New year, new music

Hello! So I hope you all had a nice, relaxing break from work/school but unfortunately, most of us are back to the hell of not being able to sleep in all day!

So, as you may have read in my previous blog post, 2012 has been a huge year for emerging artists and you know what that means? A whole bunch of EP's, debut albums and headline tours of course!

Okay so firstly, over the christmas break I discovered a couple of new artists:

• Jake Bugg - Yes we've all known him for a good month or two now, but I really started appreciating his talent when he was on Jools Holland's Hootenany 2012. His voice reminds me of a sort of 60's feel with a tinge of Noel Gallagher and a sprinkling of Alex Turner. This bright young teenager is definitely having a good start to this year! 

• Thomas J Speight - I've been following this artist for a good few months on twitter after hearing a couple of his songs, however I lost track of him until about a week ago when I caught up with his new releases including 'The Willow Tree' EP. His sound is quite Noah and the Whale, mixed with a bit of Chris Martin? Not really sure how to describe him as his songs do very, but he is very capable and gifted and has even been given support from Sir Paul McCartney and Ryan Adams!

• Taylor Ames - I only discovered this gem the other night on twitter, but his voice is so different I had to write about him. His sound is a bit of Ben Howard/Lewis Watson however his voice is very different to any of the artists I've listened to. This guy is very new as he's only been at it for around 3 months and he's already released an EP with 4 tracks (which you can get for free here). I'm very much looking forward to seeing what follows this E over the next few months.

I've also been happy to hear that BBC radio 1 have developed a new show at night which is looking at all the new music releases and artists, which I am absolutely loving! I've already heard a few people I follow but there are so many  people it's hard to keep up with! 

I've also heard news of several EPs and albums to be released over the next couple of months which I can't wait to hear, but in the mean time thanks for reading! ☺

2012 Music review and ones to watch 2013

Hello! So as you may have noticed, 2012 has been a big year for music, as there has been an uprising of new music artists from all over the world, plenty or new albums from already big artists, thousands of sold out tours and the 2012 Olympics hosting a whole world of British music talent. I'm going to be splittint up this article into 4 pieces, most popular songs of 2012, my favourite songs/albums of 2012, my favourite new artists of 2012 and my ones to watch in 2013. So, let the music fest begin!

It's the most stressful time of the year...

It's that time of year again where you have to battle through crowds to get someone you didn't know you were related to, a present for the joyous time of Christmas.

Today for my wondrous adventure, I stepped into the wild city of Manchester (which is only a tram ride away from home, but it's the thought that counts). Every year, Manchester hosts a 'German Market' where you literally have to battle through the flocks of visitors from all across Northern England, or make your way through the crowd by waiting patiently for hours on end, I chose a bit of both as crowds are a natural phenomenon in school corridors, I have learnt to make my way through without pushing people into gutters (hoorah).



(in this photo I took it doesn't look too busy, but I did have to take 6 photos to make sure I got the picture of the gap through the people)
Despite the horrible amount of people, I will still go every year just to feel the Christmassy atmosphere of the place through the hustle and bustle of the visitors as it just makes you feel all nice as cosy.
I also bought most of my presents today and not too last minute for once! I got my secret santa's present, my mum, my aunt and another friend's present today (as well as a cute mug for myself)

As you can see, I bought a lot of soapy things for people, simply because it's easy to buy whether it's from lush like the snow fairy shower gel, or to the soaps from the christmas market at 7 for £10 which is decent for christmas (ish). For my friend, I bought a dinosaur plate and bowl from cath kidston, as well as a mug for myself seeing as everyone keeps stealing mine...

Anyway! If you're ever around the North of England around late November/December, you should definitely take a look at the german market in Manchester as it's just wonderful! The atmosphere is magical and there are so many stalls, from foods and chocolates, PLENTY of mulled wine everywhere, beer stalls, jewellery and general other gifts, a hog roast, you're bound to find something lovely there to treat yourself to, or to give as lovely christmas presents to others.

Thanks for reading, I hope you have lovely holidays wherever you are! ☺

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!

The Power of Number 1

(Gabrielle's face when she found out she was number 1, screenshot from the radio 1 live camera)

As you are soon to hear, the gorgeous Gabrielle Aplin has had her first UK number 1 single on the official charts at radio 1! You can probably tell that I am extremely happy with this news as I am completely head over heels with Gabrielle's cuteness and music.

I'm hoping that thanks to this, Gabrielle will get more noticed and get all the fame that she deserves as she has worked so hard for this. She'll be releasing a full album in 2013 and a new single fairly soon which she says, should be very 'jumpy' and lively.

As well as having a UK tour next March, Gabrielle is going to be supporting Ed Sheeran on his tour in Australia next year, which she is honoured to be doing. I wish her all the best of luck on her tours and release of her new album/singles and I can't wait to hopefully see her in March!

In a little summary, I'm overjoyed for Gabrielle Aplin to have the number 1 spot on the official UK chart, watch out for her as she is going to get bigger and bigger, and if you can, go see her live in concert and meet this little Christmas angel on her way to fame.

Details of her UK tour here // Details of her supporting Ed Sheeran in Australia here

Original Gabrielle Aplin post

Thanks for reading ☺☺☺

Lewis Watson gig featuring his new band!!!

(This lovely picture is thanks to my wonderful friend Holly, my phone died on me ☹)

Hello! So I've just finished 1 week of mocks and inbetween I got to see the adorable Lewis Watson perform live at the Deaf Institute in Manchester along with his astounding support acts!
(If you don't know who Lewis Watson is, then look at my first review of him, listen to a few of his youtube songs then come back and be ready to sob over his beauty)

As I said, last night was phenomenal! (even if I got 5 hours of sleep before a 2 hour maths mock, oh well it was worth it!) The support acts were from The Lake Poets and Mayer, both of whom I had never heard of before but I did enjoy them, especially The Lake Poets who is an absolute cutie with a brilliant voice. Mayer was also brilliant despite his elaborated hand movements and facial expressions while singing.

So, Lewis Watson who is currently a massive part of my revision playlist, played a divine set, including his new 'band' (a drummer and a bassist/keyboard/backing harmony) which excelled his performance even further. Since the last time I saw Lewis live, his voice has grown so much more, as well as his stage presence and interactiveness with the crowd. He has also added 2 new songs to his repertoire of songs which were called 'Little Darling' which he wrote in Australia, and another song which he played at the end, but I can't find or remember the name of! (as soon as I find out I will update this) But the second new song will be a definite hit, it's upbeat, good rhythm, lovely lyrics and most of all, this charming man wrote the lyrics himself unlike a lot of the mainstream music artists these days.

As a whole I found Lewis' gig this time much more enchanting and captivating than last time, nevertheless Lewis is absolutely fabulous live!

After the gig, Lewis/Mayer/The Lake Poets met fans and signed things and took pictures with us, which was really nice! Even after the venue had to clear us out of the building (into the rain) Lewis still met every fan and took pictures and signed things which was really sweet, I got a picture with Lewis and Martin from The Lake Poets

(sorry for the odd face, the wind was blowing in my eyes, also there's a girl behind me creeping in on my moment with Lewis, sigh)

(odd flash but Martin is a right angel and also looks like he was a bit drunk)

We were also given fabric bracelets on the way in as a little memo of the gig:

(the yellow one is from his first headline tour in October from Sound Control, the grey one is from the latest gig ☺)

As always, thanks for reading and I really do hope you like Lewis Watson as he is immensely talented and has the most amazing personality, I wish him well in his new tour next March (where he isn't coming to Manchester ☹☹☹ but I also hope he does well supporting Birdy in Australia next April! Good luck Lewis you little cherub!

March tour details

Twitter - @Levvis_

Facebook - Lewis Watson

GABRIELLE APLIN - THE POWER OF LOVE CD

Okay so, as you (should) all know, Gabrielle Aplin is the singer on the christmas 2012 John Lewis advert. However at 8pm tonight (UK time) she will be selling a CD copy of the single, but there are a limited number of CDs so you'll have to be very quick to get one!

The CD will cost £2.99 (about $4.80?) plus postage and some of the money made will go to the 'save the children' charity!

Check back on Gabrielle's facebook page at 8pm sharp to (try) and be able to get a 'the power of love' cd!

*** CD AVAILABLE FROM THIS LINK ***

(hope you're all doing well, exams are killing me but I have a night off tonight so I'll be posting a couple of reviews, thanks for reading as usual ☺)

The Lumineers (Ho Hey)

American band 'The Lumineers' have invaded the UK soundwaves by storm as their extremely catchy single 'Ho Hey' which reached #8 in the UK charts and #7 in US charts. If you're in the UK you might have heard this extremely catchy song on the 'Silver Linings Playbook' advert or perhaps one of the Microsoft adverts. In the US it reached the 'Platinum' status by selling over 1 million singles.

Dog Is Dead

This incredible five pieced band from Nottingham are named 'Dog is dead' and have recently released their debut album 'All our favourite stories'. If you have been listening to radio 1 recently, you're likely to have heard their song 'Teenage Daughter', if not, then I will introduce you to this spectacular band and all their quirks.

Gabrielle Aplin

You're most likely to have heard this little gem on the 2012 John Lewis christmas advert, singing a cover of 'The Power of Love' by Frankie goes to Hollywood. At just 20, she's just released another set of headline tour dates across the UK after previously touring with the likes of Matt Cardle, Charlie Simpson and Gotye.