First Articles Published!!

Last year I had the pleasure of being the Music Co-ordinator for Planet Angel's first festival, *Chilled* in a Field. It realised my dream of creating the perfect festival line up, and it was the hardest, most rewarding thing I have ever done. All the Blood, Sweat and Fears was worth it, I thoroughly enjoyed all the acts that played, and watching everyone enjoy themselves, the bands included, was the best part. I have started writing reviews for the bands that played; Smugglers Records artists Will Varley and Coco's Lovers, followed by Ninja Tune's Jono McCleery.

There's nothing like a good YouTube sesh

It makes me wonder what the hell I did before it existed. I remember being 14 and mad over Skunk Anansie just wishing there was a way I could see some video footage of them live. Now we can find everything we could ever wish for, (and a lot we wished we didn't have to see) and i'm ever so grateful.

A Bon Iver favourite of mine, The Wolves, done beautifully at Glastonbury 2009. This song brings a tear to my eye whenever i listen to it, but this version has a powerful effect simply due to the crowd turned choir of thousands, all singing together as the song builds to its climax. A stunning live performance by all accounts.

Love Bon Iver. LOVE Lykke Li. Put your hands together and you get an awesome result apparently.

Lykke Li has a new album out "Wounded Rhymes", it keeps her original quirkiness but adds a new, more aggressive style that suits her well and was somewhat lacking in her debut. It's much less "woe is me", far more "i'm a strong, confident woman". I'm partial to both but glad to see her taking her sound in a new direction that works well for her.

This song is  slightly contraversial, "I'm your prostitute, you gonna get some".....erm, ooookay...Well, thats one way of putting it, can't deny it's a good song though.

And this is a new discovery for me as of tonight, I don't know much about him yet but thought I would share it with you as a parting gift.

And she's back in the game!

Being able to go to gigs regularly is something I sorely miss about living in London. Over here, you get the good artists coming to town, but at a price that makes you want to gag. $160 for the Chemical Brothers show? Erm, I don't think so. So naturally, as a poor and lowly backpacker, its been something lacking in my life for the past 8 months. And how glad was I that I got to to go the two Mount Kimbie shows in Sydney? Very.

Lauren + "Post dubstep"...or whatever you want to call it

It only goes to show what I firmly believe, that with music it's quite often a case of right place and right time. There are so many bands I have listened to that I hated at first, then a few years down the line, when my tastes have changed, I am officially obsessed. When first introduced to Mount Kimbie over a year ago, I didn't get it. Refused to even give it a go. But when I found out I knew the guys, I decided I shouldn't give up just yet. So away on my travels I go, and I got hold of their debut album, Crooks and Lovers, but didn't listen to it until I found the perfect opportunity. Recommended time and place if you haven't found it already: a beautiful beach at sunset. Fondling the sand and swirling it in my palms as I always do, the album put me in a wonderfully contemplative headspace. It was perfect. The airy whispering synths complimented the sound of the waves perfectly. The emotive vocal samples in songs like Before I Move Off really pulled me in, the way that only vocals really can, but the deep bass heavy vibrations of tracks like Mayor are what keep me hooked. There's nothing I like more than an album that can satisfy many of my musical needs in a mere 40 minutes. Good job boys.

2 nights in Sydney

The first night was in Good God Small Club, a converted salsa club with a weirdly clean and Mediterranean feel considering its meant to be the dingy cool place to see live gigs in Sydney. Being the first time I have seen them, I thought it was amazing. I didn't expect guitars and drum kits or singing that's for sure. They played cracking new songs and cleverly adapted old favourites, proving their versatility and willingness to adapt their sound to suit a live show. 

The second gig was at the Oxford Arts Factory, and absolutely blew me away. The venue was bigger, and packed to the rafters with pumped up ravers all screaming in appreciation. Lots of extra bass and a few vodkas saw me hanging off the balcony miming the imaginary words of the Alliyah sample, never wanting it to end. I had an unrivaled view of all the fans waving their hands and surging at every drop, it's one of my favourite feelings at a gig to see so many people unified in their appreciation for good music. I can really say without any bias whatsoever, that it was one of the best live shows I have seen. Ok, so I am a little biased ;) but I challenge anyone to disagree with me!!!

Free Festivals RULE!

Australia day was heaps of fun (ooooh first official use of the word 'heaps'!), it was a sunny day, with lots of interesting things going on in town; car shows, food stalls, tennis live link, and 5 stages of music! We zig-zaged through the Rocks soaking up the incredible atmosphere, nothing gets Australians excited like a mid-week piss up, and we finally settlled at the Parksong stage for a delightful mixture of reggae, electro, soulful acoustic music and a box of goon. 

Sprawled out on a picnic blanket with friends as both the goon and the sun went down, we were in a cheery mood! Australia's original Michael Jackson impersonator was throwing shapes behind us- not sure if the fact he was actually Indian and loooked NOTHING like MJ made it funny or tragic...

The headline act was Katie Noonan, apparently very famous in Australia and advertised as having a wonderful voice for Australia to be proud of (you will find this is their main selling technique for beer, food and pretty much EVERYTHING) so I was excited to see her. It would be fair to say I was in a receptive mood, With the whole Sia album being played before she came on, I was dancing lying down, and fairly drunk. But Katie's voice really did make an impression. It was sweet, soulful and accompanied by great instrumentation. She was quirky and intriguing, and told a good story. She is exactly what I look for in a singer quite frankly! As soon as I got home I you-tubed her and found an amazing cover of Gnarles Barkley's 'Crazy'. It may not be an original song to cover, but damn does she do it well. Thanks Australia Day for bringing her into my life! Oh, and for the day off work :)

mmm whatcha say?

Sydney is not my "lucky" city. I'm just going to put that out there. Not sure why it has to be in the public domain, but sometimes these things have to be aired. I'm almost 100% sure this is not my fault. My experiences so far of Australian men, and men of other nationalities that reside in this country, is overwhelmingly negative. For the most part they are egotistical, arrogant, sexist, racist, self obsessed pigs. I could go on. A friend of mine who has lived here for 2 years warned me that this would be the case, I wish I had just believed her and sworn myself off men, it would have saved a lot of embarrassment. Not just for me, but for the whole of the Australian male race. You know what? That's fine. Asia can be pretty full on in terms of backpacker fun, and quite frankly I was done anyway. But why do the guys have to be so mean? It has at times made me feel pretty crap. But I'm so over that now. Ladies in Australia, if you ever feel marginalised or not good enough because of the lack of braincells in the wanker banker surfer dudes, remember, for one it really isn't you, it's them.

P.S I realise this is a slight contradiction to my last post where I 100% approved Sydney. This is of course because men are not important enough to be considered in the overall view of the city life, and they should not damage a city's reputation. I therefore left them out of the equation, and gave them their own little post.

I have been listening to this song a lot recently, and funnily enough, the lyrics tie into the feeling of loneliness it is important to break free from. Imogen Heap has a beatiful voice that she loves to experiment and play around with, using various forms of technology and looping systems to do so. This song from her 2005 album "Speak for Yourself" performed live is a testament to her abilities. Maybe I should start experimenting?

Livin' for the City

Moving to a new city isn't something I have done before. Not really. Even when I went to university, it was close to home so I went back as and when I needed my washing done. And when I moved to Brixton with my boyfriend, that was close enough to beg for a lift home on a cold night (i'm very indepedant if you hadn't noticed already). But getting a flat and a job in Sydney? Well now that's pretty far. And having finally fled the nest properly, I think Sydney was a damn good choice for spreading my wings. There's great beaches (when it's not pissing down with rain), great food, yummy surfers, shopping until your heart's content, work that pays better than London, and i've got a lovely little en suite room in a house with Harri, and great friends living 2 doors down!!

As much as I love the idea of traveling by myself, to "find myself", I like having the safety net of friends around me. You know, to freak out with when I cockraoch crawls into my toiletries bag (actually happened) or my bag gets stolen (actually happened) or I see a hot guy (has happened ALOT). Friends old or new, as long as they're there and I can call them up and say "Hey, what ya up to? Lets do something fun". I don't think I was made to travel on my own, but I'm also fearful i'm telling myself that because its easier than lifting myself out of the comfort zone i'm nestled so nicely into. Either way there's no denying it, there's a lot of fun to be had in a city like Sydney with your mates. You want an example? Sure.

Plump DJ's @ Chinese Laundry. Perfect. Exactly what I wanted. 8 people + 2 boxes goon (Australian version of Lambrini, UGH) = drunken mess before we even get there. And when Plump DJ's come on, I danced and I sweated myself into a melted version of my former made up self. I'm giving the eyes to everyone but no ones taking them. I don't blame them, I look back at the pictures of the night and I get a fright. An actual fright. 

So there you have it. Sydney has been 100% approved by moi. For fun, food and friends. But not family. Because they're not here :( Which is why I will be going home in 6 months time to enjoy their company and a summer of festivals. Bring it on!

P.S. It's Friday night, but I am severely in need of a detox....with chocolate. But here's something to give YOU that Friday feeling, one all mighty dnb mix by Fiend. I can't get enough of it at the moment.

A Different World by Fiendproductions on Mixcloud

In a really good mood, for no reason at all?

There is a distinct lack of  music that sums up this feeling. I have music that makes me feel happy because it means something to me, and the occasional greats that make everyone happy like Stevie Wonder, but genuinely happy sounding music? Not as much. And then, walking around pretty much every store in Sydney, I kept hearing a familiar voice. And of course, with this particular artist being from Australia, her crazy quirky billboards were popping up everywhere. So I went and bought the album, and it has brought happy clappy music into my life once again.

The whole album, from start to finish, fills me with smiles. From her time with London based electronica collective Zero 7, I have always been a fan of Sia's beautiful and powerful voice. However her second solo album "Colour the Small One", the first I discovered, didn't really do it for me. Apart from the song Breathe, which is a very emotional ballad to say the least, there was no oomph. Admittedly I haven't had the pleasure of listening to her third release, "Some People Have Real Problems", but her latest album "We Are Born" has really done it for me. It shows off her voice at its most powerful in songs like "Be Good To Me", and also has such a massive playful element in it with others, "Clap Your Hands" and the above "Stop Trying" to name a couple of my favourites. This album is one to listen to from start to finish, walking through a park, getting ready to go out (for the girls of course) or whenever you're in a really good mood for no reason. That's what this album is summed up as for me, In a really good mood, for no reason at all. Frankly it's the best reason to be in a good mood, don't you think?