VIDEOS OF MYSELF @ ACOUSTICKLE, THE MAZE, NOTTINGHAM

Here are the videos from when i played at the maze a few weeks ago, let me know what you think...

November (original song) by Myself....

Alive (original song) by Myself ...

Feeling Good (Muse) by Myself...

I did three other songs but they weren't recorded...i hope you enjoy these :) xxx

WHEN I PLAYED AT ACOUSTICKLE, THE MAZE, NOTTINGHAM

Well im packing them in now...last night i played a 30 minute set @ the maze in Nottingham as part of the Acoustickle night organised by Parisa Eliyon. If youve ever been to the maze, youll know its fully kitted out for any band and can hold quite a few people. It is available to hire out for gigs etc so if your interested you should check out their website - http://www.themazerocks.com/

Anyway back to the night in hand...Parisa did a fantastic job of turning the Maze (which is a bit like an underground rock venue) into a cute, chilled out venue with her little box of tricks! Fairy lights, flowers and candles all round...so we had the venue, now all we needed was the music...

I was first up (about 8.30pm), and played about 25mins of covers and originals. I started with P!nk - Perfect. This is one of my favourite songs at the moment, and its very recent so i try and get in one which isnt an old classic, i suppose to show im not a one trick pony!! I then went on to do my own track - Runaway, which is pretty self explanatory (you can check it out on my youtube channel BEX9637). I then did a new one - a cover of teenage kicks by the undertones but with a very acoustic twist on it, just to bring the tone down a bit as the first two songs were quite upbeat. I enjoyed doing that one but i dont know if il be doing it again, it wasnt my favourite.

My next two songs were both originals - Alive and November (again both on my youtube channel). Alive is pretty rocky, whereas November is a bit more pop folk in style. November is probably one of my strongest songs, and since Johnny Wright (manager of the Jonas Brothers, Britney, Justin Timberlake, etc) even saw the song on youtube and complimented me on it, iv tended to do that one!! Hey, he knows right!?!

I ended the night with my favourite cover - Feeling Good by Muse. Again i recorded this song recently for youtube :) Its one of my favourite covers to do as the guitar part is so simple, yet i can show off my vocals...

(There will be videos of my last 3 songs in next couple of days when the guy who recorded them puts them up, so i will put those up in a few days).

I only got to see one other act as i had to rush off, but he was definitely worth seeing...Richard Howell. A singer-songwriter with quite a David Grey style of songwriting, but with a bit more upbeat guitar. I'd say a cross between David Grey and the Goo Goo Dolls...both of whom i love so he ticked my boxes. If you ever get a chance to check out this guys set, seriously do, his songs are definitely worth the listen, and he makes the audience feel really comfortable and at ease while your watching him... His songs are brilliant as well, and hes a great guitarist, so if you like good music, youll like this guy!! He has a few songs on youtube that i found so check him out!!

So yer, all in all a great night! I will be going back soon i enjoyed it that much! :)
Thanks to Parisa for letting me play...and the maze team also for holding a great night...
Bex x

<<< PS, do you like the converse!?! my beautiful shoes!

OPEN MIC NIGHT - JAMCAFE, NOTTINGHAM

So, Id heard about this cute little cafe in Nottingham that turned into a cool chilled out venue on a Wednesday Night. That, i can confirm, is an accurate description. Organised by a singer/songwriter called Andy, who opened the night with his awesome Newton Faulkner/Jose Gonzalez style, he organises a fantastic night. If you ever get the chance to pop down, definitely do, this is the cutest little venue youll find, with people who just appreciate music and like a good live artist to serenade them of an evening.

I went on about 9.45pm and did 4 covers... i opened with The Verve 'Sonnet,' then Jamie Scott 'Standing in the Rain,' Pink 'Perfect,' and ended with my own version of Muse 'Feeling good.' Which i recorded...

The night went great, my song choices (chosen by my boyfriend Mat, myself and friend Harry) were a great choice and went down well especially the very well known two in there.

There were some other great performances from a duo (i cant remember their names sorry), with a guy playing guitar and girl singing who were very much like a Katie Melua sound, gorgeous to listen to. A guy, Aiden, who sang like Johnny Cash, and did a couple of country/ folky tunes, and there was also a guy who was very similar to Gavin Degraw, but with a guitar and not keys.

So that was a brief little summary, ended up in the bar afterwards so i didnt get to see everyone unfortunately, but it really is a great chilled out night if thats what your after. Its up in the Lace Market, near Ice Nine and Baa Baa so if you get a chance on a wednesday night, head on up there for a great treat. I will be going back very soon, i loved it :)

Thanks for everyone who came to support me lastly, you know how much i appreciate it (Mat, Matt S, Matt O, Harry, Pearse, and Guy (who turned up after id sang...better late than never i suppose)).

This monday, 13th June, i am playing a half an hour set at the Maze in Nottingham (Mansfield Rd), so if anyones local pop up and say hi, its 7.30-8pm.

Love,
Bex x

SUCK IT AND SEE - ARCTIC MONKEYS ALBUM REVIEW

I'd totally forgot the album was out today, and id been counting down the days literally until it came out, so firstly id like to thank Andy for reminding me on facebook it was out!!! Without him id have forgot until after exams...

I was so excited i had to go buy it straight away, i think it was £8.97 from tescos, usually one of the cheaper but whatever the price i was gunna buy it anyway, and im so glad i did!!!

Every single song on the album could be a hit! Theyre just so so catchy, and you feel yourself instantly air guitaring or drumming the steering wheel as soon as you put it on.

Obviously theres two well known leaked tracks on there, 'brick by brick' and 'dont sit down (cos iv moved ya chair,' but all the others will become as well known soon, its one of those albums (a bit like songs about jane a few years ago - Maroon 5), from which everyone knows all the songs because theyre just so catchy and fabulously different from the music scene at the moment. For instance, the whole album has an indie/psychadelic/60s rock feel to it, and it makes a refreshing chance from the dull, massly churned out poppy crap lady gaga whacks out every couple of weeks. The albums been thought over, well crafted by MUSICIANS, and made with the fans (old and new) in mind. I think its a great sound personally, and im just so excited for the tour...

I mean sure, the lyrics arent up to all that much, but it doesnt matter when the actual music is this good, you can sing along and just enjoy the rifts and awesome drum and bass solos...

All in all, its a thumbs up from me!!! I'd recommend anyone to buy it, all the songs are great, not one lets the album down, and for £8/9 thats great value for money considering GaGa and Britney churn out mass produced pop crap for that price and more, with only a couple of half decent tracks...

Il leave you with a taster....

*****

LADY ANTEBELLUM - AMERICAN HONEY COVER

I have the Lady Antebellum playing in my car at the moment and i just dont want to take it out! I absolutely love it and you can sing along to all the songs which is what i personally love from an album - im one of those annoying people who always has to sing along lol. So anyway, i loved this song in particular off the album, although it would be hard to choose a favourite. So yer, i hope you like it :) Its very gentle and soft, which is perfect for my voice so im very pleased with it :)

xxx

MY BAND - FROM SMALL ACORNS - COVER THE CAVE BY MUMFORD & SONS

So an update - me and my brother officially now are playing together under the name 'From small acorns' (follow us on twitter @fromsmallacorn), and we have a youtube account www.youtube.com/fromsmallacorns. So anyway, we decided to get it up and running it needed a cover, so weve done this mumford and sons one :)

Let us know what you think - rate, comment, subscribe to us and add us as a friend if you have youtube. We will be doing a lot of gigging/open mics in the coming months so watch out for us out and about :)

Our original music is very much acoustic/folk/soft rock and pop, kinda all mixed together, and well put some originals up soon :)

Thanks for your support,
Bex - 'From Small Acorns'
xxx

OPEN MIC NIGHT 30TH APRIL 2011

This is just a quick post really to keep my blog updated on my personal gigs/mic nights!
I had my first open mic night on Saturday at a local pub in Shirland, Derbyshire. I played 2 mini sets (4 songs on total), and as sober as a judge! Lol!
It was all my original material that i sang as well, and it went down amazingly, lots of compliments, cheers, whistles, just overwhelmed with the support i got down there. I have also been invited along to support a local band, which im unsure as whether im going at the moment but il keep you posted again (its exam time so its a little hectic at the moment).

So anyway the gig, i think they were a little unsure as to what to expect of me at first, with my first words being "this is my first time here, please be nice." But, it seemed to work, i got a soft 'awww' from the audience, and they sat and listened (mostly, some still chatted amongst themselves). As i said i did 4 original songs 'Remember Me' - very Eva Cassidy in style, my new one 'Turn Back the Clocks' - a little more Taylor Swift-y, 'November' - just kinda poppy, and 'Night Dreamer,' which you can hear below...

I appropriately ended with 'Remember Me,' which silenced the audience at some point (usually when i sang the very high notes in it), which can only be a good thing, and i got a massive cheer and round of applause after so i presume they loved it!

A few hick ups, but nothing major, just my mic fell down but my lovely boyfriend mat helped me out and so i just carried on singing while he rescued the microphone, thanks mat!!

As i was leaving i was greeted with a few people making sure i was going to come back, and congratulating me on my songs, which meant an awful lot because as i say, i was singing originals so for people to listen and not even know the words or tune was amazing!

Thanks so much for making me feel welcome everyone who came along, i had a fantastic night and i will be back thats for sure! I will be doing another open mic night in a few weeks probably at the Poets Corner in Ashover, Derbyshire, so if anyones local, please come down id love to see you!!!

Bex x