Gigs I'm going to this year (so far!)

Last year I went to 15+ gigs, sometimes even two gigs consecutively! Luckily (ish), this year I'm going to far fewer gigs, well so far anyway... So my gig list for this year so far, is as follows:

• Feb 21st (my birthday!) - Lauren Aquilina at the Dry Bar/Night+Day bar: looking forward to this so much! A gig on my birthday from a great up and coming singer as well as great support acts (one who I've seen before at a Nina Nesbitt gig).
• March 5th - Bastille at Manchester Academy 2: me and the academy don't go well together, seeing as when I saw Nina they made me put my (bridge, not even DSLR) camera into the cloakroom which they made me pay for! Nevertheless I've seen videos of Bastille live and the atmosphere looks amazing!
• March 16th - Gabrielle Aplin at Sound Control: last time Gabrielle Aplin was in Manchester I missed out on tickets, but this time we got them nice and early. Sound control is such a nice venue and Gabrielle will definitely use her powerful voice to fill the room.
• April 8th - Imagine Dragons at Manchester Academy 2: once again at the academy, but hopefully the sound of this band will make me forget about the venue!
• June 1st - Muse at The Etihad Stadium: this will be my third time seeing Muse live and each time we have seen them live, they have outdone themselves so I definitely can't wait for this. However, I am dreading this gig slightly as I've got standing tickets! Oh well at least I'll get crushed at a great gig.

Alas, there is my gig diary for this year, however I am missing out on seeing Lewis Watson on his UK headline tour as he didn't put down a Manchester date, and hopefully Nina Nesbitt will be announcing a tour after the release of her new EP Stay Out or after her debut album (both of which will be reviewed on the day released!).

In addition to these gigs, I'm hoping to attend the Dot To Dot festival in Manchester this summer (I was gutted to miss it last year, as a few of my favourite acts performed) but this year I vow to attend it!

Bad Blood

Hello! So hopefully you would have read some of my previous posts and you will know how much of a massive fan I am of Bastille, and when I saw the track listing for their debut album 'Bad Blood', you can guess how excited I was!

According to NME, the album will be released on the 4th of March including their newest single 'Pompeii' which will be released on the 25th of February (the EP released in feb will include 1 song and 3 remixes NOT on the album).

The track listing is as follows:

• Pompeii
• Things We Lost In The Fire
• Bad Blood
• Overjoyed
• These Streets *
• Weight Of Living Pt. II (*)
• Icarus
• Oblivion
• Flaws
• Daniel In The Den *
• Laura Palmer
• Get Home
• Weight Of Living Pt. I (*)
• The Silence *
• Laughter Lines *
• Bad Blood (Live Piano Version)
• Things We Lost In The Fire (Abbey Road Sessions)
• Laura Palmer (Abbey Road Sessions)
• Flaws (Live Acoustic Version)

Some of these songs can be found on youtube however the ones marked with a * are completely new and the one with (*) is vaguely new, however there are a couple of videos of these songs live on youtube. A couple of these have been demos or acoustic versions online. The ones in bold are on the extended cut and include 5 videos.

Lead singer Dan Smith said to NME "I wanted each to be its own story with its own atmosphere which brings in different sounds and elements of production, incorporating aspects of the different genres and styles that I love: hip-hop, indie, pop and folk. Film soundtracks can be broad and varied but tied together by the film itself – and I hope the album will be something like that, but held together by my voice and my songwriting, each song a scene or part of a bigger picture. Some of the album is about stepping back and looking at what kind of person you've become. It’s that dawning realisation that everything has piled up on top of you and it’s up to you, as an adult, to sort yourself out."

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing the demos and acoustics remastered, as well as hearing the new songs on the album. Luckily for me, I'm going to be seeing Bastille the night after their album is released (which fortunately for me, is the night that my 10 hour art exam ends!). I'd definitely recommend Bastille to everyone as all of their songs are so different to each other, each with a different story to tell and a different sound.

Pre-order the album on itunes here or extended cut here

Once again thanks for reading and my previous bastille post can be found here ☺

Other People's Heartache Pt. 2

If you've been listening to radio 1 recently, you may have heard of this delightful band from London singing either 'Flaws' or possibly 'Bad Blood', however today they released their brand new free EP 'Other people's heartache pt. 2' which I am completely in love with!