Fantasque: rock and roll

After some extensive research, I have recently discovered that there exist quite a large number of styles of rock. And a colossal number of bands. Everyone's friend's friend is in one! Most are good, some are questionable, while yet others are unmentionable. It is very rare that you come across a band that posseses that most alluring quality. It.

It does happen though. I not only believe that Rivieras have "It". They are "It". Now that is a pretty strong conviction, I know. It will make more sense when I tell you the whole story:

Let's back track a little to September 2009. I'm sitting in the Sports Hall at Thomas Tallis School waiting for my registration number to be called. I notice a large group of boys sitting in front of me because I really can't help it. They throw some kind of paper device at me, okay fine, in my direction. A boy whose name I later learn is Robert apologises. I give him a fake but convincing grin.

They are the rowdiest bunch of boys I've seen and believe me, I've seen rowdy. Later on, I discovered some of those boys included Felix North, le lead singer and rhythm guitar, Matt Coomb, le bassist, and Sean Grey, le lead guitar. All I think is, Silly British children, no discipline! Shameful! Dylan, le drummer, wasn't there because he decided to go to Brit School, so he is spared my judgement.

Fast forward to February 2010. I am in registration and Sean saunters in. Mr O'Brien, our tutor, asks him why he wasn't at enrichment the day before. "I had band practise sir," Sean calmly replies. The class giggles and I stifle an amused smile in spite of myself. I have now come to quite like these British children who are not so much rowdy as expressive, free, true.

Mr O'brien gives him the grown up are-you-serious look and just as calmly states, "That's a pretty lame excuse, even for you Sean." The nonchalant response, "I know."

Fast forward again to a few weeks ago. "Our group" which I like to believe I am a part of, is sitting in the cafe in Dover. I've been hearing about this band that Sean, Felix, Matt and Dylan are apparently a part of. Haven't we all heard that one before? My interest is strangely piqued, regardless.

I love discovering fresh musical talent. The idea of it being right under my nose and missing the opportunity to have been there at the start is simply too much for me to bear. I impulsively blurt, "I could PR for you guys if you want," and I instantly regret it. What if they are not good? What if they aren't even questionable but surely unmentionable? I will have to tell them the truth and have to face them at school everyday for the next year and a half!

I should never have fretted.

Their first gig, Friday April 9, 2010. It's at Dirty South, also known as the-coolest-bar-in-the-whole-world, and Rivieras are doing their sound check. The god-like voice in the booth behind me says, "Give us a little tune." I'm sitting in a corner with Ellz, Vicky, Felix's girlfriend and Dylan's girlfriend. Rivieras begin to play. It's only sound check, but they get into it straight away. Felix's smooth vocals intertwine with the complex melodies he and Sean weave while Dylan keeps the tempo going on drums. Matt can't make it because he is away. The show must go on.

All I can think is wow. Wow. I go to school with these guys and see them goof off every day. This is what they can come up with in their free time to perform for a sound check. This was a classic aha! moment also known as an epiphany.

It is needless to say that they soon had the kids jumping around wildly, mosh pit style to their fast paced song, swaying rhythmically to their slow song and caught in between with their slow then fast song. Felix's parents and Sean's parents sit in the back and I can only imagine how proud the coolest parents in the world feel about their sons being in the coolest band I know. I try my best to capture the magic on Ellie's camera, even though I know it is an inadequate tool for such a purpose. The best camera is one's own eyes.

Poetic language is all well and good, Chenai, but what about the bottom line, huh? For my retort, I shall quote Felix, as best as my memory serves, "We're not doing this for the money. Not yet anyway, the money will come later. Right now, it's just about the music."

So it is now time for me to finally give my honest opinion and honestly, I was right. The Rivieras aren't good at all. Let me finish. They are not questionable, neither are they unmentionable. In fact, far from it. They are indescribable.

I do. Homework. Its not that I don't like doing school work at home, its just that I prefer to do it of my own accord rather than being forced to do so. However, we live in a world of systems and rules that have to be followed, so my homework I did. For once I quite liked it.

It all started last week when we had to email our photography teacher a gallery or an art exhibition we were interested in, and then go see it in our own time, in other words during the holiday also known as the time meant to be kept sacred for catching up on sleep! Anyway, so there I was browsing on www.spoonfed.co.uk, seriously considering starting a mutiny, when I saw this http://bit.ly/Skikm

And I felt like this.

The Green Day Art Project is a commision by Green Day to artists everywhere from Poland to Italy to Australia. Each artist received lyrics from Green Day's latest album and were to produce a piece of art inspired by these.

After walking up and down Whitechapel trying to find the Stolen Space Gallery, which I must say is extremely difficult to find, I finally got there.