Straylight Run is an indie rock band originating from Long Island, New York; a place where other infamous bands such as Taking Back Sunday and Brand New have emerged. Band members include John Nolan on Vocals/Guitar/Keyboard, Shaun Cooper on Bass Guitar, and Will Noon on Drums.

As part of touring around Australia with the Soundwave Festival, the various genre of bands
all played warm-up side shows the night before hitting the main stages at each of the states. While in Melbourne, Straylight Run played at the Next! at Colonial Hotel, corner of King and Lonsdale St, along with Jaguar Love and Minus the Bear.

Now, my companions that night included (by their blog IDs) Chicken, Patrick, Chau! and Veeble; a bunch of crazy hooligan friends I picked up around my first year of university. Actually, change of plans, I seem to have writers block, so from now on, I’m just going to write as I talk…no more structured sentences! (Thanks Chicken!)

Ok, so here’s the story, we were in the city at about 6pm, and the show was scheduled to start at 9pm, so we had a good 3 hours to eat and bum (As in laze around! Don’t think dirty!! O_O).
In the end we ate at the Nandos along King St, and guess who came in! Straylight Run themselves!! My body almost died from sheer shock and happiness! I was just going to hide and spy on them for a while, but luckily my companions had more sense than me to convince me to talk and get photos with them, we did, and now I cherish these photos more than table tennis balls!

Anywhoooo, we got in the place at about 9pm. Next! is a nicely designed place, a darkish atmosphere with a light red glow theme (sorry I don’t remember much more!). The small stage was, of course, the central point for the venue, with various balconies and reserved places to view the performance.

The show started on time with Jaguar Love performing first, no offence, but they sounded horrible. With only two members, an OKish guitarist (using a Gibson SG guitar) and a crazy frizzball vocalist (with a cat’s screech for a voice), plus a tape for backup drums and sync, the whole thing sounded like a very loud and noisy mess…

Next, Straylight Run! They performed an array of old and new songs. Let me also note, that Will Noon is a mad drummer (in a good sense!) He really rips those drums like no tomorrow!
Starting off with Wait and Watch, they immediately captured my attention with its mixture of a melodic piano tune and thudding drum and bass beats, followed by a more heavier and aggressive chorus bellowing “I’m gonna wait and watch the world die!”
Mistakes We Knew We Were Making had a similar format, but with its chorus being a bit more cheery (poppy?) and less demanding. This was the song when I forgot about all my troubles. The lines “So we bottle and shelve, all our regrets…” and onwards really made me feel at bliss, and temporary shielded me from the issues and problems I was experiencing at the time…Thanks Straylight Run! =)
Around the middle of the set, they played a new song, I think it was called I Do, but definitely not sure! Being the incurable nature of a live performance, it was hard to process and understand the new song completely, but it sounded like it had something to do with marrying someone?
Existentialism on Prom Night needs to be mentioned, as it is mine and Chicken’s song. Not much to note about this particular performance, except that without former member, Michelle Nolan’s guitar strums, it sounded very empty and naked, not that I’m complaining! I quite like this broken down version!
They finished off with an emotionally high Hands in the Sky, which I felt left a very foreboding and hollow feeling in the air, constantly echoing “…they’ll tell you when they’re hungry again… they’ll tell you when they’re hungry again… they’ll tell you when they’re hungry again…” A good mysterious and sense-hungry impression to leave on the audience!

Well, we left after their performance, we didn’t wait to watch Minus the Bear (personally, I didn’t want to risk another Jaguar Love like performance).

We all got home safely and that’s the end! I realise that I wrote too much! So if you read up to here, thanks for bearing to read all this nonsense! Really appreciated! I am definitely not a writer, nor do I particularly enjoy writing, so please don’t criticise my review too badly!

I would give Straylight Run’s side-show a whooping 5/5 ducks! They performed perfectly and well! Not relying on bopping heads and hardcore ‘rocking out’ like some other idiotic bands out there! Now, off to get Roast duck on my next outing! YUM!

Trung!Read more...

Since we have been on the topic of vampires, I will share you a story of MY vampiric experience.
I am talking about a place where people wholeheartedly, willingly, cheerfully and indubitably provide their souls blood to vampires the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. Okay, okay so it isn't vampire Edward Cullen or Vlad per se. However, the ARCBS secretly ARE people who are hungry for blood and determined to get some out of you.

I was a donator once. No, I had donated 3 times! So do not judge me for I am not just a blood-vampire-hater-playa-foo-poo but a victim of ARCBS blood sucking ways.

I was everything but cynical and was genuinely excited yet nervous for I am human to feel nervous. I was going to lose a can-full of blood after all. My conscience reassured me that I would be saving at most 3 people or 5 babies so it's all going to be O.K!
When I first came in, I had to wait a while, get interviewed blah blah ...ANYWAYS ... They took my blood and all was well! They thanked me heaps, then they fed me well with shake and cookies and even a free ice-cream voucher!
All was great!
I was excited to donate again! I felt so good-willed, being a student nurse I was aspired to even work there one day!

The second time was not the same.
In fact it was bitter.
It was cold.
I had disappointed them.
This time I had low blood pressure. My blood wasn't flowing out of me adequately enough. They scolded me to drink more (while baring their 2 sharp front fangs of course). In the end I didn't give enough and they told me with this amount, it probably won't but MIGHT save one person! I felt horrible. They didn't thank me. They didn't offer shakes nor cookies so I took my leave (but I graciously had some shake+cookies because I can!) while they greased me off when I was not looking.

So I thought I would redeem myself third time round. I had thought wrong. They hurried me onto the chair and hastily prepared the venipuncture to suck me dry. I had low blood pressure again or I was not squeezing the stress ball hard enough for they sunk their needle teeth into my arm and missed my vein. Oh the P A I N! And then came the BRUISING.
This abomination lasted 2 weeks plus! It disabled me with my activities of daily living! Bella Swan sure has neat marks in her arm! Not I.

I wanted to cry.
I wanted to run.
But I didn't.

I tried to stay brave. These blood nurses did not give up though. They didn't care for me and my mind-boggling pain! They were thirsty and just wanted my blood!
So they tried my other arm. Again no luck for I was still low in blood pressure. No apologies were given to me.

I was a blunder.
A let down for their blood bank.
They made me feel like I was an absolute disgrace to society and that my soul just could not help others as my blood would not pour like a river of red blood cells, white blood cells etc.
Nevertheless, they were insistent with a desperate urgency that I return again for the next donation of blood for them to drink.

I never came back.

My excuse was my blood pressure is just too low.
But I am afraid of their teeth-needle and their over enthusiasm for my blood.
I shall help others by being a better, caring, non-vampiric nurse myself.

Maybe one day I would find my inner were-wolf courage and face the ARCBS blood suckers again with a full can of my appetising and luscious blood to those in TRUE need.

The Chicken gives the ARCBS:
1 out of 10 drops of blood. (Because I STILL have low blood pressure). Read more...

Warning to those who may read this piece, this is more like a review on my life. So stop if you think it may bore you!

Today was the first day in long time that I got the chance to walk in the rain. Unfortunately I had forgotten to take an umbrella with me...either way it was wonderful! It gave me time to relax and take in the wondrous scenery, reflect on where my life is heading and whatnot. I still don't know what i want to do with myself, nor where my head space is at. But after that long invigorating walk, though nothing in my life has changed, I feel I can relax a bit more. Everything in my life right now feels like a blurr, I can't make up my mind on simple decisions and i rely solely on the chance of a coin. Simple things, like whether or not i should give someone a call, should i go out to a party or curl up to a book. I even tossed a coin on whether or not i should make this post about my walk in the rain. I feel like I'm under a lot of pressure, but that pressure is non existent. I put too much on my plate, but like doing that, it makes me feel like i may have a purpose, like I'm doing something. Either way, it makes me happy, sometimes sad, sometimes just bland...a bit numb. The walk in the rain made me realised that my life would be happier if i took more walks in the rain, so please god let it rain more!

"I love going for walks in the rain because nobody can see that I've been crying". One of my favourite quotes, because it used to be true. Now I like walks in the rain because it is peaceful, my form of therapy.Read more...