A Special Time Creative

Tour Guide – photo challenge

This week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post has the topic ‘Tour Guide’. It is about showing the most interesting or significant places of the places someone grew up. As I was looking through my pictures thinking of places around the area I grew up that mean something to me, I quickly had to realise that I have tonnes of pictures but barely any from these specific places. Whenever I travel I’m taking many memories with me and keep most of them saved on a picture. However, as I live around these places it might seemed not worth taking pictures as it is something ‘normal’, which actually is really sad and definitely something I should change! Nonetheless, I found some snap shots of lovely places to visit as well as some places that mean more to me personal. I definitely have several memories connected to all of the places and I had a special time visiting them 🙂

IMG_5140x — I love horse riding and the stable looks just gorgeous

IMG_8311x — I love going for a run around the fields, it’s always nice

IMG_5286x — The castle is one of the tourist attractions but very beautiful inside, as well as outside. It is surrounded by a very lovely park.

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Beloved – photo challenge

This week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post has a very lovely topic – ‘beloved’. There are uncountable possibilities to actually fulfil the challenge. It could be the picture of a very beloved person, a physical thing or maybe also something rather untouchable. Every child has that one fury best friend that goes through thick and thin, supports you and listens to all your worries. However, for me, I think, it’s not only about my one companion that was always by my side beloved, but rather my whole family and friends. Another, very beloved thing of mine is the music. There is no day without music, it makes the happy times happier, sad times bearable and brings together likeminded people. Last, but definitely not least, I absolutely love the sea. It’s always a special time to travel to places near the sea, walking along the cliffs, hearing the bursting waves of the stormy sea and smelling the salty air 🙂

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Asking Alexandria

Last weekend I went to another really great concert – this time it was Asking Alexandria who are currently touring together with Black Veil Brides.

Asking Alexandria is a British metalcore band from York, who originally formed in 2006 in Dubai as Amongst US but re-formed with the current members in England in 2008, changing the name to Asking Alexandria. Currently, the band comprises of lead vocalist Danny Worsnop who returned to the band after his short departure in 2015, lead guitarist Ben Bruce, lead guitarist Cameron Liddell, bassist player Sam Bettley and drummer James Cassells. So far, the quintet released five full-length albums which are ‘Stand Up And Scream’ (2009, Sumerian Records), ‘Reckless & Relentless’ (2011, Sumerian Records) which peaked at 7 on the UK Rock Charts, ‘From Death To Destiny’ (2013, Sumerian Records) which debuted at 5 on Billboards top 200, ‘The Black’ (2016, Sumerian Records) with Denis Stoff as lead vocalist after Danny left for a short period of time, and finally the self-titled fifth album ‘Asking Alexandria’ (2017, Sumerian Records). Furthermore, they released a limited-edition EP and DVD ‘Life Gone Wild’ (2010, Sumerian Records) with cover and footage of the band, as well as a remix album ‘Stepped Up And Scratched’ (2011, Sumerian Records) which contains remixes of their previous releases. Musically, Asking Alexandria’s style changed quite a lot over the years. Whereas the first two albums show influences of metalcore, screamo, post-hardcore and electronicore, the third album shows more influences of hard rock and heavy metal. The latest album has further stylistic shifts and incorporates influences of a wide pool of different genres such as stadium rock, hard rock and metal. Lyrically, the style changed from general ‘Sex, Drugs And Rock’n’Roll’ topics to a more mature and meaningful content. The lyrics of the latest album are about personal experiences and work up the bands past.

IMG_0960x — Cameron and Sam behind the steam

IMG_0761x — Cameron surrounded by amazing lights

IMG_0528x — Danny and Ben giving their best

IMG_0268x — Acoustic set with Danny and Ben

IMG_1518x — Danny on the acoustic guitar

The o2 Academy Brixton, where the concert took place, opened its doors around 7pm for the audience which was very mixed. Asking Alexandria’s fan base consisted mainly of young adults at the beginning of their 20’s while Black Vail Bride’s fan base reached from teenagers younger than 14 years to adults who passed their 30’s. Nevertheless, there was a high energy in the crowd right from the start.

The first band of the evening was the German trancecore and metalcore band To The Rats And Wolves who were founded in 2012 in Essen, Germany. Currently the band consists of Nico Sallach (vocals), Dixi Wu (screamer), Danny Güldener (guitar), Marc Dobruk (guitar), Stanislaw Czywil (bass) and Simon Yildirim (drums). So far the band released their debut EP ‘Young.Used.Wasted’ in 2013 (self-release), followed by the debut album ‘Neverland’ in 2015 (self-release) and the second album ‘Deathroned’ in 2016 (Arising Empire). Musically, To The Rats And Wolves combine metalcore with electronic influences alongside both screamed and clean vocals which creates a heavy and unique sound. Being part of The Resurrection tour was the bands first time playing in England. Nonetheless, they captured the crowd right from the start and were blown away from the fan’s energetic engagement. All the members delivered a great performance both with their instruments and vocals. The crowd was highly motivated and jumped along, getting hyped for the two main bands.

IMG_8777x — To The Rats And Wolves in action

IMG_8809x — To The Rats And Wolves thanking the crowd

The first of the two headlining bands was Asking Alexandria. Opening the show with their first single of the latest Album ‘Into The Fire’, they started directly with an explosive show. Every single member of the band was highly motivated and delivered an amazing performance and show. The fans sang on the top of their lungs, jumped, moshed and enjoyed themselves. Towards the end, the band slowed the set down a little bit and performed some songs acoustic, before ending the set with another explosion and one of their older songs ‘Death Of Me’. Danny’s vocal performance was absolutely amazing and better then ever. The rough and stripped down acoustic versions created a magical and vulnerable atmosphere in contrast to the rest of the show which was a big party with many lights and additional effects such as pyro, dust and confetti.

IMG_0876x — Danny, Cameron and Sam giving their best

IMG_9807x — Ben and Danny having a blast

The last band on the stage was the American rock band Black Veil Brides from Cincinnati, Ohio. Formed in 2006, the quintet now consists of the only remaining founding member Andy Biersack (lead vocals), Ashley Purdy (bass), Jinxx (rhythm guitar, violin), Jake Pitts (lead guitar) and Christian ‘CC’ Coma (drums). Musically, their style changed from metalcore on their first album ‘We Stich These Wounds’ (2010, Standby Records), to glam metal and shock rock on their second and third albums ‘Set The world On Fire’ (2011, Universal / Island Records) and ‘Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones’ (2013, Universal / Island Records), to a more hard rock influenced style on their self-titled album ‘Black Veil Brides’ (2014, Universal / Island Records), as well as glam metal and pop rock influences on their latest album ‘Vale’ (2018, Universal / Island Records). Lyrically, the band writes about self-belief, standing up for oneself, having fun, living live and making the best of it. Especially their early stage outfits and makeup but also Andy’s dark and special voice are unique for the band. However, with the time, the outfits and makeup became more grown up and simple. Nonetheless, the performance and sow of the band is still big and ‘rock’n’roll’ alike. Black Veil Brides played a good mix of older as well as newer songs which was appreciated by their fans. During their set Jinxx performed not only with his guitar but also on the violin and keyboard for a few songs. The whole set was a great rock show with pyro and steam, keeping the energy levels high. This energy also swapped over to the crowd which sung along, jumped moshed and enjoyed the concert.

IMG_2773x — Black Veil Brides giving their best

IMG_2825x — Black Veil Brides thanking their fans

For all three sets, the acoustic was mixed well, and light shows were fitted to each band to create a supportive atmosphere. Overall, the concert was absolutely amazing, and I had a special time there. Not only the fans but also the bands seemed to have enjoyed their time on stage. The atmosphere for all three sets was great and the crowd was highly energised, as well as motivated. Asking Alexandria were better than ever, especially Danny’s vocal performance. All three bands had an amazing evening and were on point which was highly appreciated by the fans!

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Variations on a theme – photo challenge

This week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post has the topic ‘variations on a theme’.

There are many different ways to approach this topic. However, I chose to have a look around and thought that it is very fascinating to see a huge variety of different flowers and plants. There is not only a huge variety of different genera, but also a range of unique characteristics and distinctions within these genera. When I went to the Keukenhof in the Netherlands, I found many varieties of tulips which was absolutely fascinating. Walking through the gardens and exploring all the different colour combinations and variations in the flowers forms and sizes was very fascinating and a special time 🙂

Here are some of the variations I found in the gardens:

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Silverstein (2)

The last concert in 2017 I went to, was the Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 2000 and currently consists of Shane Told (vocals), Josh Bradford (guitar), Paul Koehler (drums), Bill Hamilton (bass) and Paul Marc Rousseau (guitar) who joined the band in 2013. After seeing them a few years ago in Frankfurt, I was really happy to hear Silverstein would be back in Europe and went to one of their concerts again 🙂

So far, the band released eleven studio albums which are ‘When Broken Is Easily Fixed’ (2003, Victory Records), ‘Discovering The Waterfront’(2005, Victory Records), the compilation album ’18 Candles: The Early Years’ (2006, Victory Records) which included the first two self-financed EPs as well as various alternate versions of songs from their first two studio albums, ‘Arrivals And Depatures’ (2007, Victory Records), ‘A Shipwreck In The Sand’ (2009, Victoria Records), ‘Decade’ (2010, Victory Records), ‘Rescue’ (2011, Fearless Records / Universal Music), ‘Short Songs’ with 22 songs under 90 seconds, ‘This Is How The Wind Shifts’ (2013, Fearless Records), and ‘I Am Alive In Everything I Touch’ (2015, BMG Rights Management / Warner Music). Their newest album ‘Dead Reflection’ (BMG Rights Management / Warner Music) was released just a few months ago in July 2017. Musically, Silverstein combines different genres such as hardcore, metal and emo. However, the band itself stated to be influenced by many different artists and genres such as post-hardcore, screamo, indie rock and hardcore punk. With the time, they developed a slightly softer sound but still focus on heavy guitars, underlining the screamed, as well as clean vocals of Shane Told.

IMG_4875x — Silverstein enjoying the stage

IMG_5103x — Shane Told animating the crowd

The concert took place at the legendary Garage in London opening its doors around 7pm to a quite mixed audience. As the band has built a loyal fan base over the time, there have been many older, but also younger, newer fans. Nevertheless, the energy of the whole crowd was amazing, and everyone joined singing along, jumping and moshing in circle pits.

The first band opening the stage was the American progressive post-hardcore band Hail The Sun who formed in 2009 in Chico, California. Currently the quartet consists of drummer and lead vocalist Donovan Melero, lead guitarist Shane Gann, rhythm guitarist Aric Gracia and bass player John Stirrat. So far, the band released three studio albums which are ‘POW! Right In The Kisser’ (2010, self-released), ‘Wake’ (2014, Blue Swan Records) and ‘Culture Scars’ (2016, Equal Vision Records), as well as the EP’s ‘Elephantitis’ (2012, self-released) and ‘Secret Wars’ (2017, Equal Vision Records). Musically the band uses elements of screamo, progressive rock and math rock, combined with the high-pitched clean and screamed vocals of Donovan Melero. It was amazing how great his vocals sounded while smashing the drums.

IMG_4550x — Hail The Sun with Donovan Melero in front of the drums

With Hail The Sun on the stage, the crowd was immediately captured and showed their energy by jumping and singing along. The band’s energy caught the audience and set the right foundation for Silverstein who were the second and final band of the evening. The crowd was absolutely engaged and amazed. Silverstein played a good mix of their older heavier, as well as their newer slightly softer songs which was highly appreciated by their fans. Everyone screamed the lyrics on the top of their lungs and seemed to have a great time. Towards the end of the show, Paul Marc Rousseau (guitar for Silverstein) entered the stage on his own and performed a solo song which was absolutely beautiful. Finishing off, Silverstein ended the evening with one of their most popular songs ‘My Heroine’.

The acoustic for both bands was very good. Both, the vocals of the two singers as well as the volume of the instruments were mixed well. Silverstein added some colours to their light show but kept it simple overall. Hail The Sun’s set was kept simple and rather dark witch suited their music very well.

IMG_5891x — Shane Told enjoying the stage

IMG_7145x — Shane Told animating the crowd

Overall, the concert was great, and definitely a special time! Everyone enjoyed the show, not only the fans but also the bands themselves. Silverstein had a great set with good vocals and supporting lights which created a great atmosphere. The crowd sung along, moshed and jumped while enjoying the great songs.

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Silence – photo challenge

Last week’s photo challenge of the Daily Post had the topic ‘silence’. This is a very versatile and interpretative topic as it can have different meanings. It could stand for a lack of communication or a fight that ended in people are not talking to each other anymore. Or it could be an escape from the noisy city into the calm and relaxing nature. Silence can be very frightening, especially during the night when someone is walking alone through the streets. Furthermore, silence can have a sound as well (I think) when there is nothing but the sound of the wind and the sea. Everyone needs some calming alone-time, escaping from their busy and noisy lives. Visiting these ‘silent’ places is always a special time 😉

CIMG1845x — Carnewas and Bedruthan Steps – Cornwall, England

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Weathered – photo challenge

Another photo challenge I want to catch up with had the theme ‘weathered’. Everything on the planet has to face wind, rain, sun, or other nature spectacles. Hence, with time, colours and materials get washed out or ‘weather’. Especially street art and graffiti faces these natural influences on a daily basis. Therefore, it is an arts form that is not sustainable and artistic pieces won’t last forever. Walking through different streets and capturing these colourful paintings is always interesting and a special time 🙂

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Growth – photo challenge

First of all – HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a great start into 2018 🙂

After a quite busy start into 2018, I finally got the time to catch up with the photo challenges… The first one had the topic ‘growth’. In a literal interpretation, growth shows the physical development of a person, an animal, plants or other living creatures. On the other hand, growth could also be the development and change after some kind of experience, i.e. learning from situations or errors. This is a great way to start challenges of the new year. Growth itself is barely visible through only one picture as it is a development rather than a static state. However, for this challenge I looked for symbolic appearances that remind me of personal growth, fresh starts and literal growth. It could be growing or blooming flowers after the winter months, and a lovely green field starting to grow grain as a fresh start of the year. Spring is always a special time with the world waking up from hibernation, and a new chance to grow with challenges from the past.

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The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

10 years ‘Don’t You Fake It‘ – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Celebrate their debut album’s anniversary.

A little while ago, I went to another concert at the Garage. This time, the venue opened its doors for the American rock band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, formed in 2003 in Middleburgh, Florida. Currently, after several changes in their line-up, the band comprises founding member Ronnie Winter (vocals), his brother Randy Winter (rhythm guitar), Josh Burke (lead guitar), Joey Westwood (bass) and John Espy (drums). So far, the band released 3 EP’s and 4 full-length albums. The first EP ‘Ass Shaker/Justify/Face Down EP‘ was released 2005, followed by their debut full-length album ‘Don’t You Fake It’ in 2006 via Virgin Records. In 2008, the second album ‘Lonely Road’ (Virgin Records) was released, debuting on #14 of the Billboard 200. Furthermore, they released an acoustic EP ‘Shock Session’ (Virgin Records) in 2009 and a self-released EP ‘The Hell Or High Water’ in 2010, followed by the full-length album ‘Am I The Enemy’ (2011, self-released). Celebrating the band’s ten-year anniversary in 2003, they released another EP ‘Et Tu, Brute?’ (2013, self-released), followed by their fourth studio album ‘4’ in 2014 (self-released). The band planned to release their next full-length album ‘The Awakening’ in 2018. Musically, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are regarded as emo, post-hardcore, pop punk, alternative rock, screamo, and emo pop band, mixing mainly clean with some screamed vocals. Furthermore, the band creates awareness against teen suicide, animal cruelty, and domestic violence.

IMG_3311x — Josh Burke enjoying his solo

IMG_1996x — The red Jumpsuit Apparatus enjoying the stage

IMG_3813x — Ronnie animating the crowd to sing along

The Garage opened its doors around 7pm, inviting quite a mixed but mainly slightly older audience in. Opening the stage, Veridian, a 6-piece rock band from Reading, Berkshire, started their set shortly after. The UK band formed in 2016 and comprises Simon Jackman (vocals), Robbie Everett (guitar, backing vocals) and Jonny Slevin (bass, and backing vocals). Musically, they offer a solid rock sound with dynamic, being compared with bands such as Mallory Knox and Young Guns. In 2017, they released their debut EP ‘40826D’ via Primordial Records.

The crowd was very motivated and engaging. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus performed the exact line-up of the songs of their celebrated album, finishing the set with the eight-minute song ‘Grim Goodbye’, which was the band’s ever first song according to Ronnie Winter, who gave some additional information for every song they played. Everyone was joining the performance by singing, jumping and clapping along. The fans, as well as the bands, seemed to have an amazing time and enjoyed the evening. Especially Ronnies vocal performance was impressive. His voice was on point and all the musicians delivered a great performance. The acoustic of the venue was very good as well. Both, the instruments and the vocals were mixed smoothly so everything was clear. The light show was kept simple, supporting the overall atmosphere of the music, adding magical vibes. Veridian added further standing lights with their set so create a different atmosphere and further dynamic.

Overall the concert was great! It was a nostalgic journey back to the roots and the beginning of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, hearing their amazing songs! The atmosphere was cosy and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening, both the bands and fans! It definitely was a special time.

Northlane

One of the concert highlights this year was the Australian metalcore band Northlane.

Formed in 2009 in Sidney, the quintet currently comprises vocalist Marcus Bridge, lead guitarist Jon Deiley, bassist Alex Milovic, rhythm guitarist Josh Smith and drummer Nic Pettersen, after a slight change in their line-up in 2014. So far, they released the six-track EP ‘Hollow Existence’ (2010, self-released), as well as four full-length albums which are ‘Discoveries’ (2011, UNFD), ‘Singularity’ (2013, UNFD), ‘Node’ (2015, UNFD) and ‘Mesmer’ (2017, UNFD). An additional EP which is called ‘Equinox’ (2016, UNFD) was released as collaborative release together with In Hearts Wake followed by a collaborative headlining tour. Northlane’s musical style can be described as metalcore, progressive metal and progressive metalcore. They combine electronic samples with heavy guitar sounds and a mix of clean and screamed vocals which creates a unique spherical vibe. Their last three albums all charted within the top five of the ARIA Charts. After each release the band toured with different bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice And Men, Amity Affliction, Thy Art Is Murder, and many other bands.

IMG_6987x — Marcus Bridge giving his best

IMG_7182x — Marcus Bridge enjoying the stage

IMG_7469x — Marcus Bridge giving his best

IMG_8381a — Northlane enjoying the stage

IMG_8455x — Northlane living their music

The Electric Ballroom in Camden where the concert was hosted opened its doors around 7pm for a capacity of around 1,500 people. The venue is part of Camden’s musical character and heritage, hosting shows for bands such as U2, Kaiser Chiefs, Foals, The Killers and many others.

Northlane brought three special guests with them. The first band opening the stage was the Australian nu-metal band Ocean Grove who formed in 2010 in Victoria, Melbourne. So far, Luke Holmes (vocals), Jimmy Hall (guitar), Matthew Henley (guitar), Dale Tanner (bass, clean vocals), Sam Bassal (drums) and Running Touch (studio member) have released three EP’s which are ‘Outsider’ (2013, self-released), ‘Black Label’ (2015, self-released) and ‘Black Label – Sublime Vol.’ (2016, UNFD), as well as one full-length album ‘The Rhapsody Tapes’ (2017, UNFD). Their erratic and bizarre style combines heavy guitars, rap, clean vocals and screamed vocals, creating their own kind of ‘odd world music’.

The second band was the US metalcore band Invent Animate who was formed in 2011 in Port Neches, Texas by Ben English (vocals), Trey Celaya (drums), Keaton Goldwire (guitar) and Caleb Sherraden (bass). So far, the self-released their first EP ‘Waves’ in 2012, followed by two studio albums which are ‘Everchanger’ (2014, Tragic Hero Records) and ‘Stillworld’ (2016, Tragic Hero Records). Musically, Invent Animate combine a mix of mainly screamed and clean vocals with heavy guitars, creating an interesting dynamic.

IMG_6822x — Invent Animate having fun on stage

The third guest was the American progressive metalcore band ERRA from Birmingham, Alabama. The quintet formed in 2009 and currently consists of Jesse Cash (guitar, clean vocals), Alex Ballew (drums), Sean Price (guitar), JT Cavey (vocals) and Conor Hesse (bass). Until now, ERRA released their first two EP’s ‘ERRA’ and ‘Andromeda’ in 2010, followed by their debut album ‘Impulse’ in 2011 and their second full-length album ‘Augment’ in 2013. After a slight change in their line-up, the new formation released another EP ‘Moments Of Clarity’ in 2014 and a third full-length album ‘Drift’ in 2016 via Sumerian Records. Musically, they try to use their creativity, energy and technical sound which is influenced by bands such as Misery Signals, Born of Osiris, As I Lay Dying and Saosin to offer a fresh sound. They combine a mix of clean vocals in their choruses and screamed vocals in the verses with heavy guitars.

The audience was quite mixed but mainly younger adults. As soon as the Ocean Grove entered the stage and started their set, the crowd used all their energy and engaged in the performance. There were loads of crowd surfers right from the beginnings, many people in circle pits an everyone was jumping and singing along. The energy did increase with each band following having crowd surfers and mosh pits with every set. The bands also gave their absolute best on stage and had an amazing time. Northlane kept the energy and were impressed by the instant feedback of the crowd who sang on the top of their lungs, formed circle pits and had a lot of crowd surfers. Two members of Ocean Grove used their chance during Northlane’s set, run across the stage and jumped into the crowd to be carried by the audience. The set was well mixed, offering their new songs, but also some of their older well-known songs which was highly appreciated by the audience. The sound and was good as well, as the mix between instruments and vocals was well balanced. Northlane had an amazing light show which supported their atmospheric music and created a magical vibe. Especially Marcus Bridges vocal performance was very impressive and amazing. His voice was on point and every member delivered a great performance.

IMG_8911x — Amazing atmosphere and lights

IMG_8319x — Marcus Bridge animating the crowd

Overall, the concert evening was amazing. There was a high energy onstage as well as in the audience. The bands’ performances were on point which was highly appreciated by the audience. Everyone both the bands on the stage as well as the fans in the audience seemed to have a special time, a great evening and loads of fun!

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