Loveable Rogues at Dartford Festival

My Friend and I hanging with the Loveable Rogues
 fresh from their set at Dartford Festival.

Another weekend and another Saturday of bands, rain, fun and mud. This weekend I attended Dartford Festival in Dartford Central Park despite the fact the rain outside was making me wonder whether I should stay in and build an ark! Nevertheless, I was eager to see the band Loveable Rogues after watching them take the judges and Britain by storm on the show 'Britain's Got Talent'. The song that they wrote themselves and performed at their audition entitled 'Love Sick' seemed to be stuck in everyone's heads for many weeks after; with it’s really catchy chorus and funny verses such as 'I was crumbled like apple pie when you left my flat only wearing a goodbye'. The three boys from Chingford write their own music, usually with the chorus being sung and the verses rapped/spoken. Their music is all very quirky and their London accent makes them (dare I say it?) loveable. Although on BGT they only finished fourth, it is clear they have developed a huge fan base as when I arrived at the festival there were plenty of screaming, teenage girls all trying to catch a glimpse of the band. At around six o'clock, it was announced that the Loveable Rogues were about to take the stage and the crowd went nuts. The rain managed to hold off during their set which was very good as it meant our view was not obstructed by huge umbrellas. As well as singing Love Sick and the song they performed in the final of BGT, they also did an impressive cover of 'Posh Girls' by Scouting For Girls and 'A Team' by Ed Sheeran. After the show, I was fortunate to have passes to go backstage and so met Sonny Jay, Eddie Brett and Te Eugene Qhairo. They were all very funny guys, laughing and joking with the fans about their twitter and the need for an umbrella hat. Overall, the band put on a great show for Dartford and, hopefully with the help of Simon Cowell and his record label, will go on making their charming blend of acoustic rock and rap.

Luddstock Festival 2012 - Interview with Sam Gray

Sam Gray and I in the rain

With a list of questions, a huge umbrella and my best pair of wellies, I was ready for my night at a truly British festival in the rain in the garden of Reynold's farm. When I arrived the marquees were all set up and the stage looked extremely scenic with a forest backdrop and decorative lights scattered around the field. I was eager to meet Sam Gray, the singer/song writer whom I had nothing but praise for in my recent 'Artist of The Week' article and as I first introduced myself it was clear he was not just a talented singer, but also a very nice guy. The interview (as you can see above) went brilliantly, despite the loud background music from the blues band playing at the time. Off camera, Sam told me that he was worried people would not get up to dance during his set and as the clouds got darker and the wind picked up, the fear that people will stay in their marquee and not support him boiled up inside me too. Nevertheless, as Sam graced the stage singing his hits such as 'Senorita', 'All of My Life' and 'Brighter Day', people braved the rain to watch him sing. Sam also did a couple of covers which was great as everyone could sing along to well-loved tunes such as 'I Wish' by Stevie Wonder and 'Brown Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison. When the beloved 'any requests?' question was asked, my family could not help but request 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder (my all-time favourite song). I thought that it would be really difficult to suddenly be able to play and sing a random song suggested by the audience, but I was pleasantly surprised when Sam and his band performed the song wonderfully. The audience were screaming 'more' every time Sam showed any sign of finishing, and I was so pleased that people were genuinely having a fantastic time listening to him. Also, the bass player for Sam was a true showman, rocking out with his instrument and smiling his head off during the whole set. Both the bass player and drummer were very impressive and never missed a beat, even with the surprise covers. Sam finished with his new single 'This Girl' which was a great way to end the set and definitely left the crowd wanting more. The rest of the night went 'swimmingly', the final band was a 'Ska' band who were great to dance to and the whole place was buzzing. It was a really good night for the excellent cause of Milestone School and a lot of money was raised, I am looking forward to next year's festival which is the 29th of June 2013!

Artist Of The Week - Sam Gray

Sam Gray matching his outfit to his guitar
case like a true musician (credit sugarscape.com)

Sam Gray is another example of a brilliant, new singer/song-writer from England. He sings with a three piece band and has toured with the likes of Westlife, The Overtones and East 17. He sings and writes rock music but it is all very soft and reminds me of The Fray, particularly the song 'All of My Life' which I would have to proclaim is my favourite song of his. I love the music video for this track as well; it is a quite an emotional, typically British video that tells a loveable story. The song itself starts off with a minimalistic guitar rhythm which develops by including drums and a base in the chorus. The line 'all of my life I’ve been running in circles' is very catchy and makes it a great song to sing along to. Sam Gray is an artist that you can tell has worked really hard making and performing music, rather than being plunged into the lime light like a winner of a talent show. His live acoustic songs he has uploaded onto Youtube highlights that he is not an auto-tune moulded artist and shows his vocal talents as well as his skills as a musician. Sam's song 'Brighter Day', which was released before 'All of My Life' is actually very different as it is up-beat and cheerful but this shows how versatile he is. This was further confirmed when I listened to his full album, also entitled 'Brighter Day'. It has a good balance of happy, summer songs and slower, peaceful songs and is definitely worth downloading.

On the 7th July I am attending the Luddstock Festival which takes place in the garden of Reynolds Farm in Luddesdown, Kent. It is an excellent evening with three live bands performing, including Sam Gray, which I am really looking forward to. I went to Luddstock last year and had an awesome time seeing the great bands for all different tastes in music. Also, the money raised at the festival goes to local charities, which means you know you are enjoying yourself for a good cause. Tickets are still available for the event but are selling fast so if you would like to catch Sam Gray, and other bands, in action definitely grab your tickets now! For more information and tickets visit -  http://www.luddstock.com/  Check back here after the event to see my review of the night!

Sam Gray's official website is www.samgray.co.uk where you can find all of his music, videos and upcoming events such as his performance at the Silverstone Grand Prix on July 6th.

It Gets Me By - The Glory Days

Teenagers across the country are very much aware that although the sun is beckoning us from outside, we have to study in our dark, depressing rooms as it is that dreaded time of year; exam season. Therefore, I thought I would post a song that can hopefully give you some motivation and get you through this stressful time. 'It Gets Me By' by The Glory Days is a song about highlighting all the things that make you smile and enjoy life throughout all the days when you feel like giving up. It has a slightly country feel to it and a really cool guitar solo after the first chorus. The lyrics are for more mature teenagers and I would not recommend listening to it with your little brothers and sisters, but not every song can be Justin Bieber style family friendly, a bit of controversy adds character sometimes and there's nothing wrong with knowing your target audience. Overall, this is a great song that can hopefully get YOU by. 

Artist Of The Week - Tom Mann

Any friend of Joe Brooks must be cool right? That’s was what was going through my mind as I visited Tom Mann's Youtube channel after hearing about him via Joe Brooks' twitter and, as predicted, I was ecstatic with what I came across. He is not very well known yet with only just under 7,000 YouTube channel views which makes him different to my previous 'Artist Of The Week's whom already have a thriving fan base. However, Tom definitely has the potential to go far. On his channel, he has covered 'How Do I Live' by LeAnn Rimes and 'You Give Me Something' by James Morrison but also some of his own songs have been uploaded including 'Beautiful', 'Lost and Lonely' and 'Honey' which were all previously recorded with the band The Nascent Season. 'Lost and Lonely' is my favourite of these songs because I love the genuine lyrics and really good beat. His vocals could be compared to Ed Sheeran but a bit different as he sings in a higher pitch much like Brian Dales of The Summer Set. Basically, mix Ed and Brian's voice and you have this wonderful British creation. I would love to see Tom make more videos and get more views because he really deserves it. I have attached a video of a medley he performed live of Bill Withers' 'Aint No Sunshine', Semisonic's 'Secret Smile', Labrinth's 'Last Time' and The Beach Boys 'God Only Knows', because I am a sucker for a cool medley of contrasting songs that fit together well.

Alabama Capital

The capital of Alabama is Montgomery and so Nathan and Caleb Montgomery immediately grabbed me with their clever band name. Alabama Capital is two brothers that prove that talent can indeed run in the family. Nathan and Caleb began doing covers on Youtube of artists such as Jason Derulo, Lil Wayne and Adele. Both boys are very good guitar players and usually play in their videos too. Recently, they have written and recorded their own music including the song 'Stop' featuring Mandy Rain. Their music at the moment is all mid-tempo and acoustic and Nathan and Caleb have impressive vocals that seem to come naturally. Their new EP 'Live From the UG Studios' contains songs recorded live to an intimate audience and each song is brilliant and makes me anticipate a full length album from them. The duo is very close to their fans and often has livechats which show they are really nice guys. Check them out!

Slow Song Suggestion

A lot of the music I have recommended so far on this site has been fun and something you can dance to, however it’s important not to forget those days when you want to listen to a mellow, delicate song. Therefore, 'A Drop in the Ocean' by Ron Pope is perfect for this. The song begins almost a cappella to emphasise Ron's soulful voice and the sincere lyrics. The whole song is played on the piano which I think adds a story-teller element to his voice as you can imagine this song being played to you personally by someone you love as opposed to a song played in the clubs and at concerts; it makes it more personal even if you have not got a special someone in mind when listening. The last line of the chorus 'You are my heaven' is so beautifully sang and, just a warning, can lead to goose bumps for the hopeless romantics amongst us. Comment if you cry, comment if you don't, I would really like to hear how this song made you feel.