Billy Talent
Last night, I went to see Billy Talent at Manchester Academy. I went with my high school ex boyfriend and his best friend, who I had not seen for five years! We had a few drinks in a bar to begin with, and then headed to the venue at about half nine ready for the show to start.
The gig was in Academy 1, which is the largest of the three arenas, and I was surprised at how busy it was, considering they are not a hugely well-known band over here. I saw them in 2007 with the same people in the same place, so it was fun to take a trip down memory lane and feel like a teenager again!
They were really good live, and I was impressed at the range of tracks they played - unlike a lot of bands that try to plug the newest album by playing every song off it and then chuck in a few oldies to keep the crowd happy, Billy Talent actually performed at least two tunes off each of their previous three albums as well as their new material. I was especially happy that they played Line and Sinker, as not only is it one of my favourites, but it also really reminds me of being young and jumping around to it at home with my sister!
The tickets were only £17 which I thought was really good value (considering I have just forked out £26 to see Ellie Goulding in the smaller venue) and we went for a few more drinks afterwards in an old haunt called The Garrett which ended the night on a high!
Skyfall - 5 stars *****
Last night I went to see the new James Bond film with my dad. It was an 8.10pm showing and I was really tired, so I was hoping it was good enough to keep me awake until the end, which it definitely was!
The title sequence was amazing, the graphics were really gothic which is right up my street, and there was no shortage of naked women silhouettes for the men (or women) out there. The only thing that grated on me slightly is the fact that Adele does the theme tune, but with her success this year, it came as no surprise really.
The story revolves around a hard drive that has been stolen, containing classified information about the secret agents working for MI6. At the beginning of Skyfall, James has a brawl on the top of a train with the man who has it, and is believed to be dead when another agent shoots him by mistake when aiming for the opposition. We later learn that this is not the case, when Bond returns to help after a terrorist explosion hits headquarters. The man behind the attack, Silva, has history with M, and James has to choose where his loyalty lies, as she is in bad books as it is down to her that the hard drive went missing in the first place.
I really like Daniel Craig as James Bond - aside from the obvious - as he seems to have a fragility that other actors haven't portrayed as well, and there are points in every film that he has done where you genuinely think he is going to die. It is all very well James Bond seeming invincible back in the days of Sean Connery, as I find them to be vintage classics that aren't always meant to be entirely believable Nowadays though with the high-tech advancements in special effects and stunts, it is clear that the movies are made to be credible, and obviously nobody is immortal! This 'volume' if you will, really plays upon Bond's relationship with M as well, and it was good to see a different side to the character that we all seem to be so familiar with.
The 'baddie' in this, played by Javier Bardem, is really well developed, as an audience member you somehow end up feeling sorry for his situation despite the havoc he is causing, and I think that is always the sign of a good villain, if you can work out why they have become the monsters they are. I was slightly disappointed with the Bond Girls in this though - there weren't many sex scenes at all, and only two love interests, the best of which (played by French actress Bérénice Marlohe) is killed off halfway through!
Overall, this was a bloody good Bond film, perhaps my personal favourite one with Craig in. I would recommend seeing it to anyone, even if you can only make a late showing - it will certainly keep you awake!
Lego, Dining Out & Bond
Aum was on half term this week, so it's been quite varied. On Monday and Thursday he was at a drama club during school hours though so I didn't have a completely manic week luckily! On Tuesday we went to the Manchester Museum (see previous post) and on Wednesday his parents took the day off and took him out, so I got to have a random day free which was nice. I babysat in the evening, and Lydia came with me so we had a good catchup once Aum had gone to bed which was nice. It was Halloween, but surprisingly we had no Trick or Treaters come knocking both at Aum's or at home, which must be a first, it was quite depressing to see everyone on Facebook dressing up and going out when I had no plans this year - obviously shows that I am getting old!
On Thursday after work I went out for drinks with an old colleague who I had coffee with a couple of weeks ago - we have loads in common and it was nice to have a drink with a guy as a friend and it not feel really awkward or forced, refreshing! On Friday I took Aum and his cousin to the Legoland discovery centre at the Trafford Centre, but I was quite disappointed to be honest. Obviously I wasn't expecting to be entertained as it was for the kids to enjoy, but for the £12 entry fee you don't really get very much - there are a couple of little rides, a ballpark and a few interactive things where you can build a car and race it, and watch someone make a lego model and you can copy it and keep it, but I'd say you easily do the whole centre in a couple of hours. It was an experience though, and at least I know to advise people not to bother with it now!
In the evening I went out for some drinks with Lydia in Hale, which was fun. We had a cocktail in Hale Bar & Grill, and then moved on to Piccolinos where we got chatting to a few different people. Then we went to Suburbia until it shut, which totally wasn't part of the plan for a 'quiet couple', but it was a really good night nonetheless. On Saturday I had arranged to meet my friend Claire from university for lunch; she lives in Paris and was flying into Manchester so I picked her up and we went to Gastronomy in Hale. I had a bacon, brie and caramelised onion hot sandwich and then we shared a big pot of tea and a bowl of chips. It was great to catch up, especially as Claire is working as a nanny as well, so we had plenty of stories to share! In the evening I went into Manchester for Charlotte's birthday and we ate at Dukes Grill (see previous post) before heading on to Revolution. Most people left relatively early, but Lydia and I stayed out until it closed, before going back to a flat with some guys we had met for a few more drinks. It was a really funny night, Lyd and I always seem to have the best times when we get together!
Today I went shopping in Stockport with my mum, despite having no money to spend! I still managed to come back with a jumper, and a t-shirt from Primark with popart Marmite pictures on the front which is cool. We drove back home and had a lovely king prawn stir fry for tea before I went out to see the new Bond film with my dad. It was really good, and didn't finish too late like I thought it would, which is a blessing as I am absolutely shattered!
Dukes Grill, Manchester
Last night it was my friend Charlotte's birthday, so a group of us went to Dukes 92 in Castlefield, Manchester. There were ten of us, so we had to choose what to eat off a special party menu, which was a shame as it limited what we could have when there was some seriously tasty sounding mains on the normal menu.
We shared a load of varieties of garlic bread for starters, a normal one, cheese and tomato, plain cheese and a rosemary and chilli one, that were all really good - we could have polished more of them off I think! I didn't really fancy anything off the mains section, so I had haddock and gruyere fishcakes off the starter menu, with some herb crusted skinny chips to create my own main. It was gorgeous, the haddock was perfectly cooked and went really well with the melted gruyere, and the rosemary on the herby chips complimented the dish. I was undecided about whether to get a dessert, but gave in eventually and ordered the sticky toffee pudding. It was a really treacle tasting one, with pecans in and served with vanilla bean ice cream, I definitely didn't regret choosing it!
Because there were so many of us, we had each paid a ten pound deposit which softened the blow of the bill, but I thought it was fairly reasonable anyway - after the reduction mine came to £18.10 including a tip and five bottles of wine between seven of us, which you can't complain at for a three course meal in a nice restaurant in the city centre. I had eaten there before, but it was about five years ago; hopefully it won't be that length of time until I eat there again!
Billy Talent
They were really good live, and I was impressed at the range of tracks they played - unlike a lot of bands that try to plug the newest album by playing every song off it and then chuck in a few oldies to keep the crowd happy, Billy Talent actually performed at least two tunes off each of their previous three albums as well as their new material. I was especially happy that they played Line and Sinker, as not only is it one of my favourites, but it also really reminds me of being young and jumping around to it at home with my sister!
