Greetings

I was sat in my room in my Uni halls, the end of my first year looming, and I realised, for the first time in a long time, that I actually had nothing to do. I was even sick of Facebook. So I decided to make a Blog, just to pass some time, and see how it goes.

I thought I'd start by explaining my love for music. Fresh, rogue-esque music. In particular, new young bands, you know, those ones that you don't have to fight to get to the front of the crowd to see them, and then after they have played their set they actually mingle with the crowd and you can chat with them. Theres something really magic about that, I mean, most of the bands you meet, you know they are going to be the next generation of epic bands, that will most likely be headlining within the next few years at some festival in the middle of Scotland. The energy from these gigs are spectacular, you can actually sit down with your friends when these bands are constantly in the news, and say, I had a conversation with them about how horrible Mayonnaise is. Its beyond bizzare. Ever since I was little I wanted to be a rockstar, and, even though I may have an Ok voice, my lack of enthusiasm about laying my synthesiser in which I begged my parents to buy me one christmas does not seem to be doing me any favours. Therefore these bands, they give me hope, and they give me that energy to believe that I can make it. However, for now I've got all these wonderful bands to see!

I thought I'd share with you some important moments in my life that have really been magic. I went to see my first gig in Blackpool. On the way to a family holiday my Aunt once offered to take me to my first gig, which she had perceived as some lame band that provided the world with nothing but cheese that would make ears bleed, but I wont name names. In my disgust at the offer, I told her I would never let her take me to a gig, unless it was The Killers, my favourite band at the time, however she was astonished..

This Aunt proceeded to buy me tickets to a One off Radio 1 gig by Zane Lowe, with The Killers, and I have never been more grateful. Stood there outside the Empress Ballroom excitedly looking into the building hoping to catch a glimpse of the band, I knew this was something I was made for. I was always passionate about music, and that buzz I felt waiting in the freezing cold for at least an hour, on the pier of Blackpool, I decided My future career would involve gigs. Whilst waiting to be let in this building, I got talking to a woman who had seen The Killers 8 times already, and she had been PAID to see them, and write about them for a music column. It felt like fate. This was what I wanted to do, if my silly dreams of being a Rockstar fell through.

A few years later, I was at a Foals gig, it was amazing, I'd never seen such amazing energy on the stage, and Yannis Philipakkis blew me away, I couldnt stop staring at him, he was just so electric onstage! The thing that annoys me with bands is that when they get to a certain popularity, they become commercialised, they have to write songs that fill arena's full of fans, provide showstopping stunts, and make sure everyone goes away happy. But I believe this just ruins the whole effect of music, and live bands, its not about the stage shows, the dancing, and the lighting. Everybody has paid good money, to see this band sing their songs, the songs that they have spent months slaving over, and basically putting blood, sweat, tears and probably a whole lot of alcohol, if not drugs in. Heck, we are only human. As I stood there hypnotised by Yannis, I realised that there are bands out there that refuse to be commercialised, that are rebels to the people in the music business that crack the wip on these musical genuises, and ruin the music for everyone. This is something I thought The Killers would never do, and then Sam's Town arrived, and furthemore Day and Age, and it broke my heart to lose interest in them, as I'd been their fan from the start.

Recently a friend and I received free tickets to see Sketches, Lone Wolfe, and Everything Everything at a Topman CTRL gig at a local social club. From the moment I walked in the place the atmosphere fulfilled the energy that I love so much, the relaxed, "I play music for fun, not money" atmosphere, and I loved it. It made me realise that there are companies out there that feel the same as I do, that they believe the fans should be allowed to speak to the bands they love so much, and spend money consuming the cd's they make, and the artwork they produce, that makes these bands so popular. I think its time people started spreading a wider word, that bands should ALWAYS make more time for their fans, unless they want to risk losing them. I am writing this from experience, as five years ago, I was a full on Killers fan, you name it, you bet I had it, I even had a magazine cover that had Brandon Flowers on it in the corner, that had to be shipped over from New York, Five years on, I switch the radio station at even a mention of them. Lets not have this happen to other bands and fans out there!! Lets stregnthen this bond between fans and bands!! I bet we would encourage a hell of a lot more new artists to come out of the woodwork.