Bastille

Wednesday the 17th of October, 6pm, HMV Institute. Bastille are playing, and I'm as excitable as a Jack Russell puppy.

Casually trying to forget the 9am seminar that I had the next day, myself and two friends from home got the train into town and made our way into the depths of Digbeth alongside a throng of terrifying Trivium fans - as they were playing too.

Lois, Holly and I getting a quick snap outside HMV, exciting times

The queue moved quickly, and before we knew it we were in 'The Temple' room of HMV, where a warm-up band were helping out with the sound checks and having banter with the crowd. Because we'd got there early, we were right at the front - giving us an amazing view of the stage.

In what seemed like no time at all, the supporting band, Swiss Lips, were up on the stage. Now, I'd done my research on them beforehand so I knew what they were like and got familiar with their bigger songs "Danz" and "U Got The Power", which they played. However, they had such a fun vibe that everyone was dancing after the first song - even though most people probably didn't know who they were. If you're a fan of The Black Keys and/or La Roux, you should definitely have a listen to them. They were really friendly too - I had a chat with the keyboardist who promised to check out Uoblogfest!

Great view of Swiss Lips, check out 'U Got The Power' here

Then they appeared. Bastille are what you might call an 'indie' band. They're an up and coming quartet from South London, who have recently found success after their latest single 'Flaws' was made Greg James's 'big thing' on Radio 1 - and after this evening, I have no doubt that their success will only continue to grow.

I've been following Bastille on YouTube for a while after hearing "Flaws" on the Made In Chelsea advert about a year ago. When it comes to their sound, they're a perfect mix between electronic and indie, and I've yet to find a rotten egg in their collection of songs so far.

Starting with the rousing "Icarus", the front man Dan Smith had the crowd going wild within minutes. But he wasn't your typical cocky front man - he was very humble, as were the other members, thanking the crowd after every cheer. You could see it in their faces that they are still coming to terms with their rapid success, and were genuinely amazed by how much love they were getting.

After a few more of their bigger hits (some of you may know "Laura Palmer") everyone was waiting for one of their brilliant covers that have been particularly popular on YouTube. We didn't just get one though - we got THREE. A slow, sensual cover of Lana Del Ray's "Blue Jeans"; their fantastic version of City High's "What Would You Do"; and towards the end, the pounding 80s anthem "(Rhythm) Of The Night". Their covers are barely even covers though - they literally take a song and just make it undeniably better.

Still, the highlight of the night was yet to come, and I was getting exceedingly "squiffy" (as my mum would say). When Dan jumped into the crowd - that was it. I was like a feral child, treading on everybody and anybody just to get near him.

And my barbaric behaviour paid off - my friend and I found ourselves sandwiching him, belting "Flaws" down the mike. I was like a twelve-year-old who had just got an autograph off H from Steps.

I am not ashamed to admit that I did indeed lick his face.

So open a new tab now and get on YouTube if you haven't already - you'll be hooked quicker than you can say "sweaty moshpit." 

Go to see these guys if you ever get the chance, and I advise you to go sooner rather than later - because they are destined to be HUGE.

Birmingham Vintage Fair

Today was a big day in Birmingham.

The Vintage Fair arrived! 4 times a year, The Custard Factory in Digbeth is overrun with vintage-sellers flogging their wares to people looking for something new. (Or looking for something old? Works either way.)

Such a good vibe here. There's a few little boutiquey shops set up in actual shop fronts by various sellers, which are really fun to look around. There was a particular one that had a lovely little section devoted to vintage pyjamas and nighties... But the thought of someone's naked boobies on a vintage night-gown gives me the heebie-jeebies. They were pretty to look at though. But more in a museumy way.  The best established shop by far though is Urban Village. (But I will bore you more about that in a bit.)

Me getting my tourist on just outside. Backpack and all.

  

I'd heard about The Custard Factory Vintage Fair last year and had really wanted to go, but the usual hurdles of first year (namely stonking HMV-hangovers) had meant that I 'never really got round to it.' So this year I vowed that I would go.

It pretty much was what I expected. My pet peeve about these sort of events is that sometimes, when something is given the 'vintage' title, some sellers take the piss. My housemate found the Primark blouse that she was actually wearing on one of the rails (incidentally - she had paid £1 for it.) donning a pricetag of £12. You've got to be kidding me. If you were to find the same item in a charity shop it would probably be being sold for what it is genuinely worth. Not playing on people's willingness to pay to follow fashion.

There were a mix of stalls in the actual fair, some specializing in certain areas such as jewellery/costume pieces, and others that were more like jumble sales. One glamourous granny was selling all tops for a fiver, which in my eyes is reasonable for on-trend second-hand clothes. At the other end of the scale were sellers who had 'reclaimed' older pieces by splash-dying them and sticking studs on. For a quick fashion fix these sorts of stalls are brilliant - studded Levi's shorts going for £20, when people are paying £40 for an identical pair in sodding Urban Outfitters. (Fucking hate that place.) However, the skin-flint in me would never actually BUY anything from these stalls unless something really stood out. A lot of the things you can do yourself if you put your mind to it. But if you can't be arsed, then this sort of thing is perfect.

 

To be fair though, even if you don't BUY anything, the Custard Factory is a pretty cool place in its own right. I mean, look at this massive wooden scarecrow. Makes The Bull look like a crock of shit.

So in the end I only bought one item from the actual fair (a lovely silky smock top with silver and black flowers all over it... I envision it worn with leggings and Cons.) for a fiver off the aforementioned Glam-Gran. But I couldn't help popping in to Urban Village on my way out to look at the camo jackets...

A Lesson In Purchasing a Camo Jacket

This camo-jacket is being sold on the Urban Outfitters website for £48.00. Similarly, in Topshop there are a few going for over £50. I got my genuine, gorgeous, lovely lovely lovely camo jacket from Urban Village for £12. I shit you not. I am in love with my new jacket. They have a rail devoted to them in there, all different sizes and styles. Granted, mine had a couple of German badges on the arms, but they were easy to quickly unpick when I got home. Moral of the story? Don't buy one from a high street store. You'll get ripped off.

Will upload a picture of it tomorrow... All that rummaging has worn me out.