15/11/2011
The Unions Best Kept Musical Secret
On the second floor of Leeds’ University Union, up a spiral staircase, past a neglected corridor and on your left lies the Union Music Library, tucked away in its own little niche. The library has been supplying Leeds’ students for over forty years and with four decades under their belt, you can bet that they have one hefty record collection. Last time someone counted there were over 3000 CDs and 5000 vinyls of various genres, which is very impressive and pretty amazing how they all fit into the tiny cubbyhole.
There’s a huge section on indie and rock but the library caters for all tastes includingdrum and bass, hip hop, reggae, ska, jazz, dub, soul, funk, punk, electronic, world and many more!
I discovered the library at the Freshers’ Fair and cannot stop raving about it. The fact that for a measly £10 membership you can borrow a limitless number of CDs (one at a time, mind you, for a maximum of a week) is a very good deal. Nowadays a CD can cost anything between £4 for downloads and up to £15 for a shop bought one, so joining the music library means you get your money’s worth nearly instantly. You do the math.
What’s more is that if they don’t have the CD, vinyl or artist you’re craving for, simply give your request to one of the volunteers or write it on the suggestion board. Within a few weeks your chosen record should hopefully be in stock for you to borrow and enjoy.
Although small and often hard to find, the Union Music Library is one worth searching for. You could discover a whole new genre or artist you’d never thought you would listen to in a million years, simply because you saw the front cover of the album and liked the look of it.
The Union Music Library should no longer be kept a secret. You’re missing out if you don’t know about it! Yes, it doesn’t have a great location but do not be deterred. If you love your music then come up and have a browse Monday to Friday 12-3pm.
Join the Union Music Library – http://www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/clubsandsocieties/generalinterest/unionmusiclibrary/
Union Music Library Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2218556485/
07/11/2011
Preview: Constellations Festival
University of Leeds, Saturday 12th November 2011
This coming Saturday will see the return of last year’s hugely successful Constellations Festival to the University of Leeds. For one day only, the Union building will be taken over by a host of shiny new talent in the fields of music, art, and film, in a brilliant showcase that no student should miss.
Last year’s event played host to the likes of Four Tet, Los Campesionos!, Broken Social Scene, Local Natives, Sleigh Bells and the Vaccines.
This year’s festival promises to be the perfect place to spot the next big thing in music, with performances from Summercamp, Dutch Uncles, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, The Antlers, Vessels and Yuck, to name a few. The day will then be headed up by headlining sets from artsy rockers Wild Beasts and electro-indie duo the Big Pink in Stylus and the Riley Smith Hall.
Alongside the fantastic array of musical acts, the Terrace bar in the Union will be taken over by Sheffield based company Warp Films, whose ‘pop-up’ cinema will be playing a selection of films and music videos, including Chris Cunnigham’s Rubber Johnny, and Martin Radich’s Crack Willow.
As well as this, there will also be poster and art exhibitions in the Terrace, with a chance to buy special edition prints to jazz up even the most boring of uni rooms.
As one of the UK’s most creative cities, Leeds is the perfect location for such an event, which is why the festival organisers have chosen the University as its location for the second year running now.
You can get your tickets from www.seetickets.comnow as well as Jumbo or Crash record stores in the city centre. A day ticket is priced at £29, which is a steal considering the range of fantastic acts set to be performing. In other words, it would be rude not to!
In the meantime, you can listen to a specially created Constellations playlist on Soundcloud:
http://soundcloud.com/weareconstellations/sets/playlist-2011/s-RNtW8
Check back next week for a full review of the event. Hope to see you there!
www.constellationsfestival.com
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Welcome to Her Campus Leeds Music Blog! This is where you will hear all about Old, New and Niche music, written by three dedicated HC music enthusiasts. We’ll be including: gig, band, album, single reviews; links to songs/videos we think you might like or we simply want to share; recommendations; articles on musical topics and lots more…
We’ve split the blog into three sections, each of us covering a different area of the vast musical spectrum.
A little about the writers…
Roz Ryan-Mills
I’m a first year student studying Philosophy and History and I’ll mainly be concentrating on old music. It’s a funny concept, but I think it’s important that we still listen to the forgotten prog rock bands of the 60’s, random experimental rock and even the old classics. Why? Because most of it influences the new music we listen to, and maybe you’re favourite band is influenced by someone you might start to really like. For example, if you like The Strokes, you’d probably enjoy The Velvet Underground, Television, The Stooges… a whole host of things you may have previously dismissed. Maybe you thought it was too hard to get into, maybe you thought only your Dad listens to it, but I aim make older music a bit more accessable. Personally, I’m a hardcore Bob Dylan fan, but I would count Lou Reed, Neil Young, Love, The Pretty Things, King Crimson, Soft Machine, Captin Beefheart and Frank Zappa as my other favourites. Maybe that’s too many… But it’s not just the old stuff! Obviously I like new music too, such as Of Montreal, Janelle Monae, Neon Indian, Sufjan Stevens, Jay Z (to name a few), but I find it so rewarding to know where exactly these bands and singers got their sound from. One album lights up about ten more, so hopefully I’ll blog about something which may become your favourite new (old) band!
Rosanna Pound-Woods
Hi there, just thought I would say a quick hello and introduce myself. I’m a first year student studying Broadcast Journalism. Music and music journalism have always been big interests of mine, and I spend far too much of my time (not to mention money!) at gigs and festivals. My tastes in music are quite far ranging, from 70s rock to modern-day dubstep, and indie, indie and more indie! My favourite band is probably Kasabian, not just because they’re the only famous band to come out of my hometown. I’m also crazy about Muse, The Maccabees, Foals, Delphic, Foo Fighters, Chase & Status, Nero, Florence + the Machine, The Strokes, Sub Focus, The Big Pink, and Bombay Bicycle Club, just to name a few! For HC I’m going to be focusing on NEW MUSIC, keeping you up to date with the latest emerging talent, in Leeds, the UK, and possibly even the world, plus I’ll be ranting and raving about new releases from some of the biggest artists to have emerged in the last few years.
Helen Tytherleigh
I’m studying English and Music and in the blog I will be covering the more alternative side of music in Leeds and writing about gigs, bands and artists I’m passionate about. I have quite a random taste but the main genre I listen to is Metal. However, I do love a bit of Rock, Classical, Jazz, Folk, Punk and Experimental all thrown into the mix. I can never decide on my favourite band of all time (probably because there are far too many amazing ones!) but to name a few: All That Remains, Periphery, Rage Against The Machine and Incubus. Although, even now I’m thinking of so many others I’d like to put down but can’t as I’d be here forever!