New Music: Paramore

   3 years after the Farro brothers' departure, and Paramore are firmly back on the music scene. 

   Following 'The Singles' in 2011, the band continually dropped hints towards the progress of the new album which was finally announced in December 2012. The fourth album from the band, self titled 'Paramore', is due to land in April this year and will be the first record from Hayley, Taylor and Jeremy as a trio. With much anticipation from all the fans (myself included), the band's first single off the album was released today and certainly did not disappoint.

   Admittedly, I was expecting something completely different from the three of them. After all, the band's dynamic has changed and they've recently hinted at more of a pop sound in an interview. The introduction sounded like just this, so I was a little uncertain of the rest. However, the moment the song kicks into the first verse there's no question this is still Paramore. Yes, the song does sound a little more pop than, say, the days of All We Know Is Falling, but it still has the punk-rock edge Paramore have harnessed over the years. 

   The chorus, without a doubt, is simple yet incredibly catchy, appealing to a wider audience. However, the song as a whole to any avid fan shows how the band have returned from their time off and are certainly here to stay, only building on anticipation to see how the video has turned out, and for the album's release.

   It's still Paramore, just newer with a recognisable bass part. They've grown as a band, and personally I can't wait for all 17 tracks of the album.

The '2 4 6 8' Menu: Possibly the Best Concept Since Wetherspoons

   Everyone likes value for money. That is, especially students. Since College, Wetherspoons has been the number one calling place for food when I'm either eating out with friends or family (feeding a family of 5 cheaply is not easy). However, as much as you can appreciate the value of somewhere, going there too much gets repetitive to such a point where I can honestly say I am fed up of Wetherspoons.

   So, in order to vary it up, you try somewhere new, right? But all the while you don't think anywhere will be as cheap as 'Spoons. Or at least, that's what I thought, until I ran into the 2 4 6 8 concept at The Booth Hall in Hereford. To break it down, it is exactly how it sounds: 4 menus, each priced at either £2, £4, £6 or £8 for any item off that menu. Admittedly, I saw this and had low expectations - it just seemed too good to be true, but I was wrong. The 4, 6 and 8 menus all come with chips, a portion of which being only £1.50 so chips plus a £2 menu meal still comes to a very affordable price. The whole thing is packed full of value, and the portion sizes match that of Wetherspoons, sometimes even bigger.

   How this idea has not yet caught on and become as big as 'Spoons is a mystery. Reasonably priced, good food and a menu with a lot of variety? Yes, please. This is value for money at its finest.

REVIEW: Muse – The 2nd Law

   13 years after their first album, Showbiz, and Muse have just dropped their eagerly anticipated 6^th studio album.

   It has definitely been a long journey for the Devonshire rock band, who have been recording for almost a year. Following the slight over-ambitiousness of The Resistance, which failed to meet expectations due to its seeming over experimentation, it seemed the trio would have their work cut out to produce something new and exciting, but still most importantly them. Although, it seems they’ve succeeded in conquering any fears of producing a low-achieving album.

   After the arguably disappointing release of the Olympic song Survival, which disappointed many fans, expectations of the new album were waning. However, after many teasers which seemed to include dubstep-esque guitar effects, Muse have certainly created a masterpiece which reflects both their growth as a band and their ability to keep with the times.

   Opening track, Supremacy, has echoes of previous albums, embodying the core of what Muse are about. Following tracks, however, especially Madness and Follow Me, clearly show the band’s new direction, so to speak, with a more modern edge which sets the album up for inevitable greatness.

   The most surprising tracks, however, disregarding the final two, are Save Me and Liquid State, which feature lead vocals from bassist, Chris Wolstenholme. Not only do these tracks offer variation from Matt Bellamy’s cutting vocals to the more mellow tones of Wolstenholme, but also re-affirm that this band is made purely of talent.

   The album closes with two very dubstep based tracks, which can only be listened to in one way: loudly. They successfully capture the energy of the album overall, bringing it firmly into 2012.

How to waste time

   As a student, I’ve recently found that if there’s something I’m good at, it’s wasting time. Of course one way of achieving this is just sitting all day on twitter and facebook, continually refreshing the pages until something interesting miraculously happens, but there are far more productive ways of wasting time I have encountered.

1.       Find a new TV series to watch, and watch every episode back-to-back. By far the simplest way of wasting time: watching TV. But, instead of channel-hopping, just find an entire series you’ve never seen before and watch every single episode. Although, if you chose lost, make sure you literally have nothing better to do because you will be sat around for a long time.

2.       Practical jokes. Let’s be honest, if you know the person will find it funny, it’s always a good way of spending time. For example, in halls last year I spent an evening putting cling film over my flatmate’s door whilst he was out. He said he especially loved the use of clear tape.

3.       Cooking, because even if, like me, you’re terrible at it, it’s still fun to experiment. And it’s an excuse to google stuff.

4.       Re-arranging things. You know how it is, when you walk into a room and think how something would look so much better in another place. Well, it probably would. Just like how everything in your cupboard in the kitchen would look much better with a little variation.

5.       Finally, the best way of wasting time, invest in the Sims 3. By far one of the most addictive games. Good-bye, degree.

   So, there are many ways of spending time without actually doing what you should be doing. You’ll kick yourself later, but it’ll definitely seem worth it at the time.

REVIEW: B.o.B, Library - HMV Institute, 24/09/2012

   Last night saw American rapper B.o.B perform his final show on his debut UK headliner. Although a surprisingly small venue, the sheer energy of his performance gave the impression he was headlining an arena, not a 600 capacity venue.

   Opening with ‘Bombs Away’, B.o.B takes to the stage as Morgan Freeman’s voice bellows over the crowd, bringing with it excitement as fans finally get the man they came to see. After some seriously heavy use of strobe lighting and smooth mixing from the DJ, the crowd are led into a gnarly ‘Beast Mode’ accompanied by a large video of a tiger behind the man himself.

   B.o.B is soon joined by Playboy Tre, who has featured on songs on both B.o.B’s LP’s, for ‘Bet I’ and is even given the stage to perform one of his own songs. All the while however, fans remain firmly in B.o.B’s control, fist pumping and clapping on his command and proving that the rapper can certainly handle an audience.

   Later in the set a piano is brought centre stage as B.o.B performs one of his very few less energetic numbers, ‘Don’t Let Me Fall’, showcasing his  versatility within music and bringing to light that yes, he can definitely sing.

   The break in tempo doesn’t last long though as we are soon thrust into ‘Play For Keeps’ which is accompanied by a mini lazer show. Finally, just before the encore, the crowd is given ‘Airplanes’ – the UK number one track featuring pint-sized rocker Hayley Williams – resulting in a high-energy finale with ‘So Good’.

   B.o.B closed this tour in style, and we can only hope that he’ll return soon in a venue more worthy.

I should start by introducing myself

   For anyone who's curious, I'm Mair. I'm a 19 year old second year student at University of Birmingham, studying English with Creative Writing. I hope to be some form of writer one day.
   I've started this blog for a number of reasons, including the fact that my other blogs seem to get forgotten about, whereas one specifically for the things I write (such as reviews - I love live music) I feel I would actually remember to post in.
   So, for anyone interested, you can expect reviews of, for the most part, gigs, and random little rambles about various topics.