Top 5's March 2011

OK so again I am mega late but better late than never especially in my aim to not fail a New Years resolution.

Here's some Top Fives for you!

1st March 2011
Top 5 Images from the Thirsty and Miserable in Feb

2nd March 2011
Top 5 Cider choices

Aston Mannor Pear
Koperberg Pear
Rekorerlig Winter Blend
Rekorderlig strawberry
Aston manor Apple

3rd March 2011
Top 5 Records that define Skacore and my teenage years

King Prawn- Got The Thirst?
Adequate Seven – Songs Of Innocence and Experience
Capdwon – Civil Disobedients
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Awful Quiet
Sonic Boom Six – Sounds To Consume


4th March 2011
Top 5 artists who’s influence I don’t understand

Sex Pistols
Blink 182
Queen
Stone Roses
Oasis


5th March 2011
Top 5 Hot Cartoons

Rouge (X-men)
Maid Marion (Disney’s Robin Hood)
Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Lois Griffin (Family Guy)
Nancy (Sin City Comics)

6th March 2011
Top 5 tasks for this month

Write and design zine
Put together more shows
Apply for jobs
Get some uni work done
Save Kic FM


7th March 2011
Top 5 albums that shaped my youth

Alkaline Trio – From Here To Infirmary
At The Drive-In – Relationship Of Command
Adequate 7 – Songs of Innocence and experience
Ben Folds Five
Dandy Warhols – Welcome To the Monkey House

8th March 2011
Top 5 TV shows/DVD’s for the summer

The Walking Dead
Arrested Development
Sopranos
Master Chef
Breaking Bad

9th March 2011
Top 5 upcoming shows

King Blues, Random Hand and Sonic Boom Six
Beans On Toast
..And They Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and Rival Schools
Static Age
Jim lockey and the Solemn Sun and Zen Elephant

10th March 2011
Top 5 Music Videos












11th March 2011
Top 5 Weekly Habits

Cool Dudes Radio
Peer Group Promos
Top Fives
Mike Davies Radio Show
Six Music whilst cooking

12th March 2011
Top 5 meals to cook for people

Dim Sum
Pizza
Curry with Nahns from the nahn shop
Pork and Mustard sauce
Home made pasta

13th March 2011
Top 5 ‘great’ films I hate

Top Gun
Dirty Dancing
Grease
Dude where’s my car
Saw


14th March 2011
Top 5 records for the next few months

Mike Scott – Saturation point
Gunning For Tamar – Deaf Cow Motel
Random Hand – Seething Is Believing
King Blues –Punk and Peotry
Tangled Hair - Apples


15th March 2011
Top 5 interviews on the way

King Blues
Random Hand
Drawings
Static Age
Beans on Toast

16th March 2011
Top 5 Q & A’s ready to print

Lost On Campus
Oxygen Thief
Chris T-T
Riot Tapes
Pink Mist


17th March 2011
Top 5 interview questions

3 Records, which have changed your life/inspired you
Have you seen Man On Fire?
Who did you last go and watch for fun?
What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
Who would you recommend listening to?

18th March 2011
Top 5 shows which have to be booked soon

Hold Your Horse Is
Shoes and Socks Off
Ute
Drawings
Gunning For Tamar


19th March 2011
Top 5 Rappers who inspire great hip hop

John Barnes
Bangs
Beans On Toast
Marky Mark
The one from Five

20th March 2011
Top 5 Disney Flops

Little Mermaid
Bolt
The new one with a frog
Fantasia
Whinny the Pooh

21st March 2011
Top 5 BSM Tees for 5

BSM 2010 Collection
Dad Rocks! Mammoth
Adebisi Shank
BSM 100th Release
Walter Schriefels


22nd March 2011
Top 5 Numbers which should have been retired for Villa in USA style

5 McGrath
7 Taylor
18 Yorke
4 Melberg
8 Draper


23rd March 2011
Top 5 USA teams

Oakland Athletics (Baseball)
Oakland Raiders (NFL)
Chicago Bulls (Basket ball)
San Jose Earthquakes (Football)
Pittsburgh Penguins (Ice Hockey)


24th March 2011
Top 5 Sports Films

Escape to Victory
Space Jam
Mighty Ducks
Beerfest
Green Street


25th March 2011
Top 5 to do’s for the next month

Complete Radio Documentary and written accompaniments
Complete 2500 word Business Plan and Appendices
Complete a folder of work experience crap
Draw Posters
Produce two zines



26th March 2011
Top 5 pet hates about University

People who do nothing for a whole year and still get through
The quality of teaching
Having to switch between college and University
Online learning systems
Having to study at a college full of dick head sixteen year olds

27th March 2011
Top 5 T& M Videos


28th March 2011
Top 5 reasons I hate old people and you should too

They walk too slow
They talk too slow
They drive too slow
They expect respect despite acting like idiots
They often smell of cabbage or piss

29th March 2011
Top 5 shining examples of the acoustic underground

Mike Scott
Ben Childs
Shankland
Ducking Punches
Beans On Toast

30th March 2011
Top 5 stupid musical genres

Post Grunge
Anything with Nu in it
Post Rock
R & B
Grime

31st March 2011
Top 5 Pictures from tonight’s show

Thirsty and Miserable with Gunning For Tamar, Oxygen Thief and Andy Oliveri

King Blues, Sonic Boom Six and Random Hand Photo Special

King Blues, Sonic Boom Six and Random Hand

So this week I went to see the kind of line up which would have caused a wet dream in my youth and now at the age of twenty four excites me just as much but I have developed coping mechanisms for such excitement.

Joking aside this one one of the most exciting line ups I have seen in a very long time, it's not often you get to see three headline quality acts for the price of one (unless you come to Thirsty and Miserable shows of course). Opening the night with Random Hand is like waking up to your alarm on buzzer from the very first moment of the intensely compact set these young men from Yorkshire tore the stage up. With tracks from their new record sounding every bit as catchy as the older material. I can safely say Random Hand are one of the UK's most exciting live bands and every time I see them I enjoy them even more.

Sonic Boom Six were next to take the stage and delivered the genre clashing brilliance I have grown to love over the past decade in which I have seen them play umpteen times. They are a band who in my opinion will never surpass their first two albums but I think my love of these is partially due to the memories tracks on them hold rather than the music being superior. As the band develop their sound further it does become more and more varied allowing almost anyone to watch them live and find areas they enjoyed. I could never accuse SB6 of not putting 100% into their live performance and this was another fine example of how to successfully blend vast musical influence into a fantastic live set.

Last up were the King Blues who began the show with a ferocious track from the new album which in Itches own words is 'a modern day punk album' and the new material did not disappoint in this way at all it's heavy and political passion is beautifully delivered. It was however the mixture between old and new which created an unforgettable live set for me  the combination of the three albums work was almost like skipping through the greatest hits of The King Blues and made me realise just how much I have enjoyed this band and how many amazing tracks there are in their back catalog.

It was not until the encore where two moments took my breath away firstly Itch delivered a beautiful entitled '5 Bottles of Shampoo' to a stunned audience who stayed quiet (mostly) for the full duration of the poem. The second moment was also the moment that made me realise exactly how important music is to politics to hear an entire audience interject into a song with the words 'Going to war to prevent war, is the most stupid thing I've ever heard' was both powerful and emotive.

It looks like 'Punk and Poetry' will be one of the albums of year regardless of my opinion but I've got to say I can't wait to hear it and see how it's received.  

Drawn To Black and White promotional video

Joyous @ The HMV Institute Photo Special

Top Fives February

1st February 2011
Top 5 Images from the Thirsty and Miserable Launch

2nd February 2011
Top 5 bleakest lyrics

‘If I was burning now I’d only feel alone’ Shoes and Socks Off
‘But the boy with big ideas, sold them all for pizza and weed’ Hot Club De Paris
‘If it’s good for the economy then I am for it’ Justin Sane
‘With Friends like these who needs politicians’ David Ford
‘traipsing endless corridors of disappointment’ Mike Scott

3rd February 2011
Top 5 highlights of the internship

All the free tea and coffee I can drink
Free photography lessons
Hanging tough with models
Surrounded by inspiring photos
Ever changing exhibitions

4th February 2011
Top 5 crap forms of transport

Tram – attracts smelly people to sit next to me
University free bus – always full of dicks
National express – I could walk quicker
Anything in France – French people can’t queue FACT
Bike – still too scared to get on one again after fracturing my skull when tossed off by the purple prince


5th February 2011
Top 5 Acoustic acts to come out of great bands

Frank Turner
Mike Scott
Ben Childs
Kevin Seconds
Mike Only

6th February 2011
Top 5 stupid wrestlers from my youth

Doink the Clown
Ultimate Warrior
Jake The Snake
Macho Man Randy Savage
Million Dollar Man (AKA Noel Edmonds)


7th February 2011
Top 5 suggested 30 min documentary subjects

Growth/rebirth of DIY culture
Singer songwriters coming out of bands
Session tracks
Closure of KicFM
New/anti folk

Top 5’s week 2

8th February 2011
Top 5 acoustic acts that must be booked!

Chris T-T
Joe Tilston
David Ford
Frank Turner
Ben Childs

9th February 2011
Top 5 acoustic acts that must be booked again!

Jim Lockey
Men Diamler
Lost On Campus
Mike Scott
Mike Only

10th February 2011
Top 5 items that are constantly in my possession

Wallet
Ipod
Phone
String from the first Christmas present Caroline gave me
Watch

11th February 2011
Top 5 films that never fail to make me laugh

Airplane
Naked Gun
Top Secret
Team America
Spy Hard

12th February 2011
Top 5 Moments from the Mike, Mike and Jim Show

Mike Only’s 15-second note
Jim walking into the crowd to serenade the audience
Mike Scott’s intensity
Ren’s vagina tee shirts
Celabratory cider on the walk home

13th February 2011
Top 5 pointless fears

Not walking under ladders
Never flying on Friday the 13th
Not walking under signs on the pavement
Never stepping on cracks in a pavement
Any form of repetitive behaviour without a sensible reason

14th February 2011
Top 5 tracks to include on a valentines mix tape

Nobody Loves You – Reuben
She’s automatic – Rancid
Drinking for 11 – Mad Caddies
It must be love – Madness
Make a plan to love me – Bright Eyes


15th February 2011
Top 5 tracks not to include on an anti valentines mix tape

Through with love – Matthew Reynolds
Giving up on love – Slow Club
Bitches ain’t shit – Snoop Dog/Ben Folds
There is a light that never goes out – The Smiths
Stuff – MU330

16th February 2011
Top 5 Valentines presents I have received

Care Bear
Disney’s Robin Hood
Lightsaber
Mix CD
Dinner


17th February 2011
Top 5 records that rescued pop punk from being awful (in my opinion)

Captain Everything! – It’s not rocket science
No Use For A Name – Live in a dive
Men – Everything we’ve done so far
Mr Zippy - …says a lot about the kind of person you are
Satanic Surfers – Taste the poison

18th February 2011
Top 5 posters in the making

Hand
TV
Ipod
Split coffee mug
Radio/boom box


19th February 2011
Top 5 images from Mike Scott, Mike Only and Jim Lockey

20th February 2011
Top 5 Disney classics

Basil the great mouse detective
Robin Hood
Jungle Book
Peter Pan
Fox and the hound

21st February 2011
Top 5 Villa heroes

Juan Pablo Angel
Ian Taylor
Paul McGrath
Olof Melberg
Dwight Yorke


22nd February 2011
Top 5 future Villa heroes

Darren Bent
Ashley Young (dependant on staying at villa over the summer)
Carlos Culler
Fabien Delph
Jean Makoon II

23rd February 2011
Top 5 reasons to panic between now and the end of May

4 shows to promote and organise
30 min radio documentary to produce
4 zines to write, print and design
3 posters to design and print
4 other assignments


24th February 2011
Top 5 highlights of tonight’s show

Andy Oliveri’s Hat story
Charlie from the North Ship dropping the mic into the xylophone
Lost On Campus and his Frank Turner esq ending
The amount of people that came
Falling asleep on the sofa with LOC after the show (Rock ‘n’ Roll)

25th February 2011
Top 5 Pics from last nights show

26th February 2011
Top 5 birthday presents for a 25 year old lady
Stacking lyric rings
Tickets to a show I wanted to go to
Awesome lamp
Luke Leighfield tote with him dressed as a wolf
Camera

27th February 2011
Top 5 highlights of West Midlands Safari Park

It’s a drive through zoo
Ostrich attacking car
Mega ugly kid
Two pence machines
Stupid staff at pizza hut forgetting to charge half our meal

28th February 2011
Top 5 lowlights of West Midlands Safari Park

No Monkeys
Fixed teddy grabbers
Not being allowed to play the can game for an incredible hulk
Cold/wet
Slow people always blocking the way