Tag: Music

Life through my fingers

1 Comment

I find that much of my life ends up spilling out through my fingers. My lyrics, this blog, my novel attempts and something new, piano. I sat down today for the first time in a long time and just let myself play. Ali took me to one of the piano rooms, big, bright and in the corner a stunning Grand Piano. I didn’t think too much at first I tried my scales, attempting to warm my cracked voice and then I just played around. I figured I had some time to kill so I played around. It’s very hard to stop a piano sounding beautiful. 

So I played and played and played. I wouldn’t stop and something amazing happened, first I got close to playing an actual song and then I just let myself go. I put everything I felt into playing and it made sense. I just played for nearly an hour and I was able to hear how I had been feeling lately. Sounds crazy huh? 

I’ve been trying to find something I could do when I hit a bad low that I could just release and pain or emotion and I think I’ve found it. It’s not like writing, I don’t have to worry or think about what to do I just do it and it feels incredible, I’m so excited about this. 

Driving, Pictures, Friends and Reading Festival!

Leave a comment

It felt weird this morning, waking up and not having to get my butt across campus and head into the studio. Instead it was trying to haul my but to the car park and get driving again. I’ll take my test again at some point this year, yes it’s booked, no I’m not telling you all! After going through all the hardest parts of the test routes and being sleep deprived I started to worry, can I ever pass this test?!? I’m on my 3rd time and now I’m told that my Dyslexia makes it harder to drive in test conditions! Still onwards and upwards.

As promised on my twitter feed Sophie (Dan’s girlfriend) got some great shots of us here are some of my favourites. We’ll be heading down to Brighton at some point to get some more done.

I think this sums us up pretty well. 

My pose photo 

Duck face at it’s finest 

Something I wanted to try, it worked!! 

Was definitely not almost falling off the tree…

As you can see Sophie has done an absolutely fab job even though she was as tired as the rest of us! We’re looking at booking more time with her with the added bonus that she’s a No People Club girlfriend.

Ok so moving on tonight Jen and I went to a flat viewing and found the most beautiful, perfect, amazing flat I have ever seen. Unfortunately it was too big for Ali and I and the rent started too early but Jen might be able to take it. I haven’t mentioned Jen as much as I wanted to but honestly I could write 10 entrys in a row about her, she’s funny, understanding and only lives about 20 minutes from me at home as well as living close in halls. Surprsingly we never met at the Head Start programme but met up in the summer and lost contact…that won’t be happening again! She also has a wonderful boyfriend, Ben who is now one of my good friends and one of the only people in Seething Wells I can talk music with (thank God!). They’re the best friends I’ve got around here and constantly make me laugh by acting like and old married couple…so adorable!!

Jen was also with me when I booked my first Reading Festival ticket!! I’m beyond excited and ended up buying them on the bus, as you do as soon as I saw Paramore had been announced. I also managed to buy Ali’s ticket for his 21st birthday present (I know right how did he get so old so fast haha!). So I have so much to look forward to! I’m so excited and nervous and just everything but the most important thing, I’m looking forward again.

Friday escape!!

Leave a comment

Image

Around the studio starting to relax 

The studio is proving to be tiring and relaxing at the same time. Today has just been stressful and I couldn’t wait to be with the boys and forget everything that was worrying me. It’s late but the mics are in place, drums set up, Dan’s girlfriend Sophie is here and Ali fell asleep at 10. I’m really hoping the next few days can make me focus and not worry about assignments, housing and all that! Here’s to a good weekend! 

Hats off to you Miss Swift!

Leave a comment

After WATIC last night I was pretty tired this morning so while Ali carried on sleeping I trudged off in the pouring rain to my seminar, not quite sure how I’d make it to Taylor Swift. My mood instantly increased when my tutor informed me that my essay had gotten me a first!! I was on top of the world, feeling happy and confident as well as excited to see my mum and sister later. With all the fuss about the tube strike the afternoon was filled with ‘will they wont they’ but thankfully the strike was cancelled and Mum managed to buy a last minute ticket…even if she was going to be sitting on her own.

To cut a long story short I was more than impressed with the concert after being a little aprihensive, was she really going to be that good live? I wont lie about the fact that I’m a fan of Taylor Swift, not huge but I have been for a good few years now and managed to listen to her stuff before she got huge over here in the UK. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Taylor Swift is not just a vocalist, she’s an actress, writer and accomplished musician. Tonight was a show in all forms, with incredible precision and costume changes, much to my sisters amazement. She also played so many instruments guitars, banjo and piano to name a few.

The best thing about seeing big musicians thought is when you can tell how much an audience means to them and Taylor proved that again and again with small smiles and looking around in amazement as well as opening with a long list of thanks. I don’t care if people don’t like her because seeing her live just proved to me how different musicians can be. I didn’t expect to love the concert as much as I did, and I would definitely go again, oh and new pop band ‘The Vamps’ were also pretty impressive for a group only just breaking the worlds stage! Oh and there was the small matter of Ellie Golding making an appearence!! Ok so I would have preffured Ed Sheeran but I am a little bit in love with him!

I managed to get some great shots on my camera ( thanks again Mum and Dad!) and I hope you enjoy some of them too!

It’s days like today that remind me why I’m a musician

Leave a comment

I spent today curled up in the Kingston recording studio listening and watching as the boys did their thing. Today wasn’t a gig day, we didn’t get to play to a screaming crowd but it sure as hell put a smile on my face. After years of trying I’m finally bonded with people who want this to work as much as I do. I’ve had a few ups and downs when words like ‘tour’ were mentioned. It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because I want it to work so badly and I was terrified of getting my heart broken again. 

We’ve only been a full band since December and we’re gigging, writing, recording, sorting out a tour and we get a good response. It’s all going so fast and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t freaked out but it’ll be worth it. The boys have been at the studio now for at least 10 hours recording Rhys’ drum parts over and over but no ones in a bad mood, no one is too tired or too pissed off. It’s that kind of energy that makes all the difference, I’ve never experienced that before. Sure, we all have our own ups and downs but we try and deal with them together. The bottom line is I already love them all and I don’t know what I’ll do over the summer if I don’t see them. I really think we’re on to something pretty special…watch this space. 

You Me At Six (Part 1)

Leave a comment

While I hoped this post would be full of beautiful pictures of You Me At Six playing and rocking out on stage while I took beautiful pictures. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, why you ask? Short girl syndrome (a joke I hoped to make with the boys when I met them…more on that later), despite standing on a raised edge I could just about see them, with great difficulty. Instead I screamed, I shouted, I danced and later got crushed by people who have NO gig manners. Seriously people don’t just shove each other, be polite at gigs especially when your going to meet them anyway.

Photo: You Me At Six!!!

Ali and I in the amazingly long queue! 

The pushing and shoving wasn’t during the performance, well not where I was standing anyway it was when all hell broke loose for the signing. We were ALL going to meet them (for the amazing price of £11, thank you Banquet Records) but people went crazy. Luckily we didn’t queue for too long but they shouted that only one item could be signed. I’d thought before of bringing my T-Shirt for signing and didn’t know if I’d get away with it, as you can see from above I did! They were absolutely lovely with me trying not to fan girl but it was Max I ended up talking to, he liked my ‘old school’ t-shirt for the ‘Save it for the bedroom’ era (check that song out!). I’ve fallen in love with him a little bit, not in a stalker way though although I’m not sure if he thought I could be.

The lovely Max! (not my picture) 

So now I have something to cherish for the rest of my life. I love the fact that they appreciated it and as you’ll notice this is only part 1, in April Ali and I will be heading into London to see them do the whole set. The new album is absolutely incredible even though I was unsure at first (I’m not going to lie I do miss those cute emo boys with floppy fringes but I’m not 15 any more!). I actually can’t wait for it despite knowing that there will be a case of short girl syndrome again no doubt! Anyway, it’s gigs like this that make you realise how great independent record shops are it was £11 for that ticket, CD and I met the boys, I’ve also met Deaf Havana and will be meeting We Are The In Crowd because of them, one day I hope that No People Club can repay the favour.

Getting emotional and chicken… a normal Saturday with the boys.

Leave a comment

Today has been tiring, emotional and fun. The band and I spent the afternoon practising for the Artss show on Monday and as much as I love the band sometimes it gets really hard. I’m singing songs that I wrote when I was absolutely cut up and sometimes when I give my all the emotion just kind of pores out and occasionally it can make me go back to how I felt when I wrote it. Living through those emotions can be really tough especially when I’ve been moving on and then I get stuck right where I was before, I lost what I thought was a good friend, actually a few ‘good friends’, learnt things that were hard on me and I got through it by writing on them and putting that emotion onto a page. It’s why a lot of No People Clubs songs are upbeat, when they’re upbeat it’s harder for me to get upset and think about it and today I did. Funnily enough this turned into a big thing for the band and we ended up opening up to each other before going back to the flat and ordering CFC (Chicken) and I actually felt so much a part of something that it made me really emotional. So right now I’m absolutely exhausted (emotions and a lack of sleep are an awful combination!).

I’m going to leave you all on that note and just finish by saying that I’m really excited about this band, if the boys can understand how much I put into my songs and accept it’s hard then they’re definately worth it. Watch this space.

Play every gig like it’s Wembley

Leave a comment

King Freddie gracing the stage of Wembley, the way he held the crowd was incredible

 

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always been in awe of Wembley stadium. I went with my parents to the old stadium when I was small we have pictures of me holding various trophies (what they were I don’t know) but the football wasn’t what started me off. So many of my favourite bands have played Wembley, although I haven’t been to a gig there yet I still wonder what it feels like. I think about what it would be like to stand on that stage with thousands upon thousands screaming back at you, a musicians dream.

So maybe I didn’t play Wembley last night for real but I certainly was in my head, the SU came alive! The boys and I finally took to the stage as an electric band…it was amazing. It helps when you have a friend in the crowd who knows the lyrics..that makes you feel like a bit of a rock star. I was nervous and panicked before hand honestly not knowing how to pull this off but we did it! The fun members of the audience (who didn’t sit miserably at a table) were moving and cheering through the whole set. Despite starting with a broken string the rest of it ran smoothly with very minor mistakes. I was just so grateful to all the people who showed up and cheered and just enjoyed our music.

I also ended up talking to people about the lyrics afterwards, it made me realise  that pain can actually be worth it. Try telling me that six months ago when my heart was broken! All the living I do comes out in the slightly messy way of my lyrics and last night I felt and lived them. The past is gone, I can’t change it and I can’t live in it so I’ve got something new to look forward too. My confidence has soared I feel like we could actually get somewhere with this (please like No People Club on facebook!). The best part was being compared to three of my idols after being told people want to buy our music, they were that into it!

The bottom line is that it’s times like these when I can accept myself for who I am, if it wasn’t for the depression would I have written the way I did? I don’t know but I do know that the hurt that went onto those pages is really paying off. So keep an eye out in the future, No People Club are on the way to the top…hmm this could mean a new tattoo.

Feeling like me again.

Leave a comment

Image

 

Bekks and I in the studio in one of my hyperactive moments while Ali was hard at work.

Today was a day where I finally went ‘back to work’. Ok so it isn’t a paid job and I don’t have to do it but still. I finally went back into the studio to start recording No People Clubs EP!!! It was long, tiring and meant that I had to deal with a lot of emotions but I feel so much better after doing it. Although today didn’t quite start out like that, uni was a bit of a night and so was the afternoon of ‘freedom’. I haven’t been sleeping much so a 9am start wasn’t top of my list of things to do today especially when it is pissing down with rain. Today has also been a very up and down experience in terms of my moods (as have the last few days. I love uni and then I hate it and my mind is arguing with itself every five minutes about something and it gets a little bit exhausting. I think that if I hadn’t have recorded today I wouldn’t have been able to release anything, I needed something else to concentrate on that just wasn’t to do with uni stuff. It definitely worked because for the first time in over a month I was able to write a review again, my confidence just appeared and although its 1am I feel ALIVE. I feel ready to write and perform music again, I feel ready to let go of the hurt that was still inside me from home and I feel ready to write properly and just hold out on the academics until second year (when I actually get to CHOOSE what I want to study).

 

There was one other little thing that may have helped today and that’s a few phone calls one from my amazing Grampey who never ever fails to make me feel better. What did he do you may ask? He simply asked me about my day and told me about his, it’s little things like that I love and miss the most and the thought of going home for a few days at the end of the month makes me so damn excited! The other phone call was from my Mum as part of our daily phone calling it always makes me feel better and she managed to calm me down after a run in with a nightmare hairdresser (thankfully all my hair is okay but I will NEVER be going back to that place again!). You’ll already have guessed Ali and Bekkie played a major part in today too. 

So really everyone I just wanted to write this to let you know that I’m doing ok! Well I will be anyway, days like this give me hope. 

Image

Ali hard at work

Tonight Alive!

Leave a comment

Image

No zoom this is how close we were 

It’s not every night you get to stand right in front of one of your favourite bands, touch their tour bus and keep one of their drumsticks. It’s not every night you get to see an intimate gig with Tonight Alive. After storming the stage in Camden the night before an The Peel in Kingston seemed to be just perfect for the Aussie pop punk band whose album The Other Side is taking the world by storm (Ok so that’s me trying to be a journalist).

The best thing about this gig? It had to be Jenna’s fuck you attitude. When you listen to their older EPs and albums I think it would be fair to say you imagine Jenna to be sweetness and light let me set you straight she has fight in her. She definately kicks arse but not in a way that alienates her from the rest of the band. They are a group, although most people would recognise Jenna first she doesn’t play on this. I liked that she was totally a part of the band, too many singers just think it’s all about them and use the stage like that.

To put it simply I loved this gig. I may have been exhausted and in a lot of pain from my kidneys but it was worth it. Hey I even got to sing into Jenna’s mic and get her spit on my head, multiple looks from the guitarists and a drum stick. It’s things like this that remind me why I love music and how I feel at gigs. I might not have known all the words to the songs but the ones I did made me go completely crazy!

It was a great night back in Kingston followed by Pizza and a lovely evening of Ali look after me (well this is after making me lunch and making sure I was actually well enough to go).