Passenger - The Arches Glasgow, 19th January

Virtually unknown on the music scene until recent of late, Passenger aka Mike Rosenburg, admits that the last gig he headlined in Glasgow was in front of a mere seventeen people. Fast forward six months and Passenger is headlining a sold out show in The Arches due to hard work and determination. With a little help from his fellow musician friends, he secured a massive gig at the end of 2012 supporting Ed Sheeran on his sold out UK tour and this put him firmly on the list for up and coming music acts of 2013. The crowd in The Arches erupts when Passenger shouts “How many of you saw me supporting Ed Sheeran?!” and I must admit if it wasn’t for Ed Sheeran I wouldn’t be at this gig either.

     Previously a five piece band, Passenger broke up in 2009 with Mike carrying on the band name and becoming a solo act. Being a solo act suits his musical style much better as he played the entire gig acoustically and sometimes played to the crowd ‘unplugged’ without the use of a guitar amp of a mic. The stillness of the crowd as they listen intently to love songs such as ‘Caravan’ and ‘I See Love’ is remarkable. Hanging onto every lyric he whispers, it’s difficult to imagine how these songs would have as much power if there was a full band behind him.

     However the more upbeat songs definitely derive from Passengers latest album ‘All the Little Lights’. Mike funded the album and recorded it himself, releasing it in 2011 to much deserved critical acclaim. The single ‘Let Her Go’ and ‘Life’s For the Living’ are met with the best response from the crowd. Although originally from England, Mike does a lot of his song writing in Glasgow and ‘Feather on the Clyde’ is always a crowd pleaser in Scotland and this is debatably why his Scottish fans like him so much. Having a way with words, Mike charms his way through the entire gig. Clearly humbled that so many people have bought tickets to see him, he admits it’s been a struggle to get where he is today and included a lot of humour throughout his entire set including the song ‘I Hate’. A tongue-in-cheek track that was never meant to be taken seriously is a frank take on everything he hates including The X Factor, magazines, racist men and festival toilets. No matter how many times it is played, the audience laughs along and it proves that there are still some talented original songwriters left in today’s music industry.

Romeo & Juliet

                                                   'These violent delights have violent ends
                                                              and in their triumph die,
                                                                Like fire and water,
                                                         Which as they kiss consume.'

I started 2013 with a new tattoo today. My third tattoo but my first in three years. This has been my FAVOURITE Shakespeare quote for years and in a spur of the moment decision I finally decided to get it inked. It means a lot to me and I live my life by it. Nothing lasts forever, so take nothing for granted.

Good things come to those who wait...

I certainly didn't expect that motherhood wouldn't wait for me. Although, I am the most stubborn and impatient person I know so why would I wait for anything? A driver in front of me taking a little longer than necessary to pull away at a roundabout just sets me off. But nothing would have prepared me for this. My pregnancy was a struggle, I'm not going to lie. I had so many thoughts and ideas and decisions and voices and everyone else's opinions on MY LIFE running through my mind and crashing into everything else that I eventually lost my way a little. Seeing my daughter for the first time? I immediately found my way back.

I haven't blogged in a while. The truth is, I've been to busy being a mother and  girlfriend that I just didn't have the time. My family amaze me every day and I want to spend every spare minute I have with THEM. Lily was born on the 18th of March 2012 at 10.45am weighing 7lbs and 15 1/2 ounces. 10 months later she is nearly walking and talking and has myself and her dad running around after 24/7. If I could I would give everything up to be with her all the time. But being a parent doesn't stop me from achieving the things in my life that I want to achieve. I am finally getting back into the journalism game and have applied for four work experience placements in the past two days alone! I hope to fit in some time with the Press Association and advance my interest in photography over the coming months so watch this space! I am making good use of my new camera at last. All pictures of Lily of course but that's not the point... shes too gorgeous not to photograph!
Contrary to what some people think, not all teenage parents are claiming benefits and making nothing of their lives.

I am many things now. A mother, a teenager, a girlfriend, a daughter sister and a friend, a driver, a dancer, a cafe assistant, a student and a writer. I want to write more than anything else and being a parent will not stop me from achieving my dreams. Lily and Calum enhance my life, not hinder it. I sometimes wonder what life without Lily would be like. It would be no life at all. I'm not the girl I was when I was 16 anymore, I'm much more than that. I've come so far in the past year and 2013 is shaping up to be incredible already. Two gigs in the next 7 days, Lilys 1st birthday and a trip to Dublin in March, Paris, Ibiza, TITP, a family holiday and my cousins hen night AND wedding in the summer as well as graduating my second year of uni?! It's a good life and being a mother is only just the beginning, not the end. Good things may come to those who wait but I for one am certainly not prepared to wait. Work hard and make goals for yourself. Have ambition. Live your dreams. But most importantly, have fun...

A beautiful city.

I've lived in Glasgow all my life (a whole 18 years) and I'm ashamed to say that of all the places  recommended to visit in Glasgow, I've been to very few. I'd never even heard of the Glasgow Necropolis until a few weeks ago. Ridiculous, I know. I made a pact with myself that I was going to 'see Glasgow' while I'm still at university and studying, otherwise I'll grow up and move away and never have the chance. Last week I grabbed my new camera which has hardly been used and decided to do a bit of investigative journlism by visiting the Glasgow Necropolis. With the sun setting on a cold and windy day in March, the view from the famous Victorian cemetary was spectacular. It gives you a chance to think.

The Necropolis is right beside Glasgow Cathedral (which I have also never visited..) and over 50,000 people have been buried there. The main entrance to the cemetary is via a bridge designed by David Hamilton. His son James Hamilton is who the Heritage Loch in East Kilbride is named after. The bridge became known as the 'Bridge of Sighs' because it was part of the route of the funeral processions. Many tobacco merchants, scientists and other significant individuals of the Scottish Victorian era are buried here with monuments errected in their honour.




I only managed to have a brief visit of the Necropolis but there are guided tours available from January to July. With March's tour fully booked, I'm going to book a place on the April tour to learn a bit more about the famous cemetary that I have over looked my whole life but somehow facinates me. I know nothing about Glasgow's history so this year I'm going to do my best to learn as much as I can about it. Glasgow is a beautiful city with so much to offer that has been outside my doorstep for eighteen years and as of 2012, I'm going to allow myself to get lost in it.

The Ashtones

Hailed as ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ by the Metro newspaper, The Ashtones are headed for big things.  An atmospheric rock band from my hometown of East Kilbride met by chance at a party through mutual friends and decided to have a practice together. The band held their first gig at Ivory Blacks a mere two weeks later. I have known the band members for a number of years and was present at their first band practice which was now nearly two years ago. The band consists of David Gillies, 18, lead vocals and lead guitar. Calum Denny, 19, bass. Connaire McGuinness, 17, guitar and Calum Murray, 18, drums. Over the past two years the band has worked relentlessly hard to become noticed in the Glasgow music scene. With countless gigs and EP releases in 2011, the band is gaining in popularity every week.  Having already released ‘Amplification Situation’ and ‘Like Lightning’, they are now currently in the studio working on their third EP to be released this year.  The band supported Jody Has a Hitlist and The Angies at the O2 ABC2 before having the privilege to headline the same venue in November.  In July they also played at The Tall Ships Festival in Greenock, supported A Day Overdue and headlined the Oran Moor Festival in June.

So far, 2012 is looking to be an eventful year for the band. Their risky decision to alter their style of music has finally paid off.  Critically acclaimed blues musician Ben Poole is touring the UK after playing Glastonbury last year and The Ashtones have been chosen as his support for his King Tuts gig on the 23^rd of March.  Furthermore, they have been scouted by RCA Records and are heading down to Carlisle on March 25^th to play a showcase for the label which is home to bands such as Kasabian, The Strokes, Justin Timberlake and Kings of Leon. They also have the opportunity to record their first ever music video which they hope do to this month as well.

If all goes well in March, this could be the big break the band has been hoping for.  

The Ashtones also receive a lot of support from East Kilbride including gaining an unlikely fan in East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani and have set up a fan base which regularly attends their gigs. One fan in particular, Jason Small, has recently made a documentary on the band titled ‘TheWorld At Your Feet’. The band also has a successful Facebook page and you can follow them on Twitter for regular updates!

2012 certainly looks like a big year for the band, with an upcoming EP release and potential life changing showcase in a matter of weeks; The Ashtones  have the world at their feet.

No Knives, Better Lives

This is a subject which kinda hits close to home but nevertheless i still feel the need too write about it. 'No knives, better lives' is a council run campaign founded in 2009 which aims to raise awareness of the potential dangers of carrying a knife. If you carry a knife, theres a pretty high chance you'll end up using it, even if you didn't mean too. Some of the risks included in knife carrying are scars to the face, loss of limb, brain damage and not to mention bleeding to death within minutes.

A prime example of this is the death of one of my very best friends Jack Frew. A victim of knife crime, Jack bled to death in May 2010 before the ambulance crew had a chance to get there. His fate would be completely different if his murderer, Craig Roy, had not left the house carrying a knife. It ruined not only Jack's life but the lives of his family and Craigs family. Ultimately Jacks family are the ones carrying the life sentence as they have to live the rest of their lives without Jack by their side. Craig was sentenced on the 1st March 2012 and recieved a minimum of 18 years. In my opinion life should mean life and 18 years will never take back what he did, but its at least something in the form of justice.

It can almost be gauranteed that if you are caught carrying a knife there will be a prison sentence of up to four years in jail. If you use it to injure someone the sentence will be significantly higher.

I have only recently heard of the 'No knives, better lives' campaign and hope to get involved with it at some point in the near future as it is something I now feel very strongly about. I want to make people aware of the dangers of carrying a knife whether you have the intent to use it or not. There are too many things at stake and its not worth risking it. I lost my best friend because someone chose to carry a knife and if this campaign stops even one person from carrying a knife, then a difference has been made.

There is also a Facebook page so go on, give them a like and help raise awareness of knife crime.

Little Eye, Big Future

After discovering this band on facebook a few months ago, my obsession with Little Eye is slowly getting stronger every day. Its quite refreshing to hear a great Scottish band as oppose to the English and American artists that dominate the music scene today. After winning 'Clyde 1 In Demand Band Of The Year' the four piece have been working on an album to be released at somepoint this year.

They already have a few songs on iTunes and have filmed covers of songs including Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Paramore that are available to listen to on their youtube page. In my opinion, some are better than the originals. Their cover of Katy's 'Part Of Me' is my favourite.

I haven't been able to make it to any of their gigs yet but hopefully I will soon! Just wanted to let all you bloggers out there know that there still is raw Scottish talent and that big things are destined for them in the near future! Well, I hope so anyway!