Twenty One Pilots Live @ O2 Academy Oxford - 7/11/2015

This was unlike any concert I have ever been to, there was an electric energy in the air that kept everyone on edge in the best of ways. I've never danced for so long in my life, and didn't know that I was physically capable of it (and the aches and pains that followed would say that I'm really not). Every single person in that room enjoyed the show and were emotionally invested in the whole thing, as someone who'd been queuing since 11:30 finally getting into the venue was insane.

Interview with Head Injuries

This pop-punk band from Colorado started in October 2011, releasing their "Boogie Nights EP". Since then they've been touring the US and releasing music whenever possible. Their latest album 'Bail' is a throwback to the classic pop-punk sound, bringing to mind artists like Blink-182, Green Day and New Found Glory. I stumbled across their music after they were featured as one of four unsigned bands to hear in Alternative Press and I loved them from the first few seconds of the first song I heard. They took time out of their busy tour schedule to answer some questions.

Interview with A Story Told

Five piece pop-rock group A Story Told, from Charleston, West Virginia, have been taking their local area by storm; even playing the well-known Vans Warped Tour in Pittsburgh. Their 'Stay With Me' cover was featured in a post by Pop Buzz which is how I discovered this amazing band. They were kind enough to answer some of my questions about how they started, what's coming up next and who influences their sound.

 

Vol 1 - Coates

'Vol. 1' is the debut EP from rising star Oliver Coates, known best as Coates, this West London Troubadour shows off his impressive writing and certainly marks himself as one to watch with this EP. Heavily influenced by Brit-pop the retro sound contrasts perfectly with the thought-provoking and relatable lyrics.

BADLANDS - Halsey

American singer/songwriter Halsey has made quite the impact since the release of her EP 'Room 93' in 2014. She toured with The Kooks in 2014 and supported Imagine Dragons on their recent Smoke and Mirrors tour. Her debut album 'Badlands' did not disappoint on its worldwide release late August.

Roots - Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons shot to fame after the release of 'Radioactive' from their debut album Night Visions, the album itself was just as highly talked about. Their second album did not disappoint, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we weren't expecting more. On social media the band were collecting photo's of people's roots under the hashtag #MYROOTS, their own profile pictures were turned black and for a while we were all a little confused and pretty excited. And out of nowhere, they released a single - Roots.

Down South - Jeremy Loops ft Motheo Moleko

South African musician Jeremy Loops combines classic folk with beats you'd find in the top charts, this modern folk artist has already made waves in South Africa and I'm honestly surprised he hasn't over here in the UK. He has a beautiful voice, combined with catchy and moving melodies, you'll find yourself falling in love with his music. Although we aren't able to download the album at the moment in the UK (although according to Facebook, Jeremy is looking at a November release) we can listen to 'Down South' on repeat, and I am perfectly fine with that.

Drag Me Down - One Direction

One Direction hold the hearts of thousands of fans, spanning all ages, many of whom have followed them since the band formed on the talent show X Factor. Since the departure of Zayn earlier in the year I think we were all interested to see how the band would continue, and they seem to be taking this chance to change their sound.

R.I.P 2 My Youth - The Neighbourhood

The Neighbourhood's debut album 'I Love You' blew me away, I fell in love after hearing 'Afraid' and 'Sweater Weather'. Since then I've been anxiously waiting for new music, and after a week of teasing new music we finally have something - 'R.I.P 2 My Youth'. It's the lead single from their second album 'Wiped Out!' and is yet another brilliant song from a brilliant band.

Interview with Kalimur

4-piece rock band Kalimur reached out to me on Twitter asking me to listen to one of their songs and I couldn’t be happier about the whole situation. A song review soon turned into a Skype call with singer Brett Steinberg and bassist Tyler Berkich, who were both down-to-earth, lovely people. If one thing was clear, it was their passion for music.

Murder - Colton Avery

As you know, I'm a massive fan of Colton Avery who has just released his most recent song - Murder. And it does not disappoint in any way. After touring with The Script fans were anxiously awaiting the music they'd heard on stage, then came the disappearance of all Colton's old music from iTunes and Spotify which had everyone excited for what must be coming soon. When I saw this was out there, I honestly nearly fell off my chair in a rush to listen to this song.

Blurryface - Twenty One Pilots

Although this album may not be a brand new release, I couldn't not write a review. For some strange reason I have only just discovered the brilliance of Twenty One Pilots, I'm just glad I finally have because they really are amazing. Quirky and individual, their sound stands out from others and really can't be labelled. There isn't anyone, as far as I know, making music like this. I feel it's my duty to make sure as many people as possible listen to their music, it's something you can't miss out on.

Thieves Of The Night - Kalimur

Although fairly unknown, American rock band Kalimur could make it big. I'll admit I knew nothing about these guys before a message on twitter asking what I thought of 'Thieves Of The Night' which started it all.

Be There - Seafret

I think I've made it pretty clear in past reviews that I love Seafret and that hasn't changed. The acoustic duo seem to fit into a gap in the market that I never knew existed - but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Wings - Birdy

Despite being originally released in 2013 as the first single from the album 'Fire Within', this song has been climbing the UK charts recently. And rightly so. It's a genuinely beautiful song; as all Birdy songs tend to be.

Honeymoon - Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Her unique sound has won fans over in the past with singles like 'Video Games' and 'Summertime Sadness'. Musically she draws influence from the greats of every genre of music, which can be heard in her songs. I think this is especially true of Amy Winehouse, although the two are stylistically very different there is a lot of similarities bringing them together. Del Rey has released the title track of her new album 'Honeymoon'.

Young Blood - Saint Raymond

'Young Blood' is the debut album from Saint Raymond, aka Callum Burrows from Nottingham. There are quite a few brilliant artists coming from Nottingham right now (Amber Run instantly spring to mind) and Saint Raymond is no different; I have fallen in love. The album has such a brilliant sound that I can't really place, but I can say it's fabulous.

Hallelujah - Panic! At The Disco

I stumbled across Panic! At The Disco early this year and honestly can't believe I hadn't listened to them before. Since then I've listened to all their albums and fallen in love with their individual style and clever lyrics.

'Hallelujah' does not disappoint, it stays true to the more electronic sound of their previous album 'Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!' and is the first single from their fifth studio album. I really love this song, it's a mix of gospel and electric that I feel Brendon Urie executes perfectly. The first 20 seconds had me thinking of 'A Fever You Can't Sweat Out' and put a smile on my face, before descending into the catchy gospel-esque song with a beat you just can't shake.

Interview with Colton Avery

24 year-old Colton Avery has been touring with The Script on their 'No Sound Without Silence' tour where he has been exposed to thousands of fans and played to amazing crowds in stadiums like Croke Park. Despite all this, he is still the humblest and nicest guy I've spoken to. I almost wanted to dislike him, because it's unfair that one person is so perfect; insanely talented, kind and charismatic and good looking too. Not fair. But he is. It was my first interview and Colton really helped make it go smoothly.

Atlantis - Seafret

You might remember seeing my review of Seafret's 'Oceans' a few months ago (if not go check it out now!) where I said to keep your eyes peeled, well here's their new song 'Atlantis'. And like I said last time - It's brilliant.