Bring Me the Horizon Returns!



5 piece, British rock band Bring Me the Horizon (BMTH) releases new song, Mantra. It has been 3 years since the rock band released the "That's the Spirit" album and have not released any music since. That is until now. On August 21st the band released a new song 'Mantra' after weeks of teasing, anticipation and excitement, fans finally got an insight into what BMTH have been up to and to be honest there's been a lot of mixed responses.

Fans took to social media yesterday to express their feelings on the new sound of BMTH. Many were pleased with the new song and were asking questions such as "Does this mean there's a new album?", "When will we hear more?", when some fans couldn't move past the new era of the band and were questioning why the song was made. The single made its debut on BBC Radio one at 8pm last night, shortly followed by its release on their youtube channel. Within 16 hours the song has reached almost 700'000 views. As of today, BMTH have also announced the released of a new album 'Amo', set to release January 11, 2019 and a Europe and UK 2018 tour alongside a 2019 Australian tour and a 2019 American tour.

'Mantra' taking similar sounds from the 2013 album 'Sempiternal ' is a catchy and rhythmic song. Fans may have thought they were "gonna lose the plot" waiting for this song but many had a "bit of faith" that this song was worth the wait. This 3:55 song has plunged into a less heavy instrumental led song, with a female component singing 'Mantra' on the chorus. Its "easy to believe" that this song is an insight into how the new sound for BMTH on this album is going to be. Its not quite like the original albums, its sounding partially like the more recent albums whilst also having a new sound that the band haven't shown before.

Frontman Oli Sykes says "it's basically - we've gone off and recorded some stuff and this is the first thing we've wanted to show people of our return. It's quite different but it's got similarities - it's what we wanted to share with the world". As Sykes has stated in the past, the Arctic Monkeys 'have always inspired' BMTH and whilst discussing the upcoming album Sykes explains that "you're like, 'oh no, this isn't right, this isn't them. This isn't what I know'. And then after a week or two, or even a month, you realise, 'Oh this is amazing', and it's not that it's better than the thing that came before, but it's different."

Also during his BBC Radio One interview Sykes went on to speak of the Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner inspiration, and how the band admire how "They don't really care what they're big for...they could always come out with a new album and so the same thing, and it'd be fine. But they always go 'You know what, we're doing this". Sykes then went on to say "I feel like that's lacking music at the moment, to be honest". But let's be honest, the question on everybody's mind is "how do you spell epiphany" because we had to know, that at some point Bring Me the Horizon were going to be bringing out new music, a new album, and a tour. However it wasn't necessarily going to stay within the pattern of BMTH that we all happen to know and love.

The Hara - No Regrets Tour

No Regrets. A tour made up of 10 dates. A newly released EP that became overall 10th in the itunes charts and 2nd in the alternative charts. The Hara, a 3 piece band from Manchester consisting of Jack Kennedy (Drummer), Zack Breen (Guitarist) and Josh Taylor (Vocalist). The date I went to, just happened to be the last show of tour which lucky me was in Manchester. The day for me, was a rather early one, waking up at 5am which to my demise was not actually planned. Officially I got out of bed and began my day at 6am which for me is never met on a Saturday or Sunday, that is normally my week day time. I was up, dressed and ready for my day of epicness to begin which happened to be the wonderful time of 8.25am. I was in central Manchester for 11.30 and headed straight to the venue. Now, I had never been to The Factory before so I wasn't too sure what to expect from it, but let's just say that I am a fan of the venue. It kind of helps that it is a quick distance from the train station and generally a lovely venue. Alstar Music as always pulled off an amazing tour for The Hara and the boys as well as support acts were phenominal.

Can't lie, when it comes to music it is my upmost happiest place. Nothing ever comes close to incredible fans, incredible music or the love and care shown. Atmospherically speaking, concerts are my home. They're probably the only place in the entire world that someone could find me. It would be very unrealistic for me to say you'd find me within the presence of either Jack, Josh or Zack because unfortunately I'm not quite as much of a rockstar as they are.

Spencer Sutherland. Support act uno. Such a graceful presence. Seconds before you introduced yourself to the packed room full of fans, I turned to my best friend and said "if he's American, my day is made". Call it instinct but I knew that THE HARA's support acts were going to be another set of amazing talented people and I was well and truely right.

Spencer has such a dreamy voice, and a smile to die for. Safe to say that I instantly fell head over heels for him. He's such a kind, genuine person and so easy to talk to. I cried inside, like a nervous wreck when he asked about my day. Trying to find words to describe the feeling of meeting him is near to impossible because I have none. I cannot wait to see what the future brings, being a fan of his. Let's just say, seeing him walking into the venue when he walked past me and smiled, I knew from then on I was going to stuck in the endless spiral. He definately brought the energy out of Manchester the second he stepped to that stage, but I can see truely why. Spencer, thank you for the greatest start to my day, your smile will forever brighten up my day.

 

 

Next up, after the party had begun was Offshore. They came on stage one by one. 4 talented, energetic guys, who arguably brought out the dance in everyone... well the ones in the front anyway I can't really speak for those behind me, because I wasn't really paying much attention to how many were behind me, I was too focused on what was going on infront of me.

 

Offshore are another brilliant act and one who I will be supporting from now on as well. Wherever you guys have been hiding, you're no longer hidden and that is another great perk of this gig. Getting to meet some more awesome people. My musical heart definately needed to be introduced to you all. Jasper, Cal, Harvey and Chris (From left to right) thank you for your groviness. Some people in the crowd looked like they needed to groove.

 

 

 

 

Finally, THE HARA. I am still speechless. Going to your concerts and watching your passion is one thing, experience is another but meeting you and speaking you is a complete other stage. There's nothing that I can say that you won't hear from any other fan so I won't bother boring you with words you will have heard be said 10'000 times before. The effort that they put in to their music and their stage performance is amazing. They always bring 110% to the stage and I am going to be completely honest, standing outside hearing soundcheck when you were playing Running out of time I turned to my best friend and said "If this is the only time today that I hear this song, I'm ok with it because I know regardless of the set that they will kill it" not going to lie, I was a little bit too happy to hear that it was the first song to kick off the set, but the point I'm making is that everything you do, everything you are, without you my days would be boring. I long for the hours where I sit and look at pictures posted or funny videos you've posted. I have a rather good one from yesterday of Zack not being able to pull the confetti out of the barrel which is sure to get a few good laughs. You 3 mean more to me than even imaginable and to be able to experience the energy in that room yesterday, it was an incredible memory.

 

At one point during Offshore's set I caught mini JT to my right, rocking out and that even made my day. As of midnight on Friday, THE HARA released their first EP. 5 exclusive tracks, that are on repeat in my head constantly. Accidental Love will always have a special place in my heart because that is such a catchy song, how catchy? Catchy enough that when I was sat at the bus stop, on my way home I was gracing the passing cars and buses with the lyrics and a bit of dancing. A few funny looks from the younger ages of people and a constant eye roll from the older folk but hey, you only have one life to live so may as well live it with every dirty look and eye roll that comes your way. Firestorm, is that one song that you want to listen to because the name is intriguing but that one song that if a room was completely silent, you would get lost in the lyrics. Another staple favourite. Then it comes to All worked out, this song is for me the song that shows off THE HARA's genre of music. It's my kind of dancey song. Like the other 4 songs on the album it is a staple listen for me.

 

One song, I cannot wait to be offically released is one of their new songs they sung yesterday. It was a song that I completely related too and in the moment listening to the song, a wave of emotions hit me. The introduction to the song was a part that got me started. Nobody deserves to be treated badly but this song says the words perfectly. Redmist will be a song to look out for. Along with the EP songs and a cover or 2 they had additional originals like Only Young. A song that gets everybody moving, including the parents in the crowd. All in all Saturday 12th May was a very successful day on my end and to THE HARA thank you for an incredible show, you never fail to amaze me and you always bring the heat. Bring On the next tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: ALL concert related photos are my own. The only pictures that are not my own are the ones with text on. If bands/musicians wish to use any pictures I've taken, don't hesitate to get in contact and request to use some.





 

Bronnie - Rejex Tour

 

On the 5th May 2017, Bronnie Hughes released her first EP called Social Rejex and then in January 2018 Bronnie went on her first ever headline tour known as the Rejex tour. Starting January 13th in Glasgow and ending on a high in her hometown Liverpool on January 28th. I not only had the pleasure of going to the Liverpool tour date to see her extremely talented performance but I also got to meet her as well as interview her. Still multiple weeks later and the day still feels surreal.

First off, before even getting into the venue I had interviewed 6 fans of Bronnie and to those 6 girls, I thank you for being so patient with me, I was a nervous wreck. You girls made me feel so much more at ease once i'd interviewed you guys, even if there were a few disruptions along the way. Then getting inside the venue which I have been in once before I started to feel much better, the closer it got to the performance the less I was thinking about the interview and the more fun I begun to have. Multiple pieces of footage filmed and a few conversations later and everything was starting. Galaxy Thief, the more I listen to their music and see them live the more I fall in love. The verse, the more I follow on instagram and twitter, the more I cannot wait for the next tour they support. Lunafall, the more I see on social media and the more I listen to them, the more thankful I am, that I'm open to new music.

Bronnie, if you are reading this thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you. If you had seen what a blubbering mess I was compared to when I interviewing you, you wouldn't have gotten much conversation out of me. You made me feel welcome and made me feel like I can actually do something. In terms of everything else I found that my day went super smoothly and I'm super happy with everything that came out of that day. Including hearing some of Bronnie's new music which is epic. Personal opinion obviously however anyone who enjoys punk rock style music then it is pretty ideal. So much epicness to reach around a rather large but tightknit crowd. My extremely happy place.

Galaxy Thief, once again have graced me with their presence. First time I saw them perform was at THE HARA's Only Young tourand now here at Bronnie's Rejex tour. It was a great feeling seeing them on stage again, the energy they bring is amazing, great way to kick off the gig. You guys are so talented, I'm awaiting the day you release your EP so I can have your songs on repeat throughout my days, and long for the next show I see you at.

 

The Verse. First time seeing you guys live, when you were announced for tour I looked on youtube for any songs you guys did to prepare myself. You guys are even more amazing in person, than I could have dreamed. You guys are so genuine and are lovely to be around and I cannot wait to be at your headline show someday watching support acts seeing how far you guys have come.

 



Lunafall. You guys rocked. I have to admit not what I was expecting but that being said I was expecting to enjoy your set as well as the others and I did. You guys killed it. I cannot believe I'd never heard of you until the Rejex tour, but I wouldn't have it any other way because i'm so happy to have seen you. I can't wait to hear more music from you guys but your songs are epic.

 

Last, but definately not least Bronnie. This was the first time that I was seeing you live and for sure won't be the last. You rock. That's the only word i can use to describe this day because otherwise i'm renderd speechless. The amount of love and devotion you show fans, is honourable and to support you, is the greatest feeling. You're such a strong and powerful woman who is so inspiring. You're a role model and i'm not the only fan that thinks so. Everything you do, and everything you are is what makes me love you and be 100% devoted to you because not only are you talented but your beauty shines through your lyrics and you're such a strong inspiration to all the fans that support you. You're a beautiful person, inside and out and i'm so excited to be on this journey with you. Headline shows in small venues is where it begins, one day you will sell out arenas and rock it just like Good Charlotte.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer; This post was originally posted in February but the more I looked at the post the more I saw it lacking something so I have been working on it and feel it is better than my original so this is a repost. 

Iconic pop diva Taylor Swift - Reputation (PERSONAL ALBUM REVIEW)

It can be argued that one of the world's iconic pop divas Taylor Swift has an equally unique style but some great singles however can the same be said for her new album Reputation? Although the album is a top selling album, from the eyes of a person that isn't a fan the album is a very wannabe RnB feel. For instance take ...Ready for it? An extremely catchy tune which no one can lie, will stay stuck in your head and linger there until you find another song, to find its place. It's lyrically typical of Swift in this song which to hard core Swifters is a rather good thing, isn't it? This song is a great tune to get the RnB vibe but “in the middle of the night” for some it would become an annoying guilty pleasure song.

End Game. Now to an outside audience end game is most likely a way of mixing the Swifters with the fans of Ed Sheeran and Future. This song had a strong baseline but at times lacked the wow factor. “Big reputation” is not necessary what you would use to describe the song, however it is one of the more likeable songs on this album as a whole. Swift definitely hit this album “like bang” that's for sure. I Did Something Bad. Arguably this song is the depiction of the current drama Swift is facing, classic of the pop diva herself. This song as a whole follow s the same themes as both ready for it and end game in terms of strong chords and catchy. But Don't Blame Me is probably the song that sticks out the most, it's the most unique on the album for starters, but this song also has a ballad feel to it, it's slow yet powerful. You can feel the emotion in each lyric if it is listened to properly. Roughly 30 to 45 seconds later the song begins to kick in more and begins to show the emotions from a perspective of love. Has Swift “fallen from Grace” with all this drama and hate in her life and is this album the depiction of that?

Delicate is a captivating, soft, dreamy feel from her “wildest dreams” to the delicate feelings she feels and the “too soon to do this yet” feeling. Definitely without a doubt one of the more enjoyable tracks of this entire 15 song album. So let's talk about that for a moment. 15 songs. 15 songs which are sounding identical to one another, but the lyrics are different. A good 10 of the songs are saying the exact same thing and depicting the exact same connotations

Look What You Made Me Do is a song that will for sure get stuck in your head, and by the chorus it is definitely one that gets stuck it your head for an annoyingly long time. However the more you hear the song and the chorus, it's not much of a chorus, it just repeats “look what you made me do”. That being said parts of the song are more enjoyable, but for sure will be “staring in your bad dreams” for a while. Especially now so that the “old Taylor can't come to the phone right now” possibly a dig at the haters there. Now it's time for So it goes. Again it's one of the songs on the album that sounds so similar to practically every other song on the album but it is pretty relatable to the diehard Swifters. Gorgeous is an enjoyable, beguiling, desirable and relatable song. It makes for a great single but not necessarily a great match for the album because of its overall aesthetic and the connotations, which are more loving and happy than other songs depicted on this entire album. “I'm so furious” to say that this is one of the only songs on this album that is fully enjoyable and it “makes me so mad” to say it is most likely the guilty pleasure song of this album.

Getaway Car is just as addictive but not as enjoyable. It does have a different sound to it as it has the 80s pop feel, similar to something Carley Rae Jepson would write however the song “marks the spot” as it is again, one of the decent songs on this album for a person who is not a fan of Swift. King of My Heart, appealing with a touch of intricate “body and sooouoooul” of the album? Very enjoyable, and a relatively soft feel. Questionnably a song that fits into many people's categories; love song, dancey, full of rhythm. Whereas Dancing With Our Hands Tied is possibly not as “golden” as King of My Heart or as full of rhythm, but catchy it is however it can be argued that “hands” are “tied” on how this song should make someone feel. Is it a bad feeling? A memorable feeling? Nostalgia? Or simply something purely golden, as it does have a sense of romance to the younger teen Swifters. Dress is like a semi permanent “golden tattoo” that wears away really quickly. Has a very full of rhythm feel but annoyingly it's the same as the other songs. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is yet again too much of the same. It's not really unique as such. This album to a non Swift fan, lacks “style” and uniqueness. Each song is pretty much the same. Call It What You Want, nevermind “crowns” and “liars” this song is quite the tune, soft, fresh. “jokers” that are “dressing up as Kings” for a change. It's unique and act great song that hand in hand goes well with a few of the other decent sounding songs.

Typical and classic sound of the pop sensation Taylor Swift. Which for her audience, is always a great thing. Finally, new years day. “glitter” is the perfect depiction of this song. Soft, catchy. All in all a lovely tune to listen to, as it is fairly soothing to listen to.