What Really Grinds My Gears #3

"Shouldn't you support someone like Cardiff or Swansea?"

The geographic ignorance towards Wales.

I know Wales is hardly a major player on the world scene. I can forgive a bit of ignorance when it comes to someone say from Brazil or India or even somewhere in Europe not entirely sure of whether Wales is a country or a region or a principality. However, it's fairly inexcusable when it's only one of your two bordering countries.

When I tell English people I'm Welsh, this is usually the conversation that follows...

"You don't sound Welsh"

Well actually there isn't a particularly strong twang on the North Wales coast, that's why my accent is a garbled kind-of-scouse-manc-welsh hybrid... Once you go a few minutes inland then there is a noticeable change in accents.

"Oh... I went to Cardiff once, is that near you?"

No, as I'm pretty sure I mentioned, I'm from North Wales. Cardiff is in South Wales. As I also referenced with regards to my accent, I'm actually closer to Liverpool and Manchester.

"But Wales is tiny I bet it only takes twenty minutes to get from one end to the other."

Yes, Wales is a fairly small country but still has around of over 3,000,000 people and the drive to Cardiff, while not huge on a distance scale, is marred by winding country roads and tractors round every corner.

"So you're from the Valleys then?"

No, they are also in South Wales and actually even on a Welsh scale are a fairly small part of our country

"Whatever, you're still a Taff!"

Again, no, I'd be a Taff if I was from South Wales, a reference to the river Taff which begins in the Brecon Beacons and joins the sea in Cardiff. If we're going to start name-calling, technically I'm a Gog. As in Gogledd Cymru which translates as North Wales, you English bastard. 

"Oh yeah, Welsh. That crazy language with no vowels."

Wrong again and don't steal jokes from Jimmy Carr. We actually have two more vowels than English and vowels are frequently used in Welsh despite those stereotypes.

And before you ask, when it comes to football, I support Manchester United.

"What?! Why don't you support Cardiff or Swansea?"

Look mate, as I mentioned, geographically I'm a lot closer to Manchester than I am to both of those places, and even closer still to Liverpool...  Do you want me to draw you a map?

"No, I'm alright,"

Well sit down and shut up because I'm doing one anyway!

So you see, I'm actually nowhere near Cardiff or Swansea.

"Well why don't you support Rhyl FC then?"

Come on, mate. You support West Ham because you're from East London but you were born closer to Leyton Orient. You chose West Ham because you're family supported them and they were the nearest big team. Same with me. While I still cheer when I see Rhyl doing well in the paper, I don't follow semi-pro football with any sort of enthusiasm.

"So do you know Paul Jones? He's from Wales."

No, do you know Jonathan Smith, he's from Lemington Spa. That's just up the road right?

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Seriously, I'm not expecting everyone to tell me the name of every town and village in Wales, I know that Newcastle is in the north of England and Portsmouth is in the south. Sort it!

Cymru am Byth!!!

Ryan Tunnicliffe profile

I wrote this for an application that decided to change it's mind and ask me to work for free instead of the £2000 a month it originally offered. I take it as a compliment that liked my writing but they can get fucked if they think they can get away with moving the goalposts like that.

I wrote it the day after Man Utd's win over Newcastle in the Capital One Cup which is why it is so time specific. Enjoy.

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Another transfer window came and went without the big name midfield signing that Manchester United fans crave. While Paul Scholes continues to dominate games with his vision and craft and Tom Cleverley's ever-improving performances, neither are the box-to-box midfielder who can really grab a game by the scruff of its neck.

Red Devils fans need look no further than City's Yaya Toure to see the kind of player who would leave their mouths watering. So, enter academy product Ryan Tunnicliffe, who came off the bench to replace Marnick Vermijl in last night’s Capital One Cup clash with Newcastle. Those who have watched him develop in the reserves over the past few seasons have admired his determination, his industry and his desire to get stuck in. This results in picking up a few yellow cards over a season but his protection of the back four and ability going forward have earned him comparisons to Roy Keane.

Despite a poor showing at Peterborough, where he was on loan for the majority of last season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision not to loan him out again could be seen as a sign that he plans to integrate him into the first team. These may prove tricky with Cleverley, Scholes and the impressive Shinji Kagawa as well as a host of squad players still ahead of him in the pecking order but whispers around Carrington suggest that he definitely has a part to play this season.

United have been crying out for this kind of player for years. While glances may be cast enviously at Man City and Toure, Tunnicliffe would provide a much cheaper option than Newcastle’s Cheik Tiote or Everton’s Marouane Fellaini as well as boasting another feather in the cap of United’s academy.

Forcing your way into a team like Manchester United is always tricky but Tunnicliffe must be feeling the time could not be better to capitalise on the dearth of hard-hitting defensive midfielders of his ilk.

To top off a happy day in the Tunnicliffe household, Ryan’s dad also collected a cool £10,000 having bet his son would play for Manchester United over ten years ago.

This Years Winner Is - Audiobiography - Review

I think it’s fair to say that This Years Winner Is has never lacked the confidence and belief that they have what takes to become a recognised band. Along with the obvious name references, their previous EP ‘In At The Weekend’ (which I reviewed on this very blog way back in February 2011 (READ THAT REVIEW HERE)) contained a very telling lyric on the track ‘Onwards to Onchan.’

‘This is the year that we make it or disappear.’

Well, make it they didn’t and disappear they almost did. While the EP was well received by various critics, music sites and fans alike, the wind in the sails of TYWI seemed to run out and they announced the dreaded hiatus that has spelt the doom of many-a-band (including my own).

With Dario Leonetti and Ashley Hogg replacing Ethan and Stu on guitar and bass respectively the band have definitely come a long way since ‘In At The Weekend.’ The new album ‘Audiobiography’ drops on October 22^nd and I have the pleasure of writing the first review IN THE WORLD!

And it’s been well worth the wait. It makes me think I was a little generous giving the previous EP such a high score because this is leagues ahead of anything TYWI have done so far. The gulf in progression between these two releases really is incredible.

One thing that has remained a constant high in all of TYWI’s previous work though, has been the drums. Once again, Darren excels and brings the whole thing together. I really cannot fault this guy. I’ve literally run out of superlatives of his quality and have nothing else to add. Seriously, just listen and you’ll get what I mean.

There are some marked improvements too. When ‘In At The Weekend’ came out, it was full of huge breakdowns and chugging verses. This was fine when the new wave of easycore bands like Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and With The Punches were slaying over fans with the heaviest breakdowns pop-punk had ever heard but times are-a-changing and a song is no longer simply defined by who’s got the biggest breakdown. Never fear mosh fans, the breakdowns are still present in ‘Audiobiography’ but they feel much more organic rather than just being sandwiched in just to brootal your face off.

I also had a few minor criticisms about Elliot’s vocals in the previous effort but he has really stepped things up. The power and maturity he has developed is an incredible improvement and while there’s still an American-twang there, it doesn’t take anything away. I mean seriously, find me a pop-punk band that sounds truly British. His style has grown a definite bite to it and he spits off lyrics with effortless ease. The inclusion of the keys and synth add a really rich layer too.

A big shout also needs to go to Nick Scholey, with who the band recorded the album. It’s no coincidence that the production quality of TYWI’s tracks has improved from their earlier EP’s ‘Always Goes Down Smooth’ and ‘In At The Weekend’ and now to ‘Audiobiography.’ It seems that both band and the man behind the glass have been maturing their skills together and have now created what could be a lift-off point for them both. The sounds production of this album was so good it inspired me to go out and buy new headphones so I could enjoy the beauty of it in a higher definition of audio amazingness.

The easycore, pop-punk labels will inevitably lead to comparisons to Me Vs. Hero and Four Year Strong but I personally compare this album to something like New Found Glory’s ‘Coming Home’ album and there’s also just a good, solid ROCK sound to ‘Audiobiography’ that TYWI have been missing.  Guitar bands have a tough time ever breaking into a mainstream setting but with this awesomely cool rock edge, I genuinely feel this has potential of actually making an impact on the pop charts, albeit on the lower end of scale. That said, this would still be an enormous achievement for this band.

As I’m obligated from my reviewer’s standpoint, I’m going to have to find negatives and it’s a big ask. There are a lot of bands who use a shorter song to open the album and TYWI did just that with ‘Raise The Stakes’ on IATW. This is repeated on ‘Audiobiography’ with ‘On With The Show’ and while it’s a good song I don’t feel it’s entirely necessary. I think track two, ‘Let’s Not Do That Again’ more than showcases TYWI’s new sound and direction and I just feel that ‘On With The Show’ sounds more like their old efforts.

While the lyrics have sharply improved there are still a few classic pop-punk clichéd lines and several references to wishing wells that seem vaguely familiar from songs of the past but on the whole they’re solid.

That really is as much as I can say on the negatives as the rest of the album flies by completely loaded with awesome songs. Whether you’re after the punky verses of ‘Routes,’ the infectiously sing-a-long-able choruses of ‘Elements’ or Don’t Go Now or just want to thrash the fuck out to the breakdowns in ‘Better Altogether,’ then this album has to be on your radar.

On ‘Always Leaving…’ TYWI flex their industry contacts by roping in fellow Isle-of-Man’er Harry Radford from the Scottish/American/Manx post-hardcore outfit, Yashin and he and Elliot bounce off one another to create another great song. The only bit I don’t really dig is when Harry and Elliot do a kind of orgasmo vocal sign-off at the end. It just creeped me out a little.

While many may see living on a fairly isolated and rainy island limiting to a band’s progression, I’m of the belief that it can also motivate and inspire. Yeah, if TYWI came from the mainland maybe they would have already made a bigger impact on the UK scene but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would be the same band. You see, there’s no half-arseing when you’re cut off. If you really want it then you have to work 

harder.

This really has to be the year they make it or disappear. If success was judged on how good your album is then TYWI would be making waves already. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy and the boys are going to have to work so hard if they want to make it happen for themselves. However, with this astonishing album behind them and the strong work ethic I know they possess, it is entirely possible that these boys could be sharing the stage with the likes of Kids in Glass Houses, Mayday Parade or even You Me At Six by the time the year is out.

I don't give a fuck, I'm giving this album a solid
5 out of 5

big woop, wanna fight about it?

This Years Winner Is... - Routes