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X Factor finalists

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

Working in the music business, I often get asked about the X Factor. It would be hard to avoid hearing about it anyway, having a daughter of a certain age as I do, but I haven’t watched any of it this year. I used to like the auditions and the start of the live shows but last year’s series put me off and now I just can’t stomach any of it. Even the auditions, which used to be fun to watch, have lost their charm. For me the show’s far too over-produced for it to be anywhere close to enjoyable or relaxing viewing, and that’s before I even get to the singers.

Anyway, as I say I often get asked what I think of certain people on the X Factor so I thought I’d take a look at some of the finalists that people keep asking me about, just to see what it’s like this year and to give an honest view of them, having watched none of the build up. I asked my daughter which contestants I should take a look at and she gave me a list of five: James Arthur, Ella Henderson, Jahmene Douglas, MK1 and Rylan Clark. So here we go – this is my one and only X Factor blog and an honest opinion on five of the finalists. I’ll watch one video of each of them and tell you what I think.

James Arthur

I don’t like the moaning thing at the beginning but he seems to have a bit of swagger that’s missing from so many of the others on this kind of show. My daughter would cringe at me using the word ‘swagger’ I’m sure – I used to have a bit, in my youth. Only a bit though. He’s okay – I would imagine the people behind the X factor see him as their ‘credible’ artist. He needs to watch how he uses his range at the top and a smile wouldn’t go a miss – he’s got a very monotone expression that leaks into the vocal occasionally, making it a bit dull.

Ella Henderson

Nice strong voice, weird smiley face when she sings, boring song. ‘Boom, boom boom, even brighter than the moon, moon, moon.’ Honestly…

Jahmene Douglas

He sounded flat right at the beginning and the reverb they pile on his voice doesn’t do it any favours for me but he does have a nice tone and good control. I found it a bit boring after a minute or so though – he’s not the most charismatic of performers and I can’t imagine getting particularly excited by his music.

MK1

She is flat and just not really a very good singer. I see why they’ve been kept in – for the singer/MC/urban element but you really need both to be good for it to work well. He seems to have a decent style but… oh, she’s started rapping now while I’m typing this. I’m going to have to turn it off.

Rylan Clark

Oh dear. My first thought was that he mustn’t be able to hear himself – is there a problem with the sound in his earpiece? Beyond the pitch/tuning issues, he’s not even enunciating properly or completing his phrases. He would be a nightmare to work with in the studio – you’d need some serious skills to get him sounding good on record.

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London 2012 Paralympics

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012

It seems strange that the Olympics finished just over two weeks ago. As engrossed as I was at the time, and as enthralled as the whole nation seemed to be, it feels Olympic fever faded almost as quickly as it grew in the first place. Probably had something to do with the closing ceremony more resembling an X-Factor tour show than a statement of national pride. At least they didn’t reel Paul McCartney out again though, that really would have doused the flames of celebration.

Anyway, leaving my musical opinions to one side, the Paralympics start tonight and I’m hoping we all get behind Team GB as much as we did with the main Games. I’ve said on here before that I’m looking forward to watching some of it and, having had a closer look at some of the sports, here are a few I’ll definitely be watching:

  • Football. I like football anyway, obviously, but visually-impaired football, where all players wear blindfolds to make it even, is just amazing. The ball has a bell in it so they can locate and control it. It’s quite something to watch.
  • Sitting volleyball. I’ve seen a few clips of this already and it looks really exciting – more so than regular volleyball I think.
  • Goalball. An amazing sport for blind athletes that consists of a relatively small court with a goal on each side extending for the entire width. Each team has three players on court at a time and the aim is simple – get the ball (which has a bell in it, like the football) into the opponents goal. It’s a lot harder and more enthralling than it sounds.
  • Wheelchair fencing. One of the sports I’ve decided to try and get into during London 2012 is fencing. I watched a bit of the able-bodied version and found it interesting but slightly baffling – I couldn’t work out what they were doing, basically. So I’ll give wheelchair fencing a go and see if it appeals to me a bit more.

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Wiggins in yellow

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

After the comedown from Euro 2012 and Andy Murray losing Wimbledon, it was nice to have a week or so without watching loads of sport. I’ve picked up the Tour de France again now though and it has really come together for a brilliant last week, with British rider Bradley Wiggins leading the race. He needs to keep hold of the yellow jersey for another five stages to make it a historic overall win, but only three of those stages give his rivals any real opportunity to take it from him – the mountains on Wednesday and Thursday this week and the individual time trial on Saturday. If nothing major happens on those days, like Wiggins crashing or having a serious lack of form in the hills, he should still be in yellow as they arrive in Paris on Sunday. It would be a great day for British sport as no Brit has ever won the biggest race in cycling.

I won’t be cycling through the Pyrenees or into Paris this week, unfortunately. I’ve got a pretty busy week in the studio with it booked out Monday to Friday. We’re recording a single for a Manchester band at the moment, which is going okay. They’ve decided to record it all live which is fairly unusual these days – most bands will record one or two bits at a time, usually with the singer doing the vocals last. I can understand that they want to get a live ‘feel’ to the music in the recording but it does make things a little trickier for them, mainly because they have to get through one perfect take, without anyone messing their part up. They’ve not managed it yet today so we’ll see how we get on – I might have to persuade them to split it up a bit.

I’m off out looking at cars this weekend again, on Saturday morning. We’re going to look at a new Renault Clio so my mate can compare the finance deals to the price he paid for the second hand one he bought last week. He thinks with all the tax, insurance and MOTs you get with the new models it might be worth switching. We’ll see – I’m going to take the opportunity to take a nice brand new car for a test drive, just for the fun of it.

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Successful car buying

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

A good week this week and I feel like I’ve got loads done, without all the football and tennis to keep up with. The band were really cool and we finished a cracking demo for them, which they’ll be sending out to promoters, agents and labels over the next week or so. I had a bit of a stint in a band, many, many years ago. We never got as far as recording a demo or anything but I remember the excitement of thinking that one day someone might discover us and offer us a record deal, or maybe just a slot on the main stage at Glastonbury. That never happened, of course, but the fact that it could have done, by some twist of fate or chance encounter, was enough to keep us interested. We only played one gig, if I remember rightly, then the singer left to go and live in Hong Kong, or something weird like that.

The car shopping trip this afternoon went well, eventually. We sat in traffic for about an hour to get to the first place, which was only seven miles away. My mate was getting really frustrated with it but I just sat playing Frutopia games on my iPad – I’m glad I took that along in the end. He ended up buying a really nice little Renault Clio in the third garage we went to. It’s only a few years old and has done a few miles but it was in perfect condition and he got it for a good price, so that’s him sorted.

Naturally, I didn’t buy anything, but I was sitting in some off-road vehicles that look like a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll scrap the search for a practical, spacious car that I can use for studio stuff and at the weekends, and just get something that’s fun to drive but completely impractical. I’ll have to have a think about that.

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Music and cars

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

After all the sporting excitement over the last few weeks it’s nice to have a bit of a break and think about something else for a change. I’ve got a lot of work on in the studio this week and I’m looking forward to really getting into it. A local band are in for three days recording their first demo and I love the excitement and enthusiasm that brings – they’re so full of optimism and it reminds me of what I was like when I first started in this game. I must be getting old and jaded now.

On Thursday afternoon a mate and I are heading out to look at some second hand cars. We’re planning to get to about six or seven different places so it’s going to be busy, but good fun hopefully. We’ll be looking for him mainly as he’s in desperate need of a run around – he got shunted from behind last week, which wrote his car off, and he needs to get back on the road as soon as possible. I’ll be looking at cars for me, as ever – I still haven’t found the right model for me yet and I’m determined to get the perfect one, and that’s only going to happen if I keep looking. One day, you never know, I might come back from a trip like this having actually bought a car. There seems to be about as much chance of that at the moment as there is of me getting a sporting prediction right.

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Murray in the final?

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

I’ve not watched as much sport as I thought I would this week. I have kept an eye on Andy Murray’s scores at Wimbledon and I’m pleased he’s in the semi final tomorrow but I’ve not felt the need to watch every point, like I have in the past. Likewise the cycling – it is only the first week of the Tour de France and the race won’t be decided yet but I normally watch a lot more than I have been. Maybe all the sport this summer has just got too much for me – and we haven’t even got to the Olympics yet.

Still, it means I’ve had a bit of free time to do some other things. Work was good this week, recording a single for a signed band and doing some mastering work on one of their old albums that they weren’t happy with. I’ve also had a big booking for most of September. It came straight from a record company, which is quite unusual, and they didn’t give many details other than they wanted to record an album. I reckon it could either be a newly signed band they want to get to work as soon as possible or maybe a secret project from an established group. We’ll see – you never know, I might have Justin Bieber in here recording his next album.

I’m winding down for the weekend now really – a bit of sorting out in the studio tomorrow and I guess I will be watching the tennis. Can Andy Murray make it to a Wimbledon final? We’ll find out soon.

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Hamilton wins, England draw

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

My football predictions may not be up to much but it’s possible I might be a bit of a talisman for the British Formula One drivers. I mention that I thought the season was looking interesting and that I was keen to see how the British lot would be getting on and what do you know, Hamilton clocks his first win of the season. Admittedly I would have preferred it to be Jenson Button but you can’t have everything.

The other big news is that Euro 2012 has finally started. I hadn’t intended on watching many of the other matches, apart from England, but after seeing most of the very first match, between Greece and Poland, I’ll admit that I’ve been pretty caught up in it all. I haven’t watched every minute but I’ve watched half an hour here and there and have definitely been keeping up with the results. That’s the thing about a big tournament I guess – you think you’re just going to be interested in your own team but you get seduced by all the drama. Not much drama in our 1-1 draw with France last night but I guess that’s a good thing – I thought it was a fair result.

I’m going to try and not watch too much this week because I’ve got a lot to do – going to a garage that sells used Peugeot cars with my mate tomorrow morning, just for a look around, and a fairly busy time in the studio this week. There’s a local band coming in on Wednesday to record a last-minute England song that they’re hoping to go viral with – should be interesting. Then I’m gearing up for Friday and I’ll definitely be watching the two matches then – Ukraine v France and Sweden v England. I had thought we were playing in the 5pm slot but it looks like I got it wrong, or they’ve changed things, so here are the revised times for the upcoming England fixtures:

  • Friday 15 June, 7.45pm – Sweden v England
  • Tuesday 19 June, 7.45pm – England v Ukraine

My predictions for this Friday are France 3 Ukraine 2 and Sweden 1 England 2. I wouldn’t listen to me though – I’m never right.

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Work experience

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

What did I say about it looking like the Manchester derby would be a crucial game in deciding the winners of the Premier League in 2012? We really did throw away our game against Everton at the weekend, with them coming back from 3-1 down to draw 4-4. I bet it was a great game to watch from a neutral point of view but it was heartbreaking as a Man United fan. Man City, meanwhile, look to be growing in confidence as the season comes to an end. Their problems of a few weeks ago are apparently long gone – is it a coincidence that they’ve picked up since Balotelli has stopped playing? Maybe not.

We’ve got a week until derby day, next Monday, and I’ve got a lot on in that time, which is good to take my mind off it. The studio is full this week, for all five days, which is a bit unusual – not that I’m complaining. I’ve had to take on some help for a couple of days, when we’ve got a band in – a sound engineering student from the university is coming in to give me a hand. A bit like a placement, I suppose, but I’ll give him some cash for it – £20 a day maybe. It gives him some experience and takes a bit of work off me so I guess it’s a win-win situation. I just need to make sure I don’t have to go and see what employment law Manchester solicitors need to advise me on – I’d rather keep it casual.

I’ll watch the Champions League semi-final tonight, Chelsea v Barcelona, which should be a cracking game. Can Chelsea beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp? I doubt it and I predict a 3-1 win for Barcelona, but we’ll see. In some ways I would like to see Chelsea win it, just to show the rest of us that Barcelona can be beaten.

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Five points clear

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

A great start to the week with Man United taking a late 2-0 victory over Blackburn on Monday night. That moves us five points clear at the top of the Premier League, over Man City, and our goal difference is only one behind them now too. I know I’ve said it before but it is at times like this that we really show why we’ve been champions over and over again – not just keeping going but actually improving all the way to the end of the season. I’m not one to gloat too much but it is in quite a contrast to Man City, who seem to be falling apart a bit now. They were arguing amongst themselves at the weekend, playing Sunderland, and there really doesn’t look like there’s much harmony in the team. Balotelli always seems to be at the heart of it too but I think that gives a bit of a false impression – he seems a genuine person to me and not a liability at all, but that’s just from the outside looking in.

We play next on Sunday against QPR but I might have a look at the Champions League and Europa League games in the week, just to see how Chelsea and Athletic Bilbao get on. Otherwise I’ve got a quiet week ahead. The studio is booked out on Wednesday and Thursday for a local band doing a demo and other than that I’m just going to be doing some chores and running a few errands. A friend of mine wants me to go and look at a used Honda Civic with him this afternoon so maybe we’ll stay out for a game of snooker or something after that. The last time we looked at a car together he was about to buy it when I noticed a serious fault in the bodywork, which showed that it had been in an accident previously. Maybe that’s why he’s taking me this time too – he thinks I’m his lucky charm.

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Chilled weekend

Monday, March 26th, 2012

Had a really nice, chilled weekend in the end and did a few things I’ve not done for a long time. I went out with some of the lads on Friday night, to a few Manchester bars, then we all came back to my place for a bit of a party in the games room with a few people we’d met around town. We kept going till about 5am, with most of them staying over on the sofas. A few sore heads in the morning but nothing some cups of tea and bacon sandwiches couldn’t fix.

Did a bit of shopping on Saturday afternoon and went to the cinema in the evening with my daughter. I don’t think I’ve been for about ten years as I’ve got such a good movie system at home but I quite liked it for a change – their popcorn is better than mine too. I didn’t realise Manchester cinemas were so good these days and we were even allowed to take a beer in to drink while watching the movie. I’m sure that never happened when I was a kid.

Football tonight and four full days in the studio for the rest of this week. It’s normally the other way round, busy at the beginning of the week and quiet at the end, but the band I’ve got in wanted it specifically Tuesday to Friday. They’ve been in before though so I know them and it should be good fun. Last time they even let me play on the record a bit – only some tambourine but I still got the credit!

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