Live Gig Review: One Direction

The fans are known for being on Biebers level of volume and hysterics but
nothing could prepare us for what we were letting ourselves in for on this
outing to the iconic O2 Arena. Even when opening performance Illinois boy
band Augustana pranced onto the stage performing a number of their own
(unheard of) slow ballads they got a pretty reasonable noise level of a
welcome by the crowd who were full of anticipation for the main act. The
now 4 member band (after the recent departure of fellow bandmate Zayn
Malik halfway through their current tour) that is One Direction take to the
stage sending the crowd wild. With 3 big screens behind them following their
every move for the arena to see, not even a wrinkle would go unmissed on
those screens yet there isnt a flaw insight to be seen.
After their success of coming 3rd on the British version of Simon Cowells
kingdom sized show The X-Factor back in 2011 it is fair to say these 4 lads
have done pretty well for themselves, now being on their 4th show at the O2
this week. Lead singer Harry Styles, being the one with enough of a
reputation that you perhaps wouldnt want to take home to your mum (and
not just for the obvious reason). Louis Tomlinson, the bad boy of the group
now that Zayn has left and Niall Horan and Liam Payne the two fan favourites
who are always appearing to show the most appreciation for their fanbase.
With a set of 25 songs including some of their hit singles from all 4 of
their albums including debut album from 3 years ago Up All Night
accompanied by a 4 piece backing band some of whom has joined them on
every tour so far. Clouds is first and it is a great tune to start the show with,
with its build up of a percussion filled introduction, you can barely hear the
vocals over the screaming crowd but the vibrations of the beat can be felt
beneath your feet making a Justin Bieber concert seem tame. Kiss You
sounds like a car alarm of an opening before it morphs into a catchy upbeat
tune with Harry shouting out his desire of wanting to kiss each member of
the audience. One Directions set list contains a number of songs, some
putting the fans on a high and others that bring out a number of emotions
amongst the audience. Dont Forget Where You Belong is an anthem of a
tune when the majority of the stage lights dim down and the group reassembles on the B-stage whilst the audience wave the torches from their
phones in a swaying motion creating a very moving atmosphere amongst the
audience. But of course it wasnt just eye-candy that could be seen on stage.
At the start of Stockholm Syndrome all 4 of the boys positioned themselves
in a line along the middle of the B-stage and red laser thin lights came down
around the edge of the stage creating a cafe effect tying in the lyrics of the

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song to the performance as Niall sings I know theyll be coming to find me

soon But I feat Im getting used to being held by you A song about getting
caught up in a relationship and the complicated feelings you go through
when you realise your falling in love. After this song, leg it for the tube
Goodnight Niall jokes But be careful, people be tripping these days adds
Harry signalling that is the last song of the night the audience again knowing
every word sing along. The instrumentals of the song continue to play whilst
the boys shout their words of praise and thanks Youve been absolutely
incredible well see you next year! Liam says waving to the audience
encouraging the audience to raise their arms and go out on a high. Will we
see them back again after their hiatus or are they really gone for good?
Album Review: Troye Sivan Blue Neighbourhood
If your under the age of 18, or even if you have a son or daughter under 18
then you may have heard of our most recent discovery. The internet world of
Youtube has become the place to discover the newest musical superstars
which is where we found South Aftrican-Australian singer, Troye Sivan. With
over 13 million Youtube subscribers on his channel, Troye came to
fame with the help of millions of teenage girls from all over the world.
However you may have heard of Troye from a number of different places as
he has certainly worked hard to get to where he is today, Troye plays a main
role in Australian TV show Spud which has recently turned into a triology of
films. He has also modelled in Paris for Yves Saint Laurent. and that was all
before his 20th birthday, Is there anything this boy cant do?
Troyes debut single TRXYE which also became a brand name for his
clothing line; debuted in the top 5 of the US Billboard charts in 2014 which
included his more known tracks, Happy Little Pill and The Fault in Our Stars
which we feel should have been the movies official soundtrack (sorry Ed).
TRXYE is a popular single amongst the NME office so we were waiting on the
edge of our seats to see what else he had lined up his sleeve for us.
With his album debut Blue Neighbourhood, Troye has gone up and
above our expectations offering the listener a range of different synth
sounds. WILD is the first track on the album offering us an up-tempo beat
with a catchy tune and a range of repetitive lyrics in the chorus your driving
me wild. The rest of the album appears to keep to a slow tempo, ranging
through all the different emotions that a teenage boy might go through in 3
minute time slots. With track 5 reflecting on a rough time within a
relationship I'd rather be black and blue Than accept that you withdrew.
Vocally, Troye scores in every category with his soulful sounding SouthAfrican tone exploring up and down all the different musical keys. With the
tune Heaven sounding familiar to a few of One Directions latest tracks and

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a slight change in pace with the track positioned 9th on the tracklist it is
perfectly timed. Track 10 also has a slight more up tempo beat and a change
of sound reflecting more of a bass heavy noise getting the listener moving to
the beat along with its again catchy tune and anthem sounding chorus And
when the lights start flashing like a photobooth And the stars exploding, well
be fireproof
Tipped by Adele, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift this is certainly an artiste
worth checking out.

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