Hiya! :) I'm Nat, 21 years old and studying Music Journalism at the University of Huddersfield and I'm in my final year.
I currently intern at In House Press, I'm also the News Editor for No-Title magazine in Leeds and contribute to Silent Radio. If anyone has chance to read anything that I've written, then I hope you enjoy it!
After
becoming Fearne Cotton’s Big Thing on Radio 1 last week with his captivating single ‘Brother’,
the 21 year old Australian singer-songwriter will begin the English leg of his European tour at
the Brudenell Social Club next month.
As a former contestant on Australian Idol at the age of 16, Corby has morphed into a promising act. His mix of heartfelt lyrics and an utterly enchanting vocal delivery is evident on 'Brother'. The track has captured the hearts of Radio 1 listeners over the past week and is
taken from his fourth EP ‘Into The Flame’, which will be released on November 18th. The EP is already 4x Platinum in Corby's native Australia.
Check out the list of November tour dates. Tickets can be bought here.
20th November– Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
21st November - Scala, London
22nd November - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
23rd November- The
Temple @ HMV Institute - Birmingham
24th November - The Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
Watch
the new stripped back version of Brother below:
Local Natives - Breakers I first came across Local Natives because I thought they were supporting Arcade Fire in Manchester last August. The first time I listened to Wide Eyes I fell in love with it, so you can imagine my disappointment when it was Noah and the Whale supporting instead. With 'Breakers' the quartet have achieved perfection yet again. From the offset it grips you like a drowning man clinging onto his life jacket it then throws you amongst the swirling 'oohs'. There's a nod to their debut, Gorilla Manor here and their faultless, heavenly harmonies descend amongst an eruption of militant drums.
Jaws - Surround You
If I said that I was knowledgable about the music scene in Birmingham I would be lying, although, didn't UB40 come from there? You can't escape the references bandied about to B-Town recently, I quite like Swim Deep and Peace, but Jaws are another Brummie band mentioned in the same breath. 'Surround You' has a strong electronic influence and makes you feel as if you're transported back to the last time we had some glistening sunshine - this is the perfect soundtrack.
Girls Aloud - Something New
I love Girls Aloud. I loved them ever since they appeared on Popstars: The Rivals and released Sound of the Underground. 3 years since they released 'Untouchable' , 'Something New' is a pop gem. Kimberley and Nicola adopt the duties that Mel B had in the Spice Girls hit 'Wannabee'. Everyone knows how tricky it is to master that bit. About half way through as Nadine shouts 'do what I want / yeah I like it like that' is my favourite moment as it propels you back into the infectious chorus. The track climaxes on their collective chant and a statement to all the other girl bands out there, Girls Aloud are the leaders of the pack - Little Mix can you handle that?
A white backdrop adorns the wall and before it stands three
figures resplendent in white shirts. Being projected onto the backdrop are shapes
in monochrome hues, and then the band name ‘NZCA/Lines’ flashes sporadically. Yet there is no need for an introduction.
Through the entirety of support act, Jonquil’s performance two of the people now
occupying the stage made their presence known with their overzealous dance moves.
Their set is one naturally packed out with tracks from their
self-titled debut which was released earlier this year and although NZCA/Lines
may be the moniker of Michael Lovett, the drummer and the bassist that also
share this stage must be commended too. Starting strongly with ‘Okinawa
Channels’ and then segueing into ‘Work’ which is almost Metronomy-esque, the
falsetto vocal that Michael Lovett possesses is blissful in its delivery. ‘I’m
Not Strong Enough’ was similarly captivating and only a few songs in it’s clear
that the likelihood of them having a weak song in their repertoire is slim.
What NZCA/Lines excel in is synth-pop and no matter how much you try to resist it,
you cannot fight the urge to dance or experience a feeling of happiness. Even
the more subdued songs such as ‘Nazca’, weighed down in melancholy and with the
simplest of drum beats pattering in the background is just as atmospheric.
There’s always that one song that you’ve been eagerly
awaiting all night, the one that you are certain will rouse the greatest
reaction from the majority in the crowd. For NZCA/Lines this would be ‘Compass
Points’. As the crowd finally began to succumb to the electro beats and showed
signs of more movement, the song experienced an abrupt turn when a power cut
saw the sound and visuals stutter to an end. While most of the crowd let out an
‘aww’, for a member of Jonquil they wittily said, “This wouldn’t have happened
to Joy Division. This wouldn’t have happened to Jonquil.”
Along with a lone member of Jonquil on trumpet duties for
their final song they succeeded in creating a stunning live show. After claiming
that this was one of the first times that they’d really ventured out of London, let’s all hope they make the journey up North
more often.
On 4th October 1982, The Smiths
made their first on stage appearance at the Ritz. On Thursday, The Smiths Indeed will be gracing
the same stage to celebrate the 30th anniversary. The Smiths are my favourite band and as another
bout of reunion rumours circulate I don't think I'd ever want them to. Mainly because I think I'd have such a high expectation that if they weren't to live up to it then it would just ruin it for me. But there is no chance that will ever reform, so I don't need to worry about it. As I said in one of my Uni assignments (read here) I think there's more chance of Morrissey devouring a Hog Roast than getting back on that stage with Marr, Rourke and Joyce.
Below I've chosen 10 of my favourite songs but as I started to compile the list
I did wonder how I’ve even managed to whittle it down.
How Soon Is Now?
Shame on me for being oblivious to the fact that this was originally
by The Smiths. Along with my Mum and Sister, I was a big fan of the
supernatural TV programme, Charmed, much to the annoyance of my Dad. How Soon Is
Now was the theme tune but was instead covered by Love Spit Love. I always loved it, mainly
because I had to listen to it throughout the opening credits for 8 whole seasons! I think I could happily listen to that riff repeatedly.
About 5 years ago I used to incessantly
watch MTV Rocks and it was around this time that I first saw the video to This
Charming Man. It just seemed so familiar to me even though I’d never heard of
the band before. I always remember the first
cassette I ever got given by my Nan – it was Macarena, the first album I ever
bought and the first gig I ever went to. Same goes for recalling the moment that I
watched this video. The only other time that a music video has been so
prominent in my memory was when my Sister and I were stood in front of the TV learning
the dance to Saturday Night by Whigfield. Oh dear.
I absolutely adore this song. I know the
content is extremely morbid but I’ve already explained the significance
of it to me in a previous post. Most of the time I like a song because of the sound and don’t pay
attention to the lyrical content. However, with this song it’s personal to me,
even though I can’t relate to it but it’s just as affecting.
