Introducing Ben Howard

It’s pretty difficult to come up with a single word to accurately describe something. But in this instance it couldn’t be any easier. The adjective is AMAZING, and it is used to illustrate the sheer brilliance of Mr Ben Howard, a 23 year old with a big voice, a pretty face and a cracking attitude to music.

Having released his album Every Kingdom in October of last year, Ben entered the UK charts at a very respectable number 7. Considering the country boy from Devon did very little in the way of commercial promotion, he certainly deserves a pat on the back for the albums immediate success.

Having been introduced to the beautiful sounds of Ben in early November, the last 4 months have been a case of Every Kingdom overload, notching up over 40 listens on my iTunes and leaving me constantly humming the sweet tones of my favourite tracks Diamonds and Keep Your Head Up.

Having been on the road for several months, Ben has been entertaining fans at sold out gigs across the UK. A brief stint at the Pyramid Centre in Portsmouth was the perfect opportunity for me to sample the mesmerising sounds of Every Kingdom live, I simply couldn’t resist.

An extremely talented singer- songwriter, Ben certainly didn’t disappoint. The intimate venue allowed fans to get up close and personal with the handsome fella and I for one was blown away by his sheer brilliance. As his eerie folk inspired tones filled the room, Ben made his way through the entire album, charming us with his unique voice and proving that every song was as sentimental to him as the next. Acoustically, this surfer dude is up there with some of the world’s greatest musicians.

Having attended several festivals and gigs over the years and seeing a wide array of big named stars, who knew that one man on a cramped stage with just a stool, microphone and guitar, could blow A- list divas with their expensive pyrotechnics and swarms of backing dancers out of the water? A young star who was genuinely grateful to every single person in the room for their support, Ben Howard is a refreshing addition to the music industry.  

With further tour dates across the UK scheduled for early November, if there’s one artist worth watching this year its got to be this man. Simply AMAZING.

The power of the golden balls

Beckham fever strikes again as Britain’s favourite footballer strips down to his undies and reveals all to the world for his latest fashion campaign with H&M. With his toned torso currently reaching every form of media advertisement, (from TV commercials to window displays and billboards) what is it that makes everyone, including our friends, mothers, grandmas and boyfriends swoon over Mr David Beckham?

The perfect torso? Check. Enough tattoos to fill a small child’s entire body? Check. Millions of pounds in the bank? Check. A family man? Check…I could go on, but I won’t.

As you can probably tell, I’m slightly obsessed with Mr Beckham, an obsession which has reared its ugly head once again since he re-entered my life wearing nothing but his crisp white boxer shorts. David seems to be one of those lucky guys that gets more handsome with age. Looking back at his disastrous hair styles and outfit choices over the years who would have thought that at the tender age of 36 he could become an international sex symbol once again?

David’s success lies in his ability to appeal to an extremely wide audience. Men like him for his long and successful football career and us women love him because he looks beautiful in his underpants. David Beckham/Golden Balls/ Becks/Davey Baby, (whatever you wish to call him) will always remain a household name. I’m definitely no expert, but I believe that it is this close relationship that David has with his UK fans that makes his projects away from the pitch so successful. Many of us feel like we have grown up with the Beckham’s and for this reason alone we feel obliged to check out the couples latest fashion campaigns.

A pair of £7.99 pants and apparently you can have your very own golden balls…you should be so lucky. An example of image lead false advertisement at its very best, but its okay, because its David Beckham and for this reason all shall be forgotten.

A typical Bernard’s watch moment

So the third year countdown has well and truly begun. Coursework deadlines fill my diary and I fear for the day that I turn my One Direction calendar (don’t be jealous) to the 1st July signalling the end of my student days. Hello big, bad, scary world!

University life comes with its ups and downs, and I’ve certainly had my fair share of both. But one thing’s for sure, it teaches you how do be independent, a case of sink or swim, man up or go home! The sudden realisation that you can no longer depend on your parents to do everything makes you wake up and realise that the grown up world is far from simple. Bills, washing, cleaning, cooking, money…it’s tough.

July marks the start of a new chapter in my life and although I don’t want this story to end, I know that nothing lasts forever; after all there’s only so long I can play the ‘student’ card for. Memories last a lifetime and with hundreds of photographs from the last three years, I’m sure I shall never forget the drunken haze of first year or the wonders of Just Dance on the Wii, before a night out.

The last three years have been everything I could have ever hoped for, and I shall be extremely sad to say goodbye to student life. My aim for the next five months is to make every moment matter, allowing me to walk away in July with a smile on my face, confident that I have put everything into my time at university.

Hello Library, it’s time to get my geek on!