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July 5th, 2009

01:25 am - On fire Wireless Festival. Year 2. Things have changed a lot since my last visit to rave it up in Hyde Park in July 2008. A recession's happened, Michael Jackson is cool again, and my life is completely different. Well, in ways. This time last year I was an extreme beginner swing-dancer and my visits to the BAC were rarer than a skylark, and so it was then when I went to my very very first music festival. I loved it, I was on my own but chatted with folks there and made friends with people including one girl called Bel who I *still* occasionally chat to on Facebook despite her living all the way in Singapore. We're like penpals and we met simply by waiting for the same act at a music festival. A year later and I'm back. Last year it was fairly sunny, this year we're still in a huge heatwave and was lucky enough to go to my local newsagent and buy a 40p bottle of water, as inside they were naturally much more expensive. The gates don't open for almost an hour when I arrive in Hyde Park just after 11am, and even then there's no music until 2pm, but even so there's lots of people waiting already. The crowd is full of slightly past-it older folk, some looking as if they may be in their 30s, and rowdy, shouting teenagers who are getting drunk already. I don't get that, why get drunk *before* a festival? You won't remember any of the acts! At noon we all crowded in. I looked around and everything was so similar it was like going back in time a year. All the stages present and correct, I went to get some cider and once again was IDed, this time not once but twice, once at the bar entrance and again by the guy who served me, he wouldn't believe I was over 18 which I find a massive compliment and shows I still have my youthful looks. Sat down at a bench to drink it, and...actually realised that I was feeling crap. What was I doing here on my own *again*? I'm missing a YPT rehearsal for this, I could be with them, actually getting some work done for our play, instead I'm on my own and everyone around me is with their friends having a great time. And then it starts to rain. Despite the forecast saying sunny, the rain falls and everyone runs into one of the tents. I'm very miserable. As opposed to last year though this time I have a phone, and text my YPT pals and ask them how the rehearsals are going. I wish I was there with them, and, at this point, decide that I'm never going to a festival on my own ever again. It's boring. By the end of the night I've changed my mind on that. As from then things steadily got better, helped by the actual music starting and the long wait over. My YPT buds happily texted me back updating me on events and saying that they hope I enjoy the festival. I'm not feeling alone anymore. Even though they're just text messages I'm reminded that, even though they're not around today, I do have great friends. And the first act I wanted to see arrived. Paul Oakenfold Legendary DJ with many amazing hits under lots of aliases. Bullet In The Gun, Southern Sun, and responsible for launching a load of acts under his Perfecto Records label. He did a DJ set early on and despite it only being half 2, the tent was extremely full. The rain had gone and the sun was out and it was like a sauna in there, but it didn't matter. He played a blinding DJ set with remixes of many great tracks - some better than others, it has to be said. There were the ones which simply consisted of two seconds of the original and then a monotonous trance beat for five minutes, which aren't the most entertaining, but there were many highlights. 'Sun Is Shining' never felt more true, and a remix of 'Higher State of Conciousness', one of the best songs EVER, was always going to go down well, especially with that wonderful hook still there in the forefront. He also played a remix of 'Sex on Fire' by Kings of Leon. I can't stand the original. But by the end of the night I was actually warming to this song... One, slight unfortunate thing I must point out though is that the place was teemed with certain dodgy individuals offering drugs. "Pills, charly, get your speed here" they asked, including me on several occasions, and I - as with everyone else - declined. This continued for the whole day. I can have a good time without getting smashed off my head on E, thank you very much. After his set I popped over to the Tuborg tent to catch half of Frankmusik's set, who'd impressed me lots as a support act for the Pet Shop Boys last month. Unfortunately this time he was cursed by some really quite dreadful sound where you couldn't hear him properly and every so often a loud painful squeal would come from the microphone. But the fans didn't care, they were bouncing like crazy, very different to the fairly dull lot of 40-somethings at the Pet Shop Boys show who didn't know who he was. Not that I missed anything though as it was essentially a carbon copy of his O2 set, right down to the 'surprise' cover of Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music. When he was done I headed out the tent and realised that the next act I wanted to see had already started. Rushed across the field to the main stage to see... Saint Etienne 90s indie-dance-pop band headed by lead singer Sarah Cracknell. The rush of Paul Oakenfold's set was still in my mind which was honestly like some storming hard trance nightclub, this couldn't be more different. The sun was massively out and the dreamy, percussion-filled tracks coupled with her distinctive voice worked perfectly. A very different crowd were here, almost hippy-like, swaying in the sunshine, and as I got there with my cup of Red Bull, in perfect timing, one of her best ever songs, the positively trance-like "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" begins. I think I may be in love with Sarah Cracknell. Still extremely beautiful at 42 (my parent's age!!), still with that wistful, dreamy voice, and just coming across as extremely sweet, giggling between songs and sipping on Pimms. She ended with another of her best, 'He's On The Phone' and with the words "Don't fry your mind, drink water!" she left the stage. By this time I was rediscovering the joys of music festivals, but things just continued to get better. Had another sit down and a drink (this time of Pepsi, decided not to have too much alcohol this time) and had a friendly chat with other festival-goers, all enjoying the sunshine and all lovely. After that, went off to see my next act... The Streets I had a dillemma here. After this was to come Dizzee Rascal, but he was on the main stage and they were in the Stage Two tent, and their end overlapped with his beginning. There's two songs by The Streets I adore - 'Let's Push Things Forward' and 'Fit But You Know It' so I considered that maybe after they played them, I'd leave early and take my place for the Rascal. Last year I had a similar situation with Robyn and Underworld, unfortunately Robyn played her best song last, and then I was too late to get in the tent for Underworld, luckily seeing them at Brixton a few months later. I got to the tent 20 minutes before and it was already almost full. After they played some warm-up songs - including 'Sex On Fire' - again - they arrived. And guess what? The FIRST TWO SONGS were my two favourites!! I went as crazy as everyone singing along to them, and then after that I left the tent. Yep, that'll do for me, I've seen them and they played my two faves. And as I exited I saw the same situation that I was stuck in last year, a million people queueing outside the tent, unable to get in. Except this time I did get in. And had AGES of time to get to the main stage for Dizzee. When there I caught the end of Afrika Bambatta's set. I'd never heard of them and there was a fairly large crowd, but I imagine this mostly consisted of Dizzee fans getting there early, as with me. And then on he came... Dizzee Rascal When I saw him support The Prodigy in April, I only caught the end of it due to the queue getting in. But then came a moment I'll remember forever - him playing a new, then-unreleased song called 'Bonkers'. It was amazing, the crowd went crazy, and then the next month it was released and went straight to number 1. This time I was able to see his entire set. HE. IS. SO. AMAZING. Every track exuded energy, the whole place was going crazy and the sun was still out, and he even did versions of 'That's Not My Name' by the Ting Tings and 'Paper Planes' by MIA. This time he ended with 'Bonkers' and that's exactly how the whole crowd went. I was sure no one could top that, but then came the headline act... Basement Jaxx When I saw them in April it was inside the Roundhouse. This one, at the festival, as the night drew in, was a million times more amazing. Once again all the hits were there and they worked us crowd into a frenzy. They explored a load of different genres from dance-pop, to dubstep, to even a rock track - and they too did a cover of Sex on Fire. That song became the song of the day, and now when I hear it, I'll remember the festival even though the Kings of Leon weren't even there. They did an old-school rave set with green lasers shining out and everything. I marvel at the days of those huge illegal raves in the late 80s and early 90s and wish I'd have been a teen then to experience them, and this gave me a flavour of what it must have been like. We were clearly on a build-up to something big, so imagine my and the whole crowd's surprise when this hardcore rave track suddenly stops...and turns into Somewhere Over The Rainbow. We all pause for a second, a bit taken aback by the disappearance of any beats to speak of, then start singing along. Then we put our arms in the air and sway them side to side. I look around. Behind me is a beautiful sunset. People are sitting on top of other people's shoulders, waving flags in the air. Everyone is united in harmony and happiness. I almost cried. Another hardcore rave track. Then that stops and some slow piano plays. All the strobe lights and everything disappear, leaving just darkness on the stage. There's a sense that something's about to happen. The band are still as they play in a couple of lines from a certain Boyz II Men song. "Although we've come..." The crowd start singing along again. "To the end of the road..." LIGHTS UP. "WHERE'S YOUR HEAD ATTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!" GOD WHAT A REACTION!! That massive, HUGE buildup finally pays off and we go absolutely apecrazy. Everyone is bouncing and jumping as they play what seems to be their final song, the wonderful Where's Your Head At. People in gorilla suits run around the stage. The energy, the euphoria, it's amazing. And I'm thinking, what the hell? Why was I so miserable this afternoon? I'm not alone. I'm united in THOUSANDS. The song finishes. They leave. Oh no. Oh no you are NOT going that easily. "WE WANT MORE! WE WANT MORE!!" someone chants. I join in. Others join in. The whole crowd are soon chanting it. For what seems like forever it seems in vain. We're not giving up. We start singing Where's Your Head At again. Eventually, after several minutes, some people have given up hope and begin to leave. Not me though. And not for lots of us. They come back. They do an encore of Rendez-Vu and my favourite Jaxx song, Bingo Bango, turned into a massive extended version with extra verses and rapping. The whole ensemble are on stage, dancing and singing away, and then, only then, do they bid us goodbye. We're all screaming our hearts out. Basement Jaxx...Basement Jaxx are out. Of. This. World. What an amazing live show and a wonderful end to the festival day. I get into Marble Arch with loads of others, and we're all screaming Where's Your Head At out loud as we head into the station. The police smile and laugh. Even they don't mind this celebration of music and youthhood. And on the tube back, there's a man and woman asleep next to a massive American flag. Today was American Independence Day. And I had my own independence day, a wonderful Saturday where I arrived on my own but ended it joined with thousands. And guess what? In a few hours it starts all over again. This time I'll be seeing Noisettes, Calvin Harris, Flo Rida, Kayne West and possibly more. If it's as anywhere near as amazing as today was...bring it on. My life is on fire. Current Mood: exhausted Current Music: Mental As Anything - Live It Up

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July 3rd, 2009

05:27 pm - Better Humans I've done the Facebook invite but will mention it on here too - our next YPT show, 'Better Humans' is on from Wednesday 15th to Saturday 18th July at the Battersea Arts Centre. You're welcome to come and it'd be great if you do, this show is SO amazing, I can't wait for it despite the still slight panic over certain scenes. It's going to be fantastic and I really hope we fill those seats! It's certainly seeming like a busy July with both this and my Access audition coming up. Last July was crazy and I broke an LJ record by posting a massive 25 times in one month, who knows if this month will be the same! But for now our heatwave continues and I'm off to see a play. After that it's Wireless, baby! Current Mood: hot Current Music: George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You

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July 2nd, 2009

04:57 pm - Ready for the weekend And the mystery guest is...holy CRAP it's CALVIN HARRIS!! He's just been added to Wireless!! And they've even hinted at Dizzee Rascal joining him for Dance Wiv Me! THIS IS GOING TO BE IMMENSE!!!! (and he'll have love for me because I was born in the 80s, the 80s!!) Current Mood: hot Current Music: Yello - Oh Yeah

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01:19 am - Minus 2 Oh, BBC Weather, you crazy site. This afternoon it was saying that this weekend's Wireless Festival will have heavy rain all weekend, which seriously worried me. Now it's saying sunshine instead. Much more like it. I'm missing an eight-hour rehearsal for this, but even though I'll be on my own I couldn't not go after spending that £80. It's my intention to go to at least one music festival every year and even though Wireless is one of the smaller ones, it's one of the cheapest and easiest to get to. The stage times have been released and this is my current plan for both days: Saturday: Check out Paul Oakenfold's set, maybe then catch a bit of Frankmusik's if I have time (they clash, but I saw Frankmusik last month so I'll probably lean towards the act I haven't seen live) then head to the main stage to see Saint Etienne. Chill for ages, catch The Streets at 6:30 and then Dizzee Rascal an hour later, ending with Basement Jaxx. Sunday: First act I really want to see is the Noisettes, they're on at 3pm. Will see the 'Mystery Guest Artist' if they're any good and will definitely check out Flo Rida on the other stage too. Diversity I'll watch even though I never saw a second of Britain's Got Talent, and Alisha Dixon might be worth a viewing too. Kayne West at the end is an absolute must. But who just is the mystery guest act who has yet to be announced? The website says they're a chart topper. Previously Kelly Rowland was listed there but she's vanished - and she's a chart topper - but that'd be a bit weird if that were the case, announce someone who'd previously been announced anyway. It's not going to be anyone big like Lady Gaga or the Black Eyed Peas certainly, maybe someone like Calvin Harris or Pixie Lott. If it's La Roux I will actually die of excitement. But I dunno. I'm just prepared for two days of wonderful festival fun. I have to be honest, the masses of work I'm having to do both learning my speeches and all this stuff for our play is stressing me out a tad, but I'm feeling a lot better than yesterday. It's going to be an amazing month!! Current Mood: hot (gonna last a while...) Current Music: Michael Jackson - Earth Song

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June 30th, 2009

03:55 pm - Halfway there day We are halfway through 2009. The weather is 32 degrees. This time last June I reviewed the first half of the year and how it had been. It was overwhelmingly positive, naturally, but, as I said recently, I think the first half of 2008 was better than the second half that followed. Sure the second half had *lots* of fun stuff, but...not as much as the first, far too many nights out on my own and not enough BAC. July had its moments, but by September I was actually feeling really quite miserable, and it took my Foundation course to lift my spirits up. So slightly warily I do it again now, hoping that the same thing doesn't happen this year and late 2009 rivals early 2009 in terms of coolness. As Big Ben chimed I was comfortably in my Foundation course, the swing-dancing was getting better and better. I wasn't *entirely* happy but I had started the year pretty well. ( Month-by-month review ) So how to sum up June? It's even harder than May. I have missed my Foundation course immensely and to be honest, all I really did was swing-dance and YPT. There was the trip to Paris and a long-awaited Pet Shop Boys show, that and a pain in my foot that took ages to go away. The all-night barbeque was a HUGE standout, it came after a few iffy things happened so it stood out even more. Other than that the other best day was the swing-dance picnic, and all the days at YPT were all joys. Definitely quieter compared to previous months but nice all the same. I reach the halfway point of the year feeling very happy with my swing-dancing, involved in an amazing YPT show and learning lines for my Access audition. Compared to early 2008, which was incredible, on just February and April alone this year has been even better. I still hope every day that it's not all about to end and yet the fun and happiness forever continues. My all-time memories are being created every day and I'm in the pinnacle of my life. So! What's been the BEST day of 2009 so far? I've got several candidates actually. 28th February at Shunt is one. 23rd May at the Expo is another. 20th June, with the barbeque is also up there but only from the evening onwards. I am tempted to go with the 9th April. I woke up in New York with sunshine belting down on me. I went to Central Park and just chilled there for ages. Walked around seeing sights like the Guggenheim and Grand Central. Just as I was heading back to the hostel I met up with a girl I'd made friends with there and we went to the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, and Brooklyn Bridge together. Then after that I went to Chinatown to meet my friend who I used to go to college with and now lived there. We had pizza, she gave me a lift in a yellow taxi (which I got ridiculously excited about, I was such a tourist) to my next destination, a swing-dance night. I danced with Americans, Swiss, even Koreans, one girl asked to add me on Facebook within seconds of meeting me. I was there until 1am and someone from there, someone I'd only just met, walked me home back to my hostel. I collapsed into bed. So yep, 9th April I think. It was truly epic. Now let's see what the second half of 2009 has to offer. Until then I'm off to rehearsals - BRING IT ON!! Current Mood: hot Current Music: Annie Lennox - A Whiter Shade of Pale

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June 29th, 2009

04:55 pm - I'm hoping you'll understand I. LOVE. LA. ROUX!!!!! Who? La Roux (pronounced 'La Roo') consist of frontwoman Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid. Their mission is simple. Make songs that sound exactly like they're from the 1980s. No modern twists, no 'ironic' touches, just songs that actually do sound that they were made twenty years ago. Ben Langmaid doesn't even show his face, he hides in the background while Elly Jackson appears in all the videos and even made me think it was a solo project at first. And it's worked. Oh boy has it worked. In For The Kill spent a whole month at number 2 and has now sold half a million. Second single 'Bulletproof' has just gone straight in at number 1 with 80,000 sold in just a week. Their album came out today. I bought it. I love it. This is the most excited I've felt about any act since Alphabeat last year. And guess what? My 7" of 'Bulletproof' is even signed. HMV are so desperate to get people buying physical singles again, they were signed by La Roux for the normal £1.99 price. What a bargain. In other news, my electric keyboard is gone. Forever. I was about 8 or 9 when I got it and adored it. I learnt to play a million songs on it and when I was 16, started composing my own songs on it. They're all still there in my head. And recently I'd thought I'd dig it out again and see if I still had that magic. I ask my Mum where it is: "Where's my electric keyboard?" "Your keyboard? I threw that out two years ago" "..." ...needless to say, this was shocking and quite upsetting news. She explained that it wasn't working anymore so she threw it out. Ok. Fair enough. When were you planning on telling me, Mum? This happened TWO YEARS ago and I assumed not only was it still working, but it was safely stored away somewhere. This was part of my childhood. I spent whole days of my life playing that keyboard and last time I used it, it was still in perfect working order. It's gone forever and I had no idea until now. Yeah I can save up for a new one. Yeah it'll probably be 50 times more advanced. It's the sentimental value really. My songs were meant for those cheesy mid-90s synth sounds of the Casio CTK-450. They don't sound the same on other keyboards. I never got to say goodbye. Oh well. Tomorrow is the last day of the month and we will be halfway through the year. Expect a review. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: La Roux - Reflections are Protection

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June 28th, 2009

01:45 am - The dawning Heat. Wave. I sat at Willesden Junction today basking in 28 degrees of massive sun, and had my iPod to concentrate on to keep me from melting. Found two tapes for 30p each at the charity shop too - 'Introspective' by the Pet Shop Boys, and 'Evergreen' by Echo & The Bunnymen, which contains a song 'Nothing Lasts Forever' which I've been looking for...well, forever. So what do you do on a baking hot day? Do an intensive movement rehearsal for our YPT. At least that's what I did, but in that wonderful BAC way where nothing as it seems, our warmup involved dancing like crazy to random cheesy pop songs, as if we were just having a massive party instead. So there we all were, boogying to 'Age of Aquarius', Wham's 'Freedom', Pulp's 'Common People', everyone having an absolute brilliant time, and this is just the warmup for our rehearsals!! We were given a water break afterwards which was a good thing as I honestly came close to drowning in my own sweat. Our show is looking more impressive by the day. Today we devised and learnt a dance routine in its entirety. We all came up with a few moves each, and then everyone in the class had to learn each others moves - every single one - and then work out how to stage them and put them all together in a massive choreographed routine. Bear in mind that we're not talking about professional dancers here, just a fun-loving group of teens and early 20-ers who like acting and most of us do absolutely no dancing at all. Despite that we pulled it off, in just a couple of hours we'd devised and all learnt this huge routine, with about 20 different steps in it. Pretty incredible work I'd say and the drinks afterwards were deserved. After that, unsurprisingly, I went home and just chilled all evening, it was a highly exhausting but fun day. I have more rehearsals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, need to sort out what I'm going to do for my Access course audition in the meantime. And the forecast for the next few days? Tomorrow, 29 degrees. Monday the same. Tuesday, 30 degrees. Wednesday 31 degrees. WE'RE ACTUALLY HAVING A SUMMER!!!!!! Current Mood: hot Current Music: Echo & The Bunnymen - Nothing Lasts Forever

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June 26th, 2009

09:44 pm - Billy are you ok, are you ok, are you ok Billy? For the first time in a generation, the world's gone Jacko-mad. I turned onto the music channels this morning and they'd all abandoned their normal playlists for non-stop Michael Jackson, all with rolling tickers explaining the situation. A third of the iTunes top 100 is filled with Jackson tracks, the highest being the really quite underrated 'Man In The Mirror' which currently sits at number 3 but has a very big chance of being #1 soon. In HMV Brent Cross it was an incredibly bizarre sight. I walked in only to hear 'Bad' blasting out the speakers, his Greatest Hits playing. Everywhere I looked, people were holding copies of his albums, mostly 'Number Ones' which was still just £4. On the shelf there were only two copies left and I bought one of them, a few minutes later someone had bought the other copy. The charts on Sunday are going to be absolutely bizarre but fascinating. And poor Michael's not alive to see it. But yes, I've somewhat fallen behind with LJ with all this Jackson stuff. My last life post was immensely pessimistic but things have got rather better. On Monday I'd had a fairly horrible night of dancing with everything going wrong but Tuesday saw me back to my usual again, which I was relieved at. Especially when someone came up to me and asked if I was one of the teachers. I must have looked pretty damn good for them to think that! Two enjoyable days at YPT also massively lifted my spirits and another will be following tomorrow. Our play is looking absolutely amazing. Recent developments have pushed things on a lot and once again everyone is welcome to come see it next month. Will write again about it nearer the time, but yeah, it's gonna be (and I know I use this word for everything) awesome. Today's been mainly spent listening to the King of Pop over and over again, especially Alien Ant Farm's kickass cover of 'Smooth Criminal', a song which joins tracks like Personal Jesus as ones that stick in my head and never leave. Plus the weather's got better too :) Tomorrow it's gonna be TWENTY EIGHT DEGREES!!! Current Mood: happy Current Music: Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal

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01:03 am - Billy Jean The last few days since my previous post have seen a massive improvement, but reports on that can wait as I'm in shock at the breaking news right now. Michael Jackson has just died. I am of the last generation to remember when he was a megastar. I remember, back in the days of '95 listening to 'Earth Song', a song that sounds positively haunting listening to it back on youtube right now. I knew it simply as "Aaaaaaa Oooooooo", going by his screams in the chorus, but, despite thinking it a bit silly, it's one of my earliest musical memories. I'd have fun in primary school calling my teacher 'Michael Jackson' for a laugh, she'd be incredibly peeved but the whole class would find it hilarious. I remember watching him on The Simpsons and being confused as to why he was billed as John Jay Smith. Compare this to my younger cousins who just know him as that weird old guy. I remember loving all his songs and still do. Just the other day I went into HMV and saw his Greatest Hits for a frankly insultingly low four pounds. Four pounds for all of his classics, I imagine by tomorrow they'll be sold out across the country and the price will be bumped right up. But next month a 2-disc Greatest Hits is due to be released, spanning his whole career right back to the Jackson 5. Bad, Thriller, Beat It, Black Or White, and indeed Billie Jean, which was included in our performance piece 'Handbag' at the Battersea Arts Centre. And all the other stuff in his personal life? Who gives a crap?? He was one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century and his music will live on just as Elvis and John Lennon's work has. I think I'll pre-order that Greatest Hits on play.com. Current Mood: shocked Current Music: Michael Jackson - Beat It

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June 23rd, 2009

12:51 am - Everything's changing and I don't feel the same Here's something rare. I'm feeling quite miserable. Wait, what? My last post was full of this journal's usual optimism. Why the sudden change? To be honest even I don't know. I just feel absolutely awful right now. Saturday night was amazing and I hope the rest of the year has more nights like that. I just have this weird feeling that my year has peaked too soon. For last year I'd say that the first half had more fun stuff than the last half and I hope 2009 isn't the same. I can't think of much planned for the rest of the year, but hey, I still have YPT, that's still great, and more fun stuff will follow. I hope. Yeah it will. I'm gonna sleep on it and wake up tomorrow with a more positive attitude. Don't like this. Current Mood: depressed Current Music: Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone

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June 21st, 2009

07:47 am - We skipped the light fandango Day started off on a surreal note where I completely randomly met the singer Elaine Paige. I was out with a friend when we noticed she was doing a signing, so popped in and said hi. Not something that happens every day. We also caught a bit of 'West End Live' in Leicester Square, including Jerry Springer of all people singing live. Afterwards it was down to South London to a YPT friend's barbeque. Slightly worrying when I got there and it started to rain, but then it disappeared for the rest of the day and was replaced with sunshine. It was a very nice feeling being with pals in the summer sunshine, on possibly the longest day of the year - it's around this time anyway. As day turned into night we're still out there and the laptop was loaded up for singing to random 80s songs, which turned into random 60s songs. It went on, and on, and on, to the point where we were there outside until *sunrise*, it was light when I checked the time, noticed it was 5am, and figured I'd better get back home at some point. She said I was welcome to stay at hers but a trip to Birmingham awaits for me this morning so I needed to get back, and thanks to a few nightbuses, managed to. So yes, almost 8am and I've not actually slept yet. But I don't care. That was a magical, magical night. The early hours of the morning and I'm chilling with friends, sipping on punch and singing and swaying along to Whiter Shade of Pale, California Dreaming, COUNTLESS Bob Dylan, Beach Boys, for hours and hours. At one point I was almost in tears. It was so wonderful and as she hugged me goodbye at 5 and I set off home, I could see the sunrise through the trees. Oh, what a night. And now my iPod charger's arrived through the post, that'll work again too. Summer has arrived. :) Current Mood: happy Current Music: Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale

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June 20th, 2009

01:36 am - Always on my mind HOLY HELL YES. They didn't disappoint, they astounded. My suspicions were proved right when I got to North Greenwich, I was surrounded by a lot of balding, grey, quite camp men in their 40s, with a few females who looked about the same age. No one, anywhere, looked under 30. I felt extremely young, and occasionally, they'd glance at me in confusion, as if I'd come for Kings of Leon and got the wrong day by accident. Was absolutely packed though and had to wait in a massive queue before I got in, and was about seven rows from the front though still fairly close to the stage. It was certainly a very, very different experience to, well, every gig I've ever been to really. Compared to the hardcore techno nights of Clubland Live or Dance Nation, where you've got a million 15 year olds moshing into each other and screaming, here you had people quietly sitting on the floor while they waited, reading their London Lites. It did though make me less worried though that someone was going to steal my stuff, although saying that I prefer a noisy group of teenagers than a moaning group of pensioners. The support act was electropop wizard Frankmusik, who was probably completely unknown to most of the crowd, although he did have a couple of extremely excited fans who was dancing like crazy to all of his songs. I'd only heard a few before but he surprised me and turned out to actually be really good. Ok, he's only had one hit and that got to something like number 22 in the charts, but he had lots of gems up his sleeve including a reworking of 'Golden Brown' by the Stranglers, and the brilliant '3 Little Words' which had him playing live keyboards. I'll be seeing him again at the Wireless Festival next month. And then after an extremely long interval that took forever, the Pet Shop Boys arrived! Straight into their number 1 hit 'Heart', followed by a load of tracks from their new album. It encompassed a whole history of their songs, from the big singles (Always On My Mind, It's A Sin, Suburbia, all there), to even fairly obscure album tracks from the very early days, right up to today. Highlights? Well, bits that come to mind: *A computer graphic of a wall slowly appeared as Neil sung 'Building A Wall', only for the actual physical wall to *fall down*, made up of a load of cubes). and then straight into 'Go West'! *Chris Lowe suddenly jumping out of his pod and doing some crazy dancing halfway through the show. The crowd were going crazy, I'm presuming it's not a normal thing... *Se A Vida E was played!! Awesome summery song about how great it is to be young and something I can really relate to, especially in the middle of June. *Viva La Vida. Yes, Viva La Vida BY COLDPLAY. They did a Coldplay cover!! Brilliant song though and their version was just as good as the ace original, with added random snatches from 'Domino Dancing' included. ...and the rest of the show really as the whole thing was a highlight. I'd forgotten how much I loved songs like 'Left To My Own Devices', and 'Jealousy', and 'Can You Forgive Her', all over 15 years old but all were played. Their encore was of course their big break, 'West End Girls', still as brilliant as ever and a reminder of where it all began. I left feeling very happy. The first time I'd seen them live and I had a utterly brill time, they played all the classics and will remember it for the rest of my life. They really are my NUMBER ONE favourite band IN THE WORLD and will forever remain so. Se a vida e, I love you! Current Mood: happy Current Music: Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

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June 19th, 2009

02:43 pm - Pandemonium Add Lenka's 'The Show' to the previous list. Downloaded it yesterday. It's great. So brief summary of the week...Monday I went to Rock-a-Hula in Chalk Farm, a combined hula-hoop and swing-dance night. I kicked ass at hula hoops as a kid and can still do it now, except my only 'trick' is just to spin it round my stomach again and again, can't do any of those things where you get it on your arm or anything. So I both hula-hooped and danced throughout the night, intending to leave a lot earlier than I did except a couple of girls took an interest in me and convinced me to stay. At half-midnight though I realised that if I didn't leave now I'd miss my last train (and getting a night bus back from somewhere like Chalk Farm is quite tricky) so reluctantly had to head home. Very fun night all the same though, and Tuesday continued the dancing at my normal Holborn place. Wednesday and Thursday were two more YPT days and I don't even need to say anymore how much I enjoy them. It's not long left until our show and we're still sorting out things, but with increased rehearsals to come it'll all come together soon enough. The group is also bonding more with every week, and once again I'll be missing them all when the term ends next month. Back to doing something on my own today, but it doesn't matter as it's still going to be epic. For the first time ever, I will be seeing the Pet Shop Boys perform live. I already have my signed copies of their Yes album, and soon I'll be off to the O2 to see them. As mentioned in detail before, this is a band I've loved since I was five years old. I'm sure they will not disappoint. Hopes for songs they'll play? My faves from 'Yes', other than the two singles, are All Over The World and Pandemonium, and I'm sure they'll both be included somewhere. As for the classics, obviously their early stuff like It's A Sin and West End Girls, and I'd love it if they played Go West, the one that made me a fan way back in about 1993/4. My fave track of theirs, somewhat controversially, is Where The Streets Have No Name. God I'm excited just thinking about it. I know I'll be the youngest there by a mile, it'll probably be a load of balding men in their 40s and then me, but still looking forward to it. They're back at the O2 just before Christmas, maybe I'll see them again then - depends on how good they are! Current Mood: excited Current Music: Gladiator feat Izzy - Now We Are Free

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June 17th, 2009

02:03 am - Uh oh, uh oh There was a time, a few months ago, where I thought I'd lost interest in current music. After a brilliant run in early 2008 where everything released was brilliant (the era of Duffy's 'Mercy', Alphabeat's 'Fascination', Sam Sparro's 'Black & Gold', and many many more), things in the summer went very very wrong. You had Katy Perry's absolutely god-awful 'I Kissed A Girl' which actually made me write a post in here wondering how anyone how could like that crap. Then came Kings of Leon, a dreary, miserable rock band who bored me to tears with 'Sex on Fire', which like Katy Perry was number 1 for bloody ages, and then Simon Cowell took over the rest of the year with the X Factor finalists, Leona and Alexander Burke all clogging up the airwaves. Saying that I did like Leona's cover of 'Run', one of the few songs of late 2008 I could listen to without feeling sick. The others were 'Human' by the Killers and, sadly, 'The Promise' by Girls Aloud, the only song of that group I like. I was wondering whether I'd finally reached that age where I lose touch with the music scene and start complaining how things were better in the old days. Early 2009 showed no sign of improvements with Lady BLOODY Gaga. I don't get her, I find her music boring, deriative, dreary, but clearly many millions like her and that's why the top 2 selling singles of the year so far are, erm, hers and hers. Hardly anything was coming out that was interesting me, save for the occasional single by a surprisingly good Lily Allen and a triumphant return for The Prodigy. The ultimate nadir was N-Dubz getting to number 1 the week band member Tulisa was rumoured to have swine flu. But, suddenly, things started to get quite good. Last year it was about now when things went wrong but now it's the opposite. Starting off with La Roux's BRILLIANT debut 'In For The Kill' which is now the biggest selling non-Lady Gaga single and still enjoy listening to it, a whole load of great songs are now coming out, and people are buying them in droves. This is the current top 4: 1: Pixie Lott - Mama Do 2: Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow 3: Agnes - Release Me 4: Dizzee Rascal - Bonkers I've bought and love every single one of them, Dizzee a few weeks ago, BEP and Agnes today at HMV, and Pixie on iTunes download. Some may wonder why I like these songs and not the others, and, well, I just do. Back in March I went into HMV and couldn't find any singles worth buying, I eventually opted for Calvin Harris's 'I'm Not Alone' which is ok, if nothing special. Right now though I can't stop listening to any of this top 4 and was spoilt for choice in the small singles section. Things are looking good again, well until the next Lady Gaga or Kings of Leon song arrives anyway. I think the sudden music rant is due to my beloved iPod not being able to be used for the last few weeks. The iPod itself is fine, almost a year and a half after buying it, but the charger is now broken so once the battery runs out it won't play anymore. A new one is a stupidly expensive £20 but I might have to shell out that as I'm having massive music withdrawl symptoms. Just as old fogeys remember the 80s as their golden age, mine should be NOW, so in ten years I can reminisce of the days of La Roux and Alphabeat. But I still had a good day sans it, my usual Tuesday at Wild Court in Holborn. Slightly scary journey back though as the road back into Neasden was closed off due a massive car crash, police and fire brigade everywhere. They gave me an alternate route back but due to it involving going through a housing estate at after-midnight I didn't fancy it, so called my Dad and he drove up there to give me a lift back. I felt like such a teenager wimping out and calling him, but it felt like the safest option. As uncool as they are, I'm very grateful for my parents. I can come home at any time I like, sometimes disappearing for a whole weekend, and they don't mind, or at least pretend not to mind. I'm very lucky. Why I'm typing in here when it's 2am and have two days of rehearsals coming up beggars belief... Current Mood: thoughtful Current Music: Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (after all that a song from 20 years ago)

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June 14th, 2009

11:21 pm - Swinging into another year I made some good decisions in 2008. The BAC was the big one. Second biggest? Walking through Regent's Park this time one year ago. This is what I said at the time: "I checked out the Swing Dance Picnic that was going on there, basically a combined picnic and swing dance, hence, erm, hence the name Swing Dance Picnic I suppose. Was highly fun - my dancing skills being absolute zero, I didn't do too much of it but I joined in for a while and surprised myself. I need to dance more, I had a mini-lesson there and quite enjoyed it." One day later I did my first lesson. I thought I'd gone mad. What the hell was I doing? I don't dance!! I did the lesson and found it, erm, hard. But I went to another one the next day. Still found it hard but I was already enjoying it. After my second lesson I wrote: "Ohh my god, I am LOVING swing dancing. I've still got lots to learn but from what I have already, more please. The progress I've made after just two classes is mindblowing me, and while I've still got lots and lots to learn, the me of just a few days ago would be astounded at my newfound skills." Despite this, by July, August, right into September, I still wasn't making much progress and almost gave up. I changed my mind once I realised that actually, I was starting to make some quite good friends, and if I stuck at it, surely I'd get better, right? By October that answer was "yes" and every month since then I've made more friends and learnt more and more moves. So I celebrated my one year dancing birthday by returning to where it all began, back to Regent's Park for another picnic. Last year had about 20 people, max. This time there was close to 100, filling a huge amount of the park by dancing the day away. I bought lots of drinks and Pringles with me for people to enjoy, and after lugging them through Neasden and then up to the park, met up with lots of my swing-friends there. Some I hadn't seen in absolutely months, all fantastic to see. And until almost 9pm there we all were, dancing on the grass in massively hot 26-degree sun as passers-by watched in fascination. Little kids were joining in and everything, and I managed to recruit one of my college pals who wanted to start swing-dancing too. So they were in the same situation as I was this time a year ago, new to the world of swing and their eyes being opened to this massively fun thing. I was introducing him to all the friends I'd made there, and all being awesome, they all made him feel very welcome. "Here's to another year!" we said, clinking our Rosé glasses. I still love swing-dancing with all my heart. The classes can be hard but on the dancefloor afterwards I love it. And to think if I hadn't been in Regent's Park on that June 2008 day, it would have never happened. I'd have never met any of these friends. Just goes to show, if an opportunity comes up for something new, *do it*. You won't regret it. I bought another thing at ASDA too. The Greatest Hits of Sash for an incredibly cheap £2.50. One of my fave dance acts ever and now I have all his hits for a couple of quid. The album only came out last year too, and am listening to it now and enjoying it greatly. I'll be playing it a LOT this summer. I'm gonna go dancing again tomorrow! Current Mood: hyper Current Music: Sash! - I Believe

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June 13th, 2009

11:29 pm - Hakuna matata It ROCKED. Not that I thought it wouldn't, the Disney movie is possibly my fave Disney film ever and remember it extremely clearly despite only being 6 years old when I saw it. It's one of the few films I've watched in an entire different language too, a few years later in Disneyland Paris I watched 'Le Roi Lion' despite not knowing a word of French, but the film was still so fresh in my mind I still remembered all the words and still enjoyed it. And I was there for the IMAX re-issue a few years after that, I remember getting a hell of a jolt when 'Circle of Life' started at an ear-deafening volume. And now it was time for the West End musical. My friend had seen it a million times and we were in a box seat, she'd said that something cool would happen right at the start. Sure enough, at the start of the show a guy dressed as an antelope runs into OUR BOX, a light shines on us and he starts singing Circle of Life, waving a massive stick around. The whole audience are watching this antelope, and us sitting next to him in awe. Best start to a musical EVER. It was all very cleverly done. Acrobatics, puppetry, every trick in the book was used to bring these animals to life. And like 'Mamma Mia' there were a million extra songs and whole new scenes that added to the show. By the end of the show and the massive finale, I was quite tearful. Circle of Life is a song I've always loved and it was amazing seeing the entire cast all singing it. I didn't see humans anymore, I saw animals. On my way out I did my normal thing of deliberately saying silly things just so random people would overhear and laugh. This included "They should make a movie version! Like by Disney or someone, done in cartoon...", and "See now I get why it's called The Lion King, cus the Lion becomes the King at the end" which especially got a few chuckles. I like making people laugh. It's fun. To add it to it all I even met one of the cast afterwards. My friend with me knew George Asprey, who quite brilliantly plays Scar. She went to the stage door to say hi after the show and I got to meet him too, asking him a few questions about musical theatre which is still a secret goal for me. I'd love to be in something like this, even if it takes decades. And then after that we just chilled in a bar ages, and then blissfully walked round the whole of London at 1am, singing to the music in her iPod. Everything from Wicked, to Lion King (of course), Cabaret, even 'Personal Jesus' which still refuses to leave my head and am listening to it again now. I got back at about 3am, and, in a fit of Disney nostalgic, played the original movie version of Circle of Life on youtube, the first time I'd seen a single second of the Disney movie in six years. I was in tears in seconds. Wish Disney were still that good. Today in contrast I've done nothing, save for getting my Facebook username. I was too late to get 'billyhicks' or even 'billy.hicks', but adding an '88' (for 1988) worked and so http://www.facebook.com/billyhicks88 now links to me. But Sunday promises to be great, with a swing-dance picnic going on in Regent's Park. This is what got me into the world of swing a whole year ago and with the weather promising 25-degree sun, pretty much everywhere it's gonna be hot! Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus

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June 12th, 2009

03:51 pm - Three strikes, I'm out The final strike day yesterday was pretty much a repeat of Wednesday, right up to the point where I got there at exactly the same time and so boarded the same rail train to Battersea, the 6:30 to Epsom. Another day of a crowded Jubilee Line and free rail travel. When I headed back afterwards, the barriers were once again open so even if Oyster hadn't been allowed I was simply able to saunter through and get there a lot quicker than my normal bus. I really wish Oyster was normally allowed on that route as it makes it so much easier. So the strike's over now and I'm able to see The Lion King tonight. It was visited by Barack Obama's family a few days ago, which would have been a fun day to go, but it doesn't matter, we've got a box seat and apparently it's a great musical too. I have to say June's got off to a slow start so far. Paris was amazing, yes, but I've been feeling nostalgic for the non-stop rides of fun that were February and April. Still, lots of fun stuff to come including tonight! Current Mood: good

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June 11th, 2009

01:49 am - Strrrrrike two! So with a football match going on and half the tubes suspended, how nightmarish was my journey? Well, not very much. The Jubilee Line was actually working, and while it was fairly empty as usual when I boarded it at Neasden and sat down, it steadily got more and more crammed, helped by no service at St John's Wood or Bond Street, and later Swiss Cottage. By Green Park the carriage was already completely full. With one train every ten minutes and most other lines shut, there were huge crams of people at the doors, and by Westminster people were literally getting squashed against the walls. "Move down inside the cars!!" a passenger shouted but everyone already had, some people simply couldn't get in and had to wait 10 minutes for the next train. I just relaxed in my seat, and then at Waterloo I struggled my way out and past another huge cram of people who had absolutely no chance getting in, the carriages were way too packed already. So instead of my normal route with trains every 20 minutes from Willesden Junction, I was able to get to Waterloo and board a rail train to Clapham Junction, the trains departing every 2 minutes. And showing my Oyster Card it was completely free. Normally Oyster pre-pay is not accepted on that route (god knows why not) but being a strike it was allowed so I travelled there in lightning speed without paying a penny extra in the process. I got there easily in time for YPT, and the journey back was just as easy, this time they'd simply left the gates open at both ends so I was able to saunter in and out again without paying. It'll be a shame once the strike ends and I'll have to use the less-easy way to get to Battersea and back again. The tricky part was when I made the frankly ridiculous decision to get a bus back from Wembley Park. I could have walked but with my foot still not to scratch I decided to bus it, and after an agonisingly long wait with about a million others, boarded the bus and endured the longest, slowest, most agonisingly slow bus ride ever through the massive traffic jam. It was a massive relief to get off at my stop, but hey, it gave my foot more rest. So ironically, with the free Waterloo-Clapham trains, the strike made my journey EASIER and quicker. One more day of striking left and I'm not bothered anymore, enough have crossed the picket line to make my journey nice and simple. I don't know why I ever worried. Current Mood: amused Current Music: Depeche Mode - People Are People

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June 10th, 2009

01:27 am - Strike one! Dollis Hill station and there's a grand total of one member of station staff there, putting a blue 'SUSPENDED' sticker over the Bakerloo Line information. The strike is already beginning a hour before the official closing time. I wait at the ticket office when he notices me, moans "Fine, I'll go in there" and miserably puts the £3.80 on my Oyster Card. On the platform, the train heading out of London to Stanmore is absolutely cram-packed. In fourteen years of living here I've very rarely seen a train as far out of London as Dollis Hill to be that busy, such is the amount of people desperately trying to get home. Not me, though, I'm off to a three-hour dancing class, with a dodgy foot and absolutely no clue at how I'm going to get back. I must be mad. The train into London is almost empty in comparison. As we get to Finchley Road, the platform into London has just one man sitting there. The platform out of London is filled with people. My heart is racing already, will I be the only idiot who's bothered to show up? Is it going to be cancelled meaning I've spent my money for nothing? Luckily not, and while the class isn't as busy as some days have been, it's still fairly crowded. I do a first for me and take on the Advanced class, which is...difficult, but I thought the same thing about the Beginners last June and the Intermediates last October. In a few weeks I'll be fine, it's just a pretty big step up. The downside to this is that after three hours of classes, you've only got about 45 minutes worth of dancing afterwards when most people have gone home, but I used those 45 minutes well. Due to my foot my dancing wasn't as good as a few weeks ago and I'd occasionally lose control a bit, but getting through it without being in serious pain surprised me, hopefully by next week I'll be fully recovered and my dancing will be back up to scratch. The night ends at 11:15 as normal, and I'm thinking that right now it's a trip on a probably-packed 98 to Willesden, then a bus back from there. It's going to take forever. But then I notice Holborn station is open and the tube is operating on a skeleton service. No Jubilee. No Metropolitan. No Bakerloo. Pretty much all lines are gone. The Central Line is just closing and it looks like only two lines are left, Piccadilly and Northern. Bingo. I can get to Brent Cross station and then it's only a short journey from there. The tubes are absolutely dead. There's hardly anyone on the platform, the escalators are barren and only a couple of people in the carriages. I think a lot of people are simply unaware of this 'secret service' and are currently squashed on a bus somewhere, or just at home. When the train arrives I actually applaud it, without it I'd be a sardine on the 98. On my way there I get slightly worried when the driver says that some stations are closed due to lack of staff, but luckily this only applies to Belsize Park and Hampstead. Brent Cross arrives and I'm home by the absolute skin of my teeth. Tomorrow is going to be even harder. My plan is a trip on the bus to Wembley Central, Overground to Willesden Junction and then down to Clapham Junction. Except there's a major England match at the Stadium and the turnstiles open at *exactly the same time*. It's going to be manic. And I still don't know how I'm going to get back after that. Current Mood: nervous Current Music: Pet Shop Boys - So Hard

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June 8th, 2009

08:47 pm - I really don't need this ...oh GOD. Tube strike starts tomorrow and EVERY LINE will be shut until FRIDAY. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8090376.stm This, naturally, presents problems. Tomorrow I was planning on starting the Advanced swing-dance class in Holborn. Wednesday and Thursday are YPT days. Friday I'm seeing 'The Lion King' musical with a friend. Tuesday maybe I can skip possibly, the other three I absolutely cannot miss at all, they are essential. The TFL website is saying don't worry, there'll be extra buses, and Oyster Cards will be accepted on National Rail routes in Greater London. Problems to that is that there are no buses that go from Central London to Neasden during the day, just the N98 night bus but I don't fancy having to wait until after half-midnight to catch it. Also, what does 'Greater London' even mean, is Clapham Junction included in that? I'm very confused. The strike starts at 7pm tomorrow so I can make the journey into London to Holborn tomorrow, providing my foot stands it. After that is the tricky part. The normal 98 only goes as far as Willesden, an area I absolutely hate going through as it seems that at night there's always scary drunks or a fight going on when I'm there, but from there I can get a bus back to Neasden. Or get a bus to Brent Cross and then a 182 back from there. For Wednesday and Thursday, the London Overground will be operating which is my normal route to Clapham Junction, but with no tube I can't get to West Hampstead, or Willesden Junction to make my connection. In theory, I can take the usually non-Oyster route from Waterloo to Clapham Junction, a brilliant route with trains every few minutes instead of every 20/30 minutes, but...I can't get to Waterloo with no tubes. Bother. As for Friday, hopefully by then the strike will be over, if not I really am stuck. I cannot miss The Lion King especially after paying for the ticket. I hope I wake up tomorrow morning and they've suddenly called it off. If so then this post will look extremely silly, but hey, useful reading for me if it ever actually does happen. For now I'm going to de-stress out with Ashes to Ashes... Current Mood: stressed Current Music: Pet Shop Boys - Tonight Is Forever

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