The Civil Wars- this is NOT to be missed

Hey all

Not posted for a while but good things come to those who wait…. and you have waited so I bring good things… in the form Joy Williams and John Paul White from The Civil Wars.

The band won the Grammy award for Best Country Duo/ Group performance andBest Folk album in 2012. When you watch you will see that they are not your typical folk group. With their haunting voices and unmistakable chemistry, you will not regret watching this!

Listen out for the cheeky little Portishead cover in there.

Enjoy, and you if you do, please subscribe to my blog- just enter your email address and I will let you know when I post a new vid!

Thanks xxxxxxx

Kitty Daisy and Lewis at Lancaster Library

Well, this was a great gig. The two sisters and their brother performed along with their parents: dad on guitar and mum on the bass! They are totally different to any other band at the moment and really got everyone moving! Have a look at my video and see what you think and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog on the right hand side! Thanks x

Mazes Gig at Lancaster Library

Hello everyone. Just a quick post to let you see the new Mazes gig I filmed at Lancaster on Saturday! Lovely band from all over the world. Right from Blackpool to New Zealand. Great set and had a great chat with the lead singer Mark!

Have a look and let me know what you think.

Big Pink Heart!

Well last weekend had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful lady called Sharon. Sharon is the founding director of a charity called Big Pink Heart and she dedicates nearly all her time and energy working to help communities join together and to take action towards positive behaviour and respect in the community.

I travelled to Rutland on Sunday to film an event that Sharon and her dedicated team had organised to help bridge the gap between people in different ages, races and religions. With help from a local councillor Sharon arranged for a community walk around Rutland water and an aerial shot to be taken of a range of different people who formed a heart shape on the ground. I was a great event, but the charity can only do as much as the community will let them. We need to get people more involved with charities like this- charities who don’t have much funding, who don’t have a celebrity team backing and promoting them. It is up to us to get involved and help. It’s easy and there are so many things you could do to get involved and make a difference.

Just take a look at the website http://www.bigpinkheart.co.uk/hello.asp and if you think you could do something… anything, then get in touch! I can assure you after meeting Sharon and the team last weekend, you will have blast.

xxx

Review of Chipmunk gig for the Lancashire Evening Post

One of the UK’s biggest stars, Chipmunk performed at Lancaster Library last week. His fans showed their devotion and waited patiently in the cold for the rapper who was stuck in traffic on route to the gig. Despite the late arrival, spirits were high and the crowd really did get loud in the library for a show that proved to be one of the libraries best yet.

Chipmunk took to the stage for the first of the two sell-out shows with a set that included Champion, Beautiful People and the number one hit, Oopsy Daisy. Everyone sang along as the rapper got up close and personal with the crowd, even getting one lucky girl up on stage to sing with him.

The super cool rapper gave a message to his fans that it is cool to read and telling them that he got all A’s and B’s in his GCSE’s. The artist called Lancaster: “Beautiful and humble, everything that London is not.” He told the crowd that he knew he had a lot to live up after Katy B’s amazing show at the library last year.

Chipmunk did just that and gave the crowd a show that was well worth waiting for. He closed the night with ‘In the Air’, one of his hits featuring Keri Hilson. He asked the crowd to put their phones in the air and had all the lights turned out. Everyone loved it, it was a great end to a great night.

Chipmunk in Lancaster

So the Library have been waiting for Chipmunk for some time now. Two shows in one night- both sold out and what happens: Chipmunk gets stuck in traffic when driving from London, nice one!

Tensions were high as we all held our breath. Would he show up, would he not…OH OF COURSE he did. Chip diddy chip mounted the stage and gave one of the best perfomances I have seen at Lancaster Library.

I will at this stage take a moment out to tell you that I was not the worlds biggest Chipmunk fan. Don’t get me wrong, I had nothing against him, but his wasn’t a gig I would go out of my way to see. Oh how fickle I can be…  Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to Laura Gibson, Chipmunk’s newest and I am sure, oldest fan! I will admit it, I loved it, I even stayed for both shows.

Why don’t you watch my video and interview and see for yourselves.

Let me know what you think and if you like what you see, pop your name into the subscription box and I will let you know every time I post.

Enjoy!

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan at Lancaster Library… The Review

After such a great gig, I had to review it. This is my review featured in Monday 25th July 2011’s edition of The Lancashire Evening Post

If you have not yet managed to see a gig at Lancaster library, I strongly recommend that you do so. I saw Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan there last Tuesday, and there was only word for it… special.

Campbell, the softly spoken cello player from Belle and Sebastian and Lanegan, former front man of the Screaming Trees, who has also performed with the Queens of The Stone Age, proved that Lancaster library is attracting top rate artists from all over the world.

From the moment arrived I could feel there was something different about the library. The air felt electric and there was a strange mix of calm and tension as the crowd waited for the sold out gig to begin.

It was fantastic. Campbell’s eerie voice echoed through the library and when Lanegan began it was exceptional. His rough voice with gravel tones contradicted his very calm and almost peaceful style on stage.

They didn’t speak. No words to the crowd, but everyone could see this wasn’t them being rude. It is how they are, almost lost in the music. As one song ended, another would begin with the duo looking almost bashful, shy if you will. It was endearing, and made the gig all the more unique.

The venue is known for introducing new music, including appearances from Ellie Goulding, Katy B and Devlin to name a few, but there is always something for everyone and that what this latest gig has demonstrated.

It was summed up by the man next to me who whispered to his girlfriend: “I can’t believe we are watching this, this is amazing.”

Bridesmaids. One for the laydeeees

This is certainly one for the ladies. Not only because Chris O’Dowd wears a policeman’s uniform throughout, but because it’s genuinely funny. Kirstin Wiig both stars in and writes the film, which is impressive to say the least. She is a fantastic comedy actress, better than many I have seen and made me feel like she wasn’t acting at all. This is a great skill that not many can claim.

The cast was great because it wasn’t the usual suspects that we see in chick flicks, not everyone was beautiful or lived in a huge apartment with a perfect family. The lead character was rather normal, and this was refreshing to see.

To get back to Chris O’Dowd… an Irishman playing the heart throb in an American comedy. It was a brave move, but one that I feel paid off for him. He really showed that he can act without the overly obvious gags that we saw in the IT crowd. It was a different style and I feel it suited him.

I saw this in a cinema packed with women. Throughout the film there were unshameful sighs, aaaahs and laughs out loud from a room full of ladies. I haven’t heard this in a cinema for a long time.

I would recommend Bridesmaids if you want a good laugh. Slightly cheesy in places, and your boyfriend might get bored, but ladies, get watching.

The Hangover 2… what a let down

I can describe this film in one word: average. I didn’t want it to be, but unfortunately it just didn’t live up to the hype. After the success of The Hangover, expectations were high for the second installation, but like many sequels, it didn’t meet the high standard of the first.

It is such a shame, as I, like many others could hardly contain myself when I heard there was to be another film. Despite this, an actor can only work with what he has, and the cast delivered good performances with a few moments of pure quality. The problem was, there weren’t enough of these.

Alan, (Zach Galifianakis) stole the show, and as always Phil (Bradley Cooper) was a delight to watch, spending a good portion of the film with his shirt open. I can safely say this was my highlight of the film.

The surprise of the film for me was the dentist Stu (Ed Helms), who has one particular part that I laughed out loud at, as I had throughout the first one. I just wish I could say the same for the rest of the film. I would recommend you watch this, but wait until it comes out on DVD.

Review of Limitless. Bradley Cooper-mmmmmm

What a great film. I knew as soon as Bradley Coopers face appeared on the screen that it was going to be a winner, but I hadn’t accounted for the actual plot being that good.

There was something different about this film, it can’t be classed as an action, comedy or romantic film as it is in a genre of its own.  What made it so unique was how interesting it was. There were no low points, no points when I hoped it would move on, in fact it had the opposite effect and I didn’t want it to end.

Robert De Niro was excellent as always and played a character who was not all he seemed. The role suited him and the partnership between De Niro and Cooper was spot on.

It has been a long time since I have seen that film that brings out every emotion in me. One minute I was on the edge of my seat and the next, I was laughing.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly was mine. If you want a film that isn’t a cliché then watch Limitless.