Summer Recently Played

Not Fair by Lily Allen is one of my favourite songs at the moment since I watched back the set from Benicassim from last year (post here). I'm not actually a big music listener at the moment which is strange but when I do put something on in the shower or on my walk to work these tend to be what I'm listening to!

The Spring Sound

Hello! As I go into Spring there are a couple of songs which keep cropping up on my playlists, whether its for leisure or on my revision playlist, that I just love. It's quite a slow playlist but I find they're great for putting my head down, listening to while I'm blogging or browsing and make me feel ready for summer. I hope you enjoy and keep an eye out for posts which are coming up - sorry they've been slow lately!

CLEAN BANDIT

Hello! There has been a series  of unfortunate events... I was  only planning to stay away from blogging for a week but my laptop has decided that browsers apparently aren't a thing, meaning that I haven't been able to properly blog so I'm coming to you from my Kindle. Does anyone else really hate all of the blogger apps?... 

I saw Clean Bandit on Tuesday nightand thought I would share with you all my thoughts (clue: they didn't disappoint!)

First and foremost, the venue was great. It was held at the De la Warr Pavillion which is fairly small making it great for an intimate evening. We were about three rows back and to the right of the stage which still left us being able to see perfectly. 

The support act was Colour the Atlas which consisted of 3 boys on all of the instruments, one of which also sang and a girl who was playing the keyboard and the main vocals. You may have heard them on radio 1 recent just if you're a big fan of their introducing bands. They went really great with the act to follow although they were all very slow sings whereas I would  have liked to seen someone with a bit more  energy and movement. They have a lot of stuff on YouTube and iTunes so go check them out!

Clean Bandit started of with A and E, a personal favourite of mine. Florence Rawlings and Elisabeth Troy are the vocalists on their current tour who I have seen do live lounges with them in the past on radio 1 and I think that they know the group so well. The dynamics between Clean Bandit and their vocalists are really great and it adds to the enjoyment of watching them perform. 

I found it really amazing that they were on stage playing electric cellos and violins and there were teenagers (and adults) all dancing to it, enjoying it and singing along to every word. If you are not familiar with Clean Bandit's music the band does all of the music with violins, keyboards and add vocalists on the top like Jess Glyne in Rather Be and Real Love. They had a special guest join them in the stage which was Sharna Bass from a more recent song Extraordinary. Again, she gelled with the band seamlessly and was a pleasure to watch. 

My personal favourite part of the show was the last two songs. They sang a cover of You Got To Show Me live which was a lovely surprise and they still put their own Clean Bandit twist on it. They finished up with Rather Be which the whole audience was singing along with and you could hear that everyone was enjoying themselves. 

I had an amazing evening and they're just as good live, if not better which I love from an artist. Go see Clean Bandit live if you get the chance, especially if it's in a small, intimate venue! 

Hopefully I will get to sort out my laptop soon so I can start blogging properly again but I will try my best from my Kindle!

Lots of love, Hannah xxx

FIBERFIB 2014 | FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL BENICASIM

Hello! The reason I've been super M.I.A is because last Tuesday I jetted off to Spain for a week with my friends to go to Benicassim Festival. I took a couple of disposable cameras including a waterproof one so that i could take some photos at the festival and the beach so I thought I'd share my week with you all!

On Tuesday we flew to Barcelona really early and then got on a coach to the festival which took 3 hours but it was a lot less risky than missing the train and having to get a 340 euro taxi. After we had set up tents we all had a cold shower and the boys popped to Lidl for dinner and we had a night sitting in the camp site with some less-than-a-euro wine and baguettes until we all couldn't keep our eyes open.

In the morning we escaped the campsite early and headed off to the beach which was about half an hours walk, going via the super market for some of the cheapest breakfast I've ever bought. We all got our tan on and played Frisbee as well as taking some pictures in the sea. At the end of the day we were all a little red and spent the evening sitting in the beach bar drinking mojitos and even went skinny dipping at one point. Might as well if you have an empty beach...

Late that night we headed back to our camp site after a lovely day in the sun and the sea, blissfully unaware of how sick we would get of sand by the end of the week!

We headed back to the beach everyday from there and on Thursday we headed to a cheap bar and restaurant for chicken and chips and paella. This was the day the music started and we saw Ellie Goulding, who was amazing on stage, Tinie Tempah and Chase & Status. I enjoyed Chase & Status so much more than at Reading as they plated at 1am so everyone was crashing a little and the crowd was a bit calmer... It was a great way to kick off our weekend of music!

After ridding ourselves of sand as much as possible on Friday night we headed to see Tom Odell, which actually turned out to be Razorlight as they had switched their times. Both of them were so good and Razorlight played some classics! There was a big gap between Tom Odell and the next act so we headed back for some drinks and the rest of our dinner that we had bought! While we were back at the camp there was the most amazing lightening going on before finally there was thunder and a big downpour. We all were initially shocked but it was nice to have some cool rain in the sweaty weather!

We spent our Saturday lunch time napping on the beach and drinking mojitos in the beach bar. It was a bit more cloudy after the storm but we all still managed to get a bit burnt through the clouds! In the evening we saw Katy B, Lily Allen who was so funny on stage and definitely a highlight of my weekend, The Libertines, Example and Ingrosso! After some time in the dance tent we headed back to the campsite around 4. It's hard work being at a festival that ends at about the time you would normally wake up for school!

Sunday was our final day and we would be heading home from the festival in the early hours of the morning (which did mean we missed sub focus so book your flights later than 10!) We packed up our stuff at the campsite including the few tents we would be taking home before heading back to the beach, despite the fact we were very sick of sand at this point! It was nice to head back to the beach for the last time as a group and swim in the sea some more and catch the last of the sun, despite a couple of the group already beginning to peel! Kodaline was the first act and we sat around singing High Hopes followed by Hozier who made me want to download his whole album! He was so chilled and the sun was setting, turning the clouds pink around us which was beautiful. We then had a blast from the past with Travis which was unexpected as we walked past as he was singing 'Sing' which has been on an advert recently and I've rekindled my love for him since I got home. M.I.A was so awful.
We left after 5 minutes, perhaps less, but overheard Paper Planes and Bad Girls which were both awful and have been ruined for me! Reallly not impressed! I heard at Lovebox she didn't even finish her set, which in a way I would have preferred! Paolo Nutini however, was on another level. He had such a great crowd filled with all the Scottish people at the festival and he sings which such passion. A friend and I were about 3 rows back and I'm now 100% in love with him. We finished up the festival with Alesso and Sub Focus but as we didn't think about how late the music would finish when booking our transport we had to leave half way through! 

I barely remember leaving on the coach and I certainly don't remember taking off in the plane just from how exhausted I was. However, I had an amazing week with 10 of my friends and everyone who came with me made it so special. It was so surreal being in Spain with so many of my friends at a festival and I would definitely recommend going if you are pondering on it or want something fun to do next summer! For now, I'm exhausted... never wake me up!

Are you off to a festival this summer? Or do you have a favourite one?

Music in July

Hello! This month is a slightly musical one for me as I am off to a festival on Tuesday in Spain! I've had an eye on the line up for a while and have been listening to lots of music by the people there. I've also been listening to some other bits and I thought I would compile it together for you all!

Paolo Nutini, Tame Impala, Tom Odell, The 1975, Charlie XCX, Kodaline, Nina Nesbitt and Hozier are just a few of the people who will be at Benicassim next weekend in Spain! I'm so excited to see them as well as Lily Allen, Ellie Goulding, Chase and Status and so many more. I will be putting together a blog post about it as soon as possible when I get back!

Ella Eyre's new song 'If I Go' has the most amazing music video complete with a behind the scenes which is a must watch! George Ezra is a pretty new artist who was on Glastonbury's Introducing stage last year and he is now all over the radio. I can't wait to have a listen to his full album sometime soon! Real Estate's song 'April's Song' reminds me of driving around. I'm not sure why, I don't know if I ever have listened to this in a car but it's one of those feel good songs, although there are no lyrics! Finally, Iggy Azelia's 'Fancy' get's stuck in my head at the mention of the word. I kind of want to hate it, but I just can't...

Are you going to any festivals or seeing any of these people live any time soon?

Dan Croll @ Scala

Hello! Call me a gig-goer, but I've been at it again this week. This time I was near Kings Cross Station in Scala, a teeny tiny venue holding about 900 people watching Dan Croll. Dan Croll has been played a lot on the radio recently after the release of From Nowhere but I was introduced to him about 6 months ago and a friend and I were unable to pass up the opportunity to see him.

I thought that Dan's first support act Jack Garratt was amazing. His voice and the way his music was put together was creative and something I hadn't seen someone do live and so simply perhaps ever. He also made me actually laugh with some of his comments between songs and his friends were clearly very supportive of his music. We the Wild was the second support act and while I thought they were good, they didn't interact with the audience at all apart from introducing themselves and saying goodbye which I thought was disappointing, especially as the size of the audience allowed both other acts to interact so closely. They reminded me a lot of You Me At Six vocals and sounded really good, I just wish they spoke a little more to us all! Despite this, I thought that both acts complimented what was to come (*tries to think of Compliment Your Soul joke*) and I am really excited to see what happens in Jack Garratt's future. 

The size of the venue did not dampen my experience, I actually loved how intimate the event was, especially as the crowd was able to sing along to Dan's songs and you could still hear him which is something that often irritates me in large venues. We were pretty close to the stage in only the second row so I did not have to stand on tip toes (bonus!!) which was a nice change. Something I particularly enjoyed about the closeness of it all was that everyone was singing along to Home and Compliment Your Soul and he looked incredibly pleased that there was a room of people singing his words back to him all at once.

'My first ticket touts... Does that mean... Does that mean I've made it?'

When Dan spoke to the crowd he made me smile because he seemed so happy that he was able to perform to people on his own tour. He performed a majority of songs from his new album, Sweet Disarray as well as some of the first songs he released which are the ones I knew the best. I was so impressed with his new album and I could easily see him every night. It was one of those concerts where at the end, I really didn't want to leave and I could have stood there for a couple more hours with him singing. I think I speak for both myself and Tom when I say it was an amazing evening in a lovely venue that I will definitely keep an eye out for in the future!

Have you seen Dan on his most recent tour? Or been to Scala before?

Bastille at Alexandra Palace

Hello! I'm currently sat on my bed half-dressed as I am really unsure about what to wear in this weather... It's warm... Apparently it's actually even warmer here in London than it is in Ibiza this weekend, so I think we've really come out on top. The weather has been so lovely all week which has made my mock exams more bearable and I also had a little night out to London this week to see Bastille at Alexandra Palace, my favourite venue perhaps ever.

I bought two tickets for my brother for his 14th birthday (expecting him to take me, which he did) and he was defiantly very excited as he had never been to see live music before. I was especially excited that it was at Alexandra Palace as I've been for the past 3 years around March where I've seen Bombay Bicycle Club with Lianne La Havas and Rae Morris, who features on their new track Luna and last year I saw Two Door Cinema Club with CHVCHES and Everything Everything. Each time I've been I have been blown away with the venue's atmosphere and the bands I've seen so I was expecting big things. It was Bastille's biggest venue they've played where they've headlined the show and while the crowd was not as lively as my previous visits they didn't disappoint.

Supporting them was Rag N Bone Man and Angel Haze, but unfortunately we missed Rag N Bone Man's set. I thought Angel Haze was good, expecially when she played Drunk In Love because at the moment I am obsessed with that album but I wouldn't choose to listen to her at home in my room. A little too loud and shouty and rappy and sweary for me. I was really happy to see that Bastille included Angel Haze in their cover of Weapon which boosted the tempo after their 'most depressing song' Oblivion. We also got to see Rag N Bone Man when he joined them for Rhythm of the Night were Dan involved the audience in a bit of moving about.

Apologies for the quality and lack of photos

I saw Bastille at Reading last summer where the crowd was so lively and I was so hot I thought I could faint if it were not for the amount I was enjoying myself. The crowd kind of let down the band but that could be down to Thursday night tiredness but I thought the band played and performed really well inspite of the fact they were visibly overwhelmed at the size of the venue. I was impressed with their stuff they played that they are bringing out soon although I tend to find that part of live music a little awkward, whoever is playing. Their triangular screen behind their set added to their stage presence and interaction with the audience as it featured the band, violinists and the audience in an 'old recording' format which made a change from just showing their face or the music video the whole way through.

My highlight's would probably disappoint avid Bastille fans but I must admit I haven't listened to all their stuff in such a long time so I'm keener on their better known stuff. The girl stood behind me made up for this as she knew every word and sang the whole way through, so thanks to her for that! I thought Bad Blood was an excellent song to open with and one that I predicted. Weight of Living, Laura Palmer, Overjoyed, Laughter Lines, Weapon, Things We Lost in the Fire, Flaws and Of the Night were the ones I enjoyed and could sing along to. Finishing off with Pompeii straight after Of the Night was also a good move by them as it rounded everything off so well. My brother was also pretty good company and he was beyond pleased with the evening with his favourite part being Things We Lost in the Fire which is his most played song ever. It's all I hear from his bedroom!

Have you seen Bastille on their current tour? Or did you see them last year at a festival? Are you hoping to see them soon?

Clothes Cravings

Hello! As I said in my 'Black is the New Black' post, I have had a craving to buy clothes and in the past week I have fed that craving... whoooops. I got myself some things from Topshop, H&M, Pull & Bear, a cute vintage shop I found as well as a few non-fashion items and I'm really happy with them all so I thought I would share them with you!

KATCH Slip On Trainers, Topshop - I mentioned these in a previous post but in black. However, in Topshop they didn't have these in black with white soles and I really liked these. They're a subtle way to prevent me from going completely back to black... I wore these today and they were really comfortable and I think maroon is so wearable with black and jeans, so I'm really happy with the colour. I would happily buy another pair, especially as I think for £20 they're really good quality and quite comfortable.

Stripe Pocket Cropped Tee, Topshop - I've been after a stripey top for ages that will go with anything and I saw this in Topshop and thought that the pattern is exactly what I was looking for, it will be really lovely in summer and I thought that for £14, it was rather cheap. Not Primark cheap, but for Toppers, I thought it was pretty good. I also find that their t-shirt material always lasts really well and doesn't go funny in the washing machine. I would also probably buy myself another one of these for summer!

Sweatshirt, H&M (similar) - Take a wild guess at how much this cost me? £5.99! It's a thin cotton-jersey jumper which is lovely for slouching around in and is great for layering under and over other things. It's slightly cropped although longer than the t-shirt above and I think I'm going to get so much wear out of it. I nearly bought two but wasn't happy with the other colour they had but I love it and can see myself getting lots of wear out of it this spring! I can't find the exact one on the website but linked is an uncropped version.

Vintage Shirt - I found a lovely vintage clothing and accessories store today while I was buying my cousins birthday presents and spotted this in the window. I love buying things in shops like this as you know you won't be wearing the same thing as everyone else. I think the colours and the print isn't something you see in lots of shops. I think this will be really nice in summer under my dungarees, with a skirt or with shorts!

Mini-Bag, Pull & Bear - I've heard of Pull & Bear but never shopped there until it caught my eye in Brighton. Who knew there was a store there?! I have been looking for a small black bag for so long as I currently have a brown one but it doesn't go with everything so when I saw this for only £9.99 I had to snatch it up just in time to go back to school. I only keep essentials in my bag such as my phone, gum and money so it's the perfect size and I could always remove the strap and use it as a clutch for another occasion!

So Long, See You Tomorrow, Bombay Bicycle Club - I have wanted this album since the day it came out but I really hate buying things on iTunes, although I had to give into that to buy Luna when it was first released. Bombay Bicycle Club have been one of my favourite bands since I saw them at Alexandra Palace 2 years ago and I'm so happy they're getting all of this recognition at the moment for Luna because they deserve it and it's such a good song!

Vitamin E Moisturizing Day Cream, Superdrug - In Superdrug I picked this up because I've heard a few good things about this range and wanted a simple moisturizer with SPF because I've been having really dry skin above my eyebrows and on my cheeks, presumably from the cold and windy weather we seem to be having. I haven't tried this out yet but I will be sure to review it once I've put it to the test!

Nivea Daily Essentials Hydration Primer Dry/Sensitive - I also spotted this while picking up moisturizer and after having tried it before I thought I would buy myself one. I'm hoping this will help to keep my skin moisturized during the day when I'm wearing make up and smooths out my skin nicely!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I'd treated myself to this week! Is there anything you suggest me taking a look at to add to my wardrobe, skincare routine or music collection?