The Summer Set at Kings College Student Union, London

The evening of the 31st May started off in the best way possible. It was a warm, vibrant evening in the city and when we were taken up to a balcony in the venue overlooking the iconic London eye, I concluded that this was a perfect place for a meet and greet. However, I was shocked to not be faced with the usual bustle of hundreds of excitable ‘fangirls’, but just twenty teenagers mingling around the room. I thought this was refreshing and I loved being able to just chill with the members of The Summer Set without being 'moved along' and talking over high pitched squeals. I am not saying I have not enjoyed meet and greets in the past, there is nothing better than meeting great bands, but something about the relaxed atmosphere made this one more special. We were then able to go down the stairs to the stage before any of the other audience was allowed in and so got a prime position in the front row on the right hand side.

This was the first time I had been so close to the stage that I had to move my hands because guitarists were stepping on my fingers, for a lover of concerts this was amazing! Natives (who seem to keep popping up at gigs I go to) opened the show with songs from their ‘Stand For Something’ and ‘This Island’ EPs. I was a bit disappointed when I turned around to see the crowd looking so unenthusiastic but a sign that showed Natives are an excellent opening act was, by the end of their set, the whole audience were dancing and red in the face. I hope to see Natives on their tour in November and see if they make as good headliners as they do openers.

Action Item was on next with a dramatic first song, 'Good or Bad'. I'm not sure whether it was being close to the stage, or if it was the venue but I didn't feel the acoustics were as good as other gigs I have been to. At some points, I found it difficult to hear Brian's vocals as they were slightly distorted. Nevertheless, their catchy songs and cute chemistry on stage meant that I really enjoyed their set. Being the teenage girl that I am, my favourite moment was when Brian sang part of 'Last Day Of Summer' to me, the perks of being front row. They did a cover of 'I Need Your Love' by Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris which was a good choice as practically everybody knew it and so everyone could join in singing whilst Brian crowd surfed in the sea of people.

 With the crowd left feeling lively and thoroughly warmed up, we were all eagerly awaiting The Summer Set. The set list was taped right in front of me so I could see that all of my favourite songs were going to be played, even older ones like 'Girls Freak Me Out' and 'Love Like This'. From the first song, The Summer Set had the whole crowd dancing and Brian Dale's distinctive vocals were almost exactly like their recorded songs, which always impresses me. I have to say the person that stole the show for me had to be Jess Bowen, the drummer. I was mesmerised by her skill especially as it is unusual to see a female drummer, and she did not miss a single beat. I liked the fact they did not perform any covers this time as it gave them a chance to play a huge range of their own material which, ultimately, is what everybody came to hear. I thought 'About A Girl' was performed beautifully as the band switched to acoustic and emotion was poured into the song. My favourite song to hear live was probably 'Lightening In A Bottle' from the new album 'Legendary', I feel like it was written to please crowds and that it did as everybody went crazy and threw their 'hearts in the air' which made a wonderful picture. Ending the show with 'Chelsea' was symbolic for me as it was the first song I heard by The Summer Set and the night really ended with the crowd wanting more.

 This was the last show being held at Kings College Student Union and although it was not my favourite, it was in a picturesque location with a good sized stage and dance floor. The Summer Set is a must-see band and I honestly could not fault their set.

5 Seconds Of Summer gig at Barfly Camden 7/4/13

With (left to right) Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings,Ashton Irwin and Calum Hood

I hadn't fully appreciated the rising popularity of 5 Seconds Of Summer until tickets to the gig sold out in a matter of seconds, which just goes to show how beneficial touring with a massive boyband like One Direction can be. Luckily, two of my friends and I managed to get our hands on some tickets for the acoustic performance and meet and greet at the Barfly in Camden, London. Going to a concert mid-afternoon felt a little odd, but this gave me a chance to take in my surroundings and have a proper look at the venue. Previously I had stated that Scala in Kings Cross was my favourite gig vicinity, but the Barfly gives it close competition due to the cute shops and bars outside and a cosy inside with great acoustics. 5 Seconds Of Summer, consisting of Luke, Calum, Michael and Ashton, are an Australian band who write and sing pop/rock songs and this was their first head-lining gig in the UK. They opened with 'Out Of My Limit' and then went on to sing most of their songs such as 'Gotta Get Out', 'Beside You' and 'Heartbreak Girl', as well as a cover of Busted's 'Year 3000'. Even though the set was only roughly forty minutes, the boys gave the crowd a great show despite the fact you could sense they were missing the large space to dance around on stage that they are used to on the 'Take Me Home' arena tour. An acoustic show does not have the same epic atmosphere of a rock show such as the 'We The Kings' gig, but I enjoyed singing along and hearing the stripped down voices. It was a shame the band did not perform 'Unpredictable' as that is one of my favourites, but this meant more time to for the meet and greet. All four members of the band were very polite and sweet when I met them and we took selfies on my phone, they all had told me that they really enjoyed the show and would love to do more in the future. The main thing that impressed me about the show was that the tickets were only £4 when they could have easily charged five times that amount, and that they spent four hours meeting fans including ones who could not get tickets to the show and waited outside. I thought this was an extremely nice gesture and proves that they are all about the music and not about the money. 5 Seconds Of Summer's music is not currently available on iTunes in the UK, but most of their songs can be found on YouTube if you fancy giving them a listen.

Passenger - The Wrong Direction

Do I agree this should be the title of a future Taylor Swift song? Yes, but that is beside the point. Similar to artists such as Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran who have been rising stars in the UK music scene, Passenger has a raspy folk voice and the ability to write a heart-felt acoustic track. This song is filled with clever, relatable lyrics that take a different stance on typical love songs today. I feel a song about the complications, awkwardness and fear involved with falling in love is more relevant for teenagers and first relationships rather than ones about 'forever'. Mark Rosenburg, from Brighton in the UK, began his career busking and the experiences he had whilst trying to make it in the tough world of music have clearly contributed to the emotion-driven undertones in his voice. Whilst this song has a faster guitar rythm which gives it an up-beat feel, songs from Passenger such as 'Let Her Go' have a soothing, lullaby sensation. I particularly love the horns near the end and the sweet, simplicity of the song. Let me know what you think!

DANCE DANCE DANCE!!

These guys can do it, can you??

During a recent holiday in Cancun, Mexico I was introduced to a song that had the power of getting the whole resort dancing! Maybe I am a little late with this, or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention when it came out in 2007, but this song is something that I now believe should be an essential at every party. Forget the 'Cha Cha Slide' and 'YMCA', DJ's need to start adding 'Cupid Shuffle' by Cupid to their play list,  especially as it is much cooler than those songs you have to be drunk or under 12 years old to hit the dance floor. With a ludicrously easy dance routine and a funky melody, I felt I had to recommend 'Cupid Shuffle' to bring the Cancun fiesta to Britain.

Tweet me at www.twitter.com/heyitselliejay if I'm wrong and this is already a dance craze, or if you think it should be!

Cody Simpson The indigo2 Paradise Tour

Cody Simpson and I before the 'Paradise' show

After a lot of stress involving buying tickets and the date being pushed back, I finally got the opportunity to see up-and-coming Australian teen sensation Cody Simpson. I have seen many concerts at the O2 arena in London but this was the first time I had been to the small, club venue within the large arena called The indigO2. I had a VIP ticket and so my first stop when I arrived was the ‘sound check party’ whereby Cody performed his songs ‘Gentleman’ and ‘Wish U Were Here’ acoustically and answers a few questions from the audience. There were only about 100 people at the sound check which made the experience feel very special and intimate. I was quite shocked at how well Cody sang and he proved that he is not a mediocre singer famous just for his surfer blonde locks. After this, we met Cody and he was very sweet (would it be extremely cheesy for me to say he was a gentleman?), giving every girl a rose and taking a picture with everyone. We collected our wristbands that allowed us to enter the front standing section for the concert (the first 500 people received a wristband but this was not explicitly stated so many people were disappointed to find out they could not enter the front section despite the fact they paid the same price as everyone else). The March night was excruciatingly cold to wait in for two hours before the show but I faced the most frustrating dilemma when going to a concert: do you take a coat but have to uncomfortably carry it when trying to dance inside, or do you freeze to death outside but not have the burden inside? This time I decided to go without the coat but regretted it when I lost most feeling in my hands, however I did reach the conclusion that the best solution to the problem is to try and research whether the venue has a cloakroom before you go and if it does, paying a few pounds is definitely worth it. First world problems.

At around half past 6 we were allowed back into the venue for the concert. The indigo2 is stylish and has a good dancing area however I definitely recommend getting standing tickets as the upstairs seating seemed too high and possibly lacked the atmosphere of being in front of the stage. Surrounded by a sea of high-pitched screaming girls, I watched as Cody made a grand entrance onto the stage, accompanied by his two dancers with a futuristic style dance routine to the James Bond theme tune. He then went on to show off his dancing and singing skills as he performed his hits ‘Wish U Were Here’ and ‘All Day’. This energetic performance of ‘Wish U Were Here’ was greatly contrasting to the stripped down version I had heard just a few hours prior which made the evening a great opportunity to see the two sides to Cody’s shows. Featuring a chair as a dance prop and a short ‘Teach Me How To Dougie’ interlude, ‘All Day’ was one of my favourite performances of the night. Another highlight of the show was when Cody did a surprise cover of Jack Johnson’s ‘Bubble Toes’ because he said he was “in the moment”. I love ‘Bubble Toes’ and it is a tricky song to sing so I was impressed and it was a nice addition to the set list. Cody played ‘Paradise’, ‘Angel’ , ‘Gentleman’ and ‘Got Me Good’ on the guitar and then resumed his Justin Timberlake style dancing and singing  which prompted a few bras to be flung on stage. When it came to the time of the show for ‘Not Just You’, my favourite Cody Simpson song, my heart melted as he brought onto the stage a girl who I had seen previously at the VIP. As he sang, he danced, hugged, took a picture with and even kissed the very lucky fan which just made the whole audience fall for him even more. After ‘On My Mind’, Cody and the band left the stage, leaving the crowd chanting for him to return (which he obviously would as he had not yet performed his most famous song, iYiYiY). The final song was a great way to end the show and the whole crowd went crazy dancing and singing along. The whole evening was lovely and I would definitely love to see Cody again sometime soon. For a 16 year old, this boy has the potential for a long career and certainly knows how to please a crowd.  

We The Kings 30/01/2013 Scala, London

Firstly, I would like to mention that I think Scala is a fantastic venue and I hope to see more bands play there in the future. It is easy to get to (just outside Kings Cross station), is surrounded by shops and restaurants and is a perfect size inside. I arrived at the venue during Blitz Kids set and was a little bit disappointed with this band, I felt they struggled to get the crowd pumped and their music was not memorable for me. However the second band, Natives (whom I saw with Mayday Parade in October 2012) was the complete opposite. Immediately, they had the audience dancing and captivated. I am already a fan of their songs 'Big Plans' and 'This Island' and so I was excited to see these songs performed once again. Natives have a few unique quirks when they perform such as getting the whole crowd to get down on the floor then jump up and start dancing which is great because, when you are an opening act, crowd participation is a good way to get everyone involved and enjoying themselves even if they have never heard of you before. Natives have brilliant rock songs, talented musicians and awesome stage presence and if they continue opening for popular rock bands hopefully they will obtain the recognition they deserve.

 

With the lead singer of Natives after the show!

Scala has a dance floor and also a balcony for the audience but I held a firm position at the front in the centre surrounded by fellow buzzing teenagers with a restless desire for We The Kings to enter. Before long the lights when down, 'N****s In Paris' started playing, and the familiar ginger locks of Travis Clark were right in front of me. Their first song, 'She Takes Me High' initiated complete madness in a mosh pit as the excitement that had been brewing suddenly erupted into a frenzy of dancing, jumping and singing as the drums pulsated through the audience. We The Kings played all of their crowd pleasers including 'What You Do To Me', 'Friday Is Forever', 'Party, Fun, Love and Radio' and 'Secret Valentine'. There was no faulting Travis' vocals or the band's playing and I genuinely could not see anyone around me that did not look like they were having an amazing time. They played a cover of 'Im Yours' by Jason Mraz, which is one of my all-time favourite songs, that then escalated into one of their most well-known singles 'Heaven Can Wait'. The band also covered 'Don’t You Worry Child' by Swedish House Mafia and 'The Middle' by Jimmy Eat World. The highlight of the show for me was when Travis announced they were about to play a 'new song' that the crowd might not know, he then proceeded to play the first few chords of 'Say You Like Me' and the whole audience in unison sung the first verse of the song, this amazed the whole band and showed the power and emotion a whole crowd of people singing at the top of their voices in sync can have. The whole set was so much fun to watch as the energy onstage was imitated by the sweaty dancing on the dance floor. We The Kings ended their set with their hit 'Check Yes Juliet' and even though this was an encore, everybody still wanted more! It was an unforgettable night and We The Kings and Natives are two bands that I highly recommend you see perform.

Winter-Warming Music

Add some excitement to these dreary cold days and start 2013 with a bang (or band). With some songs to tuck yourself up with a hot chocolate and listen to, and some that put a bit of colour into the white winter, get yourself onto itunes and had a download to all of these tunes and tweet me what you think - www.twitter.com/heyitselliejay , and remember dancing is the perfect way to warm you up this time of year.