randonsreviews

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TIME FOR A CHANGE: RANDON’S REVIEWS HAS MOVED!

Hi folks,

As you may or may not know, I launched a new page for this blog on New Year’s Day, which you can check out HERE. While this blog will remain online, as I remain proud of a lot of the content still on here, I feel that the move was a necessary action in order to reassess my priorities when it came to writing about music. I had become consumed by making the blog look perfect, and it impacted on the quality of the content. That changes now. It’s time to give a fuck about the writing again, and worry about all the other stuff later.

I’m in the mindset now where the number of subscribers I have is not important, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mean the world to me if you checked out the new blog and subscribed via your Google accounts. 

The Facebook page is still active, as is my personal Twitter, and as ever, I’m always on the look-out for new bands and artists. Musicians/managers/PRs etc., if you have something that you think will pique my interest, you can send me your stuff at [email protected].

Perfection is bullshit. See you on the new Randon’s Reviews!

***RANDONSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK***

Danny

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Treated myself yesterday. Got to be one of my favourite albums of the last few years.

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I started my internship at Hassle Records one year ago to the day. From flogging merch at some of Lonely The Brave's shows (as seen here on my first day at a very sweaty Old Blue Last) to allowing me to contribute at A&R meetings to running their social media, I am truly appreciative of the fact that they have had me do so much more than make the tea and do the photocopying. I've met some amazing people and been given so many wonderful opportunities, so here's to many more. S/O to all the Hassle crew (Wez, Mease, @captainhowdy89, @charliexsimmonds etc), @lonelythebrave, @frankieromustdie and everyone else I've had the pleasure of working with so far. TEAM HASSLE 4 LYF.

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Saved up my pocket money and bought this today. 1 of 2000, limited edition reverse coloured sleeve. I'm a sucker for @royalblooduk.

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Holy fucking fuck, I'm at the motherfucking Kerrang! Awards! FUCK. #relentlesskerrangawards (at Troxy)

#relentlesskerrangawards

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Scamps. @milkteethpunx (at The Joiners)

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Did a merch for @lonelythebrave last night. Still clueless.

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Had a really bloody lovely time watching @lonelythebrave play a stripped-back set at a quaint little West London theatre tonight. It's incredible what they've achieved up to this point. (at Tabernacle, Notting Hill)

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My last ever #RadioSelfie from my last ever show on @pure_fm. Goddammit, I still don't know how to smile properly. #PureFMAltMed

#purefmaltmed #radioselfie

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THIS ONE’S FOR RINGO...

Greetings friends,

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Indeed I am very sorry that it has been so long since I’ve posted on this blog, and I do wish that I had been able to post something sooner.

I’ll try and keep my explanation as concise as I can: as many of you may know, I’ve only just submitted my dissertation, declaring me ‘free’ from university after three years (although it wasn’t as much of a prison as so many people see it, I’ve loved most minutes of it). It is something I am extremely proud of, and I was able to do some incredible things during its conception, namely interviewing Columbia Records’ co-president Mark Terry, Hassle Records founder (and world’s coolest boss) Wez and Rick McMurray, drummer of Ash (my all-time favourite band, in case you miraculously didn’t know).

Completing my dissertation wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but without listing off my entire list of acknowledgements, I’d like to thank everybody who helped me pull through. So yeah, cheers for that.

I can’t wait to get back into writing on my own terms after handing in my final ever piece of university work, but there is another reason why I haven’t updated Randon’s Reviews in a long time: if you are connected to me on any form of social media, you may be aware of the passing of Nick ‘Ringo’ Southall on 6th May. I’d struggled recently with figuring out who my ‘best friend’ was, but through being my Dad’s best friend for 24 years, I would feel comfortable in saying that Ringo was my best friend as well. Not only a best friend, but from the day he gave me my first drum kit when I was seven years old, Ringo was a mentor, a role model, and a source of invaluable wisdom and insight. Even in his final days, he was a true rock star.

Today (22nd May) is the final date of said rock star’s ‘Farewell Tour’, where he is being laid to rest in his hometown in the Midlands. I unfortunately couldn’t be there for the burial, but over the last few days, I’ve been thinking back to my last encounter with Ringo. I visited him in hospital five days before his passing, and I remember telling him that I was on the fence about going to Hassle Records’ 10th birthday party, due to the dissertation being still very much ‘in progress’. In true Ringo fashion, he gave me a bollocking for being so tentative, and told me that I should take every opportunity that comes my way, especially one where I would be able to hang out with the likes of Frank Iero and Daniel P Carter.

As sieve-like as my memory is, that is one piece of advice that I will never forget. Maybe I did re-launch Randon’s Reviews at an inconvenient time, with my final year at uni being more consuming than I could ever have foreseen, but I took it on last summer because I was finally getting some recognition within the industry and I wanted something to show for it, and as long as it serves as a platform for me to speak my mind about the things I love (and the things I hate), I will not give up on this blog.

Even as I type this, my mind is abuzz with ideas for new content – I don’t know when those ideas will formulate, but I do know this: the future is full of opportunities, and this is quite possibly the opportunity to light the touch-paper. It would be disrespectful of me, not to mention extremely stupid, to turn it down.

This one’s for you, Ringo. It’s time to (as he would say) ‘man the fuck up’ and get back in the game.

In memory of Nick ‘Ringo’ Southall (16th March 1971 - 6th May 2015) - Miss you loads buddy x

RR

#RANDONSREVIEWS #music journalism #music #RIP

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Can't wait to finally get this piece of shit finished. It's going to be a very long weekend.

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Watching @frankieromustdie soundcheck for Hassle Records' 10th Birthday Party, sounding gnarly! (at The Black Heart)

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Always a pleasure, never a chore hanging out with @frankieromustdie. What a guy. (at The Wedgewood Rooms)

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Yeah, I'm watching that @frankieromustdie bloke from side of stage right now. This is surreal but awesome. (at The Wedgewood Rooms)

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When I came to university nearly three years ago, I had no intention of getting involved in radio, but I took a punt and being part of Pure FM has been one of the best things I've ever done in my life. Last night, my show, Alternative Medicine, won 'Best Radio Show' at the UPSU Student Awards, and I cannot actually find the words to explain how stoked I am. It is an absolute pleasure to accept this award, but it couldn't have been done without the support of everyone at Pure, all of the guests who have ever taken the time to appear on the show, and above all, anyone who has ever tuned in over the last two and a half years that the show has been on the air. What a way to round off my time at Pure FM - onwards and upwards! (at The University of Portsmouth Students' Union)

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Work denied me the holiday I booked for Record Store Day, but I still managed to get to @pieandvinyl after my shift to grab this absolute beauty.

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I said a few words about @marmozets' phenomenal gig at @wedgewoodrooms in the latest issue of The Galleon. Pick up a free copy on UoP campus now if you fancy a read (online version coming soon).