Girl Guiding Big Gig 2013

Guides from all over the UK converged on Wembley Arena for the Girl Guiding UK Big Gig 2013 - By Hannah Brown.

On the 12th October I went to the Big Gig 2013 concert at Wembley Arena. Big Gig is organised by Girl Guiding UK. It has been running for 10 years and is an exclusive concert for members of the guiding movement aged 10 and over. The concert was presented by Ceallach Spellman and Richard Wisker, stars of CBBC’s Friday Download.

My view of the stage at the concert.

The audience went wild for the 9 acts , Dionne Bromfield, Charlie Brown, Overload, Little Mix, Katy B, Union J, Jahmene Douglas, Conor Maynard and 5 Angels.

I went to the concert with my local Guide group, where I volunteer as a young leader. This was the first concert I have ever been to, and I really enjoyed it and found it an amazing experience.

For more information about Girl Guiding UK, visit their website at: www.girlguiding.org.uk

Keep calm and don’t be so catty

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock. Let’s embrace the season of peace and goodwill and be a bit less catty. 

Cattiness is getting a problem. According to the urban dictionary, (queue posh Queen voice) “if one is being catty, they are being subtly or indirectly insulting. Different from bitchy in that bitchiness is just mean, while cattiness is often clever and witty.”

Although its not a major problem, it’s something that grates on me. And can I add that it is a very female thing. To be honest it doesn’t do us gals any favours. It’s not like we’re at disadvantage already or anything!

It might not be a surprise when I say that Mean Girls is my favourite film, and the moral of that film kind of inspired me to write this. Tina Fey’s hilarious portrayal of how high school cliques have negative impacts on people has hopefully inspired a few people to be a bit nicer and more accepting of others. 

“They encourage us to slag off other females as if it’s what we’re born to do.”

But although practically every girl between the ages of 13 to 30 have watched it, (and the occasional guy) there are still people who have seen it that choose to ignore this message.

Particularly through more passive cattiness.  We all know that look a female will shoot another, when perhaps they feel slightly threatened by their looks. Or when another female looks at you up and down as if to say “what are you doing here?” Trust me, it happens a lot. Why do we do it? Unfortunately I think it’s to do with the way we are bombarded with criticisms of females from the media. *Sigh* Yes, this age old problem that everyone moans about. 

I think it’s largely due to magazines; they encourage us to slag off other females as if it’s what we we’re born to do. And perhaps it is- it’s natural to feel intimidated by someone who you think’s prettier than you. Just maybe compliment them rather than give them the look. All you need is love guys.

Lawson

The Lawson lads celebrating their debut album going gold

Pop rock band Lawson are reassured that all their hard work is finally paying off. By Kayleigh Peters.

Andy Brown (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Ryan Fletcher (backing vocals, bass guitar), Joel Peat (backing vocals, lead guitar) and Adam Pitts (drums) have come together from various parts of the country to form the new British, pop rock band known as Lawson. The band were named after neurosurgeon David Lawson, who performed lifesaving surgery on lead singer Andy Brown, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 19 that left him deaf in one ear and almost blind.

After their ground-breaking debut album (Chapman Square) reached number 6 in the UK charts, It’s no surprise that they set their sights on more. They’ve recently been working on their second album Chapman Square / Chapter II—a progression of Chapman Square—with new material including acoustic recordings of our favourites including crowd pleaser Taking Over Me, which literally has taken over me.

Their newest single Juliet (debuting at No. 3) is definitely one of my favourites. The sound of the lead guitar gave the song the edgy pop rock feel and is bound to get  you up on your feet or brighten up your boring journey when you catch yourself singing.

Since seeing them live I would  definitely recommend going to see them, as the atmosphere at their concerts is just incredible with them even jumping into the crowd, and who doesn’t like watching four hot guys rock out?!

Who knows what the future holds for these guys? All I know is that it’s certainly looking bright, so watch out!

Hello Tartan!

Harriet Stevenson evaluates this vastly popular fashion trend.

Tartan is absolutely EVERYWHERE: scarves, shirts, leggings, skirts, trousers, dresses, coats, bags and even shoes. Where will this fashion trend end?

Not that I’m complaining; I love tartan, it’s such a fun and versatile pattern – you can mix it in with any outfit and it works. It’s also good for all ages: I recently went to London and on the tube almost everyone who had a scarf had one that was tartan – myself included. An old man with a farmer-style cap – he had a tartan scarf like mine, but it worked, as tartan is a pattern that’s been around for generations.

I think you can overdo the tartan though, just like people can overdo leather and denim. I saw a guy the other day with a denim shirt, denim jacket and jeans (all the same shade of denim); to be honest he might as well have been wearing a denim onesie. But who am I to judge?! I sometimes, by accident, find myself wearing triple denim too (why did I ever think a denim backpack was a good idea?)

However, all that’s by the by as tartan can be worn for both formal occasions and casual. It also lends itself to any style, whether it is grungy or preppy; this means that tartan stays unique – something that is very important in a fashion trend. The minute a design gets overworked, it loses its value.

That’s why I would say for the most part you can’t really go wrong with tartan, there are so many different variations of the pattern: small checks, large checks, monochrome or traditional. The world really is your oyster when it comes to tartan! The only thing I wouldn’t suggest is multiple tartan in one outfit - you can overdo a good thing!

Popular New York fashion blogger Lua P stated “There’s never enough plaid in my wardrobe.” If I’m honest I really can’t help but to agree as it just adds that extra pop to an outfit.

So I welcome the arrival of tartan and am excited to buy more tartan items and have fun styling them, though I promise to stay well clear of triple tartan! That’s a mistake I’m sure would not go down well.

Fashion Blogger: ‘Lua P’ – Luanna Perez: http://www.le-happy.com

Stuck on how to style tartan? Some suggestions here: http://www.pinterest.com/kafir/style-tartan/

Introducing: Standing Tall

All you need to know about Norwich lads Standing Tall, brought to you by East Anglia's music rep Lucy Neill.

Alt-rock foursome Standing Tall have been making a name for themselves this past year, with the release of their new EP 'Still Breathing'. Hailing from Norwich, the band is made up of vocalist and guitarist Blake Marchesi, bassist Tom Bircham, guitarist Holen Wong (sorry, former guitarist - Holen unfortunately left the band in early October, but I wanted to include him anyway) and drummer Dan Bowley.
Since their formation in November 2010, Standing Tall recorded their debut EP 'Life.Obsession.Violence.Emotion' which was released in May 2012 (available for free here - http://goo.gl/6YfC3), and were back in the studio in early 2013 with their new material, released in the form of a five-track EP entitled 'Still Breathing' in July 2013, for which they also released a music video for, and had support from other homegrown heroes Fenrir and Searching Alaska for their EP release gig. With influences such as Deftones, Foo Fighters and Alexisonfire, this band's unique sound is hitting the local music scene and has been receiving brilliant feedback. I had a catch-up with the guys just before their EP release back in July, here are some of the things we talked about:

How is 'Still Breathing' different from your debut EP, and how have you guys as a band changed since then?
It’s a lot better than the first release. Musically we have matured a lot since the writing the first EP. We also lost a member Josh a couple of months after recording the EP as a live unit. It has changed us a lot, but for the better, now everyone is on an instrument we seem a lot more in tune with each other playing shows.

What about your experiences in the studio when recording 'Still Breathing' back in January?
Oh the experience was so good, we recorded the EP with Dan Lancaster who has worked with some of our favourite bands and he was just brilliant, a little strange but brilliant. Dan is a cracking musician as well and as a singer he is so bloody good so for Blake to be able to work with him and get some tips was even better.  We recorded our first EP at a friend’s studio just as he was starting up so this was a bit of a step up for us and there was no beating around the bush with Dan if you played something and it wasn’t good enough it went in the bin and you did it again and the EP sounds better for it.

Describe your new E.P in 5 words!
Punchy, dynamic, catchy, melodic and sexual.

Like what you’re reading?
Check the guys out at https://www.facebook.com/StandingTallUK

Homegrown Heroes: Albums and EPs

Once again, Lucy Neill brings us the latest from the hottest new acts in East Anglia and talks about album and EP releases from these promising, young bands.

Polar Collective

Polar Collective
Polar Collective are a four-piece from Ipswich, Suffolk, with an unusual mix of sounds, including acoustic pop, hip-hop and indie. The band are made up of vocalist Jacob Cardy, guitarist Adam Dodd, saxophonist Ally Newbigging and drummer Gryphon Ford, who formed the band when in college back in November 2011. They've played all over the country and have even supporting Killamonjumbo, who have supported Ed Sheeran on numerous occasions. They released their debut EP, 'Snakes and Ladders' in September 2012 and have built up a strong fanbase since. They've also released a music video for their song 'All This Hype' and have several acoustic covers on YouTube, including Bastille and Taylor Swift, and the band are currently working on some new material. They're lovely guys with a joyful sound, guaranteed to make you want to jump around.

Fenrir
Next up are Fenrir, an alt-rock quintet from Haverhill in Suffolk, consisting of vocalist Ben Slater, guitarists Mike Cockayne and Krishan Alwis, bassist Rich Wallis and drummer Ben Brennan. Forming in late 2011, they released their EP 'Live Like Royalty' in September last year and then made a music video for their single 'Confessions' in March 2013. They toured with fellow MTA Artist Management band Searching Alaska from March through April earlier this year too. The band are currently working on their new song 'Ruins' and hope to release it soon.

The Aurora
6-piece band The Aurora are taking East-Anglia by storm. Hailing from Suffolk, the progressive rock/electronica band were formed in late 2011 with Eliott McCall on vocals and guitar, Oscar Charlton and Joe Mamo on guitars, Michael Whittle on bass, Benji Sadler on synth and electronics and Toby Houghton on drums. In December 2012, they released their EP 'Origami Tsunami' which received great feedback from their fans. They have played at the O2 Islington Academy on multiple occasions, and recently supported punk giants Wheatus when they played at the Ipswich Railway Venue. They play, in their words, "huge melodic riffs with tasty breakdowns and cheeky hook-lines with a big electro/dance input". They smashed Ipswich on the 6th and 7th of July earlier this year at Ipstock and Ipswich Music Day - I think it's safe to say these local champions are going to go far in the music industry indeed.

Maglia Rosa Group
Norfolk-based quartet Maglia Rosa Group are made up of Daisy Lawrence on vocals, guitar, organ and flute, Sam Lawrence on guitar, synth and vocals, Matt on bass and Owen on drums. They have a unique indie-pop sound, and during my interview with them, Matt said "when I first joined the band, it was straight-forward pop, but Daisy's sort of dramatic vocal delivery and the music went like that too, so like pop but a bit more dramatised dark as well." Forming back in April 2011, they released their debut EP 'Nighthawks' in December 2012, managing to sell out their release gig, and have a music video for the track 'Nighthawks' from the EP.

Phoenix Calling
Last but not least comes Phoenix Calling, a five-piece rock band from Cambridge, consisting of Steven Chapman, Dominic Greenwood, Martyn Hilliam, Benedict Greenwood and Jason Howard. Formed in July 2012, these lads are currently writing and recording their debut EP 'Waves', and have already released a music video for their single 'Bring the Roof Down', already planning another music video for their yet-to-be-released single 'Everybody Knows'. The band have shared the stage with the likes of The First, We Are Fiction, Tu Amore, Fights & Fires and more, and have also headlined the main stage at Willow Festival 2013 and played the BBC Introducing Stage at Cambridge Rock Festival.