How Sez Sees It

You hear about it all the time, someone says that a song/album/band changed or saved their life. Can it though? From personal experience I would say yes, although other factors come into play, such as the influence of my aunty. I believe I have written about her before. My aunty is 10 years older than me, so when I was 5/6 years old she was in her mid-teens. Her taste in music was Nirvana and it was her that introduced me to the band via their epic album ‘Nevermind’ by making a tape recording of it for me. Influenced by me ‘cool’ aunty, I began a life long love affair with all things rock. This was cemented in 1995 by my parents buying me a Smash Hits tape containing Green Day’s ‘Basket Case’. From then on the band soundtracked my life and I love them to this day. I feel I have ‘grown up’ with the band (which actually formed the year I was born!). That is the early influence where someone else changed, or rather set the course, of my musical love. From then on certain song...

There are times when I have to remind myself that everything gets better. I have a new job to start and before that I am going to Dublin and to see a friend of mine play with his band as support for another band and that should all make me happy and give me something to look forward to right? Wrong. I can't seem to focus on the positive things that are coming up in my life because I am not quite there yet. Those in my immediate are determined to make things as hard as possible. I am not talking my family or friends here either, just the other people you meet every day. Some of them are strangers to me and they fleetingly enter my world, cock something up and go again before they are even registered as existing by me. This leaves me with a strong sense that the whole effort is not worth it. I know I have to hang on to see if things will improve when I have a job and house and whatever. That is sort of keeping me going, but it is tough when you want an easier way out. On to...

I can't quite remember the first time I saw Wil Francis and Aiden in Kerrang Magazine. It was a few years back. I know it was round about the time I first started buying it regularly. It was actually Green Day that hooked me in to reading the mag regularly when they graced the cover in January 2005. I had recently re-discovered my love of that band and wanted to reconnect with that world I guess. Still, I was reading regularly and this moody, grainy, black and white image of Wil Francis appeared in the pages. I don't even know who the photographer was, but the moodiness of the shot was amazing. Everything, from the cigarette to his clothes, his hair and his tattoos just drew my eye. I had already got into Aiden for their music, but for some reason this shot just drew me in even further. I can't really explain the way I felt looking at that picture. Well a couple of years down the line and we get to the way Kerrang ruined my life. Already an avid reader I turned the page...

I thought I would blog about my week because it makes no sense to me! I have had one hell of a week, so here is a break down of it from Sunday. Sunday: - I had the mother of all flu like colds hit me. I don't remember driving to Southampton or watching the football, although I am told that Saints won. That was a scary thought. I would rather have spent the day in bed. Monday: - I should never have gone into work. I had to drive the entire length of the county and it was horrible. I ended up having to leave at lunch time because I felt so ill. That night I was due to see the wonderful These Days Are Numbered in their first headline show at The Joiners. I dragged my arse up there and I am glad that I did because there was only myself, the fiance and his brother there other than the other bands playing! TDAN were amazing though. They get better every time I see them and I think they are going to be ones to watch in the metalcore scene. I love that they live in Andover too, so it...

I know that some of you are expecting something along these lines so I had better explain some things. As you all know, I am a HUGE fan of the band The Dead Lay Waiting. As you should know by now, they announced officially that they have parted ways. Ben, Tom, Sam and Steve will carry on working together under a new name and Luke Lucas will go it alone. This is the full statement from the band: 'The Dead Lay Waiting are no more. With much regret due to conflicting ideas with regards to the band’s future direction, it has been agreed to shut TDLW down. It has been an incredib le seven years, from the primitive bedroom band practices to playing stages and festivals around the world. This would have not been possible without your friendship. Our special thanks also go out to everybody that helped and supported the band through this journey.   Whilst TDLW might be no m ore, Ben, Steve, Sam and Tom have chosen to carry on working together as a band, under a new name. Bigger and ...

Everyone bangs on about it, but what does it actually entail? Personally I like to call it 'being  groupie, without the sex'. That is a bit long winded though so for now, 'fangirl' will do. What defining feature are there to 'fangirling'? I would say the following points sum up a 'fangirl' pretty well: Going to several shows/events where your favourite band/actor/whatever is doing in one tour. Buying more merch than anyone could actually wear in one lifetime, just to say that they have it. Creating 'fan art'. This ranged from the epic to the downright ugly with varying levels of artistic capability in between. Sometimes it is a direct portrait and sometimes it is just inspired by a song. The disturbing stuff can come in the form of the plain pornographic! 'Shipping', such as putting two of your favourite band members or TV characters together such as Drewence, Keveridge, Lukier or Phan. Sometimes this is sweet, again, sometimes th...

It has been a long time since I have done a proper blog. So I think it is time to catch you up to a few things right? I have a different job, but still working at the same place. It is a great job on the whole and I am happy I am there. There are always going to be busier and harder days than others, but it is a wonderful place to work. I am now a 'professional fangirl' for a couple of amazing bands. On the one hand there is a band called Fearless Vampire Killers (FVK). I suggest you check out their latest video, All Hallows Evil:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkgw6eHkj_I  this is also a who's who of 'goff' rockstars at the moment. Other bands who appear in the video are Dead, Ashes to Angels and Ugly Love. One of the co-vocalists is also an author and has written an amazing book called 'Ruple and Evelyn'. I suggest you check it out, but at the moment it is only available in the Kindle version as the paperback as sold out. The absolute love of my...