Debut single out 1st September - 'JesusWont Dance in My High Heels'
Turn up your speakers and put on your leather jackets because 'Jesus Wont Dance in My High Heels' will have you rocking out with your mates!
This fantastic Psychedelic Rock anthem will have you craving more rock ‘n’ roll! This is a highly impressive debut from ‘Four Dead in Ohio’ as the song is catchy, has a captivating riff and beautiful hypnotic vocals.
Recorded with top producer Mark Wallis (The La’s, U2) it is bound to be a huge hit for the band! For fans of: Primal Scream, Stereophonics, The Charlatans and Oasis.
I arrived at the Brighton Coalition having never been to the venue before or even heard of it. The venue was under the walkway on the seafront where I by no means expected there to be a music venue. It wasn’t very big inside and it smelt damp. I didn’t mind all this though. The archways on the ceiling had purple lights looking up at them so it looked unusual and beautiful and gave the place a vintage feel, which I loved.
The atmosphere was wonderful because the people in the room generally seemed excited to see the band…One Night Only from Helmsley, North Yorkshire.
I had never seen the band before however I was a fan of their music and knew that they are very “in” at the moment so I expected a huge crowd and there certainly was a full house. I was lucky to even get in the venue due to the capacity almost full but thankfully I did….
The band appeared on stage around fifteen minutes late, which disappointed me at first, as I was so eager to see the band live. However George the lead singer and guitarist really blew me away with his voice and guitar playing skills. His voice sounded a bit like Luke from The Kooks. He really knew how to make the crowd move.
The first song performed was ‘It’s about Time” which was a superb song to start with as it was fast, rocky and catchy. It was a blinder! All of their songs were quite “rocky” for an Indie band. They went from one song to another at a reasonable pace, introducing each track before performing it. I am surprised my eardrums are still intact because of all the screaming and cheers from the crowd. The best song they performed was “Just for Tonight” which was the last one. It left me and the rest of the fans craving more.
Sam the drummer was absolutely fantastic! He really played those drums to his hearts content. I am surprised he didn’t break his kit as he hit them so hard. He was drumming like a guy from a “hardcore” rock band not the indie band that they are. His drumming is such a contrast with the bands genre of music. I find that a very exciting aspect. It makes the band stand out and have a very unique sound.
The Keyboardist Jack had a few technical difficulties during the first song however still played really well. He played some very “poppy” melodies and also performed backing vocals. He was great although he could have moved more whilst performing rather then just play, stand, smile and sing.
Bassist Daniel was completely hidden throughout the set. I could not really see him, which was aggravating. He played the bass very well though, despite seeming withdrawn or like he was trying to conceal something.
Mark, the final member of the band showed so much passion whilst performing the guitar and some backing vocals that it added an ‘emo’ element to this indie rock band. He and Sam added two different genres of rock into the performance, not necessarily intending to do that, however it was totally worth it as the show was incredible and I defiantly want to see them live again soon because that show was different, exciting, moving and extremely worth the wait!
This is a video montage that I have created with a collection of photos that my mum and I took of celebrities as they arrived on the RED CARPET at the 2008 BAFTA TV AWARDS.
Whilst viewing the photos you will hear a song which I have added to my montage called: "Seen It all before" by my friend Gino D'Andrea.
After trying hard to get press access for this years TV Bafta Awards and with the disappointment of not even getting a reply from the organisers I had no option but to line up in the street and join the other fans outside the London Palladium in the hope of catching some good pictures of the celebrities invited and perhaps some autographs for my private collection, however it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
Despite arriving at the venue quite early at around 12.00 PM, the street was already lined up with people luckily I managed to get, what I was hoping to be a good spot which was next to the main entrance of the Theatre, right by the door. However it turned up to be not as good as I thought as by the time the stars got out of their cars and walked along the red carpet and by the time they reached the area where I was standing, they were already tired of signing autographs and some of them actually pretended not to hear me calling them and run quickly inside the venue to catch pre-show drinks.
Once the recognisable faces started coming out of the cars and arriving at the London Palladium, the first one who caught my eye was the amazing News Presenter from channel 4 Jon Snow. He was really nice and very friendly. I had a picture taken with him and he asked me for my name as he signed my autograph book. Another News Presenter that I met who was vey sweet was Louise Minchin (from the BBC programme called Missing Live).
I had the pleasure of meeting the legendary Patrick Duffy best known for his role as Bobby Ewing, on the US sitcom “Dallas” who apart from the greasy grey hair, still looked amazing for his age and seemed really down to earth.
Having said that, Dame Judi Dench despite looking good for her age and wearing a beautiful dress, everything seemed a bit too much for the mature lady who couldn’t handle the long walk on the red carpet as she only had the time to sign a few autographs before getting inside the venue to find herself a chair to sit on. She was very nice though.
After that things started to go really down for me with my first disappointment being with Alan Dale (who is known for his roles in Neighbours and Ugly Betty). He passed in front of me after I called his name, he actually looked at me as he approached the barrier but, he was immediately grabbed by one of the PRs who directed him to the professional photographers pit, although he said he would come back, unfortunately he didn’t keep his word and never did but I could still see him chatting with some guests by the entrance door of the venue only a few steps away from me.
The next disappointment, which I personally found the most annoying, was when James May (co-presenter of
Top Gear which I was really looking forward to meeting as I always thought highly about him, as an award-winning journalist and an aspiration to me, unfortunately like many others he didn’t even look at the crowd who were shouting his name, instead he stayed there at the front door chatting with his mate Richard Hammond who also decided to ignore everyone. What a disappointment! They must have been desperate to grab their free drink before it ran out.
Luckily for me, things started to improve especially when I had the opportunity to meet the charming Martin Kemp (former member of the 80s band Spandau Ballet and actor who played the role of Steve Owen in EastEnders). What a nice guy! He chatted with me and my mum for a while and even took the time to have a picture taken with me and shake her hand. Then I had my eyes fixed on the gorgeous Nicholas Hoult (from the new TV series Skins). He was very sweet and not only signed my autograph book but he also had a picture taken with me. I was speechless at that point.
After that I met the gorgeous singer Alesha Dixon from the R & B girl band, Mis-Teeq and she was also the 2007 winner o the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. I also had the pleasure of meeting Matt Di Angelo also from Strictly Come Dancing; he was there with his girlfriend and dance partner Flavia Cacace. They were lovely and looked like a nice couple. I met Claudia Winkleman from the same show that was also very friendly, but I was over the moon to meet the co-presenter of the Strictly Come Dancing itself, the sweet Tess Daly. She looked lovely in this beautiful long hot pink dress by the designer Martin Grant. I was happy to have a picture of me with her although I know for sure she looked a lot better than me in the picture.
Then my luck went down again when Kelly Brook passed very quickly by me and ignored most of the fans that were calling her. She looked amazing as she rushed to the photographers pit and spent a great amount of time having pictures taken. She knows all the papers and magazines were probably going to put her on the front cover but unfortunately she didn’t seem interested in her fans and was too much in a hurry but I can honestly say that who really seemed in a hurry was the TV Comedian Harry Hill. Shame on you Harry!
Other runners who decided to avoid the fans and ignore completely the crowd were Simon Pegg (I heard some fans shouting his name and I thought to myself…Who is he anyway?). Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer were also on the run together side by side although you would have thought as they have just returned to Eastenders, they would like to promote themselves and be a bit nicer to their fans and perhaps make good publicity for themselves but on the contrary they were rushing straight inside towards the free booze. I was happy when Charlie Clements came in to say hello (he plays Bradley in Eastenders) He was quite shy...bless! Another Actor that I met who plays Max Branning in Eastenders was Jake Wood (what a nice guy!).
Apparently Justin Lee Collins & Alan Carr were also there among the celebrities, they must have been hiding as no one noticed them but what was really noticeable was Amanda Holden being dragged away By Piers Morgan as she tried to reach for a fan’s autograph’s book. It was distressing seeing that happening. Joanna Lumley was dressed in a bright orange gown and but like many others, she was more interested in showing off her dress to the professional photographers hoping to get her picture on the cover of some newspapers or magazines.
James Cordon was also in a terrible rush but I quite forgave him as he looked at me and as he was giving me the most adorable smile, from a distance I could read his lips saying sorry and running to the Photographers pit.
After that I met the comedian Rob Brydon and the extremely beautiful Melinda Messenger, he was very sweet and as for her…she looked so lovely that it was as though she was a Disney Princess. They both had photos with me and chatted for a bit. I was so happy! Then Michelle Collins and stopped by to speak to the fans. She was very nice.
I was thrilled to meet again the adorable Graham Norton who came to say hello to me as I met him last year also at the BAFTAS. He was lovely and I didn’t want to keep him too long just took a quick photo and let him go as he was the host presenter for the awards so I knew he had to go for rehearse.
Last but not least, Bruce Forsyth and his wife were one of the last ones to arrive, they looked wonderful but it started raining so they had to run quickly inside the venue.
I hope you liked this article and don't forget to check out my video with pictures that I took at the BAFTAS.
I have always been a great fan of Every Time I Die, however since the release of their latest album called “The Big Dirty” I started to appreciate even more the enthusiastic metal punk rockers from Buffalo, New York.
A huge metallic explosion is how I can describe the sounds coming from the guitars played by Guitarists Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley, not mentioning the anger of the vocalist Keith Buckley and yet easy to listen and understand the meaning of the lyrics as for the drummer Mike Novak who knows how to put the soft touch clearly breakthrough like the sun rising after the big storm.
OMG these guys are awesome!
According to Every Time I Die's Wikipedia when mentioning about the album the band said:
“Unless you're a sorority girl, you're probably not accustomed to dudes telling you that something called "the big dirty" is about to invade your personal space”.
Does this really happen? Ohh hell yes! Listening from the beginning to the end of the CD did not only make me jump, scream, run but to be honest at half of the time I didn’t know what I was really doing. That’s what I call Total invasion!
My favorite song from the album has to be “Pigs Is Pigs”? I mean…Who the hell have a song named like that! “Pigs Is Pigs”?
As for the lyrics with such addictive rimes like this one:
“Oh lord I am famed, Just said I am fit to swing, bout time I have prayed, My woman just might wear my ring” “Hang em High, keep your vows brief, let em swing, make em swing till it hurts and if you still believe, that man guilty of love cant survive. Then Hang em high or not at all”
After listening to the album I found it hard not to keep this song out of my mind and kept on hamming to it.
This is probably the best Punk/Metal CD I have listened to for ages.
Tracks:
1. No Son of Mine
2. Pigs Is Pigs
3. Leatherneck
4. We'rewolf
5. Rebel Without Applause
6. Cities and Years
7. Rendez-Voodoo
8. A Gentleman's Sport
9. INRihab
10. Depressionista
11. Buffalo Gals
12. Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery
This is probably the best Punk/metal CD that I have listened to for ages.
I highly recommend it! My rate AAAAA
Find out more about Every Time I Die by visiting their mypace on
The Horrors are a Spine Tingling Indie-Punk /Garage- Rock band based in London, UK. The band was formed in 2005 and their debut album Strange House, reached n37 on the UK Charts, on March 2007
Band members: Faris Rotter (Faris Badwan) - Vocals Joshua Third (Joshua Hayward) - Guitar Tomethy Furse (Tom Cowan) - Bass Spider Webb (Rhys Webb) - Combo organ Coffin Joe (Joseph Spurgeon) - Drums They have big hair, hearts of gold and heaps of talent! Not only their music is distinctive but also the way they look with tight skinny jeans and plenty hairspray, say no more...
These guys are a bunch of “scary rocky” but with plenty attractiveness and exciting personality! As for their debut album ‘Strange House’ it unquestionably lives up to their name. So, I bought this album with high expectations of what it would be like and it was more than what I had in mind. Thrilling, enjoyable and very individual!
Did it live up to my expectations? Hell yes! After listening to the opening track ‘Jack the Ripper’ I was already dancing on the table in my room. It is a fast catchy song once it gets going, with fast guitar riffs and very 60s style Organ melodies. It originally sounded different to when I first heard it online so initially I was a little apprehensive but it started to sound more familiar to me.
The humming organ riffs played by “Spider Webb” help to create the spooky sound of ‘The Horrors’ with a chilling mood. By the time song 5 played on I was still in the party mood. The title sure did describe my choice of song well…”Excellent Choice”. It was so different to the first 4 tracks. I’ve never heard anything like it! I mean it in a positive way.
It really proves that The Horrors are an ‘Indie’ band. Nearing the end of the album at song 10 was ‘Gil Sleeping’ this instrumental masterpiece was slightly spooky but it’s really great to listen to if you just want to chill and lay down. It’s the type of track that you would hear on a 50s 60s and 70s horror movie soundtrack like the TV series Scooby Doo “Batman” and The Adams Family. It is the type of song that gives you that suspense and sense of what is going to happen next and at the same time It is fun and easy to listen to.
If you have the opportunity to listen to “Strange House” I can guarantee that you will have the desire to dance and jump in a 60s type of style like the way they did in the movie “Austin Powers”.
Tracks:
"Jack the Ripper" -
"Count in Fives"
"Draw Japan"
"Gloves"
"Excellent Choice"
"Little Victories"
"She Is the New Thing"
"Sheena Is a Parasite"
"Thunderclaps"
"Gil Sleeping" - (an instrumental track)
"A Train Roars"
"Death at the Chapel" (UK Bonus Track)
My conclusion: If you want to hear something really different and mind blowing, this one is definitely worth it. I beyond doubt enjoyed this type of music and from many albums for sale out there, this is definitely my favourite one to date! My rate: AAAAA Listen to The Horrors by visiting their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thehorrors
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LOVE IN A TORN LAND
BY JEAN SASSON
BOOK REVIEW BY ALEXANDRA MCLOUGHLIN
Synopsis
Best-selling author Jean Sasson tells the dramatic true story of a young woman caught up in Saddam Hussein's genocide of the Kurdish people of Iraq. One morning Joanna, a young bride living in the Kurdish mountains of Iraq, was surprised to see dead birds drop silently out of the clear sky.They were followed by sinister canisters falling from bombers, bringing fear and death. It was 1987, and Saddam Hussein had ordered his cousin 'Chemical Ali' to bombard Joanna's village, Bergalou, with chemical weapons. Temporarily blinded in the attack, Joanna was rescued by her husband, a Kurdish freedom fighter. After being caught in another bombardment and left for dead in the rubble, they managed to flee over the mountains in a harrowing escape. Now living in the UK and working for British Airways, Joanna has told her story to Jean Sasson, the best-selling chronicler of oppressed women's lives in the Princess trilogy and Mayada.
"Love in a Torn Land" is published while the world watches the trial of the notorious 'Chemical Ali', Saddam Hussein's most bloodthirsty henchman, for crimes including the genocide of the Kurdish people.
My Personal Review on the Book: This book is sensational, fascinating yet quite intense to read. You get glued to the story so much that you can’t dare to put it down as you feel like you want to read more and more wandering what is going to happen next.
It is easy to read and understand. “Love in a Torn Land” tells the dramatic life story of Joanna Al-Askary Hussein. From her childhood to adulthood living in Iraq where there was constant war to when she falls in love with a man whom she suffered so much during that time in order to be with. She also lost many people in her life and yet has still come out stronger then ever. Joanna is a warrior and a survivor with an amazing personality. Her dramatic story makes me appreciate life more than ever and all that I have taken for granted.
There is a part in the book that tells when her uncle was put in a prision but not an ordinary prision, he was put in a hole underground. A type of hole where fits only one person; He had to stay standing for many days inside that hole. Can you imagine his pain?
Despite many dramatic events mentioned in this book, the story has a happy ending and that’s why it is so interesting the reading.
If you ever feel down and believe that life is not worth living, after reading this book I promise you that it will change your way of thinking. I now think more about people that live their whole life in a place under constant war, where they can’t be themselves and they have no say in life, these people would do anything to be where were are, it makes me think why am I complaining? What should I get depressed for? My life is heaven compared to way these people’s lives.
After reading Joanna’s story I learnt to value life more. Her life story is an inspiration to anyone that thinks life is not worth fighting for. I think so positive now and don’t feel sad anymore when things don’t go the way I wished, it makes me think that somewhere in this world there are people dying because of war and I should appreciate all that I have.
Joanna is an inspiration to everyone; she is a fighter and a winner. Flight like Joanna, never give up and believe in yourself. My rate: AAAAA
Book is available at all high street bookstores such as WH Smiths and Waterstones or you can order it online on amazon.co.uk and play.com
Band: Deathstars Venue and Location: Voodoo Lounge in Dublin (Ireland)
During my holiday in Dublin I was put on the guestlist for a gig at the voodoo lounge, where Swedish deathglam band the Deathstars were playing along with support act Mortiis from Norway.
I was very much looking forward to this event as it was my first time seeing Deathstars and as I had just started listening to Mortiis.
When I arrived at the venue there were already fans gathering outside all geared up in their gothtastic clothing and accessories. They were chilled out and friendly. Most of them were from other places in Europe as well as the local Irish fans.
By the time the doors opened the queue outside was already surrounding the venue and the fans rushed in to get to the front of the stage.
The show itself started with a bang as Mortiis came on to the stage and started to rock hard. They started to perform their first song and when that happened the crowd became hyper and loud. They were singing along to the lyrics and pushing to be at the front.
The band really put on a great show as they interacted with the audience very well and there was a sense of enjoyment. Water was thrown at the crowd and it made everyone in the audience go crazy with happiness and excitement.
As their set reached the end all the fans were already loosing their voices from the singing and shouting at Mortiis. The main act (Deathstars) appeared on stage there were screams and many more people arrived to watch the Deathstars put on a show. As Whiplasher (Lead Singer) started to sing an Irish flag was thrown on stage along with a feather bower in the colours of the Irish flag. After the first song Whiplasher put the flag on his back and gave a speech after which there were cheers from everyone. He started to perform the next song whilst marching and smiling.
The room was very hot because all of us were so squashed. The band members looked like they were also very hot and so it makes you wonder how they cope with that especially as they all have long hair. The moshpit was very heavy when The Deathstars were up. There was so much pushing a shoving to touch Whiplasher especially when he took his top off! WOW! I could see that he had glitter on his torso and it sparkled in the light.
The lighting effects were brilliant. At one point it looked like he was dripping blood because the sweat on him was dripping off him and the lighting was red. Nearing the end of the show the Deathstars sung what we thought was the last song and left the stage. There was then an encore from the entire crowd asking the guys to come back and perform another song, which the Deathstars couldn’t resist the temptation but to come back on stage and perform their latest single called “Cyanide”.
It was an amazing performance and I enjoyed it very much. In the whole the show was extraordinary and well worth the effort of going to. I would defiantly recommend seeing both acts and I shall hopefully see them again soon. My rate: AAAAA
After a long and gruelling tour around the US Aiden are finally heading back to the UK to promote their latest album ‘Conviction’.
Aiden is a rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States of America that formed in the spring of 2003. They took their name from the little boy in the movie The Ring. The current members are wiL Francis (vocals), Jake Wambold (guitar), Jake Davison (drums), Nick Wiggins (bass), and Angel Ibarra (guitar). wiL originally played bass but took over lead vocals when their previous vocalist left. Angel, JakeW, Nick, wiL, and JakeD formed the Band in Seattle in the spring of 2003 and released their debut Single 'Our Gangs Dark Oath' in June 2003.
Now, all fully graduated from high school, they're ready to take on the world with their melodic and catchy Rock tunes.
Aiden shows are spectacular! Wow! There aren’t enough words to describe how breathtaking and exciting is to watch them performing live as every member of the Band always gives 110% in their shows with so much energy on stage no matter how they're feeling.
They love and appreciation to their fans is something that makes Aiden stand out when comparing to other bands out there. Their loyalty is incredibly noticeable, especially at the end of each gig when they come out to meet their fans and to spend a good amount of time signing autographs, chatting and letting their fans take photographs with and of them.
All 5 members contribute into the writing of their music and the performance. Their songs which lyrics we can relate to in some way, shape or form, are based on their real life experiences and the world around them. This Band is perfect! They have incredible personalities, unbeatable talent and gorgeous looks. They have the ‘full package’!
WARNING: If you have the opportunity to see Aiden performing live… be prepared for the Thrill of your life!
Albums Our Gangs Dark Oath (2004)
Nightmare Anatomy (2005)
Conviction (2007)
EPs A Split of Nightmares - Split EP with Stalin's War (2004)
Rain in Hell (2006)
Singles 2004 "I Set My Friends on Fire" - - - - - - Our Gangs Dark Oath "Fifteen" 2005 "Knife Blood Nightmare" - - - - -Nightmare Anatomy "The Last Sunrise" - - - - - "Die Romantic" 2007 "We Sleep Forever" - - - - - - Rain in Hell "One Love" - - - - 13 1 Conviction
