2007: overview

i think it's late/cold/drunk enough to do this now. not that anyone will read it. Suffice to say that I have emerged a very different person from the one that went into the year.

January - Move into new house in the city centre. Have huge party which Maths play its first show at but also nearly get me and my parents chucked out of before we've really moved in. Don't. Worth It. Still hung up on a total bitch which is ongoing from the previous summer.

February - Meet a new girl (J) while still with old one. Self-esteem not great. Sleep with old girl (C) for first time, after a hugely emotional discussion and what the fuck is going on. Her mum finds out, isn't pleased. I go on holiday next morning. Don't sleep. Decide while on Holiday I'm much better off with C and maybe I should see how things go with J. In retrospect. It probably would have been a bit more considerate of me to give it some more time before moving on. But the bitch nearly completely wrecked my life and it was a huge relief to be out. Maths play first 'proper' gig in lowestoft. Get beaten up by certain tough guys from St.Albans who recently went on tour with Enter Shikari. Record a two track demo by the end of the month. all is well.

March - See J for a bit. pleasant for a while but ultimately doesn't go anywhere/work out. I meet another new girl (F) whom I have an annoying crush on but she has a boyfriend and seems happy. I respect that. See Poison the Well in Colchester. IT SNOWS ON THE WAY HOME. Play some more shows.

April - F breaks up with her boyfriend, I let her know how I feel, she isn't interested. Maths play more shows, write new songs.

May (Huge) - After saying she wasn't bothered. F, after walking her home on a night out, reveals she does like me too but still feels kinda bad for it. We talk for a good couple hours, she says she wants to kiss me. Does. for a few moments bliss. Then, she decides that actually no, this isn't going to work and she doesn't want it. I'm crushed. Don't sleep again. A few days later, I play my first shit show with Maths. this is a key turning point. It's a weird night because I'm frustrated at how badly it went, but also at how, a friend of mine while very drunk called these girls some horrible names we have as an in-joke, then blames it on me, but the situation is too funny for me to care about taking any kind of blame and I just laugh.
This utter mess of a few days makes me to decide to hop on a train to Newcastle and see this girl I've talked to online for nearly 2 years. It is an utterly insane moment and I have a ridiculous journey getting there; stranded for 2 hours in Peterborough, on a Sunday, pissing down with rain, people getting crushed on platforms, all because some deer ran into a tunnel and fucked everything up. As a result, I get to Newcastle two hours later then planned and only see Biffy Clyro's encore. Still a bit confused as to what the hell I'm doing there, the first night is a tiny bit awkward, as I meet the people I would get to know so well. Who knew that the risk I took would end up being the happiest risk of my life.

June - I return home and pretty much don't leave it for a couple weeks, despite some good shows and parties to go to. Don't see the point. I get into Fucked Up and they pretty much end all other Hardcore Punk for me. They are the quintessential. Otherwise, my music tastes take a huge leap towards the happy and more upbeat. Maths record EP. it is one of the most stressful weeks of my life. by the 3rd or 4th day I wasn't having much fun anymore and I first discover how much Matt (our guitarist and songwriter) can annoy me. This ends up being deadly. It is here where I began to stop really liking our Music. The production was rubbish and I didn't enjoy recording it. Jen visits me in Norwich for the first time straight after and, although we don't have a lot to do, it's still great. Finish College.

July - Festivals! Go to Latitude with my parents, it's quite fun, see some great bands. Fall in love with The National. Following Weekend, I go to Prague with a group of friends to Fluff Fest, a hardcore festival for 15 QUID. Being onstage with Converge watching as they completely blow my mind; during 'Last Light' I sing "This is for the Hearts still beating" with Jacob Bannon and then fall into the crowd straight after. It is an incredible moment. Weekend after that, I go on tour with Cutting Pink With Knives. It is one of the most amazing week's of my life (thanks to some people on here too) and I get to see my girlfriend on tour. Momentarily saves the band.

August - See Fucked Up play 4 songs at tales of the jackalope at 2am only to get pulled for being "too violent". Have a massive 2 weeker where, I go to york with two friends to move into one of theirs new houses for the next year at uni. Stay there a couple nights. It's really good fun. Then go onto Newcastle, to see Jen who has an empty house. We party and chill respectively. I visit Glasgow and some of Jen's relatives for the first time; it's amazing. See Slint play a lukewarm performance of Spiderland at ABC. Next day head back to Newcastle see Interpol, only for them to cancel literally 5 minutes before they take stage. Silly Carlos. No matter. Go to Leeds Festival two days later. After an initial hissy fit (missing home) I have an amazing weekend where me and Jen probably become our absolute strongest. Come home not really wanting to go home anymore. See Sonic Youth weekend after. It's not as huge as me meeting them the morning after in a holiday inn in Camden.

September - Next two months are pretty heavily toured ones for Maths. This takes its toll. Regardless, I get to spend the weekend with Rolo Tomassi and it's really amazing. In London they put on a captivating performance and in Reading I find out that they're amazing people. We play first in Reading (2pm) so our being there is rather irrelevant. Regardless, I get chatting to Eva and have an amazing time, we become really good friends and I feel really pleased for it. By now I'm fully into Emo or American Indie. Loud music is pretty much non-existent in my life. I have a small dilemma about whether to go to University through clearing when I realise all my friends have gone without me. Decide to stick with band. heh.

October - Play gigs everywhere. Jen, has two epileptic fits in a week, as a result, we don't go to Manchester as planned on my birthday. Instead I turn 19 with her in Newcastle, and we can't do much because of her shaky health, but it's still good just to be with her and to see that it's not all bad. I'm kinda stressed out by her varying health. This doesn't help when I play a weekend of shows with Maths (that we previously discussed as being potentially pointless) but we do it anyway and the band nearly falls apart. The obvious cracks show themselves and I finally have enough and can't stand it any longer. I just find some of the band's attitudes and behaviour too much and can't cope. We have a huge emotional discussion at the end of it though, and everything seems OK. I spend Halloween with Tomassi in Birmingham. Do a few training days for my new job at the Theatre. Don't talk to anyone.

November - Plan to go to Glasgow to see The National and Deerhunter in a weekend but my girlfriend becomes hospitalised. Luckily she's allowed out after a day so we still get to travel up and see Deerhunter. Attempts at writing new material goes sour when I'd show up to practices and just not be particularly interested. I don't like the music we play or the people much either. After a weekend of shows (which I stayed behind to play as my friends went to Newcastle without me, gee thanks guys) The guys have enough and kick me out of the band. At first I accept it, then I get angry/worried. then I get over it again. Start my job at the theatre, it's mostly a lot of fun and I meet some good people.

December - Go to London with Jen (as a birthday present from her) to see Interpol. I have a really nice day but it pisses it out and the gig is utter tripe. Me and Jen go see my friend in York, and then Interpol in Newcastle, rescheduled from August. It is utterly amazing. I finally get to see PDA! Sent UCAS. A friend from college dies in a road accident. People came home this week, and it's been great hanging out with them again. For new years I plan to be with Jennifer either in Newcastle or Glasgow.

overall, I give it would get a 7.5. Arguably one of my most important years where I learnt and changed a lot. but not my most enjoyable (2nd to 2005). I saw a lot of my favourite bands this year and was probably where I decided I don't like gigs much any more; was part of a reasonably successful one myself, and found love that actually really means something. Incredibly lucky in that respect but never taken for granted, not any more anyway. I still manage to over think EVERYTHING and I'm still horribly scared of Death, but that's standard. What's important is that the majority of my friends that I care about (more or less) are all still here and I can use a lot of my experiences for the future. I may have given up and grown out of pretty much all heavy music, which wasn't a massively popular decision at times, but I don't regret it, and I'm still just as massively moved and influence by what I listen to now.

2008 promises; an amazing summer, festivals, radiohead and my bloody valentine. A fresh start at Uni where I can finally get the fuck out of here. And hopefully a band with people I can stand for longer than five minutes and creating something I genuinely believe in and can put my heart and soul into.

that was a load.

LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends