How Sez Sees It

On being a fan and the number of times it has saved me You hear this a lot (or read it a lot) if you go online and scroll through your twitter or tumblr timeline. Someone will be talking about how a particular song, band, tv show or film saved their life. You might not understand this way of thinking and I am genuinely happy for you because it means you have had the stability in your life to just enjoy things without them taking on a greater meaning for you. However, I am one of those people and I am going to explain how being a fan of different things at different times saved my life...in some cases literally! How Lord of the Rings saved me The year was 2001 and on 28 December I (just turned 15 years old) went to the cinema with my family to see the first in a trilogy of films adapted from the J.R.R. Tolkein series, The Lord of the Rings. This first instalment was called The Fellowship of the Ring and tells the story of a band of different peoples (Dwarfs, Elves, Men and Hobbits...

Initially this show was an uncertainty. ONE OK ROCK (yes it is spelled out in capitals) were being supported by We Came As Romans and DEAD! (yes, that is how they do their name too) at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Thursday 10 December. Unfortunately, the week before, the venue decided it was the best time to start collapsing. Fear not though, the gig was saved! Luckily the Academy group owns a lot of venues and the O2 Forum Kentish Town stepped up. The gig had to be pushed forward by 24 hours because of clashes otherwise, but still the gig did go ahead! All tickets previously sold were honoured and a good time was to be had by all. DEAD! I have seen this band countless times. The first time I did was at The Joiners in Southampton and they were opening for William Control. This was about three and a half years ago now and I think they had only been together around three or four months. I think almost every member of the band had an injury at the time and there seemed to be iss...

The latest album by Japanese rock band One OK Rock. I do agree with some of the critics’ comments that this is the most ‘American’ sounding of their albums to-date, but I feel they bring their own flavour and, as a result, it is a fun album full of excellent tunes and some proper anthems. Many will know the songs ‘Mighty Long Fall’ and ‘Heartache’ from the closing credits of the final two Rurouni Kenshin films. If these are the only songs you listen to though then you are missing out. As seems to be the norm now, the album opens with a thumping musical intro written by front man Taka. There isn't much of a gap between songs on this album and most feed into the next without stopping. This means the album has a fast paced feel to it and this is not a bad thing at all. This is the case right from the beginning as the intro moves into track two, ‘Take Me To The Top’. You’ll love this track by the way and you will be singing along in no time. Notable tracks include ...