Uni Life

Well I'm ashamed to say I have left it almost a month since my last post...but everything has been a bit mental recently what with settling into a new city and starting uni this week. Anyway, I'll hopefully get back into it all properly soon and have some more meaningful posts to talk about. It was Freshers Week last week which was lots of fun, and I am now suffering with the inevitable post-party illness; Fresher's Flu. Tonight is the big grand Freshers Ball with celeb DJs etc which promises to be lots of fun, assuming I can ignore the elephant sat on my chest. I'm not much of a club-music person but have certainly enjoyed the dancing since moving to a city; the gigs I go to are less about 'dancing' and more about tapping your feet, nodding your head, maybe swaying a little but it's great to be on a dance floor with loads of students, beer (or now exotic cocktail) in hand and properly going for it! You probably look stupid, but everyone does and as long as it feels right, that's all that matters!
Anyway I start uni properly this week and attended my first lectures today. I'm quite pedantic and enjoy writing essays so aim to do well on this side of the degree, and the playing part I can't wait to start; we were divided into 8 bands (there are 60 of us on the course) and have been set a gig date of 9th December. In the rehearsals leading up to this, we have to produce a 20 minute set consisting of covers and originals, so today our band decided to take on James Morrison's 'Broken Strings' and John Mayer's 'Waiting on the World to Change'. We will obviously consider lots more but decided on these as a start, and the prospect of playing with new people is exciting. In fact, any playing at all is exciting as it's been far too long since I've been able to sit down at a kit and play!
Anyway, enough of my uni life, this is basically the reason I've been a bit rubbish and not blogging much but once everything settles down and I establish a routine I'll get back to this properly. So stick with me and I'll let you know how it's all going soon :)

Live Review: Arctic Monkeys/Reading

I need to start this 'live review' with a footnote to say that I wasn't actually at the Reading Festival, my review is taken from the live footage of the Monkeys performing, but I think on this occasion, this will prove to be more honest. Taking myself from the crowd itself takes me from any created atmosphere that only an anticpiated festival-headline slot can bring, and I need to remove myself from any atmospheres in order to concentrate on the performance as a whole. And as another footnote, I'm not a Monkeys hater, I am in fact a big fan; I've seen them live and have BOUGHT (not a downloader) their first two albums and thoroughly enjoyed them. So here goes.
I'm afraid that our once dubbed saviours of popular music have jumped on the bandwagon of what it is to be 'cool'. These guys used to be so original; a cheeky four-piece with short hair and witty lyrics. Onstage they were fresh and exciting, and their music was just that. Their melodies were completely original, something that is now so difficult to produce in order to stand out from the crowd. They started the 'accent-singing' for this generation, the drums were outlandish and dared to be different, the entire package of the band was such a breath of much-needed fresh air.
But then I watched the band perform at Reading Festival, and I am scared. I am worried we've lost something that could have been great. Where once stood the short-haired, tight, energetic scamps reaking havoc with witty, dancy pop-rock songs now stood a gormless looking front-man, barely able to see through his mop of hair, strumming his guitar so slowly and painfully like it hurt everytime he moved. Alex Turner was fronting a band of zombies. The new songs were all so slow and depressing, where are the exciting rhythms?! It's not like they've never written a slow song but these guys aren't a ballad band, it's all about the energy and it's all been lost. I'd read reviews of the new album saying the same kind of comments, that the band's once-loved originality had been lost on Alex writing slow songs for his dear Alexa Chung and it seems to be the case. I respect the band for trying something new, but I actually had to turn the television off after fifteen minutes; the set was that slow and gormless and boring. So much for the birth of the saviours of popular music, I guess it's still down to me...

Housework and Hangovers

So, I can't iron. It sounds stupid but it's true. Ironing is what Kirsty does, but she went out this afternoon and a part of me was bored whilst the other part realised that the flat could do with a good clean. I actually quite enjoy sticking on some good music nice and loud and really cleaning properly, although apparently you could hear the music and my accompanying singing down the street. Whoops. I then decided to attack the growing pile of ironing and, although coped well enough with the easy clothes, soon struggled with various pleated and layered dresses which will probably have to be done again...sorry Kirsty!
Anyway the result now is at least a very clean flat; all dusted, hoovered, wiped, sprayed and everything else -ed which fills me with a sense of achievement.

We had friends come to stay on Thursday night; I've missed friends and the silly sense of humour we share. Anyway it was great to go out, drink lots, find all sorts of funky bars and clubs and just generally have a good time. Until I spilt a table full of drinks. Then it was time to leave... but watching then curl up uncomfortably on the floor as I got into bed was quite funny. Alas I am still counting the days until I start uni; 20 to go in fact! When I get hold of the photos from Thursday I'll get some on here because it was definitely an eventful evening and certainly a lifestyle I can't wait to get used to. Besides, the hangover wasn't that bad...I guess I need to try harder next time.