On The Up // Only Real

'Indie Pop' is my least favourite label for a music type - it reminds me of terrible eighties synthesisers and made-up boy bands trying to be branded alternative but actually being signed to major record deals. 'Indie' used to imply a freedom and a rebellion against mainstream life but it is now confused with neon face paint and flower crowns at music festivals. Many bands and musicians that I like or have liked have been labelled and sold as 'indie pop' - swim deep, jaws, and sky ferreira amongst them. They're carefree and summery and often very good song writers, but they can just get a bit BORING. There are so many generic bands out there at the moment - I'll hear a single on the radio or a friend will tell me about a 'fantastic new, unique band' that they've found. They'll be advertised in NME and interviewed to death, but their songs will never stick in my mind - they'll sound like every other 'indie' band that has ever been. 

But there are exceptions.

Only Real is the project of twenty two year old Niall Galvin, a skateboarding, cereal-eating, weed-smoking, baggy t-shirt-wearing mess. Taking elements from traditional 'indie' to build his backing tracks, he raps languidly and lazily over the top, creating sun-drenched, summery tunes. He is relatively new on the scene, and does almost everything himself, in his bedroom; he produces the music videos, he mixes his backing tracks etc. He's 'indie' in the traditional sense of the world - he isn't signed to a record deal. Running in the same vein as King Krule and Jamie T, but with shimmering backing tracks almost akin to Splashh and Tame Impala, Only Real is definitely bringing something new to the homogenous world of indie music. 

-written by avalon x

A motorway playlist

Christmas is known as a time full of festivities with friends and family, yet the inevitable travelling that such festivities require is often neglected of thought. Soon, if you're anything like my family, you find yourself stuck in the car for five hours with nothing but fleetwood mac's 'rumours' on a scratched CD. I love a bit of fleetwood as much as the next person but there is, contrary to belief, a limit to the number of times you can listen to 'the chain' and still be full of enthusiasm and excitement. This is not ideal as enthusiasm and excitement seem to be the two key emotions expected permanently in the month of December. As the holiday season begins to crawl to a close here is a playlist to get you through the last of those awful motorway journeys back home. 

Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie

Sometimes the best thing to do on a motorway is pretend you're not actually on your way to an elderly relatives to eat yet more brussels sprouts but in fact are part of an 80s teen movie. Shake your hair (unless you are driving, in which case please don't) and imagine you're going on an exciting road trip instead. Bonus: mums tend to love a bit of Blondie. 

Here Comes The Night Time - Arcade Fire

As darkness descends on the lengthier car journeys this fits perfectly. 

Reptilia - The Strokes

Thundering down a motorway an listening to the scuzzy guitars and crashing drums of The Strokes complement eachother very well. 

Red Lights Indicate Doors Are Secured - Arctic Monkeys

The title's reference to a taxi aside, the song's crescendo is sure to alleviate motorway boredom slightly. 

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

Ok, so maybe it's ok just the once... Although it is nowhere near my list of Favourite Ever Fleetwood Mac Songs the fact it's synonymous with formula one racing makes it ever so exciting whilst driving down a motorway. 

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Tame Impala

When stuck in the most infuriating patch of traffic it does sometimes feel as though the mile gauge is actually rotating in reverse. Vent such a feeling with a shimmering, psychedelic track from Tame Impala, equipped with an infectious riff that's bound to make you feel better. 

Doused - DIIV

This could just be me, but this song is what getting shit done sounds like - perfect for when you're running a little late. It's urging bassline and swirling guitars are a real treat too. 

Chevy Thunder - Spector

There's nothing like storming down a motorway with this on full blast screaming the lyrics "Drive! Drive! Drive!" - fact. It's times like this I wish my car was a convertible. And a Chevrolet.

Also brilliant for car journeys:

Moving Further Away - The Horrors

Xanman - Pond

Beetlebum - Blur

Beginning To See The Light - The Velvet Underground 

Countdown - The Black Keys

By Amelia Holloway

@ameliazsz

Why arrogance in the music industry is a good thing

Kanye West

Today's world is one in which arrogance is all around us and can be seen in all walks of life, but none more so than in music. Eminem has proved this lately with a song called 'Rap God' in which he claims he, or at least his music, is immortal, and Kanye has gone one step further by claiming 'I Am A God' and demanding his croissants are brought to him quickly. 
It's not only in hip-hop that arrogance is present though; it's a well known fact that the Gallagher brothers love themselves like they love nobody else in the world ("I'm the fucking bollocks" says Noel), and even though they argue against being called arrogant ("We’re not arrogant, we just believe we’re the best band in the world."), they obviously are. 

The Gallaghers

There are, of course, many more examples of people with this particular personality trait that dominate the music industry, but is that really a bad thing?
I saw a quote the other day that struck a chord with me: 'It is more socially acceptable to hate yourself than to love yourself.' and why should it be? Shouldn't people who love themselves be inspirational to all those who hate themselves? I think so. And since most young people look up to one musician or another as inspiration, then more of them should love themselves. I know that you probably have friends who hate the way they look, or their personality, and you can clearly see that they're pretty or a wonderful person, and you keep on telling them this, but they just won't listen. You'd obviously prefer it if they just accepted that they're great, wouldn't you? With this in mind, those who love themselves in the music industry should probably get a little less hate. They're brilliant, and they know it. I don't see much of a problem with that, and neither should you. Written by Molly McGrath

Mixtape Monday #9

Our mixtape monday for this week is all about the hidden gems of the year. We hope you enjoy.

Calum - Away/Towards // Hookworms
Charlie - Petrichor // Babypink
Charlie (he chose two) - Deadbolt // Skaters
Laura - Carnival // Mark Owen
Paige - Not Supposed To // Guards
Connor - Pseudo Individual // Exclamation Pony
Connor (he chose two) - Kerou's Lament // Ellery James Roberts
Molly - Peaches // In the Valley Below
Georgie - How are You Now // Curb
James - Good Time Guy // Trudy
Amelia - Varsity // Smith Westerns
Amelia (she chose two) - Friend // Baby Strange
Nina - Dancing Anymore // Is Tropical
Amy - Happy Anniversary // Best Friends
Avalon - Get it On // Only Real
Rohanie - Endlessly // Toy
The Body in Rainfall // Wild Nothing
Don't Wait // Mapei
Africa Express ft GhostPoet // Season Change

Collage by Rohanie

FIBLAR x

Pussy Riot and their rightful freedom

Pussy Riot in their memorable balaclava's 

I honestly smiled and let out a small squeal (something I seem to do a lot now) when I found out that both remaining members of Pussy Riot had been freed recently. A few months back I watched a BBC documentary on Pussy Riot and felt extremely angry whilst watching it. I also felt quite confused as I thought that what they did wasn't that bad. But I'm not religious so I guess I wouldn't have anyway.
I'm sure that most people know who Pussy Riot are and what they did but here is a very brief summary: they were/are a feminist punk group from Russia who protested and performed their song "Punk Prayer - Mother of God, Chase Putin Away!" against the President ,Vladimir Putin, in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Three of the members were arrested on March 3rd 2012 but one was released a week later. Since then, the two remaining members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, have faced various trials whilst their families and other members of Pussy Riot have protested for their freedom.

Yekaterina Samutsevich, Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Left to Right)

People who were oblivious to Pussy Riot (before reading this) may have missed out the fact that they were a band. They made protest songs and sung them in various places and of course, one of these shows led to arrest. I'm not entirely sure what my views on these songs are because I am not a big 'punk' fan and their songs are in Russian so I have absolutely no idea what they're saying.
It's lovely to hear that whilst they were in prison, people around the world were protesting for them and holding meet ups and spreading the word. A song was made called 'Free Pussy Riot' which thankfully isn't in Russian and it shows many people supporting them. There's a clip of The Hives showing their support which I think is pretty cool of them.
Of course not everyone is going to agree with what Pussy Riot did and people who aren't feminists won't find them to be good people but I don't think that they should let it slip their minds about the courage that these women used to get their cause across.
I now feel as though I've lost a small sense of my purpose as it's irrelevant to tweet #FREEPUSSYRIOT constantly or to share a dozen links of the latest Pussy Riot news or to blab on about how angry I am. Although, I would never put doing these things above their freedom. I'm just happy that Putin has had some sense to let them go.
After a few minutes of thought, I've created a new hashtag which hopefully catches on.

#LONGLIVEPUSSYRIOT

- Amy 

The Worst Tracks of 2013 (apart from blurred lines)

2013 was a pretty spectacular year for music, for every Johnny Borrell, Beady Eye and The Strypes album, there was an Arcade Fire, Foals and Atoms For Peace album, to mention just 3. Here are the top 10 worst singles of 2013 (apart from the obvious one that we all know and really do not love).

1). Of the Night - Bastille

It feels a rather snobby phrase to adopt, and it shouldn’t be applied lightly, saved only for the worst attempts; but when confronted with a track like bastille’s Rhythm of the night, there’s only one word that comes to mind: MURDER. In short, this song is painful, skin crawlingly embarrassing, pissing on the genre that is disco. It’s not clear which of the awful elements administer the fatal blow, possibly the stupid and hideously faux-twee twinkly chimes of the opening bars, the stupid accent that the singer (whose name i don’t care to google) adopts making every word he croons sound annoying and melodramatically gag inducing; perhaps it’s the loud and unnecessary auto tune voice spelling out the actual name of the song (most likely to try and give an indication of what the hell is going on). Then comes the line “Oh I can ease you of your pain” which has about as much emotion as wallpaper, Tuesday afternoons and the colour beige. Made of both “Rhythm of the night” and “Rhythm is a dancer” this song is enough to confirm hatred of chart music, music involving wind chimes or music by posh people.

2).  Walks Like Rihanna – The Wanted
I normally “don’t mind”, bordering on “tolerate” inching towards “quite like” boybands. I almost sympathise them for the gratuitous hatred they receive for merely playing as much a part in music as any band does. But this song is suicide, this song is throw yourself off a bridge and bring your radio with it. From the romanticised chauvinism of “What Makes You Beautiful” an attempt at making girls feel good about themselves whilst inadvertently demonising any sense of body confidence and self esteem, a whole new ballgame was released, in the form of a slimy and, to be honest, audibly boring song by the wanted. “Walks Like Rihanna” embodies the cocky, River Island bloke, who uses casual racism, sexism and a bit of homophobia in the pub with work colleagues, who’d categorically deny any bigotry due to him having “many black friends” and his “bird’s hairdresser being a gay”. This song teaches that a woman doesn't need to have any skills worth mentioning so long as she has a seductive walk, which is really admirable when you remember it’s 2013 and we have moved on from misogyny in music, I mean, like, this song was released a whole 3 months after blurred lines for gods sake.

3). 23 - Mike Will Made It (feat. Miley Cyrus, Juicy j and Wiz Khalifa) 
Miley’s plight into the world of hip and swag is a clumsy and painful one; appearing as guest vocals on this car crash of a song in a desperate bid to shake off the middle class white girl she cannot quite seem to shake. Ooh! Miley is smoking cigarettes! Ooh! Miley is writing things such as “#23” on the mirror with lipstick! Ooh! Miley is sat on a basketball hoop holding a glittery basketball! Please. Cue yet more product placement and the worst attempt at rapping(?) since PJ & Duncan. With such lyrical dynamites like “I’m so high, I got three bitches that go bi (pussy), I’m so fly, I’m getting’ head like a blowdryer” it's a wonder this song only got to number 85 in the UK; and the less about Wiz Khalifa the better, unless this track is to be used as an example of how not to rap, in which case he does a sterling job. At least when Miley was Hannah Montana she made an attempt at singing (“true friend” will always hold a special place in my heart), but the teeth achingly dire attempt at gravelly and seductive fall flatter than the football jersey-cum-minidress. This song has about the same level of authenticity as Pizza Party, “Got a joint if you wanna get stoned [...] Waitress asked how many bottles? I said 23” BAM. 

And the rest:
4). Wake Me Up - Avicii (feat. Aloe Blacc): a hook that can only be described as sickeningly annoying.
5). Do What U Want - Lady Gaga: "You can't have my heart, And you won't use my mind but, Do what you want with my body" WOW.
6). I Wish - Cher Lloyd: Cher croons about wishing she "Woke up with a butt and a rack" in order to catch a certain gentleman's eye.
 7). If You're Ready Come and Get It - Selena Gomez: using a "hindu tribal feel" (her words) to create a slightly racist promo around an ultimately bland pop record.
8). Inner Ninja - Olly Murs (feat. Classified): using a painfully artificial ~reggae~ feel to a song won't make it any less BLAH Olly!! neither will using a children’s choir or a nondescript rapper!!
9). Give It 2 U – Robin Thicke: Er, yeah, no thanks.
10). Let Her Go - Passenger: “The vocals sound like a little gremlin is singing for the first time in its life” Nuff said.

New Year's Eve playlist

It's that time of year again; when everyon descends into someone's living room to countdown the end of one year and the beginning of another. There are many motives for people going to a new Years Eve party - potential boyfriends/girlfriends, alcohol, bad dancing, party poppers, dressing up and all that jazz. In order to get you in the mood for the potentially awkward nature of festive gatherings, here is a playlist full of 'feel good' (to an extent...) music, not the usual chart bollocks, to get you in the mood for a full on do or a one-person rave in your bedroom...

> Trying To Be cool // Phoenix
Strut past your ex whilst this is playing. Thank me later.

> Who Needs You // The Orwells
The angsty Chicago rockers give you a perfect drum beat to go mental too.

> Undercover Of Darkness // The Strokes
Effortless

> Brian Eno // MGMT
This ode to ultimate synth god provides a tonne of weird noises to get down to.

> Dr. Greenthumb // Cypress Hill
Hip Hop legends. THE BASS, SERIOUSLY MAN IT COULDN'T BE ANY MORE WONDERFUL.

> No.1 Party Anthem // Arctic Monkeys
Nice and sleazy

> Golden Years // David Bowie
"I'LL STICK WITH YOU BABY FOR A THOUSAND YEARS"

> Johnny Bagga Donuts // Palma Violets
The end is perfect for a good ol' singalong

> Roxette // Dr. Feelgood
You go up to that girl/boy you like, go on....

> Expectation // Tame Impala
Bringing a bit off psychedelic fuzz into proceedings

> Mystery Man // The Strypes
Gives you another chance to get dancing near the object of your secret affections.

> This Must Be The Place Naive Melody // Talking Heads
Sing this in someone's face and you're guaranteed to get their number (maybe... depends on how cool they are).

> Brianstorm // Arctic Monkeys
*Everyone goes a bit mental*

> Welcome To The Terrordome // Public Enemy
Gets everyone moving

> Precious // The Jam
A slowed down beauty to get a bit of awkward dancing going on

Now all that's left to do put on your nicest item of clothing (perhaps do something jazzy to your hair?) and enjoy yourself, you cat.

Lots of love and happy 2014
Paige x x x

LOOM + CURB + JUICE 11/12/2013

Picture the scene- It's a Wednesday night. You find yourself at local pub/venue The Hare and Hounds and as you climb the never ending stairs to the gig room, you are handed an ugly purple wristband by a visibly over excited girl on the door. For the gig goers of Birmingham, the scene that you are now so vividly picturing was a reality.

 The good people over at Counteract Magazine decided to do what they do best and put on another little event, only this time they went big. They did what people once thought impossible; combine the likes of Loom and local wonders Juice and Curb in a leather jacket wearing, shouty sort of musical smoothie. I attended this event so now I'm going to tell you about it.

Upon entering the gig, all that could be heard was the whispered rumours making their way around the crowd. Using my Counteract magazine writer status, I managed to find out what was going down. Mr Tarik Badwan, lead singer of Loom, had not turned up to soundcheck and now no one was sure whether he was going to turn up at all. I took my place at the ticket desk and stared glumly at the stage. One band had already dropped out of the show, surely the headline act couldn't?

The night kicked off with Juice: a band fairly new to the Birmingham music scene. However over their incredibly short period of time playing shows they've managed to build up quite a following and have previously supported bands such as Catfish and the Bottlemen. Their set boasted roaring guitar riffs, effortlessly cool members and bass lines that made the whole room move. Juice rose to prominence within the local music scene after a short trailer of their track "Sugar" was posted online; before long everyone was talking about Juice and for good reason. I'm probably totally bias but I really think Juice are going to be something big one day. Unfortunately they don't have any songs online for you to listen to right now, but let it be known that their set was great and good times were had by all.

Next to take the stage were Fiblar favourites Curb. As with Juice it seems they've only been on the scene five minutes, however their now massive following suggests otherwise. As they only have one song currently available to listen to online, it is not until you see Curb live that you really understand just how great this band are. I've seen them quite a lot but I can honestly say they played better this night than I have ever seen them play before. Everything was completely on point- it's evident their constant rehearsals have paid off and the crowd echoed this, dancing like their lives depended on it. However it wasn't until top track "How Are You Now" was played that things really kicked off. Friends and strangers of the band alike screamed the chorus and the set ended in the most beautiful way possible; with a standing drum solo, wailing guitars and all instruments thrown to the ground. The words on everyone's lips? How could Loom possibly beat this?! 

Finally it was the moment everyone had been waiting for. As if from nowhere Tarik Badwan strutted out on to the stage as the eagerly awaiting crowd looked on in awe. Although comparisons between the two are probably best avoided, the similarities between the two Badwan brothers are evident. Not merely in their appearance, yet in the way they have the power to command an entire audiences attention in one look. Looms set began well, a loud guitar driven set that provided a brilliant contrast to the dreamy earlier acts. However within ten minutes if being on stage Tarik stormed off again, only return with a handful of bananas which he then began to throw at the crowd. It is clear that those watching were not ready for the high level of audience interaction Loom bring, before long members are running out into the crowd and standing on tables, yet it is also clear they thoroughly enjoyed it. If this set was anything to go by, I expect big things for Loom in 2014. The bands sound is shouty and messy but in a way that just seems to work with them and this is something I love. They played a relatively short set, however all this did was fuel the audiences desire for more so expect to see them hitting Birmingham again some time soon. 

When you bring someone as unpredictable as Tarik Badwan into such a small space, you can never be sure quite what will happen. I'm not sure anyone was expecting the bananas though. Kudos to Counteract for putting on this amazing show and Loom? Please return as soon as possible. 

Mixtape Monday #8

A very special christmas mixtape for you all 

Laura - Peace // Last Christmas

Amy - David Bowie and Bing Crosby // The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth

Molly - Biffy Clyro // Merry Christmas Everybody

Avalon - The XX // Last Christmas 

Nina - Jake Bugg // Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Amelia - Summer Camp // Christmas Wrapping

Charlie - Peace // All I Want For Christmas Is You/Creep

Calum - Tom Waits // Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis

Rohanie - Los Campesinos! // The Holly And The Ivy

Amy (She Chose Two) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs // All I Want For Christmas

Paige - Paul McCartney // Wonderful Christmas Time

Collage by Avalon 

FIBLAR x

What to do/listen to when you're bored this holiday.

It's that time of year again: when everything is cold, dreary and wet, and boredom is beginning to seep back into your days after being trapped for the duration of this term when you haven't had time to be bored because of work or school. Now is a time for relaxation and for spending hours watching the rain patter onto the window and flow down as though the drops are racing each other to the bottom. I have devised a playlist for these such times, and some tips for battling the boredom. Enjoy!

• Ben Howard - Black Flies. 

This song encapsulates those moments spent staring out of the window at the puddles on the ground, having unusually deep thoughts about the world and everything in it, until the 'big dramatic bit', as I like to call it, suddenly makes you feel like you've cracked it; you've finally worked out the meaning of life.

(Another good looking out the window song: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - So Good At Being In Trouble)

• The Smiths - Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before.

Here is my number 1 tip for what to do when you're bored: dance! It sounds cheesy but there's nothing better than putting some tunes on and jumping/leaping/spinning around your bedroom (or living room if no-one's home) and throwing in some air guitar for good measure. I find that this particular song is one of the best for doing just that, so go on: press play, get up, and pretend that you're Morrissey.

(Another good dancing song: The Maccabees - Pelican)

• The Vaccines - No Hope.

This might be another one for the dancing-around-your-room side of things, but I picked this one mainly because of the lyrics. "Oh I could bore you with the truth about an uneventful youth..." kind of sums up what pretty much everyone feels in the school holidays; you have all this time off, yet you're not doing anything with it (I'm sure that's the weather's fault, don't worry, you probably have lots of friends). 'Uneventful' really is the only word for it.

(A good song to keep your hopes up for an eventful future: Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood)

• Alt-J - Fitzpleasure.

Time for another tip to cure boredom: get creative! Take some pictures, make something, draw something or go all Tumblr and write something deep or inspirational. Maybe even start your own music blog! Why not? In my humble opinion, this song is perfect for getting those creative juices flowing (although I doubt you'll get anything decent done in the 3:42 that this song lasts for, so perhaps the whole album, 'An Awesome Wave', would be better).

(Another good creative song: Jagwar Ma - Uncertainty)

• Arcade Fire - Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels).

This is just another great song for listening to when the weather's as bad as it has been lately; it has a sort of warming feel to it, yet the basis of the song is that frontman Win Butler's whole neighbourhood is buried by snow and the only way they can get out of their houses is through their chimneys. This is a must-listen for anyone dreaming of a white Christmas.

(Another warming song: Wolf Alice - Blush)

• Biffy Clyro - Biblical.

Yes, the weather's miserable, and yes, you'd rather be in bed, but boredom tip number 3 is to go for a walk! Shove on some wellies and a big coat and go trudging through a field. As long as you've got a good soundtrack going on through your earphones, anything can be enjoyable. Often when I go walking in the dark on my own (I much prefer it to walking with others), I listen to this song. It has a good pace and will make you feel like an all powerful warrior marching into battle. Trust me.

(Another good walking song: Led Zeppelin - Ramble On)

I hope, dear readers, that you will take these tips into account over the holidays and that you will agree that the songs are perfect choices to listen to at times like these. Have a good Christmas! 

With love from Molly McGrath (@winbutlers).

xxx

A FIBLAR Christmas...

During the festive season, it is always guaranteed that you will run into old and new friends and family; many wonderful, many annoying. This has inspired me to create the scenario of "A FIBLAR Christmas" where you can learn a bit more about the members, how they deal with festive #ladbanter and all the associated weirdness of the festive season. Let the party begin...

It's Christmas day at the FIBLAR HQ flat and the team were tucked up in their beds after a late night of writing their upcoming posts, their laptops still whirring quietly beside them. A loud smashing sound came out of no where and woke everyone up - the team soon realised Paige had moved her arm and her half full bottle of gin had fallen off her bedside table and smashed on the wooden floor.

"You daft slag!" Came a shout from underneath the covers. Laura had woke up with a start from the commotion and knew the culprit would most likely be Paige. The next person to wake up was Molly, who instantly jumped out of bed and went towards the tree, sorting out all the badly wrapped presents beneath it ready for when everyone woke up.

The team rose out of their bunk beds and walked towards the neatly sorted presents in a zombie-like manor, all still half asleep and hungover from the party the night before.
"Can we open them right now?"  Avalon asked excitedly.
"Of course." Georgie smiled, kneeling down to open her present.
"I'm gonna go make us all some coffee or something." Charlie smiled, drifting out the room to the kitchen.
"It's just as well! We all need it and you can't open your gift 'til we've all opened ours!" Connor shouted at him.
Laura, walking into the room in a festive outfit of dressing gown and elf socks, squealed as her present from Calum turned out to be a Telgram t shirt that she had been after all year. "OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH" she said, hugging him tightly.
"Haha no problem Laur," Calum replied before he went to pick up his own pile of presents.
In confusion, all but Paige were unsure of the wrapped human like figure standing next to the Christmas tree that was waiting for Amy to unwrap. "Well this is terrifying..." She laughed, as she began to take off the paper. To her utter delight, Paige had in fact bought her a cardboard cut-out of Harrison Koisser to admire and perhaps stroke...
"Oh my god Paige! Thank you!" Amy squealed, running over and hugging Paige.
"Your drinks are ready guys! They're on the table." Charlie said as he walked back in and sat down in front of his present. "Who's opening theirs next?"
"I am!" Calum shouted, quickly unwrapping his present - Specially made Diiv PJs. "Thank you Laura!" He shouted in glee, getting up and hugging her tightly. 
"Paige, you're next." Connor smiled, handing her a flat, square present. She gently peeled away the tape and opened it to find an MGMT record - Congratulations to be exact.
"Oh my god Connor! Thank you SO SO much!" Paige jumped over the paper to hug him.
"I know how much you love The Horrors Georgie." Jacob said as Georgie opened her present with a squeal of delight - it was a signed poster.
"Thank you so so much Jacob!" She hugged him. "Open yours!"
Jacob sat down on the floor and unwrapped his gift, a smile spread across his face as he opened a signed Morrissey autobiography.
"Thank you wow, thank you so much Georgie." He smiled, hugging her once again.
"Here, since Charlie didn't bring the drinks through and they got cold I've brought us a festive plate and jug of mulled wine." Paige smiled, putting it on the floor. Laura and James looked at each other and raced for the rum truffles and of course James snatched them out of Laura's hand before she could even take one.
Amelia was handed a rather wonderful Spector poster from Lydia to a lot of thanks and general madness who in return got some signed Drenge vinyl. "OH MY THANK YOU!" Laughed Lydia, as she and Amelia hugged each other.
Everyone was sitting round in their festive pyjamas (no inappropriate 'santa' lingerie here) as Molly and Avalon opened their presents from each other. Avalon received a pair of homemade Peace-themed socks while Molly got a Biffy Clyro mug, because everyone should drink their favourite beverage with a band label slapped across it.
"Okay, here's your present James." Charlie smiled, handing him an envelope. James opened the envelope to reveal a £50 HMV giftcard. "I didn't know what to get you." Charlie smiled.
Charl opened her present, a hamper filled with records and old band shirts. "Who's it from?" She smiled.
"All of us!" Nina called out.
"Thank you all so much!" Charl replied, inspecting one of the records.
"Wow thanks man." James replied, fist bumping Charlie.
"Okay Charlie, open your box!" Avalon shouted. 
Charlie shifted across the floor and knelt up in front of the box. "Guys, I swear it just moved." He said, looking around at the group.
"I don't think it did, I think you're still drunk mate." Connor laughed.
Charlie lifted the lid off the bus and out popped Superfood.
"Merry Christmas Charlie!" The quartet shouted, engulfing him in an awkward group hug. The band climbed out and played a few songs...
***
The day went on, the group got drunk and ate loads of food and soon found themselves slumped around the living room on their laptops, Superfood watching a Christmas movie and the neighbours banging on the walls because of the ruckus everyone had caused. 
"I think we should head to bed." Charlie yawned.
"No, let's stay up and party!" Charl shouted.
"I don't know, I'm really enjoying this movie." Carl said, the rest of the band nodding their heads in agreement.
"Well, I think I'll head to bed." Charlie sighed, getting up and walking out of the room.
"Yeah me too." Amelia smiled, shutting down her laptop.
A few more members of the group went off upstairs to bed. 
"It's been a very eventful Christmas." Avalon concluded.
"Better than I first anticipated." Charlotte replied.
"Its been brilliant." Paige sighed, not even bothering to look up from her laptop screen.
"This year has been brilliant, with the blog and all." Nina smiled.
"Yeah." Laura agreed. "I'm so thankful for our readers."
"Me too." Paige sighed happily.
"Well, shall we go to bed?" Connor asked.
"We may as well." Cal said, standing up and stretching.
"We're going to bed now guys so the blankets and airbeds are in the kitchen for yous to bring through, enjoy your movie, night!" Avalon said to Superfood.
"Thanks for having us guys, goodnight!" Dom said as the group wandered out.
"Night!" Emily and Ryan shouted in unison.
And so the FIBLAR crew went to bed, Superfood stayed up and watched a Christmas movie and everyone had a great time.

Thank you everyone for your support over these last two months, it means the world to us! We'll keep the mosts coming, we wouldn't be able to run this without you all! Merry Christmas, have a great holiday!
Love from FIBLAR!
xxxxxxxxxx

On The Up: // Skaters

After being named 'Everything we wished The Strokes still sounded like', It's impossible to not be at least interested in hearing New York's finest recent export Skaters. After forming in early 2012 when they swapped early demos and song ideas between eachother, the band consisting of three original members:Michael Ian Cummings (Singer/Songwriter),  Noah Rubin (Drums) and Joshua Hubbard (Guitar) released their debut EP 'Schemers' , which was composed of five tracks including fan favourite title track 'Schemers'.

After establishing themselves as 'ones to watch' by NME in late 2012, the trio have spent most of 2013 playing as many shows as possible, and amping up hype for their debut album 'Manhattan', which is due out late February 2014 on Warner Bros. Throughout the past year they've played support slots with a host of acts ranging from Swim Deep to Deap Vally, and also a variety of festivals, including spots on the Festival Republic Stage at Reading and Leeds festivals. Their live shows are fantastic, they generate a real energy that I don't see many bands doing nowadays. They also get 'lad points' for smuggling me into one of their 18+ shows by claiming I was their brother.

Their soundcloud is host to a selection of their songs, the first of which is their debut single on Warner Bros, entitled I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How). The song kicks off with a hooky bassline before drummer Rubin smacks the snare and the track launches into a behemoth of jagged guitars as frontman Cummings screams the title of the track. The song (I presume) is about attempting to woo a female via some slick dance moves, but unfortunately lacking in the slick dance moves department. B-Side Armed is also available, it provides a much slower, angrier rant about Americans showing off their guns.

Also on their soundcloud is their most recent single Deadbolt. Kicking off with slower, sneery vocals and fast strumming by guitarist Hubbard, it is the chorus that makes this song so great. Frontman Cummings pleads 'Won't you give me one more tryyyyyyyyyy?' as the track behind his voice explodes into a colossal mix of angry percussion and frantic riffs. The track is awesome and certainly got me and a lot of others very excited for debut album Manhattan.

Listen to their (brilliant) tracks below
Written by @charliepizza x x

Find them here:
Facebook: /skatersnyc
Twitter: @skatersnyc
Preorder Manhattan (c'mon) HERE

Mornings Suck

Mornings Suck - Playlist

After a wild weekend of watching David Bowie documentaries and drinking endless amounts of coffee getting up on a Monday morning is the possibly the worst 1st world problem I have ever encountered. I have thought up a playlist that while giving you a slight headache at 6:30 might energise you that tad bit  before school/work (best served with strong black coffee).

*insert generic tumblr picture*

• Lovesick // Peace 

The first lyric is the infamous and truly inspiring quote by the mighty Harrison Koisser that has been tweeted by everyone on Sunday Evening at some point since its release, 'I don't wanna go to school'. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2irlBYxkGo

• No Waves // Fidlar

One song containing a catchy ring to it and about 1 million angsty teenagers feelings towards mornings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYbJmQj5VkE

• I Am The Resurrection // The Stone Roses

The epitome of a feel good anthem, whether your tired or not you will undoubtedly sing the chorus at the wrong point but once it does come, well if you've listened to it before you will know the feeling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRwR7avc5Oc

• SuperLove // Charlie XCX

This isnt normally the type of music I enjoy but this is a brilliant pop tune. Although it will definitely get you up the consequence is it will be stuck in your head for possibly the next 3 weeks (as the case for me is and it is not a bad thing ).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPWcX-16A9Y

• Electric Feel // MGMT

MGMT never fail to put me in a good mood even when im sulking in my school uniform when the sun hasn't even come up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmZexg8sxyk

- Nina (@s0ultrippin)