the_literary_spider | Entries tagged with opinions

Hello all...

So I was making the rounds of youtube as per usual, when I came across another girl vlogger. Now most of these usually only post make-up tutorials, humor vlogs with seemingly no point, or if I'm really lucky video's where they fangirl about the same things as me..,

But today. Today I found something different, I found a channel that did all three. Not only that,but they are the first female vlogger I've ever found to talk about those hipsteresque issues that are interesting and relevant at the same time. Amazing! A girl actually standing up for her subculture in an articulate and hilarious manner, thank god!

So here she is, gal of the hour so to speak:

If I ever get the courage together to put my ugly-mug on camera, this is what I will be doing. Preach it girl! ((I'm never ever going to say that again ever))

Eight-Leggedly Yours,
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Evita - Don't Cry For Me Argentina

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: Dreamy
Current Music: Lacuna Coil - Heavens A Lie

Welcome, welcome! It's time for the second in my line of Bingley Music Live memories. These too bands are completely different except in the sense of comedy. Because these two bands especially that were amazingly hilarious and you need to listen to because they are just so damn epic and golden and full of sunshine!!!

First Off: The Lancashire Hotpots!

Yes, I'm aware I have talked about them prior to their gig, but they were so good I have no regrets in talking about them again. My friend went home on the first night, so that was sad, and then my dads friend went home on the second night, so no-one went to see them except for me and my dad. That was okay though, because it meant we could fight to the front (which we did) and by the time the thing started we were on the front row.

This was not a gig, it was a show. I mean that in the most theatrical sense possible. My two chief loves (aside from Writing) are music and theatre, which explains why I adore musical theatre so much, and the Hotpots were a perfect mixture of both. They sang amazingly, but it was much more about the experience.Let me explain:

I'm sure you're all aware of the huge Yorkshire/Lancashire divide (war of the roses and all that) so I won't bore you with details. Going to the gig however, I was incredibly worried that this huge hatred would flare up, and it did. Standing at the fron't, drunk men all around started screaming Yorkshire, and of course the opposing side chimed in soon after. Now, I'm a Yorkshire lass at heart, so I joined in, only to stop a minute later with a brilliant idea. When the shouting died down, me and the parent screamed even louder.

"Narnia!"

It worked, everyone laughed and it was amazing. All through the gig the rivalry was shouted to the stage, and at one point we were all split into two, for a pantomime-style shout-off. Then the lead singer told all the drunk men to unite the red and white roses, and to stand proudly under a large pink flower. That went incredibly well.

The songs they sang included "I fear Ikea", "Oh No, He's Turned Emo", "Larger, Bitter, Stout!" and "Chippy Tea" I was happy to find I remembered all the words, and earned a wink from the lead singer for singing as loud as I did and being as young as I was. They threw sweets into the crowd while dressed as Pirates to promote sneaking in your own sweets into cinemas, wore incredibly camp binmen suits for apparently no reason, and pretended to finish the set three times before they actually did. It was a good gig.

And now, to Sadie & The Hotheads!

These people were like the coolest older uncles and aunts you could ever wish to have. Appearance wise they harked back to a mixture of smooth Jazz musicians and Flapper Girls, and as they were set on a stage dressed with clocks, umbrellas, dusty books and violins, they fitted in perfectly. Looking at them in their trilbies and velvet outfits they looked like they'd just stepped out of the TARDIS.

I'm not going to lie, it was a quiet gig. It was raining, it wasn't the mainstage, and their wasn't all that many people there. However, it was one of the best gigs simply due to the quality of the music. Their personas and charisma were funny and bright and sparkling, but above all the music was ace. It's the kind of genre that just defies description, so I will show instead of tell, but this band deserves to be a lot, lot bigger than they are...

Sorry I posted less music this time, it's just these bands are hard to find and/or I've posted all my faves before. Oh, I'm so hipster!

Eight-Leggedly Yours,
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: PoPoyans - When The Owl Sleeps

Hello Darling Dears!

This is the first of my BML memories, BML of course being Bingley Music Live, the festival I attended for the third year running. I reviewed it very quickly last year, if you've had the misfortune to be subscribed that long you'll know how slapdash and not very good it was. So, to remedy this I'm going to spotlight each band I saw seperatley. Or in two's. Probably the latter.

So here's Ep One; King Charles & We Are Evergreen.

We Are Evergreen went first, on the Raise The Roof stage, so it's only fitting they get the first review. In a word, Summery.

That's all I really need to say, because that's what they were. The sun was shining, everyone was trying to dance in wellies without spilling their drinks, the air was sweet and they were Summery. However, they weren't just a filler while the King Charles fangirls found their way to the front, oh no. I'd go so far as to say they were entirely unique.

Their website classifies them as Indie-Electro-Pop, and this fits the bill quite nicely. They're one of those bands you find in Youtube Narnia* at three in the morning, forget about, then find yourself humming as you pull your clothes on the next day. They were jangly, immensely funny to watch, and the way they swapped instruments constantly and with ease was amazing. All in all, they were the most endearing trio I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Also, they danced around a lot, their accents were adorable and the guy on the drums/guitar/others looked EXACTLY like Johnny Depp.

They were a good watch, and I will be going to see them again I think. So here's my favourites.

So that's that. They're at http://wewereevergreen.com/, so hit them up! You won't regret it, or you won't if you have any sense of childlike whimsy.

And Now: King Charles!

What can I say? I started the day knowing nothing more about him than his haircut and tendency to make girls squeal. Let me tell you, their screaming was entirely warranted, and I may be joining their ranks next time. His website has this to say about him, which is the most unassuming and modest sales pitch I've ever read:

"King Charles is an extraordinary man. He doesn't look like anyone you know, he doesn't think like anyone you know and he doesn't make music like anyone you know."

Well how about that? I have to say though, it's true. When he walked out on stage, there was no doubt about who he was. You know those people who just have a vibe? And you see them and you just know that they're a little different, a little mad, a little genious? Well he had a vibe, and a strong one at that.

Soundwise, it's hard to say. Some of it was heavy and wailing, some of it sounded like the afore mentioned band. I'm no expert, but he's been compared by others to Prince, Adam Ant and Hendrix. I'll leave you to make up your mind about those claims, but the gig was exceptional. He stood on the drums, threw stuff into the crowd, did the international Jesus pose at least 11 times and even came out after to meet us.

I daresay he's a decent lad who's going to get a hell of a lot bigger, so I advise you to listen to him NOW! It was a great gig, especially when he invited W.W.E back on stage and they all bounced around to We didn't start a fire until his dreads tumbled loose and the crowd lost their voice.

Eight-Leggedly Yours
The Literary Spider

*Youtube Narnia: Click on one unsigned indie bands song and follow the trail of the related videos until you get the ones with barely any views, no literal lyrics, soulful guitar and comments like "I'm in Narnia and I never want to leave" It's good fun. I recommend it.

Current Mood: dunno, really
Current Music: Marilyn Manson - Working Class Hero

I really, really wanted them to get divorced.
Like really.

Yes, I'm aware that makes me a monster but I did. Doctor Who is so good at making the most viscous real-life atrocities bearable; it's dealt with death, loss, genocide, racism and more. So if any show is qualified to bring up a subject that is just as taboo and tragic, I think Doctor Who may be it. And lets face it, although all the big horrors get dealt with, the little ones rarely do outside soaps, and they're the ones people relate to.

IDK, I just thought Moffat would have done well with it, and made it sensitive and realistic, because it felt a little Syrupy-not-real-happy-ending-niceness, and Moffat isn't exactly famous for that. Plus, and this the less mature reason, I really dislike Rory.

Sorry 'bought that.,,

In other news though, the episode was amazing. I wish they'd have made the Daleks a little more unsettling and crazed, and put a little more emphasis on the asylum part, but the twist was amazing and I really enjoyed it.

One thing though, how did the daleks but the chains on the the other Daleks...?

Eightl-Leggedly Yours
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: complacent
Current Music: King Charles - Love Lust

Hello dears,

So today I went to see Recipe for life, at the West Yorkshire playhouse. My sister was in it, as were several of my friends; this proved to me that Quarry Hill is indeed the cradle of culture. I myself was not involved, and I bitterly regret it, but I had an amazing time.

The entire night was in support of Space 2, a small but big-impact charity that focused on bringing health to communities through the arts and creative outlets. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it was amazing. There were appearances from Northern Contemporary Dance, (Close to my heart, as I attend there) Phoenix Dance (also close to my heart, as that's where the Better half attends) Yorkshire Dance (Also close, as my sister was performing there) and First Floors shake the Dust poets (Where my friends performed, and were amazing)

I adored every minute of it. NSCD did a harrowing piece on the 7 ages of man. It was based on the experiences of the members of an old man club started by space two. It was confusing, painful to watch, and awkward, but all in a deliberate way that meant you couldn't tear yourself away for a moment. Akin to a car crash or the eyes of a python, I was a entranced. To open it, one member of the club said he was going to recite two poems. one about getting old but getting through, and one about having arthritis in his hands and overcoming it. I thought it would be good.

Then he began to sing, and from him pored the richest, jazziest voices I've ever heard. It was like velvet, it was gorgeous,he finished to rapturous applause, and there was electricity then more than ever. It was amazing also.

The yorkshire dance was adorable. What could be better then loads of tiny little people with so much "swag" you were caught between creasing with laughter and actually ducking in submission. Their space-age soundtrack was cute, their miming was cuter, and my sister did excellent. I was, so to speak, like a proud parent.

My first floor friends were amazing. Their poetry was moving, and they captured the emotion perfectly. Knowing them as well as I do, I knew EXACTLY what the poems were about, and that made it all the better for me. I nearly cried, and didn't refrain from screaming in a most barbarian manner. Ah well.

There is so much more I could say about tonight, and I have no doubt I will, but I have been dancing all day, have just got home and sleep seems like a damn good idea.

Eight-Leggedly Yours
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: Tired
Current Music: Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Hello Darling Dears,

So a couple of days ago a published writer came in to speak to me and the other "avid readers and writers" in my circle. We all, as per instructions, brought some work we'd like to be read out. Quite a few of my friends brought essays, but I decided instead to bring a piece of world-building I'd only just written. It went well.

For a start, she went "oh my god, this girl can write!" and then she just sat there and read the entire thing again. Then she said I had a future in writing, something every aspiring author loves to hear, and asked me about the story. I told her it was neo-victorian and outlined the plot. She said it had promise. So, in short, she said nothing but good things. I thanked her, got up to leave, and then...

"One thing though, it's a little Cliche!"

That, my friends, is how dreams are crushed.

Eight-Leggedly Yours,
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: ..Well then.
Current Music: Marilyn Manson - Working Class Hero

Hello all,

So I went to see the HH the Dalai Lama and Russell Brand today. I am completely awe-struck and without words on the whole subject. The thing I expected to be excited about was the fact I was six rows away from the bright-eyed imp that is Russell Brand, and he did not disappointed. He pranced around the stage with the electricity of all his stand up, yet he was humble and interested and immersed in the spirit of the thing, just as we were. He was entranced with the importance of the event, and his take on wisdom interspersed with light humor made the thing seem more relatable, more attainable, and more real because of it.

When the His Holiness entered the stage, everything stopped. it was like being in the presence of a king, or a scholar of the highest degree, and everyone fell silent. It was as if he would leave, disappear, like a fine apparition. It was like we were beneath him, and then..he laughed. it was a beautiful, bell-like peal. It was the laugh of a young man. He smiled, and the room lit up, we were all with him, caught up in his light, from the beginning. We weren't inferior any longer, we were (as he put it) fellow human beings.

When he spoke, everyone listened. Everything he said made sense, endless compassion and kindness, as well as his thoughts on what happiness meant. I felt myself get completely immersed in it, and somewhere along the way it reached me.... I felt like something struck a chord, and just from hearing him and Russell speak I discovered primary things myself.

In short, it was an inspiration. It was beautiful, transcendent and glorious and moving and enlightening and....just wonderful. Something within me has been changed, I know it. I doubt I'll ever experience something like that again.

So, to HH and to Russell Brand, I thank you. You opened my eyes and my heart, and I think I will be much more motivated because of it..

Eight-Leggedly Yours,
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: No words.
Current Music: Bastille - Flaws

The nerve! I was listening to Radio 4, and they were lamenting the lack of decent books for up to 12 year olds. As per usual, Twilight was being slandered, and they were blaming the current kids book drought upon it, because it was causing authors to write floods of supernatural romance for teens. This I can deal with, because I myself am tired of the many mary-sue's and their moping boyfriends. But then, something was said that I found most annoying. One author on the program said she was horrified that kids were reading Twilight and The Hunger Games at10 or 11 years because they were blatantly and disgustingly age-inappropriate.

I'm sorry, what?! You think it is bad that children of 11 are reading the Hunger Games. I'm sorry, but at 11 me and all my friends had read things like 1984, which has a very similar dystopian premise and decidedly more inappropriate-ness. yet no-one bats an eyelid at this because it's a classic. It's like how many people do not object to kids reading Lolita, because it is a classic. Lord of the flies is a classic, and that has some very "innapropriate" things also. I think the whole issue is full of double-standards, depending on the books place in history.

Also, to all of you bookish people. When talking about how the standards of teen fiction have fallen, please don't talk about Twilight and The Hunger Games interchangeably. They are barely any similarities beside target audience, and one is considerably more well-written than the other.

/endrant

And now, some music that you should treat your ears to

Eight-leggedly Yours
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: The Nerve!
Current Music: Bastille - Flaws

Hello all.

Today, I am deviating slightly from the theme this blog usually has. Instead of bringing you something, uplifting, insightful and beautiful, I am giving you something dark, something ugly. Yet, I dare say this is just as insightful, just as involving. So, without further adoo....

May I present Mr Morgue. He is a philosopher and self-surgeon (odd combination I know) At a first glace he deals in shock horror, putting spinal needles through his face, swallowing eight-balls and the like. However, this is only one side of the unconventional gentlemen. Amid his stunts his you-tube channel features videos like "how to be happy" and "Satanic Prayer for the Christians" it seems that he is more interested in shaking things up, and showing people another side to things, than using gore and shock for their own sake.

He runs his own website (Terrorsofman.com) which is an uncensored platform for people to post things too dark for the mainstream; it also contains debates about things like politics and religion, as well as informative pieces about things like lucid dreaming and its connection to sleep paralysis and sleep demons. Beneath the attention grabbing gore and anarchy there is an intelligent individual, bent on showing people how different isn't always dangerous, and how changes can be made. Like Marilyn Manson, Oscar Wilde and many other important thinkers before him, he has unique and revolutionary ideas that could mean a better and more free-thinking world, if only more people looked past the shock factor...

Current Mood: Pensive. Is he right?
Current Music: Marilyn Manson -Man that you fear

Hello all,

Attended a showing of The Hunger Games film the other day, and I thought I would share my all-important opinion (Note: that was intended as irony) From Haymitch to Rue and back again it was a great show, so here are my two cents...

Haymitch and Katniss were cast perfectly. From the start you could see the fragmented, distant relationship between Prim, her mother and her sister, even if you hadn't read the books. The reaping reminded one of The Lottery, a short dystopian story that can be read here, complete with a dismal yet clinical atmosphere captured beautifully by Gary Ross. Even the slow evolution that was Effie's un-likability was portrayed brilliantly and with humor, without the seriousness and relevance of the story being lost.

Another artfully composed scene was the one in which *SPOILER ALERT* Rues tragic death occurred. So carefully done was this part that even the most dry-eyed haters (Both the tributes who thought the adaptation was sacrilege and the film buffs who said shaky camera angles and hallucination scenes were oh-so cliche) were moved to tears. The games themselves were awe-inspiring, and inspired total immersion, as well as highlighting at least several hundred ships that fan-girls will be drooling over until at least the next movie.

My only criticism was that of Gales casting. I thought he didn't match up to the books, and the his fractured, introverted, angry personality didn't exactly come through. I suppose though that is personal opinion, just as some wished for a Kristen Stewart Katniss or a Daniel Radcliffe Peeta. So in conclusion, this is a film for tributes and non-tributes alike, especially those who wish to talk with inflated self-importance of "The relevance of a dystopian film in a doomed economy era"....

Eight-Leggedly Yours,

Current Mood: bookish
Current Music: Crystal Castles ft: Robert Smith: Not in love

Hello All

So, I have been back at school. I can't say i'm happy about it, or that I'm even slightly enjoying it, but for the sake of the vague concept called the future, and my parents sanity, I am suffering it. We're studying the Gothic horror genre at present though, which is a welcome rest from the normal tedium.

As you've probably noticed, I'm feeling rather pessimistic, but I have had a good weekend at least...

...I went to Bingley Music Live!

It was amazing, and I'm not kidding. I managed to stand on top of the crowd a cluster of times, along with nearly being dragged into the biggest pit I've ever seen. Have you ever started a circle pit on a bouncy castle? Well, I have now, which was an experience in itself. The gig of the weekend though was most definitely Feeder, although Skindred and Young Guns came close. Mainly what I couldn't get over was how FRIENDLY everyone was. It was a great end to an amazing holiday to say the least.

Here is by far my favorite song from the entire gig. This is when I hit the crowd.

Eight-Leggedly Yours
The Literary Spider

Current Mood: Contented
Current Music: Neil Young - Needle & The Damage Done

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The Literary Spider,

Life on the web.

Entries tagged with opinions

Yet another Youtuber

(no subject)

BML MEMORIES #2: THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS

BML Memories #1: King Charles

Doctor Who feels and Unpopular opinion. SPOILERS

And Sleep Awaits...

How dreams are crushed.

An Evening I shan't Forget

The Nerve

The Marvelous, Morbid, Miraculous Mister Morgue

The Mockingjay

Back in the groove.

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