Victims of Ventriloquism Headed For Success

Founded in 2012, Victims of Ventriloquism have been trying to make a name for themselves through the various methods out there today. This includes creating their own website and making use of social media platforms such as Facebook. The band is made up of three members including Jack Borrill, Josh Graham and Chris Vezzand consider themselves an “Alternative Rock Band”. This is due to the fact that their influences include other bands such as Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age and I Am Giant.

The band have a really good chance of becoming even more successful with the recent release of their EP Scarlet Impressions which includes songs such as Parallel Lines and Mink. I really enjoyed listening to this EP and think that they have a good future ahead of them! The band have also been busy playing various gigs throughout Glasgow. All details of their upcoming gigs are online on their Facebook page. This is becoming a more common way of advertising gigs for people trying to make it in the music industry.

Below you can have a listen to their EP and decide for yourself!

You can also give them a like on their Facebook page: Victims of Ventriloquism

 

Glasgow Ska Band Esperanza Plays On After Tragic Events

Nine piece Ska band from Glasgow, Esperanza are well known in the area for their music and live performances. They have had a lot of success in the past through supporting other local Ska bands on their tours. This includes bands such as Toots and Maytals and Bad Manners. This is really good as it has helped to get their name out there and allow them to become more successful.

Although the band have had a lot of success in recent times, a tragedy hit in November last year. This was when a helicopter tragically crashed into The Clutha pub in Glasgow. This crash caused a lot of trauma, not only for the people there and the friends and family of the ten people who died, but also for the band. This was due to the fact that the band were actually playing a gig at the pub when the helicopter hit. This was understandably hard for the band to deal with and it was thought at the time that they would struggle to perform again from the trauma of the events. Bass player Jess Combe was quoted not long after the events:

 

“Esperanza means hope, and that’s what we have. We’re taking it step by step, just supporting one another as friends. We’re not sure what we’re doing as a band. We need to get in the right mood before we even think about playing. There may also be people who don’t want to hear us play, so we need to make sure that’s right too.”

Although the events of this night will always be with the members of this band, they have thankfully been able to pick themselves up and start performing again together. They have been performing at various gigs and festivals and this is a positive note as it means that they are carrying on. They also helped to promote a charity album which was made to raise money for the victims of the events. This album is available online via iTunes and in local music stores.

A lot of Esperanza’s live gigs are promoted online and mostly through Facebook. This is done through Facebook events and you can find their latest gig here! You should also give their Facebook Page a like to help promote them as a band!

The video below is Esperanza playing Pontiac Skank from their album Permanent Ska.

 

 

Glaswegian busker Anna Shields set to feature in BBC Show

One of the best things about walking through Glasgow city centre is the fact that there is always live music. Buchanan street always has a lot of talent with performers ranging from teenagers try to make it big to more mature people trying to share what they love doing with everyone.

Yesterday, on my lunch break from uni, I was walking down Buchanan Street and noticed a busker I’ve never seen before. At first my friends and I were simply enjoying the music, but it wasn’t until a few moments later that I realised what song I was singing along to! The song was ‘Oops I Did It Again’ by Britney Spears, which is not your average busking song. However, the way in which this girl had adapted this song in her own way made it sound like a completely new song.

I wanted to know more so I walked closer to the girl and found out that her name was Anna Shields. After some research online, I was able to find a Facebook page created by her. You can find this here! I was also able to find Anna’s Youtube Channel and hear more of her songs.

From this research, I was able to find out that Anna is signed to Indigo Music Management which is a Scottish based management company. This is very good for her as it shows that she has got some backing and people are really starting to appreciate the talent that she has. I was also able to find out that Anna will be taking part in a new BBC Alba show called ‘Buskers’. This show will feature a lot of the buskers in Glasgow, with whom she is very friendly with. I think that this will be a great opportunity for not only her, but the other buskers who are trying their best to get their names out there. This will be great for the Scottish music scene and the introduction of new artists!

Although Anna has quite a few original tracks, she is also a fan of doing cover songs. I think that this is a good idea as it means when a fan of a song searches for the original, they may stumble upon her video and be impressed. Below you will find some of Anna’s Youtube videos

Glasgow Music Studios

Glasgow Music Studios is a new place for musicians in Glasgow to come and record quality music. The state of the art facilities are easy to use and the prices are affordable. I think that this is a great opportunity for the musicians of Glasgow and it will really help to improve the music scene.

The studio is located in Glasgow’s Merchant City and is open 7 days a week, from 9am to 12 midnight. There are various packages available in the recording suite ranging from the Bronze Package which costs £150 to the Platinum which costs £1250. Obviously these packages include at lot of different things with the hours included increasing as they get more expensive.

Not only can you record in these studios, but there are also music lessons available. These lessons range from singing lessons to sound engineering and guitar. This is really good as it means that the amount of musicians in Glasgow will increase. Most lessons are around £30 and I think that this is quite good for the standard of teaching.

The actual music studio element of the venue is something which is really expanding. On their SoundCloud page, they upload projects which have been completed in the studios. This is great as the people who have taken part are able to access their work at any point and they can also increase the amount of people listening to it.

Below you will find a sound file which was created in the music studio.

Promotion Of Glasgow Music Scene Could Use Improvement

In a recent article in The Scotsman, top promoter Donald MacLeod has given his opinion on the recent Scottish Music Awards. As organiser of the event, he felt that there was not enough support from the local bodies such as VisitScotland and EventScotland. This was not good as the Scottish Music Awards are a very important event and it is unfair that they were not able to recieve enough press attraction.

MacLeod is not even just unhappy about the lack of interest for the awards. He also feels that the bodies need to focus more on live music and promote more local acts. This includes the promotion of Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow as somewhere that can be known for having quality live music. I agree that this would be good as the clubs in this area such as MacLeod’s own venue Garage and bars such as Nice N Sleazy are becoming more known for being nightclubs than live music venues. The promoter feels as if they would benefit from more funding and overall it would mean that the Glaswegian music scene could be improved.

He hopes that this could then one day rival the reputation of Edinburgh as it is well known for its festivals and live gigs. It is important that we make sure that live music is preserved and venues such as the SSE Hydro do not become known for being the ONLY venue that people want to go to see their favourite act.

The article is available online to get Donald’s view on the whole situation here!

Garage Nightclub being used as a live music venue.

Glasgow Is Happy

Pharrell Williams’ new song Happy has been a huge hit recently with it being played basically every where you go. I am a big fan of the song as I like that when it starts playing it instantly lightens the mood of the room. Its definitely one of his best hits so far!

Not only am I a big fan of the song, but there is a new trend that seems to be happening online which sees the song being played in the background whilst the video features people from around various cities. The first one I saw was set in Belfast and this made me happy to see people from where I’m from featured in a video like this. I have recently been introduced to Glasgow’s version of the video and I am personally impressed.

I like how the people who made it are celebrating all of the events and exciting things coming to Glasgow this year and are appreciating what the council are doing for the city as a whole. The start of the video actually highlights the musical events which will be taking place and no doubt that Pharrell Williams himself will probably be attending later this year.

I recommend that you watch the video below to find out what Glasgow is happy about and to possibly spot some places near where you live! I know I certainly have!

Glasgow’s Big Big Sing goes UK Wide

In addition to all of the other exciting musical events taking place in Glasgow in 2014, the Commonwealth Games are set to really bring a lot to the city. Both sports fans and other people like myself who are just excited by the scale of the event are anticipating the games which will take place between 23 July and 3 August this year!

Not only is the event going to do a lot for sport in Scotland, but there also a lot of musical events linked with the event. This includes the Big Big Sing which is produced by Glasgow UNESCO City of Music! The whole aim of this Big Big Sing is to unite people across the UK in singing in the lead up to the Games. This is set to be done through the involvement of many choirs and reaching various parts of the UK.

I think that this will be a great way to bring people together of all different ages and allow them to bond over their love of singing. Even if people are not that confident with singing, it will allow them to be part of a large group that they will always be a part of.

It’s easy enough to join the Big Big Sing programme  by simply going onto their website which I will link below and finding a choir near you! I would love to join this if I were actually able to hold a note! Unfortunately I probably never will and so I wish all of you luck if you decide to join in!

Click Here To Sign Up 

Ellie Goulding Halycon Days Tour in Glasgow!

As a big fan of Ellie Goulding, I recently attended one of her tour dates in Glasgow. The concert was in the 02 Academy and was amazing! Although Ellie Goulding is not as well known as many of the worldwide acts topping the charts in previous years, she is really starting to make a name for herself. This is the third time I have been to one of her concerts and it is safe to say that she is getting better than ever without changing herself. Evidence of this is the fact that she managed to get her first UK number one with Burn just last year!

The energy in the venue was amazing as everyone waited for the star to take to the stage! I had managed to get to the front of the standing area which was great but I think regardless of where you were you would have still been able to appreciate the music.

I think its great that even artists that aren’t as big as worldwide artists such as Beyonce are still able to fill arenas like this one. I also think its great for Glasgow that they are still bringing in a variety of artists and making sure that all music genres are represented!

These are some of my pictures and videos from the concert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glasgow to Host MTV European Music Awards in 2014

The MTV European Music Awards is a televised event which MTV hold every year. The awards see stars from all over the world come together to celebrate the winners. There are many performances as well as awards and it is a very exciting event.

Last years awards were held at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and it was an epic event. Amongst the celebrations, there was also a lot of controversy including stars such as Miley Cyrus. The star was said to have twerked on stage as well as holding a “rolled up joint”.

Miley’s controversial EMA appearance

In the year prior to the awards in Amsterdam, they took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This did great things for the Northern Irish tourism industry and music scene. This makes it even more exciting that this year’s awards will be held in Glasgow.

The awards are set to take place in the SSE Hydro in Glasgow in 2014. Tickets are going to be made available for music fans to win through many competitions. I, personally, am very excited about this as I didn’t get a chance to go to the awards when they were in Belfast. I did, however, hear a lot of great stories from my friends who did and really hope to get tickets for the event in Glasgow. Personally, I can’t wait!!

Ticket information is to be released soon and we are told to follow  @mtvema and @eventscotnews for more information.

Radio One Big Weekend 2014 Comes To Glasgow

Radio One presenter Nick Grimshaw has recently announced on his radio show that the Big Weekend event will take place in Glasgow this year. The highly publicised event which took place in Londonderry, Northern Ireland last year is set to come to Glasgow Green on the 24th – 25th May 2014.  Counsellor Gordon Matheson believes that this event will “set the scene for an unforgettable summer in Glasgow”.

Last year’s event was a huge success with many artists from all over the world coming. This makes it very exciting that it is coming to Glasgow and shows that Glasgow’s music scene is really expanding.

More information about tickets are set to be released in march on air on Radio One and Radio 1Xtra.

The highlights of last years event are shown in this video: