The first time I saw this band live at Reading Festival still goes down in my books as one of the best live performances I've ever seen. The raw energy that they put into their shows, at the time, went unmatched by a large proportion of other UK bands. Punching in at number 14 is Marmozets with Knowing What You Know Now.

After their debut album made its way to my number one spot in 2014, you can imagine how excited I was for this follow up album. Lead singer Becca has previously described this as her 'fighting album', giving her strength when things in life aren't going so well. Anthemic hits like "Run With The Rhythm", ooze encouragement and a feeling of determination, but it's the subtle notes of 'pushing forward' and 'being brave' coming through amidst the more angsty lyrics, that carry the most weight.

My favourite tracks on the album for me are "Play", "Meant To Be", "Major System Error", "Lost In Translation", and "Start Again". I first listened to this album whilst I was making my way around Melbourne in January and it stuck out like a sore thumb in my music library at the time. Since then it's continued to stand out but for all of the right reasons. Becca's ability to bring riot grrrl vocals in over Math Rock beats, and control her voice with a level of emotion that's almost performative is excellent.

As well as being an album with pure fight and grit in it, Knowing What You Know Now clearly shows the growth and development that Marmozets have gone through since their debut, not only as a band but also as individuals. This is some of the most mature and calculated material they've put out to date and I cannot wait to hear what's around the corner.

Have a look at the album that made its way to my number 14 spot last year here.

Well here we finally are. After weeks of deliberation and multiple mind changes, we've finally arrived at my number one album of 2014!

It looks like debut records really dominated the year for me because in at number one is Marmozets with The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets. I am absolutely in love with this record... and it jumped into my life so quickly and so spontaneously I'm still trying to think how it could have made it's way to my number one spot.

I'll never forget the first time I heard Marmozets. I was sitting in my lounge flicking through music channels and "Move, Shake, Hide" came on. I listened for a while and thought "Hmm, this is really good." I mentioned it briefly in a post here but that was just more of a reminder for myself to properly check them out. Of course, student life got on top of me and I forgot all about them. It literally wasn't until I saw them at Reading Festival this year that I really realised how badass this band were. They absolutely blew my mind! After that I was super psyched to get their debut when it came out. To be honest, I was just happy I hadn't missed any of their albums with all of my dilly-dallying. I was so excited for this album in fact, that I listened to it when they put it on full stream before the actual release date. I normally never do this so I definitely had high hopes for it. Often when I have high hopes for an album it doesn't quite meet the expectations but this one certainly did, and afterwards it was just the gift that kept on giving.

After the first few listens I was thinking "Sweet! Yes, this is a great debut, very well done Marmozets" but after about a month of listening to it pretty much every single day and loving every single song, no matter what order I listened to them in, I was sure that this was something special. Everything that I've learned about this band since then has made me like them even more and seeing them support Taking Back Sunday here recently just cemented my feelings. My favourite tracks on the record right now are probably "Particle", "Why Do You Hate Me?", "Captivate You" and "Hit The Wave" but that's literally just at this moment in time. Tomorrow, I'll most likely have all new favourites. Also, their new b-side "Broken Reflection" is immense. I have no idea how they'll be able to top this debut but I look forward to hearing anything new. Most exciting new band of 2014, in my opinion.

So my first gig of November was Royal Blood, I'd say that there are worse ways to start a month! I still can't believe the way that they've escalated! I'm just glad that I got be there for it from here until now.

As expected the show was sold out but I often find that "sold out" shows still have a bunch of free seats and ample room to move around in by the time I get there. However, this show was definitely sold out, balconies were packed and standing was so packed that I could feel the heart beat of the person behind me. Safe to say that I was steeling myself for a rowdy show. Turbowolf were supporting and although I'd heard of them before, I hadn't heard any of their material until the live show so I wasn't sure what to expect. They were really cool though - super eccentric, mainly due to the lead singer's crazy ad-libs and wild movements. It was like grunge meets glam rock and throws a hard rock party. Lots of mic swinging, foot stomping and hair stroking but amidst all the theatrics were some raging beats, awesome instrumentals and heavy breakdowns. Yes. They tried really hard to get the crowd hyped, managing a couple of pits and some good crowd banter. All in all, they're each fantastic musicians and I'd definitely advise checking them out.

It seemed like we were waiting for Royal Blood for ages but once they stepped on stage everyone forgot about that, the atmosphere went from 0 to 100 real quick. They entered to Jay-Z's "99 Problems" (much to my delight) and then plowed straight in with "Hole". The crowd was galvanised. I have to admit, as a whole, the crowd was A LOT tamer than the crowd at their Reading set this year here, but they did put up a bit of a fight. Pits forming in the middle, sweat flying off of peoples bodies but the best thing about the whole show was that every single person in that crowd knew the lyrics. There wasn't one point in the show when I couldn't just turn to a random stranger and scream the lyrics with/at them as if we'd written the song ourselves and it was brilliant. Comparing it to the first time I saw Royal Blood perform at Institute here they seemed heaps more confident and they absolutely killed it. They played every single song on the album. EVERY. SINGLE. SONG... PLUS B-SIDES. I near on lost my mind. I was a little surprised to leave the show with "Ten Tonne Skeleton" stuck in my head and not "Out Of The Black" but man that song is catchy! It was just a great night and I know it's early on but I cannot wait for another album from them - this debut will be hard to beat! My third time seeing them and definitely not the last. Great show, great band.

Overall Rating - 8/10


Here are some pictures from the night...

When I first started listening to these two it was because I'd heard a lot of hype about their song "Platoon" and how they were the 'next big thing' so I decided to check them out. I've been listening out for them ever since. After the release of their latest single "Time" and their actual self titled debut album I knew that I had to see them live at some point. I was lucky enough to catch their set at Reading this year here but in my opinion it didn't compare to this headline show - they tore the place up! Let me start from the top...

As I entered, there was a dj duo on the decks whom I still assume were maybe a house dj of some sort but I didn't manage to catch their name. Their beats were heavy and full of bass which I liked. They both seemed pretty young, especially when one of the two stepped up to the mic to rap, but they had me bopping my head a stamping my foot at points, so overall I was pleased.

Then D.D Dumbo hopped on stage and things got a little more interesting. I have never seen one artist play a recorder, pan pipes, drums, a twelve string guitar and a loop pedal all in one set - huge kudos to him on that. I really loved some of his instrumentals and I found the whole set super creative. However, his voice didn't really do anything for me. It wasn't bad but I don't feel like there was anything striking or interesting about it. Bittersweet experience but an experience nonetheless.

The music during the interval was brilliant - it was nice to have some old school jams on before Jungle came and brought their modern day versions of it to the stage. And bring it they did! From the moment the lights dimmed 'til the last note rang out, they. did. not. STOP.  First things first, their lights were awesome  - for a fairly tiny stage they had one of the best backdrops I've seen of late, big or small. Then, proving that (almost) NO music sounds better when played without a full band, they, backed by their fantastic band, ripped into the opening song "Platoon" and it went off!! I was dancing from beginning to end. The two backing vocalists were also fabulous. I was loving the choreography that they whipped out throughout. One of my favourite (non-single) songs of the night was by far "Julia". That beat! "Son Of A Gun" also struck a chord with me. Jungle's music is just so funky that you can't help but move to it and I must've had whiplash by the end of this gig because I don't remember a point when I wasn't nodding my head.

As I said after seeing them at Reading - GREAT VIBES. It was a Monday evening and I was smiling and laughing as if everyday was Saturday. Brilliant show. Brilliant duo.

Overall Rating - 9/10


Here are some pictures from the night...

There have actually been a few awesome songs out/stuck in my head this week, so I have to definitely give mention to "Bipolar Sunshine - Future (feat. Goldlink)" and for old times' sake "Erykah Badu - Bag Lady". However, the song that I've been either humming along to or belting out everyday since I heard it is this...

MARMOZETS - Hit The Wave

The last day of the weekend and the saddest day too. Still in recovery from my 1am-9am shift that morning this meant that I missed The Story So Far's main stage set and I ran in late only to catch the last song of Tonight Alive's set..


TONIGHT ALIVE
I had been looking forward to this set for the entire weekend, especially after bumping into Jenna whilst watching Don Broco on the Saturday. So you can imagine how upset I was to run into the arena to hear them playing their last song "Lonely Girl". I could have cried. They sounded so good, they had a good crowd and Jenna looked amazing. I have to see them live soon!

YOUNG GUNS
After that little morning disappointment, I stayed at the main stage to watch Young Guns. They opened up with their latest single "I Want Out" which sounded really good live. To be honest, this was my second time seeing them live and they did sound better. Their new stuff sounded quite 30STM but I'm very excited for their new record.

JUNGLE
I still haven't listened to their new album in full but after listening to the singles, I knew that they'd be great live - I was right. They smashed the set and "Time" sounded huge. Great vibes throughout.

PAPA ROACH
Managed to catch some of their set before heading off to Clean Bandit and this may just be my 12 year old self speaking but they actually sounded awesome. Crowd was heavy, and a lot larger than I'd anticipated.

CLEAN BANDIT
After seeing Clean Bandit at Glastonbury I wasn't too excited to see them again in such a short space of time and I actually regret seeing them a little bit because they weren't even close to as good as they were at Glastonbury and it was basically the exact same setlist. However, they drew a crowd, had people cheering and they looked like they had a good time too so that's what counts really.

HAWK HOUSE
YES! I was super excited to see their name on the setlist after writing about them not too long ago here as a new discovery. Thankfully they didn't clash with anyone else that I was particularly buzzing to see so I went and checked them out. They were brilliant. Also, their pre-show DJ was magnificent.

A DAY TO REMEMBER
So I forgot to mention, Sunday was pop punk paradise. Had I been able to catch TSSF and Tonight Alive, the day would've been completely perfect. On the other hand, ADTR were fantastic - as well as their older tracks, the songs from Common Courtesy sounded huge! And to add to my surprise and happiness they played "Heartless".
 
YOU ME AT SIX
Before coming I wouldn't have minded missing this set if I'm honest - I'm not massively keen on their new stuff and I've already seen them live BUT I'm glad I went in the end. They have improved heaps! Josh's voice sounded great and it was really nice to hear them play some old favourites that I'd actually forgotten about.

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
After watching some live videos of them a few weeks ago I was super excited to see them. They 100% knew how to entertain a crowd. I was a little surprised that they ran through all their singles so early on but they played "Can't Hold Us" again at the end and it banged out just as hard the second time and both Macklemore and & Ryan Lewis were really charming which made the set that much more enjoyable.

BLINK 182 
LITERALLY THE SET TO END ALL SETS. Last set of the weekend and the set that actually cemented my choice to come to Reading this year in the first place. I have waited a long time to see Blink live and it was everything I'd dreamed and more. The crowd where I was standing was a little less enthusiastic than I'd have liked but this didn't dampen my experience much, I was fully immersed. The show had everything, lights, jokes, classics, and Travis Barker. When my mouth wasn't open singing, it was wide open in awe. Perfect set and perfect end to the weekend.

In terms of music, if you ask me, Saturday was my favourite of the three days, although it was a pretty close call. However, I really think that Saturday just spawned the some of the top performances of the weekend. To find out what I thought of the Friday click here. Now here's why Saturday was so good...


MARMOZETS
I did actually want to try and catch DZ Deathrays and Pulled Apart By Horses before heading over to Marmozets but unfortunately had to miss them. Marmozets definitely made up for this though. I started the day thinking that I would try and save some energy for the night but this set was fast paced and captivating from the get-go. Before I knew it, I was being thrown around in pits and screaming the (few) lyrics of theirs that I knew. This was how to make an entrance. After just this 30 minute set I already know that I'll be first in line to buy their debut. AWESOME band.

ROYAL BLOOD
And now for one of the best performances of the entire weekend - Royal Blood - new guys in town. I'd already seen them here at the NME Awards Tour but I was not prepared for the carnage to come. Their crowd response was MAD. As well as their crowd being fantastic the band responded with equal energy and I'm sure that at some point in the hustle and bustle I saw Benji get up from his kit and crowdsurf. They were brilliant, the new album is a masterpiece and these boys are going to go far.

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS
The amazing sets didn't stop there. Lower Than Atlantis' set was just as high powered and intense, even though most of the crowd were shattered after Royal Blood's set. LTA were much better than when I saw them play Reading 2012. Hearing the crowd sing the whole of "Another Sad Song" back to them was beautiful and of course, "Here We Go" packed a huge punch for the finale.

HOZIER
Although I listen to Hozier, I wasn't intending to go to his set, I actually thought that Wolf Alice would be playing, but it turned out to be him. I only stayed for a couple of songs and they sounded fine, the crowd, although quite small, were loving it.

CAGE THE ELEPHANT
After checking out Hozier, I headed back to the NME Stage to catch Cage The Elephant. they definitely played a crowd pleasing setlist - old and new favourites. Matt was energetic as ever and the band as a whole were super tight. However, I think I enjoyed their supporting set at Foals here a little bit more.

DON BROCO
I was surprised and I wasn't surprised at how big their crowd was. As big a following as they have right now, some part of me always thinks of them as a kind of undercover band. Nonetheless, they played a really strong set. I loved how they opened up with an acoustic version of "Yeah Man" and then went in with their heaviest juggernaut "Thug Workout". They just keep growing, and I'm excited to see what their sophomore record sounds like.

WHILE SHE SLEEPS
I was really buzzing to see this band live. Especially after missing their set at Reading last year (which I heard was "epic"). This set was non-stop! The crowd were pumped but I think the band were even more pumped! Everything was just super fast paced, it was over before I could take a breath - partly due to the fact that they were shut off because the crowd/crowd-surfers were getting to rowdy. However, I loved every minute of it. Major highlights - "Our Courage, Our Cancer" and "This Is The Six".

ISSUES
I'd only heard a couple of their songs before seeing them here and I wasn't too fussed about them at first if I'm honest. Even after seeing them, I don't think that I'm going to make a huge effort to check them out more but they played a really strong set and the crowd was loving it. It seemed like they had a very big following because most of the people in the crowd knew the words to their songs.

ARCHITECTS
Another set I was buzzing for - even though I've seen them, I think that it's because I've seen them that I was so excited to see them again. And after their latest album Lost Forever//Lost Together how could I not be? They played almost every song that I wanted them to and I could feel that it meant a lot to Sam and the band which made the performance just that right level of intense.

ARCTIC MONKEYS
Originally I was going to describe this as the perfect headline set, but then I saw Blink 182. So in terms of headliners this weekend, Arctic Monkeys were almost perfect. They played one of the best setlists of the entire weekend. Although it ended up being an emotional farewell in some ways, there was no better way for them to say goodbye. Every song sparked a huge reaction from the crowd and in my opinion I think that they were actually better than they were when I saw them headline Glastonbury last year here (but the crowd wasn't as good). lovely end to an amazing day of music.

Okay so it's been just over a week now so I think that I've had enough time to gather myself and get back involved with the real world after one of the best weeks of my life. This year for Reading Festival I decided to volunteer with Hotbox Events. It was definitely worth it I would say. The shifts were tiring and painful and made me regret it at times but I met some awesome people, got some great perks and got to watch mindblowing shows, for free. YES.

However, this did mean that I had to miss a few acts when I was on shift so first I'll talk about the acts that I would've seen had I not been working and then I'll let you know about the ones I actually caught.


GERARD WAY
So I was never really a big MCR fan back in the day but I was slightly intrigued to see what a solo Gerard set would sound like. I would've gone along just out of curiosity. I heard a little bit of it from outside the arena and it seemed to sound a lot like MCR's old stuff anyway.

WE WERE EVERGREEN
A friend that I made volunteering at Hotbox was telling me about this band and she actually happened to know them personally. From what she said, they sounded like a good group of guys and just an interesting band. It would've been nice to check them out.

LA DISPUTE
I've been wanting to see this band live for a while. They're one of the more different artists that I listen to and if memory serves I don't think that I've ever seen a show like I'm sure theirs would've been. One day, I suppose.

DARLIA
Every time I've been near this band I haven't been able to see them, for one reason or another. Missed them in Birmingham, in London, at Glastonbury and now Reading. It's becoming tiresome. I just want to see some good grunge music, is that too much to ask!!

MALLORY KNOX
Another band that has managed to escape me somehow. Even after meeting their lead singer, I haven't managed to catch them live yet. After learning all of the lyrics in their debut record Signals I've been waiting for the chance to scream them with other fans, looks like I'll have to wait until their sophomore album Asymmetry...

JIMMY EAT WORLD
SO MANY GOOD ROCK SHOWS! I love when Reading & Leeds comes around because it's every Pop Punk/Rock/Hardcore/Post-Hardcore/Dance fan's dream. Great line up. I would've loved to see Jimmy Eat World after their latest album, but would obviously have been excited for the older hits.

ENTER SHIKARI
If I'm honest, I'm not even into them much any more but I would love to see them just because of the pure carnage. These guys really know how to put on a show.  I didn't feel too bad about missing them since I saw them at Reading in 2012 but, it would've been fun nonetheless.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND
So this is where my day started. In fairness, I actually wanted to see Brody Dalle instead but, after just coming off my shift the first instinct was just to run straight to main stage. Vampire Weekend were okay but it wasn't the most spectacular way to start the weekend (no pun intended).

SBTRKT
I caught a little bit of a his set before running off to Paramore. IT. WAS. BRILLIANT. Such a good vibe in the tent. He played a few new songs to start off with but luckily just before we left he played "Wildfire". If this upcoming album is anywhere near that calibre; I am beyond stoked.

PARAMORE
So this was either the fourth or fifth time that I've seen them live and probably the strangest experience. Basically, Paramore was perfect, the set was perfect but the crowd was abysmal, absolutely shocking. Although the sound cut out, it was just before "The Only Exception" so they started singing it acappella then it came back seamlessly in the middle - beautiful. Then it started raining a little as the sun was setting and they played "Let The Flames Begin" followed by "Part II" - PERFECT. The crowd was just unreceptive.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
READING 2014 WAS HEADLINER HEAVEN FOR ME. I was ridiculously buzzed for this set. Josh Homme in the flesh and if I'm honest, Michael Shuman in the flesh too! I was giddy. Their setlist surprised me though, a few of the songs that they played I wasn't really expecting at all. Like "Do It Again" or "Burn The Witch" but it was an amazing set either way. It actually got better and better as it went on and obviously "Song For The Dead" made for an enormously erratic finale.

Safe to say it was an entertaining Friday night..