Also...

Anyone wana get involved with a low budget horror flick? it's gonna be sweet. gimme a buzz at my myspace HERE if you would like to get involved in anything, we need as many people as possible!!

Random Nights!

This week has been full of randomness. Firstly, saw a very random gig last friday that unfortunately, althought i'd love to blog about them, i don't know who they were. Haha. Kids, don't drink on an empty stomach, lesson learned (again). Next, what is with Metros these days? First they stop their punk and metal nights, next they only open 3 nights a week, and then wham! their cheapskates night (more expensive than wetherspoons may i add) becomes shit... and everyday they are open? yeh they decided to name wednesday, fridays and saturdays 'cheapskates'. whatever mate. there was literally one song i could sing along to on wednesday, one song!!! cardiff sucks for rock clubs. SUCKS. anyways, enough of the ranting. I saw a band called Suicide Silence on Monday night... just decided to check out what was going on at Clwb Ifor Bach and ended up seeing some metal band. Just wanted to give a shout out to Dan and Chris, they were safe guys :) check out their myspace, turns out they are pretty big ;)

peace out for now xx

If this doesn't get you excited, i don't know what will!

Check out his trailer for DC Universe Online, it will truely be AMAZING. No doubt I will be in my room for days wreaking havok on the streets of Gotham and Metropolis :)

What to do when your ex boyfriend tells you he hates your guts...

....read as much as possible!! I firmly believe that reading soothes the soul (okay music does too obviously) but lately, as well as catching up with my old favourites Babes in Toyland, I have also been catching up on my reading. Yeah, having a broken heart does that to you.. it either drives you to do things you want to slit your wrists over, or drives you to lie in bed until 4pm and proceed to wake up and read like some old woman with a heart condition, asthma and newly fitted hip replacements. Anyway, while reading the Courtney Love bio by Poppy Z Brite (I reccomend you check it out on amazon) which I shall be reviewing pretty soon, I have become reaquainted with my old bestfriends, comic books, or graphic novels if you like - with the likes of Tank Girl and Ghost World being read over and over until they are bent and torn - I have decided to count down my top 10 favourite badass female characters, that make me wish I was one of them and living in some post-apocalyptic crazy-ass world in which I could have superhuman strength and kick anyones ass I feel like, just for the hell of it. So here goes:

10. Enid and Rebecca (Ghost World)


Okay, so they aren't exactly badass in the 'we have super awesome powers and can kick men in the balls from a mile away' sense, but they are still pretty damn cool. The slick, quick witted dialogue and punk attitude of the characters just make them unbelievably awesome. The constant pop-culture references and comical but cynical behaviour, not to mention the bitter reality and grittiness of the comic just secure the books high cult status. Check out the movie, which is brilliant on its own, but a completely different rendition of the book, or buy a copy of the novel, you won't regret it.

9. Wonder Woman (DC Comics)


Who would mess with an Amazonian Princess wearing stary panties and a red corset? Not many, I tell you. Wonder Woman will always be one of the top female superheroes of all time, infact one of the top superheroes of all time. She is one of the few females who has made it into the mainstream world of comic patriarchy. She can fly, has super strength, super speed and stamina and shows upmost intelligence. She has an odd ability to communicate with the animal kingdom and can lasso enemies into telling the truth, not to mentio her indestructable bracelets and invisible plane. Basically, to sum up, she is badass and would kick Superman's ass and look gorgeous while doing so.


8. Selene (Underworld)


Okay, so she HAD to be in here. If anyone has seen any of the Underworld movies, they know not to mess with Selene and her sexy hybrid vampire/werewolf boyfriend. She told the nasty Kraven exactly where to go, in true kickass style, tracked down the sexy Micheal (of whom she then turned into a badass hybrid) and in one of the most kickass scenes in the movie, sliced Viktor's head in two. Not only is she brilliant in combat she glides, as Vampire do, through the air with superhuman leaps, kills other vamps with ease and later in the Underworld films, shows an ability to withstand sunlight and gains in strength when infused with Alexander Corvinus's blood. Her and Micheal make a lethal team and are able to defeat another vamp elder - Marcus, and become a truely indestructable, romantic force.

7. Rogue (X-Men)


My favourite X-Woman, Rogue's feisty nature and southern belle looks just make for a perfect combination. Setting the movie version aside swiftly (growls) the true Rogue is really a strong feminine icon. Her brilliant, distinctive hair, and ability to suck the life force from everyone she touches make her a somewhat misunderstood and disturbed character. Her relationship with Gambit is one of my favourite X-men storylines, and her battle with the lack of control of her powers make her strong exterior battle with her inner demons. She has the perfect, but least perfect power. She can take any other x-man's powers with one touch, and kill them with a kiss, which makes her the ultimate female weapon. Her ability to fly, and superhuman strength add to her badassness, but what I love the most are her wisecracks and undefeated attitude.

6. Death (Sandman)

Her name says it all - how can we mess with something so inevitable? She is the ultimate in badass. She isn't the typical grim reaper - she is a beautiful, pleasant gothic girl. What is best about her is that she is a complete character, normal even, but she can control everything, and is perhaps the most powerful being in the universe. She is most definitely the most powerful of the Endless and is seen as an omniscient, godlike character who is the only one who can intimidate the deadly furies. She is bound by no rules, and of course can never ever die- as she is death herself! She visits those who are born and those who die. She has the ability to become mortal once every century by taking the form of someone fated to die that day. She isn't a hero, or villian, she is a god - and a brilliant character, and thats why she makes my top 10, and Empire's top 15 (check out their top 50 comic book characters!)

5. Mystique (X-Men)


Who can mess with this morphing seductress formed of pure evil? She could be anyone, anything, she is the ultimate in femme fatals. What was Empire thinking when they put Emma Frost in their greatest comic characters and left out Mystique? She has abandoned her own child, had lesbian relationships, tried to destroy her foster daughters relationship with the love of her life, and generally caused chaos for the x-men again and again. She may not be indestructable, but this slithering, cunning bitch is definitely badass, and her blue skin and yellow eyes prove it. IGN have it right, at number 18, she is most definitely one of the most badass supervillians in history.

4. Phoenix/Jean Grey

"the embodiment of the very passion of Creation – the spark that gave life to the Universe, the flame that will ultimately consume it." I feel that sums up the phoenix force pretty nicely, pretty much indestructable, and it is what Jean is made of. Pretty badass on her own, when Gray connects to the phoenix force she is completely badass. Gray can move not only read minds, but move things with her mind, just like Professor X. She is an omega-level mutant (the most powerful) and the physical manifestation of said 'phoenix force'. With her radiant red her and absolute intelligence, she rises from death time after time, as the name implies. She was one of the original x-men, and still remains one of the most powerful and popular. Jean Grey is truely badass and brilliant.

3. Poison Ivy (Batman)

Possibly my favourite comic book villian, Poison Ivy is truely original. Her backstory is possibly one of my favourite character bios in comic books, and her passion for plants over people I don't blame her at all for. She is stunningly beautiful, and incredibly powerful. She is the ultimate seductress, poisoning you with a kiss, and has complete control over the whole plant world - imagine the possibilities? However, cold (or green) hearted she may be, her human side shows through when she adopts orphans who were left alone after an earthquake in Gotham city. Despite her misanthropic tendancies (or perhaps complete misanthropy) I can't help but have a soft spot for Ivy.

2. Tank Girl (Dark Horse)

Not sure if she is good or bad, but she is most definitely badass, infact bad to the bone would be more accurate. I love Tank Girl, she is crude, vulgar and a beer drinking, smoking, smelly disgusting skinheaded excuse of a woman - how can you not love her? I mean really, she tells it how she is, she doesn't even try and make excuses for herself. She is a pig, she is selfish, she is hideously cruel, and her boyfriend is a hybrid human/kangeroo mutant. But she drives a TANK for gods sake? She doesn't have any official super powers, yet she can take down anyone who stands in her way and has a whole array of badass weapons. Her 'fuck off, don't mess with me' attitude is one that is close to my heart. She really doesn't care what people think, shes a survivor in a post apocalyptic australian land and she always wins the fight. The light hearted style of the comics and the sheer brilliance of this fiesty character mean she will always remain close to my heart. She's what Courtney Love wishes she had the balls to be.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer


How could I not have my favourite female character of all time not appear in this list? Well, I couldn't could i? Buffy Summers, what can I say? She is the wise cracking, vampire slaying, cheerleading badass who MADE the whole series. Okay, so she really lost her badassness when she lost her ASS after the 3rd season (come on I know she had super powers and all, but a 5"2 anorexic blonde defeating a 6"4 ripped vampire male? I think not) but Buffy will always remain the most badass, the most brilliant female ever. As far as I think anyway, who can't love a woman who can walk into hell and walk straight back out with nothing but a few scratches, or fight an invisible demon while she has the flu?

The Grit

TJ's Newport 29/05/09
With Support From Moral Dilemma

After previously reviewing the Grit's latest songs on here I went to their gig in Newport. One word: Brilliant. They definitely rocked the place out. It was a shame the place wasn't packed (note: what have they done to Tj's btw, the atmosphere has been completely obliterated!) but never the less, it was a brilliant punk gig. Plenty of noise, plenty of energy, no complaints what so ever. The support act were also brilliant, and also hail from London - Moral Dilemma, check them out! That is all I have to say - a brilliant gig, the place was only half filled, and it should have been completely filled.

8/10, because the atmosphere just wasn't quite as good as if it had been full! The crowd can make or break a punk gig.

Future of the Left

Clwb Ifor Bach 25/05/09

Also featuring Pulled Apart By Horses

I took some pictures of this gig, but unfortunately I have lost the camera cable, so they will not be up until some time soon in the future! I went to this gig having no prior knowledge of who or what Future of the Left were, but as usual I just tagged along anyway. It turns out they are an alternative local band (from Cardiff). They have an oddly indie/screamo/techno sound, and after checking out their music on myspace, I wasn't convinced, even by my friends constant nagging that they are the greatest band ever. No, they really are not, in fact I feel sort of embarrassed with the knowledge they come from Cardiff. However, from checking out their future tour dates and realising how big the font was for their name on their headlining tour poster... it appears they are rather successful. If you are into the sort of repetitive drown of techno beats mixed with shouting (ha, I am not) then check them out at www.futureoftheleft.com. I, however, was more impressed by Pulled Apart By Horses. I previously saw them at Cardiff Barfly and wasn't particularly impressed, this time they rocked. Hailing from Leeds, I felt the live set of Pulled Apart was brilliant, it was more energetic and hectic and that is how I like my gigs to be! Check out their myspace or official site for more details - and to you lucky bitches who are going to Download this year... *evil glare* Pulled Apart By Horses will be there, so be sure to check them out!

Rating? a secure 5.5/10... lower due to the boredom I faced during Future of the Left's set.. sorry :(

Anarchist Book Fair After Party

Tracey Curtis, KilnAboy, Spanner
23/5/09

Not entirely sure what I was in for, I decided to join my good friend in attending an after party/gig for the Anarchist Book Fair that took place in Cathays Community Hall. The first act, Tracey Curtis, is a one-woman accoustic act who was relaxing and entertaining. Her songs were pretty easy listening and a good start to the gig. Next was KilnAboy, who I had previously heard of being from around the Cardiff area! They were brilliant - their sound- a mix of celtic/punk, think Dropkick Murpheys! Next was Spanner, hailing from Bristol and describing themselves as 'militant ska/punk' and that is exactly what they are. They definitely got you up to dance! I was also impressed with the female bass player (a rare sight!) and she was brilliant. Generally it was a brilliant gig! Check out the bands myspace's here:

Tracey Curtis
KilnAboy
Spanner

Verdict? a strong 7/10, all in all some brilliant independant local music!

Gritty stuff!

Yesterday I decided to buy a magazine. With the lack of decency in Kerrang! these days - I decided to pass on wasting my money on it (although I did pick it up a few months ago when Faith No More graced the cover!). Anyway, I was browsing through the music magazine section of WHSmith and saw "Big Cheese Magazine" - it looked promising, ignoring the fact it had Gallows on the cover (not a fan) it also mentioned I could win Download tickets, Metallica, No Doubt and promised me a variation of the normal alt-mag stuff. Free with this magazine I also had a CD of the new single from London-based punk rock band The Grit.
Having never heard the band before I thought I'd listen good and do a review! The single Let Me Take You For A Ride was pretty good. Some heavy guitar chords, distinctive sound, suprisingly good singing mixed with shouting. However, the second song on the single, Lunatics was what got me jumping about. Particularly reminisant of Rancid, citing one of their main influences as The Clash (Rancid are known for being major fans) and you can really hear it. The third song on the Cd, Mayday is somewhat slower and slightly more laid back, reggae-influenced sound and the last track Stuck in Streatham is particularly Clash-sounding.

All in all I'd rate the CD single a rockin' 7/10. I have a new love for this band!
Check them out on myspace: myspace.com/thegrit where you can find the brilliant album title track 'Straight out of the Alley' (sounds a little madness-esque to me) and 'Cast Your Mind Back'.

The Grit are playing in TJ's Newport on Friday the 29th May so come down and check them out! Review of gig should be up soon! :)

Faith? No more.

Well I managed to bag my tickets for Pearl Jam at the O2 Arena in August :D But on the theme of 90's alt-rock, what is with the lack of Faith No More tickets available to me? As you may well know they are playing at Download this year and for us unlucky folks who may not be able to get to Download this year I thought it meant no FNM for me. However, it seems they are playing at the O2 Academy Brixton in June for a pre-Download Festival show. But, get this - priority tickets go to no other than Download ticket holders - let me understand, if you are already set to see Faith No More playing at Download, you have priority to see them again before that? How on Earth is that FAIR? So if I can't get to Download, and can not figure out a way to get hold of Faith No More tickets due to them not being available to me having no Download ticket, I can not see FNM even once this year? All those lucky bastards seeing them twice, I hate your guts (in the nicest possible way, of course)
Oh well, I am not as big a Pearl Jam fan as I am of FNM, but I guess they will have to suffice.

Goodbye Distillers, Hello Spinnerette!

Brody Dalle really has restyled herself, her vocals and her music after being introduced to motherhood. However, as much as I love the Distillers with all my heart I am also rather fond of this new Brody and the slightly more electro, melodic sound of Spinnerette. Check out the bands myspace to hear the brilliant "Ghetto Love" and read this awesome article with the lady herself to check out exactly what I mean: Inked interview with Miss Dalle

Album review coming soon!

Rolo Tomassi

Cardiff Barfly 29/4/09
www.myspace.com/rolotomassi

Having never heard Rolo Tomassi before my friend asked if I would like to join him in seeing their gig, I was intreged by their sound. The support acts, "Pulled Apart By Horses" and "Grammatics" were, well fairly unoriginal 'please hand me another drink' sort of acts - or at least the "Grammatics" were. They did not break my ears (in the good sense - hard, rocking, emotional, pounding brilliance) they just irritated me to the point that I sat down and tried to ignore them, like you do a nagging child. However, it was worth standing through them to hear Rolo Tomassi, not because I felt they were ear breaking, but because I thought their music was pretty crazy, and I love hearing crazy shit that makes me question what music really is. Eva, the lead female singer danced wildly across the stage screaming as loud as she could, words I could not for the life of me understand. They are the kind of band you wish you were in. Jump madly, release all your agression - sounds good to me. Their music does not fit their vocals, but I found that oddly quirky. I'd reccomend going to see them for a night out, get drunk, jump about, but they did not break my ears, and i wouldn't buy their CD.

Rating: 4/10, a little too postmodern for my ears.

P.S. Check out Eva's accessories, she makes headbands, clips, bags, etc and sells them at the gig (I was super impressed at this idea!) www.myspace.com/thenightofthelivingthread