Music Q&A: Would I be in a band? What have been my best/worst gigs? My favourite song/record? And more…

I wanted to do something slightly different for my blog so thought I would open up to questions from my readers/followers about anything music related. I really had fun answering the questions which I have answered below. Please enjoy 🙂

 

Would you ever be in a band?

I hope so. I kept saying to myself that when I went to university I would but now that time has come I’m feeling nervous about it. Mainly due to self-doubt about whether I am good enough or not. I currently don’t think I am but I’ve got the passion so maybe that will make up for it?

I am not very good at handling criticism which I think is a problem and if I was in a band I would continually be looking to impress people I look up to.

So, I don’t know. I really want to be in a band but think I need to get to a point first where I am confident enough. I mean…I have barely played in front of people.

 

What instrument would you love to learn to play?

I would love to be better at drums. That’s my main aim but if I had to pick a new instrument altogether it would be electric guitar. Just think that would be wicked. Learning to shred and play some sick solos. I think my sister would skin me though because guitar is “her thing”.

 

What artists are on your bucket list to see live?

There are so many. Most of them are small artists like Rat Boy and The Sherlocks but I would love to see Liam Gallagher one day. I would say Oasis but the chances of them reforming are practically zero so I will stick with Liam. His debut album was awesome and he is a proper rock star. I also really want to see Queen + Adam Lambert, my parents have a couple of times and I have been quite jealous.

Panic at the Disco is a band I have wanted to see live for a long time but I am hoping to snap up tickets for their Birmingham tour show when they go on sale tomorrow. Please keep everything crossed for me.

 

What are your opinions on Catfish and the Bottlemen, DMAs, Gerry Cinnamon and Courteeners?

If I am honest, I have only heard of two of these artists: Catfish and Courteeners so I will have to check out the other two. But thank you for giving me something new to listen to!

I quite like Catfish and the Bottlemen but don’t love them. My sister does. I am not overly fussed but I find Van McCann’s voice strangely soothing. My favourite tracks by the band are Heathrow and Pacifier.

The Courteeners are a band which I don’t listen to enough when in the past I have really enjoyed their music and sound. Liam Fray is quite the talent with both his brilliant vocals and guitar skills. I have seen him perform some quite beautiful acoustic sets on Radio X in the past. I need to listen to them more. I have added them to my latest Spotify playlist! And with five studio albums under their belt there is plenty of material to listen to.

 

What is your opinion on fans thinking they’re better than the rest for a liking a certain/artist band for longer?

I honestly think it is a stupid mentality to have. Artists are continually looking for new fans otherwise they would disappear so they should (and do to my knowledge) appreciate all fans the same. At the end of the day, a fan is a fan. If they support the artist then that’s all that matters. I personally have nothing against new fans, you should welcome them more than anything. It is not a competition. There is no prize bitterness.

 

What is your favourite record and favourite song?

My favourite song is not off my favourite record. My favourite record is Education, Education, Education and War by Kaiser Chiefs. I love every track off it and the theme is not only interesting but relevant. Each track is very different and different instruments really shine through. The guitar solos in Misery Company are just f***ing awesome! It is one of my favourite songs but not the favourite.

Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy I think is my favourite song ever. I love the passion and the lyrics I relate to so much. Whether I listen to the recorded version with Sir Elton John or a stage version I feel like shouting the lyrics out and my heart beats faster. It’s a song which sends my body on an emotional rollercoaster from feeling happy to pumped up to sometimes on the verge of tears. I have never had a song affect me as much as this one does.

 

You see the Kaiser Chiefs a lot and personally I don’t understand why you would see a band so frequently. Can you explain it to me?

Guaranteed happiness and a good time. That’s the simple answer. I understand why it might be baffling to some people but I think it’s important not to judge. I love going to see artists I have never seen before but I have discovered some great bands thanks to the KCs such as Spring King, HIMALAYAS and The Wholls.

I love their music and how they are on stage as well as the people I’ve met through them. It is always a good day, in fact I am seeing them again on Saturday which I am looking forward to.

 

Recently there has been great discussion about making festival bills more equal when it comes to gender. As a woman, what are your opinions on this?

This is a difficult subject because personally I don’t love many female artists. I prefer male voices but that’s just personal preference but on the other hand I think it is important that female artists get the same opportunities as their male counterparts. I do think there is a risk however that if more female artists are picked for a festival purely because of their gender to fit in with some quota than that is more demeaning than not picking them at all. At the end of the day, festival organisers should be picking acts who great for their festival. Gender, sexuality or race shouldn’t play a part in that.

As long as acts are not being discriminated against then I don’t see a problem.

 

What are the best and worst gigs you’ve been to?

I can’t think of any terrible gigs. Gigs that have been not so great have usually been because of the crowds not because of the acts. I’ve been kicked, shoved and harassed at gigs – usually small venues – but I am going to focus more on the acts who I have been disappointed by. Tom Odell who are saw at MTV Crashes Coventry was disappointing. He was not engaged with the crowd and sounded flat. My pal and I decided to go and get food during his set in the end. I was very surprised when I saw him on telly a few months later behaving the opposite. The Wytches weren’t my cup of tea when I saw them last year and their fans were overly rough. In the same line-up I saw The Orielles who a lot of people really like but I didn’t enjoy them.

Best gigs I have been to are Fall Out Boy at The Arena in Birmingham which was simply fantastic. Seeing a band I love so much live for the first time was an experience I will never forget and I was buzzing. For atmosphere, the best gigs I’ve been to are IDLES at The Wardrobe in Leeds and Spring King at Hare and Hounds in Birmingham. Both bands have fantastic fans who love a good time.

I have seen Kaiser Chiefs and their ex-drummer Nick J.D. Hodgson live so many times so it is difficult to whittle down their gigs but if I had to my favourite Nick gigs have been at Church, Leeds and Actress & Bishop, Birmingham. Both were brilliant sets and good humoured. For KCs my favourites were at Asylum, Birmingham and Bedford Park!

 

Do you prefer small or large venues?

I used to suffer with bad crowd anxiety so for a long time I couldn’t do either but then I started doing seated at arenas, stadiums and at British Summer Time festival. It was almost like dipping your toes into the sea at the beach to test the temperature. My first standing was a room full of people at HMV and then a small venue and then the arena in Leeds. Crowds aren’t my favourite things still and I do occasionally have panic attacks around them but I think in a way larger venues are slightly easier to deal with. They are created for large crowds so when it comes to moving around and using the facilities you don’t feel overwhelmed. Whereas, small venues you can be squished in like sardines in a can.

However, I think the atmosphere can be better at small venues and the sound better so I am pretty torn.

 

Thank you to everyone who tweeted/messaged me questions for this blog. We should do it again sometime!