Artist Review - Emma Blackery

Hey guys!

It's been a little while since I've done a review, so I thought I'd write a little one for you all today :)

I've been fan of Emma Blackery for a little while now, but only recently have I started to get into her music.

Emma, 21, is also a 'YouTuber'. Since started her channel in May 2012, she has gained over 350, 000 subscribers, and almost 100, 000 Twitter followers - that's a lot of people interested in what she's doing!

I began watching her (I know it sounds creepy, but honest, it's not) in around August 2012, and I actually only just found out whilst writing this that her YouTube channel began only 4 months earlier! I thought she'd been doing it a long time, because I found myself wanting to watch more and more of her videos as she was that entertaining! Personally (and I know it sounds like I'm going to blow Emma's trumpet here, #noinnuendo) I think Emma is very funny. She's not like Grace Helbig / Mamrie Hart / Hannah Hart - they are naturally funny and PUNny people, like Emma, but Emma is hilarious in a whole different way. I don't mean that I laugh at her 'fails' or regrets in life (she's made many videos about these), but she's so sassy and.. well, she's herself, and she'll make you laugh.

Emma is very open with her audience, which makes you connect with her. Her openness has never hidden the fact that music is her passion, and this is such a good thing, as it means people have started listening to her music because they like IT, not just because they're fans of her vlogs.

Recently, in the July of this year, Emma released her EP called 'Distance'. I knew before this that she wrote songs and was a good singer, as I'd seen a few videos, but the release of this EP made me like her music ability even more.

The EP consists of 4 songs, which yes, could be seen as not that many, but for an artist writing, recording and producing songs takes time, so you have to bear that in mind. Emma's style and genre of music could be hard to pinpoint. Judging from what she's told us via YouTube/Twitter, she has many influences in music, one of which being Placebo, whom she got to interview this month. Watch the interview here:

 

However, for Emma's own music, I would say there was a Rock-Punk vibe, with a bit of pop thrown in there. After all, 'pop' just means popular, and that's what I can see her music being.

My favourite song of hers at the moment is 'Go The Distance'. I really like the lyrics, as they can relate to anyone, and the song itself is just really catchy. It's the kind of song you find yourself singing in the shower, or at least I do (I'm not sorry if you got any visuals from that, you're the one who's thinking about it!).

With the help of Luke Cutforth (LukeIsNotSexy), Emma shot a music video for the track and uploaded it to her channel. I'm very particular with what I like and don't like for music videos, but as I whole I really enjoyed her video. I know she didn't have a big team and lots of money behind it (we can't all be Katy Perry with tigers and selfie-taking monkeys), so considering that it was really good! For me, there were a few moments I didn't like, but that is just my opinion, and Emma knows that not everyone agrees with everyone else. Nethertheless I did like it, especially the shots with the water fountain, as I thought they especially suited the 'cute' element to the song.
If you want to hear the song and see what I'm writing about, watch here! :

Overall I feel Emma has come a long way as an artist - it's a big thing to release your own EP into the world for everyone to hear! And not only that, she played a gig at the Half Moon in Putney, a place where the likes of U2, The Who and The Rolling Stones have played, so in terms of gig-location development, she's really on the up! She performed with a live band, not just her acoustic guitar this time, and if you want to see what went down, watch this:

Despite the fact she doesn't have a huge array of officially released tracks out at the moment, I'm really getting into her music, and I don't think it'll be long until she's releasing more stuff!

Emma is always up to something, whether it be writing/recording music, making a video, playing a gig, going to a YouTube gathering, and I think for someone so young, that is a relatively big achievement.

I think I would be right in saying that she knows what she wants to do with her life, which is great, and I am very happy to support her and to continue to be a loyal subscriber; I hope from what you've read/seen you might consider doing the same!

Emma Blackery's new EP? I'd give it 4.5/5. The songs are slick, the vocals are great, and the EP suits the image Emma has made for herself. When you buy music, you also buy into the artist, so with Emma also being a YouTuber it allows us guys to get more involved with her life AND enjoy her music- and I don't think £2.99 is too much for that, do you? ;)

SUBSCRIBE AND WATCH EMMA HERE (on YouTube, no creepy)
FOLLOW EMMA HERE (on Twitter, no stalky)
BUY EMMA HERE (her music, she ain't no prostitute)
EMMA'S TUMBLR
EMMA'S FACEBOOK
EMMA'S BLOG/WEBSITE

Have a good life, take a listen, take a look.

I'll see you next time, bye for now!!

x x x x

Paloma Faith Live at Westonbirt Aboretum - Review

A good friend of mine once told me to not apologise for not writing a blog, or making a video, and to just do it.
Of course, someone else also told me not listen to other people and to do what I want- but I think I'm going to ignore the latter for the purposes of today's blog.

A few weeks ago, I went to see Paloma Faith.

I'd known of her since her first single/album, but I wasn't a 'fan'. Don't get me wrong- I LOVED a few of her songs, but I never desired the wish to see her in concert, or to physically buy her album. I guess I just wasn't into her that much when I was thirteen.

It's strange to think that 'Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?', her debut album, was released four years ago. So much has changed for Paloma since then. She's been in films, on TV, released another album and has toured the country many times. But she's still the same. Sure, her style or songs may have developed or changed slightly, but she is still as wacky and wonderful as she's ever been.

The biggest change for me though, has been in myself. I've grown up, and her songs really speak to me now. Not only do I enjoy them, but I fall in love with them.

It was her second album that really did it for me. She released 'Fall to Grace' in May 2012, and I loved every single song. I longed to be able to sing them as well as her - I still do. I wanted to buy the album. I'd find the songs any way I could, and listen over and over.

Now was finally the time for me to see her live.

My sister had already seen her in November 2012 in Birmingham on her 'Fall to Grace' tour, and she'd raved and raved about how good everything was - the overall show, the staging, her outfits, Paloma's chatty nature with the crowd. It sounded great. To tell the truth, I'd wanted to go to this show. However none of my friends wanted to go, and my sister didn't really want me tagging along, so I didn't buy a ticket.

Feeling like I'd missed out the last time, I was so excited when the chance came up for me to see her in June 2013.

Paloma was doing a tour of outside venues, including Westonbirt Arboretum which is very near to where two of my auntie's live. My mum wanted to see her, and so did my three aunts and cousin, so it was decided - we bought the tickets, and before we knew it the date of the show had rolled around already.

It being summer and all, we expected the sun to come out, and at first it did make an appearance. Armed with our fold-out chairs, picnic rugs and food, we headed to the venue. It was a beautiful place, full of trees and surrounded by gorgeous countryside. The landscape could have been one from a painting. 
We got there quite early- early enough to hear sound check. Paloma sounded great from the snippets we heard, and it was a sufficient teaser for the main show to follow later.

Unfortunately, the moment Paloma came on stage, the rain stared to tip it down. It poured and poured, but it didn't dampen our spirits (as cheesy as that may sound). Her support act Marques Toliver was lively and upbeat, and had got the crowd as excited as he could considering there were grey clouds that loomed above us the entire time he was on. The inevitability of rain was on everyone's minds, yet when Paloma came on, the screams were loud enough so you couldn't hear the rain.

Paloma was nice, chatty and funny - just as my sister said she was. Her outfit was amazing - a pink and orange creation. What could have easily been a disastrous outfit just worked for her. It was.. it was her. A reflection of her personality.

 

 

The back-up singers wore black and white sixties numbers, and the stage, with the piano, mirrors and retro decorations, all gave the show a Paloma Faith feel - and I'm sure everyone could sense it.

Paloma performed extremely well. She even sang in the rain (with an umbrella) for us. She wanted to connect with us all; we were bracing the weather for her, so she wanted to put on an even greater show for us.

Songs such as '30 Minute Love Affair' and 'Just Be' were particularly intimate, and she even performed one song on top of the piano. I could go on and on about how extraordinary her voice is, but she was just as good live as she is as a recorded artist. I'd even go as far as to say that she was better.

When she performed live, you could really see and feel the emotion, and that makes a song sound real.

I really, really enjoyed seeing Paloma Faith live in concert, and I'd give her 10/10. Everything about it was phenomenal (except the rain), and I'd really suggest you go and listen to her, because you won't regret it.

FIND PALOMA FAITH -

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
WEBSITE
YOUTUBE

I saw Paloma Faith on her forest concert tour, as part of Forest Live of the Forestry Commission, where every venue is outside! Unfortunately, this tour is over, but she is performing in Bath and at V Festival - buy tickets here!

Thanks for reading! Please any comments about what you might like me to write in the future.

Bye for now!!

x x x x

MADEON - REVIEW

Hey guys!

Bit of a different review today, but I'm hoping you'll like it!

As a response to my last review, a guy I [kind of] know called Joe Joiner (@JoeJoinerr on Twitter) suggested I review something I wasn't particularly familiar with.

I liked this idea, so I asked him for suggestions.

And this is why I'm reviewing 'Madeon' for you today.



"Strike a pose"

I'd never heard of Madeon, much to Joe's horror, but I listened to some of his songs on YouTube and read up on him, and now I'm much more knowledgeable about him than I was before.

Basically, if someone asked me who he was I could tell them, but that's about it.

Yet, I think that's enough to base a review on for all of you to read.. I hope it's enough anyway.

Madeon is a 19-year old electro house/pop music producer from France, and in this country, he is something of a marvel, to both professional and novice music producers alike. He started composing music at the age of 11, so you could say he was a bit of a kid genius. Either way, he now makes a career out of doing what he loves, and I have to say, he's pretty good at it.

Although electro pop/house music is not my music of choice, since listening to Madeon and other similar music mixes, I've started to like it a bit more. I've never been a fan of club music - it's alright in the moment, but to me it's just noise. Yet, listening to some of Madeon's tracks and seeing some videos, you can really see how much work goes into producing each one. It is not an easy task, and I began to appreciate that kind of music.

The first song I listened to was 'The City' but if, like me, you had never heard of Madeon, then I don't think this is the best song to start with. Go a bit further back, and maybe start with his YouTube video 'Pop Culture'. It was this song that got me interested.

'Pop Culture' - Madeon

 

It's been almost 2 years since Madeon posted his video 'Pop Culture' on YouTube, and in that time it has had over 19 MILLION views. That's a lot of views for a song a 17 year old boy made in his bedroom.

It is a mash-up of 39 songs, covering many different genres including pop, house and club music, and Madeon puts his own twist on all of them, whilst mixing them together at the same time.

The video itself is only 3:26 long, yet it is, in it's own way, a masterpiece. Watching the video you can see it took a lot of time and effort for him to make it. God knows how many takes it took to get it perfect, but it shows he has skill.

Then I listened to a few more songs including 'Finale'. 'Finale' sounded familiar to me, I think it might have been used on TV or something, so you might recognise it too, but it's definitely worth checking out. Completely different to 'Pop Culture' in the fact that it is all his own work, not just a remix of other people's songs. It features vocals from Nicholas Pertricca from Walk The Moon, and it's brilliant.

 'Finale' - Madeon

'The City' was even more different to 'Pop Culture' and 'Finale'. There were more vocals used, and the computerised elements of the song didn't have as much focus. Some would say this is a bad thing, but I disagree. Despite all his songs having, essentially, the same electronic features, he manages to make every one sound completely different. This shows he's versatile, and will propel him to where he wants to go within the music industry.
Also, 'The City' (which was released in the October of last year) had a proper music video, which was very creative in itself. The colours used in the video and the feel of the song match perfectly, and despite not being overly convinced about it at first, I grew to really like it.

'The City' - Madeon

 

All in all, Madeon has gained himself another fan, and I hope you guys will check out his music. It might be different from what you're used to, but just do it! Get out your comfort zone every once in a while, you might find you quite like it!

Madeon also really likes The Beatles as far as I can tell from photos and Twitter, so I think we can trust him when it comes to music..

Here is where you can find Madeon:

Subscribe to his YouTube channel!
Follow him on Twitter!
Like him on Facebook!

Thank you Joe Joiner, for telling me about him; my horizons have most certainly been broadened.

Until next time!

x x x x


(P.S - I'm going to see Paloma Faith LIVE at Westonbirt Arboretum tomorrow, so expect a blog about that next week :) I'm very excited!! Bye for now!!)

They're saving rock 'n' roll and they're doing it well - ALBUM REVIEW

Hey guys!

Here's another review for you, as I got a lot of feedback on my last one! I even got a follow and messages from Mike Dignam himself.
Despite parts of my review causing a little misunderstanding, I think he was overall pleased with it, and I'm very happy he actually read it - so thank you Mike.

Today however, I'm reviewing a CD! Fall Out Boy's new album to be precise.

I heard a lot about the album when it first came out, on Facebook and Twitter and such, but I didn't actually start listening to it until about a month ago.

And the reason for this?

Well, I've always liked Fall Out Boy (my sister was indie before it was cool, therefore I was forced to listen to her music, thankfully FOB are actually good) but I was a little scared by this album.

1) It was everywhere. Everyone was talking about it, and it was almost becoming mainstream to like them.
Not that I don't like 'mainstream' things, sometimes I do, but I didn't want to go and listen just because everyone on Twitter was raving.

And 2) This album was the first thing FOB had released as a group since 2008, so I was a bit sceptical; had they changed? If so, was it a positive change, or had they lost themselves in the five year 'rest'?

I was about to find out.

Then the day came when I decided I should dive in and find out what the new album was like, so using my trusty friend Spotify, I listened.

And 'Save Rock 'n' Roll' by Fall Out Boy was everything I heard it was... and more.

It exceeded my expectations.

Yes, it was a slightly different sound, but it sounded AWESOME.

Of course I immediately wrote a status and/or tweet about how the good rumours were true.. oh, they were so true.

I am usually light-years behind everyone when it comes to music, this case being no exception, but I really wish I wasn't.

I think I hold myself back too much when it comes to opening up to new artists- I like to stick to what I know, and if I'm not familiar with it scares me.

I loved Fall Out Boys first album 'From Under The Cork Tree' (it is still one of my favourite, and in my opinion the best, albums I own), but even so the prospect of a new sound from one of my childhood bands scared me.

BUT FACE YOUR FEARS, BECAUSE THE ALBUM IS GREAT.

 

The first track of the album is called 'The Phoenix'. My immediate thought when the intro was playing was "This sounds like Plan B" and it does. The intro really does. But it stops there; the rest is aaaaaaall Fall Out Boy.

All. The. Way.

'Save Rock 'n' Roll' is packed with ace songs that are catchy, musically brilliant and typical of Fall Out Boy.. the old band and the newer version.

The songs will stick in your head. Seriously.

But worship that; at least it's not a Rebecca Black song stuck in there.. sorry.

But moving on...

It has songs that make you feel good. You will want to sing along. They are not screamy or shouty or depressing. They're just good.

It's great, well worth any of your time and money. So what are you waiting for?

Whether or not you've heard of FOB before, or any of their songs, you are guaranteed to like this album.

It obviously helps if you like Indie/Rock music, so I'd probably avoid it if you can only listen to Acoustic/Country & Western without your ears bleeding.. this album might not be your cup of tea.

That shouldn't stop you though. Go find it on iTunes or Spotify or YouTube.
Broaden your horizons. I wish I'd done it sooner.

I give 'Save Rock 'n' Roll' by Fall Out Boy 9.5/10.

Fall Out Boy are BACK. They are back with a BANG. And gosh, we've missed you. But thankfully, you're here to save music once again. You're like a non-magical, musical, American Harry Potter..

Thank you for saving rock 'n' roll.

Find Fall Out Boy here:

Patrick Stump – lead vocals, guitars
Pete Wentz – bass guitar, backing vocals
Joe Trohman – guitars, backing vocals
Andy Hurley – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Facebook
Twitter

Go listen to 'Save Rock 'n' Roll'! Follow the links below:

Spotify (listen to the full album for free and/or buy)
iTunes (listen to samples for free and/or buy)
YouTube

Bye for now!!

x x x x

Mike Dignam Street Gig - Review

Hey guys!

Yesterday I went to a 'street gig' in Birmingham to watch a singer-songwriter Mike Dignam.

You may have recognised his name, as I have been advertising him and his picture to the right of my blog since I started it!

I first saw Mike perform as a support act for the band Lawson in March of this year, and I absolutely fell in love with his songs right away!

He writes and plays all his own music, which normally fits into the acoustic/pop genre.

It doesn't say on his website, and I never asked him in person/via Twitter, so I don't know what other bands/artists he would compare himself to, but my friend thinks some of his songs sound a bit like Stevie Wonder.

He's not only toured with Lawson, but also Gabrielle Aplin, and this September/October he is headlining his own UK + N.Ireland tour - buy tickets here!

To promote his current EP ('Paint') and his upcoming EP, he has been doing 'street gigs' all over the country- in Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham for example. They were in association with HMV, which meant shoppers at the store could pick up his EP for free with any purchase. This is great promotion for both parties: HMV gets more people into the shop (potential customers), and Mike gets more people to hear his music - win win!

I went along to the Birmingham gig, which was actually held in St. Martins Church - a good thing too, as it TIPPED it down with rain outside!

But that had no effect on our moods, as he put on a great short show, playing his own songs that the fans knew, a few covers, and a new song from his upcoming EP.

Although we all really enjoyed it (approx. 80-100 people turned up), it was a little awkward being in the church, as it was still open to the public, and we didn't feel we could be as loud as we wanted (even though Mike had permission to play there).

Also, we were seated, which restricted our movement to the songs.

However, the church made his songs sound great, as the acoustics of the building were excellent!

It was much better when Mike gathered us around him at the front; he even said "I should have done this before!".
And he was right, but that didn't matter really, because we all enjoyed the show, and he managed to get members of the public to stop and listen for a while.

 

 

During the gig he would sometimes get distracted and make little mistakes or restart - but we didn't care.

I'd seen him play flawlessly before in front of a crowd of predominately Lawson fans, so I know what he is capable of. If anything didn't seem 'perfect', it was nobody's fault (if maybe a couple of distracting fans haha), and it made the concert seem more intimate - Mike didn't mind stopping and starting in front of us. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable, but maybe because he didn't have to prove himself to us. He didn't have to win us over: we were there because we loved what he did already.

After the gig he did a signing at HMV in the Bullring shopping centre.

He turned into a [non-creepy] Pied Piper, with all his fans following him to the signing.

We attracted some attention (obviously), which is what Mike wanted- more publicity! And we were happy enough to help.

The signing ran smoothly (whilst I was there, at least), and Mike's friend/tour manager/photographer/videographer Lloyd Willacy (who had been filming throughout the day) took some great shots of the fans waiting in line.

Mike was so nice when we reached him, signing our CDs, and my ukulele! Thanks Mike! :)

 

Me and my friends Abbie (@AJ_Burford) and Charlotte (@Charl_Emilyx) also got our pictures* taken with him.

 

 

 

Mike seems really down to earth, and me and my friends had a lovely chat to him at the signing. Considering he was going to be signing things for a while, and that he didn't personally know us, he was talkative - gestures like that that show you he's a nice guy.

It's always so much nicer to like an artist's music, and for them to be a good person too.

I feel like I'm at that age and stage in my life where, although I might get excited and woop/sing-along at a concert, I don't scream and 'fangirl' very much anymore.

I'm 17 now, and me and my friends noticed how silly some of the other girls were being at the signing- in fact, we were quite embarrassed to be stood near them, even though we weren't with them and didn't know them.

I'm not criticizing, as I may have been like that at one point, but now I'm old enough to really appreciate an artist and their music; I want to support their dreams and help them to achieve their aspirations of making/selling good music, rather than scream in their face.

People deal with their excitement in different ways though, and Mike handled all reactions very well at the signing; whether people asked questions, or couldn't take a picture due to uncontrollable laughter/nervous crying.

He seems to appreciate all the support he gets, whoever it's from, and that's the way it should be when you're in the music business.

I've seen him perform live twice, and I've met him twice (the first very briefly outside the Lawson gig in Birmingham), so I know I am biased when I say this, but I would really recommend his music. He's got his own style, and his songs are original - something you can't say about every artist, even the ones high up in the charts!

His music isn't just for teenage girls either; some of you guys might enjoy it too!

Here is a video of Mike's song 'Great Escape', one of my favourites of his. Take a listen, you might really like it. You never know, he could be you're future no.1 favourite artist!

Here are the links where you can find Mike:

Twitter
Facebook
Website
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat: mikedignam


I give the Mike Dignam Street Gig in Birmingham 8.5/10 stars, which is pretty good I think!

I'm going to his headline tour in September, so I'll review that for you guys once I've been!

Thanks for reading!

Please share with your friends and to Mike if you want to :)

Bye for now!!

x x x x

(*all photos credited to Charlotte Clayton)

What goes on tour...

Hallo!

No, I'm not bad at spelling, that's how to say "Hello!" in Dutch! :)

And I haven't suddenly changed nationality, my blog post for today is about a trip I went on in the April of this year- a trip to Holland!

Every year my school organises a 'music tour', where the many talented students in the music department pack up and take their instruments and voices on tour, and perform to people of all ages in sometimes multiple countries!

I have been on 3 music tours since being at my high school- Spain, Italy and Holland/Belgium.

I have enjoyed every single one of them, and feel so proud to be part of such a energetic family of musicians.

I just wanted to share with you guys some of the photos that were taken, which might persuade some of you to organise or go on a similar trip yourself!

They are always really fun; you see so many amazing sights, make new friends, and visit places you never thought you'd go.

I'd really recommend getting involved with music!

Whether you sing or play and instrument, it's really worth it.


Music Tour to Holland and Belgium - April 2013.

We had to visit a windmill- we were in Holland after all!

We visited a beach, and despite the cold weather, our friend Arianna got into the beach spirit!

 

 

Me and Arianna at the beach in Holland :)

 

 

A small group of us by a pretty bridge and river :)

 

Some pretty views! :)
 

And for the last photo, a nice little group of us by the river in Amsterdam!

And no holiday with friends would be complete without a cringey picture in the reflection of a dirty shop window!

 

We all had an awesome time in Holland, and I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my pictures! :)

 

Bye for now!!

 

x x x x