Welcome to Australia

I have now been in Sydney, Australia for 1 week. I was so dubious about this country, I had heard such mixed reviews. On the one hand, its sunny, sand filled and full of opportunity, but on the other, they have been known to be a tad backward. That's the diplomatic way of saying it anyway. The politics, the racism, the introvert nature, all reasons for me not to want to reside here for a whole year. But I arrived with an open mind, and i'm having a great time so far. I have met some amazing people, and already feel so at home in Sydney. 

If you have ever been to Australia you will know how expensive it is. We decided to couch surf and stay with friends as much as possible, which was a great decision. Couch surfing absolutely rocks! You meet some great people, and find out about great ways to travel on the cheap. I 100% recommend it when you're traveling.

So my number one priority (apart from making some money to survive!) is to find some great music in this great country. Being the one thing that Asia lacked, I intend to get my fill here to make up for the 4 months without. Gigs, festivals, raves, it's all happening here. And I will do everything in my power to be at every one possible. You've got the Sydney Festival in January, a huge variety of acts playing in a lot of different venues, festival fever hitting the East coast in the same month, and gigs and raves are literally everywhere you look. I'm in Heaven. 

Fat Freddy's Drop, The Enmore Theatre

I was looking forward to this gig so so much. The first gig in 6 months, it was well overdue. And one of my favourite bands was playing 2 days after arriving in Sydney, perfect!! Unfortunately they didn't quite satisfy. It was great having the whole gig experience again, in a beautiful venue (not unlike Brixton Academy but far more initmate) a beer in my hand, and a burger in my belly! But I was expecting them to pick up the pace at some point during the gig. Sure, i'll give them a few slow sensual numbers, but the whole way through? Nope. Doesn't cut it. Zero 7 are a chilled out band, but every time they play live they get the whole crowd dancing. For Fat Freddy, it seemed the whole crowd were talking. A lot. Loudly. Ah well. They'll be on the festival circuit so we'll give them one more chance, they are after all an AMAZING band.

The DNBBQ

What an awesome rave it was. A free BBQ on arrival, ozzie style, and 3 rooms of DnB, Dubstep and Reggae/soul. A live dance band outside, I literally did not stop dancing all night! Great concept, hopefully it will make its way over to the UK in time for the summer.

On to the must see events coming up down under! There's so many to choose from, believe me I have been doing my research!!

My pick of the Festivals

Future Music Festival

With the Chemical Brothers headlining this 1 day festival, it's a no brainer. It seems to have a more commercial feel to some of the others I have researched, which is OK with me. Its going to be one day of mayhem, I can't wait.

Playground Weekender

I'm seriously excited about this one. A camping weekender with fancy dress, its got Bestival written all over it. It's recieved rave reviews from everyone I have spoken to, all saying it's the best one they have EVER been to. What a claim. Gonna have to check it out, you know, for research purposes. Nothing to do with the fact De La Soul, Four Tet, Lamb, Belleruche and SO many other good people are playing. PHWOAR. Excited.

Good Vibrations

Such an interesting line up, it's got a bit of everything. Everything that I want and need. Faithless headlining, again it's a done deal! But add Erykha Badhu, Fat Freddy, Fake Blood and Rusko into the mix and we have ourselves one awesome party.

Fingers crossed, I will be at ALL of them :D

Lets get Ravey!

One of the things I miss most about London (friends and family excluded of course) is going raving. In South East Asia there's plenty of clubs to dance inappropriately and drunkenly in - not to mention the offers of free alcohol on every flyer that gets thrust in your hands - but it's hard to get away from the chart dance music and unatmospheric house music. When you're desperate you will dance unashamadely to almost anything, but I long to be uplifted in my clubbing experience - taken to the euphoric dreamworld of funky house and drum and bass. To many people these genres to not seem in the least bit either euphoric or dreamy, but I never fail to be amazed at quite how happy a good liquid dnb tune will make me feel. Stone cold sober yet flying high on the rumbling bass lines and grimey undertones interlaced with twirling melodies.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to what is without doubt my favourite genre of dance music by an old friend of mine, Chris White, who also happens to be an astoundingly innovative drum and bass DJ. At just 16, he was already up there with the best in my opinion, although I didn't know this until I was a well seasoned clubber who could appreciate the intricacies of a seamless mix. Now living and working as a DJ in Brighton, his style has evolved, allowing it to incorporate a range of other dance genres, whilst still remaining ultimately drum and bass and undenyably uplifting. The mix posted below has so many double drops in it that at its peaks it creates a perfectly blended wall of sound to rave your tits off to. 

Christian White alt pride mix by ytc

Whilst on the subject of new talent, another one to watch goes by the name of Dekko. Another friend from what seems like a lifetime ago, whose talents I wasn't even aware of until a couple of years ago when I found out he was attending ACM, the well renowned Academy of Music in Guildford. His older brother, Subterra, is a deep dark and dirty drum and bass DJ who is signed to DJ Zinc's record label and surely gave his younger brother a lot of inspiration. Dekko has an inventive streak which sees him producing a wide range of different music, from chillout to dubstep that rivals that of Bonobo or Skream and Benga. Check out his interesting array of tracks here, with my personal favourite posted below.

Dekko - Always Anytime by Dekko

At the moment I am in Ko Chang, a beautiful paradise island full of quirky bars, free BBQ's, beautiful half naked travlers and superb carbonara to cure the worst of hangovers. We are staying at Magic garden, a collection of bungalows staggered on a hilltop complete with a shisha lounge, huge dance floor and a jungle theatre playing nightly films. Quite simply, its everything we need and want. We arrived on magic Tuesday which made it even better! A free BBQ on our doorstep and a fire show which was the best I've ever seen, enjoyed with a free mojito in hand. 

Sunset on Lonely Beach, Ko Chang

Fire Show at Magic Garden

The fire show kicked off with some much needed drum and bass- what a lucky girl I am! An incomprehensible smile on my face and a wiggle in my hips, I stood perplexed at how fast these balls of fire zoomed past our heads. And then it dropped- not the ball of fire, but the incredible Ill Behaviour courtesy of Danny Byrd.

Here's a little snipit of the same track played at the fire show, HE'S DOING IT SO GOD DAMN FAST!!!




Another track I am loving at the moment is a bit more slow paced, but still a great dance track. Remixed by the unfailing Chase and Status, its an emotive track with great vocals on it. Enjoy!

Our last week in Nong Khai

We've been volunteering here for 7 weeks, and its been so much fun. It was originally only meant to be 1 month, but we loved it here so much we decided to stay as long as possible, blowing off the rest of our travels in SE Asia. It was the right thing to do by all accounts. Isara feels like home now! The dynamics have changed a lot in the time we have been here, its inevitable with volunteers constantly leaving and arriving. But i've made new friends throughout our stay and we've had some really good times together. Whether it be teaching, building a boat (Oh yeah....Isara is building a boat out of plastic bottles as an environmental project!) going on road trips, going to festivals (for such a small town, Nong Khai has a surprising large amount of these) or just going out to the local club! Here's some of the Isara highlights....

Visits to the Orphanage

Sarnelli House is a really well maintained orphanage for kids with HIV or AIDS. There's about 70 kids there, most of which have HIV which is monitored with medicines that should see them living a long life. They're all so high-spirited despite everything, its really inspirational. 

 Festival time in Nong Khai

Theres always an excuse to have a drink around here, first we had the Naga Festival (Thai people believe that a serpent rises out of the Mekong River once a year to release fireballs into the sky) then a Chinese Culture festival. 

Teaching at Isara

Teaching can be a seriously daunting experience when you first start out, but at Isara the kids are really enthusiastic and learn so quickly, as long as you play a game with them at the end of the lesson, they're listening. I've grown pretty attached to some of the kids here, not surprisingly its mostly the naughty ones!

And of course, I'm going to miss all the amazing volunteers i've worked with over the past 7 weeks, they've made me feel like i'm at university again!! Doing work, but having so much fun at the same time. 

Last night I stayed up with fellow volunteer Kit exchanging favourite music via youtube after a fair amount of whiskey. Music sharing is one of my favourite things to do, especially when you meet someone with such similar taste but enough differences to keep it interesting and introduce you to some great new music, or even just great versions of songs you already know and love that you never knew existed. God, isn't Youtube great for that? Easy Access :)

I have always had a massive soft spot for Coldplay. So many people criticise them for making depressing music, but me, I can always put them on to compliment my emotional state. When I saw them perform at Wembley stadium in 2009 they blew me away, they've got stage presence like no one else, and their performance at Glastonbury in the same year was, judging by this video, no exception.

Gotta love a bit of Amy Winehouse!! Pre-Fuck up of course :)

Thats it for today, heading out to the local Vietnamese restaurant for a goodbye meal, followed by more whiskey I Imagine!! Saving up all that wonderful dance music for my next post, Lets get ravey :D

An introduction to Thai pop music....

When I first got here, I have to admit, it didn't sound all that great. But the more you listen, the better it sounds. The only club in Nong Khai, Bar-Nana, is a very strange place indeed. There's no dancefloor, just an array of tables (with free pop-corn!) that allow the Thai's to dance only with their friends, and only around their table. It's not so bad- you get table service and you're allowed to take in your own Whisky! A Cheap night out by all accounts. The music they play is a mixture of a live band only playing Thai music, and proper poppy westerm dance music in between sets. I didn't think much of the band at first, but now they remind me of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, in the early days. Everyone is singing along to the songs they play, clearly as well as Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber (what all the cool kids listen to over here) they're listening to some pretty catchy Thai music too. 

THE song that you will hear everywhere in Thailand, and most of South East Asia...

...And I actually love it. It's happy catchy reggae at its best, and I guarantee anyone who has been to SE Asia this year will know this song. 





A music lesson from Hin, The 10 year old rascal from Isara

I'm sure he's going to be a pop star when he's older. He's got the moves, he's got the attitude, and he's got taste....well its good for a 10 year old anyway!

This song is a mixture of Thai and English, and all the kids LOVE it. I actually find myself singing along to it a lot these days...

Thats all I have on the Thai music front for now. My friend Danielle has moved over to Thailand to become a Thai singing sensation, I have no doubt she will be able to add some more music to the mix at a later date!

Today is a good day

Harri and I decided to spend the afternoon at Nong Thin Park, which is a beautiful yet deserted space complete with a lake, pedalows, clay bust painting and young Thai couples stealing some time away to spend in the sunshine. It was the perfect day for it, not a cloud in the sky, a faint breeze keeping us cool while we lay in the shade. There was only one song I was interested in listening to at that point of time, and it was very fitting to our situation. The song seems to me to be about change, doing things that allow you to evolve in life and help you feel positive about the road ahead, whatever that may be. This is exactly what I was feeling when I wanted to listen to the song, but oddly it was the first time I had noticed the lyrics and their meaning.

Harri asked me how I felt about going back home, whether I would have an aching desire to be back on the road living the carefree lifestyle. I hadn't thought about it much, but I instantly knew that wouldn't be the case. I don't think there is any situation that could be thrown at me that would disappoint me. And isn't that a great frame of mind to be in? If we stay in Australia for a year, great. Sun, Sea, Money in my pocket, I'm not complaining. If we don't like it, we stay long enough to make some money, then head out to a different country, India or South America maybe. If we don't find jobs then we can move to another country and teach English. Or we go back home and get to see our friends and family, and start a new life, maybe Brighton or Manchester. Its feels good to have options, and even better to feel completely in control but with an open mind about the situation.

I am also very happy because my Hard Drive has arrived from England, YAAAAY! It was meant to arrive with ALL my music on it, but sadly something went wrong and it turned up empty. Of course my instant reaction was to cry. I was so excited to get all my most loved music back, only to find out I had none of it. But, I knew I had to turn this into a positive. Over the past few days I have been going mad trying to acquire all my favourite music, and i'm making real headway. My iPod now has over 2000 tracks on it! Up from 500! Here is a selection of what I am intent on listening to over the next few weeks:

• Stevie Wonder
• Fink
• Christina Aguilera
• Fat Freddy's Drop
• Laura Marling
• Foo Fighters
• MSTRKRFT
• Justice
• Simain Mobile Disco
• Kings of Leon
• Bonobo
• Deadmau5

And i'm still going. And I am very very happy :)

So you know I mentionned arduous bus journeys...

Well, last night's journey really did take things to the next level. As if a 10 hour bus journey up and down the mountainous "roads" of Laos isn't bad enough, whoever's running the show is clearly a complete imbecile. The bus was overbooked with 3 people having to sit in the aisles all night, but then, of course, the bus broke down in the middle of nowhere. And did anyone give us any information as to what the hell was going on? No. So we waited for 2 hours for another bus to pick us up. By this point we thought we were going to simply be parked up for the night so it was good news all around. And a nicer bus!! But, oh wait, EVEN LESS SEATS.

Allow me to introduce two very important characters in this night's events; The incapable Thai mother and her possessed 4 year old girl. Possessed why? Because she had the ability to SCREAM for 10 hours straight. Actually that's incorrect, she stopped screaming to throw up every now and again. Or piss everywhere. I am not exaggerating. 

Long story not so short, it was the bus ride from hell, with little sleep. As usual my iPod came to the rescue. A week earlier I had randomly thought of a track and couldn't get the tune out of my head. I had no idea who it was by, and around half an hour of searching did no good, I had to let it go. Damn it's frustrating when that happens isn't it? Well, on this particular journey, the child relentlessly screaming in my ear (did I mention they were sat across the aisle from me?), I decided Radiohead would be quite fitting. Their album "The Bends", one I haven't listened to much. And wouldn't you know, the song that had haunted me just 1 week before played in my ears, and made me smile with sweet satisfaction. 

Enjoy this wonderful version courtesy of The Jools Holland Show :)

Radiohead really do seem to be a marmite band. Loathing or Loving seem to be the main opinions, both of which I have felt. Many of my good friends have loved them for years, whereas I just couldn't get into it. The usual response of "they're droney and depressing" seemed quite accurate to me. It was only when my boyfriend at the time Alex played them to me (before we started dating but right when the butterflies were in full action) did I stop and think, hey, these guys are pretty good! I saw them through his devoted eyes, and took another chance. They proved to me that first impressions can be deceiving,  and you should never be afraid to go back on your seemingly firm rooted opinions on bands. If you do so, you are denying yourself some pretty special musical moments!

This is the song that made me fall in love with Radiohead. Its starts off so dark and morbid, with classic Radiohead "circling the drain pipe" type dreariness, but when the chorus kicks in, the orchestral like climax depicts a real sense of hope. He's really trying to pull himself out of the sink hole!! Its this type of contrast in a song that commands respect in my eyes, when its able to make you feel a range of emotions in just 3 or 4 minutes, they really know what they're doing.