Kate Bush - Before The Dawn Tour

Before I start this review it's worth making note of the fact that I wasn't born for years after Kate Bush was originally very well known and I was merely accompanying someone who really wanted to go to the show. Due to this my review is based from someone who knows only two Kate Bush songs (one of which she didn't perform) and didn't really get the hype over her comeback concerts.

You could feel the excitement surrounding Kate Bush's comeback shows from the second I got to Hammersmith, after all these are her first set of concerts in over 30 years. A definite buzz could be felt from around the Hammersmith Apollo which only magnified in size when I took my seat. The excitement was emphasised when Bush took the stage to an astonishingly loud standing ovation. 

The concert itself was split into three very distinct sections. The first seemed for me seemed a gentle introduction to Bush. It was all about her and her voice as she sang through her songs. Honestly I had never heard of any of the songs she was singing in this section so I found it to be a little boring. However despite this the crowd was loving every minute of it and gave standing ovations after every song. On reflection is was enjoyable to be able to see her perform with little theatrical elements. 

It was when hit song, and the only song of the night that I knew, King of the Mountain was played when things started to get really interesting. It had suddenly turned into the kind of Kate Bush concert that I had described to me. It was visually astounding and frankly just plain strange at times but it was easily my favourite section of the night. It begun with confetti falling from the ceiling and then before you know it Bush was stranded at sea. It was simply the best theatrical production that I've ever seen during a concert. A helicopter flew over the crowd, strangely masked fish men patrolled, a living room was brought on and the stage was transformed into the ocean to name some of the effects. I found it impossible to draw my eyes away from the stage. Despite the fact that I thought the effects were fantastic I found that I paid very little attention to what was being sung. Usually I attend a concert to listen to my favourite songs being sung live whereas in this section of the Before The Dawn concert it celebrated theatrical elements more than her singing. I do think though that perhaps that wasn't a bad thing as the other sections did put more emphasis on her vocal performance. 

After a short interval the third section based on album Aerial began. Some lovely sky visuals were projected in this segment which provided a nice balance between the first two parts of the show. Interestingly the final section featured Bush's son Bertie McIntosh, who portrays the painter that on the album was originally played by Rolf Harris. Bertie even managed to get a newly penned track to sing himself. I felt the addition of Bertie provided a break from Bush's unique vocals. However, I'm sure fans who came would have probably preferred another Kate Bush performance in its place.

Kate Bush certainly gave her fans a show staying on stage for three hours. It was refreshing too to be watching a concert without a sea of cameras. The forced camera ban certainly made the audience appreciate what was happening on stage rather than what was happening through a screen. Although the concert wasn't one of my favourite events I've attended I honestly don't think my opinion matters. Because for the thousands of fans lucky enough to have a ticket to see her on her comeback at the Apollo it certainly was a night they wouldn't forget for a long time and well worth the wait. 

Popshack Live

Popshack Live is a concert targeted at teenagers hosted by popular YouTubers and Radio1 DJ's Dan and Phil. Popshack featured various up and coming artists, YouTubers and X Factor contestants. I attended the live event at the London's Indigo venue at the O2 last Saturday.

Considering the concerts target audience was teenagers I found Popshack Live to be very poorly organised. Tickets were so late in being dispatched that many, including myself, had to face fairly long but thankfully quick moving queues at the box office in the evening to pick up tickets. Due to this I was very concerned about what the organisation of the concert would be like.

I had VIP tickets to Popshack meaning that I had entry to a meet and greet before the show started with various bands and artists who were performing at the event, including Hollywood Ending the band I was attending the concert to see. Despite my concerns about organisation, the meet and greet soon cleared my doubts and was actually put together brilliantly. It's the first time I have attended a meet and greet which wasn't rushed at all. The room was incredibly hot and we had to wait a fairly long time to get into the meet and greet area but I think everyone in attendance would agree that it was completely worth it. It was refreshing to be able to actually have conversations with the artists instead of the usual quick hello and photo. Due to not recognising any other artist I only met Hollywood Ending, but from glances around the room every performer involved in the meet and greet session seemed to be making a effort to spend lots of time with fans who wanted to meet them.

The concert itself featured performer after performer, many only performing one or two songs each. Each artist performed a cover song which managed to get the crowd singing along throughout. Covers included hits like Teenage Dirtbag, I'm A Believer and Everything Has Changed. I really enjoyed that artists covered a popular song as it made performances much more enjoyable to know a song that was being sung. Performers included the likes of Union J, Matt DeFreitas, Bribry, Kingsland Road and Connie Talbot. Between performances hosts Dan and Phil kept things entertaining by doing live Dan vs Phil challenges, some even featuring the acts who we're performing. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my meet and greet experience and I did enjoy some of the acts but overall Popshack Live wasn't for me. However for the target audience I think this concert is fantastic. The audience seemed to know who every performer was and were constantly screaming with delight throughout every song that was sung. Considering the minimum ticket price was £15.00, a price I believe is quite achievable for a 15 year old to afford, it was a good evening. For the teens who are wanting a fun evening with their friends seeing some of their favourite singers and YouTubers I think Popshack Live fits the bill perfectly. 

Ratatouille Ride - Disneyland Paris

I was lucky enough to experience the brand new Disneyland Paris Ratatouille ride, L'adventure totalement toquée de Rémy, during the soft opening last weekend. Based on the Disney Pixar film, Ratatouille, the ride itself is set inside a beautiful square complete with a cobbled pavement and a water fountain. To make the square more Ratatouille themed, beady eyed visitors will notice items such as customised rat manhole covers and rats decorating the fountain. As with everywhere in Disneyland Paris the square comes complete with a restaurant - Bistrot Chez Remy, and a gift shop. I had a quick peek into the restaurant as it is situated right by the rides exit and it looks magnificent. I am very eager to visit the restaurant on my next visit to Disneyland Paris. 

The ride itself is like nothing I've ever experienced before. The queue somewhat shrinks you down to the size of a rat before you've even sat down on the ride. You are made to feel like you're queuing on a roof top before being welcomed to the ride by Gusteau and being invited to collect a pair of 3D glasses. The immersive area to queue makes time pass quickly and before you know it you're being ushered onto the ride.

You ride the attraction in a rat shaped car which vaguely resemble the films lead rats Remy and Emile. The cars can fit in two rows of three people. From the moment you start to move the car glides effortless around the attraction. The ride shrinks you down to the size of a rat and you're being chased by Skinner and kitchen staff out of the restaurant. You fly under carts for example and genuinely feel like you're zooming around the kitchen. However, a sneaky look behind you will quickly reveal that you're not even moving at all despite feeling like you are. The 3D effects and the simulator that is in place on the ride are just superb. Just when you thought the ride couldn't get any better it throws some great 4D moments in. You are slightly sprayed by water and even roasted in an oven with fake (but very realistic looking) flames. 

I'm a frequent visitor to Disneyland Paris and it hasn't really had any amazing new rides or locations for a number of years. I should've ignored my skepticism that the ride/expansion wouldn't meet my high expectations as the ride was simply fantastic. Any review cannot capture just how wonderful the ride is and I just cannot recommend going to visit enough to experience it for yourself. It's truly a must visit attraction for the entire family. Well done Disneyland Paris!

If you want to visit Disneyland Paris and experience the attraction for yourself it opens to the general public on July 10th and is situated in the Walt Disney Studios park.

The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

I am very late in reading John Green's book The Fault In Our Stars. It is now a worldwide sensation and has even been adapted into a film which is currently out at the cinema. From watching the film trailer it didn't look like it was going to be my type of book. After countless recommendations I decided to give the book a read after putting it off for a long time. I almost feel bad writing a negative review about a book about young people with cancer but it was one of the most boring books that I have ever read for most of the way through. The book follows the friendship of two teenagers with terminal illnesses.

I couldn't connect with the characters at all. The two leads Hazel and Augustus are two of the most boring people I have ever read about. They seem completely obsessed with their illnesses and don't speak like normal teenagers would. Yes I appreciate the fact that I don't know what a teen with cancer is feeling but I'm sure they act nothing at all like Hazel and Augustus do. For example, half a page is dedicated to Hazel discussing how unfair it is that eggs are solely served at breakfast. Simple plot points like that fact the couple share their first kiss in the Anne Frank museum and then the other visitors applauded frustrated me and it was enough to put me off the book until the next incident that frustrated me came along.

I can't say all bad things about this book. At the end of the day it did still end up managing to make me cry whilst reading on public transport at a certain point in the book. The last 20% or so of the book was a real turning point. I found some moments incredibly heartwarming and it really showed the value of family, love and friendship when it mattered the most. Although I didn't enjoy reading about cancer and the negative aspects that come with the disease if the entire book was more like the last few chapters I would've enjoyed it much more.

I do like the idea that Green has written this book. Not many books highlight the struggles of teenage cancer and for it to have been turned into a film too can only be a good thing in raising awareness. Unfortunately for me the book falls a little flat and it didn't meet the high expectations that people had given me. It did keep my attention towards the end but for most of the book I just wanted to skip through chapters to get to the end. I didn't enjoy reading about teenagers with terminal illnesses but I think you should read this book if you enjoyed the film. If like me you're just reading to find out what the hype is about I wouldn't recommend that you read it. Personally I didn't enjoy it therefore couldn't recommend it to others to read.

2 stars out of 5

The Fault In Our Stars - John Green. Click here to buy from Waterstones

How To Date A Nerd - Cassie Mae

Zac is everything I love from a love interest in a young adult novel. I wish I could say the say the same about the other main character Zoe. Zac is kindhearted and would do anything for the people he loves. Zoe on the other hand only cares about fitting in at school.

I'm sure most people can at least somewhat relate to this book. It follows the story of Zoe who is struggling with a dual identity. She loves nothing more than to speak Elvish whilst reading an X-Men book. Unfortunately speaking Elvish is not the way to get into the popular crowd at school so she changes who she is much to her neighbour Zak's dismay. Zak, who is known as King Dork at school, was Zoe's best friend when she was still openingly into geeky things. In the process of becoming popular Zoe says some horrible hurtful words to Zak which causes them to not be friends. However, when Zoe needs help learning how to drive a manual car, Zak is the only one who can help her. Slowly but surely Zoe learns the important life lesson of being herself. 

I really enjoyed reading the story itself. Many will be able to relate to the struggles of fitting in at school. Zoe however takes fitting in to the extremes and says some very nasty things to the people who love her the most. A trait which I find makes her very unlikable and I find it astonishing that she is forgiven so easily for her actions and the things that she says. 

I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5. Although I really did enjoy the storyline of the book I just disliked Zoe too much to give it a higher rating. I think however I may be a little older than the target age audience for this book. For a reader who is at high school and struggling with pressures of becoming popular I would recommend this book. Although Zoe is horrible most of the way through in the end she does what is the right thing and I feel younger readers would benefit from reading this.

3 stars out of 5

How To Date A Nerd - Cassie Mae. Click here to buy the kindle edition from Amazon

Just In Case - Chrissie Manby

Just In Case is a short story following the lives of twins Clare and Rosie. The twins are as opposite as they come, Clare is uptight and dresses smart whereas Rosie is a carefree actress whose day to day dress code consists of tutus. Rosie and Clare are forced to spend a week literally in each other's shoes when a mishap with their suitcases forces them to have to wear each other's clothes.

I found the book very predictable. From the opening pages I soon established what would happen at the end. However, if you're looking for a book you can read in a couple of hours and don't mind it being predictable it's a good choice especially as it only cost 99p to download this book for kindle. I was going to give this book less stars out of 5, but considering I was hooked and didn't put it down once I started reading I upped my star rating. I would be very keen to read a full length novel from Manby. 

3 stars out of 5

Just In Case - Chrissie Manby. Click here to buy the kindle edition from Amazon.

One Direction - Where We Are Tour

No matter what your opinions of them and their music, it is undeniable that One Direction are one of the most popular bands on earth right now. I found myself with a ticket for their first show at Wembley Stadium last night. 

Support came from Australian group, 5 Seconds Of Summer who had also supported One Direction on their previous Take Me Home tour. They performed a number of crowd pleasers including recent hit She Looks So Perfect and new single Don't Stop. They certainly were a perfect warm up band and managed to get the crowd singing along to every word.

Despite the fact that One Direction have easily sold out the 90,000 capacity stadium for 3 nights, I just don't think that they had enough stage presence for a venue as large as Wembley Stadium. I have seen them at various points over the years and I have to say that it was the worst performance that I've ever seen them do.

It was revealed by the band that it had been 4 years since they were formed as a band at Wembley Arena and now they were performing at a sold out Wembley Stadium. Unfortunately despite this the band didn't seem as excited to be there as the fans were. Very little conversation took place and although at times they did look overwhelmed to be there I believe that their hearts didn't seem to be in it. Perhaps they were simply just too overwhelmed, but whatever the reason it didn't come across so well.

Although I thought it was one of the worst performances I've seen the band do it was a fairly enjoyable show. You can't deny that their biggest hits such as Live While We're Young and Kiss You, are very catchy and they didn't fail in getting most of the crowd up dancing when they sung them. I wasn't aware of a few of the album tracks from the newest album that they performed. Surprisingly this seemed to also be the case with many of the people stood near me, many of whom started playing on their phones when some of the more unknown tracks were performed. Wembley Stadium was the perfect venue for the hits but some others seemed to fall a little flat. The stand out songs at the concert were McFly penned Don't Forget Where You Belong which saw all the stadium light up throughout, previous album song C'mon C'mon and What Makes You Beautiful which arguably got the biggest cheer of the evening.

For the atmosphere alone it was worth going to the concert. I had access to the front standing zone with a good view of the stage and the very large runway. A big fault I thought was the fact that the band were not constantly shown on the screens. Although I had a perfect view of everything anyone any further back would've been struggling to see the band at all. The show was full of pyrotechnics and to see Wembley Stadium all lit up was fantastic. The major flaw of the stadium itself was the sound. I fully appreciate how loud a One Direction concert can be but at numerous points during the show, particularly when it was band member Niall's turn to sing, the crowd was so loud you couldn't hear him at all, just the sounds of screaming. With this being my first Wembley Stadium concert, I'm not too sure if this was a case of bad sound or if the crowd were just that loud.

Obviously if you're a huge fan of One Direction you will love the concert but if you're only a fan of the hits I would advise giving this tour a miss, save the £50 minimum admission fee and go see the movie when it comes out in December instead.