I Am A Walking Piece Of Paper!! Draw On Me!!

I'm 18 (born at the end of 1992). Yet ever since I was 15 I've been fascinated with tattoos. I'm not very artistic (as many of my Facebook chums can see) so my own designs/drawings pretty much suck.

It was August (I can't remember the year and I'm not even going to attempt counting the years backwards because my mathematical skill is just so bad; for example I can count to ten but then I run out of fingers) Anyway, getting slightly off topic there. It was August and I had just recieved the results of my 4th year exams. Yaay! Celebrate!! All 8 had been passed and I was pretty chuffed with myself (especially for the C at Intermediate 2 maths)

Now my parents were going to reward me for my "hard work" (really I put very little effort into them, I just hid in my room listening to music) and I wanted only one thing. A tattoo.

We easily found someone to do it and I picked out my first tattoo from his shop. It was small and was getting placed just below my left shoulder. And below is a photograph of my first ever tattoo.

Well there it is in all its glory. No it didn't hurt, if anything it tickled. It's my star sign, Sagittarius (and it always will be!!!) and that's the reason I decided upon that one. That and I was totally fascinated by the many different designs throughout the guy's shop.

In December I turned 16. By this time I was already planning many different tattoo desgins both on paper and on the computer. With the money I was giving for my birthday I headed back along to the same shop and (after spending nearly 45 minutes staring obsessively again at the designs) I chose one. Voila!

I chose it because it was pretty and when asked if I wanted my name on it I thought:
"Yes. That would be a good way to remember the spelling of my name and people will no longer spell it one of the many thousands of other ways it can be spelled"
That didn't happen. Not only do I spell my own name wrong (mostly on important letters etc) but whoever created our yearbook also spelled it wrong. Despite me writing it down and showing them my arm!!

Now I can't remeber when exactly I got this one. It might have been in either June or July. Either way I was still 16 and totally in love with Slipknot (I still am by the way). This has to be my most controversial tattoos and always gets a reaction no matter who asks to see it, whether they be young or old. It will probably make you do a double take and think "Really? Did she?" Well yes, I did. And yes my mother did hit the roof. She somehow wasn't impressed. For me, it's one of my favourite tattoos. And I'll let you see it in all its glory; Slipknot fans will love this!!

Yup. I did. For those who don't have a clue what this is, then here's the explanation. Those lyrics are from the chorus to a Slipknot song from their self titiled 1999 release. The song is "Surfacing" and is one of my all time favourites. The words curve around the inside of my left arm and my dodgy photography skills mean you can't really see them. But here they are:
"Fuck it all. Fuck this world. Fuck everything that you stand for. Don't belong. Don't exist. Don't give a shit. Don't ever judge me."
I still don't see how my mother went as ape as she did when I showed her it. And no I don't regret it!!

The next tattoo was again after passing some of my 5th year exams (which was 3 out of the 5 I took, not bad me thinks). Its on my left foot and because it was August I got it (still 16 at the time!) I ignored the whole warning about staying in the sun for too long. Come on I live in Scotland any day with sunshine is a rare day for being out!! So below is my slightly scarred foot tattoo.

Pretty right? I think so. I love any tattoo design that includes stars and I often draw them alone or to accompany one of my insane ideas.

I didn't spend my 17th in a tattoo parlour. Instead it was Janurary 2010 when I got my next tattoo. I tried a different shop and got turned away because I suck at lying, especially when the tattooists asks for ID. Instead I went to the same place and got this beauty. It's a bit faded and I don't really know what went different but I'm left with this...

Yes! A tribute to Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. The drummer for metal band Avenged Sevenfold who sadly passed away on the 28th of December 2009. The words are lyrics from their song "Seize The Day" and I just felt like I had to get this done for him. I don't know why, I never met the guy but I loved his songwritting, drumming skill and vocals. Pinkly Smooth happen to be one of my favourite bands too. So it felt just right.

The next tattoo is also a somber tattoo. I still hadn't gotten over the news that one of my heros had passed when another suddenly died. His death shocked me more because I was (again) at a stage in my life when I relied on this band.

Yep. A tribute to Paul (#2) Gray, Slipknot's bass player. Nothing more can be said because I treasure this tattoo which is why its close to my heart.

Before my holiday in Mallorca I went away to get this done. There's no reason behind it other than to fuel what is now my addiction. Ta-dah!

Pretty right? The one tattoo that stands out the most on me is butterflies. Mainly because my clothes and hair happen to be black I guess...
I had a little break from being a human pin cushion. I'd run out of money. But for my 18th I got this epic bat design from the internet and slapped it on my right arm.

Cool right? Well it satisfied my tattoo cravings!!

Finally, I got this one done in Janurary 2011. I went to a different tattooists to get it done and it seemed to take forever to do but I do enjoy the pain.

Sexy I know. It also has lyrics from a Wednesday 13 song called "Faith In The Devil" and I took them from his live album, so for those who can't make them out, here they are:
"Put your hands in the prayer position.... And have some faith in the devil."
It's a bit scabby in that picture because it had just been done.

And yes, I have already planned at least 3 more tattoos!!

18 years old and hooked on tattoos for 3 years, that's me!

Murderdolls In Glasgow (02 ABC), February 10th 2011

I love music and I love nothing more than going to live concerts. Recently I'd travelled to Glasgow to see Murderdolls, Black Veil Brides and The Defiled. Nearly two weeks on and I'm already looking forward to hopefully seeing them again. I got right down close (well nine people from the front, but it was as close as I was ever going to get!) and I must admit, it has to be one of the best gigs I've ever been to. So how come weekly rock magazine Kerrang! thought otherwise? The review (Tom Byrant who normally gives out crap reviews for good bands and who perhaps just needs a hug from a giant teddy bear) slagged off opening act The Defiled and headliners Murderdolls. Yet he pretty much drooled over Black Veil Brides (who also happened to be on the cover of that issue) Well, I didn't agree with him and although I wasn't at the reviewed gig, I was at one of their shows. So here's my "review"...

So I left Fife round about fourish. My dad was with me (because no-one else can stand my music taste) and we spent 2 hours driving, expecting to arrive with plenty of time. That didn't happen because when I'm around nothing goes according to plan. We ended up stuck in a hours long traffic jam thanks to the genius who crashed and closed a lane of traffic so his mess could be cleaned off the road. Sauchiehill Street, which is a one way street (where the venue was) was also shut due to a fire on the Tuesday night. So after a slight detour, which gave our Sat Nav a breakdown, we arrived at 7.15, halfway through The Defiled's set. Slight disappointment 'cause I was really looking forward to seeing them after hearing their album "Grave Times".

I only got two pictures of The Defiled as at the time I was stuck behind a human giraffe. But I must say from what I saw of their set it was pretty damn good. "Call To Arms" was blaring as we wandered in, so as we walked through the venue I was singing along. Their set ended not long after with their monster song "The Resurrectionists" I noticed the crowd during their set. At the front, there was crowd surfers and in the middle there was a wide open space for the crazy moshers.

People seemed to be enjoying The Defiled and I know I certainly was. Yet Tom Byrant said this:
"A band no-one are here to see, though, are The Defiled, who don’t know one of music’s fundamental rules: you can’t rock a keyboard. It’s something the band’s keyboardist/vocalist – named, erm, The A.v.D – further proves tonight."

You can't rock a keyboard? Don't Slipknot use a keyboard? They gain positive reviews worldwide and earned themselves a 5 K review from Kerrang! for their 2009 set at Download!!

Anyway. The Defiled finish up and people move so I sneak to the front. On come the Black Veil Brides!

Cue ear piercing screams from a bunch of thirteen year old girls. I won't lie, Andy Sixx is a decent looking guy, and he spent his time running around the stage with his trousers almost at his ankles. He has a good voice too. Their set consists of their big hits such as "The Perfect Weapon", "Knives And Pens", "Sweet Blasphemy" and "We Stitch These Wounds". Their enjoyable to watch, although the screaming girlies are slightly irritating.

Then Andy Sixx makes a serious error. He slagged off the crowd. One rule - NEVER slag off a Glasgow crowd. Or throw a bottle at them. They will throw it back and chant... well obscenities back at you.

Other than that kudos to the BVB guys. Unfortunately, Kerrang! magazine is determind to turn them into the next Paramore, so they are becoming slightly annoying. Which is a shame.

Finally! Murderdolls take to the stage when intro "The World According To Revenge" finishes and they instantly launch into "Chapel Of Blood" (sligh technincal hitch here when no-one can hear singer Wednesday 13 as the microphone refuses to work) To put it short the crowd went nuts, and holding a camera became difficult. They then plow through tracks from their recent album "Women And Children Last"(which was released in August 2010) such as "Deathvalley Superstars", "Homicide Drive", "Summertime Suicide", "Drug Me To Hell", "Pieces Of You", "Bloodstained Valentine" and their two released singles "My Dark Place Alone" and "Nowhere."



The roar of the crowd got louder with each song. Girls screamed whenever they were pointed, waved or smiled at by guitarist Joey Jordison and the left side of the room is a mosh pit.

Now we're taking back in time to 2002 when Murderdolls debut album "Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls" was released. The line-up (except Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison) may have changed since then with the additions of Roman Surmon (guitar), Jack Tankersley (bass) and Racci Shay (above) but they are still as brutal as ever as they blast through "Slit My Wrists", "Twist My Sister" "197666", "Die My Bride", "She Was A Teenage Zombie" and "People Hate Me", both of which gain the biggest cheer from the crowd.

Then there is a somber moment as the dedicate "Welcome To The Strange" to Slipknot bass player (and Slipknot bandmate of Joey Jordison) Paul Gray who passed away in May 2010. The entire room explodes with chants of "Paul Gray! Paul Gray!" and when the song begins the crowd sings along to every word.

"Dawn Of The Dead" becomes the intro to the bands encore and they return to the stage to play through "Motherfucker I Don't Care". This is when security pulled the plug for five minutes. The left hand side of the room were a bit too insane and some poor fellow ended up hurt.

Wednesday 13 asks if we're all okay and we give him a thumbs up. "Motherfucker I Don't Care" begins again. Murderdolls set is drawing to a close and only two songs remain; "I Take Drugs" and the set closer "Dead In Hollywood" (which also gains a huge sing along).

And then it's all over. Time to trek back to the car in the freezing cold Glasgow night and make the 2 hour journey back home. We're not even out of Glasgow and I want more. In my opinion Murderdolls know how to put on a damn good fun rock show. It's no wonder than fans describe them as Motley Cure meets The Misfits. And if you have never heard of them before, then I advise that you check them out. And if you get the chance go and see them live becuase, with Murderdolls, if its a rock concert you want, then it's a rock concert you shall get.

And here Mister Tom Bryant, Kerrang! gig "reviewer", just for you. Because they do NOT lack spark!!

 

And So It Begins...

Alright!! My first(ish) blog!

To be honest I've been advised to start blogging as part of my college course, so we will just have to see how this turns out. It's probably going to involve me yelling at a computer more often which is always fun.

Ok my brain is running low, so I'll cross my fingers and hope this works out!!