Punching in at 26 are Royal Blood with How Did We Get So Dark? - a very, very solid record and yet I still have a couple of mixed feelings...

Looking back at how juiced I was when I first discovered them makes me a little bit sad at how much my feelings have dampened since then. Their debut came in at my number two spot in 2014 and I guess I was waiting for them to wow me just as much with this sophomore. Don't get me wrong though, there are a plethora of reasons why this has made my favourite albums of 2017 list. The first of these reasons being the title track - "How Did We Get So Dark?". This track does absolutely everything that it's supposed to do. As an opener it gets the listener buzzed to listen to the rest of the album and it definitely had me nodding my head from the start. The fresh but familiar sound of this song made me feel just as excited as I felt listening to their debut. Then as the title track, it has a fantastic build, and an even more satisfying finish. The riff doesn't give anything away about the rest of the album but it's one of the first riffs I remember when thinking about it.

Some of the other real standouts for me were "Where Are You Now?", "Hole In Your Heart", and "Sleep". Royal Blood really have the formula worked out for a killer opening track and an equally impactful closer. "Sleep" has this simmering riff that never quite boils over but stays just present enough for you to have it lodged in your mind for days on end. Looking at HDWGSD? as a follow up to a stellar debut, it's held it's own perfectly - which is no easy feat - sticking with the sound that they know whilst adding a few innovative touches. Looking at it as a rock album they manage to mix swampy bass with melodies that still make you want to shake a leg, all the while backed by hard hitting, in your face drums. Some of the things I look for most often in music.

Three years on and mounds of tour dates later it's glaringly obvious the boys' musicianship and overall artistry has stepped up, and in a year with extremely fierce competition they've still managed to shine. I just can't wait to see this all live.

Some of these aren't such new discoveries, but as I've been away from the blog a while I thought it only right to back track and chat about the people who've caught my attention since I last posted. 


FALSE ADVERTISING
I got the heads up about this band via email and quickly had a listen to their promo material. I'm not so sure what I was expecting but within 30 seconds I was more than convinced. HUGE live show potential. Their debut self-titled record is actually set to drop on the 4th of September so get your hands on that and get down to a show, because even with similar bands like Wolf Alice and Yuck around blowing our minds right now, I think False Advertising will have a lot to bring to the table once this hits shelves! Particularly, check out their tracks "Dozer" and "Wasted Away".


B A D P L A C E S
This Bristol based collective have come about really under the radar. 100% home-grown - no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even Bandcamp... just a simple Soundcloud with minimal information on what they're about. Hate to be cliche - but their music certainly does the talking for them. On their debut EP These Aren't Hits, hip-hop influences really come through on the instrumentals with these influences carrying over to their debut album - Isolacious (released just 3 months later!!!). Especially love tracks like "Confessions" and "Pillow Talk" while both abundantly different - both display huge levels of versatility, making it impossible to pin Bad Places down in just one genre. Get your hands on their music for free on their soundcloud. I'd definitely say - watch this space.



HYENA
To this day I can't remember what drew me to this band, but whatever it was, thank God! For a while I was worried that music (especially rock/indie rock) was becoming far too bland and generic. Hyena, whilst not doing anything particularly groundbreaking, have finally given me something energetic and not just the standard 4 by 4, cookie cutter, indie, "woop woop" music we're becoming far too content with. Love their track "Mental Home" - Royal Blood/QOTSA beat with Interpol vocals - yes per-lease. I predict that big things are due for these guys.






BLOOD YOUTH
There's a lot of potential for this band. I don't feel like they're where they could be just yet, but with only a debut EP out - Inside My Head - they've got plenty of room to grow! They've got a lot of push behind them, already landing a support gig with Architects so I'm excited to see how much they improve between now and their debut album! Until then get the new EP in your ears (sweet track - "Failure"). Expect to see Rocksound and Kerrang mentioning these guys quite a bit in the months to come so keep an eye out.






WINTERS END
Last but not least, only right that I feature some new music that I've discovered since I've been in Australia. This duo might have come about at just the perfect time - with Haim sort of off the map and London Grammar too, there aren't many bands in the spotlight that sound like them (and I'm still waiting on The Night VI's record). I digress, Winters End have huge potential and the kind of sound that could fill arenas! Their single "Mayfair" is an anthem - thumping drums and soaring vocals, it's definitely not the kind of song you could just ignore. I really hope that this makes a mark over across the Atlantic.

Closing in on the top spot and just thinking about these top two albums is getting me excited! They are both just so good!! But without further ado...

First runner up is Royal Blood by Royal Blood. The most record breaking album of the entire year! These boys went from two very normal Brightonians, to some of the most talked about and listened to musicians in the world... in the space of a year!! I was stupidly gobsmacked by how fast the whole thing happened. I'll never forget the first time I saw them live here and nobody was even lifting their arms up or moving around and people after the show were just like "Oh! That second band, they were alright weren't they?" Now, anyone who is lucky enough to get a ticket to their shows, knows and shouts every lyric to every song (b-sides included) and barely has room to breathe with all the pits forming and bodies pushing. Royal Blood are the new definition of viral.

When I first started getting into them here, I figured that they'd do well but never this well! "Out Of The Black" is easily one of my favourite songs of 2014. After ridiculously overplaying their singles I was just waiting on the edge of my seat for the record to drop. I will never forget the first time I listened to this thing in full. Beginning to end I was beyond impressed. EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. The whole album was great - lyrically and instrumentally. The only reason it didn't make it to my number one is - because I liked it so much, I overplayed it quickly and so grew tired of it pretty early on. To the point where just hearing people talk about the album made me like it a little less. After a little break from it, I came back to it and remembered just how good those songs sounded the first time I listened to them. As simple as some of them are, they each just sound so huge. Every track has been my favourite at one point or another but right now I'd say my favourite are "Blood Hands", "Ten Tonne Skeleton", "Better Strangers" and "Little Monster".

Even the b-sides on this record are killer. "Hole" for ages before the actual album came out, was my favourite track by them! And now "You Want Me" is up there in my favourites - another example of simple but awesome. Royal Blood are doing humungous things in the music industry right now. I just hope that they continue to move up and show that this wasn't just a (absolutely brilliantly executed) fluke.

Catfish and the Bottlemen really just came out of nowhere! I'd heard their name whispered a few times last year but recently I can't seem to go a day without reading something about them or hearing one of their songs played somewhere. Either I was really out of the loop during their rise to fame or it really was just over night success. Nonetheless, I had to go and catch a glimpse of the band causing all this commotion...

I had no idea who their support act would be and so I was pleasantly surprised when to ladies walked on stage and announced that they were in fact Scottish band - Honeyblood. Another band that has been making waves recently and now I know why - they were really good live! What is it with all of these new two piece bands and 'blood'? Unlike Royal Blood, their lead played guitar instead of bass. Each member was very talented, the lead playing the guitar effortlessly over intricate lyrics and pounding drums (the drummer was absolutely brilliant). Honeyblood reminded me a little bit of PINS actually. Although the crowd seemed somewhat unreceptive during their songs, they played a fantastic opening set.

Before Catfish and the Bottlemen came on, I looked behind me at the crowd and the place was packed out! I mean there were people squishing to get a place on the stairs at the back of the room - the joys of sold out shows! When CATB started playing it was like something completely took over the crowd. Honestly, judging by their response to Honeyblood I wouldn't even have thought that they had it in them. It was frenetic. I was completely shocked. This was only CATB's first record and the crowd already knew all of their lyrics. For such a new band to have such a strong following at this early stage is no small thing! Their lead singer had great crowd interaction. Although, I would have preferred it if he didn't introduce every single song - would've been nice to have a bit of mystery and anticipation between songs, but it's not a huge deal. The crowd was just in the palm of their hands, one crowd member even throwing them a bouquet of flowers mid-set! In terms of their actual performance, it was tight and well delivered but it didn't really feel like anything different from generic indie music these days. HOWEVER, it was a great and electric show for such a new band. They are coming up at lightning speed - I'm just glad I could catch them at such a small venue. If you haven't heard of them yet, get listening - 2015 will be a good year for them.

Overall Rating - 7.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...

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...

I don't think I've ever done so many "Music News" posts in the space of two months before, this year is insanely music busy.Check out some things you might have missed these past few days...

BILLY TALENT NEW MUSIC VIDEO "KINGDOM OF ZOD"
Well I knew that Billy Talent were releasing a new album called Hits but I stupidly just assumed it would be a compilation album of their greatest hits. I was wrong. This track is a banger! I am buzzing to hear the other new track "Chasing The Sun" on this album. Have a listen to "Kingdom Of Zod" here.


ALT-J NEW MUSIC VIDEO "LEFT HAND FREE"
Honestly, I was disappointed with Alt-J's sophomore album and thought it was a little bit boring but this was one of my favourites in the end. As always, Alt-J have a cool video to match the single that you just know you'll be seeing and hearing for a while to come. Have a watch here.


ROYAL BLOOD COVER PHARRELL'S "HAPPY"
When I saw this pop up on my Facebook news feed I was a bit shocked if I'm honest. This is probably the last song I would've imagined them covering but in keeping with Royal Blood style, they smash it. They really make the song sound like they wrote it - here.


SAM SMITH NEW SINGLE "LIKE I CAN"
After his ridiculously huge debut record In The Lonely Hour Sam is still going. Another fabulously sung single by himself here and all these tour dates he's been doing - the world won't be forgetting about Sam Smith any time soon.


AZEALIA BANKS NEW SINGLE "CHASING TIME"
Speaking of debut records, Azealia Banks has just announced the release of hers - Broke With Expensive Taste and here is an upcoming single from it. It's safe to say that I've missed having Azealia's music in my life. This sounds very UK, but it's definitely a radio hit.


FOO FIGHTERS STREAM ENTIRE SONIC HIGHWAYS ALBUM
The build up to Foo Fighters' eighth album Sonic Highways has been thoroughly entertaining to say the least but the time is finally here! Stream the full album here. I had a listen to it earlier and already love "Outside" and "In The Clear". Great album in my opinion.


NICKI MINAJ LYRIC VIDEO "ONLY"
I've been hearing a lot about this single recently and finally decided to check it out and see what all the commotion was about. Still don't understand all of the chatter but I like the single anyway. Packed with bass and rhymes. Listen to Nicki Minaj's single featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown here.


BAD SIGN NEW LYRIC VIDEO "FATHER"
After seeing them support Arcane Roots last week (review to come soon), I've been keeping an eye out for news about Bad Sign's debut EP and anything to do with more shows. Earlier this week, they released this sweet new single here.


LITTLE DRAGON NEW MUSIC VIDEO "UNDERBART"
A band that I've actually had an eye for ages now, always giving me something new and interesting to enjoy. I really liked this album - Nabuma Rubberband - and Little Dragon released all of the singles that I wanted them to, this being one of them. Have a listen here.


KENDRICK LAMAR NEW MUSIC VIDEO "i"
Apparently a lot of people aren't pleased with this new video/single but I can't see why. Kendrick will always be a great rapper in my opinion. This song still shows that and as far as the video goes, I'd say it's pretty damn cool. Check it out here.


JAWS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "SWIM"
Brummy boys JAWS have released the music video to their latest single "Swim" for the debut record Be Slowly. The lads are a huge sensation here in Birmingham and it's definitely understandable. This is a cool song and the video is okay too! See for yourself here.


TRAMPOLENE NEW SINGLE "NEWCASTLE BROWN LOVE SONG"
I haven't heard much from these boys in terms of digital music since their single "You Do Nothing For Me" and so it's good to hear something new from them amidst their few London gig appearances. Especially when they're giving you their music for free here. Still waiting for a debut record though.

The music world is blowing up this month! I thought September was the month to beat but October isn't going without a fight. New bands, new albums, new singles, new EVERYTHING coming out left, right and centre.

FKA TWIGS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "#THROUGHGLASS"
2014's topic of conversation. As much buzz as Royal Blood have created this year, I think FKA Twigs has actually managed to match that. It's like as soon as I learnt her name, so did the rest of the world. This self-directed video (here) is art. Fantastically directed, super interesting and such a fresh idea! This is what I love FKA for, BUT I think that it overshadowed the song in quality and took focus away from it too.


CLEAN BANDIT & JESS GLYNNE NEW MUSIC VIDEO "REAL LOVE"
How could we go wrong with another Clean Bandit, Jess Glynne collabo? The answer is, we couldn't. A match made in heaven right now. Doubt it'll be as big a hit as "Rather Be" but it's a banger nonetheless. Jess Glynne's voice is just fabulous anyway and I love the slight 'old school' vibe there is about it. Check out the cool new video here.


FOO FIGHTERS NEW LYRIC VIDEO "SOMETHING FROM NOTHING"
If you haven't already heard the single, I wrote about it here a few days ago. However, now it has a killer new lyric video to go with it and I didn't think it would have much an impact but I think it actually made me like this song even more! I am literally buzzing for the new Foo Fighters record. Learn the lyrics before the rest of the album drops here.



SAINT RAYMOND NEW LYRIC VIDEO "FALL AT YOUR FEET"
Still waiting for an album! I know that when we eventually get a debut record it will be fabulous but until then, this awesome single and the few great EPs already available will have to do! I really love this song. I feel like Saint Raymond's debut might sound like what I originally wanted Ed Sheeran's debut to sound like. Watch the lyric video here.


CHANCE THE RAPPER NEW SINGLE "NO BETTER BLUES"
After watching Chance at Glastonbury here, I've been keeping an eye out for him since. He's releasing a collaborative album before the end of the year with The Social Experiment entitled Surf. This new single is actually taken from that record and if it's anything to go by, I don't know how I'll feel about the rest of the album - not sure what I even think of the song yet! Have a listen here.


GENGAHR NEW SINGLE "BATHED IN LIGHT"
I keep forgetting how I ever got into Gengahr, but regardless, I'm glad I did. This is an interesting track. Sounds a bit Tame Impala-esque at times and if I'm honest I was waiting for a bigger development/change towards the end but it's a solid song no doubt. Check out the new single here.


DARLIA NEW MUSIC VIDEO "STARS ARE ALIGNED"
When I started listening to Darlia, around "Napalm" and "Queen Of Hearts" times here, they were a lot more of a Grunge band. Now they seem very Pop Rock. Not sure if I'm complaining though because I love the instrumental on this song here. The video isn't great. I'm not sure where I stand with this band to be honest, I'll just have to wait for an album or a live performance.


PISSED JEANS NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BORING GIRLS"
An old song with a new video - I like. However, video is super random. Song is super random. But the reason I was ever interested in this song was because there's only one chord throughout. I don't think it's something that I'll ever really get into but I admire Pissed Jeans for what they've done. Have a listen and a watch here.


BRING ME THE HORIZON NEW SINGLE "DROWN"
I LOVE this song. There was a lot of expected controversy as this song sounds 'lighter' than most of the songs on their most recent record Sempiternal but despite the slight change, they still kill it in my opinion. It's still the same Bring Me The Horizon, people need to calm down. Nobody freaked out when D.R.U.G.S. put out "I'm Here To Take The Sky". In my opinion, old bmth fans should embrace this new single here.


ENTER SHIKARI NEW SINGLE "THE LAST GARRISON"
I feel like Enter Shikari should've stopped after "Paddington Frisk". I really hate this song. It sounds like CHVRCHES tried and failed to remix this song. Sadly, they did this to themselves. I'm actually upset that they chose to release a new album - The Mindsweep but who knows, their first three albums still give me a little bit of faith that they might just surprise me. Here's the new single.


GWEN STEFANI NEW MUSIC VIDEO "BABY DON'T LIE"
I forget that Gwen Stefani makes pop music when she's solo, but I really like this song. If I'm honest, I could really imagine Nicole Scherzinger singing it instead or at least her collaborating. However, this is still a very catchy pop song and a big radio hit. In regards to the video, it's great to have the harajuku girls back on my screen. Watch it all 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.