Been listening to the Radio One Punk show as they had Trash Talk in session.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s9wlr/Punk_Show_with_Mike_Davies_11_05_2010/

about 45 minutes in then about 1 hour 20 there are four tracks. Two from the impending album, Eyes and Nines and two from past albums.

Hearing them record a short set in a rough manner gives people who haven't seen the band a feeling of what its like to see them live.

I've been to a lot of gigs but seeing Trash Talk is an absolute experience. When you see hardcore bands its flying fists and feet from the crowd you need to watch, but Trash Talk bring it to the crowd. Singer Lee Spielmann shows no hesitation to get the crowd onstage or to get into the crowd and mix it up.

They are a genuinely exciting band who have made the mainstream sit up and listen with music that should not be at all accessible to a variety of people. Powerviolence is soon to become the new black in the world of heavy music.

Trash Talk - ones to look out for.

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The Blue Dawn

Well as its 20 minutes to 7 on the 7th of May I suppose there is one thing on everyones lips, the Parliamentary elections.

As it stands, there is going to be a Hung Parliament with the Conservative Party taking the majority of seats.

It is a triumph for the Tories but will it be a good change of direction for the country?

I feel sorry for the people who have bemoaned Brown since he came into office as the PM, they have looked at the situation he was faced with and not taken into contemplation the task he faced. They have slagged him off for not changing anything or fixing stuff straight away when he was dropped in at the deep end in the first place. Blair played his hand beautifully and left when the shit hit the fan.

As it is, Cameron and hit Etonian chums seem to be the preferred option for reforming this once great nation. The people have spoken and it looks as if the Tories will get in, even if its by a slim margin.

The great Nick Clegg campaign appeared to be media hype and spin doctor workings with the Lib Dems gaining a quarter of the seats that the Tories have at the time of writing.

It is now that the Libs should build upon their new found "interest" and try to build a party manifesto that can contend with the Big Two.

One day the Lib Dems will enter this two horse race and all will be different in UK politics.

All I know now is that its nearly 7am and I think I need some sleep.

Goodnight and god bless. I hope you have enjoyed this break from my usual music rantings, and lets all hope the Tories work for the change they have promised.

peace.x

Meet and Greet.

Tonight something awesome happened.
When you go to a gig its nice when you can talk to the band at the merch desk, or if they're hanging out after the show.
This evening I went to Oxford with my University Class to watch The Bronx. We travelled for nearly three hours on a stuffy coach on the way there and were all pretty fed up by the time we reached Oxford.

After arriving at the gig we witnessed the frankly awesome Mariachi El Bronx. Anyone who hasn't checked them out needs to, they bring it big style.
They were followed by the equally as inspiring Ghost Of A Thousand, they got the crowd moving and warmed up for The Bronx.

It was at this point that the whole class received a text from our lecturer telling us that we had secured "Press Access" to the band and to get a wristband from him.

I was immediately excited about this, The Bronx are one of my favourite bands having seen them 5 or 6 times around the country, so to get the chance to talk to them one on one was incredible.

After their fantastic set we were ushered into a room out the back of the venue and after 10 or so minutes of waiting, Matt Caughthran and Joby J. Ford strolled into the room. After an initial moment of awkwardness where no-one quite knew what to say, everyone got into conversation.
One group of people talked to Matt and another stuck with Joby. I decided to go between the two, asking questions and listening to anecdotes and stories.

Both guys were truly inspiring, giving up their post-gig time to talk to a bunch of Uni students. Even the members of the class who hadn't enjoyed the gig due to either the music not being their thing, or general ignorance were taken aback by the honesty and friendliness of these two "Rock Stars".
We talked for about an hour before they had to take their leave and after a few pictures and handshakes they left and we left, buzzing from our first real experience of rock and roll interaction.

All in all a fantastic evening, made even better by seeing and meeting a fantastic band,
The Bronx: a stellar group of people.

peace.x

Here I Go Again...

Wow its been a long time since I blogged on here.
A lot has been going on in that space of time. I have been finishing off my first year of University. As of now my work is complete and I am ready to leave.
To think that in a week I am no longer a fresher is a very odd experience as it feels like I haven't been here for 8 weeks let alone over 8 months!

My work recently has been pretty intense, pulling all nighters in the library to finish off essays earlier. But it has all been worth it.
As a result of doing my work early I was able to see my girlfriend for a few extra days and also manage to see The Bronx in Bristol on a boat. A BOAT!

Anyway, the purpose of this post was to post my last bit of work, see what y'all think of it.

This is a feature I have written about a band back home with one of my best friends in it, I hope you enjoy it:

The Cheltenham music scene is one that is growing weekly and bursting at the seams with fresh new bands. Hailing from Cleeve School, Slunk Monkey is one of the bands at the front of this new wave.
They play a type of music that is reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys with the attitude of The Libertines.
Slunk Monkey is made of singer and guitarist Tom Love, lead guitarist Krishan Patel, bassist Henry Chatham and drummer Sam Fryer. A relatively new band compared to others around, they have only been a functioning unit since last September when Tom joined Cleeve 6th form and they started to jam together.
Their first live appearance was at the Gloucester Guildhall, only a month after they had been together as a band. Tom had been offered the gig and needed to put a band together. “It was a gamble as we had only been together a month, but we all pulled together and pulled it off, everyone was really keen to do more after that!” Tom said when I asked him about that debut performance.
After the success of the initial performance the band carried on looking for more shows and it wasn’t long before they were booked again. The Jack Frost Ball, a NSPCC fundraiser at Cheltenham Town Hall was the bands next performance where they played a set comprising their own songs as well as a few well-known covers, including Helicopter by Bloc Party and I Bet You Look Good On The Dance floor by Arctic Monkeys.
The popularity of this young band on the local scene really showed when they secured their first headlining show at local music venue the 2pigs Pub.
Playing The 2pigs is a rite of passage for young local bands to play and Slunk Monkey performed brilliantly. Playing to a sold out venue like it was no problem the band played a strong and impressive set, dominating the crowd with their presence and their ability to play a set of tight and exciting songs. Even more impressive that night was that they played above Che, a band set to make it big.
Slunk Monkey stand out from the crowd for a few reasons. On a scene that can come down to success being how good you look on stage, they are a band that plays with real integrity. Watching a Slunk Monkey set, you can watch knowing that the band is giving everything, every time. They play with passion and a willingness to entertain, a refreshing sight on the indie scene nowadays.
“We don’t have anything booked right now, but hopefully we will have some more bookings over summer for people to check us out at” said Tom regarding up and coming gigs.
If they aren’t on your radar already, they should be.

Thank you for reading.
peace.x

Festival Season.

Well Reading 2010 is on the cards.
The main-stage lineup has been announced and I must say, I am pretty impressed.
There is a handful of bands playing the main-stage that I will go and check out.
Just waiting for the Lock Up Tent to be announced and hopefully it will be job done!

Must say that I am stoked to see Limp Bizkit on the bill, hopefully they will tear shit up!

Peace.

Welcome Home...

I've been back in Cheltenham for two days now.
Since I've been back I haven't stopped.
Last night I went to a gig to watch my friend play in a band. For a local gig it was really good, all the bands put on a good show and the crowd responded well to the bands.

My friends band, Slunk Monkey, put on a good show and were deserved headliners. Check them out www.myspace.com/slunkmonkey

Today I went to Bristol to look round the Uni with a friend. It brought back memories of when I was looking around last year, loads of wide eyed soon to be freshers.

I half envy them, half pity them!

In music news, the shit has hit the metaphorical fan.

There are rumours flying around the Internet that Refused are to re-form.

If they were to get back together it would create mass hysteria in the Hardcore scene as nearly every hardcore band at the moment would cite them as an influence.

I for one am absolutely stoked.

If you haven't heard of Refused, shame on you.

Enlighten yourself.
peace.x

Wide awake and raring to go...

I woke up today at 7.24. This is the earliest I have been awake in a long period of time, as i have now slipped into the University sleeping pattern of "sleep until you HAVE to get up."

I was awake this early so I could get up and attend the free for all that was module sign up for 2nd year Journalism.
The shitstorm that was the first floor of the Flaxman building was hot, cramped and confusing. With people jostling to get close to the sign up sheets then just staying there and not moving out of every ones way.

It was definitely way too early to be stressed out with worrying about modules that are months away.

Now I am home and bored. What to do when your next lecture is 5 hours in the future?

5 hours seems like such a long time, there are many possibilities for things to do... I could read a book and make a good dent in it. I could watch The Deer Hunter twice through. I could attempt to go back to sleep.... I am tempted by the idea of going for a run.

All these decisions to make and little motivation to carry any of them through!

Right now I'm sat listening to Metallica... I think I could happily stay here and do this for the next 5 hours.



peace.x