Yesterday Movie Review

The Beatles are one of our many British national treasures. They won the hearts of the baby boomers, conquered the world, fed Beatlemania, aided in putting Liverpool on the map and left us an entire legacy of hits. But what if they never existed? Or what if they did, but you were the only one on earth who remembered them? Well, whilst The Beatles and their back catalogue have been no strangers to the silver screen, Richard Curtis and Danny Boyle (whose work I love and who I share a birthday with, I'll have you know) have brought the music of The Beatles back to the film forefront with their movie, Yesterday which explores that very idea.

Yesterday explores a world in which, after a power surge, the population's memory of The Beatles is completely erased. Seemingly, the only person to remember and idolise them is Jack Malik, a passionate musician, desperate for a break out of his mundane day to day. Jack is played by Himesh Patel who many people would remember from UK soap opera, EastEnders in which he played Tamwar Masood. I have to add that Tamwar and his partner Nancy, were two of my fave characters so to see him starring in a major film was a treat. The film also stars Lily James and has other appearances from Robert Carlyle, Sarah Lancashire, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, James Corden and Ed Sheeran who should be commended on his ability to poke fun at himself at times in the film.

With his new found knowledge that the world doesn't remember The Beatles (or Coca Cola or Harry Potter for that matter), Jack toys with the idea of passing their songs off as his own. If he can only remember them, that is. The film unfolds this narrative alongside mini strands such as a love interest between Jack and Ellie (Lily James' character) and a friendship/competitive streak between him and Ed Sheeran who plays himself but is somewhat shadowed by Jack in the music stakes.

Himesh performs the songs in the movie and clearly has musical talents which until this role haven't been demonstrated. I genuinely looked up whether or not it was him performing whilst I was still in the cinema because I was so shocked. The music element to the film is one that I loved. Obviously it's built around the songs of The Beatles but music is a key theme throughout and you can tell that Jack's character appreciates music and has good taste from his posters, record collection and the fact he Googles some of his favourites to make sure they too haven't disappeared off the face of the earth.

The film is a light, heart-warming typically British story based around one of our most celebrated groups of pop culture icons. Like all films of its sort, it has some of the cringe, the cheese and the over-sensationalised bits you'd expect but ultimately, it celebrates a bunch of classic anthems, has genuinely funny moments, exhibits a relatively new upcoming British acting talent and above all, makes you smile and be damn happy that a world without The Beatles is not one in which we reside. I loved it and it will definitely be one of those easy going films that I'll watch again and again.

Like The Beatles? Check out my blogs Britannia Rules the (Radio) Waves in which they feature and Solo Travelling - Living My Best Life in Liverpool where I explored their hometown and old stomping grounds.

Britannia Rules the (Radio) Waves!

During a recent trip, I visited the British Music Experience, a super cool museum which offers an interactive timeline of Britain's most famous musicians across a plethora of different genres. The museum walks visitors through different decades from the 1940s to present day, telling the story of how these genres started, grew or developed in Great Britain. 

The BME has a number of interactive exhibits such as video/headphone set-ups where you can watch interviews from experts and musicians, detailed timelines of each era where you can watch videos and read about events that took place, both musical and otherwise and even booths in which you can learn how to play a range of instruments with the help of experts and tutorials. Each time-zone has informative plaques surrounded by an array of nostalgic memorabilia such as costumes from artists, records, instruments, newspapers, letters, awards, stage props and even front doors from their houses! There are also regular shows in the centre of the museum and really cool clips played out across several screens of memorable concerts, gigs and performances from over the years. 

The museum is a must visit for any music and popular culture fans and since its move from London, it is now housed in the beautiful Cunard building in Liverpool - one of Britain's most famous music hotspots. I've always been a massive fan of music and have waivered in tastes as I've grown but my visit definitely made me appreciate and acknowledge the massive impact Britain's musicians have had and made me damn proud to hail from the same country as some of these talents. 

Inspired by my visit, I've compiled my top 10 list of British musicians that have had an influence and impact on me over the years. 

Disclaimer: I appreciate these won't all be to everyone's tastes and I'm by no means a musical expert, these are simply the British musicians that I consider to be a massive influence on me. There's a deluge of other talented and successful British musicians who could just as easily be a part of a list like this and the British Music Experience celebrates them all.

10: Biffy Clyro

Possibly not as well known as some of the other musicians in this list but Biffy are a rock band hailing from Scotland who have been on the circuit since the late 90s, achieving wider success and popularity more recently. I've been a fan of Biffy Clyro since around 2007/8 and have been lucky enough to see them live a number of times over the years. I've had several phases where Biffy have been the only thing I'd listen to on a loop and I always find myself coming back to them. Their live shows are incredible and they are easily in the top 5 live bands I've seen. They work extremely hard, perform their absolute socks off and are in my opinion, one of THE best British modern rock bands out there. 

9: Black Sabbath

There aren't many things most people would thank an ex for, but getting me into these is one thing I definitely do have gratitude to one of mine for. Black Sabbath, the dark, gritty, Birmingham born band who became worldwide trailblazers of heavy metal. Although around since the late 60s and inspiring a large majority of rock bands across the years, I first got into Sabbath in around 2011 when I saw a comeback gig at Download Festival. At the time, I'd only heard their most well known songs like Paranoid and Iron Man and whilst I went to the festival somewhat indifferent to their music, after seeing them, I left their new biggest fan and went on to fill my Spotify with their songs, buy their records and even purchase tickets to see them again in their own headline show. 

8: David Bowie

A British icon in his own right. David was a revolution of expression and someone who taught us to own our identity. His experimentation knew no bounds and so he pushed the boundaries of musical genre, pushed the boundaries of masculinity and femininity, pushed the boundaries with his style and exhibited a level of creativity so considerable that it has impacted popular culture in the most tremendous way. Generations of artists and audiences have been influenced by him, whether it's through Ziggy Stardust or the Goblin King and because of that, his stamp is permanent.

7: Amy Winehouse

An incredible talent inside a unique, straight-talking London girl who gave us so many brilliant songs before her demons took her away from the world in the most premature and devastating manner. Someone who has undoubtedly inspired a number of more recent females across the industry and someone whose modern ballads will continue to ring out for years to come. Back to Black was one of the first records I decided to purchase when I got my record player and is one of my favourites for a chilled evening, gin in hand, finding contentment in her truly stunning voice.

Black Sabbath, Bowie & Amy Winehouse featured at the British Music Experience

6: Arctic Monkeys

Northern, Yorkshire born and bred, of course these would be in my top 10. Like Biffy Clyro, in my opinion one of the best modern rock bands to come from our Isles. Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was one of the first albums I uploaded to one of those rubbish MP3 players from Argos back in the day after acquiring their CD from my dad. Since then, I've followed them album by album and seen them experiment and develop through a number of phases. I've also been fortunate to see AM live a number of times throughout these years and some of their tracks are now without a doubt up there with my all time faves.

5: Oasis

A band I grew up with. Whether it was a Sunday road-trip or afternoons washing the car with dad, these were always on in the background as I grew up in the mid to late 90s. At the height of Britpop, I was only 6/7 years old so not nearly old enough to experience it to its fullest extent but the fact that I knew the words to most of the songs on (What's the Story) Morning Glory? before I'd even learnt my times tables is something I definitely should earn cool points for. One of the musical poster heads for Cool Britannia, more swag than people in green parkas should have and the reason that most of us up North now can't say the word 'shine' without an over-exaggerated and elongated 'i'. 

Oasis & Arctic Monkeys featured at the British Music Experience

4: The Beatles

A favourite of my gran's but a band I've only truly appreciated as I've grown up. The Beatles are one of those bands where even if you don't necessarily consider yourself a fan, when you think of how many of their songs you actually know and love, you realise you absolutely are. The four lads who shook the world and probably one of the earliest bands to unleash the pandemonium that we now come to know as fangirling. If I could go back to any decade, I've always said it would be the 60s or 70s or the cross-over between the two just to experience that excitement and buzz around the music and fashion scene at the time. The Beatles were at the very heart of all that and have given us an array of classic songs that we all know the words to. Having recently visited Liverpool, its great to see how proud the city is of all their musical sons and daughters but The Beatles in particular. Now I totally get why gran loves them so much.

3: Queen

Like The Beatles, Queen are a band that have their die hard fans but due to their massive catalogue of hits, so many of us can consider ourselves Queen fans on some level or another. They have given us so many hits and we all have a favourite. (Killer Queen, if anyone wondered!) Freddie is considered one of the greatest front-men of all time by many and like Bowie was iconic in his creative expression and performing persona. These guys were incredibly talented and from footage and fan  accounts from those lucky enough to experience them at the time, they seemed to give their absolute all with every performance and continue to do so even without their original line-up. I would urge anyone to go and see Bohemian Rhapsody, the recent biopic about the band and their rise. Its a brilliant film and will make you appreciate this band even more than before.

Spice Girls & Queen featured at the British Music Experience

2: Spice Girls

I'm a female and was born in 1991, therefore there was probably a sneaking suspicion that these would feature. Like a lot of girls who grew up in the 90s, I was of course ridiculously obsessed with the Spice Girls. I had their albums, the film on VHS, the merchandise, books, annuals, used to collect absurd amounts of bits of rubbish like ring-pulls and crisp packets just to get exclusive info or merch and I really really really wanted to be the sixth member. They seemed friendly but feisty and for that reason, young girls all over the world latched on to them. Whether it was because you could relate to one of their personas or strived to be more like one of their personas, all of their fans had their favourites and I dare say that all of their fans, certainly around my age spent ages arguing about which one they wanted to be during playtimes. Not ashamed to say that I'll be making a 7 year old me's dream come true next month when I go see 4 of them performing live - something I never thought I'd be able to do!

1: The Smiths

The band I always used to whine about as a kid when my dad would play them over and over again and all I really wanted on was the Spice Girls or Oasis. That was until I grew up, went off to university and started to make sense of the world. Then and only then, did The Smiths start to make sense too. As a 19/20 year old embarking on an independent life, the lyrics penned by Morrissey & Marr started to not only ring true but it then dawned on me just how genius some of them actually were and I began to understand the appreciation my dad and auntie always had for them. As I started to grow into the cynical, sarcastic ball of pessimism and irony I am today, their songs became my soundtracks. The Smiths' songs are very much in keeping with my mindset and way of life, a sort of 'let's mock ourselves before anyone else does' mantra. The Smiths did this, but with society, relationships, politics and culture. I love their vibe, the working class gritty heart somehow tinged with knowing snobbery and all of their referential nods at popular culture, film, TV, at life up North and in Britain and what was going on there at the time. When you listen to The Smiths, it feels like you're up above looking down or in the corner of a coffee shop just watching people go about their business narrated with a very dry, very British internal monologue.

The Smiths featured at the British Music Experience

Cover photo taken from my personal record collection and all others from displays at the British Music Experience. 

If you want to visit the British Music Experience in Liverpool, check out this link.

 I'd strongly recommend!

Check out some of my favourite tracks from the above artists in the player below:

Solo Travelling - Living My Best Life in Liverpool

Continuing the Solo Travelling series, this week I spent two days in another fab British city, the Merseyside capital of Liverpool. As a novice solo traveller, I decided it would be best to explore some of the UK's cities before venturing anywhere further afield and Liverpool is somewhere I've wanted to visit for quite some time. I've been to Liverpool twice before, once as a child on a shopping trip which meant I couldn't fully appreciate it or really remember it and once simply to get to the Isle of Man ferry terminal, again not really allowing me to explore.

This time, I went as a proper tourist and did all the typical touristy jaunts. This city is a favourite of my grandparents who visit regularly and after my short stay, I can totally understand why. Liverpool is a city drenched in fascinating history and one with popular culture just running through its veins. This is what appealed to me, as a media and music buff, it seemed it would be right up my street and it proved me absolutely right. 

I decided to spend only two days in Liverpool as its obviously much smaller than my first solo travelling location, London. But I still managed to cram in so many cool experiences whilst there. On the first day, I ventured into the centre where the shops and Liverpool One (the city's famed leisure and shopping complex) are situated. I hadn't planned to spend any time shopping during my stay (despite my inherent shopaholic status, of course) as I knew I had a number of things I wanted to see, but as I needed to pass through here to get to my digs, I decided to have a little peek. 40 minutes later and £70 down, I came to the conclusion that Liverpool is great for shopping. Although this is something you can do anywhere, the high street stores were huge, they have a Forever 21 unlike a lot of places and spending a few hours meandering around Liverpool One in the sun, was really quite lovely. This will definitely be a choice destination for future shopping sprees.

The wonderful sights of Mathew Street

After dropping my luggage and freshening up, I decided to have a walk down to the Cavern Quarter to check out the pop culture bits and bobs down there. I passed through a number of streets booming with restaurants, bars, nightclubs and instantly thought this is somewhere I also need to come with a bunch of friends for a drink or two in the near future. When I arrived at Mathew Street, known as 'the home of The Beatles', I could not believe the amount of cool little nooks and crannies there could be on one little street. From the John Lennon and Cilla Black statues and the Liverpool Wall of Fame to the Cavern Club and Pub and all of the vibrant shops, bars and restaurants in between. You feel instantly happy just walking down here and it makes you feel like you're right there in the middle of the hustle and bustle back in the day amongst the Teddy Boys and Girls.

The super colourful 'T' monument outside the Tate, Museum of Liverpool and Albert Docks in the sun

I then ventured over to Pier Head for a bit more sightseeing and again, was not disappointed. The 'three graces' are the magnificent buildings dominating the docks, more formally known as the Royal Liver building, the Cunard building and the Port of Liverpool building and these alone are breath-taking and so very rich in history. The Beatles statue welcomes you to the fronts and it's great to see so many people snapping their selfies with the bronze lads, recreating just the tiniest bit of Beatlemania. The docks are lined with museums such as The Museum of Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story and many more. I didn't get to browse these but some are on my itinerary for next time. The walk up to Albert Dock and back down again was so refreshing, looking out to the Mersey with headphones in, shades on and ice-cream in hand; absolute bliss. This lovely afternoon was topped off with a visit to an amazing pizzeria named Rudy's which was fittingly right next door to my hotel and so the day was nicely concluded with a gorgeous pizza and sneaky little gin cocktail.

The Royal Liver Building, Beatles statue and The Port of Liverpool building all on Pier Head

Day two entailed breakfast at Moose, an American style Northern café chain that has branches in Liverpool and Manchester. They offer the nicest waffles, pancakes and other less sugary breakfast options but I opted for the former and a gigantic cup of cappuccino. A lovely spot for breakfast or brunch in the city and its décor and vibe made me feel like I was in Frasier. This place was recommended by a friend who is no stranger to Liverpool and a friend who I met up with later that morning. Upon meeting we spent a couple of hours in the British Music Experience, a fab museum detailing a timeline of Britain's best loved and talented musicians and the eras they defined. An excellent place and quite possibly the focus of an upcoming post so stay tuned for that! 

After the museum, we headed back down to the Cavern Quarter to spend a couple of hours in the Cavern Club, something I wanted to do more socially. It was around 1:30pm on a Tuesday and the Cavern had free admission all afternoon, which was great. We headed in, deep down the numerous spiral steps and headed straight to the bar, which I found hilarious given that most headed in and went straight to the exhibits or stage! However, with a beer in hand, we wandered slowly round the Cavern, looking at all it had to offer and were totally awestruck. Known globally as the old stomping ground to The Beatles and a hub of live music in Liverpool for decades, The Cavern was hands down the most down to earth, casual and inviting pub I've ever been in. Everyone was so friendly, live music played throughout the day and the walls were just adorned with the most fascinating and nostalgic memorabilia. If it hadn't been for the small matter of a train to catch, I could've happily stayed there into the night. And that was indeed the most perfect ending to this trip. 

An afternoon in the Cavern Club, my new favourite watering hole!

Liverpool far exceeded my expectations and is a city beautifully formed through its deep historical heritage into a vivid place rich with musical nostalgia and enriched by culture of many different forms. Its a must visit and somewhere I will now definitely be a regular day tripper to. A real Northern gem!

Liked this? Check out Solo Travelling - London Called, the first post in this series.

Arctic Monkeys - AM

Arctic Monkeys have been one of my favourite bands since 2006, when my dad reluctantly lent me his copy of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Of course, I'm extremely biased, as they hail from God's own back garden, Yorkshire, like me. But that aside, I think they're fantastic and like many other fans, I have been patiently awaiting the release of their fifth album, for almost 2 years.

When they burst onto the music scene with their triumphantly successful first album, they were just shy adolescent boys that most of the country, let alone the world, could barely understand - five albums later and they are arguably one of the biggest bands in the world at the minute, with a hugely dedicated fan-base.

Over the last year, Arctic Monkeys have cleverly teased fans, rationing them almost, by drip-feeding new material and live performances bit by bit. The release of R U Mine? back in February 2012 sparked early excitement for the new album, showcasing not only a sharp new look, but also an interesting and incredibly appealling new sound for the band. Their next single Do I Wanna Know? was released early this year, ahead of their amazing headlining set at Glastonbury, which reminded us just what it is we love about Arctic Monkeys.

(Image found @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arctic_Monkeys_-_AM.png)

A few months later and we finally have what we've been so eagerly anticipating, their fifth studio album, AM. On first listen it is apparent that those mere adolescents who introduced us to I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor have grown up a hell of a lot; presenting us with an edgier and much more matured sound. Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, who collaborated with Arctic Monkeys on this record, describes it as "a really cool, sexy, after-midnight album" and you can certainly understand his point as there is something undeniably cool about this album. The album opens with Do I Wanna Know? -  a single that I personally have over-played this Summer, because of its catchy beat and dirty sounding riffs. Following this is last year's hit, R U Mine?. I love both of these songs but I have to admit, opening with 2 big tracks like this, obviously leaves the rest of the album with a lot to live up to.

Like most albums, there are some tracks that I instantly liked, and others I wasn't so sure of, but after a few listens some of those songs have grown on me. Personal highlights for me include Knee Socks, I Want It All and Snap Out Of It - three of the faster songs on the album. The band had many different influences during the production of this album, from Black Sabbath to OutKast. While these are at opposite sides of the music spectrum, they have helped Arctic Monkeys create an album that contrasts sounds of rock and hip-hop. As mentioned earlier they had one particular collaborator who helped to nurture this sound, the only man who could ever make being ginger cool as fuck, Josh Homme. He is reported to have worked specifically on One For The Road and Knee Socks but I find his influence to be apparent in many of the songs. Badass QOTSA-esque harmonies and riffs accompanied by Alex Turner's kitchen-sink lyrics and broad Sheffield twang are a winning combination and pure pleasure for the ears.

While I find some tracks on this album to be completely different to anything Arctic Monkeys have done before, there are a few bluesy tracks on AM that also wouldn't sound out of place on Suck It and See, such as No. 1 Party Anthem and Mad Sounds. Alex switches into crooner mode on these two tracks, which have a soft vintage sound in comparison to songs such as Do I Wanna Know? and Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

"I wanna be your Ford Cortina, I will never rust" 

"Let me be your leccy meter and I'll never run out"  

 - I Wanna Be Yours. 

One thing I really love about Arctic Monkeys is how real they are. Since their first album, they've told life exactly how it is through their songs. Alex has a real knack for creating lyrics that are effortless but absolutely genius. And this album is no different. I also love the constant references to popular culture in their songs, such as "Shes got a Barbarella silver swimsuit" from Arabella and the reference to Mean Streets and The Ronettes in Knee Socks. 

While there are bound to be many mixed reviews of this album, due to people's opposing opinions on the Arctic Monkeys and their development as a band, I personally found AM to be a gem. It fulfilled the Arctic Monkeys shaped whole in my life, and I'm currently playing the hell out of it. Some songs can be easily overlooked, but the rest are modern masterpieces, and I have no doubt that many of them will be big hits (especially Arabella). To put it simply, this album got me through a twelve hour night shift, and that is all the judgement I need. 

Safe to say, I've always believed the hype!