Flying home for Apocalyptica and Vamps

It's got to be said, last night was probably one of the best gigs I've ever been to. It's most certainly up there. Wow.

It was really strange, a few weeks back I was talking with the wonderful Gemma about Apocalyptica and I was half joking about flying to England to see them again with her. Somehow that joke ended up becoming real!

With Eicca

The show itself was in Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall, a  venue I'd never been to before but has hosted quite a good variation of musicians over the years. I have to say, I didn't really rate the venue itself. It was okay but the security staff were a bit, well, acerbic. I mean, understandably, in the wake of the tragedy in France they had to search us all thoroughly but, to give you some idea, the woman who was supposed to be searching me got so confused by the fact I had a little camera and was so busy telling me off for having it that she actually forgot to search beyond the camera that was on top of my handbag. She then went to check, after telling me off, and turns out that my little baby camera was allowed anyway. This seemed to be the basic interaction between security and visitors - if in doubt be strident. Actually, when meeting the band a couple of other girls and I were joking that the whole process was how we'd imagine it if we were convicts going into prison. It's a shame because there are plenty of venues that have brilliant security who are able to be friendly along with it!

Right, that's enough moaning for me!

Before the show, I met Apocalyptica which was completely and utterly surreal. These gentlemen were incredibly important to Tiny Me, just starting to play the cello herself and really into the rock and metal genres. They were one of my earliest inspirations and have therefore been rather significant over many years. Of course, I didn't manage to tell them that, and nor did I plan to! Instead I stood awkwardly and lost all social skills. Seriously, I know I'm generally shy but I think this is the closest I've ever been to "Starstruck". That aside, they were all complete and utter gentlemen, in the truest sense of the word. They were happy to just generally converse and actually spent quite a lot of time talking both about the band and random other things. I mean, Perttu asked me to tell him the vague geography of where we were in England.... for someone who just flew over herself, that was hard!

With Paavo

The rest of the audience slowly filtered in and I was joined by my darling Gemma and Dan, a lovely chap who had come out to Amsterdam the week before. And it was time for the music.

Did I mention that the band supporting Apocalyptica, Vamps, was a band I used to listen to a lot when I was a bit younger and fronted by one of my favourite singers from my early teens? No? Well, you can imagine how surreal this entire line up was then!

I get the feeling that, other than the large Japanese group who had come over to see them, I was one of the only people in the audience who knew Vamps at all and I think the band were aware of their inability to get the audience on side which is a real shame. They're a great group but just not what people were used to, I think. Anyway, I'm over the moon that I got to see them and would really like to see them again, actually. Considering I never thought I'd get to see them at all, last night was really wonderful. I also have to mention how Dan (assisted by the gorgeous Gemma, of course) helped to make my night by not only catching  Ju-ken's pick but by actually giving it to me. Seriously, it seemed that everything was lined up to make Teenage Me exceptionally happy.

In-Denial-About-The-Fact-She's-An-Adult Me was pretty much pleased as punch too.

With Mikko

And then was the main act, in the shape of Apocalyptica. I really do not know how to describe their shows and especially not having attempted to do it already just a few short weeks ago when I was lucky enough to see them in Amsterdam.

This band has such an energy on stage. They are all amazing, amazing musicians but all of whom bring something totally different to the stage experience. Paavo is probably the one who interacts most directly with the audience and does not fail to get them to interact with the music. Mikko also tends to take on this role but, I have to admit, I dislike the stage/drum riser set up as I quite often just didn't watch Mikko as he faded into the background too much. Perttu is, well, 'energetic' on stage, shall we say, diplomatically. I mean, the hole in the back of his cello probably sums up the way he tends to behave, as did the moment when he started to play in an exceptionally suggestive fashion. I've said it before but I still feel it, Eicca grounds the group on stage and is one of the key figures for creating the atmospheric (and probably musical!) harmony.

With Perttu

Of course, there's also the touring vocalist, Franky Perez who has completely won me over. His vocals are strong but sensitive and his stage performance is high impact, full of energy. He balances interacting with the crowd with interacting with the band and, or so it seems, thoroughly enjoys his time on stage. I get the feeling that he's just around for the Shadowmaker tour but I really do hope he stays.

There were some technical difficulties but they didn't really detract from the show and were dealt with in such a professional manner. Apparently they were caused by the UK plug system being different from the European one: "We're used to putting our things into different holes". Oops.

Anyway, with the evening over, Gemma, Dan and I escaped the press of people. They bought themselves shirts and I realised that I had only brought euros because I'm a prat and couldn't. I headed home and spent the entire night super ill (yay) and had to rearrange today's flight to tomorrow. Not sure if I'm going to be up to it tomorrow but no choice. On second thoughts, now I'm having to pay a lot for flight changes, maybe it's a good thing I couldn't spend all my money  on merchandise!!



The photos included in this post were kindly taken by a couple of people, Zoe and Jenny, as the whole camera confusion caused a few issues and they had a camera phone (which caused no confusion because there is no logic in this world) and hence they saved me!

Not for facebook

Gig time: Apocalyptica supported by Tracer

To be sitting in class until 5:30 prior to a gig seemed like a super bad idea. I wasn't about to skip the class, although it was tempting, yet my mind kept sending me images of an ever growing queue and I sat there in the knowledge that I was not going to be anywhere near the front this time - a.k.a. at the back because I actively avoid the centre at gigs but that's another story!

Thijs and I arrived about an hour before doors opened. There were some people lurking in the area but no real queue. When doors opened we had time to put our bags in the cloakroom and then stroll to the stage. Other than the V.I.P. ticket-holders we were at the front (in reality, this meant we were second row so that's all good). Can I just point out how different this is from the majority of UK shows?

In fact, there were quite a lot of differences compared to the U.K., in the end, although it'll take a few more gigs to work out how generalisable these are. I had my personal space for the entirety of the show except for one moment when a photographer accidentally tapped me with his camera... which suggests the calmness of the crowd is pretty normal because I would not dare take my proper camera to a rock/metal show for fear of, well, a dead camera. Interestingly, I got more squished, and my hair more tangled up, as we attempted to leave at the end.

Anyway, I digress from the show itself.

The warm up band was Australian rock band Tracer. I'd heard some of their stuff before but didn't know them all that well, Thijs hadn't heard them at all. It's pretty fair to say that, by the end of their set we were completely sold. We also met the band briefly after the show and they're delightful guys so an all round good mix. Apparently, they're coming back in the New Year so Thijs and I agreed we should go catch them again and if he pulls out he'll be in trouble ;-)

And Apocalyptica, well, they were awesome but what do you expect? I was lucky enough to see them with Maria a few months back, before they started playing with their new vocalist, Franky Perez. I only say "lucky" because it allowed me to fully appreciate the new dynamic not because I felt that the vocalist detracted at all. Franky is blooming brilliant. He has a great voice, something we knew from Shadowmaker, and is a wonderful live performer. I mean, it's clearly different to the full instrumental performances but it's a good kind of different.

Other than that, I guess the highlight of this show, for me, had to be Eicca's super, super quick string change. I mean, I know he had assistance but that string was on in a few seconds, under a minute, I'd say. I'm as impressed by that as by the music itself!!

I'm not going to spend too much longer writing about this show because, as always, I find it hard to put this kind of experience into words. However, I did book to go see them on the UK tour so I think that gives you some kind of idea as to how much I enjoyed it!

Not for facebook

More music time: Cesair and The Moon and the Nightspirit

Firstly I should probably apologise for the delay once again. This refers to last Saturday so I guess I'm under a week late which is good with my recent track record. Deadlines, exams, and illness have decided to destroy any semblance of organisation in my life, as usual! I did actually take my camera to this show and it was the first time I've attempted to take photos in low light conditions. Not the best results ever, as one might expect for a first attempt, but there are a few photos that might work out okay and I'll upload those onto facebook in the coming days... if they do exist ;-)

Anyway, I haven't said what I'm rambling on about yet, although the title has probably given it away. Saturday saw Thijs, Hester and I make our way to Leiden for a show of Cesair and The Moon and the Nightspirit. It's actually really nice to have Thijs who is basically into exactly the same eclectic mix of music as I am as we get to accompany each other to shows (well, he babysits me really, if we're honest!!) and Hester, who's just getting into the genre, is so so over-excitable. It's actually quite adorable. So we both babysit her ;-)

I have the most stunning friends.

Anyway, we managed to find our way to the venue which is tucked away a bit and probably would be quite unnoticeable unless you know it's there. As always, we were early. Yes, you can probably blame the paranoid about being late British person for that! Anyway, the venue itself was absolutely lovely. The staff members were polite and friendly. The layout of the venue was great with a stepped back area which served as a seating place and also would allow for people to see from the back quite nicely. Couple of annoyingly placed pillars but I guess you can't moan about structural necessity. The sad thing is that the venue faces closure at the moment which would really suck, to put it plainly. There is a petition on the go to save it which you should go and sign here.

So, after lurking at the back, at the top of the stepped area, and taking the obligatory pre-show selfies the lights lowered and my friends went down to the main area for the show. Of course, my delightful friends forgot that I have the whole vision disability, no night vision at all, and was therefore quite as blind as a kitten. I managed to get down the first step... misjudged the rest and somehow landed on my feet, propelling myself across the room and straight into aforementioned friends. That's karma for you! I'm hoping it looked like an elegant jump as opposed to the flailing reality!!

Anyway, a brief comment on the music is in order, I think. As always, I don't need to tell you that Cesair were great. They are a highly skilled set of people playing some wonderful pieces and it makes for a consistently marvelous show. Again, the set was a mixture of older pieces and the newer songs. It's also getting to the stage where Thijs keeps leaning over and going "oooh I like this one" after practically every next-song announcement. I'm not sure if he realised quite how often he was saying that but I guess he does now he's read this!! And it can only be a compliment to the music, of course. Also have to commend the lighting design this time, I think. Not the best for my first attempt at photographing this type of show but certainly atmospheric and fitting, of course, that's what really matters.

Following Cesair was The Moon and the Nightspirit, a group from Hungary who have a perhaps more atmospheric sound. This is the second time I've seen them and, if I'm totally honest, I think this set was a lot stronger than the other one I saw. Despite liking their recorded music, I felt the first show I saw was good but not great. However, this time, I felt they did perform well so I suppose I managed to catch them on an off day last time... or my own mind wasn't in the mood for it, who knows. The audience was really dynamic for their set too, a lot of movement and dance. I know that isn't a comment on the music so much as the atmosphere but the combination of the two matters when it's a live show. In fact, I wonder if that was the difference here compared to the previous show, the audience seemed much more engaged and that has to increase the overall energy. Anyway, I'm rambling on again, as usual!

After the show we attempted to get a photo with the bands which has become rather our habit and is actually really nice for me as a scrapbooker. Seriously, the fact that my friends are into getting photos and taking selfies and whatever makes my life so much easier because heck, I'm too shy to ask so I'd leave without. Also got to test my Dutch skills while Hester and Thijs socialised a bit. The diagnosis: I understand it pretty well now but still can't actually speak a word. Urgh, I need to get classes. Didn't even speak any Hungarian ;-) Mind you, I'm losing the minimal amount I had anyway through lack of practice!

Photo very kindly taken by Kees who also photographed the event.

I'm not quite sure how this developed from a blog post about a gig into a rant about my failings as a linguist but there we go. That's how my mind's working tonight!

Oh, and I have a wonderful weekend to look forward to as some of my music-y friends from the UK are coming over to adventure in Amsterdam. Very excited. 

Now to get healthy before tomorrow!

The imaginatively titled SeeD and Omnia post

This is one of those posts that is quite simply going to make no sense... something to do with the time of night. However, it's either that or it won't get written with the way life is going so there we go. It's also going to be hardly any writing and a couple of pictures... not so interesting ;-)

The support act of the evening, SeeD (*), were great. I'd heard a bit by them but this was the first time seeing them live and it was certainly worthwhile. I'd really like to see them again and will certainly be buying their album when it's launched. 

With SeeD after the show

Omnia's show was high energy, as always, and the crowd seemed rather into it which always helps to build a good atmosphere. There were a group behind us, who I believe were from Italy, who were just having so much fun! While I don't agree with everything that Omnia says - and it kinda matters because they're rather outspoken - it was great to dance along to music that I really know and with friends, once again. I was also pleased that they played the tracks I had managed to get into off the new-ish album Earth Warrior. All in all, an enjoyable show!

Thijs got cut out and the photo's poor but with Omnia.

It was also lovely to hang around afterwards a bit and soak up the open atmosphere that seems to come hand in hand with folk music. Special shout out to the girl who complimented my hair so kindly when we were queuing together! That said, apologies to anyone and everyone who spoke with Thijs and/or Hester and who had to suffer my seemingly antisocialness... my Dutch comprehension may be improving but I am quite incapable of conversing!

Almere selfie time!

So yeah. Great time. Going to collapse in bed now as I have an essay to fight with and several exams to revise for tomorrow :-(

(*) I still don't know how to format the band name... oops.

This post is not for facebook because even through my exhaustion I know it makes no sense!!!

Another night of Reckless Love

I will start this blog post with a warning. If something doesn't make sense it's because I haven't quite recovered from the brilliance that was last night and my brain may not be in gear!

Yesterday was another trip to Bristol for an evening of music at The Fleece. It also heralded the last gig that I have with Kim until she comes out to Amsterdam in February and, frankly, that's just sad! As always, we met some delightful people in the queue, and in the venue itself before and after the show.

Kim and I being attacked with a camera ;-)

First up was Mia Klose. With a confidence on stage and a real skill for performance I can see how Klose could be someone to watch. Sadly, I couldn't hear her vocals at all because of bad set up. Indeed, Kim and I spent the first couple of songs trying to work out if the microphone was even on. That said, the instrumental aspects of the music were enough to keep me interested and I've since looked up her music and found it to be quite enjoyable. It's a real shame that the performance was let down by bad sound tech but I guess it's one of those things. In fact, I'm sure I wrote something similar in my last review of a show at The Fleece, hmm...

Next up was the local band, BlackWolf, a band who I saw last Reckless Love gig and felt indifferently, at best about. There was such an improvement in their performance. Last time, it felt like they were trying way too hard and I was more concerned about one of them falling into the audience when their legs got tied together with wires as opposed to the music. This time, the performance was full of energy but felt more polished, mature, and was generally enjoyable. It also allowed me to focus more on their music (they had better sound than last time) and I found that I liked it. It's not the kind of thing I would normally listen to, I don't think, but I think I'll probably give up and buy their CD now and, if I wasn't moving away, I'd like to see them again.

Finally, the stage was set up for Reckless Love, complete with little cameras (or that's what we decided they were) in various positions, including attached to the drummer's chest. Nothing like hidden cameras to make you a little self conscious while 'singing along' and jumping up and down like a loon.

Olli in the spotlight

The usual recording of 'The Boys Are Back In Town' started playing and, after almost all the song had played through, the boys finally turned up on stage. Kim timed them. They were late. Anyway, fashionable lateness aside the band immediately launched into a set filled with old songs and new,

album tracks and singles, and the crowd really enjoyed it.

If anything, this show seemed a little less energetic than previous shows but the difference in the crowd was tangible. There wasn't a moment when people weren't singing along, bouncing up and down and thoroughly enjoying their evening. I have to say that this was probably one of the best audiences I've been in... excited without being overly pushy.

If Olli was less energetic than usual (which still makes him more dynamic than most) then Jalle seemed to be more into the show which was lovely to see. Pepe and Hessu were their normal, wonderful selves. Of course, I can find no complaints... except for the fact that I'm not going to be living in England when they come back!!!

Pepe mid hair flip

We were also lucky enough to meet all of the band members who, again, kindly signed one of my little scrapbook doodle paintings and took photos with Kim and me. The music was a little too loud, there being a club night after the gig, to really converse but it was great to see them all the same.

A few goodbyes and a lost room key later and it was all over. Darn it.

Thank you to everyone I met in the queue (I don't remember everyone's names so won't try to list but if you stumble across this and want to add me on facebook/follow on twitter and say hi then please do!). Also, thank you to Kim for being an amazing person, yet again, (she knows it). And to Reckless Love, well, until next time!

Busy with nothing (as usual)

It's amazing how life can seem so chaotic yet, when you look back on what you've actually been doing, rather non-productive.

A lot of things are centering around The Move which, as one would expect, is a bit of a focus. I finally phoned up Glasgow uni and withdrew today, well, started the process. Seriously, phoning them confirmed that ditching Glasgow was right for me. The gentleman on the switchboard had no social skills and seemed to have issues knowing which number was the number for admissions and the lady I spoke to in the end was, in my view, curt to the point of rude. Anyway, I emailed her so they now have it in writing and, fingers crossed, I'll get confirmation that I am free soon enough.

And the prize for gaudiest ticket design goes to...

The other thing with moving is that I just can't get my head around it. I've booked to see Within Temptation in, basically, a year's time in Amsterdam (with a group of people I've met at gigs in the UK) and it's weird. I've also booked to see Apocalyptica, who have obviously influenced me musically, in October. I'm going to go and see them with Maria, a Dutch 'cellist penpal of mine who is all round lovely. The ticket arrived for that show today which was nothing less that a miracle as, due to a computer error their end, my address was written in Dutch format (totally scrambled compared to UK format and with half a post code) and also lacked the country. Seriously, I have a great deal of respect for the Dutch and English postal system that figured that one out!

As for the rest of life, I think we've all but finished tiling the bathroom at last! Because of issues with dad, and with his health, it's been over a year in the finishing. He needs to put down new floorboards as there's currently a giant hole in the floor (most rooms have holes in the floor!) but then I can get in there and paint the ceiling/woodwork etc. Fingers crossed we're moving forward with that.

Sadly, that's probably the best of the progress as I've now signed up for Netflix and thrown my productivity out of the window.

I'm still not quite sure it really happened...

Every now and then there is a band, a musician, a song that comes along that means the world to you for some reason. It might not be the best but something happens that means that it will always be special. 

Within Temptation are one of those special bands for me (and are brilliant, just in case my previous sentence implies differently). They were one of the first bands I really got into, although not the first, and their style really opened my eyes and inspired me at a stage when I was first discovering music. My first band covered a lot of Within Temptation songs as we played together, my A level drama piece had a section inspired by the song 'Faster'... they're just a band that have been in my life constantly since I discovered them and always had some influence on my life.

The lighting wasn't great and my camera is poorly so I didn't get decent pictures.

Yesterday, I attended a Within Temptation acoustic show and signing, promoting their new album Hydra. It's a bit overwhelming. Did it really happen?

The performance itself was wonderful. Playing songs stripped down to vocals and acoustic guitar, and sometimes piano, it was possible to appreciate the pure talent of these musicians. It was brilliant. The band's interaction with the audience was free and relaxed and the 'niceness' of their personalities really did shine through.

If I remember correctly, which I probably don't, all but one of the songs was off of their new album Hydra. However, the opening song, from The Unforgiven, really made my night as it was 'Faster'. I believe I owe Celena, my A level drama co-conspirator, a bit of an apology as she'd said they would play it and I doubted her ;-)

They also played a cover of Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness, which features on the second disk of Hydra, and this was, perhaps, one of my favourite songs of the night. You could see how much Sharon was enjoying singing it and that was a joy to see!

Of course, me being me, things couldn't go smoothly and during the last song muggins starts to feel faint. In my defense, it was very hot in there! Mind you, considering that I got sunstroke when I was in the Netherlands, was ill and couldn't fly to Amsterdam, and then felt faint during the concert of a Dutch band, maybe I should just avoid the Netherlands all together hehe. Luckily, for me, the show ended quite quickly and I managed to sit down as opposed to falling down and the brilliant Kim and her mother (and others but I wasn't really paying attention at this point!) really looked after me. To be honest, this was embarrassing at the time but it adds to the memory, right?

Next came the signing, which I recovered for, thank goodness. We were towards the end of the queue which, in reality, meant that we were less pressurised and therefore managed to speak to the band and take photos with relative ease. My mother had also managed to get into the room to play photographer somehow... The band themselves were completely delightful and, I think, managed to make every fan feel special and appreciated. They just came across as genuine people!

All in all, I had a wonderful evening. I met (part of!) one of the bands that I love, met some amazing people who were at the show, and had an all over wonderful time.

And that was my weekend!

The weekend was absolutely wonderful. I saw the amazing Rapalje, for a full review click here, and then it was off to Cardiff to see the best friend Aimee.

Arriving in her flat at about five on the Saturday I wasn’t overly shocked to see that it was about as much of a mess as her bedroom at home and couldn’t help but grab the broom. In short, it took us about two seconds to fall back into our respective roles. Of course, we couldn’t fall back into our roles without me cooking dinner although it seems that Aimee has suddenly learned to cook now she’s alone (I think she’s always feigned incompetence).

Spinach pie looked quite good.

Proof Aimee ate it of her own free will, just in case she dies :P

Sadly, I struggle with simple kitchen tasks like making ‘tea’

Of course, it being a Saturday night the majority of people in the university halls hit the town. Aimee and I, not to be outdone, decided to stay up late watching Disney’s Swan Princess. It’s lucky we did because one of her room-mates came back drunk, and noisy, and scattered Aimee’s freezer tray around the flat. Sadly, we only realized this after the sausages that had been placed in the shower had defrosted.

If you understand this picture then you know Disney
too well. If not… watch the film :P

Sunday was the day we had both waited for, however, and it came round pretty quick. The morning was spent meeting up with Gareth, a friend of mine who I met several years ago through the THUKST. Eventually, I managed to convince Aimee to come on down and queue for HIM (where we met up with Kim again!)

The HIM gig was surreal as anything. I’ve already written about the band and my history with them but nothing can really prepare you for seeing one of your ‘childhood bands’ on stage. I’m still not quite sure it happened!

I must say that I did rather like the tech at the venue although it was suggested that the dry icey smokiness was the cause of my chest and throat hurting during the gig. It was a great all round experience.

The crowd weren’t as raucous as I had expected, and Gas, the band’s drummer, commented on how quiet they were. I can’t say that I mind a quieter crowd. Actually, talking about that, there was a group of people behind me who were talking about us wearing earplugs and how we shouldn’t be at the front with earplugs, daring each other to take them out so we’d have to go to the back. If this group happen to read this then please know that earplugs are good to protect your ears, the musicians wear them, good quality earplugs improve sound quality, oh and I could hear every word you were saying! I also have a spare pair on me at all times due to tinnitus! Well, that turned into a mini rant!

Aimee looking stunning after the show

I look about how I felt. Very happy but in pain
and about ready to collapse!

Tea and cake; There’s no better way to recover from a gig.

The morning after was spent feeling grim (I’ve since come down with a mild flu-type thing) and meeting up with Kieran! It was great to see him again and we had a lovely meal in a place called Ruby Tuesday. The strawberry lemonade was heaven! Next time we meet up I’ll hopefully be able to talk a bit more ;-)

A sad farewell to Aimee, and a long journey home later I collapse with flu and then eventually recover enough to write all this up.

So, that was my wonderful weekend. I won’t thank everyone here but I must thank Rapalje for the best show ever (and for being lovely), HIM for existing and playing so many songs from my childhood, Aimee for being my best friend, and her flatmates for not only putting up with me but for being both kind and great fun!

Seeing one of my favourite bands in one of my favourite places

So, last Friday, as I mentioned, I got to see the most wonderful Rapalje perform their first show in England, namely in Glastonbury. They played two shows, the Friday and the Saturday, but, unfortunately I was only able to attend the Friday night performance. Oh well!

Rapalje are a Dutch folk band playing manly Irish and Scottish songs/tunes while wearing kilts. They're multi-cultural, shall we say? They're also incredibly multi-talented with each one of them playing various instruments to exceptional standards while putting on one hell of a show. In case you can't guess, I really enjoyed the performance. In fact, I would be surprised if I ever didn't enjoy one of their performances. Although I loved this band for a long time, listening to CDs and watching youtube videos, it wasn't until I saw them live last year that I truly appreciated their brilliance. 

As my camera wasn't up to photographing this show (I think the backlighting was confusing for it) there are no photos of the performance here. I spent my time dancing ;-)

Sorcha67 has uploaded this video of Heart of Steel (as well as Under the Scotsman's Kilt which was performed on the Saturday) so we'll just use them instead of photos hehe

I don't really know what to write about the performance. It was brilliant, as always. I was really happy to hear most of my favourite songs played including "Wat zullen we drinken", which I didn't expect because of the language barrier. I'll be honest that I missed a few songs that weren't played but I'm guessing that they got a showing on the Saturday and it's 100% my fault for missing out on that show. It also gives me an excuse to attempt to catch them again later in the year/next year in Europe!

I have to say that David's low whistle playing with the giggles in the first number was superb! One of the reasons why I should never be allowed to play a wind instrument on stage; I'd fall apart!! I was also happy to see that Dieb seemed to hit another band mate with his bow while playing at one stage... so I'm not the only one who does that!

I also got to meet the band after the show which, as one woman said, “made my night”. Certainly, it was a lovely ending to the evening. The band members were all true gentlemen who were more than willing to chat a bit, sign my painting things, and have photos taken with me. They were absolutely lovely, in short, above and beyond what I expect! Oh, and William and I were staying in the same hotel and after a couple of encounters in the elevator I can say that he has a great sense of humour too!

With Maceál

With David (in a photo that my mother likes to call 'The Hair Monster')

With William

With Dieb

They also , very kindly, signed some little painting cards I did but as I've not quite finished the paintings this time (the tartan on David's isn't painted, the bagpipes aren't cut out and nor is the fiddle's head as it would have lost tuning pegs in my handbag) I won't upload a photo of them this time. Maybe later :-)

I cannot wait to see Rapalje perform again (and nor can my mother).

Nothing like a busy weekend!

Well, this weekend is VERY exciting. So exciting that I just wrote 'very' in caps lock as opposed to italics and you know how much I love my italics.

Firstly, on Friday, I am seeing one of my favourite bands in the world, Rapalje. That makes it two of my favourite bands in one month, not bad going right? Having seen Rapalje live for the first time at Castlefest I was getting withdrawal symptoms. I logged onto their facebook to see when their shows were as I had decided to travel and see them on the continent and what did I see but this post, posted about an hour earlier.

Post by RAPALJE.

Actually, they're playing two shows but I can only catch one of them. Not complaining though because the weekend's not over yet!

I'm going straight from Glastonbury to Cardiff to see my best friend (and probably the most annoying person I know!) Aimee for the first time in what seems like forever. I think it's been two months in reality ;-)

As always we'll celebrate the weekend between our birthdays in style (cake anyone?) and we will also be seeing the band HIM. HIM are a special band for the two of us, and for our friendship because, the first time we went away together, on a history themed holiday with school, we watched two videos in the common room. These videos, and the songs with them, became our holiday's theme.

Looking back this wasn't the best song for a WWII trip 

but I'd just bought my first Deathstars CD so... :-)

To this day the phrase "Your life ain't worth living", 

in any context, makes us laugh!

Anyway, I will take my laptop with me because I feel insecure without it (and I like putting my photos off my camera safely!) but whether I'll log on over the weekend is unsure. There'll be blogs a plenty when I get back though as I'm sure I'll have a fair bit of news ;-)

Oh, and then it's my birthday on the 31st so the fun's not over yet hehe

The wonderful night that was a Reckless Love gig!

Just under a year ago I managed to catch one of my favourite bands, Reckless Love, at the Cavern, Exeter. This was one of the best live performances I have seen and, even if I hadn't have loved the band beforehand I would have undoubtedly come away with a new addiction! Wednesday 9th, I managed to see them again, this time at The Fleece, Bristol and, to be fair, I think they outdid themselves.

In the queue with Ola, photo taken by Kim on Ola's phone

I went with Kim, a lovely person who I had met at the last Reckless Love show and had spoken with since, and with Ola who I also met briefly last time. It was wonderful to have such great company in the queue, at the show, and afterwards too.

From left to right, Me, Ola, Kim in the venue.
Taken by Kim on her camera

But now onto the show itself...

There were two warm up acts. The first of which, BlackWolf, was a local band that I’d heard good things about but hadn't listened to in advance. I’ll be brutally honest and say that I didn't enjoy their set. The sound tech was atrocious, and they knew it as they asked for it to be adjusted during the set, and I feel this really let them down. The vocals couldn't be heard at all. It’s really sad when something like this happens as it’s not the band’s fault but it ruins the performance. I also got really paranoid about the vocalist, in particular, who was bouncing and spinning around and the microphone wire was getting tangled and I could just see him about to fall. He never did but I spent the whole time waiting! I feel that I would like to listen to some of their music again just to give them a fair chance.

Oh, their drummer managed to hit both Kim and Ola on the head with one of the drumsticks he threw into the crowd so that's another negative point ;-)

They were followed by Laura Wilde, a female rock and roll musician from Melbourne, Australia, and her band. I had managed to listen to her in advance and, although I hadn't had time to get to know her music very well I did like what I had heard. Again, she had technical issues on stage but it was slightly better and you could at least hear her over the instruments. She was also a great performer and it felt like you were getting a show as opposed to just listening to some songs. I've downloaded her CD from amazon and, if she comes back to England to play, I would try and see her again. Oh, I also spoke to her briefly and she was lovely which matters a lot.

Anyway, onto the main act, Reckless Love. There are photos for this section because I suddenly remembered that I had a camera with me (idiotic Havanah!)

The minute that “The Boys are Back in Town” starts playing over the speakers, the crowd goes wild. We all know that the show is about to begin and, true to form, out walk the band. 

For the next hour and a half, at an estimate, nothing matters but having fun and listening to some great music. The pain from waiting outside in the cold for about four hours and then standing through the earlier acts is gone and it's suddenly possible to dance. In fact, I don't know if it would be possible to stay still through their set!

One of the things I love about Reckless Love as musicians is that, when performing live, they sound just as good as on the CDs. I have to be honest and say that this seems to be a rare quality of live bands but I guess that this is a sign of just how long they spent working together before getting signed. They also are really rather good at playing a mixture of songs from their albums, fitting them together and keeping the crowd going from start to finish. My one complaint would be that they didn't play "One More Time" this show but as one person was rather idiotic and rude, pulling on Olli's trousers and demanding requesting the song I am kind of pleased he didn't get what he wanted!

However, it's not just their skill as musicians that make Reckless Love stand out but the show that they put on. The whole band are completely dynamic when on-stage, including Hessu who could get away with 'just sitting there', being at the back of the stage. Of course, it's Olli who can move the most, having his hands a bit more free than the others, and move he does. Not content with dancing that man ends up climbing on whatever is in front of the stage, leaning into the audience, putting on as much as a show as he is physically able. Of course, if a few people get trodden on or crushed by bits of stage furniture it's all in the spirit of things, right? On the plus side, the fact that there was a bigger stage than at the Cavern meant that I didn't have to dive backwards to avoid being kicked in the face at any point!

When the show was over, way too soon, we hung around to attempt to meet the band members. Last time Aimee and I only managed to meet Pepe before her grandmother stormed in to take her home (long story) and Kim missed Jalle so we all had an aim here. (I'm not sure exactly who Ola met last time but we'll assume she didn't meet them all either!)

We did manage to meet all of the band who were all delightful. I mean Olli walked off when I tried to have my photo taken with him and then said I couldn't have one, Jalle asked me if I was tired when I said hello to him, and Pepe struggled with my pen lid but I'm going to say that is down to me being a bit of a jinx! Joking aside, they were lovely gentlemen, all four of them, and it was great to get to see them.

My paintings based on the album cover art (not the one on the inside of the album
and the jackets).The band were kind enough to sign them for me - Hurrah! 

With Olli

With Jalle

With Pepe

With Hessu