Emily Sergent's Recent Blog Posts

I've realised that blogging has become a monthly event....probably not quite as regular as it should be, but better than nothing at all, right?

So, today's theme is the letter F...

It's come to my attention that I seem to have recently taken to listening to a lot of bands in the 'F' section of my iPod. Not really sure what the logic is behind this but hey - who needs logic. So overrated.

Let the F'ing begin...

1) Friendly Fires: yes, it's shoegaze-esque but it's good shoegaze and this three-piece from Hertfordshire really do know how to write a decent song. From the catchy beats of 'White Diamond' and 'On Board' through to the slightly eerie yet uplifting 'Jump In The Pool', all their tracks seem to have an individual charm. It's an album I was a bit dubious about initially but now it's taking up a lot of my listening time.

2) Fleet Foxes: not the kind of music I usually listen to but there is something fittingly seasonal about their music which seems rather appropriate at the moment. 'White Winter Hymnal' was made for listening to with a cup of hot chocolate.

3) Foals: I was a little bit slow off the mark in getting this album, but now it's firmly up there as one of the best of 2008 for me. Great musicianship all round. 'The French Open'... could there be a better way of starting an album?

4) Fear of Flying: Okay, so this is no longer technically an 'F' band as they are now known as White Lies. But I only just found out that they were the same band, so I think that justifies them being mentioned. Listening to it now, I realise I may have been a little dense in not noticing sooner... Anyways, 'Forget-me-Nots' is a nice little tune, as is 'Routemaster'. Both reflecting a time before they got a tad darker and realised 'Death'.

5) Fischerspooner: bit of an oldie but I just rediscovered how much I like them. 'Emerge', 'Just Let Go', 'Never Win' and 'Happy' are all little nuggets of electro-pop greatness. If you don't know them, hunt them down now.

Enough Fs for now me thinks, so until Christmas...
Late of the Pier are officially amazing.

It's true. But there is nothing more frustrating than seeing one of your favourite bands live in venue where NO-ONE knows who they are. There was a minuscule moment when I thought:

"Hmmm I might look a bit stupid here, in the middle of a large crowd of people singing my heart out (which could be heard by everyone within a metre radius as the crowd were THAT quiet) and pulling a few moves like the self-confessed geek that I am."

But then hurrah! A random woman appears next to me who was as much of a LOTP fanatical loser as me :) So we sung and danced and formed one of those strange bonds where you don't need to say anything, but you know that you're both just glad to have someone to share your enthusiasm with. See? GEEK.

Anyways, for those who have not yet opened their ears to the wonder that is LOTP, I urge you not to hesitate any longer - you need this band in your life!

Fantasy Black Channel is one of the best albums I have invested in in a loooong while.

Buy it.

Sing along to it.

Dance to it.

AND SEE THEM LIVE!
I hope that one day blogging will become something of a second nature, kind of like brushing your teeth, but for the time-being I'm only committing to haphazard entries when it feels necessary. Now is one of those moments.

So, three things to comment on at present:

1) The new Killers single - 'Human' - it may be a grower, but first impressions haven't made that much impact on me to be honest. I heard it was an epic little number which was meant to be one of their strongest singles yet. Maybe I'm missing something, but to me it sounds bland, and a little bit too similar to a number of tracks from Sam's Town (although many a critic have commented that it's a throw-back to Hot Fuss - I definitely must be missing something then). Anyways, it will of course be big. Perhaps I will reconsider my views after a few more listens...

2) The new Razorlight single - 'Wire To Wire' - inevitably a lot of people have been quick to slate this...but then Razorlight could release the best song ever written and it would still get slated. Poor old Razorlight have become one of those bands no-one wants to admit they like anymore. If only Johnny Borrell hadn't been quite so arrogant over the years... Anyways, I digress, personally I think this is a strong track. I can't quite put my finger on it but there's something about Borrells delivery and the stripped-down nature of the song which is strangely appealing. It has the potential to be huge but it could be a major flop. Time will tell...

3) Saving the best til last: The new Kings Of Leon single - 'Use Somebody' - can they do any wrong??? If I had to listen to one band for the rest of my life it would be them hands down. This song just sums up their brilliant-ness. Not quite as in your face as 'Sex On Fire', but it still has the same stop-you-in-your-tracks quality about it. As soon as Calebs vocals kick in, it's goosebumps all over for me. If ever a song was made for a stadium performance this has to be it. As much as I am dreading the onset of winter I am literally counting down the days until their Wembley concert :)

Until next time... (don't hold your breath). I don't know if the fact that it's taken me a week to get over Reading is a sign that I had a great time or a worrying reflection of the fact that my stamina is not quite what it used to be. Ho hum. One thing is certain though... it didn't disappoint.

Arriving on the Thursday (as I had done for the past 2 years) was not a good idea in hindsight as unbeknown to me the masses had arrived on the Wednesday and nabbed all the decent space. Luckily, our miniature tent just about squeezed into a decent spot in Green and the fun began from there.

Thinking we were being clever we pre-booked tickets to Club NME at which Pendulum were DJing. However, this proved to be a bit of a waste of time as we ended up having to queue up to collect our tickets for what felt like an eternity and then realised we had paid more than the on-the-door price. So much for the benefits of pro-activeness. Anyway, once inside it was an indie-pop feast and we danced our wellies off until the small hours. The Pendulum set was a bit of a blur but I'm sure they put on a good show....

So, Friday the music begins. After a couple of paracetemol and a cider or two (hair of the dog and all that) I was ready to hit the main arena. Biffy Clyro kicked off the festival for me on the main stage and put on a very impressive set which made me see the Scottish trio in a new light.



Biffy and their matching blue pants


Off to the NME/Radio One tent next to watch my personal favourite Jack Penate, who as ever enthralled the crowd with his irresistibly catchy tunes and quirky dancing. American hedonists MGMT followed on from him, but weren’t majorly impressive and I only watched half the set in the end in order to catch Late of the Pier (with time to spare for some food and a couple of beverages).

Late of the Pier then, well, what can I say? Simply put, this band are amazing. I can’t sing their praises enough and yet most people I bore to death talking about them to have no idea who I’m on about. Thinking about it though, that’s probably a good thing. The atmosphere was electric in the small Festival Republic tent and I got crushed within an inch of my life. But oh boy it was worth it.

As soon as the set ended, we hot-footed it over to the NME tent to catch The Wombats which was as ever a sing-along treat from start to finish. I then made probably my worst decision of the weekend and stayed to watch Babyshambles instead of seeing Rage Against the Machine. Not a good choice but unfortunately peer pressure got the better of me on this occasion.



Pete Doherty...someone please help this man.


Day two involved some more NME stage action with Mystery Jets and Foals both playing notable sets. Although as with many of the acts over the weekend, there was frustration amongst the crowd when watching the Mystery Jets due to poor sound quality. Despite this and singer Blaine’s foot ailment (he played the whole set seated) they still put on a stellar performance.

The main stage was graced by the likes of We Are Scientists, The Editors and The Raconteurs, but it was Bloc Party who really stole the show. Probably one of the most memorable main stage acts of the weekend (ok ok I know Rage and Metallica were up there too but I didn’t witness those…), they got the crowd going with their backlog of electro/indie and even threw in a bit of a laser show for good measure.



Kele's there somewhere between the flailing arms...


I suppose I should mention headliners The Killers, but in all honesty they don’t deserve that many words. Yes, they have their crowd-pleasers and it’s hard to not fancy Mr Flowers, but he isn’t much of a showman. The songs are working their way up to classic status yet there really wasn’t much excitement to be felt whilst watching them play. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but overall it was a bit of a disappointment.


The light show was the saving grace for Brandon and co.


Cajun Dance party were the first band I caught on the final day, followed by Hadouken. Quite far removed from one another on the indie spectrum, but both equally impressive live. Next up was one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend – Pendulum, which was intense to say the least. The NME tent was a tad on the small side for the Australian group, but it meant that the atmosphere was to die for (and that literally could have occurred on more than one occasion). I don’t think I had any control over where I stood throughout the whole of the set but what an experience it was. From the mighty Slam, through to recent hit Propane Nightmares it was non-stop madness.

The only main stage act I watched on this day was Tenacious D and this was just to see ‘Tribute’ – but it was worth it - there’s no denying we all love a good sing-along…


Kyle and Jack doing what they do best


The final two bands of the weekend for me were The Last Shadow Puppets, followed by Wakefields finest The Cribs. Alex Turners new project hadn’t previously caught my attention but seeing them live with a full orchestra behind them it’s clear that this man knows what he’s doing.

Last but by no means least, The Cribs, now joined by Johnny Marr, ended the weekend on a high. Punchy riffs, raw vocals and the ability to get a worn out crowd jumping. Quite simply, they rocked it.


The Cribs with new member Johnny Marr

The usual Sunday night antics ensued and in an attempt to escape either being burnt or getting hit by a flying missile we took cover in the Silent Disco tent. And oh my, what fun was had there. Dancing around in bright yellow headphones, there was a constant sing-off between people listening to the two separate channels. One of the most surreal experiences of the weekend, it was the icing on the cake of another brilliant Reading Festival.

Roll on 2009 I say.
Today I am mostly listening to..... Noah and the Whale - 5 Years Time. Over and over and over again - it's amazing how a simple little song can bring so much joy to ones life.

When I'm not listening to that on repeat I am still finding myself scarily addicted to the Mystery Jets album. Pleeeease let Blaine's foot ailment get better before the Reading Weekend otherwise I will be a very unhappy bunny indeed :(

Talking of said weekend, I am mucho excited. Although I have to say for me the headline acts are somewhat disappointing - Rage Against the Machine (not sure I could cope with the mosh pit), The Killers (been there, done there got the t-shirt) and Metallica (not really my kind of thing). BUT the rest of the weekend now that's a cause for excitment.

I am eagerly anticipating the likes of...
Pendulum
Vampire Weekend
MGMT
Pete and the Pirates
Florence and the Machine
Ida Maria
Late of the Pier
and my all time favourite Mr Jack Penate
plus many many more

whoop.

1 week and counting.... :)