I don't often write about new, promising bands anymore, but I really felt like I had to share this one.

Yesterday night I went out to see The Office, an Utrecht-based britpop/indierock band, play at Xinix Nieuwendijk.

Although they were Jett Rebel's (one of the latest 3FM pop sensations, you should check them out, they're really rad, especially live) support act, they are the main subject of this review, simply because I was so amazed by everyone's skills and the energy the band had.

Last night was the band's first performance together (and even the singer's first ever gig!), and that turned out pretty rad!

They played for about forty minutes, had quite a nice setlist, and made a good choice to end with their first single "I Can't Dance".

The band really managed to get the audience to listen and enjoy their music, what's not an easy thing to do, especially when it's your first gig together.

Although they were quite nervous before the concert (according to the somewhat awkward silences backstage, haha), they really didn't show that whilst performing.

Of course there were some songs that made less impact on the audience than others did, but there was certainly a good ethos, and you could see everyone was enjoying it, the band included.

The bassist asked me to be very critical in this review, which is quite difficult for me now because I enjoyed it such a lot, but I have to admit there were a few small flaws (small mistakes in the rhythm section, a few wrong notes...), but that's natural.

What I really like about the band is that they have their own soud; I can't really compare it to other bands, and if I'd do so, I'd say it's something like early Arctic Monkeys b-sides/Definitely Maybe-Oasis era/early Kings Of Leon (like Molly's Chambers).... Well, let's just say I cannot really describe it.

I'm really looking forward to seeing/hearing them again, but according to the fact they're really ambitious, I definitely will.

I'll give them an 8/10; good job guys!

You can listen/download their first single here:

http://theofficeband.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/theofficeband/i-cant-dance

and on iTunes and Spotify, soon to be available on Amazon, Google Play and Xbox Music.

See them live on March 20th 2014, in MEZZ Breda. Entrance free.

(Oh, and thanks for the great evening. And Jett, your shoes were awesome too, don't worry.)

That means...

Live reviews!

I'll probably go to Best Kept Secret again as well, but I'll first have to see whether there will be other top-notch acts besides Franz Ferdinand, Babyshambles, Pixies, Wytches, and more.

But, going to Werchter on Friday means I'm going to see the Arctics again! I really cannot wait.

Other acts to perform that day are not really that great in my opinion, although; the Strypes aren't that bad at all.

It's quite a shame Robert Plant and Miles Kane will perform on Thursday (let's hope Miles will join the Arctics on stage Friday for a brief Last Shadow Puppets reunion!), and Saturday there will be the Black Keys, Pixies, Triggerfinger, Pearl Jam and Biffy Clyro, which I'll have to miss. 

But; it's definitely going to be great, and I'm really looking forward to it!

At last! 

I bought the album exactly on September 6th, planning to write a review on that very evening, but I had such a lot of stuff to do, and I completely forgot about it..!

But now, it's finally time to tell you something more about the greatest album and band of 2013, in my opinion!

I had seen the Arctics at BKS last year, and they literally blew me away (or "knocked me socks off" in a thick Sheffield accent).
I had been looking forward to buying the album ever since I saw them perform, so when I found out the album would come out on September 6th, I was really excited. Would it sound as great as it did when I saw them performing live?
So, on September 6th, I rushed to the nearest record store to get this little piece of perfection, and found out the record was just as stunning as their live performance.

Sweet Lord. What a record.

Where do I have to start?
The album art is really simple, yet really good; it's a very striking design, and really recognizeable. The band's looks really match the dark and almost sexy sound of the record, like Alex' quiff, perfectly combed backwards, just as swift and smooth as their music can get.

Everything on the record is just complete; it really doesn't miss a single thing. It's rough (with its great guitar riffs and luscious basslines), poetic (just listen to those lyrics; purely magnificent), sexy (well, find it out yourself; you can't deny it. Basslines, Matt's backing vocals..), but also quiet (on "Mad Sounds" and "Number One Party Anthem").

I know it's really dangerous to change your music style, but there's something the Arctics always keep in their music; their very own style. They can change the genres on every album, but still sound like the one and only Arctic Monkeys.
There are a few songs that could have been on Suck it and See, or on Humbug, but the record really is something unique, and a massive success.

It's really striking how they managed to capture the ethos of one of those dark Sheffield nightclubs, or a good concert late at night, like they did on the first few tracks.
But who doesn't know this is some real good stuff right when that spot-on ''Do I Wanna Know?'' riff bursts in?

So the first five tracks (Do I Wanna Know?, R U Mine?, One for the Road (oh the bassline), Arabella (probably, as vaguely admitted by Alex, about his current girlfriend Arielle Vandenberg) and I Want It All) make you want to wear leather jackets and go out to concerts. You end up feeling extremely tired, right when the next tracks start; Number One Party Anthem and Mad Sounds.
Alex, you're completely right; those Mad Sounds "make you feel alright", indeed. Great tracks, that can definitely cheer you up.

But that's enough sweetness on the album, the Arctics thought. Those listeners shouldn't fall asleep before the album ends!
So, what they did, they got another chunk of smooth guitars, drums, bass and vocals, and made some other songs to wake you up again: Fireside (with its melancholic lyrics and beautiful instrumental parts, it is believed that the song's actually about Alex' former girlfriend and model Alexa Chung), Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? (just sheer perfection), Snap Out Of It (the song kinda reminds me of Amy Winehouse, especially the vocals on the second verse. Great song, but watch out; it'll get stuck in your head for days! Oh, and it might make you want to dance.), and Knee Socks (perfect catchy riff, great vocals by Josh Homme near the end of the song).

And then, unfortuntately, the last song on the album; I Wanna Be Yours, the dreamy lyrics by punk rock poet John Cooper Clarke, and a perfect song made out of them by the Arctics. Pure melancholy, the perfect way of ending such one hell of an album.

Now it's silent again, and I don't even hesitate to put the album on again, just like I've been doing ever since I bought it in September. Wow.
The album really never gets boring, and you know, if a band can do that, they have really made it.

That's why I don't doubt; I give this album a good 10/10, because I think this is a real classic. Not just for the band's discography, but one we'll still listen to with joy in the future.

Yes. That was a hell of an album...

Burn Out The Bruise - The Wytches

Everybody Out There - Paul McCartney

A few weeks ago I went to Appelpop to see Balthazar, Kensington and Soul Sister Dance Revolution. Unfortunately, I had to leave early that night, so I couldn't see Madness' performance.
Appelpop is a free festival which mainly hosts Dutch and Belgian artists, but they're trying to get more international acts to perform on the festival.
I went to Tiel by train (from Arnhem), which is the easiest way of transport. The trains were quite full though on the way to the festival site, partly because lots of people went there by train because the weather wasn't that good, partly because quite a lot of people went to Tiel for the "Fruitcorso".
Once we arrived in Tiel, we had to walk through the city to get to the festival site, because there were no buses due to the Fruitcorso.

We, my cousin and some friends of her, and I, bought ourselves some food at the kiosk outside the site, because they had told me that the food was quite expensive on the festival site.
Once we entered, we immediately went to the Main Stage, to watch Kensington's performance.
Kensington won the 3FM awards last year, an important Dutch music award.
I really loved their performance, and the audience was quite excited. They also played a cover of Ben Howard's "Keep Your Head Up", which I really liked.
Right after Kensington's performance, we went to see Balthazar for the second time this year (I had already seen them at Best Kept Secret last summer), and again, I was stunned by their great performance.
Although it rained, quite a lot of people gathered in front of the Brunotti Stage, to see Balthazar, one of the best Belgian rock/alternative acts at the moment.
They played songs from "Applause" and "Rats", the same set as they had played at Best Kept Secret.
Balthazar played for about fifty minutes.

By the time the performance ended, the weather had gotten a lot better, and we decided to eat some fries (some of us had some coins left, and it would take quite a long time to change them for money, so we decided to buy something of the remaining coins).
The last performance we watched was Soul Sister Dance Revolution's. The performance wasn't bad at all, but it was not as good as I had expected it to be.
After their performance we decided to leave. Unfortunately we missed Birth Of Joy's, John Coffey's, and Madness' performance, and the first train home...
My cousin and I decided to take the next train back home, which would arrive fifty minutes later. But, the journey had been worth waiting for; we got on a completely empty train home!

I really liked Appelpop, and I'll certainly go there again next year!

Here are some songs that had been played on the festival:

We Are the Young - Kensington

Hold the Line - Soul Sister Dance Revolution 

(such an amazing track)

Balthazar - The Boatman

Madness - Night Boat to Cairo

John Coffey - Dirt and Stones

                                       

Yes, we rediscovered it; that good old 60's/ 70's music! So why not post a few of the best new psychedelia/prog/shoegaze/garage songs?

Mind Mischief - Tame Impala (not that new, but still one of my favourite songs. Great riff)

Temples - Colours To Life (I've already posted some of their stuff, but they keep amazing me! (seen live at BKS festival))

Splashh - All I Want To Do (also seen live at BKS festival last summer))

Jagwar Ma - The Throw (not really 60's/70's-like, but still a nice and quite experimental tune, so keep an eye on these guys!)

Allah-Las - Busman's Holiday (also seen live at BKS (god how I miss that festival...!))

Peace - Follow Baby (a bit grunge-y, but really nice)

"The Weight". That's what the dark and heavy first track of the new Editors album is called like.

The Editors? That has been a long time since we last heard of them!

But why haven't we heard anything from those British indie rockers for such a long time? Their last album, "In the Light and On this Evening", came out in 2009. Have they seriously been working on their new album for almost four years?

No, of course they haven't. After quite a lot of tours and great plans for a new album in 2011, the guitarist Chris Urbanowicz announced he wanted to leave the band. The new album would be more of a electronic album, and that was something the guitarist obviously didn't really like.

Would they split up? No, splitting up is a verb you won't be able to find in the singer Tom Smith's dictionary.

Just like the album said; An End Has a Start. It was the end for the guitarist, but a fresh start for the rest of the band, and two new members;  Justin Lockey and Elliot Willams.

After lots and lots of work, the band finished the new album on April 8 2013. The album would be remastered, and would soon be ready for sale.

And now, July 2013, The Editors' new album is like a dream coming true. Isn't it?

But, back to the first track "The Weight".

Quite a lot different from "The Weight" by The Band; they were probably thinking about something feather lite. But The Editors seem to have written a song about the weight of five pick-up trucks!

Nice drums, melancholic guitars on the background. And then; Tom Smith's voice, deep and  full of emotion.

Just like we expect from The Editors; deep, dark an mysterious songs. I can't wait to hear more from the album.

The next track, "Sugar", starts really nicely. Good riff on the background, really exciting. On this track I can hear very clearly that they've got a new guitarist. Their sound has changed a lot since the old guitarist left the band. The sound of the guitars is not as clear and sharp as it used to be. Now the sound's a lot heavier and darker, and really reminds me of that American indie from the nineties.

Very surprising is the track "A Tone of Love"; there are lots of instrumental details and variations on the song, which I really like. Hey, can I hear some American influences again? Yes, the track sounds a bit R.E.M.-like to me. 

The track builds up well, and is very original, both on the instrumental as the lyrical aspect. A real power-song, a perfect one to start your day with!

But after all that energy, we really ought to have a rest. That's entirely possible by hearing the tracks "Honesty", "Nothing", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". Beautiful violins and a soft and calm drumbeat on the background. Perfect.

But, we're rudely woken up by the next track "Formaldehyde". Again, a delicious (haha) bass-riff. Very innovative, totally not close to the old Editors sound.

"Hyena" though, reminds me of their earlier songs. The tracks gives you the same feeling as "The Racing Rats", but this one's a bit calmer, and doesn't have a climax, which I really miss. Without that climax, the song gets a bit boring.

"Two Hearted Spider" was written when the old guitarist was still in the band, and you can hear that very clearly, if you compare the track to the songs on their earlier albums. I really love the track.

You've got a nice climax in this song, which makes the song an even bigger success. I think this will be a real festival hit, because it's such an emotional and powerful song.

We can have a  rest again with the next track, which is called "The Phone Book". 

The album ends with a track called "Bird Of Prey", the ideal end of the album, in my opinion. The song's quiet, but also very strong and powerful.

The album is a success, we all know it. But does it still sound like The Editors, after the guitarist left the band? That's something I'm not sure about. The songs are less original, too. 

But that doesn't mean that the album isn't good. To me, this album represents the resurrection of The Editors.

Keep an eye on them, those Editors.

Rating: 7/10

It's been a while since I last wrote something about Half Moon Run, one of Mumford and Sons' support acts.
I saw them live in the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, and was blown away by the new Canadian band. They have a very original sound, and are, fi-nal-ly discovered by the music magazines!
I was quite surprised when I bought the NME a few weeks ago, that they had not reviewed the album (Dark Eyes) yet. The album was released in Canada in March 2012, and was released in Europe last month, almost a year and a half later!
My cousin had already bought the album at the merchandise stand after the Mumford and Sons concert, so we had already listened to the album, like, a hundred times before they got recognized by magazines like NME, Q and Rolling Stone, haha!
I don't know whether I'll have enough time, but I'll probably write a review of Dark Eyes.
I've got lots of new albums to write reviews of, so keep updated!

Leave your comment below, so I can see what kind of reviews and articles YOU like to read!

Yes, there he is, the next piano man: Tom Odell, posing in one of the beautiful streets of London, proudly captured on the cover of his debut album.
But should he be so proud of his achievements? Or could he better run that long way down for the disappointed critics?

When I bought the CD, I had already listened to the songs "Hold Me", "Another Love" and "Can't Pretend", and when I listened to the rest of the album's tracks, I got a bit sad.
Is this album worth fifteen pounds? Not really.
Is the album worth a trip to the nearest city, twenty kilometers away? No, actually. (Well, I did in fact discover one of the best music stores I've been to, actually; Sounds Tilburg, you should definitely check 'em out!)
"Another Love" was a great success, but only in the beginning; the Dutch radio stations almost spammed the innocent listeners with the song, and after a while it got boring and annoying.
"Can't Pretend" is a good one, if you ask me. Nothing wrong with the track, nice vocals. Might be a little bit too "gospel", but it's not that annoying. But is this a song you can listen to every day and doesn't get boring? No, again.
"Hold Me" also sounded good, but got boring after listening to it a few times. If you'd only show me the lyrics, I would burst into tears; how cliché do you want the lyrics to be?
("And it's getting late now, and we're a long way from our homes..." "When you hold me, hold me in your arms, oh when you hold me, yeah I can feel your heart..")
Are those songs supposed to be the main tracks on the album?
Sorry, Tom, but I hope you've got something more special.
Because the album lacks that "wow-factor". And that's exactly what makes an album original, special and good.
But then you've got "Grow Old With Me"; listen to Coldplay's U.F.O. for a few seconds. Exactly the same chord scheme, same melody, even the same speed! Luckily he's good at copying other artists' songs... I've honestly never heard such a perfect form of plagiarism before! Good job. Ahem.
"I Know"  is a weedy ballad, nothing special at all. Sounds a bit like a Keane song.
"Supposed to Be" is a poor Coldplay imitation, again.
"Long Way Down"; how many times has he used the word "rooftops" in his songs?! Striking.
But how does he do that, making almost every song on his album sound like a vague imitation of Coldplay songs?
"Sirens" is just disappointing, I can't say much about this song. It's not original, boring and much too sweet...
"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" is probably meant to be called "I Think It's Going to Rain Criticism Today".
But there's not much wrong with the track. I like the ending of the song, although it totally isn't original. But it could be a nice soundtrack for a movie.
And then; Tom Odell's Mumford and Sons attempt... Attempt.
He simply hasn't got the right voice for heavy folk, and the backing vocals make the song even weaker.
"Heal" is, I think, the only strong and good song on the album. This is the first song that really shows that Tom can in fact write songs himself...
"Till I Lost"; which Coldplay song is that again? "A Message", maybe?

And then those two extremely unnecessary demos nobody will really listen to, because they're not very different from the finished songs on the album.

I think we can all make a good conclusion;
If this would be the height of his career, he is already descending that ''long way down''.

Rating: 6/10

Fifteen Floors by Balthazar (I saw them live; they're really good!)

Britpop a la 2013; Taking Over by Miles Kane

Do I Wanna Know by the Arctic Monkeys (my favourite song by the Arctics, 

a great live success; an instant festival hit, if you ask me)

Hey guys!

Because of the holidays, I decided to make a few drawings again!

This time I have drawn my greatest idols; Jimmy Page and Brian May.

Jimmy Page

Brian May

And now it's time for some of my photographs!
Unfortunately, the photos I took during the Arctic Monkeys' performance are too blurry, so you actually can't see a thing on them...
But I do have some other ones right here: 

Palma Violets dancing around in front
of the stage

Jacco Gardner on stage THREE

Palma Violets dancing around with a flag

Palma Violets' keyboard player posing for
my photograph (unfortunately you can't really
see him wink on this one) 

before Alt-J's performance at stage TWO

The Maccabees' performance on stage ONE

Sigur Ros on stage ONE

Sigur Ros on stage ONE

Allah-Las' performance on stage ONE

Alt-J performing on stage TWO

Sigur Ros' thrilling performance on stage ONE

And here's the review of the last day of Best Kept Secret Festival!

I decided to go to the festival around 2 P.M., because I really wanted to see Temples and Everything Everything perform, but unfortunately, we weren't allowed to enter without an adult this time, and we had to go home... (On the second day, we were allowed to enter without an adult looking after us, but we had to report ourselves every two hours. We thought the organization would allow us on the terrain one more time, but unfortunately they didn't.)
We waited for a few hours, and arranged something with a friend and his lovely parents.
We could finally enter!

We hurried to stage ONE, to see the Palma Violets, and again, we were in the front row!
I really liked the performance, but I was quite sad, because I wasn't able to make good photographs; the band was, like, running around the whole time, and my camera wasn't that quick...
But in the end, two of the band members came up to the front row, and went crowd surfing! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch one of them, nor the drumsticks and the pick.
I started taking photographs again, and suddenly, one of the members sat right in front of me, looked into the lens, and winked!
And it gets better; I got that right on my photograph!
I just felt like a Beatle-fangirl; screaming and jumping and being all happy and excited, haha!

After the gig, I went to the music store to buy myself some records. I got the Arctic Monkeys' Humbug, and Kurt Vile's Smoke Ring For My Halo (I'm going to write new reviews about these albums soon!).
And Kurt Vile was exactly the person I´d see next....

...and (how surprising) I was in the front row again!
I had already listened to a few tracks of his new album, and I really liked them. But to see Kurt Vile and the Violators live, was an even bigger thrill.
I especially liked the quiet and dreamy songs, like Runner Ups.
(And of course I also really loved his hair, but yeah, who doesn't?)

I was just so amazed by these performances I almost forgot to eat.
Because I don't really like spending a lot of money, I chose french fries again.
After having walked around for an hour or something, we went to stage ONE again.
The field (it had rained quite a lot, so you could almost call it a swamp) was getting crowded, because Sigur Ros would be performing there within 30 minutes.

I had never really listened to Sigur Ros before, because I thought their music was quite boring.
But the performance really changed my mind!
Honestly, I was almost as thrilled as I was at the Coldplay concert earlier this year.
They had an amazing light show, and I think their music's really original; listening to it made me really happy, but also a bit sad because the festival had come to an end.
I really loved the songs "Hoppípolla", "Isjaki" and "Kveikur".
I really don't think it's a shame they sung Icelandic; I really like the fact that you can't get distracted by the lyrics, so that you have to come up with a personal meaning and feeling yourself.
But what an end; this was just the perfect last act.

Time to say goodbye...


I'd really love to thank some people for these great days;

At first I'd like to thank my parents for paying the tickets, and driving me and my friends to the festival.
I'd like to thank Karin, Jan and my grandfather for driving me there, too.
But I also want to say thanks to my friend Seppe and his lovely parents, for helping us enter on Saturday and Sunday!
And of course I'd like to thank my great friends Vera, Seppe, Linde and my cousin Niki for the fun and the great weekend!

(My photographs will be uploaded tomorrow)

Mozes and the Firstborn performing on stage TWO

Although the weather isn't that great now in the Netherlands (it's been raining since yesterday evening...), the second day of BKS has been a great success for me.
But we did have some problems getting onto the festival terrain, because we didn't have an adult with us... So we had to go to one of the security members every two hours.
It may sound stupid, but it was quite nice, because you didn't get those moments when you don't really know what to do between the performances; we simply had to look for security staff, and report ourselves in the spare time, haha.
Well, luckily we were allowed to go onto the terrain! After the struggles we had at the entrance, we went to buy ourselves some drinks, and met another good friend of mine, with whom we would be the rest of the evening.
I also heard some fragments of Mozes and the Firstborn's (they are a band from the city I was born in, haha!) performance, and because I really like grunge, I was very delighted.
I had never actually listened to them, but I have to admit they're really good.
The first gig we went to was Balthazar, a Belgian indie band I really like. They've got a very mysterious and original sound. I can really recommend their music!
The second gig we went to was Jacco Gardner (actually, a band named "Ice Age" would perform, but they couldn't come).
I really like Jacco Gardner's psychedelic music, but we were at the front row, right next to the speakers, and it was so loud I actually couldn't really hear it. (Yes, that might sound weird, but if music's to loud, you can't actually tell the songs apart. Everything sounds, like, the same for me when it's too loud.)
I listened, like, four or five songs, and headed for the Allah-Las, another band I really like.
Although it was raining, the sunny Californian rock and roll made it less worse.
I especially liked the songs "Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)" and "Busman's Holiday".
After the gig, we went to buy ourselves some food.
I got a pizza for 3,5 coins (which I thought was quite expensive), which tasted very good, so the money was well spent, eventually.

Allah-Las performing on stage ONE

We waited for half an hour until Two Door Cinema Club started playing. My cousin and her friend decided they really wanted to be in the front row, and my friends and I waited for another 15 minutes.
(I only heard one or two Two Door Cinema Club songs, so I can't really tell you anything about the performance. My cousin and her friend were just so delighted by the performance, they called it heaven on earth, so it must have been quite good, haha!)
My friends and I went to see Alt-J, and surprisingly, we were in one of the front rows.

We totally didn't have any space at all, and felt like battery hens, but I really enjoyed the performance.
The music was extremely loud again, but this time it wasn't that annoying, because I think the strong rhythm section in Alt-J's music is very important.
After the gig, we had to report ourselves again, and went home, still singing and dancing.
It's really been a great day!

And now I'm preparing myself again for today, the last day of Best Kept Secret Festival.
Today I'm going to see Temples, Local Natives, Sigur Ros, Everything Everything, Palma Violets, Kurt Vile and the Violators, and Portishead.
I'm really looking forward to it!

But first I've got to get my raincoat...