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. 

Our Favourite Albums

Hi guys, Laura here! I guess we all have a favourite album so a few of us thought we'd share ours with you all...

Georgie - My favourite album is definitely Primary Colours by The Horrors. I started listening to The Horrors when I was in Year 7 of secondary school and I guess that was the time my taste in music really began to develop and change. Of course, I loved everything about Strange House- but there's just something about Primary Colours that no other album will ever beat (for me personally anyway). It's literally everything you could ever ask for from music and everytime I listen to it it blows my mind how something this beautiful was created by human hands. There's no end to the reasons of why I'd recommend it to someone as it's incredibly difficult to put into words just how great this album is. Like, seriously. It's amazing. Listen to it.

Laura - My favourite album is probably Reality Killed The Video Star by Robbie Williams. It was the first album of his I heard and instantly fell in love with it, my 13 year old self was obviously very pleased with what she heard as the love has lasted. The album kicks off with Morning Sun, a slow ballad-like song hich was the official single for Sport Relief 2010. The album glides through a range of genres including the pop sounds of Do You Mind, then the more dark electro sound of Last Days Of Disco and a little dance-rock before ending with Morning Sun Reprise, slow and graceful. I recommend this album to anyone and everyone. It doesn't fit the classic Robbie Williams sound and is quite unique. 

Molly - I always say that choosing a favourite album is tough, yet there's always one that comes into my head straight away when asked: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines, by The Vaccines (funnily enough). It was the first proper guitar album I really got into, and I have spent many a happy hour prancing about in my bedroom, pretending I'm a part of the band (usually switching between being the air-guitarist and the air-drummer; I've pretty much perfected Norgaard). In summer I'd lay down in a field listening to Wetsuit or stroll through a wood to my personal favourite track, All In White. Now it's winter, I often bring out my What Did You Expect vinyl for a spin and quietly appreciate the thrashing guitars (bit of an oxymoron there) and often serene melodies that go with them. I honestly love this album like a child loves their favourite cuddly toy, and I don't know what I'd have ever done without it.

Amy - I don't think it is ever possible to have a specific 'favourite' something. You can have favourites, but not a favourite, as people's minds change all the time. One of my favourite records I own is 'Precious'. It's a compilation album of various britpop/90's song of the 'indie rock' genre. As most people know, I am a huge fan of this era so 'Precious' is a perfect album for me. It includes many artists such as Blur, Suede, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Lush and obviously, a lot more. It being a double album is also great as there is always a slight satisfaction about owning two vinyls in one hard sleeve. My mum owned it before I borrowed/stole it. The great thing about having similar music taste to your parents is that you get all of their old CD's and vinyls. Something worth treasuring.

Paige - Although there are many albums that have touched my heart over the years (NB: The Smiths Hatful Of Hollow and David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album) and made me instant fans of their music. However, there is one album that sticks out as being one of those "favourite" albums. For me, this is (rather unsurprisingly) MGMT's second album Congratulations. Released in 2010, I didn't discover it until a year or so later, when I quite whole-heartedly fell in love with the richness of the sound the general all out weirdness and fuzz that made it so brilliant. It was also one of the first albums I was very excited to buy because I had just got into my soon-to-be-favourite-band-of-all-time and actually felt cool being a girl who listened to MGMT. My favourite song has to be Brian Eno for the last 2 minutes where it feels like your head is going to explode into a fog of glitter and you are going to break into a dance wherever you are. Other favourite tracks include Siberian Breaks (unadultereated heartbreak) and Flash Delirium (silly money you're my honey) because they are guaranteed to take you somewhere else.

Soundtrack of your Childhood

Memories are odd things. They can resurface at any time, with anything acting a trigger, a smell, a jacket, a place, a name, a taste. But perhaps most poignant is music - nostalgic moments entering your mind of walks in the park on Sunday afternoons, going to various relatives' houses, rainy Saturday mornings, walking home from school, that tv program your household drop anything for and watch religiously. The most embarrassing songs from childhood I find are the best. Documenting moments in your life that were so significant and important at one point that now serve as nothing more than laughable memories, like a tattoo encapsulating the person you once were, but now desperately try to suppress. The great thing about those 4 minutes of audio is that whenever, wherever you are, whomever you are with - when those opening bars are played, when the signature voice of that singer you once idolised is heard, you're instantly brought back, you're instantly the 5 year old on a drive with your dad again, you're instantly the 8 year old in your bedroom dancing to a pop party compilation cd again, you're instantly the 10 year old watching the youtube video over and over again mesmerised by what you're watching. as hard as you try, those songs cannot be suppressed.

Avalon~

Most of my childhood memories are of America, where I have spent almost every summer of my life. 'Suspicious Minds' by Elvis Presley, 'Rattled By The Rush' by Pavement, and 'Where is My Mind' by Pixies. The songs remind me of unjaded summers spent dancing in the kitchen of our tiny house in Maine, while morning sun crept in through backdoors left swung open. They remind me of ice-cream sandwiches eaten on the beach, of bonfires and sunsets, thunderstorms and drive-in movies. Of woods near my grandparent's house in Vermont, sandy swimsuits and bike rides to the store. Of family singalongs and falling asleep on the plane on the way back to England. These songs were the soundtrack to the summers of my youth, repeated endlessly on cheap record players, tinny radios of cars, and walkmans with complementary British Airways headphones
Tyler~
Growing up, I didn't really relate to the music my parents would play; Neil Diamond and The Eagles dominated my Sunday mornings courtesy of my father, whilst Westlife and Ronan Keating would resonate through the walls of our house whilst my mum cleaned. I don't feel nostalgic about this music, though: all I really remember are the songs I would play on my Walkman to drown out the noise my parents were playing.

Kate Bush's 'Babooshka' is definitely the first song that springs to mind; I remember seeing her for the first time on some kind of Greatest Hits countdown on the TV singing this song. Naturally, I didn't understand it at all back then: I was oblivious to her role as a musical pioneer and her lyrical content completely escaped me, but 'Babooshka' is a fun word for a seven year old to sing as he gallops around his bedroom. I dare say it's just as enjoyable for an eighteen-year-old. Unfortunately, Ms. Bush is the only example of taste I displayed as a child. Another glaringly obvious song from the soundtrack of my youth would have to be AllSaint's 'Rock Steady'. I think this was the first single I ever owned; it was either this, or the 'Cha Cha Slide'. I remember how amazed I was when I put the disc into my computer and saw the music video, in which the girls are clad in latex and use whips to rob a bank. Brilliant. It's difficult to pick a third song, but I think I'm going to choose Lily Allen's 'Smile'. That song, however crass, was my gateway drug into music. It was the first song that pushed me to buy (or rather, ask mum and dad for) the album. Of course, I wasn't old enough for 'Alright, Still', But I loved it nonetheless. And now, here we are.

Amelia~

My dad is a big led zeppelin fan and one of my favourites is 'Going to California'. It reminds me of the childhood feeling of having had a really great day playing in the sunshine, and also of the excitement of actually going to California when I was little.
My dad is also a massive Bob Dylan fan. By massive I mean he owns pretty much everything he's ever released on vinyl and has seen him live loads. 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' in particular reminds me of my childhood - my dad would always try and slip the lyrics into conversation wherever he could, sort of like an elaborate dad-style version of name that tune. It's a classic Dylan song that always makes me nostalgic for my childhood. My mum is a huge Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks enthusiast, and I've been lucky enough to inherit such a gene. 'Edge of seventeen' by Stevie Nicks is so brilliant to dance around to - an important factor when selecting a favourite childhood song. It's also on the soundtrack to the film School of Rock which was one of my favourite films as a kid. Amy~
Sunday Morning // Maroon 5 Judge me if you must but I love this song. It's one of those songs which does actually remind me of my childhood, not just a song from that time. Now I'm not looking for sympathy here, but when my dad died in 2009, I had Sunday Morning on repeat constantly as he loved it and we made up dance moves to all the words and danced round on (supposedly) sunday mornings. It's a very warm song, you could say, and has very inviting lyrics which I love. 

Don't You Want Me // Human League

My mum loves the Human League and I guess this is their most famous song so I would be genuinely shocked if anyone had not heard it before. When it was just me and my mum living in a flat about 8 years ago, this song would be sung at the top of our lungs. We would dance around the small hallways and into the rooms singing. This something that, now I am older, I miss. It's also just a massive #tune. (sorry for hashtag-it just seemed appropriate). Lastly is Fire Coming out of a Monkey's Head // Gorillaz - Me being a huge Blur fan, it probably wouldn't be surprising if a Gorillaz or Blur song popped up somewhere. I think my step dad introduced me to Gorillaz in about 2007 and I used to steal his iPod and listen to this song when he was out. This song tells a story as well as it being a song which I think is genius. It wasn't until about 2 years after discovering Gorillaz, that I found out they and Blur were connected. I think knowing this has made me love both bands more as they sound so different! I also love all of Jamie Hewlett's artwork and damn that bassline!
Molly~
Floating Away (In The Bathtub) // Toploader My dad always used to play this in the car when I was younger and I didn't know what it was (I had to ask my brother what 'that song about bubbles that dad used to play' was for this) but I always sang along to the first verse. After that it got too heavy for my young, innocent ears and I pleaded with dad to turn it off. Being the loving father that he is, he did just that. By The Way // Red Hot Chili Peppers Another of my dad's favourites (mum didn't tend to listen to much music), we had lovely family singalongs on our journeys to this song, although the STEAK KNIFE bit wasn't really to my taste. Oh how things have changed. Air Hostess // Busted I have the most fond memories of this band; me and my brother would spend hours listening to our Busted's greatest hits CD on repeat whilst playing Mariokart on our Nintendo 64, until mum sold it at a carboot. I don't think we forgave her for months afterwards. Rohanie~
When I was 11 my dad discovered youtube. Then followed prolonged evenings, turning into the early hours of him hunched at the computer systematically watching live footage of every single single he'd bought when he was a teenager, Johnny Appleseed was perhaps his most played. "Just listen those drums", of course none of us were interested, at 11 I was just at the end of my faux punk Avril Lavigne phase. But the more I listen to this song, the more I appreciate it, the more I realise how beautiful it really is, and how pertinent it was to my childhood. One of the best films I've ever seen was School of Rock, I remember the cinema trip with such detail. The last scene of the film features the cast playing It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) // AC/DC, which I fell in love with. We walked to Fopp and my dad put on the original on those cute headphones attached to this big machine they don't seem to have in music shops anymore and I listened and I fell in love further. That christmas i got AC/DC's discography and I've continued to be in love ever since. The last song I feel really grasps my childhood in a song is Sweetest Thing // U2. Yes U2 is a slightly embarrassing choice, but the lyrics "Blue-eyed boy meets a brown-eyes girl" might has well have been written for/about my parents. There's a weird warm sense of nostalgia surrounding this song when I listen to it, it's one of those tracks that was played in long car journeys, when everyone was fed up of feeling sick and of each other - yet this song managed to perfectly cut through put a subtle smile on everyone's faces. Laura~
Weird Al Yankovic // White and Nerdy

Weird Al Yankovic's parodies were played constantly through my late primary school years. In year 6 when it was raining and we couldn't go out onto the yard our teacher used to let us run the classroom and use the whiteboard to listen to music and watch videos S Club Juniors // Automatic High As a youngling I loved nothing more than singing S Club songs in the car, the Juniors being my favourite. This song was often played on repeat and I used to sit in the back, wind the window down and sing along - it must've drove my parents mad! Take That // Shine As many of you will know I'm a HUGE Take That fan. In year 6 when we ran the class on rainy break times I always requested this song, I don't know why - I wasn't a fan at the time but it was riding high in the charts and loved by the full class

Georgie~
I guess the songs that provided the soundtrack to my childhood are pretty much the same ones that are sound tracking it now. My parents were a big influence on the music I listened to and they bought me up on Nirvana, The Cure and various bands from the eighties. So my first song is In Bloom by Nirvana. I put it on my mp3 player and thought I was the coolest thing going. The next is Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. This is such a great song. Words cannot describe the love I have for this song. I remember listening to it and thinking how awesome it would be to be this moody teenager. Now I’m 19 and this real life teenage dirtbag and l still listen to it all the time. I’ve saved the best till last because this song, no matter how cheesey you find it, still remains to be my all time favourite song. This song is like, my anthem or something. It’s so feel-good and amazing and is just the best. It’s the classic- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. Nina~
Yellow Submarine // The Beatles I've always been brought up around the Beatles when I was younger I remember me and my dads endless sing a longs on our way to the football to yellow submarine. I often changed the words to 'we all live in a yellow submarine we didn't like the colour so we painted it green a shark came along and now were all dead I found out it was a hammer head.' But it still has a sentimental feeling to me of innocence and a sense of homeliness about it (is that even a word) Sexbomb // Tom Jones The one artist that really made up the soundtrack of my childhood was Tom Jones. I have a fond memory of being in my extremely uncomfortable car seat singing sexbomb or as i remember it 'stinkbomb'. When i was around 5 my mum took me to my first concert which was to see Tom Jones the only strong memory I have from this is seeing lots of older ladies throwing their bras on stage and me asking my mum if i could throw my knickers on stage obviously the answer was no. Viva Las Vegas // Elvis Presley - I've always been brought up listening to Elvis he was even my first crush but this song used to really stand out for me. On my first visit to Las Vegas at the age of 4 we had this song blasting as we were driving down the strip my mum even recalls me saying 'is this what movie stars feel like'. Every time I listen to that i get memories of not only sunny Las Vegas but driving to the equally as glamorous Sutton listening to the best of Elvis. Calum~
When asked to think of three songs that soundtracked my childhood, a number sprang immediately to mind. I've grown up shrouded in music, as my parents and lodger are all mad about it. So here is three songs that I think were very "instrumental" in my upbringing. Downtown Train // Tom Waits Tom Waits is one of my favourite singers, to this day even. But when I was growing up, my dad used to constantly play his music in the evenings, which was brilliant. As a really young child, I was obsessed with trains so Downtown Train was my favourite of Waits’. I love this song particularly because of the upbeat guitar and Waits’ vocal delivery as well as the mention of the word “train”. Rock Me Amadeus – Falco
Falco’s one hit wonder Rock Me Amadeus was the first song I ever had an obsession with (and it wasn’t the last). It is mainly in German and when it was my favourite song I knew all the words to it, despite not speaking a word of the language. It is incredibly catchy and Falco is a very cool guy. I Bet That You Look Good On the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys When I was about 8, The Arctics came on Top of The Pops to play their debut single. As a young boy, this song mesmerised me- I loved it to bits. Then a couple of years later I saw the Arctic Monkeys headline Glastonbury (2007) as a 10 year old and it was one of the best performances I've ever witnessed. They were my first favourite band.