Leeds Festival

Im going to Leeds Festival in August! xD

Im pretty sure you can tell but in case you couldn't, it's a music festival. It's officially called Reading/Leeds Festival: same bands play in Reading and Leeds over one weekend.

I got my tickets last night but i was really tired so i didn't post about it.

And well, i say im going to the festival but i'm only going for one night - the whole weekend was over 200 quid!

I am, however, lucky enough to be going with Bryan and for that reason i simply can't wait!

I only bought 2 tickets coz it's all i could afford and Bryan owes me 90 pounds but im not bothered when he gives it back. Also, we might have another friend coming with us but we don't know yet.
Strangely, i'd actually prefer if he did come because travelling to Leeds and getting back etc.... i'd feel a lot more secure with 3 people rather than just 2. Strength in numbers, y'know?

Also, i've never been to a festival before so i'd have liked to go for the full thing but it will be a taster for next year - Bryan and I have decided we will be going to a festival next year for the full thing. Woot.

Anyway, you can probably make a good guess why im so interested going. Yes, the one and only Muse are playing. Headlining, actually. Usually, i wouldn't be as interested but Muse have stated that it will be the last time they play some of their earlier songs over the two festivals (which i think is completely unfair on the fans) so it is like my only chance to see some of my favourite songs played live before they never see the light of day again. It may be over a hundred quid but it's the last chance-aloon to see some really rare songs.
I don't know why a band would do that though coz other bands don't. For example, last night Biffy Clyro were playing at the Royal Albert Hall and said on their Facebook that some old-school fans would be happy with the evening's setlist. They played a good chunk of their old material and have as many albums released as Muse do. I don't get it but i know Muse are always quite particular with their sets.
Musicians are full of themselves is all i can say :P

Anyway, i'll stop complaining for once and just savour the fact that i might have a whole day or two alone with Bryan hehe.
Honestly, im surprised how good friends we are now. At the start of the school year, i barely knew him. Id seen him before and thought to myself, "Oh, he's pretty cute" but i never spoke to him. Just luck really that we're in 3 classes with each other and that's how we got talking.
Unfortunately, im not at the stage yet of seeing him a lot outside of school (although i have a few times) and he isn't in "my circle" of friends but despite that i still get to talk to him a lot. Makes me happy and him wanting to go with me to Leeds was like Christmas coming early!

I know he'd have liked to have gone for the full weekend coz 30 Seconds to Mars (meh) and My Chemical Romance are playing the night after Muse but he said seeing Muse was on his list of things to do before he dies so he's happy enough to go for one night. To save any disappointment, i've promised we'll go to a full festival weekend next year and we'll plan it better coz i honestly had no plans to go to Leeds until i heard about the whole thing with Muse.

But yeh, looks like i'll be spending a night... somewhere, with Bryan. Be it in a tent (ooft) or in some one room hotel where the booking arrangements get "mixed up" and we have to share a bed ;)
I don't know yet but im really looking forward to it.

Here's the full line-up for the day we're going to Leeds. I've not heard a lot of the bands on there but i will certainly endeavour to listen to them over the next few months. Got Interpol on just now... kinda average but im only on their second album, opinion could change.


NME/Radio 1 Stage: (first to last)

Cage the Elephant
Chapel Club
Warpaint
Panic! At the Disco
Death From Above 1979

Main Stage:

We Are the Ocean
Taking Back Sunday
Frank Turner
The View
Enter Shikari
Friendly Fires
Interpol
Elbow
Muse


See anyone you like/know of?

I think the plan is to stay by the Main Stage so we get a good place for Muse but Tim Minchin might be on The Alternative Stage and if he is, i wanna see him coz he's legendary :P
Got loads of time to decide tho...


Rowan <3

A Lil' Update

So the past couple of week have been fairly busy to say the least. They've had their pros and they've had their cons.

The best thing to come out of the past few weeks is probably the fact that i got an A in all my prelims i sat last month which i find quite overwhelming. I didn't expect that at all.

One of the most surprising things was the subject i thought i'd do worst in, English, is the subject i did best it in. I got 82% overall.
Elsewhere, i got 76% and 77% in Spanish and French respectively.
75% in Media Studies.
Another thing that surprised, and disappointed, me to a certain extent was my music mark - 70%. Just scraping an A :/

It's coz i rely to much on the practical element of the subject, in which i try (and often succeed) to be a perfectionist. It was my below par listening result of 22/40 that brought my mark down.
However, i cant just rely on my playing skills to get me an A as was shown today. My guitar exam.
I only had 2 pieces to play, as opposed to 5 on bass 2 weeks ago which went superbly.

I know im a lot weaker on guitar, having not played it as long as bass but my performance today was average in my opinion. I don't know if it was nerves or what but my first piece i messed up some chords and my rhythm was way out at points, something i knew the examiner picked up on as well - I seen her scribbling away a few times when i thought i messed up.

The 2 pieces only lasted five minutes overall. 1 was a full play through (my average play) but the piece that was sampled is the one i'd have preferred to play in full. Im much better at it and the solo is great but i wasnt given the opportunity to showcase that.
Overall, i'd give piece one 6/10.
Piece 2 - 9/10 but unfortunately i only played about half of it.

Anyway, as i said, i strive to be a perfectionist in my playing so perhaps i was disappointed but maybe it was ok from another point of view. My teacher said i played well...

Enough ranting about music. My marks elsewhere were brilliant so i shouldnt worry too much, just gotta hope i can put in a similar performance for the final exam.


Apart from all the stress of the past few weeks which i actually consider to be tougher than the exam period itself, it's been fairly subdued.

Our options have been put in front of us for next year and ive been a bit worried about what to pick next year. I'd already settled on *one* language. Only one because i have been doing two simultaneously for the past 4 years and its just not funny anymore. Next year im doing one and that is final - it's looking like it'll be Italian at a similar level to my Spanish and French this year.
I think that would look good on any CV - 3 languages all at the same level. Variation.
Would also like to do Advanced Music simply coz i love music xD

Now the last two im really not sure on. There's a course in Video Editing but im not 100% on it yet and im also considering going back to Modern Studies and taking it a Higher level.
I've got until the 25th to make up my mind so i can discuss it with my guidance teacher more if needs be.
But definetely Advanced Music and Italian at a higher level. Also, Bryan's picked them xD
Don't have a go at me! Im not picking them coz he is. He actually surprised me with the Italian which i had already settled my mind on and i was always going to be picking Music anyways!
I put it down to luck :P


I'm sorry this post was dominated by school news, it's just really all thats been going on recently. If you're sick of it, just think about poor old me!
However... there is something un-school related.
Got home today to find that Wolfmother are coming back to the UK!
Tickets don't go on sale till tomorrow but i worked my way through and got tickets on pre-sale ;)
The only problem is that they're playing a bit further afield than they did last time i seen them and i don't know if Alex will go with me like he did last year.
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it i guess but it makes up for me losing out on Queens of the Stone Age tickets: the Wolfmother gig is a few days after it!


Rowan <3




Posting this simply coz i've been quite obsessed with it recently. Don't worry i'm not tripping acid or smoking pot :)


YET!!!! MWAHAHAHAJFOGSHGJSDGSLDHFKLSDHGJKL walrus

Yes, This is a Music Post...

I like this blog not just being about gay issues and what not, coz im very keen on music and i enjoy giving my opinions on it, and discussing it as well.

Luckily, this is a combination of both xD

It's about British band, The Feeling, who (if you live outside of Britain) probably havent of and if you live in Britain, probably haven't heard of in a few years.

The reason for posting about The Feeling is this article on Pink News about lead singer Dan Gillespie Sells (what does he sell?) - http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/03/07/interview-dan-gillespie-sells-on-music-cricket-and-helicopters/

I've heard a few of The Feeling's songs before and thought they were ok, but until i read this article i did not know he was gay.

This newly acquired knowledge pushed me to find them on Spotify, as well as the fact i'd never listened to them properly. Also, i love songs that i can relate to and thought this would be a great opportunity - gay lyricist, gay meanings in songs, indentification for me! Yay xD

Well, i have to say The Feeling are great...


lyrically.


It is such a shame their music doesn't quite live upto it coz if it did, i swear, they would be one of my favourite bands. They are really a pop band, and im much more into rock but i find a few of their songs pretty decent, particularly off their first album. Their second album... not so much.

But yes, t'is a shame that i love their lyrics and not really the actual music. I look for it in a lot of bands, but overall id say the music is more important. Great lyrics, for me, just make the song better (obviously) but if the song itself sounds good and i enjoy it then the lyrics tend to take a backseat.

The Feeling are the reverse however. Great lyrics, average pop songs.

Im not saying i could write better than them but it's nice to have lyrics i can identify with, which is why i love Queen so much as i do. Freddie, gay --> gay meanings in songs --> identification, along with great music.

It's weird with The Beatles tho, coz most of their songs are about girls (or a great number of them are) but there's just an example of liking the band more for the actual songs than the lyrics - although Within You Without You has lyrics you could live your life by xD


Anyway, im sure you get the point. I just thought id talk about how The Feeling let me down a little. I got quite excited after i found them on Spotify. One last point about them: the guitarist is really under used. Some songs he shows off some pretty impressive skills and that also annoys me in a band. For example, The Killers. Their guitarist displays little bits of awesome that im sure if the lead songwriter incorporated more, would make for better songs, and it's the same with The Feeling.

Guess it's a case of LSD however - Lead Singer's Disease.

The Feeling have their new album out soon so i guess i'll give it a chance but it'll be the last :P


For the time being, here is one of their better songs. It's a very bitter sweet tune - it's quite chilled and happy, but lyrically, deals with the subject of the lead singer's problem in falling for straight guys, and really just having to act like this person is simply a friend to them.
The line, "I can't be your friend, unless i pretend" being the stand-out line.
Yep, i know where you're coming from there, Danny boy.


Rowan <3






Give me the song and I'll sing it like I mean it


Give me the words and I'll say them like I mean it



'Cos you got my heart in a headlock

You stopped the blood, made my head soft

And god knows

You got me sewn



Nah nah nah



Danny boy, don't be afraid, to shake that ass, and misbehave

Danny boy, I know you got time, but what are you waiting for,

Anyway the dust may just blow away, if you wait for a windy day

But you may find the chance has passed you by



I can't do the walk

I can't do the talk

I can't be your friend

Unless I pretend



So give me the song and I'll sing it like I mean it

So give me the words and I'll say them like I mean it



Cos you got my heart in a headlock

You stopped the blood, made my head soft

And god knows

You've got me sewn



Nah nah nah



Danny boy, don't be a fool

Take upon to break the rule

Danny boy your lookin so low

You lookin like the dead grown old

Anyway the blues just may wash away, if you wait for a rainy day

But you may find, the chance had past you by



I can't do the walk

I can't do the talk

I can't be your friend

Unless I pretend



So give me the song and I'll sing it like I mean it

Give me the words and I'll say them like I mean it



Cos you got my heart in a headlock

You stopped the blood and made my head soft

You've got my heart in a headlock

You stopped the blood and made my head soft

made my head soft

made my head soft

made my head soft

made my head soft

Yeah, yeah, yeah

oh Yeah, yeah, yeah.

BBC Live 24 Hour Panel Shows

Just posting this in case anyone's interested.

The BBC are hosting live panel shows right now for Red Nose Day/Comic Relief. The good thing is that it's not just UK as it is for most BBC things online, you can get it worldwide!

So, if anyone wants a good dollop of British comedy, tune in. Im personally looking forward to Argumental (at 10:30pm) and QI at midnight, as well as Mock the Week which is on right now, but it runs until midday tomorrow - British time.

Also, David Walliams is appearing on everyone one of the shows, over 24 hours. That's quite impressive, and i respect him a lot for it. I will be donating some money later, hope some of you all do as well! ;)

The all important link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday/24hourpanelpeople/

And the schedule - http://www.bbc.co.uk/rednoseday/24hourpanelpeople/schedule.shtml (all British time of course)

Enjoy!


Rowan <3