Young aviators ep review

Young Aviators

Hunting for heaven – EP

I have always made it known that I support these guys. It is no secret, they are quite simply amazing, on record and on stage. So the latest offering from these lovelies is something of a treat. Imagine being in a restaurant stuffed from a huge meal, but still not being able to resist the most sickliest dessert. If you can then you have 'Hunting for heaven'. No matter how full you are you will always have room for these guys.

'Hunting for heaven' opens this delightful 3 track EP, creating sounds so special that they will make you want to do a little jig on the spot when no one is looking. Sod it do it when they are. The best and most satisfying aspect of Young Aviators, is that as soon as you turn it on you know it is them. Having a sound so unique for a band that are making a name for themselves, is something of an achievement.

'Better Future' is something that screams out for people who are craving more from their lives. These guys write and play songs that actually matter to people. Songs that people can relate to are something rare and unheard of in this day and age.

'The question is' brings this short and sweet EP to a close. An epically fitting song, where you can hear passion and loyalties being sung. This has to be my personal favourite on the record. The way in which the tempo changes and keeps you engaged and interested in where it will lead you to next.

So again they have pulled off another great trio of tracks that will make you want to hear more form them. Young Aviators are a band worth watching, worth taking note of, as you will regret this when they grow.

Rochelle Massey

Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles @ Oporto, Leeds 09 November 2011

Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles @ Oporto, Leeds

09 November 2011

Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles, have the most wonderful, intricate songs that have their own distinctive sound. So a free gig at Oporto to see them was one of my highlights of the week.

This band has their own Mini orchestra and for any of you that have been to Oporto you will have seen how tiny the stage actually is. So to see this in a small confined space is actually quite magical.

It’s classic folk music with poetic lyrics, a range of instruments and musical skill. Is that enough for you? Now folk music is on the up, and I love Mumford and Sons just like the rest of you. But there is more to new age folk than Mumford and bloody Sons. Baskervylles are just as good if not better than them. This performance tonight was spine tingling good with outstanding vocals from Ben. His vocals are note perfect and make the hairs stand to attention, whenever he sings a note.

Whenever you go to a gig you hope you’re going to get to see real musicians and not something that is like everything else on the music scene. Baskervylles are just that. Seeing them in this intimate surrounding I have now realised the extent of their talent, the extent that they are something special and not like anyone else. All songs that were played, were applauded and with cheers from the crowd. Their whole set was a breath of fresh air, during songs I found myself looking round to see if they were as deeply engrossed in this gig as I were. Of course they were this band put on one of the best shows I have seen in a long while.

They are hugely talented and make beautiful music, so they will be going far if they continue at the pace they are currently at.

Rochelle Massey

the average shelf life of a CD

Hi people,

recently I have been thinking baout the average shelf life a CD has in this soceity. As you read it you will gather that I do love my CDs ad hope that one day they will pick up on popularity again.

The average shelf life

Of a CD.

I don’t know about you, but I love nothing more than taking a trip down to HMV and browsing through the CD’s that are on offer. Also I will also take a stroll to crash and Jumbo records to see if anything takes my fancy there. But with the announcements that HMV are struggling, and that they are closing down a number of stores. It is hard to believe that this wonderful product may soon be gone, and replaced with the digital format.

Now I may be living in the past, but I love having the hard copy of an album, that the artists have put effort into making. It just feels lazy that we now, live in a society that lives on the digital copy of an album. It’s not only the digital versions that are putting the CDs out of business, it’s the illegal downloads. Recent research has shown that illegal downloads has dropped, but is this because now you have the video converters, rather than using the dedicated sites such as, bear share, pirate bay and lime-wire. It’s a scary thought to think that CDs could be no more in a few years because of this new digital society.

CDs overtook records, but CDs also survived the mini-disk (remember them) but it does not look like they will be able to survive this generation. We will still use them for making our own albums, and even to burn our digital version of the album we have just bought onto. But the age of record stores is slowly dieing. This is now why we have such days as national record store days. This is not for the huge companies, but for the small independent record stores, who rely on people to but the real thing from them.

The smaller bands, which have yet to score a record deal, will use this digital format, to save money and be able to get the music out to, record companies, magazines and bloggers. So in this instance this it is a good idea to move on from CDs, it allows bands with a low expenditure to broaden the horizons and allow music to be heard. On this level I do think that the digital way of life is a huge improvement, but I am still for the CDs. To me I think that it is just that feeling of being able to hold it and realise how much effort the artist has gone into making it, right down to the artwork.

So I am both for and against digital copies of music but my heart does, and will always lie with CDs. There is just something about them that, makes me happy. Being able to put them in order (yes I know a little OCD but it makes it easier to find them). The actual act of being able to go out and buy them knowing you are supporting what they have done. I think I will always be pro CDs, and I am not looking forward to the day that they, are to be no more. I think it will be a crying shame, and the generations after me, will have seriously missed out.  

The machine AKA The music industry

Hi everyone

hope you enjot this one. after much thinking and listening to what people thought about the Amy Winehouse shambles it made me think that the whole industry needs a shake up. Highlight what actually goes on and get better rights and conditions for artists. Anyways enough of me ranting enjoy.

The Machine AKA

The music industry.

With the recent and somewhat shocking performance from Amy Winehouse in Belgrade, it is hard to see how management even allowed her to go stage. It has only just come out that it was her management that pretty much just pushed her on to the stage, to make her put on that shambles performance, which occurred. Why would they do that to someone who is troubled and is crying out for help? To her management company she is nothing more than a money earner for them. Another reason they would do this is for press. They knew that all eyes would be on her for returning to the stage, so why not create a story form it in the process. The fact that is inhumane, does not count but the fact she brought herself publicity, means a hell of a lot.

Many managements are known for feeding the musicians habits. It is quite a well-known fact that The Libertines were an example of this, Red Hot Chilli Peppers also, and not mention Guns ‘n’ Roses. To get the artists to be at their best, this is how companies thought they could get it. To me this is not managing a talented person; you are creating a deeper problem, which in the end could cost you more.

Record companies do not care about the artist really; they are out to make more and more money. X factor is good example of this they may not plough them with alcohol and drugs yet. They instead say they are training them for this lifestyle. Before the live shows, you have to go under a grueling process of having your teeth whitened and a whole image overhaul. This is so you are more aesthetically pleasing to people. Sorry I forgot that your image is what sells the records, not your actual talent.

When you get signed you go through this whole grueling process, get your image sorted first, record your material, get a bit of publicity, tour the hell out of your material, maybe a day off, and then the cycle starts again. Everyone is apart of this machine, that is the music industry. Like it or loath it, that is what the whole industry is about. If you cannot hack it then you will not stay in it for very long.

Pink Floyds “Welcome to the machine” hits the nail on the head, right from the title. Maybe if it was not for the “machine” then the amazingly talented Syd Barrett may have stayed with group. Instead, he saw it for what it was and got out. Yet he was still a tortured soul. The lyrics “what did you dream, it’s alright, we told you what to dream. You dreamed of a big star, you played a mean guitar” symbolizes the power that record companies do have over the artists. They big you up make you enjoy all of the benefits, let you experience the nice side, then allow you to crash and burn.

Not all of it is down to the record companies and management. The musicians are people and they do have a mind of their own. They could say no, but they also choose not to. They think this is the life for them, they do not realise what is going to happen, and to their management team they are nothing but money earners. They don’t care if you give yourself a habit or do yourself harm, why should they, they will just find another version of you out there.

My advice to any young band or artist out there, would be keep it small. If this is what you love to do then you will appreciate it for what it is. Appreciate the beginning of that special formation you have, enjoy the small venues, the loving fans and the intimate crowds, for as soon as you start to get bigger and bigger. The Belgrade fiasco could soon be you. The Guns ‘n’ Roses riots could happen to you. Or even if you happen to fall into that bracket through sheer talent, then good on you. Just know what happened to your predecessors and learn from their mistakes. Make your experience your own and more importantly make it count. So many talented people get lost in this industry and it is a crying shame.   

Little bands do matter

Hello everyone,

wow 2 blogs in one day this won't happen that much. this topic is something that I have been thinking of for a while. As my blog is mainly about music this is something that means alot to me. without supporting local bands we will end up with the same music just a different day. So please read and enjoy.

Little bands are

What matter

So with everyone moaning about the line up of Leeds fest, I for one think it is a fantastic one. I love the fact Muse are headlining the Friday night. Although I would prefer them to close it, but hey I am not going to complain, they are playing and that is all that counts. Upon first look at the main stage it is a bit weak but when you delve in to all the other stages you are in for a real treat.

The people who are moaning and complaining clearly have not heard the new and exciting debut album from Mona, the fantastic debut from Frankie and the heartstrings and not to mention the first solo album of Miles Kane, which is out of this world. All of these new albums and bands that are coming out are, our future headline acts at festivals. Muse had to start at the bottom and work their way up, so did Pulp, Coldplay and look how Oasis started out, yes once they were noticed they were catapulted to stardom, but before then little places small stages. All these big bands had to start somewhere, and these are what the smaller tents are for to build these acts up and get them bigger audiences. I will be the first to admit some bands just can’t hack it on the main stages. It is sad to see and even to say they just don’t have the material yet to make it. Notice how I said yet.

You will find that the average music fan does become out of tune with what is new and out in world at the moment. It does cost a lot of money to keep in touch, there is the constant release of new albums, and then there is the tour to follow and then magazines so you can find all of these exciting new things. The one thing that a true music fan will always do (even if they do get out of touch) is go and see the various stages at a festival, or even see the support acts at a gig, of their favorite this band. This way you are getting out there and seeing the new exciting things that are happening, in the music world.

This was evident for me when I recently went to see, The subways at Leeds. We were there just in time to see one of the best support acts I have seen in a while. This band were called Young Aviators, these guys certainly got the crowd going for the main act (who were also amazing). They had a presence on stage that I have not seen in a while from a 3 piece band. They were interacting with the crowd as if they were playing a home crowd, and even brought an onlooker to the stage to become their dancer. It is these attributes of a band that will see these guys go far and accomplish things within the music world, which others will not. Most people that night found that these Irish wonders were an incredible act and couldn’t wait to see more.

So for the people who seem to just sit in the main arena of festivals, to just go see the main headline act, and not experience the full essence of what bands are like before they get to that main stage headlining slot, do not complain about the line up being “crap” or that it’s “same line up again”. If you do not like it then simply do not go. You can not argue that ticket prices are extortionate when you only aim to go to see 3 bands out of the entire weekend, when there are all these little gems hidden away, for you to find and experience. A festival ticket on average costs £200 you break this down over the 3 days and see the little bands you will get your moneys worth. More often than not also the small stages have the better crowds who make the gig even better.

Next time you’re at a gig and you think I will have one more beer, the headline isn’t on until 9, think again and go see the small bands. You will soon see what you are missing out on. These gems are the ones that will be shaping our musical future and the way we listen to music. Don’t get stuck with the old, keep experiencing new things. Music is a wonderful tool that can be appreciated in many ways. These little bands are what are creating the new innovative sounds; you won’t find people like Coldplay changing. They will stick to the Radiohead era for as long as they can (and no I am not slating Radiohead, but they are depressing). Same with the likes of U2 they won’t change, same album time and time again, it gets tiring. So get out there and enjoy your local band, because there will be one rehearsing like mad, just to play that small stage, keep that in mind when you see one of them.