Japan Haul 2017 - kawaii x 10

I recently got back from a 1 week trip to Japan where I bought a LOT of stuff... everything's just so cute there, I wanted to buy everything!

Here's everything laid out on my bed:

CRYSTAL CASTLES AT THE HOXTON

💡 Feels like a seizure but in the best way possible 💡 #CrystalCastles

A video posted by Amy (@amychophobia) on Oct 15, 2016 at 9:00am PDT

On Friday night, I went to see Crystal Castles at The Hoxton! If you don't know Crystal Castles, Wikipedia describes their musical style the best:


About the band: Crystal Castles is kind of an acquired taste - their style is a mixture of noisy/distorted punk, dark and heavy electronic, with some gothic elements and 8-bit mixed in. I don't even know where to start when somebody asks me to describe what genre they are. Basically, it's the perfect music for a rave. It's the kind of music you kind of need to experience live at least once. It's not for everyone but that's what I love about it - different in a good way. I put together a playlist below of my personal favs (3 songs from each album).

About the club: The Hoxton is a small club situated in the Fashion District, Downtown Toronto. It has a very industrial look to it and a small stage that is positioned in a way so that you can see it on all 3 sides (i think - I wasn't sure if it was 3 sides or 2 sides). The atmosphere was very gothic, dark and grungy with candles lit up and Halloween-like omen music playing before the performers started. There were chairs on the side where we sat before Guidance & Crystal Castles. Midway through Crystal Castles, a bouncer told me I wasn't allowed to use my GoPro so I had to put it away - but may I ask why camera phones are allowed but GoPros aren't? They aren't DSLRs and they can't zoom! I never understood why GoPros weren't allowed at some places.

About the show: When Crystal Castles came out and the strobe lights show started, I felt like I was in a daze. The lights were so intense (see above) and it looked like everything was moving in slow-mo. I found this effect really fascinating and I just became immersed in the lights, becoming intoxicated. My eyes started feeling slightly uncomfortable after a while from the flashing lights but all in all, the show was awesome! So much energy.

Crystal Castles Playlist:


Outfit of the night and merch photos after the jump...

Hello there, the angel from my nightmare...

Somehow, somewhere along the way this blog became an all-music blog. I'm going to try to post about other things eventually but for now, here's yet another concert post! blink-182 stopped by Toronto last night while on tour for their latest album "California". When I found out they were coming (thanks songkick!), I just knew I had to get tickets. I grew up listening to them and they kept breaking my heart every time they broke up. When I found out they were making another comeback, I knew I had to catch them live when I had the chance! They played at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre and it's a pretty decent-sized venue, not too big like the ACC where the performers looked like ants. We were in the 300 level and I was scared we weren't going to see anything because I didn't realize I had bought "partial view" tickets by mistake. We had aisle seats but the pole wasn't really in the way because it wasn't directly in front of us. I was a bit nervous since Tom's no longer in the band and I felt like his high/whiny voice contrasted nicely with Mark's lower more monotone voice. Now don't get me wrong, Matt from Alkaline Trio is a really talented guy and blink put on a spectacular show BUT it still felt like a piece was missing. With that aside, I had a lot of fun soaking in the nostalgia and reliving my youth - jumping around and yelling along to all the classics

WayHomesick: a recap of WayHome 2016

Last week we attended WayHome in its sophomore year and it was truly magical ♥



It was the first camping music festival I've ever gone to (and actually the first time I've ever gone camping in general). The regular camping sites weren't that big at 20' x 20' but still sufficient enough for our 3 tents and car. I liked the way WayHome scheduled their line-up as we were still able to see most of the artists/bands we wanted to see. There was some overlap but the way it was spaced out, we would just miss either the beginning or end of some of the shows so we were able to stage hop. Also, I liked how they left the headliners (LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, and The Killers) relatively conflict-free! LCD Soundsystem was like a giant dance party, Arcade Fire ended with a spectacular fireworks show, and The Killers were the highlight of my weekend as they had everyone jamming/singing along to all their hits. This year, WayHome went cashless and used NFC technology so attendees were able to buy everything just by scanning their wristbands. You were able to setup auto top-up so that every time you hit $20 or less, $50 would automatically be added. Any balance that you did not use would be refunded back into your credit card. I found this very convenient but I had 2 minor gripes: the wristbands didn't automatically top-up if you still had more than $20 left but not enough left to buy items that costed more than your balance - you would have to buy something that costed the same or less than the balance you currently had to force it into $20 or less so that it would automatically top up; or you would have to manually top up at one of the top-up stations. Also, there was a $5 processing fee for all refunds which I wasn't aware of until after the fact. Other than that, the festival was well organized and enjoyable... like Ontario's own version of Bonnaroo or Coachella :) - My friends and I want to make it a tradition to go every year!