2010 Review of the Year ! :)

Hello again this is the 2nd of 2 posts today. As i said before it is the last day of 2010 and so i think it is fitting to reflect on what has been a great year for me personally.

Well in the life of Fraser I have done a lot and accomplished a lot, here's a few things that need notable mentions!

1. Well i survived the first year of uni ! That had to be mentioned first but now i have settled into Strathclyde Uni and are now halfway through 2nd year...it is a scary thought indeed ! I have had plenty of nights out and parties to attend now that i am a fully fledged student :D but thats all part of the plan :)



One of the many good times with Uni folks :)

2. T in the Park - This year may have not been the best for bands but banter was in full flow. Notable mentions include (Special Thanks to Audrey Gillies in this department!):
''T in the Park? this is Hugh Grants Park!!'
''who the fuck are you?!?!''
''EVERYBODY!! CAMPERS!! COME AND SEE THE FIGHTING FETUSES!! THERES A RED ONE AND A BLACK ONE AND ONE THATS YELLOW!!''
''Look at they seagulls!! GET OUTTA HEEEEEE!! that wans no movin', it's a wide-o!!''
''Backscratchhaaaaa'''
''Madness! some call it madness!''
''andrex loo roll is like wiping your bum with a puppy''
''im planning my bands round shitting''

Oh to name a few !



After this picture was taken...Madness ruled (literally)

3. Blackpool 2010 - What a great time i had with the KFC crew (and Stephen!) in our wee caravan. Many an alcoholic beverage was drank and we visited many a place like the Zoo and the famous pleasure beach. Great week that came straight after T in the Park!



One of many drunken times in Blackpool...my Nelly impersonation

4. The Wedding of the Year - Nicola (finally) got married to Ross Ferguson on the 9th October 2010 and well the whole wedding was just fantastic ! Nicola having a dance routine for Ross with her friends and Ross singing "Rule the World" by Take That for Nicola. This wedding was uniquely theirs and will be cherished by all who witnessed.



What a great day it was ! :)

5. Leeds Fest - My first festival outside of Scotland and I loved it ! Saw some awesome bands and a lot of drink was drunk ! Oh and the day trip to York the next day was not too shabby either !!


First of many drinks from what i remember


6. Aberdeen - Trip up to Aberdeen to see Paramore was seen by most as mad but i called it dedication! After waiting 3 hours in the freezing cold we soon warmed up and were treated to fun...i mean the band called Fun. Then of course Paramore were exceptional...all in all a great couple of days :)



Nommy <3

Well I believe thats all folks this year ! All I have to say now is have a lovely new year and see you on the flipside (I say Flipside because i am cool! )

Happy New Year !!

Class of 2010 - Best Films of the Year

Merry belated Christmas everyone first !

Now as i am writing this is it is 31st December 2010 and tomorrow will be a new year :D
So in the first of 2 blogs today (because i was rushed into doing this) I will focus on the films that made me ooohhh and ahhh or even laugh throughout the year. Here are my top 5 films:

5. Little Fockers - This film is freshest in my memory as i went to see it only a few days ago but i thoroughly enjoyed it. The rapport between Stiller and Deniro is fantastic and it is full of laughs oh and Jessica Alba :)

4. Kick Ass - This film was just genius ! The cast was brilliant especially Nick "CHILLLLDDDD!!!!!" Cage and of course that guy who plays McLovin in Superbad/

3. Inception - A spectacular film with a superb story line. I had to go to the cinema twice to see it as it was that good (Plus i needed to get the whole storyline). The dream inside a dream idea was confusing by the effects used in it were brilliant.

2. Machete - "Machete don't text....Machete improvise!"
This film is classic from start to finish. The star studded line up of Danny Trejo, Robert Deniro, Michelle Rodriguez(<3<3), Jessica Alba and of course Steven Seagal made this an epic film. The Trejo gets all the girls in his 60s...that is impressive but it also had ridiculous stunts and scenes. Oh and Rodriguez in a very revealing outfit <3



My new found love <3

1. The Expendables - A close run thing between this and Machete but this has the Stallone factor. This film with heavyweights like Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke and cameos from Schwarzenegger and Willis just couldn't disappoint. With outrageous explosions and guns - including Terry Crews' massive gun which had me laughing hysterically- this film could not get any more manly. What a film...oh and roll on Expendables 2 !



Yes that is the gun !

Class of 2010 - Best Songs of the Year

So now ladies and gentlemen its times for the top 10 (yes i said ten instead of five) songs of the year. Remember, my music taste is extremely varied and many different genre will be covered !

10. Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold
Just for the guitarwork and lyrics...great song all in all!

9. My First Kiss - 3OH!3 Feat Ke$ha
Such a catchy song from the boys of Colorado with the finished touch of the beautiful Ke$ha!

8. Playing God - Paramore
Yes, yes bias comes into play here, this song is one of my favourites of Brand New Eyes and now has significant importance in relation to the recent Paramore news...

7. The Captain - Biffy Clyro
Yeah it may have been out tail end of last year but hey ho am putting it in here. Why? The "HO!!" start of the song is an awesome opening and the chorus of "somebody help me sing !?!" makes it truly an anthem.

6. Watercolour - Pendulum
The lead song for Immersion and a fantastic track from the Aussie drum n bass boys. Such a great track to dance to and it gets ur feet tapping.

5. Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida & David Guetta
Final 5 ! I said i had a varying taste in music. Tbh this song always gets me grooving on the dancefloor it is soo damn catchy !!!

4. Love the Way you Lie - Eminem feat Rhianna
The vibrant mix of Rhianna's singing and Eminem's rapping skills make this song very much a highlight of 2010 in the summer time.

3. The Island - Pendulum
Second entry for Pendulum which shows how strong the album actually was in my opinion ! This is my favourite song on the album...the second part was indeed a "TUNE!"

2. Destabilise - Enter Shikari
The most plays on my iTunes?? Aye this deserves to be here. Its a great wee song with the added "shikari shuffle" and the added political meaning. TUNE!

1. Airplanes - B.O.B Feat Hayley Williams
Would you expect anything less. It has my hayley in it of course i am gonna love it ! Oh and part 2 with eminem is even better !!

Thats the top 10...comments guys??

Class of 2010 - Best Albums of the Year

Now that i have calmed down from my rant last night...time to continue my top 5s of the year. This time its all about albums released during the year!

5. American Slang - The Gaslight Anthem
Yes this band broke through with The 59' Sound and their followup album was just as good. With a blend of catchy songs and great lyrics. They are destined for bigger things.
Best Song - Stay Lucky

4. Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold
After a rocky end to 2009 with the death of The Rev, M Shadows and the rest were very brave to bounce back straight away with this album. With very heartfelt songs about the passing of their drummer and very catchy guitar riffs it was a very good album.
Best Song - Welcome to the Family

3. What Separates me from You - A Day to Remember
Wow the final three, this was difficult to say the least. A Day to Remember returned with the follow up to Homesick and they did not disappoint. This album was filled with classic ADTR breakdowns and very catchy tunes.
Best Song - 2nd Sucks

2. Beneath it All - Hey Monday
I love love love this mini-album by the Florida band! Cassadee Pope's beautiful voice make every song in this album perfect in every way. Yes you can tell i am in love with Cassadee!
Best Song - Where is My Head?

1. Immersion - Pendulum
And yeap my number one is Aussie drum n Bass specialists Pendulum! Every song on this album is a tuuunee ! They are destined for greater things in 2011.
Best Song(s) - The Island Part 1 and 2

Paramore ARE a Band

I am going to break the cycle of my best of 2010 for one wee blog because i need to splurt out some stuff about big news.
http://www.paramore.net/blog/announcement/

Today it was announced that Josh and Zac Farro have left Paramore. It came as a shock to me especially only having seen them about a month ago in Aberdeen. But I look at the bigger picture... Josh is married now and wants to be with his wife and well Zac has been growing up on the road all the time...maybe he needs a wee bit of normality?

Through the sadness,i started reading comments on the announcement on Facebook and Twitter and everyone is saying "hayley will go solo" and "its all about Hayley in the band". This does infuruate me and hence the rant in the blog. This is why:

1. Yes you guessed it...Paramore ARE a Band...not just hayley
2. She hasnt sold out just because she was asked to do a track with an up and coming rap artist
3. The band as a whole are eternally grateful to the support they have gained for writing good music that have appealed to a generation
4. Hayley is a role model for many girls who have aspirations of being rock stars or being famous
5. The band were asked to do a track or two for twilight...the success of them made them bigger and more of a fan base...problem with that? No, not at all
6. You look at the big picture, the rest of the band are very quiet souls, just because she is the loudest does not mean that its all about her and the band
7. Finally, They are not splitting up, 2 members leaving does not constitute a break up. Hayley will not go solo. Paramore will continue as a band as they said for the South American tour dates and for the future!

Nuff said on this topic !

Adieu!

The Class of 2010 - The Gigs

Well as the year is coming to an end and it is time to close another chapter in the life of myself i guess i should do a favourites from the year. So this blog will focus on the best gigs i have been to this year. Since January i think i have been to about 30 gigs and seen verging on 100 bands (probably more) so here are my top 5 of the year:



5 The Prodigy - "Where are my warriors!!" is the line i remember as Maxim and the rest graced the stage in an electric set that shook everyone that witnessed it to the core. Light show, techno beats and the crowd going mental...prodigy are one of the best in the game for getting the crowd going.
Best Song - Smack my Bitch Up

4. Pendulum - The Prodigy's potential successor to crossing the rock-dance divide did not disappoint with a brilliant show that warmed everyone up while the snow and cold was causing all sorts of problems outside. With their mix of rock and dance they certainly know how to keep a crowd bouncing for the whole show.
Best Song - The Island part 1 and 2

3. Muse - Matt Bellamy is an absolute maestro and the T in the Park performance was just unbelievable. The three piece certainly deserve all the awards they get for being one of the best live bands in the business at this time.
Best Song - United States of Eurasia

2. Blink 182 - The return of "Mark Hoppus and the other two" was met by me with a massive amount of excitement. Their SECC performance brought back soo much memories of when i was younger and when i listened to them first. Oh and Travis Barker even threw in a massive drum solo woth a rotating drum kit...nuff said.
Best Song - Stockholm Syndrome

1. Madness - "Madness? they call it madness!!" Yes that quote was used a lot during that T in the Park Weekend and well Suggs and Co were exceptional. The crowd were up for dancing and jumping around and ska dancing...old and young ones alike. It was a massive party and easily one of the best bands i have seen in my years going to T in the Park. Oh and their return in November at the O2 Academy was not too shabby either.
Best Song - One Step Beyond