A TRIBUTE TO CORY MONTEITH

So as most of you will know, Cory Monteith, best known for his role as Finn Hudson on hit show Glee, 

sadly passed away this weekend aged 31.

We don't know how yet, but I'm sure you can appreciate the sadness his passing brings

to millions of people across the world, not to mention of course his family, friends and girlfriend.

He was a much loved actor and singer who managed to reach out to millions of young people worldwide through his character Finn Hudson on Glee and there is no doubt at all that he will be sorely missed.

I obviously did not know Cory personally, but there is something to be said if I, like millions of other people, could manage to see his beautiful, kind, sweet personality shine through only photos, videos and music alone.

If I had been lucky enough to meet him, let alone know him, I'm sure I would 

have no doubt been proven right and been enamored by his beautiful personality.

You only have to look at a photo of him with girlfriend Lea Michele, watch an episode of Glee, listen to one of his songs and it will quickly become apparent how genuine Cory was.

I should say 'he seemed' or 'I bet he was', as I didn't really know him, but I do know that I am right in saying he was a beautiful human being, kind hearted, a gentle giant, loyal, loving without even having met or known him personally.

You can't fake those things, and if you are of that nature, it will always shine through.

Always.

And Cory was, without doubt.

When I found out about his passing, I was in complete and utter shock.
I thought it was a hoax, a terrible PR stunt, and to be honest, a part of me still does, although I know I'm wrong in believing this. 

After ten minutes or so, it did begin to sink in, and before I knew it, I was in floods of tears, I feel tearful writing this now, and I just couldn't stop. 

Normally I don't cry at the death of a celebrity, although obviously I feel sadness and send my prayers to their loved ones. But Cory was different. 

I suppose it's partly to do with having watched him on Glee, as the whole format of television makes you feel like you really do know these people on the screen before you, and Glee was no exception.

 It connected to so many people, in such a personal way, that the characters  really did become 

friends of sorts.

You would turn on the TV at 9pm on a Monday and Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Artie, Quinn, Mr Schuh etc. would be there waiting for you and for an hour your worries would disperse. 

I will always be thankful for that, and Cory's character in particular was especially important, as Finn represented many key messages that young people ought to know.

He represented following your dreams, being whoever it is you want to be, believing in yourself, ignoring what other people think or say about you and living your life exactly how you want to live it.

Even if they do throw grape slushees in your face from time to time.

Aside from that, I believe the other reasons why I cried so much, are that in losing Cory, this world has lost one of the most beautiful, kindest, loveliest souls. A truly beautiful person.

Everyone who met him says he was one of, if not the, loveliest person they have ever met.
And I cried for them too, all those that knew him, because I cannot even begin to imagine or comprehend the awful grief, sadness and loss that they are feeling right now. My heart and prayers really go out to them.

In his short time on this earth, he managed to touch the lives of so many  people both personally and moreover through his character of Finn, he managed to connect with an even bigger audience, and I think that's a wonderful legacy to leave behind.

He represents hope, determination, bravery, as he chose to face and overcome his own personal struggles and live the life he wanted to, fulfill his dreams, find true love.  

As fans of Cory and Glee, we are lucky to have such an inspiring idol.

We are lucky to have had the chance to see the man he was through Glee, the music he created, his relationship with Lea, his many friends and supporters. 

And for those who really did know him and saw all that we saw but with their own two eyes instead of from behind a screen, they should comfort themselves with the knowledge that their love, support, friendship 

 helped make Cory the man he was. 

He left this world loved by so many and will always continue to be loved. 

I really hope he's peaceful and happy up in heaven, dancing and singing away.

If anyone was going to heaven, it would be Cory, and of course he went far to soon, but he achieved so much on this earth, and I bet you anything that he is watching over and protecting his loved ones from way up above. 

God bless you Cory.

Rest in peace.

xxx

STARS ALIGN FOR KODALINE

 So lately, I've been falling even more in love with a certain band that goes by the name of Kodaline. The Dublin natives have been making waves since 2006, previously under the name '21 Demands', but it is in the last couple of years that everyone has begun to take note.

I can honestly say I've never heard a sound quite like theirs. Of course there are parallels with other artists, however Kodaline seem to have harnessed a sound that is distinctly their own. It's a very beautiful yet powerful one, softly sung words, lyrics that sing of an innocently wonderful kind of love, or desperation, and longing of the heart.

I get emotional every single time I watch one of their videos.
They're one of the only bands I've come across that genuinely seem to want their video to tell the story of the song they're telling, all so that you as the listener can understand and appreciate the music more so.

It's actually kind of annoying how good they are at evoking your emotions when you really didn't want them to be evoked. I sit there, hypnotized into sadness and anger and happiness over the course of four minutes and then when the video stops, I just want to grab a Kleenex and take a minute to compose myself whilst crying 'that was so beautiful' in a melodramatic fashion.

Of course listening to Kodaline also conjures up a tidal wave of emotions and seems to send you into a trance like state where it is impossible to do anything except stare out of the nearest window and let the lyrics create a series of pictures and thoughts in your mind.
Their songs are like snapshots of life, love, moments, struggles and I swear they are wizards of music or something along those lines because ever single song is so well crafted.
It's like they're telling you a story that they have created through the forms of video, imagery and of course, music and I've never heard an artist do it as beautifully as Kodaline do.

I imagine that they sit there, in the studio, and know exactly how the song should sound and will sound and how to get that sound. It's the only conclusion because all the layering of vocals, guitars, drums, sound effects, riffs, lyrics creates perfect songs, time after time.
They truly are masters of their craft.

It can surely only be a matter of time before the world really notices Kodaline and the success they deserve comes running their way in a Usain Bolt like fashion.

With the release of their debut album 'In A Perfect World' on March 25th and a tour under way, Kodaline will only add to their already growing fan base and the hype will build as everyone wants a slice of the Kodaline cake, just to throw in a food related metaphor there for you. 

If you haven't already heard any music of theirs, here is your playlist:

1) All I Want

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtf7hC17IBM

2) High Hopes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4povfmX144

3) All My Friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yemmh3bSWfE

4) Lose Your Mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3U_x781-24

5) Perfect World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL8pbQBhwO0

6) The Answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XhSMKL8jqI

FULL PLAYLIST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtf7hC17IBM&list=PLJJ2XVSdsukwgA4w6jbhipH_O-avcYjBp&index=1

KODALINE HOME PAGE: http://www.kodaline.com/home

KODALINE TOUR DATES: http://www.kodaline.com/events

DON'T YOU, FORGET ABOUT ME- WHAT A TEENAGE CLASSIC

If you are well acquainted with movie soundtracks or in particular 80's classics, or you possess a pair of functioning eye balls, you may well already know what I am about to write about, judging by the title and the picture below. And if you are still sat there like 'huh, what's this mad woman on about?' well my friend I shall precede to inform you. 

Today's post is all about.... The Breakfast Club.

John Hughes' 1985 teen classic  that everyone says is an absolute must see film. And yes I know this is supposed to be a music blog and my job isn't to tell you about films nearly thirty years old, but seriously, the decision to have 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' by Simple Minds as the theme song is yet another  reason why this movie is so amazing.

I mean c'mon, it's such an epic song and one of the most iconic movie moments is when John Bender is walking across the football pitch with this song blazing in the background!

So because of that genius musical decision, I feel that The Breakfast Club is therefore a completely eligible subject to talk about.

So I shall begin...

Now I am the first to admit that for many years, I had a firm resilience against watching movies of a certain age, movies that were basically older than Toy Story 1, which came out in 1995. The only exceptions to this rule were Julie Andrews related classics like 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Sound of Music', as well as the normal Disney classics every little girl adores. All fantastic films of course but I can now see, so terribly clearly, that I was depriving myself hugely of a whole amazing back catalogue of truly iconic and wonderful films.

All that changed when I watched the first James Bond film 'Dr No.' at the persuasion of my father and I realised that actually, old films weren't that bad. In fact, they were actually quite good. So as you can guess, my stubborn resilience sharply declined which is why as a mature, sophisticated, appreciative teenager, I actually have a burning desire to watch all the old classics that so many people hold dear to their hearts. I want to watch these old films because in all honesty, most of them put many of the films out today to undeniable shame, as I realised when I decided that in 2013, I would do that, stay true to my resolution, and I started with 'The Breakfast Club.'

Prior to watching it, I had heard from numerous sources that The Breakfast Club is a real iconic film that every teenager just has to see. I'd heard all about the legendary ending scene with a certain Judd Nelson and I can't deny that I was a little curious to see just why that scene is considered to be so legendary. 

I'd stumbled across Molly Ringwald whilst watching a TV program and once again heard only good things about The Breakfast Club and after the film was referenced in 2012's 'Pitch Perfect', I knew I just had to be in on this little secret.

Why do people love it so much?

Well you can find out that answer only when you dedicate an hour and a half of your life to watching the movie in all its glory. I certainly did when I went to great lengths to find it online, because I am not a patient person, oh no, I act on impulse, spur of the moment rushes that mean I need to do whatever it is, right here, right now at this very second.

I promise you  that I am going to buy the actual DVD, but yesterday, when I was spending all day in desperation, trying to find a good link, I ended up watching the movie with Greek subtitles... classy eh?

I just couldn't wait a week for Amazon delivery!

But oh my, all that trailing around was most definitely worth it.

I don't know if you've had the pleasure of watching The Breakfast Club or not, but if you haven't it's basically about five teenagers, all of a different clique, who get stuck in detention all day Saturday for various personal reasons. You have Brian, 'the brain', Allison, 'the basket case', Andrew, 'the athlete', Claire, 'the princess' and Bender, 'the criminal'. 

Opting not to speak to each other in normal school circumstances, when thrown in to the situation of Saturday morning detention, they're all forced to evade normal social hierarchy and talk to one another, eventually finding that they are each so much more than just their pre-conceived, stereotyped social images.

As a teenager myself, it's obvious that I can relate to these characters as each represents a different struggle, a different limitation, a different perspective, so much so that I'm certain almost every teenager could relate to one of these characters in some shape or form.

And as the five main characters end up discussing a whole caliber of issues that affect every teenager regardless of generation, things like love, sex, drugs, peer pressure, grades, insecurities, family, you begin to realise that you aren't alone, none of us are alone. We all go through similar things when we're caught between childhood and adulthood, left to figure out life in all it's glory and struggle, and yet ironically we fail to realise that we aren't alone. 

In fact we're all in the exact same boat, all unified by the fact we're teenagers, experiencing those same changes, feelings, struggles, some more so than others, but still enough so to unify us all.

The Breakfast Club showed me all this, what I've just written above, and in all honesty I feel like a better person now because of it. 

Isn't it amazing how a movie can make you feel that way?

Even if you're not a teenager, you can still relate to the whole take on social stereotypes, which can still lead into the workplace, you can relate to the insecurities and struggles that can sometimes last your whole life and you can definitely relate to the monster, king of emotions, that is love.

And of course you will undoubtedly love the theme song as well.

The Breakfast Club really is just an excellent film all round. You have your superb casting choices, for example Judd Nelson's performance as Bender is just unfaultable, you also have your witty dialogue which has you laughing till your sides hurt or crying till you've basically flooded the entire living room. 

You have the whole relatable  aspect, you have the beautiful romance between the bad boy and the good girl, you have the lessons that you learn without even realising. 

Before watching this movie, I didn't understand why The Breakfast Club is hailed as one of the best teenage films of all time. I didn't know why everyone says 'oh my gawd, you just need to watch this film before you die' or why everyone states so proudly that this is their utmost favourite film ever.

I didn't know why girls say they love Judd Nelson so much, I didn't know what made this movie so special, I didn't even know that 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' was the soundtrack! 

(Excuse me while I cry of shame as you all hurtle squished tomatoes and tangerines at me).

But I'm proud to say that I understand it all completely now.

And I'm also extra proud to say this movie, The Breakfast Club, is now one of my favourite films of all time and I shall be forcing all my friends to watch it just so that we can sing Simple Minds together whilst gushing about Judd Nelson.

Oh yeah ;)

Simple Minds, Don't You (Forget About Me): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A

The Breakfast Club Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkX8J-FKndE

(A drawing of mine I did in tribute hehe :D) 

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

First thing's first, imagine me opera singing this: "Happy New Year 2013 to all you wonderful people" Done that? Okay now cue the applause and the desperate hunt for a kleenex because my voice is just that beautiful. Oh yeah, you know it's true.

Now all that aside, it's a new year, wahey, so whack out the 7-up and Bombay mix and all that and let's get down to the matter at hand, the music.

The first Tee Pot post of the new year is not going to be about new artists or songs or albums or anything in that vein, nuh-uh, no today is going to be a little different. Today is all about the idea of home. Not my house or your house or your best mate's house, no this is a metaphorical home and it is the one you are transported to when you hear that one particular artist or that one particular song.

The music that possesses a peculiar and magical ability to make you feel like you have found where you belong. That music.

Now I began thinking of music feeling like home after reading an article on rookiemag.com.

The writer spoke about Bob Dylan in particular and how for her, discovering him felt like finding home and it diverted me on to this particular trail of thought. 

Why do certain artists feel like home to us? How can they make us feel this way? Who feels like home to me? What is home in this sense anyway?

Well to me, home is essentially the one place you truly belong.

And it isn't just a brick and mortar structure in the town you grew up, no home can be anywhere.

It can be your friends, your family, your boyfriend/ girlfriend, your favourite band, book, artist, football team, shop, hobby, city.

And I think you know it's home because you can almost feel it in your heart, your soul, your mind, that sense of 'this is right, this is where I belong'.

In this post, I wanted to follow the line of music feeling like home and so if it's alright with you, I wanted to talk about my experience with music feeling like home and how I knew I'd found it when I heard a certain song by a certain artist.

Hopefully you too will then start thinking about the artists that represent home to you and if you want to, you can tell me all about it because I want to know I'm not the only one, that I'm not crazy for thinking like this.

So here goes. For me, that artist, the makers of that special kind of music, are the Arctic Monkeys.

I briefly mentioned my adoration for them way back in April in one of my first postings but unfortunately due to 2012 being an unproductive year for the Monkeys, you didn't get to see quite how much I adore them.

And in that case, you were actually, probably, quite possibly very, very lucky.

But alas my friend, your luck has run out.

My love for the Arctic Monkeys began in Autumn 2011 and I guess you could say it was like love at first sight, except it was a song I heard and fell in love with. 

The more I think about it, the more I think it's kind of crazy how you can stumble across and fall in love with one song, one boring, average day, and within a matter of weeks, that song leads you to a whole body of equally amazing work that just sounds like perfection to you.

It's like you've found exactly what you didn't know you were looking for.

 It's like this music fits you like a perfectly crafted glove, it fits like a missing puzzle piece, it's like someone knew exactly what you wanted and needed to hear and made that music specifically for you. No-one else.

And as soon as you hear that one song, you just know in your heart that this is the music you've spent your whole life waiting to hear.

The first song I heard by the Monkeys was 'Suck It & See' off their fourth album of the same name, and seeing as this was their fourth album, not their first, I was pretty far behind in making this discovery.

They'd already cracked the music industry, in fact they were reveling in it, reigning kings, and everyone seemed to have jumped on the bandwagon five years previously.

Everyone except me.

Yet there I was in 2011, feeling like I'd just stumbled across something close to utter perfection and wondering how on Earth I hadn't taken notice of this utter perfection previously!

How did I miss this?!

Now swap the above song with the one that holds the same meaning to you and I'm sure you'll remember that first encounter like it was yesterday. And I'm sure that like me you'll remember what happened next.

For the fifteen year old me, it was jumping on You Tube thinking "I need to hear this again, I need to find this band and listen to every god damn song they've ever made!" and in this modern age, that lead to downloading song after song like I was catching drops of a sacred, holy potion in a vial.

Within two weeks I'd bought tickets for a gig the next month, which was absolutely amazing in case you wanted to know, and by new years I had every CD.

Looking back now, it sounds like one of those relationships you dive into without thinking, you rush into it giddy on love and it's like your running and you just can't stop,despite everyone thinking it won't last, it's just a silly phase, burned out within the year.

 I myself can't quite believe how quickly I did things. Normally it takes me at least a year to get round to seeing an act I love live in the flesh and for that full blown love to develop. Yet with the Monkeys I jumped right in there, giddy on that high, and even though I knew I was going too fast, I also knew that this band was 'the one', cheesy as that sounds. 

I knew that I had found that artist that sticks with you your whole life, the one you never tire of, the one you listen to when you're down, when you're happy, when you feel like an outcast, the one who's band tee you will most probably be buried in when you die. That artist.

The ones in your eyes never make a bad song, could never do any wrong, the ones you idolize, they are everything to you and you don't quite know why that may be.

I had found that artist, my beloved Monkeys, and I just wanted to run around everywhere proclaiming my love, showing everyone that I'd found that artist. 

It was awesome.

And one year later, I am convinced that I have every song by the Arctic Monkeys and related projects, such as The Lost Shadow Puppets, Submarine soundtrack, covers, EP's etc. on my I-Pods ( I have a lot of music...). It makes me sound as bad as those crazy 'Directioners' or 'Beliebers' (dammit) but in all honesty I just never tire of Alex Turner's croon, the crazy, metaphorical lyrics, the stunning guitar. I listen to these songs all the time and they never get old. My love and appreciation never dies, even when I'm also convinced that I have indeed overplayed those songs, so much so that I won't be able to stand them ever again in my whole entire life ever.

It's crazy, utterly, utterly crazy, and yet we call this craziness love.

Now I know that not everyone loves the Arctic Monkeys in the same way I do, just as I think other artists, for example The Wanted, are really, really, really bad, and I accept that. You yourself might be reading this post and be thinking the whole time about how crap the Monkeys are, or how I'm deluded for idolizing them like this, and again, fair play to you.

But when it all comes down to it, we each have an artist that means the world to us, and maybe more. 

We each have our own taste, view, opinion, ears, and so what's utter, undeniable perfection and amazing-ness to one person may be utter, undeniable crap to another.

But the important thing is what that music means to you, no-one else, how it makes you feel, and if to you, that music is your everything, don't let anyone take that away from you. Never be ashamed or embarrassed because finding a connection as powerful as that is a truly wonderful thing,

Even if it that connection is with One Direction....

hehe ;)

WHO'S TOURING? APRIL/ MAY/ JUNE 2013

It's about time we had a new update on who's going to be where and when, so feast your eyes below because it's looking like one of the best ones yet...

APRIL 2013

• BIFFY CLYRO- http://www.biffyclyro.com/2013arenatour
• ONE DIRECTION-http://www.onedirectionmusic.com/tourannouncement/ (most likely to be sold out however may be worth a try if you really love them that much)
• EMELI SANDE- http://www.emelisande.com/live-dates/
• IMAGINE DRAGONS- http://www.imaginedragonsmusic.com/events/
• LOWER THAN ATLANTIS-http://www.lowerthanatlantis.com/Live
• PINK- http://thetruthaboutlovetour.com/
• FUN.-http://www.ournameisfun.com/tour
• LEONA LEWIS-http://www.leonalewismusic.com/gb/events/
• OLLY MURS-http://www.ollymurs.com/gb/events/
• WILEY-http://www.songkick.com/artists/262139-wiley
• TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB-http://twodoorcinemaclub.com/gigs

MAY 2013

• THE VACCINES- http://www.thevaccines.co.uk/gb/shows/
• ALT-J-http://www.nme.com/news/alt-j/65901
• ALICIA KEYS-http://aliciakeys.com/alicia-announces-european-tour-dates-for-girl-on-fire-the-tour/
• LANA DEL REY-http://www.lanadelrey.com/live/
• JOURNEY- http://www.journeymusic.com/pages/tour
• WHITESNAKE- http://whitesnake.com/2012email/index-2013TourAnnounce.html
• MUSE- http://muse.mu/tour-dates.htm
• ATHLETE- http://www.athlete.mu/tour/
• ERIC CLAPTON- http://www.ericclapton.com/tour
• DISCLOSURE-http://disclosureofficial.com/live/

JUNE 2013

• RIHANNA-http://www.rihannanow.com/live/
• BON JOVI- http://live.bonjovi.com/tour
• ELVIS COSTELLO-http://www.elviscostello.com/dance-card
• KINGS OF LEON- https://www.kingsofleon.com/home
• MAROON 5-http://www.maroon5.com/shows/
• ROD STEWART- http://www.rodstewart.com/category/uk-news/
• DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL- http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/
• THE STONE ROSES- http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/79966/The_Stone_Roses.html
• ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL-http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/
• GREEN DAY-http://www.greenday.com/tour
• IRON MAIDEN- http://www.ironmaiden.com/tourdates.php
• RAMMSTEIN-http://www.rammstein.com/tour/en/
• SLIPKNOT-http://www.slipknot1.com/tour
• THE KILLERS-http://www.thekillersmusic.com/showtime

-Please note that these are artists who currently have their tour dates up now. It is very likely that with new releases over the new year, more artists will announce tours for Spring/Summer 2013 in the new year so stay tuned.

CLASH OF THE GENRES AND GUITAR GRENADES

After flicking through a recent copy of NME magazine, I noticed how the musical geniuses there made predictions that a new wave of rock and guitar based front runners, for instance Jake Bugg, Lucy Rose etc. would amass the music top spot in the next couple of years.

We all know that music seems to work in a cyclical pattern, where one particular genre reigns supreme for a said number of years before another knocks it out the water with an almighty bang.

It's like a wrestle in the ring for musical supremacy that seems to pop up every four to six years, like the Olympics, and everyone tunes in to see if the current music champion can hold on to it's crown or if it loses it to the next best thing to happen in music ever. 

There's no telling who will win the crown but we can predict who is in favour of this prestigious title a few years into the current genre's reign. Take for example the 90's run-in to the noughties: the decade began on a high with the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins most definitely holding onto the steering wheel after the all amazing classic American Rock dominance of the late 80's.

A new breed of rock, punk, indie, metal smash-ups were leading the way and they soon gave into the Brit Pop era of the mid 90's where bands like Oasis, Blur and Radiohead popped up to say hi, bleeding that new found rock styling into the pop stratosphere.

Meanwhile America were honing the formula for the perfect boy band which saw the classic five piece with mostly average voices come together in a tsunami of hunkiness to churn out hit after hit full of that cheesy pop music that we all secretly love. Forget Nirvana, Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls; America was saying goodbye to the guitar bands and hello to the pop world, Backstreet Boys, N-Sync, NKOTB, a transition which soon filtered into the UK. It wasn't long before our own Brit pop/ rock smash up gave in to the almighty power of Gary Barlow's dancing and soon Take That, Boyzone, Westflife and the Spice Girls (girl power, boom) were the people that everyone wanted to hear.

The rock beginnings of the 90's lost it's reign pretty quickly to the all too dominant pop stratosphere, so by the time the noughties rolled in, S-Club 7, Steps, Aqua and Bob The Builder (how did that even happen?) had the perfect platform to broadcast their pop offerings to the world. 

But whilst it seems that all the other genre's have vanished off the face of the Earth, alas the truth is very much far from it...

You see, whilst the biggest genre of the day flaunts it's stuff like the new Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell or the hottest club in London town (where all the Royal's like totally go and get wasted), there is always an 'underground' scene of which the majority of people seem to forget.

In the 90's, the underground movement was R & B, hip-hop, soul and the beginnings of dub-step, dance-hall and electronica, all the genre's that we've heard nothing but of the last eight years. If you were remotely pop or rock related during the 90's, you were swept up in the tidal wave, no underground beginnings for you.

 But if you were anything outside of that bracket... well lets just say you were given a first class shove in the direction of the underground door.

It seems to be that whatever is currently not in the charts, the airwaves, the magazines, but is big in the world that exists outside of the ' pop culture', that is what will soon be supreme in a few years time. 

I mean, look what happened to dub-step, grime, R&B etc., after the underground years of the 90's, rappers and soul singers like Kanye West, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Jay-Z, Mary-J, Alicia Keys all found their way to the top of the pack. Cheesy Pop was definitely on the out and suddenly this movement of music had it's well deserved and long awaited moment.

Of course two or more genre's can easily co-exist in the top spot, for instance now it seems to be a mix of electronic/ dub-step and pop, however it does seem that pop is always going to be the 'blueprint', the underlying construction or basis, and the next biggest genre provides the brick work, the decoration, the fleshing out of the over-used structure.

So will the day ever come when one genre finally kicks pop off the top spot, to which it has clinged to like Madonna clings to her long gone glory days and youthful looks?

Well in recent years, it has looked likely; hip hop and R&B definitely had it's moment in the last decade when it co-existed alongside the very powerful new rock/indie scene of 2001-2007 which was full of the likes of Arctic Monkeys (woo!), The Kooks, Coldplay, The Strokes, Snow Patrol, The Killers, Razorlight, to name but a few.

But of course like that ever so frustrating fly, that has idiotically flown into your house in the hope of claiming that last bit of chicken salad you ate last night, and which you just can't squish, pop always finds a way of fighting it's way back and it probably always will.

But the way in which we embrace new sounds, artists, genres is changing, allowing artists outside of the pop bracket to get the recognition they deserve. Artists like Ed Sheeran, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth and Adele have really come in to their own and shown us what true artists should be like, look like and sound like.

Meanwhile the mega maestro's of dance, electronic and dub-step, such as the almighty Skrillex, Chase & Status, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii are hogging all the airplay and they have clearly been rubbing off on the pop offspring of today. Faster tempo's, powerful bass beats, electronic riffs and auto-tune are a rife and when done well, the product is something literally out of this world.

So I guess the question now is which is direction will music turn to next?

If you ask me, I believe that there are still a few more years left in this current genre mash-up; the Skrillex sound still has enough electric spark to keep the fire blazing, and of course today's culture has fully embraced both this electronic sound and the notion of rap and R&B. If anything, it encourages it; this once foreign concept of speaking words as fast Felix Baumgartner sky falling to Earth instead of singing them, is what we all know and love.

You could say it's part of our culture.

Now being a rock and indie slave, I'm not going to lie that despite my own new found love and appreciation for the likes of Avicii, Drake, Jay-Z, Skrillex and so on, I really want the guitar age to be as powerful as it once was. For me, 2006 was the only year in my sixteen year life where all the bands I adore were triumphantly on top. My Chemical Romance, Arctic Monkeys, Snow Patrol, all on the airwaves, magazines, internet and despite being only ten years old,  I loved it.

I long for a repetition of that time so badly that it's almost an ache in my chest. Of course the guitar and indie movement never lost it's touch, it's always been there, always will be, but unlike pop, it does get pushed to the sidelines and sometimes, all I want is to turn on the radio and have the Foo Fighters, The Killers, My Chemical Romance and a whole host of other fabulous musical instrument and songwriting enthusiasts dominating the country, the world, just like they once did.

So to conclude this awfully long post, I predict that this current age will last for the next three to four years and will begin to bleed into other genre's, such as the new 'Rock'n'Rave' output, just like back in the 90's.

But from 2016 onwards, I believe that rock, indie and the good old guitar will have it's time once again.

Anyone with me?