It’s official: altrocklife turns one today! Today marks the first anniversary of the first post I ever wrote for this blog, so I thought I’d go back in time and recap some of the best – and worst! – moments in music and fashion over the past year.
BEST MUSIC NEWS
Easily the best music news in the past 365 days was the news that the ex-Lostprophets lads were forming a new band, No Devotion. Unfortunately interest in the band petered out, and evidently they were not meant to be. Even so, the hype when No Devotion first entered the scene was pretty incredible! Read more about it in my article here.
WORST MUSIC NEWS
On the other side of the coin, I was absolutely devastated when news of The Blackout’s split broke. The band are about to head on their farewell tour, and I’m heartbroken that I’m unable to attend any of the dates. altrocklife wishes the whole band good luck in their future endeavours, musical or otherwise! You can read more about my reaction to the split and their final farewell here.
BEST ALBUM REVIEWED ON ALTROCKLIFE
I struggled immensely to narrow down the best albums released in the past year, so here are the top five albums that I’ve reviewed here and on Scene Better Days:
5: Oui Legionnaires: It’s Not What You Need, It’s What You’ve Got (so shut it.)
4: The Lion And The Wolf: Symptoms
3: Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
2: Slipknot: 5: The Gray Chapter
1: Enter Shikari: The Mindsweep
BEST FASHION TREND
I’ve written about quite a few different fashion trends so far on altrocklife, so here’s a list of my three favourite tried-and-tested fashion finds.
3: Double denim
2: Statement jackets
1: Collar tips
WORST FASHION TREND
This trend is in fact the only trend I’ve ever openly slated on altrocklife. To those of you who like this style, I’m sorry but I simply cannot stand it. Of course I’m talking about the “90s suburban mom” look: you can read my angry ravings about that trend here.
BEST LIVE ACT
Since starting altrocklife I’ve attended Leeds Festival, as well as a number of both small venue and stadium gigs. Here are the top 10 live acts I had the privilege to see this year.
10: Deaf Havana @ Lincoln Engine Shed
9: A Day To Remember @ Leeds Festival
8: Papa Roach @ Leeds Festival
7: Mallory Knox @ Leeds Festival
6: Pure Love @ Lincoln Engine Rooms
5: Royal Blood @ Leeds Festival
4: Of Mice & Men @ Leeds Festival
3: Band Of Skulls @ Leeds Festival
2: Enter Shikari @ Portsmouth Pyramids
1: Linkin Park @ O2 Arena
WORST LIVE ACT
Thankfully, my fantastic live experiences were not tarnished by some of the, ahem, not so excellent acts I’ve seen in the past year. Here are the three live acts I wish I’d never bothered seeing.
3: Jake Bugg @ Leeds Festival
2: La Dispute @ Leeds Festival
1: FACT @ London KOKO, supporting Memphis May Fire
So there you have it! What do you think of my best and worst moments? Let me know in the comments or as always on Facebook or Twitter.