FOO FIGHTERS, AC/DC AND RIVAL SONS: JUNE/JULY GIGS

As you have probably noticed, things have been quite quiet on this blog as of late (or try the whole year). This is for many reasons but mainly because of hectic a university schedule, exams, dissertations and I also just did not know what to write. I kind of lost my blogging mojo. I think I tried to be other people when I know that in order to have a well written and interesting blog you have to write about what you know and what you're passionate about. So, on that note I am going to discuss something that I have not written about in far too long and that is music.

The next few weeks are going to be hectic in terms of gigs and I could not be happier.

First up, the loves of my life, Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl and the band will be rocking Wembley stadium on both Friday and Saturday evening -19th & 20th of June. If hearing Best of You, and Learn to Fly live wasn't enough, the Foo's have lined up some frickin' stellar warm up acts to get the crowd even more ready for the time of their lives. First on stage will be a duo who took Britain by storm in 2014, an act who bossed Reading festival last year and also opened for Arctic Monkeys in Finsbury Park last May - Royal Blood. After Royal Blood leave the stage, the legendary, shirtless, long haired rocker Iggy Pop is scheduled to come on to serenade the crowd (hopefully) with classics such as The Passenger & Lust For Life. From my extensive Foo Fighters YouTubing, the last time they were in Wembley they brought the house down and were even joined on stage with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page to play Rock and Roll. I have a feeling that this gig is going to be pretty epic!

RIVAL SONS [SCALA, LONDON 9/6/14]

Last Monday my friend Katie and I headed over to Scala at Kings Cross, London to watch one of my favourite bands, Rival Sons and it was one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Just incredible.

I first heard the band play on Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 show last April and I was instantly hooked. Jay Buchanan's voice is just magnificent and if you haven't listened to any of their stuff please do. For the last year I had been playing their stuff non-stop on Spotify and I had bought a few of their CD's. Basically my music listening was taken over my this band from LA so when I saw that they were playing down the road in London there was not two ways about it, I was going.

Scala is a great venue as it's so intimate which makes for an electrifying atmosphere. Jameson opened the show as the Rival Sons' support act and he was great. As well as being devilishly handsome his bluesy guitar playing and raspy vocals worked together flawlessly and I would honestly pay to go see him headline his own gig - so good!

The band opened with five songs from their newest album, Great Western Valkyrie. The first being the unmistakable Electric Man which was accompanied buy some awesome guitar playing from Scott Holiday. From the get-go the crowd was head banging, shouting and dancing. After every song the applause was almost deafening. Good Luck, Secret, Play the Fool and Good Things followed before an amazing rendition of my personal favourite, Jordan, from their 2012 album Head Down. It was spine tingling stuff.

With the high tempo Gypsy Heart and the newest single Open My Eyes the crowd was sent home with an amazing and equally emotional rendition of Face of Light. 

Wow. When we walked out of the gig towards the tube we couldn't believe what we had just witnessed. Two weeks before, both of us were at Finsbury Park for the Arctic Monkeys gig and I can honestly say that the Rival Sons gig was better. Controversial? Maybe. Truthful? Definitely.