March 2015

KRIZIA

I'm loving Linkoban this month! Ling Ly is her real name, and her song 'Oh Oh' has been on repeat for weeks since I first found her online! I always forget just how amazing M.I.A. is, 'Come Walk With Me' is a few years old but it's one of my favourite tracks of hers and i love the build up to the drop. Canadian gal Grimes is one of my current favourite artists and 'Go' is one of her newer tracks that i can't stop listening to! I'm not a huge fan of Aussie Chet Faker, but i'm in love with his cover of one of my favourite songs 'No Diggity', it's such a cool spin on the classic track and it's perfect to listen to on a lazy sunday afternoon. 'No One's Here to Sleep' by Naughty Boy featuring Dan from Bastille was featured during one of my favourite scenes at the end of episode 4 of How to Get Away With Murder, it was the perfect song choice for the scene! I stumbled across this beautiful acoustic version of 'Wildest Dreams' by Taylor Swift on tumblr, the account is now deleted so i don't know who to credit for this, but i think it's so much better than the original. Another artist i'm obsessed with this month is The Weeknd, his voice is so dreamy and i'm loving his song 'Wicked Games' right now. 'Water to Ice' is a bit of an oldie but a goodie from Kiwi bird Ruby Frost, as is 'Never Give Up On Love' by Kiwi drum and bass group Concord Dawn- a must for a kiwi summer playlist. Jack Ü is a side project of DJ's Diplo and Skrillex and their first official single 'Take Ü There' featuring Kiesza is such a sick tune! and Kiesza's vocals are so perfect for it. 'Jubel' by Klinglande and 'Classic' by The Knocks featuring Power are two of my most played songs this summer, definitely add these to any road trip playlists! I found Years & Years last year and have been patiently waiting for them to blow up ever since, and now their new single 'King' is everywhere! (Thanks MTV for making them your push artist!) I cannot get enough of this song! 'Basic Instinct' by 'The Acid' was featured during last weeks episode of Shameless and it's another A+ song choice for that long-awaited Gallovich scene. 

SOPHIE
First off let me say sorry for my lack of presence in Feb's monthly playlist, I was snowed under with uni assessments and then I was in Brussels for my anniversary...BUT I'M BACK and i'm ready to share with all you lovely readers what songs I've been listening to this month. First up is 'Doing It' by Charli XCX feat. Rita Ora, I love the sass Charli brings in the music video and just the other week me and two friends saw her play at the O2 Shepherds Bush where she killed it and even bought Rita on stage! Next is 'Ayo' by Chris Brown feat. Tyga, there's always something about Chris Brown songs that gets me hooked. Spending so much time in the library as of late has meant me getting to listen to A LOT of new albums and artists, one being James Bay, I highly recommend his new album and the song 'Best Fake Smile', along with that I managed to get a hold of the new Veronicas album (used to love those Australian twins when they were first introduced to the music world) one song i've been loving off the album is 'Born Bob Dylan'. I think I first heard the 'FourFiveSeconds (DJ Mustard Remix)' by Rihanna, Kanye & Paul McCartney when I was waiting to go to the movies with a friend, and I love the original version but I'm loving this remix! Funny story with the new Jason Derulo song 'Want to Want Me', when I first heard it I didn't even click that it was him! Since shazam-ing it, it's been a fixture to all my playlists (ok I only have one playlist but still...). Next up is 'New Problems' by another Australian Cody Simpson, the beginning guitar intro has a very Jack Johnson vibe, before Cody starts serenading us with his easy listening pop voice. Like Krizia, The Weeknd's hypnotising voice earns a spot on my playlist with his song 'Earned It' (from 50 Shades of Grey, but i'll let that slide), I was first introduced to him about 4/5 years ago when my sis first bought him to my attention and i've thanked her ever since. His voice is just so easy to listen to! Another remix features on my playlist in the shape of 'Thinking Out Loud (Alex Adair Remix) by Ed Sheeran. My friend Sophie introduced to me to the next song, Jess Glynne 'Hold My Hand', and it's fast become a fave car song of mine. With the news of Zayn leaving One Direction I thought it was only fitting having one of their songs and for some reason 'Clouds' stood out to me as the perfect song to represent this. Finally to round off this months playlist i've been getting into EDM a tiny bit and whilst i'm still navigating through this new music genre (so forgive me if i've miss-classed this song) I really like Marion Roudette's 'When the Beat Drops'. Like I said i'm still new to this scene so i'm just easing myself in slow!

What have you been listening to this month?

K. & S.

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Around this time of year some of your favourite TV shows are starting to wrap up for the season, some are about to begin, and announcements are made as to which shows are getting cut and which are getting renewed.

Among these announcements are the brand new TV shows that are hitting our screens this year. Here are a few that LGC are looking forward to!

We love everything to do with space so we're really looking forward to the new upcoming ABC drama 'The Astronaut Wives Club'. The series was originally supposed to air in 2013/2014 but it's now due to premiere this spring (U.S). The series is based on Lily Koppel's book 'The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story', the title of the show speaks for itself.

There may be way too many crime solving shows at the moment, and the plot for 'IZombie' is a tad ridiculous, a zombie solving crime? ok... BUT we have to support this new CW series as the lead role is played by Kiwi gal Rose McIver. The first episode just aired last week, and we're eager to see how this show goes down.

Last Friday saw my sister Charlotte and I attending All Time Low's "One Night with All Time Low" at SSE Wembley Stadium.

This was my first time seeing a full proper set (previously I had seen them do a festival set at Reading in 2010), I had always wanted to see them live, but fate always got in the way.

Being a lot older now (with the golden era of pop punk far behind me) my sister and I opted for seated tickets. Our seats were pretty decent as we had a clear view of the stage, although nothing beats being up close and personal at the front with the band. It was amazing seeing so many younger fans singing along to all the songs (even to songs that were released 10 years ago!), we even saw a grandma in our section who had taken her granddaughter to the gig! (I hope to be as cool as her one day).

All Time Low opened up with 'Love Like War' which is off their 'Don't Panic' album and one of my favs from that album. From there we went down memory lane with 'Lost in Stereo' and ' Six Feet Under the Stars'. After playing their hit song 'Weightless' from 'Nothing Personal' we at the back were treated to an acoustic set from Mr Alex Gaskarth when he appeared on a makeshift stage by the sound booth. Here he serenaded us with one of my favourites 'Remembering Sunday' and we were even treated to Cassadee Pope coming out and doing a duet with him. He finished the acoustic set with 'Therapy' which is another fav of mine before going back on stage and playing their new single 'Kids in the Dark' (if you're a fan of ATL and haven't heard this song, I recommend you check it out) from there they played 'Guts' from their album 'Dirty Work' (and another fav of mine). Their song 'Outline' saw lead singer of You Me at Six Josh Franceshi come out and sing with the band (I was super gutted they announced their co-headline tour with each other after we had bought these tickets as You Me at Six is another band I want to see live). After playing 'Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)' and 'Forget About It' (Which has to be my fav song from Dirty Work), they picked fans from the audience (of course they were all from the front row) to come up on stage during 'Time-Bomb'. We were treated to a mix of people, some coming all the way from Germany and Italy and one who came dressed up as a Hotdog (I can only imagine the bucketload of sweat he must have.. sweated haha). From there they played their first single off their new album 'Something's Gotta Give' (again check it out if you're an ATL fan) before leaving the stage as all bands do, to then reappear for their encore.

I briefly got excited at the prospect of possibly hearing 'Coffee Shop Soundtrack' but alas they decided to grace our ears with ' Jasey Rae' instead before finishing off the night with the first ever song I ever listened to (from All Time Low) 'Dear Maria, Count Me In'.

Slightly disappointed I didn't get to hear 'Popping Champagne' but we can't always get we want. Overall the night was fun, I thoroughly enjoyed the walk down All Time Low memory lane (even if I felt a tad old not jumping around and singing along to all the words like the young Sophie would have). Defo glad I can finally cross All Time Low off my music bucket list.

This gig was also filmed for their next DVD so if you were unfortunate enough not to attend because you weren't in the country, live abroad or just didn't go, you have the chance to experience this night from the comfort of your own home!

Their new album 'Future Hearts' is out April 2nd!

S.

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 I can pack my life away inside, from make up, phones, cameras, pens, note pads, hair brush, sunglasses, etc. I'm surprised I can end up finding anything in my bag, it's like i'm Mary Poppins- I can fit anything inside and the more I keep digging, the more I find.

*spoilers ahead*

I had never heard of the series when I first saw Divergent, in fact I was forced to watch the first movie simply because there was nothing else on at the time, but I ended up loving it. However the first couple of teasers for Insurgent really didn't grab my attention at all, so I was little unsure about watching the film.

The series is set in a futuristic dystopian Chicago enclosed by a large wall. The people within the wall are divided into five factions: Abnegation = selfless; Erudite = intelligent; Candor = honest; Dauntless = brave; Amity = peaceful. Some people don't fit in anywhere so they become factionless, others have traits from all factions so they are Divergent, and a threat to the government because they can't be controlled.  

Insurgent picks up three days after the events in Divergent. Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Peter (Miles Teller) are hiding out in peaceful Amity when they are found and pursued by Eric (Jai Courtney) and his team, thanks to the traitor Peter. The trio head in to factionless territory where we meet their leader Evelyn (Naomi Watts) who also happens to be Four's supposedly dead mother, and she wants to build an army to overthrow Erudite which is great because Tris wants kill the Erudite leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet). Four and Tris then head to Candor to meet with the rest of the Dauntless gang where they have to prove their innocence because the evil Jeanine is blaming them for what happened in Abnegation. She's also still on a mission to gather all Divergents, but this time she needs them for testing to help her open a mysterious box from the cities founders.

I haven't read the series, but I know this is where a lot of the movie starts to differ from the novel (thanks to fans of the book freaking out about the box they don't remember reading about). All I could think about during the film were the similarities to The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. I did like the big reveal in the box, but it just seemed too predictable. The action was great,  I didn't find myself getting bored during the two hour film, overall it just didn't really stand out to me as much as the first film, but I am interested to find out what happens next!

Let us know what you thought of the second instalment!

K.
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In honour of St. Patricks day we thought this weeks Travel Tuesday could highlight one of Ireland's popular cities!

I've always wanted to go to Dublin, but haven't quite managed to make it over there yet. Maybe later this year after I graduate uni and have a bit more time on my hands!

If you get a chance to go however make sure you check out these attractions:

I'm sure there's loads more you can do in this wonderful Irish city and I can't wait to experience it for myself! Love to hear your recommendations if you've ever been to this city!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

S.

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Every now and then LGC are gonna do a TBT, that's 'Throw Back Thursday' for those who aren't down with the internet slang, to old TV shows that we think should make a comeback, deserved way more recognition, or were cancelled too soon.

To start off, lets go back to the year 2000

Yep, that is a young Kate Bosworth and Ian Somerhalder. To be honest i don't remember much about Young Americans, I was only 9 when it first aired, but i do remember loving it! and unfortunately at the time the ratings were low, so it was cancelled after 8 episodes.

The show was created as a spin off to Dawson's Creek, focusing on the backstory of one of Pacey's childhood friends Will (who wasn't even on Dawson's Creek for very long, a mere 3 episodes).

Will earns a scholarship to a posh boys boarding school to get away from a complicated relationship with his dad, but he confesses to his roommate Scout that he cheated on the entrance exam. Scout ends up falling for one of Will's friends Bella, but his father disapproves of the relationship because Scout and Bella might actually be siblings...awkward. Meanwhile Jacqueline enrols in the boarding school disguised as Jake to see if her mum will notice her. She ends up falling for Hamilton who starts to wonder if he's gay when he starts developing feelings for her too.


Young American's is your typical teen drama that was cancelled too soon. But who could forget the awesome opening credits?! So 90's.

K.

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1. See Through Phone

Growing up in the 90's, everyone had one of these. Recently I saw 'The To Do List' and Aubrey Plaza's character owns one and I was instantly jealous. I never got one back in the day, but I would love one now. You can find heaps for sale on Ebay!

2. Hair Extensions

My hair's grown quite a bit but super slowly, of course. I've been contemplating going short for the past few weeks because i'm so impatient when it comes to growing hair. Ideally i'd love to have my hair get past my boobs again, just for a bit. I've never had hair extensions before and i'd love to try them out at some point in my life!

3. $$ For Topshop

Topshop is finally opening in New Zealand tomorrow and I can't wait to see what it's like! I've experienced Topshop in London so i'm hoping it's not much different to the shops in the UK. I just wish I had the extra cash to spend on a big shopping spree because shipping prices from the UK to NZ are ridiculous!

SOPHIE
1. Personal Trainer
Our graduation ball tickets just went on sale the other day and I managed to grab some for me and my friends as they were selling out fast! I made a goal to myself that I would have lost my weight and be closer to my goal weight by the time I graduate in May. However I haven't been as motivated to leave the house and go for runs/ workout. BUT if I had someone pushing me to lose the weight and scheduled times I may be more inclined.

2. $$ to pay off my Credit Card
The past week/ year or two I've been wondering what I want to do after I graduate. I always seem to flip between moving back to London or moving back to the Southern Hemisphere. More recently however i've felt a calling back to New Zealand and so I'm contemplating making the big move back. HOWEVER when I would move back would depend on when I can pay back my credit card (while still having money left over for savings).

3. Crystal Ball
Talking about moving back to New Zealand, as much as i'm excited, i'm also really nervous to commit to it. I keep asking advice from my close friends and family. It's such a big decision and one that doesn't just effect me (I have my boyfriend to think of and my sister just moved over here). Having a Crystal Ball just to take a sneak peak into what my future holds would be handy in making sure I make the right decision.. but then I guess where's the fun in that!

What's on your Wishlist this week?

S. & K.
xx

Around this time last year LGC went on a little holiday to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, so i'm dedicating this weeks Travel Tuesday to New York City!

First of all, if you want to hit all the main spots you might want to grab a New York City Pass, which will get you into the Empire State Building, Natural History Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a choice between the Rockefeller Center or the Guggenheim Museum, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island or Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, 9/11 Memorial and Museum or Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Best of all you can skip the ticket queues!

Sophie and I chose the Rockefeller Center, but if you're trying to pick between the Top of The Rock and Empire State I suggest Empire State for photos as the building will block your photos of the city from the Rockefeller. We picked the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island rather than the cruises, but make sure you double check the Ellis Island boat time! We missed the last one by a few minutes, I think it was around 4pm. We also chose to go to the 9/11 memorial (the museum was yet to open at the time), it's a very emotional experience especially because it's still quite fresh in everyone's minds, but it's definitely a must see.

Here are a few other things to check out in NYC:

• The Museum of Modern Art to check out original pieces by artists such as Lichtenstein, Frida Kahlo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Monet. While you're in the area take a photo at the famous Love sculpture.
• No trip to NYC is complete without a walk around Central Park (The Natural History Museum and Metropolitan Museum right by the park, one east and one west). While you're walking, running,  rollerblading, or cycling, stop by Strawberry Fields for the John Lennon memorial, and then check out the Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Andersen sculptures.
• When you're down by the Central Park Zoo take a snap outside the Plaza Hotel aka that hotel from Home Alone 2! And then head to the Fao Schwarz toy store where you'll find an amazing collection of dolls, legos, stuffed animals, and play on the famous big piano!
• A MUST is definitely Lindy's for their world famous New York cheesecake- you might want to order one slice between two, the slice is huge! If you're still feeling hungry go to the Dominique Ansel Bakery for a cronut. 
• For your main meals (and more dessert!) go to Little Italy and Chinatown! For a snack grab a bite at one of the many Hot Dog and Pretzel stands along the road.
• Tickets to musicals and plays can cost an arm and a leg, occasionally you can get really good deals but you have to be very quick. But you can't not see a broadway show in NYC. Also, a lot of live tv shows are recorded in NYC more info on how you can be in the audience here.
• Check if there are any events happening at Madison Square Garden. We were lucky enough to experience a New York Knicks basketball game.
• A lot of movies and tv shows also film around the city! If you're a NBC and HBO fan, check out their stores for heaps of merchandise and studio tours.
• When you're in Times Square head to American Eagle Outfitters and make a purchase and get your photo taken which will then be shown on a massive screen in Times Square for your 15 seconds of fame!
• If you're a book lover you need to check out the The Strand Bookstore, Forbidden Planet for comics and Sephora is a must for all your makeup goodies!

30 year old English actor Theo James is heating up our screens at the moment as the brooding Four in Veronica Roth's Divergent series.

Before Divergent he had a small role in Downton Abbey playing Kemal Pemuk, and played the obnoxious rep in the Inbetweeners first movie and as David in the Underworld series, which he will be reprising later this year.

His ancestors hail from Greece, Scotland and England (with his grandfather also moving to New Zealand for a brief period- good choice Grandpa James!) you can see where Theo gets his good looks from. 

He also as an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and honed his acting skills at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

As well as acting Theo is a lover of music and was the guitarist and singer for a band called Shere Khan.

Unfortunately ladies he's taken and is currently dating actress Ruth Kearny since 2009.

 If you feel like you'll look like a disco ball and don't feel confident wearing an eye catching outfit like Miss Rita Ora above, start small and go with shoes and accessories!

Here are a few of our favourite Metallic and Holographic finds!

1. Harajuku Metallic Backpack

2. Metallic Pink Bum Bag

3. Holographic Gold Shorts

4. Aqua Metallic Leggings

5. Holographic Rain Jacket

6. Holographic Phone Case

7. Holographic Bag

8. Holographic Fringe Earrings

9. Holographic Nail Polish

10. Metallic Doc's

11. Metallic Biker Jacket

12. Holographic Mom Jeans

13. Metallic Skirt

14. Metallic Dress

15. Holographic Crop Top

K.

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The beautiful and talented Jhené Aiko is this weeks Woman Crush Wednesday!
The Los Angeles born singer and songwriter has been a part of the music industry for half of her 26 year old life. She got her break by contributing vocals for RnB group B2K at 13!
At 20, Jhené gave birth to a little baby girl but the hard working single mama pursued her career and continues to gain success in the industry!
Her style is A+ and her voice is so dreamy and amazing!
I have Zayn Malik from One Direction to thank for tweeting about this song and thus introducing me to Jhené and Childish Gambino.

The other week my boyfriend and I decided to celebrate our anniversary by going to Brussels. It had always been a place he had wanted to go, and as a lover of travel I'm keen to explore more of the world. So this week's Travel Tuesday will be more of a "hey this is what I got up to on my trip" rather than our usual programming.

We caught the Eurostar bright and early as we wanted to make as much use of our 3 days away. This was my first time travelling on the Eurostar and I have to say I really enjoyed my time (although I was asleep for most of it), it was nice knowing that my ears weren't going to have to be repressurised (or whatever it is that happens when you fly). The weather was less than desirable, with it starting to rain as we left the train station, however I felt this added to this quaint Belgium city. After getting lost a few times we finally made it to our hotel- Pantone Hotel , A cute little hotel 20mins walk away from the city centre. 

After leaving our bags at reception we decided to stroll and explore our surroundings till check in at 3pm. The rain was less than ideal but this didn't stop us, we grabbed a hot chocolate to warm us up at the Workhouse Cafe (although we did ask for chocolate milkshakes, maybe there was a language barrier). After strolling around for a few hours we realised that we had been walking away from the city centre (typical us) by this time though it was time to check in. I was pretty exhausted so ended up having a nap to try and regain some energy. 

That night we headed into the city centre to explore and see all the different bars and cafes Belgium had to offer. We saw the Grand Place on our way into the centre, it was so pretty at night as it was all lit up, which made for a nice effect. 

For dinner we went to Drug Opera which was built in the 20th century and is one of the most famous pubs in Brussels. I can vouch for the spaghetti bolognese (although a heads up, if you aren't a massive cheese lover or have issues with cheese, tell them when you order as the plate comes out with a healthy portion of cheese on top). After dinner we wandered about before finding Brussels famous statue Manneken Pis- to be fair this was by accident as it was on route to a pub we had heard good reviews on.

The next day saw us checking out the comic strip art museum, where we learnt how comics were made and saw works from Hergé (creator of Tin Tin) and Peyo (creator of The Smurfs). That night we went to Delirium Cafe as it had been recommended as a place to go by pretty much everyone we knew who had already been to Brussels. We were lucky to get a seat as by 5:30pm the place was starting to get pretty full. They have a massive selection of beers to choose from, I quite liked the Floris Ninkeberry.

The next day we headed home back to London and in typical fashion the weather was beautiful. My boyfriend and I both agreed that we would have loved to have had another day, even though we think we pretty much saw everything, that extra day would have been lovely. Especially as we knew there was a Tin Tin museum an hour's train ride outside of the city that we would have loved to have gone too.

Have you guys been to Brussels? What were some of your favourite sights and sounds?

S.

x

I love me some EDM, so of course I had to get myself to the last epic gig of the summer!

Future Sound System is a new festival to hit Auckland, and the little brother/sister to Australian festival Future Music.

After a huge mix up with public transport, my friends and I managed to get to the stadium about half way through Martin Garrix's set. He's the one I've been wanting to see since he dropped 'Animals' in 2013 so I was a wee bit pissed about arriving late. Luckily we got there about 2 songs before he played 'Animals' and it went off! It's so hard to believe that he's only 18 years old and yet he knows how to work a crowd better than more experienced DJ's. Hopefully I get to catch a full set soon!

I saw Afrojack at Creamfields in 2013 and all I remember is being really bored, so I wasn't really looking forward to seeing his set. But he surprised me and actually ended up being my favourite of the night! He didn't even play 'Take Over Control' (or he might of and I was just too busy dancing to notice haha) which is one of my favourites of his and I still loved it. There wasn't a dull moment in his set, he had the crowd moving and jumping the entire time. I don't know why I didn't like him 2 years ago, but I definitely have a soft spot for him now.

I also saw Avicii at Creamfields and he was so good I had to see him again at FSS. Unfortunately he played such an average set! It was fun at times but he was lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on. The crowd were super pumped for him, and singing along to all his hits (except for his new single 'The Nights' and 'Levels' which was disappointing) but he just wasn't as good as the two before him. 

Overall, it was an awesome night and I was actually really surprised at the turnout, especially for an EDM event. Here's hoping it's not the last time little old New Zealand get a festival like this!

K.

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