The Joy Formidable Gig Review

Last night I went to see The Joy Formidable in Cardiff’s Student Union, and they played an exceptional show. I’d been dying to see them since I have missed them at Reading Festival for 2 years in a row, and the gig last night definately made up for it. In fact they went beyond my expectations.

 WE//ARE//ANIMAL, a welsh band who have been praised by the likes of NME and Radio 1, opened the set. They were pretty good, with what I can only describe as a ‘rocky-indie’ vibe. They were the perfect warm up for The Joy Formidable, suitably getting the crowd going.

By the time The Joy Formidable came on stage, the room was packed. When the band came on to the stage, they came on with a bang. Playing ‘Cholla’ straight away. The music completely filled the room, helped not only by the guitars, drums, and not to mention lead singer Ritzy’s electrifying voice, but their entire stage presence. They were jumping around and completely enjoyed themselves, instead of just standing there, which makes all the difference. Plus the mixture of the light effects, the montage of images playing on a screen behind the band with a hanging outline of a wolf’s head (to match the title of the bands new album Wolf’s Law), and Ritzy’s completely sequined golden dress, made for an overall performance.

It was clear that The Joy Formidable had put effort in to every single aspect of the show, not letting one detail surpass their attention, yet they still managed to maintain a down to earth light-heartedness, talking to the audience, and both smiling and swearing constantly. The gig wasn’t just about the music, but about the overall effects, yet these effects didn’t drown out the music at all. The loud drums and guitar thrashes, and Ritzy’s pitch perfect voice, still came out on top. 

Although the entire gig was amazing, my favourite moment had to be their performance of a song from the new album ‘Maw Maw Song’. This song has a bit of a rock edge, and they put so much life in to the performance. Although I think it was the slightly weird, fucked up, montage of images in the background, that made the performance for me, which showed images such as twisted barbed wire being held in a women’s mouth, a fat man eating chocolate, images from Pan’s Labyrinth, and falling dollar bills. It made no apparent sense, and thats why I loved it.

The Joy Formidable managed to sell their new record well, without letting it overshadow the gig or skimping on their old stuff, which is tricky to do. I’ve always noticed bands either pay lots of attention to old stuff, or play a lot of new stuff without giving dedicated fans the older material they want to hear. The Joy Formidable struck the balance perfectly. They played plenty of tracks from the first album, yet quite a lot of songs from the new album, which they really sold. Of course, after an encore, they closed the show with ‘Whirring’, which is a firm favourite amongst The Joy Formidable fans. I’m so glad I finally got the opportunity to see this band. They know how to play live and how to appeal to a crowd, and I’d urge anyone who gets the opportunity to see this band play live. It’s an experience worth watching. 

New Albums for 2013

As I wrote in my last blog post, 2013 is the year for new music. It’s also the new year where loads of new album releases from some top bands are on the horizon. Some we can just predict, but some are coming out really really soon, and it’s about time too...

Bastille.

Bastille are a band I can not stop listening to. They’re indie-pop music and emotive lyrics makes for extremely addictive listening. Bastille are releasing debut album Bad Blood in March. After some highly praised singles such as Flaws and Overjoyed the album is much anticipated. I’m equally excited about their upcoming headline Bad Blood tour.

Daughter

Another band I can not stop listening to. Daughter produce emotive, beautiful songs like ‘smother’, ‘youth’ and ‘candles’. I’ve been listening to Daughter since the summer so their debut album release in March makes me extremely excited.

Palma Violets.

Everyone obsessed by music is obsessed by Palma Violets, so their debut album 180 released on 25th of February is sure to be a high seller. I’ve been banging on about this band for months so I can’t wait to see what songs fill their album. 

Fidlar

On my last blog post I was raving about Fidlar, and their debut album will be coming very very soon, in february in fact, and will include all the songs that their fans have been enjoying for months, like Cheap Beer and Max Can’t Surf

Biffy Clyro

2013 may be a big year for the upcoming artists of the world, but it’s not all about the debut releases. Biffy are releasing their 5th studio album, Opposites, in 2 days!! (the 28th January) with a tour to match. Their songs... have already had great reviews. Personally, when I listen over Biffy’s material I much prefer the later stuff, their 4th album Only Revolutions being my favourite, so I feel I will definately enjoy this album.

Stereophonics.

Stereophonics are back!! How excited am I? VERY. How can I not be excited to hear new releases from the band who brought us Handbags and Glad-rags and Dakota? Awesome. They are releasing Graffiti on a Train on February 4th with a tour to follow in March.

Frank Turner

Frank Turner is also releasing his 5th studio album, entitled Tape Deck Heart, in April. Frank Turner just keeps on delivering amazing songs time and time again, which are both lyrically enriching and bringing folk music back in to the mainstream, so no doubt this album will live up to it’s expectations. Many of his fans will of already heard his new song Four Simple Words, which is just classic Frank Turner, heart warming and capable of getting a crowd going. 

four simple words - Frank Turner

The Strokes

Nothings been confirmed as to when, as it’s relatively new news, but it’s looking likely that The Strokes will release a new album this year, after unveiling new song 'One Way Trigger'. The Strokes are often hit and miss with fans, but i personally love their gritty indie sound, and thought they were a great headliner at Reading 2011. 

Sounds of 2013: Upbeat 'nu-punk' beats, musical optimism, and old school nostalgia

I’m really excited about the future of new music in 2013, especially with a rise of punky-thrashy music. It’s new, fresh, modern, yet screams of punk. I like to think of it as ‘nu-punk’. It’s been pretty much epitmosed with bands like Palma Violets:

When I first heard Palma Violets back in 2012 one of the things that really drew me to them was that they didn’t sound like the modern bands of today. They sounded really 1970’s American punk-esque. Think Ramones. If you listen to The Ramones My Brain Is Hanging Upside-Down and then listen to Palma Violets Best of Friends, you can’t help but draw comparisons. Of course, Palma Violets appeal to a modern audience because while there is that punk nostalgia, there is also a 21st century sound, which i think sums up 2013 musically. But it’s not just the brits that are going all punky...

Fidlar

After hearing Palma Violets, loads of other bands have popped up with those punky sounds, Like Fidlar. Fidlar stands for skate-term Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk, and their music represents how they live up to this motto. Fidlar are ridiculously thrashy, loud, brash, in your face. Perfect mosh pit music. Yet at the same time, unlike other mosh pit inducing bands, they sound ridiculously upbeat. The music, despite being thrashy, sounds like it comes straight out of the California sunshine, which you'd expect considering they hail from LA.

Fidlar - Cheap Beer

Deap Vally

One of the bands I’m most excited about for 2013, and can’t stop raving about, is ‘Deap Vally’. I hate to say this, but lets face it, it’s rare that, in a music industry dominated by men, you find an amazing female band, that have the potential to go really far. Deap Vally are like a modern Thelma and Louise, screaming of Southern America and female power. Their music is loud, unapologetic, and encapsulates the punk trend that’s spanning both sides of the atlantic. 

Deap Vally- Lies

What is different about all these ‘nu-punk’ bands is not just that they’ve obviously injected some modernity in to their music, but is that, their music sounds pretty happy. Back in the 1970’s, punk wasn’t about creating something beautiful. It was about destruction. It wasn’t SUPPOSED to sound nice. It took pride in being ugly. It was meant to reflect the depressive mood of the times felt by the youth, especially in British punk. While new bands may sound pretty punky, this isn’t what their about. Their music is upbeat. It makes you want to sing along. It is about creating something. 

But, for those who aren’t a massive fan of this punk revival, never fear!! There are loads of other great new upcoming bands that i’m getting really excited about, that aren’t exactly punky, such as:

Peace.

Like Fidlar, Peace are an upbeat band, that sounds like they come out of the summer sun. Unlike Fidlar, they are less thrashy and punky. Peace gained popularity in 2012 with the release of their EP Delicious. Now they’ve released new single Wraith, so an album is surely in the pipeline. At first, I didn’t know what to make of peace. Were they this amazing band with loads of depth to them, or were they just another band whose music was a bit empty? The more I’ve listened to them, the more I’ve decided it’s the latter. I almost regret being unsure of them.

Peace - Wraith

Swim Deep.

Again, this is an upbeat, feel good band. Theirs definitely a trend of optimism here!! Which is great, considering in the past great music has been all about being a bit depressing, to be completely honest. Swim Deeps single Honey sounds pretty delish, and I can’t wait to see what else comes from this band. 

Swim Deep - Honey

Angel Haze.

Angel’s EP ‘New York’ came out in October 2012, yet the hype around her is definitely concentrated around 2013. And no wonder. This has to be the first EP I’ve ever listened to and had to buy immediately after one listen. This woman is a talented rapper, singer, and a lyrical genius. Her songs are dead catchy, and, like Deap Vally, totally unapologetic, meaning this is going to be a great year for female artists. New York and Supreme are songs that can pretty much be put on repeat.

Angel Haze - Supreme 

Savages

Another female band, again proving women are taking over the music scene for 2013. Savages sounds like a pretty brutal name for a band, but don’t be fooled. While with songs like Husbands they’re still drawing on that punk trend with quick and brash instrumentals, theirs also a nostalgia for 80’s sounds. Think Bowie and Blondie, yet more modern. 

Savages - Flying to Berlin

The 1975.

I don’t even know how to write about this band, because they vary so much from song to song. What I can say easily enough though, is that they are good, really really good. They’ve already released 2 EP’s (Sex, and Facedown) and a third (Chocolate) is on the way, as they are keen to establish themselves and get some fans on board before an album release. And I can definately say I am one of these fans. They’re music is a little bit old school in that it brings back that teenage indie-pop we all know and love, yet also sounds a lot like newer bands such as Theme Park or Tribes. 

The 1975 - Sex.

In 2013 we can also expect some great album releases which I’m going to blog about ASAP!

read my article on why festivals are such a big deal!

Sorry i have been SO absent from this blog lately!!

I've been doing a lot of writing for my student paper, Gair Rhyyd. You can view one of my articles from 2 weeks ago below. It's about the importance of summer festivals and to be honest it's a piece I'm really proud of!
I'd love it if anyone could take the time to read it!

Beth.

http://www.cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/gairrhydd/the-glastonbury-effect-why-festivals-are-a-summer-necessity/

why tattoos shouldn't require justification.

I love tattoos. Fact. I think tats are great. Like many things I love; food, fashion, fragrances, there are obviously varieties of tattoos i don’t like so much (designs that have clearly been picked off of a tattoo parlours wall like cheeky red devils and butterflies, tattoos on the lower back or ‘tramp stamps’ as they are oh so endearingly called, and my all time pet hate - tribal designs, to name but a few), but I still love the idea of tattoos. Of expressing yourself through an art form which has existed and been perfected and globalised over hundreds of years. This statement however, is hardly a shocking, controversial statement. A few decades ago it may well have been, but nowadays, getting a tattoo is the norm. When I think about people I know, most of them have tattoos. Whether it be full sleeves and a chest piece or a dainty tat on their ankle or wrist. Tattoos have become a normal part of growing up and of individualisation for many. 

my first ever tattoo. It's a T.S. Eliot quote from 'Return of the Magi'. Countless times i've been asked what the quote means to me. I might make up a ridiculous and shocking answer next time i get asked. 

This doesn’t mean everyone loves tattoos though. In the same way I like tattoos, some people don’t. They may find them distasteful, ugly, or simply don’t like the thought of permanently inking your skin. Which is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. And it’s our bodies so we should be able to do with it what we wish. Which brings me on to what i’m about to say...

Why you may not like tattoos, why do so many people who don’t like tattoos feel the need to ask so many questions?  To quite literally judge us for having tattoos.

A couple of things have made me think about this more in depth...

The first is this article:'just one little tattoo'. I understand that tattoos may not be to everyones taste, but this woman refused to speak to her son when she found out he had a tattoo, claiming her son making the decision to get a tattoo 'devistated her'. Her son had not murdered or stolen from someone, yet in my opinion, she treated him like a criminal. Her views, while she admits this, are extremely exaggerated, as well as cynical, and goes to show that people out there still have such a hatred for tattoos. I don’t understand this. You wouldn’t hate someone for wearing a pair of shoes you don’t particularly like, so why would you display this toward someone with tattoos?

       The second was the picture below which shows one of ‘Thug Wife's’ many tattoos. In case you can't see, on the side of her fingers it says 'do not ask me about my tattoos'. I found this really interesting because this beautiful lady is covered in tats, and clearly for her, her tattoos are personal. She doesn’t want to be constantly asked about them. Seeing this photo made me feel better about my own feelings surrounding this topic. I wondered if I was being selfish or ridiculous for getting fed up with people asking me about my tattoos, but this made me realise that I wasn’t being selfish at all. My tattoos are my own, after all. 

Like I said above, I don’t like tribal tattoos. But I don’t go up to someone with tribal tattoos and ask them why they got it, doesn’t it concern them, etc. I may not like their tat, but I don’t judge the person. I understand many people may not like my tattoos, but I don’t expect to be judged because of them. I got my tattoos for myself.

Too many people seem to think that tattoos are like gallery art. Tattoos are art, but they belong to the individuals body, not for a gallery for the public to look at and discuss over a glass of pinot. My tattoos are MINE.

my tat on my thigh. it doesn't mean anything, I just like it. Hope that's alright.

I understand that when you get yourself inked, you obviously have to prepare that people will ask questions, especially if your tattoos are out on display. There is nothing wrong with healthy curiosity. People may wonder what a scripted tattoo says, or what a tattooed symbol means. It’s when it gets beyond healthy curiosity that for me, it becomes a bit of an issue. People seem to think its ok to go beyond ‘what does that tattoo say’ to ‘why did you get that?’ ‘what does that mean to you though?’ ‘aren’t you worried you will regret that?’, or my favourite, no words, just a look of pure judgement.

So many people bring up that classic R word too. ‘regret’. ‘what about when you are old?’ seems to be the classic go-to line. People forget that while tattoos may seem unlikely on the older generation now, as generations become older, tattoos on older people will become normalised. As I mentioned above, more and more people are getting tattooed now. So when I’m old, most other old people will be inked too. It won’t be some sort of abstraction to worry about. Not that it should be anyway. Even if this wasn’t the case, why should age be a factor? Why should I stop doing stuff I really want to do now, and not impulsive things but things i’ve thought really hard and long about, just because of my wrinkly years, when i’ll most likely be wearing more clothes than I am now at 19 anyway.

My awesome Harry Potter deathly hallows tribute tattoo. Weirdly, I was quite concerned that people would react negatively to this, but now I've realised it doesn't matter because Harry Potter is amazing!! And to be honest most people have shared my enthusiasm for this tat.

It doesn’t help when these cynics say little words with negative connotations either. Ie. Tattooing your skin becomes ‘branding your skin’. No. Getting a tattoo is not the same as being a cow getting sent to the slaughterhouse. A tattoo is a different mark. A brand has an ugly purpose. A tattoo has no particular ‘purpose’ and thats one of the things that makes tattoos so endearing. I often think the brilliant parts of life are the little things which actually offer no real purpose, but when you think about them, are wonderful none-the-less. 

Tattoos can be fabulous, beautiful, and make a person distinctive and individual. Tattoos are also personal though, and aren’t public property. Everyone will have their opinion on tattoos, and body modification in general, but don’t allow your opinion to make you judgmental or cynical, or let your curiosity, be an excuse to be nosy and preachy, because at the end of the day its only skin. It’s not really the skin we’re in that matters, or the body art decorating that skin, but the person in that skin.

Tattooed Beauty Kat Von D. 

stuff i'm loving this week.

Hey everyone, hope everyones having an ok start to the week!!

In the past week i've found some awesome stuff which I thought I would share with everyone.


This song by Palma Violets is truly amazing. Zane Lowe Featured Palma Violets on Radio 1 the other evening, and I fell in love. They are very reminicent of 70's rock, yet with a totel modern edge.

Palma Violets - Best of Friends

Another new song I'm loving thanks to Zane is Everything Everythings new song, 'Cough Cough', like the Palma Violets song its very experimental and rocky, and hails back to Everything Everythings roots. 

Everything Everything - Cough Cough

Yet another song i'm going wild for is this amazing song by Deap Vally, which demonstrates that girls really can rock out!! I'm loving the trend in music at the moment which hails back to original thrashy rock music and brings it up to date in the modern era. Plus this song screams girl power!!

Deap Vally - Gonna Make My Own Money

On a non-musical note, I have ordered some of these disco pants from Boo-Hoo woooo!! I've wanted a pair of disco pants for ages, but the original ones (from American Apparel) are about £70. I can't afford that!! So I've found this much cheaper alternative which I have heard from reliable sources are still made with amazing material, are tight fitting, and simply make you look amazing. Plus Boo-hoo offer lots of different colours and styles. 

Nail art is all the rage at the moment, and i've been crushing on the nail studs that Wah! Nails do for some time. I've now found out you can do this yourself! at home!! amazing. All you need is some nail studs which you can get here, at 'sparkly nails', who also offer all sorts of other cheap nail art essentials. 

An example of studded nails

Speaking of funky nail art, I've also been adoring the trend for 'caviar nails', they look gorgeous!! You can get your own kit here from Asos. I can't wait to try both the caviar and the stud look out. I'm so terrible at nail wraps so hopefully this will be an easier AND more glamourous alternative to gorgeous and fun nails.

An example of Caviar nails.

Last but not least, after browsing the internet, I found this amazing article by Gala Darling. It's all about goal-setting and I found it really motivational and inspirational. It's quite old (from 2007) but it's still eey much relavant and handy for anyone who needs their arse kicking in to gear!!

Reading Festival 2012: The best weekend of my life!!

Hello readers!!
Yesterday I got back from Reading Festival. I went last year, and after going this year I've decided to go every year. It was by far the best weekend of my life, despite the fact that I have lost my voice from shouting and screaming so much!!
I decided to take disposable cameras, because I keep losing my digital cameras at festivals, so I need to get the photos developed, and then I'll put the best ones on here, but in the mean time I thought I'd write a bit about the bands at Reading and the camping!
Me and my friends decided to go early bird, so on the wednesday instead of the thursday, which was such a good shout because we got a really good camping spot and could just chill on the thursday. Reading is a massive festival so you can't ever really get bored as there is so much on offer for campers. Reading has plenty of stalls to buy pretty much anything, a fair, two silent discos and loads of food. Plus when you camp with lots of people, and/or meet new people, you have a lot of fun!!
I think the line up for this years Reading was one of the best I've seen. On the Friday, The Cure headlined, but to be completely honest, their set was very boring. As one of my friends said, it was the sort of music to slit your wrists to!! The first band I saw on the friday was Cancer Bats, a heavy canadian thrash/punk band. They were absolutely amazing. Even if you don't really enjoy 'heavy' music, you can still apreciate the atmosphere of seeing them live on the main stage.

Cancer Bats

After Cancer Bats I watched spector, who I saw live back in March supporting Florence + The Machine in Cardiff, and they didn't dissapoint. Fred Mcpherson (the lead singer) has an absolutely amazing voice. After Spector we headed back to the mainstage to catch Crystal Castles. I saw Crystal Castles last year in the NME tent and worried the sound wouldn't be as good on the main stage, but they were amazing. The crowd went mental! I was close to the front and felt like I was going to die! I went to the side a bit so I was slightly more out the crowd for Not In Love, which has stuck in my head as one of the best songs I heard them perform. Alice Glass is just so crazy you can't help but adore her. I then went and watched Touche Amore in the Lock Up Tent. Touche Amore are heavy, yet melodic. They're songs are short, and they remind me a lot of La Dispute. They were really fun to watch, evn though I did fall over in a mosh pit!! A bit embarrasing!

 Crystal Castles

After La Dispute we watched Bombay Bicycle Club, who I saw last year and found a bit boring, but this year on the mainstage they really impressed me. Lucy Rose was there and did some of the vocals which definitely improved the set.
A band I hadn't planned on seeing but who were amazing was Sleigh Bells. As The Cure was boring us a bit, we watched Sleigh Bells in the Festival Republic tent. There was an amazing atmosphere and a lot of people there to support them for what was apparently their first UK show.

Sleigh Bells

The saturday however, was the best day of the festival. I was already amazingly impressed with the line up and didn't think it could get much better, until Green Day turned up and performed a secret set at about half 11ish in the NME tent. There is something so amazing about seeing such a huge band perform in a relatively small space. Billie Joe Armstrong really warmed the crowds up. Green Day were one of the first bands I got in to when I started liking alternative music, when I was about 11 or 12 and trying to find my own feet, so seeing them live was absolutely incredible. A highlight has to be when they played Minority, even though I wish they had enough time to play Jesus of Surburbia.
Another highlight of the saturday was seeing OFWGKTA (Odd Future). I liked Odd Future but they turned out to be better than I expected. They are a group like no one else, from their music, the atmosphere, their cult following, to the way they make their money through clothing rather than music. The fact that they are like no one else really translated in to their live performance. The crowd went crazy for Tyler, The Creator. A highlight was when they closed their set with Radical, and were joined by punks Trash Talk, before being kicked off the stage for going over time.

Odd Future

 Green Day

Another highlight from the saturday was Florence + The Machine. She was incredible, and the whole festival atmosphere just added to her performance. She got everyone in the crowd to hug eachother, and as she continued with her performance the rain fell. When she performed Shake It Out, the rain became so heavy, yet this just made the performance more amazing. Florence's voice is so powerful, and her whole set felt incredibly magical.

Florence and The Machine

Kasabian headlined the saturday, and if i'm honest, they were slightly dissapointing. I expected more from them, but they just didn't do it for me. They were ok, and Fire was great live, but it wasn't amazing, and kind of makes me wish I went to watch At The Drive In headline the NME stage instead.
On The Sunday I went to watch Howler perform on the NME stage. Jordan Gatesmith, the lead singer, was so good. The crowd wasn't as big as I expected, but they did perform fairly early in the day. The crowd did go mental for Back Of Your Neck however, which they closed with. One of the best acts from the sunday however was SBTRKT. They were more lively than I expected, and they were amazing. Pharoahs and Wildfire were so good live and the crowd were really lively.

Jordan Gatesmith from Howler

Of course, the main highlight for me from the Sunday, was the Foo Fighters closing the festival. They were mind blowing to see live. These Days and Hero were amazing, but when they closed on Everlong was the highlight for me. Watching the fireworks and the confetti fall from the sky as they played was very emotional. Dave Grohl is such a good frontman and proved that throughout the performance, as he constantly talked to the crowd, and got all of the 10,000 people there to sing happy birthday to his mum, which was so cute!!

The Foos!!

All I can say is bring on next year!!

Crystal Castles performing Not In Love

Foo Fighters Performing Everlong