A Dilemma

Of all the bands I like, there are three I hold in higher esteem than the rest. Pulp, New Order and Pearl Jam. Pulp were the first band I ever really obsessed over and loved. New Order saved my life. Pearl Jam mean more to me than just about anything in this world, and probably always will. I would jump at the chance to see any of them. I did with Pulp. I paid upwards of £300 to go to a wet field for 4 days to see one band. That turned out to be the best experience of my life though, so it was worth it. A day with Pearl Jam would probably eclipse it, but who knows when that'll happen.

The dilemma in question in the title however is New Order related. It's not really a dilemma, more a massive bout of doubt and uncertainty. The band announced today that they're playing some dates this year. There's one in Glasgow for good measure: http://www.nme.com/news/new-order/61719

Excellent, no? Well...

We have Barney, Steve, Gillian, the guy who replaced Gillian when she had kids and... someone. I'm not actually sure who the replacement bass player is. I don't know if it's the same guy who was in Bad Lieutenant with Barney. Either way, it's not really fully New Order. But that's not my worry. While Peter Hook is by no means a technically gifted musician, that's where his and the bands charm comes from. None of them were/are really any good. Barney can't sing or play the guitar. Steve isn't human so he doesn't count. Hooky is the more "frontman-ish" out of all of them, but there's no great complexity to the majority of his bass-lines, regardless of how catchy they may be. Despite all of this, will it be a loss? Will this lead to a diminished live New Order, the one I've grown to love through 240p youtube videos and the Live in Glasgow DVD (hell if the same people are going to that then it'll be good shit - and I'll probably be the youngest one there)?



Look at it. I get that it was the first gig in a while (5 years, I think). I get that it was a song that wasn't played much, if at all. And that 1963's a song which doesn't exactly lend itself well to movement and energy. But there's just something really depressing about that video. Is this what I would get if I went to see New Order in May? More importantly, would I even care?

I don't feel the same way about the possiblity of this gig as I did for Pulp. I feel a strange aversion to it, whereas Pulp was preceeded with almost complete indifference from the moment I got my tickets until the moment they walked out on the stage. I'm worried that if I do go and see New Order that my opinion of them and their place in my heart will be forever tainted because of one night, undoing everything else that came before it.


This picture, displaying Yahtzee Croshaw's theory on game anticpation sums it up well. I should add, I'm going to this gig. Harry wants to go, so I'm in. I will be there, regardless of any misgivings I currently have. But which of the four above squares will I be best described by, at 11pm on Saturday the 5th of May? I'll let you know when that time comes. In the meantime, I will listen to the greatest band in history. Who produced both the best song and best album in history. And leave you with this, one of the greatest live performances in history (and I don't know how Steve managed to play this at their dates last year, but I'm all for hearing it again):

Gig Review - The Xcerts (King Tuts, 22/1/12)

Well, I've never written a gig review before. Not a full one, anyway. But, new year, new resolution to get this going again and seeing The Xcerts for the first time in full in a venue I'd never been in before - as good a time to start as any.

So, how was it? I should say that King Tut's itself is a strange place, being a normal pub in the front before the oddly shaped stage area that only has 3/4 of a barrier at the front. The... clientele was a mixed bag, ranging from some truly stunning burds to hipsters galor to someone whose hair was reminscent of Brian May, Kevin Keegan crica 1982 and the guy out The Pigeon Detectives. Though as was expected, the people there were dedicated Xcerts fans which always adds to the good feeling of a gig. To go along with all of these lovely people belting out every word (my jaw/throat is still sore 24 hours later), the sound in King Tut's is superb. Even support band Flood of Red who had 6 instruments as well as a singer with weird vocal effects of some kind sounded brilliant, with none of them too loud like you can get elsewhere (I'm looking at you, whoever's in charge of the bass levels at the Academy).

Speaking of Flood of Red, they're an intriguing band. A 6 piece, their sole aim seems to be to create as much noise as possible. Fortunately, this works since it's combined with some tight drumming, 3 guitars that don't over-power each other and a singer who manages to sound gentle whilst screaming in parts of songs, which is a rare ability and one which adds to the overall sound, enhancing it. One to watch.

I first saw The Xcerts at T in the Park last July:

I'll be honest, I wasn't completely enthused. I think it was down to a combination of me being giddy at actually seeing them and not having gotten into Scatterbrain that much at that point (at least not to the extent I'd fallen in love with In the Cold Wind We Smile beforehand). A few months after that however was the Manchester Orchestra support slot where I saw two of the best live performances I've ever seen, for the simple reason that I believed the performance I was seeing. Every word (of both bands) felt like it was coming from a real place, particularly the closer there, Hurt With Me (though to be fair, it's hard to play/see that without feeling it on some level).

So, would an ill Murray be able to live up to the expectations of a full King Tut's? Of course. Sadly my dream of Scatterbrain/In the Cold Wind We Smile played in full back to back wasn't realised, and I didn't hear Nightschool (though I wasn't alone in my disappointment at this, but at least I wasn't impertinent enough to keep shouting for it). That aside, it was perfect. The great sound, great crowd and great performances from the three of them made for an excellent start to a new year of gigs. It's always nice to see a frontman in a band who has something of a personality, with a bit of crowd interaction (which would be especially daunting since most girls there seemed to be both pishing and gagging for it). Plus there was a nice cameo from the baldy (and eerily not-looking-like-a-real-person) guitar player from Flood of Red during Slackerpop and then some more of them during Crisis in the Slow Lane. This didn't feel token either, they all seemed to like each other and it worked.

I'd been a bit worried that Murray's recent illness would have affected his performance, but I think he was faking to avoid Bath & Preston and give the Aberdeen & Glasgow shows his real attention. A flawless vocal performance (on the occasions I could hear it above everyone else singing) and the set ending perfectly put the cap on a truly wonderful evening, and best of all: the new song (which I've not found a name for) sounded excellent. I hope it's a good representation of what's to come on the new album because if it is, then I think the band may finally reach the breakthrough they've deserved for the last ten years. AndI'll be there to see them again when they do.

Meanwhile, here's some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stpatty/sets/72157629001859073/ (side-note: Murray has lovely eyes)

So I Finished My Bedtime Reading...

I finished the Pearl Jam Twnety book last night. And I was struck by a thought. This band is older than I am. Hell they played their first show in Glasgow before I was born. I was born the day after this:



(I like to think that I somehow heard this whilst in the womb and decided it was time for me to come out)

And despite all this, 2012 marks only the third anniversary of me buying Ten. And even then, I wasn't expecting much. I'd heard of them and knew people on the internet who were big fans, but I'd seen the video for Alive (I think) on the telly at some point and thought "meh." Then came Guitar Hero 3 and after months of enjoying Even Flow, coupled with an extreme state of depression that had me throwing money at HMV on the weekends, I thought "meh, I might as well give them a chance." Now look what's happened.

It amazes me that a band so far removed from my life and who came into it completely by chance has grown over the last almost-three years from something I didn't really know, wasn't too worried about into something that I couldn't imagine life without. Granted, there are reasons for that. Vs. came into my life at the right time, as did parts of Vitalogy and Yield, while other parts like No Code and Binaural took a bit longer for me to fully realise their importance and impact. I can still remember buying all of them, still remember the effect they had on me as I grew into each record and each live performance, each hidden gem on youtube. Each set of thoughts and emotions, unique to every album, every song, every performance.

It's been a perfect relationship, really. Start not knowing much about them, grow into them, become inseparable, become incapable of living without them. I daresay I'll never get to meet any of Pearl Jam to thank them personally, and to be honest that would be a bit of a train-wreck anyway. I'd either faint or just start hugging them all, weeping. Either way, I still find it hard to put into words what Pearl Jam have given me (and will continue to). I tried when I sent them a letter after seeing Pearl Jam Twenty, and to be honest I struggled then to put into words how I felt.

It's a strange thing to have strong emotions about something as abstract as a band. They're a group of people who're completely different and unrelated to you, yet they manage to produce something that completely encapsulates your life and almost makes it complete, in a way. There's a live performance of Black on one of my CDs somewhere (I think it's one of the Gorge shows), where Eddie says "I hope you don't relate..." before the band lead into the song. And while this is a hope that's grounded in good reason (there's nothing as horrible as relating to a song like Black, even if it's brilliant), you know that just about everyone at that gig still did. Even if it's not Black, there's an infinite number of other songs that I hold dear for various reasons, and always will. That says something about the quality of Pearl Jam. That they can go on for so long, continuing to create such great music that strikes a chord (sorry) with me, despite us being so far removed from each other. That's the mark of not only a great band, but a great affinity, a great connection between band/fan.

Yes, there are other bands that I have/still do adore. Bands like Pulp who to date have provided me with the happiest day of my life. Bands like New Order who saved my life. Bands like Radiohead, Paramore, The Xcerts, You Me at Six and Joy Division who contributed to that too. And other bands since, like Frightened Rabbit, Jimmy Eat World, Rise Against and Manchester Orchestra who I'm liking more and more (Frabbit would have been in the former list if I'd know about them at the time, without question). But none have reached the level that Pearl Jam have. None of them have stuck around in my life for as long as Pearl Jam have, none have had the same impact. None have meant as much to me, and I doubt that any ever will.

I know i probably sound like a gushing moron, but I don't care. This is how I feel. This is how everyone should feel about a band at some point in their lives, be it Pearl Jam or be it someone else. This is too good a thing for people to not experience. And if you have someone else to share it with, then you've hit the jackpot. I haven't. And the only thing I want more than finally seeing Pearl Jam is someone to share them with. The closest thing I've came to love in my life is with a band, and while as I've described, this isn't a bad relationship, it's a bit sad. And I only want someone else to be made as happy as I have been.

I'll leave you with this. If humanity ever needs to send a video out summing up what is possible, then this is it, without a doubt:


And if not that, this:


Please, try and find this kind of connection with a band. It will improve your life considerably.

Things I Have an Opinion On #26

The film (500) Days of Summer.



This film was on the telly for the first time last night, coinciding with the premier of the sitcom New Girl on Channel 4 two days earlier, with both that programme and the film starring Zooey Deschanel as the female lead. Now I should say that I was filled with rage just from seeing the adverts for New Girl. I tried watching it. I got 5 lines in and wanted to tear her voicebox out just so it would stop making noice.

This post isn't about that programme though, so the film. From its poncy use of brackets in the title you get the feeling that there's something about the film that's a bit different. Perhaps there's even some QUIRKY elements to it, since most of Zooey's roles seem to have that element about her. Then you find out that it's an indie film so it probably will be a bit pretentious. Oh look then there's drawings of buildings. Delightful. And it's a romantic comedy, widely renowned as the worst genre of film that it's possible to make.

(Disclaimer: I should say, as a woman to look at (since it's unfair to judge a person on one film, but given how terrible this film was I don't know why I'm not), Zooey Deschanel is very attractive. She looks nice. Sadly, that's part of her downfall in this film, from now on abbreviated as 500DOS)

So, what happens? Well, we start off with The Guy reminiscing about the time spent with The Girl. And we start at around halfway in the point of the story (note: the 500 days part refers to how long she was in his life for), where something horrible's happened. It's all fell apart! Oh no! But she was perfect! Well...

Flashback: We see The Guy in his youth with an Unknown Pleasures t-shirt on (the mark of a twat if ever there was one) and listening to The Smiths. This apparently was the subtlest way for whoever wrote this script to say: "HE'S THOUGHTFUL AND SENSITIVE," since listening to slightly depressing music apparently means you are automatically a deep person. So he's wanting to meet The One and then The One walks into his office one day in the form of The Girl, and here's my problem (well, the first): The seeming ideal-ness of her arrival.

Now, I am a cynical person. There's many reasons for this that I won't go into here, but I am. Perhaps I dislike this film because someone who was a bit like me was happy for a while, but that's not the main reason as far as I'm concerned. But natural cynicism aside, how often does this happen? How often does the deep, thoughtful (note: I thought he had the depth of a paddling pool that's been used as a dartboard, but never mind) guy just suddenly have this exceedingly attractive, fun, happy-go-lucky woman walk into his life? She had a flower-print dress on! Along with bows in her hair! And her name's Summer for fuck sake!

Oh but wait, there's a catch. She's a callous bitch. She's giving it "ooh I don't want a relationship, I just want to be friends." Fine. I'd love a fuck-buddy that's as fun as she is. You hold your own feelings down until she realises she shares them and boom! Happily ever after. However, that's not how this film's going to work. Partly because of how it ends (which I'll come to), but partly because Summer is the worst kind of manipulative bitch.

Summer is not an unintelligent person (sorry for the double negative). She knows full well that The Guy fancies her rotten. I don't care if there's the "oh... you like me?" scene. She knew. So while she's in the lift with The Guy going "Oh hey, I love The Smiths! *sings a bit of a song*" before leaving the lift, and leaving The Guy with his tongue on the floor. So, she knows that he's into her. She knows that he's the deeply sensitive type because he listens to The Smiths and Joy Division, and how he was an architect and he sees the buildings and they way they should be. And how they're both so fun because they go to Ikea on a date and pretend they live there. Oh aren't they FUN. Even aside from my own person feelings towards Summer the Bitch, the writing in this film is terrible. Both characters are fundamentally unlikeable and the symbolism in it is terrible, like the picture I posted at the top. A Love Will Tear Us Apart t-shirt, really? Why not just have the director pop on-screen with a bored expression and a sign saying "THE RELATIONSHIP IS NOT GOING IN THE DIRECTION HE'D LIKE IT TO BE."

You see, while The Guy clearly had unrealistic expectations, The Girl did nothing to tell him this. Nothing to say "hey, remember this isn't a thing" (though it clearly was). Despite the fact she knew exactly how he felt and how she knew that she was his dream girl and that by buying porn with him and then re-enacting it she had his balls on a fucking leash. But then she bites her lips and makes her eyes go big and leaves him. Leaves him to get his life back in order.

I get that you want to mope for a bit when you've been dumped by your dream woman who you didn't realise you weren't going out with, but do it properly. Cut her out. None of the smelling the pillow she slept on or pish like that, the hell are you saying about yourself then? Cut yourself off for a bit, listen to some angry music. Crank up this:


And realise you're better off without the bitch.

But no. Not our Guy. No, instead he ends up running into her in an alarmingly large number of places (half the blame goes to her for seemingly stalking the poor buggar), even going to her house for her birthday. There's then this really horrible side-by-side shot of the whole thing, one labelled "Expectations," the other "Reality." You know what happens here. Expectations is when he goes in and she's all over him, while Reality is when he goes in, she shakes his hand and then he notices she's wearing an engagement ring, and he storms out.

Wait what, a fucking engagement ring? From Miss "Oh I don't want a relationship with a guy who worships the ground I walk on," now she's ENGAGED, in a smaller amount of time than the time they were together for? And she's married by the time the 500 days are up? The fuck is wrong with you hen? Since we don't actually see the man who offers what our Guy didn't, I don't think he's real. Which would be fine, if it didn't then make Summer even more evil, pretending to have moved on when she hadn't. Manipulative. MIND-GAMES. She'd put most football managers to shame with mental tactics like that.

So in the end, The Guy does eventually cut his dreamgirl out of his life and he becomes an architect! Yay! A victory at last! Uh... no. Now, when he's in an interview for... something, there's a woman there who smiles at him. Queue the blubbering wreck to enter again "Hey, you wanna go out sometime?" And then the real subtelty of the writing comes back. Throughout the film showing you the time spent with Summer, it marked the days on screen. And this was on that staple of the indie film, the drawn background. And it was always rather grey and dull. But now he's found a new woman, there's trees. And colour, and warmth and fucking BIRDS SINGING! Well isn't that lovely, his life is improving now. Where's that bored guy with the sign? This is his moment!

This post has come a day later because I was too angry after seeing this film last night to write anything coherent (it's also why there's no Simple Math review, which will come next Sunday instead). And today, after I'd been able to reflect, it occured to me why I was so angry with this film.

I feel as if I am in some way supposed to relate to The Guy in this film. As if I'm supposed to project on to him, as if he's supposed to represent what I would be like in the film, being in the situations he is. And as if I'm supposed to look at Summer:



And think "OHHH SHE IS PERFECT SHE WILL MAKE ME AN OUTGOING CONFIDENT PERSON WHO DOES HAPPY THINGS I MUST HAVE HER." And that'd be lovely. I think everyone would like that in their life. The problem is, she's an utterly abhorrent human being. She's horrible. She destroys this guy's life, and he still pines for her? Is this what I'm supposed to aspire to? Having my heart broken by someone who might well have a cute face (and fucking massive eyeballs) but below this nice exterior has a swinging brick for a heart? Is this what modern love is supposed to be about? Is this the ideal that people like me are supposed to want? To aspire to?

Well to that I say, fuck you. I'd rather die alone than have to suffer at the hands of a vindictive, manipulative bitch like Summer. I certainly couldn't cope with her for 500 days.

Resolutions

With a new year, the seemingly endless barrage of self-improvement from everyone you know can be overwhelming. I myself have never made any concrete resolutions in any year but then again, I'm perfect.

Attempting to improve upon this perfection this year is my goal however, and since I've only documented my various resolutions on twitter at around midnight (which was 6 days ago now), there's no real evidence that I can be held accountable with. Admittedly posting them here probably won't make any difference since the readership of this blog would shame those obscure publications you get on the missing words round on Have I Got News For You, but I'd like to have some record of them. Anyway, in no particular order (the order I thought of them in when originally writing them down):

1. Diary

I started keeping a diary again last March and updated it with some rather large if sporadic entries, and the last one makes me laugh and cringe a bit when I read it again. That aside, I never stuck with it. I'd like to again. Partly because regular writing will help me at University, partly because I'd like some sort of record of what I've done throughout my life and partly because keeping a diary might mean I do things in my life that are worth keeping track of. I won't have something as compelling as Christopher Isherwood's (whose own diary/books prompted me to start it in the first place when I studied him last semester) diary, but I'll have something. Even if no-one ever gets to read it.

2. Blog

Well, here we go. This one's going well so far.

3. Build

I've decided I am unhappy at having the physique and strength of an under-nourished 11-year old, so I have started to do lift some weights. 3 days in so far, my legs are killing me. Not noticed a difference arm-wise yet, but it's not going to happen over-night. I can't wait for the bitches to start rolling in when I have a stomach you can grate cheese on.

4. Drive

Something that's sort of been on my to-do list for a while, I'll learn to drive at some point this year. After my exams in January, maybe in the summer depending on how busy I am. I might even get a job to get a car.

5. University

I will spend until 4PM each day in the library, either studying or writing essays or reading or whatever else has to be done. Tried to ease myself into this one so far, not going well. Though I am fairly far ahead in my essay that's due on Monday.

6. Job

Another that's been on here a while, kind of. I'm not sure how I'll go about this, but I'll try.

7. Boring

This one's difficult. "I will be less boring" is one of those vague ones that various people on the internet will tell you is the worst kind of resolution, one that is un-doable because it has no real objective, one where you could fool yourself into thinking you'd done it when you hadn't, or something like that. Either way, I'm going to attempt to be more outgoing this year. I dread to think where that'll lead me.

8. The Planks

2012 will be the year of The Planks, be this for better or worse. I have 15 sets of words ready (with another one half-done), and they need some music to go with them. I have visions of me building my own guitar (out of planks of wood, obviously) and learning on that, so if this particular fantasy does become a reality, then it will be something to look at, at least.

9. Routine

I have this listed, but I don't know what it is. It seems to be covered under a few others. It will include better eating/water drinking/sleeping though, since my current routine for that is kinda terrible.

Additions I've thought of after this: Become a Pokemon Master. And one I started by accident (TMI-ish moment here), I shall once again attempt what I've attempted for the past 4 Lents, I will refrain from self-abuse for this year. Doing well so far.

So, there you have it. Hopefully I'll stick to them. I'll certainly try, if anything it'll help me stave off the horrid feeling that'll happen to me around mid-March, or at least make me feel as if I've achieved something in my life by this point because as it stands, I really don't think I will have.

Bedtime Reading...

This has been keeping me awake for longer than usual at night recently. It's big, thick and could do some damage if it hit you in the face:



The word "love" is thrown around a lot these days, but I'm fairly certain that I'm close to/if not already feeling it for Pearl Jam. I'll sound unbearably smug right now, but it's hard to explain how I feel about this band. And while it's a rather abstract notion to have feelings for, they deserve it. And everyone should have a band they feel this way about. Now, if only I could convince anyone I know to at least give them a chance to become that band.

2011: In Review - Oh, and Hello Again

It's been a while since I blogged regularly. Over a year, in fact. As part of my sweeping list of personal changes that I've decided to put in force at the rather arbitrary point of personal change that is the new year, I've decided to start blogging again. It's part of the whole "write more so your academic work is better" thing too, so it benefits everyone. You get to read my (completely factual) opions again on a regular basis, I get better results at University. Hurrah.

As this marks the beginning of a new year, what better to do than look back at the last one? Personally, 2011 was a rather similar year to ones that have passed previously, though it did mark a full year of me not being in school, which is something I'm still not used to. I also started tweeting, though I get the feeling there's times where people would rather I hadn't done that. Either way, it means I'm prepared in some way for coming back to blogging, as it has provided a handy outlet for my rage. 140 character limit be damned. So with that in mind, let's look at my awards for 2011. As this will primarily be a music-based blog (getting the reviews back on a Sunday), this will be a primarily music-based list.

I saw more bands this year than ever before. Admittedly this was my first full year of going to gigs, but it was still an unusually large amount for me. Frequent gigs meant I saw well over 20 bands, and that doesn't include those I saw at T in the Park. So, how did they go?

Best Value for Money Gig:
Manchester Orchestra & The Xcerts at the ABC - £13.34
Since it's unfair to include a free gig in this list, the honour here goes to a gig which was also in my top 3 on the year. The Xcerts were flawless and one of the most "real" bands I've seen live. By that I mean you believed in Murray as he was singing, you knew that the music was coming from a real place and that they meant every note they played, which is very rare. Couple that with a similar performance from Manchester Orchestra and Andy Hull being a top chap, and it was a night to remember. Any other year would have seen it as my favourite gig of the year.

Worst Value for Money Gig:
Is it Rise Against, where I made a £35 loss on tickets because my friends are useless? Glasvegas at £20 for the same reason? Bryan Adams at £45 for being in an uncomfortable seat miles away from stage? No, there was a gig this year that managed to out-do all of those.

White Lies at the Barrowlands - £18.75

But that's cheap I hear you cry! I cry right back that this was unequivocally the worst gig I've ever been to, and will hold this place for a long time. Long waiting times between bands for a relatively short and bad set from White Lies themselves would have been bearable, but when you've got one support who cover Ceremony without a drummer and another with some pretentious American in sunglasses and leather yelping to a backdrop of utter crap, it's not going to be a good night. Couple all this with a crowd who seemed to be seeing something different from me, and it was not an enjoyable evening.

Most Improved Band:
Clare Maguire & Hurts

Upon seeing Hurts supported by Clare Maguire in October 2010, I was surprised. Both at how well Hurts commanded a stage, and how the heavily hyped Clare Maguire was a banshee who was wearing something your granny knitted 40 years ago to cover herself in the evenings when she gets cold. February's gig at the ABC changed that however, as Maguire was now a force to be reckoned with, combining a powerful voice and catchy songs with a look that took your breath away. I actually felt guilty that I didn't know the words to any of her songs, and subsequently bought her album the day it came out. Hurts are added in here too, since the difference between their subdued T in the Park slot compared to their November gig at the Academy was even more remarkable than Clare Maguire's transformation. While the festival slot is a tough one for Hurts who by this point had created a brilliant on-stage spectacle to go with the music, the atmosphere at the Academy gig was too brilliant to go un-praised. With the crowd actually bouncing at points (but in a civilised way for once), it had a certain magic which is hard to find in live music. And when you saw Theo Hutchcraft's surprise and joy at this, you knew it was a good night.

Most Painful Gig:
Rise Against

Given the lasting effects of this gig (about a month's worth of the cold), it outstrips everything else. There was an atmosphere at this gig, something that just made you feel like it was going to be a wild night. It was. I went with two friends, one of whom I never saw after the opening of Re-Education. The rest of the time I was being battered senseless, attempting to survive the whole setlist. I did. I was rewarded with Savior as the closer, which was performed with such power I was moved to tears.

Best Live Song(s):
Let it Happen - Jimmy Eat World at T in the Park, 9/7/11
Lights - Interpol at the Academy, 24/8/11
Hurt With Me - The Xcerts at the ABC, 3/10/11
Savior - Rise Against at the Academy, 4/11/11
Poke - Scott Hutchison at Bar Bloc, 20/12/11

Best Moments of the Year:
5. Finding out that The Xcerts were playing at T in the Park, which I didn't know about previously. The weekend was going to be excellent up until that point anyway, but finding that out was the icing on the cake. Seeing them again in October was even better, and I daresay seeing them in King Tuts will be an improvement still.

4. Pearl Jam Twenty. Love is a word thrown around a lot, but it's certainly applicable here.

3. A tie at 3, between seeing Jimmy Eat World at T in the Park and Rise Against performing Savior. It's not every festival that lets you see 3 of your all-time favourites at once, but JEW had a certain class about them. Let it Happen and Big Casino live are just magical. In saying that, it's not often you see a band work their way into your all-time favourites after seeing them once. It's certainly rarer that a gig moves you to tears. I may even get a Rise Against t-shirt.

2. Another tie at number 2, but these moments are both from Scott Hutchison's solo gig at Bloc in December. If it wasn't surreal enough that he got on stage by walking past me (all gigs should start by them walking through the crowd), then Poke certainly was. Performed at the back of the stage with no microphone, hearing the crowd whipsering the first lines solemnly only to burst out in the chorus of ooh's was jaw-dropping. What kept your jaw on the floor was the slow build-up to the end of the song, with the crowd & Scott getting progressively louder before the last "And now we're un-related/And rid of all the shit we hated/But I hate when I feel like this/And I never hated you." There was a sense after that of amazement in the crowd. We knew we'd experienced something special. And in any other year, it would have been my top moment.

1. Pulp. I remember Pulp announcing two festival dates at the beginning of 2011. Wireless in London, and the Primavera thing in Spain. Since they were so far afield, I never thought anything else of it. Besides, I wasn't 15. While Pulp were a big part of my growing up, I wasn't that bothered now, even if they were reforming. And I'd said last year that I wasn't going to a festival again. Then the T in the Park line-up was announced, and I changed my mind. I remember constantly bringing up Pulp over the weekend ("Conner guess whit," "whit?" "PULP"), I didn't feel that excited. Even on the Sunday, it started like every other day had that weekend. A bit nervous as we entered the front after Weezer, but nothing out of the ordinary, though I do remember feeling a bit bad that Conner wasn't there, since I'd badgered him to go to T in the Park in the first place. Anyway, My Chemical Romance were pish and as Harry and Josh left, I worked my way to the front. This is where it got interesting. I don't remember moving forward, but I do remember being where I ended up, seeing the letters go up on stage. I remember arguing with this fat Aberdonian Foo Fighters fan who was giving it what I'd been hearing for years "aww Pulp are shite," albeit in a different, more annoying accent. Then, with about 5 minutes to go, I began to feel nervous. Partly because I couldn't move my spine and I felt dizzy from not eating, but mostly because it hit me - I was going to see Pulp. The first band I'd ever obsessed about. The first band that really meant something to me. Then they walked out. Then this happened:



Then it hit me. I was seeing this. It was actually happening, and it was fucking amazing. I was 15 again, I was delirously happy, and I didn't care that I was surrounded by people there to see Foo Fighters. I sang my heart out. I shouted "I FUCKING LOVE YOU JARVISSSSSSS" several times. I even managed to do the "stomach in/chest out/on your marks, get set, go!" bit in Monday Morning despite not being able to move properly. My feelings can be summed up in one of Jarvis' quotes from on-stage, after someone had thrown one of the rain ponchos on:

"Oh what's this, a rain-mac? We're not worried about that are we? Don't worry. *points up* I've hard a word." *throws poncho behind him, kicking it away with a nonchalant flick*

It'll sound cheesy, but that's the closest I have come and closest I'm likely to come to having a religous experience. I certainly felt that way at the end, after I'd been lifted over and had been gabbering shite to the security guy for keeping me alive with water, I broke down. I have honestly never been as happy in my life as I was in the time I spent seeing Pulp, and the 5-10 minutes afterwards. Everyone should experience this at some point in their life. I'm just glad I got to do it at least once.

Well, that's all the gig awards I can think of covered. Now to the big ones, Album and Song of 2011.

Album: 2011 was a bad year for albums. There weren't many out that were real quality, certainly not when compared to years past. I blame Radiohead for that slightly, putting out utter drivel when they should be doing better. I know In Rainbows was hard to follow-up, but come on. Some effort would have been nice. Anyway, the best album in 2011 was...




Simple Math by Manchester Orchestra. I covered them earlier in this post and will have a full review of the album up soon (next Sunday, probably), but this was the best full release of the year. Buy it and get into them, if you haven't already.

Song: It's probably a mark of music currently that it's much harder to pick out the best song of the year than the best album. While there were some outstanding songs, very few were from albums which were consistently as good. It's still a hard decision, and one which I haven't made to be honest. My shortlist:

All the Eastern Girls - Chapel Club
Last Dance - Clare Maguire
Hours - Evaline
Walk - Foo Fighters
Blue Cassette - Friendly Fires
Fuck This Place - Frightened Rabbit
Dancing in the Devil's Shoes - Guillemots
Architects - Rise Against
Come Down - White Lies

I realise the irony of there not being a Manchester Orchestra song on there, but I like all of those individually over any individual songs from Simple Math. Of the songs listed, I can't decide. I'm tempted to say it's Hours by Evaline, but then Come Down is an outstanding piece of work. Fuck This Place and Dancing in the Devil's Shoes are beautiful and would ease this contest in any other year, while Walk is the best Foo Fighters song since Everlong. The rest are all good and worth noting, but maybe not quite enough to edge it. Either way, it was certainly a better year for songs than albums.

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And that's that. That was my 2011. Quite a year. I'll certainly struggle to top it in 2012 (unless I win the lottery and get to see Pearl Jam), but I can try. And I'll chronicle that quest here for your enjoyment.