PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Taylor Swift Saves Lives! // review of the Red Tour - The O2, 10th February

for fans of: Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Nina Nesbitt, Kacey Musgraves, Ellie Goulding

DISCLAIMER: Taylor Swift is probably my most favourite person in the entire universe so there's a 1000% chance this review is 100% bias

(photo creds: senatus.com)

To be a Taylor Swift fan since the tender age of twelve and still not having ever attended one date in her three sold-out world tours is, spiritually, something very painful. Word travels that her shows are full of intimacy against majesty, and sparkling sets are the backdrop to tales of the romantic day-to-day - and it killed me that I never had the chance to embark onto this ordeal. In November, however, it was announced that the Red Tour phenomenon - after a whopping 73 shows in America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - would be coming to London's O2 Arena for five (!!!!!) soon-to-be-sold-out shows. It was like the sun had come out after a month of rain! God bless! Halle-freakin-lujah!

I could've exited The O2 screaming at the top of my lungs "I AM A CHANGED WOMAN!" for, I felt that, the Red Tour was a truly liberating experience - an epiphany if you must.You may enter feeling as if you're about to have a jolly good time at a cute lil pop concert, but by the time the lights go down and the infamously hysterical drums of album opener 'State of Grace' begin, everything really has changed. The Red Tour marks her transformation from the twee country girl who plucked her guitar nicely and sang songs about broken hearts to, as cited by Rolling Stone in 2013, "a true arena-rock goddess at an amazing peak". Her silhouette is spotlighted against an, obviously, red curtain as the first verse starts but soon drops as she belts "I neeeeeeverrrrrr sawwww youuuuuu commmmmiiiiiiiiiiinnnnggggggg" to a 20,000 strong audience. The drumming emphasis continues swiftly into the next song of the set 'Holy Ground' in which she prances and spins around the stage before an energetic drum solo with a series of neon drum kits.

Her rock star status is solidified as the crowd went crazy for Swift and her ratchet rhinestone guitar on the song that ignited this era - 'Red' - a sentimental tale of lost love and never letting go intertwined in an electric guitar driven melody (watch her live acoustic performance at the CMA Awards 2013). It's songs like this which define her 2012 album which, in it's first week, sold two albums every second in the US and lead to 1.5 million worldwide sales in that week alone. And good on her! She's been working her socks off since she was a wee one, but received her big break at age 14 when she became Sony's youngest ever on-staff songwriter. This piece of history is only evident of the rawness of her talent, which can only improve to this day with the unruly heartache of 'All Too Well' - possibly the highlight of the night. Fresh off her acclaimed GRAMMY performance, she performed the vulnerable piano ballad with the same roaring fire seen Stateside a couple of weeks ago. The painful retelling of a failed romance (rumoured to be about Jake Gyllenhaal, but who gives a fuck?) was enough to allow, though slightly embarrassing, the tears to slyly creep out from my eyes.

(photo creds: nydailynews.com)

Shamefully, I only physically cried on one other occasion - the title track from the stripped-back beauty of the game changing, GRAMMY winning 2010 album 'Fearless'. She played acoustically on the gentle twang of her 12 string guitar and dedicated it to all the "hopeless romantics" in the crowd, which must've been everyone, bar the parents in the crowd, for why else would we all be there? The happy-go-lucky romance continued in the sassy-rock optimism of 'Sparks Fly', in which she was elevated over the crowd like the actual angel she is, and fan favourite 'Love Story' - the Romeo and Juliet inspired, princess country-pop crossover classic was simply sublime (and the dancer guy who "played" the prince was so spicey).

(photo creds: weheartit.com)

Slices of pop perfection appeared in the reinvention of the 2013 Brit Award performance of the internationally chart-topping single 'I Knew You Were Trouble' - which, BY THE WAY, is not about Harry Styles thank you very much journalists worldwide. The unusual and very unSwifty "dubstep"-esque tremours bounced off the walls of the arena as the crowd wailed along to the famous "ohHHHH, OHHHHhhhhhh" of the chorus. Though I adore her to the moon and back, the one thing Taylor Swift cannot do is dance. Even as a superfan I found myself cringing during whatever on Earth she was doing during sugary pop party anthem '22' - when I was, only a few moments beforehand, squealing with frenzy at a video montage of the highlights from her 22 years of life; from baby days to award winning instances. 

In true Red Tour tradition, she brought out a much-anticipated special guest to politely sing one of their songs. A few weeks ago my sister and I joked like "LOLLLLLLL :pppppp wot if it's Emeli Sandé!!!1!!!! MEGA LOLZ!!!!!!!" (there's something I can't quite explain about that woman if you haven't been part of my Twitter gang for the past year or so - I hate being nasty but I really, really don't like her...) Of course, probably some kind of karma or something, Taylor would bring out the one person in the world who I wanted to see the least - bitch really knows how to kill my vibe! Anyway, the duo performed 'Next To Me' if you care lol.

(photo creds: jencita.tumblr.com)

Bar those very small blemishes, the Red Tour constantly proved itself to be a spectacle. Whether it be the roaring twenties production - or rather Britney Spears-esque - 'The Lucky One' or the ballerina ballad 'Treacherous', she can put on a show to suit everyone. Her vocals are consistently on-point and her lyrics are steadily relatable - she simultaneously tackles bullies and the unkind while touching back upon her country roots in 'Mean', where she prepares the audience for it in one of her famous pep talks about the tribulations of life and love. Yet she can also be unpredictable as she rearranges her desperate and slightly angtsy pop classic 'You Belong With Me' (one of the tracks that established her as the spokesperson of the teen girl generation) to something very polished and slick. Then the show closed with the charismatic platinum selling single 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' where the entire audience exploded and sassed every boy who's ever let them down, and as the adorable heart-shaped confetti fell, you realise you never want this big sister figure to ever leave you.

Her fans prove to love her almost as much as she loves them, donned head-to-toe in outfits and light up signs that are very Taylor and shine almost as brightly as the star herself, she thanks them profusely for their undying support and genuinely seems floored by their loyalty. And this is where her success roots - from simply being herself: an authentic girl falling in and out of love yet also a bonafied Greek goddess who is an utterly glistening starlet. She ain't cool, but she ain't trying to be either. This is why me, and so many millions of others, kiss the ground in which she walks upon. Luv u 4eva TayTay x

WUTHERING HEIGHTS MIXTAPE

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii just a quick one from me... here's a lil mixtape i put together inspired by wuthering heights. i finished the emily brontë novel this week as well as watched the kaya scodelario (most perfect princess) movie. the novel is simply breathtaking - it's truly so beautiful - and a 1000% recommendation to all who enjoy the written word and are as obsessed with literature as i am. and in turn, available on netflix is the recent movie starring kaya scodelario as catherine and is a visual masterpiece. i picked a range of instrumentals and contemporary songs to capture the wildness of catherine and heathcliff's love affair and i hope you enjoy it and it makes you feel something. that's important, i guess... see you next week for a review of taylor swift at the o2 (if i am still living and breathing by then)!

LISTEN TO //WUTHERING HEIGHTS// ON 8TRACKS OR BELOW

wuthering heights from sweetlamplight on 8tracks Radio.

THE ACCIOMIXTAPE REVIEW: Drowners // an echo of the Britpop era

for fans of: The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Skaters, The Smiths

(photo creds to Eric T. White)

There's certain expectations that resonate from a band whose name originates from a Suede song, and it seems that Drowners have met these expectations by joining the ongoing Britpop revival. The rebirth of the stonewalling 90's genre has forever held it's buzz in the air (you know, those constant talks about Oasis reforming... as if that's ever going to go well) but was widely popularised recently with Blur's BRIT award back in 2012, Pulp's Reading appearance in 2011, and it being cool n trendy n sooooo fashion to listen to classic bands like Menswear, which lead to the emergence of a brand new wave of inspired musicians hoping to emulate the success of the farts old enough to be their fathers (haha only joking DAD).

Brooklyn boys Drowners (though frontman, former model, and brain behind the music and lyrics, Matt Hitt is a Welshman) certainly play out the Britpop genre well with their self-proclaimed post-punk sound. Their clearly cited influences from the likes of The Smiths are so lucidly evident throughout the record.

Inhuman excitement flooded through me when my physical copy arrived for their debut album (though at first it instigated "what the fuck did I spend money on this time?" panic). I have been waiting for this for a long time. Since the online release of the free 'HOME RECORDINGS' EP in late 2012/early 2013 (which later became the 'Between Us Girls' EP)  I've really, really, really loved this band. However, it appeared as if a very promising quartet had catapulted themselves off of the map until recently they announced the release of their debut album following the premiere of the lead, and most impressive, track 'Luv, Hold Me Down' and it was like the heavens were shining down upon us. The single is something you could definitely imagine a pop-star version of Morrissey flailing around stage to. It's an angsty teenage, and so wildly romanticised, love note style plea, yet still the kind of airy fresh indie rock you'd like to wake up to every morning. Though bursting with energy, it's still glittering with the trademark Drowners hopelessness. This would make it easily transformable into a heartfelt piano ballad.

Guitarist and lead singer Matt Hitt, vocalist and guitarist Jack Ridley, bassit Erik Snyder, and drummer Lakist Pavlou (bun Cara Delavelaveeney - his eyebrows could dictate a small nation) epitomise Cool Britannia. With stateside opening slots for the mighty Arctic Monkeys already done and dusted, they're set to tour the UK with Skaters this Spring proving they've created a real tour de force for themselves since bonding over "sad pop" in a New York bar.

The "jovial misery" Hitt so proudly strives to achieve shines brightest on 'A Button On Your Blouse' - a melancholy youth anthem polished nicely with well-bred melodies. Yet the misery is also evident on the slightly more aggressive and frustrated conversation of the ever-tragic and bitterly wounded 'Well, People Will Talk'. 'You've Got It All Wrong' tells tales of the beginnings of a Big Apple romance and the lyrical themes contrast nicely with the wistful 'Let Me Finish', yet remains incredibly punchy, fizzling with the kind of beats you'd want playing while you're swaying in an alcohol induced daze. Playing only a few inches out of their comfort zone, 'Unzip Your Harrington' opens with the amour of nearly 50's-esque guitars. It's desperate, whispery vocals are something you'd imagine boys who slick back their hair and wear leather jackets to sing. Still, the most sweeping dynamic bursts from the much less pop, much more rock 'Bar Chat'. It's almost powerful (maybe as it's so much more 21st century than it's accomplices), and incredibly different from the gangly indie rock of the rest of the record.

That's no means to say that the more heavily cited tracks don't hold their own as though 'Long Hair' can be strewn as something very generically Britpop, it's not as garage-y as the likes of their influences but still delightfully retro. Album opener 'Ways To Phrase A Rejection' is definitely the most Strokes-like with it's surging instrumental, complete with jittery riffs, underneath Hitt's gossipy vocals - bursting from his lips like a secret. In 'Watch You Change' the snappy essence materialise riffs that could almost, though not quite, be the handiwork of Johnny Marr as if he was plucked straight out of 1985. 'Pure Pleasure' has a more together aesthetic and is largely where the Pulp affect is most prominent, despite its swirling Morrissey talk of dreams. The record ties itself off becomingly with a rerecording of 'A Shell Across The Tongue', whose opening riffs resemble something off Wish from 1992 though it has a splash of something by the band's BFFs The Vaccines about it.

Their fidgety first effort is short and sweet and doesn't require a lot of thought and though it doesn't hold the intriguing charm of 'Luv, Hold Me Down', it does show a lot of promise. With festival slots all over the US this summer, including The Governor's Ball and the almighty Coachella, Drowners have room to blossom and find their own sound by LP number 2.

BUY DROWNERS // DROWNERS

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