IT'S FRANK TURNER!" I said to my friend. She didn't believe me at first (to be fair, we'd both said it to each other about 6 or 7 times before that when it was just another man with a beard). As soon as we realised we stood up and ran straight to meet him. He was really lovely and very happy to give us autographs and have a photo with us.
So after that, we waited another few hours and were finally let in. This was, of course, after all of the O2 priority customers, no matter how long they'd been waiting. Yes, despite being the first people there, we were let in after about 1,000 other people. I think it's awful that just because you're with a certain phone provider, you can be let in before people who had been waitinf 4 or 5 hours, even if you onlyarrive there at 6.30. Personally, This has made me want to avoid O2 venues in the future.
So we got in to the venue and, despite being let in to the venue after 1,000 or so people, we got up against the barrier. We saw the support acts, Dive Dive was first, who I thought were good but not amazing. After that was Ed Harcourt, who I thought was really good. It was just him on stage, but he used loads of different instruments it weird ways, I'd definately see him again.
So after that, Frank Turner came on stage. It was an energetic start, he opened with the short but sweet "Eulogy" and then went on to "Poetry of the Deed" along with a few other hits. Right from the moment he stepped on the stage, his energy captivated the whole audience and it was quite clear he was having as much fun, if not more, than us. Frank Turner certainly involved the audience than most of the aritsts I've seen before. Before he played "I Still Believe", he made sure the whole audience knew when to sing with him.
Frank Turner seems to involve the audience in another way. Between pretty almost every song, he stops and talks, though it seems more like he's having a personal chat. Frank Turner told us about his Grandma trying to get him drunk when he was ten, a messy night he had in New Orleanes and quite a few other anecdotes, before introducing his songs with lines such as "Please sing along, it makes my mum feel like I've got a real job" and "This song is about throwing a brick at a policeman when you're young and wondering if it was a good idea when you're older".
Frank Turners band leave him for a while to play a few acoustic songs, including a new acapella song about the New Forest. After this, he played my favourite song of his "Love Ire & Song" which Frank Turner (on another occasion) said "The title refers to the things I think you need in life to be happy, the perfect ingredients. Why "ire” (instead of, say "anger")? Because I feel like it." The band slowly rejoined him in the process of this song to then play "Fathers Day". Frank Turner then played mainly old songs, but he did have a couple of new ones off his new EP "Rock and Roll", including an "ode to drinking" called "The Next Round". He finished the gig with "The Road".
Frank Turner came back on a few minutes later to play "The Ballad of Me and My Friends" a song he said he wrote "when no one gave a shit". Although unprompted, the whole audience joined in with the lyrics "We're defiantely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell" which to me kind of showed how big he's become in the last 5 years since he started playing solo. 4,000 people singing the words to a song he wrote when no one gave a shit, slightly ironic in my opinion, but a good type of irony. Finally, Frank Turner, along with the only member of Dive Dive who isn't in his band and Ed Harcourt played "Photosynthesis". By the end of it, I don't think there was a single person in the audience not singing along to the lyrics "I won't sit down, and I won't shut up, but most of all I will not grow up". And after this, Frank and his band were gone (though we weren't, we were standing around asking the roadies to give us the setlist, which we obtained).
Overall, this was one of the best gigs I've been too. The amazing songs, hearing one of my favourite artists live and feeling like every one in the audience and on stage was having fun, makes for the perfect gig.
All for now,
Emily
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Take a look...
Hi,
This isn't a music related post (definately will write tomorrow though) but just short post to say my best friends started her own blog about her life so please take a look http://mylife-saskia.blogspot.com/ I know it's gonna be good :)
Emily
This isn't a music related post (definately will write tomorrow though) but just short post to say my best friends started her own blog about her life so please take a look http://mylife-saskia.blogspot.com/ I know it's gonna be good :)
Emily
Sunday 9 January 2011
Green Day
Everyone who has a slight interest in music will have their all time favourite band. Of course, everyone has more than one band that they like or are really in to, but there's always that band that tops everyone else, that you listen to all day every day, that has helped you through tough times and that you really don't know what you'd do if they didn't make music. For my best friend, It's The Script. For my Dad, Radiohead. And for me, It's Green Day. Green Day are the first band I really got into. My dad bought me a my sister both a CD for easter one year, I chose Green Day, which was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made. It was American Idiot. I don't know why I decided to choose them, I hadn't really heard them before but thought I'd see if I liked them. I remember coming home and listening to the album in one of those old walkmans and just thinking wow. When I was 8, I didn't appreciate the lyrics as much as I should've done, but I loved the music and that's pretty much the reason I started playing guitar. As I got a bit older I looked through there old music and started getting into them a lot more. I think from the point I first heard "Dookie", that was when Green Day became my all time favourite band.
So of course, in 2009, when I see Green Day on the front of NME for the first time in ages, I was exstatic. The band had played a gig in Oakland, California, where they're from, and announced that they were releasing a new album. I was so excited to hear the album, but I also thought that a new album probably means a tour. Which meant they would probably come to London and I would probably see them. That thought alone was extremley exciting. I downloaded the album "21st Century Breakdown" as soon as it came out. Although it's hard to choose, I think that is my favourite Green Day album, although it is in tough competition with "American Idiot" and "Dookie". I can't put my finger on why I love it so much, but I think its the passion you can hear coming from the band throughout the album. I can relate to every song on there, even if only a small part of the lyrics.
When Green Day announced their tour, I couldn't believe it. I told all my friends, all of whom replied with "Green who?" or "No". I had asked most of my friends. I was starting to think I might have to go with my dad, when I decided to ask a friend who I had only known a couple of months (she's now one of my best friends, but anyway) as soon as I mentioned it to her, she said she wanted to come. I hadn't realised she liked them, but I was so glad she did. So now I had a friend to go with, I just had to wait till the tickets were released. My dad said since my friend and I were both at school he would get them for us. I got a text about 10.30 in an english lesson saying that he'd got tickets for LG Arena in Birmingham in Row YY. He had tried to get tickets for Wembley arena, which is about 10 minutes away from where I live, but he phoned up at 8.59 rather that 9.00, went through a whole load of "press 2 for..." and finally was not allowed to buy tickets because he phoned to early. He knew how much we wanted to go though, so he agreed to drive me and my friend up to Birmingham. I was going to see Green Day. I was going to be in the same room as Billie Joe Armstrong!
The day finally came (28th October 2009, I'll never forget it). My friend and I both decided we should wear tutus for no apparant reason and of course, our Green Day T-Shirts. My dad picked us up and drove two extremley excited girls for two hours. We finally arrived, took our seats right at the back and waited. We saw the very end of the support act, Prima Donna, who weren't that great and then waited. I had never been so excited in my life. A man in a Pink Rabbit costume came out and did the YMCA with the whole crowd and then two minutes later, "Song of the Century" was played over the loudspeaker and the gig finally started. I can't believe I'm actually getting goosebumps as I'm writing about this, but it was amazing. Despite being right at the back, everyone still got up and jumped around and Green Day made it so it didn't matter where you were in the arena, everyone was there to have fun.
About a month after that, tickets were released for Wembley Stadium for June. My dad again got two tickets for me and the same friend to see them again. We were again, over the moon. Five days before the gig, my friend went into hospital and couldn't come. I was really upset at the fact I couldn't go with her again. I asked another one of my friends and she was over the moon. I was happy that I was still going but still upset for my friend that she couldn't come.
Again, the day came (19th June 2010) and again, we were in tutu's. We arrived outside Wembley Stadium at 9.30am ready to wait all day. The waiting seemed to go quite fast, despite it being freezing cold. We managed to keep ourselves entertained till 4.30, when finally they let us in. We were with the first group of people to be let in and as soon as the doors were opened, we power walked (they have an "if you run, we'll throw you out" policy, we weren't going to risk that) as fast as we could and got a space right up against the barrier. I couldn't believe it. Green Day, the band who I loved so much, were going to be so close. The time was passed for the next hour or so with the whole of the standing area playing with a ball, which kept going on the stage until some idiot rodie popped it. Anyone who was there reading this will know exactly how much entertainment the ball provided. Frank Turner, the first support act who I've since seen again, came on and did a brilliant set, followed by Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, who were also amazing. Once again the pink bunny came out and then finally over the loud speakers..."Sing us a song of the century, thats louder than bombs and eternity". Song of the Century meant Green Day would be on stage any second now. I couldn't believe it. Finally, they came on to "21st Century Breakdown" and gave me the best three hours of my life. The best song for me was "Jesus of Suburbia" in the first encore. I cried with happiness, it's my all time favourite song by my all time favourite band, I've waited 10 hours to see them and I'm in the front row. This is a dream come true. That was the best 10 minutes of my life, I'm not exadurating. It was the first time I had heard it live as well, I was quite upset when they didn't play it at Birmingham. So the best night of my life came to an end, and despite having ringing ears and sore throat for a week after, I was buzzing from it for ages.
I can't explain my love for Green Day, but I'm sure you have a band who you love just as much. Green Day have been there for me whilst I've been growing up, they've taught me not to follow the majority, they've taught me to have a political awareness, they've told me to tell someone if I love them, they've told me to have the time of my life and most importantly, time and time again, they've assured me that there's nothing wrong with me.
So, that's quite a lot about my favourite band, sorry if I rambled on a bit,
Emily
So of course, in 2009, when I see Green Day on the front of NME for the first time in ages, I was exstatic. The band had played a gig in Oakland, California, where they're from, and announced that they were releasing a new album. I was so excited to hear the album, but I also thought that a new album probably means a tour. Which meant they would probably come to London and I would probably see them. That thought alone was extremley exciting. I downloaded the album "21st Century Breakdown" as soon as it came out. Although it's hard to choose, I think that is my favourite Green Day album, although it is in tough competition with "American Idiot" and "Dookie". I can't put my finger on why I love it so much, but I think its the passion you can hear coming from the band throughout the album. I can relate to every song on there, even if only a small part of the lyrics.
When Green Day announced their tour, I couldn't believe it. I told all my friends, all of whom replied with "Green who?" or "No". I had asked most of my friends. I was starting to think I might have to go with my dad, when I decided to ask a friend who I had only known a couple of months (she's now one of my best friends, but anyway) as soon as I mentioned it to her, she said she wanted to come. I hadn't realised she liked them, but I was so glad she did. So now I had a friend to go with, I just had to wait till the tickets were released. My dad said since my friend and I were both at school he would get them for us. I got a text about 10.30 in an english lesson saying that he'd got tickets for LG Arena in Birmingham in Row YY. He had tried to get tickets for Wembley arena, which is about 10 minutes away from where I live, but he phoned up at 8.59 rather that 9.00, went through a whole load of "press 2 for..." and finally was not allowed to buy tickets because he phoned to early. He knew how much we wanted to go though, so he agreed to drive me and my friend up to Birmingham. I was going to see Green Day. I was going to be in the same room as Billie Joe Armstrong!
The day finally came (28th October 2009, I'll never forget it). My friend and I both decided we should wear tutus for no apparant reason and of course, our Green Day T-Shirts. My dad picked us up and drove two extremley excited girls for two hours. We finally arrived, took our seats right at the back and waited. We saw the very end of the support act, Prima Donna, who weren't that great and then waited. I had never been so excited in my life. A man in a Pink Rabbit costume came out and did the YMCA with the whole crowd and then two minutes later, "Song of the Century" was played over the loudspeaker and the gig finally started. I can't believe I'm actually getting goosebumps as I'm writing about this, but it was amazing. Despite being right at the back, everyone still got up and jumped around and Green Day made it so it didn't matter where you were in the arena, everyone was there to have fun.
About a month after that, tickets were released for Wembley Stadium for June. My dad again got two tickets for me and the same friend to see them again. We were again, over the moon. Five days before the gig, my friend went into hospital and couldn't come. I was really upset at the fact I couldn't go with her again. I asked another one of my friends and she was over the moon. I was happy that I was still going but still upset for my friend that she couldn't come.
Again, the day came (19th June 2010) and again, we were in tutu's. We arrived outside Wembley Stadium at 9.30am ready to wait all day. The waiting seemed to go quite fast, despite it being freezing cold. We managed to keep ourselves entertained till 4.30, when finally they let us in. We were with the first group of people to be let in and as soon as the doors were opened, we power walked (they have an "if you run, we'll throw you out" policy, we weren't going to risk that) as fast as we could and got a space right up against the barrier. I couldn't believe it. Green Day, the band who I loved so much, were going to be so close. The time was passed for the next hour or so with the whole of the standing area playing with a ball, which kept going on the stage until some idiot rodie popped it. Anyone who was there reading this will know exactly how much entertainment the ball provided. Frank Turner, the first support act who I've since seen again, came on and did a brilliant set, followed by Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, who were also amazing. Once again the pink bunny came out and then finally over the loud speakers..."Sing us a song of the century, thats louder than bombs and eternity". Song of the Century meant Green Day would be on stage any second now. I couldn't believe it. Finally, they came on to "21st Century Breakdown" and gave me the best three hours of my life. The best song for me was "Jesus of Suburbia" in the first encore. I cried with happiness, it's my all time favourite song by my all time favourite band, I've waited 10 hours to see them and I'm in the front row. This is a dream come true. That was the best 10 minutes of my life, I'm not exadurating. It was the first time I had heard it live as well, I was quite upset when they didn't play it at Birmingham. So the best night of my life came to an end, and despite having ringing ears and sore throat for a week after, I was buzzing from it for ages.
I can't explain my love for Green Day, but I'm sure you have a band who you love just as much. Green Day have been there for me whilst I've been growing up, they've taught me not to follow the majority, they've taught me to have a political awareness, they've told me to tell someone if I love them, they've told me to have the time of my life and most importantly, time and time again, they've assured me that there's nothing wrong with me.
So, that's quite a lot about my favourite band, sorry if I rambled on a bit,
Emily
Saturday 8 January 2011
Hello
Hello,
My name is Emily, I'm 15 and I have a massive interest in music. I read NME weekly, as well as any other kind of music publication I can get my hands on. I want to become a music journalist, I couldn't think of a better career than writing about music. So I'm writing this blog to try and start that off, as well as having somewhere else to rant about how much I love Green Day or hate Justin Bieber than to my very patient friends. I'll be writing about artists I like, artists I don't like, reviewing albums or gigs I've been to, commenting on music news and writing about pretty much anything music related. I would also appreciate any writing tips from anyone!
So a bit about me and music. I've been playing guitar for about six years now and piano for quite a while, although I've only recently started having proper lessons again recently. As well as this I've been having singing lessons since the age of 11 and recently got accepted to the National Youth Choir of Great Britiain which I'm really excited about. I've got my Grade 4 in singing and am working towards Grade 4 in Guitar and Piano as well as Grade 5 Music Theory.
I can't really remember when I really got in to music as much as I am now. I think I started reading NME regularly about 2 or 3 years ago, so something like that. I've always enjoyed music but in the last couple of years music has pretty much become my life. I don't know what I'd do without my ipod, I don't mean to sound melodramatic but I'm constantly listening to it. I'm in to all sorts of music really, Dubstep, Dance, Electro, Soul, Folk, Rap, R&B, but my favourite genres are Punk/Rock/Indie. For me, a good song is made up of good lyrics that make you think or relate to something and obviously, good music to go with it. My favourite band is Green Day, no question. I got into them just after they released American Idiot in 2004, but in the last few years I've explored there whole back catalouge and seen them live twice, which were the two best nights of my life. Billie Joe Armstrong writes such amazing songs, the combination of music and lyrics as well as the messages the music sends are amazing. As well as that, I think they're one of the best live bands around. I know that's a bit of a biased judgement, coming from a massive Green Day fan, but Billie Joe makes the whole audience feel like they're involved, and that's coming from someone who has seen them live from right at the back (Row YY) of the LG arena in Birmingham and being right up against the barrier in Wembley Stadium.
So basically, I'm going to be writing about anything music related. Music's helped me when I'm down, livened up the dullest parties, turned the worst days better and given me some amazing memories
That's all for now,
Emily.
My name is Emily, I'm 15 and I have a massive interest in music. I read NME weekly, as well as any other kind of music publication I can get my hands on. I want to become a music journalist, I couldn't think of a better career than writing about music. So I'm writing this blog to try and start that off, as well as having somewhere else to rant about how much I love Green Day or hate Justin Bieber than to my very patient friends. I'll be writing about artists I like, artists I don't like, reviewing albums or gigs I've been to, commenting on music news and writing about pretty much anything music related. I would also appreciate any writing tips from anyone!
So a bit about me and music. I've been playing guitar for about six years now and piano for quite a while, although I've only recently started having proper lessons again recently. As well as this I've been having singing lessons since the age of 11 and recently got accepted to the National Youth Choir of Great Britiain which I'm really excited about. I've got my Grade 4 in singing and am working towards Grade 4 in Guitar and Piano as well as Grade 5 Music Theory.
I can't really remember when I really got in to music as much as I am now. I think I started reading NME regularly about 2 or 3 years ago, so something like that. I've always enjoyed music but in the last couple of years music has pretty much become my life. I don't know what I'd do without my ipod, I don't mean to sound melodramatic but I'm constantly listening to it. I'm in to all sorts of music really, Dubstep, Dance, Electro, Soul, Folk, Rap, R&B, but my favourite genres are Punk/Rock/Indie. For me, a good song is made up of good lyrics that make you think or relate to something and obviously, good music to go with it. My favourite band is Green Day, no question. I got into them just after they released American Idiot in 2004, but in the last few years I've explored there whole back catalouge and seen them live twice, which were the two best nights of my life. Billie Joe Armstrong writes such amazing songs, the combination of music and lyrics as well as the messages the music sends are amazing. As well as that, I think they're one of the best live bands around. I know that's a bit of a biased judgement, coming from a massive Green Day fan, but Billie Joe makes the whole audience feel like they're involved, and that's coming from someone who has seen them live from right at the back (Row YY) of the LG arena in Birmingham and being right up against the barrier in Wembley Stadium.
So basically, I'm going to be writing about anything music related. Music's helped me when I'm down, livened up the dullest parties, turned the worst days better and given me some amazing memories
That's all for now,
Emily.
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