Glastonbury!! Prep, What I'm Wearing, Who I'm Seeing.

Oops. I'm guilty. I have been meaning to do a glasto post for ageeees. but unfortunately work commitments/not feeling 100% have gotten in the way. I initially really wanted to do a sort of mini series in preparation for glastonbury, which would of been really fun, but time has now run out and I literally haven't had time!! Especially as I leave tomorrow. I'm going to Devon where my friends are before we set off for Worthy Farm on Wednesday morning. I could not be more excited!! I love festivals, but I have never been to Glastonbury before. Glasto is the biggest festival in the world, so to say i'm excited is such an understatement. With so many things that will be going on, from great bands, top DJs, circus acts, amongst other things, I think I'll just be entirely in awe the entire time. I also feel blessed that I even have a ticket. I remember the moment we got it. I'd been up and staring at my laptop screen. It was half an hour before tickets even went on sale and already the page wouldn't load because of the amount of traffic. I kept trying and trying to get a ticket. My flatmate strolled in to the living room casually and decided she would try to help. She got through to the booking page. It was the most intense and terrifying moment. When I realised that yes, we actually had our order confirmed, all I could do was text my friends who I had got tickets for as well, the word 'GOT'. I couldn't even type any more than that out of sheer excitement.

That was back in October. Time flys eh? Now, as already mentioned, glastonbury is the biggest festival in the world and you really are spoilt for choice in terms of acts. Anyone could go to glastonbury and find musicians they would want to see. Naturally, I want to see sooooo many people and there are a lot of clashes, but this is my take on the line up...

Music.
The headliners are what most people tend to immediately judge a festival on. This is pretty simplistic because a festival is so much more than headliners, but to be fair to Glastonbury, the headliners for 2013 are pretty great. Arctic Monkeys are a band I've always wanted to see, with their cool indie rock. I just hope they play plenty of oldies!! Rolling Stones are classic rock n roll and it seems like a once in a lifetime chance. Mumford & Sons are a sort of love em or hate em band. Which is awkward, because I really am in between. While my love for them isn't intense and burning, I do like them and I think their folksy music is perfect for Glastonbury's english hippy vibes. Other than that, I have to say I'm not overly fussed about the pyramid stage. While the pyramid stage is iconic, other acts are, without sounding like a major hipster/knob right now, a bit mainstream. Rita Ora anyone?

So what about the rest? On the Friday I'm definitely gonna be digging some Alt-J on the Other Stage, and Disclosure in the Sonic Tent. A perfect mix of indie cool and raving it up. I'd also like to head over to Williams Green to catch The 1975 and Tribes. Last time I saw tribes was when they just started so I'd love to see if their sound has changed, and The 1975 are a band I'm keen to see ASAP, because they are bound to get big. Oh, and I'm also super keen to see Peace again on the John Peel stage. They're music is hypnotic and heavenly. 
On the Saturday The Other Stage seems like the place to be, with more of The 1975, Dry The River, Two Door, Alabama Shakes, and Chase and Status. I know C&S clash with The Rolling Stones, but C&S at Global Gathering was one of the best live music experiences I've had so I may have to take the risk!! The legend that is Johnny Marr is also playing on the John Peel Stage, while my fave girl Iggy Azalea is hitting up the Sonic Tent. 
Sunday doesn't bare thinking about because that means it is the last day!! But it is also a day of Zulu Winter, Tyler the Creator (who I can not can not can not miss), and an amazing line up in the sonic tent with Zane Lowe, Redlight, TEED, Flux Pavillion and Sub Focus. 
Of course, theres some pretty sweet DJ's playing on thursday night too. I'm keen to see Eats Everything again in the Wow Tent for a nice pre-fest rave, as well as the 2 bears and T. Williams. 

So we've discussed music, phew! what about clothes.
Glasto Fash-to
Sorry for the totes cringe sub title. couldn't resist!! Festival fashion for me is all about denim shorts and crop tops. Shorts are best for me because I'm quite small, and luckily get offers to sit on people's shoulders to see the stage better. Of course, a skirt isn't really suitable for this. 
The thing about festival fashion is you want to look awesome, but it has to also be practical. Boring I know, but it really does!! So playsuits might not be best if you can't stand doing it up while standing in the long drops, being surrounded by THAT smell.
As well as shorts, ONE skirt (just in case, like, for the thursday), and plenty of cute tops, I also have a couple of beanies, a hoodie, and a big ass knitted jumper. I made the mistake of not taking a jumper to Reading last year. I was freezing on the wednesday night, so went to Tesco Extra and bought a really ugly jumper with words like 'Equine' across it. (I don't ride horses, ever). As well as these, I also have a cute camo jacket and a waterproof!! Another mistake I learnt from Reading last year: make sure your mac is actually waterproof. I got soaked to the bone in an ASOS pac-a-mac. Now I have this sweet bad boy from Topshop. It cost £45. I love the leopard print and the fact it's slightly see-through, and it's easy to put on. 

As well as cute jackets, I also have plenty of over the knee socks and my trusted hunter wellies. DO NOT go to a festival without a pair of wellies. If it rains and gets muddy you will get trench foot. No joke. I'm also taking my vans for the dryer times when my feet need a rest. Another thing of course is a bag. Don't take a massive handbag but a small bag that will keep stuff safe when watching bands. Luckily for ravers and festival/gig goers, bum bags are back in fashion! What used to be regarded as so uncool is now all the rage, and I bought this totally cute fringed and studded baby from Urban Outfitters for £28:

So, if you have some cute yet practical clothes, waterproofs, cosy jumpers and wellies, you'll be fine. But to be MORE than fine, I also recommend getting some super-cool mosh-suitable jewellery, cute hair accessories, UV body paint, and PLENTY of glitter. Now they are the real fashion essentials!
Oh speaking of glitter, make sure you paint your nails a nice glittery colour before you go. I've gone for Topshop's Gypsy Night... a gorgeous glittery black. 

And then there is the rest...
The essentials
So I'm not going to patronise you by telling you to make sure you have your camping gear (but you do, right?), but I will remind you of the extra little essentials you may forget:
- Loo Roll. Because you will need it.
- Baby Wipes. To clean yourself. Coz you aint showering guuuuurrrrl.
-a little first aid kit: Think painkillers, plasters, blister patches, pro-plus (oh, just me?) and lozengers, as well as anything else you may need. I also have beroccas to have in the morning for a little vitamin goodness.
-i know I said this above, but seriously, remember your wellies, remember your warm stuff. Hate to sound like your mum but it's true.
-And to kind of sound less like your mum: Take a hip flask. It'll come in handy. And don't forget booze to put in the hip flask (drink responsibly kids ;) )
-If your a girl and don't keep everything in your pockets, take a small bag that is easy to keep secure, like the bum bag I featured above, or a cross body bag with a zip. 
-If you have a state of the art phone, it's tempting to take it, especially with the amazing Glastonbury App, but I personally won't be running the risk and have got a 'festival phone'.
-Another essential for me is disposable cameras. Along with phones I also have a tendency to lose cameras, so rather than taking my expensive canon I'm taking some disposables. Plus, the photos have a really cool look to them when developed.
- and last but definitely not least... TICKETS, TICKETS, TICKETS. last year when driving to global gathering, we got 10 minutes down the motorway before realising I had forgotten my tickets. Thankfully, I only live 45 minutes from Stratford, but I live a little further from somerset, so this bit is more of a reminder for me than you. But don't forget them. Because that really would be idiotic.

Last but not least, have a fabulous time!! And if you're not going, check out the BBC footage to get in on the action. I'm sorry for this super long post but I hoped it inspired you for your last minute festival needs and filled you in on the musical going's on. It's likely my next blog post will be a review of this epic weekend, so, see you in a week!!

Yeezus Review: Kanye's Best Album Yet?

At the weekend something huge for hip-hop fans happened: Kanye Wests latest album, Yeezus, got leaked. And twitter/facebook/ the internet as a whole exploded.
Many agree that the leak was a purposeful tactic from Kanye, and boy it worked. Kanye West is a very clever man, and he created a storm of hype and publicity by this release. Of course, it hasn't been without it's controversy and not everyone has been a fan of the album, but to be honest, i think Kanye knew this. In fact, to me, the album very much sounds like he is doing exactly what he wants to do, taking it in exactly the direction he want's to take it in, without compromising for anyone (be it a producer or a fan) and doesn't care one bit if anyone doesn't like it. And the extreme mix in opinion which has been displayed by Kanye fans already just shows what a success the album is. Any album, or any piece of art at all, which creates this much debate, discussion, and division, is a huge success. The fact that anyone could listen to it before it's release date, on the internet, also puts up a challenge in it's accessibility: it poses the question, what does it mean to be successful? It doesn't necessarily mean huge album sales, making millions, and winning awards. While Kanye has done all of these things, and surely will with this album, that isn't what will measure the success of this album. What will measure the success is the way people take the album, the way they talk about it, write about it, dissect it. And not just the way they do these things, but the very fact they are doing these things. The fact they are writing about it, talking about it, dissecting it.

But on to the album itself. All of Kanye's albums have a different sound to them, so this clearly was going to be something different. Kanye doesn't attempt to replicate himself. He is always trying new things, reaching to different parts of his creative potential. But it is fair to say this is unlike any of his past albums. Lets take My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. That album for me was a masterpiece. It featured not only some top collabs, but also an immense use of instrumentals and long, provocative rap verses. 'Runaway' wasn't just about the rapping, but about the piano, for example. While this album featured lots of classical instruments to create an orchestral feel, Yeezus almost goes in the opposite direction. For starters, it strips everything back. It is not about creating something epic, but using bare materials. It is minimalist. It is new wave. It is new. It's also less about the classic instruments and more about an electronic sound, with influences taken from house and trap music. Yet of course, with songs such as 'New Slaves' and 'Blood on the Leaves', there's a commentary on race differences and on slavery, something which is present in a lot of Kanye's work. Kanye is never afraid to just spit it out and say it, and this album is no different in terms of that. As always, nothing is held back. In fact with this album more than any others, I would say Kanye is not only not holding back, but rushing forward, in your face, at a ferocious speed. This album is very in your face, which is maybe also why some people have taken a dislike to it. With that first play of 'On Sight', which the intro of sounds like something out of space, followed by the fast and ferocious pace of 'Black Skinhead', you could easily get a little overwhelmed. Especially if you were expecting something more 'Watch the Throne-esque'. No. This album has nothing fancy to get in the way of the truth of it. It's not playing around. It's not distracting. It just is. It gets to the point that it wants to get to.
It's not only the music itself which has a) provided a point of controversy, and b) been stripped down to the bare minimum, but the cover art. Some people on twitter have slagged off the cover art for it's simplicity. I mean, there isn't anything there!! It's just empty, bar that little red square. I mean, anyone could do that right? Hahahahaha. Wrong. While technically anyone could, no one else could think of it, conceptualise it in the way Kanye has. Kanye West hasn't left the CD cover like this because he was feeling a little lazy and couldn't be bothered. I'm sure he interpreted this reaction too. Cover art always has a deeper meaning, no matter what musician it is. And this is no exception. The lack of cover art highlights how Kanye has stripped everything back. It is showing the minimalism of the album. The cover of the album is part of the album, as well as the music, and so it has to demonstrate something. What the artist want's to demonstrate. Kanye has been very clever in this way. He's showing this new direction he's going in that anyone can see simply by looking at the cover of the CD, even if they don't listen to his music. And what about that red square?  He's chosen that to be there just like he's chosen to have a lack of album art. I think that right there is this form of iconography. When people think of the Yeezus album they will think of the cover art, because all there is to it is that red square. That red square that could represent anger, violence, sex, lust. It will become synonymous with Yeezus.

Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion and some people may genuinely not like the direction Kanye has taken this album in, but surely you can't help but admire his persistance to make an album exactly how he wants to, and his persistance to always be going in a new direction, always be trying new things and new sounds? Kanye West is so much more than a rapper. He is an artistic genius. If you've given the album one listen and hated it, I dare you to give it another listen, because despite it's minimalism there is so much more to it. I think this could well be one of his best album's yet.