Angela Live Blogs Life

, by Unknown

Little Mixes Touch & What It Means For Female Sexuality

I'm not really one to get caught up in online drama. I avoid anything that's fleeting and not all that important. But one thing I simply can't shy away from today was the release of Little Mixes music video for their latest song "Touch," and the immediate backlash it received. Before reading, if you haven't already, you should watch the video here.

Now I know very little about the band itself other than its music which I've actually recently become a fan of. I'm aware their fan base is, typical of pop bands, tween and teenage girls. This is the reason behind most of the backlash against the video that it is too inappropriate for their target audience, that they're "terrible role models to young girls." I have one thing to say to this; it is not Little Mixes job to be a role model to your children. It is a parents responsibility to keep an eye on what media their children are consuming and to decide if it is appropriate or not. I genuinely know parents who took their 12 year old daughter to a Little Mix concert this year and left early due the fact they thought the outfits worn by the four girls on stage were too vulgar. The parents spoke so rudely and condescendingly about the group and how had they known they would never have given such a band the money to fund the hedonistic behaviour. To me, it screamed shoddy parenting by people who knew nothing of the music and interests of their child. I was 12 once - anything I was interested in was pasted onto walls and blasted through the house. Look at what your children are interested in, judge for yourself whether it's appropriate or not and take action. Do not place such a burden onto four girls in their 20's making music. Maybe don't buy your 8 year old that €600 tablet to shut them up so it's actually possible to keep an eye on what they're consuming.

The second biggest criticism of the video is that it is just far too sexual in general, regardless of their audience. The song is about sex. Plain and simple. To think a video accompanying such a song would be anything other that a little sexual is down right naive. This opens a whole other discussion on women and sexuality. There are 36 thousand comments under this video and the biggest theme among almost all of them is that it's too sexual which has made the commenters opinion of the girls go down. Several of them called them sluts, others told the girls they should be ashamed for such behaviour.

Let's think about this shall we? What these comments basically say is that once a woman openly discusses/shares her sexuality her value therefor goes down. Much like a graph; once the openness about sexuality goes up her value as a person/woman goes down. I'm genuinely horrified that we live in 2017 and the majority of commenters underneath this video believe that a woman's value is inherently linked to her sexuality or lack thereof. Fuck off. I don't know how else to explain my disdain other than whoever still believes this can fuck off. Women are sexual beings. We shouldn't have to hide it. We damn well shouldn't worry that our value will decrease if we explore/talk about it. Women are multi faceted enigmatic people who have more than one level. We don't need to be either sexual or valued people. We can be and are both.

One absolutely great thing about this video that isn't being commended is that for once, girls are in charge. Women aren't being used as objects in this video. If you notice, almost completely opposite to every other male artists music video (which by the way never receive the same backlash as this has) the women aren't dancing for the benefit of the men in the video. The men are dancing for Little Mix. A particular scene of the video involves all four members of Little Mix sitting upon chairs looking on indifferently at the men dancing, trying to impress them. Opposed to women shaking their asses while being called sluts, whores and bitches, this video is so much more forward than 90% of the videos in its category. I applaud Little Mix for making a difference in the portrayal of women in media.

Finally, I have to agree with a lot of the negative comments. What is Perrie wearing? But that's it.

So before watching the video remember that:

1) it is no ones job to be your child's role model

2) a woman's sexuality has no correlation to her value.

3) the video is refreshing in its portrayal of women in front of the male gaze. We're not just there to be hyper sexualised without our consent and talked about like pieces of meat. We can have control too.

4) I'm sorry Perrie I'm not a fan of the nude corset.

Check back to see my next post and thanks for reading!

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, by Unknown

band

An Interview With The Assist

This Saturday the 24th of September up and coming band The Assist will open for Rat Boy on the Birmingham date of his tour. But how they nabbed this slot is that like nothing you've heard before. Essex born Rat Boy posted for up and coming bands to send him their music for a chance to open his gig in the O2 Institute Birmingham. And the Assist's luck was totally on their side.

But it wasn't all down to luck. It was hard work and talent that made them stand out from the other 2,000 entries Rat Boy and his team received. The Assist, consisting of brothers Mikey and Ryan Stanton, Jak Baker and Ben Faulkner, have been a band for some time now. Between gigging and writing this is one hardworking band. Since starting in home town Walsal the boys have played along side the likes of The 1975, The Enemy and Happy Mondays. That isn't to say they aren't fond of letting their hair down and partying. Their latest song and video 'Things Get Good' shows just that. .

I caught up with lead singer of The Assist Mikey Stanton ahead of their gig on Saturday to find out more about the band.

Listen to the boys' latest single 'Things Get Good' here.The Assist's EP 'Trouble' is available on Spotify and iTunes now and you can buy tickets to their show with Rat Boy here.

Let's start at the beginning. How did The Assist become a band?

The Assist to begin with were just 4 lads of a very large friendship group. Gigs, festivals and nights out were all things we use to get up to. With 3 of the 4 of us having all been experienced in playing our chosen instruments it was just a matter of finding a singer. After numerous bedroom jams the process was pretty straight forward as the song writing began. I found myself to begin with often rapping over the top of any guitar melody my brother (Ryan) had wrote, we later realised it was a singer that was required and sadly not Eminem.

Who inspired you to make music?

Music was a massive part of our lives from such a young age. So the idea of a band was something we always had in mind. Bands like Blur and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had such a laid back approach to how they performed and it was more so friends making music together as opposed to work. We were really inspired by that style of music and felt that it's the best way to unlock your potential when it comes to writing etc. It all comes down to whether or not you are enjoying the process, if you are having fun we find the results come a lot quicker.

You have a very unique sound that seems to be influenced by many eras and artists. Who do you think are the biggest influencers of your music so far?

We have such a wide array of influences that range from Amy Winehouse to Eminem. Good production can be found in all styles of music, listening to Amy Winehouse a lot there are certainly some great jazz chords throughout and she delivers her vocal with so much soul. We try to harness what comes out in the studio as much as possible and play to our own strengths. I think if you concentrate too much on what other people sound like it's too easy to fall into the trap of becoming just another soundalike.

Are there any bands or artists you'd like to mimic the career of?

There are plenty. It's too easy to say we want to be the greatest of all time and be a worldwide success. Obvious artists such as Oasis and Arctic Monkeys have had numerous successful albums and have stayed relatable for so many years now. However if we can do it in a way that has never been done before I'd much prefer to do it our way. Create a path of our own, maybe make one album which is a worldwide success and then release a greatest hits off the back of just one album aha!

What has been the highlight of your musical career so far?

This summer has been great. Having played both Leeds and Y Not festival we've put a lot of time into our performance so we've made sure that over the festival season we managed to enjoy ourselves as well as working hard. Hometown gigs have always been big highlights for us also. As good as the support slots are it's always great to play close to home and see familiar faces. Our headline at the Slade rooms in Wolverhampton was a top night. To play to a sold out crowd at such an iconic venue was a great feeling. And we always find time for a half naked crowd surf for good measure.

You sound like a very bad ass rock band. In your opinion who do you think was/is the most bad ass rock band of all time?

As far as bad ass bands go it would probably have to be Oasis throughout the 'Definitely Maybe' years. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers however aren't the best behaved and their music is a great inspiration of ours.

What was each members initial reaction to finding out you would support Rat Boy?

To begin with we were all for the after party and was overwhelmed to finally have someone to celebrate the night with. However it became clear to us that the show was going to be a big one considering how much industry backing Rat Boy has and how well he has done for himself this past year. We're familiar with the lads themselves having bumped into them at this year’s festivals, they are a great bunch of lads and give back to music incredibly well. We are extremely appreciative of the support they have shown us and our music.

What's the best and worst parts of touring?

There are very few bad parts of touring. Personally I'd say the consistency of the boots meal deals is the only negative. Service food and a lack of sleep isn't great but it's all part of the process. As well as the partying and spontaneous behaviour, meeting new people and seeing the country you live in are great benefits of touring. The time you get to spend together as musicians definitely pays off too.

What does it feel like to know you've played alongside such huge names like The 1975 and Disclosure?

It's a great attribute to have as a band because it's attractive to an outsider looking in. For ourselves it keeps us motivated having seen the way they tour. Slots like those are real eye openers to the endless possibilities in this industry if you reach the top.

If you all were to shuffle your iPod right now, what are the first four songs that would play?

Our bassist seemed to get stuck in that MC phase that we all go through. Perhaps a little longer than usual so you may find the likes of MC devvo on his playlist. I can't remember the last time I personally updated my iPod so you'd probably find plenty of indie classics from the early 21st century, artists like Hard-fi and Gorillaz. The other two lads are way too indie for iPods I'm afraid. Spotify seems to be their thing these days and their current playlist at the moment consists of Hot Chip, Bad Sounds and Sundara Karma. Once again a wide range of music genres.

What are your favourite albums of all time?

There aren't many albums I can listen to straight through without skipping a track or two other than Peace's second album 'Happy People'. As for Ryan his favourite is Arctic Monkeys debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'. Ben chose 'Pills, Thrills & Nellyaches' by Happy Monday's and Jak is a big fan of Pearl Jam's 'Ten'.

You all clearly love a good party but what makes the best party playlist?

Classic ‘80s dance music is a must at any party. It's great to end the night on ‘90s Madchester tunes too. I'm a sucker for a love song if romance is in the air, maybe something like 'You Sexy Thing' by Hot Chocolate.

Do you prefer house parties or night clubs and why?

Certainly prefer house parties to nights out. As good as gigs are it's always great to have the comfort of someone's home. House parties don't necessarily always mean no gigs either! We have previously performed at a house party. It's much easier to socialize.Nights out are often screaming in each other's ears to drown out the sound of those average DJ's. You aren't limited as to what you can and can't listen to at a house party.

What's the worst thing you've lost on a night out?

We've lost Jak himself numerous times on nights out. He enjoys his own company after a drink, I'm sure he converses with his own brain sometimes. We've also lost the van key ten minutes before we were due on stage so we had to smash a window or two so that we could load in.

Finally, do you have any last words for people who have just discovered your music?

I'd say just to listen with an open mind. We will release our new single before the end of the year.

Listen to the boys' latest single 'Things Get Good' here.The Assist's EP 'Trouble' is available on Spotify and iTunes now and you can buy tickets to their show with Rat Boy here.

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, by Unknown

personal

Growth

(This is a wall collage from my bedroom at home, aged and a little childish. But it distills something so raw about being a teenager.)

I moved out last week. That's right, Angela "One Melt Down A Week" Healey has been trusted to move three hours from home and live alone. But I have been ready for this move for what feels like a very long time. One thing that really struck me, while looking around my room before I packed all my things away, was just how much I've changed over the last few years.

If you've seen my room tour you'll know that my walls are covered in collages, posters and concert tickets. Over time I've accumulated things that meant a great deal to me. Articles by Jamela Jamil that resonated with me from a magazine that went out of print over a year ago. Tickets from museums and train tickets from cities I want to visit again. Everything mashes together to make a homely and gorgeous bedroom. But upon closer inspection the walls of that room show just the depth of my personal growth. Concert tickets from bands I no longer like but obsessed over at 15. Photos from magazines of girls I aspired to look like but would never hope to look like now. Even better are the girls who wore what, at the time, I wanted the confidence to wear but simply didn't have. I made art out of lyrics that touched my soul. But now my soul is different. I'm different.

This point was reiterated when I noticed a cutout of a girl with a nose piercing bluetack-ed to my wall. This was a photo I had put up to encourage me to pierce my own nose. Something I have wanted for years and something I had done less than a month ago. The photos of all the girls with short hair that I put on show to have the balls to try it out myself, which I did earlier this year aswell. The "I like books more than people" cut out had so much angst it made me unconfortable to look at. There are photos of bands that once meant the world to me but now provide little solace when I need it. And that's because my problems have changed. What stressed 15 year old Angela out doesn't anymore. And I couldn't be happier about that.

When I think about how much personal growth I have been through I honestly shock myself. Just like every other person on the planet, as my age has increased so has my confidence and my abilities. I'd be lying if I said there have been times where I feel like I'm stuck back in 16 year old Angela's head again. Where I'm too scared to walk past the huge group of girls coming my way or I'm too nervous to eat before I start the day. But these moments are fleeting and for every panic attack there are 18 conversations started that younger Ang definitely wouldn't have started. Everyone is their own worst critic and if all we do is focus on how little some aspects of ourselves have changed we'll fail to notice all the fantastic things we do every day which would have been unthinkable a few years prior. I can walk with my head held high, nose ring sparkling in the sunlight as my short hair blows in the breeze knowing that at 19 years old I've come a long way from the shirvelled up terrified Ang that once thought she had grown all that a person could.

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, by Unknown

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Am I Provoking You

Little Mixes Touch & What It Means For Female Sexuality

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Growth

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How Not To Rape

Instragram

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