A changed view on sport?

 

So the Olympics? Not my sort of thing really is it? Well, that’s what I’ve always led myself to believe as sport has never really been an interest of mine. The rest of my family has developed a love of the likes of the World Championships, Commonwealth games and the Olympics for years now, but I’ve always ignored such events as I’ve 'known' I don’t like sport. But as a proud Brit and a keen lover a good bit of TV, I thought Id make an effort to watch more than just the opening and closing ceremony this year. What harm could it do me?

No harm at all. Its only been 5 days and I’ve watched more sport than I have in my entire lifetime, and more importantly I’ve really enjoyed it. Not only have I been watching as much as possible when at home, I've been catching up on what I’ve missed at work on a daily basis. I must admit that most of what I’ve watched has been Swimming and Gymnastics so far, but I’ve caught a little bit of the vast majority of sports on offer. I cant wait for the Track and Field events to start, as well as more Gymnastics and Diving. Its made me question why I never enjoyed watching, or perhaps taking part in, sports before? I’m a naturally competitive person, who enjoys the atmosphere a crowd can give to an event and the older I've got, the more conscious I have become about things like fitness and exercise.

So where did this disinterest, dislike and sometimes hate of sport come from? I think it all boils down to one place, school. When it came to Sports days, Football and Rugby, I would try to ignore them all together, making excuses not to take part, or even throwing an embarrassing tantrum on Sports day in primary school. I did manage to get through some games of Tennis or Basketball, slightly enjoy Gymnastics and even be relatively good at Sprinting, but I chose not to join in any more than the odd games lesson due to how both the students and staff around me would act and treat me, the sports hall and gaming field was a place I genuinely began to fear, due to a fear of bullying.

I was that geeky, scrawny, gay kid common in many schools and like anyone in a minority group, I got bullied a lot at school. I was intimidated, threatened, taunted for being different, picked on for being bad at sports and called about every name under the sun, the majority of which took place in the changing rooms at school, or in the sports lessons. Fortunately it never rose to physical abuse, but its no wonder I didn’t want to take part in anything to do with the P.E department. To many people, it may seem naïve and even stupid to say, but through the Olympics 2012, I’ve seen how positive sport can be to peoples lives. It can bring people together in a way like no other. But I never ever felt this at school, quite the opposite. No matter what sport it was, I felt I couldn’t get any better at them or even try to enjoy them, as the people around wouldn’t let me. Perhaps the kids at school didnt know any better? Perhaps familys were not educated enough on bullying within schools? But unlike other lessons at school, I never felt I had the support to report this bullying to the staff, so tried everything I could to just get out of the lessons entirely to focus on my other interests of music and theatre. I only realise now, years later, how sad that really was.

Now 7 years after I had my last games lesson, where I swore that I hated sports, I can enjoy the amazing experience that is London 2012 without any fear of judgement. But I hope children who are in the position I was at school feel that they can enjoy sports no matter who they. Exercise, team spirit and friendly competition is important to children’s development and I really feel for any child suffering from bullying who may not be able to enjoy these things. I believe that homophobic bullying can certainly decrease over time, with the amazing examples set by the likes of the 'It Gets Better Project'. But I feel this article wouldn’t have been written and the games wouldn’t have been viewed with such an open mind by myself, without the work done and example set by ex England rugby player Ben Cohen and his 'Stand Up: Foundation'. The 'Stand Up: Foundation' is a fantastic organization with the sole purpose to stamp out bullying, in particular homophobic bullying, in sports both in school and professionally Ben Cohen has become somewhat of a hero of mine, I just wish Id been at school when his foundation was in effect. I hope it continues to grow and makes a real difference to the kids and sportsmen that need it most.

So there you have it, a slightly different article for me. But one I felt the need to write. Back to my original point though, I’m genuinely loving the Olympics and this will hopefully lead to an enjoyment of sports in the future. Come on team GB!!

Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto Tour: Review

Saturday 9th June 2012 Manchester Eitihad Stadium

Coldplay are a band who I have always liked but never truly loved. I could probably sing along to most of their albums, but only through hearing them being played repeatedly by my Mum in the background of my old family home. All this changed with their single 'Every Tear Drop Is A Waterfall' and its album 'Mylo Xyloto'. I think I understood where their sound had been heading for the past few years and loved every moment of the album. Past songs like 'Fix You' and 'Viva La Vida' have led the way towards the vibrant, euphoric and uplifting sound that is found on 'Mylo Xyloto' as both an album and a tour.

While an arena tour can be big in scale, ambition and spectacle, a stadium tour can take this even further, pushing it to the limits of live entertainment. But there is sometimes a danger that in a stadium, the audience will feel detached from the performers, simply watching far off dots move about the stage rather than really feeling a connection to the musicians. This was as far from the case with Coldplay, for many reasons, but most notably due to the inclusion of the flashing wrist bands given to members of the crowd on entry. It was an inspired idea, having the audiences wrists light up in time with various songs in the show, controlled by simple radio signals. The whole crowd felt part of the performance, feeding off the music and the visual feast on display around the stadium in a way I haven’t seen at any other gig. It lifted moments like 'Hurts Like Heaven' and 'Charlie Brown' to feel even more exciting, and songs like 'Fix You' and 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall' became genuinely emotional. I have only been moved to tears once at a pop concert, but Coldplay came very close indeed.

The stage itself was simple yet very clever, with 4 screens displaying both the members of the band and some impressive visuals, a mammoth catwalk down the centre, an intimate mini stage at the back, with a huge psychedelic glow in the dark backdrop behind the stage matching the album cover. There were streamers, massive beach balls thrown in to the audience, huge lanterns and enough fireworks to feel like the Olympic opening ceremony. There were so many fantastic touches to the phenomenal production, but none of this would matter if the core elements weren’t on form, being the band and their set list. Coldplay are fantastic musicians, their energy managing to compete with, and even surpass, the spectacle around them. Chris Martin is a force to be reckoned with as a front man on stage, consistently running from one end of the stage to the other and engaging with the audience. He manages the rare trick of being excited and giving you 110% one moment, then bringing everything down to become small and intimate in the next. He effortlessly drew the audience in with every lyric, the crowd in the palm of his hand.

As far as the set list goes, it contained the vast majority of the album, as well as most of the bands major singles. It felt like a perfect length, leaving the audience happy but wanting more. Highlights were, as mentioned above, songs that included the wristbands. But current single 'Princess of China' and uplifting hit 'Viva La Vida' were some of my other favourites.

If the 'Mylo Xyloto' album had made me a fan of Coldplay, then the tour made me a super fan. Seeing a band or a singer live is sometimes the perfect way to do this, literally being there and experiencing the music live is a feeling unlike any other. I knew I would enjoy this tour, but nothing prepared me for just how much that would be. I came away feeling that I had not just watched the concert but I had lived it. I had been part of one giant band of thousands of lights and euphoric sound. I hadn’t been to watch Coldplay, I was in Coldplay. As over the top as that sounds, I genuinely felt that way. The concert contained every single element that I love about live music events and was the closest any gig has come to being my 'favourite concert' for a while.

*****

Set List

• Mylo Xyloto
• Hurts Like Heaven

• In My Place

• Major Minus

• Lovers In Japan

• The Scientist

• Yellow

• Violet Hill

• God Put A Smile Upon Your Face

• Princess of China

• Up in Flames

• Warning Sign

• Don't Let It Break Your Heart

• Viva La Vida

• Charlie Brown

• Paradise

• Us Against the World

• Speed Of Sound

Encore:

• Clocks

• Fix You

• Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
  
  Watch Coldplay Perform 'Charlie Brown' (Fan Made video, no professional footage available yet)
   

Rihanna: Loud Tour: Review

Friday 7^th October 2011, Liverpool Echo Arena

The best way to describe both Rihanna herself and her 'Loud Tour' is a hit factory. In the past 6 years she has released 6 studio albums and a back catalogue of incredible solo singles and features, released at an alarmingly relentless pace. Rihanna is far from the greatest singer or dancer performing today, but with a set list that comprised 16 hit singles and only 5 album tracks (2 of which were released as singles over seas) the 'Loud Tour' was an incredible night out and one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

The night got off to a fantastic start even before Ri Ri herself appeared. Calvin Harris was a perfect choice to get the crowd geared up for a night of non stop dancing. Finishing his set list with his new Rihanna collaboration 'We Found Love' which would later go on to become her biggest hit worldwide. Surging straight in to 'Only Girl (In the World)', Rihanna came on stage in a giant Disco Ball, one you would usually expect to see at a Madonna concert. Surrounded by Dancers, 2 mini stages at the sides and 4 circular moving screens above, it would be easy for the performance, and the concert as a whole, to dwarf the Barbados born singer. But Rihanna manages to take centre stage above the impressive spectacle around her by oozing the two thing many popstars strive for but lack, effortless fun and universal sex appeal.

Its hard to pick a highlights of a concert in which virtually every song the crowd went wild. The opening was particularly strong, the colourful outfits creating a carnival atmosphere that would last the night. Even lesser hits like 'Hard' and 'Man Down' got reactions from the crowd most popstars would dream of. The night could only have been better with the inclusion of 'Russian Roullette' and 'SOS', two of my personaly favourites, but with 23 solo singles released at this point, something had to be missed out. The stand out moments for me where the combination of both 'Whats My Name' and 'Rude Boy' side by side and the sing a long ending of 'Take A Bow' before the encore. The audience simply knew every word and didn’t stop dancing or waving their arms. Which leads me to one the main points of why this was a successful concert.

Rihanna is a very lucky lady when it comes to performing, as she seems to find it incredibly easy to connect with the audience and it seems people find it very hard not to like her. She was laid back on stage, chatting to the crowd and generally having fun. Where she may lack the fire and determination on stage of Beyonce, or the moves of Britney, she knows her audience arguably better than either and the wall to wall hits included in the set list show this better than anything else. Her and her creative team know that songs as big as 'Umbrella' don’t always need a huge spectacle around them as the audience will create the atmosphere themselves, dancing and singing to their hearts content. In short, Rihanna has a huge fan-base because its so easy to be a Rihanna fan. This tour came back to the UK 6 times, playing London’s 02 arena 10 times in the process, that is a staggering achievement and just goes to show how popular, accessible and fun Rihanna is as a popstar and her Loud Tour was as a night out.

* * * * *

1. "Only Girl (In the World)"
2. "Disturbia"
3. "Shut Up and Drive"
4. "Man Down"
5. "Darling Nikki"
6. "S&M"
7. "Let Me"
8. "Skin¹
9. "Raining Men"
10. "Hard"
11. "Breakin' Dishes"
12. Medley: "Run This Town" / "Live Your Life"
13. "Unfaithful"
14. "Hate That I Love You"
15. "California King Bed"
16. "What's My Name?" (contains elements from "Pon de Replay")
17. "Rude Boy"
18. "Cheers (Drink to That)"
19. "Don't Stop the Music"
20. "Take A Bow"

Encore

21. "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)"
22. "Umbrella" 
    
    

Watch The Opening of the Concert here. (Fan Made Video, no professional recording has been released)

Britney Spears: The Circus Tour: Review

Sunday 7th of June 2009 London's 02 Arena

 Britney Spears has been one of the biggest pop stars in the world for over a decade now, with consistently successful albums and a string of killer singles and videos, but its safe to say it hasn’t always been easy. 2009's 'Circus Tour' was Britneys and her teams chance to show the world she was still relevant and could compete with her contemporaries, after her much publicized personal breakdown and lacklustre performance at the MTV music awards in 2007.

The success of, and importantly the audiences enjoyment of the tour, entirely depended on if you minded or even cared that 90% of the vocals were mimed. Britney has never been famed for singing live, her previous and subsequent tours incorporating a mix of both live and pre-recorded vocals. But 'The Circus Tour' was, it seems, almost entirely pre recorded. Did the audience care? No. Did I? Not really no. Did the critics care? A large majority, especially in Australia. As a Britney Spears fan, I was just happy to see her putting on a fantastic show, when it had been only a year prior where most fans feared the worst for the woman’s life, as well as career. Some people will continue to complain that, miming undermines the point of a 'live' concert, and often I’m inclined to agree with them, but I had an absolute blast at 'The Cirucs Tour' regardless.

So what of the show itself? The name really did say it all, this was a circus of the slickest and most impressive spectacle where Britney was the ringleader to the ariel artists, magicians and countless dancers. It seems obvious for a circus themed concert to have the stage in the round, centre of the arena, but this presented many challenges for the director Jamie King. Fortunately Jamie, who has also directed numerous concerts for Madonna, Celion and Christina, the staging was near flawless, creating some impressive routines and stage pictures that gave each section of the audience equal focus to the action on stage. The visuals, along with many of Spears's songs, cleverly played on her media attention to great effect. As for the choreography, it was impressive and well rehearsed. If Britney had lost a little bit of sparkle, through nerves or exhaustion, the staging brought out the best in both her, and the dancers.

Despite the tours 'Circus' title, the majority of album tracks on the set list came from 'Blackout'. No album tracks from 'Circus' actually appeared until the inclusion of 'Mannequin' on the European dates. Other surprises were the inclusion of 'In The Zone' album tracks 'Touch of my Hand' and 'Breathe On Me', which was lined up to be a single before Spears fractured her leg on the previous 'Hotel Onyx Tour'. On the North American dates, Britney included a cover of Alanis Morissettes 'You Oughta Know', the only fully live vocal of the entire tour, to much praise. One notable omission was 'Gimme More', but after the ill fated MTV performance, Spears may have been reluctant to include the song. Despite the surprises, the set list flowed very well and built up to a great finale, it would have just been great to see album tracks like 'Kill The Lights', 'Shattered Glass' and 'Unusual You' get the live treatment.

As for highlights, there were plenty. The opening sequence of both 'Circus' and 'Piece Of Me', including inspired cameo from Perez Hilton, was one the most tightly choreographed and impressive openings Ive ever seen in a concert. The crowd went berserk at the sight of the superstar, and in all honesty the tour never reached the standard set by this opening again, but it tried damn hard. The Bollywood remix of Maddona duet 'Me Against The Music' was genius. 'Get Naked (I Got A Plan)' was the best use of the circular staging in the whole show. The video montage of 'Break the Ice' was a fantastic build up prior to the finale and the crowd sing a longs of 'Toxic' and 'Baby One More Time' towards the concerts end were great performances of Spear's biggest hits.

Spears herself undoubtedly performed better in tours before and after 'The Circus Tour', but I feel, especially as a fan, the imagery, staging and overall spectacle of this tour will make it an iconic moment in her continuing career.

* * * *

 Watch The Opening of the Concert here. (Fan Made Video, no professional recording was released)

Set List

• "Circus"
• "Piece of Me"
• "Radar"

• "Ooh Ooh Baby" / "Hot as Ice"
• "Boys" (The Co-Ed Remix)
• "If U Seek Amy"
• "You Oughta Know" (performed from September 5 to 18, 2009)
• "Me Against the Music" (Bollywood Remix)
• "Everytime"

• "Freakshow"
• "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)"
• "Mannequin" (performed from July 5 to 26, 2009)
• "Breathe on Me" / "Touch of My Hand"

• "Do Somethin'"
• "I'm a Slave 4 U"
• "Toxic"
• "...Baby One More Time"

Encore

• "Break the Ice" (video interlude)
• "Womanizer"

Britney Spears Megamix

Over the past few days Ive been putting together a little Britney Spears Megamix. Im pretty proud of it, so I hope you like. Click the link at the bottom of the post!

Contains elements of:
Baby One More Time, You Drive Me Crazy, Oops I Did It Again, Stronger, Im a Save 4 U, Overprotected, Boys, Me Against The Music, Toxic, My Perogative, Gimme More, Piece of Me, Break the Ice, Womanizer, Circus, 3, Hold It Against Me, Till The World Ends.

Britney Spears Megamix Link

Steps: The Ultimate Tour: Review

Thursday 12th April 2012. LG Arena Birmingham

Its fitting that the first tour on my run of reviews was the most recent I attended and performed by the very first act I ever saw live back in 1999. The entire Steps comeback still baffles me to this day, was it pure fluke or one of most cleverly orchestrated schemes in modern pop? I guess I’ll never know, but what I do know is that the Ultimate tour, their first in 10 year, was a hell of a lot of fun! The pop five piece may be older and wiser, but they still knew how to have fun and most importantly, who their fans were.

Their was dance floor steps, the brilliant opening section ending with 'Deeper Shade of Blue'. Sexy Steps, with the inspired mash up of 'Better the Devil You Know/Judas'. Emotional Steps, 'Its The Way You Make Me Feel' in period dress, along with 'One for Sorrow' brining 14,000 peoples fingers in the air waving “Too Too Bad”. And all out Camp Steps, with 'Stomp' keeping Disco alive. But the dance instructor section ala 'Just Dance' or 'Dance Central' was possibly the strongest of the whole set, 'Last Thing on My Mind' was perfect and the line dancing fan videos of '5678' proved how much love their still was out there for the group. The entire arena went wild, joining in with all the moves flashing before them on the big screen.

The staging was simple but impressive, with the huge screen and moving panels displaying great visuals. The dialogue between numbers seemed natural and the group were clearly loving being back on stage. The dancers, who got little rest at all were all top notch. The Costumes were perfect, giving steps a modern look while still keeping the camp. Despite a few clear mic problems along the way, the whole production seemed well rehearsed and slick. Talking of mic's, it was inevitable that there would be some miming with a 2 hour set with near constant dancing. But the large majority of the vocals were clearly live and actually very strong, especially Claire Richards, who truly has an incredible vocal talent.

The only weak point was the inevitable solo section. Whereas in previous tours, each member would have come out at different points during the show, singing b-sides and current album tracks, they chose to bring the solos together, all covers of current or classic chart hits. Each member performed well, but the section felt like an interval between the back to back hits. It was inevitable but unnecessary. I would have preferred shorter arrangements, to make way for the excluded hits 'After The Love Has Gone', 'I Know Him So Well' and 'Say You'll Be Mine'.

But this can be forgiven for one reason alone, the epic finale. 'Tragedy' has to be one the most over played songs at weddings and bad office parties over the last 10 years, but this was all forgotten by seeing the group perform their mega hit together again after so long. The giddy ten year old inside every member of the crowd went crazy, playing their air guitars and holding their hands to their heads like it was 1999. The Ultimate tour felt like the perfect happy ending to the pop group, but if Steps do release new material and therefore tour again there is big love for unapologetic pop and a good old dance routine. Perhaps that’s what the pop world really needs right now, some fun.

* * * *

Set List

1. "Here and Now"
2. "You'll Be Sorry"
3. "Deeper Shade of Blue"
4. "Last Thing on My Mind"
5. "Better Best Forgotten"
6. "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart"
7. "5,6,7,8"
8. "Summer of Love"
9. "Better the Devil You Know/Judas"
10. Lee solo: "Moves Like Jagger" / "S&M"
11. Faye solo: "One Night Only"
12. 'H' solo: "Don't Stop Believin'"
13. Lisa solo: "Heaven" / "Beautiful People" / "Lately"
14. Claire solo: "I Surrender"
15. "It's the Way You Make Me Feel"
16. "Heartbeat"
17. "When I Said Goodbye"
18. "One For Sorrow"
19. "Stomp"
20. "Chain Reaction"
21. "Dancing Queen"

Encore

22."Tragedy" 

Watch Steps perform 'Last Thing On My Mind', 'Better Best Forgotten' and 'Loves Got A Hold Of My Heart' (Fan made video, no professional recording available yet)

Pop Concert Retrospective

As well as enjoying being over analytical and generally thinking about things too much, I do enjoy a good pop concert. So I thought Id combine these two loves of mine. I am lucky enough to have been given concert tickets as presents many times and I am obsessed enough with certain artists to insist on buying tickets on day one of their release. Over the next few weeks, or months depending on how long it takes, Il be attempting to review the full retrospective of pop concerts Ive gone to (and by gone to, I meen danced like a crazy person at).

Here is a quick run down of all the pop concerts Ive been to in my life so far, mostly with my brother Sam.

1999: 

Steps: The Next Step Live

2005:  

Will Young: Fridays Child Tour (Liverpool Summer Pops)

2007: 

 Scissor Sisters: Tadah Tour

2008:  

Kylie Minogue: X Tour

2009:  

Pussycat Dolls: Doll Domination Tour. Notable support acts Lady Gaga and Neyo

Girls Aloud: Out of Control Tour

Britney Spears: The Circus starring... Notable support act Ciara

Take That: The Circus Live. Notable support act The Script

Calvin Harris: Cream presents Ready For The Weekend

Beyonce: I Am...Tour

2010:  

Mr Hudson: Straight No Chaser Tour. Notable support act Tinnie Tempah

Lady Gaga: The Monster Ball. Notable support act Alphabeat

BRMB Live. Notable acts include Alexandra Burke, The Saturdays, The Script, Mcfly,

The Wanted, Olly Murs, Diana Vickers

2011:  

Kylie Minogue: Les Follies, Aphrodite Tour

Take That: Progress Live. Notable support act The Pet Shop Boys

Rihanna: Loud Tour. Notable support act Calvin Harris

Britney Spears: Femme Fatale Tour

2012:  

Steps: The Ultimate Tour

still to come this year

Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto tour. Notable support act Robyn

Jay Z and Kanye West: Watch The Throne Tour

Madonna: MDNA Live

Im really looking forward to reliving as many of these as I can. And cant wait to review the big 3 I have coming up this year!

Avengers Assemble: Review

Avengers Assemble is a film that could have gone so wrong, so very wrong. Marvel have literally put all their eggs in one basket, building multiple franchises together in a way no other studio has dreamed of or been able to achieve (just look at DC's Justice League project never getting off the ground for a prime example). I was dizzyingly excited and with a fantastic marketing campaign the anticipation was building. But deep down, I feared the worst. At best, I thought Id come out and say, it was good fun, but nothing special, like so many popcorn films have been in recent years.

But Avengers, Assemble only here in the UK, is so much more than just good fun, its one of best comic book films ever made. Despite all the odds against him, the up and down quality in the preceding Marvel films and more Fan Boy anticipation than Bruce Banner could handle, Joss Whedon has created a blockbuster so rare these days, one that lives up to the hype and surpasses it. The story is simple yet effective, its both a fantastic pay off for fans following every detail of the previous film's end of credits teasers and perfect for casual film goers as well. The film should please both the hardcore followers as well as attract some new ones, much like the Star Trek reboot a few years ago.

Every character is given time to shine, grow and ultimately kick ass in the various action sequences, all of which are beautifully shot and expertly edited. Notable mentions must go to Tom Hiddleston's devilish Loki, eating up every inch of screen time offered to him. Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, who needs her own movie as soon as (super)humanly possibly. And Rober Downey Jr as Iron Man, who manages to perfectly inject the right amount of honest humour in what could have become a ridiculous film, as well as continuing to be one of the coolest super heroes in Marvel universe. But all the characters, both new and old, have something likeable about them. Even newbie Jeremy Renner, playing Shield agent Hawkeye, who effectively is just a good archer, feels like a rounded character with a satisfying plot arc standing tall next to the likes of Hulk and Iron Man.

Avengers never scarifies the action for the drama or vice versa. As the film reached its spectacular finale I found myself thinking 'This is the type of film Transformers:Dark of the Moon could have been if it had included a decent plot and some likeable characters', but then I changed my mind, as Avengers is so much more. I wont spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet, but one shot alone changed my mind, one shot that perfectly captured everything I love about Super Hero films and made me want join up the Avengers myself. Whoever is sitting in the directing chair for Avengers 2, be warned, you have big shoes to fill!

* * * * *

New Website

Well, Ive been threatening to make a blog like this for a long time, so thought Id finally get round to putting it together. First thing first was to make a kick ass header, that summed up just about every obsessive interest I have, or at least the top 20 or so.

Im going to be putting together some lists of my favourite TV shows, Films and Albums soon, and probably post with various rants about various things.

Heres to that then!