The Return of Seize The Day!

3^rd June confirmed the date for the long awaited return of Plymouth band Seize The Day at White Rabbit, after 8 months of being unable to perform due to the unfortunate circumstances concerning the drummer’s health.

Seize The Day are made up of 4 Plymouthian guys who have been friends for a lot of years; Mike Norton-guitar and lead vocals, Chris Booth-bass and vocals, Liam ‘Wood’ West-guitar and vocals and Chris Cribbett-drums. A few years back, a band named Towards Reason was formed, which consisted of ¾ of the current members of Seize The Day; Cribbett, Mike and Booth and a friend of theirs; Brab who played guitar, however this band later fizzled out due to personal reasons. Fortunatly, the end of Towards Reason resulted into Seize The Day who share similar styles of music to those bands that have influenced them throughout the years such as Blink 182 and A Day To Remember with their pop punk approach to music with a hint of screamo. On 30^th September 2010, White Rabbit hosted their very own ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ event where Seize The Day covered ADTR but due to the drummer being hospitalised a couple of days prior to the gig, the band still played that night but in an acoustic only set where they realised that covering ADTR like this wasn’t going so well so they decided to play some of their own songs e.g. ‘When The Lights Go Down’. Also the 3 remaining members practised the last minute change the night before the event so were under a lot of pressure to do well for themselves and to provide a good night for their fans.

A week before the gig a friend of mine; Nat, said she wanted to go and because it was her first experience at White Rabbit she was really excited but nervous at the same time. Due to this, she begun to ask questions like what type of music is played there. This was difficult to answer because the Plymouth venue holds a varied sound music from heavy metal to dubstep so from 1 end of the music spectrum all the way to the other. Another question she asked that literally made me LOL was ‘Is there a dress code?’ course not you just turn up in what you want, the doormen aren’t going to turn you away for what you look like, I mean you may get funny looks from people if you decided to wear your pyjamas for instance but no one will judge you because everyone who goes enjoys the atmosphere and music produced by bands today and not chart hits.

The doors were meant to open at 7pm but due technical reasons no one entered until 7:45pm, which you would think annoyed people who were waiting outside for up to 1 hour but it didn't it just hyped them up more because they wanted to witness the return of the almighty Seize The Day. When I was in the venue I walked directly to the STD merch table, bought a new purple wristband, and then met up with my sister who was already inside; the perks of being in a relationship with the drummer I suppose. Nat was in a bit a daze and didn't know what was going on but I assured her that she would have a good time. Everyone was stood by the stage waiting for Statues to start the night off.

I've heard of Statues before but never have I seen them play so this was a first for me. They are a good band in their own right but I wasn't really feeling it neither was I connected with them like I am with other bands’ music. Statues are a bunch of mental lads because everytime I looked at the stage the lead vocalist; Tom Bromley, was jumping around and I thought he was going to fall off at some stages of their set to be honest. I can quite honestly say that I wouldn’t be fussed watching them live again even though they are a good band, however, Nat didn't have to say anything to me because you just had to see the look on her face to know she wouldn't listen to them ever again on her own accordance.

Elithia were next on stage after Statues. Even though I'm friends with Alex May (guitar) and Tom Jackson (bass) I've never ever seen their band perform even though I have meant to several times before. Tyler Page (vocals) is a great screamer and the rest of the band as a whole are fantastic and that night proved to be great for them because even though I'm not entirely into pure screamo, Elithia were amazing and changed my mind about this particular type of music. Also, I knew for a fact that I would be seeing them again at various venues in the southwest of England and I hope all the best for Elithia in the coming years; I want to be seeing them perform at Sonisphere on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam stage in a couple of years time.

The final support act of the night was The Blowouts who quite honestly blew out the crowd (apologies for that pathetically non-funnyjoke). Like every support act playing tonight I've never seen them before but this was different because I've never even heard of The Blowouts either. Jim (Lead vocals and guitar) and Brad (bass and vocals) had a bit of banter in between songs which was entertaining but a little tedius after a while because they did it too much and too often. The really funny part was when they started playing completely different songs to eachother by mistake, which made them stop and have a small but meaningless arguement on stage. If I got the chance I would see The Blowouts again because they are a great band that laughs off any mistakes that have been made and produce good music.

10pm was the time everyone in the venue was waiting for. Fans of STD filed to the front of the stage to await the official return of a band that some may worship; not naming names-Greggy Pain. The lights dimmed and the long anticipated reverb of the Pokemon theme tune abrupted from the sound system of White Rabbit. Seize The Day had finally entered the building!

The setlist for Seize The Day's comeback gig after 8 months away from the stage and fans was:

1) And Press Crouch Repeatedly

2) From The Hands Of Fate

3) This Ain't Jeremy Kyle, Leave Your Problems At Home

4) Save It For Your Facebook Status

5) I Thought You Were Buying Me Something Nice (new song alert)

6) When The Lights Go Down

7) Why Does Plan B Have To Come Second

8) So Much For The Weather

Seize The Day exploded onto the stage with their first song of the night; 'And Press Crouch Repeatedly', which got the ever so excited crowd jizzing in their pants. Seize The Day performed their brand song 'I Thought You Were Buying Me Something Nice', which went down incredibly well with each and every person inside White Rabbit even though no one knew the lyrics. However, I hazard a guess that this song will soon be a fan favourite along with 'When The Lights Go Down' and 'This Ain't Jeremy Kyle, Leave Your Problems At Home' because Mike Norton is an amazing songwriter and singer who performs with everything he's got. The final song of the night was 'So Much For The Weather', which got the audience flinging about like nut cases to the pretty awesome beats composed by Chris Cribbett. During the song, Seize The Day released several red and white beach balls into the crowd, which made everyone join in the fun and have a laugh. Some crowd members struck them back toward the band to involve the guys too. The funniest part watching this song live tonight was when Chris Booth was getting ready to do his thing when out of nowhere a beach ball came flying out from the sea of STD fans and rebounded off his microphone causaing it to spin 90 degrees. Booth laughed it off, sorted out the mic then got back to playing bass-how professional.

The last strings were plucked, the bass drum had its ultimate kick and the final lyric was sung-all this lead to the end of Seize The Day's comeback gig at White Rabbit, which left the room full of fans chanting "Seize The Day" repeatedly at the top of their lungs to show their appreciation for a great local band. The 4 lads walked off stage energised and very pleased with finally being back doing what they love to do as the closest mates they are. If anyone is going to a future show of theirs, pick up the bands’ new 4 track CD for only £2. All the best to Seize the Day :D

Check a couple of their songs and future shows out on their Facebook page now: http://www.facebook.com/seizethedayuk

Yashin Headline Plymouth Venue!

Yashin are a post-hardcore band from Glasgow, Scotland who formed in ‘06. The band consists of 6 members; Kevin Miles (lead vocals-screamer), Harry Radford (lead vocals-singer), Lewis Millen (rhythm guitar), Andrew McShane (bass), Paul Travers (lead guitar) and David Beaton (drums). Yashin was founded by Paul and Andrew while in school with former vocalist Michael Rice. After the band released 2 EPs ‘Pay to Play’ and ‘Miles Away But Getting Closer’ in ‘08, Rice left Yashin but was quickly replaced by Kevin and Harry. After a year of the new lie up, April ‘09 saw the Glaswegian band go on a 9 date UK tour supporting Madina Lake and The Audition. In February ‘10 Yashin released their debut album ‘Put Your Hands Where I Can See Them’ and September that year they went out on their very first headline tour, which included visiting Plymouth. In early ‘11 Yashin had the opportunity to perform a set opening for American band A Day To Remember at the O₂ Academy in their hometown; Glasgow, which they quickly accepted and got a great response by critics and the audience. A couple of months later Yashin went on tour again but this time supported Florida-based band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus during their full UK tour; sadly I missed seeing the Plymouth show due to financial reasons and tickets selling out however a friend of mine went to this and said it was absolutely amazing. June and July ‘11 were busy months for Yashin due to supporting KORN at Glasgow’s O₂ Academy, playing Slam Dunk Festival (north and south), Download Festival, a few days later playing Nova Rock Festival in Austria then to top it all off supporting the brilliant band Papa Roach on 2 of their only UK tour dates in London and Sheffield. Along with My Passion, Yashin will be supporting the awesome Black Veil Brides on their first European headline tour during the months of October and November ’11, which I’m ecstatic to announce I will be attending the Lemon Grove show in Exeter.

Embarking on their first ever UK headline tour in ‘10, I was able to catch Yashin play at the White Rabbit, Plymouth on 15/09 with support from Dead Poets (Plymouth), Seize The Day (Plymouth) and Don Broco (Bedford). Due to this show being my first time at White Rabbit, I was slightly nervous about it and I didn’t really know what to expect because I pictured it to be a dark and skanky place where everyone wore stretchers and had sleeve tattoos. I also thought the vast majority of the music played here was pure heavy metal and screaming but it really wasn’t like how I imagined it to be which surprised me a lot. At the beginning of the night I helped on Seize The Day’s merch stall-where at the time, they only had green wristbands and 1 version of stickers, with my sister and one of the guitarist’s fiancé Leona. I was pleased with the level of energy in White Rabbit because I find the more energy somewhere has the more exciting the experience becomes. So my first occurrence at White Rabbit was amazing compared to my sisters’ who nearly started a fight with someone (shame I wasn’t there to witness this) because I was going mostly to support Seize The Day but I’d heard of Don Broco and Yashin a couple of months prior to the 15/09 gig so I was eager to see them in action.

Even though White Rabbit is just a small unit building beside Bretonside bus station and under a busy road, when you’re inside the venue you cannot tell where you really are until you go outside and realise that you’re still in Plymouth because the atmosphere everyone provides is great and you feel that White Rabbit is in a completely different place, which for me makes it special.  When the first support act; Dead Poets, were starting I had a quick look at what was going by standing at the back but there was no need to do this because they hardly had any support on this particular night but I continued watching them. Due to the small crowd gather there wasn’t a good reaction from them and in all honesty I didn’t like them therefore I kind of switched off when they were playing their set. Next up was Seize The Day. I was really excited about this because I know them and I know they’re good but I’ve never seen them live before so I ran to the side of the stage (I didn’t want to be trampled on) just before their intro played; JLS-everybody in love then into the breakdown. The reaction from the crowd was great which you could tell by looking at the bands’ faces and it was great to see them live and doing what they love together as friends. Seize The Day’s set really impressed me. The third support act comes from Bedford, yes it’s Don Broco and again it was the first time I saw them too but I listened to loads of their songs e.g. Thug Workout, on YouTube prior to the gig. This band is full of energy and could have easily been bouncing off the stage at some point. I downloaded all their pre-Big Fat Smile songs and listened to them repeatedly. Don Broco had an amazing reaction from the Plymouth crowd, which was amazing for them to see.

It was time for the headliners. Yashin entered the stage to their official intro then blasted out their first song ‘The First Rule Of Fight Club’ which everyone went mental for. The setlist for Yashin’s gig is as follows:

1. The First Rule Of Fight Club
2. Get Loose
3. Heroes (Alive In Us Yet)
4. Down, But Homeward Bound
5. My Hyde
6. So We’re Named After Saints
7. Friends In High Places
8. Dirty Slut
9. Everytime

I was supporting Yashin from the side of the stage which was actually a pretty good view in all fairness and I was actually enjoying myself even though the venue was so stuffy due to the door near the stage not being open throughout the whole night of Yashin, Don Broco, Seize The Day and Dead Poets. The mosh pit was full of red-faced fans who were trying to get the best view of the Glaswegian band and they were all screaming their names and singing out their hearts along with Kevin and Harry during every single song. At points, Harry went into the mosh pit and nobody could see him surrounded by all Yashin’s fans but everyone knew he was fine because he was still singing solidly. During the penultimate song; ‘Dirty Slut’, Harry ordered everyone to crouch down then as soon as Kevin started screaming near the end of the song, they all had to jump up and start moshing with each other. The finale of the gig was their cover of Britney Spears’ song ‘Everytime’ which in my opinion is incredible and so much better then the original. It was full of energy and from the looks of it Yashin must have thought that Plymouth is great city to play in. Once the gig was over, I was thrilled that I came because it was at the time one of my best nights so far and I wanted to meet Yashin personally and tell them they where great, unfortunately they were really busy with packing up etc that they didn’t come out and see their fans which in my opinion they should have but they needed to leave straight away but I can’t not say I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to say hello, but oh well life goes. However, I did meet Rob Damiani from Don Broco, which made my night to be honest.

Overall, the night was fantastic and totally made me want to come back to White Rabbit. Seize The Day were very good so much better than Dead Poets, Don Broco were brilliant but funny at the same time and Yashin, well I don’t know what to say they were awesome and now I really cant wait until the BVB gig to see them again at The Lemon Grove on 07/10/11!

Visit Yashin's Facebook page for details of any upcoming gigs and songs: http://www.facebook.com/theyashin

Don Broco in Plymouth-February 2011

On the 26th February 2011 Don Broco headlined at White Rabbit in Plymouth ahead of their UK tour. They played from 18:40-19:00 that night and Rob (vocals), Matt (drums and vocals), Luke (bass and vocals) and Simon (guitar and vocals) did an incredible job of putting on the show that lasted the forced 20 minutes of stage time. I found out that the Plymouth-based venue had double booked on this particular night and when they realised, it was too late to sort out the massive cock up that was made. This double booking involved Don Broco (plus support) and Your Demise all performing on the same night at the same venue. A reason why I think White Rabbit didn't rearrange another date for Your Demise was because they were shooting their music video for 'Life of Luxury' therefore if people found out where it was shot then the venue will get publicity which is a good idea in all fairness. However, due to this happening Don Broco only had 20 minutes to do what they do best; entertain their fans with great hooks and memorable lyrics. In my opinion they should've had a longer slot to perform because it was their headlining show before they started their official tour after all.

Before the gig started I was pumped and ready to go watch a band that I absolutely love and who I haven't seen for 5 months. Everyone was feeling the exact same and couldn't wait for the night ahead. The atmosphere inside the venue was amazing which gave the Bedford-born band a majorly positive vibe that came from the Plymouth crowd. If I'm totally honest my only attraction that night had to be Don Broco all the way because they can really put on a great show and I missed them so much. I paid £10 to gain entry to the venue that showcased 5 bands but I only watched Don Broco then left as soon as they finished because (this may sound harsh) I wasn't interested in the support bands or Your Demise (plus be in their video) because I never heard of them before and Your Demise aren't entirely my cup of tea. Actions like this prove that I'm a truly dedicated fan towards Don Broco.

Going to this gig was one of the best ideas I had and followed through with because I had such a great night. Although I felt rough due to lack of sleep and suffering from a cold, that didn't stop me from supporting one of my favourite British bands when they were in my hometown. Don Broco owned that stage at White Rabbit for the short amount of time they had and majorly killed it because it was a hot, sweaty and fast-paced set Donny B produced proving that this night was a huge success as always because they put on a fantastic show with a great set list and everytime livening up the crowd; even with the double booking screw up.

The set list included pre-big fat smile songs and post-big fat smile songs: 

1. Thug Workout 
2. Beautiful Morning 
3. Living The Dream 
4. Top Of The World 
5. Do What We Do
6. Dreamboy

To start off their set Don Broco performed 'Thug Workout' which went down like a thunder storm as always with the crowd who were already in the pit from the very first hook showing their love and support to the band. The second song performed was 'Beautiful Morning' which had everyone singing along with Rob (including me on the side lines) and proving that this night was amazing. During 'Do What We Do' Rob told everyone who was in the mosh pit to get into pairs and climb on each others shoulders in order to fight each other in a more fun way. I was stood halfway between the side of the stage and the pit so I was thinking 'okay I'm going to move just in case something happens' and good job I did too because if I hadn't moved half a meter or so back I would have been bundled to the floor by a pair that collapsed right in front of me.

Once Don Broco finished their set I wanted to meet them and ask if they could all sign my 'Big Fat Smile' album (a bit lame I know) but that never happened because I had to go straight away and the band would have been flocked with some many fans (mostly female fans) for photos and merch, however I did get something that I wasn't expecting at all. When I started walking from the stage, Rob and this random guy shook hands right in front of me and trying to be smart (and using my shortness) I walked underneath the handshake but it didn't go completely to plan as it resulted in me getting hit on the head by Rob-good times. When outside the venue I actually missed watching Don Broco a lot and listening to their music live so when I got home I played all their songs back-to-back, uploaded all the photos and videos I took when they were on stage on to facebook and had a scan through them to see which ones were the best.

A final note Don Broco are just 4 lively lads from Bedford who are talented, brilliant at what they do and just want to make it in the music industry which they are already cracking due to the week in May 2011 where they dominated Radio 1 and Kerrang! Radio by getting 'Beautiful Morning' played everyday by various dj's. This song alone got a hugely positive response via texts and tweets from the fans of Donny B and even people of the British nation who have never heard of them before but have now developed a love for them. Good on you lads and I hope you make it to the big time! I have enormous faith in this band I really do so check them out at any show near you :)

http://www.facebook.com/donbroco 

Big Fat Smile by Don Broco

I’ve been a big fan of Don Broco since September last year and I’ve downloaded every single song of theirs to date. So when I found out they were releasing a mini album I was ecstatic to hear all their new material just before their ‘Big Fat Smile’ tour kicked into action. The day when I got it, no word of a lie I started screaming with excitement and then played the whole album on full volume to my mum’s displeasure.

Every song on this album is energetic and fun just like the Donny B boys themselves and it makes me want to live my life and have more fun. The front of the album cover is simple-blue background with Don Broco written in white bold. The back shows all the songs that have been recorded on to this album and the actual CD is the same layout as the cover and even lists the songs on it too. All in all, the album cover is not cluttered and too in your face-it’s pure Don Broco style. =]

Don Broco are a genuine band from Bedford, UK that consist of 4 members-Rob Damiani (lead vocals), Simon Delaney (guitar and vocals), Luke Rayner (Bass and vocals) and Matt Donnelly (Drums and vocals). These lads have been friends for years and it doesn’t look like anything will break this friendship up, even future relationships. Don Broco are not like the typical bands on TV today who are the same as each other whether it’s in screamo, heavy metal or pop-punk. They are an exceptional band with a different sound to bring to the world with their up beat music and well written songs that make you want to dance around and sing-very badly in my case hahaha.

Don Broco have released several previous songs including the nation’s favourite ‘Thug Workout’ and their first ever recorded track ‘Chemistry’ but have recently only just self released their first album-‘Big Fat Smile’. Yeah that’s right guys self released, British record labels are missing out big time. ‘Big Fat Smile’ has six brilliantly composed tracks that just make you want to sing so loud you don’t give a damn if you make a complete ass of yourself. These songs are as follows:                                                                                     

1/Dreamboy

2/MetalFace

3/Beautiful Morning

4/Top of the World

5/I'm Good

6/Do What We Do

I absolutely love every single song on this album because they are positive, addictive to listen to and extremely catchy. I would have to say though my two favourites on there are ‘Beautiful Morning’ and ‘I’m Good’. 

I love ‘Beautiful Morning’ because it’s an amazing song because the lyrics are brilliant and the video for this song is great because it shows both sides of Don Broco-the funny side as well as the talented side. In my opinion, the best lyric is in the 2^nd verse at 1:06, ‘I’ve been feeding up a big fat smile/beaming so wide watching the night roll by’. I love this lyric because to me it explains that when someone is in a place e.g. a house party where everyone’s getting wasted, the person wants to show that they are having good time to everyone by smiling but on the inside are miserable and want to go home. 

I love ‘I’m Good’ because Simon plays his guitar quickly and high-pitched at the start before going into the real beat of the song. ‘I’m Good’ isn’t as loud as the other songs on this album but there is an advantage to this, hearing Rob’s fantastic voice and accent especially when he sings ‘Shine it’s your time to shine/Shine it’s your time /it’s all good’ at 2:16. Though there isn’t a video for this song yet, knowing the lads there will be one very soon because this song is awesome!

On the other hand, the only song on ‘Big Fat Smile’ that I’m not too fussed about is ‘Metalface’. The reason for this is because and this is just my opinion I don’t feel it links well with the rest of the album because this song is too fast paced compared to the other songs. Also, the rate at which Rob sings in this song makes it a bit hard for listeners who are singing to keep up with the lyrics without looking like a complete idiot (especially if you’re in your car on a grid locked motorway). However, even though the comments above are a bit negative, I do like this song because it is good and it’s by Don Broco and I may be a bit crazy about them! 

So basically, Don Broco’s ‘Big Fat Smile’ is an awesome album and I’m glad I purchased it. They are an amazing band to see live so if you want to catch them in action go to their facebook, twitter and myspace pages for any info.

www.myspace.com/donbroco

http://www.facebook.com/donbroco

http://twitter.com/donbroco

Or if you want to listen to their songs before buying anything then head to their youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DONBROCO

Finally before I go check out Don Broco’s song ‘Dreamboy’ but the acoustic version on youtube because it shows that they can still rock out even if they only have Rob’s voice and Simon and Luke are on acoustic guitars. The song is available to download from iTunes right now!

I cannot wait until 26th Feb 2011

Guys get buying!!