Enjoy the sounds and the sun this summer with ‘Every Kingdom’ by @benhowardmusic

Britain is set to bask in temperatures of up to 25c this week; what better reason could there be to purchase a copy of Ben Howard‘s debut album ‘Every Kingdom.’ These are two subject matters that are not as unrelated as you might think : both deliver an element of surprise yet immediate pleasure to the ear, both are more likely to be seen around the southern counties of Devon and Cornwall and finally, both make a much-needed and refreshing change to the norm.

 

Ben Howard is a 25 year old rootsy/acoustic folk singer-songwriter from Devon, UK. Some of you may have caught Howard’s appearance on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’ at the weekend and what a performance it was. Howard performed ‘The Wolves’ and ‘Old Pine’ from his Gold-certified debut album and simply stunned the audience with his vocal tone and musicianship. Howard’s tone reminds me greatly of my favourite male singer-songwriter, Damien Rice; a compliment of the highest order from my lips. Howard has a loyal and dedicated fanbase in the UK, garnered during his many intimate gigs up and down the country.

 

Howard is confirmed to play at a number of UK festivals this summer, including T In The Park, V Festival and Latitude, before embarking on a larger scale tour of the UK in November. Most dates are already sold out, but you might just fall lucky on a couple if you’re quick. I’ve included a video below of Howard performing a cover of Lana Del Rey‘s ‘Video Games’, another track which I love at the moment. If it’s possible, Howard makes the melody and lyrics sound even more haunting and beautiful.

 

Do yourself a favour; treat yourself to this record, put your feet up and enjoy the sounds and the sun.

‘Every Kingdom’ track listing includes: Old Pine / Diamonds / The Wolves / Everything / Only Love / The Fear / Keep Your Head Up / Black Flies / Gracious / Promise.

www.benhowardmusic.co.uk

shelleyhanveywriter 🙂

UK Festival Awards 2011; Vote and win your Dream Summer

Vote in the Festival Awards and win your Dream Summer

Voting has now opened in the UK Festival Awards – giving you the chance to have your say on which festivals and acts were your favourites for 2011.

Every voter will be entered into a prize draw to win a dream summer – two tickets to every winning festival at this year’s Awards. Categories include: Fans’ Favourite Festival, Best Overseas Festival, Headliner of the Year and Anthem of the Summer.

Voting runs until October 10th, 2011, so be sure to get involved before the deadline. The Awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on November 15th, 2011 in London.

The winner of the Dream Summer prize will be announced no later than December 1st, 2011.

Click here to vote: http://www.festivalawards.com/vote/

Good luck!

shelleyhanveywriter 🙂

‘Miike Snow’ and ‘Sea Sew’; the best masculine rhyme since 2008.

I have been eagerly anticipating the release of two albums this year: the first from Irish folk singer-songwriter, Lisa Hannigan and the second from Swedish electropop trio, Miike Snow. I believe the debut offerings from these  artists (‘Sea Sew‘ (2008) and ‘Miike Snow‘ (2009) respectively) to be the two best albums of the past three years. I rarely cite that I can listen to an album in its entirety without skipping the odd track, so when such an occasion presents itself, I know that I have truly found myself something special.Clearly on opposite sides of the page with regards to tempo and tone; both artists successfully manage to intersect at the point of their musical passion, lyrical creativity and natural charisma.

I have chosen my top three tracks from both albums below, which should support and validate the praise I regularly heap on both Hannigan and Snow (Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt).

First up: ‘Burial‘, ‘Animal‘ and ‘Cult Logic’ from Miike Snow. I first heard about the concept of the band several years ago and finally caught them live at V Festival in 2009. They seemed to hit the scene out of nowhere and certainly caught the critics off guard, who later quite happily succombed to their addictive electronic-indie charms. Watching this band is very much a show for the senses and I look forward to a more extensive headline tour following their forthcoming, as yet untitled album.

 

 

 

From ‘Sea Sew‘, I have chosen: ‘Ocean and a Rock‘, ‘I Don’t Know‘ and ‘Pistachio.’ I have watched Hannigan live a couple of times now and she never disappoints. Don’t let her timid demeanour fool you, Hannigan’s vocal range and stage presence are both fearless and unyielding. I guarantee that you will leave the performance space thinking and feeling ever so slightly different, about so many things.

 

 

 

Hannigan’s second album will be titled ‘Passenger‘ and will be released on September 20th, 2011 in the US, September 21st, 2011 in Ireland and September 24th, 2011 in the UK. As a special treat for Hannigan fans, I have included a video of the album title track below. A taste of the wondrous things to come, I am sure.

 

 

shelleyhanveywriter 🙂

2011 UK Music Festivals; what constitutes a headline-worthy artist?

I think we’ve pretty much seen the majority of what the UK Music Festival scene has in store for us this year, but I’ve had cause to wonder; what constitutes a headline-worthy artist? Are record sales the main criterion; perhaps international or tabloid appeal, or could it be something else?

It has always been my opinion that those festivals which consistently perform well with ticket sales, are those which have a clear brand identity and generally, a niche market; Leeds and Reading Festivals, Cambridge Folk Festival, Glastonbury and T In The Park being prime examples. I suppose it isn’t  rocket science really – if you cater to a specific section of the gig-going public, provide the artists and bands that  they want to see, at a price they can afford, how can you go wrong? But so many appear to do just that. Looking at some of the festival line-ups for 2011, I’ve felt largely underwhelmed and uninspired, with only a select few pricking my curiosity to find out more. Admittedly, music tastes are subjective and entirely personal to the ticket-holder, but when the ‘big five’ (V Festival, Glastonbury, Leeds Festival, Reading Festival and T In The Park) music festivals in the UK are charging relatively similar weekend prices, how can a couple of them defend their line-ups against their peers?

Of course, a music festival is about much more than just the music; the location has to be just right, as well as: accessibility, on-site facilities, entertainment, catering, toilets, general crowd atmosphere and the list goes on. Can a perfect ten in all of these criteria however, really make up for a poor line-up? Is a great festival weekend about who you’re with, not where you are; would you trade six good medium-stage acts for one great main stage act?

The UK Festival Awards 2010 announced the following winners late last year:

Best Small Festival in association with Doodson Entertainment – Kendal Calling

Best Medium Festival in association with Smirnoff Flavours – Green Man Festival

Best Major Festival in association with Tuborg – Bestival (see photo above)

Line-Up of the Year in association with XL Video – Rockness

Bestival is a boutique music festival, which takes place at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. The four-day spectacular which promises to inspire ‘peace, love and dancing’, is curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Rob Da Bank. This year, the festival takes place on the 8th – 11th September 2011 and is set across 15 stages, offering the likes of The Cure, Pendulum, Primal Scream, Kelis, Robyn, PJ Harvey, Noah and the Whale, The Unthanks and Groove Armada. It would be fair to say that the line-up is a mix of folk fusion and boutique chic and the festival site promises ‘an original boutique camping experience, cocktail bars, fancy dress and a hidden disco.’ I think the fact that the festival has always promoted itself as being particularly family friendly hasn’t hurt; children enjoy music too, it isn’t all about the beer tokens people! To find out more about Bestival, please visit the link below.

Green Man Festival takes place on the 19th-21st August 2011 (the same weekend as V Festival, but tailored to an entirely different audience) in the Brecon Beacons. The festival is aimed specifically at the folk and electronic indie- loving public and again, is very welcoming to families with children of all ages; indeed, under 12s get in free. Highlights on the line-up this year include: Fleet Foxes, The Low Anthem, Bellowhead, Explosions In The Sky, The Burns Unit and Villagers. I think that I would enjoy this particular festival; I love folk and electronic music and I love a beautiful scenic environment in which to camp and lounge. To find out more about Green Man Festival, please visit the link below.

Kendal Calling takes place on the 29th-31st July 2011 in Lowther Deer Park in the Lake District. This is an independent festival, combining contemporary music and art with rural entertainment. I think it would be a fair assumption to say that this festival largely caters to a somewhat younger demographic than the former two; particularly with regards to the line-up, which this year includes: The Cribs, Blondie, Chase and Status, Echo and the Bunnymen, Levellers and Young Knives.  The festival also offers dance, comedy and new music stages. For more information on Kendal Calling…you know what to do.

Out of the ‘big five’ headlining acts this year, my favourite would have to be Glastonbury (22nd-26th June 2011): Coldplay, U2 and Beyonce. The brilliance of these choices lies in the fact that there will probably be something for everyone here. The acts are diverse enough to attract wider audiences, yet remain true to what a great headliner should be – an act that commands your attention, whether that be by dividing the audience right down the middle or uniting everyone with one memorable anthem that will go on to sum up the entire weekend.

Taking in to account the line-up in its entirety however, I would have to opt for Latitude Festival as my favourite(14th-17th July 2011). The mix of folk, electronica, comedy, poetry and the spoken word could have been tailored specifically with me in mind. I would pay to see the majority of the acts on the billing, including: The National, Bombay Bicycle Club, Caribou, The Duke and the King, Foals, Hurts, KT Tunstall and Rumer , as well as the fantastic stand-ups on offer including Alan Carr and Omad Djalili . Plus it also takes place on my birthday weekend!

Whichever UK festival you choose to visit this year, I wish you good weather and great memories 🙂

www.festivalawards.com / http://www.vfestival.com/ / http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/ / http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/ / http://www.leedsfestival.com/ / http://www.readingfestival.com/ / http://www.tinthepark.com/ / http://www.greenman.net/ / http://www.bestival.net/ / http://kendalcalling.co.uk/ http://www.rockness.co.uk/

2010 in review – thanks to all of my readers

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,700 times in 2010. That’s about 14 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 72 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 128 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 7mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was June 16th with 347 views. The most popular post that day was Festival Fashion 2010 for the girls.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were forums.latitudefestival.co.uk, vfestival.com, facebook.com, forums.leedsfestival.com, and efestivals.co.uk.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for festival fashion 2010, empire of the sun, alan pownall, lauren pritchard, and festival fashion.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Festival Fashion 2010 for the girls June 2010
6 comments

2

Alan Pownall, ‘True Love Stories’ – album review July 2010

3

Competition in conjunction with Zara Taylor Vintage Inspired Jewellery June 2010
1 comment

4

Sublime, deep southern soul; Lauren Pritchard’s new single ‘Not The Drinking.’ September 2010

5

Conor J. O’Brien (Villagers) – talks about and performs tracks from debut album ‘Becoming A Jackal.’ July 2010
1 comment

Thanks to all of my readers and please keep coming back for more of the same in 2011!

shelleyhanveywriter 🙂

Creamfields 2010 – the countdown begins…

I will be reviewing the 2010 Creamfields Festival at Daresbury Park this weekend for www.efestivals.co.uk. I love Electronic Dance music in all its forms but have never visited the festival before, so I am really excited!

The camping options look brilliant, with mini yurts and geo-domes on offer for those festival-goers who fancy a spot of luxury. The V Festival have obviously followed Creamfield’s lead on this, offering the same for Weston and Hylands Park next year. BBC Radio 1 will be broadcasting live throughout the sold out event, giving listeners a chance to hear tracks performed live from such artists as: headliners David Guetta and Tiesto, Deadmau5, Leftfield, Audio Bullys, Judge Jules, Calvin Harris and Paul Van Dyk.

Creamfields won the Best Dance Festival at the 2009 UK Festival Awards, a title it has won three times in total; adding to the twelve overall since it began in 1998. There are some great facilities too, like the Hed Kandi Hospitality Arena, International Food Market, Strongbow Bowtime Bar, Pimms Bus and Vanity Van for those all-important festival faces and fashions.  The festival has a reputation for surprise appearances and the best atmosphere of any crowd, so I just hope the dry and perhaps sunny weather makes it a lucky three.

If you’re heading to the festival this weekend, you can check out the weather forecast here, but probably best to bring your wellies just incase anyway:

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/dayforecast.asp?zipcode=wa7&day=4

See you there 🙂

www.creamfields.com

Festival Fashion 2010 for the girls

 

As festival season is now officially upon us, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at all the exciting festival fashions. Us girls will of course be aware that sunshine and dry weather can’t be guaranteed, yet we will still dress like we are in an episode of Eldorado, after all; the huge sombreros come in handy to dive under, once the inevitable pelting of rain begins. 

I have looked at my festival staples; wellies, maxi dresses, across-the-body bags, playsuits and jewellery and picked a selection (of just my favourites) categorised by price. But remember…it’s not easy dressing at a 45-degree angle whilst your friend tries to stop the tent flap from exposing you, causing you to then trip over her and muddy the cut-off denims you’ve spent all weekend rubbing with a cheese grater to get that perfect ‘Kate Moss look’; eventually ending up looking more like Aunt Sally, as your freshly bronzed face also hit the ground sheet as you went down. 

First up, wellies. I couldn’t have coped without mine at V last year; it didn’t rain luckily, but they’re just so comfy and it can be a bit of a trek to and from the car parks. They also go with everything if you choose wisely and it can get quite chilly at night-time stood in a field, or running away from burly men with Red Stripe in one hand and illegal highs in the other. 

Budget 

Croc Effect Wellingtons, £12, Wynsors

 Croc Effect Fuchsia Wellington Boots, £12, Wynsors (www.wynsors.com) 

These have a small heel and firm grips on the soles. They can also be adjusted slightly with the buckle at the sides. I love the croc effect on these and the colour is lovely and summery. I got my last pair from Wynsors and they are really well made and great value for money. 

Mid-range 

Dogtooth Wedge Welly, £37, New Look

 Dogtooth Wedge Welly, £37, New Look (www.newlook.com) 

Also available in Candy Girl Pink and Croc Black. These are knee-high which I think is best due to the inevitable mud and slosh. They also have grips on the soles and a mid-height wedge heel, so functional and fashionable! 

Luxury 

Limited Edition Hunter Festival Tall, £139, Hunter

 Limited Edition Festival Tall, £139, www.hunter-boot.com 

Hunter is undoubtedly the celeb welly of choice; so much so, last year they collaborated with Jimmy Choo to produce a £255 crocodile print pair, favoured by models and musos alike. The Limited Edition Festival Tall pair come with all the creature comforts like multi-layered cushioned insoles and a quick dry knitted lining with ‘Festival 2010’ print. They also come in Blue. 

Maxi Dresses 

Budget 

Jess Floral Print Maxi Dress, £22, Boohoo.com

 Jess Floral Print Maxi Dress, £22, www.boohoo.com 

I love this pretty floral print, as I am a big fan of the colours black and red. I think they complement all complexions and hair colours. The dress is 117cm in length and is available in sizes 8 to 14. I love Boohoo website, it certainly rivals ASOS for choice and on price, with most items ranging between £10 and £30. I’ve bought a few pieces from here and never been disappointed. 

Mid Range 

ASOS Denim Maxi Dress, £50, ASOS

 ASOS Denim Maxi Dress, £50, www.asos.com 

This gorgeous dress is a halter neck style with an empire line  and low scoop back. Also available in Petite. 

Luxury 

Antik Batik goya printed maxi dress, £143, Net A Porter

 Antik Batik goya printed maxi dress, £143, www.net-a-porter.com 

I love this dress and the tribal print in general. I went to TK Maxx once and stumbled across an Antik Batik kaftan. I had never heard of the brand and so thought £6.99 was just your average deal at TK Maxx, oh no my fashion friends; this item was probably worth around eight times that brand new and I still wear it beachside to this day! 

Across-The-Body Bags 

Budget 

Festival Across-The-Body Bag, £18, Next

 Festival Across-The-Body Bag, £18, www.next.co.uk 

Hmm, it’s my birthday on 16th July…just putting it out there. 

Mid Range 

Stone Daisy Acrossbody Bag - Tan, £39, Beales

 Stone Daisy Acrossbody Bag – Tan, £39, www.beales.co.uk 

This bag is inspired by the English Countryside and features fine stitching on the daisy flower at the front. Delivery is within three working days and if you spend over £40 on the website, delivery is free (otherwise £5). They do have 12 department stores nationwide, mostly located in the South, with just Bolton, Kendal and Southport for us northerners. 

Luxury 

Patrick Cox 'Montpelier' cross body bag, £125, Debenhams

 Patrick Cox ‘Montpelier’ cross body bag, £125, www.debenhams.com 

This item is 100% leather and I love the detail and print on the outside. This would do you for many a night out as well. 

Playsuits 

Budget 

F&F Printed Playsuit, £20, Tesco

 F&F Printed Playsuit, £20, www.tesco.com (online exclusive) 

I think you can get some great pieces at F&F these days. They model the range on the latest designer pieces, so you can feel like a celeb for less than half the price. Everyone loves a bargain. 

Mid Range 

French Connection Terry Playsuit, £45, ASOS

 French Connection Terry Playsuit, £45, www.asos.com 

This is cute and I love the colour, Melon Pink. This has a bandeau design with halterneck strap and pockets at each side. I imagine this would be a cosy number for those long festival days and nights. I can handle terry towelling, as long as the word Juicy isn’t emblazoned across it. 

Luxury 

Whistles Mini Leo Playsuit, £110, Selfridges

 I love this peach toned silk playsuit, it’s perfect for summer. It has a drawstring waist and gold buttons and would look great with a pair of gladiator sandals. Best get saving… 

Jewellery 

Budget 

Metallic Collar Necklace, £6, Peacocks

 Metallic Collar Necklace, £6, www.peacocks.co.uk 

I thought this was a nice statement piece, now reduced to £6 from £12. Grab it while you can. 

Mid Range 

Retro Vinyl Record Pendant, £16, Zara Taylor

 Retro Vinyl Record Pendant, £16, www.zarataylor.co.uk 

I adore these pieces and have mentioned Zara Taylor before on here. I cannot rave about her enough! This long pendant necklace is perfect for the music lover, is solid brass and measures 35x40mm and is hung on a 27 inch solid brass chain. All Zara’s items come with free delivery and are gift boxed. Again I must say, July 16th people…someone’s having a birthday. 

Luxury 

Made Brass Multi-Chain and Aqua Glass Necklace, £75, John Lewis

Made Brass Multi-Chain and Aqua Glass Necklace, £75, www.johnlewis.com 

From the brand Made By the People For the People. This simple multi-chain brass necklace has swirly glass beads dotted about on 7 link chains. Each piece of jewellery is unique, therefore irregularities will add to its character. All Made By the People For The People products are designed  and then sourced and created within disadvantaged communities across East Africa.

Well, that’s your lot for today. I hope that you found a couple of pieces that you like or some food for thought.

The Countdown to V Festival 2010

It’s been slightly sunny up north today, so I have taken out the bunting, cillit bang’d the bbq and declared the beginning of the great british summer! Ok…maybe not, but I have started the countdown to my 2010 festival frolics and I just hope that my favourite artists aren’t scheduled to perform at the same time. This would cause me much stress and much gadding about; I don’t like to gad, I like to just kick back with a beverage, chat to some like-minded music-loving lads and lasses and mentally prepare for my inevitable bumping in to such rock gods as Fray, Lightbody and R-Patz…it could happen!

My top three must-sees are Ellie Goulding, The Courteeners and Florence and the Machine, but also featuring highly on the list: The Temper Trap, Stereophonics, The Magic Numbers, Goldfrapp and Passion Pit. So I make a plea to the organisers of V; if you could keep the following acts separate, yet on nearby stages to prevent said gadding, that would be just swell…

The Temper Trap review, Manchester

Here is a link to my Temper Trap review, from their Manchester show on Sunday 9th May 2010:

http://www.egigs.co.uk/index.php?a=13494

Yes it is official; I now have quite the crush on front man Dougie Mandagi.

The Temper Trap

The summer of 2009 was a great time for music and film; two of my particular favourite occurences being the arrival of and subsequent hysteria surrounding The Temper Trap and also the UK release of ‘500 Days of Summer.’ It just so happened that these two exciting events were not un-related, with The Temper Trap’s debut single ‘Sweet Disposition’ playing a pivotal and recurring role in the indie anti-romcom spectacular. If you haven’t seen the film I strongly urge you to, especially if, like me, you’re a fan of anything slightly off the wall, dark-humoured and ironic which features Zooey Deschanel and a whole raft of silly song and dance spectacles. 

Why can't elaborate, impromptu song and dance routines happen in real life?

But back to Australia’s finest export since Castlemaine XXXX and Alf  ‘stone the flamin’ crows!’ Stewart. The Temper Trap have gone from strength to strength since their debut single, which still sounds as fresh today as it continues to dominate the air waves. Their talent for atmospheric sounds and sun-drenched heart thumping rhythms was further proved when they released their debut album ‘Conditions’ in the summer of 2009, which has since reached platinum status. 

I caught the band live on a supporting slot for Florence and the Machine in December 2009 and they were amazing. The crowd had clearly come to see them as much as the headliner, in fact I would say that the reception and appreciation for these guys was louder and more constant, therefore definitely rivalling that of the main act. 

‘Sweet Disposition’ has been used on several tv advertisements, including that of the V Festival in 2009; perhaps inevitable then that the band would appear on the line-up this year, as so many people already associate the song with the Chelmsford/Weston fun-time fiesta. A slew of supporting slots and a selection of headlining shows followed, culminating in a headlining tour of the UK taking place at the moment. If you get the chance to see this band live I would certainly recommend you taking it up; you will be guaranteed a night of electric moments, effervescent melodies and a feel good ending which will leave you on a high for days to come.

http://www.myspace.com/thetempertrap