Sounds of an Eccentric

Stoke-on-Trent indie five piece; ARCADIA; are set to play Machester's 'Day and Night Cafe' on Tuesday 28th June. Despite only forming in November of 2015, the young group have already secured themselves a UK tour and a successful debut EP, entitled 'The Shore'. After headlining Birmingham's O2 Academy 3, 'The Mad Ferret' (Preston) and 'The Exchange' in Stoke-on-Trent earlier this month, things are looking very promising for this happy-go-lucky indie rock outfit. Their sound channels a very trendy branch of indie - lots of pedals, catchy, borderline pop licks/choruses and occasionally showcasing a more ambitious bass line - which should enable them to gain a hearty following. There still a little 'rough around the edges'. Some of their lyrics are a little clumsy, making them sound like rebelling teens opposed to edgy indie rockers. However this trait is reflective of both their audience and themselves. In fact, this may be ...

Indie gigs have changed. Gone are the days when you danced or bopped along to the likes of Swim Deep  or Peace , indie kids want to mosh. Hence the birth of Cult Lust,  a ferocious fusion of fuzzy guitar and relentless percussion,that creates a heavy lo-fi sound. It's called skuz-pop - don't worry, I had to do google it too! Just imagine a band who's primary concern is making loud, gritty, grungy tunes. Despite only forming a few weeks ago, the band have already produced a two track demo; promoted via their active and bountiful social networking platforms. Both tracks are fairly lengthy (approx 10 mins combined), meaning the group are already a third of the way to having a live set under their belt. It's a really candid and raw recording, giving you insight into their practice sessions. This is best represented by the second track 'headf*ck' being opened by their front man saying "anyway, here's wonderwall" before exploding asking his fellow ...

Blogging isn't all about getting freebies or having an armada of Instagram followers. It can be hard work. So here's my top tips for new Bloggers. 1)  Read other blogs You wouldn't write a book  or a poem or a recipe without ever reading one before, so why would blogging be any different. Read popular blogs (like Zoella's or Helen Anderson's) and search for smaller bloggers near you that you can later work together with if you decide that blogging is something you'd like to pursue. Blogging is a community and there's so many fantastic bloggers out there that can really help you on your blogging journey. 2)Choose the right platform Have a go at writing on a couple different sites before you go in 'all guns blazing'. Make sure you like the layout and you are confident with using it. My personal two favourites are 'Blogger' and 'Wordpress'. Blogger is slightly easier to use (so if you're  new to blogging maybe start with...

First it was the iPod classic, then it was vinyl, now cassette tapes are swinging back into action. Gone are the days when cassettes were hidden in the deepest, darkest corner of your Dad's attic, they're now a common component of any merch stand or artsy Instagram post. This sudden surge of interest is great for the music industry, especially for smaller, independent/alternative artists. Illegal downloading has been destroying the industry, meaning that smaller groups and independent record shops aren't reaping the rewards of their fantastic, hard work. By encouraging more quirky platforms for listening to music, it's enabling these artists to earn a bit of extra cash. Which in the long term means that both local and niche music scenes can blossom, creating a more diverse and eclectic scene. Although vinyl produces a much higher quality sound, it is a very expensive hobby. If you wanted to start a cassette collection, you can buy decent modern, portable sets ...