Love, Miley, Party // review of the Bangerz Tour - The O2, 6th May

for fans of: Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea

(photo creds: Evening Standard)

"I'm not going down without a motherfucking fight!" the world's most controversial human, the iridescent Miley Cyrus, screams and solidifies this title as she rockets down a giant tongue slide and reemerges back on the Bangerz Tour. After a health scare last month, which the singer assures the fans was not a drug overdose *phew* and actually due to "bitch ass nurses", the 21-year-old Tennessee native has refused to come back without the biggest spectacle your eyes will ever behold.

Miley's performance followed a set from the ever-cool Californian rocker Sky Ferreira. I was blessed enough to be seeing Sky perform live for the third time lucky that night and, as always, one of the most talented female artists in the game did not disappoint. Though my friends and I were the only ones in our section going absolutely chicken-oriental mental, Sky shined. Despite the dodgy sound technicians and oh-so ironically messing up the start of 'Everything is Embarassing', her performance was collected and enviably chic as she showcased the stand-outs from her acclaimed debut album 'Night Time, My Time' (one of my albums of the year).

As soon as Miss Cyrus burst onto the stage in a hullabaloo, the F-bombs began to fly all over the place. Parents around me looked shocked and disgusted, but how could you be? Reportedly, The O2 has received an ocean of complaints about Bangerz Tour for its profanities and provocative nature. I'm sorry, but what else would you expect from a Miley Cyrus concert? Inevitably, you have seen her infamous antics such as her VMA performance and her array of music videos: Hannah Montana this ain't! That's about as idiotic as me rocking up to Starbucks with a coffee allergy and ordering a latte. Blame yourselves for exposing your children to what you deem as inappropriate instead of pushing the fault onto her for taking this step in her artistry. Besides, have you not listened to her album before you purchased tickets? Obviously the six year old behind me had as she was sassily screaming the lyrics to the Pharrell masterwork '#GETITRIGHT' (I been layin' in this bed / All night long / Don't you think it's time / To get it on?) as Miley was rolling around a bed imitating an orgy. Disturbing on the parent's part, to say the least.

(photo creds: Evening Standard)

Cyrus mixed the trash glam of Rihanna with the less-polished theatrics of Lady Gaga with the crazy cartoonisms of Katy Perry to create chaos. One of the slightly more... eccentric parts of the show was her worshiping and grinding up against a kind of Sphinx-style 30 foot blow up of her dead dog... I mean, that's when it got a bit too weird. Twerking midgets, twerking chickens, a surprisingly little amount of twerking by Miley herself. Bonkerz and utterly insane. Like a carnival on LSD. Her costume game, however, was out in full force: though she pretty much shoved her vagina into the audience's face while riding a ghetto fab gold car during the Hip-Hop jam anthem 'Love, Money, Party', her money-clad leotard was cause for serious envy.

And, honestly? Miley doesn't display the plastic, bonafide transparency that many starlets seem to exude; she has charm and charisma, and her between-song banter is indisputably genuine - even when she was rambling about the health benefits of weed and encouraging the audience to get stoned. Speaking from my own experiences as someone who isn't easily influenced by other and can easily resist peer pressures and such (thanks mum x), I can see how easily impressionable kids could get swayed by these kind of talks and perhaps it's not the greatest thing in the world to encourage your fans to be in possession of Class B drugs... But she also uses her position in a positive way and is an advocate for a multitude of causes such as animal rights, however in this show she preached to her fans about the importance of equality and being yourself. Usually the young and famous are perceived as thoughtless dummies, but I honestly think Miley is smart. She's judged purely on the basis of how she sexualises her body and talent in order to sell records, and maybe she does, but is she not garnering the attention that's she's so cleverly set out to achieve? She identifies herself, and rightly so, as "one of the biggest feminists" and that was emphasied in her speech about being yourself after her hit ballad 'Adore You' as she encouraged the audience to celebrate the LGBT society. Let's be fair, it's fantastic that there's a pop culture figurehead to shine this guiding light for her fans to be educated and beautifully intellectual young men and women who embrace feminism and are accepting of those from whatever background in which they come from. Preach!

(photo creds: nydailynews)

The highlight of the show was not, in fact, Miley straddling a giant hotdog while flying over the audience singing 'Someone Else' (yes! really!), but was her performance on the 'B' stage. Here she acoustically performed the sensual 'Rooting For My Baby', as well as a whopping four covers: cool points for the wholly appropriate Arctic Monkey's 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?', a beautiful rendition of 'You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go' by Bob Dylan, her Radio 1 Live Lounge of Lana Del Rey's 'Summertime Sadness', and her godmother Dolly Parton's classic 'Jolene' - which is probably the first time ever that Jolene has been called a C U Next Tuesday! This is another indication of Miley's smartness as it's unlikely that anyone, without seeing her perform live, would believe that she is hugely talented and has a wicked sense of humour. The tone of her voice is sweet but strong, and acoustically the audience really feels her country music roots and her sheer delight to be back onstage, keenly lapping up every second.

She closed her whopping 21 song set with a string of her biggest hits. Surprisingly, 'We Can't Stop' lacked the fireworks that the infamous 'Wrecking Ball' ballad set off, before she closed her return to the stage in a Union Jack leotard for the pop classic (we will be singing this for generations to come) 'Party in the USA'. The frankly rather adorable Miley Cyrus performs for the shock factor, and I think that's why people don't understand her. Once that fades, we'll see the emergence of an icon. Until then, she'll shock us until our eyes are raw.

(photo creds: nydailynews)

♡ listen and love: Mindspeak - Holychild ♡

for fans of: Marina & the Diamonds, Smallpools, Charli XCX, Is Tropical, Tweens

Extra, extra read all about it! Music is fun again!

(photo creds Liz Nistico's SXSW diary for BlackBook)

Hey, The Smiths can be great, don't get me wrong, and we all love to rock out sadly to a bit of Drenge contemplating our feelings of destructiveness but sometimes it seems like everyone is just so sad all the time. What happened to happiness? Even New Order's 'Ceremony' is deemed to be wonderfully uplifting by some people (which I don't quite understand... seeing as it was written by Ian Curtis... and released after his death... maybe it's a you-have-to-be-a-die-hard-fan-to-get-it kind of thing...), yet it's so sad. Never when I walk with a spring in my step have I thought to myself, yo, how about some Nick Drake to mark this occasion! That's like saying "oh man, I'm feeling really down today... Might read some Sylvia Plath to cheer me up..." Enough! What bright ray of sunshine can come and cure our sorrow before we're doomed into eternal darkness?

Cue Holychild: serious Barbie-fied bubblegum pop on steroids. Their sound is simultaneously ferocious and sugary sweet, much like a kitten tiger: lovable on the outside but don't underestimate their bite. Don't let their tropical synth-pop beats fool you, as underneath the very 'Contra'-esque hooks lies... what's this? A message? In pop music? Never...

In relation to my previous blog post and its an overwhelming response - thank you so much for all your lovely comments, they made my heart smile

 -

Holychild not only capture the pure sunniness of happiness better than any current chart topping platinum selling single did, but also embody an issue very near and dear to me: (you guessed it) FEMINISM! *rainbows suddenly fill the sky* *angels sing* *baby animals do the cha cha* *etc*

And, no! Before you ask, they're not a girlband so any "well, they're female, what can you expect" excuses just don't count. Liz Nistico (vocals) and Louie Diller (instrumentalist and producer) are the brains behind the LA "brat pop" project and signed to Glassnote Records in January, home to their polar opposites Mumford & Sons and Childish Gambino.

In an interview with Stereogum, Nistico reveals how she and Diller intertwined the politics and sheer importance of feminism into their happy-go-lucky sound:

"The three videos that make up MINDSPEAK portray the contradictions I see existing around the objectification of women. Essentially I felt like a hypocrite, saying, ’down with objectification!’ But at the same, I feel ashamed if I am not objectified nor desired.

The more I thought about it, the more I saw certain layers around this concept that I wanted to reveal. The first video, “Happy With Me,” shows the power females can have by being objectified. In the second video, “Every Time I Fall,” the girls allow the men to judge them and they lose the power. In the final video, “Pretend Believe,” the men have the power, and the girls are broken and angry at themselves for perpetuating the situation.

No matter how one views it, I wanted to leave the film open to interpretation. Specifically I wanted to strike a feeling of nostalgia on one hand, but challenge the audience and make them uncomfortable on the other. Ultimately it’s all an autobiographical account of extreme contemplation on our culture."

ACCIOMIXTAPE DECONSTRUCTS 'MINDSPEAK': EP TRACK-BY-TRACK

Though maybe put off at first by the rather in-your-face hooks and 90's girrrrrrrl power vocals, after a few listens Holychild become unrestricted to all listeners regardless of their preferable genre as their toes begin to tap and they surrender to their sudden urge to have a pillow fight.

• Lead track 'Happy With Me' reminds me very much of what a 'Fancy'/'Diplomat's Son' smoothie would sound like yet Nistico's pleading vocals are reminiscent of a desperate yearning despite the song's sparkly, cheerful vibe. And it demonstrates perfectly why Holychild are so clever.
• Though not part of the all-important feminist message video trilogy, 'Playboy Girl' still has a weighty message of its own: don't let the strive for perfection define you! Channeling early Lady Gaga with elements of teeny-bop 1D pop it, quite frankly, makes me feel like a princess.
• Bigger and grander synths are tied in with infectious vocals for 'Every Time I Fall' still manages to continue their patented relentless joy.
• 'Pretend Believe' is more of an example of the pair's experimental pop label, and perhaps it is that which gives this song a more glamorous and glittering edge.

(photo creds Shervin Lainez)

♡ The Mindspeak EP is hot off the press and has gained a release just in time for Summer. It can be found on iTunes US ♡

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feminism for beginners

Feminism is a hot topic at the moment, that fact is indisputable. In the light of International Women's Day yesterday the word has been fresh on the lips of the media as well as ordinary people around the world. What is a seemingly disputable debate being tossed around right now is what exactly feminism means. Lately I've been so frustrated by comments by acquaintances, friends, passer-bys, writers, and celebrities alike who simply do not understand what it is to believe in feminism, or to be a feminist. The thing is, it's okay to not understand! It's totally, totally fine - the important thing is that we all must learn what it means to exercise a healthy view on women and their positions within our society. And so, I've complied this article (mostly for myself as an outlet for my ever-growing grievances against the sheer ignorance of some people) to help hopefully just one person change their perspective and overcome any unawareness they once had.

Let's being by asking ourselves: what is a feminist?

No, it's not a insane bra-burning lesbian with armpit hair who has a burning grudge against the male species. This is not the 60s, this is the 21st century, and so it's time this stereotype was abolished and we followed the pure, most simple definition. I think the most effective way to explain the definition of a feminist is through a lil bit of Queen B...

Notice the snippet from Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche:

We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls
"You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful

Otherwise you will threaten the man"

Because I am female

I am expected to aspire to marriage

I am expected to make my life choices

Always keeping in mind that

Marriage is the most important

Now marriage can be a source of

Joy and love and mutual support

But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage

And we don't teach boys the same?

We raise girls to each other as competitors

Not for jobs or for accomplishments

Which I think can be a good thing

But for the attention of men

We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings

In the way that boys are

Feminist: the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes

Though I don't condone the use of calling your fellow females bitches (only because I believe it gives an excuse for people, both male and female, to use it negatively against you) I have so much respect for Beyoncé for empowering women and including such a strong feminist message in her song through the voice of this acclaimed Nigerian writer. Below is her incredibly influential speech, and props to Bey for indirectly encouraging young girls and boys alike to look up the speech for themselves and be inspired by her forceful words.

So: why are we so reluctant to label ourselves feminists?
Cleverly, the labeling of feminism has been sarcastically referred to as "the F-word" or "the F-bomb" based on the taboo nature of calling oneself a word which relates to the image of that insane woman with crazy eyes, denouncing the existence of all men. (A really great blog, focused on feminism in everyday life and pop culture, is thefbomb.org which has articles on just about everything to do with feminism.) A lot of this has come from public figures, whether it be pop stars or politicians, who have been reluctant to call themselves a feminist in fear of the negative connotations. I recently felt to smack my head against the wall when reading an interview with girl band Little Mix from an Australian newspaper which quoted:
"They have been dubbed the next Spice Girls and have a string of girl power anthems to their name, but don't go labelling Little Mix as feminists.
'I wouldn't say we're feminists: we don't hate our men,' band member Perrie Edwards told Confidential." [source].

my reaction:

What astounds me is that a group like Little Mix, who probably have songs bursting with girl power and sass, cannot even pretend to know what feminism entails? Like, honestly, that makes me want to die. How can you be in the public eye, with millions of impressionable teenagers looking up to you, but yet still make such uneducated comments? Astounding. Even my beloved Taylor Swift has previously had trouble admitting her feminism in interviews and this annoys me. Do we not proudly look up to mother figures and other strong females in our lives? Therefore, should we not be ashamed to proudly call ourselves a feminist. After all, we are just standing for the equality of both sexes. True feminists do not want one up on males, we don't want to be better, or to beat them: feminists just want to be viewed equally on economic, political, and social levels. We want to take a stand against slut-shaming, and the pay gap,and educational rights, and rape culture, and any other issues that affect how unequal we appear to the rest of the world.

And, no, these issues are not a myth: they're real and they're affecting us today, even in countries like the UK and America who are meant to be pioneers in equality. Recently, Lily Allen denounced feminism, saying she believes in equality because it exists, instead of celebrating feminism but, hey Lily, did you know, between 2012 and 2013, the pay gap between men and women in Britain actually increased, going from 9.5% to 10%? Equality doesn't exist. This is not even to mention the disgraceful levels of inequality in the rest of the world, where some girls aren't even allowed to take part in education because of their gender. Because, apparently, we are intellectually inferior and we belong in the home.

You may have heard the phrases "get back into the kitchen" or "nice story baby, now go make me a sandwich" being thrown around by chauvinistic males from time to time. And do you know why they say these things? Because they are intimidated by women. These boys probably experience serious mommy issues or are just scared of never getting a girlfriend, or whatever. But you're never going to get one with an outlook on life that's so demeaning and idiotic. Why would a woman want to date someone who sees their rights as a joke? Because this interview below, where actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt proudly announces himself as a feminist, gives me serious heart eyes:

Boys: don't be ashamed to call yourself a feminist - the other boys may, ignorantly, call you gay but who cares? It's very sexy and you're going to get all the girls (ps gay isn't actually an insult) x

For me, and probably a lot of people, feminism is also about support. I'm a firm believer in the powers of kindness, and so these may be those morals talking but I don't think feminism should be about the shaming of other women - or men for that matter. Just be nice! If somebody enjoys sex, whether that be a boy or a girl, let them. How does it bother you? If it's not destructive of relationships then it does not affect you in any way. We need to stop slut-shaming, and instead be shameful of ourselves for ever using words like "slut" or "hoe" (I never understand people who use those terms affectionately either. "hey slut!" - um? Thanks but no thanks?). Lorde once slammed Selena Gomez for her song 'Come And Get It' by criticising it's anti-feminist message. Personally I think if Miss Gomez gots it, Miss Gomez should flaunt it if that's what makes her comfortable. Her response to these comments were perfect: "That's not feminism. Lorde is not supporting other women." The world is a hard enough place to live in, why not make it easier by being nice to one another.

And so that was just a little bit about feminism for those who don't completely understand it yet. I encourage everyone who reads this to build curiosity on the subject by reading books like these, or just doing a bit of quick research online so you can impress your friends with your political and intellectual prowess.