SEPTEMBER SCENE

I know we’re technically halfway through September now but there’s still so much to look forward to this month; here’s what I think you should be feasting your eyes and ears on over the next few weeks!

Places to Be

Apple Music Festival

What was know as the iTunes Music Festival, the previously month-long extravaganza has been condensed down to just a week this year, located at the usual venue of London’s Roundhouse with the biggest names in the music industry playing, and even more support acts to be announced.

Tickets are free but managing to get one is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - head to iTunes to try your luck at grabbing one.

Don’t fear if you do miss out, they’ll be live streaming all the artist’s performances via the Apple Music app.

Florence + the Machine Tour

If you haven’t got tickets to see this glorious goddess yet then I’d get a move on pretty quick as she only has a few dates left and the tickets are selling like hot cakes.

Having caught her incredible set at Glastonbury this year, I couldn’t believe my luck when my best friend presented me with tickets to one of her many London dates for my birthday; it is guaranteed to be a spectacles of sparkles and splendour

The Wombats Tour

This Liverpudlian trio are hitting the road for a short tour at the end of September (with a couple of October dates). They’re playing some fair-sized venues including Nottingham’s famous Rock City and of course the magnificent Ally Pally, a well deserved step up for them from their previous tours after the release of ‘Glitterbug’, their third album which charted at #5.

Tickets are still available for some venues at a decent price for such an amazing live band!

Listen Out For

Light Up the Dark – Gabrielle Aplin, 18^th September

After the success of her first album, young songstress Aplin has a mean feat ahead of her to produce a matching follow-up album. If her already released singles are anything to go by, she won’t need to worry about the comparison; with an edgier vibe the music seems to have matured with the artist.

Every Open Eye – CHVRCHES, 25^th September

Scottish synth trio are back with another album packed with punches and pulses. I have a lot of love for lead singer Lauren Mayberry, and not only because of her speaking out against misogyny, but for her sweet tones and biting lyrics. The reviews so far have sang their praises for carrying on the 80s electronic revival, a trend followed by TSwift’s ‘1989’ and other popular female artists.

Caracal - Disclosure, 25^th September

It seems to be the month of second albums as this sibling DJ duo are set to release theirs showcasing not only already hard-hitting names but also up-and-coming artists such as Lion Babe. You can get a taste for the album already as they’ve released 3 official singles, 2 promotional singles and 1 unofficially released single – only 6 more songs to go!

Judging by these songs and the reviews, they’ve stuck with what they know best which is anthemic electronic bangers with deep beats and exceptional vocals from every featured artist; why change such a winning formula?

What are you looking forward to this month?

X

LEEDS FESTIVAL

Despite all my friends attending Reading Festival during our teenage years, when I decided to volunteer with Oxfam I was drawn to Leeds Festival – probably due to the Foo Fighters playing on my birthday but I have never looked back since.

Compared to previous years, I was sceptical about the line-up but it has definitely been my best one yet, mainly due to sticking around the smaller stages.

Here are some of my highlights from the weekend:

Frank Turner – Friday, Festival Republic Stage

I was lucky enough to be working on the disabled platform of the FR stage when this wonderful man headlined meaning I didn’t miss a single second of the set.

Even with the lack of Sleeping Souls, Frank Turner still managed to have the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand using just his guitar and voice. He tore through a selection of songs from his entire discography, although concentrating on those from his new record ‘Positive Songs for Negative People’ which can be a risk with such a recent release but I’m sure he would have been pleasantly surprised to hear a fair number of voices singing the songs back.

Mumford & Sons – Saturday, Main Stage

I’ve been a big fan of these guys from the beginning but have never had the chance for some reason or another to see them live. So came my time on Saturday night and after all these years of waiting they did not disappoint.

There had been lengthy discussion in the group about our opinions on how much of their album they would play and how the audience would react to this – turns out quite a lot and very well. As well as screaming along to their old beauties, the whole set made me appreciate their new sound even more than before. I think they’ve definitely taken a step in the right direction without losing their musical integrity or passion in the process and it certainly comes across in their live performance.

Without a shadow of doubt, they were one of the best performances across the weekend.

Catfish & the Bottlemen – Sunday, NME/Radio 1 Stage

Last year I stumbled across these guys playing in the Festival Republic tent while I was seeking shelter from the rain so I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the sheer number of people pile into a significantly bigger tent to watch this year.

They’ve gone from strength to strength with a top 10 album and numerous appearances at festivals over the summer so it was no surprise they drew such a crowd at Leeds. By the end of the first number you could feel the sweat dripping from every pore as the masses lost their minds to belter after belter. An exceptional set was played as per usual; I can’t wait to see where they will have moved up to next year.

The Wombats – Sunday, Festival Republic Stage

Another old favourite of mine who I’ve never quite managed to catch live. I personally think they deserved to be on a bigger stage but either way they certainly ended my festival on a high. Every song was a crowd-pleaser with people climbing the tent supports just to catch a glimpse of the band and scream the words back at them. Due to the unbearable humidity and lack of personal space we removed ourselves from the tent near the end of the set but not before I had a chance to sing my heart out to my absolute favourite ‘1996’.

Other standout moments for me were catching Elle King singing her cover of ‘My Neck, My Back’ – far superior to the original if I may say so; living out my teenage emo phase dream by finally seeing Panic! At the Disco; watching one of my favourite bands All Time Low playing one of my favourite songs from their new album, ‘Missing You’ and of course seeing my favourite Scottish rockers (sorry Biffy) Twin Atlantic for the sixth time and once again having the absolute time of my life.