Red Hot Chili Peppers

I've been a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers since 2001; I remember asking for By The Way, their 2002 album, and getting it on Christmas of the same year, along with Foo Fighters' One By One. That day, I managed to learn all of the lyrics to By The Way and forced my nephew and niece to sing it with me.

Before starting secondary school in 2001, I didn't have a band or genre of music that I gravitated towards, I just listened to whatever was on, uninterested in music in general, until I met my then-friends. I explored rock music, went to a festival for the first time in 2004 and got excited about the concept of music in general.

Reading Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis' autobiography - made me appreciate Anthony and the band so much more. It's been several years since I completed it, but it's very deep, personal, and tragic in the early chapters. He talks of drug addiction, the death of original guitarist Hillel Slovak, childhood, the band's early years, travelling and just generally narrates his life as best and as detailed as possible.

In about 2005, I realised that I wasn't as interested in RHCP anymore, instead favouring my obsessions with The Mighty Boosh, Noel Fielding and Russell Brand. If you were to ask me my favourite bands at the time, RHCP probably wouldn't have topped the list and if they did, it was out of habit; they're a band that I've always had close to my heart, but I wasn't passionate about them like I was initially. Following the release of I'm With You in 2011, and the knowledge that I was going to see them in concert for the first time, the admiration began to manifest itself in me again.

After seeing them play, it got worse - or, better - and I can safely say that I love them to tears right now. It's gotten to the point where I'll watch a really heartwarming documentary and will cry because I can feel the love in the guys' hearts by the way that they talk. I'm seeing them again this year in June and just thinking about it turns me from apathetic to excited in seconds.

 
I have always been a big fan of Anthony Kiedis' voice, regardless of how much I was into the band. Something about the tone of his vocals makes me emotional. It's the sort of soothing voice that I'd want to sing me to sleep every night.

Following on from Anthony's voice, I love the band for a multitude of reasons:

• Flea's bass skill
• The harmonies (most notably John Frusciante's)
• Their energy onstage
• How far the band have come
• How Anthony has struggled and made it through the 80s
• How lovely each member is in interviews and behind-the-scenes videos
• How playful they still are
• The melodies
• The lyrics... 

I could go on and on.

I can now safely say that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are my number ones. They all have so much positive energy that they inject into their sound and share with everyone, and I am going to be with them, filling up on it, every step of the way.

RHCP, I'm with you.