Happy New Year, Green Day folk!

Hello all,

I hope you have all had a nice Christmas and got loads of Green Day goodies :D I know I did haha

ANYWHO....

Over the past week it was announced on the Idiot Club that the US Green Day tour dates were going to be rescheduled for spring 2013. A good moment for the fandom, but all of that excitement died when that post was taken down and people started recieving emails from Ticketmaster saying that their date had been cancelled.

Last night on the Green Day Community there was some speculation about some rescheduled dates that had been floating around, but obviously nobody knew whether they were right because nothing had been confirmed.

It was this morning that one of the best instagram posts for a while came out. Billie posted a message on his instagram:

“Dear friends
I just wanted to thank you all for the love and support you’ve showed for the past few months. Believe me, it hasn’t gone unnoticed and I’m eternally grateful to have such an amazing set of friends and family. I’m getting better every day.

So now, without further ado, the show must go on.. We can’t wait to get on the road and live out loud! Our passion has only grown stronger.
Happy new year
We love you all
Rage and love
XX
BILLIE JOE

P.s..
Green day tour in march”

It is so nice to hear that he is getting better. People have been thinking the worse and I have heard the dreaded question "what if they never come back?" a few times, but this completely silences stuff like that!

The part of this message that really makes me happy is where he says "Our passion has only grown stronger" which means that on that new tour in March, faces are going to be melted! They are going to give it their all and be back on that stage where they belong. It also means that the Emirates Stadium show in June is going to be fucking immense! Couldn't be more excited for that!

I'm just so proud of him for getting back on his feet, because I guess addiction is a hard thing to come back from. It makes me smile knowing that he knows how much we all love him and support him, and I can't wait to see my heroes again because I have missed them so so much. I would love to be able to thank them for everything that they have done for me, but until that day comes I will just continue to love them and fangirl where appropriate! Smiley face.

2013 is going to be the year of Green Day for sure, so get ready guys!

Happy New Year.

And so ends the trilogy!

It seems like only yesterday when Green Day announced plans for a trilogy. It was an exciting day for the fan community because the band had been teasing us for a while with studio updates and stuff but we had no idea what surprises they had planned for us.

Uno, released September 24th, was the first in the trilogy, the fast paced party warm up album received mixed reviews because of the considered drastic change in direction, and who could forget the bad press about first single 'Oh Love'? It was like a marmite album: either you loved it or you didn't. Still, it seems there were people out there who did love it because it went straight to number one on the Billboard chart and got number two on the UK charts. Personally i absolutely loved it! I was on holiday on the day it leaked out and my best friend downloaded it for me so i could listen to it! That was a good day...sunshine and Green Day!

The promo for the album was so much better than it was for 21st Century Breakdown. The band were everywhere: playing club shows, on the cover of magazines, on the radio, on Instagram and at festivals...however it was at a festival where everything came to a massive halt, in the form of a 'breakdown'.

We all know about Billie's little rant at iHeart now, i think everyone does:

It unfortunately was the start of a downward spiral that would see Billie Joe Armstrong enter rehab for substance abuse.

Now, this is quite a sore subject for me. This man is my hero, has been since i was 12 years old, and will be until the end. Seeing this happen and how people have been talking about him really upset me because it's like he has turned into some sort of monster. He has obviously had problems and has just worked himself silly, becoming sick because of it. Hearing people call him a druggie and whatever really upsets me. Journalists always seem to talk about it as well. Everytime the subject of Green Day comes up in a magazine it just HAS to be mentioned! I know it's a recent thing and it's a bit of a blow to the band but i wish they would shut up about it! No matter what anyone says about him, all I want is for him to get better, come back and rock everyone's arses off!

So anyway, promo for the trilogy has consequently suffered. So much so that shows planned from November right through to February have had to be postponed or cancelled.

Released November 12th, Dos was number two of three. This brought another side of the band to the table, like Green Day meets Foxboro Hot Tubs. It is dirty, suave and sexy, with a collaboration from Lady Cobra (Mystic Knights of the Cobra) thrown in there too - she appears on Nightlife, the RnB offering on the album...such an addictive song! Definitely one of my favourites. This placed at number 10 in the charts. Considering what has been happening with Billie, it's still a good position...would it have been better if Billie had been around to promote it? We will never know.

So, Tre is released officially released on Monday. It was streamed on various websites earlier in the week and has subsequently leaked so i'm sure many fans have already heard it. I have and my verdict is...it's bloody brilliant! The best of the trilogy! (A review will come soon) The albums may be a drastic step in direction for Green Day but it shows just how versatile they are and their talent just shines through. Billie's voice has gotten more powerful since the musical, and it really shows, especially on Tre. There are a couple of filler tracks there but all in all it has been success!

I am just looking forward to the tour. I am going to see them on 1st June at the Emirates Stadium, and i couldn't be more excited if i tried! I just know it's gonna be incredible, especially with Billie being back on his feet by then. I'm just gonna be like 'homina homina jghiughroifhokrhvjirjghofuf'! the fangirl in me is really gonna come out! There is a good few songs that would be on my dream setlist but i guess we will just have to wait and see! All I can say is that June cannot come quick enough!

Just as a final thought for this post, here are my favourites from the trilogy. Smiley face!

UNO: Kill The Dj, Angel Blue, Stay The Night, Sweet 16, Rusty James
DOS: Baby Eyes, Nightlife, Wow! That's Loud, Lazy Bones
TRE: Brutal Love, 99 Revolutions, Dirty Rotten Bastards, X Kid

Dos has leaked...and I'm ok with it!

On Monday, all Green Day fans were waiting for the inevitable...and it happened. Yes I'm talking about the leak of the next album in the trilogy: Dos.

I can't say that I resisted the temptation to give it a listen, at all. Personally I blame social media for that but, as it has leaked around it is going to end up all over the internet anyway so i thought 'if you can't beat them, join them'! The journalist in me couldn't resist writing a review so here it is: Dos - Track by Track:

See You Tonight - Reminds me a little of a Bob Dylan sort of song. The acoustic guitar and the soft harmonies are a brilliant combination.

It's Fuck Time - A silly song that has been a feature in almost every recent Green Day/Foxboro Hot Tubs gig. It gets to the point and shoots from the crotch!

Stop When The Red Lights Flash - Definitely a pump up song. Infectious melody and awesome lyrics: "Stop when the red lights flash, I'll trade you blood for dirty cash/life in the catacombs, you make me feel like i'm at home"

Lazy Bones - I have a feeling that with Billie could maybe be tapping into his personal feelings with this one. It feels like a window into a potential problem but it's one of those tracks that you can just really enjoy listening to. It may be wrong but it's just my opinion...Oh and Mike's backing vocals are just awesome!

Wild One - Sexy and swarve! It's nice to hear Mike's backing vocals more with this album! It's a grower!

Makeout Party - Amazing solo and some very naughty lyrics! Sounds very Foxboro Hot Tubs/old rock and roll.

Stray Heart -First single to be released. Rolling bassline right through showing Mike's shining talent. Different than what we are used to but still awesome!

Ashley -Typical Green Day song, sounds a little like something that could belong on Nimrod. Brilliant nonetheless

Baby Eyes - Personal favourite of mine. There's not much i can say except it's amazing! I think Billie may have a fascination with killing though! ("Baby baby i was born to kill")

Lady Cobra - This is where the sound starts to get interesting...very Foxboro meets Green Day

Nightlife - Introducing Lady Cobra from the Mystic Knights Of the Cobra...this song doesn't even sound like Green Day, but that's why it is such a stand alone track for me. I didn't expect to like but i do because it is awesome and catchy as hell!!

Wow! That's Loud - Another personal favourite of mine. Some great guitar riffs thus proving that they have a lot more to offer than simple three chord punk. Also showing that Jason White belongs in the band!

Amy - Such a sweet tribute to Amy Winehouse. Showing appreciation for someone he didn't know but respected deeply for her amazing talent. Beautiful lyrics and beautiful music.

Overall I would give this album a 10/10. To me it is a perfect album, they really showed that they could expand even further with their music and even though I really rated Uno, Dos came and knocked it out of the water. Fantastic album  *****

Exciting times ahead...

When the tickets for the June 1st show in London went on sale, I didn't think i would get the opportunity to go. I had no one to go with plus ticket prices were a little high. I felt so disappointed because I could see everyone's Facebook statuses saying things like 'OMG I'M GOING TO SEE GREEN DAY IN JUNE!' and I knew I couldn't write any such thing. I was ignoring adverts in magazines and any mention of it made me feel worse.

Yesterday though, that all changed. My friend Katie text me telling me that All Time Low and Kaiser Chiefs had been announced as the support acts for that show. DAMN! I was already missing out on ATL's UK tour and I knew i wanted to see Kaiser Chiefs again because they were awesome last time.

I got into my friend David's car ready to get to Uni and i discussed it with him. I told him that there was no way I wanted to miss out on this, the band are showing no signs as of yet of announcing any more UK dates and frankly I didn't wanna wait. So i decided that I was booking them and he was coming with me no matter what. I didn't even wait until I got to a computer I just did it through my iPhone!

The feeling I got when it had been confirmed was that of...well I can't even describe how i felt. I wanted to cry with happiness and jump for joy. I get to see a band that have been my inspiration for twelve years of my life...for a third time. New albums, new material, new tour.

I just know now that I am gonna be wishing the days away until June 1st arrives...which I don't wanna do because I have so much more to look forward to: Warped Tour, Frank Turner, American Idiot, Rancid, Olly Murs, two more GD albums and the rest of my final year of being a student. Until showtime arrives I will be grinning like a cat that got the cream!

The countdown begins: 222 days and counting :D

Stray Heart and Lady Cobra hit the airwaves

Last night, two new songs from album number two of the trilogy: Dos, appeared on the web: Stray Heart and Lady Cobra. I think Stray Heart is going to be the first single to be released but I need to find an official source to back that up.

We have all heard Stray Heart before through the secret live shows that the band were playing at the start of last year, and fans thought that the song was going to appear on Tre, so it's great to get a full studio version. It was premiered on Radio 1 along with an interview with Mike.

 (this is the cover for it, which i personally think is really cool...taken from greenday.com)

On hearing the song my first initial thought was 'this is very Foxboro-esque', it would make a great first single because it really puts the kind of sound out to the critics, kind of like a 'see what I mean?' approach - Uno didn't really use that approach with 'Oh Love' so it was a bit of a guessing game for the fans which, judging by all of the criticism surrounding the song, was not a positive step. I think it shows a lot of character which is great because it can hardly be described as boring!

The thing I love the most about the song is the bassline. It's freaking awesome! It makes the song really stand out from the others and it adds the 'garage-y' character that we all know and love. The vocals have a mixture of husk, lust and passion which is definitely reminiscent of Reverend Strychnine Twitch, which works really well.

All in all i think the song is great, it gives another fresh approach to the band's ever growing talent and it gives us all something to look forward to with Dos.

Here's the audio for people who missed it:

Lady Cobra is just something completely different altogether!

We got a clip of it during an interview on Radio 1 with Zane Lowe about a month or so ago but last night the full track was premiered exclusively on the Idiot Club.

 

It will lead onto a track called Nightlife and it features Lady Cobra from punk rap band Mystic Knights Of The Cobra. Overall I would say that this song delves a lot more into the garage sound. I'm generalising here of course because we are yet to hear anything else from the album, but you can hear a fresher sound from Green Day than we have had on any of their older albums, as well as the trademark punky pop feel that we love! It's a welcome change!

I think this is the song that gets me the most excited for Dos' release because it's like nothing i have heard from the band, yes it's got the FBHT similarity but i lot more polished. The vocals sound more clean cut and the drums are awesome!

34 days and counting until release day! Can't wait! This album is just going to be epic!

Get well soon Billie Joe

Well i suppose everyone has heard about what happened at the iHeart festival the other day. I feel that the writing of this article is probably redundant as it has been done to death by news sites and various other internet sources but it's relevant to what my blog is about: Green Day.

Billie Joe had a little bit of a breakdown on stage, because he was told that they only had one minute left to play.

Here it is:

Following this, an apology has been issued to Clear Channel and other people who were involved, and consequently he has ended up getting treatment for substance abuse and public appearances, shows and promo from the band have been put on hold until further notice.

This tweet came from his wife Adrienne:

@mnnesotagirl: "Sometimes we just need a moment to reset ourselves... Thanks for all the love & support #gdfamily"

Alanis Morrisette even performed a beautiful version of Basket Case as a tribute to him, ending by saying "I love you Billie Joe":

 The thing that has pissed me off about the way all this has been brought out, is people saying that he is just doing it for publicity as it all happened a few days before Uno was released... He obviously has a problem that he needs to sort out, and this is the first time that his problems have publicly surfaced. Why would he put his family and friends through all of this just to sell an album? Why would he do that to his fans who have been loyal to him all the way through his career? Why would his wife tweet about it? Surely she couldn't have been in on it? These are the things i would like to ask. He has been slagged off so much for it, and I really don't like it. Yes I admit that it was an overreaction to what i now understand was a misunderstanding, but the man is only human and he has been under a heck of a lot of pressure as of late as well as other things that may have happened. He was a ticking time bomb really.

The one thing I want is for people to let him be. He needs time to get better and when he is he will come back and rock the socks off of everyone! He is still my hero and i still admire him for everything that he has done.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

Lazy Bones...

So, now that Uno has been released, let the excitement for Dos commence. Earlier this week we heard a preview of what we presume is a song called Lazy Bones on Green Day Angry Birds. Boy, does it sound good?!

It's nothing like what i would have expected. When i heard Billie talking about the sound of the album being like a party sound, this is not the sound i would have imagined. It does have the 'Foxboro Hot Tubs meets Green Day' sound to it but it's...better! Lyrically, i think the songs that the band have come out with have been the best. There's no complicated story to them it's just stripped down and still kind of raw. Lazy Bones so far is my favourite lyrically:

"I'm too tired to be bored, i'm too bored to be tired and the silence is so deafening it's like picking at a sore. I'm too mental to go crazy, i'm too drunk to be pure and my mind is playing tricks on me and I can't sleep tonight"

Musically, they seem to get better all of the time. The fact that Jason is there playing with them makes all of the difference. I love the fact that the bass is a lot more clear because you can really appreciate how much of an amazing bass player Mike really is. The drums are awesome as per usual and Billie's vocals just sound...well...like heaven! (Yes, I went there!)

It's another reason for us to think that Dos is gonna be incredible. Roll on November 12th :)

Album Review: Uno

Hi guys! It's been a while...

So I have just come back from a three week long holiday in Portugal with my best friends, so i have been a bit out of the loop with what has been happening in the Green Day world but today is the day that we finally get a new album...so i have reviewed it just for you guys. By the way i apologise if it's rubbish, haven't done this in a long time so...here goes...

Their new album “Uno” is the first in a trilogy, with Dos and Tre to follow in November and January. This sees the band embark on the biggest project of their 25 year career

.
Uno, described as the warm up to the party, lives up to its description. It has the pop punk feel of Dookie and Kerplunk but with a new touch.

A lot of fans have been saying that the music has changed too much and are quite disappointed with it but personally I find that hard to believe. Yes they have changed their direction but it’s not drastically different.There is still that distinct Green Day feel to the songs but they are trying to keep their music fresh to maybe attract a different kind of audience.

The last two albums were epic concept albums, whereas this is just a stripped down simplistic sound, which is a welcome change. There seems to be a lot more guitar in this music in terms of the solos, and it is just so great. The rhythm section is a heck of a lot clearer on this album, and the vocals are a lot clearer and stronger than they have been for a while.

My favourite song on the album is track number 10 called Sweet 16. It’s a heartfelt love song filled with memories and beautiful vocals. It is the track that really stands out to me, it may not be the fastest but it is the one that always gets stuck in my head.
 
Another strong song is their single Kill The DJ. This song is a bit of a stand alone track, it’s sort of like the piggy in the middle to the rest of the album but it’s one heck of a catchy song! It’s one of those songs that you could be bopping away to without even realising you’re doing it. It’s infectious!

There isn’t a song on this album that I really dislike, but i feel that Oh Love is the weakest song. If this album was a preparation to a party, surely you would want the last song to be upbeat…it doesn’t really make any sense! It’s still a really good song and I am not by any means saying i dislike it but i don’t think it really belongs with the rest of the album.

If i were to give a rating out of 10 i would give it 10. It is my favourite of their nine albums, and i feel so excited for what is still to come!

Someone Kill The DJ!

Green Day fans everywhere were delighted on Monday night when Radio 1 premiered their brand new single Kill The DJ. Fans had already heard a snippet of it in the trailer for Uno, as well as it being played at the Echoplex a couple of weeks ago, however it was still quite different from what we were all expecting.

Kill The DJ is not as straight-forward as Oh Love. The concept of the song is not actually about wanting to kill a dj even though the lyrics state otherwise: 'the voices in my head are saying shoot that fucker down' - it is about wanting to put a stopper on the continual media that seems to rule the lives of this generation. Billie Joe Armstrong told mtv.com:"It's a metaphor for the information overload"

The sound is like nothing you would expect from Green Day, it doesn't have the usual power that their past music has, but it does have the same sort of attitude that we all know and love. It is essentially a dance song with a Green Day twist. It's smooth, suave and sexy with the added Armstrong growl that drives the female fans crazy. It has the Foxboro Hot Tubs rock and roll vibe that seems to suit the band down to the ground

Mike Dirnt (Bass) calls it their 'first time attacking a four-on-the-floor beat' comparing it to songs from Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album as well as the Blondie classic 'Heart Of Glass' and you can really hear it throughout the song. It is the most infectious song that the boys have ever released and you can't help but tap your feet!

Although I haven't really heard any of the other songs from Uno, I would say that we should all be prepared for more surprises because we are sure as hell gonna get them! I hope you are all ready, because i certainly am, in fact, the sooner September 24th gets here, the better!

Here's the explicit version for those who haven't heard it yet...enjoy!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!: Selected pieces of news from the past two weeks

It's been a while since i posted, and quite a bit has happened, nothing too major but newsworthy nonetheless. So here they are:

Firstly: On friday it was announced (and I mentioned it in my last post) that Billie Joe would be mentoring on The Voice. The only thing we know is that he will be on Christina Aguilera's team, which is a very interesting pairing...in an interview with the pair, they were asked if they would duet on the show and Billie said he would write something...that again should be interesting. You can watch this interview below.

After reading a lot of feedback about this i can see that there are quite a lot of people who think what he is doing is bad. He has been called a sellout and slated for it. Personally i think that what he is doing is great, he has never done anything like that before. The most punk rock thing to do is to do what you want and not care about what other people think about it and that's exactly what he is doing. I think he is gonna be one of the most brutally honest mentors they have ever had! Bring it on!


Secondly: The Idiot Club posted the cover to the new single, Kill The DJ:

It has a particular 'funky punk' feel to it, the skulls from the 21st Century Breakdown era have been used once again (cue breath of relief from Green Day fans -myself included- who have them as tattoos!)
The way this cover looks tells me that the song will be retro, like 90's style rock but with the trademark Green Day sound still peaking through. The single is rumoured to be released on 14th August but has not been officially confirmed as of yet.


Thirdly: Along with the Kill The DJ cover, the Idiot Club also posted new promo shots of the band, there were seven in total but I have chosen the best two of the bunch (below). You can find the others on the Green Day Authority website: www.greendayauthority.com and follow the 'photos' link.

 Have to say, the boys are looking pretty good at the moment! Their styles have certainly changed from the 21st Century Breakdown era, they are looking less...for lack of a better word...formal! It suits them! I admit that i fangirled slightly at these pictures...moving on!


Fourthly (and quite importantly): Last Monday (30/4/12), www.altpress.com released a video premiere of Let Yourself Go, recorded from the Austin, Texas show last November - which was the first secret show in which they previewed their new material:

This track sounds a lot more like traditional Green Day than Oh Love, which will please most fans, it's aggressive, loud and utterly fantastic! It certainly shows the musical progression of the band as they approach the Uno Dos Tre era. Looking forward to the studio version! Bring it on! :)


Finally: Last night, the boys played a 'secret' show at the Echoplex in Los Angeles. Billie announced it on Twitter (i would tell you what it said but it seems he has deleted it for some reason...)

The tickets sold out in minutes, filling the 350 capacity venue. There were some rumours that they were going to play the whole trilogy back to back but they ended up playing two hours of old and new stuff, with songs such as Christie Road, Dominated Love Slave, Oh Love, Kill The DJ, Wild One and Nuclear Family.

For anyone who is curious to hear it, here is a video for Kill The DJ from said show:

I would love them to come play in Liverpool but somehow I don't think that will happen! They need to announce UK tour details soon!

So there it is, there is a lot still to look forward to in the not so distant future but until then...peace out! R&L <3

Sellouts? Really?

This is more of a rant post...here goes...

Green Day have always been called sellouts, ever since they first signed to Reprise records all those years ago. It has been going on all the way through their career, but it has started again just recently when they released their new single Oh Love, and when Billie was chosen to be mentor on The Voice. All I wanna know is why? All the band are trying to do is earn an honest living, they are one of the hardest working bands in the industry and they have made it this far without needing to be on these reality TV shows or having everything handed to them on a plate! Their new single has been completely pulled to bits, yes it is a little different from what we are used to and no it isn't the strongest of first singles ever but it is still a good song! It is something new and refreshing...they can't just stay the same throughout their career because that would be really boring! With some of the appalling music in the charts today it is nice to hear something that doesn't completely suck!

As for Billie selling out by being on the voice...how? Just because he is branching out and doing something a little different? Let's face it, his talent has finally been recognized! He isn't doing anything wrong so why criticise him? Nobody criticised Tom Jones, or Jessie J, or Adam Levine for it! I know this is all my own opinion but seriously! Leave the guy alone!!

Anyway...

Hyper Fangirl moment commence!

Today, July 16th 2012, is the day when we can FINALLY welcome Green Day back...and...what a welcome!

Oh Love has officially been premiered! Wow, what can i say other than IT'S AMAZING!
It's a fresh sound for them, clean and very polished. The beginning is smooth with the acoustic guitar but it kicks in on the first chorus. Like the calm before the storm. The guitar solo in the middle is what really blew me away...wow! I think Rob Cavallo was definitely the best choice for producing the albums, Butch Vig was OK but in my eyes no one compares to Cavallo.

The lyrics...as with every Green Day song, are awesome. It makes me wonder who he is talking about when he sings the line: "Talk my way out of falling in love, falling in love with you" I'm sure all will be revealed in time!

I think the lyrics are a lot more personal than on the last two albums, you can see that he hasn't taken the concept album route again which is good because it shows that they are headed in a brand new direction.

Billie's voice is sounding stronger than ever, I think the Broadway stint has done him tonnes of good! He seems to be able to hit the notes much better! I can't wait to hear it live properly!

If you want to hear it, here it is below! I wanna know what you all think!

*aaaaaaaand breathe*

(Just an after thought, if Billie was on twitter at the same time as the single was released, i wonder how he would react to everyone's tweets? I reckon he would find it hilarious how hysterical we all were! haha!)

Oh Love happened here July 16th

So, in other news

With Oh Love being released to the masses in just 6 days time, the boys have confirmed the artwork...tah dah!:

No Green Day teaser release would be complete without a trailer...a 14 second trailer to be exact, here it is:

The trailer made me laugh. It has been made as a sort of parody to Youtube videos and their adverts that disrupt your videos, and i'm sure many fans (myself included) tried to click the cross! It's official, we have been trolled by Green Day! Bazinga!

The snippet of the song sounds amazing, the riff is so powerful - sounding unlike any Green Day song i have heard before. At first I was unsure about the choice for the single but i feel as though this could be a strong one and could end up being huge.

As for the artwork, I like it! It's clever and has that bombastic punky style that carries right through the trilogy of covers.

Oh Love is expected to be played at 6:00 pt, which i think is about 2:00pm here, so set your alarms!

 Oh and Kerrang will feature the boys on the cover of their July 18th issue so save some pennies!

Boys On Film...

Well today has been a great day for Green Day news.

The first came this morning when it was confirmed that there will be not one but TWO documentaries released next year. The first will be the making of the album trilogy - filmmakers Tim Lynch and co will follow them around when they are rehearsing for the various shows they will be playing and filming a sort of 'day in the life of three rockstars' type thing.

Billie told Billboard.com (where the news was confirmed) :
"It's not going to be the sitting down, head shot of me going 'We started out blah blah blah'. We wanted to get into the lifestyles of rock n roll and playing rock n roll and letting the story kind of tell itself rather than create revisionist (history)"

The boys are also said to have teamed up with Samuel Bayer, who directed the videos for American Idiot, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams/Holiday, Jesus of Suburbia and Wake Me Up When September Ends, and he also directed their live DVD 'Bullet In A Bible'.

The second of the documentaries is made up of footage from Dookie Era so it will be interesting to go from one era to the other with the documentaries - as a way to compare how they were when they first worked with Rob Cavallo and how they are now.

Executives at Warner Bros are hoping that they will be ready by the beginning of next year just in time for the Sundance Film Festival. So fingers crossed!

In the meantime we have so much more to look forward to...definitely making up for lost time!

(My next post will reveal the other stuff announced today so stay tuned!)

Excited? Yes!

When i heard about the three albums being released i didnt really know what to make of it! I mean, I was very happy about it but i was shocked that they were going to take this big step. I thought, how are they going to pull this off? Why are they releasing three albums? What are they going to sound like now?

The thought of new Green Day music is great, i think because it has been three years since 21st Century Breakdown it has been nice to experience all of the hype again, especially with the studio updates and constantly being kept guessing.

Now that the first single 'Oh Love' has been announced, it is becoming more real to me that it is finally happening. I am LOVING the fact that they have chosen that for their next single because it was my favourite from the secret show in Texas last year. I am curious more than anything to hear what it's going to sound like as a proper studio song.

The other thing (and possibly the main thing) that is exciting me about the new albums is the tour! I cannot wait to see them live again. The last time they played in Manchester was quite possibly the best gig i have ever been to, (and i have been to quite a few in my time) just thinking of that night gives me the biggest smile on my face. I just know that the three albums are going to give us the best tour they have ever done! I am so excited for it all to begin!

I would like to hear what everyone else thinks about the albums/tour/single. So, if you want, please leave a comment and tell me. It will be interesting to see the reactions!

Thanks! and thanks for reading my blog. It means the world to me!

RAGE n LOVE! <3

Tre! Cover Revealed!

This afternoon saw the unveiling of the album cover for the final in the trilogy. Yes, Tre was released...carrying on the 'album cover every thursday' pattern that they have been following.

Here is the cover:

"I'm feeling bluuuuuuuuuuueee!" - could this have been a hint?
This cover was actually leaked through the photograph that Billie tweeted earlier in the week (as shown in my last post) so this release was no surprise, however it is still good to see it officially out there. Out of the three covers this is my favourite. The photo of Tre really stands out and...well, i like the colour!

As with all of the other covers, there was a trailer showing the guys doing all different things such as surfing, skateboarding and jamming in the studio. The song in the background is unknown but is sounding really good. Very heavy on drums but different again to the Green Day sound we have gotten used to.

If you look closer at the end of the trailer you will see that the date to pre-order the albums off the band's website is 16th July, which is the same day as Oh Love has been confirmed to be released. Also people have already been pre ordering Uno from Amazon which is amazing!

With all of the trailers out of the way, the only thing i am wondering now is....what is going to be released next week?

This made me smile...

So Billie Joe tweeted this picture earlier with the caption: "UNO! DOS! TRE! Finished!!"

Yes, the albums are ready to go and I for one couldn't be happier! For some reason, on a personal level, this announcement of the three albums and all of this wonderful news has felt like a really good dream. However seeing this photo has made it feel real and it just makes me happy that soon we are all going to be listening to songs that they have been working on for what seems like forever.

You can now also pre-order Uno from Amazon, AND an official tracklisting has been revealed. Here it is:

1. Nuclear Family
2. Stay The Night
3. Carpe Diem
4. Let Yourself Go
5. Kill The DJ
6. Fell For You
7. Loss Of Control
8. Troublemaker
9. Angel Blue
10. Sweet 16
11. Rusty James
12. Oh Love

After all of the speculation that i have read about the albums, it's nice to have something solid to go by. I am still surprised that they have chosen Oh Love for their first single but it's going to be massive! Everyone needs to mark 16th July on their calenders and stay glued to the radio when that day comes!

Smiley face.

Oh Love...

*Breaking News...sort of* Green Day's new single has been announced! (cue hallelujah cries)

'Oh Love' has been confirmed to be the first single from Uno, and is to be released on 16th July, which is just three weeks from now.

This was the tweet that broke the news:
@GreenDay: The first single from ¡Uno! will be "Oh Love" and will hit the airwaves on July 16th. Stay tuned for more details!

Gotta say, this is exciting stuff! Unexpected too, because i thought they would choose a song with more energy, like Carpe Diem. When we got the rubbish quality recordings from the secret show in Texas last year, Oh Love sounded quite soft and lacking the energy that i have come to expect from Green Day, although it was one of the tracks that stood out the most to me. I wouldn't have thought it would be a single so i guess i was pleasantly surprised!

Also, I can't believe how soon this announcement has come. I thought if anything we would be waiting until August for a single. It's great that they are getting it all out now to give us something to really look forward to.

I just hope the promo for this single and the three albums is much better than with 21st Century Breakdown.

For anyone who wants it, this is the live recording of Oh Love from their Texas show:

Tour Rumours are upon us....

Now that the albums have been announced and Uno is fast approaching, the whispers about possible tour dates have begun. Because the boys are headlining festivals around Europe at the end of August, it has been suggested that they may tour Early September but that's before Uno is even released so it's way too soon.

The only prediction i would make is maybe early 2013 after the three albums have been released.

All this being said, the band have been so unpredictable as of late that the speculation could be right and i could be completely wrong.

Personally I hope I'm right though coz I can't afford tickets at this moment!

Whenever the tour is it is going to be epic! :)

Uno, Dos, Tre!

So, this week has been pretty busy for news. Yesterday, an interview with the boys from the Rolling Stone was released, in which Billie spoke about the three albums. He mentioned that there will be 36 songs spread across the trilogy (which means 12 songs per album) and he gave a general description of the albums:

"The first one is power pop. The second is more garage-y, Nuggets-type rock. And the third, is supposed to be epic. With the first album, you're getting in the mood to party. On iDos!, You're at the party. And the third album...you're cleaning up the mess!"


This interview has made us aware of a number of tracks that will appear on the albums: Carpe Diem, Amy, It's Fuck Time and Stay The Night (which we already knew about) then there are X Kid which was written about a close friend of Billie's who committed suicide two years ago. There is also Forgotten, Brutal Love - which is said to be the opening track for iTre! - and 99 Revolutions. It looks like they are ready to unleash what promises to be a monster of a trilogy, and judging from the numerous Facebook and twitter posts it seems that the fans are well and truly ready too.

As if all of that wasn't enough, the album artwork for iDos! was also released:

Same style as iUno! only this time with Mike on the cover. As with iUno!, a thirty second trailer was released showing more footage from the studio and from the secret shows at the end of last year. The music in the background this time was the instrumental for It's Fuck Time.

I have to say, it's sounding amazing! It's hard to believe that it is the same band. The guitar riffs are out of this world, displaying the talents of Billie Joe and Jason White. It was originally meant for their side project, Foxboro Hot Tubs, but i think with the amount they have played it live it HAS to be a Green Day song. I was pleasantly surprised that it made it onto an album!

You can watch the trailer below:

I'm hoping that next week sees the release of iTre! but i can just feel that something amazing is going to happen soon. I hope I'm right!

Memories...

"Now this is a fucking gathering!"

So, today I am feeling sentimental about Green Day. It has been happening to me a lot recently but today has been especially bad...this is because, two years ago today they gave me the best night of my life.

It was two years ago since me, David and Katie went to see them in Manchester as part of their 21st Century Breakdown summer tour 2010 and for obvious reasons i was so excited.

It was such a lovely day too, really sunny outside as we walked to find our bed and breakfast that we had booked in advance for the show. We waited and waited and waited, got to the very front...well not barrier but second row, and as soon as the boys ran onstage I just knew it was going to be a night to remember.

We were on Mike's side, and it was so amazing coz you could see the energy and the passion in his performance, he genuinely wanted to be there putting on that show for us and it was so incredible. As soon as Billie ran over and stood right in front of me (more or less) my heart just started pounding. My hero was standing right in front of me was just something else altogether.

I heard Lulu's Shout on TV tonight and I couldn't stop smiling because I could see Tre singing it and dancing, and I could hear Billie saying "Come here Christina Aguilera I want you back!" and when the crowd was chanting 'Get your tits out for the lads' at Tre, Billie said "Take your c*cks out for the girls!" I am still laughing as I am writing this!

Billie's performance was unreal. Although there were so many people there, he made me feel a sense of intimacy...i know it doesn't make any sense but to feel like that at a show is just the best feeling in the world, better than any high. When he did the final encore and sang When It's Time/Wake Me Up When September Ends/Good Riddance you could hear that he meant every single word he was singing. Before he started singing he said this (this is along the same lines as what he said):

"This is the best show we have ever played in Manchester right now, and I swear to God i would never wanna be in any other fucking band than Green Day, I swear to God. Bands break up, some of my favourite bands either someone died or they have broke up i don't know, like your parents or something...but you gotta wheel me away in a fucking coffin to get me out of this fucking band i'll tell you..."

After he said that I cried, I cried through the encore and I cried at the end. It was the first time for a while that I have walked out of a show thinking 'I never want this to end!'

There are only a few other people who would be able to understand my feelings about this night, but hopefully if you read this you will see why this night meant the world to me! If not I hope you enjoyed reading it all the same.

Bring on the next tour! :D

(Here are some of my favourite photos)

Album Cover for iUno! released

About an hour ago, the Green Day world exploded with excitement, as the band released a 30 second preview for the first of the album trilogy:

Yes, ladies and gents, it's finally happened! As well as the trailer, the band revealed the album artwork to us (shown below)  Gotta say, I'm loving this cover, very bright and colourful - will easily catch your eye in the music shops! Just a quick note, it's the first one of their studio albums since Warning to actually feature the band/a member of the band on the cover...nice and obvious factoid for you there folks! Hope you all enjoyed it!

This news comes after Billie tweets for the first time in months, not just once but three times, announcing a secret show in Los Angeles:


"Green day Surprise rock n roll sex party show meaning "secret show" coming soon in LA AREA. Stay tuned!"

"Clothing optional! Dance or fuck off. And it's FREE"

"Bring your own booze. Weirdos and punishers welcomed!"

From the sound of the instrumental in the background, their new sound is going to be FBHT style mixed with old school stuff. It's sounding pretty kick ass! Cannot wait to hear more!

As well as releasing the cover, it looks like a tracklist has been released. Here are the songs that we have seen:

• Nuclear Family
• Stay The Night
• Carpe Diem
• Let Yourself Go
• Fell For You
• Crushing Bastards
• Teenage Angel/Angel Blue
• See You Tonight
• It's Fuck Time
• Stop When The Red Lights Flash (I'll Make You Surrender)
• Kill The DJ
• Lazy Bones
• Wild One
• Make Out Party
• Drama Queen

Exciting yes? I think so! I am very curious to hear what they sound like and how many of these songs will end up on iUno!

Hmmm i guess we will have to wait and see...
25th September isn't too far away now, 103 days left, not that i have been counting....

Rumour has it...

As an avid Green Day fan, when news of anything new and exciting spreads, i am usually jumping for joy and shedding tears of happiness.In the past, when a rumour has gotten about i have been really excited, thinking 'OMG YES IT HAS TO BE TRUE!!' only to have my heart crushed. This time it's different, apparently - this being the correct word - there has been word that a new Green Day single is being sent to their studio in approximately two weeks. Uno, the first in the trilogy, is not released until 25th September, and the single should be from said album...i can't help thinking it's a little soon for a single!

Obviously if what has been said does actually happen i will be thrilled and will listen to the radio non stop until i finally hear it, and then proceed to playing it over and over and over until the album is released. If it's not true...i saw it coming!

James McMahon, editor of Kerrang Magazine, said on Twitter about a month ago that he had some exciting Green Day news and would tell us more when he was allowed. Could this be what he meant? Could my ranting have been for nothing? (most probably)

I suppose we need to watch this space...

*holds off throwing a childish tantrum*

There are three songs that i have heard that i would want to be a single:
Oh Love
Stray Heart
Carpe Diem

I hope that someone who is involved with our boys reads this and gets the message :D
We can only live in hope! *sighs*

*note* This rumour has been confirmed to be false...hate to say i told you so...

Green Day Induct Guns 'N' Roses into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame

So this has been the second time in the space of a couple of years that Green Day have attended the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame now. This time it was for Guns 'N' Roses.

The boys took to the stage for their performance of Letterbomb (it has been said on the Green Day Community forum that they sound checked with a brand new song) and they completely rocked the house.

(Billie Joe and Tre Cool during their performance)

It was then their time to introduce the band. Billie Joe performed a 12 minute speech which talked about them individually - even sticking up for the absent Axl Rose, earning a massive boo from the crowd. He also spoke with passion about the albums such as Appetite For Destruction and Use Your Illusion pt 1 and 2.

If you want to read the full speech you can follow the link below:
http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=172651

(Green Day with Guns and Roses during the acceptance speech)

After the induction, Billie Joe took to the stage with 'the Roses' to perform backing vocals for their song Mr Brownstone, and then joined GNR, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others for the finale.

(Billie Joe and Flea during the final performance)

On a personal note, I cannot wait until Green Day are eligible to be inducted. They deserve it - they have been around for 23 years, won countless awards, sold out arenas all over the world and they even have a musical dedicated to one of their most influential albums which Billie has had a starring role in.

I wait with baited breath for their time to come...

Why Green Day mean so much to me

This is a personal post...i apologise if i bore you...

So, people who know me know that my favourite band is Green Day. They have been a part of my life for over ten years and they have gotten me through some bad times.

When i was in school i would get bullied for my weight: I have never really been bothered about the way i look but these people in my class really made my self esteem plummet to a very low level. Everyday after school i would come home and listen to Green Day and they would instantly make me feel better and ready to face another day. 

My parents and grandparents just think it's a phase, that i am obsessed with them...and they are probably right. The only person in my family that never thought that was my uncle David. He loved them too, along with a lot of other music. We watched Bullet in A Bible together and i could see that he was just as amazed by their live presence as i always have been. The day 21st Century Breakdown was released I heard him playing it loud from his bedroom so i ran upstairs and listened to it with him. It was an amazing moment. I remember telling him about going to see them for the first time, and where everyone else wasn't interested, he seemed to hang on my every word and was excited for me - telling me that he was jealous that i had got to see them before him.

The day he died was one of the worst days of my life, the pain still hasn't gone away. At his funeral, the lyrics for Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) were running through my head: 'It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right, i hope you had the time of your life' - i have no idea why. To this day i cannot listen to that song without feeling a sad an sick feeling in my stomach, but it makes me happy in the sense that i remember all of the times i spent with him talking about music. I still have the picture he drew for me of the Heart hand grenade in pride of place on my wall.

Seeing Green Day live is an amazing experience. It is like no other concert experience you will ever have, and i have people back me up on that! I have been able to see them twice (hoping to see them again on their next tour - hopefully next summer). Throughout the show they make you feel included, they show you how much you mean to them and they play their hearts out every night. 16/06/10 was the best night of my life...it is going to be a very hard night to top!

Billie Joe Armstrong is my hero, his lyrics really stick with me. He has taught me how to be an individual and he has shown me that as long as i am happy i shouldn't have to give a damn what anyone else thinks.

The fact that they are bringing three albums out has made me the most excited i have been for a long time. Without being too cheesy, if anything were to happen and they were to split or whatever, i really don't know what i would do. People reading this will just think i am a crazy fan but they just mean so much to me and they have been with me for so long. I would just feel so lost without them.

There aren't enough words to describe how much i wanna thank them for just existing!

The day where the Green Day fandom explodes!

There has been all kinds of speculation about the new Green Day album ever since Billie tweeted on that fateful valentines day. They have been teasing us with little studio updates, giving the fans a taste of what they can expect for the new Green Day sound.


On April 11th, the Green Day family exploded with excitement as Billie Joe announced plans for the new albums...did i say album(S)? yes i did! Here's the tweet:


@BJAOfficial: "Ok. Here's the deal. We're making a 3 album trilogy. Not 1. Not 2. But 3 albums. Called iUNO! iDOS! iTRE! Coming September November January"

This tweet alone sent Green Day fans (myself included) into a frenzy, however they released another studio video to accompany it, explaining that they want to give us an idea of what they are up to (video link above). 


So they have once again done what no one expected. Why they have decided to do three albums? Nobody knows, will it be their last hoorah? Maybe? Whatever happens, it seems we are in for some amazing music as per. Bring it on!

iUno! is released on 25th September 2012, iDos! is released 13th November 2012 and iTre! is released on 15th January 2013. The boys are also playing various festivals around Europe this summer. Check it out!

"We're literally dealing with a new sound...and it's fucking with my head!"

Valentines Day 2012: this was the day that Green Day fans' all over the world came together to collectively fangirl/fanboy...why? Because after what seems like a twitter hiatus, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong tweeted this:

@BJAOfficial: "Happy Valantines Day! Officially started recording the new record today. It's FUCK TIME!!!!" 

Yes, three years after the release of 21st Century Breakdown, the band are recording their forthcoming ninth studio album. 

As of yet there have been no announcements as to when it is going to be released or even what it is going to be called, however they have been teasing us with 20-30 second clips of them working in the studio with Rob Cavallo - who will be producing.

The most recent, update number 9, is a clip of Billie Joe talking to Rob about the 'new sound', saying: "We are literally dealing with a new sound, and it's fucking with my head!" with a little snippet of guitar in the background.

While they are not giving too much away they are certainly setting tongues wagging, fans everywhere are curious about this new sound. Obviously it means they have taken a new direction from the 'rock opera' rut that they seemed to be stuck in for two albums, have they gone back to their roots and made a 'Kerplunk/Dookie' style album? Have they done something dramatically different? I guess we will have to wait and see - the fact that they have announced four live Europe dates suggests to me that we could get an album announcement any day now, or it's definitely close. 

All i can say is BRING IT ON!