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[krishithink]

PRIDE.

Walking back home from the cinema at something near midnight, all that I should be hearing is the sound of my docs hitting the pavement, but all that I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears, because my life seems to have been changed tonight.

So tonight, about half an hour ago I just finished experiencing the movie PRIDE and goddamn if it didn't make me feel anything anyone could possibly feel. 

So it said something about community and friendship,  something about coming together and defending humanity, something about not giving up, not giving in, something about looking at what there is, rather than seeing what you wish to believe is there, it said something about strength, something about being proud, something about dignity and something about PRIDE.

Anyone who's said more than three words to me knows that i'm fiercely supportive of those who need support. I'm supportive of people because there's nothing that can solidify unconditional love other than the person offering it. No title of "mother" "brother" "sister" or "friend" that means that someone will love you unconditionally, because people that turn you out and chuck you into the wilderness as and when they wish, even if you do share a bond of blood and years. But when a person truly cares about another individual, not because they've been forced to spend time together, but rather because they want to spend time together is when you know that love is there to last.

Watching a movie like PRIDE illustrates that irrespective of the reason that you're looked down upon, there are friends in the most unlikely of places. Name the minority.

Watching a movie like PRIDE also shows that people will hate you. People will not accept you due to any false commitments. If you're ready to be yourself, do it for you, because some people won't wanna know about it, and some people won't wanna know you anymore. 

Watching a movie like PRIDE also shows that people have an unnecessary amount of pride sometimes, take a step back and take a look at what your festering, putrid hate is achieving. Are you happy? Are you making people happier? I hope so.

On that note, I should probably get some sleep and think about starting a revolution when I have some breakfast in me tomorrow morning.

[krishithink]

Ron Pope Interview/Review

When interviewing Ron Pope one of the questions I asked him was, “What would you do if not music?” and quite humble he answered that he didn’t really think he was good enough at doing anything else, he said he’d been an awful security guard, a terrible waiter and detailed other unsuccessful jobs that he’d had before the breakthrough in music. Truth be told though, he definitely knew how to do music when I went to see him at Rescue Rooms.

From walking into the gig to leaving there was such a level of hospitality that automatically makes experiencing a gig so much better. Ron Pope was constantly asking us as an audience whether we were have a good time and whether we were enjoying the songs. Having an interaction with the artist on stage and knowing that they care whether you’re having a good time is what makes live music so much more enticing than just putting on an album and Ron Pope delivered on all levels.

As a musician he reacted to the way the audience was taking the music and played on what we were giving him, throwing his guitar around his body with the strap and interacting with all the other musicians on stage as well. A great thing about the gig was the attention to the other musicians that were on stage, a lot of the time even if they’re incredible musicians they won’t get any credit at all because they’re not the “name sake” of the concert, but Ron Pope made proper effort to introduce each of the other artists and we were treated to many solo’s.

But it wasn’t just the “gig etiquette” that made it such a great night, song after song the gig list seemed to have predicted perfectly what would make the audience sing along louder, dancer harder and cheer most enthusiastically too. With suspense filled, guitar heavy intros, to searing notes held just the right length and choruses made to be screamed into a pulsing crowd. Song after song I made mental note of so I could go home and look it up straight away. Even as i’m sat at this desk tapping away at the keyboard it’s Ron Pope’s “I don’t mind, if you don’t mind” playing on repeat.

All in all, it was Ron Pope’s “A Drop in the Ocean” that I walked in for, but as i stood sandwiched in between two strangers soon to be good friends, filled with anticipation for the last song of the encore I can quite rightly say that I walked out with a need to get more of his music on my ipod and a marvel at the healing quality of a great gig.

Have you been around Nottingham much?

"Well, I mean I played in one other music venue here. The Bodega? Which was the last time I was touring the UK, but I mean we come to town for a show and we’re here for the day, so I suppose that the part of Nottingham I know best would be the room we’re in backstage before the show, which is pretty much where we hang out for most of the trip. Last time I did get the chance to go to a pub and eat Fish and Chips though, I did that!"

I was actually at the venue Bodega yesterday, they did a night dedicated to Beyonce, and I mean everyone loves Beyonce because she’s a diva. So what the most diva-ish thing you wish you could ask for on tour?

"I mean I’ve been waiting for a burrito for a couple of hours, so it seems like even if I did ask for something big I wouldn’t get it. But I guess I normally request normal things like beer and things to make sandwiches for, but if I could request something big. Did you see at Coachella last year they had a hologram of 2pac? Well...I wanna hang out with 2pac. 2Pac hologram, sitting on the couch, hanging out. Maybe watch Love Actually, I mean he died before it came out but i’m sure he’d like it."

Okay, so that’s cool. Hanging out with a hologram of 2Pac. Anyone dead or alive that you’d like to duet with?

"Um, well if I could play with anyone, it’d be Jimi Henrix."

Yeah, that’d be pretty intense. So in terms of music influences, who would you say you’ve taken from?

"I think that as a musician, everything you hear has some affect on you. Like, “I want some of that, or I don’t want any of that” you know?

Definitely, so is there anyone you hear when you’re like “I don’t want any of that”?

"I mean I can’t think of anything specific, but I think you just know when you listen to a piece of music. Like this feels authentic, or this doesn’t. Or this feels right, or this doesn't, so I guess it’s getting a sense of that and a feel of your personal preference. It’s what you like and what feels good to you, that’s what I like about music. I mean you could love something, that someone else hates and that’s fine. It’s subjective and I dig that."

So in terms of loving and hating things, do you have any incredible guilty pleasures?

"I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. I figure if you love it, that’s great. If you wanna put on early 80s Madonna and jump up and down, that’s awesome and you should do that. Like, live your dream! As a musician, I like music. I like it a lot and I try not to judge anything in that. I don’t care if people don’t think it’s cool

So in terms of your career, you haven’t always wanted to be a musician have you?

"I actually went to college to play Baseball, but I got hurt and i’d always been making music so I guess I just kinda fell into that. And that’s how I ended up here."

So if there were any other careers you think you’d fall into, what would they be?

"Um well I guess I don’t have any other marketable skills so that would be a problem. I mean I don’t really know, I guess without music I’d be in trouble, because I really don’t know how to do anything else, i’m lucky that this worked out. I was playing music in the subway before this, and I taught guitar lessons. And that’s it, you know? I don’t really know anything else except for this

I’ve actually been trying to learn the guitar, just off Youtube and stuff. But if there was any skill you could have mastered off the bat, what would it be?

"Unicycle? I mean, it’s not helpful in anyway and you’re not going to be saving anyones life with it, but it’s just one of those skills that makes people go “huh!” So maybe unicycle, or maybe javelin? Just something ridiculous I guess. I want it to be something where people go “You do what? You do what now with your free time?!”

I had a moment like that the other day when one of my best mates found out I used to play table-tennis for a team. Do you know any secret hidden talents?

"I’m not sure actually, I guess everything i’m actually good at I put out there. I mean, it’s music. Music is all I can do I. I was bad at being a security guard, I was bad at being a waiter. I would be in a lot of trouble if this thing didn’t work out, I can’t say how lucky I am that it is working out."

And a question that I’ve been asking everyone recently, is that if you could get any animal and shrink it to the size of a dog and have it be tame, what would you chose?

"Right um, well any animal? And it has to be real and alive right now? Well...Koala’s are that size. I’ve held one and i’d like to hold one again. You wouldn’t even have to shrink it. I had to ride on a plan 16 hours one way and 16 hours another way and it was so worth it. I mean I got to lay beside them and just snuggled with them, like just snuggle these Koala’s. Are you jealous? Because they were amazing. We were like nuzzling each other and my face was all in the Koala’s fur, we were just being best friends. So Koala’s and a lot of eucalyptus and a place for them to sleep, because they’re very tired animals".

So you’ve been to visit Australia and obviously really incredible places when you tour. But what would be your dream venue in your favorite place?

"Yeah i’ve seem some incredible cities, Sweden during summer definitely so I think my favorite place would be Stockholm and Toyko would be my dream city to perform in".

[krishithink]

THE JEZABELS - THE BRINK.

Uncomplicated, unaggressive and unexpected The Brink by The Jezabels offers a moment of calm in the storm of recent new releases. The Australian indie Quartet have managed to yet again weave together a number of non dominating sounds to form a track that offers the perfect soundtrack to an afternoon with good friends and good music. Incredibly popular in their native Australia the Quartet have exploded on the charts, offering a type of music that provides a break from the male dominated sphere of indie music. Steeped in guitar riffs and an uncompromising pop-haze the song  is sure to lift one’s spirits.The perfect song to fall into the ranks of those which inspire hope, with Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap and We Own The Sky by M83 being beautiful playlist partners.

However The Jezabels has seemed to have fallen short in the production of the entire album, it’s stylistically very particular about what it seems to what to portray, but it is an album that demands to be listed as an album and doesn’t seemed to have given much attention to individual songs.

In terms of singles The Brink is filled with the certain gravel needed to hold itself as a track in the charts at the moment. It has a Warpaint-esque aesthetic that allows itself to push past the the walls of their indie guitar fueled sound. The song has the ability to be played over and over again. a playlist in itself, with the temperament to channel the hope of a new year but I imagine it’s also going to be a track that get brought back this summer as a background to many afternoons chilling on The Downs in the euphoria of post exam freedom.  

[krishithink]

Public transport in London.

So today I woke up at 7am. Did some procrastinating, got ready and was out the house by half 8 to make the journey to Holborn so I could settle down in my favorite library and devote the day to work. However, since i'm actually at the library I think I can spare 10 minutes to write a cheeky blog post. 

Frantic indifference.

That is the only way I can describe public transport in London during rush hour. Everyone is eager to get to wherever they're going, but in the painful struggle to remain quiet and polite there is also this suffocating sense of indifference. 

The absolute contrast between everyone's rushed attempts to board the right tube and their desire to make it seem as though it doesn't really matter if they miss it anyway is, quite frankly, brilliant if you pay attention. I mean seeing two people power walk for the last seat in the carriage and then seeing the loser lean against a pole and pull out the metro as if he didn't want the seat anyway is painfully awkward.

I for one was caught up in an absolute dilemma on the tube this morning. The tube had just left St Pauls station when some poor soul had a sneezing fit. Of course the carriage was silent so the sneezes resounded with an incredible sound I was at a stand still as to whether I should say bless you. On the one hand everyone else was ignoring him, but on he other hand he had just sneezed 4 times in a row and probably needed some moral support. But I couldn't let my thought process take too long, because no-one wants a belated bless you. So I gathered my courage and let out a meek "bless you". Just before it was announced that we had reached Holborn. I promptly jumped off the tube in time to hear his grateful "thank you" and was pleased that I'd made the right decision. 

I mean of course this is an absolutely ridiculous story, but the actual panic I felt when deciding what to do was real. Maybe us Londoners should be a bit more open when it comes to public transport, so the next time someone in the same carriage as me has a sneezing fit, I might actually be brave enough to offer the poor guy a tissue. 

[krishithink]

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.

Recently films have been making me feel something, and this was one of them. 

So I went to watch TSLOWM today and it was outstanding. Ben Stiller really outdid himself in this movie. It's because with some movies I walk out thinking, "wow I would pay £8 just to see the visuals in that movie again" for example, The Life Of Pi. With some movies I walk out thinking, "wow the dialogue in that movie absolutely killed me", for example Love Actually. With some movies, it's the intense action choreography, for example any of the battle scenes from The Lord Of The Rings franchise. But with this movie, it had a perfect balance of it all.

The dialogue was brilliant and had you routing for characters without having even seen their faces yet. Sometimes there were pockets of intense emotion, but mainly deep themes were explored through such blasé, comic lines that it was hard not to crack a smile. As well as this the movie traveled through an intense journey. Greenland, Iceland and Afghanistan all featured with Peter Jackson-esque panning shots to get in the incredible scenery of the place. Erupting volcanoes and magnificent bodies of water. It made want to just leave everything and jump on a plane to anywhere. 

The only thing I had a slight problem with was the final scene, though the character development was gradual and measured throughout the movie, it seemed to jump a few steps at the end of the movie in order to fit a certain type of "fairy-tale" aesthetic, having said that I can't imagine what intense travel and self realisation does to a person, so maybe it was a realistic move, just not entirely to my taste. 

Overall, I can see myself buying this movie on DVD and watching it many many times in the near future. It was inspiring, endearing and visually beautiful. Go watch it if you get the chance friends.

[krishithink]

The Front Bottoms - Flashlight. 

I am running in circles or I am walking in circles or I am crawling in circles or lying on the ground. 

[krishithink]

Kill Your Darlings.

Or keep them safe and warm?

So recently a movie came out named Kill Your Darlings, following the life of Allen Ginsberg and many other writers of the beat generation, it was fast paced, action filled and heart wrenching. But the thing that was most shocking about it, was that it was based on the lives of real people.

Watching the movie it was far too easy to get invested in the characters, especially if you were fans of them prior to entering the cinema. The actors portraying Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg (or Lulu and Ginsy, by the end of the movie) did so with a flawless sense of realism which had me reeling for hours afterwards.

It wasn't a movie that was just aesthetically pleasing, it was life changing. Honestly, it was the spark, wind, catalyst, the entire inferno that filled my heart as I walked out. It validated everything I dream about as an English student at uni. Through the strength and unity of like minded friends, revolution doesn't have to be a word associated with 18th century France.

There was the light-headed giddy euphoria that every student knows, the feeling that fills your limbs when you're surround by people you love, doing something you love. Maybe singing lyrics at a concert, maybe dancing around at home, maybe just drinking tea and laughing so much that tears are running down your face. It was that childish euphoria that inspires excitement and adventure, and somehow it was captured in cinema.

But like the highs of emotions, the other end of the spectrum was also explored in a dark fantastic way. When seeing Carr and Kammerer in their last scene together it was impossible to stop the feeling of my heart clenching in pain. Not only was the circumstance a plethora of emotions, pushing me into conflict at what to feel, but Dane DeHaan's eyes spoke volumes of emotions in a breathtaking way.

I couldn't put into words what that movie did to me, it literally dragged me out of my "writers block" phase, kicking and screaming, demanding me to write creatively, apparently I can't spit without Whitman.  

But when it comes to whatever revolution I want to start, i'm definitely going to keep my darlings safe and warm. No trauma necessary. 

[krishithink]

Little red riding hood.

Or oversized black jacket hood. 

So clutching my hood to my head today with the same hand that was holding my phone to my ear, I did the half hour walk from my grandparents to my cousins house with a food package in hand and good intentions in heart.

As I did this walk I decided to call a friend as he seemed troubled earlier in the day, a bestfriend mind you, and it struck me that all relationships i've ever formed are a product of pure coincidence. Like I happened to scrape the grades I needed to get into the uni i'm at, to sign up to a seminar to fall in love with a boy who has ended up being one of my bestfriends. And it's a great series of coincidences, but just luck none the less.

And it's bullshit, because you end up investing so much time and love in these people you've just happened to stumble across, and sometimes they lie and fuck off and sometimes they love and stick around and the only way that you'll find out is if you throw yourself into it. 

And this post really has no point. But humans are weird fucking creatures that get unreasonably attached to passing fabs, and i'm definitely in the percentage that gets more unreasonable attached then most and it's stupid but also fine. 

Eloquent or what.

[krishithink]

[krishithink]

Misc.

So general update, because this is a procrastination project that i intend not to procrastinate away, you get me?

Today, Paz, Bby W and I spent the day lounging with pizza and music. Doing the only thing we know how to do when we're together. Talking relationships, people, ideal situations and the fact that we're all as far from ideal situations as people could be. 

Also last night I was lounging in bed when in a terrifying turn of events one of my posters fell from the wall in order to send me into cardiac arrest. On removing the poster and angrily looking up at the Alkaline Trio picture in my hands, it occurred to me that i'm having SUCH a great semester in terms of music next year. So far Beyonce, The Pretty Reckless, Fall Out Boy, Brand New, Alkaline Trio. It's going to be epic. I'm also very seriously debating on whether to go see The Front Bottoms since i've recently got very very into them, if I can blag a guestlist kinda situation that's going to be 100%, if not i'm going to have to give up food for 3 months to afford all this shit. 

AH WELL.

[krishithink]

The Front Bottoms - Peach.

[krishithink]

Blue is the warmest colour.

A movie that pulses with love, loss and ecstasies. 

So recently I watched the movie, "Blue is the Warmest Colour" it was definitely a movie that was more an experience than a regular blockbuster. It wasn't a movie where you walk away from it with one particular emotion. It was a movie that felt a lot longer than it was, but not in that it dragged out. Moreso in that it felt like the journey you were going on was the same as the main character Adele so it was almost tiring when she was sad.

To be honest I really did enjoy it, but like many books and many songs I think that it'll take a couple more times of experiencing it to really get a feel for it.

[krishithink]

So today i've stayed in bed with coffee and french movies. Please form an orderly queue in order to voice your concern of how pretentious a morning that sounds. I will reply after I finish my coffee and french movies. 

[krishithink]

Yay, friendship. Cute pic from girls night out a couple weeks ago :')

[krishithink]

CLEAN.

An exploration of human waste and consumption. 

Today I went to see a play called Clean. It happened to be written by a friend of mine, but that makes no difference to what i'm about to say, so please take a seat. 

CLEAN is not a play for the faint of heart.

Plays are normally watched, but this was something to be experienced. From the moment I walked into the building my senses were assaulted, colours and sounds demanded attention from me and my neck got tired from trying to take the whole scene in. It's weird because normally when it comes to a production, you're hoping for it to keep you engaged, but with Clean I wasn't just engaged, I was intrigued and I love it when that happens.

I'm struggling right now because I'm trying to write properly, punctuate and be grammatically correct, but I can't help but want to throw in profanities and slang and generally just wreck havoc. The obsession with reputation in the play has sparked a reckless sense of anarchy in me, like I want to break stuff and start a revolution, "WHOOO CARES" I want to shout ("I do" I'll unwillingly answer). What a spectacular sense of abandonment. 

To be honest, I walked in thinking that it was going to be a a plethora of themes and a spectrum of characters. And I got that, as well as a surprisingly hauntingly and definitely relate-able series of words. At one point in the play during a beautifully emotional rendition of "Another Love" by Tom Odell from one of the characters, I was almost angry at the play for tricking me into emotionally investing in a character and then having to feel their pain through song. 

It was a kaleidoscope of emotions. Each character was their own brightly coloured thread and through the dialogue they managed to weave a perfect picture illustrating a society obsessed with reputation, relationships and self. 

As it is, Clean definitely left me feeling dirty. 

[krishithink]

What I want to do is spend the night watching Tarantino until I fall asleep. The issue is, this is what i've done for the past 72 hours so I have no more to watch. How absolutely tragic. 

[krishithink]

THE INTERNET - Feel Good.

The Internet’s new album, “Feel Good” is pretty self-explanatory. It a one hour record that puts the listener into an awesome state of zen. It’s not an aggressive sound, just something that manages to sneak into your mind and offer your muscles a break as it massages the stress away. The lyrics are almost whispered, they’re not offensive at all in the way the weave in and out of the music, and because of this, it’s almost as if they prompt your mind to make connections, rather than shoving them down your throat. It’s this style that makes the album so special, you’re humming the songs on the walk home before you even realise what you’re humming.

However it’s this same reason that means the album is meant to be listened to as an album, rather than a collection of tracks. There are only a few tracks that stand out on the first time you hear it, with the rest merging together into a soundtrack to some chill time. This isn’t to say the album is without hits, tracks such as “Dontcha” and “Runnin” will definitely have a spot on my playlist for the next few weeks.  

After seeing them earlier this year in March and meeting the band after the performance, it’s been a long wait until Feel Good. They definitely made the wait worthwhile, the album is not without aim and puts out an incredible vibe, though seeing how much their neo-funk sound has progressed in the last couple of months i’m incredibly excited to see where they plan to go in the future.

All in all, give it a listen and feel yourself being transported in a place akin to the inside of a spinning kaleidoscope, in the chillest possible way.