Priscilla Queen of the Desert, UK tour, The Mayflower, Southampton, June 2013

Anyone who has read this blog before will know that firstly I love musicals, secondly I really love Priscilla Queen of the Desert and felt there should be national day of mourning when it closed in the West End of London. 

Imagine my delight then when it was announced that Priscilla was on the move and coming to Southampton Mayflower.

Now I saw it at the beginning of June and have been a bit snowed under with exams, holiday prep and just work in general so I  have been unable to write about the tour, but thought with a free evening I would put pen to paper, so to speak.

The basic story from the West End and Australian show is the same, three drag queens travelling across the desert from Sydney to Alice Springs to perform at a Casino.

There is still the fascination with Kylie Minogue, the American one it has been changed to Madonna. Most of the songs are the same except the opening song of 'Downtown' has been changed to 'It's Raining Men' which works really, really well. They have also added 'True colours' which is in the US version.

Obviously stage-wise there are restrictions, especially when it comes to the bus. Priscilla is reduced to a bottom bit with screens near the top, however, it still works, you can imagine the bus is there and also it means that it is less likely to break down, as it sometimes did in London.

Noel Sullivan, of Hear'Say fame, was Tick on the week I went and was really good. He has amazing vocal ability and really camped up the character as I think sometimes people try to play Tick a bit safe as Adam is the overly camp one. It does seem though I am never going to see Jason Donovan in the role, as I have seen Ben Richards and Richard Grieve but never Jason.

Graham Weaver played Adam and although I love the original Adam - Olivier Thornton, Graham did a really good job.

Bernadette this time was played by Richard Grieve who I had previously seen as Tick and to be honest I think his Bernadette was amazing. I think he really suited the role better than the role of Tick. He was brilliant and really was a good looking woman...

There is so much colour and glamour when you see Priscilla that you just want to dance all the way home. I hope they keep touring as I never get tired of this musical, well I have seen it four times. If you want to see it, go to the tour!

Everyday I'm Shuffling

I will admit I am a Chris Moyles listener on Radio 1, and a while back they played the 'generic mp3 player shuffle game', it revealed some obvious choices - Aled's were usually pretty obvious.

So I thought I would play along and play ten songs on shuffle and see what comes up.

Here we go...
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric
2. Kylie Minogue - Step Back in Time
3. Kayne West ft. Jay Z - Diamonds from Sierra Leone
4. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
5.  We Are Scientists - Central AC
6. The Courteeners - Bide your Time
7. Daft Punk - End of Line (Tron Legacy soundtrack)
8. Kasabian - Switchblade Smiles
9. The Black Keys - Next Girl
10. Madonna - Like A Prayer

Well I was surprised, I thought it was going to bring up a whole load of Kylie, Glee and Gaga but I think my shuffle ten shows the diversity of my iPod, which is why I love my iPod, there is a song for every occasion.

So take part and let me know your shuffle.

Also on another note Kasabian is amazing to run to.

Gigs - past, present and future

As 2011 comes to an end I am reflecting back on one of my great loves, live music.

2011 was a pretty good year - Beady Eye, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Wild Beasts, Warpaint, Miles Kane (twice), Glee, Take That with Robbie and Kasabian.

Each very different and brilliant, Katy Perry smelt of strawberries, Kylie Minogue had a water fountain, Glee was OTT, Take That with Robbie was a childhood dream and Kasabian was amazing!

2010 was an amazing year! Gaga, Rihanna, Britney and Beyonce! And those were just the major ones.

So far 2012 is looking promising.

Only two gigs booked in one in February and one in March.

In February at Alexandra Palace in London I will be seeing The Black Eyes. I am beyond excited the album is immense and I have no doubt they will be amazing live.
As support they have Band of Horses, who should also be fantastic.

And in March I will be seeing McFly at Portsmouth Guildhall. This will be my fourth time seeing the band, and they are pretty good live. Always a good atmosphere and just good.

Hopefully I will be adding to this list, especially Lady Gaga, really want to see her again so fingers-crossed!

No-one else I don't think I want to see, but time will tell.

Thank you for the music

Music can evoke memories, conjure up happy or sad feelings or transport you back to a time and place.

Sometimes you don't realise how important music is in your life, be it that song you sing at the top of your voice when you need an ego boost or the song you dance to when getting ready for a night out.

There are songs that remind you of first loves, exes, holidays or gigs.

I do love my music but I don't think I really realised how important it is and how it can have an impact on my mood. So in a short post I thought I would put down some songs that are important to me.

I suppose I should start with the song that made me want to write this post... Scott Mills played The Futureheads 'Hounds of Love' on his Wonder Years on Radio 1 the other day...this was a song I bought because the guy I was seeing liked it and it reminded me of him. Now it reminds me of him, when he broke my heart for the last time (after six or seven good gos) I decided I hated the stupid song, so I did what any rational person would do, I smashed it with a hammer, it was  CD by the way. It felt good though believe me.

Then there is Outkast 'Hey Ya', I love, love, love this song! It reminds me of my first (and only) girly holiday to Dublin, it came on in a club called Q I think, it was an amazing night out and an amazing holiday. Britney Spears 'Toxic' brings back the same memories.

Anything Spice Girls reminds me of my childhood days, especially 'Spice up Your Life' which I remember going to my friend's grans house before school to watch the premiere of the video, we were subsequently late for school, well worth it. Me and my friend even had a band which sung Spice Girl's covers, fantastic. Aaahh those were the days.

Then gigs...my first gig was Boyzone, I know! But now Kylie Minogue 'Love at First Sight' obviously reminds me of meeting the great lady and being on cloud 9 dancing to it. And of course 'Vlad the Impaler' reminds me of the fantastic Kasabian gig in Brighton.

I will admit that I don't go out as much as I used but there are songs now that when I hear them it reminds me of those days J-Kwon 'Tipsy' reminds me of a shots bar, which I was sick in but that's by the by. 'Golddigger' by Kayne I can remember dancing with my friend.

And then there are the songs that make my heart melt because they remind me of that special someone in my life... like Elbow 'One Day Like This' is just one.

Its like when I hear the instrumental version of 'Kissing You' from Romeo and Juliet I burst into tears, it reminds me of my friends wedding.

I know it's silly but music is one of those things and I felt compelled to write about my love of music.

So to all bands and singers Thank you for the music!

Music makes the world go round

Music, you sing to it, you dance to it, you talk about it. No matter what type you like everyone likes some sort of music. You can go to a foreign country and a song will come on and you may not speak the same language but you can both sing and dance along to a Take That song.

I love music, songs can evoke such powerful feelings, the one you danced with on your girly holiday (Outkast Hey ya and Britney Toxic, Dublin '04) or the one your Mum danced to in the kitchen. They can help you through break ups or break downs. A song can make you smile or make you cry and there is nothing better than music while getting ready for a night out.

My boyfriend, I would say, has a very cool taste in music. He loves The Beatles, Bob Dylan, new indie bands and bands such as Deer Tick or The Rifles, as well as some bands you have never heard but are equally brilliant. If you flick through his iPod you get song after song of amazing tracks (although some are a little depression, I love Joy Division but can be a bit of a downer). I think he is a connoisseur of music and I don't think there is a dud song on his iPod, just don't tell him I said that.

My musical tastes are very varied. I was told by my mum who borrowed my iPod that if she didn't know me she would think I was a gay man, due to the amount of Kylie, Showtunes and Glee I had on there. My boyfriend can't understand how I can have songs like Bring the Light by Beady Eye, and bands such as Blondie and The Courteeners along songs by Katy Perry, Kylie and the Spice Girls. My iPod I know is very random, a bit like me. I love listening to Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal at the gym, or Kylie before a night out. If I am driving in the sun I whack on a bit of The Jacksons, or if I am in a bit of a mood Bloc Party.

I suppose I do have bands I like but sometimes I just like songs, if a song has a strong guitar I will probably like it. If a song sounds like a great dance track (LMFAO Party Rock Anthem), or just something I can sing my heart out to I will usually love it.

If you have read my blog before you will be able to tell I am a gig junkie, so if a song sounds amazing live or the song it self sounds like and has the vibe of being live, I will love it. I know it sounds strange but some songs I just love and I don't know why.

I will admit outright I am a very poppy girl, I love cheesy tunes and as you know Kylie is my icon but if a song has a strong guitar, emotional lyrics or a fit front man... I'm there!

Kylie Minogue, The O2, London, 8th April 2011

*** SPOILER *** If you are seeing Kylie and don't want to know any details do not read on!!!


Right you have been warned...


This is the third time I have seen Kylie but only the second tour, this time it was the Aphrodite: Les Folies tour and from the on-set it looked as if no expense had been spared. Reportedly £15 million was spent on the show, and with costumes from Dolce and Gabbana it was well worth the money.


The show opened with Aphrodite, the graphics on the background was of people swimming under water and was very realistic, it felt as if they would fall through at any moment.


The set was one of a Greek theatre and this show was full of drama.

I'm not sure if it was because there was standing and I was in the standing part but this tour felt more like a party than the X2008 tour. It seemed as if Kylie was a lot more relaxed and really enjoyed herself, although during one song it looked as if she was crying but with happiness I hope, maybe it was the nice sunny weather making her feel at home.


As well as a lot of songs from the new album Aphrodite, she played her all time classics that got the crowd singing and dancing.


The crowd danced the whole time but more so when she performed classics such as What do I have to do, Better the Devil you know and my all time favourite Confide in Me.  I have never heard her sing it live, but it was amazing. My other favourite Kylie song is Love at First Sight, however, this time she mixed it with Can't beat the feeling, I will admit I didn't like it that much, so I was a little disappointed.


The sets and videos were fantastic, she truly is a creative genius! Everything is planned to the last detail and makes the show amazing. Kylie also has an amazing singing voice, during a brief interlude she took a request from the audience and sung Hand on my Heart, she got it wrong the first time but on the second try it was fantastic.

For Cupid Boy Kylie had a video featuring her gorgeous boyfriend Andres Velencoso (above)... you can see why.... GORGEOUS!! If I couldn't see my boyfriend every night what better way to set a remind then huge screens.


Kylie also was visited by a angel during the set during her own song Looking for an Angel, which was followed by Eurythmics' There Must Be an Angel, it was heavenly!
Nearing on two hours she sung and danced her heart out with the help of backing singers Roxy and Lucy. She is truly exceptional. The whole atmosphere was just amazing, it was a true party feeling. People even were dancing on their way out, although very reluctantly (leaving not dancing).


The finale.... well what can I say, she finished with All The Lovers, but I heard that some tickets were for a Splash Zone and we soon found out why. She has streams of water shooting up from the stage and during the song people were up dancing on ropes above her head and the stage came out like a fountain. It was fantastic. Here is someones video on YouTube.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxlhjgUhzU

If you have never seen Kylie but get the opportunity to, DO! She's called the showgirl for a reason and I really think she should claim her crown off Madonna and be crowed the true Queen of Pop.

All photos are mine.

Coming soon...

I saw Kylie Minogue on Friday so a review is on the way, also got some more up my sleeve.


It is very sunny in England at the moment so it is very distracting but do not fear the blog posts are on their way. I'm spending today with my sister but over the next couple of days no boyfriend as he is working so my blog will be getting my full attention.


Hope its sunny where you are, but keep checking back for further posts.

Miss Kylie Minogue

I have been writing this blog for well over a year and I am very surprised that I have never written a post on my idol. I mentioned her in the idol post briefly but nothing just about my idol, who is..... Miss Kylie Minogue.


I have liked Kylie for as long as I can remember. My mum has always watched Neighbours so even as a small child in the 80s I can remember seeing her as Charlene with the gorgeous Scott. As much as I was obsessed with Kylie I was convinced I would marry Jason Donovan. I remember taking his cassette (yes I'm that old) to school just so I could look at his picture sa but true, but then I was only five. I can remember going to my cousin's house in Kidderminster and we would watch her Kylie video and my Jason one.


I will admit I dropped out of my Kylie phase a little in the 90s, during her impossible princess stage when I was being a Pop Princess. I fell in love with Take That and the Spice Girls. Then nearing the millennium Kylie released the pop hit Spinning Around and I was hooked.


That was it really, I do love Kylie Minogue I'm not obsessed, but I think she is amazing. I love the X album and Confide in Me and Love at First Sight are my all time favourite songs.


In all my years of Kylie mania I never had the opportunity to see her live. During her Showgirl tour over five years ago I hinted so much for tickets but no one picked up the hint. Then she was diagnosed with cancer.


I was thrilled when I got to go to the V&A and see all her costumes and clothes over the years: seeing in the flesh the iconic symbols that have made Kylie who she is today.




I watched the White Diamond documentary with a tear in my eye, bought the books and was mildly shocked when she parted ways with her visionary ill Baker (they are ok now though).


Finally in 2008 I got tickets to see Kylie's X tour, to say I was overjoyed is putting it lightly I was ecstatic. Finally after all these years I would see her concerts in the flesh rather than on my TV. When I saw a competition in a magazine to win tickets to see Kylie, I thought I would enter, who knows if I don't win then I'm already going if I do I can go twice.


Now, I was at work and I received a load of missed calls from an unknown number. When I finally picked up I was told I had won a competition. I had no idea what they meant. So when the woman then told me what I had won I went into, what I can only describe as shock. She said: "You have won a night stay in a five star hotel in London, travel to and from London, a new mobile phone, a spa treatment at the hotel, tickets for the gig and a meet and greet with Kylie before the gig. Are you free to do this?" I just muttered yes, not quite knowing what the hell was going on.


As soon as I hung up the phone I'll admit it, I burst into tears. The five year old in me running about like a crazy person. Then I rung everyone I could think of and asked my manager for the day off.


I saw the first gig on the Sunday, which was amazing. Then a couple of days later I was back at the O2 after having an amazing back massage, all ready and scared that meeting my idol was not going to happen. When we sat down in the room full of a load of Kylie fans I could not keep my eyes off the door. And then it happened, Miss Minogue walked through and I had to hold back the tears.


To be honest it was a bit of a blur, she was stood in front of me, the complexion of a china doll, tiny frame and loads of stage make up. I talked to her about the concert and not much else but it was really good.


We had our photo taken with her, Kylie was amazing saying how to pose, with a pout and a smile.It was the best thing ever to happen to me. Afterwards I was jumping around singing "I've met Kylie Minogue!" As you can tell from the photo I am just a little bit happy at being stood so close to my idol.




I have tickets for the Les Follies tour, I am so excited, seen a little bit and it looks amazing! Look out for a gig review in April.


Here is the proof by the way....

Icons: "I never think of myself as an icon. What is in other people's minds is not in my mind. I just do my thing."- Audrey Hepburn

Icon is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as the following: 

                  Noun

1 (also ikon) a devotional painting of Christ or another holy figure, typically executed on wood and used ceremonially in the Byzantine and other Eastern Churches.

2 a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration: this iron-jawed icon of American manhood



3 Computing a symbol or graphic representation on a screen of a program, option, or window.

4 Linguistics a sign that has a characteristic in common with the thing it signifies, for example the word snarl pronounced in a snarling way. 
(http://oxforddictionaries.com)

Now, I am a massive fan of iconic women, I have shelves of books about interesting women that have done something in the world or been a fleeting popular culture icon.

Over the decades there have been a whole host of iconic women, including: Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, Queen Victoria, another who I have a biography waiting to be read, Coco Chanel, Oprah Winfrey, Cleopatra, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Amelia Earhart, Edie Sedgwick and Billie Holiday to name a few. As well as I think my idol Kylie Minogue, Madonna and of course Lady Gaga. All of which have contributed to society or popular culture, or changed people’s perspectives on issues.

I have countless books on Marilyn Monroe, her short life fascinates me. Every book I read highlights a new area that I have never seen before or a new fact that has recently come to light. Some might argue that she is not an icon but a blonde bimbo who didn't have a clue what she was doing, but the fact she was known as a dizzy blonde with a curvy body that women imitated surely highlights her iconic status. She is someone who is referred to as an inspiration for artists or actors. Also the fact that if you dig a little deeper you realise that she was not a dizzy blonde but a very smart woman who wanted a career on her own terms.

Before she died she was in the process of starting up her own production company so that she could be seen as a serious actress rather than a comedy piece of fluff. In a savvy and potentially dangerous move, she had it added to her contract that she could ask for script changes and choose the films and the directors she worked with. Something that was unheard of in the Hollywood studio system, which saw actors tied into contracts with one studio doing as they were told.

In a time when women were largely seen as either sex goddess or homely wife, with not much in between, Marilyn Monroe was trying desperately to push these boundaries to give herself a better life. As she said "An actress is not a machine, but they treat you like one, money making machine."

I have said in a previous post how I am reading a biography on Jackie Kennedy Onassis, another woman who is seen as an icon of her time, but to be honest I can see why she was a fashion icon but reading the book I am on the fence. I haven't finished it yet so I suppose I should wait but Jackie Kennedy is not what I was expecting, the book implies she knew of Kennedy's indiscretions and seemed more concerned with spending money on doing up the White House. Although on foreign visits she seemed to shine, getting on with foreign prime ministers and kings but other than that I'm not sure.

I suppose in many ways she became more of an icon after the death of her husband as this gave her the opportunity to step out of his shadow. So for now I'm undecided but will let you know what I think when I have finished the book.

It makes me wonder looking at the definition if all these women are icons. It does make you question the term, they all represent a time and a place, but then I suppose it's not the definition that counts but what the women did that matters. As long as people are still interested, reading up on or making films about them they are icons, especially if they influence future generations.