Tom Rowse's Recent Postings

Since exams ended mid June, I've found myself with fairly little to do. Job hunting is impossible when nobody has the money to pay you, lots of people I know have gone off on holiday so I can't go out of an evening, so what does that leave me with?

Walking the dog. The poor mutt must have lost around 3 stone in as many weeks, as we cross the local fields in an attempt to alleviate my boredom.

The other release has, of course, been music, of which a fantastic amount of new stuff has been released recently. For most of May and a solid portion of July, all that was playing on itunes was Green Day's new album '21st Century Breakdown', a masterpiece by all accounts. Next up was Enter Shikari's album, 'Common Dreads', a fantastic collection of songs to go a bit nuts to. Punctuating this has been The King Blues, their cheery punk complimenting the recent sunshine. Which has now gone. Bother.

But the summer is far from over. My friends are all back next week, I have a cousin from Australia visiting, The Used's tour dates are up (which has be foaming at the mouth with excitement) and the gig season is due to get underway for me. Green Day, The Used, Bowling for Soup, Enter Shikari and Go:Audio are all dead certs before I head Down Under. What fun!

I shant bore you any longer, I'm off for a walk. Urgh. A Levels. Who needs them?

Well actually I do if I want to get into Uni, but thats beside the point. The workload really is hideous at the moment. Not helped by a spat of 18th birthdays approaching that need to be celebrated in good fashion.

The main news, however, is the announcement of Green Day's European tour dates in late October. Yep, I'm bouncing off the walls. Tickets must be bought, no matter what the cost.

That'll be a nice start to the gap year. What a good year 2009 is. I just noticed I haven't written anything for this blog since September/August. Oh how distant that happy Summer time seems...but it will soon be coming round again!

Amidst all the worry over A-Level exams, I am taking the exam for that lifeguard course next week. 'Citing.

2009 really does look like it's going to be one of the best for music in a long time (2004 for me was the best year of recent times) with new albums from my favourite, Bowling For Soup, Blink 182 (YAY!), Green Day, Enter Shikari, The Used, Billy Talent, 30 Seconds to Mars and Go:Audio...I really can't wait.

I'll also be embarking on my gap year to Australia with a friend. Although when I leave will be dictated by when Green Day tour the UK. Talking of live stuff, hopefully the Blink 182 and Guns N' Roses tours will hit our shores, I'm taking the trek to Reading, and BFS should tour the new album. Really 'citing.

I shall bore you no more, I need to rid myself of the hang over from the massive night out last night in honour of a close mate's 18th. Cheers!
Well its approaching the end of what has been a great summer for me, one that started at the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Maidstone and ends Thursday morning at registration, for the first day of my last year at school.

So why has this summer been so especially great? Well there was the Big Weekend, the obligatory summer parties, I was shot at, a few great gigs, and my current love, Slipknot's new album All Hope Is Gone (released just this past monday), the review of which should be up within a few days. It really is fantastic, check it out, even if you don't like metal, you will surely be surprised.

There was also my discovering two quite excelent bands, one from the UK and one from across the pond. Our band is Go:Audio. I saw them as a support act and they really impressed me. They are definatly a band to follow. Their American counterparts are Broadway Calls, a fantastic punk outfit signed to Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day's record lable Adeline Records. They have their debut on itunes now. 

Well thats all from me for now.  

I can't tell you how much I'm dreading school though. But I am taking a life guard course starting the second wednesday of September, so it isn't all bad.