My Top Album of 2014; More Than Life//What's Left Of Me

This was a reasonably difficult decision as there was a lot of good music to come out of 2014 however, there was a clear winner for me;

More Than Life - What's Left Of Me  
Released in April 2014
This was a highly anticipated album for me. More Than Life have always been one of my favourites and I was so gutted when they announced a split after their last release, Love Let Me Go in 2010, luckily I managed to catch them on their 'last ever European tour'.

When they updated their Facebook status in 2012 I was over the moon;

The first track released off What's Left Of Me was Do You Remember and at first I was unsure as the style was quite different in comparison to More Than Life's previous records however, I soon learnt to appreciate the song as it's own thing rather than comparing it with the likes of Daisy Hill or Brave Enough To Fail. The online responses to the new track seemed to be very positive and everyone seemed to be excited for the new album release.

What's Left Of Me was released in April and blimey, I was blown away. This album packs such a punch and each track is filled with emotion. The album is quite dark and seems to sound more along the lines of previous More Than Life releases. The lyrics clearly relate to real life experiences and this allows listeners to relate to the tracks and feel closer to the music in general. I bought the album on vinyl and listened to it on repeat for a few days; it is one of those albums that is not just background noise, it's an album that I will put on and just listen to without any other distractions. There is not a single track on this record that I dislike and I feel it was certainly a good move for the band. 

The cherry on top of it all was when More Than Life announced a couple of dates and I managed to grab a ticket for the show at The Borderline in London. The show certainly hit all expectations and the band were more than up to scratch despite having some time off. but you can read a bit about that in my 9 weeks 9 shows post! 

You can check out More Than Life on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morethanlifeuk?fref=ts

Or stream What's Left Of Me on Holy Roar Record's Bandcamp: http://holyroarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/whats-left-of-me

Do you have a favourite album of 2014? 

9 weeks, 9 shows - Part One

I'm back finally! I know I have been away for a while however a lot of changes have occurred in my life and I have been unbelievably busy, I finally feel like I am at a good place to sit down and write, hooray! 

So, I am sure you are all desperate to hear what I have been up to and as per usual; gigs, gigs & more gigs, so here is a breakdown (part one) of some of the shows I have been lucky enough to attend! 

Gnarwolves//The Black Heart, Camden//15.09.2014
I was extremely lucky to attend this intimate debut album release show, and of course Gnarwolves did not disappoint. The excitement of the release really shined through in the band's stage presence and this was reflected when the packed-in crowd erupted. If you are familiar with this band then you will of course be aware that no Gnarwolves show is complete without stage dives and crowd surfs, and having no barrier certainly allowed more than the odd stage dive. 

The Libertines//Alexandra Palace//28.09.2014
You can imagine the surprise when I discovered an email confirming that I had won tickets to see The Libertines, especially when I had forgotten that I even entered the competition! After a bit of faffing I managed to confirm that the tickets were legitimate and off I went. What an incredible night! The anticipation for the band to come on could be felt seeping out of the surrounding fans and when they finally did arrive there was not a drop of disappointment. Everything from the sound to the back drop was spectacular and the shorties like myself certainly appreciated the live cameras projecting onto a screen directly behind the stage. The Libertines steamed through their set and pulled out all the classics and most certainly ended their third night at Ally Pally on a high note.

Carry The Weight Fest//The Parish Hall, Brighton//05.10.2014
So, this was a very last minute decision I made. My best friend was travelling up this way for CTW Fest which meant I got to see him & some cool bands all in one day, plus I will always take up the opportunity to visit Brighton. Despite the long, rainy journey, this was a really enjoyable day. It had been a while since I had been to a Hardcore show and I only knew a couple of bands on the bill however, I came away with more than a few new bands to add to my playlists. Negative Approach headlined and Violent Reaction, Breaking Point & Renounced were in my top three bands for the day, every band showed buckets of enthusiasm. One of the top points of the day was the general atmosphere, everyone was super friendly and chilled. Also, I must add that the Vegan kebabs that were made on site by Beelzebab were INCREDIBLE. 

More Than Life//The Borderline, London//19.10.2014
I anticipated this show for so long! The last time I saw More Than Life before this show was on their 'last ever tour' and I travelled from Cornwall to Brighton for one night! This time it was a lot simpler, the train from Chelmsford to London is pretty easy. I don't handle excitement very well and can tend to be quite a hyperactive person therefore, you can imagine how I am when waiting to see a band that have been near the top of my list for a good few years now. I was pleased to see that Up River were supporting as I saw them a few years back and after their last performance they made their way onto my iPod. When More Than Life finally came out I was ecstatic, they played a substantial mixture of old and new tracks and could not be faulted on their set list. In all honesty, I don't think they could be faulted at all for their performance that night. Front-man, James, oozes emotion when projecting powerful vocals and the last song played, Love is Not Enough, was dedicated to his mum who had previously passed away a few months earlier; this hit me like a ton of bricks and the repetition of the line 'let me take away the illness that is dragging you down' resulted in a tear or two being shed by myself. More Than Life have continued to create excellent music and have built up an impressive fanbase. Musically, I believe that their sound was a lot tighter than when I saw them a few years ago and I think they will only improve. I will definitely be keeping my eyes and ears open for any more tours or one-off shows.

Buzzin' after More Than Life
Guest appearance from my best mate Jake.

I was nominated...

...on Facebook, by a very good friend of mine, to list ten albums that shaped me. It was difficult and after some intense decisions, I managed to narrow it down to twenty. I thought it would be interesting to explain why and how these albums shaped me. Here is five of the twenty albums:

1. Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season
This decision was the easiest and the first album that sprung to mind. I first discovered Bring Me The Horizon in 2005 (roughly) and I can honestly say that they have been the most influential band in my life so far. This album was my favourite but also it is the one album that holds the most memories for me. Embarrassing as it is, when I first saw this band, they played the song Suicide Season from this album and I cried uncontrollably. I still truly feel that this is an excellent album with so much emotion. Bring Me The Horizon were everything to me, without even knowing they dictated how I dressed, what other music I listened to, how I acted and how I lived my life. 

2. More Than Life - Love Let Me Go Whilst on the note of emotions....This album is really close to home. It is one of those albums that I purposely listen to when I am feeling low because it suits my mood. Daisy Hill was the first track I heard and it then led me to play this album over and over and it even became my 'lullaby' for a long period of time. How many times have you closed your eyes and listened to the rain beating on your window, falling in to a deep sleep, I never wanted to wake up to reality, with a blank expression on every face.

3. Joy Divison - Substance
Love Will Tear Us Apart is a brilliant song...Too many music critics slate it because it's commercial, but it is commercial because it is good! Joy Division loved to release different versions of their tunes and this album includes some of the best. I watched Control, I read Touching From a Distance, and I am a sucker for a tragedy however, it was not the film or book that hit me the hardest, it was listening to this album after truly learning about Ian's struggle. You can feel his pain and the lyrics speak so openly of Ian's gloomy life. This album screams out the pain of Ian's existence....and love really did tear him apart. 

4. Pearl Jam - Ten
Eddie Vedder. Do I need to go on?.....On a serious note, Pearl Jam have been part of my life before I can even remember. My Ma's all time favourite band and a band that I could have never escaped even if I wanted to. My Mum is such a strong, incredible woman and I strive to be like her, every time I listen to Pearl Jam I am reminded of her and what a cool lady she really is, that is why Pearl Jam will ALWAYS be in my top ten.

5. Avril Lavigne - Let Go
Some may cringe at this but, all I can say is that if it was not for this tame 'rock chick' I would have never listened to some of the incredible bands that I have discovered over the years so, Avril, I thank you for showing me that there is better music out there than yours!