Students on De Montfort University’s Music, Film and Entertainment Journalism module pick the films, plays, music, TV shows and books that shaped them
My favourite film There’s a few that come to mind. Growing up I would’ve said How to Train Your Dragon, which is still a firm contender, but as of right now Baby Driver would be my pick. The music in it fits so perfectly and the cinematography from Edgar Wright is impeccable. It’s just a shame one of the main characters is Kevin Spacey…
The last movie I saw Dead Poets Society. I watched it with my girlfriend and we’re both still scarred from the last 20 minutes or so. Definitely worth the watch, but maybe have some tissues on hand.
My favourite TV Show as a kid It was probably something very typical for a kid born in the noughties. Ben 10 is the first that pops into my mind, but I also watched Friends when I was a teenager with my Mum, which is still a favourite in my family.
The TV show I’m binging Most recently, it would’ve been One Piece. The latest story arc finished around Christmas time, which gave me plenty of episodes to watch after I had caught up about 18 months ago. It’s a long anime, but easily one of the best I’ve ever seen.
The book I couldn’t put down The Enemy – and the rest of the series – by Charlie Higson. The book is about a zombie apocalypse that affects everyone over the age of 14. I first read this series in high school, and was immediately hooked into this intricate world set in London. Different books have different characters as the leads, who are working simultaneously in different places in London, before it all comes together in the final book. Definitely worth a read if you love some action, thrill and zombies.
My first gig The Editors, circa 2010. It was crap. The sound engineer was deaf or something so me and my Dad left after half an hour. I did get a chance to see them again in 2022, and they were very good. Just a shame that little me didn’t want to chance permanent hearing loss the first time.
The best gig I’ve ever seen I’ve been very fortunate to see some great gigs – Sam Fender at Brighton Centre, Gorillaz at the Barclaycard Arena, but the absolute best was the Taylor Hawkins Tribute at Wembley in 2022. I saw Paul McCartney for goodness sake, there isn’t much that can top that. The entire show was just music hero after music hero. Me and my friend were both in tears by the end of the six-hour show. It’ll be tough to find something better than that in my lifetime.
My first album The first album I remember ever listening to was Outlandos D’Amour by The Police. My Dad had a bunch of albums in a CD holder in his old Toyota, and I still vividly remember listening to Roxanne and So Lonely when I must’ve been no older than four. The first album I ever bought was American Idiot by Green Day on CD, when I was 18 and realised that my first car I was getting had a CD player and no Bluetooth (sorry if that made you feel old).
My desert island disc Hypersonic Missiles by Sam Fender. This album completely shifted my music taste from ‘Dad Rock,’ to more indie rock. This being his debut album as well is completely incredible. Every song on this album is fantastic, and I will never get bored of it.
The lyrics I love Everlong by Foo Fighters. It is my favourite song of all time and the lyrics are just so perfect.
And I wonder, when I sing along with you
If everything could ever feel this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I’ll ever ask of you
You gotta promise not to stop when I say when.
This is just the chorus, but every verse lyric is so poignant and beautiful. Oh, and the music’s not half bad either.
The song that gets me on the dancefloor Anything very stereotypically British. I’m a pretty tragic dancer, but give me a few pints and put Come On Eileen on the jukebox, and you’ll probably regret ever letting me near the dancefloor in the first place.
My karaoke standby My default answer is Wonderwall by Oasis, simply because everyone will join in, but I like to think I could do a mean rendition of Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins. It’s an absolute classic.
The first time I went to the theatre I believe it was to see Cats in the West End, just before they closed. I would’ve been no older than about 10, but I remember it being very good. I wasn’t really a theatre kid until I was a teenager, so the first show I vividly remember watching was School of Rock in 2017, which was right up my alley.
The instrument I can play Primarily guitar, which I’ve been playing since I was eight. I also play bass and piano, and I took singing lessons for a few years as a teenager (my voice isn’t really built for vocals unfortunately). I was in a band during sixth form, where we played a lot of indie tracks from the 2000s. I miss it a lot, and would happily be in a band again one day.
Overrated A lot of modern pop music. I think it’s getting better now, but for a good stretch of time from 2015-2024, most pop music was really not for me. I can barely remember what songs came out which year and by who. And don’t even get me started on Dance Monkey. What a time to be alive.
Underrated I haven’t found a way to shoehorn my favourite band into this piece, so Nothing but Thieves is my underrated pick. They’re just such a fantastic modern rock band, every album their sound evolves and I can’t wait to hear what they do next. Also I’m so desperate to see them live again, so I will be in the warzone that is Ticketmaster when they next announce a tour.
