OCTOBER OCCASIONS

I’m trying to ignore the fact that we’re in the tenth month of the year already (honestly where has time gone?!) and instead focus on the musical delights October has to offer us...

Jack Savoretti Tour

There’s nothing like an attractive Italian man who can serenade you with romantic lyrics, so it’s a good thing this lovely man falls right into that category. Savoretti’s initial success is due to being invited on tour with the wonderful Corinne Bailey Rae which can only mean good things and it has been for him so far. He’s hitting moderately sized venues on his own headline tour this month, including London’s very own Roundhouse and Sheffield’s own musical shrine Leadmill (where I will be drooling over his talent).

Adam Barnes + Chris Ayer Tour

This is a headline tour for Adam Barnes but I had to mention Chris Ayer has he is the sole reason I bought tickets (at a bargain price of £6!) to this tour. Oxford born Barnes is taking USA songwriter Ayer with him to hit some of the UK’s quaintest venues; if you like soft melodies and beautiful voices then these are the men for you. If you're quick you may be able to score a ticket for the last few stops on their tour!

The Staves Tour

It seems I’ve picked out all the singer/songwriter tours for this month but you cannot miss this harmonising sister trio who have already sang on a Tom Jones album, supported Bon Iver and Paolo Nutini, and performed at Glastonbury this year (to name a few of their achievements). These girls are fresh off their tour with Florence + the Machine and ready to hit their own headline shows – catch them at venues such as the Old Fire Station in Bournemouth or the Engine Shed in Lincoln.

The Shires Tour

This beautiful duo are the only English country act to have an album reach the top 10 in the charts, and it’s no surprise they managed it! Having rose to fame after performing at the annual Country2Country event in London last year their debut album ‘Brave’ flew off the shelves scoring them another UK tour and an appearance on the most recent Graham Norton show. Having seen them previously, I can tell you now they’re well worth a listen or even a visit to one of their gigs!

Who are you looking forward to seeing this month?

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SEPTEMBER SCENE

I know we’re technically halfway through September now but there’s still so much to look forward to this month; here’s what I think you should be feasting your eyes and ears on over the next few weeks!

Places to Be

Apple Music Festival

What was know as the iTunes Music Festival, the previously month-long extravaganza has been condensed down to just a week this year, located at the usual venue of London’s Roundhouse with the biggest names in the music industry playing, and even more support acts to be announced.

Tickets are free but managing to get one is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - head to iTunes to try your luck at grabbing one.

Don’t fear if you do miss out, they’ll be live streaming all the artist’s performances via the Apple Music app.

Florence + the Machine Tour

If you haven’t got tickets to see this glorious goddess yet then I’d get a move on pretty quick as she only has a few dates left and the tickets are selling like hot cakes.

Having caught her incredible set at Glastonbury this year, I couldn’t believe my luck when my best friend presented me with tickets to one of her many London dates for my birthday; it is guaranteed to be a spectacles of sparkles and splendour

The Wombats Tour

This Liverpudlian trio are hitting the road for a short tour at the end of September (with a couple of October dates). They’re playing some fair-sized venues including Nottingham’s famous Rock City and of course the magnificent Ally Pally, a well deserved step up for them from their previous tours after the release of ‘Glitterbug’, their third album which charted at #5.

Tickets are still available for some venues at a decent price for such an amazing live band!

Listen Out For

Light Up the Dark – Gabrielle Aplin, 18^th September

After the success of her first album, young songstress Aplin has a mean feat ahead of her to produce a matching follow-up album. If her already released singles are anything to go by, she won’t need to worry about the comparison; with an edgier vibe the music seems to have matured with the artist.

Every Open Eye – CHVRCHES, 25^th September

Scottish synth trio are back with another album packed with punches and pulses. I have a lot of love for lead singer Lauren Mayberry, and not only because of her speaking out against misogyny, but for her sweet tones and biting lyrics. The reviews so far have sang their praises for carrying on the 80s electronic revival, a trend followed by TSwift’s ‘1989’ and other popular female artists.

Caracal - Disclosure, 25^th September

It seems to be the month of second albums as this sibling DJ duo are set to release theirs showcasing not only already hard-hitting names but also up-and-coming artists such as Lion Babe. You can get a taste for the album already as they’ve released 3 official singles, 2 promotional singles and 1 unofficially released single – only 6 more songs to go!

Judging by these songs and the reviews, they’ve stuck with what they know best which is anthemic electronic bangers with deep beats and exceptional vocals from every featured artist; why change such a winning formula?

What are you looking forward to this month?

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LEEDS FESTIVAL

Despite all my friends attending Reading Festival during our teenage years, when I decided to volunteer with Oxfam I was drawn to Leeds Festival – probably due to the Foo Fighters playing on my birthday but I have never looked back since.

Compared to previous years, I was sceptical about the line-up but it has definitely been my best one yet, mainly due to sticking around the smaller stages.

Here are some of my highlights from the weekend:

Frank Turner – Friday, Festival Republic Stage

I was lucky enough to be working on the disabled platform of the FR stage when this wonderful man headlined meaning I didn’t miss a single second of the set.

Even with the lack of Sleeping Souls, Frank Turner still managed to have the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand using just his guitar and voice. He tore through a selection of songs from his entire discography, although concentrating on those from his new record ‘Positive Songs for Negative People’ which can be a risk with such a recent release but I’m sure he would have been pleasantly surprised to hear a fair number of voices singing the songs back.

Mumford & Sons – Saturday, Main Stage

I’ve been a big fan of these guys from the beginning but have never had the chance for some reason or another to see them live. So came my time on Saturday night and after all these years of waiting they did not disappoint.

There had been lengthy discussion in the group about our opinions on how much of their album they would play and how the audience would react to this – turns out quite a lot and very well. As well as screaming along to their old beauties, the whole set made me appreciate their new sound even more than before. I think they’ve definitely taken a step in the right direction without losing their musical integrity or passion in the process and it certainly comes across in their live performance.

Without a shadow of doubt, they were one of the best performances across the weekend.

Catfish & the Bottlemen – Sunday, NME/Radio 1 Stage

Last year I stumbled across these guys playing in the Festival Republic tent while I was seeking shelter from the rain so I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the sheer number of people pile into a significantly bigger tent to watch this year.

They’ve gone from strength to strength with a top 10 album and numerous appearances at festivals over the summer so it was no surprise they drew such a crowd at Leeds. By the end of the first number you could feel the sweat dripping from every pore as the masses lost their minds to belter after belter. An exceptional set was played as per usual; I can’t wait to see where they will have moved up to next year.

The Wombats – Sunday, Festival Republic Stage

Another old favourite of mine who I’ve never quite managed to catch live. I personally think they deserved to be on a bigger stage but either way they certainly ended my festival on a high. Every song was a crowd-pleaser with people climbing the tent supports just to catch a glimpse of the band and scream the words back at them. Due to the unbearable humidity and lack of personal space we removed ourselves from the tent near the end of the set but not before I had a chance to sing my heart out to my absolute favourite ‘1996’.

Other standout moments for me were catching Elle King singing her cover of ‘My Neck, My Back’ – far superior to the original if I may say so; living out my teenage emo phase dream by finally seeing Panic! At the Disco; watching one of my favourite bands All Time Low playing one of my favourite songs from their new album, ‘Missing You’ and of course seeing my favourite Scottish rockers (sorry Biffy) Twin Atlantic for the sixth time and once again having the absolute time of my life.

AUGUST ACTION

August is looking to be an exciting month for music fans with an endless amount of festivals to show off your new wellies at and new music to blast through your worn out car speakers.

Places to Be

Kicking off the month in style is everyone’s favourite seaside festival Boardmasters; with an eclectic line-up there’s something for everyone, although it is mainly aimed at electronic and dance fans. And if you don’t fancy the music (although why wouldn’t you), there’s an opportunity to learn to surf or show off your already perfected wave skills.

If you’re looking for the craziest weekend of your life, Boomtown Fair is probably your best bet for that. Essentially a pop-up town plonked in the middle of Winchester, this festival takes its fancy dress and activities outside of the live music very seriously. Not one to miss if you have a love for reggae music or the circus.

Do you love food almost as much as you love music? Have you ever wondered what Alex James from Blur’s farm was like? Well look no further then The Big Feastival; organised by Alex James and Jamie Oliver, this extravaganza will leave you drooling at the sight of gorgeous food cooked by top chefs over at the Big Kitchen while boogying to the sound of Paloma Faith and Ella Eyre. If I had known about this before Leeds Festival, I would have most definitely been spending my bank holiday weekend here.

And of course we can’t forget the legendary Reading& Leeds Festival. A somewhat disappointing main stage line-up in my opinion compared to previous years, I recommend spending your time exploring the smaller stages for some fresh faces. If you’re looking for gourmet food stalls or activities to keep you occupied during the day, I suggest you go somewhere else as these festivals mean business when it comes to the music and nothing else matters.

Listen Out For

Tomorrow marks the release of 2 albums that I have been eagerly anticipating for some time: Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls ‘Positive Songs for Negative People’ and Don Broco ‘Automatic’.

You may remember the heart-wrenching break-up record that was ‘Tape Deck Heart’, whatever horrible relationship breakdown inspired that is long forgotten with PSFNP, rallying cries of hope and defiance. The album was recorded live in Nashville with producer Butch Walker (Save Rock and Roll, Red) giving it a raw edge of emotion and untidiness.

The latter album comes from London boys, almost 3 years to the day their debut album was released. It’s a toe-tapping treat and the reviews have been singing its praises left, right and centre. If you could bottle the energy they put into the live shows and translate it into an album, this would be it.

Later this month, flame haired songstress Jess Glynne will be releasing her debut album ‘I Cry When I Laugh’. Featuring most of her well-known hits on the tracklisting, there are a few unknowns which are bound to show off her mind-blowing vocals.

If their synonymous single ‘What Went Down’ is anything to go by, the fourth album for Foals should be a darker spectacle to previous material. Having matured from indie rockers to stadium belters, these guys are proving they can still provide fresh music for the fans without straying from their original roots that made them so popular in the first place.

What are you looking forward to most this August?

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WHAT IS THIS NEW APPLE MUSIC ALL ABOUT?

When I finally got a day off I decided to put it use by baking, catching up on Orange is the New Black and checking out this whole new Apple Music streaming thing – a productive day if you ask me.

A note before I start my critique, I am already an owner of Spotify Premium, paying half price for it because I’m milking my student status for all it’s worth. I adore it because I can access any music I want at the click of a button, can download it to play offline, share music with anyone I want and don’t have to sit through annoying adverts just so I can carry on listening. However, the only downfall is I can’t download it onto my iPod as I own an iPod classic – so retro I know.

How much is this going to set me back?

Everyone starts off with a free trial of 3 months BUT once that time period is over, you have to make the decision as to whether you’re willing to pay money for this service.

The 2 paying options are £9.99 a month for single user of £14.99 for a family membership, which in the long run could be significantly cheaper if you’re living in a musically inclined household.

There is a free option which still allows you to listen to the radio and download music but you have to put up with adverts and limited song skipping.

Overall opinion – the price isn’t any cheaper or more extortionate compared to other streaming services, I would rather be paying for one service rather than 2 or more meaning I’ll have to eventually choose Apple Music or Spotify.

Are the recommendations actually any good?

When you set this all up, it allows you to pick genres and artists you like and love in order to tailor playlists and recommendations to your taste – this becomes the basis of the ‘For You’ section.

Unlike other streaming services, Apple Music combines both algorithms and actual human intelligence to pick out the perfect recommendations for you; Spotify and Tidal use algorithms which is why I once had them recommend Black Eyed Peas because I listened to Michael Bublé...

This is all updated 3 times a day, meaning by the time you’ve exhausted the playlists they’ve provided you with, there will be a whole new selection to explore.

As well as rating songs they give you by clicking a little heart, you can also select your favourites from your own iTunes library.

Overall opinion – They’ve developed something worthwhile here, the recommendations actually match my taste in music and the playlists give you a chance to rediscover songs you’ve forgotten about as well as find new artists. The only playlists that seem a bit pointless are the ‘Intro to *insert artist*’, I don’t think many people need to be introduced to the Arctic Monkeys!

What’s available in the New section?

This not only combines new artists and recent releases but is where the majority of the playlists are stored as well.

Something they’re brought in is editor and curator playlists which allows the people behind the magic of this programme to give you an insight into what they’re listening to.

The current chart music is featured and they’ve introduced ‘A-List’ playlists for every genre, which includes popular songs in that category as well as up and coming artists.

There’s a section for themed playlists, for example cooking or breaking up playlists which can be found under ‘Activity Playlists’ and there is one main category shown on the home page of ‘New’. Mine happens to be ‘Workout Playlists’, not sure what they’re trying to tell me...

Similar to Spotify, you can download any playlist to listen to offline meaning you no longer have to struggle to find Wi-Fi just to access your music, although there is no icon telling that you’ve downloaded a playlist meaning you’ll need a good memory if you’ve saved a few.

Overall opinion – The variety found on this page beats any other streaming service by a long way, there are so many possibilities for discovery and I no longer have to worry about making myself a gym or pre-drinks playlist as there’s already one that can be tailored to my preferences at the click of a button.

What makes Beats 1 Radio so different to other radio stations?

As they will tell you constantly when listening, it is a ‘24/7 worldwide radio station’; however in reality there isn’t much difference.

They will be getting exclusives but if you miss it while it’s live there is no option to catch up. This is a disappointment given BBC Radio 1 has started streaming on BBC iPlayer as well as having the option of catching up on videos online.

My main gripe with local radio has always been repetition, there is only so many times I can stand hearing ‘All About That Bass’ played in the space of 24 hours. Unfortunately this issue hasn’t disappeared with Beats 1 either, so if you do plan to listen to it for an extended period of time I hope you are a fan of Pharrell Williams.

Much like other radio stations, you can’t skip songs but if you choose to listen to the genre specific radio stations this feature is available.

Despite its similarities to already available radio, Beats 1 brings you something that most radio stations lack nowadays – real music fans at the forefront of the broadcast. There is something wonderful about hearing a radio DJ fawning over a gig they went to the night before or excitedly ranting about a new artist they’ve discovered. Whether that experience appeals to everyone is yet to be seen but with passion being the driving force behind it all, there is a chance for success.

Overall opinion – being someone who can only stand a couple of hours of radio at a time, it will be interesting to see if I tolerate this better, something I think that can only be discovered over time. I think this will be the main selling point of the whole product, especially as it will be available to those on a free membership.

What is this whole Connect thing?

This can go either way with an Apple user, either you care about what you’re favourite artists are up to or you couldn’t care less as Twitter gives you the same information at the same time.

There is an option in your iTunes library to ‘follow’ an artist, which then brings them up on your Connect homescreen, giving you regular updates from them.

It’s a way for artists to connect with their fans, allowing them to post media and get instant feedback in the form of likes, comments and shares. This is no different to any other social media platform except you can’t connect with your own friends. There is no way for me to post my own content, therefore in my eyes rendering it useless as I want to be able to show my friends that our favourite artist just posted a new video.

Another issue is that unless your favourite artist actually takes part in this, you won’t get regular updates and it will be pointless to you.

Overall opinion – Another piece of content available on the free membership but with limited appeal unless an artist you are interested in engages with it.

So I heard you can get any song you want for free, how does this work?

I fell into this little trap when I first downloaded it, I spent so long trying to get my head round how Apple are possibly making a profit from allowing everyone to access every piece of music available all for free.

Well here’s the catch – you can download as much music as you want, put it on every Apple device you own and listen to it as much as you want, AS LONG as you are paying for your membership. As soon as that membership gets cancelled, wave goodbye to those songs because they are digital rights management protected and there is no way to keep them. They even get deleted off your devices so be forewarned and do not get too attached to your music.

Overall opinion – I totally understand why Apple has done this but you are essentially renting your music rather than buying it.

So my feeling about Apple Music in general: I’ll happily use the 3 month membership while it’s free and they’ve brought in some very appealing features but is it worth me paying £120 per year? Probably not. As someone who buys music but mainly in the form of CDs, and actually enjoys Radio 1 but isn’t overly fussed about radio in general, this isn’t particularly groundbreaking for me. It lacks the social aspect that Spotify provides for me and I’m constantly searching out new music from either friends or online without any problems so I don’t feel like I need Apple Music to do it for me.

My verdict – I’ll stick to Spotify for now.

GLASTONBURY

It’s been a couple of weeks since the legendary contemporary arts festival so I apologise for the delay but swapping blog sites proved to be a lot more difficult than I thought!

It was my second year attending and I have to say it was even better than last time (except for the distinct lack of Dolly, but let’s not talk about that)

Here are some of my musical highlights: 

Catfish and the Bottlemen

I’ve previously seen these guys at Leeds Festival last year so knew we were in for a treat when I spotted them on the line-up. Despite the rain messing with their instruments, it did nothing to dampen the crowd’s mood as they bounced around to the catchy rock anthems belted out by frontman Van McCann.

A little heart melting moment was created when McCann instructed someone in the audience to pass their CD to security and promised he would listen – you could feel the girls swooning across the field.

Florence and the Machine

After Dave Grohl’s minor incident with his leg, the line-up was shuffled and these guys were bumped up to top spot. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of surprise but that was soon forgotten as the goddess that is Florence Welch threw herself across the stage. It’s safe to say they were a worthy replacement to the Foos, especially with the addition of a ‘Times Like These’ cover and Flo whipping her top off for the finale.

Saint Raymond

I managed to catch the last half of this set as I ran from James Bay while downing a fruit smoothie in an attempt to restore some of the vitamins I’d lost after a week of drinking. For someone of his age and experience, he dominated the stage with enthusiasm and just pure talent. After a successful set, his luck only continued with his debut album ‘Young Blood’ reaching number 8 in the charts – rightly so, it is an absolute belter.

Prides

On straight after Saint Raymond, these Glaswegian synth-pop rockers brought a new level of energy to the stage. Having previously seen them headline the BBC Introducing stage at Leeds Festival last year, I genuinely think they’ve upped their game with a slicker performance and a more capturing stage presence. Their debut album has also just been released, and again is well worth a listen.

Jamie T

Sunday was full of amazing artists which had me running around like a headless chicken trying to catch every possible minute of every artist I could. On my lengthy list of musical loves was Jamie T and he did not disappoint. Throwing out a mixture of his new material as well as the old classics, the entire crowd went crazy for him; there’s nothing quite like a thousand-odd people screaming ‘LANDAAAAN’ in synchrony.

The first 15 minutes of Kanye West

Before you roll your eyes and scroll past this, HEAR ME OUT. I am not a big Kanye fan and I was just as disappointed as everyone else that he was playing instead of Taylor Swift. However I must give credit where it is due and opening with the Daft Punk sample on ‘Stronger’ was a genius move to get the crowd on his side - for the time being. As he blasted his way through ‘N***** in Paris’ and ‘Black Skinhead’ (feat. Lee Nelson), I was having the time of my life. We won’t talk about the rest of the set or the unnecessary murder of that classic Queen song...

If you went to Glastonbury or even watched it on TV from the comfort and cleanliness of your own home, let me know what your highlights were!