New Feature - My First Music Memory

We have a new feature starting today and running every Tuesday, My First Music Memory.

The Idea is to write in a few paragraphs your earliest memory of music and the story behind it.

Today we feature Niamh Colclough. Niamh is a Journalism Student at the University of South Wales.

If you would like to tell us about your First Music Memory, Please email to infocardifflive@gmail.com

If its just a Paragraph or much more thats ok, It’s all about the moment you fell in love with Music.

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Niamh Colclough - My first music Memory

I don’t ever recall a particular ‘first music experience’ in my life, music has been something that’s simply always been there, my grandma used to tell me that I was born with a microphone in my hand and that music was just something that was a natural part of me. My childhood was completely surrounded and engulfed by creativity and music due to my family and friends. One of my moms strongest memories of me was from when I was only two years old. It was Eurovision 2001 and I was sat on the living room floor in my chair doing nothing but being a lazy baby (as I always was), this was until my mom flicked over to BBC for the Eurovision song contest. Every time I ask her about this story she smiles and as much as she doesn’t like to admit it, I know it chokes her up. I could not stop dancing, shaking my chubby little arms around with the widest grin on my face to the cringeworthy European dance tracks. My mom always says that this was the day she new I had a special place in may heart just for music. 

As I said though, music has always been there to me, every memory throughout my childhood and significant stages of my life contains elements of music or creativity. But there is one particular time where I think my passion really came to life. I must have been about 5 or 6 when my parents showed me my first musical, it was the Wizard Of Oz. Being such a weird and wacky child, the combination of the story line, bizarre characters and wonderful music made me fall head over heels in love with it, alongside musicals in general. I must have watched the film over 10 times in that one week, and I remember physically wanting to be Judy Garland (but who doesn’t hey?). This is what really set off my passion for music.

The following week my dad had got me a poster of The Wizard Of Oz and had hung it above my bed in my room, it was honestly one if not the best thing id ever received (and I was a very lucky child). Every time I looked at it I felt inspired and driven to perform and create. Due to the constant singing coming from my room, blasting music all day and the ceiling almost coming down every ten minutes from too much dancing, my parents became aware of my musical passions very quickly. 

I have been lucky enough to have one of the most supportive families i have ever known and this was evident from my early childhood days. They got me started on piano lessons the following week, I stuck to the piano for about a year but I knew that wasn’t my passion. I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform, I wanted to be the star. But at the time - being only 7 years old - the thought of sharing my voice in front of others was excruciatingly terrifying. I never shared my voice with anyone, not even my parents knew that I could sing the way I did. This was Until year 7, my first year of ‘big’ school. The music department were hosting a musical evening full of singers, choirs, musicians etc and it was my first live solo singing Leona Lewis, Run. I can genuinely picture and re live the exact moment in my head, feeling for feeling. I was completely terrified, frozen and drowning with fear, I can remember the horrible sinking feeling I got in my heart - you know the one - … but I did it. My dad always tells me to this day of the reaction from the whole auditorium when I opened my mouth. It was the first time anyone, let alone my parents and teachers, had heard me sing. And the rest was history…

Since that day my fear and anxiety left, just getting that response from that one performance changed me as a person completely. It was all I needed to know I could make it, to know that I was good enough. I quickly became the lead roles in the school music productions, my parents got me professional vocal training lessons each week, I taught myself how to play guitar and began writing my own music and much more. This drive is still instilled in me today, even though I chose writing as my path, music is still implemented in everything I do, within my journalism and my day to day life. Most importantly my passion for music is just as awake as it was on that day I watched the Wizard of Oz for the first time. - The poster of which is still up on my wall by the way.

Immersed 2021: A personal perspective

As a lover of music and the arts, one of the hardest parts of the Covid-19 pandemic for me, has been not being able to feel in touch with myself musically.

Any music fan will understand the huge difference there is between simply listening to music through your headphones, compared to being completely immersed at a live event.

Nothing compares to the buzz you get from attending a performance of your favourite artist, alongside the atmosphere from the crowd, mixed with the energy and power that live events hold. There’s nothing quite like it.

When I heard that there was an opportunity to be an interviewer for the ‘Immersed Festival 2021’ I couldn’t have put myself forward quicker.

The thought of simply being around live music again after such a long time, and for such an amazing cause, was thrilling. I couldn’t wait, even though it was technically a job, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with excitement.

I felt honoured and blessed to be one of the only people in the worlds current climate, who was going to get the opportunity to witness a live music event again. 

To add even more so to my over-excitement, the fact that the music and interviews were going to be held at one of my favourite venues in Cardiff was the greatest bonus I could ask for.

Being your typical music loving Cardiff student, The Tramshed holds a very special place in my heart. Ive spent countless nights (and early hours of the morning) there, attending live music events, raves and many other amazing evenings.

Every memory I have of The Tramshed is a happy one, and revisiting there as an interviewer this month was no exception. 

As I walked through the back fire door on the morning of the pre show recording, I was instantly overwhelmed with emotion as I heard the painfully yet beautifully loud music bouncing from every corner of the room.

Hearing music at such a loud volume in itself made me reminisce on the amazing feelings I used to get when waiting outside of a rave, when you would hear the music inside getting louder and louder the closer you got to the front of the queue, and bursting with excitement to get in and start dancing. 

I had the exact same feeling this time. I was supposed to go straight to the interview room to prepare for the bands once their performances had finished but I physically couldn't, I wasn’t going to let this rare opportunity slip by me. I quickly walked - as professionally as I could - to the upstairs balcony whilst trying to keep my composure.

The heavy metal band ‘Excursia’ where mid way through their set. Even though I was the only person on the balcony the smile on my face could have been seen from the opposite end of the building. I could feel the vibration you get in your chest when music is exceedingly loud, I could hear the ringing in my ears and most importantly I could see how much fun the band themselves where having and how happy they were to simply get the chance to perform again after such a long time. 

Not only was I blown away by the musicians themselves but the technological aspects of the event where just as inspiring. The lighting and sound effects alone were executed perfectly and it genuinely felt like I was at a live event.

The recording of the acts was done very precisely in order to conjure up the same feelings I was getting from being there in person, to the audience at home. 

When it finally came to the interviews I was once again feeling very grateful to be in the presence of such outstanding musicians. The interviews themselves were very insightful and interesting and sometimes upsetting, when it came to hearing how much the artists had been effected by the pandemic.

However what I enjoyed the most was hearing their responses when I asked them what it felt like to perform again. Every single one of my interviewees faces was plastered with the biggest smile as soon as I asked this question. To see and hear how much those mere 15 minutes meant to them was inspiring in itself. 

Revisiting the Tramshed that day was one of the best days ive had during this chaotic year. It really made me re evaluate my attitude towards the sadness and anger I had surrounding the events of the pandemic.

In these unprecedented times it is important we don’t loose sight of what’s important to us as humans. Some people say that ‘music makes the world go round’ I never really used to understand this saying or consider its importance, but after that one great day at the Tramshed, talking to inspiring musicians and seeing how much that small reminder of reality was for them, made me reevaluate this statement and the meaning it held, I now believe hole-heartedly in the power that music has to offer. Music really does make the world go round. 

Niamh Colclough