Thursday 30 July 2015

My Love Affair with Live Music

If you’ve been following me over on Instagram or Twitter over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed my gig intake has increased. I’ve also signed up to Jukely, so will be going to even more! There is sort of a reason behind this – a boy…


Last June I had my heart completely broken/shattered/smashed to pieces/torn apart. For the first couple of weeks, I just couldn’t listen to music, at all! Music is a big part of my life; my ears are forever listening to it whether it be at home from my laptop, or on the go through Spotify on my phone. So for me to not be able to listen to a single song without feeling sick, I knew something had to be done. I started seeking out playlists on Spotify with brand new music, featuring artists I had never heard of before, and songs that I could start making new memories to. If I heard a tune that really took my fancy, I’d like the band/artist on Facebook and check to see if they had any cheap, small gigs coming up and just book 2 tickets, regardless of whether I had someone else who would be interested. I’d recommend signing up to Bandsintown and linking with your Facebook music likes as they send you an email when a concert is announced so you can grab tickets as soon as they go on sale.


So I started going to all these little gigs, usually on my own. Sometimes I’d find someone on Twitter or the Facebook event pages looking for a spare ticket, sometimes I’d try and convince a friend to come along to see this unknown band. Going to these gigs kind of became an escapism for me. Having something fun and exciting planned kept my mind away from thinking about the love lost. I think a part of me secretly hoped I would bump into ‘him’. You see, he is in a band himself (he was nicknamed Mr Drummer), but alas, we have never crossed paths over these last 12 months (apart from those 2 times I went to see his band, which was a completely silly thing to do!).


A year on, and I’m not going to lie, my heart is still mending (it’s had a few knocks over the last 6 months), but Mr Drummer is no longer the reason behind all my gig-going. Having had the opportunity to see some of the best up-and-coming artists before the hype hits has been great. I get such a buzz from going to see a band that I’ve only ever heard one song from, and then finding the rest of their music is just as amazing! I’ve been going to gigs since my early teenage years, but these were mostly just to see the popular bands I had grown to love over the years. Seeing the unknown has become a recent love of mine. I can't wait to discover even more music with Jukely!


So, that’s my little story behind my love of seeing music live. And now for a list of all the gigs I have been to, June 2014 – May 2015, just to prove the extent of what I’m talking about!


June 2014



Rod Stewart @ Brighton // George Ezra @ Electric Ballroom

July 2014



Arcade Fire @ Hyde Park // McBusted @ Hyde Park // Jack Garratt @ The Waiting Room // To Kill A King/Childcare @ The Lucky Pig

August 2014



Dan Croll @ The Jazz Café // We Are Scientists ON The Meantime Bar @ Penisula Square // The Correspondents @ Brixton Jamm // Tenkus the Henge @ Passing Clouds // Secret Cinema @ Olympic Park

September 2014


James Bay @ St Stephen's Church // Converse Secret Gig @ Dave's Houseparty, Shoreditch Wrestling & 100 Club // Foo Fighters @ Invictus Games Olympic Park // Kate Bush @ Hammersmith Apollo // Converse Secret Gig feat. Mystery Jets @ Canal Boat, Hackney Warehouse & Pie and Mash Shop // Jack Garratt @ The Basement

October 2014


Vance Joy @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Dan Croll @ Koko // Glass Animals @ Oval Space // We Are Scientists @ Brooklyn Bowl // George Ezra @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Lady Gaga @ The O2

November 2014


Hudson Taylor @ Aloft Hotel // Future Islands @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Childcare @ Secret Location // Jamie T @ Alexandra Palace 

December 2014


Yelle @ Oslo Hackney // The Correspondents @ Bethnal Green Working Men's Club // Childcare @ The Macbeth (no photos - sozandchips!) // Mister Super Juice @ The Red Lion in Leytonstone

January 2015


Holy Thursday @ The Social // Hozier @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

February 2015


Kitty, Daisy & Lewis @ Electric Ballroom // FKA Twigs @ Roundhouse (no photo - sozandchips, again!) // George Ezra @ Brixton Academy // Pete Doherty @ Brixton Jamm // Rouge Girls @ The Borderline

March 2015


Yelle @ Village Underground // The Kenneths @ Hoxton Underbelly (no photos...) // Toy @ Islington Town Hall

April 2015




James Bay @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Spector @ The 100 Club // Calexico @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Childcare @ The Islington

May 2015


Leon Bridges @ Village Underground // Brandon Flowers @ Brixton Academy // Jack Garratt @ Village Underground

So, there we have it. A year in gigs! Who knew that just 1 month later I would meet a guy at a random Jukely gig who would become my special someone :)

Check back soon as I'm planning to start doing monthly gig posts!

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Captain Charley: My Love Affair with Live Music

My Love Affair with Live Music

If you’ve been following me over on Instagram or Twitter over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed my gig intake has increased. I’ve also signed up to Jukely, so will be going to even more! There is sort of a reason behind this – a boy…


Last June I had my heart completely broken/shattered/smashed to pieces/torn apart. For the first couple of weeks, I just couldn’t listen to music, at all! Music is a big part of my life; my ears are forever listening to it whether it be at home from my laptop, or on the go through Spotify on my phone. So for me to not be able to listen to a single song without feeling sick, I knew something had to be done. I started seeking out playlists on Spotify with brand new music, featuring artists I had never heard of before, and songs that I could start making new memories to. If I heard a tune that really took my fancy, I’d like the band/artist on Facebook and check to see if they had any cheap, small gigs coming up and just book 2 tickets, regardless of whether I had someone else who would be interested. I’d recommend signing up to Bandsintown and linking with your Facebook music likes as they send you an email when a concert is announced so you can grab tickets as soon as they go on sale.


So I started going to all these little gigs, usually on my own. Sometimes I’d find someone on Twitter or the Facebook event pages looking for a spare ticket, sometimes I’d try and convince a friend to come along to see this unknown band. Going to these gigs kind of became an escapism for me. Having something fun and exciting planned kept my mind away from thinking about the love lost. I think a part of me secretly hoped I would bump into ‘him’. You see, he is in a band himself (he was nicknamed Mr Drummer), but alas, we have never crossed paths over these last 12 months (apart from those 2 times I went to see his band, which was a completely silly thing to do!).


A year on, and I’m not going to lie, my heart is still mending (it’s had a few knocks over the last 6 months), but Mr Drummer is no longer the reason behind all my gig-going. Having had the opportunity to see some of the best up-and-coming artists before the hype hits has been great. I get such a buzz from going to see a band that I’ve only ever heard one song from, and then finding the rest of their music is just as amazing! I’ve been going to gigs since my early teenage years, but these were mostly just to see the popular bands I had grown to love over the years. Seeing the unknown has become a recent love of mine. I can't wait to discover even more music with Jukely!


So, that’s my little story behind my love of seeing music live. And now for a list of all the gigs I have been to, June 2014 – May 2015, just to prove the extent of what I’m talking about!


June 2014



Rod Stewart @ Brighton // George Ezra @ Electric Ballroom

July 2014



Arcade Fire @ Hyde Park // McBusted @ Hyde Park // Jack Garratt @ The Waiting Room // To Kill A King/Childcare @ The Lucky Pig

August 2014



Dan Croll @ The Jazz Café // We Are Scientists ON The Meantime Bar @ Penisula Square // The Correspondents @ Brixton Jamm // Tenkus the Henge @ Passing Clouds // Secret Cinema @ Olympic Park

September 2014


James Bay @ St Stephen's Church // Converse Secret Gig @ Dave's Houseparty, Shoreditch Wrestling & 100 Club // Foo Fighters @ Invictus Games Olympic Park // Kate Bush @ Hammersmith Apollo // Converse Secret Gig feat. Mystery Jets @ Canal Boat, Hackney Warehouse & Pie and Mash Shop // Jack Garratt @ The Basement

October 2014


Vance Joy @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Dan Croll @ Koko // Glass Animals @ Oval Space // We Are Scientists @ Brooklyn Bowl // George Ezra @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Lady Gaga @ The O2

November 2014


Hudson Taylor @ Aloft Hotel // Future Islands @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Childcare @ Secret Location // Jamie T @ Alexandra Palace 

December 2014


Yelle @ Oslo Hackney // The Correspondents @ Bethnal Green Working Men's Club // Childcare @ The Macbeth (no photos - sozandchips!) // Mister Super Juice @ The Red Lion in Leytonstone

January 2015


Holy Thursday @ The Social // Hozier @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

February 2015


Kitty, Daisy & Lewis @ Electric Ballroom // FKA Twigs @ Roundhouse (no photo - sozandchips, again!) // George Ezra @ Brixton Academy // Pete Doherty @ Brixton Jamm // Rouge Girls @ The Borderline

March 2015


Yelle @ Village Underground // The Kenneths @ Hoxton Underbelly (no photos...) // Toy @ Islington Town Hall

April 2015




James Bay @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Spector @ The 100 Club // Calexico @ Shepherd's Bush Empire // Childcare @ The Islington

May 2015


Leon Bridges @ Village Underground // Brandon Flowers @ Brixton Academy // Jack Garratt @ Village Underground

So, there we have it. A year in gigs! Who knew that just 1 month later I would meet a guy at a random Jukely gig who would become my special someone :)

Check back soon as I'm planning to start doing monthly gig posts!

Labels: , , , , , , , ,