By the way...

my blog is all wonky because the background image disappeared and I hadn't time to make a new one from scratch so just grabbed one for the noo...

Things I have been listening to lately:

Lately I have been enjoying music. I say lately, it's not a new thing.

Perhaps what I should have said is that I have been really getting into all aspects of music. 

I've only just started writing again and I've already got myself flabbergasted!

In Swansea there is a place called Mozart's. It has swiftly become one of my favourite venues, nay, places! The poetry crunch and folk/accoustic night (Skye) together with the candlelit-red-wine-bare-floorboard atmosphere and a gathering of brilliant people make it magical. 

A couple of people I know have played it too, and they say playing is more amazing than being in the crowd - hard to imagine anything better so must be an experience beyond description!

I also went to see Noah and the Whale with my sister in Brudenell Social Club in Leeds and it was fantastic! The Brudenell is a working men's club so it's rather small or 'intimate' as I believe it's called in the industry! (not as 'intimate' as Mozarts - I ended up sitting IN a band the first time I went!) There were around 200 of us in BSC, which is a rather small bunch for the likes of NATW, making it more intense! 

After, we moseyed (trying to look cool) outside and hung-out - chilled, if you will. pretty soon we saw the HAPPIEST drummer I have ever seen. Throughout the gig he (Michael Petulla - newish edition to NATW) beamed non-stop from beginning to end and sang along - not your usual drummer I think you'll agree. After a few pictures with said percussionist, Fred and Urby, we had a chat with Charlie Fink and Tom. Both very nice guys - my sister said to Charlie 'You deafened my sister at the Isle of Wight…'  he looked shocked, turned to me and said 'I'm so sorry, but we like it loud! Really loud!'. It's ok - I didn't mind being deafened in one ear by them. Most bands would've been reprimanded for such audio-damage but fortunately, I did not which to berate Fink nor his lovely Whales. 

EeeeeeEEEEEooOOOOoooooooEEEeeeEEEE 

That was me taking a break from thought and singing the violin solo from First Day of Spring, as a whale. Fitting, I think you'll agree. 

Which reminds me - My darling sister *almost* told Tom, the violinist (I say that, they all play a multitude of instruments, but seeing as it's getting late and wikipedia is being reliably unreliable, none of what I have written tonight should be taken as fact. Not even the bits of my own life I am retelling) where was I? ah, the violinist - my sister turned, but luckily did not say to him - 'Everytime you play the solo in FDoS, YOU BREAK MY SISTERS HEART!' which is true, but not something I wish him to have shouted at him! 

Reminds me of the time I met Benedict Cumberbatch and introduced him to my (genuinely named) friend, Moriarty! That happened on the same night as I met Ruth WIlson and Frankie Boyle. I'm not name-dropping, merely naming the only famous people I have met in the past ten years (I don't get to mention it much in day-to-day conversation)!

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, I must rave about a few (fairly new to me) artists I have been listening to recently:

Laura Hocking - Her voice is so beautiful and clear. Both the melodies and the lyrics seem simple and charming, but on further listening they reveal a complexity that one could happily ignore or just not hear for a lifetime (I have spent a lot of times trains recently and have had a lot of time to REALLY listen!). She's just released an EP with The Long Goodbye.

Songs I recommend: Oh La, Lolita, Leonie Lauder's Morning Jaunt, Strongmen & Acrobats

Sites: laurahocking.com, Myspace, Other Myspace

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Supported NATW and did a great cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'Atlantic City'. He's awesome, though I haven't had much of an opportunity to listen to much lately. 

Sites: benjaminfrancisleftwich.com

Tiny Birds: I must admit, these guys are quickly becoming a favourite of mine. I first heard them because they were in For Folk's Sake's 'Best of new band panel 2010' and then their Christmas album. 'Ariadne' has been in my head for roughly four months. Though not ideal, it's a rather dandy song to have in one's head for a prolonged period of time. That being said, the three or four weeks since the release of 'Hymns for the Careless' have been filled with angst and frustration. Being a poor student, and it being the end of term, I had to wait until yesterday to buy it. Was it worth the wait? Yes, yes it was. 

Their myspace page describes their sound as 'Smatterings of ukulele and thick daubs of techicolour banjo, nestled alongside lyrics of mournful nostalgia and regret'. You know what, I think they've got it spot on! 

their 'sad songs with happy music' are just that. The vocals are real and vulnerable, but clearly strong enough to carry the lyrics in a pleasantly tumultuous journey. Alas, I do not know the members of the band's name, who plays what or each of their preferred flavours of ice-cream, but they each bring something pretty special - try listening to one of the songs one instrument at a time and you'll see what I mean! The highlights of the album are 'Ariadne' - it's promises of keeping Venice afloat shows the softer, though not less strong, side of their music. And, in contrast, Sunshine and Silence - a delectable bouncer of am almost complaint that I cannot give justice to through my incoherent dribble. The rest of the album is equally great, but I feel I am showing some bias towards this band…

The only slightly negative I have to say about the album is that the character on the cover looks like my old german teacher in a pair of bunny ears. Not a biggie though - he looks better with bunny ears than he ever did without! 

Sites:Bandcamp - BUY THE ALBUM, Myspace

That is all. You may leave now.

TTFN xx

PS. I HAVE JUST BEEN GIVEN A TICKET TO SEE LAURA MARLING ON THE 16TH!!! 


PPS. My writing is crap tonight - I beg your forgiveness!

Things that happened in 2010 and things I hope will happen in 2011:

Unless you have been living in a hovel in the middle of nowhere with no calendar/computer/iPhone/way to tell what the date is, you will be aware that it is the New Year. The newest of years to date.

A review of 2010:

Due to my oft chronicled bad-memory, I am relying on past posts and facebook to review last year. I think, therefore, that this is roughly in chronological order:

I spent a lot of time at home - after eleven years at boarding school, this was both heaven and hell. Hell in the sense that I went form living with 80 girls and seeing my best friends everyday to living in a Hamlet 300 miles away. Heaven in the sense that I got to live at home, with my darling mother and her excellent cooking! 

            <-to->

My sister, her beau and I went to the Isle of Wight Festival and had a rather dandy time! (minus the rain, dirt, dust, heat and sleepless nights) I am still having problems with my ear though, after standing less than a metre from Noah and the Whale's speakers. Despite all that, it was one of the best weekends of my life!

Hop Farm with Laura M, Mumford & sons, Johnny Flynn and Devandra Banhart, but you can read about that in the earlier post. (I still have a camera to develop from Hop Farm - I'll do it when I get back to Swansea)

I did photoshoots. I did not post much about them here, but I did do them! The results are on my Flickr. I'm going to do some more now that I know some of what's on offer in Abertawe (I am perfectly fluent in Welsh now, yn amlwg)

I started at the University of Swansea. I've only been there a few months, but I really do love it there - the people are pretty awesome too. You'll hear more about them in the future, no doubt! (I have managed to avoid almost all D&B but have had to put up with horrific mainstream club music instead). Also, I quoted my own post on feminism and genuinely believed I'd read it somewhere - everyone else seemed to buy it so it was ok… 

Laura Marling played live in Cardiff and I stood front row, one foot on stage and was repeatedly hit by Pete Roe's keyboard. Best music I have ever heard (Have bought tickets for my sister and I to see Noah and the Whale at the Brudenell Club in Leeds in March)

We (Mummy B, Sister and I) spent Christmas in the most quintessential Dorset cottage ever. It's called Smugglers Cottage and was perfect. We all had flu, and I had an additional kidney infection, but it was marvellous all the same!

New Years Eve - I had originally planned to spend it in Dorset with some of my uni friends (they come from there too) but with the flu and everything, I spent the night in the appropriately named 'The Hut' in the village. Everyone made an excellent effort and I had a really good night involving New Ears, people being surprised at their own noses and being gifted a tin of olives.

There seems to be no one else there... promise there was! 

There's more, but I can't remember it…

It is customary for people to make New Year's Resolutions and though I normally avoid this, last year I made three:

1: Become a vegetarian

2: Be as self-sufficient as possible

3: Learn guitar

I have, minus the tiniest bit of turkey at Christmas, have managed to be vegetarian for a year AND taught myself guitar. Self-sufficeincy went on the backburner when we had to put our house up for sale in the Spring (still here though, so in hindsight, could've used the allotment). 

In many respects I am a quitter. In many more respects I am stubborn and refuse to give-up, but when it comes to self-improvement by resolution, I am the first to give it the old heave-ho and wave tatty-bye to such things. Therefore, my keeping two resolutions for an entire year calls for a celebration. Huzzah! There, done.

It is with some trepidation that I thought of this year and any possible resolutions - can I follow last year's victory? I don't thing so, but I'll give it a damn good try. I am going to write them here, so if in the coming year and I am not doing them, give me a sharp jab to the ribs and make me get on with it.

FionaFBaillie's resolutions 2011:

1: Write something worth playing and play it

2: Learn to surf 

3: (This one's under construction - will write when I've perfected it!)

Ok, so they're not the most challenging/epic, but baby steps Fi, baby steps. 

And I think learning to surf's got to wait to the summer. Wales is cold. Very, very cold. In terms of guitar, I rather need to expand my repertoire to more than the entire LM back catalogue, Bruce Springsteen and Noah and the Whale and the occasional Joni Mitchell... 

Things I hope will happen in 2011:

I will pass my exams

We will find a nice house to live in and be happy

Lots of other lovely things!

Ok, think I may have gone into the rambling realms of Frank Pickle and so will sign off for the time being. 

TTFN x

Back to blogging...

I am currently taking a HUGE breath in order to convey everything (well, lots of things) that have happened since my last post. And it's going to be huge. Never mind Trojan War epic, it's got Hundred Year War written all over it!

Exciting stuff :)

ps. This should happen in the next couple of days