FanCam: Sheffield United v Notts County

At the end of November I headed down to Bramall Lane to watch a tasty game between Sheffield United and Notts County as they both continued to battle at the top of the table. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and I spoke to fans about their thoughts on the match and the future League Cup Quarter Final against Southampton.

Through One Ear and Out the Other; A musical shift from 2014 to 2015

Music is a constant, merely blurred by the boundaries of our calendar. 2015 will provide nothing different on the music scene as old rockers return and new names bubble to the surface, there should be something to savour for music fans this year. Here's some personal tips and moments to look forward to in 2015.

1. Return of the Maccs

On New Years eve Orlando Weeks and co gave us news of a new album and plenty more live shows hitting us in 2015. What the details are exactly we don't know yet but if it's anything like their last album, 'Given To The Wild', then their next instalment could be the record of the year.

2. The Rock 'n' Roll Revival Hits Wembley

In June Foo Fighters will take to Wembley Stadium to play some of their biggest shows to date but what's even more tasty is their support. It comes in the shape of hard-hitting duo Royal Blood who could soon rival Dave Grohl for a headline slot. 2014 was the definitive year for the pair but 2015 ought to firmly establish them as saviours of thick riffs and drums, a lot of drums.

3. Peace is the word

B-Town quartet Peace will bring some more shimmery vibes to your ear waves early on into the year with their second album, 'Happy People', dropping in February. Having spoken to the man behind the mic it seems that it won't end there though as a sea of tour dates and plans for a third album are very much in motion.

4. A Band Called Palace

With the return of the Maccabees already being noted, a band who will be hot on their heels this year is London outfit, 'Palace'. Their alternative tinting of archaic blues brought them a support slot on Jamie T's tour and 2015 will undoubtedly see them rise from their debut EP platform.

5. King Raury

If Outkast's comeback was too 2002 for you then welcome to Raury. The teenager from Atlanta is making rifts across seas and has impressed the likes of BBC to feature him on their Sounds of 2015 list. Over the past year he's released some interesting projects touching upon Andre 3000 and Childish Gambino influences which will carry him confidently through 2015.

6. Male music

Raury's not the only young man who you'll be hearing in 2015. Bipolar Sunshine will be delivering upbeat pop rhythms whereas the more gentle whirrs of Brits critics choice, James Bay, will be prominent and for the more rugged edge, Only Real will be bringing the skatty upbeat guitar playing back. Expect these three to be very much in and around some of the best things you hear this year.

7. Festivals

Hardly a surprise this but yes the dawn of 2015 means we move even closer to festival season. Despite the slightly under-par line up, Glastonbury was a stonker last year so if Eavis manages to book the bigger acts this year, it could be one of the best yet. Elsewhere Reading and Leeds have brought in Metallica, making their Glastonbury performance last year look not so special after all. Smaller festivals to look out for include Bestival - the biggest party of the year, and metropolitan festivals, Live At Leeds and Tramlines.

8. The Brits Bullshit

It appears the only good thing going for the Brits this year is that James Corden has been put out of his misery, his script tossed to one side as Ant and Dec take over the presenting duties. Don't expect any tongue in cheek public speech by Alex Turner this year though. Instead sit back and enjoy a festoon of faces who you'll have been tired of seeing since last February - Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift will all give 'big performances' on the show - all for the viewing figures eh.

2014; My Point of View

Another year, another clink of champagne glasses and yet another wince towards those soppy summaries of the year which drain social media. It's probably ironic then that I'm writing this, but as I sit here with a stomach rattling like a tumble dryer watching the New Years Premier League fixtures, I thought maybe I should jot down a few memorable things from 2014, for me anyway.

So, where better place to start than football. It's something that follows you every year, for good or for bad. For myself, a Manchester United fan, last year was pretty hard to swallow. I've always been a fan of David Moyes and a firm believer that managers should be given time, but by April the United board had a hard decision to make and gave him the axe. Had he been given another season to settle who knows what could've happened but the fact is that the new man at the helm Van Gaal has boosted a similar squad to perform 7/10 performances and grind out results as opposed to the 3/10 efforts consistently on display last year. Champions League is priority this year, but with more of a grip on transfers hopefully the Dutchman can help the team challenge for the title next season. 

David Moyes; a rabbit in the Old Trafford floodlights.

Elsewhere the league itself last year was one of the best Premier League seasons yet. Unfortunately it was between Manchester City and Liverpool to win the title, with the Reds playing their best football in years. For me, it was hard to watch two teams I don't particularly have savoury comments for compete for the title. City ended up taking it but Liverpool played the best football that season which included fine performances from young Englishmen Sterling and Sturridge. Surely we'd have a chance at the summer's World Cup then? 

The moment it all went downhill for Steven Gerrard in 2014.

Well, it's never easy with England is it. Not that we ever thought we'd go to Brazil and win the most prestigious prize in football, but as the days drew closer and the media produced their usual hype about our team, the pressure got to them and for players of their immense standard they failed to produce the goods. Germany, the old enemy, on the other hand, were marvellous and rightfully won the tournament, thumping Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final on their own turf. As an avid lover of football as a whole, the tournament had it's highlights but was by no means the most entertaining and the Premier League so far this season has mirrored that. It's looking like City and Chelsea to take the title but my eyes are firmly glued on my team still and a 3rd place finish is ideal.

Away from football, there are other things that go on in my life. The passing of my grandmother last Christmas gave me a kick up the backside to become more proactive in everyday life. Anyone who has had a close family member pass away will feel this rather cliche sense to make the most of life as it were. So this year I've been doing stuff... more. It's All Indie has given me a platform to spout my views on music regularly and watch live music free, which is always nice. I've been lucky enough to go to both Live At Leeds Festival and Bestival as well as interviewing indie-giants of the moment, Peace and Catfish And The Bottlemen. Other highlights in music this year include Arctic Monkeys show at Finsbury Park who were supported by breakthrough act of the year, Royal Blood. Their brutal presence was even more noticeable a month later at Glastonbury which I also attended, and it's true what they say, there's no place like Glasto. Bestival also served up a treat of performances through the likes of Foals headline set and Major Lazer's unbeatable live experience. Towards the end of the year I moved up to Sheffield to pursue Journalism and have continued to do what I love best, watching and speaking to bands. A band called, 'Palace' have particularly grabbed my attention this year and one to definitely watch out for in 2015. I spoke to them at a small bar in Sheffield and they seem to be onto big things for anyone remotely into the 'indie' music scene.

The Bestival crowd gets steamy.

Uni has rewarded me with a platform for my nasally voice; my own radio show, 'The View From The Afternoon', again heavily influenced by the music I thrive on. The university's 'Forge TV' has also meant my childhood habits of running around the playground, mic in hand, commentating on football have gone a step further as I've sat in the commentary boxes at Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. Before all of this though came the best three months of my life, hands down. Glastonbury, Bestival, trips to Italy and Barcelona all came about in summer, with a three week stint around Europe's cities with some chums being the cream of the crop. Unusual instances of breaking into hostels and crossing the Turkish border by foot made 2014 a notable year. 

Most people would end the year on a resolution. For me they're often forgotten about 48 hours later but for now I'm paying attention to the old term, 'to not view your glass as half empty'. It's something I am regularly guilty of, which can be hard to avoid when your teams not playing well or it's raining for the twelfth consecutive day up North, but something nonetheless most of us should bare in mind. So to all my family and friends and the strangers who will stumble across this year via my misleading 'search words', happy 2015!

Happy New 'Beer'...