McFly - Brighton Centre, March 20th 2011

So Sunday i went to my first Mcfly gig.
I'd bought the tickets for my older sister as a christmas present, knowing that she's been a big fan since they first started out.
I personally have only just really began listening to McFly for the past year or so, and i usually only go to rock concerts, so i really had no idea what to expect from a McFly concert.
I certainly didn't expect the night to be anything like it was. First thing i noticed when i arrived was the split between fans. 

Firstly there were the young girls who were obviously rather obsessed, ordering the passing staff to get the boys to come outside, another girl recalling a story of how she nearly got arrested for trying to get Danny's autograph.
Then there were the quiet reserved girls obviously just there for a good time, and then the older girls who had been fans since day one and were far passed the over-excited stage. 

Another thing that surprised me was the choice in support acts.
The lead vocalist of the struts reminding me looks-wise of Noel Fielding, with the stage presence of Freddie Mercury, and the cocky confidence of Alex Gaskarth.
And the music of That Sunday Feeling sounded as if it would fit in well supporting bands such as My Chemical Romance.
All of course were BRILLIANTLY talented musicians, who i'm sure will go far in this industry.

Then Mcfly enter the stage, their music far heavier than i ever imagined it to be, and the vocals being oh so perfect, starting out what was to be a SUPERB night.
The setlist ranged from a selection of old favourites, such as All About You and Obviously, to a handful of current tracks from their new album.
Personally for me one of the highlights of the set was Transylvania, as i adore Dougie's unique singing voice, and love the theatrics of the song itself.
Another highlight was hearing Danny rapping along to their cover of Pass Out, as its a song i love, and so different to their usual style.

The energy of the set was non-stop, with Tom, Dougie & Danny continuously moving around the stage, spending time in front of each part of the audience, and really getting into every song.
And the lighting design & pyrotechnics were spectacular.
From a photographers point of view, i found the use of white light & spotlights very effective visually to photograph & the use of blue lighting when the smoke was released really set the scene for that part of the set. I also loved the use of fire for the McFly sign & making it appear as if a waterfall of flames were falling behind the boys during the Encore.

The ONLY little niggle i have was that Harry barely got a chance to speak at all, as my sister has told me that he used to talk far more onstage.
All in all though, i thought the performance was absolutely amazing, and left me wanting to go back and see them again.
There seemed to be the same level of passion within the band that i see at every amazing rock concert i've attended, and although the fans seem a lot calmer, almost every single one of them was dancing & singing along to every song with the passion of any major music fan.

How do Guardian Weekend, Heat and Plan B target their audiences?

Guardian Weekend, Heat and Plan B all target vastly different audiences in a variety
of ways.

Firstly there is Plan B, with its elaborate language and varied music genre topics you can see straight away that they're not targeting the same audience as perhaps top of the pops magazine (of which uses simplified language, and speaks more of musicians personal lives than focusing on their music.)

The market of readers for Plan B is fairly wide-spread within the niche market of music fanatics. They are the type of person who loves music of all kinds and are ipen to new music and genre types. This is shown by the magazine not focusing on a solo genre or stereotype and publishing stories of all musicians whether they're famous or unknown, pop or rock etc.

The way the publication is written is in a conversational, literary sense, the readers are expected to be knowledgeable in all aspects of music and should be able to engage with the cultural references with a good understanding of the text, showing that they are aiming at an intelligent market.

In comparison to other publications - such as Kerrang! magazine - Plan B is exceptionally well designed with a not so busy cover (showing they care more for the featured musician than cluttering the page with mainstream artists to draw in a bigger audience) and huge blocks of text instead of the short to-the-point snippets of text that other music magazines boast, showing that they expect their reader to want to read a well-prosed discussing and gain a sense of another persons opinion rather than be hunting for snappy bits of news.

Plan B was well produced, taking pride in an artistic design, and was only sold in record stores in belief that their readership are more likely to come across the magazine while browsing through record collections than in a supermarket where it would be in the midst of women's weekly's and mainstream magazines.
The writers are giving their readership a voice by never displaying what they say as fact, only opinion, and by leaving a lack of star ratings so that the reader can make up their own mind whether they agree or disagree with a review.

In contrast to Plan B's audience, Heat magazine targets a different type of youth (C1, C2, D) of whome are between the ages of 15 to 26 years, and are very much the "social butterflies" of their society.
By using bright colours Heat is trying to grab the attention of their audience for long enough to draw them in to the headlines, and by cluttering the cover with a variety of celebrities, it is hoping that something will interest their reader.

Ways in which Heat targets its reader is hwith a heavy emphasis on celebrity culture. Their belief is that their readers want a part of this glamorous lifestyle, so by taking paparazzi shot, and dragging these celebrities down to our level, it is giving their readership a hope that stardom is within their grasp, as these celebrities go through the same daily drama as we do in our own lives.

The magazine has a huge focus on appearance, trusting that their audience want to look good and feel good by the clothes they wear. They try to feed this want for beauty by filling their magazine with high-street fashion, make-up tips, diet plans and by making their stars appear unattractive so that we, the reader can feel more attractive.

Women's gossip magazines is a competitive genre, yet Heat stay at the top with clever marketing campaigns which make Heat seem accessible and important in our lives ("going to london to buy heat magazine").
The readership are expected to be familiar with popular culture, for example they should know who "RPattz" and "KStew" are without an explanation. Another thing expected from them is a constant use of social networking, which is why the magazine is constantly promoting their online pages to drive more online traffic to their webpages.

The Guardian Weekend, like Plan B boasts an intelligant audience, while like Heat it also displays much about celebrities, but not in the same way.
The neat structure, artistic design, and well-written articles show that their readers want an intellectual discussion which is full of opinion and that they want to read a supplement that they can be proud to be seen with.

By involving recipes and fine wines, and displaying expensive country houses it is supposed to be giving us a taste and a want for this lifestyle. Perhaps suggesting that their readers are city workers who dream of a place in the country to relax and have dinner parties and such.

The way celebrities are displayed show that they are in no way better than us. The interviews they partake in are full of conversation on their views on important topics rather than gossip, showing that their readership care more for opinion and views rather than news, they want to get to know the featured celebrity as a person rather than a persona.

Lady Gaga - Telephone (acoustic)

This performance left me speechless. Gaga’s vocals during the first section of the song were so flawless and raw.
I may have a SLIGHT obsession with acoustic music right now…there’s just something about the vocal emphasis that draws me in…
Its a shame that she only shows off her vocal ability to this extent during live performances, yet her records all seem to focus on the technological, dance side of the track. I'm hoping that her new album features a wider range of tracks varying in pace, to show off the best of her vocals.

Queen: live at Milton Keynes (1982)

To think this gig i’m watching was 11 years before i was even born.
Yet I am so astounded by the pure brilliance of the band.
No matter how much live music has progressed over the years, this performance shows that when all the pyrotechnics & props are stripped from a performance its the music that captures the audience.

Words can’t explain how jaw-dropping i found this video.
Freddie’s voice and onstage personality, the use of acapella style midway, the moment the music in sync draws back in.
Just WOW.

This is why i love music so much, that a band such as this can still touch peoples hearts this many years on.
That a performance so stripped back as this can capture the hearts and attention of so many people.

I’m saddened that i wasn’t around to experience this at the time.

Queen forever have my heart & utmost respect. <3