New Feature - Fan View

As It Was by Harry Styles – Review

 As one of the biggest Harry Styles fans around, I was obviously incredibly excited when he announced his heavily anticipated first release after two years, in the follow-up to his new album ‘Harry’s House’ coming out in May. The 80s inspired single ‘As It Was’ is an up-tempo synth-pop number, reflecting ‘Take on Me’ by a-ha in its instrumental. It’s difficult to follow-up to such a masterpiece as Fine Line, however he has come back even stronger than before. 

The catchy chorus echoes Harry singing “We know it’s not the same as it was”, and despite its upbeat nature, the lyrics are much deeper. In the second verse, Harry calls himself out: “Answer the phone, ‘Harry you’re no good alone, why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?’” He says the song is about “embracing change, losing yourself, and then finding yourself again”, and being written during the pandemic, this is very fitting. At the beginning of the song, a young child’s voice says, “Come on Harry we wanna say goodnight to you!” this is actually Harry’s goddaughter who called him every night before bed. He put it in front of the song and fell in love with it, which gives it a unique and personal touch.

Harry says As It Was is his favourite thing he’s made so far, and I agree. It’s different to anything he has made before, however it still screams Harry Styles. The music video sees Styles running and dancing on a turntable in a sparkly red jumpsuit accompanied by a woman in a blue jumpsuit. All of Harry’s music videos are so well produced, and As It Was is no exception. At the time of writing, the music video already has over 11 million views on YouTube and it was only released twelve hours ago, so As It Was is expected to top the charts and be his most popular release ever. 

As It Was has been on repeat for me since its release, and I expect it to be for the foreseeable future. I think the song will attract new fans to Harry’s music, and his popularity will soar to new highs; everyone will have the chorus to the song in their heads for a long time. If As It Was is an insight into what the album is going to sound like, ‘Harry’s House’ has the potential to be the best album of 2022. This year is going to be an incredible year for Harry, who is touring in the UK in June. I am beyond excited about what he is going to release next.

Chloe Mullis

KCL Festival Tips

Ellie Spark has come up with some great tips as we approach Festival Season.

Now, you’re at a festival you want to look the part, right? Bright clothes, those cool ‘ugly’ shirts, big hats, funky sunglasses, the lot. But my first tip may compromise the fashion side of things. (Even though I can never be convinced ‘ugly’ shirts are fashionable in the first place…) So, you may have the perfect festival outfit, but you can’t show it off if you can’t walk, so, my first tip is, to wear comfortable shoes! At one festival I actually thought it would be okay to wear sandals. Sandals. For all 5 days - I know, big mistake! But I learned my lesson and last year my feet remained intact. So, from a festival goer to another, comfy shoes are the way to go, even if it does ruin your outfit slightly. 

Losing your friends is inevitable. And losing them is a part of the festival culture. It’s like you haven’t really gone to a festival if you haven’t lost your friends. So, my next tip is to make a meeting point where you can all meet when you’ve got no service, your phones are dead, or you just can’t find them. I don’t recommend it being your tent though because finding your tent is harder than finding your friends… Try your favourite food stand or the festival entrance? Somewhere quiet but obvious. Me and my friends would text ‘MEET AT BIG ORANGE FLAG.’ And within minutes we would all be there. So, I would say this is an important tip, unless you’re going to a festival solo, you’ve got no worries!

And whether you’re hunting down your friends, watching an artist or in the toilet queue (which takes ages btw) you’ll probably be in the sun all day. So, pack lots of sun cream. Sounds boring and such a mum thing to say but you want to be looking your best tanned self, right? Just applying some before an artist will save you a lot of pain later. And *insert favourite artist here* would want you too as well. And I wouldn’t have thought of this as a top tip until one year my friend had to miss the last two days of the festival because she got so sunburnt. She was gutted and I know you would be as well. So, apply that sun cream! 

Staying hydrated is also a top tip, like the sun cream one. Because if you don’t keep hydrated, you can end up, obviously dehydrated. And I’m not doctor but I know it can lead to feeling dizzy, tired, and irritation, all feelings you don’t want to feel at a busy festival. So, drink water, easy as that. They sell it across the festival and even when you’re in the crowd, security guards give it out for free. So, you’ve got no excuses, keep hydrated! 

Now, absolutely everything is expensive at festivals. Car parking, clothes, blankets, tents and sun cream. You name it, it will be expensive. So, thank God for the free water, right! But one of the most expensive things is the food. It is super worth it, but not the most expensive items, on the first night. So, my tip is not to spend all your money, leaving you hungry for the rest of the weekend. Because we all have that one friend that spends all their money on the first day and is complaining about it the rest of the weekend. (Normally me actually) So, talking from a personal experience, save your pennies through out the weekend. 

And you can save your pennies for my final tip. And that is making sure your phone is always charged. So, a portable charger, will be a great buy. It is so important for finding friends, paying for stuff, taking photos, and videos, that you can keep forever. And you can also keep the portable charger for ever as well. So, a win win situation I would say, wouldn’t you?

So, these are my 6 top tips. Pretty simple right? And if you follow these, you’ll have a fab time. So, happy festivalling and hope you have an experience as good as mine! 

Live Review - Paradise Now - Fuel Rock Club 10/3/22

Paradise now is a newly formed Pop-Rock band that emerged out of Bridgend in South Wales and is comprised of two brothers Sam Taylor, Ben Taylor and their long-time friend Nathan Beaton. With their shared adoration for hybrid music, they themselves began disseminating music that combined usually perceived contrasting genres which haven’t been intertwined before, creating their own unique and versatile space within the industry.

The members of the band belong to the Christian faith and have implemented a blend of worship and rock into their music which has shattered boundaries. Their distinct sound has gained them an admirable fanbase over a noticeably short period of time and their packed show at the Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff where they performed to a home crowd definitely showcased that.

They have recently returned from their first UK headline tour off the back of their 2021 album release “We Never Die” which was a complete success with every venue packed out with fans. 

Their performance at Fuel Rock Club did not disappoint where fans were totally abuzz eagerly awaiting the band to take the stage. The crowd roared as they initiated their performance with “Supernatural” their 2019 hit single that truly set the precedent for the rest of the set and completely exhibited their talents.

The gothic ambience of the club totally complimented the band’s vibe with the passion and energy from the boys not wavering once throughout the entirety of their performance. Their frontman and lead vocalist Sam Taylor hyped the crowd and was very interactive creating a sense of unique togetherness that only a concert can achieve.

Friends and family of the band could be seen looking on proudly in complete adoration which added to the already great atmosphere.  As they topped off their superb set with their most popular hit and fan favourite “We Never Die” the crowd erupted with cheering and praise before inevitably shouting for an encore as the band began to leave the stage. The band caved and sang “Young Guns” which was received a good response from the audience. 

It was a privilege to be in the crowd that night experiencing some of the utmost talents that the Cardiff live music scene has seen, and I am fervently awaiting new music from them in the near future, I hope.  

Leah Morgan

How Has Covid Affected Live Music?

 It was around early March 2020 when the whole world was put on hold as lockdowns and restrictions were introduced as a result of COVID. The pandemic affected everyone, causing people to lose their jobs and even friends and family. But arguably, one industry that was affected the most was the live music sector, with concerts, tours and festivals being put on hold and then inevitably cancelled.

This didn’t just affect the artists themselves, but also the venue staff, road crew and sound engineers just to name a few, many of these people lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. 

Many musicians particularly smaller independent ones became unemployed even with the help of funding from organisations and the government, it was still not enough. Unlike mainstream musicians such as Drake or Justin Bieber that have millions have fans worldwide, these smaller musicians could not solely depend on things like streaming services such as Spotify to generate money, as most of their revenue is generated by them doing concerts. Also, these independent musicians often can’t release singles and albums to generate revenue due to a lack of budget and support from record labels. 

There became this empty void for many people with the lack of live music in a time when it felt more necessary than ever with people stuck in isolation. Fans and musicians recognised this and spotted an opportunity where they could use social media to compensate for this which led to the emergence of virtual concerts and live streams on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok where musicians would perform remotely to their fans. An example of this was the One World: Together at Home which was a benefit concert organised by the World Health Organisation to support healthcare workers and promote social distancing to stay safe. The entire event was streamed on various online platforms for free and had many popular artists perform such as Lady Gaga and John Legend. 

These virtual concerts provided a good solution for the lack of live in-person music and benefitted fans who usually couldn't go to in-person concerts due to travel or cost. Virtual concerts were not only cheaper but also you could watch from your home and stay safe. Many musicians held their own virtual concerts with many turning out to be very extremely successful. An example is the band BTS who held a show in 2020 where just under 1 million tickets were sold to viewers from a total of 191 different countries. This virtual concert was good at making the most of the current situation by incorporating technology such as augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) which enabled the band to interact with their fans. 

Independent artists also had to be innovative and find solutions to survive in a difficult climate. Even if they could not organise full-on virtual shows or concerts as we have seen with many mainstream artists, many took advantage of social media platforms where they live-streamed for free and performed to their fans from their own homes. However, even with these virtual concerts as an attempt to fill the void left by the lack of live music, the experience of going to a virtual concert does not compare to going to an in-person live event and therefore fans left fans longing for the return of concerts and festivals. 

Thankfully, in the past few months, we have seen the gradual return of live music with musicians releasing new concert and tour dates, whilst also festivals announcing their return. A lot of these tours and festivals have been rescheduled as a result of them being cancelled due to the pandemic. These tickets have been met with high demand with fans seemingly keener than ever to attend these live events after over a year of being stuck at home. Many festivals like Rolling Loud and Astro World sold out in record time according to Ticketmaster, which just goes to show the level of demand for the return of live music. Moreover, another positive is that musicians can once again put 

on concerts and tours which benefits independent musicians especially with this being a large part of how they generate their income. 

Madison Square Garden held its first concert since the pandemic began in June of 2021, which saw the Foo Fighters perform to over 15,000 people. But crucially all the fans that attended had to show proof that they were vaccinated before the show to gain access. While this is not always the case, some venues now require people to be vaccinated and give proof of a recent negative COVID test. Other new implementations that we have seen are socially distanced concerts and concerts where mask-wearing is required. These changes are to ensure that everyone attending live events is safe from COVID. 

There is an obvious desire for live music not just by fans but also the musicians themselves, amplified by the fact that we have been without it for over a year. But with the world's current state, it’s going to take time for things to completely go back to normal as we have seen with many restrictions being created to ensure the safety of everyone attending these live events. These are things that we must become accustomed to for the time being whilst we wait for the world situation to improve. 

Nathan Sang

Foo fighters and the passing of Taylor Hawkins. How one man inspired me to be a better drummer

“I wanted to be Roger Taylor, I wanted to be in Queen, I wanted to play stadiums when I was ten years old” - Taylor Hawkins

When we think of musicians, we think of certain individuals who master a craft only some people can only dream of. People who in our eyes ‘live the dream’ every night, performing on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans. However, in the back of our minds we know and are aware of so many of these talents fall ill to substance abuse, alcohol addiction and mental health problems, only for these issues to be exacerbated by being in the public eye and constantly being expected to be their best selves every day. I would like to invite you to read about my experiences with the Foo Fighters’ music and how the late Taylor Hawkins inspired me to be a better musician.

Taylor Hawkins was 25 when he joined Foo Fighters in 1997. Before that he played drums for Alanis Morissette (currently residing in the ‘where are they now?’ file). It is now famously stated that the Foo’s went through the same growing pains many successful bands go through in their early years. However, their growing pains was for everyone to see, and Foo Fighters had to search through the rough to find their diamond in Taylor Hawkins. Playing on every album for the band from 1999’s ‘There is nothing left to lose’ to 2022’s ‘Dream Window’ Hawkins provided the enthusiastic and high energy style of drums that we have come to expect from Foo Fighters and is synonymous with the band. 

So, where does this bring me in? In 2005, as a 5-year-old boy my family took me to see the now infamous concert ‘Noise and Confusion’ in the Principality stadium in Cardiff. A mammoth gig that contained bands such as The Coral, Razor light, Oasis and of course, Foo Fighters. They opened with ‘In your honour’. The moment Dave Grohl sang the opening line I was caught hook line and musical sinker. Then the drums came in. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing let alone seeing. It must have been how people felt in the 1960’s watching Muhammed Ali fight, a spectacle that no one had seen before. Such a unique presence. An awe-inspiring talent who defied what anyone had done before them. 

 I come from an extensive line of musicians. My grandfather is a pianist and has been since he was a child, another relative is a freelance accompanist who plays for the Royal Ballet and teaches in London. My father is a drummer and is the sole reason I ever learnt how to play a 4x4 beat and my late cousin was a founding member and original lead guitarist/vocalist of the London based band ‘The Ha’pennies’ and I myself have been drumming since I could pick up a pair of drum sticks. 

Like many young musicians I learnt to play the drums by playing along to various songs such as ‘Chop Suey!’ by System of a down, ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson and ‘Breed’ by Nirvana. Knowing how to play along to a song is something Hawkins described as being imperative to being a drummer on BBC radio 6’s show with Steve Lamacq in 2019. 

Now, Dave Grohl is considered to be one of the all-time greatest drummers. (a statement I wholeheartedly agree with) However, the one drummer I found hardest to emulate, to play like, to match the energy and speed in which he played was Taylor Hawkins. Eventually, the penny dropped, and I would play the songs along with the tracks with Taylor as if he was on a separate drum kit in my bedroom. I would spend whole summers playing along to tracks such as ‘Monkey Wrench’, ‘In your honour’ and ‘The Pretender’. Then once I had exhausted my arms practicing these songs I would sit down and watch interviews with Foo Fighters and especially interviews containing Taylor Hawkins in them. This started a trend that I still follow today. One could argue that watching the interviews with Taylor Hawkins in the early days introduced me to a whole new world of media. Watching how Hawkins would talk about music gave me an insight to what it means to be a professional musician. Where he would talk about his various musical influences ranging from Queen, Abba and the Beatles.

Every now and then I will scroll through YouTube and an interview will be recommended with Taylor Hawkins in it. The Howards Stern show, NME and 60 minutes are some of my favourite interviews to watch with him in it. Watching him talk about his love and passion for certain bands such as Queen and Tears for fears and even describing Black Sabbath as “Zepplin’s ugly cousin”, a sense of humour that shone through the screen and reached a young drummer such as myself in the heart of the South Wales Valleys.

But now whenever an interview gets recommended to me containing anything to do with Foo Fighters it will be marred with melancholy and a throwback to a time when I was just starting out and trying to keep up with the legend that was Taylor Hawkins as a drummer. As I grew up, I went on to play in various bands throughout my teenage years and going on to achieve a musical qualification from college. I credit my fast-paced drumming to a drumming great such as Hawkins. Whenever my school or college teacher would tell me to not play the drums so hard or loud it just never made sense to me! I would think “well, Taylor Hawkins never plays the drums quietly” because quite frankly the drums are not meant to be played softly nor quietly and that is something I first learnt when I was 5 watching Taylor Hawkins live for the first time. 

When I woke up to the news that Taylor Hawkins had passed, I realised that I will never get the opportunity to see him perform live again. However sad this is, and it is devastating to think that Dave Grohl and the rest of the Foo’s will never play again it is important to remember that in any death we must hold on to and remember the good times. Taylor Hawkins inspired a generation of drummers and reached out to multiple people across all ages. There are children today who are just discovering the music of Foo Fighters and the drumming capabilities of Taylor Hawkins and one day one of those children will carry on the mantle and will play just like Taylor did in front of thousands of people. To quote another musical great in Frank Sinatra, people will look back in years to come and say that Taylor Hawkins “Did it his way.”

Jacob Price 

Dream Wife Live 28/3/22 Clwb Ifor Bach

Dream Wife Image @ KCL

Dream Wife are a London based band, with a punk rock, pop and indie rock style. 

Their band consist of, Rakel Mjöll (lead vocals), Alice Go (guitar, vocals), and Bella Podpadec (bass, vocals). And they have been supported by Alex Paveley on drums since 2018.

They blessed Clwb lfor Bach with their presence for their headline show on their tour, in the small intimate venue, on the 28th of March. After a nearly 2 yearlong break due to covid. 

The venue was flooded with fans of all ages and spilt between both genders, and the girl band did not disappoint any one of them. 

Starting of their 16-song set with the crowd-pleasing song ‘Hasta La Vista’, the lead singer Rakel, shouted to the adoring fans, “yes this is going to be fun, I can just tell.” And she was not wrong. And with her engaging stage presence and interactions with the crowd, they had the audience’s attention with every word. And this is how a concert should be, I was very impressed. 

They performed songs from their most recent album ‘So when you gonna’. These included popular songs such as, ‘Hey Heartbreaker’, ‘Let’s Make Out’, ‘Sports!’ and ‘Hot’, and despite the small venue they filled the room with their huge stage presence and vocals, which hit every note. And not forgetting the brilliantly played base and guitar from Bella and Alex. 

And the songs themselves were political, upbeat and empowering. With my favourite lyrics of the night being, ‘I am not my body, I am somebody.’ And ‘So familiar yet so new.’ From their songs ‘Somebody’ and ‘Old Flame’. Which was very impactable on the adoring audience. 

Lime Garden Image @ KCL

And honestly this group, couldn’t have looked like they belonged anywhere else, other than on a stage. They rocked it!

The support act, LimeGarden also rocked it. As the girls took to the stage by storm. With a similar genre to Dream Wife, LimeGarden sang a couple of their most popular hits, such a ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Pulp’ Also mentioning it was their first time in Wales, and they ‘were so honoured to be here and supporting such an amazing and talented band.” 

So, the night was full of love, good vibes and raw talent. I was blown away by Rakel’s vocals and the bands influential and feel-good lyrics gave the room an unmatchable vibe, only one you could describe if you were there. And I was lucky enough to be! 

So, this is a concert I highly recommend, and wouldn’t pass up the opportunity if I got to see them again.

Ellie Spark

Film & Soundtrack Talk

The use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in The Exorcist

Exorcist is one of the most influential films of all time.

Someone may watch The Exorcist today and not realise that at the time of its release in 1973 it was the scariest, most horrifying and controversial film ever made. By today's standards, the exorcist is considered not as scary due to images and videos people see every day on their phones which we can attribute to social media, the rise of YouTube, the internet and Images of real-life crime and tabooed and more niche horror movies and genres.

However, the fact still remains that the use of sound and the soundtrack itself is still as haunting and fear-inducing as it was 49 years ago. From my own experience I had heard and was listening to tubular bells from the age of 10. I couldn’t quite put into words the feeling and the emotion that would take hold, but I just knew that from listening to the music on YouTube and the image that accompanies it was something made of nightmares.

The dark shadowy figure of a man in a hat, holding a briefcase, staring up at the room with the possessed Regan. Illuminated by nothing but a streetlamp and the title of the film hanging over the poster, ‘THE EXORCIST’ is shaded in dark purple. 

If anyone reading this has seen the exorcist, you will be able to recall a particular scene in which the possessed girls head spins around 360 degrees. The sound of her bones cracking, the ease in what should be the impossible way her head spins right around as if it’s about to pop off, the head you are met with once the head finally spins round is a maniacal, evil being that has taken hold of this once sweet and innocent girl.

This sound was made with an old leather wallet being scrunched up while being held up to a microphone. You see, what fascinates me about foley and the use of sound in films is the way that the simplest of everyday items and objects can be used in such a way that it invokes fear and pulls out an emotion in you that you didn’t even know existed. An old leather wallet (if used correctly) can invoke fear into you.

I often wonder if foley artists are ever able to watch a film in the same way that the general public can. Do foley artists ever sit down to watch a film and lose themselves in a great horror movie or is it the case that they can’t because they know how certain sounds are produced?

If there’s is a noise say, for example, a faint whisper or a screech coming from a dark corridor that invokes fear into the audience and on-screen protagonists we know that something is about to jump out at us, is a foley artist able to separate themselves from the impending doom that’s about to take place or is it the fact that they know that the sound is coming from someone breathing down a microphone in a back studio at Warner Brothers and not a defenceless character too much to escape from?

The exorcist is one of my favourite films. Not just horror films but one of my favourite films in general. Whenever I watch it the soundtrack and the use of non-diegetic sound are some of my favourite in all of cinema. I would implore anyone who hasn’t seen it to watch it for the soundtrack and sound effects alone.

Jacob Price 

Chris Difford - Acapela 30/3/2022

Attending my favourite venue is always a treat and the Acapela Studio on the outskirts of Cardiff proved the perfect intimate setting for legendary songwriter Chris Difford,who’s turning into a regular performer at the Studio.

First up was a young performer with an impressive resume as well having the musical chops passed down through the family, being the grandson of folk icons Richard and Linda Thompson.

Zak Hobbs, an unassuming, likeable chap produced a short but entertaining set showing off his undoubtable guitar talent featured in some lovely crafted songs, one of which told the tale of a former school friend turned super model with the audience having to guess before the big reveal at the end.

Having viewed the talented Squeeze man Difford in various guises over the years, it’s this intimate setting that really highlights his considerable songwriting talent.
Lately his writing is firmly set in reminiscing his happy childhood on the streets of Depford. Of the friends he’s known and some of whom he’s lost.

Mixing his set with classic songs from his days with Squeeze plus solo songs like the beautifully nostalgic ‘Parents’ his patter and tales of a quite remarkable career had the audience in awe, and stitches.
His life ticks most of the boxes when it comes to Rock n Roll excess. A career of ultimate highs and crashing lows and not a little miffed at having 3 number two’s and missing out on the elusive chart topper.

Yet his turn around is quite remarkable as he lives in a world of extremes, one day it could be Madison Square Garden, followed by a gig in front of a few hundred, both equally entertaining and no doubt as rewarding.
But like mentioned previously, it’s the intimate setting that the true-genius of Difford is revealed.

With the helpful backing of Zak Hobbs on guitar and backing vocals plus the brilliant addition of Melvyn Duffy on pedal steel guitar which superbly completed the songs both old and new.
Squeeze classics ‘Tempted’ ‘Pulling Mussels’ and ‘Up The Junction’ all sounded fresh in the smaller setting, whilst a new classic in waiting’Yellow Rose’ was strong in what was a set packed full of hits.

With good friend and bandmate Glen Tilbrook also playing the Acapela at the weekend and with a Squeeze visit to Cardiff set for November, the Squeeze-loving public of South Wales are very lucky indeed.

Review AW