2014

This is going to be a slightly longer and different blog post to what I would usually do. With 2014 coming to a close and 2015 beginning I felt it was appropriate to blog about some of the things that I really enjoyed in 2014 and would recommend that others would check out too. Some of the things may not have been released etc in 2014 but I just discovered them in this year or they have been a big part of my life in one way or another in 2014. I also figure that this blog will also be a good one for me to look back on in the future to see what I was enjoying this year.

For me one of my musical highlights of the year was McBusted. They joined forces at the end of 2013 but 2014 has brought a sell out arena tour and an album. I'm sure I've mentioned in posts before how much of a fan I am of both Busted and McFly so I was thrilled that they created a super group. The tour they did early in the year is up there in one of the best live concerts I've ever seen, it was so well thought through and I loved the set list. The newly released self titled, although I don’t feel any of the tracks are stand outs like Crashed The Wedding or 5 Colours In Her Hair, it is a very good album from beginning to end. 

It is hard to not feature Taylor Swift as part of this blog. I think you'll be hard pushed to find someone who wouldn't agree that 2014 has well and truly been the year of Taylor Swift. She undertook a sell out world tour at the beginning of the year including five dates at London’s 02 Arena and released her new album, 1989, towards the end.  Although her 1989 album isn't my personal favourite that she's released you can't deny that her new pop sound has taken the world by storm and she still remains to be one of my favourite musicians. For that reason alone I would have to recommend that you listen to Taylor Swift. I'm choosing 1989 for this blog post solely on the fact that it was released in 2014, however, I would strongly suggest listening to her back catalogue too.

I read a lot of books in 2014 – 46 to be precise. Some of them better than others. Looking at my goodreads ratings on the 46 books I only rated three that I read this year with a five star rating so I will recommend those. The three books that I rated five stars are

• The Time Of My Life – Cecelia Ahern
• Not Without You – Harriet Evans
• Not In The Script – Amy Finnegan

Me giving a five star rating on a book involves the book completely taking over my life. When I am enjoying the book so much my entire life tends to revolve around it, it’s all I think about and what’s happening in the book tends to affect my day to day mood. For example, I end up worrying about things the characters in the book are worrying about. I completely enjoyed these three so couldn’t recommend them more.

I managed to see a few musicals in 2014. However, all of them but one I have seen before. For that reason my favourite of 2014 is going to have to be Cinderella. It was such a magical performance of the tale and the songs are just so catchy. Although it isn’t in the UK yet and is shutting on Broadway very shortly if you find yourself in distance of the US tour of it and you love the story of Cinderella I’d say it’s definitely worth checking out.

My two stand out theatre performers of the year are Savannah Stevenson and Carrie Hope Fletcher. I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful performers I think they both are and they both have been a pleasure to meet at stage door after I saw their respective shows. Savannah Stevenson is currently performing as Glinda in Wicked London. I’ve said before in a blog post how impressed I am with her portrayal as Glinda and I’m so excited to hopefully get to see her in Wicked again, everyone in the cast is unbelievably good I really couldn’t suggest going to see it more. Carrie Hope Fletcher is currently playing Eponine in London’s Les Miserables and very recently played Beth in the final arena tour of War of the Worlds. Carrie Hope Fletcher is someone I’ve been aware of for a number of years but getting to see her in theatre just put emphasis on how ridiculously talented she is. She leaves the cast of Les Miserables in June and I definitely think she’ll be someone to watch out for in the future.   

 

I’m going to leave this blog post at this otherwise it’ll just be far too long. I think that covers some of the main things of 2014. I hope anyone reading this had a good 2014 and will have an even better 2015.

Wicked The Musical - London

Wicked the musical is based on Gregory Maguires novel and tells the back story of the Wizard of Oz witches. Although as expected, references are made to the film I don't think it is a requirement to have seen it to be able to thoroughly enjoy the show. The story focusses around popular girl, Glinda Upland and outcast Elphaba Thropp who is the governors green daughter. Glinda and Elphaba start the musical hating each other but unexpectedly they end up being friends. The pair meet at Shiz University and before you know it a love triangle has formed with Fiyero (played by Jeremy Taylor) and they even get a trip to visit the Wonderful Wizard of Oz where their fates will be sealed.

London's Elphaba is currently being played by Jennifer DiNoia, who despite making her West End debut has been in six different Wicked companies in four countries so she is very familiar with playing the role of the green witch. Her performance is very impressive and she so effortlessly belts out Elphabas songs including Wicked's most popular song Defying Gravity. Unfortunately her run in the London production is only limited and DiNoia's final performance will take place 31st January.

My personal favourite character in the musical is Glinda the good who is currently being played by Savannah Stevenson. I have been in the audience for multiple performances of Wicked so have experienced many different actresses play Glinda but Stevenson is by far my favourite. From her entrance to the stage by bubble, Stevenson brings so much energy to the performance and has the audience in stitches particularly during the song, Popular. Stevenson managed to play both the funny and seriously aspects of Glinda perfectly. 

DiNoia and Stevenson act together so incredibly, it's hard to believe they've only been working together for just a few weeks. They are an incredible pairing and if you get the opportunity to visit a show in London I can highly recommend Wicked. It's so obvious that both actresses know their characters inside out and exactly how they want them to come across to the watching crowd and I feel that really comes across in the performance.

Wicked has been in London for almost a decade now and even on the Christmas Eve performance that I attended, the theatre was almost full. It's no wonder the musical is still so popular, the story is heartwarming and funny, the set is visually stunning and I can guarantee you will be leaving the theatre singing along to some of the songs biggest hits. You are truly transported through the story thanks to the sets and costumes. The differences between the sets and costumes are phenomenal. I think Wicked is one of the best musicals for the entire family in the West End right now and if you haven't seen it yet you certainly need to plan a journey to the Apollo Victoria to see it. 

Not In The Script - Amy Finnegan

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for books which dip into the realms of being famous, I’m fairly sure everybody has imagined being famous at some point which I find makes these type of books enjoyable. Unfortunately I've read far too many books where it doesn't work so well but Not In The Script puts you straight into the famous world so perfectly.

Emma is an actress whose previous relationships haven't been so successful. Her heartbreaks have been broadcast all over the media and her first kiss even happened on screen. Due to this she decides to not date her co stars ever again. Of course she is then cast in a tv show with her long term crush Brett and model Jake, which makes her struggle to stand by her no dating decision. Before she knows it the tabloids are falsely claiming that she is dating Brett but the truth is she has very strong feelings for her other co star. Emma is such a normal person despite her job, even studying for a degree on the side, which I feel makes it so much easier to like her and relate to her. 

Jake is such a wonderful character. If you have a list of fictional characters you wish were real he would most certainly make the cut. He started his career as a model, wants to gain a business degree, cares from his mother who is wheelchair bound due to a stroke and is just the perfect gentleman to Emma. He never pressures her for their friendship to cross the relationship line despite how much he wants it to, which only adds to the list of reasons why I like him so much. At the beginning I wasn’t so sure about Jake but then before you know it you're completely absorbed by Jake's loveliness and charm.

Although the plot is really just following the stories of Emma and Jake on and off set don't let it put you off. I assure you that you'll be pleasantly surprised by how good this book is, I know I was. Everything about this book was superb. I really enjoyed the fact the book was told from both Jake and Emma's perspectives. It provided the book with extra details from both characters and really helped you like the characters even more than you already do. The romance aspect of the book was certainly a slow burner but it worked so well within the book, I genuinely don't think I would've preferred it any other way. What I enjoyed the most is how realistic their relationship felt despite the jobs that they do being far from normal.

Honestly this book was just adorable. If you want to read a book which will leave you smiling at every page this really is the book for you. I enjoyed this book so much I've gone and ordered myself a physical copy of the book for my collection, which sadly is now something I only do for my favourite books. I could not recommend this book more. This is author, Amy Finnegan’s debut novel and if this book is anything to go from her future books are only going to be must reads.

Not In The Script - Amy Finnegan. Click here to buy from Waterstones

Christmas With Billy And Me - Giovanna Fletcher

When a conversation about books comes up in my daily life it doesn’t take me long to recommend one of Giovanna Fletcher’s previous two published novels to others. Being a fan of Fletcher’s work, I was thrilled to hear that a short story sequel to her debut novel, Billy and Me was being released entitled Christmas With Billy and Me.

The book continues just a few months later from where Billy and Me left off. The story follows the tales of famous actor Billy, who it is revealed is currently taking a break from acting, and tea shop owner, Sophie. Since taking his break, Billy is living with Sophie in the little village of Rosefont Hill and helping her out with the running of the tea shop which is ideal for the busy Christmas period. 

Sophie receives an anonymous email to the tea shop’s email inbox asking if she would mind assisting with a romantic Christmas Eve proposal that would happen in her shop. Sophie can’t resist helping out and you’re left puzzled throughout the book about who the mysterious gentleman is who is proposing. I was hoping that it would be Billy proposing to Sophie which to me would’ve completed their love story perfectly but a few pages in it is quickly revealed that this isn't the case. Billy not being the proposer doesn’t ruin the book at all and I was very happy with whom it turned out to be.

Christmas With Billy and Me was disappointingly short with it being only fifty pages long. I appreciate that it was just a short story novel but I could’ve quite easily read another novel based around Billy and Sophie. However, with it only costing £1.99 for the physical book (which is exclusive to Waterstones stores) and 99p for the eBook you can’t be too disappointed. If you enjoyed Billy and Me I would highly recommend reading this short story. It is heart warming story and I can guarantee you’ll be in the festive mood after reading which makes it perfect to read in the run up to Christmas. Hopefully Fletcher will be writing another book based around the tales of Billy and Sophie in the near future as I know I am itching to read more about them and to see them get their happily ever after. 

Christmas With Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher. Click here to buy from Waterstones

Hollywood Ending - Punk Ass Kids Tour

Fresh from the Turn Up Tour across the pond in America came Hollywood Ending with their UK Punk Ass Kids Tour. I'll keep this blog fairly short due to the fact that the show was almost identical to the Turn Up Tour show that I recently reviewed.

I attended two dates of the Punk Ass Kids Tour, one at The Wardrobe in Leeds and the other at The Garage in London with VIP tickets for both dates. Once again I have no bad words to say about the VIP with the band. They genuinely are some of the nicest people that I've ever met so if you go to a show of theirs do try and get a VIP ticket if possible. You also get the added bonus of being able to watch the band soundcheck, something which is more intimate and acoustic than the rest of the show.

Brad Kavanagh supported at both dates and Leeds gained an extra support in the form of Hill Valley High. Unfortunately I only managed to catch the last song of Hill Valley High's set but the crowd was certainly enjoying it. Brad Kavanagh already seemed to have a reasonable fanbase in the crowd with many singing along to his very catchy songs. For those who weren't aware of his music he slipped in covers of Rixton's, Me and My Broken Heart and Ed Sheeran's, Sing.

Hollywood Ending put on a high energy show at both dates that I attended. The set list was identical to the Turn Up Tour with the exception of You being switched with Girls, Girls, a song from the new EP. The band know exactly how to work the crowd and I can guarantee that everyone in attendance would've enjoyed the show. I attended both dates with people where Hollywood Ending wouldn't fall into their usual music tastes but both left having enjoyed the concert. For me, considering the band are young, it astonishes me just how professional performers they are.

For a band that is unsigned and writes and produces their own music they are certainly making an impact. Every single person in the crowd knew the words to every song including new ones which are yet to be officially released. I was skeptical about how UK crowds would react with Hollywood Ending being less known in this country but they certainly gave the Americans a run for their money. 

The bands music is completely and utterly my taste in music so I may be a little bias but if you see Hollywood Ending are performing at a venue near you I would definitely try make the effort to see them. For the £10 admission fee I can guarantee you'll have a good night seeing them perform.

Hollywood Ending's new EP, Punk Ass Kids is available for preorder on iTunes now

McBusted TourPlay

It's been over a year ago now since James Bourne and Matt Willis of Busted joined McFly on stage at their 10th year anniversary concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. Since then it has led to both bands forming the supergroup of McBusted and the collaboration has just gone from strength to strength from the minute it was officially announced last year. In the past year McBusted have sold out over 30 arena tour dates and Hyde Park in London. Now they're gearing up to release the first McBusted single, Air Guitar which is followed by a self entitled album on the 1st December and rumours are flying about another McBusted Tour. 

Yesterday I went to go and see McBusted's film TourPlay at a Vue Cinema. TourPlay documented the arena tour earlier in the year showing the tour from when the tickets were put on sale to seeing the live performances filmed from London's O2 Arena and Hyde Park. 

If you want to relieve the memories from the tour or if you weren't able to see it at the time this film is for you. Although seeing the concert in person was much better than on a screen it was worth seeing to see it again and to see the bonus behind the scenes clips slotted in between the songs. It was very interesting to see things such as how skeptical the band were about even selling out the original 11 tour dates, Danny revealing being starstruck that Tom knew Busted, then to see the tour actually be put together.

Although it was obvious when seeing the concert the film really emphases how close they are as a band. They've been friends for a lot of years and performing as a six piece seems a real natural thing for them to do. In the clips of them from backstage on then tour they seem genuinely good friends and it's so nice to see it documented. It is revealed constantly how the band are having such a good time it how the timing for McBusted is perfect. Right now all 6 members are having the time of their lives so for the time being it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of McBusted.

I have loved Busted and McFly for over half of my life now so for me seeing my favourite bands on the large screen was fantastic. At times even a little emotional. Seeing clips of McFly from backstage of the Wonderland tour (the bands first ever arena tour back in 2005) flash up on the big screen for example really makes you realise how much they've grown up and you've grown up with them. At points I t is a real trip down memory lane. For a fan of McBusted this film, especially seeing it at the cinema, is everything you could want. I really enjoyed reliving the tour and seeing the backstage going on's. 

Unfortunately Tourplay was only shown for two nights at Vue Cinemas around the country so if you want to catch it the DVD is currently scheduled for release November 24th. 

Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella

On my recent trip to New York City I decided to go and watch Broadway shows. The one I was most eager about seeing was Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Cinderella has been remade on countless occasions and I can almost guarantee that you’ll have seen the Rodger and Hammerstein Cinderella before. My personal favourite is the 1997 movie staring Brandy. Cinderella is suitable for all ages, this performance was certainly family friendly but not childish enough to only be appreciated by the younger visitors.

Keke Palmer is currently playing the lead role of Cinderella and is the first African American to play the role. Looking at the Playbill, Palmer has appeared in everything so is well known in America. I however had never heard of her. Despite this, I didn’t go and see it just because of who was playing Cinderella. Personally, I thought she did a great job at playing the lead. Although vocally she may not have been as strong as the likes of original Broadway Cinderella Laura Osnes, I still found her performance enjoyable. I’ve read quite a few negative reviews of her performance but when you take into consideration it is Palmer’s Broadway debut and she is only 21 years of age I think they’re undeserved. Staring alongside Palmer as her stepmother is The View host, Sherri Shepherd and Joe Carroll as Prince Topher. 

The production itself was everything that I had expected Cinderella on stage to be like. Its magical stage effects were just superb at times. For example, one minute Cinderella is in her rag clothes and the next her clothes literally fly off her and she appears in a ball gown. The show was certainly visually fantastic at times! Quite amusingly in this performance Cinderella doesn’t lose her glass slipper but in fact hands it to the Prince, which received roaring laughter from the crowd. The songs are songs that you will have guaranteed to have heard in previous versions of Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella are so wonderful and will be stuck in your head for days. I know I’ve had the soundtrack I bought at the production of repeat since I left the theatre. 

Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella is only going to be showing at the Broadway Theatre in New York City until January 3^rd 2015 so if you want to see the show you’d better grab your ball gown and glass slippers before it’s too late.