Not much to say, so have some tuneage.

Means exactly what it says.
Gonna post some videos of what I have been listening to today.

Minor Threat- Stand Up


Bad Brains- Give Thanks and Praise

Blink And You'll Miss It

Ok, I was going to try and do this big deep and meaningful post, but I can't do it. I just want to write about Blink 182 and how awesome they were at the Glasgow SECC last night. Although I only arrived 2 hours before the doors opened, still got to the barrier.

The Setlist

1. Dumpweed
2. Feeling This
3. The Rock Show
4. What’s My Age Again?
5. Violence
6. I Miss You
7. Stay Together For The Kids
8. Down
9. Always
10. Stockholm Syndrome
11. First Date
12. Man Overboard
13. Don’t Leave Me
14. Not Now
15. All The Small Things
16. Reckless Abandon
17. Josie
18. Anthem Pt2

19. Encore:
19. Travis’ Solo
20. Carousel
21. Dammit

Also. Travis Barker? Best drummer in the world. No arguements. I have no idea how the man isn't terrified of heights, cause I would be, after all he's been through. But the drum solo he did during the encore. Never seen anything like it EVER.



(video from the Aberdeen show on Monday, but couldn't find one from the Glasgow show)

Apparently the crowd was really bad. Honestly, I didn't notice. There was pushing, and I was squashed against the barrier, to the point I couldn't get into my bag to get my camera. Gutted. Could have got some awesome pictures. And people compaining cause beer was getting thrown?!? What have they never been to a gig before. But the floor was slippery, and a lot of people fell over, which in a hall filled with 10,000 people, is no good thing. So a lot of people (mostly young girls) were pulled out.

When I thought I was never going to see Blink again, the fact that I got to see them, was good enough. But they never missed a beat, both Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus keeping up a great level at banter. Both guys were so funny. Even Mark with the 'thanks to Jedward for letting us cover their song', before 'All The Small Things'. And little ad-libs during songs, which were probably rehearsed like crazy, but were so funny.

I just wish I knew that they would be back again, because I would relive that gig in a heartbeat.

The only pitfalls, are the floor of the arena, which is this rubbery stuff. Awesome when its dry, but a few spilt drinks and it turned into an ice rink. The SECC need to do something about that, cause I think that was the main reason so many people fell in the pit.

Sue goes fangirl

Yeah, I doubt this has any interest of anyone other than me.

First, Good Charlotte's new song 'Counting the days'. Queue me squealling like a pained cat for most of yesterday.


And for the fact that I am seeing Blink 182 tonight, have a video of them live at Madison Square Gardens, New York.

giggage

What's the best thing about being an avid music fan?

Gigs! I love going to see a band live and the anticipation it brings. You get to meet other fans and usually make some new friends.

I am going to see Blink 182 tomorrow, after much to-ing and fro-ing. They are playing at the SECC in Glasgow, after playing Aberdeen tonight. After not seeing the band for years, I am so excited.

Planning on going through tomorrow, but I know some people are heading through tonight. Yeah, I wouldn't mind doing that if i was staying in Glasgow, but I'm not, so just going through in the afternoon. Still gonna be epic though. XD

Music Recomendation: Dip Dap

Dip Dap are a punk band, which hail from Glasgow. They have played many gigs throughout the last few years, and they are a popular sight in the Glasgow/Edinburgh punk scene. Following the punk ideals, this band produce and sell their own albums and merch. They are constantly looking for gigs.

The current band line up, features Jen on guitar/vocals, Kipper-man on bass and Budgie on drums.

Dip Dap take influences from bands such as: Astrid Oto, Blatz, Tilt, Nirvana, Operation Ivy, Crimpshrine, Cleveland Bound Death Sentence, Fifteen and The Gr’ups.

visit the band at http.myspace.com/dipdappunk for more information including booking details.

I met Budgie and Jen in 2008 when we were queueing for the Eastpak Antidote Tour. I was first in line, and they came after. I have since met them at a few more gigs, including their own at Ivory Blacks in Glasgow. Very nice guys, and the amount of work they do, they really deserve this band to do well.

Free Dip Dap downloads
Dip Dap - What To Do
Dip Dap - Cheap Ass Beer
Dip Dap - Repeat
Dip Dap - Fool To Think

FREEDOM

Freedom! What gives you that sense where you feel completely free?

For me, it's music. It is something that moves me so much. Whether I am listening to Tchaikovsky or N Dubz or Slayer, music is just so expressive.

Me and Gemma were talking about it yesterday. Because music is written from the heart and involves emotions, it easily effects other people emotionally. So because it's based on emotion, it should also be open to interpretation. Compared to how a person is feeling, or what they have been through, they may think differently about a song. And artists should be able to accept this.

If people expect their work to be accepted on an emotional level, then they should be aware that people may view it differently. But that's why I love music so much. It is all open to how I feel, not what others say its about.

Throughout history music has been used to voice opinion when people feel like they have no voice. In states which people feel as if their rights have been. taken away, they often rebel through art such as music. It is a way to get their voices heard. And this sense of unity, as the music brings people together, make the opinion louder.

With the UK on the cusp of becoming depressed under Tory rule, there is great expectations that the underground music scene will become more active again. With the unlimited amount of cutbacks getting pushed forward by government, people will feel jaded.

Because you can use music to describe anything, it will always have a sense of freedom, wherever the music itself comes from.

Rebellion 2010 ---A Playlist

I have been talking to a lot of people about my experiences in Blackpool at Rebellion festival. With the type of festival that it is, other than a few bands, most people have never heard of a lot of the bands. Well, people I know, don't know the music I listen to.

So as a way, of spreading the love for the music that I enjoy, so I have created a playlist for the bands I have been raving about seeing at the festival. It's full of 14 of my favourite bands of the weekend.

1-Slaughter & The Dogs- Where Have All The Bootboys Gone
2-The King Blues- Save The World, Get The Girl
3-The Aggrolites- Dirty Reggae
4- Sonic Boom Six- City Of Theives
5- Radio Dead Ones- Take It On Trust
6- Stiff Little Fingers- Johnny Was
7- Big D & The Kids Table- L.A.X.
8- Goldblade- Strictly Hardcore
9- UK Subs- Stranglehold
10- GBH- Race Against Time
11- Discharge- Realities Of War
12- Bad Religion- I Want To Conquer The World
13- Subhumans- Mickey Mouse Is Dead
14- Gallows- In The Belly Of A Shark

I have built this playlist over on Spotify, so check it out:
http://open.spotify.com/user/casualties_army/playlist/79Vq7ptpsvJn2Tb62yZaXX

...and the roof went off.

Bad Religion.

That band was amazing last night. Thanks to Rebellion, I have seen many of my musical heroes in the last few years. And if that isn't inspirational, I don't know what is.

There was a section yesterday, where John Robb (Goldblade, The Membranes) interviewed Charlie Harper (UK Subs). Charlie Harper has been playing music since 1965, and he is still going strong. That in itself is inspirational, but when he starts talking about things such as borrowing The Rolling Stones kit for a gig, it hits you how much this guy has done. UK Subs started in 1975, and they do still pretty much continously.

Makes me sad that Charlie doesn't get any respect from general music fans, in fact most of them don't even know he exists. I mean Charlie has some amazing stories about a fantastic career.

Bad Religion get endless praise and most fans of rock music have at least heard of them. But Charlie and the UK Subs, don't get all that much. I suppose it would be great if all bands got the same attention. But, hearing Charlie talk, he seems satisfied with the level he is at, as he says you either stick with your art, or you do it for money.

How can you not respect someone who has that ethic, and is still making music after so long? Mr Harper deserves the respect of music fans and the industry, alike.

I am feeling very motivated right now, thanks to Rebellion and guys like Charlie Harper, who I spoke to yesterday and he was so nice.

Punk does that, inspires you to do what you want, live life to own your rules.

You can pick up life lessons almost anywhere, it's all about your state of mind. If you are in a bad mood, then it is often hard to find anything enlightening. But that's where I think music is different. Songs can effect your mood, you can't say that for a lot of things. But because music involves someone's emotion just to create it, so I figure that is why it effects people so much. I mean, I have albums that I listen to when I'm depressed, happy or angry.

I think if the musician writes and plays from their heart, then someone will always become connected to the song. But what I love about music, is the sharing aspect. If you like a band, share it with your friend. Word by mouth is how most rock bands get more attention.

So do music a service and share your favourite bands with friends. Because without fans recommending bands, there wouldn't be much of a music industry. If you get a copy of an album from a friend, go see that artist live and buy some merch. Get the money to the bands, and not to the suits.

Fuck the record companies, trying to force money out of someone elses art.

So before I go, check out the UK Subs, and be inspired.

What Makes A Fan

So, think you're a fan?

If the answer is yes, whether it be music, sport or anything, then you would have most likely been told that you aren't a real fan. Sucks don't it? Who are they to decide you aren't a fan?

Shouldn't it be as simple as you are a fan, as long as you like a particular thing. But, things are never that simple.

I think it is another case of people liking to put themselves on a higher peg than other fans. Almost as if that makes them a bigger fan, because they say that you are not so good as them.

I can think about this in two ways, in which that happens to me.

First, is the Good Charlotte fandom. No matter how much you buy or go and see the band, someone will always try to out-do you. People seem very quick to dismiss other GC fans. We take pride in calling ourselves a big family, but some people seem to be spiteful about that. Its like, 'I don't visit GC.com, cause its filled with posers'. Yes, I have actually heard that. People refusing to go to the bands actual site, as if doing so gets them some kind of merit badge.

The way I look at it, the fandom (whatever the subject) is there to act like a community for the fans. So it should allow people to express themselves. And as long as you don't say anything negative, you can express yourself. The moment you say something against what one of the band members has done, you are immediately told you are not a fan. This isn't how a family should react. I do believe that its just people trying to heighten their self-importance.

Another area where I have felt this superiority complex, is the punk scene itself. As soon as I declare my love for the afore mentioned band, I get told I know nothing about punk. No matter what bands I have gone to see, or who I listen to, one band makes me not punk.

That's the issue with punk, there's too many idiot elitists, who believe the only true punk is that of the 70s and 80s, and that anyone who is under 30 and a part of the scene is a poser. I find this ignorant, I mean I doubt that punk festivals like Rebellion (where I am now) would be here, if there wasn't young blood going into the scene. I think that a lot of the original punks, don't want the scene to change, and just reject anything new. There is a few ignorant teenagers who feel they know all about punk, and say punk is dead. I say its ignorant, because I don't think the mindset of punk, will never die. People are always trying to better themselves and make things happen. Maybe it's just something I pick up from punk *shrugs* But I have talked about that before.

So. What's the moral of the story? Like what you like, fuck everyone else!

Music taste, personality trait

Because, I am at a music festival this weekend, it was kind of obvious that I would be talking about music. But I have been thinking about what music says about your personality.

Everyone knows that music creates stereotypes, like listen to Oi! you are a racist thug, listen to happy hardcore dance music, you are a scummy scrounger. I suppose it all has to do with our natural instincts of classifying things. Almost as if, we feel less afraid of something if we put it in its place. This sounds very stupid, but its not like anyone thinks about it. We have to make a genuine effort to not jump to conclusions on someone. And it's not as easy as it seems.

The best way for someone to stop jumping to conclusions on people, is to think if that's the way you want to be treated. If you don't like people judging you, then don't judge them. Simples.

But because of the very nature of music, then surely it can effect the way a person acts. For instance, dip your toes into the Good Charlotte fandom for a minute, and you'll see the most dedicated fans in the world. Why are they so dedicated? Because most of them feel that Good Charlotte has inspired them to get through another day. I'm sure that when people start bands, they don't ever think that they will be deemed saviours of their fans.

All music has an effect on someone, which is what makes a song effective. No matter what the music, even if you don't like it, for it to even be published, it needs to effect someone. But even 'hating' a band, means that said band has effected you in someway, so they are doing their job. People choose what they like because it goes in line with their mood.

It is actually a proven fact (read it somewhere) that people who listen to heavy metal and angry music, tend to be more balanced individuals, who are in tune with their feelings. Then it is also said people who listen to nothing but pop music, set unreachable goals and avoid conflict. Of course, this is all stereotyping, but it is an interesting thought.

Me? I am a big fan of punk rock. It has given me a sense of self, a place to belong. I am longer afraid to do what I want. That sense of motivation comes from being sick letting others decide what I want to do. I wouldn't be where I am today without punk. From Blink 182, to The Sex Pistols to Discharged, punk is the soundtrack to my life, and I wouldn't skip a single track.

Almost Normal

I kind of touched on this yesterday, but I love the feeling of normality that you get around people who are similar to yourself. The feeling that I'm not strange for liking the things that I do.

When I'm at this festival (Rebellion punk festival), I am not as out-there as some of the people here. Its a strange feeling, that as soon as I walk out out the venue and onto the street, out come the stares and whispered comments. The reactions themselves don't bother me as much as they used to, in fact I get a sense of satisfaction about it. But sometimes its nice to not have bitchy whispering behind my back. I like that there is no negativity that comes with me being myself.

How much does that say about our society? We are encouraged to be ourselves, but then mocked for doing so. People are still so closed up in their opinions of others that they get all defensive when they see someone act differently to themselves. But this festival, there is none of that. The place is so friendly, and anyone is welcome. Be yourself because that is what punk is about, and to me, festivals like this celebrate that fact.

Forget the trends, fuck what anyone else says, listen to good music and unashamedly be yourself.

Have a good Friday everybody.

Music Recommendation: The Guilty Pleasures

The Guilty Pleasures are a punk band from Lancaster, England. They are influenced by bands such as Anti-Flag, Bad Religion and The Unseen. This band first came to my attention in 2008, when I heard of them through Rebellion Festival, which is an annual punk festival in Blackpool, England. Around about this time, word started to spread that these guys were fantastic live, and they were spotted in national magazines such as Big Cheese.

They began to get a lot of press when the recently received a KKKK review from Kerrang! magazine, currently the only alternative Rock weekly magazine in the UK. The also made an appearance on the Radio 1 punk show, which is a major thing for any band. BBC radio 1 is widely acknowledged for launching the careers of many a band. They have a successful history of championing bands, so that they get their deserved success.

To date the band have released two E.P.'s, 'Freedom Of Speech' and 'Think Of England'. And June 2008, they released their first full album, 'What Are We Fighting For?'. They have also supported bands like The Subhumans, UK Subs and MC Lars on tour. These guys are one of my favourite band, in the current wave of UK Punk, and they put on an amazing Live show. The band have a good energy and presence that the crowd thrives on. A definite must see for any punk fan.

Free Authorised Download
The Guilty Pleasures- Kick In The Face,

Punk rock is not dead

If you are talking about the 70s and 80s where punk was publicised everywhere, then yeah, punk is no longer at that stage anymore.

The ideal of punk was that people stood up for themselves, that no matter what society may tell you to do, you only do what you want. Its the ethic that it is YOU that can change your life, not putting your life in the hands of other people.

And now that DIY attitude is in the public domain, it will never die. Punk is the kid brought up on classical music, who goes to see Coldplay in concert. Its the man who wears a bright tie, where his work has a strict dress code. Punk is the little girl wanting to be a singer, when her folks want her to be a doctor.

I suppose, it depends on how you look at punk. But, to me, after being a memeber of an active Scottish punk scene for the last 5 years, I can say that it definately isn’t dead. People all too often, seem to think that punk is just about anarchy and sticking it ‘to the man’. So when they don’t see the national media covering punk, they assume its dead.

Punk has ALWAYS been about being true to yourself. And to be honest, I hope that NEVER dies

Good news everybody

My website is online.

http://riot-graphics.co.uk
I feel so happy at this. I was panicking about it, but I was doing my usual of making things more complicated. This is something I have been planning to do for the last  few days, but due to me acting like an idiot nothing happened.

I was stressing that I wouldn't find out how to upload the files to the web with in what little time I have left in college. Seeing as I am not coming back next year, I have decided that I needed to get it done where I could actually talk to someone about it.

I do need to actually point out that the site is not a completed design, and that I still have a lot of work to do on it. It is a base site, which is just basically a background with links on the page. Nothing spectacular. But, as I said I wanted to upload it, and I needed to do something, and that was made in the space of one day.

So I got the details to log into the server, I think its the server *scratches head* and it was uploaded in no time. So exciting seeing that I have my own site online. I was hyper for about 15 minutes.

I then, started thinking about a project I was planning on doing this summer. What it is, is that I am looking to do something focusing on music, as it means so much to me. What I am thinking of is doing an accoustic cover of a song, and record it on video, and also create some art work to go with it.  Its supposed to show the change I am going through, and to look at how music has played a massive part in who I am today. What do you thing? Good idea? Bad idea?

Speaking of music, been sitting listening to Hanson's live album all day, in anticipation of getting their new album within the next few days. Been a Hanson fan for 13 years and counting.

Monday Monday

Hello. Another weekend has passed, and I haven't progressed any further in anything.

I did a lot of thinking, and came up with the idea of starting a music blog, as if I don't have enough to do. Its going to be filled with music news and recommendations.  I love music, so I thought that this would be the ideal way to spread some love. So done both the recommendation and News posts for today.
Check it out: http://musicholdall.blogspot.com

Also I have an article I am supposed to be sending into my works internal magazine. Its to try  and help raise the moral of people in the call centres. I think its is a fantastic idea, and am looking forward to seeing what I come up with. I think it is going to be written in a similar way as this. 

So I am going to vanish and get the 500 word thing typed up now, seeing as I have 40 minutes before I start my shift. And that will be one thing I can tick off my list as being 'done'.

Also a minor note

This happened on Wednesday morning:



At about three minutes into the clip, they mention the same video by me, that they had tweeted about earlier in the week. My GC.com and twitter username is Psychobabble.

I swear, that moment, at 2.40am, may have just made my year :D

It's Suesday

Still oh so very hyper.

I woke up his morning to loads of comments from twitter, people were trying to wake me up. Now, this was at about 5am, and if you know me, you know that time of the morning is a no-go area for me. Well I logged on to see that both Benji and Joel had tweeted about my thank-you thread I started on the Good Charlotte website. Now this  contained a video of  me crying like a child, because I was having an 'emo' day, and wanted to thank the band. 

I sat staring at the apple mac screen in awe. I had no idea this had happened. And overnight, the views for my video went from 106 to way over 300.

AHHHHHH

JoelMadden

Check this out. Pretty F-in cool. http://www.goodcharlotte.com/forum/topics/thank-you-good-charlotte?commentId=2020424%3AComment%3A1538185

and

benjaminmadden

  aww sweetes thing ever #GCFAM RULES http://bit.ly/9GVMYr

That's right, my hero, Benji Madden called the thread and video I made, the sweetest thing ever. *squee* Now, I know that this is supposed to be a creative/ college blog, but I felt that because this is SUCH a big deal to me, I thought I'd share. I mean, I need to show my personality through my blogs, and this is a part of my crazy side.

And I say that as if I have a normal side :P

Sunday= meh

Well, hello there.

Been awful distracted of late, hence the lack of blogs.

As a bit of an update, been doing college work, going to work  and sleeping. Yeah, so very exciting, which as usual is mostly due to lack of funds. I have been doing very little bar frequenting various forums.  But I got paid on Friday, so went on the usual pay-day high. I spent £45 on comic books and booked myself a new tattoo.

I have been sitting in front of my laptop, struggling to find the momentum to finish my Graded unit research. I am very lax with it at the moment. There is just no motivation there at all. I am going to have to force myself to get it done, as I have to hand in the work for grading tomorrow.  Total dreading it. This is the project which decides where I get my grade for my course from. So I am making a lot of effort that it is done right, but doing it all tidy and clean, is making it very monotonous to do. It does look pretty mind you. Just I am regreting putting all my work together in Photoshop. Its just a lot of extra work *sigh* I just hope it pays off, which my tutor believes it it will, because it looks nice. Uch. Its giving me a headache too.

Also. Mr Benjamin Madden, kind of knocked the breath out of me a bit.

I mean 'hello'. Still not happy over the fact that Ellismania 5 is happening on my birthday. And all Jason Ellis can say to comfort me, is that Benji is a 'dead cert' to win'. *rolls eyes* Something tells me he said that just to shut me up. lol. But I am confused, and its something that has been playing on my mind. The fight is MMA, and Benji and Rikki are different weight classes. I heard that they were attempting to get Rikki up to Benji's weight, but he just couldn't bulk up. So Benji has been downsizing, to fit Rikki's weight class. Benji still looks heavier than Rikki, but he is very close to being in his class. Uch, Benji you had better win, since you decided to fight on my birthday.

Anywho, talking about MMA stuff, UFC? UFC113, is in May. I am all split over it for having Koscheck Vs Daley. I really like watching those two guys fight and it sucks that they are gonna be against each other. I do think Koscheck might win it, but I really want Daley to do well. Oh well

Today I've been listening to:-

WMG to back out of streaming

Having a look through the internet, just browsing for things of interest, and found this:

www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/news/2010/02/10/Warner-Music-Ditches-Streaming--Strands-Spotify--Last-fm--Napster/p1

Yep, WMG ( Warner Music Group) is pulling out of online streaming. That means artists like Madonna, Avenged Sevenfold, Fall Out Boy, Hootie and the Blowfish, Killswitch Engage, Lostprophets, Linkin Park and a ton more, will no longer feature on streaming sites, like Pandora (now US only), Last.FM, Spotify and Napster.  And I feel that they are attacking the normal, honest music fan, who uses the internet to quench their thirst for new bands.

This has really bothered me, because I use both Spotify and Last.FM a lot. WMG is one of the big four music companies (the others being Sony, EMI and Universal), and having them pull out of something, is surely only the beginning of the end for streaming. People may scoff, but be aware that Warner was the first studio to pull out of Toshiba and HD-DVD. Its whether the other studios follow suite or, Warner just falls behind.

People were becoming powerful in the music industry, no longer were we force fed music on Radio 1, and told what is good music. Now, people can go onto Last FM, and listen to streaming radio full of recommended artists.  People can make their own decisions. And more people are listening via streaming, then buying legal downloads.  If you take away peoples abilities to listen to the free music they want, illegal downloads will just increase. Whilst people are being more adventurous with music, they are still unwilling to pay for something they have never heard.

I felt that the music industry was moving forward, but someone says 'its not profitable' and it goes back to square one. There are more suited millionaires running the music industry, than there is with the currupt banks. The Music industry has always been about making money, but radio was how people learnt about new bands. To the average user, streaming has no difference from listening to the local radio station, except no dud songs. And people started to use streaming sites, to try before they bought an album. And, myself, as an honest music fan, would then buy a cd/record or download the album off emusic or itunes. But if you take the ability to listen to music before they buy, they will just flock to torrent sites and download what they want for free. This way, if the album is weak, then they don't lose out on anymoney, and can just delete it. But this person is criminalised, because, they have stolen the album, they have now deleted.

Is this right? I don't think so. Streaming keeps people happy, people can preview music, and they aren't downloading illegally to get their taster. Music companies don't like the word 'free'. Everyone has to pay for what they use, I understand that. But if a free listen, ends up in a purchase, is that not better for the industry, rather than downloading off Limewire, and keeping it.

The music companies are pushing their audience further and further away. And they won't see it, till its too late. The damage will have already been done, and noone will respect music at all, because the industry's lack of respect to its customers.

Picks of the bunch

I spend a lot of time on the internet, as you probably already know, so I thought I'd post my 'finds of the day'. Its basically a way for me to bookmark what I like, and what I may not like. It seems like a good idea, but I always find interesting things, then forget where I found them. This was an idea I thought of, on my way home from work, tonight.

Draw!

http://drawn.ca


This site features various types of illustrations and cartoons. It has been created as a collaboration blog, where more than one person can update the blog, and post things. A quick scroll down the main page shows the variety of the work on show here. The blog is updated, usually, every few days, and this keeps the site fresh and up to date. It is a good site for browsing through when you are looking for some much needed inspiration. As a person, who works both in traditional media, and digitally, I find the range of creations on this site very broad, and the site seems to have all bases covered. I highly recommend this site to anyone with an intrest in art.

Last FM

http://last.fm



LastFM is a site that I use a lot. It is a 'social music network', and I use it to find new music. You can use the site in a number of ways. The way I tend to use it, is by allowing last.fm to note what songs I listen to on either iTunes or Windows Media Player.  It does this using a technique called 'scrobbling'. It works by installing an 'add-on' to your music player of choice, and keeps a note of each song you listen to, and sends it to your page on the main site. This then creates a library of the artists you listen to, and the site recommends you some artists, which are similar to what you already listen too. The site also enables a user, to listen to 'radio stations' online (available via subscription in some countries). As well as having pages for listeners, bands and artists can create their own pages, where they can upload their own tracks and promote themselves. This is one of my favourite websites, mostly because it contains a lot of music, which is what I am personally interested in. I have discovered 9 bands in the last 2 days, and these are bands I would never have heard off (Russian Punk, anyone?). The site has seen a reccent rush of upgrades, as it made a deal with Microsoft, for the LastFM radio service to be available through its Xbox 360 console. This has opened the site up to a wider audience, and has proven to be very successful for the site.

The Casualties- We Are All We Have



A hardcore punk band from New York City, The Casualties are a huge influence on me. They have been one of my favourite bands for a few years now. I love the energy that they pile into every song, it blew me away the first time I heard them. They are one of the bands I haven't seen live yet. This is the type of music which influences me most.