Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Thirty Five

'It is a poet's curse to be able to write about love but not have it.'

(Jessica Katoff)

For those that read my previous post, you will know that this week started amidst the dregs of Leeds Festival, battered and sleep deprived. I drove the three of us home and then I hibernated on the sofa with Moj and a takeaway Chinese back at mine which was just what the doctor (and hangover) ordered. I was in work on Tuesday and the week passed relatively unremarkably - on Thursday Aum had a playdate so we went to play Paradise Island Crazy Golf at the Trafford Centre and ate lunch at Coast to Coast, I just had a couple of nibbly bits (pretzels and spicy calamari) as I was out for a meal that evening.

That night I met Moj and we went to Bundobust in the city centre, it does vegetarian Gujurat inspired street food and is up for the award of Best Overall Restaurant at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2017. It is in a basement in Piccadilly gardens, and is super relaxed, with a great menu and impressive array of drinks (I went for the prosecco ofc). With all the dishes being small, we got a load and shared them tapas style, sampling the okra fries, biryani bhaji balls, idli sambhar, paneer and mushroom tikka and massala dosa. SO. TASTY. I chased it up with a cocktail at Sugar Rays which is a cool underground drinking den on Newton Street.

On Friday I took Aum and his mate for lunch at Pizza Express, and then dropped Ferryn at my parents as I was going to Tetbury in the Cotswolds for my friend Hana's wedding. I got a lift down with Tasha and her boyfriend Tom to the big house that eleven of us had hired out, and we arrived at about 10.30pm in time to have a couple of glasses of fizz and watch Naked Attraction with everyone, classic!

Yesterday we all woke nice and early and had breakfast together before starting to get doled up. The weather was stunning and we headed to the venue (The Kingscote Barn) in dribs and drabs ready for the ceremony to start at 1.30pm. It was a beautiful day, filled with love and laughter, a really gorgeous celebration for two glorious humans. The food was the best I've ever had at a wedding (goats cheese bruschetta, pork belly with dauphinois potatoes and chocolate creme brulee) it was an open bar all night, and the groom's sister Beth sang Florence and the Machine's version of You Got The Love for the first dance (hence its inclusion as my track of the week above). I was the Master of Ceremonies with a guy called Robbie so we had various announcements throughout the day to make, including the entrance of the bride and groom, each course of dinner, the speeches, and the surprise fireworks which were magnificent!

Today I have been super hungover, but it was definitely worth it. We packed up and left quite early as it was a long drive back to Manchester, stopping on the way for some much needed hangover cure mac and cheese in a cute little place called The Bank Cafe in a village called Dursley. Early night to bed required!

Weekly Update!

Goujons, Gigs & Gossiping!

This week was pretty crazy to be honest, it flew by as I had so much on. Luckily it wasn't all work and chores for once, so I had some time to enjoy myself. On Monday I went for a wander around the Trafford Centre during the day as I had some things to pick up (including a Mother's Day present!) and so treated myself to a coffee in Caffe Nero whilst I read my book for a bit. After a usually hectic weekend, and with having work at the pub that evening, it was nice to just relax for half an hour in quiet surroundings.

On Tuesday my parents got back from their trip to Ireland, so I lost having the house to myself, which is always a bit of a novelty, but it was nice to catch up with them and have some company again. On Wednesday I went to Exchange Bar and Grill with Charlotte for some tea before going to the cinema to see Bel Ami (see next post). We shared chicken goujons for a starter, and then we both had chicken enchiladas for main. It was really tasty, but the whole experience and atmosphere was not as good as it used to be a couple of years ago when I went a fair few times with my family. The service was a bit lack lustre, and the food felt like it had been plonked on the plate with little thought for presentation. Luckily we were using my mum's Hi-Life card, which gives you everything half price, so we couldn't really complain at two courses and wine for just over £10 each.

On Thursday I went to see Florence and the Machine with my mum at the MEN arena in Manchester, which was amazing! (see previous post) It was quite a late night, so on Friday I chilled out during the day and had my nails done, and then just watched some television with wine in the evening. My sister was home from university for the weekend with her boyfriend, so it was nice to have a few more people in the house, especially ones slightly closer to me in age!

On Saturday I only worked half my shift at the pub as I wanted to finish early to travel down to Hatfield near St Albans in Hertfordshire to see my friend Katie from university. I had a perfect run down, and arrived just before 5pm. We had a good ol' chinwag and before we knew it, it was 7pm so we cracked open the wine and had some tea before getting ready for a well deserved night out.

We left the house at 10pm and went to a cocktail bar called Mokokos where I had a couple of glasses of a gorgeous drink called a Foxy Lady. We then headed on to an apparently newish club that had opened called Veeda. It was £8 to get in (!) but played some really good music, and it was nice to actually dance and try somewhere new. It was pretty busy as well, probably due to it being St Patrick's Day. Despite their only being the two of us, we had a really fun time catching up, and today was spent in various stages of hangover, before I left for home at half 4. I took a wrong turn and ended up driving in circles in Bedford for 40 mins, but eventually made it home for 8pm, and I am now ready to hit the sack for another working week to begin!

Spring Sounds...

Florence and the Machine

Last night I went to see Florence and the Machine with my mum at the Manchester Evening News Arena. I bought her a ticket as a Christmas present, so have been excited since giving it to her! I first saw them at Glastonbury in 2010, and despite watching them on my own (my friends went to see Corinne Bailey Rae instead- pfft!) it was probably one of the best experiences of my life.

It was a bit of a rush to get there, as I didn't finish work until half past six, but after a quick change we caught a metro into town and went straight inside. The support group were The Horrors, who I had got the album especially for. The album is actually really good, but they weren't that great live. This was mainly due to the sound system to be fair, as you could barely hear the lead singer, so it made it difficult to enjoy when it was just incessant bass guitar and heavy drums. At least if they make it big I can say I've seen them!

Florence came on at about 9.15pm, wearing a gorgeous padded shouldered black cape that was very dramatic, over the top of a black playsuit embellished with bronze studs across the shoulders and chest. She opened with my favourite song off the new album 'Only If For A Night', which I recognised as soon as the piano intro started, and got very excited! The third song she played was 'Cosmic Love' which is my favourite song off the first album, so at this point I was ecstatic! It reminds me of when I went to the Clothes Show in 2009, as it was used for a ballet performance during the catwalk show.

They played all the classics (Shake It Out, Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up, Dog Days) as well as a great deal off the new album, including the latest single 'No Light, No Light', and came back on for an encore of 'You've Got The Love' as they did at Glastonbury. I especially loved the rendition of 'Heartlines' that Florence did acoustically with her guitarist, it was as if she was singing to a crowd of ten, not thousands, and was very touching.

The stage set up for the concert was really cool as well- there was a huge disco ball in the centre, and the backdrop was reminiscent of a 50s style cruise ship with art deco panels that had images projected onto them dependent on the songs. There was an Alice In Wonderland style one with loads of bright coloured flowers, and an anatomical drawing of sets of lungs for during the performance of 'Between Two Lungs'.

One of the main things that I love about the music F&TM make, is the use of so many instruments, and she had a full band on stage with her, including a harpist and three backing singers. I think it is refreshing to see a performer who is not afraid to take a back seat now and again in order to showcase the talent of her fellow bandmembers; and Florence was the first to admit how she wouldn't be so successful without their help.

Despite being a fashion icon, and often appearing rather aloof in pictures, Florence's stage presence is phenomenal, she flounces about the stage like a child, and got the whole crowd jumping up and down during 'Dog Days', even those in the seated audience. She also manages to remain incredibly humble and modest about her talent, which is even more impressive when you hear her sing live - no miming here!

I think it is obvious from this post that I had an awesome time at the concert, but it is also worth mentioning that it is one of the most diverse crowds I have seen at a gig before - the ages ranged from ten years olds with their parents, to people in their sixties, and there were groups of middle aged men as well as schools of teenage girls, couples, and we saw some other mother/ daughter groups as well! It just proves how accessible the music is that Florence and the Machine make, and if you ever get the chance to see them live, DO IT! You won't regret it, I promise.

Candid Article 9

Florence, Meet Lagerfeld

Florence Welch is once again storming the music world with newly released second album ‘Ceremonials’ which went straight to number one last week after its debut on October 31^st. But it appears it is not just her unique vocal ability that is getting the 25 year old attention. Her quirky style has always been a topic of discussion, but due to her recent success, leading designers are clamouring for her approval now more than ever.

Crowned the new face of Gucci in June, the entire wardrobe for her US tour this summer was created by Frida Giannini, the fashion house’s creative director. The designer said of Florence, ‘She has a powerful personality and an entrancing quality to her performances. She also has that confident and self-assured look that goes hand in hand with the Gucci woman.’

In her latest video she is seen wearing Valentino Haute Couture, and Karl Lagerfeld shot the star for Vogue Japan’s October issue; recreating the androgynous look in a red silk blazer and pinstriped trousers. It was the start of an ongoing collaboration between the pair, as she also performed on stage for the creative director, at the unveiling of his latest work for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week. This was in homage to the fact that Lagerfeld named Welch as his muse for the Spring/ Summer collection. For the catwalk show, which was under-the-sea themed, the singer performed inside a giant pearl encrusted shell wearing a white Chanel dress personally designed for her.

The demure gown makes a reappearance, amongst other designs, on the third project that the singer has done with Mr Lagerfeld – a special edition copy of her single ‘Shake It Out’. Released on the same day as the album, there have only been 500 copies pressed, which are hand numbered, and available for £50 each. The 180 gram vinyl record is white, contained in a silver inner bag, and the cover features unique photographic images of Florence shot by Karl, screen printed on clean white card, with silver foil writing. The shoot took place in Paris and is said to be inspired by the work of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, as Florence is a personal fan, having been influenced by her Art-Deco style previously.

The Vinyl Factory are responsible for the production of the record, which is set to be the beginning of a series taken from the new album. It is the first hard copy of the single to be created, as previously it has been available for download only, and also features a remix by up-and-coming Canadian R&B artist The Weeknd.

With so many fashionable names, and now another number one album, under her belt, it seems Florence Welch can do no wrong.

Glastonbury Festival 2010: Day 3

Friday

The first 'proper' day of music retained the soaring summer temperatures, and put everyone in the mood to sample some live audio action. In the gaps in between performances we mooched around the Circus Field, encountering a scary alien creature, a very agile performer, and playing catch with a giant rubber globe! Obviously being unable to split myself into however many alter egos would be needed for the many music stages, the following is a selection of the performances I chose to view.

Rolf Harris

When I first heard Rolf was opening The Pyramid Stage, I didn't really know what to expect. I know barely any songs (although I did recognise more that I thought I would) and have only really seen as as the presenter of Animal Hospital.However, the atmosphere was electric; and whether it was because it marked the official start of the festival, or that people were in awe of a man aged eighty who still managed to perform 'The Court of King Caratacus', the crowd went wild.

The Stranglers

Having grown up listening to my dad playing his Stranglers collection, I thought it would be a nice break from the more modern artists to shimmy along to their session on the Other Stage. They played all the classics; ‘Golden Brown’, ‘No More Heroes’, ‘Peaches’, ‘Walk On By’ and ‘All Day And All Of The Night’ and for me, it was the signal that the real music had begun.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop got the punters moving even in the lazy afternoon heat, with his brilliant set which merged his old and new songs effortlessly. Clutching a customised crystal encrusted microphone, he got chants going, shuffled around the stage and had charisma by the bucketload. He attempted a few collaborations single handedly, notably 'Signs' and 'P.I.M.P' (usually featuring Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent respectively) which I felt were just as good as the originals. And you have to admire a man who is seen as cool despite wearing knee high socks with shorts, and having the hair style of an eight year old girl.

La Roux

After Snoop, I walked quickly to The Other Stage, as I wanted a prime spot near the front for Florence and the Machine. Because of my speediness, I managed to see the whole of La Roux's set from a pretty good position. I was rather wary of watching her live, as a lot of her records are heavily synthesised and her voice often feels manipulated electronically. I was pleasantly surprised however. All the tracks that she perfomed sounded exactly like on her album, and the crowd were singing along in force to 'In For The Kill' and 'Bulletproof' which made watching the gig alone a much more enjoyable experience. She sported her trademark huge ginger quiff, a white suit jacket and skin tight leggings adorned by buttons down the sides, which as a fashion lover, gave me even more respect for her.

Florence and the Machine

And so to the woman well known for her (often bizarre) fashion sense- Florence Welch. Florence and the Machine were, without question, the band I was most excited to see when I heard that they were playing Glastonbury 2010. I fell in love with Miss Welch's voice upon obtaining the album 'Lungs', and her ravishing locks hark back to my own redhead days of which I am all too fond. Accompanied by 'the Machine' (her band) in a flurry of violins, drums and a gorgeous harp, I fell for her all over again, and sang to my heart's content, probably much to the dismay of the strangers next to me! The playsuit that she wore was stunning; pure white and ruffled to within an inch of its life, and it succeeded in making her unique look even more enviable. At various points throughout the performance, Florence appeared to be overcome with emotion, which was a good way for the audience to see how humble she is amidst the whirlwind of success that has encompassed her over the last 18 months.

Gorillaz

At the end of such an eventful day of performances, I was really geared up for the headliners. Gorillaz were signed up for the slot last minute after U2 cancelled a month before the festival due to front man Bono injuring his back. As it started, the aesthetics all seemed great, huge multicoloured letters declared who were on stage, and a large screen across the back of the set had continuous videos and graphics playing to accompany the music. Sadly, this was one of the better aspects of the show. Personally I found their choice of tracks a little self-indulgent, playing a lot of new material that many of the crowd didn't recognise, which wasn't great for creating a rapport with the audience.After about forty minutes, Damon Albarn introduced an Arabic orchestra, who despite sounding lovely, did make me feel a little cheated out of Gorillaz stage time. Even bringing on rock veteran Lou Reed mid-set failed to spark excitement in me, and I left after an hour!