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1. The Hold Steady - Seen them live 3 times so far and each time they blew my mind a little bit more. I am seeing them in February again too and I cannot wait. My favourite band playing a smallish venue yet again. It's going to be immense!!

2. Feeder - Seen them once, and they were really good.

3. Lifter Puller - Unfortunately they disbanded before I could get to see them live...

4. Bruce Springsteen - Not seen :( but I am trying to get tickets to see him this spring.

5. Coldplay - Also not seen, but they are not touring for ages so I might not get chance for sometime!

6. Kings Of Leon - Not seen, had the chance to and all... I wasnt impressed that I couldnt go!

7. The Shins - Missed them when they were over too and it pains me slightly.

8. The Beatles - LOL! How would I have seen them live?

9. Air Traffic - Saw them at V Festival 2007 and I was impressed by them. So impressed I bought the album and here they are in my top 50 artsists!

10. Arcade Fire - Shhhhh... not yet :(

11. R.E.M. - I have seen them live and they were absolutely fantastic!!

12. Maxïmo Park - Not Yet :(

13. KT Tunstall - Saw her at V Fest 2007 too and she was great!

14. Jimmy Eat World - Not yet, but in Feb :D

15. David Bowie - Not seen but if he tours again I am so there!!!

16. Graham Coxon - Saw him in a tiny tent at V Fest and there was hardly anyone there and it was amazing! Best set of the weekend by far.

17. The Lightning Seeds - Nope, they broke up before I was old enough to go and see them. They did reform for Guilfest and I missed it.

18. Pink Floyd - Nopes. But I can safely say that Live8 reunion was like :O

19. Modest Mouse - I missed them in Liverpool and it still makes me sad.

20. Alanis Morissette - Nopes. If the next album is any good I will go and view her though :)

21. The Aliens - Saw them at Birmingham Academy 2 in June 2007 and they were so damn good, I couldnt stop singing Robot Man after that for bout a week!

22. Les Savy Fav - If they ever do a proper tour then I will definitely be there. I cant get down to London to see these things!

23. Led Zeppelin - *sob* no

24. City and Colour - Nopes, but new album soon means new tour? Please!

25. Interpol - They sold out before I could get tickets and I cried a little bit because I wanted to go.

26. Band of Horses - Not yet, but they are over here soon, so I might endevour to get myself a ticket.

27. Jeff Buckley - For obvious reasons I havent seen him.

28. Elbow - Might be going in April!!!

29. Robbie Williams - Yep.

30. Kent - They dont tour over here :(

31. Linkin Park - I refuse to pay to see them in a stadium now. They wouldnt be as good.

32. Biffy Clyro - Yep, at V Fest 2006 and they were goooood because no one knew who they were!

33. Guillemots - Yes, 1.5 times. Once on Valentine's Day last year and 0.5 at V Festival whilst in a toilet queue, they were fantastic...

34. The Thermals - Not yet, I hope they tour again soon!

35. The Maccabees - Missed them due to uni.

36. Ray LaMontagne - I dont see myself ever going to one of his gigs because he is hardly the happiest of artists to go and enjoy... I wont rule it out though.

37. Rage Against the Machine - Nope!

38. The New Pornographers - Missed them in Manchester...

39. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Tried very hard to get tickets for the Birmingham show for the Show Your Bones tour and failed miserably.

40. Bloc Party - 3 times. Good all 3.

41. The Cure - Nopes.

42. The Rolling Stones - I would have to work for like 6 months to afford a ticket to one of their gigs!!

43. Bright Eyes - He cancelled his V Fest slot so I never got the chance...

44. System of a Down - They are on hiatus at the moment and I hope they come back and tour, I really do!

45. Moby - No.

46. Blink-182 - No.

47. Starsailor - Saw them at V Fest 2006 and they were very good from what I saw (I missed a bit because of Paul Weller)

50. The Rumble Strips - Missed them at V Fest 2007 and regret not walking in the mud to see them now.

51. Delays - Saw them at V Fest 2006 and they were one of the sets of the weekend, in the rain, and I was right at the front. I missed them at the Bar Academy in Birmingham recently and wasnt amused. I plan to see them in Stoke on the next tour in March.

52. The Fratellis - Yes, I saw them at V Fest 2007 too and I wasnt overly impressed to be quite honest. Disappointing.
DelaysThe FratellisThe Rumble StripsStarsailorblink-182MobySystem of a DownBright EyesThe Rolling StonesThe CureBloc PartyYeah Yeah YeahsThe New PornographersRage Against the MachineRay LaMontagneThe MaccabeesThe ThermalsGuillemotsBiffy ClyroLinkin ParkKentRobbie WilliamsElbowJeff BuckleyBand of HorsesInterpolCity and ColourLed ZeppelinLes Savy FavThe AliensAlanis MorissetteModest MousePink FloydThe Lightning SeedsGraham CoxonDavid BowieJimmy Eat WorldKT TunstallMaxïmo ParkR.E.M.Arcade FireAir TrafficThe BeatlesThe ShinsKings of LeonColdplayBruce SpringsteenLifter PullerFeederThe Hold Steady

So i have been at uni for 2 months now. scary thought seeing as it still does not feel like i am here. i have been spreading music about, not least the shins who i have been listening to on and off since march. i love that band, that make me smile and the new album is great for just sitting about to.

along with the shins i have been listening to a lot more hold steady. you all know how much i adore that band, possibly too much. they have been a great help to getting me settled at uni. they are a great help anyway but a move to uni always needs a soundtrack. mine has been the hold steady, pretty much anything by them to be honest, they make me happy. i recently downloaded the live at lollapalooza album and it blew me away. news of a new live album made me jump about like a lunatic, becauase with the hold steady, live is best.

other music included youth group - like the shins, very lovely to chill out to. i am loving asobi seksu also. if you do not know of either of these bands then try then. asobi seksu are sort of showegaze art-rock and youth group are like the shins.

anothe group i recently got heavily into is band of horses. they have made another fantastic album in cease to begin. the opening track is beautiful and ode to lrc is almost perfect.

another band i finally got round to checking out fuly is air traffic. i saw them a v festival and they impressed with their anthemic pop-rock. the album, fectured life, is great. the track charlotte was even good enough to be my ringtone. that riff is just too infectious.

i have also been out and got the new cribs album. fantastic, alex kapranous has done a great job producing them. i have to see this album done live. men's needs has a great guitar part and moving pictures gets stuck in my head for days.

who else? um, death vessel. a friend sent it me, and i liked instantly. bit weird but i think its damn good weird. also, city and colour. amazing. check it out immediately, the guy is extremely talented and the songs are amazing. there is a live album, and as i said before, live is best.

also, i adore the new young knives song. i neeeeeeeed the new album, it sounds like it is going to be fabulous!!

other than that i got back into rage against the machine, with a little help from a uni mate. he is a rather big fan, i never gave them too much time. so here i am giving them time, lots of it! i really really like them!!!! why did i never realise this?? fool.

that's about it really. bring on semester part 2. more music needed.

also, thoughts on bloc party's flux? a new direction, i like it, well i think i like it...The Hold SteadyYouth GroupAsobi SeksuThe ShinsRage Against the MachineYoung KnivesThe Young KnivesBloc PartyBand of HorsesAir TrafficThe CribsDeath VesselCity and ColourLive at Lollapalooza 2006Fractured LifeWincing the Night AwayRage Against the MachineCease to BeginCasino Twilight DogsTerra FirmaFluxMen's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever

Hello. It's been a while and apparently these things do get read by people... hello to all of you who care!

This 'summer' has been amazing for me music-wise. I have fulfilled dreams and found plenty of new music to get excited about, which is ALWAYS a pleasure.

As some of you will know, I adore The Hold Steady. They started my year off with an amazing new album and changed my musical landscape forever. Well, they started my live music summer off too with a great show in Stoke.

I was really looking forward to seeing the band live for the first time, I have never loved a band quite so much and live is always the best way to see a band - their often natural habitat.

Stoke blew my mind. The band were on fine form, playing songs note for note and throwing in some golden oldies for the hardcore of us who knew them - Sweet Payne being a particularly great moment. The fact that the guys came out at the end to meet fans was incredible to me, I'd never seen that happen before. I was impressed.

Summer continued, more rain and such occurred, lots and lots of the wet stuff and little to no sunshine.

My next gig was V Festival. Another amazing weekend of live music. I took in some new bands - Tiny Dancers, Air Traffic and The Wombats - who all impressed with their live sets. I saw some golden oldies - Jarvis and Primal Scream to name two - and I saw one of my favourite artists on stage for the first time, his name is Graham Coxon and I was blown away by his live performance. He was playing guitar like he was peeling potatoes, it came with such ease. His set deserved to be longer (50 mins is no time at all is it?) but he crammed loads into it and I came out all smiles. I enjoyed every last second.

I also took in bands like Ocean Colour Scene who were fantastic live, I was very very impressed and couldnt get 'The Day We Caught The Train' out of my head all weekend.

It was amazing all round really and I didnt want to come home at all... but I am glad I did or the next weekend wouldnt have happened.

25th August, Saturday, Cardiff Bay, Wales. A day I will never ever forget in my entire life. This was the day I was to see The Hold Steady in action for the second time and a day I had been waiting for for a long time...

I had always dreamt of meeting The Hold Steady, they are afterall, my favourite band apart from Feeder. But I never in a million years thought that it could happen.

Cardiff Point was an amazing show, sandwiched between Leeds and Reading, we were underdogs of the weekend, but we had an amazing time, and so did the band.

They played a full set, a set dominated by Boys And Girls In America with some oldies chucked in for us. They played my favourite THS song - How A Resurrection Really Feels - I say favourite, is that really possible? To have one? Methinks not. I nearly died from the happiness when they played it and Craig Finn had looked at me during that song. Wow.

After the show I hung about, just to see if they came out again, and they duely did. I spoke to Franz Nicolay - a lovely man - and then plucked up the courage to speak to Craig Finn. There was a lot of plucking to be done, it was amazing to just be stood next to him never mind SPEAK to the man. He is a hero of mine so it was kinda a big deal.

He was AMAZIIIIING. I stand by that. He was a great guy and made me feel better about meeting him instantly. I got my vinyl signed and I will treasure it FOREVER...

After that I needed more THS than ever before and decided a visit to Nottingham was in order for the last night of the UK tour. They blew me away yet again and topped themselves at Stoke.

So much love for a band has never been known. I have made some great mates through a shared love of THS. May it continue.

After this is was the countdown to university. I bought tonnes of cd's: The Rumble Strips, The Beta Band, Air Traffic and much more. All of which are great, and the collection continues to grow. It's a great time for music right now. I have made new friends with a shared interest in music, mainly indie stuff. YAY!

Can't wait to start using my HMV discount to its potential...

And that was a summer of music.
The Hold SteadyPrimal ScreamJarvis CockerGraham CoxonTiny DancersThe WombatsAir TrafficThe Beta BandOcean Colour SceneBoys And Girls In AmericaHow a Resurrection Really FeelsSweet PayneThe Day We Caught the TrainThe Rumble Strips

Hello!

Just thought I would write another journal about what is going on my my musical world at the moment. It was my birthday last month so I got a lot of music (and money for spending on music).

First band I have been really into are The Hold Steady who are BRILLIANT! Anyone looking for proper blue-collar american rock or Bruce Springsteen-esque tunes then look no further than these guys. The new album "Boys And Girls In America" is absolutely fantastic.

Second, I got a lot of Bowie for my birthday (I decided it was about time I got really into him). My collection of Bowie is building steadily. I have been listening to the "Changesbowie" album a lot as well as "Aladdin Sane" and a smigdin of "Heroes". All of which are amazing. More Bowie is definitely needed.

Third, I recently bought the Arcade Fire EP which is fabulous. I really recommend that people hunt that out if they are in the mood for some weird (but lovely) Canadian rock.

Fourth, I have only JUST got my hands on the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Stadium Arcadium" album. Both discs are brilliant. I really love "Slow Cheetah" from the Jupiter disc.

What else? Um, I went to see the New Simon Pegg film (anyone who knows me will know that I had been looking forward to it coming out since JUNE because I worship Pegg). The soundtrack is great! We have some of The Fratelli's, The Kinks and Supergrass thrown in so check that you if you're in the mood for some good tunage.

Other than that I am listening to Maximo Park because they rule and Guillemots (I went to the gig at Birmingham on Valentine's day and they blew my tiny mind!!!!!!). If anyone fancies a cool cover check out Guillemots version of "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand. It is mental.

Hope all is well. Love Lil Han xxMaximo ParkThe Hold SteadyDavid BowieArcade FireRed Hot Chili PeppersGuillemotsBoys And Girls In America"Heroes"Stadium ArcadiumA Certain TriggerChangesBowieTake Me OutThe FratellisCaught By The Fuzz

Hello! It has been a while. I hope that everyone's christmas was good and lots of food was consumed.

2006 was a weird year. We had some fantastic music thought didn't we? There were great albums from Snow Patrol, Razorlight, Muse, RHCP and Graham Coxon. There were disappointing albums from certain artists (*cough cough* Robbie Williams) and albums that didn't really live up to the hype (contoversially I think Arctic Monkeys belong in there).

New artists broke out and trashed the place: The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys etc. And we had some welcome returns in the case of a few: David Gilmour (and you could argue Take That, but is it me or is that Patience song irritating???).

Some HUGE people went on tour. They came, they saw, they sang and they conquered. The two I think of mainly are Robbie Williams' MASSIVE tour of the universe (well it seems to be going on forever) and Madonna coming to the UK for do the Confessions tour; pricey. But of course I forget the Stones tour. Which was hindered by alcoholism and falling out of trees. It grossed something silly like £445 MILLION! Crazy.

We had massive films out including x-men3 and Casino Royale. Some questionable films: The Holdiay which is POO! and others.

I had A-level results and waving bye-bye to my friends as they left for uni (and came back 4 weeks late in the form of faye). I got and lost jobs. I saw some amazing bands live: Feeder, Razorlight, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Starsailor, Keane, Magic Numbers and James Morrison. I plan to out do that this year :)

So 2006 was a fairly good year. Lets hope 2007 can better it with music!

Love Travels At Illegal SpeedsRazorlightBlack Holes and RevelationsEyes OpenStadium ArcadiumMadonnaRobbie WilliamsRolling StonesFeeder

Hello everyone!

Last night was a night to remember for sure. I went to see the ever-wonderful Basement Jaxx on their lastest UK tour at the NIA in Birmingham. What a night!! I enjoyed every second (well nearly every second).

We got there about half seven to see the support band - which we didnt know about until we actually GOT there because I could'nt find any info. The band were called CSS and were a fusion of many different things: indie, dance, r&b, funk and electro. I knew I had heard of them but I could'nt remember why... then they played the last song which I recognised from e4 music's freshly squeezed show. So that sorted that. Their singer was a little over-energetic and had some crazy dance moves up her sleeve but I wasn't overly impressed to be honest.

Then the big event happened, of course. The Basement Jaxx took to the stage in a haze of dry-ice and cool light effects. Felix was on fire and their singers were amazing (yet again!!). They opened with the old-school Jaxx track 'Jump n Shout' which invloved some PROPER rapping and tonnes of dancing in the crowd. They played a healthy mixture of old and new songs - though I have to say that I wanted to hear more of the old stuff because the new album didnt blow me away.

The highlights of the night included a fabulous rendition of 'Red Alert', 'Good Luck', 'Do Your Thing' (my personal favourite), 'Bingo Bango' and 'Oh My Gosh' which were all great. The song of the night was 'Where's Your Head At?' when Felix ripped up the stage with his extremely energetic performance.

It was like a carnival in the NIA last night, I hope it's the same all over the country because this band are one of the UK's best live acts. I really really enjoyed it!

Basement JaxxThe SinglesWhere's Your Head At?Do Your ThingRed Alert

Hello everyone. Hope you are all ok. I have found last.fm a great place to meet the like-minded music lovers I crave. I found people who have the exact same "taste" as me and I never thought it was possible :)

I have been listening to a variety (as always) of stuff recently. Some of these you can see and others you can't. I have found a new love in Bruce Springsteen this week. My dad always played his records but I never really sat and listened properly...I was blown away by Lonesome Day and Mary's Place from 'The Rising' album and the whole of 'Born To Run' is fabulous. You probably think I am a bit slow on the uptake with him but I honestly never thought about him as a musical staple in my diet. I suppose he must've been in some way - dad played him A LOT!!!

I have also rediscovered my love for Jeff Buckley this month. The man was a amazing. He would've been 40 earlier this month. I love The Last Goodbye and Lover, You Should've Come Over because they are so emotional and beautiful.

Other loves this week included old school The Jam, By Heart, Duke Special (his album is absolutely fantastic), The Beatles 'Rubber Soul' album, and many many more that I can't think of right now.

I recommend By Heart's album (first proper) 'Exit Signs'. It is epic and wonderful. I would like to thank Birger for introducing me to their brilliance. I LOVE YOU DARLING! I also thoroughly recommend Pulp 'Complete Peel Sessions' which is fabulous - well John Peel was invloved so it has to be doesnt it? And if you can, check out some Dusty Springfield this week. She was such an inspirational singer. WHAT A VOICE! I am so glad they finally put her in the UK Music Hall Of Fame this month, she deserves it!

Other than that I feel you should just go out an listen to anything - new or old - but definitely check out The Beatles 'Love' remix album as it sounds brilliant...let's face it it could have been a disaster!!!

Stay cool. Keep listening to what you like. Hope you are all ok, Love Little Hannah xxxBruce SpringsteenBy HeartDuke SpecialThe BeatlesJeff BuckleyThe JamDusty SpringfieldLoveComplete Peel SessionsBorn to RunThe RisingExit SignsLast GoodbyeBeyond The SatellitesDrive My CarFreewheel