Video Kills

My first week in London. It's busy, busy and, erm, busy! It's Saturday, the girls and I are slightly worse for wear after busting some shapes in Islington's The Old Queen's head last night where Foals put on a DJ set. Good, bad or ugly we can't be sure but what is helping us through the day is tea and music videos.

What Is Light Where Is Laughter and Lightspeed from Twin Atlantic (I couldn't pick just one!) are winners in every sense for me. If you're lucky enough to be seeing Blink 182 on their whistle stop UK 'tour' then do not miss their unparalleled support band.

Caroline is off to Sleigh Bells on Monday so her choice has naturally been from the New York Florida hybrid and scrappy electro-pop noiseniks.  Watch the Kids video.

Kele has caught the eye and ear of Miss Quick with his dreamy vocals, electro dance synths and bulging biceps. Tenderoni is the premier single of his debut solo album and this is the video that has her throwing some shapes around the living inbetween outbursts of Broadway choruses...did you get the hotplate?



For Shelley, sadly we couldn't get hold of any Moist Tights but we did manage to track down some Justin Bieber which, let's be honest, has about the same gross factor so will not be making an appearance on BBPD. Enjoy some Straight Lines instead, Shelley. Their Welsh like you are.

Sweet Monday

Don't we all love Monday? Hell yes!

Let's get right to the short and sweet.

Kids In Glass Houses are the band on everyone's lips as they debuted their sophomore submission, Dirt.  From single Youngblood (Let It Out) to the anthemic Matters At All and Sunshine, no stone has been left unturned by the once Smart Casual Welshies. Really, if The Best Is Yet To Come then over the next few years we are in for one heck of a treat.

Reading and Leeds' line ups were announced today a mere 15minutes after the much coveted tickets went on sale. Think Arcade Fire, Biffy Clyro, Lostprophets, The Gaslight Anthem, Paramore, You Me At Six, Bombay Bicycle Club and, erm, Blink 182. Oh crumbs! It's really gonna be a great year...Full details at http://www.readingfestival.com/.

BBPD.

Rock Stars Help Haiti Earthquake Appeal

As the earthquake in Haiti has rocked the headlines around the world this week, with an estimated 50,000 dead and thousands injured, it seems that all of our favourite artists are doing their bit to help survivors. The reformed Blink 182 are selling special edition t shirts for the Red Cross' Haiti Relief work from their online store http://gomerch.com/interface/body.php?module=store&id=59. 100% of all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross.

Arcade Fire's Win Butler and Regine Chassagne have posted a pleading note on their official website urging fans to donate money to non-profit organisation, Partners In Health. The messages reads: Friends, Haiti needs your help in her darkest hour. We just got off the phone with our friends at Partners In Health. Most of the medical infrastructure in Port-au-Prince is down. Since Partners In Health's clinics are situated in the surrounding areas and haven't been damaged, they are mobilising their resources towards the capital, setting-up field hospitals to treat the injured on the ground...Please be generous as time is of the essence." This recent natural tradegy has hit the band hard as Chassagne's family emigrated to Canada from Haiti before she was born but her ties to the island were highlighted on the band's debut album, Funeral.

Humanitarians Coldplay's Chris Martin and Glasto darling Emily Eavis are also actively urging us all to donate to an essential cause.

Places you can donate:
www.oxfam.org.uk/haiti
www.redcross.org/
www.un.org/news
www.worldvision.org.uk/HaitiAppeal
You know what to do.
BBPD

Snowgate

OK, so it is still pissing down with snow, my cassette-wielding car is still stranded at the stables and somehow I have still made it to work. Everyday. Early. What's that about? But whilst on the train this evening, inbetween paragraphs of HST's Generation Of Swine, I got to thinking about what I am looking forward to.
Number 1) Kicking off my birthweek with Young Guns, All Time Low , The Blackout and My Passion on The Kerrang! Relentless Energy Tour hitting Cardiff on January 29th to . I literally tingle with excitement. Info here and beyond: tour.kerrang.com

Number 2) The vast number of immense gigs and albums gracing our shores over the forthcoming months; 30STM (Actor-cum-rockband not to everyone's taste, but I find them inoffensive...sorry Ian Watkins!), You Me At Six, Reel Big Fish, The Temper Trap, Fightstar, Dead By Sunrise...KISS!

Number 3) I love A Sides! And B Sides! The possibility of a cassette revival leaves me salivating a little bit (is that wrong? Oh well, if La Roux's hair doesn't have to be right then neither do I!). Is anyone else stoked to make a proper stop-record-pause-rewind-stop-record-stop-playback mixtape!? The Tapeworm are a cassette only label helping keep the magnetic-recording dream alive. For more info www.tapeworm.org.uk/.

Number 4) A Mark Hoppus-Pete Wentz hair-off! Sadly, this is made up but how great would that be? Well, until PeWe lost his emo-fringe to the mercy of Mark's clippers. In reality, the punk pair teamed up to create a tune for Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. PeWe hasn't ruled out further work with the Blink-bassist assuring us 'it sounds nothing like Blink 182 or Fall Out Boy' (from Yahoo news UK). No hint of sarcasm, my breath is actually baited.

Number 5) Praise be for Christmas anarchy! As if splattering Joe McElderry's sad cover of Miley Cyrus's The Climb all over his Christmas pudding wasn't enough, Rage Against The Machine promise of a victory gig. This year. In the UK. For free! Should be. According to this week's Kerrang! magazine Mr Morello and his angry mob 'couldn't be more excited about it' and say the free show will be 'insane'. On top of all this the US politcal-rockers donated all the GBP800,000 (yeah, my pound sign doesn't work. Brilliant) profits from their Christmas Number 1 to UK charity, Shelter. RATM - we salute you.

BBPD