My “READING FESTIVAL 2012” Experience

To start off, this was my first time at Reading Festival and probably a festival I personally didn’t think I’d ever be going to. That said, I was swayed by the line-up early this year and snatched a ticket as soon as I saw the line-up on the Mainstage and the Lock-Up stage. So, without further ado, this is my review of who I managed to see at the festival…

Sorry for the lack of posts: I’ve returned from Reading Festival.

I got back yesterday and felt too tired to even write an update: being at the front barrier for Trash Talk and then standing for THREE hours while watching Foo Fighters is enough to test anyone’s stamina. Needless to say my legs still feel pretty weak, as do my chest and arms (probably from the barrier during Trash Talk).

I promise to write up a review/summary of all the bands/artists I saw over the weekend (which is a lot!) soon, pinky promise.

If You’re Going To… READING AND LEEDS FESTIVAL 2012

If you’re over the age of twelve and live in  the UK, the words “Reading and Leeds Festival” are probably as natural to your brain as ‘food’ or ‘water’. One of the biggest festivals in the UK, alongside Glastonbury and the Isle Of Wight Festival, Reading and Leeds showcases some of the biggest names in rock, indie, pop, electronic and, occasionally, metal and punk acts across seven stages. While it is technically two festivals in two different locations, the line-up is the same for both, exchanging bands and artists on different days – If an artist plays at Reading on the Friday, they will be at Leeds on one of the following days. So this year, the weekend of music starts on the 24th ’til the 26th, although if you want you can travel up on the Wednesday or Thursday (22nd/23rd) if you want a chance of getting a good camping spot and an extra night or two of partying.

Baroness Bus Crash.

It’s a shocking experience to hear that a band you hold in high regard get caught in an ordeal that could be fatal for anyone involved. When I woke up and heard about a bus crash with a band earlier, later finding out it was Baroness, I was stunned.

So far, it seems that everyone involved is ok and only two people are seriously injured, regardless my thoughts and wishes go out to everyone who was on the bus. Let’s hope there’s no tragedy to come of this.

Icky Blossoms – “Icky Blossoms” Quick Review

Icky Blossoms – Icky Blossoms
Genre: Electronic/Indie

Label: Saddle Creek

Icky Blossoms is the recent indie sensation to come from Nebraska, the trio compromising of Sarah Bohling, Derek Pressnall and Nik Fackler – all of whom have come from different bands and backgrounds. While it seems very confusing of what exactly each member’s role is (apart from Sarah and Derek both taking up vocals), the band seem to rely on the chilled approach to electronic pop, with a small witch house influence.

An update on general things.

Top 10… Post-rock Songs.

Well, here’s my first “Top #” list, and I thought I’d start easy with a sub-genre of music that tends to be soft and tranquil… ‘tend’ being a word used out of lack of others. For those unaware, post-rock in general is a type of music that is composed by the usual ‘rock band’ setup – guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, etc. and for the most part instrumental.

The defining part of this label is that bands under it tend to concentrate on composition; rather than being ‘in your face’ or suffocatingly attention-seeking. Instead, post-rock bands are basically rock bands acting as orchestras, trying to incite different emotions without a vocal influence or pop repetition; and playing on sensations.

As I highlighted earlier, ‘tend’ is an vague word. While post-rock does ‘tend’ to comprise of bands going for soft-loud approaches to their music, obvious examples being  Explosions In The Sky or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, other bands tend to go for a more bold approach, embracing distortion or jam-like dynamics, examples of these would be And So I Watch You From Afar or Pelican.

Anyway, that’s enough of that. These are my personal top ten favourite post-rock tracks:

If You’re Going To… BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012

The eighth Bloodstock Open Air festival will be wreaking havoc this coming weekend, from the 9th-12th, unleashing metal to the masses in Derbyshire! The festival boasts blackened death metal monsters Behemoth, groove metal veterans Machine Head and the legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper as mainstage headliners – as well as a hundred more variations of metal acts spread across four stages and four days (instead of the ‘norm’ of three days). The festival appeals to a wide variety sub-genres in metal, generally covering the death/thrash/black/folk/sludge/heavy metal areas. So Bloodstock should appeal to anyone who is looking for an intense degree of metal.

If You’re Going To… WORCESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012

The fifth Worcester Music Festival takes place on the Bank Holiday weekend in August, 24th-27th. Why should you consider going? You get the choice of over 300 local and unsigned acts across 30 different venues in a SXSW-setting with performances taking place in bars, cafes, halls and outdoor set-ups. Plus, the festival showcases a wide range of music from acoustic, pop and jazz to rock, punk and electronic acts – so there is something for everyone.