Articles written by Michelle Duffy

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What is Helium

About me - Michelle Duffy

The infamous music writer has now touched down on Helium (or should that be risen into the sky?) Forever seeking ways to enlighten, amuse and amaze the reading world, I have already worked for other sites, guiding on one and now reporting on local bands

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Entertainment > Musicians & Bands Musician reviews: Paul Oakenfold: 1 of 19
Kent born and little known Paul Okenfold, (to those outside the Trance scene) is the fairly ordinary wee chappie now well into his forties and resembling a man not that dissimilar to a supermarket manager, yet to many who have sampled his samples across the globes' nightclubs and shared his personal passion for the origins o... More..
Entertainment > Album Reviews Best heavy metal albums of the 1980s: 3 of 14
Probably the most unlikely successful heavy metal band ever to come out of an unassuming Birmingham was the unbeatable, unstoppable Judas Priest. Named, surprisingly after an early Bob Dylan track (and it is here where the connect between Judas Priest and folk music starts and stops,) this motley bunch of guys looking like s... More..
Style & Beauty > Makeup How to do makeup for your wedding: 3 of 14
The importance of the right cosmetics on the BIG day has been, in my mind, overshadowing the even greater importance of a good preparation the week before. It cannot be tressed enough how beauty must come from within. If you are feeling healthy on the inside, this will no doubt show on the outside, so seven days of good slee... More..
Travel > Vacations Vacation destinations: English countryside: 4 of 14
Steeped in history, England has alot to offer the curious tourist. From the invasion of the Saxons, England has been the set of the bloodiest battles. These great moments in history are well represented in the very South of England, where you will find the town of Hastings, East Sussex at which in 1066, it saw one of the gre... More..
Entertainment > Music Reviews (Other) Great lyrics of our times: 10 of 31
When I think of great lyrics - I immediately think of the classic album, 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' byt The Beatles. Some say the lyrics were merely the result of too much time spent with LSD, I personally think it was a point in time when freedome of expression through words of a song was at it's highest. Drugs ... More..
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes Rock music: Past, present and future: 19 of 47
Rock - in it's truest all American sense comes from literally something that was born out of anger, disappointment and most of all, civil rights. It fought hard for what it stood for through the Vietnam war and became a best friend to those who did not know how to speak yet it grew into an addiction, and became meaty like a ... More..
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes Blues music: Past, present and future: 6 of 13
Blues, like many other genres has a unique history - the blues we know born out of poor communities, black ghettos, segregation in Mid America, it gave a culture already formed and initialised by black America and Africa, a sense of belonging. It brought together, very much like Folk music, people who were united in hardship... More..
Entertainment > Album Reviews Album reviews: Purple Rain, by Prince: 1 of 2
On a sunny day in June, 1958, Minneapolis saw the birth of just another black kid amongst a struggling community. Prince Rogers Nelson , in adult life, became a singer, songwriter, producer, record label owner, multi talented instrumentalist and a studio owner, not to mention one of the most exuberant, exciting and outstandi... More..
Entertainment > Celebrity Biographies Biography: Jack Lemmon: 1 of 2
There aren't many actors around in the world that leave you with a warm feeling inside and a fixed gaze upon the character portrayed. In amongst the Golden years of cinema, there was such an actor who was known around the studios, rehearsal rooms and coffee bars alleyways in Los Angeles as Mr Nice Guy. He once said that the ... More..
Travel > Hotel Reviews Hotel reviews: Thistle Hotel, haydock, Merseyside, UK: 1 of 1
Grand designs in Mind Grand, impressive and commercially alluring, the Thistle Hotels sparkle, on first sight with all the Georgian style of traditional English excellence. One could almost imagine Kevin McCloud striding through the grounds decorating it's themes with sheer grandness in his usual, colourful prose. Perhaps on... More..