Gig No 4 - Biffy Clyro

Biffy, Biffy, Biffy! Hearing an entire room as big as Manchester Central screaming like this was no little thing! And neither was the concert.

I'll start with the one bad, bad thing: this guy who was already drunk and not being able to stand right 15 min after the first opening band started to play. That's 15 min after the doors opened... Why would you come to a concert in that state? He was clearly bothering everyone he was constantly falling on and I doubt that today he remembers anything. Alcohol was NOT created for this...

Then the extraordinary things. First, the stage set. I don't think I've ever seen a stage set that effective and working so well with the songs. I really liked it when Simon sang Folding stars and Machines surrounded by lightbulbs and when they displayed the two flags from the last album's cover on stage during the last song, Mountains. Then there was the setlist, which was incredibly long (25 songs with the encores!) and they played everything I could have wanted. There wasn't much interaction with the public, but James kept asking us how we are, and that cheered everyone up.

I got pretty close to the stage, so I was able to have fun with the camera, but I would have liked more focused shots. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the result, about 10 good shots out of nearly 100. For me, that's worth having sacrificed some songs.

Then the concert itself was a real treat! After it I am irrevocably in love with Folding stars and I am sure I won't stop listening to it on repeat for the next few days. The crowd was just right (apart from the aforementioned asshole), the songs sounded perfect and I cheered and screamed like I haven't in a long time. A pure rock concert is something I don't think I have experienced that often and now I see I should have. Because Biffy rock your pants of and yes, even after 25 songs you still want more! I'm oh so curious if Kings of Leon or Arcade Fire can top this. Bring it on on the 13th, Caleb :P

You highness, I bow to thee and to thee this I confess

I shall send this song, everyday, to all of you out there to which I am connected and that have never been blessed with waking up with these notes and words in their head. I will make sure that by the end of every day another person will have felt as I feel right now. Needless to say I don’t want to hear anything else. You shall all see and you shall all understand.

Gig No 3 - Vampire Weekend

So it's the coldest week since I'm in Manchester and I decide to take a trip to the seaside, of all places, and spend the night in a train station. Part of that plan I didn't follow through (the night in the station, that is), but I was sure not gonna give up a concert just because of the cold! Especially when the band playing is Vampire Weekend!

Of Blackpool I heard only bad things, that it's full of drunks (it's Manchester as well?!) and that it's definitely not safe. Turns out I can't really agree or disagree with any of that, since I only spend about 5 hours in there, 4 of which in a concert hall.

Now, there was an actual concert I'd rather talk about. And again, I was amazed. First of all, by how cheerful people were. Nice surprise was the average age of the audience, that I think was somewhere closer to mine than at other gigs I was at in the UK. The reason for that is that almost all teenagers under 18 (and they were many!) were accompanied by their parents. I wish my mom enjoyed Vampire Weekend for me as well :(...

And then the band. I have to admit I was only obsessed with "Giving up the gun" and had pretty much no idea of other songs about a month before the concert. But as soon as I got the ticket, I got their 2 albums as well. And boy, was it a smart thing! Literally every song there is brilliant! Hadn't loved an entire album that much since "Only by the night". And that feels like looong ago. I waited, then I jumped, I shouted, I sang, I clapped, I waved my hands and I had a great time. And I left that hall with "Walcott" in mind, which is in my opinion a severely underrated song. I mean, it was the perfect ending, how come there are still people out there who have never heard it? Clear chorus, simple, catchy rhythm and the chance to scream "Heed my words and take flight" like I really mean it. "Bryn" and "Diplomat's son" were my only must hear songs that night, and I got what I wanted. Of course, most people around me went crazy on "A-punk", probably because shouting "ey, ey, ey" feels so liberating.

I regret not having my camera with me, but as I saw last time, taking pics at gigs kinda stops you from really enjoying the songs. And plus, flickr is full of brilliant shots, like the one above (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38090061@N02/5173917734/). Perfect picture, like the one I hope to take at the Biffy Clyro gig next Friday :D

Quiet weekend

Derwent water

Just testing my photography skills. Always better than thinking about school. And yes, a weekend in the countryside is bliss. As are autumn's colours for anyone carrying a camera.

Manchester rising

"Seen from the approaches to Piccadilly Station -- the gateway for trains from London -- the city's architecture seems a monument to its hardscrabble history: from the hulks of red-brick mills and factories of the Industrial Revolution that made Manchester the grimy textile center of imperial Britain to the 1960's concrete high-rises that would not have looked out of place in Dresden or Bucharest during the Communist era."

By Alan Cowell

Published: June 24, 2001 in NY Times Travel

Wonder why I feel like home here....

Now what?

When I finished high-school, I said there are 2 things I'll never do: buy a suit and set foot in Russia. I've already done the first.... Now I'm scared that I have a passport.

Gig No 2 - General Fiasco

Oh, how I wish I was living in Manchester when I was 16! That was the average age (again) at the concert the other night. But leaving the crowd aside, the gig was good. I mean, yeah, I've-seen-RHCP-and-Manu-Chao-and-Gogol-Bordello-and-still-enjoyed-this-one good.

A nice surprise was one of the opening acts. Only one, the other band was terrible. So, Pegasus Bridge, worth a check, even if one of their songs is called Ribena. If you don't know what that means, google it like I did and you'll immediately loose interest in the lyrics whatsoever...

But back to General Fiasco, what was nice was that they played all songs on the album, including the wonderful Buildings. When I saw the setlist, this song was replaced by a new one, but on stage it wasn't the case. One more reason of joy for me :D Plus, there were other new songs, good ones, but all we really wanted was the chance to scream from the top of our lungs "Does the rebel get by". And we did. Yeap, we all did.

It took me a while to appreciate the power of connecting to an audience. Sure, they're all there for your songs and/or performance, but talking to them, telling stories, making them laugh, this is one of the many great bonuses I got the chance to experience in my time as concert-goer. Wasn't the case with General Fiasco. But then again, it wasn't that necessary. Not everybody can master the stage in that way, and in that case, a clean, nice set is all we need. And it was what we got from General Fiasco.

Next on the bill is one busy week in December, when both Biffy Clyro AND Kings of Leon are in town, and Arcade Fire at a 2 hour bus ride away. And yes, I am the happy owner of tickets for all three gigs. I can't say no to an early Christmas present and a little bit of pampering, even if I have to pay for them myself.

Gig No 1 – I Am Arrows

British kids living in big cities have a huge advantage: they can see the likes of Muse and Kings of Leon and Biffy Clyro every tour. AND they can also see the likes of Frightened Rabbit or I Am Arrows. Which, for someone who even barely considers having something remotely connected to music, is huge. Imagine the music that then, in their turn, these kids should make. Imagine the criticism and the refinement and the coolness that these kids should have. I guess it’s no wonder the biggest bands and songs come from the UK.

Now imagine some who, let’s say, went to their first big gig at 19. Who heard about indie music in magazines and had no people to play it for her. Who bought tickets to Depeche Mode not because she loved them, but because she was excited someone she had heard of would play in her town. That someone goes to an I Am Arrows concert and listens! Listens and sings if she knows the words and doesn’t get bloody drunk halfway through the set. That someone has a long way to go in order to measure up to the other concert-goers around her. But that someone enjoys the music, not the drinks or the fellows at the show. Because that someone can go alone and still have a fabulous time. And that someone is proud of it.

Oh, and to clear things up, girls always fall for the guitarists in the band :P

First impressions on Earth

See, I knew it was no good being home. Nothing ever happens to me, nothing worth writing about. I used to be so much more excited and amazed by everything in Paris. Oh well, good that I'm no longer home, right?

For the moment I have only one photo and one song to share. Oh, and the fact that my first concert here is tonight :D

Time for some more

....songs. Just two this time. Oh, but with these addictive and gorgeous tunes, two is more than enough.

So, first, Sleigh Bells - Rill rill

And after that I Am Arrows - Nun

Enjoy!

WRONG

Why, oh why did Placebo ever decide to cover Depeche Mode's "I feel you"? Brian Molko's voice is just.. horrible on this track. It used to be this angry, powerful love (of drugs) song. When I heard Placebo's version for the first time, a grimace of pain appeared on my face. That voice, that highly pitched voice, ruining this oh, so beautiful song. Gahan was perfect and no one should meddle with that. As much as I enjoy Placebo and Molko's voice on some of their own stuff, this cover is pure torture for my ears. Depeche Mode have another great song for what Molko&co did here: WRONG.

Same surprise

It's about time for more muzichie, si mai multa muzichie frumoasa. De peste tot, din San Francisco si Belfast si Oxford si Scotia si de pe unde se mai canta asa frumos.































And in the end...

Cea mai fericita fata din lume

Eu.

"I invented a book that listed every word in every language. It wouldn't be a very useful book, but you could hold it and know that everything that you could possibly say was in your hands."

Mda

Din ciclul not so guilty guilty pleasures : how on Earth did Shakira come up with the lyrics "I may steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me" ? And my God, who is that guy?

But still I crave that sound

I love that I get so badly obsessed with a certain song, that it´s the only one I play all day. And for several days in a row. I love that I don´t seem to get tired of a beat and I don´t care what the lyrics are. I love that I wake up wanting to listen to the same song I went to sleep to. I love that there are songs out there that make me happy after only one listen, but I keep them on repeat so I never actually get them out of my head. I love that I fall in love with just a part of a line in a song, even if it´s meaningless.

Right now I am madly in love with Vampire Weekend - Giving up the gun. Only yesterday did it cross my mind to see the video. Now I wonder why I ever bothered. One thing interesting in this video though: how on earth did they make Joe Jonas look cool? And I'm not even gonna think about explaining how come I know how Joe Jonas looks like...

Hot Fuzz

I don't remember laughing as hard as I just did in ages. And all because of this silly movie called Hot Fuzz.

I love the way it's shot, I guess you call them frames. Either way, the image is fantastic, the sound effects brilliant, the editing just as well. I love that it's sooooooo funny and idiotic and silly and mocking so many things that it feels very original.

Long story short, Simon Pegg is, as unrealistic as his character may be, very convincing. The image of him on a horse with all the guns on his back is the single funniest image I have ever seen in a movie.

I laughed myself silly and I think everybody should see this movie. Just as a proof that English humour is as funny as can be.

And yes, I did use the word funny so many times not necessarily of lack of a better synonym, but with good reason. It's the best word to describe this mayhem of a movie.

Feels like I'm repeating myself

But this girl is my absolute soudtrack to the America I miss. Here is LA.

Go to Berlin

I know I don't have money to plan a trip to Berlin. I know I am already thinking about travelling to Spain in August for 2 weeks and missing work. I know the University of Manchester is asking for more money than I consider making in a whole year. And I know there are other members of my family that have financial needs just as important as my wish to go to England. But...

But I never saw things from this type of perspective. Be moderate, know your (financial) limits and be realistic: you need a proper pair of shoes or proper food every day more than you need a trip to a concert. This is not how I function and this is not how anybody should function. We should all indulge in those things that make us happier than anything else. It's just amazing how people that I never met can make me feel this way. And I know there are those of you who understand the thrill of a live concert. Those who don't overthink it and let themselves be happy.

This is why on the 21st of May I'll be in Berlin, watching Snow Patrol live. I know I want it so badly and the mere thought of this concert made me feel exhilarated. I was in a fantastic mood all day and even just that proves that I should go to Berlin.

Most of all, I will do what I've been waiting for since about a year ago: see this perfect little song live...

The best indie is indie movies

I've always loved stories about freaks. That's why Little Miss Sunshine is perfect. I guess everybody just pretends to be normal and all of them are so different and unique.

I've just seen The Vicious Kind. It didn't leave such an impression. Not like other things at least. Not like Little Miss Sunshine. And nothing else will, I know. But seeing this movie, I was reminded that it's not worth seeing every crappy so-called "nice" movie just for entertainment. There are things out there that are not for everybody and life's too short to waste it on what you don't like.

I'm glad anybody can make movies. Sometimes you stumble upon some who really make your day, no matter how unfunny or unknown or sad or strange or freaky they are. And that is the best entertainment.

I was never good at choosing sides

But this is ridiculous!

Best British Band:

Arctic Monkeys
Biffy Clyro
Kasabian
Muse
Oasis

There is virtually no other band they could have added that would have made this any harder.

Bat for Lashes

Whoaaaaaa, cat de faaaaain suna melodia asta. Si numele tipei e fain, ce mai, totul. Thanks to this song, I love this girl

I sort of feel like

...doing something for myself. Something else but just going to work, checking my email and waiting for it to be September. I've already been there, simply waiting for time to pass and a certain moment to come. I wanna do something. Anything.

I miss taking care of myself, doing the shopping and cooking and cleaning my room and washing my own sheets a few times a month. How can I go back to that?

A la fin

As if you haven't already figured it out by yourselves, this is the most beautiful movie ending, with the perfect little song.

Cel mai cool lucru de l-am descoperit anul asta

E Jonathan Safran Foer. Si cartea "Extremely loud & incredibly close".

New year's resolutions

Never really did this sort of things... but anyhow, these three I can really keep, so why not?

1. get that tattoo
2. move to England
3. be happy