What's better than a festival? A DAY FESTIVAL IN LONDON. Yep, we are SO over camping for a week in the mud, it's all about a day in the sun, drinking cocktails and listening to some of the best bands in the UK literally 10 mins away from your hoooose. (lol who are we)

This year Community Festival is one of the most highly anticipated festivals amongst Londoners and well all music fans really. Taking place at Finsbury Park on the 1st of July it's set to be one of your fave fests this summer. Wanting to go but not sure who to check out? Giiiiiiiirlllll I gotchuuuuu

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

Well duuuuhh, you can't go to Community and miss the headliner. One of the biggest bands in the UK, well tbh the world right now. Finally we have them back in the UK for festival season and you don't want to miss them live. Playing songs from both crazy successful albums, Catfish and the Bottlemen are here to make your summer 110% better.

ANTEROS

The band you will see at Community Festival and actual fall head over heels for. Anteros are a four piece indie pop magical band from London that have you forever mesmerised watching their live show. Frontwoman Laura LaHayden brings the sass, incredible vocals and loadsa sparkle to every show. After recently supporting the likes of White Lies and Two Door Cinema Club, go see them perform now before all their shows are sold out in minutes and yer pure greetin

FICKLE FRIENDS

Lol soz all my festival previews will include Fickle Friends because 1. they are great, 2. they are playing every festival I love and 3. cos they have a new banger called Glue out NOW and well it's exactly that, a banger! You're welcome x

NOTHING BUT THIEVES

Right so my first night out in London I got taken to Dingwalls to see Nothing But Thieves and my god WHAT A SHOW. Finally they are back and their new stuff from their upcoming second album is so bloody incredible y'all aren't ready. Don't missssss it

Make sure to get your ticket for Community Festival ASAP and don't miss out on what will be a day EVERYONE will be talking about all summer. Don't be that guy that misses out. Just don't.

Words by Phoebe Holley

The sun is out (kind of) and festival season is upon us, HUUUURRRAH! Even though I may be down now in London my heart will forever be with Glasgow and the HIGHLY anticipated TRNSMT Festival.

There are so many reasons why TRNSMT is going to be an extra special festival but for me it's because it's taking place in one of the best cities in the world, right in the heart of Glasgow. A three day festival where I don't have to camp, I can have a shower in the morning and ''I won't be up to ma knees in cow pat''...YES PLEAE THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT!

I mean the location is great, the atmosphere is going to be electric, OH AND THE ACTS PLAYING ARE SO AWESOME I MIGHT SHED A TEAR! Here are my top picks:

VAN T'S

These girls will forever be my number ones. After their amazing show on the BBC Introducing stage last year at T in the Park they are back and ready to play the biggest festival Scotland will see this year. Get ready to make it rain glitter and head bang tae f*ck. The Van T's play the King Tuts stage on Saturday. Check out Laguna Babe:

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

I mean is it really a festival if Two Door Cinema Club aren't playing?? After their two sold out Barrowland shows in Glasgow, they are back to play the closing night of TRNSMT. Three amazing albums under their belts and a band that basically defined my teenage years, who's ready for a f*ck load of nostalgia!?

THE VEGAN LEATHER

If you haven't seen this band live then what the f*ck are you doing!!! A Glasgow band like no other that don't just play a gig, they put on a SHOW. Pink suits at the ready ladzz?? I think so!! The play the King Tuts stage on Friday

STORMZY

The man of the hour Stormzy is back in Glasgow in July, who's ready to repeat that O2 Academy show!? Actual madness. I actually don't think I'm ready, thank god I have like a month to prepare myself. Catch him on the main stage on Saturday!

FICKLE FRIENDS

OH LA LA LA! Just off their MEGA tour with The Kooks (yep the actual real life Kooks), Fickle Friends play the King Tuts stage on Saturday. Say No More other than Hello Hello to the best pop band in the UK, who's ready to see them Play!? I'll try not to Cry Baby. OMFG SORRY I HATE ME I COULDN'T HELP IT

Words by Phoebe Holley

Oh HEY it's my first proper london gig and i went to see a bloody great band called Get Inuit play Dingwalls in Camden. 

 Get Inuit aren't just your typical lads in an indie pop band naaaa they are smarter than that. From their quirky af live set which sees frontman Jamie smear red lipstick all over his face without me even noticing (honestly it was like one minute he was all fresh faced and the next he was ready for a night on the town) to their hilarious videos on social media, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH!! 

 When the show started frontman Jamie greeted us all with "everyone at the back, come forward! let's pretend like we sold this out!" (HAHAHA I DIED). I was hoping their on stage banter would be as good as what they put on social media and YES WELL DONE BOYS PAT ON THE BACK FOR YOU!

 Get Inuit aren't just about the laughs though, their music is f*cking great. Absolute bangers like their latest single "All My Friends" and OF COURSE "Barbiturates". After hearing the latter I spent the rest of my evening screaming into everyones ear " BA BA BA BA BAAAAA", yep lol. 

words by Phoebe Holley

So as some of you may know I have now moved down to the big bright expensive city lights of London after being in Glasgow for the past 3 and a bit years. The blog was created in Glasgow and is still going to be carrying on in Glasgow with the help of everyone's fave Maddie and the great team of reviewers we have up there!

I couldn't leave Glasgow though without going to one last gig, and that gig was Declan Mckenna and Girli at a SOLD OUT King Tuts.

As I was moving down literally the next morning I had my mum with me LOL. She was so excited to just bloody go to King Tuts that she even got a randomer to take a photo of her by the sign outside whilst she had a fag! OH and she also wrote on the wall in one of the toilet cubicles (such a indie kid).

lolol ^^ mothers stamp

We arrived at Tuts and the queue was HUGE. I haven't seen King Tuts that full before doors had even opened in a bloody long time. We all squeezed in to the venue upstairs and waited for the queen herself GIRLI to take to the stage. GIRLI doesn't perform alone though, naaa she's got a badass hype woman called DJ Kitty and together they are legit what dreams are made of (all the heart shaped emojis one can find on her phone). BANGER AFTER F*CKING BANGER!!! She also has a new single and EP, both called 'Feel Ok' (the single features Lethal Bizzle and it's so amamzing). GIRLI and DJ Kitty's live show makes you dance like a f*cking idiot but that's okay, it's encouraged and well, you can't help it!!!! Check out her latest music video for the new single Feel Ok:

After I wiped the sweat off my forehead from dancing WAY too much, it was time for Declan McKenna. This is when the crowd went f*cking nuts, holyyyyyyyyy shit. I mean to have a sold out Tuts show in Glasgow before you have even released your debut album is a big f*cking deal and after seeing Declan live you totally understand why. He exudes confidence and brings out the best in an audience. We all went pretty bonkers when he played the good ol' classics like 'Brazil' and 'Isombard'. He also played some new songs from his upcoming album 'What Do You Think About The Car?' out on July 21st! (go pre-order, GOGOGO). He crowd surfed tae f*ck and blessed us all with glitter cannons during 'Paracetamol'. I LOVE GLITTER CANNONS.

So yes, go see Declan McKenna ASAP before he is selling out every show in the land and you are the unlucky bugger that never got a ticket.

Tom Walker w/ Crawford Mack & Callum Ross

Words by Jamie Bacon

I have never felt so f*cking excited to see an artist for a second time as I was to see Tom Walker, ever since I saw him supporting Prides on Halloween last year, I’ve been hooked.

Starting off the night we had Callum Ross, putting forward his own take on the Glasgow R&B scene, and definitely an artist who is on the rise. Despite experiencing some technical issues, the sound was fresh. Taking a new take on R&B, combining ambient synth sounds with a thick beat. I’m hooked myself. This is one person you will be hearing a lot more of in the very near future.

Next up was Crawford Mack, another Glasgow based solo artist, adding a blues twist to the night. Yet another artist that will be making waves in the UK music industry in the very near future. This polished and refined blues singer-songwriter sure knows how to warm up a crowd, with his dulcet tones and commanding stage presence.

Words by Samantha King

The last time we saw Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5 was at their triumphant sell out gig at the O2 ABC last Christmas. This time, in celebration of their new single ‘Cross The Road’, the group brought their genre-bending party to the O2 Academy, allowing more room to dance and even more people to join in on the fun.

The place indeed packed up fast during the stellar support slots from Esperanza and Dead Man Fall, who had no trouble getting the crowd moving, yet the setup - a closed off balcony and a massive white sheet in place of the ceiling - combined with the constant crowd interaction gives the night a cool sense of intimacy as well. Never exclusivity though; all are welcome at a Dijon 5 gig (we are the 6th Dijon, after all), and all are encouraged to relax and be themselves. A pride flag is brought out several times as Colonel Mustard himself asks everyone to hug the person next to them and “Look after each other out there,” amid all the partying.

The mantra of Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5 is “Peace, love and mustard” (a unifying lyric taken from one of their most celebratory songs), so of course with the current political climate it’s more important than ever to spread that message. Several speeches are made throughout the night in regards to the upcoming election (young people in particular are urged to make their voices heard), with the main point being one that no one can disagree on: a better future for our kids. It’s a rallying cry that unites the whole room and gives a real sense of hope that’s been sadly absent in recent months. The band have indeed always used their voice to strong (and humorous) political effect: one brass-driven song sees them calling out the “tories and their bullshit stories”, while another called ‘Junkie Breakfast’ has a bit of fun satirising everyone’s “own little addictions” (Freddo bars are teasingly chucked out during the latter).

As gigs go, you don’t get much more uplifting than this. Kisses are shared both onstage and in amongst the crowd; a dance off is held in the centre of the room; a crowd surf is miraculously done on a giant inflatable unicorn. Songs such as ‘These Are Not The Drugs (You Are Looking For)’, ‘Gay Icon’ and ‘International Sex Hero’ are simply euphoric, while the final serenade of ‘Ginger Girl’ ends things on the perfect high.

With this gig Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 once again prove themselves as not only one of Glasgow’s most enjoyable acts, but also one of its most talented. Seamlessly hopping between indie, psychedelia, ska, pop and disco, it’s impossible for even the most cynical person not to get swept up in the sheer joy of it all. If you didn’t manage to grab yourself a ticket this time around, make sure you do next time.

Words by Maddie Cox

I feel like there has been a bit of hype around The Amazons for a while and personally I see exactly why, they're incredible. This is why I was excitedly anticipating their SOLD OUT King Tuts gig. 

A few weeks before the gig I started noticing I was hearing them being played on Radio 1 what felt like all the bloody time. I was so excited that more and more people were getting to hear this amazing band, they totally deserve it!

Their tracks are so good, I'm obsessed. And they have been releasing quite a few singles recently in the run up to their debut album release on the 26th of May (not long to wait! Yay!!!!). I am sure it will be an amazing album and everyone will loveee it.

Some bands can be disappointing as when you listen to their recorded stuff and it sounds awesome but when they play live it just doesn't come across as good on stage. This band DOESN’T have that issue, their live show was not disappointing in the slightest. If you get the chance to see this band live, doooo it!!!! They have recently announced a new headline tour this coming Autumn and they are doing an Edinburgh date..get your tickets NOW before they are all gone and you miss out on one of the most exciting live bands in the UK. 

tickets ----> http://theamazons.co.uk/ 

p.s: DID YOU SEE THEIR JOOLS HOLLAND DEBUT!? we all died over here at F*CK YES

I don't want to be that person who claims 'I knew them before they were cool' but I'm kind of doing just that. I first started listening to Jorja Smith a while back - must be over a year ago for sure and I almost instantly became obsessed with her first few tracks. Obviously she is becoming increasingly popular off the back of her feature on Drake's recent release More Life. Being a massive fan of Drake already (don't judge me x) I was so excited when I found out about him working with Jorja, I knew it was guaranteed to sound amazing and I wasn't wrong. So when I saw she was playing King Tuts I knew I HAD to go.

The night was just as amazing as I had anticipated, this girl is everything - I'm a little obsessed. Her voice is insane, I love her songwriting and she just looks cool as fuck. When she slipped in the fact she was only NINETEEN I was blown away (like imagine being nineteen and having just released a track with drake and touring the world??)

I definitely see her becoming more and more successful within the next few years and I don't think I'll be seeing her at a venue as small as King Tuts again but I'm so excited for it! I can't wait for her to release new music - hoping for an album asap! But for now I'll just continue to play Blue Lights and Beautiful Little Fools on repeat until that day comes and I'm not complaining.

Until Next Time,

Review by Maddie Cox 

HEY, it's been a while guys! Back with a review of one of my faves.

This was my second time seeing dodie live on tour, I first saw her a few years back supporting Bry in Aberdeen. I felt kind of proud seeing her on a headline tour as I've followed her for years now and it's amazing to see her grow as a musician.

A lot of the time musicians who post on Youtube get a bit of a hard time in the music industry. They're always referred to as youtubers who make music rather than musicians by main stream media and often seen as not 'real' musicians (what even is a 'real' musician??) However dodie seems to have persevered through this and looks like it's working for her!

Intertwined - dodie

Her first EP was released in November 2016 and its bloody great. She played songs from this EP as well as other unreleased tracks she's posted on Youtube and even a brand new song. Her music is a perfect blend of happy cheesy sing-a-long songs mixed with some more heartfelt tunes. Her honesty in her music makes her so relatable, especially to teens and young adults trying to find their way through life. I think this vulnerability is the reason for her success, she comes across normal, never faking perfection to her audience like many other mainstream artists.

Sick of losing Soulmates is a personal favourite, it gets me every time. I also love One for the Road for a bit more of an upbeat sing song. If you haven't already checked out her stuff you definitely should, you can find her on youtube under 'doddleoddle' or check out her EP on Spotify. I'm sure you will fall in love with her just like I have along with her thousands of subscribers.

Until next time,

Words by Jamie Bacon 

One main thing, Laura Marling is a f*cking babe.

If there’s anyone who deserves a sold out show it is this woman, by god does she put on a good one, and to see her on the day she releases her brand new album. F*CK YES!

The wonderful Ethan Johns started the night out with a bang, this man knows how to hold a stage, his music had a feeling of vintage rock and roll with a few country influences, bringing with him violin and bass, and the occasional cameo of Marling’s drummer for a few of the songs in the set. This high-energy support for Marling set the crowd up for a night of incredible music

SUDDENLY, the lights dropped and a hush fell over the crowd, I could’ve f*cking peed with excitement. An appreciative roar grew as the band and Marling (a f*cking vision in white) filed onto the stage surrounded by vines and leaves attached to everything on stage. Starting the set with the opening track from her new album ‘Soothing’ this hauntingly beautiful song welcomes you into the set and introduces you to the developed sound of Marling’s music. Pulling on tracks from her now 6-album discography, the band was on top form ensuring an incredible and emotional night of music. Everyone was just in awe of this staggeringly beautiful set. This is a spectacle everyone needs to see in his or her life, it was just incredible.

How can one woman be so adorable and amazing? I MEAN HOW?? The set was flawless from start to finish, personal highlight though, ‘Sophia’, HOT DAYUM, I’ve loved this song for a long time, and it was an amazing moment to hear it live. I could watch her perform for hours and days on end and never get bored, so if nobody else minds, we could just book her to play Glasgow forever and ever? Yes? Good, ok.

Also, if you’ve not listened to her new album, or not listened to her at all, I’d suggest you do it now and enrich your life.

Words by Phoebe Holley

So as most of you know my mum interviewed the amazing Amber Run ages ago and it was basically one of the best things I have ever done ever just to see the bloody smile on her face. WELL, before all that happened I went to the QMU early to interview the ever so delightful ISLAND who, can I just say, are going to be your new favourite band. You heard it here first guys.

I chatted to the boys before their show supporting Amber Run. We went to the wee student cafe in the University Union. London based band Island have been together for around two and a half years after the boys were kicking about in different bands and ''eventually everything just sorta fell into place'', adds Toby.

When I caught up with the boys they were half way through their tour with Amber Run, who they had previously toured with before last year on a mini UK tour. This time the tour was more extensive and they even played a bloooooody massive show at Amber Runs hometown Nottingham at the ever so famous Rock City venue. Singer, Rollo, told me how supporting Amber Run is always great because of how lovely the fans are and how the fans are always there from the venue doors opening so there is always a good crowd for their set. We then go on to talk about how the crowd so far have loved selfies and they have even signed a few phone cases and even a ketchup bottle? LOL.

They had released their EP 'A Place You Like' a couple of weeks before our chat. A collection of songs new and old. One of the songs was literally written three days before they went to record the EP. Rollo told me how they approached the recording process a lot more differently with their EP as they recorded it a lot more live compared to their first EP which they did piece by piece. Toby added that they wanted to capture more of their live sound and to capture the energy from their live performances on record.

Can we all just LOL at this polaroid above ^^. This is me trying to make the  blog artsy and it failing miserably...back to your day job Phoebe!!

Island were  on tour with Amber Run and basically straight after were heading on tour with Palace throughout Europe (I mean can you get a better line-up?!). The band point out the great thing about touring Europe is the hospitality you get over there, most importantly the food DUH! 

But it's not all support tours as Island have a MASSIVE headline show coming up at Heaven in London on the 3rd of May.

The most important question of the day was of course which emoji each member of the band would be and after a very deep discussion Toby is the fox, James is the wolf, Jack is the ashamed monkey and Rollo is the little poo. Island also love emojis like us and are very OCD about it. THANK GOD A BAND I CAN RELATE TO.Who hates it when there are one too many emojis on a tweet? US US US!

QUICK FIRE ROUND - F*CK YES OR F*CK NO

Buckfast – F*CK ONE GLASS

La La Land – F*CK I HAVEN'T SEEN IT

Haggis – F*CK YES BABY

DONALD TRUMP – F*CK OFF

As you can imagine Island's set was f*cking insane. A band that make your body feel every emotion possible. I was dancing, crying, laughing, just ya know going bloody mental. Glasgow welcomes them back with open arms whenever they are ready to come see us again (don't leave it too long eh guys!)

Londoners!!! Go see them play at Heaven on the 3rd of May. You can grab your tickets here: http://www.seetickets.com/event/island/heaven/1042281

Words my Mo McRoberts

When you go to gigs often, you can find yourself in a little bit of an autopilot state; the most frequent bit of mental arithmetic you find yourself doing is figuring out stage times from the doors and predicted curfew when they’ve not been announced; you subconsciously know how long changeovers will take for a gig of a certain size; you know when the best times to go to the bar, or out for a smoke are.

And if you’re not careful, when you’re a couple of mixers down and the lighting’s getting a bit hypnotic, and it’s bands that are pretty new to you, you stand there, and stop, and think… “hold on, I don’t even know who the f*ck I’m listening to… it’s pretty good, though”.

This was not that gig.

I arrived in time to see Australian post-hardcore group Hands Like Houses, who have been accompanying Lower Than Atlantis on this tour, playing to a packed room—and they obviously had some fans in the crowd. But while they did a decent job of starting to get warmed up, it was this tour’s main support—London’s Young Guns—who really got the crowd going, throwing every trick at the book at us to make sure we were suitably limber for the headliners. And, of course, it worked. It’s really easy for a band to chuck local anecdotes at a crowd and they fall totally flat, but Young Guns knew exactly what they were doing.

So by the time Hertfordshire headliners LTA took to the stage, everyone was raring to go—and so were they.

This is a band that in the ten years of their existence has run up quite a reputation, and has more former members than it does current. One of those bands that when they bound out onto the stage, you can almost hear the assembled security staff tense a little more than usual, almost imperceptibly. And one of those bands who, despite sporting Hertfordshire accents which probably sound posh to the Glaswegian ear (what do I know? I grew up in England), have a flair of needing to keep at least some of the spirit of punk alive a little bit longer, even if you wouldn’t describe their songs as being especially punk rock in the slightest.

Punk or not, they just kept ’em coming—song after song that was impossible to just stand still to—and that would apply even if you didn’t know any of what they played (and you probably would, even if they’re fairly new to you). I mean, just try not to enjoy Get Over It at least a little f*cking bit:—

Words by Jamie Bacon

F*CK ME, lads, that was emosh.

Saying goodbye to a band you first started listening to when you were 14, is not an easy feat, but Stornoway’s Farewell show at the Old Fruitmarket fairly softened the blow.  As the bodies filed into the Old Fruitmarket, you could feel a sad, sombre feeling from the bustling crowd.  I think the knowing that this will be the last opportunity to see a band that have been releasing music for 8 years, was kind of hitting people. However, Stornoway made sure they were going out with a bang.

The night started with a Canadian 6 piece by the name of Brasstronaut. This Ambient, Jazzy, Indie band knew how to get a crowd listening and their clarinet player looked like he was having the f*cking best time ever (his dancing was on point). They breezed through their half hour set, sending a calm, chilled out vibe over the crowd.

THEN, a brief break and a few pints later, Stornoway arrived on stage, wasting no time they flew into their opening number ‘The Coldharbour Road’ from their debut album, which instantly brought out all the feels. Continuing by flowing though songs from their full discography, heart-strings were tugged and a few tears fell (not from me I swear), frontman Brian Briggs announced that he would like to do a portion of the set unplugged, which was just F*CKING AMAZING, performing ‘November Song’ solo and unplugged followed by another 2 songs unplugged with the full band, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the crowd everyone was so engrossed in this beautiful spectacle. I thought I must’ve been emotionally dry after their acoustic mini-set but I was proved wrong when they stormed into a cover of ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ by Simple Minds (I won’t, I promise) proving the bands full versatility. They ended their set on ‘The End of The Movie’ a fitting end to a beautiful set; however, I felt there was more to come. The band left the stage and the crowd were chanting for more, returning a few minutes later, continued into another 3 songs, finishing on the first song I ever heard ‘Zorbing’ which was a perfect end for me to a farewell, start as you began. Main highlight of the gig though, they had F*CKING TEATOWELS AT THE MERCH STAND, I felt like my mum buying a tea towel but I was in awe that a band would sell the most beautiful tea towels I’ve ever seen. Night made.

Overall though, that was one amazing, emotional evening of nostalgia, which left me feeling bereft of Stornoway, please don’t leave me though, let this be an early April fools, please?

Words by Farhan Ul Haq

Doris didn’t keep me down! Arriving to the infamous King Tuts in time for a couple support slots so first up was SWVN. A rapper from Stirling with a definite skill on the mic and an impressive flow. Up next was OOKY who gave a chaotic set that had everyone going a bit crazy. Front man Ryan "Cat Boy", was all for getting in the crowd and the band were on point. It was a great set of abstract Hip Hop .

By now the crowd were filling up the room and were finally warmed up by Dope Sick Fly! A band that are faultless with what they do.

A while ago I came across a Polaroid People video and was amazed at something so different. It was a no brainer that I had to go to their final gig as Polaroid People and if you were there, you saw the emotion that came from the four guys. This style of Hip Hop is rare to come by and it was awesome to see how passionate a band are about their music. From the lyrical content, the beat and the incredible saxophone solos, seeping so much soul and jazz. This gig was perfect for me.

From the get go, the guys were incredible! There was an insane amount of energy and excitement that followed each track. I’ve never seen the Tuts stage used the way Polaroid People had done so. They took that stage and officially put their mark on it.  It’s sad to see something so great come to an end but they did so with humbleness and respect.

Polaroid People reminded me why I want to be in this industry and if you witnessed the end of this gig you will know what I mean. There was a huge amount of love given and you could just tell how much being involved in music meant to everyone there. This is what music does. It creates an expression unlike any other and it was a pleasure to watch these guys give an all-out explosive farewell.  Polaroid People will be remembered for this!

Words by Phoebe Holley

Ya know when life gets in the way and you can't even begin to thing about how many interviews, words, sentences, funny phrases (alright I know, I'm not even funny!) you have to write for your blog but you just wanna crawl back into bed and never see the light of day. LOL YEP THAT HAPPENED! So be prepared for 500 interviews coming your way in the next week or so, LOL blogger of the year award goes to ME!

Many moons ago (by many moons I actually mean a few weeks ago) I stopped by Stereo to see my pals Marsicans before they supported the mighty Hippo Campus. If you follow the blog on social media (twitter and insta: @fckyespromo / facebook: fckyespromotions) you would have probably seen that I was more than pumped for this gig. I mean come on, it's not every day that you have two amazing bands that you adore play together and then there is a CLUB SABBATH night on straight after!? OOOOH LORDY!

Marsicans formed when James, Oliver and Matthew met in school and did that think of ''LET'S START A BAND''. They later met Rob creating what we know now as Marsicans (so yeah, it's all down to you Rob...). They have been a band for 2 ½ years but as James rightly put ''we had a flirting period before we dove in to a proper relationship''. Rob even pointed out that James took him for lunch to persuade him to be part of the band to which James says ''I did! I asked him to come round to mine one Sunday evening, we drank a lot of tea and discussed that we should be in a band together. We cuddled and then Marsicans was formed'' (awwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!)

AND HERE THEY ARE! When I met up with the boys they were around halfway through there tour with Hippo Campus. I asked how it was going and I got a big ''ACE!!'' shout from Rob. They all said how amazing the shows had been so far, especially the crowds. Oli even said that Hippo Campus were the nicest and funniest guys which obviously makes touring so much easier.

If I'm entirely honest, I didn't know how the crowd was going to be for Hippo Campus and Marsicans in Glasgow. I mean, I had been waiting to see Hippo Campus for bloody years but I didn't realise the sort of fan base they had!! The queue was massive as we went in to the venue, had honestly never seen anything like it at Stereo before. The Marsicans boys said it was crazy and it had been like that every night on the tour so far! (can we all just bare in mind that Hippo Campus are from America and hadn't even put out their debut album at this point, MADNESS!)

Going into the silly questions I asked the boys if they could take anyone for dinner who would they take and where would they take them. We were interrupted by a security guard at this point just as they were about to answer. The guy was checking if everyone had their passes backstage and if there were any problems to give him a shout (what a guy!). As soon as he left James said ''I would take him (the security guard) upstairs for a pizza''. Then the interview goes into this full story of what Kanye West got up to when he went to Nandos. Other answers included Natasha Bedingfield for a quiche lorraine made by Lorraine from ITV and Philip Schofield for a jumbo hotdog which they would share like Lady and the Tramp.

What do Marsicans listen to on the road I hear you ask? Well you can expect a playlist full of GetInuit, Local Natives, HIPPO CAMPUS (getting in the good books) and Izzy Bizu.

Of course I couldn't end the chat without a wee quick fire round which I know you all LOVE/hate/phoebe stop bloody doing this:

BUCKFAST – F*CK NEVER HAD IT

RYAN GOSLING  - F*CK YES

TRAINSPOTTING – F*CK YES (this turned into Rob doing a Begbie impression)

EASTENDERS – F*CK NO

MARMITE – F*CK YES/NO (James goes into a big ''I know your supposed to either love it or hate it but sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't'' to which you hear a shout of  ''CLASSIC JAMES'')

Marsicans also have a busy year ahead of them, releasing new tunes and touring the f*ck out of 2017. Most likely the nicest and most talented bunch you will ever meet in your life. Don't miss out on seeing them live because I swear to god they are bloody brilliant. They have a new single ''Friends'' which is out now and has a cool new video which ya can see below..

Words by Mo McRoberts 

Everybody with just a passing knowledge of Glasgow's musical heritage knows about at least two iconic venues: the Barrowland Ballroom and King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. But if they're the most iconic, are they also the best? Well, no. They're not. And everyone knows that.

Don't get me wrong, there's something special about them both, and that moment when a local band gets on the Barrowland's stage for the first time as the headline act is always going to be something special. But they're not the best venues. Personally, downstairs at a gig at Nice N Sleazy is my happy place. Broadcast, Box, Stereo, and The Hug & Pint are also all right up there on my list.

But then there are venues that are something special all on their own: not because of the iconic acts who have taken to their stages or because they have just the right capacity and vibe to be a particularly good fit for emerging talent to be unleashed upon the West of Scotland (or even, in the case of the Hydro, just because it's f*cking huge), but because they're because they're really bloody pretty.

Òran Mór is one of these. Well, upstairs is. Downstairs where the bands actually play is more a sort of oversized cellar.

And so is St. Luke’s, just around the corner from the Barrowland: once upon a time a Church of Scotland Parish Church, and now more than not often being beautifully lit, playing host to some cracking acts, on a backdrop 200-year-old stained glass windows and pipe organ… pipes.

This was supposed to be about a gig, wasn’t it? Specifically, the Mickey 9s at… (predictably) St. Luke's, for the launch of their second single, “Planet”, from their album “Galatic Radio”. Consider the scene set.

We arrived just in time to see all of Kvasir’s support set, and it's fair to say that this one-man fencing-masked, LED-lit, MIDI-enabled electronica singer/songwriter is not only different to most people you'll encounter on the local scene, but also really, really, f*cking good.

I mean, seriously, the Mickey 9s are great, but I'd have been nervous about following Kvasir's show.

BUT as the headliners bounced onto the stage, with yon frontman rocking his shiny gold hoodie, everyone had a feeling they were going to put on a hell of show, and put on a hell of a show they really f*cking did.

The best way I can think of describing the Mickey 9s to the uninitiated is like RATM, if RATM weren’t so bloody angry all the time. A sort of upbeat “Rage Against The Fannies”, if you will. Unrelentingly full of energy, songs charged with a hefty dose of “f*ck the inequalities”, they belt out song after song of infectious riffs, coupled with the best kind of left-leaning lyrics.

Don’t get me wrong; wishy-washy bleeding-heart liberal stereotype this ain’t: this is the best kind of political artistry—not the sort that depresses you about the state of the world, but the sort that gets you moving and fired up and not so much angry at it all so much as determined not to put up with with the crap any more. F*ck the facists. F*ck Trump and May and Brexit and the lies. F*ck f*cking the poor and downtrodden, and f*ck those doing the treading. It’s time to LIVE, and jump around while doing it.

And all through it, the drinks and the music and sweaty bodies flowed in pretty equal measure until it came to a close, and I defy anybody to tell me that they moped out of that venue with a downbeat feeling.

About a couple of years ago, Phoebe sent me a video of Amber Run – I found ft. London Contemporary Voices // Mahogany Session. The moment I played it, I totally and utterly fell in love with the song. I saved it to my favourites on YouTube and played it non stop. At the time I had a crappy phone so was unable to download music onto it. Every time Phoebe came home, I would ask her to play Amber Run while we were driving in the car, and I do believe I may have driven her up the wall also as that was the only band I wanted to hear.

Fast forward to Christmas Day 2016 and my wonderful hubby gave me an iPhone, woooo, now I can download music to my hearts content. Of course, the first thing I download was Amber Runs first album 5AM and then their new album For a Moment, I was lost and yep, you guessed it, they’ve been on replay ever since.

Phoebe mentioned they were touring and when they play in Glasgow she was going to interview them, OMFG, did she really just say that to me like, oh hey mum, it's cold again in Glasgow…. I know it's cold in Glasgow, its ALWAYS cold there, but you don't get to interview a band that I've been listening to for like FOREVER!!!

I decided to play things cool, I'm an adult allegedly, a mum, I can be calm sometimes, mainly when I'm sleeping. Ok so none of that happened, I started screaming and asking her to get me a signed photo, t’shirt, hat, oh crap, what do I care, bring them home with you. Phoebe, ever the professional told me she would do what she could.

We had a short trip to London in January to see friends and family. Phoebe came down from Glasgow to join us. A video appeared on twitter of some mad women, worst for wear and upon hearing the song ~  I found ~ shouting to anyone that would listen that Amber Run were on and for everyone to be quite. For the record, that was not me. I have some doppelgänger that insists on embarrassing me every time I drink.

When I came home to Spain, I kept thinking I want to go to see them play damn it. So in a moment of madness and after phoebe encouraging me, I booked my tickets from Alicante to Glasgow..woohoo, I'm so excited.

The day before flying to Glasgow, Phoebe informed me that I could interview Amber Run…or should I say, she told me that I was doing the interview. FFS! Talk about trying to bloody kill me off if my nerves had anything to do with it.

So now I'm an international music journalist, ha ha

Meeting the guys at the venue before they played was just a dream come true. Joe, Will,Tom and Henry are just the most pleasant guys I have met in a long time. The fact they are all cuteness and talent wrapped up in calmness, had my blood pressure and nerves abating.

On my flight over I had stopped off in duty free and purchased some gifts from Spain. Mainly sangria, olives, cakes (you get the idea) and these were greatly received by the boys.

So my first question to Joe, Tom and Will was confirming they had all grown up in Buckinghamshire and in their youth, did they go to Winkers Night club. Ha ha, this turned out to be an ice breaker. They were shocked that I had even heard of the place and while I was going there in the 80s they apparently lived there in their youth before university. It's a small world.

Having just released their new album “For A Moment I was Lost” I was interested to find out how they work together in writing and producing an album. Joe explained there is no one formula they use when writing a song, he might bring the bare bones of a song to the table, and all members of the band will play around with it with each member adding to or changing it. Not always does a song go on to be completed, but they clearly work hard together to produce top notch songs worthy to go on the album.

I wanted to know if the guys had any hobbies outside of music and collectively they said that music really is their passion, however in my research I had read that Tom does like to bake, he explained he was doing a phone interview on a day off and the interviewer had asked him what he was doing, Tom replied he was baking. Next day, headline reads “Baking is best for bands”. YES he does like to bake, like a lot of people, he also rides a motorcycle and drinks beer.

I asked what their favourite song was from both their albums to play live. Henry replied that his favourite is “Island” as it's so much fun to play and his other was “I Found” because of the response they get from the audience when they play it. To hear over 1000 people sing along to it is amazing. All the band member agreed and Joe said that he loves to sing “No Answers” from the new album as it's a powerful live song, having grown up listening to rock and punk music, it's quite fun to channel all that energy into a song. Will loves “Pilot” and their other is “Sparks”.

I wanted to know what their favourite part of the tour has been so far, apart from meeting me of course. Joe confirmed that meeting me was up there in his top 10 favourite moments (good answer Joe). They have all loved the tour so far, playing live and being able to connect with fans clearly gives them a buzz, however touring is hard work, a lot of traveling and they don't always have the time to spend in any one place, so when they do, they love to relax and take in the sites.

For my next question I wanted to know what they had planned for this year, however, my question came out as: so what are your plans for 2007? And one of the band members piped up that he would be revising for his school exam. Ha ha, bugger….They wouldn't give me any exclusives, but I'm sure they have a lot of stuff in the pipeline that is yet to be announced. Lots of festivals were mentioned so watch this space!

Ok so on to the quick fire round chaps, FCK YES or FCK NO

1. Coffee – FCK YES

2. President Trump – that was a split FCK YES and FCK NO

3. Haggis – FCK YES

4. Pineapple on pizza – FCK NO

The gig was “amazeballs” one of the best gigs I have been to in a long time.

In my opinion not all bands sing well live, however, Amber Run not only nail it, but they also bring an electrifying vibe to the stage that transcends to the audience with everyone letting go and wishing they were on stage with the band. Jumping, dancing, throwing arms up in the air and just feeling the music with the crowd singing along to every song is a great gig. By  the time we left the show all sweaty red faces, there were people outside the venue still singing their songs. You could tell they had had the best time.

Download their new album For A Moment, I was Lost you definitely will not be disappointed.

Love Phoebe's Mum (International Music Journalist)