On the 18th of April I went to O2 Academy 3 in Birmingham to catch PVRIS' sold out headline show. I wrote about them as a new discovery a couple of years ago here and now they're finally and deservedly blowing up.

First up on the bill was Twin Wild. I'd not heard of this band before the night but I've remembered the name every day since. They really caught my attention. The lead singer's vocals were great and their sons were very catchy. Although I did feel at the time that their set had been the perfect length for them, I would love to see them again live at their own headline show.

Next, Light You Up. I've been keeping up with this band for just over a year now and in that time their fame has just gone from zero to one hundred, just like PVRIS to be honest. I didn't really know what to expect in terms of their live stage presence, all I had to go by was their behaviour in the "All We've Ever Known" video. They absolutely killed it though! Tom is just pure energy! Even from before the set started, Tom was getting juiced up during sound-check. The perfect set to get the crowd ready for the main event.When Tom jumped into the crowd and started singing with and talking to the fans, I'm sure that they gained some new fans in that moment.

Finally, after some unexpected but enjoyable tunes during the interval, PVRIS. That electricity you feel when a band that you love steps on stage. That will never get old. But I swear, that electricity was x100 when Lynn came on - she has a crazy amount of presence. Playing such a small venue off the back of their debut album, I was hoping that they'd play the album in it's entirety. When they started off with "Smoke" followed by "St. Patrick", I must admit that I was hopeful. Even though they didn't play "Let Them In" I was far too caught up in the euphoria to even let it phase me. Everything just sounded so much better live than I'd imagined. The crowd's voices covering the sound of the band even at times! Especially during the album singles - "My House" was frenetic. Everybody knew it was coming but nobody was ready. That is such a huge hit!! As musicians each of them are very multi-talented, well as expected I suppose - it's hard for a three piece band to make such a huge sound, but they did it! And did it very well. Everyone was buzzing after the show - Lynn even tweeting "Birmingham! We all just unanimously agreed that tonight may have been our favorite show ever. Thank you so much!!!" Big show, if you haven't already checked PVRIS out, don't waste any more time.

Overall Rating - 7.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night... 

It happened again. So much has happened in the music world these past few days that I've had to split it into TWO POSTS. Well, I'm not complaining - more music for your ears. Here are the first bits of news...

RIHANNA NEW SINGLE "AS REAL AS YOU AND ME"
Rihanna has recently been talking about the release of her new album and how it will be "worth the wait" but she couldn't let us wait without giving us something to whet our appetites. This single won't actually be on her album but it appears on the soundtrack for new movie Home. Great ballad. Have a listen here.


BLUR NEW MUSIC VIDEO "THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US"
A second single from Blur's upcoming album The Magic Whip and now we can get more of a taste of what the overall album might sound like. However, this is quite a bit different from the first single that they put out here so I couldn't make any accurate predictions at this time. Currently, I'm not enjoying this single as much as their last but it's definitely not a bad song. Check it out here.


MALLORY KNOX NEW MUSIC VIDEO "GETAWAY"
I really, really liked this sophomore album from Mallory Knox and each of the singles that they've chosen to date from it have been great. However, I honestly thought that this would have been a single sooner - huge belter. Watch the cool new video here.


TAME IMPALA NEW SINGLE "LET IT HAPPEN"
I've loved each of Tame Impala's records before this upcoming one, but when I heard that this latest album would be a little bit more "rock-influenced", I was actually more interested. As such, I had no idea what to expect from the first single here. Still the classic psychedelic Tame but I see what they meant - this is a bit of a new leaf.


CURB NEW SINGLE "OUTSIDE"
Since seeing Curb at last year's One Beat Weekender here I didn't actually expect to hear much more from them any time soon if I'm honest but I'm glad that I did - this single here is great. I feel like they've had better songs but this is still a cool summer tune and it would be awesome live.


RAE SREMMURD NEW MUSIC VIDEO "THROW SUM MO"
I've been listening to this single since before the album - Sremm Life - even came out in February so I wasn't too fussed about having Rae Sremmurd put out a video for it or anything but just checked it out because I like the song so much. The video is cool, but I don't think that I'll make much of an effort to watch it again though. Have a watch here.


DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE NEW MUSIC VIDEO "LITTLE WANDERER" 
I'm excited to listen to this full record when it drops on the 31st of March. This music video is surprisingly pretty basic and uninteresting for DCFC in my opinion but the song is brilliant! Definitely a track I'll be listening to long after I've overplayed the record. However, again, I doubt I'd make an effort to re-watch the video here.


LIGHT YOU UP NEW MUSIC VIDEO "ALL WE'VE EVER KNOWN"
Another new album that boasts great instrumentals and vocals, if you haven't already - give Light You Up a listen. This is the lead single from it, so it's been out for quite a while but this music video actually made me like it a little bit more. So simple, but entertaining. Check it out here.


EGO ELLA MAY NEW SINGLE "HOW FAR"
Even though Ego Ella May has reassured us that she's working on putting out something big, there's only so many tantalising single releases that a fan can endure! I hope that this is the last before she releases her masterpiece. Have a listen to the tune here.


WHILE SHE SLEEPS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "OUR LEGACY"
The full album is actually streaming now over at wssofficial.com but this is the latest single from WSS's incredible (8/10) album. I whole-heartedly suggest checking out both. The lads are sounding better than ever! This is right now one of my favourite albums out this year. Check out the music video here.


ALBUMS ALBUMS ALBUMS
Speaking of albums, a lot of awesome records have dropped in the past few days. Of course the first mention has to go to Kendrick's masterpiece - To Pimp A Butterfly - pure gold. As well as that, Tinashe has also released a new mixtape Amethyst. Finally, Earl Sweatshirt, Tonight Alive and Bloc Party have all announced new albums on the horizon. Stoked.


FOREVER CULT NEW SINGLE "WINTER'S GLOW"
Clue Records keep spoiling us. Between Allusondrugs, NARCS and of course Forever Cult I'm smiling at least once a week at something awesome they've done. Now this song here has me smiling again AND it'll be available for free download on the 30th of March... like I said - spoilt.


MUSE NEW SINGLE "PSYCHO"
In time for their killer tour that they're embarking on with Marmozets in tow, comes this gem of a Muse single. Definitely a band that I would love to see before I kick the bucket and with singles like this on their back I can vouch that when I do see them, it'll definitely be one to remember.

Alright, so before we actually officially come to the end of January I thought I'd do a big catch up on all things music news this month. "Big" is a massive understatement - so much has happened that I had to split this post into TWO POSTS. January has got the ball rolling fast and I have a feeling it'll even begin to pick up pace in the months to come. Either way, let's dive in...

DJANGO DJANGO NEW SINGLE "FIRST LIGHT"
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to hear something new from Django Django for! Their debut self-titled album was spectacular and now they're graced us with this new track from their upcoming sophomore record! Good enough to match the songs on their debut but different enough to have not made the cut. In other words, a pretty darn good follow up single. Have a listen here.


DON BROCO NEW SINGLE "FIRE"
Looking forward to the new Broco record - again another awesome debut. This latest single, although good, has already lost the battle of possible favourite on the new album. Lyrically this is slacking just a little bit and in my opinion "Money, Power, Fame" is a better single. However, these things always sound different listening to the record as a whole so I suppose I'll just have to wait until then. But for now, here's "Fire".


LIGHT YOU UP COVER BRING ME THE HORIZON "DROWN"
Light You Up are impressing me more and more each time I hear anything from them or about them. Tom's voice in this acoustic cover is killer! I know that as a full band they're be a marvel to see live! Have a listen to this cover here. I'm actually glad they covered this song because I loved it when it came out and hearing it stripped back has just made me appreciate it that much more.


ALBUM RELEASES
Even though there was already mounds of albums worth keeping an eye out for this month here, there are still several surprises coming from all angles. Actually speaking of Light You Up, they've released their debut album - All We've Ever Known. Roam have released an EP - Viewpoint. Storm The Sky and Cardinals have also both released new records and Foals, Diamond Youth, Arcane Roots and Deaf Havana are all currently in the studio preparing new albums! Tame Impala, Denai Moore and of course Don Broco each already have albums scheduled for 2015 - SPOILT FOR CHOICE!


TURBOWOLF NEW MUSIC VIDEO "RICH GIFT"
Turbowolf have continued to impress me since their support tour with Royal Blood here last year. Really interesting band. As expected, this track is laden with innovative riffs and catchy basslines (listen to this with earphones on). Check out the new video for this banger here.


ROAM NEW SINGLE "SAFEGUARD"
As well as releasing their EP - Viewpoint - this month, Roam have also released a few new singles here and there - this being one of them! In addition to all this, they've even been on a mini UK tour this month. I often find that the hardworking band is the least likely to disappoint. I suppose we'll see what comes of the future.


NARCS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "RHS"
NARCS - one of my favourite new discoveries of January! I actually found out about them after their record label - Clue Records (home to Allusondrugs and Forever Cult) - posted a free download of "RHS" and "Bridge" here. After hugely overplaying these tracks, this new music video came out here. In my opinion, I don't think the video is great at all but being their first, it's onwards and upwards from here.


FESTIVALS FESTIVALS FESTIVAAAAALS
So many amazing festival announcements!!!! They caught us at the worst possible time - when the post festival depression is fully setting in and you realise that you've still got ages to wait. Some huge line ups to have a look at so far are Field Day, Bonnaroo, The Great Escape, Benicassim, Reading & Leeds, and so much more! Summer 2015 is going to be insanely immense.


AS IT IS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "DIAL TONES"
So since hearing about As It Is late last year they have been doing HUGE things! Supporting Save Your Breath on the entirety of their farewell tour (gig review to come soon), getting booked for the entire US Vans Warped Tour and even being the first British band signed to Fearless Records! Now they've released this banger of a single and Rock Sound has even crowned it "the best pop punk song of 2015 so far"... wow! Have a listen right here.


JESS GLYNNE NEW SINGLE "HOLD MY HAND"
I am in love with this woman's voice. Any track she touches turns to gold. Jess Glynne's shown us all this already a bunch of times but mostly on features. Now here she is with a solo song and with this track it's no different. The beat has a very old school vibe about it, which I'm not sure how I feel about yet but there's no doubting her vocals. Check it out here.


LIEUTENANT NEW SINGLE "BELIEVE THE SQUALOR"
In case you hadn't heard, late last year Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters' bassist) was working on a musical side project called Lieutenant and now, here they are with their debut single. It's a little different than I expected, but I suppose that's what side projects are all about - exploring new musical avenues and experimenting. I like it though! Listen in here.


THE SMASHING PUMPKINS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BEING BEIGE"
Honestly, for me 80% of the intrigue came from the title. I don't know why exactly but I just really like it. Also, I think Smashing Pumpkins are pretty great but that's beside the point. The main point is, this is a jam. First time I heard it, I thought that it sounded a little bit Placebo-esque (definitely a good thing). Cast your verdict here.


WHILE SHE SLEEPS NEW LYRIC VIDEO "TROPHIES OF VIOLENCE"
I have such high hopes for this album! I actually can't remember the last time I was this psyched for this type of album. These new WSS single releases are just getting me more pumped. This has to be one of the most engaging lyric videos I've seen in a phenomenally long time. I would love to get my hands on one of these prints. Feast your eyes on the new goods here.


DUTCH UNCLES NEW SINGLE "DECIDED KNOWLEDGE"
Another album that I'm very excited for this year, and it's out just next month! But until then, awesome new singles such as these will suffice. Have a listen here. When Dutch Uncles head out on tour after this release, get on it! I can solemnly swear that it'll be a liberating experience.


NOTHING BUT THIEVES NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BAN ALL THE MUSIC"
I heard about Nothing But Thieves late last year and more recently have seen their name dotted around on 2015 "Ones To Watch" lists. Then in about the space of two weeks, they were everywhere - featured on BBC Introducing's tour and this track was later chosen as one of Zane Lowe's hottest tracks. A really interesting band, and I love the leader singer's voice - get involved now here.


NOEL GALLAGHER NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BATTLE OF THE MIGHTY I"
A couple of the biggest British rock legends join together to make one awesome track - yeah I'd say that's alright. This is a big arena tune and just in time for Noel's tour! Johnny Marr playing guitar (or generally doing anything) on a track is another quality that often provides best results. In this case, this is still true - great song, enjoyable video. 


BEST FRIENDS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "SHRED 'TIL YOU'RE DEAD"
Best Friends have just recently signed to FatCat Records and in order to celebrate this, they have released this new single here. In my opinion, this band is definitely not the most exciting around for me right now but whenever I hear a single I just know there's so much potential there, I'm just waiting for something to really grab me.


EMMAVIE NEW SINGLE "I HOPE WE NEVER BREAK UP (FEAT. EGO ELLA MAY)"
Ego Ella May is the reason for this discovery actually. The two silky soulful voices really compliment each other. Such easy listening and the sad thing is, I don't actually expect to hear many people talking about either of them any time soon! So if you haven't heard of them yet listen to this. If you like Willow Smith or SZA, then you'll probably like them.


PRINZE GEORGE NEW SINGLE "UPSWING"
It's been a while since I heard anything from Prinze George and I'm normally waiting for their electro-pop beats to make me smile in the spring/summer time. However, now I have this track to take me out of the dullness of winter months. Have a listen to the new one here.


WAYWARD DAUGHTER COVER PVRIS "MY HOUSE"
When I found out that Wayward Daughter were covering PVRIS, I was elated. When I then found out that they were covering one of my favourite songs on the new record I was losing my mind. When I finally listened to it I was gobsmacked - BIG! Jam along here.

In the past few weeks, a peppering of pretty interesting stuff has gone on in the music world and as I've been dormant for a while I'll write about some of the most interesting new things here...

WILLOW SMITH NEW SINGLE "YOUR LOVE V2"
Since her superhit "Whip My Hair" in 2010 I've only really heard a couple of songs from Willow Smith and more about either her strange fashion sense or hair. However, the music related buzz seems to be regenerating because I've heard a lot of praise for this new single here. Sampling The xx's "Basic Space" was a spark of genius on her part - this is an awesome song. Sounding more and more beyond her years, I'm ready to hear this album.


ROYAL BLOOD RELEASE B-SIDE "YOU WANT ME"
One of the biggest bands around right now, the Brighton duo are doing pretty well for themselves aren't they?! After writing about them as a new discovery here earlier this year I didn't expect them to be selling out headline tours in 2 minutes that very same year! Here's their latest b-side (to "Come On Over") from their huge debut record.


SLIPKNOT ANNOUNCE UK TOUR
I was really into Slipknot in my younger days but stopped listening to them for a little while. It wasn't until their recent (and pretty damn awesome) new single "The Devil In I" that I got back into their stuff and remembered just how good they are. Seeing them live will be a huge deal and especially touring their new album .5: The Gray Chapter which drops next week - I'll definitely want to pick up tickets when they come on sale on Friday.


THE WILDE NEW MUSIC VIDEO "UNTIL NEXT TIME, IT'S A ONE TIME THING"
I only recently found out about The Wilde and it was actually because of this song. I'm still not really sure if I like them or not because I don't like this video much at all but the song is really really catchy and the biggest confusion factor right now is that they sound SO much like Don Broco it's crazy. Have a watch of the video here - I think I still have to do some more background research on them.


ROYAL BLOOD NEW MUSIC VIDEO "TEN TONNE SKELETON"
Again, Royal Blood just killing it in music right now. Now they've got this cool new video to a great song from their fantastic debut - here. At one point in the video I did feel like it was a bit Nabil-ish but quickly banished that idea as the video went on. Still a solid video, and actually one of their better ones but I'm waiting for their videos to give me just that little bit more if I'm honest.


SPRING OFFENSIVE ANNOUNCE SPLIT
Okay, what is it with all of my favourite Oxford based bands breaking up before I even get the chance to see them live?! First, Trophy Wife and now Spring Offensive - Foals better not get any ideas! They announced a string of final UK shows but it doesn't actually look like I'll get a chance to attend any of them. It been a good run though - great band, I hope they do well in the rest of their music endeavours.


LIGHT YOU UP NEW SINGLE "ALWAYS WANTING MORE (FEAT. ALAN DAY)"
Birmingham based pop punk band Light You Up are set to release their debut album All We've Ever Known on the 26th of January next year and they've released this new single from it. I love their sound, and this is a hit. Their fans are already loving it and I know that I'm going to end up rinsing it over the next few weeks. Have a listen here.


THE NIGHT VI NEW SINGLE "HEROINE"
The Night VI have really been impressing me lately. I'm still listening to their single "Sienna" from earlier this year - now all I need is an album and I'll be set for months! As usual, The Night VI impress me with their silky vocals and tactful harmonies. Another big hit from the sextet, let's just hope their album hits it out of the park. Get hooked on "Heroine" here.


FALL OUT BOY ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE "IMMORTALS"
Fall Out Boy have been pretty hit and miss over the past couple of months if I'm honest. Their last single "Centuries" was pretty good, and now they've announced that they are releasing a single for the upcoming Disney film - Big Hero 6. I just hope that this isn't another a miss for them. You can hear a snippet of the song in the trailer for the movie here.


ED SHEERAN NEW MUSIC VIDEO "THINKING OUT LOUD"
I've made my disappointment with Ed Sheeran no secret but recently it would seem that he's starting to win me over. All of the singles that I've heard from his album X so far have been good and as much as I try fighting it, I think I might eventually begin to be impressed with his music and maybe even enjoy it! Have a listen and a watch of his latest single here.