January only included three gigs and the best was the first one - Twin Atlantic at la Flèche d'Or, Paris. It was the first gig of the year for most of us, the first social thing most of us were partaking in after the Charlie Hebdo attacks and for the band, it was a way to make it up to us after cancelling their November appearance following vocalist Sam McTrusty's illness. What can I say. It was everything I needed right when I needed it and if there's a band that makes me feel like I'm on top of the world, it's Twin Atlantic.

2 - Save Your Breath at the Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff : they were breaking up and I may or may not have cried for half of the gig but as far as farewell gigs go, they did pretty well. Also Rhys-O and the Legend of Big Phone with Aled Phillips (from Kids in Glass Houses) happened. Which meant more tears.

3 - Gerard Way at the Trabendo, Paris : it was a bit tumblr 101 but Gerard is really talented and his solo stuff is really good.

There was a handful of gigs in February, but the easy winner of this thing is Architects at the Trabendo, hands down. It's the toughest job in the world beating Architects at best gig, right? They're an outstanding live band and their Paris performance was just brilliant. Imagine being a heavy band and not being Architects. Yeah, that's a little bit sad, I know. It just left me with hope and a big, comforting smile when I had a weird weekend beforehand. More Architects in 2016 please.

2- Kerrang! Tour at the Manchester Academy : doing a dance on Don Broco, Young Guns coming back, Bury Tomorrow killing it and Beartooth bringing tears in my eyes? Yeah. Serious contender.

3- Crown The Empire at the Asylum, Birmingham : I'd never thought I'd include Crown The Empire in my favourites as I'm not their biggest fan, but that was a very, very strong gig. They have charisma by the industrial sized bin load and it was a super good performance.







March has seen more gigs than January and February because I started jumping on Megabuses again, after a little bit of a break. And the best one was All Time Low at le Bataclan in Paris, supported by Neck Deep and Real Friends. It was an evening of badly shouting emo lyrics, of angry finger pointing, of thinking it was a perfectly reasonable idea to keep my hat indoors, of triple denim, of dancing so much I was breathless two songs in and of generally being a happy little emo bunny. All Time Low absolutely killed it and they reminded us all why on actual Earth they are as big as they are. They deliver the goods.

2- The Pure Noise Records Tour (Four Year Strong / Hit The Lights / Forever Came Calling / Light You Up) at the Electric Ballroom in London : I will never, EVER understand why Four Year Strong aren't recognised as the stunning band they are. They are so disgustingly underrated and this show was brilliant. Every band just set London on fire.
3- Young Guns at the O2 Academy in Oxford : I was just so, so happy to have Young Guns back after so many years of them being in America and recording. That show had a "Hey, this is why you love us so much" feel stamped all over it.



April was mostly occupied with heavy music for me, as I followed Bury Tomorrow's Stage Invasion tour all over the UK. My favourite April show, whilst being a heavy band, wasn't my beloved BT, but While She Sleeps at the Forum. I don't think I'd ever realised how much I loved them and quite how big they are, but this was the absolute perfect comeback tour. Loz sounded as perfect as ever, they had actual real life fire and I did an ugly sob fest during Our Courage, Our Cancer. (And I even drunk tweeted about it) 10/10 would recommend.

May means one major thing - Slam Dunk. To be honest, most of my favourite May gigs have been Slam Dunk related one way or another, except for the number one - Brand New at the Backstage by the Mill in Paris. How many times in your lifetime do you get the chance of seeing a band like Brand New play in a bar with one of your best friends, a bag of crisps and a bottle of cider? Rarely. It was perfect and the ending with Soco Amaretto Lime broke us down.

2- While She Sleeps at Slam Dunk (North & Midlands) : Did a little crowdsurfing thing to Seven Hills, did a little singing along on someone's shoulders to Four Walls, had a whole lot of fun.
3- Architects at Slam Dunk (North & Midlands) : I just wish everyone had as much talent as this lot, this is getting ridiculous by now. Architects at Slam Dunk also means me smacking my hand on the barrier because Dani Winter-Bates was there for Early Grave, me falling over in a circle pit in Wolverhampton and me discovering who The Xcerts were because Murray did his little featuring thing on Youth is Wasted on the Young. Complete success.






June was a month of very, VERY important gigs, and the number one is the most important of them all (maybe even of the year). I got to see Taylor Swift play Hyde Park and it was, hands down, one of the happiest memories of my life. I know that Taylor's the devil for everyone now, and I know it's apparently the next big thing to hate her guts, but, you know what? Forgive me for not even being willing to try. Her music has soundtracked my life ever since I discovered I'd Lie in 2008, she is one of my all-time favourite artists and one of my biggest inspirations. There are always words I can relate to in her songs and I simply, unapologetically adore her, no guilty pleasure, no questions asked - I'm a Taylor fan and that's it. Getting to see the 1989 tour was a dream coming true and I loved every second of it, sang my heart out, danced like there was no tomorrow and I had no nasty cold and cried a lot. She's my favourite.

2- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at the Place de la République, Paris : anyone who knows me knows I'm still mourning Oasis' demise and knows I wish they would come back already. Noel Gallagher is one of my favourite musicians on Earth and getting to hear Don't Look Back In Anger live is one of the highlights of my life.
3 - A Day To Remember at Download Festival : they owned the place and they should headline in the near future. This band is my everything and I love them with all the love my little heart can muster up.