I've been an avid fan of the Twilight franchise since Twilight first came about onto the screens. The basic storyline is about a small town girl named Bella who falls in love with a vampire- Edward.Bella is so unconditionally in love with him she constantly wants to become a vampire like him to spend an eternity together. The whole saga shows the depth of their relationship and other supernatural creatures that try to obstruct their union.
I suppose I am not a 'traditional' fan as I had not heard of Twilight or read the books before the films were screened. However I bought the books that year and started to read them. I read Breaking Dawn in the Summer holidays before it came to screens.
Breaking Dawn is shown in two parts as so many events occur throughout. This year's part one starts with the ultimatum Edward set for Bella. She has to marry him for him to then be the one to turn her into a vampire. The mise en scene of the wedding is beautiful and very detailed. However the acting of Kristen Stewart (whom plays Bella) does not convince me that she is either nervous or in love with Edward. Another criticism can be made for the kiss at the end of the ceremony as it is over emphasised and too lengthly.
Towards the end of the movie, the music used for one of the last scenes (I wont want to spoil it) is over exaggerated and verging on cheesy for the situation. I presume they wanted to give it a liberational vibe but the orchestral score out ways the dialogue from Edward ,whom is talking about something critical to the narrative. The music used for the hidden scene after the credits also does not coincide with the characters. the Volturi are the 'government' of the vampires whom are meant to be serious but the music is by Bruno Mars (whom sings jolly, uplifting, happy songs).
Apart from these minor criticisms, there were some good attributes to the new Twilight film. The settings for the honeymoon were as I imagined them when reading. It embellished on the cultural atmosphere of South America and Brazil. On location was a good decision from the new director. The props and special effects used made the vital scenes very realistic. Especially when Bella tries blood for the first time. It made the whole audience cringe and shout 'eeeww' in unison.
I suppose reading the book before you have high expectations of how the film is going to be adapted. There is always going to be criticisms as it is not your own interpretation, how you imagined it would be like.
(Time spent watching: 2hours, Write up:1 and 1/2 hours)
2. Gig for a quid- Mr Kyps (14/12/11)
There were three bands schedualed to play the evening's gig; Mountain Fleet, Flipron and Roadkill Barbeque.
First to hit the stage was Mountain Fleet whom I define as being a mix between country, blues and rock. Their sound was quite similar to that of Kid Rock or Lynryd Skynyrd. Half of the band members looked like they were from Kings of Leon however the other two members (the bassist and drummer) looked like they were from East 17. The thing that annoyed me was that they did not introduce their bands name at the start, they went straight into songs and didn't really interact with the audience. Also, the bassist did not look interested or passionate about the music they were playing although his casual temperment made playing the bass look easy. Only a couple of songs appealed to me which were the more heavier, rocky songs rather than the country.
The ones who stole the show last night however, was Flipron. Their genre was theatrical rock/indie. I would define them as a collision of sounds from The Rocky Horror Picture show meets The Cure meets Muse. When setting up in the interval, I was curious about all the different types of instruments being placed on stage. There was a funky guitar which the body was shaped similar to a old fashioned radio and looked like something from the 80s, there was an mechanical electric acoustic? (thats how I would describe it) other guitars and an accordian. From the moment they began to play we were blown away. At the start they sounded like Franz Ferdinand but as their set went on we saw their unique style. The frontman was a real showman, he was very theatrical and eccentric. Comparing with Mountain Fleet, he was constantly talking to the audience in the breaks between songs. He was just so appealing, interesting and wonderful to watch. It felt like we weren't just their to hear new bands, listen to their great music, we were there to be entertained like in a theatre. Referring back to the variety of instruments, he used these at different times in the set for specific songs but majority was played by the electric acoustic. This shows not only is he a perfect showman but is multitalented and proffessional. The songs that stood out for me was Gravity Calling and The Coolest Names in Showbiz. When the guys were packing away their instruments at the end of their set, I asked for their set list and the frontman kindly gave it to me, he was so down to earth even though he has such a dramatic persona when performing, he can easily show both sides which not many people can.
As for Roadkill Barbeque... well in the interval when they were setting up, a tall guy came on looking like Indiana Jones (with the hat and everything) placed a music stand with a dead ferret and a mega phone hanging from it. We snuck out as not only were we scared of the next performance but we knew they wouldn't be any better than Flipron were. Plus it was getting late and I had school the next day so we scarpered slyly...
All in all, we had a great night out, I broadened my genre taste as Flipron made such an impression on me. I did take a few photographs of the evening but I accidently deleted them whilst trying to upload them. :( But the memory won't be forgotton!
Heres Fliprons official webpage instead: http://www.flipron.co.uk/news/
(time spent: 2hr 1/2 watching. 30 mins write up)
3. Skinny Skulls- Mr Kyps (21/12/11)
I have seen Skinny Skulls before when they supported a Green Day tribute band called Green Bay at Kyps in June 2010. However I went to the matinee show therefore tonight's songs and their language would be more explicit to appeal to the 'adult' audience.
We were allowed in when Skinny Skulls were doing their sound checks but from the outside of the venue we thought we were late and that they had officially started. But I suppose that gave the casual, down-to-earth vibe that they present. -They are not embarressed about their fans/ the audience listening to them practice.
Inside the venue they had added a platform to the floor so that their 'stage' was closer towards the audience and at our level. Therefore establishing a more intimate gig and that down-to-earth persona they have.
Their support band came on shortly after Skinny Skulls had finished their sound check (about 20 mins into it.) They didn't introduce themselves so I don't know the band's name but I would define their genre as being geeky indie. Quite similar to Kings of Leon or The Killers. All I knew was that the support band was the bassist from Skinny Skulls' side project. They lacked a drummer so they used a backing track on a computer. From seeing this you don't realise how much having a performing drummer does complete the sound. We as audiences take it for granted. By not having a drummer I felt it took the atmosphere away. The support band did covers as well as their own songs and everyone in the audience was singing and bopping along to their rendition of The Killers' Mr Brightside. You could tell that they had not been going for a long time as it felt like a casual jamming session although this could be the vibe they were going for as it was such a personal, intimate gig.
Preceeding this, the Skinny Skulls entered using the normal stage to begin with. They looked like they were about to do a play or something as they were all dressed up in their 'pirate' attire and there was a table with props etc. However they entered miming and didn't use that stage or the props throughout the rest of the set which was a shame. I would have liked to see more theatrical enfused gig showing their acting abilities too and making their songs flow through a storyline. 
I would define their genre as being 'pirate enfused heavy indie rock'. Most of the songs they played sounded very similar although I could distinguish between the ones that a recognised from their EP. Also there were a few songs with catchy hooks and riffs that we bopped along to.
Tonight was special for Skinny Skulls as it was their last night with their drummer who was going back to his homeland in Austrailia. It was also their bassists' birthday and in the middle of their set everyone sang happy birthday to him and Kyps gave him a tankard. In adddition, in the middle of their set the bassist performed an solo acoustic session. The only problem being was that the volumn was too quiet and we couldn't hear him. But from what we could just about hear was that he had a great singing voice but when he started sort of talk/singing it was questionable. Whilst the bassist was performing, the lead singer from Skinny Skulls was in the audience watching and grabbing a beer. Therefore a hierarchy did not exist between the band and us, the audience.
(Time spent: watching: 3hr 15. Write up and pictures: 1hr 15)
4. All Time Low at Yeovil Westlands (01/02/12)
The first supporting band was We are the In Crowd who are from New York. They are a pop punk band however I believe they veer towards the more poppy spectrum. We are the In Crowd are very similar to Paramore however Tay, the frontwoman, hates being compared to Haley Williams. Tay is a great frontwoman and stands up for girl power in the 'rock' world. She was in control of the whole audience and managed to get everyone up on their feet dancing and jumping. The whole band created an uplifting happy vibe to warm up to and interacted fully with us. Tay even pulled one of her friends from out of the crowd and got her to sing with her as it was her birthday. As well as her friend, Alex Gaskarth (the frontman from All Time Low) walked on stage. We saw him in the wing but thought he was only spectating but when he walked forward everyone started screaming, everyone's phones came out and the whole room lurched forward. He sang a song with Tay and all the band members were grinning at Alex. Throughout We are the In Crowd's set, all the band members had conversations and banter within the group which made us, the audience, feel more involved and exclusive to be part of it. I only recognised one song they played although, they were a great band to dance and bop along to.
After a 30 minute interval, we were anxiously waiting for All Time Low to appear. The lights dimmed, everyone, as expected screamed again. All we could hear on the speakers was Foo Fighters' wasting light which was on in the interval, would they really enter with this? We wondered. Then it was cut to a ticking noise. I said awh it's Time Bomb... then a guy nearby said the exact same thing. After what seemed like a long time of tick-tocks, the lights shone again in vivid colours like pinks and yellows and the band had appeared. The colours of the lights explictly connotes their pop punk, happy nature. The crowd lurched forward again, phones brightening up the hall,us all jumping like mad. We sang so much we could hardly hear ourselves. Another highlight of their set was when they played Dammed if I Do Ya which was one of the many times a mosh pit formed, I didn't know whom to look at the band or be intrigued about the action happening in the pit. My boyfriend Callum and my friend's boyfriend jumped in it and pushed each other around. Me and Danni stood there laughing at their attempts but continued bouncing like mad to the beat of the song. As well as the action in the pit, there was constant action onstage as Jack, the lead guitarist, was going mental. He was jumping all over the stage and even ontop of platforms! He was a great entertainer, performer as well as talented guitarist. From the most hyper song to the slowest; further on in the set, the room was darkened and only one spot light emitted onto Alex who serenaded the words to Remembering Sunday. At certain points he got us to sing whole verses which sounded fantastic, not being vain, but the atmosphere it created; us as a whole community sends shivvers down your spine. Let alone what it must be like for Alex to hear his own lyrics being sung back at him. But he also did say we should sing it because his throat hurt which we thought was an excuse but in their next gig at Southampton they cut the set by two songs because of his sore throat. The next song they played was Lost in Stereo. However, Alex didn't have that conviction when singing it. His voice and face emphasised his boredom and did not seem into it. Maybe it was because he was bored of playing that song constantly or maybe bored of us? Who knows. He definately seemed that he didn't want to be there. Although, towards the end of their set, they walked off stage for about a minute, we all chanted 'All Time Low' and they came on for the encore which made everyone go mental! All the band members and ourselves (just hanging in there; dying of exhaustion!) went mad and bounced around and formed mosh pits again.
(Time spent: Watching: 4hrs, Write up: 2hrs)
5. Colt 45 at The Sloop (04/02/12)
I got invited by a friend to go to a free local gig. All I got told was that they played covers of songs I might like. Once we entered the pub, the band started to play. We heard guitar riffs but we couldn't really distinguish what song they started with. The band looked as if they were trapped in the corner where the platform was. The pub setting was narrow and followed the circular bar. The rooms either side of the semi circle were spacious though. We stood round by the snooker table for the songs we weren't familiar with and tried to talk to each other. For the songs we knew of we went infront of the platform seeing the band at a close up range. The band had wild,crazy hair; two quite curly and the frontman with back combed straight hair. The drummer was on the opposite end of the spectrum; his was partially shaven with a short mohecain. They all wore tight band t shirts and skinny ripped jeans. It depicted their genre as being hard rock.For the first part of their performance, they played a range of indie, pop punk and rock songs. The more poppier songs did not conform to their image. They played Guns and Roses' Sweet Child of Mine which we sang and bopped along to. Everyone was singing along to it, including every age and gender. Our age range was most energetic but the middle aged men were sat down but singing to their hearts content. We were curious about how the guitarist would muster Slash's legendary guitar solo but he did it faultlessly.
Following the interval, they played more older songs from Led Zepplin to AC/DC. Which we did not know as much. After a few songs, the drummer did a solo which lasted forever but it probably was 10 minutes. It was probably whilst one of the band members got a drink or went to the toilet. They could have done that in the interval. The drummer did the same rhythm and beats but toned down when we thought he would finally stop then he carried on again. We found it amusing the first time leading us into false pretences but the third and the last time it became frustrating and we wanted to hear an actual song. However I give him credit for his talent in doing such a lenghly solo.
Over all, this gig was the most interactive and action packed gig. This might be due to the fact it was very intimate. We all enjoyed ourselves bouncing around to our favourite songs that they covered.
(Watching: 3 hours, Write up: 1hour and 1/2)
6. Pinocchio- The Lighthouse 15/02/12
7. The Woman in Black- Empire Cinemas 25/02/12
8. Four Fighters- Mr Kyps 05/03/12
9. The Hunger Games- Empire Cinemas 10/04/12
10. Green Bay and Skinny Skulls- Mr Kyps 24/04/12
11. The Great Pretender (Queen Tribute)- Mr Kyps 05/06/12
12. Avengers Assemble - The Lighthouse 06/06/12
(and others which tickets feature in my scrapbook)
