#MusicMonday

Evening all! So recently (and in the past), I've done a couple of 'what I'm listening to atm' posts. The majority of my posts are normally gig related but seeing as I'm not actually going to any gigs until the end of May (KILL.ME.NOW), I thought I would try and start a weekly thing, sharing some of the songs that I'm currently jamming to!

I'm going to try and include a mixture of originals and covers - it goes without saying that you're likely to see some of my faves pop up from time to time too haha. So here goes! Here's five songs that I'm listening to this week, check them out if you haven't already.

1. Sigala featuring John Newman and Nile Rodgers - Give Me Your Love

As a huge John Newman fan, I was so hyped to find out that he would be featuring on Sigala's new single! The pair have also teamed up with the legendary Nile Rodgers which must have been an incredible experience for them! The song is set to be a massive summer hit and I can't wait to hear it live at Fusion Festival in September. It's a really feel good track and just makes you want to get up and dance.

2. Nick Jonas - Champagne Problems

This is the second song made available from Nick's new album Last Year Was Complicated. I'm already loving Nick's new mature sound and I can't wait for the rest of the album. (Please do a proper tour in the UK!!!!!)

3. Conor Maynard - Close (cover)

Conor Maynard is one of my favourite ever people to see live. He has this incredible energy about him and it doesn't matter how long you've gone without listening to his music, you never forget his catchiest hits. He's also the king of covers and his latest is a version of Nick Jonas' 'Close' with a bit of Years and Years mixed in too. It's one of my favourite songs at the moment and I'm so in love with this cover!

4. Joe Conaboy - Follow Me (cover)

I've been a fan of Joe for over three years now, ever since his Kingsland days (forever missing those). Since becoming a solo artist, he's been very far removed from the boyband sound that I know and love but he's still smashing it with his music. His latest cover is of Bring Me The Horizon's 'Follow You', which I'm not familiar with, however, I actually really enjoyed it.

5. David Mark Bulley - Hello (cover)

Finally, I had to include my little fave David who's blown me away with this Adele cover. Now to me, anyone who covers Adele must be crazy or stupid (or both) as she is so iconic and very rarely does anyone do her songs any justice. However, I think David's done an incredible job - his cover (which is even more stunning live) gives me goosebumps and his voice suits the song so much.

Hello (Adele Cover)
There's such a difference between us... ❤️
Posted by David Mark Bulley on Friday, 8 April 2016

What are you listening to at the moment? Leave a comment below :)

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

Fusion Fest 2015

Last weekend I went to Birmingham for its annual Fusion Festival.  Normally a two day event, this year they had 26 acts play over three days, with Ed Sheeran, Rudimental and McBusted being the headliners.  We decided to go on the Friday and Sunday, as those were the days with the lineups we most liked.

Friday's headliner was supposed to be Justin Bieber but he pulled out at the last minute.  I did doubt that Fusion would be able to get a good replacement at such short notice but my god, they pulled it out of the bag! Ed Sheeran was the most insane replacement, an incredible 90 minute set from one man and his guitar.  I've always liked Ed's music and I've seen him live a couple of times at Summertime Ball but never have I witnessed a full set from him, I'm so glad that I finally have!  His set was phenomenal from start to finish, I was in awe and several times I just stood gawping at what I was seeing and hearing.  One minute the atmosphere was electric, the next it was stunning with the whole crowd creating a sea of lights with their phones.  I'm still amazed at what Ed can do with his guitar, using it as a cajon in Bloodstream was one of the stand out moments for me.  To be perfectly honest, Fusion excelled themselves by signing up Ed - as much as I like Biebs, Ed really was superb.

Ed Sheeran

Another stand out act were Rixton. I haven't been a fan for long, but ever since they released Me and My Broken Heart, I fell in love with their music.  I've only seen them live a few times too but they keep on improving every time.  They had a great set, full of energy and crowd interaction.  I felt for Jake as he was losing his voice slightly but he still put on a fantastic performance.  He even jumped into the crowd, serenaded a fan and walked along the barrier to get to as many fans as possible.  They are a band that deserve so much more recognition in the UK!

Charley and Jake, Rixton

I must also mention Aston Merrygold!!  I was so excited to see him perform as a solo artist for the first time and he did not disappoint.  He showcased his original music, including his debut single Get Stupid which really got the crowd going.  The only complaint I had was that his set was far too short!! I wish he could have performed for longer but nonetheless he was exceptional and made me really proud.

Aston Merrygold

On the Sunday, we had VIP tickets which allowed us access to a special area with comfortable seating, posh toilets and the possibility of seeing some of the performers up close and personal.  We were given a free Vimto mocktail as we arrived (which was absolutely delicious) and we sheltered in the tent whilst the rain stopped.  Soon enough, I noticed a big group of girls making their way into the tent, surrounding Conor Maynard who wanted a go on the Playstation 4 that they had inside.  He was so lovely and spent ages meeting everyone!

Conor Maynard

Once the weather dried up, we hovered by the fences as you could see some of the performers going for interviews etc.  This is where I met 5/6 of new Irish boyband Hometown.  They were really nice lads too and spent a long time meeting the big crowd that had gathered along the fence.  I had a blast from the past when I saw their driver Darren, who used to drive for Kingsland last year!  We also bumped into Lukey who used to be in Times Red - it was so nice to have a catch up as we haven't seen him for so long,

Dayl, Dean, Cian, Josh and Brendan - Hometown

We went into the main arena later in the afternoon to watch Conor Maynard and Union J.  Conor performed a shorter version of his Thorpe Park set and I loved every minute!  He is so energetic and had the crowd singing along to every classic hit.  Union J were also marvellous.  They always put on a fantastic show and got the crowd hyped by encouraging them to swing an item of clothing around during one song.

Jaymi, Josh, George and JJ, Union J

We headed back to the VIP area and tried to get near the fence to meet some more acts. I was SO close to The Vamps but didn't meet them unfortunately.  However I did meet Union J for the first time and they were so nice!  I'm really excited to their 'audience with' events next month.  I also met Adam Lambert and Jess Glynne, both of whom were lovely too.

Adam Lambert

Jess Glynne

Sunday's headliner was supergroup McBusted, who were fantastic.  They were a bundle of energy from start to finish and belted out all of the big McFly/Busted hits including Obviously and Crashed The Wedding.  I haven't seen McBusted in a long time but they were such a great closing act for the night and the whole weekend.  It was also so cute to see the wives of the band members watching from in front of the stage, aside from Emma Willis who was the biggest fangirl of all, watching everything from the golden circle amongst all the fans, even getting on a man's shoulders for the finale! McBusted are not only brilliant performers, but they have great stage banter which entertained everyone.

Tom

Dougie

I really enjoyed the weekend, and I would definitely encourage anyone to go next year and to also try the VIP option as it gives you a more comfortable festival atmosphere! Fusion is always really well organised and a super fun time :)

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

Island Beats

On Friday I went to Thorpe Park as once again they were doing a series of Showcase Live/Island Beats gigs. I went last year with my friend Mim to see Concept and Canary Swing and enjoyed so much that I just had to come back again.

This year they have had unsigned artists perform every single day in the park for free, as well as special headline shows on Fridays and Saturdays with a chart topping act performing. Conor Maynard was the headline this week, with support from Cahoots, BB Diamond and Concept (who were the main attraction for us!).

Without Mim in tow, I was my usual rollercoaster-phobe so as soon as we arrived, we just headed straight for the gig area. There were two gigs, one for the support acts, and then the main gig in the evening.

The first act were an English/Spanish three piece called Cahoots. Their name was familiar to me but I'd never heard their music before however they were absolutely brilliant! Made up of Tom, Matt and Curricé, they sang a mix of covers and originals and built up a good crowd outside. Their cover of Uptown Funk was amazing, the only instrument they used was a guitar as a cajon and it sounded so different to most covers of that song!

Next was a female singer called BB Diamond. Now I have a history of not liking female artists but she was actually very good! She mainly sang her own songs, all of which were catchy by the end, as well as a cover of the 90's song Finally which is a jam of mine!!

Lastly were my faves Concept. It's been around a year since I last saw them live, but my gosh I didn't think it was possible for them to keep improving so much! I fell in love with them when I saw them for the first time in Reading in 2013 and ever since then they just keep stepping it up.

They performed five songs, made up of three covers and two originals. They opened with their rendition of Uptown Funk, which was again so different to what Cahoots had done. They went straight into a cover of Walk The Moon's Shut Up and Dance which was one of the first times they'd performed it live. They followed with an original song called Last Man Standing which is fantastic - I've never heard it in full so it was nice to be able to hear them perform it live. They also performed one of my favourite covers, Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. I love Karim's rap that he adds into it! Finally they ended with another original, Young and Rebellious. I first heard this song last year and instantly loved it because it's so catchy and the boys get the crowd involved too. Their sets are always so full of energy and they drew a massive crowd, it made me so proud to be a fan of theirs!  

Shut Up and Dance

Afterwards, they stayed to meet all of their fans, took pictures and chatted with everyone.  Even when Scott's dad was trying to rally the boys for dinner, they still didn't want to leave!  This is one of the reasons why I love Concept - they are extremely grounded and always make time for their fans, whether they know them well or not.  I've only met them a handful of times so they don't know me like I know some other artists yet they had so much time for both me and my mum!  We spoke about their great set, how excited we were that they were finally coming to Wales to perform in September as well as how much I was looking forward to the cinema date me and Mim won through our fan account for them.  It was so nice to speak to them properly and I managed to get pictures with Scott, Matt and Ben.  

Scott, Matt and Ben

The main gig wasn't due to start until 6pm so we wasted some time by having dinner, people watching and playing games in the arcade.  At 5pm we headed over to the queue for Island Beats to try and get a decent spot as we only had standard tickets. People always laugh at me for queuing for a gig, however sometimes being keen pays off as at 6 o'clock the steward came round and gave the first 50 people in the queue a free upgrade for VIP!  Instead of being half way back in the venue, we ended up being in third row.  

Cahoots

We had a great view of Cahoots, BB Diamond and Concept, who all performed fantastic sets once again.  After their performance, Concept came to stand in the VIP area so everyone went to have group pictures with them.  This was the first group picture I had with them and tbh I really love it! (Karim's got the perfect arms for selfie taking haha).

Afterwards we stood at the back of the VIP area ready for the headline act, Conor Maynard.  I'll be honest, I'd forgotten how much I loved his music!  He was absolutely incredible, he got the crowd bouncing and everyone was singing along to his classics like Can't Say No, Vegas Girl and Turn Around.  He did a medley of covers including Trap Queen and Gotta Get Thru This which was just amazing, before finishing off with my favourite song R U Crazy.  His whole set was insane and so feel good!

I hope Showcase Live continue to put on shows at Thorpe Park every year as they're always really enjoyable.  They're ideal for people who like to combine music with theme park thrills, but even if you're a wuss like me, it's a fantastic setting to get to listen to some incredible music!

Hwyl am y tro ✌️