'A Childhood Gone By'

This is more of a personal post.

Now I've finally reached 18, and realised my childhood has ran past me quicker than I could notice it was getting away, I knew this playlist had to finally happen (after years of promising myself that I would one day compile it.)

Growing up in the 2000s/noughties, or whatever you want to name it to make it sound vaguely influential, sounds a lot less trendy to me than those who can say they grew up in the 70s, or 80s, or even the 90s. Let's take a moment to remember that some disgustingly bad projects supposedly named 'music' did manage to somehow happen within those years, and I'm sure everyone reading this has a few names in mind, but at the same time, I was so lucky to grow up with my two parents who were brilliantly educated, self-educated even, in music, and had, frankly, fantastic music tastes.

So alongside being introduced to the wonders of the Talking Heads, Bowie, Joy Division/New Order and Hendrix over the years, they also kept up with modern alternative music. Therefore, I also got to discover the Strokes, Basement Jaxx, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Foos, Arcade Fire, Midlake and the Libertines along with them. Whilst the 2000s lent us some truly awful formula-produced tracks, it also birthed some absolute gold that will be remembered in the years to come, with a spattering of one-hit wonder odd tracks here and there that still have memories attached. Who remembers 'Long Time Coming' by the Delays and 'Being Followed' by Rocket Science? Does anyone have the same extensive bank of memories attached to 'Bandages' by Hot Hot Heat, or remember their parents making their toys 'sing' to 'Can't Stand Me Now' by the Libertines?

And going back to the whole 'Music and Making Memories' thing I was on a while ago, it comes back to the same principle that if you listen to the same song consistently for a while, (and in the case of childhood songs this can reach 6 years or so), the memories attached can be really intensified. I find it mad to think how many memories I have attached to some of these tracks, and how certain albums, even from the past few years (Random Access Memories, for example), can really make you feel nostalgic.

I would definitely like to think that my tastes today are a result of the music that my parents played on car journeys up north to visit my mum's family, or down south to visit my dad's, or the albums they binge-played when driving on the freeway for 12 straight hours in Florida (that one's for you, 'By The Way'). And thanks to their 'vinyl mentality' of listening to an album through, rather than just the hits, I also hope I'm the sort of listener who gives all tracks on an album a chance before deciding on my favourites.

Finally, XFM was the station for my family until I was around 13. Then we swapped to BBC Radio 6, and honestly, we've never looked back. Radio X really has gone downhill, in my opinion.

Here's the playlist for anyone interested- it did take a few hours to put together, and I'm pretty pleased with it.

https://open.spotify.com/user/reindella/playlist/3GEpyfr63lXDGJFRwdkL4L

-Squirete

Massive Attack at Portsmouth Guildhall (with Young Fathers) Review

3 months later and another review...guess I should say welcome to 2016, folks.

It's ambient, atmospheric, subtle, yet huge all at the same time. Massive Attack's career is far from dwindling.

The infamous Massive Attack, back with their new EP Ritual Spirit, filled the Guildhall with a range of synths, percussion, grand piano sounds and haunting layered vocals, creating a terrifically textured ambience that silenced the crowd. The new EP is fantastic, but Martina Topley also impressed again with the gorgeously atmospheric Teardrop.

This was paired up with a spectacular visual and light effects, all with a continued theme of the current immigrant crisis, urging the audience to support and take action. Delivered all in time with the beat of the tracks- the gig was not only thought-provoking in its music, but politically striking. The show demanded the audience's full attention, which was either a good or bad thing, dependent on what type of gig-attendee you are.

Young Fathers, condensed into the centre of the stage, created a miraculously massive sound that was not only incredibly percussive but industrial, urban and spattered with white noise and lo-fi synthesisers- 100% a trio to watch out for in the future.

-Squirete

Everything Everything at the Pyramids Portsmouth (with Stealing Sheep) ~ Review

'You managed to fill this whole room, thank you,' smiles Jonathan Higgs, just before launching into Distant Past, their final song (pre-encore.). Thing is, it's not really surprising that we did- not because the Pyramids is naturally an intimate venue, but because the band itself are frankly fucking awesome live, and it really was a privilege to be witnessing it.

The set begins with 'To The Blade'- anyone who didn't know the track most likely assumed the band had chosen to start off with something slow, simple, and threadbare- but then one minute in, the bass, drums and guitar drop, and the crowd erupts, and suddenly the Pyramids seems full, complete, absolutely raving and exalting, feeling the bass in our collective chests. The set continues, featuring tracks old and new, the crowd-pleaser Kemosabe, evolving Cough Cough and babbling jargon of Photoshop Handsome. This is alongside favourites of the new album, Get To Heaven: the catchy Regret, Distant Past, obscure No Reptiles and the stirring but significantly motivating and inspiring Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread.

Albeit surreal, Everything Everything have established their alt-pop niche, thanks to Higgs' wide-ranged voice, often erupting into falsetto, resting on foundations of electronica, glitch pop, R&B and psych rock. It almost purposefully seems as if Higgs does not want his tracks to be singalong- it's virtually impossible with rapping-style, fast complexities of words upon words with which you can barely keep up, particularly prominent in 'Photoshop Handsome' and 'Distant Past'. However choruses such as 'Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread' get us all chanting and reflecting.

Jonathan Higgs

However, this doesn't deter from the fantastic sounds of Stealing Sheep, the support band.

Clad in neon tights and leotards, and armed with a few keyboards, a basic drum kit, a drum machine and one guitar, the girl trio established the true meaning of Girl Power. Perfectly in sync, they layered vocals in immaculate harmony, frequently using effective delay FX. Their tracks were polished with rhythmically fitting, tight, often complex drums. A wistful mix of styles both old and new, and on occasion sounding vaguely pagan and folky, the girls exhibited a warming DIY feel which still felt so effortlessly new and futuristic.

Stealing Sheep

An all round fantastic night of music hosted by the Pyramids in Portsmouth.

-Squirete

{all photos belong to Ella Squire}