A decade of music: The best albums from the last 10 years 2009-2011

2009: Kasabian- West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum



After crash landing on the scene in 2004 with their self-titled debut album, where lead single Club Foot became one of the most popular songs of that year, Kasabian were met with universal acclaim.
However, when their third album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, hit the shelves two years ago, it made the two previous albums seem quite ordinary.

The sound is loud and the group are proud. They weren’t afraid of promoting their sound either. First releasing a teaser EP in 2007, they then swarmed their website with album tracks, and even sought about charming you on the box with the soundtracks for the BRAVIA TV and FIFA 2009 ads.

Not only that, but every time I hear a promotional advert for a boxing match come on the TV, I just expect one of the songs from this album to be accompanying it. The only worthy description of these songs is blockbuster. If there was any chance of another Rocky film in the offing, then this must surely be the readymade score for it?

Of course, I think we must all congratulate Kasabian for being so brave and risky with this album. I mean, just look at the album title. It feels more like a tongue-twisting riddle than a hit album of the decade. The artwork, the song names, the music; just everything seems so unorthodox, presenting the group with real danger of disappearing into the wilderness forever.

Kasabian though, seemed sure of themselves, confident in their wacky persona but by heck have they pulled it off. That’s exactly why this album has worked a treat. It was daring. It wasn’t afraid to push boundaries. Most of all though Kasabian weren’t afraid of evolving into something brilliant, producing tunes of epic proportions. They employed so many different musical techniques on this disc, with the eastern guitar of Where Did All The Love Go?, the unfinished electronic feel of Fast Fuse and not mentioning the raw jagged riff that first hits you on Underdog.

In a time when if a band evolves far beyond its fan base it sinks like the Titanic, Kasabian have done exactly that but couldn’t care less about the repercussions. For that on its own they should be commended. While some fans were left behind, many many others had been picked up. I hope you were one of those.

Highlight tracks: Fire, West Ryder Silver Bullet, Where Did All The Love Go?

Did you know? Each song is meant to represent an inmate at the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, a group of mental institutions built in West Yorkshire in the 1880s.





2010: Two Door Cinema Club- Tourist History



If albums were like the sun, then a recommendation for the strongest sunblock you could lay your hands on would have come with Tourist History. Two Door Cinema Club seem to be playing with a permanent ‘glass half full’ mindset, staying constantly on the sunny side of pop, turning it up to full brightness. It’s almost as if this album is on a personal mission to make what are known as emos extinct, by branding happiness as the new sad.

I remember being in Dublin last year when Two Door Cinema Club performed at Oxegen festival, and it was clear to see that during their set they wanted to promote their songs as ones that you could endlessly dance to at a furious pace. This dance-orientated electro-pop translates beautifully onto both the live stage and onto a CD. Just make sure you have your curtains closed whenever you play this album, as I can assure you it will have you shaking those hips and moving those feet in no time.

Tourist History has ended up being somewhat of a slow burner, as 2010 was dominated by Ellie Goulding and Marina & The Diamonds, but since then it has become one of the sounds of 2011. This has ended up becoming a blessing for the Northern Irish group, who have become way more celebrated and recognised than if they had just petered away at the end of 2010.

However I am glad they have got the recognition they deserve, as this is a stonker of an album. Their happy-go-lucky nature is reflected in their music, and while plenty of cheer is great, they’ve realised that it can be too much of a good thing, with none of the tracks breaking the four minute barrier.

I Can Talk is the masterpiece of the album. Seeing as it’s the middle track it’s almost as if the rest of the record is built around it, but it just epitomises what the album is all about; punchy, sunny and direct.

Two Door Cinema Club have become one of the major sounds of the present day, proving to everyone that happy music is the best music. If you’ve not dabbled in their stuff then prove to the world that you’re not stubborn. Trust me, eat that album up, it’s good for you.

Highlight tracks: I Can Talk, Come Back Home, What You Know.

Did you know? Two Door Cinema Club’s name came around after they mispronounced the name of their local theatre, Tudor Cinema.





2011: Foo Fighters- Wasting Light



Now, usually when a band is on their seventh album, the status quo is that it is only listened to by the most loyal of fans, with the record churning out similar but satisfactory music to please the regular punters. Except for a few anomalies, you wouldn’t expect a band to come up trumps with some of it’s best work to date, yet that is exactly what Foo Fighters have done.

Immediately there aren’t any tracks that jump out at you like previous Foos albums, however what’s different is that straightaway this record comes seamlessly together like your grandma’s knitting. Yes, it means none of the songs will be making great waves amongst the singles chart, but who cares about that, especially when it reached the summit of the album charts.

The fact that Foo Fighters can still hit number one with their seventh effort is a credit to themselves for tweaking their sound so it still sounds traditionally like Foos, yet feeling like a completely new chapter in a thriller novel. The extended hiatus that the band took after Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace must also have played a part in the group’s new refreshed and reinvigorated sound.

On Wasting Light it feels like their appetite is back, their desire fuelled by the challenge to reclaim their crown as the world’s hottest rock band. The brash guitar and crashing drums are a staple part of the whole album, punishing anyone who ever doubted their ability to come back at the top of their game. It majestically matches fist-pumping, adrenaline-fuelled songs with ones of a more subtle, melodic quality in such a way that it would be inconceivable for them to be imagined apart.

The production of the album is also an incredible stroke of genius, with the idea of recording it on analog tape in Dave Grohl’s garage really complimenting the sound that the Foos have produced. I mean, why not return to familiar surroundings and comfort by recording in your own back yard?

Foo Fighters are playing like they’ve just started out as a new band, like they’re playing with a purpose and sense of direction, just like they did at the beginning. Is it coincidence that Foo Fighters’ best work is their first two albums and Wasting Light? I think not. Don’t get me wrong, their other stuff isn’t to be sniffed at, but doesn’t quite reach the technical mark these three beauties have now set.

So, Foo Fighters have begun writing again with a new lease of life, with sublime results. I just hope it stays for good this time. Mission to return to the peak of rock music accomplished. Welcome back Foo Fighters.

Highlight tracks: Arlandria, These Days, Walk.

Did you know? Wasting Light is the first album to feature Pat Smear as an official band member since The Colour and The Shape, Foo Fighters' second album.





So that’s it, the final part of my series of reviews about my favourite albums over the past decade. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them, and thanks for checking them out in the first place! Be sure to look back regularly as I’ve got some great pieces lined up for 2012.

Last but not least, have a very Merry Christmas and a great new year!

A decade of music: The best albums from the last 10 years 2006-2008

2006: Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People I Am, That’s What I’m Not



When The Libertines self-destructed after their second album, they left a gaping hole in the market for a British indie band. Okay, so nobody probably thought they would be replicated in terms of their musical talent, their attitude and their ability to create a complete rock ‘n’ roll album.
The Arctic Monkeys had other ideas. Six months prior to the release of their debut album, they were virtually unknowns. However, in true rebellious fashion, they gatecrashed the charts like it was some sort of harmonious village car boot sale. Not only did they gatecrash it, they set up their own stall and sold drugs in their millions. This drug took the resemblance of their first album, with many people finding it more like an addiction.
Many of the songs were leaked on YouTube months before it’s release, people still couldn’t stay away, determined to get a physical copy. Proof is in the pudding, with the LP selling over 360,000 copies in it’s first week alone, this being more than the other albums in the top 20 put together. Still to this day it remains the fastest selling debut album in UK history.

The Monkeys have this swashbuckling approach to their music that’s weirdly charming, a gritty edge that becomes hypnotic. The slower tempo songs must have some built in metronome, infinitely swinging in time with the beat, to try and coax your heart into...theee...sameee...rhyttthhhmm. See what I mean?
Alex Turner’s voice performs as a loudspeaker, informing the world about their run-ins with the local copper or bouncer. Maybe, if you listen hard enough, they might even sing about a car boot sale organiser kicking them out as well.

Gone were the fashion statements and beautiful women hanging off their arms, their lager-propelled music didn’t need any other symbols, the sound filtering out of the radio was iconic enough.
The Arctic Monkeys reached the unusual feat of having their debut labelled as a modern classic only a week after it’s release and with all the furore that surrounded them, it was easy for everyone to get caught up in it.

Whatever you do don’t believe the hype. This album really is that good.



Highlight tracks: Mardy Bum, When The Sun Goes Down, Dancing Shoes.

Did you know? The Arctic Monkeys refused all offers to go on Top Of The Pops, and seldom did interviews around the album’s release.





2007: Relient K- Five Score And Seven Years Ago



After their careers have finished, Relient K could be described as music’s “nearly” men. However, it is beyond beggar’s belief as to why this could ever potentially be the case.

After their early cheeky punk records, Relient K were almost seen as a diet version of Blink-182, producing playful tunes with a unique sense of humour that translated wonderfully on the live stage. Fast forward to 2007, and after their previous effort Mmhmm, broke that stranglehold to release them into the mainstream, Relient K finally produced an album that seemed to be a perfect fit for radio, polished more than Jeeves can say “You can see your face in it, Sir.”

There is not even a smidgen of punk in Five Score, as the band seemingly felt far more at home within the pop/rock genre, and this is reflected in their song writing. The group in a sense could be described as a flower throughout their career, starting out as a bud, opening up on the last album and then blossoming magically on Five Score.

Relient K have always had an ace up their sleeve in the form of their lead singer and frontman Matthew Thiessen, who’s voice and song writing skills, shared along with guitarist Matt Hoopes, have been instrumental in Relient’s rise. His voice is one of the highest quality, with his soft, piercing sound touching nerves and heart strings that people never knew they had. Deathbed, the 11 minute closer on the CD, is worth the album price all on it’s own, a beautiful piece that is told in such a captivating way.

What I like most about this album though is it’s versatility. It doesn’t sound out of place whatever mood you’re in, whether it be sombre, ecstatic or downright depressed. One day the songs could act as pumped up beats to drag your sorry state to the gym with, another as songs that hold the dearest of memories and a different day they could be tunes that have the ability to snap you out of your bad mood.

Whatever the occasion, whatever the weather and whatever you’re feeling, Relient K are guaranteed to always put a smile on your face.



Highlight tracks: I Need You, Devastation and Reform, Deathbed.

Did you know? The song Deathbed uses a whopping 115 different instruments throughout it’s duration.





2008: Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes



Pinning the hometown of Fleet Foxes is like trying to guess where the treasure is on the map at one of those stalls at a school fete. If you listen to them without knowing where they come from, it’s hard to identify their homeland. Their sound is so universal and so broad it could have recorded in a number of US cities; Brooklyn, Minneapolis or Chicago, to name just a few. This album could even have been recorded in Great Britain considering the strength of the English folk influences.

It was not recorded in any of those places in fact, but in Seattle, famous for also being the starting points for Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Foo Fighters and who could forget Sir-Mix-A-Lot? When their self-titled debut was released it seemed that Fleet Foxes would follow them on the road to stardom, with them being heralded as “America’s next great band.”

Okay, so Fleet Foxes will have to sustain some kind of legacy to ever be mentioned in the same breath as those legendary musicians, but their first album really gets the wheels rolling to reach that goal.

It’s a corker. Fleet Foxes has this undying haunting charm about it, one that’s so captivating that it will have you putting the album on repeat in a robotically consistent fashion. This kind of music should have been created by seasoned pros who were on their fifth or sixth albums and not a band who formed only two years previous.

The harmonies they create are just so peaceful and smooth, like a butterfly flying through woodland with the sun piercing through the treeline. Robin Pecknold’s lead vocals also play a huge part in a lot of the tracks, almost creating harmonies themselves to compliment that of the guitarists. It is the combination of these that makes their music so unusual and so appealing, offering more twists and turns than a Agatha Christie murder mystery.

With most folk pop, while a lot of it is very good technically, there aren’t many surprises. On the flipside, Fleet Foxes is so enchanting, so enthralling that it is just a record of divine beauty.

The album keeps you guessing, just like the treasure map stall at the school fete.



Highlight tracks: White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn’t Know Why, Quiet Horses.

Did you know? As well as earning critical acclaim for the music, the album also won an award for the cover art.





Check back in the next couple of days for the fourth and final part of my music review of the decade, covering the years 2009-2011.

A decade of music: The best albums from the last 10 years 2003-2005

2003: Switchfoot- The Beautiful Letdown



Switchfoot were a band who were getting kind of used to wallowing in the suburbs of indie music, releasing three albums to low-key receptions before coming to the end of their contract with re:think Records. For most bands this would spell the end of their music careers, they would start seeking a different day job whilst having a big fat question of “what if?” hanging over their heads for years to come.
However, Switchfoot took this opportunity to sit back and enjoy their music without the pressure of a record label breathing down their necks. It made them feel like four regular guys, doing what they loved doing the most, but most importantly giving them the time and space to write the music they wanted to write.

The resulting outcome? The Beautiful Letdown. Contrary to what the title suggests, it wasn’t a letdown, however they did indeed create something beautiful. What was unique with Switchfoot on this album was that even though they wrote songs that meant so much to them, they have that special quality where the songs feel like they were wrote specifically for us, the fans.
The legacy? A major label debut breakthrough, countless weeks spent on the Billboard Hot 200, over 2 million album sales in the US and the priceless spot in the mainstream they had been yearning for. They also had two songs, “Meant To Live” and “Dare You To Move” on the film soundtracks for Spider-man 2 and A Walk To Remember respectively, further pushing their music out to a larger audience.

There’s also a very diverse mix of songs on The Beautiful Letdown. It offers you songs that really touch your heart, but before you can well up with emotion you’re bouncing off the clouds to the next song, accompanying your tapping foot with a massive grin on your face.

For this very reason I find myself often coming to the conclusion that The Beautiful Letdown is exactly like a best friend, a lot of fun at times but also very touching.

Highlight tracks: Dare You To Move, Meant To Live, Adding To The Noise.

Did you know? Even though it took 3 years to release The Beautiful Letdown after their previous album, they only spent 2 weeks actually recording it.





2004: Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand



Franz Ferdinand arrived on the scene in 2004 determined to influence music, exactly like their namesake did with the Austrian army. The boldness of this album made people sit up and take notice and see that Franz Ferdinand’s pulsating songs told a story that they were here to stay.

It just oozes coolness, with Alex Kapranos singing as if it’s not just a song but a statement to society, a fashion trend that people need to urgently pick up on. He also seems to have an uncanny knack of sounding clever yet steering clear of conceit, and has that aura about him that isn’t dissimilar to that of the popular kid at school that everyone wanted to hang around with.

They’re brash but not in-your-face, their lyrics are wild and intrepid yet it’s easy to listen to. The music sounds distantly like something you’ve heard before but the sound is distinctively Franz Ferdinand. The guitar has a funky feel to it, the drums feel disco inspired and the piano is so corny it could double up as an everyday breakfast cereal. If anything else, Franz Ferdinand will have introduced a whole new world of dancing to people who were once as rigid as a telephone, with many of the tracks forcing your body into a routine that sways in time with the heartbeat of the album.

The band ended up winning the 2004 Mercury Music prize, and although this is always a coveted award that bands take pleasure in winning, it all but confirmed Franz Ferdinand’s status as the hottest indie band at the time.

It was Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination that initiated World War I and like for like it was the band’s personal mission to kick start the post-punk revival in Britain. With this masterpiece of an effort it’s safe to say that they were successful in their attack on the music scene.

Highlight tracks: This Fire, Take Me Out, Cheating On You.

Did you know? Their debut led to the band receiving two BRIT awards to accompany the Mercury Music prize that they had already won.





2005: Kanye West- Late Registration




For a while, when I thought of rap music I thought of it being rather drab and dull, with it all sounding the same like one big bland mess. However, after catching a glimpse of Kanye’s single “Touch The Sky” on the radio one morning, I was instantly hooked. I hastily bought Late Registration later on in the day and I remember not being able to put it down for days, at my homework’s expense.

It’s never what I imagined a rap album to sound like. It’s as if Kanye West has grabbed the genre by the scruff of the neck and injected a shedload of soul into whilst adding a splash of swagger. West takes the bare bones of rap music and adds sprinkles of string arrangements, poignant harmonies and thumping beats to create a new face to the genre, one that extends boundaries and produces a stunning piece of music.

Of course, the production of the record is impeccable as well, and this can only be down to the genius of Jon Brion, but it is Mr West and his band of friends who have orchestrated it’s undeniable quality. Notable mentions include Adam Levine, Jay-Z, Jamie Foxx and The Game, who all seem to add something extra to this bubbling pot of an album.

Yes, Kanye West’s head has ballooned to new extremes, but it is his egotism that draws people to his music, and with this effort his doting audience has also grown to the same level as his self-esteem. West also craftily works his songs to fit the impressive cast of MCs he has hired to join him in his quest to bend and break the barriers of rap music.

The accolades followed, with the album winning two Grammy awards and oodles of critical acclaim with many people labelling it classic. I’m inclined to agree with them and so would West himself but no one can doubt the way he has gone about expanding rap music, and in line with his aspirations he has touched the sky with Late Registration.


Highlight tracks: Touch The Sky, Bring Me Down, Hey Mama

Did you know? The success of his debut album The College Dropout enabled him to afford his very own string orchestra for Late Registration.



Check back in the next couple of days for part three, covering the years 2006-2008.

A decade of music: The best albums from the last 10 years 2000-2002

The last decade could be seen as one of anguish, with definitive events such as 9/11, the ongoing war in Afghanistan and even the breakdown in the economy meaning that a lot of people were remembering the last 10 years for all the wrong reasons.
However, what the last 10 years has also done is provide everyone with a wealth of great music, and many of us have used this music to shelter us from the storm of events that transpired.
As a result, with this being the first in a four part series of reviews, I have compiled a list of the best albums that the last 10 years has had to offer, year by year. So without further ado, read on and enjoy!





2000: Linkin Park- Hybrid Theory



By looking at the facts, it’s easy to see why Hybrid Theory has been my pick for the year 2000. At the time of writing it is still the highest selling debut album of the 21st century, it was given the unique honour of being certified diamond status in America, and was the highest selling album of the following year, 2001.

However if you look beyond the facts, then it’s even easier to see that Hybrid Theory has done so much more than shift a shedload of albums. It was a game changer. The subject of the “hybrid” is it’s diverse fusion of rap and metal, two genres that you think should be kept fiercely apart but on Hybrid Theory they blend together like they were made for each other. Chester Bennington’s raspy vocals team up with Mike Shinoda’s rapping, like a marriage between the world’s oddest couple that has blossomed into something truly exceptional.

At a time when pop boy bands were dominating the music scene it is testament to Hybrid Theory for ploughing nu metal into the mainstream, offering something completely original that people wouldn’t baulk at. The thrashing and crashing of the guitars and synths propelled “In The End”, “Papercut” and “Crawling” to the top of the charts, people celebrating a genre of music that had not quite heard of before.

Even when you listen to it now, it still seems fresh and unique, definitely not something that was released over 10 years ago, and I think this, above all, shows how much of a champion this album was.


Highlight tracks: In The End, Points Of Authority, One Step Closer.

Did you know? It is the second highest selling album of the 2000s, behind only to The Beatles’ 1.





2001: The Strokes- Is This It



You know when something simple is better left alone, where if it’s not broken then don’t try and fix it? Well with The Strokes’ debut effort Is This It this is one of these moments. This album is proof that stripped-back indie is one of the most beautiful sounds you will ever have the pleasure to hear. This CD could easily have hit the shelves back in the late 1970s and still wouldn’t have looked out of place, yet today it still seems so current, with the rawness of their sound meaning it will never mature and get old.

At the end of 2009 it made the top 5 in several critic’s lists of the album of the last decade, with NME voting it in at number one. With such high critical acclaim it could have been so easy for us to shrug it off and label these bunch of New Yorkers as “over-hyped”. However once you’re immersed in this record then it’s clear to see that even though New York is already renowned for churning out great bands, these guys are something special. The punchy yet elegant guitar, the simple production of an album that was recorded in a tiny basement and the constant reminders throughout to fans that music CAN be sexy are all factors that contribute to this being a stunning piece of artistry.

Another measure of a great album is how it inspires the next generation of performers, and bands such as The Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand will always be in debt to Is This It and the influence it has had on their sound.

Highlight tracks: Last Nite, Someday, Hard To Explain.

Did you know? The band deliberately left out the grammatically correct question mark from the album title because they believed that aesthetically it didn’t look right.





2002: The Libertines- Up The Bracket



Listening to Up The Bracket is like ordering a portion of rowdiness with a large side order of attitude. Everything about this album just epitomises British rock and roll. It’s loud, it’s noisy, it’s full of bad language, it’s careless and the band just sound completely smashed.

However it’s all these things that when they mish mash together they create a beautiful masterpiece. Quintessentially British, the brashness of this album means the band seem determined to include nuggets of the past 50 years or so of British rock history to make the most complete album of them all. Although in the long run it may not be considered the best British album of all time, they have definitely given it a good old stab.

Another thing that makes this album so brilliant is the glorious relationship that Carl Barat and Pete Doherty shared. T infamous bust up had dominated the headlines shortly after their second album was released, but during their time together in The Libertines their writing skills were unmatched.

They play their music as if they couldn’t care less, the guitar riffs sound like they’ve literally just rolled out of bed and some of the vocals sound a bit like that croaky voice you get when you first wake up but all of this just provides this album with a crucial jagged edge. They may not have made great waves in terms of sales or chart smashes but I honestly don’t think they were bothered at all, mainly because it just hasn’t mattered, but also because it just isn’t their style.

Highlight tracks: Horrorshow, Boys In The Band, The Good Old Days.

Did you know? The lead guitarist of The Clash, Mick Jones, was the producer for Up The Bracket.




Check back in the next couple of days for part two, covering the years 2003-2005.

A careful driver is one who honks his horn when he goes through a red light.

After having driven for over 3 years and living in an age where there are more cars on the road than ever before, it’s hard not to notice other people’s bad driving habits. With seeing these on a weekly basis, I thought this provided a great opportunity to share you with a pick of the ones that I think are worst, or in other words the ones that irritate me the most. Just before you read on, I want to disclose the fact that I am nowhere near the perfect driver, I myself have been involved in various scrapes with dustbins, farmyard animals and suchlike.

Anyway, below are my five worst pet hates of drivers:

1. Full beamers

Sometimes I enjoy nothing more than going driving late at night with some of my best pals, but sometimes when I return I wonder how I can still see, after being dazzled more times than Matthew Kelly can say “stars in your eyes”. It’s not so much people keeping full beam on permanently but it’s more when they have it on and don’t turn it off until you actually make eye contact with it. I can tell drivers have it on when the faint aura of their lights appears on the brow of a hill. Even though they can probably see my lights in return, 95% of people seem adamant on not turning them off until they physically see me in my little car, subsequently blinding me for a few seconds.

I just don’t understand why nearly all people don’t turn them off in time. Perhaps drivers forget they have them on? Perhaps they don’t see me in time? Maybe even some might think it’s a low flying UFO just passing by. Even with these explanations I still think that offending drivers see myself and others in plenty of time to tone down their lights before we see them. I could easily go cruising dazzle-free if people just acted the same time as they noticed my oncoming appearance and not three seconds later.

2. Crafty little motorcyclists.

So we are told that even though 1% of all traffic are motorbikes, 18% of road accidents contain a motorbike. Motorcyclists always tell us it’s because we never bother looking out for them. However after seeing the behaviour of some motorcyclists it’s no wonder why we never see them.
Generally bike riders are just as patient and safe as car drivers, but you get the odd intolerant one who will cheat the queue, dart in and out of cars and squeeze into the tightest of gaps in order to get home before Deal Or No Deal is on. I guess at least if it’s a moped you can hear the Crazy Frog-like noise from a mile away, giving you enough time to acknowledge it’s existence and look out for its whereabouts.

Of course, this impression of motorcyclists only represents the smallest fraction of them, but then again you never really remember the safe, by-the-book drivers do you? 65% of drivers claim that when they are involved in an accident with a motorbike they never seen it in the first place. Although most, if not all, people who drive cars can definitely sharpen up on their observational skills on the road, I do wonder if motorcyclists had a bit more patience then this statistic would be lower.

3. Chavs who race with cars that can only be described as milkfloats.

So, Bracknell is famous for its chavs and the boy racer attitude that synonymously comes with it. This is why car insurance is so high for young drivers and why burnt out cars are part of the scenery in the area. However, one of the more laughable incidents that can happen if you come across a boy racer is if you meet them at a red traffic light. As soon as you make eye contact with them, this apparently means you have committed yourself to a driving duel with them, with no definite finish line.
However, more often than not, the cars they drive often share the same engine power as a milkfloat, such as a Fiat Cinquecento. If it’s a car similar to this then I reckon the cars that feature in the Flintstones could outpace this “badboy”. I haven’t got the biggest or quickest car in the world, a 1.4 Polo, but sometimes when these guys pull up beside me I do fancy my chances.

I don’t normally race at all, but one set of boys turned up in an ancient Ford Fiesta, and they looked particularly cocky so I thought I’d try and embarrass them. For sure, my car took off before theirs even registered the green light, but the noise that came from their car just sounded like it had thrown up the gearbox and left it dragging along the tarmac.
So maybe this doesn’t annoy me so much but just makes me laugh at how ridiculous some drivers can be. They’ll learn someday, I’m sure...

4. Rich people with cars as big as their egos.

Porsche 911. Bugatti Veyron. Aston Martin DB9. 11 plate Range Rover. Most of us can only dream of owning one of these cars or one that has a similar price tag.

However usually all or the majority of us have at one time shared a view of digust at the people who drive these vehicles. Put that down purely to jealousy or just disbelief at the way these beefy cars squeeze the smaller, more cosy cars off the road, but there is typically something that these flash cars will never live up to in size: the driver’s ego.

The reason as to why some people think they own the road completely baffles me. My car, Percy the Polo, might be 13 years old, it might need a new exhaust and possibly a good wash, but no way does he deserve to be pushed off the road by your snarling Lotus Elise Mr rich businessman. Every car and it’s owner has equal rights on the road, and there is no written law that newer, bigger cars can jump to the queue ahead of it’s older namesakes. Ok, enough of the sentimental stuff, I’ll stop pussyfooting around with page 572 of the Highway Code and try and grasp the reason as to why money seems to equal road selfishness.

I’m not saying everyone that owns a top sportscar is a mindless and selfish driver but the ones that are try to multitask beyond what is naturally feasible. I’ve noticed one elegant but big-nosed lady try to feed her spoilt baby food straight from Blenheim palace while trying to navigate round a busy intersection. Another? Yes, he was on the phone no doubt furiously trying to strike a deal while responding to an email on his Blackberry from Wilkinson’s saying they’d rejected his latest and greatest invention. I don’t think even Einstein has a theory to explain why these road users can carelessly drive like this, probably thinking they can just wave a wad of notes at the police to let them off the hook. Want my opinion? I’m not trying to pin the blame on a certain section, but I think they’re all bankers.

5. People who think indicating doesn’t exist.

Yes, those little flashing amber lights on the side of your car do actually mean something. They are to help pedestrians, cyclists and fellow motorists alike learn which junction you’re turning off at, which exit on a roundabout you’re leaving at or just the general direction of your journey.
They basically do as they say on the tin, they INDICATE to others which direction you’re taking.

People who don’t indicate properly waste other people’s time, if I added up all the time I had waited unnecessarily in order to guess which way cars were taking, I could have driven across America, especially with all that extra petrol I was using. I mean, it could potentially cause accidents, whereas some drivers are seemingly treating roads as a trial run for road wars, holding off the indicator and then crazily swerving down a backstreet without prior warning.

It’s commonplace in driving to indicate whenever you are changing lane or direction, so it’s difficult to understand why a select group have forgotten to signal, especially when it should have been drilled into them right from the start. I bet these people are the same lot who indicate in car parks when there is clearly only one direction to go.

Basically not indicating, whether it on your way to the local supermarket or on a road trip to Land’s End, hinders everyone else’s journey and even though you know where you’re going, no one else does. Unless if you have a stalker, getting chased by the police car whilst making a cameo appearance on Road Wars or getting followed because you have a nice car and a fat ego. Still, there’s no excuse.

Rant over. Thank you and good night.

9/11: Gone but never forgotten...

So I figured that doing an article in the form of a news report wouldn’t really work for the terrorist attacks in New York because it has been covered so much I felt I couldn’t offer you anything you hadn’t already seen or read. So I guess this is just my attempt to try and give my own collective view on the event and what has happened since then. Whether it proves to be a failed attempt, we shall see.

If you ask anyone where they were when the attacks happened they will be able to tell you. Me? I was in my living room pretending to do my homework but actually playing an important football match on my Playstation. I remember being 5 minutes away from victory which would have put me through to the European Cup final, until my mum burst through our front door, made a beeline for the television and demanded it to be switched over to the news. Usually, as the unruly kid I used to be, I would argue my case until I had managed to finish my important match. However I thought it was too strange behaviour from my mum for it to be her regular daytime soap, so I did as I was told.

Then I saw what happened over and over again. The sight of the two towers collapsing made my football game pale in significance. I was only 12 at the time but it hit me like a brick wall, I pretty much knew I wouldn’t see anything like that again. I have nothing but sheer admiration and respect for the firemen that risked their lives running into the towers conscious of the fact they would collapse at any moment, bearing the attitude that any life saved would serve as a victory.

This theory that at a major event or occurrence people will remember where they were and what they were doing is called flashbulb memory. Of course, major events such as 9/11 are very rare, but I can only think that this instance of flashbulb memory will help the legacy of the victims live on and not let their heroic efforts be forgotten. That day will forever be etched in people’s memories across the world, and even though I’m not American, on this particular day I feel American, well I at least feel a connection and share the same sadness the New Yorkers feel.

I can’t quite believe it’s been 10 years since it all happened. Pardon my use of a cliché, but it only feels like yesterday that it happened, seeing as the memories are still so vivid. However what I think they have planned in place of the twin towers is truly remarkable. Two memorial water features will be placed where the twin towers stood, with the names of each and every person that person engraved round the outside, and I think this will serve as a great reminder, not just to the people of Manhattan but everyone that comes to visit as well.

In terms of replacing the World Trade Centre, there will be one tower named “One World Trade Centre”, exactly the same height of the two former towers, and two smaller towers that will mimic the footprint of the twin towers. There are also another two towers being built and another in the planning, with completion of these expected in 2020. There are also other subliminal ways to remember those who died on the plaza surrounding the complex, with a national museum devoted to the September 11th attacks in place too.

All in all I feel this is an appropriate way to remember the victims of these devastating attacks, yet I think it was important not to replicate the World Trade Centre site but to build a developed and advanced version that is still capable of holding the memories of the people that were lost.

I realise this will seem like a rushed piece, but I felt it was important for me to create my own little tribute for the heroics that these people performed, and how their lives were taken in such a cruel way.

We will remember them.

Life’s a beach so seas the day.

After the culmination of the Second World War, Britain’s beaches probably let out a huge sigh of relief, after constantly being used as minefields and combat zones to contend with the continuous threat of enemy ships and soldiers reaching the shoreline. They weren’t given a moments rest however, as a new menace began to attack soon after, burdening coasts in their millions, armed with deckchairs and windbreakers instead of machine guns and grenades.

This new hazard of course, came in the form of holidaymakers, who flocked to the sea to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. Yet, if they were hoping to find a less claustrophobic lifestyle to what they’re used to with urban living, then they were sadly mistaken, as finding a spare square of sand proved to be a mission in itself. Space was only limited due to the sheer popularity of holidays by the sea back in the 1950s and 60s. The glistening sands and sparkling seas provided a thought to drool over, leading 30 million people vacating to the British seaside year upon year.

Punch and Judy were performing to sell out crowds, piers were creaking under the weight of tourists admiring the coastal view from them, and donkeys were visiting chiropractors after a long hard day of carrying children round on the unforgiving sands. The sea was aplenty with people in bathing suits more reminiscent of the deckchairs they were lounging on only moments earlier. Even the traffic jam en route to the beach was seen as part of the experience, yet it amazes me how they didn’t run out of things to use for I Spy...

Towards the end of the 1960s though this fashion started to crumble, and with the combination of poor weather and deteriorating facilities people started to cast the net out further and go abroad for their summer holidays. This trend has since grown right up to the present day, with package deals and low-cost airlines making international travel more accessible and affordable than ever before.

In 2004 alone, we Brits made 64 million trips abroad, compared to just 4 million in 1961, leaving many beaches across the country empty. I noticed this first hand when I was in Bournemouth on the Saturday of the August bank holiday weekend this year, where there was nobody to be seen. Granted it was an overcast day, but even so it was plain to see how much of a hit Britain’s beaches have taken in terms of popularity. Attractions and amusement arcades were shut many hours earlier than advertised, with Bournemouth more evocative of a ghost town that evening, only the dim lights from the pier suggesting any signs of life.

By the end of the 20th century and at the start of the 21st, this miserable sight was shared amongst most coastal towns. Although, the fact that a trip abroad is no longer seen as a luxury treat but as something that could possibly be enjoyed more than once a year, has started to strangely work in their favour. With everyone finding trips abroad more and more affordable, people are being able to part with some spare cash to enjoy a weekend break on one of Britain’s beaches. This is typically across the Bank Holiday weekends, or fitted into the school holidays, although elder couples are seemingly indulging in a few days by the shore around Autumn time.

Resorts have realised that they are no longer unable to pull in the conventional sunbather or beach lover, so have started to diversify their entertainment in the form of theatre shows and cinema, while also strengthening the nightlife in order to attract younger people and students. This has proved popular with stag and hen dos, and being by the sea no doubt provides people with a bonus activity after a drunken night out, in the form of skinny dipping.

As well as this, seaside towns are also successfully trying to stress the uniqueness of their area in a bid to win more visitors, hoping their character shines through above other rival resorts. For example, Newquay in Cornwall is promoting itself as the “surfing capital of Britain”, as it holds numerous international surfing events throughout the year, actively inviting water sports enthusiasts to test out its mammoth waves. Torbay has also followed suit, making the most of its sandy beaches and coves by building upon its nickname of the “English Riviera”. Meanwhile, Weymouth has been busy underlining its status as Britain’s only natural World Heritage Site, by labelling itself as “the gateway to the Jurassic Coast”.

Do some of you consider holidays a time to just relax and recharge those batteries? I thought so. It’s a good thing that Southwold in Suffolk provides the answer then doesn’t it? With its quiet countryside, love of jazz and peaceful nature, Southwold provides people with an option much less energetic than most.

So while most people would still much prefer to jet off somewhere with guaranteed sunshine, Britain’s coastal resorts are experiencing somewhat of a mini-resurgence through their successful rebranding techniques. Even though some people may not be primarily there to catch a few rays, it is safe to say that the UK has attracted a new breed of tourist.

Who knows, with Britain’s summers getting hotter by the year, some of the holidaymakers who left in the first place might be convinced to tighten their purse strings and stay closer to home in future. I bet if you asked the beaches themselves even they would say they miss the constant blitz of tourists they experienced 60 years ago...

Britain’s Got Controversy 2011

So, another farce rumbles on through talent show history, with Britain’s Got Talent thrust into the spotlight earlier this year after the validity of Ronan Parke’s anonymity before the show was doubted.

Even though it has been furiously denied by Simon Cowell on air and by his music label Syco Entertainment, this latest storm still raises more questions than it does answers. With Mr Cowell being accused of already fixing the victory for Ronan Parke before he even auditioned, this has brought talent shows into further disrepute, with the public wondering whether they are actually fair game for everyone anymore. Even if Ronan isn’t being buttered up for the big time, this does little for Simon Cowell and his host of programmes to try and keep their names clean.

This latest charade wouldn’t be so bad had it not followed a string of previous controversies, both involved in The X Factor and also Britain’s Got Talent. Remember Laura White, a contestant on The X Factor back in 2009? She got booted out of the show for finishing in the bottom two, yet thousands of viewers complained that they couldn’t get through on the phone to register their vote. Laura wasn’t allowed back in the competition, and so many voters felt that she had been cheated out of a chance of winning, especially as she was considered one of the more talented contestants.

In the same year another contestant, Lucie Jones, lost out on the public vote after the judges couldn’t separate her and Jedward. Sounds pretty standard, right? However, Simon cast his vote in favour of Jedward, even after publicly slating them throughout the whole competition, stating that “neither of them could win”. Many people have come to the conclusion that he already knew the lowest placed competitor in the public vote, Lucie Jones, and so voted for Jedward in order to get her booted off the show. Others claim that Simon was “scared” of Lucie and considered her a strong opponent, and so wanted to get rid of her, compared to Jedward, who’s support was always going to fizzle out.

Do you see a familiar trend? Britain’s Got Talent has just been as bad a culprit, with the Ronan Parke fiasco far from the first incident to blacken the show’s name. Even on the same series the drama surrounding Ronan Parke wasn’t the only occasion where eyebrows were raised. Jessica Hobson, another semi-finalist on this years show, was reduced to tears after her performance of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” was slammed by the judges. They cited the cheesy dance routine and her choice of outfit as the main benefactors in her downfall, and while audiences across the country watched another singer weep at the realisation of ruining her chances, the real reason for the waterworks started to come to light. She claimed she was forced to dance throughout her act rather stay at the piano like she’d prefer and the song was not her choice, and neither was her dress. At this point producers were probably screaming down Ant and Dec’s earpieces telling them to hurry Jessica off the stage before she exposed any more of the controlling nature that they have behind the scenes over the contestants.

This also happened a couple of series ago with an acoustic duo and a constestant named Natalie Okri who were outraged that they weren’t allowed to even choose their track for their performance but this trend just goes to show how the contestants are somewhat treated like rag dolls. Producers seem to paint a picture in their heads of what the contestants should appear, sound and act like and enforce this through the use of “crowd-pleaser” songs while cheapening the act with a million and one backing dancers and some pretty fireworks to finish off with.

Obviously these disputes are only a small proportion of the controversy that The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent is shrouded in year upon year. Tapping up contestants before they apply to the show, editing footage to make them appear undesireable to viewers and over-egging contestant’s backgrounds to turn them into charity cases are other things that the two shows have been accused of.

However, in hindsight I actually think these reality programmes thrive on the controversies, enabling them to maximise viewing figures and always guarantee them front page headlines, giving them further exposure to the public. Even though the stories may give bad publicity, they provide talking points in general chit chat within everyday life, and we all know everyone wants to watch what everyone’s talking about. With this in mind, yes we all think these two programmes can be manipulative, yes we can by outraged by some of the rumours and stories we hear surrounding the shows but by no means does it stop us from watching it. If anything it makes people want to watch them more, as drama equals great TV, proved by the current series of X Factor matching it’s record audience for an opening episode.

So it seems the bigger the drama the bigger the audience the two shows pull in. I guess I should’ve changed the title of this article to “Britain wants controversy”...

Rioters keeping rioting, looters keep looting, haters keep hating, campers keep camping.

Picture above provided by Sam Belcher. More of his work can be found at Sam Belcher Photography.


Saturday 6th August 2011. This date holds some significance to me for two reasons, it was the day that my youth group came back from week away camping, and it was also the day a part of English society decided to rear it’s ugly head.

It only feels like yesterday when I last wrote an article trying to promote a good name for youths across the country. Not much has changed to be honest, and with the events of the last week or so, you could arguably say it’s gotten worse. The young population has never seemed to stand in good stead with the older generation, but it is getting harder to defend them with the rioting that has occurred across the country. With the rioting slowly coming to an end and over 1,500 arrests later, there are still questions to be answered about the motives of the riots and who exactly the rioters are. It is no wonder that many people are pointing the finger of blame towards adolescents, with near on 70% of the guilty aged under 24.

Unfortunately, the easiest thing with an age group is to generalise, and so every young person is getting painted with the same brush, being labelled everything under the sun. Some children might even think that they have to give a customary smile to every passer-by to ensure that they don’t live in fear that the kid doesn’t mug them. Okay, so maybe it hasn’t got to that stage but people’s perception of youngsters in some areas seems to be escalating that way.

It’s weird that at one end of the spectrum you’ve got young people breaking into shops, bringing home whatever they can carry whilst setting off the odd petrol bomb. Then at the opposite end my youth group are happily making the journey home from a week filled with wet, messy and adventurous activities. I guess you could call these the two faces of life amongst youths. More often than not though it is the ugly side that hits the headlines and what everyone sees on a daily basis. Not many people would be too fussed about reading a news article on a pleasant camping trip that ran smoothly. Stories jam-packed with drama are what make the front page and even though people love to read about it, they would always choose a life free from drama.

I’d imagine all parents would rather seeing their children throwing water balloons instead of bricks through windows, and hurling themselves down a water slide instead of running into burning buildings in order to thieve the latest tv. Even singing round a campfire seems light years away from chanting “hate the police” from the other end of a street but it is two different “activities” that have been undertaken by different sets of young people within the space of a few days.
Of course, I think everyone would love to pack their kids off for a week each summer to experience things like climbing, rafting, mountain boarding, water fights and high ropes courses in the glorious sunshine, but clearly life isn’t that simple. You will always get youths playing hell and tarring their generation’s name, and unfortunately that will always be a stain on society, but all we can do is try and minimise it.

A lot of people are also bemoaning the lack of discipline within society these days, such as not being able to smack your children anymore or policemen not being allowed to give a kid a traditional clip round the ear. I’m not promoting these practices but if children learn that they can’t be touched and have more of a right than previous generations then that’s got to be a powerful tool to have. I don’t think things will ever revert to how they were, but parents and respected figures of the community alike will have to reinvent new ways of keeping kids in check to stop anything like the England riots happening again.

So, a year on since my last article on this topic, and youths still take the blame. All youths are scapegoats. It’s no surprise really but until there’s a lengthy period of no fiascos or dramas then those haters will keep hating.

I say, Royal Ascot is upon us, jolly good show!

The British social summer calendar is jam-packed with sporting events that both wealthy and working class people lick their lips at the thought of. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Henley-on-Thames Regatta, the sailing week at Cowes on the Isle Of Wight and next year London makes the Summer Olympic Games it’s own; all these occasions seem to roll off the tongue when mentioned while one tries to plan one’s summer programme.

Royal Ascot is another name that fits seamlessly into that list of classic British summer events. Everything about it just oozes British-ness: the fashion, the fine dining and just the fact that the Royal family turn up year upon year. This is to such an extent that racing sometimes doesn’t bear the main focus anymore, with the attention on the attendees, the Queen and of course, what everyone is wearing.

Even though the dress code is strict at Ascot, people have a huge appetite for wearing head-turning outfits, with a sea of elaborate fascinators and top hats on show every day of the week. It’s almost as if it’s a contest in it’s own right, and with the Royal wedding still fresh in the memory Kate Middleton has ensured that dresses and traditional fashion at Ascot has become all the rage, making sure that the competition is a healthy one. However posh frocks and smart suits can sometimes only be a disguise for a spot of good old British hooliganism after a few drinks, with one fight making the headlines of many national newspapers.

Royal Ascot has such a rich heritage, with much of it connected to royalty, and with the event having celebrated it’s 300th anniversary this year, it has ranked highly amongst British culture for a long time. After Queen Anne thought the heathland near Windsor Palace would be a perfect place for racing three centuries ago, the event has gone from strength to strength, with 300,000 people making the trip to Berkshire this year. Some racegoers only attend so they can rub shoulders with the likes of Prince Harry and Prince Charles, with the royal family epitomising British charm and aristocracy.

Royal Ascot has always been a quintessentially British event, one of the premiere events of the social calendar each summer. While the fashion, the food, the racing and even the odd bet make perfect ingredients for a traditionally British occasion, it is the Royal family that runs through the veins of Ascot week.

Astonbury, Arab weddings and artist passes.

Any music fanatic will tell you that one of their biggest dreams would be to spend a whole day backstage at a major festival with all the biggest and most promising bands around. Last Saturday, I did just that. Well, not quite.

My sister’s boyfriend’s band got a place on the main stage of Astonbury last weekend, a music festival that is organised by Aston Student’s Guild, the Student’s Union of Aston University. It is primarily held on a Saturday in early June, and has in the past attracted acts such as Taio Cruz, The Futureheads, Zane Lowe, Chipmunk and Mr Hudson. This year promised to be the biggest yet since it’s inception in 2007, with it playing host to talent such as Devlin, Zane Lowe, Yasmin, The View and of course Bracknell’s very own Hey! I’m A Moviestar (H!IAMS).

However, before any festival feelings could be experienced, the arduous two hour trip down the M40 awaited. I must say, when I imagined a tour bus, a joint effort by a Nissan Micra and a Volkswagen Polo never sprang to mind. Saying this, if we all piled onto a giant tour bus or van, I don’t think we would have had endless fun greeting each other with various gestures and hand signals (not all of them were friendly) as we sped along the motorway in the glorious sunshine.

We discovered our trusty AA route planner, still warm from being printed off at the last minute, only took us as far as Birmingham City Centre, and so another hour ensued of us traipsing through the busy metropolis. Along this wild goose chase, we ended up several times perilously close to ditching the festival for Cadbury World, even if it was only for the promise of a few chocolate bars.

In one particular high street of Birmingham, you could forgive yourself for believing you were in New Delhi, with Indian supermarkets, chemists, clothes stores and even a tattoo shop dominating the urban landscape. We even witnessed an Arab wedding taking place on the side of the road, with screaming fireworks being set off only metres from pedestrians and cars. God knows why the police were there if they were just allowing sparks to fly dangerously close to children. Maybe they were just admiring the convoy of five white sports cars that were also in attendance, which we had earlier seen been filmed as part of the wedding film, or so I presume. It would have been fine if the sports cars had been filmed speeding off in the distance like standard procedure, but instead were recorded at what can only be described as a snail’s pace. This sent traffic into gridlock, with the group completely oblivious, even occasionally asking us to slow done to ensure they got the shot in without us in it!

So all this mayhem in the town they nickname “Brum” led us to turning up a couple of hours later than expected, but still having a healthy amount of time before H!IAMS were on stage. Have no fear, we were greeted with our very own VIP suite, complete with refreshments. Okay, that may be a small lie. It looked more like a classroom, coupled with a few multipacks of fizzy pop, but I think we were all glad for the shelter from the rain.

Of course, to gain access to such privileges we had to flash our VIP/artist passes to the rather mean looking security guards, but it couldn’t go smoothly as that could it? Definitely not, as within minutes of being given my VIP pass I seem to misplace it. As they always say though, every cloud has a silver lining, as I was immediately bumped up to “artist”. Complete with carrying one of the band’s guitars, I even took half a glance over my shoulder to check if any paparazzi were creeping up behind me. I was even preparing myself for floods of people coming up to me asking for autographs or asking me which band I was with. On second thoughts, I don’t think my original plan to tell them I was with the Black Eyed Peas would have quite come off, not too sure I have the right characteristics to be Will.I.Am.

So, after all these trials and tribulations, it was time for what we came for, H!IAMS’ set on the main stage at Astonbury stage. Even if it wasn’t to the 3,000 people that had been expected to turn up, still the band showcased their music to people they’d never played to before, potentially widening their fanbase. Even with the sparse crowd I feel they got the warm reception they deserved, and as I scanned the area around me, it made me aware that people were getting into the music, especially appreciating their new single, The Midnight Rendezvous.

Alas, we didn’t stay on for the rest of the festival, otherwise with our new found VIP status many wonderful things could have been achieved, such as grabbing a cup of tea with Devlin, or playing Monopoly with Zane Lowe. Just for a bit though, for that half a day, H!IAMS could have pretended they were in the big time, I could have pretended to be someone very important and Astonbury could have met their new favourite band. It is these kinds of moments that make life rather interesting, and at the very least it will have spurred on Hey! I’m A Moviestar with their career. Although the incident involving the fireworks at the wedding made me fear for my life instead of cherish it.

Just to end on an extremely light-hearted note, the BBQ at Astonbury provided me with the best chicken burgers I’ve ever tasted, so if you’re not going there for the music, at least go there for the meat!



Links to Hey! I'm A Moviestar at Facebook and Myspace.

False Priority- The Time Is Now

When people think of Bracknell, they think of it as the place where the MET Office used to be, or the proud holder of the town with the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the UK. It’s even remembered for having the most rug or bed shops in one area, with Carpet Right and DFS seemingly dominating retail parks across the borough.

However soon, after the emergence of bands such as Streetfight Silence, Hey! I’m A Moviestar and recently Sundown, Bracknell might soon be more famous for producing promising musical talent. False Priority are another band who are also hoping to make the grade, and in a bid to reach that goal they released their debut LP just over a week ago.

Entitled ‘The Time Is Now’, False Priority’s debut record has only been released after two live performances, and many would suggest this is far too early for any band to think about releasing any material. For a band that have only been together for a short while you would expect the songs to be raw and unrefined, and that’s exactly what you get with False Priority.

However, that is no bad thing. With the first song sharing the title of the EP, the band kicks off by proclaiming that “the time is now for a brand new day” and that “it seems our time has come, it seems we’ve been waiting for so long”. With the band seemingly insistent that they are ready for the big time, their title song sends out a message of purpose. This song got me hearing echoes of Greenday back in their early days, around the releases of Dookie and Insomniac. In fact you get this feeling throughout the whole album, and it is clear to see that Greenday have been big influences on False Priority.

A lot of their songs have dark lyrics, with ‘Dear Diary’ being a song full of confessions about messing up in the past. Other songs seem to follow suit, with ‘In My Eyes’ cursing the loss of a friend, with Connor Langham, the lead singer, announcing that “it’s not great to be me”. Musically though, the songs are good, with ‘In My Eyes’ serving up a great guitar solo, while ‘Dear Diary’, the slowest song on the album, serving as a great reprieve from the other, much heavier songs.

The theme of dark thoughts and bad feelings seems to be continuous throughout their EP, and while it does lead to some neat lyrics and good riffs such as in ‘Cold As Summer’, it would have been more pleasant to see some more upbeat tracks with feel-good lyrics. I feel if False Priority add a few more light-hearted songs into the mix for their next release, it will be seen as a much mature effort with a better reception, especially as cheerful music is welcomed more by most people.

On a lighter tone, it must be noted that this album is not suitable for vegetarians, as their last song ‘We Like Poultry’ involves the boys chanting meat-eating references. This is a hidden track at the end of ‘Lay The Waste’, and definitely stands out as a much more positive and tongue-in-cheek effort to the rest of the songs on the album.

Overall ‘The Time Is Now’ is an unrefined piece by False Priority, but I find it’s also undefined as well. The rawness is great to see, with the band demonstrating great use of guitars and drums throughout the album. Some impressive riffs and guitar solos really do bump up the quality of their music, and this is very promising in terms of future releases from the band.

However, I feel the band are yet to find themselves within their music, but that is expected with a band at such an early stage in their careers. They need to define themselves; this way they’ll write songs about anything and everything and not just about bad memories and troubling times. Once False Priority develop their own character and in turn their own unique music I have no doubts that they will have any problems in conveying a brighter message to their fans, and also even better music to what they’re producing now.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great effort from the boys, but as they discover and develop their own musical sound, their music will simultaneously grow in quality.

Please purchase this album, and even if you don’t, remember the name False Priority and come back at the end of the year, and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.




False Priority’s debut EP ‘The Time Is Now’ is on sale now for £3. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, please contact the boys through their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/False-Priority/126644747401144

Alternatively, you can also visit their Myspace page: www.myspace.com/falsepriority

Smoking? You must be joking...

Rewind to less than four years ago. People were able to smoke in pubs, bars, on a bus, pretty much anywhere they chose to. Lighting up was a common occurrence in most places you went, and you would almost always expect a smoky atmosphere as you enter the room. However, in England on 1st July 2007, smoking in public areas was banned. Since then it has been confined to designated smoking areas when smoking is practiced in public areas in order not to spoil the welfare of non-smokers.

Fast forwarding to the present day, the government have stamped their authority by banning the display of cigarettes and tobacco on show. Announced only a few days ago, this will come into force as early as next year for the large supermarkets and not until 2015 for the smaller shops and convenience stores. This is part of the big crackdown by the government to try and reduce the number of people smoking across the country, and also stifle others from taking up the habit.

However, will it go up in smoke? The smoking ban 4 years ago has not made a significant impact on levels of smokers in the UK, but it did serve a slightly different purpose, to battle the threat of passive smoking. In that sense it was successful, with non-smokers being able to enjoy their nights out more without absorbing the cigarette smoke that lingers in the vicinity.

Currently just over a fifth of adults smoke in the UK, a figure which has been levelling off in recent years, after dramatic drops between 1974 and 2001 from 45% to below 25%. The aim of this new measure is to reduce smoking numbers from 21.2% to 18.5% within the next 5 years, with a particular focus on the under-age and women who are pregnant.

On the face of it, this fresh law doesn’t appear to be able to make the significant impact that ministers clearly want it to do. Regular smokers already know the brand of cigarettes they’ll be purchasing before they even enter the shop, without needing a big display to remind them. Couple this with a teenager’s biggest enemy, peer pressure, and the cigarette kiosks in supermarkets and corner shops alike do not really seem to affect a person’s intentions on whether they want to smoke or not.

However, I can see the potential effect the ban could have, as well as the shortcomings. For example, the sight of tobacco would not be imposed on anyone, especially the younger generation, who are more likely to try new things. I can definitely see the attraction of cigarette displays to teenagers, with the layout of the brightly coloured array of boxes being striking, somewhat like an old-fashioned sweet shop. Plus, without the magnetism of such displays, younger children would be less likely to develop a mindset of wanting to try them if cigarette’s commercial muscle wasn’t imposed upon them. There is something much more daunting about having to ask the cashier about what cigarettes there are on offer, than to just simply pick a well known brand out of the crowd of packets and buy them.

Attitudes within the country have changed dramatically since the 1950s where posters could be seen everywhere of glamorous girls taking a drag of a cigarette, promoting smoking as a very fashionable habit. Back then, 8 out of 10 men smoked. However now the worrying statistic is attributed to 15 year olds, as whilst it’s illegal to purchase tobacco at that age, 1 in 7 still say they smoke on a regular basis. Since the 1950s we have all become more health-conscious of the effects of smoking, and this can be accounted for in the decline of smokers, yet there is still an element of “coolness” surrounding smoking amongst some young people.

The government are also considering a proposal for all cigarettes to be sold in plain packets, in an effort to try and dull down their appearance. This would of course make cigarettes a more boring prospect to teenagers, making them less likely to buy some. It may not make such a telling impact on the regulars though. Even though the familiar colours of each brand will disappear, brand attachment will mean smokers won’t necessarily give up just because their cigarettes aren’t in the beloved gold packet they fell in love with.

Research in other countries who have employed similar laws have shown promising results such as in Canada, where one area reported a drop of around a quarter of smoking teenagers five years after a below-the-counter law was enforced. So while there is both evidence for teenagers giving up with the removal of advertising, it’s also synonymous that younger people are far less likely to take up smoking in New Zealand due to the removal of cigarette displays.

Year after year the government wages war against smoking and this latest ban could have the potential to stub out interest in smoking amongst teenagers. While the effect on regular smokers seems minimal, the government are focusing on the younger generation, and I think if less and less teenagers are not overawed by the sight of cigarettes then you’ll see a drop in numbers of them taking up smoking. However, it may not be as big a drop as ministers will be hoping it is. People are more liable to smoke if the majority of their friends already do so, and this type of conformity has a much larger effect than cigarette displays. Whereas people are less likely to take up smoking if none of the people they socialise with do, meaning they would feel alienated having to go outside for a cigarette on their own.

I’m not sure what the impact of this new law against smoking will be, especially amongst older people, but it could shape the next generation’s mindset into something more smoke-free. It may take a lot longer than five years to see the direct effect of the ban, with younger people not reminded of cigarettes every time they walk into their local shop. There has definitely been a mixed reaction about this ruling and mixed fortunes seem to be the predicted outcome, so it seems the chances of success will be close, but no cigar.

Rude service or slow service?

Having a shower is a wonderful thing. Why, you may ask? Well apart from supplying a platform for us all to scrub up on our personal hygiene, making sure it’s in pristine condition, it provides us with an opportunity for some quality thinking time.

I’ve always wondered why showering sometimes seems to be the best time for contemplating things or coming up with crazy ideas. Maybe it’s the fact that having a shower in the morning symbolises a new start, a new beginning. Or it’s possibly because that washing yourself in the morning is such an easy process, it frees up your mind for other things. Even the simple idea that you’re usually on your own with no distractions is plausible, but no one really has a definite answer as to why showering improves thought.

Not even Einstein himself drafted a thesis entitled “Showering= Better Concentration + Thought²”, but what he did do was promote similar habits as ways of dreaming up inventions, tactics, plans or even this article topic. He claimed that some of his scientific ideas came about while shaving, and word has it he only shaved with a razor and water, so maybe it’s about time we all ditched the shaving cream. Maybe then we’d have more groundbreaking equations to accompany “E=MC²”, but also a smaller fanbase for “Movember” too. Whatever possesses these activities to lead us deep into thought is dumbfounding, but what I do know is that a shower a couple of days ago supplied me with the topic of this article.

While I was exfoliating, I began to think of places that I had been recently, a restaurant, the cinema and even the local supermarket. Even though in the majority of these places we get pleasant, or on the odd occasion, outstanding service, my recollection of these trips led me to ask myself that if the situation arose, would I prefer rude service, or slow service?

My quick assumption at the time was that it depends on where you are. I guess what I’m trying to say is that who would want slow service in a taxi? Even though rude service is dreadful at the best of times, I think I’d rather have a cab driver say how my striped shirt makes me look fatter than miss my appointment at the dentist, or worse still, free entry to Liquid. Okay, so maybe some stranger commenting on how your girlfriend’s skirt should be shorter isn’t the most ideal of situations, but I figure that the less time you spend in the car then the less remarks you’ll have to put up with. I’m not saying taxi services hire people such as these, but taxi companies hardly pride themselves on travelling slowly, yet brand themselves as “we’re the fastest in the business”.

The same cannot be said for restaurants, however. Think about it, you reach the age-old predicament of having a fly in your soup, so you call over the waiter, expecting him to resolve the issue. What really happens though is he turns to you with a face of thunder and says “So what?”, and prompts you to carry on sipping, as if it’s a standard bushtucker trial. I think I speak for most people when I say I’d rather wait longer for my meal than potentially experience what I just described.

Slower service at food outlets can have obvious benefits too, such as spending longer to get to know someone on a first date, or if you’re particularly indecisive, having more time to choose what you want to eat. Maybe you won’t ever get a fly in your soup, but snappiness is a common trait found in rude staff. Even staff who simply just left their manners at home and forgot their “P’s and Q’s” are not appreciated and not welcomed by diners. Unless you’re waiting into the next morning for your bruschetta topped with tomato and basil, slower service is normally not noticeable and so in comparison with rude service, it would not be frowned upon.

Paying at a till in a supermarket was where I came a bit unstuck. I found it a bit of a grey area as to what I’d prefer to the obvious good service if for some reason it went missing. I thought about it and drew the conclusion that if I was in the queue waiting to be served I’d rather rude service was given and not slow service. Then again I wouldn’t want to be a victim of the rude service itself while I was packing away my potato smiley faces and pink toilet roll. So maybe we could all sacrifice a little extra time to spare us from being abused for not having our loyalty card or bringing a few bags to reuse. All in all, I found choosing between rude or slow service in a supermarket pretty difficult. However I think slow service would come out on top, as rude service with someone who has friendly assistance drilled into them would be shocking, if not despicable.

There are many more occasions where we could all become casualties of rude or slow service, and while we all kid ourselves into thinking the next meal or next week’s shop will go as smoothly as we plan it, the reality is that it might well not. Tomorrow morning’s train conductor might spend an eternity figuring out whether you’re eligible for young person’s discount, or the lady in the cinema might laugh at you when you order two tickets for you and your mother to see the next instalment of Camp Rock. Okay, so if you’re an 18 year old male the last example may just about be deserved but I know I wouldn’t like to be told “tough luck” to my favourite channel not being available on the new Sky package, especially if their reputation is based on “believing in better”.

This little insight into poor service has just made me appreciate good service a little more, but distinguish that it depends on the situation as to whether you’d rather be treated with rudeness or slowness, if it came to it. It’s a question I feel I wanted to answer, because I think if you haven’t experienced bad service in any form then you will, because everyone does. Obviously there isn’t a little button where you can switch between different types of bad service, or even to good service, but as long as you’re not expecting impeccable assistance then at least you’re prepared for some slackness.

Anyway, I feel I’ve waited long enough for the water to warm up, it’s time to get ready for another shower of ideas...

Midnight Rendezvous at Cellar Bar

I must admit, I hadn’t attended a gig at Cellar Bar since my school days, so as I bought my ticket I began to wonder if I had forgotten what an intimate local gig was like. That’s probably one of the main reasons as to why I was looking forward to this concert, as I always feel that with arenas you don’t get the same connection with the band. However, seeing bands that quite possibly grew up a couple of streets from you blossom in front of your very eyes, and ears, adds another dimension to a local gig. Nevertheless, the night was not about me, but about three promising acts.

My friend and I entered during the middle of the first band, Countdown to Hollywood, and whilst everyone was still getting settled there was still a friendly atmosphere throughout the venue. Countdown to Hollywood started off the evening in a relaxed manner with a mellow set, with lead singer Mollie Carter’s vocals carrying an emotional feel, one that reflected the nature of her band’s songs. Plus, they covered Starry Eyed by Ellie Goulding, one of my favourite artists at the minute, so this must surely score some brownie points.

Next up were False Priority, and if Countdown To Hollywood had settled the crowd with their music, then False Priority grabbed the audience by the scruff of the neck and shook them back up. With crashing drums and a heavy bassline, False Priority seemed intent on waking up the crowd from their comfortable slumber. They label themselves as a heavy rock/ punk rock three piece, and it was clear throughout their set that they were intent on getting their brand of music across to the audience, only pausing for breath in the slower Dear Diary.


After these two acts the stage had been set for the headline band, Hey! I’m A Moviestar, who were using the evening as a release show for their first ever single, Midnight Rendezvous. You could tell this was a special evening for the group, and their single could be seen as a symbol of the progress they have made in the near on two years they have been together. As they launched into their first song, it was clear to see that the band had branched out from their Blink 182 roots, and while the influences are still there it feels more like their own sound.

This is obvious when they play debut single Midnight Rendezvous, where the pulsating rhythm throughout grasped the crowd’s attention, and not even Tom Delonge was in sight. The trio seemed to synonymously grow in confidence with the crowd, as the more the audience gave feedback the more this reflected in how comfortable the band seemed to be. In the B-Side to their single, Better Than You Know, Hey! I’m A Moviestar displayed a more punky edge, with the gripping guitar riff reverberating around the venue. They are held in such high regard that even the bassist got chants of “I love you Scott!” shouted at him during the set, so he, along with his other bandmates Matt and Russ, proceed to give them what they wanted, more songs from their repertoire. So, you may be wondering how many singles Hey! I’m A Moviestar actually sold over the course of the evening? Every last one of them is now proudly sitting amongst someone’s CD collection, and I think that speaks volumes for an up-and-coming band that clearly have a bright future ahead of them.

I feel if they progress the way they are going, keep developing their own sound and producing more music that reflects this then I’m sure there’ll be more nights like the one at Cellar Bar last weekend. This goes for the other bands, as that night I witnessed three promising bands who can make great music. So in other words, I hope that you all attend a midnight rendezvous with Hey! I’m A Moviestar, Countdown To Hollywood and False Priority soon enough, and trust me, they’ll be better than you know...

To check out some of these guys stuff, check out the links below:

Hey! I'm A Moviestar:
Facebook
Myspace

False Priority:
Facebook
Myspace

Countdown To Hollywood:
Facebook
Myspace

2010: Escaped miners, earthquakes, extreme weather and exciting sport.

2011 is already a month old and with time rushing past us like there’s no tomorrow I thought it would be a good opportunity to take stock and reflect on 2010.

2010 has been a year of mixed fortunes, with businesses slowly climbing out of the financial recession whilst Chilean miners were rescued from a mine after being trapped for an overwhelming two months. However, extreme weather has hit many countries hard, with Pakistan and Central Europe experiencing severe flooding, whereas natural hazards such as earthquakes have devastated Indonesia and Haiti.

The weather throughout last year could be described with a various selection of words. Ones I would choose would be bizarre, unpredictable, comprehensive and possibly the most significant word, lethal.
The year started off with the tremendous earthquake in Haiti back in January, killing over 250,000 people and another 4 million have been affected in some form or another. $11.5 billion is what the Haitian government believe it will cost to repair the country over the next three years, and a year after the earthquake the country, and more so it’s capital Port-au-Prince, is struggling massively to recover.

Earthquakes continued to threaten throughout 2010, with one occurring off the coast of Chile back in February recorded as one of the largest in history. Furthermore, in October a similar earthquake happened near Indonesia, which resulted in a tsunami killing around 400 people and leaving many more reportedly missing. In total, earthquakes all the way through 2010 caused over a quarter of a million of fatalities, with the Haitian disaster being recorded as one of the deadliest in history.

Moving on to more bizarre incidents, who would of thought that a volcanic eruption could halt the majority of Europe’s air traffic? You would think the Icelandic volcano, named Eyjafjallajökull, would be more at home in a pronunciation competition, and not doing British Airways’ job for them by ruining people’s holidays. European airspace was closed for a few days across April and May, due to the volcanic ash that the volcano threw up, causing it to spread across much of mainland Europe. It was estimated that the airline industry lost as much as £130 million each day airspace was closed, and around 5 million passengers were left stranded in airports across the continent.

Sport also achieved great recognition last year, due to many individual and team achievements. Spain for example consolidated their Euro 2008 triumph by winning the football World Cup in South Africa last summer, defeating The Netherlands 1-0 in the final. Rafael Nadal was another name on everyone’s lips as he came back from injury to win three Grand Slams over three different surfaces. Europe reclaimed the Ryder Cup back from the grasp of the USA, whilst Delhi hosted the Commonwealth Games, with Australia topping the medals table, and England coming a respectable third. 2010 also saw the start of England’s successful campaign to win the Ashes down under for the first time in 24 years, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were considered a triumph, and had the largest viewing audience since Lillehammer in 1994.

2010 has seen one of the most remarkable stories of recent times. The Copiapó mining accident in Chile was a story that not only gripped Chilean hearts, but had the attention of the world over. 33 men were trapped over 2,000 feet below the surface of the Earth, and survived for over 2 months while operations above ground attempted to retrieve them. The whole ordeal lasted from the 5th August to the 13th October, when the last miner was safely brought up the shaft, to rapturous applause from the audience surrounding the hole. Overall, the rescue operation cost around $20 million, and an estimated 1 billion people watched it on television. In the aftermath of the incident all of the miners have experienced celebrity status and were invited to watch a Manchester United match at Old Trafford.

So 2010 has provided some major disasters but also incidents that have shaped themselves into fairytales. Who knows what 2011 will bring, but we all know that it will bring many gripping stories in some form or another.