ADVERTISING: Needing no introduction.

The eve of Wednesday the 9th of November was pretty special. My best friend and I (Plus at least a 3rd of Liverpool) gathered in the Echo arena to witness the Arctic Monkeys Recklessly serenade us with a good helping of their new lyrically amazing album "Suck it and see".

 And they of course fantastically delivered with all the classics that they are known for also  A mind blowing 'Fluorescent Adolescent' had the crowd roaring and when they unfortunately finished after an amazing hour and a half set it was with an acoustic version of 'Mardy Bum' that was utterly sensational.

In the days leading up to the concert I had understandably been excited to see Alex Turner and the rest of the band, (well, just Alex but shhh.)
But what I was also was eagerly anticipating was the support act, in the form of the rather wonderous Vaccines. So much so that when I arrived I bought a Vaccines T-shirt as opposed to an Arctic Monkey's one. Proud of my decision I was especially after I'd saw them perform, as was Rebecca who then also joined me in spending twenty pound on a black tee emblazoned with their album cover.

But then, within seconds of Alex Turner simply being on stage I knew I'd made a huge mistake. We'd grumbled to each other about the Arctic Monkey's T-shirts being very simple and hinted that perharps, they were a bit of a waste of money compared to The Vaccines ones filled with images,  but by the time 'When the sun goes down' had finished I completely understood. The Arctic Monkeys didn't have to do a single thing to try and get people to buy their T-shirts. They didn't need a picture, or a quote, half of the T-shirts didn't even have tour dates on. But what did it matter?

A name was enough to connect to the T-shirt, it sold the experience. Where as, (and apologies to Rebecca who kept hers) The Vaccines T-shirts were a bit boring. Yes, they may have stereotypically looked better, but come on, just the "Arctic Monkeys" is enough. I'd decided in the last song that I would do everything in my power to swap my Vaccines T-shirt for an Arctic Monkey's one instead. I successfully persuaded the woman to let me exchange and I returned excitedly home with the last one that had to be taken down of the display.

Their second EP may have been entitled "Who the F*** are Arctic Monkeys?"  but these days they need no introduction. A simple plain T-shirt is enough to have thousands of fans dying to buy them. Me included.

MUSIC: PLAY FOR INDIA.

One of the many things that Liverpool seems to be rife with is undiscovered talent. Name a particular area, yet it seems us scousers already have it covered. We've topped headlines for various things over the years; Art, Sport & fashion being major players. Though nothing lures in crowds to our city like the music. The glorious melody's and voices have poured out from our city for decades, spilling rapidly out into the rest of the big, wide world. By no means is it to discredit the previous outstanding artists and bands created in good old Liverpool and to hint that there is a lack of newness on the music scene. I want to in fact share with those that don't already know, that Liverpool is most definitely still a creative, vibrant place absolutely brimming in not only talent for music, but also a passion for it. And a desire to make a real difference through it.

This is why telling you about  'PLAY FOR INDIA: the picket gig' is really exciting, this event is set to be a absolutely amazing night. Forget a single band playing a hour set maximum, this Saturday at the picket is your opportunity to see SIX different acts singing & playing their hearts out. It would actually be a shame to miss out on such an occasion, purely on a new talent basic alone - but that's not the only reason I'm encouraging all you readers to get down there.

'PLAY FOR INDIA' is a bit like what it says on the tin. All profits for the gig are going directly to funding Erin Gillespie's trip to India as part of a world challenge project in the summer of 2012. Thinking Stranack, Manifesto, The Artillery, Masterfly, Sophie Magee and Strangers Parlour are quite literally playing to help raise money to fund a project that will touch and change lives for ever. Now if that’s not a good excuse for a gig, what is?

I know that a good time is undoubtedly guaranteed from seeing these acts perform. But its even better to know that in the small fee your paying for this night, your making a huge difference to Erin's world challenge fund, which in turn makes a difference to the project...a project that will change people's lives. And with that, your doing your bit to change the world for the better. Through this gig your reaching out and helping others, maybe not personally, but nevertheless your contribution is going to change things for the people that need it most. All that from a Saturday night at the picket? I told you Liverpool's music scene is different to anywhere else.