Paramore @ Wembley Arena 18th December 2009

Despite traffic concerns and weather reports, the crowds flocked to London Wembley Arena for Paramore’s biggest gig to date and their final one of a rather successful 2009.

The release of third studio album Brand New Eyes had seen the teeny pop rockers reach new chart fame worldwide, knocking queen of pop Madonna off the top of the UK charts and continuing the media frenzy that had previously surrounded the band’s inclusion on the soundtrack for vampire phenomenon Twilight.

Opening with ‘Brand New Eyes Tour Intro’- a short compilation of music prepared for this tour alone, the crowd waited in anticipation for the flurry of hits to follow. ‘Ignorance’ sent the youthful audience into an eccentric frenzy, followed in short succession by rarely performed ‘I Caught Myself’ and Riot! Favourite ‘That’s What You Get’. Catching her breath, donned blonde Hayley Williams introduced the band and thanked support acts Now Now Children, Paper Route and Surrey’s own You Me At Six- who all went down a treat.

“I’ve never thought I’d be saying this, but this next track is from our third album you guys made number one!” squealed Williams from the stage, before breaking into ‘Looking Up’, a sentimental yet feisty number- lyrically designed to explain the bands troubles at the beginning of 2008. Troubles (I might add) so far in the distance, you’d be forgiven for forgetting as the current Paramore line-up reeked of smiles and stage presence.

This show had everything, most notably a proposal from one fan to another- met with Hayley Williams tears and ‘The Only Exception’, a love melody which provoked phone lights galore and sentiment from the audience. Check out the proposal below:



An array of hits followed including fame favourite ‘Decode’ and first album track ‘Pressure’, accompanied by acrobats from band founding member Jeremy Davis. Having caught the band only three months before with a crowd of 800 dedicated fans- it seemed impossible for this Christmas concert to beat the intimacy and unique appeal of Islington Academy. But somehow, Wembley topped them all.

Ending the set with the emotion it began, Paramore performed ‘My Heart’, another rarity that went down a storm with the exhausted and exhilarated before awaiting an encore.

A T-shirt change for the festival season and ‘Misguided Ghosts’, ‘Misery Business’ and ‘Brick By Boring Brick’ finished the evening on a high, decorating the faithful audience in purple confetti before saying their goodbyes. The crowd wanted more but the night had to end somewhere. And what a bloody way to end it.

New Years Eve is upon us...

With New Years Eve just around the corner, I thought it only apt to tell of my ventures.

In previous years, trips to the Midlands and Oceana bound in a dress have worked out pretty well, but this one is special. Imagine Annie Mac, Chase and Status, Subfocus and Simian Mobile Disco under one roof and you're halfway there... Get Loaded in the Dark, Brixton Academy is the place to be this year and if it's not, tell me why!

XFM have raved non-stop about NYE events and Brixton Academy almost topped the list. I'm expecting lights, fireworks and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. Hopefully- I'll remember enough to blog the evening. Might wear my geek glasses.



Cheers bloggers

Mel x

p.s again, uploaded from my nokia. Paramore gig review to follow...

Christmas day!

This is my first blog attempt on my fancy new Nokia N900. Let's see how it goes shall we? Christmas has been rather entertaining and as I sit watching Harry Potter, i await the xmas episode of gav & stacey.

New apps i recommend for my phone:
- Makuku (or something) Great app which allows you to make twitter status changes pretty freely.
- Mozilla Firefox has arrived! Using the new explorer is taking some getting used to, but i'm hoping saving firefox bookmarks to my desktop should soon be available?

Anyways- have a wonderful xmas and fingers crossed the blog has arrived safe and well with blogspot :)

Mel xx

Cats on Fire- tears in your cup

This slice of romanticised French pop caresses the current climate with a compulsive contrapuntal-esque melody. Derived from the niceties of a clap-along lullaby; Cats on Fire have managed to squeeze their selves off Scandinavian premises and embark upon a pathway mapped out by British ideology.

Vocal similarities to Morrissey and Robert Smith are dead certs for this summer season reminiscent which has along the way combined Belle & Sebastian’s musical essence; concluding its existence as an infused bop-along testimony of influences on their best behaviour.



Granted, it’s not electrifying, new or incredibly enticing but it’s good. Isn’t that the point?

Rating- 7/10

Reading & Leeds set to be a screw up?

Reading and Leeds Line-up Fiasco!

Looking at 2008- I can’t help but declare utter disappointment with the proposed announcement for this years Reading and Leeds festival. Yes, Festival Republic may still surprise me but it’s highly unlikely.

Arctic Monkeys are already confirmed- fantastic. A band that leave mid-way through their Glasto’ headline slot to freshen up and can perform only to their best in a Carling Tent (2006) are now headlining the same stage Rage Against the Machine stepped foot on less than 12 months ago. Let’s hope Turner leaves Miles Kane at home shall we?
Rumours such as KOL, Radiohead, Florence & the Machine and FFAF bring a little hope but it’s not looking promising. The apparent ‘legend’ that is Thom Yorke will probably not even show, preferring to play for Eavis if he’ll ever let him. But that’s an entirely different story altogether. The line-up this year looks set to be shit and not a patch on the last. End of

Le Martells- EP

The Le Martells are a relatively unknown four piece scouring the streets of Southampton at present and embarking upon a fantastical career within the industry that is more commonly known as ‘music’.

This EP is a beautiful reminiscent slice of alternative pop- romanticised with a French tint and finally, all compiled together to create a track listing desirable to both men and women alike.

Opener ‘One of those Gimley’ is a perfect example; a story of young love integrated within teen angst and adolescent fear. Smart’s guiltless, naïve yet contrastingly mature and gruffly vocals will send a shiver down your spine for sure.

‘Bandit’ is a wonderful fusion of indie/ pop revealing a tale of torrid times that somehow finds itself so embedded with friendly riffs and melody that wallowing in contemplation is a big no no. As restricting as it sounds, it’s a good thing honest, because the band possess the ability to evoke emotion to an extent that need not prevent the listener from losing themselves in the music. Bandit is probably most likely to be the first single, given its more mainstream appeal and catchy chorus. Radio friendly is an understatement.

The next two tracks are actually potentially better than the two preceding; ‘Forgiven not forgotten’ is another example of Jamie Smart’s anguished vocals and apparent stolen soul. ‘Let her go’ challenges the task of “separating lust from love” and encapsulates the ambition, drive and aspirations the band have acquired in their short stint as an outfit. Perhaps the latter part of the EP is more of a grower with the beginning full frontal in its contagiousness, but after a few listens, you won’t be able to stop yourself singing along to any of the above; wishing yourself to find that beautiful breathtaking girl at the beach.

The EP has almost mastered a continual narrative, surpassing the expectations expected of most from an unsigned and moderately new act. As The Killers have done so previously with ‘Hot Fuss’ and Greenday pulled off with ‘American Idiot’ The Le Martells manage to stretch from first love to a broken heart in less than twenty-five minutes.

The bands live performance isn’t half bad either; friendly banter a common feature on stage- in particular from drummer Jon Cox and lead guitarist Nick Lach. Catch the band live around Southampton in the next coming months, supporting critically acclaimed artist Golden Silvers at Unit and performing at the much loved venue Hamptons.

It’s a brilliant debut that frantically requires expansion; fans’ no doubt hopeful an album is on the horizon. Check out the bands myspace; www.myspace.com/lemartells if it be the last thing you do. You heard it from me first remember. Rating 9/10