In Case You Didn't Know... Olly Murs CAN sing!

Ever since his appearance on the X Factor, critics have often been scathing of this Essex lad. However, after a sell-out, nationwide, arena tour, it's time these critics hushed and accepted the fact that Olly Murs is a true star, and a very talented one.

After the success of his Number One album, titled 'In Case You Didn't Know', as well as the first two singles from the album rocketing to the top position in the chart, there is no denying that Murs does have a talent. Despite what I imagine is widely considered by some, the 'Heart Skips a Beat' singer has written most of the songs on both of his albums, proving that his talents stretch from being a singer to a song-writer, as well as being an all-round good guy too.

Anybody who appears on the ITV show The X Factor will always be confronted with scrutiny by the press and by music journalists who are too quick to snub the pop sounds that are created by the talent show. It only requires a glance on Twitter to see how it is the likes of JLS, Olly Murs and One Direction, all X Factor finalists, who attract such large fan bases and therefore dominate the charts when their singles are released. Although many people believe Simon Cowell is trying to manipulate the UK's musical tastes, he is in fact just finding artists that appeal to it.

This negative conception of X Factor artists is unfairly held by too many people who attempt to reject this mainstream field of music in order to be seen with a more 'respectable' taste in music. However, this mainstream music is exactly that for a reason - it is popular and enjoyed by the masses. Whether a genre is deemed as 'Pop' or 'Indie', this holds no effect on the actual talent that the artist holds and I think that this can often be mistaken.

As a fan of Olly Murs myself, it may seem biased that I have such high praises of him. However, so will the thousands of other people who saw Mr Murs at his recent tour. It takes a special something, or a special somebody, who can sell out The O2 Arena on two successive nights, as well as two more dates in the same city at Wembley Arena just a week later. With even more dates taking Olly to the largest cities across the UK, crowds packed out to see the spectacular live show that Murs provides. 

Even despite inches of snow disrupting journeys, and even preventing many fans from getting home in some cases, the arenas remained full, certifying that the concert was very much worth the hassle!

Cheeky chappy: Olly Murs rocking The O2 Arena, London

Opening with an uplifting and lively track, 'Anywhere Else', from his latest album, the lyrics perfectly suited the occasion. "Nothing compares to this moment and nothing ever will" ultimately summarises the exhilarating feeling at the start of any live music event, with the show that I saw at the O2 Arena on the 4th February being no exception.

Continuing with all of the greatest songs from his first two albums, as well as some cover versions, including Aloe Blacc's "I Need a Dollar" and a medley of James Brown's greatest hits, Mr Murs clearly defined his vocal ability, proving to audiences of thousands why he rightly deserves his place at the top of the UK charts.

Anywhere Else: "Tonight, our arms are open wide"

Complete with a top-class band, including tremendous back-up singers who helped Olly with a few of his dance moves throughout the show, I would thoroughly recommend paying a visit to see this Essex-boy on one of his upcoming summer shows. These include a homecoming, headlining concert in Hylands Park on 16th June, before returning to the park again on 19th August for the annual V Festival, where Murs will be making his debut appearance on the Main Stage.

If you're not altogether convinced about Olly Murs or he's still not your cup-of-tea, be sure to see him perform live and I can guarantee you will have a good time.

Fuze find a fan in McFly

This week, Pop rockers McFly will begin their nationwide, 26-date, theatre tour, which sees them travelling across the length and breadth of Britain performing to all their fans. As the band travel to York on the 17th April, they will be joined by a very talented Essex band.

Fuze, made up of Ed Alston - lead vocalist and guitarist, George Kirchner - lead guitarist, Jack Goldsmith - bass guitarist, and Keir Adamson - drummer, beat hundreds of other hopefuls to the position.

From left: George, Keir, Ed, Jack

From November of last year, McFly begun their Battle of the Bands competition, looking for fresh and under-the-radar artists to support them on their tour. With many acts across the country entering videos of themselves to the website, the public had a chance to vote online over a 3 month period for their favourite.

The top 50 were then whittled down to 26 as McFly, made up of Tom, Danny, Dougie, as well as Essex's very own Harry Judd, picked the bands they wished to appear alongside them.

Having been crowned Chelmsford's YFest winners in August 2011, as well as giving regular performances at live music venues across the county including The Box in Chelmsford, Fuze are very much prepared for a live audience. However, with a sell-out gig at The Barbican theatre in York, the group will have to adjust to a 1,500-strong crowd - a spectacular experience for any artist

Lead guitarist, George is filled with excitement at the prospect of their upcoming gig. "It will be the biggest gig we've ever played. To have this opportunity to perform to 1,500 McFly fans, as well as McFly themselves, will be so awesome."

After receiving a call from an unknown US number at the start of February, George was ecstatic to hear the voice of McFly's manager Richard Rashman, with "the words [he] had been waiting for months to hear".

"My heart literary started to beat faster than ever before, I couldn't breathe and I just knew that we made it on to the tour! As soon as I got off the phone, I went to scream at the top of my voice but nothing came out! I then ran down stairs and told my mum, phoning the other guys in the band shortly after."

In order to prepare for their supporting slot at the chart toppers' gig, Fuze will be hosting a warm up gig on 13th April. Starting at 7:30 at The Box, Fuze welcome anybody to attend to support them in preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime show.

In recent months, Fuze's album has been available to buy on iTunes and Amazon, with the band's latest single, 'By Your Side', available to download for 89p on iTunes. The four-piece have also recorded a video to accompany the single, which is also available.

If you wish to find out more about Fuze, head to their official YouTube page FuzeBandTV to see some clips of Ed, George, Jack and Keir performing live, as well as a sneak preview of the latest video, or visit the Fuze Facebook page

Fuze's 'By Your Side' is available to download now

V Festival 2012 - Line-Up

With the highly anticipated V Festival line-up finally announced, will the residents of Chelmsford and festival fans across the country be celebrating another fantastic line-up?

This year’s headliners include The Killers, who last performed at the Hylands Park festival in 2009. The band, fronted by Brandon Flowers, had a great live performance and a set complete with all of their biggest hits, including crowd-favourite ‘Mr Brightside’, which was very much supported by a chorus of tens-of-thousands spectators. With news of a new album on its way for the summer, it’s sure that festival go-ers will be entertained by new tracks, as well as all the classics, for a superb headlining set.

The Stones Roses complete the pair of headliners for the 2012 festival and prove the mass speculation that was held over their appearance. Since the news of the end of their fifteen-year split in October 2011, rumours have circulated the internet that the band would appear at V Festival. With many live shows throughout the summer, it seems only right that they travel to Chelmsford, and to Weston Park in Staffordshire, for the annual V Festival. However, reports of their appearance at the festival have not necessarily been the news that youngsters in Chelmsford have wanted to hear. With the band’s success taking place in the 80s and early 90s, many of the regular festival go-ers may not be familiar with their work. Nevertheless, all other visitors who are aware of the group will be elated at the news and will thoroughly enjoy the sounds of this alternative rock band as the sun sets over Hylands Park in August.

From one reformed group to another, The Happy Mondays will also be appearing at V, following on from the news of their reunion in January this year. The band last attended V in 2007, when they were a last minute replacement for Amy Winehouse. Hopefully the crowds will take to Shaun Ryder’s appearance better this year than they did in 2010, when he was booed off stage after scheduling confusion led to Peter Andre fans believing that the Australian singer was due to appear!

After an electrifying performance at the BRIT Awards last Tuesday, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have also been announced to perform at V Festival. After disbanding from Oasis just a week after they pulled out of 2009’s V Festival, due to brother Liam’s laryngitis, Noel is back, but this time on his own. With a number one album last summer, Noel’s popularity continues. Expectations will be very high for this performance; this is one act on the bill that should not be missed.

When Oasis pulled out in 2009, Irish rockers Snow Patrol were pushed up the line-up to headline the Main Stage on the final night of the festival, with a performance that did not disappoint. Having seen Snow Patrol twice at the festival, I would personally say that they are some of the finest musicians I have seen. Frontman Gary Lightbody has such appreciation and wonder of the crowd in front of him, adding to his charming and endearing stage persona.

Many of the acts who appeared at last year’s V Festival return for a second year, including Tinie Tempah, Example, Olly Murs and Rizzle Kicks – four acts who are sure to pack out crowds of people with their chart-successful tracks. Having seen all four within the past year, I know that their gigs and performances are always complete with masses of energy and exuberance. Perhaps Labrinth, who has also been announced to perform, will collaborate with Tinie Tempah to perform their Number Two hit single ‘Earthquake’.

Joining Olly Murs in bringing the Essex Factor to the festival is Brentwood’s Pixie Lott, who performs yet again, after opening the main stage in 2010.

BRITs favourite Ed Sheeran has been a very much celebrated artist the past year and he is therefore a fantastic addition to the line-up. With thousands of fans, including over 1.5 million followers on Twitter, Ed will attract a very large audience, who will all turn out to watch a sophisticated and stripped-back performance  from one of the most modest and unassuming men in Pop. 

Other BRIT-nominated artists appearing on the bill include rapper, Professor Green, Scottish-songstress, Emeli Sandé, as well as French DJ, David Guetta, who headlined the 4Music stage in 2010, and American rapper, Nicki Minaj.

The fun-factor will be very much applied through performances by Madness and The Proclaimers, who both return once again to the festival. With their notorious songs, these two artists never fail to have the crowd in chorus. Welsh superstar Tom Jones will also appear and with such an abundance of hits, people of all ages will be excited to hear him serenade the crowds with ‘Delilah’, ‘It’s not unusual’ and ‘Sexbomb’.

With many other performers on the bill, including James Morrison, Keane, Maverick Sabre, Noah & The Whale, Nero, Friendly Fires, The Ting Tings, Ben Howard, Miles Kane, as well as many more to be announced, I believe that festival fans across Essex should be rejoicing at how very fortunate we are to have such a top-class music event right on our doorstep. 

A Fantastic Night of Entertainment at the BRIT Awards 2012

Tuesday night saw the biggest artists from the UK, as well as from across the pond, come together to celebrate a fantastic year of music at the BRIT Awards. Not only were the guests at the O2 Arena in London rejoicing in the British talent, but so were the 6.2 million viewers watching at home.

This year has been hugely successful for British artists, who have been producing hit-after-hit not only in the UK, but across the world. Possibly the most successful artist worldwide through 2011 was Adele, whose album ‘21’ topped the chart in 27 countries. It seemed just by all viewers of the ITV awards ceremony that Adele’s record-breaking album should win the show’s cult award ‘Mastercard British Album of the Year’. As the night drew to a close and the prestigious award was announced, the predictions of the public were correct and Adele beat Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, as well as Mercury Music Prize winner PJ Harvey, to the accolade.

Every year at the BRITs, the tradition of controversy is normally upheld, whereby a star will collect an award in a drunken manner and swear, or in the case of Liam Gallagher, throw their award into the crowd. As the ceremony neared its end, the annual controversy reared its ugly head as host, James Corden, was forced to interrupt Adele’s acceptance speech to prevent the night from over-running any further. ITV have had to follow the incident with a formal apology to the songstress, who wished to thank her fans for their continued loyalty.

The preceding awards all ran rather smoothly, with the show beginning with the award for Best British Female, which saw Essex’s very own Jessie J pitted against Florence & The Machine, Kate Bush, last year’s winner Laura Marling, and Adele. Adele was tipped for the top, and beat Romford’s Jessica Cornish to the prize. Jessie, who appeared in a revealing, lacy, red gown, was seen humbly applauding and cheering for the star.

Jessie J was later nominated in the British Breakthrough Artist category, which was won by Ed Sheeran, who seemed to be the most unassuming artist on the bill, performing later in just jeans and a T-Shirt. Ed, who was nominated for the most awards with four, also won Best British Male, taking his BRIT-tally to two in just his first year of the ceremony.

Following on from Jessie’s win in 2011, this year saw the Critics Choice award given to upcoming Scottish singer, Emeli Sandé.

After one of the most spectacular opening performances that the BRITs have ever seen with their song Charlie Brown, complete with lights and lasers, Coldplay topped one of the toughest categories of the ceremony – Best British Group, beating Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Chase & Status and Elbow to the prize.
One of the few awards voted for by the public, Best British Single, is always a sought after award, with 10 of the year’s biggest tracks fighting out for the prize.

With three of Essex’s biggest artists, up for the award, Jessie J’s ‘Price Tag’, Pixie Lott’s ‘All About Tonight’, as well as Olly Murs with ‘Heart Skips A Beat’, it would have been fantastic for one of these artists to take the prize. However, teen-favourite’s One Direction triumphed with their debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.

Despite not winning in his category, Olly Murs was flying the flag for Essex as he took to the stage to perform his Number One hit single, ‘Heart Skips A Beat’. After jumping onto the stage to the first beats of the song, the electrifying performance was completed with 70 backing dancers, as well as pop-duo Rizzle Kicks who feature on the song.

Other performances came from Florence & The Machine, Noel Gallagher, as well as Adele, whose performance was highly anticipated following her sensational performance of ‘Someone Like You’ the previous year.

All the way from the US, Bruno Mars and Rihanna appeared, both with tremendous performances. The pair both took the awards for Best International Male and Best International Female respectively. Best International Breakthrough Act went to Lana del Rey, with rockers Foo Fighters winning International Group.

The final prize of the night, for Outstanding Contribution to Music, saw Essex celebrating a win at the ceremony, as 90’s Britpop group Blur were awarded. Essex boy, Damon Albarn, and his fellow band members, last appeared at the awards in 1995 when they performed hit single ‘Boys & Girls’.

Closing the ceremony with 5 of their hit songs, many of the artists and stars at the event were seen dancing around their tables, clearly enjoying the performance and a fantastic night of entertainment.

Fans eagerly anticipate the V Festival 2012 Line-Up

Previous statements from V Festival said that the line-up would be announced this coming Thursday (23rd February). However, it seems that people working hard at Virgin to book guests for the festival may be waiting just a little longer to hear from certain artists...

The line-up release date has been moved two days further, now being announced on Sunday 26th February.

As we draw nearer to the eagerly anticipated announcement, more rumours are spreading across the internet about which artists could be appearing on the bill. 

Previous rumours have included The Stone Roses, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, Professor Green and The Vaccines.

Two of the latest rumours for the event are Lady Gaga and Snow Patrol, who both last played at the festival in 2009. On the Sunday night in Chelmsford, Snow Patrol were pushed further up the bill to headline the event, after Oasis were unable to attend (and later broke up the following week). Lady Gaga's appearance was more popular than organisers must have expected; as fans crowded into the JJB Arena, the gates had to be closed and locked to prevent any further entries. 

With just a week to go, more rumours are set to spread over Twitter and festival-rumour websites, before the announcement at 9pm next Sunday.

V Festival - Criminal or Careful?

A recent report claims that V Festival is to blame for a rise in crime in Chelmsford in the past year. Whilst the statistics seem to show that this is true, I believe that the festival must be praised for how safe it is.

It would be difficult to have such a large and popular festival in the county without there being a crime issue. However, I'm sure if you compared the rates from V Festival to the crime rates from Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Download or T in the Park, you'd probably find that the festival, held in Hylands Park every August, would have the lowest levels of crime.

At any live music event, you're bound to have incidents of theft and drug use, but from my experience from attending V Festival for the past five years, I have always found that the security is second-to-none. Any incidents are dealt with at impeccable speed and with such a professional nature.

The view of the 4Music Stage: crowds are kept controlled

Last year, Sunday night at the festival saw chart-superstars Eminem and Rihanna perform, which was obviously set to cause a mass turn-out. Many fans queued at the V Main Stage all day to see these global phenomenons perform, which caused a larger crowd than they organisers had maybe expected. Irish band The Script featured on the bill just before Rihanna and towards the end of their set, conditions became more crowded and intense. With so many fans trying to get further to the front, people towards the front were being crushed and conditions became more and more dangerous, so security measures intervened.

The Script: Performed before Rihanna at Sunday's V Festival in 2011

The crowds were asked to take steps back, the audience were given water and the security men and women in front of the barrier reacted very quickly to vast numbers of people, predominantly teenage girls, who needed to be removed from the crowd. I have never seen security measures so efficient as this.

The security and police at the festival deserve more recognition than they are given, as conditions like these could have been much worse if their actions and professional standard had not intervened.

Furthermore, the nature of the festival is very different to that of Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. V Festival is renowned for adopting pop culture, with many of the artists on the line up featuring in the chart and on commercial radio stations. As a result of the type of artists on the line up, it is plausible to suggest that visitors of the festival may be younger and the festival is very child and family friendly and therefore, visitors are aware of the nature of the guests around them. 

Pop Culture: Olly Murs at V Festival in Hylands Park last year

Why should there be doubts for hiring the Essex 'working class twang'?

Reports have said that around 70% of business leaders in a recent poll would have 'serious doubts' about hiring someone who spoke with an Essex 'working class accent', but people based in Scottish and Home counties have an accent that promotes 'hard work and success'. I'm sad to say that I'm not totally shocked by this news, but I still completely disagree with these opinions.

With the increase in popularity of the county, Essex finds itself in the media and in the press much more now than it may have done 5-10 years ago. With TV shows like TOWIE, a stereotypical image of Essex girls, and also the boys to some extent, has been portrayed but my opinion is that this image is not entirely true.

Yes, some people in Essex enjoy a spray tan or a session in a sun-bed.
Yes, some people in Essex will have hair extensions, fake eye lashes and fake nails.
And yes, some people in Essex do speak with this typical accent that you hear from the likes of Amy Childs and Sam Faiers.

But - you could find this anywhere! Take a look at Geordie Shore, Desperate Scousewives etc; all of these programmes feature the extreme characters of the region who fully portray the stereotypical image that adheres to the entertainment needs of the public. But take a look further into Newcastle and I'm sure they're not all like the characters from the hit MTV show. Similarly, in Essex, if you branch out, you can find some really beautiful areas that highlight the opposite side of the county that the public never get to see.

It must be remembered, that in TOWIE, a show well known for fitting into the 'dram-ality' genre, many of the scenes are set up for entertainment purposes. Whilst the characters are real people whose lives are fully documented in the show, many of the things we see would not happen in real life it wasn't for the producers asking certain questions and placing them in certain situations. (This isn't to say that the show isn't an entertaining and a hugely interesting watch on a Sunday and Wednesday evening.)

If somebody asked you, what do you think of when you think of Essex, you're likely to answer with the orange tans and hair extensions that you witness in TOWIE. It is debatable whether anybody would consider the top-class education available in Essex. Colchester County High School, King Edwards Grammar School and Chelmsford County High School are three of the country's best schools, with the highest attainment on the League Tables. The latter two, based in Chelmsford, have become so popular that they've had to enforce a tighter catchment area, as so many people across the wider areas of Essex and into London have been applying for places and attending the schools.

So why is it that businesses are feeling reluctant to hire people from Essex? With the best education available across the whole country, businesses should be recognising the intelligence that Essex holds and should be revelling in the talent available to them.

If you take a look at the huge successes that have come out of Essex, it is clear that the county boasts an enormous amount of talent that shows the large capability of people from Essex, that is not being fully understood by these companies:

Olly Murs, Pixie Lott and Jessie J are three of the biggest names in pop in 2012 and continue to progress in the music industry with #1 singles and albums.

Jeff Brazier, Denise van Outen and of course Dermot O'Leary are three of the country's most successful TV presenters, with Dermot even presenting the E! Coverage of the BAFTAs last night, broadcast around the world. You can't be much more successful in the industry than that.

Everybody knows Jamie Oliver, one of the country's most recognised and best-loved chefs, as well as being  Britain's second biggest selling author.

And Essex is even progressing across the pond. Russell Brand and Nick Frost, both Essex boys, have starred in hugely successful films, both in the UK and the USA.

If these names don't promote the hard-work and success previously mentioned from the Scottish and Home counties, I don't know what does.

Everybody in Essex should embrace their accent and be proud of their Essex origin, as it seems clear, success can come from the county, despite the views held by some companies and journalists.