Book Review: What Would The Spice Girls Do – Lauren Bravo

Apr 18, 2019Mar 9, 2019Leave a comment

I’ll tell you what I want what I really, really want. This book, although I didn’t know what before I bought it, but that is why this review is here so you know from the off. Ok, maybe not my most eloquent intro but I was SO excited by this book.

If you were a 90’s kid you will know the Spice Girls were everything. Hit after hit, I idolised them and when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I didn’t know quite how much I would enjoy it until I finished it on a trip to London and listened to all the songs as loud as my headphones would go (sorry fellow travellers but you needed to spice up your life.

A collection of personal memories, those of fellow Spice Girls fans and looking at the cultural history of five women who wouldn’t take no for an answer and how they changed our lives. Additionally, Bravo considers modern problems through their eyes and ask what would they do? Hello new motto for life!

This book is incredibly well written, of course it is fun but it’s also very informative. Bravo considers what the Spice Girls were up against for the time, how they broke boundaries and more. The were, an always should be considered groundbreaking in the music industry.

What I found really interesting though, and this might just be the marketing geek in me, was looking at their choices from a marketing perspective. Bravo pointed something out I hadn’t considered that they made the Spice Girls merch something everyone could enjoy. From Spice crisps to a Spice Cam no matter your budget you could enjoy it.

I was a Spice Girls collector, long after the split I was picking up everyone else’s memorabilia at car boot sales to add to my own…it now live at my Mum and Dads. This book brought back the joy I felt for my entire childhood. I was born in 1994, when I was 2 years old I bopped to Wannabe, at 3 I had my own Spice Girl oufits, I had to start school with bunches like Baby Spice. And then, the holy grail, my Mum got us tickets to see them live at Earls Court in December 1999 – minus Geri, although I made up for that in 2007.

I’ve been recommending this to anyone and everyone who I know is a Spice Girls fan, of course I gave it 5 stars. This is a small but mighty book and while I listened to the audiobook, I now need to get my own copy of the actual hardback and proudly display it on my shelves. If you loved the Spice Girls this is for you. Trust me, you won’t forget it.

And now I leave you with the Spice classic that started it all.

Concerts I’m Looking Forward To This Year!

Jan 21, 20192 Comments

I absolutely LOVE live music. When I was at uni I went to so many gigs with Ali, I used to play a lot of live music, it’s something I’m still in love with and whenever I can I’ll go see some of my favourites live. 2019 has ended up being full of concerts that I booked last year…and I haven’t even booked any smaller shows with Ali yet! So let’s take a look at what I’m going to be up to…

George Ezra

Since I the first time I heard George Ezra’s voice I’ve wanted to see him live but have never been able to get tickets. That all stops in March when I take my sister to see him as part of her Christmas present. Buzzing!

The Vamps

A free ticket and the promise of a meal before hand? Of course I was going. I’ve taken my sister to see them a few times and it’s actually been quite a fun show!

The Spice Girls

I’ve been a HUGE fan of the Spice Girls since I was 2 years old and they were my first concert in 1999. I wasn’t sure originally but I couldn’t really turn it down. After Ticketmaster crashing a few times I finally got tickets and will be dusting off my Spice gear in June!

Ariana Grande

Sweetener was probably my favourite album of 2018, I played it constantly from when it was released and then Thank U Next dropped. I tried 3 times to get Ariana tickets and ended up paying a bit more than I originally planned but I am so excited.

Little Mix

LM5 was another amazing album last year and the last time I saw Little Mix they were really good. I love the positive self-love vibes from the album, so this is going to be a good one!

Aaaaaand that’s all of them for now. I don’t doubt there will be more gigs, although a lot of my favourite Rock and Pop Punk bands have recently toured or are heading back into the studio next year so we’ll have to see!

Are you booked to see any gigs next year? Let me know in the comments below!

November Favourites

Dec 4, 20184 Comments

November has been and gone and while I am fully extra and in Christmas mode right now, let’s throw it back to what I got up to. November was a crazy busy month and I’m really excited to share it with you all!

Books

I got a good bit of reading in this month, despite the fact that it’s been super busy! My favourites start off with Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook, a collection of poetry that I really connected with – I’ve loved both of her collections and I can’t wait to read more. Up next a true favourite and one for all Feminists – New Erotica For Feminists, this made me laugh so hard and I wrote a review ahead of its release here. And my final two reads were ARCs and I can’t wait to share my full reviews with you in 2019! Pilu of the Woods and The Year I Didn’t Eat were both brilliant reads for different reasons. Keep your eyes peeled.

Films

From the moment I found out about it I knew I wanted to see Bohemian Rhapsody. I love Queen and think Freddie was one of the greatest showmen on earth. This film was incredible and I was surprisingly emotional watching it. If you haven’t seen it yet make sure you do, you won’t regret it.

Ali’s 25th Birthday

Not only did I get the boy back from tour at the end of October (yay) it was also his 25th birthday. We spent the day in London as he was working BUT went out with friends the following weekend. Can we take a second to appreciate my hair actually going well to go out, I was so proud of it.

Six The Musical

Your next favourite musical is here. The six wives of Henry VIII take back the spotlight to tell their stories. I went with my friend Lucy and it was absolutely incredible, I’ve had the soundtrack on repeat. They’re going to go back to London soon and you can read my post all about it here.

Spice Girls Tickets!

Yes, I did it. It kicked me out multiple times but I am going to see The Spice Girls in June 2019. I don’t even know how to put my excitement into a paragraph. I’M GOING TO SEE THE SPICE GIRLS (again).

Muggle Mastermind

How do you spend your Thursday nights? I meet up with some of my closest friends and go to a Harry Potter quiz. Oh my lord, this was so much fun. There were decorations, super hard questions and prizes. We might not have one but I can’t WAIT for the next one. All the info on the quizzes is here for you.

Tonight Alive 10th Anniversary Show

Ali and I have been fans of Tonight Alive since we were teenagers, so we got tickets to see them at Bush Hall, London for a special acoustic show to celebrate 10 years. It was incredible and like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Beautiful.

The UK Blog Awards!

I’m in the running for a UK Blog Award! You can read all about it and even vote if you want to by clicking here.

Thank U, Next

If you haven’t been dancing along to this absolute TUNE what are you doing? So I’ve listened to the song constantly and then on the last day of November the Queen Ariana Grande dropped the video. This is a pre-teen dream with most of the dreams I loved watching in one place with my favourite song of the year.

What were your favourites in November? Let me know in the comments below!

Growing Up With Girl Power – The Spice Girls & Me

Feb 3, 2018Feb 3, 2018Leave a comment

I might have squealed when I saw this on Instagram…

I love music and have done for just about as long as I can remember and everyone has to start somewhere, right? Unless you’ve been completely removed from the internet in the last 48 hours you will have seen this picture. Be still my child heart because all five Spice Girls were in a room together with their previous manager and now there’s actually talk about new Spice plans.

The Spice Girls were something else for me and millions of other little girls. ‘Wannabe’ came out when I was two, I wanted to listen to these ladies all the time, I had no idea what they were singing about but I loved them. The older I got the more I wanted to be like them.

I remember around the age of four sitting and watching the new videos that came out on the TV or just waiting to see old ones. I remember watching Viva Forever’s video for the first time. Spice World was the first film I ever saw and then in 1999 my incredible Mum took a five-year-old me to see them at Earls Court, Victoria waved at me and it was the best day of my little life.

There’s something else that stands out to me as an adult though, the Spice Girls were a marketing machine. They absolutely nailed it. In the 90s you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing some reference to them, they took over the world – and with a good message. These were women who did what they liked. They were funny and loud and everywhere.

The message of Girl Power is one I held with me long after the girls parted ways. Although I know, Geri Halliwell claims she’s not a Feminist for a lot of young women, myself included, chants of Girl Power were the start of their own belief in women and Feminism. I truly believe that the message of the Spice Girls was part of me never feeling like I couldn’t do something just because I was a girl. I had, and still have, Girl Power!

Whatever these ladies choose to do as a five-piece I’ll be so excited. Really because they were a big part of my life growing up and who I am today.

What are your Spice memories? Are you excited to see them back?! Let me know in the comments below and as ever, Spice up your life.

Sunday Seven: Stand Out Concerts

Mar 27, 2016Mar 27, 2016Leave a comment

Today I took my sister to see Little Mix (her christmas present from me). The concert was full of little girls, decked head to toe in Little Mix clothes, singing their hearts out and dancing to every single song. It really took me back, when I was growing up concerts were a big thing for me and my Mum, we went to a lot of concerts. I remember Mum sitting on the phone trying to get tickets to this concert or that (this was the early ’00, no internet shopping!). So as I’ve grown up and gotten into my own music I’ve gone to concerts as much as possible, spending my money on nights at venues rather than nights out. So here are just 7 of the amazing concerts that really stood out in my mind. No judging!

Spice Girls – 1999

Way back in ’99 (yes I’m that old), my Mum, my pregnant Aunt and I went to Earls Court to watch the Spice Girls. I was obsessed with them from the age of 2 and the obsession carried on, even now I’m watching the rumors of a 20th reunion tour like a hawk. At the age of 4 it was the best day of my life, I ended up being on the TV filming (well the huge banner I made way anyway) and Victoria Beckham (then Adams) waved at me, putting me in serious doubt about who my favourite Spice Girl was. What a choice for little Chloe to make!

Busted – 2006

Between going to the Spice Girls and going to Busted I’d gone to a few more concerts but this was the first one with guitars. REAL GUITARS. People won’t call Busted a band, that’s fine, but to me they played guitars which was the coolest thing. I also got to see Mcfly as the support act before they were a thing which was really cool. Unfortunately we didn’t know at the time I had Glandular Fever. I was really sick and only made it through about 2 songs before falling asleep on my feet and having to be taken home by Mum and Dad.

Paramore – 2010

Ah, my first concert that I went to without my Mum. Ali and I got tickets to go and see Paramore for the first time at the O2. Of course I fell in love, I fell in love with the band dynamic, the way five people came to be one and just rocked out. It was the first time I thought, yeah, I could do this band thing. I’d always wanted to perform but there was something about this concert, at a time where I was really struggling in my final year at school, and this just gave me hope and joy.

Deaf Havana – 2013

The first time I got to meet a band that I really loved. I moved into halls on the Friday, explored and got used to things on the Saturday and missed the welcome BBQ to go and see a band…sounds like me. It was amazing to go to a record store, watch a small and intimate set and then meet a band I’d admired for years. The first of many in store meet and greets.

Paramore – 2013

Paramore make the list again because this was a concert that was at a tough period in my life too. It was also the first time that Ali stayed at my flat in first year (not something that happened often because it was tiny). I think going to this concert gave me the push to be in a band again. I’d just started uni, my old band had broken up and I felt a little lost. I went to this show with my best friend, cried during a song and came home feeling in love with music again. Paramore will always be my favourite band. Always.

We Are the in Crowd – 2014

Another meet and greet, I met WATIC twice in 2014 and was at the last show before they had to cancel the rest of their tour. It was so cool to just chat to these people who has been part of the soundtrack to my life and just chill with them and eat pizza before watching an absolutely incredible show. I’d seen them both acoustic and electric in the space of 24 hours, a really awesome time.

Ed Sheeran – 2015

This might seem a little odd to be on the list. I went to see Ed at the O2 Arena, I really liked his stuff but wasn’t expecting to be blown away. It’s honestly the best pop concert I’ve ever been to. Just him, his guitar and a pedal board. I’ve never seen someone so talented on their own. It was nothing short of incredible.

I could easily fill multiple blogs with how much I love concerts and live music. In the next month alone I have 2 concerts with my sister (The Vamps and 5 Second of Summer), PVRIS with Ali and I’m hoping to book a lot more, although most of my favourite bands have either just finished touring or are currently writing/ taking a break. Roll on the next round of tours!

‘All you need is POSITIVITY’

May 21, 2015May 21, 2015Leave a comment

Yes, yes I did just quote a Spice Girls song and no I do not have any shame (come on I was a Spice Girls obsessed little girl, of course I can quote the songs).

Hello lovely readers, I hope you’re all doing ok. So today hasn’t been a great day, It’s been pretty rubbish although I’ve had some good news (more on that later) but mostly bad, which left me pretty low. I reached a point today after a little cry where I saw up and thought, right I’ve had time to be low and now I’ve got to get on with what I need to do. For now, that means resting but keeping my mind active, doing my physio and then slowly moving up with the goal of still having a great summer. What’s being miserable going to achieve?

Now I know what some of you are thinking, It’s great for her, but I can’t do that. Let me tell you a little secret, for years when people told me to ‘stop being negative’ I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell and fight and make them understand that I just couldn’t be, why didn’t they understand? I just couldn’t be positive, I couldn’t get out of this black cloud and sometimes you can’t. You have to be at a point where you’re well enough and bit by bit you will get there, it just takes time.

Anyway, back to today. I’m not saying I won’t have lows, I have depression lows are a part of my life, so are anxiety attacks. I just want to try and control them, grab positives when I can. It is hard and I am struggling but I’ve been worse than this before and somehow I got through. I know I’m stubborn and headstrong, so I’m going to try and use that to be positive when I can. I’ve got so many people helping and caring for me, the least I can do is try. Although I had an avalanche of bad news, it wasn’t all bad, I’ve got an interview for some really incredible work opportunities, I got to see Joe today and I finally have physio booked!

Being positive with a mental health condition isn’t always easy but it is possible, just not all the time! Take some time to do something you want to do, go back to something you enjoy (for me it’s been sketching), make a plan of things you’d like to do or ,if you’re like me, lists can make you feel so much more in control of the situation (which I struggle with, not being in control make a very stressed Chloe). So even if right now, there is no light you can see in your life. If things are so stressful you just want to hide under the covers, you’ll get there and there WILL be better things to come. Also why not try reading the ‘helping yourself list‘ I wrote about last year?

I hope you’ve enjoyed todays blog, as ever leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

Image from Pinterest

Chloe Metzger

Lifestyle, Books and More

Tag: spice girls

Book Review: What Would The Spice Girls Do – Lauren Bravo