Oooooh it was like walking out of Doctor Who's Tardis and transformed back to the 80's, apart from the fact I was a little more grown up (well ok not quite), sporting a different fashion and no perm, I was though in the presence of Adam Ant.
The evening started with support from Glam Skanks, an all female band from the USA and what a sound. A bit of everything here, a slice of punk and glam rock thrown in and they looked great. The lead singer had a great voice and the lead guitarist reminded me of a young female Slash from Guns n' Roses....brilliant!. A nice change and I believe their first time here so welcome to the UK girls and hope you stick around. Nipped for a quick drink in the interval and think I paid the electricity bill for the whole venue for the night at the bar. So expensive for drinks at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall. I think it's to prevent everyone getting too drunk and causing trouble.....as if! Mind you ply me with gin and I'm ready for a fight, I just can't handle it, makes me moody!. I left my friend for five minutes to pop to the loo and come back to find her taking photos of random men all dressed up in their 80's new romantic get up. There were some fabulously dressed people. I love that, so much fun and yes there were a few white stripes painted over the faces. If you are very young then you have no idea what I'm talking about but if you Google Mr Ant himself you'll get it My goodness, never thought I'd here myself say 'Google Adam Ant', back in the day we got a copy of Smash Hits magazine out if we needed to know anything, including all the lyrics to the top hits.. Google is what I nearly had to advise a young man on the checkout at Tesco's to do before I even made it into Nottingham. He asked me very kindly where I was going and I answered, thinking everyone knows who Adam Ant is until I realised he was a bit younger than me. It was when he replied that his mum would know who he was that I remembered my age and bolted out of there. I notice he didn't ask me for ID when buying a bottle of fizzy wine. Oh well I am officially getting old. Still feel twenty mentally although I was only about twelve when Adam Ant entered my young innocent life. yes I was, at one time.......very young. The main event was just awesome, as my son says, at first though to be honest after all these years and never seeing Adam Ant before I didn't know what to expect. I absolutely loved it. he sang all the classics such as Prince Charming, Stand and Deliver, Ant Music, Goody Two Shoes and other songs I had completely forgotten about, he had the audience in the palm of his hands. We clapped along, sang along and danced for a good two hours. That man is 62 years old and still looks great, so much energy and together with his band so entertaining to watch even if you didn't fancy a boogie. As I did watch I thought to myself 'why haven't I been to an Adam Ant concert before?' I know there are a lot of 80's artists making a come back at the moment but why not I say. It was period of music I just loved. So many songs which saw me through my childhood and I don't care what anyone says, I'm enjoying listening to them all again. If you had told me in 1982 that I would go and see Adam Ant in my late forties I would have said no way or grunted as I was rapidly approaching my teenage years. I'm having a proper 80's revival at present as one of our new songs with Rock Choir is Spandau Ballet's 'True', sounding good as well so far. The tour is over now as this was the last night but if you do get chance to see Adam Ant in the future go because he is definitely worth a watch. Thanks to Adam and his band, the very talented Glam Skanks and to the venue for a great night. We did have bags checked on the way in, it was worth the wait to feel secure at this time. I would also just like to say a big thank you to the police outside the venue, yes some armed but we felt safe so if you are attending concerts at the moment and wondering whether to go, please do as we cannot let these people stop us from living our lives. The security is out there be vigilant, be safe but most of all go and have a good time. Thanks for reading everyone, I will be back tomorrow for a bit of Teapot Tuesday. Bye for now........
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It's coming up to the big wedding season, how exciting with so many plans and things to think about and wondering whether it will all come together on the day. What about music? These days you need a good song to walk down the aisle, while signing the register, returning back up the aisle, sometimes at the reception, father and daughter dance and the all important first dance with your partner as a married couple.
So what will you choose, or if you have been married for years, what song did you have back then. Don't forget this is the song that will follow you for years and it's one question that you are likely to be asked now and again so make it good. You want something that people will reply 'ahhhh that's lovely' or a song people will laugh about, personally if I did again I'd pick a tune that would stun somebody in a conversation, a funny little number like 'When I'm Sixty Four' by The Beatles. I have done it, the old marriage thing, it didn't last but it's ok we can talk about it, me and the ex are still on good terms. I chose 'I Swear' by John Michael Montgomery. There is also another version by All-4-One but I prefer the other version and as it kind of fitted in with the country band we had playing at the reception. It's a lovely song and I can't believe it doesn't feature more in the most popular song list as the lyrics are very apt for this event in life. So what are the most popular songs? I plucked a few out such as:
It could actually be the song that brought you together in the first place, maybe it was playing in a pub or bar when you met. You could surprise everyone and keep it a secret until the actual night. If you are thinking of '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes it might be a good idea to practice 'the lift' a few weeks before. I wouldn't want you falling head first on a sticky, beer stained dance floor and have to spend your wedding night in A&E. Whatever the tune, I'm sure it will be memorable to add to a perfect day. Let me know what songs you chose, we could all help the 'yet to be wed' couples make up their mind or just have a good reminisce about that lovely day. Thanks for the read and catch me back here tomorrow for a Teapot Tuesday....... It's all over for another year, I can hear some of you sigh with relief. Oh go on it's a bit of fun, you have to have a little look and giggle at the some of the acts. To be honest though this year, the whole contest wreaked of good powerful songs, I think the best quality yet. Of course there was a dancing gorilla, a couple who yodelled, a man with a horses head, three brides for three blokes and a bare bottom even unexpectedly appeared. Not sure that was part of the show but the rest, well, you can't have Eurovision without them.
A big huge well done to Lucie Jones with our UK entry 'Never Give Up On You' which came 15th! yeah 15th! That is the best we've done in a while. A stunning performance and she should be very proud of herself. We certainly are. Lucie was an X Factor finalist in 2009 but left the contest in week 5, losing out to Joe McElderry who went on to win the competition. now you know her don't you? Why do the UK go through to the final automatically? There is quite a bit of build up in the week before Eurovision with semi finals and countries battling to get to the final. This made me think of the reason why the UK automatically go through, something I never really bothered to find out. Apparently the big five countries France, Germany Italy, Spain and ourselves go through automatically as they are the five largest economically contributors to the contest, it's a bit like a reward. Pop that on your sticker chart! Why are Australia in the contest? I think we've all asked this question about a few countries that seem to creep into, what we naturally think is a strict European contest. Well I'm sorry to shock you the title 'Eurovision' is a bit misleading. It hasn't anything to do with being European and sorry to disappoint the Brexit bashers, it has nothing to do with the European Union either. Being eligible to compete is not determined by geographical location but it does have a lot to do with the EBU, European Broadcasting Union. You must pay a bit of dosh and broadcast the programme in your country, which Australia being huge fans of Eurovision do. Their entry was only supposed to be a 'one off' for the 60th anniversary in 2015 but they did so well they returned again last year and again this year. Good song as well, and thank you for your 12 points, we will love you forever. And the winner is.......Portugal It is a lovely song, which was sung by Salvador Sobral. Portugal's first ever win so that's a great achievement. It's a very old fashioned romantic song, I was quite mesmerised by it and completely different to a lot of the other acts. It was the 'now we are going to slow things right down' moment but it worked and grabbed the viewers. What a wonderful gesture to sing with his sister Luisa who composed the song, at the end of the evening. This followed a brilliant acceptance speech in which after stating that 'we live in a world of disposable music' he also said: 'This is a vote for the people who actually mean something with their music. Music is not fireworks, music is feeling, so let's try to do this and bring music back' I quite like him and enjoyed the whole thing really. I never cared for Eurovision too much before but love it or hate it I think it will continue to give us entertainment however you choose to accept it. Some turn it off, some go right out there and dress up, hold parties and make an evening of it. It's a bit of fun unless your highly competitive then it becomes serious business or if you placed a bet on the favourite to win, well if you did that this year then you're quids in! Well done to Graham Norton who I know will never ever replace the mighty Terry Wogan but he does a grand job, very funny. So it's goodbye from the Ukraine and onto Portugal in 2018. I personally can't wait!!! Thanks for reading and catch you tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday. I decided I needed some help with this whole weigh less plan. I thought it may stir things up on the old fat burning process if I sought out some exercise of some kind. So 24 Fit Derby had some free tasty, no I mean taster sessions just to try their classes and I did.
First I had a go at Zumba, now I have been before but things got in the way and a new class has come up so thought I would give it another go. I loved it and although I did venture off in another direction sometimes it didn't feel as though it mattered too much. I danced, I sweated and I enjoyed it which is what it's all about really. Great tunes and that makes all the difference where exercise is concerned, good music equals a good workout. The trouble I have is that now I attend Rock Choir, if there is a song which pops up in Zumba which we sing at Rock Choir I am attempting to combine both my Zumba and Rock Choir at the same time which I can tell you is exhausting. I just hope I don't do it the other way around as the Rock Choir members may not appreciate me in my Zumba gear trying to launch myself across the room. Exercise also makes me very hungry and I devoured a biscuit or two when I got back home. This is something I may have to look into and try to devour fruit or a litre of water instead but the hob nobs were calling and won me over. When I jumped on the scales the other day I bounced on with confidence that I had zumba'd so everything would be fine but what I do have to remember that it is no good to zumba and hob nob with the hob nobs. These are biscuits for our overseas readers. They are oaty, sometimes covered in chocolate and there are gluten free ones, very naughty and do not bode well on slimming world. Yep just one is ok but not three or four. Next day I tried Clubbercise which was just brilliant. I got my glow in the dark face paint on and got my glow sticks flashing and off I went into the dark room lit up by disco lights. Yep like a club but exercising. All I needed was my 80's leg warmers and my Fame t-shirt, which sadly I don't have anymore. The music was pumping and I actually did recognise some tunes so I didn't get lost in the current music which now I find myself saying 'it sounds the same'. Crikey the grown ups used to say that when I was young, oh and now I'm a grown up, well I think I am......no maybe not. Clubbercise is a lot of fun and is great if you feel a bit worried about body image or getting the steps right, it's all in the dark so you don't have to worry. Give it a go, you'll love it. After an hour of Clubbercise I thought I'd stay ten minutes and just watch the next class which was Pound. No it wasn't 'a pound' it is an exercise regime combining cardio and strength while simulating drumming with actual drumsticks. If you fancy yourself as the next top drummer, you can have a go at this and get fit at the same time. There are a lot of lunges, jumps, twists and stretching but it's good fun. I got slightly excited as one of the tracks was an ACDC one so I may have gone a bit 'Animal from the Muppets' but hey you can let yourself go here too, it is different. I can't believe my ten minutes watching actually turned into another full hour of drumming madness. Went home and didn't have a hob nob though, I should think not it was 9pm and nearly bedtime. Just a shower and a rest. Personally I'm more of a zumba, clubbing disco diva rather than a drummer at the moment. You need a good song which encourages you to keep on dancing and there was a good mix in these classes. I'm going to carry on and do more dancing, less hob nobbing but if the latter ever becomes an olympic sport I am there!!! I would like to thank the very friendly instructors at 24 Fit Derby and for their free taster sessions. They have many classes available and you can get all the information you need at www.24fitderby.co.uk What are you waiting for? sign up now! There is even a nifty little app you can search their classes and book onto them called Mindbody. It's brilliant. Thanks for reading and if you have been to any of these classes I would love to know how you went on and did you enjoy it? Take care and I will meet you back here tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday. Well well well, look at that! Would you Adam and Eve it? 80's pop chicks Bananarama are back!! I'm not ashamed to say I'm a little excited, apart from wanting to be a Charlie's Angel and to be Suzi Quatro I did want to be part of the bananas as well. Great dance along, sing along hits such as 'Shy Boy' 'Cruel Summer' Robert de Niro's Waiting' 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' then they went a bit Stock Aitken and Waterman with 'I Heard a Rumour'', 'Love in the First Degree' and 'Venus'. All good little disco numbers but for me they were doing girl power way before the Spice Girls. They just looked like cool girls with their own fashion status and a kick ass attitude with even a Guinness Book of Records listing for an all female girl group with the most chart entries in the world. They must have got through some hairspray back in the day, well everyone did I suppose, even the lads. We didn't straighten our hair, we crimped it or stuck it up with the most mega hold spray possible. It would take three washes to get out and the reason safety matches were invented. You were in trouble if you used a lighter or a match, just wave bye bye to that fringe, woosh it would be gone in a Micheal Jackson style. Ahhh they were the days. I do love a look back at the 80's and never challenge me to a quiz of 80's music. I would even beat the Chaser on it everytime. It would be my specialist subject on Mastermind if I was to take a seat in the big black chair. Bananarama were the reason we all wore cropped jeans, pumps and stripy cropped tops, thats when I had a midriff I could show off, now I'm completing with the muffins in Muffin Break. These girls just still look fab though, the original line up of Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. I think Sara and Keren have been keeping it all going for the last twenty years but it's good to see them together as a trio again. I'm sure it will bring back some memories and they will definitely pack people into the above tour dates for later on in the year. If you are too young to remember or were not even born in the 80's, this is how they used to look...... Brilliant eh? I know, this is what your parents used to dress like kids!! It just still seems like yesterday to me. I must get myself to one of these 80's festivals like Rewind, I'm sure I would be in my element and I would dress for the part as well. Proper music!!
I'm off to dig out my copy of Now That's What I Call Music 1, yes I have it, on vinyl, how many are we on now? Have we reached 100 yet? Thanks for reading and enjoy your tunes whatever your mix. I'll be back for Teapot Tuesday tomorrow. Take care for now.......... |
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