Colours of Blue

Two weeks ago I went to see Blue perform in Cardiff! I saw them on their tour two years ago and it was quite frankly one of the best gigs I've ever been to, so I was really excited to get to see them live again!

The lads were performing in St David's Hall, a venue that I hadn't been in for at least 15 years (my first ever concert was in the same venue, Disney Channel Kids Awards....always been a cool kid, me! ;-) ha). 

We stumbled across 1/4 of Blue almost immediately upon arriving Cardiff. By stumble, I mean we accidentally nearly ran over Simon and his brother as they crossed in front of us on the way to the car park oops...!

We had meet and greet that night so at least we had something to speak to the lads about! We checked in with the rep from Live Nation and we met up with Charlee (long time fellow TW fan) in the queue. We were given our lanyards and special gift (a cute commemorative tour scarf) and then we got taken upstairs to the room where we'd be meeting them and got told what would happen.

the scarf, programme, signed print and lanyard

 The first bit involved a signing so everybody got to speak to the boys across a table whilst they signed a poster print for you. Lee made me laugh as he was very interested in what everyone had eaten for dinner and breakfast etc. I somehow thought that was an appropriate time to tell him about how we nearly ran over his fellow band mate earlier in the day...! He thought it was hilarious!

Next we got to take our picture with them. Normally meet and greets are quite strict, for example even though me and mum always buy a package which should allow us two photos, we always get bundled in together for a photo, however we were allowed to go separately this time.

Me and Charlee passed the time by discussing who we wanted to stand next to (unfortunately, without rearranging the band which I was too scared to do, or make the picture awkward, I couldn't stand in between my two favourites Duncan and Antony) lol. We felt pity on Antony as a few people in front of us had more or less blanked him so we made sure that we spoke to him, why wouldn't we? He's such a lovely guy!

When it got to my turn, I made sure to say hello and hug all the lads first. They were so sweet as usual! Duncan made me weak, normally I find the term 'baby' so cringeworthy but as I hugged him he goes 'hey baby' and I could have fallen through the floor there and then lol! He's been my fave since day 1, that's around 14 years of loving now haha. Their hugs were so good too and I could smell them on my top for ages after (idc as weird as that sounds, it's one of my favourite things lol. Band members always smell really good and it always seems to linger with you haha). I stood in between Lee and Duncan for my picture which actually turned out half decent for a change!

Simon, Lee, me, Duncan and Antony

When it was mum's turn she spoke to Simon about the potential running over in the morning and he just laughed as his brother was to blame for playing about - he remembered that we were in a white car though, awkward!

Before we left, the band took a group selfie with all the meet and greeters. You can just about see me in the back (I was wearing wedges AND standing on my tiptoes) #shortpeopleproblems !!!

it's a bit like Where's Wally...

We had to wait a short while for the auditorium doors to open before making our way to our seats. I wasn't too keen on the layout, despite being at the front it felt very far away but I was happy just to be in the gig.

Before the boys came on, there were two support acts. I've sat through some strange things in my time but the first lady and her dancing DJ were right up there with the weirdest. I can't even describe it, it was just surreal and not in a positive way. The second support act, Monica Michael was brilliant. An X Factor contestant from last year, she owned the stage with some great songs and prepared the crowd ready for Blue.

Finally it was time for the boys to perform! They did a mixture of their old classics along with songs from their new album Colours. The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed compared to the last tour I went to, partially down to the fact that this was a seated gig (although I stood for the entire show) and also the new album has taken them to a more chilled direction. I found their last album Roulette to be a lot more uptempo than Colours, nonetheless there was still a great atmosphere at this gig! The boys had a live band and they showcased their amazing vocals (and moves) brilliantly.

Antony doing his thing

Simon serenading a lucky arm...

I've got to mention Lee's flawless vocals. I find that he gets a lot of stick as a person (which is unfair as he is actually so sweet) however in terms of his singing voice he is actual perfection. He gave me so many goosebumps, his voice is just unreal! Credit to Duncan, Antony and Simon too - they're fantastic! It's amazing to see a band still going strong and having the same chemistry as they did 14 years ago. Their fans were just as crazy too - there was a group of men and a gang of older women to our right who were just going for it, and in return got so much attention from the boys on stage!

Lee smashing it!

Duncan singing his heart out

It was a first class show and the boys deserve far more credit than what they get! They are true showmen, superb performers with banter to match. At the end of the night I managed to grab a setlist from the stage which is a nice little memento from the gig!

the setlist, mum had to cut off the duct tape that was on it haha

I hope I can see them again soon, they always make me really happy!

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

#WATY Tour

Sadly Kingsland's We Are The Young tour finished a few weeks ago but I was looking through my pictures earlier and thought that now was as good a time as any to write about one of the most amazing weeks of my life! (Apologies in advance for the length of this post).

Kingsland's tour took them across England, to some of my favourite places like London and Birmingham, to places I've never been before such as Norwich. We had so much fun doing all the tour dates last August that we decided to do all six again this time!

Manchester

First stop on the tour was Manchester! I was really excited for the first date as it meant I got to see some of my favourite people as well as the boys. A few of the girls were staying in the same hotel as us so we headed over to the venue together in time for meet and greet.

Josh, Con and Thomps

The boys were in good spirits and it was great to see them before their opening show. It was a different m&g to normal as it consisted of selfies instead of group pictures, which was great however we didn't manage to see Matt at that time.

four of my faves; Rach, Dannii, Jo and Chelle

Before the boys came on, we watched the support acts - Avenue, The Last Carnival and Vanquish. I enjoyed Avenue's set and by the end of the week I could sing along to his songs! The Last Carnival were a rock band, which isn't normally my cup of tea but again by the end of the week their songs were stuck in my head! (Me and Rach met their drummer Adam outside and he was very nice, whilst one of the other lads looked identical to someone I know and it was all I could think about every time I looked at him lol). Vanquish weren't my cup of tea unfortunately, however I liked their choice of covers and even their original songs were catchy by the end!

Jo and Dannii

Finally it was time for the boys! They opened with Girl With No Name and from hearing the first note, me and Rach just went mental! All the girls sang along as loud as possible and as my favourite line approached I kept shouting "it's coming, it's coming" loool (something that happened throughout the week oops) but it was SO GOOD LIVE!!!! Hearing it just made me love the line even more - Con and Josh just nail it.

fab four ;-)

The set was over before we know it! The boys performed their covers of Photograph and Uptown Funk (featuring the best thrusting you'll have ever seen ;-) lol!) as well as all but one song from the album. We sang and danced along and I felt so proud watching them - they've come so far from the first time I saw them live over two years ago!

Outside the venue we waited for the boys to come out and we got our selfie with Matt. The boys went back in as they were attending the after party at the venue - Thomps and Con thought it was hilarious to swear at us through the window, before coming back down to see everyone.

Mattson!

Myself, Dannii, Rach and Nikki went to the after party and whilst I spent my time there repeating 'I've never felt so awkward in all my life' every other minute, looking back at it now it was actually a really funny night.

Newcastle

The next tour date was Newcastle, where me and mum were reunited with fellow mother and daughter duos Helen & Rhiannon and Jayne & Sam. 

me and mum with Rhiannon and Helen

This tour date was one of my favourites as we had pledged for dressing room m&g. Out of all our pledges, this was by far one of the best and had I known how good it was I would have bought it for another date too! 

selfies with the boys

cos we're too damn pretty ;-)

Only me and mum had pledged for Newcastle so we got to spend 30 minutes with the boys backstage and it was really nice just to chill and chat with them. I was a bit anxious beforehand but it was so relaxed! Connor gave me a drink despite questioning if I was old enough, to which I replied 'I'm f*cking older than you pal' lol (he's a terrible wind up merchant after a drink).  We chatted about tour, life at home and then took plenty of selfies (mainly Con leaving selfies on my phone lol).  I also proper fangirled to Josh over Girl With No Name haha and he gave me a knowing look during his solo in the gig.

me and Nikki

Norwich

The third date was Norwich which involved catching a five hour train from Newcastle at 7am on a Sunday !!! On our travels we saw somebody tweet the boys saying that the album was already in HMV so as soon as we arrived, we trekked into the town centre to try and find a copy!  Luckily we got our hands on the last copy in the shop.

soz very excited faces!

Norwich was one of those nights that will stick in my mind forever, Unfortunately it was the smallest crowd of the week (no surprise really, where the f*ck even is Norwich?!) but the boys played up to the small crowd wonderfully.  I had no idea what was going on half the time - some of the boys literally crawled on stage for their entrance which set the tone for the rest of night but it was so funny and enjoyable.  This was the first night where we experienced tour from the front row and the boys (Thomps in particular) gave mum the best Mother's Day present in form of a lovely shoutout on stage.

front row girls!

They encouraged fans to stage invade during Dirty Dancer and Matt was passing his microphone round the crowd so I got involved and murdered some of the song!! I don't think I've ever been so enthusiastic during a gig, so much so that after the show, Con had the cheek to insinuate that I was drunk (ironic when he was the intoxicated one and I was actually stone cold sober!).  On the way back to our hotel I acquired a tour poster from the venue as a memory!

Con thought it would be hilarious to copy how I awkwardly lean away ha

London

Next stop was London which I was really excited about.  Again, lots of my favourite people were going and London gigs always have one of the best atmospheres.  The meet and greet was made extremely awkward by the boys' tour games! We were told that we had to stand next to our favourite member and unfortunately me and mum both have Thomps as a fave, which left him being extremely pleased at winning two points whilst the others stropped and formed their own little gang in our picture!

The tour games even made it into Thomps' vlog, see if you can spot me and mum haha!

The gig was made even more special by the fact that Jay came to watch the boys!  It must have been so weird for him but he seemed really happy and it made my day getting one of his swaying hugs (literally the best in the world!).

so good to be reunited!

There was an extra support act in London called The Brittz who I enjoyed, mainly for their choice of 5SOS, One Direction and McFly covers!  Finally it was time for Kingsland - this was my favourite gig of the tour!  The boys were full of energy and in return the crowd were just as lively.  Seeing as I was reunited with Rach again, we made sure we nailed the best line in Girl With No Name again haha!  I also filmed Photograph for Ceri as she was being serenaded during it - I have to mention this moment as it was super cute, the boys made a real fuss over her and she clearly enjoyed herself so much on the stage.

me, Char and Rach

After the gig, we waited for the boys.  To pass the time, me and Rach perfected our new Uptown Funk/Misbehave dance moves as well as our Shoreline one haha.  I also got the famous leg pose picture with Queensland (very honoured to be asked to join them btw), those girls are like my little sisters, particularly Charlotte and Summer.  It was also so nice to see my favourite Australian Jakie on facetime as her friends had called her to speak to the boys.  I wish she could have been there in person but it was cute that she saw some of the concert and spoke to the boys.  

me, Summer and Charlotte

Queensland ;-)

Once the boys left, me, mum and Rach went to McDonalds and awkwardly bumped into Matt and Jay twice (turns out we were all lost!), before taking Rach back to Kings Cross and finally getting a famous "I'm off to Hogwarts" photo!

Brighton

After a tour day off, it was then time to go to Brighton.  I've never been to Brighton before but it is most certainly somewhere I'd like to visit again soon!  I fell in love with the pier (i've always been a sucker for piers and arcades since I was a kid) and obviously I forced mum to spend some time in there, playing old games to win tickets!  In return, I won a minion breakfast set and glow sticks - everything a 23 year old could want, right?!

I was so excited for the gig that night as it had been so boring the night before with nothing to do!  Once again we decided to stand at the front - by now I could actually sing along with all the support acts!  The boys were amazing once again.  One of the main things I remember was Matt playing up when he was in front of us, chucking water at me and messing with my hair haha.  We got to see them after the gig again and had quite nice chats with the boys. 

Birmingham

Last but not least was Birmingham.  Despite being the last date, I was so excited as I was finally taking Em to see the boys perform live for the first time as well as spending the last gig with some of my faves.

my little sis :)

I've got to mention queuing for VIP as quite frankly I was hysterical in the queue.  That night there was two gigs on in the Institute, Kingsland and a band called Flatbush Zombies and the Underachievers.  Obviously this meant there were two queues outside the venue and their fans were hilarious.  Never before have I seen grown men fangirl over a band!  I think one of the members walked past because people were shouting at someone to get a picture with him then he came back to the queue fangirling and it was just so funny.  We googled the band in the queue and remixed our own version of their song 'Belly' "in my belly in my belly brap brap yesssss".

Our laughter passed the minutes away and soon enough it was time for m&g. Mum went first with our presents and the main thing I remember is Con trying to sing the Welsh national anthem! I went with Em to meet the boys and they were super cute.  I loved seeing Em reunited with Matt, he's always so precious to her!

The gig was one of my favourites because of the people I spent it with.  We sang along to the support acts (even Vanquish) as loud as possible in practise for when the boys came on.  The boys definitely went out with a bang - a fantastic gig from start to finish, my voice was more or less gone by the end!

with Em, Rach, Sam, Chuns and a sassy pic with Josh

Nothing makes me happier than seeing Kingsland perform so you can imagine how epic I find tour weeks!  Unfortunately it went far too quickly and I'd do anything to be able to relive it.  Not only was it lovely being able to see the boys every day, but it also meant I got to spend so much time with some of my closet friends, all people that I've mainly met through Kingsland.  They're a special bunch of people and I'm so grateful to the boys for bringing them into my life.

Unfortunately I don't know if or when I'll see the boys again and that makes me sad.  I normally always know when I'll be seeing them next, so the fact that there is nothing planned feels so weird.  If I could go to America for their tour then I would be there like a shot! (I still laugh that they asked us if we were going, if only!!!) I want to thank the boys for making the tour the best week ever and for giving me some unforgettable memories.  I'd also like to thank their tour manager Ant for being so super during the week and giving everyone as much time with the boys when possible.

I wish the boys all the luck in the world for their US tour next month, they deserve all the success in the world.  I miss them so much already but I hope it won't be too long until we're reunited.

If anyone has actually reached the end of this post then cheers for reading my tour ramblings! My next post will be shorter but still full of boyband loving as always ha :)

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

Kingsland Road "We Are The Young" album review!

Today's the day that most klanders have been waiting for - Kingsland's debut album 'We Are The Young' has been released!! I thought I'd share my totally unbiased* opinion on the album tracks..... (*anyone that knows me will already know what my favourite song is and I will almost definitely try and make it to be yours too haha)

1. We Are The Young

The album opens with the anthemic We Are The Young, which carries the message to let us live our own lives, make our own mistakes and not to let anyone tell you that you can't do something. The lyrics really hit home and I've got to comment on Matt's vocals in particular as they are flawless!

2. Misbehave

If you went to any of the lads' summer shows then this song will be familiar to you. If you really listen to the lyrics then you'll never quite sing along to it in the same way again but it's such a good song and great for dancing to on tour!

3. Dirty Dancer

This was the boys' first single and for that reason alone it will always be a special song!

4. Freedom

This is so close to being my favourite song on the album! Again it's one of those anthemic songs that's great to sing along to. From the tweets I've seen on my timeline this is definitely the new fan favourite! 

5. Girl With No Name

MY. FAVOURITE. SONG. This song has a special place in my heart as it was the song we heard them record during our studio pledge and it's been stuck in my head ever since. One of the reasons why I love it so much is because of one line near the end of the song which goes "Through the window she could see that the picture he painted was not what she'd seen ohhhh, in the spotlight holding back the tears" (still unsure of the exact lyric in the middle, have a listen). LEGIT MY FAVE LINE OFF THE WHOLE ALBUM (props to Con and Josh for doing an amazing job of it) I'm obsessed with it and keep telling everyone which is really annoying sorry but it's just epic!!

6. Never Too Late

I love this song, the lyrics are relevant not only to the boys but to anyone that listens to the song - never give up 'you started out with nothing, you held on to that something, and it's a long way from the top but your success will break your fall'. 

7. Shoreline

Actual jam! You can't listen to this without smiling and cracking a dance move or ten, it reminds me of the summer and never fails to make me happy!

8. He's Got It Coming

Great song which now has an added Connor rap which is absolutely brilliant! 

9. Heaven Knows

This song always makes me emosh but I'm so glad to finally have a studio version of it! 

10. Walk Away

I automatically think of the boys doing this water spit thing when I hear this song haha! Thomps is my favourite vocalist on this song, the 'girl the games that you play, it's time for a change, change, chaaaaaange' bit is my favourite!

11. Dirty Dancer remix 

This just makes you want to get up and dance like mad!

PLEASE SUPPORT THE BOYS BY BUYING THIS ALBUM! It's only £6.99 on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/we-are-the-young/id966545764 

It is also available to download on Amazon, where you can also purchase a physical copy, not forgetting the fact that it will be available to buy from HMV from tomorrow!!! 

They deserve to have success, nothing would make me happier to see them do well. Their album is incredible, so please get behind them!

Album Signing Party

On Sunday we went to London for Kingsland's album launch signing party! It was finally time for us to grab a copy of the album a week before anyone else.

It was amazing to be a part of this day with the boys and I got to spend it with so many of my friends in the fanbase. 

#SquadGoals ;-) 

Firstly they did a little signing, where they squiggled their autograph on everyone's cd's and t-shirts. This was quite quick but we got to speak to the boys briefly. I remember telling Con that we'd already read the insert whilst queuing, their thank you page is so cute!

favourite boys always :)

Next we queued up for group pictures. This took far longer than the signing but we amused ourselves by taking selfies and singing along to the album which was playing in the background. The album is so good that I kept singing really loudly along with it even though I am tone deaf so again I apologise to the people I was with haha! I also made everyone shut up when "my line" came on haha, serious appreciation for the "through the window..." line in Girl With No Name which needs to be sung as loud as physically possible of course ;-)

I took pictures for a few people and then I had my turn with the boys which was awkwardly funny, having hugs whilst Thomps shouts at mum to capture the moment lol! At the end we also got individual pictures with the boys which was cute!

My favourite fellow Thomps girl and our main man 

I had so much fun that day with all the girls and I can't believe that I now own a copy of Kingsland's album, it's bizarre! I spent most of the train journey home listening to it, replaying Freedom and Girl With No Name countless times!

some of my faves :)

I'm sat writing this on the train to Newcastle for their second tour date (I will blog about Manchester's opening night later) and I'm really excited for it! The album also comes out tonight at midnight eep!!! 

Hwyl am y tro ✌️

For The First Time (sort of...)

Last Saturday we went to Sheffield to see The Script. We've always liked The Script's music but have only ever seen them perform a short set (during last year's Jingle Bell Ball) so I was excited to finally see them for a whole show.

We arrived at the Motorpoint Arena (I felt like I was betraying our little Motorpoint in Cardiff haha) and went to our seats on the second level. Considering they were bought late in the day when they went on sale, we had a really good spot.

Tinie Tempah was the support act (as Labrinth had pulled out a few days before the tour started) and he was amazing. We've seen him a few times before at T4 on the Beach and he always manages to get the crowd going. I do enjoy going to gigs where the main artist can have known support acts - I've stood through so many awful people over the years, so it was nice to have a support act that I loved!

Then it was time for The Script! Their opening was stunning - the VT showed them backstage preparing to come on and once they came out, they appeared with an army of fan competition winners bearing flags which glowed green like light sabres. Their opening song was Paint The Town Green, which is quite literally what they did!

I was pleasantly surprised at how many old songs they included in the setlist - For The First Time and Six Degrees of Separation being particular favourites of mine. They also performed a slightly more stripped back set on the B stage so that people at the back of the arena could see them better!

There was plenty of banter on stage as Danny and Glen downed a bottle of beer, as well as an awkward phone call to somebody's ex in which The Script and the entire arena sang Nothing down the phone to them!

There was also a moment where Danny noticed that a girl was unwell in the crowd and got security to pull her out. He would not carry on performing until she was safe and he even went down from the stage to give her a hug and to make sure she was okay, how lovely!

Their set was incredible, they literally gave everything they had on that stage. Their songs are so anthemic and it was nice just to great to finally watch them do a whole set. They're definitely someone I would go and watch again!

I'm currently sat on the train to London, no prizes for guessing who I'm going to see tomorrow...it's Kingsland's album launch party/social/signing (whatever you want to call it) and I wouldn't miss it for the world! I'm super excited to get a copy of the album tomorrow!

Hwyl am y tro ✌️