Building from the ground up.

It's been quite a while since my last blog post - a good six weeks or so, where lots and lots has happened. So let's fill you all in!

Firstly, my holiday was wonderful - a week in France where there was hardly a cloud in the sky and temperatures hit 40 degrees at some points. My room was double and en-suite, there was free WiFi - so plenty of networking happened - and because the guy who owned the place was English, there was even a TV with Sky Plus attached to it, meaning I could watch the Olympics and not have to worry about having no idea what was going on. And wow, weren't the Olympics great? I really feel we did the country proud, not just with our Opening and Closing Ceremonies but at how well our athletes performed and really stepped up to the mark. It was a great time to be British and I couldn't be any prouder to be so.

And after that came Soul Survivor, and that was utterly fantastic as well. Our entire youth group was blessed over the whole week and God really showed himself to us. For me personally, he put me through absolute agony, but the result is that I have been stripped of all the negativity that had plagued me for the last year or so. Literally, it's all gone. I feel happier in myself, I have a lot more confidence in myself - heck, I even feel handsome. It's utterly unreal as to what he has done, and it's something I'm never going to forget, because he broke the chains that were holding me back and replaced them with his love and peace. That's what the title of this post is all about - I am now building from the ground up again, building for a brighter and happier future.

That future will soon become my third year at uni, which given that I feel great is set to be an absolute blinder. I have got lots going on, but not so much that I will be able to have a great time and get really stuck into things. I have seen my timetable for this year and it means I can easily fit a job around it, I am playing 6-a-side football for the first semester at least with my mates and I'm sure there will be lots more to come. It's all very exciting!

Right now, I'm still commuting a lot, but I should have all the work finished by tomorrow, at which point I start my church's festival! This is also shaping up to be great - I'm involved in so many different things there and have even got free 'camping' as I'm doing overnight security in one of the tents. Yesiree, it's all looking up, for a change. I'm still single, but I know that there is somebody out there and I'm not troubled in the slightest by other relationships any more: I know that my wonderful woman is just around the corner from me and when she appears, I'll know it and things can be built up again.

Exciting times ahead, as you can see. And because I am now back blogging, I will endeavour to inform you of everything that goes on in my final year. After all, I wouldn't be living up to my title of 'From Fresher to Graduate and beyond...' otherwise, would I?

Laters xx

Life is one big yo-yo

No, literally, I mean that.

This whole month is so hectic I just HAD to write a blog post on it. How is it like a yo-yo? Well, I'm commuting from home to Bristol and back more than anything currently. In the last two weeks I've been travelling on a train more than I think I've ever been. Essentialy, I'm doing work for my dad during the day, commuting to Bristol for my evening shifts and then commuting back. I don't mind it at all, I've always liked train journeys. However, standing on a platform at 10 in the evening with nothing bu a vanilla milkshake to keep you going is not the most pleasant an interesting expeience. Nevertheless, it's putting money in my back pocket, and with a holiday coming up I should start saving.

Oh yeah, and THEN I have Soul Survivor, literally the day after my holiday. Words cannot describe how excited I am to be going back. It's my first time there in three years and I'm really looking forward to it. For all of you who don't know, Soul Survivor is a Christian festival in Shepton Mallet in Somerset. Every year, 8-12,000 people turn up for a week with a lot of tents, set them up in a field (well, the Bath and West Showground) and worship God. There are morning and evening worships in the biggest tent in Europe, and throughout the day there are various seminars, activities etc to get involved in, all around the teachings of Jesus. In the evening after worship there's live music, time to chill out etc - it's an absolutely fantastic week which also sees maybe 500-1000 people become Christians over a single week. And this goes on for three - Weeks A, B and C. Even if you're not a man or woman of faith, I would recommend you go along just to see what it's like. You may even surprise yourself ;)

After that, I have my church festival at Gorsley and then it's back into my third year at uni. Despite the fact I only have a year, I'm going to make the most of it and try to have an absolute blast in the process. For now though, I should probably be getting on with some work haha. One final thing though - congratulations to Spain for winning Euro 2012, even if you DID leave me £10 out of pocket.

Laters xx

I hate jobs.

You wait ages for one, and then all of a sudden two of them come along at once.

Oh yes, THIS blogger is back in employment!

So, what are you doing, I hear you ask? Well, the first one is at a place called ELM Legal Services, about 15 minutes away from my house in Bristol. It's a job in a call centre, but it's nothing like sales work - I ring people up and ask them if they have a will in place. If they say no, I ask if they would like to receive a letter of information through the post about our services. If they say yes, I confirm their details and hang up. Easy peasy. And it pays well and will fit very nicely in and around my studies when I go back to uni in September. Perfect.

The second one is a little more 'cooler' - I'm also working for Planet Mosh, a metal webzine, reviewing albums and the like. It's pretty cool, I have two reviews up so far with more to come as time goes on - you can find the one for Kids Can't Fly here and my Whitechapel review here. I recommend both of them to you highly. My next one will be up in over the weekend, I should imagine. I'll also be able to cover gigs and stuff too, I am so happy I'm working for them: a lot of experience and help on my Creative Writing front, for sure.

What else has been going on in the past month? Well, I performed in the Creative Writing Showcase, which saw me play a very gay director from New York, which was a lot of fun. I've got immensly jealous of everyone who went to Download Festival, I've recorded a radio play for the Drama Soc (which, with a bit of re-recording and editing will be aired on UWE Radio, yay!), I've booked myself in to attend Soul Survivor this year for the first time since 2009, and as I type this I'm sat at home having done a few shifts in Gloucester this week at the Cathedral Coffee Shop and done some work for my dad. Phew! A lot goes on in a month. Oh, and I've had my heartbeat pushed into hyperdrive by England at Euro 2012, which is a standard nowadays.

Iron Maiden kick off their new tour tonight in Charlotte, NC. It's based around 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son', which is my favourite album by them EVER. The setlist won't be posted on here for the benefit of spoilers and the like, but it's going to be an utterly wonderful tour - even if they'll most likely play Download, which annoys me. Oh yeah, and to all the people who fucked off home without seeing ANY bands at Download 2012 due to the weather, and then complained about everything - shame on you. It's your own fault for spending £200 on a festival and not dealing with the rain. You all need a good healthy dose of Man the Fuck Up. Yes the festival could have been better organised, but you should have been prepared as well.

Anyway, rant over, I'm going to stay up and wait for Maiden's setlist. I will be back in touch soon.

Laters xx

More things about this week.

Look at this!

This is my Reader Review of Skindred in Bristol last month printed for all Metal Hammer readers to enjoy for the next month! I apologise for the average quality, the camera on my phone appears to have taken one too many knocks to bring it in focus properly. Proper chuffed it got printed, they're a magazine I'd love to work for in the future, haven't missed an issue for four years straight. I hope that my minor in Creative Writing will give me a good footing should I apply to work there. Of course I want to be an actor, and I probably always will, but should a career on stage and screen not work out then I'd be very interested in music journalism. It's little things like this that will be very useful in the future when it comes to showing what I've done in the past.

On an entirely different note, I have really got myself into Back to the Future in recent weeks. Not just film-wise: I genuinely believe I was born in the wrong era. Living in the 50s or the 80s would have been so much greater, as far as I'm concerned. I hasten to add that this would be AMERICA in the 50s or 80s. Don't get me wrong - I love where I am now, it's amazing to be able to contact the entire world with the tap of a screen and the push of a button, the ablility to watch live sport on the TV in 3D and have 1000 channels at your fingertips. But life back then seems so much SIMPLER. And cooler. Plus, I appear to be developing an attraction for females in 50s-style outfits. The woman who plays Lorraine in the film is simply smoking wwhen she's playing her teenage self.

That said, I know that it's from a film and would have been given the 'Hollywood treatment' that coats everything with so much sugar even the foulest piece of shit can taste sweet. I imagine young adults experienced the exact same problems we do now, and living conditions probably weren't as they are portrayed. But I'd love to go back and spend a week or two there, see how I get on.

Talking of the past, I have really got back into my old PS2 games. My PS2 itself is cream crackered, it only plays PS1 games for a start. So it was a welcome relief when my housemate's boyfriend set his PS3 up in my room. I have been playing Dark Cloud, Simpsons: Hit and Run and Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction for hours at a time. It's been so much fun revisiting my past in the smallest of ways, even if I've found things about it as frustrating as before.

And today? Well I had another rehearsal for the Creative Writing Showcase I'm a part of, and then yet another spontaneous student barbecue. I'm loving the time I'm spending with friends, out in the back garden with smokes, drinks, food and laughs. It's absolutely wonderful and I am looking forward to more of them.

Right, I'd best start winding down this evening.

Laters xx

The Twenties: Chapter One

So, I have now been 20 for eight days. Or twenTEEN, as I was informed the other day. I apologise for not updating sooner, this week has been taken up by drinking and partying. Let's begin on the past week.

Monday saw me at my friend's house party - she turned 21 on the same day as me, so I spent the night there. It was all going well until I bought vodka...I remember very little now of the night in question - only photographic evidence reminds me that I was there.

Tuesday saw me recover, and much needed too!

On Wednesday I went for a meal with the cast of Titanic to ZaZa Bazaar's, an all-you-can-eat joint on the Waterfront. A very enjoyable time was had, I must remember to go back again. After a small time spent outside watching an exceptional travelling brass band. This was then followed by pre-drinks in Lloyds (again on the Waterfront) before some of us headed on down to OMG, a gay club on Park Street, with free entry and drink from 99p. And despite me catching three people in the face with my elbow and not getting home until 4am, I once more had a brilliant night.

Thursday was about recovering again, as the following three days were hectic.

Friday started by heading to Clifton Downs for more time with the Titanoraks and listening to the most beautiful voice message ever from one very drunk Paul Bailey on Wednesday night. Then it was down to St. Matts for the Summer Last Orders - which included a large football match on the sunken lawn - and THEN onto the Bierkeller for their Phuct Video Games night, which I admit would have been better if more people had turned up.

Saturday saw the annual Drama Ball, which was a lovely event on Campus again. I had a bit of a moment due to severe loneliness but on the whole it was really good.

And then we come to Sunday. From midday St. Matt's held a Fun Day on the sports pitch which included a barbecue, gladiator poles, a bouncy castle and sumo suits. After living over two decades on this planet I FINALLY learnt how to do a forward roll/roly poly, whatever you want to call it, so that was something of an achievement, but again it was just great to chill out and have a lot of fun with my friends. That evening saw a Summer Ball, which I went to, then went home and got changed and then returned because I felt horrifically overdressed. That evening, a few of us hit Mbargo's in town and I rolled into bed a very happy bunny.

So, that ended my first week of being a 20-something. And now I have to look forward to the Creative Writing Showcase on Wedensday and Thursday where I aam playing a world class director. It's gonna be amazing, you should all come down and watch it. Half 7, St. Matt's campus, Room M1. It's gonna be great.

Talking of the showcase, I'm off for a rehearsal now and I'll be abck later with a bit more of an update on life.

Laters xx

The end is nigh.

In 90 minutes I cease being a teenager.

 In an hour and a half I will have lived on this planet 2 full decades.

Yes, at midnight, I become 20 years old.

It's a very weird feeling, given that I've spent the last 7 years of my life being a teenager. I've been through so much, and am planning a huge number crunching session tomorrow that will explain. But now I have to face the fact that I'm into my twenties.

Nevertheless, growing is old is inevitable, and growing up is optional.

See you on the other side.

Laters xx

We Don't Need No Education.

As many of you will probably know, I am far too nice for my own good. I always see the positives in people and I want every single individual that I meet and know to be happy and successful in life. I believe that every single person in this world can do anything - all they have to do is set their mind to it. And it really gets on my nerves when people are given the tools to make something quite brilliant and they end up pissing it away.

Why am I saying this at half 11 on a Friday morning? Because whilst casually browsing Twitter earlier today, I came across a tweet saying:

'Attended 1 day of sixth form so far this week, nice going.'

Now, I don't like to be an old so-and-so about this, but people like this really get my goat. We in this country are lucky to have a free education system, that from the ages of 4 until 18, it is a compulsory requirement for us to go to school five days a week. Of course there are still the private and boarding schools that charge tuition fees, but I went to a free comprehensive and have come out of it with 3 A Levels, 4 AS Levels and 12 GCSE's. We really take it for granted sometimes just how fortunate we are, there are countries around the world (particularly the poorer nations) where school is just for the rich, and not for the intelligent. There are kids on this planet who actually DREAM about going to school and learning about things. Perhaps we should switch them all over? Any person that does not want to learn is shipped out to wherever and replaced by someone who would jump at the chance to learn Maths, English and Science. We'd reduce the amount of people leaving school with next-to-nothing and Jeremy Kyle would be out of a job in 5 years.

What gets me even more, though, is that this individual is in SIXTH FORM. Now, although the laws changed in 2010 to state that all children must stay in school until they are 18, that law only applied to the Year 7s around the country that year. For everyone Year 8 to 11, they were still allowed to leave at 16. This person consciously CHOSE to stay on for A Levels and actually obtained the grades to do so. As far as I can see, they are wasting the opportunity to build their foundation for life even more and seem to be happy about doing it in the process. Yes, I was very happy that I was finally studying less than 5 subjects and that I had at least one free period a day, and when it came to Year 13 I was going home after half a day as well. But I still put the effort in. I attended every single class whether I wanted to or not, and it paid off. Only an error by the exam board scuppered me of the B that I deserved for my Drama A Level. Again, there are people who would KILL to go to Sixth Form and improve their chances of going to university, so to see people like the above who are apparently abusing the system just rubs salt into the wounds.

I won't get on to university because it's an entirely different board game, but let me just finish with this - when Tony Blair became Prime Minister in 1997, he began his opening speech with the words 'Education, education, education.' Now, I can fully see why. It appears that many people in the UK DO believe that 'We don't need no education.' Fine by me, enjoy just being another brick in the wall.

Laters xx

Scar Symmetry feat. Bobby McFerrin

The vast majority of us will know Bobby McFerrin for being pushed down a flight of stairs by Stewie Griffin in an episode of Family Guy, but I can't lie, he's done a wonderful job on this. One of the best theme tunes on the planet and he deserves a medal for what he's done.

On the subject of music, on Friday I went to a gig at the O2 Academy. Or rather, The O2 Academy 2. I've never had a gig in the upstairs room before: the capacity is less than a quarter of the main room and the stage is in one corner - there are two sides of a square to for the audience to stand around. It's actually quite a nice venue, but DAMN it was loud. My ears have usually stopped ringing the morning I wake up after a gig - this time it wasn't until midday. I would like to say thank you to Jay and Katt for getting me on the guestlist for this event - a free concert is always welcoming.

Anyway, the bands! Openers Deal's Death [6] got a bit of a rum deal as far as this review goes - I turned up half an hour late and after sorting myself out only caught the very last song. Nevertheless, they made me bang my head and were good - I will have to catch them again. Betraeus [7] brought together a fine blend of prog and death metal, clearly inspired by Gojira. Main support Xerath [7] continued the trend with gusto and strength. But everyone was here for one band, and one band only, and despite the abscence of guitaris Jonas Kjellgren, Scar Symmetry [8] proceeded to play 13 songs in the space of an hour with pace and aplomb so great I didn't want it to end. They didn't let up from the opening strains of 'The Anomaly' to the closing notes of 'The Illusionist'. Roberth Karlsson and Lars Palmqvist make a formidable vocal assault, Roberth's growls perfectly complementing Lars' cleaner tones, and when Lars re-appears in a Union Jack shirt the small yet dedicated audience roars in approval. Through tunes such as 'Pitch Black Progress' and the brilliantly-titled 'Rise of the Reptilian Regime, the band give us songs from each of their five albums. And despite the curfew of 10pm so the Academy can prepare for the club night at 11:30, the band proceed to hang out with us for a bit and sign my setlist, written on a paper plate. All in all, a very fun night!

Today I got an essay back which leave me four marks outstanding before I know everything about Year 2. That said, the 62 I received today meant I am now averaging 59.1 for the year as opposed to 58, which I'm very happy about - 4 big scores in the last 4 assessments and I could push this up to a 60/61, which is massive if I want a 2:1 at the end of university as a degree. I also have been cast as the 'Director' in the Drama Society Original Writing Showcase on May 30th/31st, in a play by the wonderful James Bonser called 'Noir', an absurdist piece. I am very much looking forward to this as acting roles have been few and far between this year, so I'm pleased I have something to really get my teeth into.

Mumford and Sons are brilliant for writing these posts - they really help me reflect and bring back all I need. Seems a bit weird that I should listen to them, considering my usual music taste, but they're incredibly calming and I think they're excellent. Seeing them live would be brilliant

And with that, this post is done. In a bit people.

Laters xx

UPDATE: I've just noticed this is my 69th post. I couldn't help but giggle. Wow, I'm so mature.

For Those About To Rock.

This AC/DC song had been a real voice to me in recent days. It's the second line that has had particular impact.

Stand up and be counted.

It's less than ten days until I turn 20. And while I will forever hold the philosophy of 'Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional', the fact that I will no longer be a teenager says to me that I have to start acting my age a bit.

It's a weird feeling, but I want to let the adult inside me start to take me through the next phase in my life. That means growing up more.

What you are about to see is a man grab the bull with both hands firmly on its horns, not with one hand to allow some control but allowing people in freely to help out. That does not mean I will be shutting the door completely and trying to go it alone - far from it. Everybody needs the support of friends and family, that's just the way things are. But I have to take more responsibility now, make sure everything is in order before I undertake certain activities and the like.


Don't get me wrong, I'll still be the same old Elliot - if anything, I'll just be a helluva lot more organised than I am now. You'll still have the crazy cocktail that makes up me, that isn't going anywhere :)


But I'm about to rock, and hopefully gain a few salutes in the process.


FIRE!!!!


xx

The perfect week?

Potentially so.

I'm actually not sure how this is going to affect me in the long run, because everything has fallen into place almost simultaneously. This scares me a little - for now I have to hold everything down and keep it together!

So, Friday night was the best night out I have had in a VERY long time, and rounded off a week of finishing uni, trial shifts and fun times. I wasn't worrying about anyone, there was no real drama and I drank more than I wanted to, but hey - I was finally having a night about me, where nothing was going to stop me from having a good time, and so it proved. Saturday was spent sleeping, drinking tea and going to a friend's leaving meal, where I finally tasted Heaven's food (ribs), tried mussels and risotto and had a wonderful laugh with friends, with today about seeing family. To top it all off, Chelsea won the Cup, even if I spent the last 30 minutes watching it through my fingers. A wonderful end to a wonderful week

My one concern is that Friday night left me in more of a wonderful position than I was expecting. Something happened that came so far out the blue even the Smurfs were applauding the colour as it left the hue. And it's actually caused a disruption. A good disruption I would like to add, but one that I've actually been struggling to deal with - although being utterly shattered hasn't helped either, as tiredness makes everything so much more intense. Nevertheless, the last 48 hours have been about me riding a wave of conflicting emotions and I haven't been dealing with them great. That said, I've dealt with them better today than last night, so that's a plus. And whilst I know that it won't be a long-term thing, I will make the most of it, as I'm happier than I have been in ages.

Arrangements are in place for my 20th birthday. It's two weeks away. 14 days. 336 hours (and counting). Expect a couple of poems about my teenage life as I go through this. I'm scared, but obviously looking forward to it at the same time. It's going to be a laugh and a half.

I'm really tired - didn't get much sleep last night and I could do with some. FINALLY seeing the Avengers tomorrow: the first trip saw us get within ten people to the box office and the line selling out, so here's hoping we can actually see it this time.

Laters xx

Late night post and letter to Johnny.

I wanted to get this out of the way now before I sleep.

 

I watched the film 'Huge' tonight, starring Noel Clarke and Johnny Harris. Noel is probably best known for playing Mickey in the revamped series of Doctor Who that began in 2005, as well as directing Kidulthood and Adulthood. Johnny, meanwhile, is known for playing (a different) Mickey is This Is England '86 and This Is England '88, the BBC3 drama The Fades and starring in London to Brighton, amongst other things. It is Johnny I want to focus on in this blog post.

 

Johnny was taught by a tutor at my university, and last year he came in for the day to speak to the Drama students about his experiences and other things. After this, he came down to the SU and the two of us spent a good 15-30 minutes just shooting the shit and talking about anything and everything. Since then, we have continued the odd chat here and there on Twitter, fan to actor. But what has struck me about him is how welcoming he has been towards me. We only spoke for a short amount of time after that visit, yet he still remembers me. I'm not just another fan and that's that, he has always found that little bit of extra time for me. I am sure that I'm not the only exception and that he finds time for a lot of people, but I really feel that he's gone the extra mile in this instance.

 

It's something I want to be. If I make it as a well-known face, then part and parcel of my job is to be recognised. But I want to show to any admirers I may have a gentle and warm side, even if I'm going through a tough time (which may present itself in front of any unfortunate press!). If citizens want pictures and autographs and stuff, then so be it. I don't want to give off an air of 'me and you', I want to be able to glow 'us' and 'we', which is something I really feel about Johnny. He's not your prima donna actor, he's a genuine, down-to-earth guy with a huge amount going for him and a wealth of talent, some of which I feel is still waiting to be explored. And I hope that I can keep my current personality, even if I end up on many red carpets in front of many camera flashes.

 

I don't know how well this has come across, but I want to sum it up like this: Johnny, if you ever read this, thank you for being a huge influence on me; not just as an actor, but also for being a legend of a human being, so humble and modest. I hope that one day we can meet again and talk like old friends, even though it will have only been the second time we have met.

 

Regards,

 

Elliot Leaver

Oh yeah, forgot to say!!

Remember I was talking about reviewing the Jagermeister Tour and sending it off to various people?

Well...

METAL HAMMER ARE PRINTING IT!!

That's right, the 100-word review I sent off to the magazine is being printed as the 'Reader Review' and will either be in the issue out on Tuesday or the following one at the end of May! Be sure to pick up a copy - even if you're not really into your metal - and have a read of what yours truly had to say about Skindred!

Also on that front...

WESTERN EYE MAY BE PRINTING IT TOO!!

On top of Metal Hammer, a 400 word review of the whole gig may be printed in UWE's paper. The new edition will be out soon, so fingers crossed on that front.

There are other future plans afoot, but until more developments occur I cannot reveal them, sadly. You'll just have to keep tuning in, but I tell you this now, it's VERY exciting!

Will this really be it? Who knows, you may get another post in a few minutes!

(For now) Laters xx

Done and done.

Tomorrow morning I hand in my final piece of coursework for my second year. After that, a quick check of the calender tells me that I am free for the next 21 weeks before lectures start again on September 24th. 

How am I feeling right now? Well, a mixture of emotions. I'm relieved because I have yet again managed to complete my assignment on time - this after my essay title was only agreed on Friday evening. I do wish my tutor had been more responsive when replying to my emails, but what's done is done and it wasn't a huge factor in any respect given that I completed the essay. I just wish I had been given more time to properly research and nail down what I wanted to say: I do feel that it's a little rushed. Nevertheless, it's in.

I'm also feeling quite scared in a way. This time next year all written assignments will be done and I will have two, maybe three performances to go before my entire undergraduate year is finished. Then it's out into the big wide world. Time has flown, although it always does when you're having fun. I have made so many wonderful friends at university and had a blast in the process, so I can definitely say it's been worthwhile coming. However, I take comfort in the knowledge that I will still be able to enjoy their company for the next 12-14 months minimum.

Despite this fear, nothing can take away my happiness right now. The last week has been amazing for so many different reasons. Here's a quick run down:

Sunday saw me in London with my family as my Mum ran the London Marathon. She completed the course in 4 hours, 49 minutes and 40 seconds, which for a first-time marathon runner is an absolutely fantastic achievement. Words cannot describe how proud I am for her, she's come a long way since she first started running last year.

Tuesday saw Chelsea Football Club make it to the Champions League Final on one of the greatest nights at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, they lost defender Gary Cahill after 12 minutes before Sergio Busquets scored to put Barcelona 1-0 up and level the tie. A moment of madness saw captain John Terry sent off and we swiftly went 2-0 down though Andres Iniesta. Barca were flying and all looked lost. But on the stroke of half-time Ramires scored a precious away goal and we were heading through once again.
The second half saw us deploy a 5-4-0 formation as we camped out in our own penalty area. It looked to be for nothing when Didier Drogba appeared to foul Cesc Fabregas and gave away a dubious penalty. Up stepped the greatest player in the world, Lionel Messi, and I thought it was over. But he hit the bar and we survived. Barcelona were tearing us apart, but somehow we held strong. On 81 minutes Drogba was replaced by Fernando Torres, and in injury time the Spaniard broke away from the defence, rounded the goalkeeper and scored. 2-2 on the night, 3-2 on aggregate and we were through. Now we face FC Bayern on their home turf in Munich on May 19th, but Tuesday night will be remembered for a long time.

Wednesday saw me finally get back into employment for the summer and if I keep it together for the rest of the year and maybe on further. Lovely little coffee shop next to Syndicate in the city centre, I start training tomorrow. I'm proper happy about this because it's been a struggle balancing out everything this year, but hopefully I will be able to get somewhere with this now. Combine with my Student Ambassador job that I intend to keep and I will be a very happy third year.

Thursday was all about Twelfth Night, done by the Drama Society. A wonderful night out and a very funny production to boot. Everyone did exceptionally well and I was really pleased I went to see it.

So, that's been my week so far. In other news from the last 15 days, I am now directing the Drama Soc radio play on my own as my co-director has had to pull out. Not gonna lie, I am a little nervous about it, but I am very excited at the same time. Next week is about adapting the script for radio use and away we go! Four of my church friends were baptised today, which was wonderful - just a shame I couldn't go down to see them due to my essay. This is in addition to the six (yeah, SIX) that were baptised on Easter Sunday. The church is definitely moving forward in Christ and that's something to be very grateful about. Details for the Drama Ball have come to surface, and I am helping out with that on the live music front. All well and good I will be signing a few songs onstage and letting the inner prat inside of me take control for a good 10-15 minutes or so. Better on stage with a microphone than jumping around my room with an old deodorant can. One of these days I'll go through the floor...

That's pretty much it for now. With uni out of the way for a while I should be able to update a lot more - I won't get as lax I promise!

Laters xx

Special: Jagermeister Tour Review!

What do you get when you put one of the UK's hottest live bands, a trio of alt. rock legends and five British rockers on one bill, add a different opening act for each of the 5 night stretch and then sell tickets for a fiver? The Jagermeister Music Tour 2012, that's what!

After a successful stretch last year, the Jagermeister Music Tour returned to the UK, running through Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and London before finishing at the O2 Academy in Bristol. The venue sold out before any of the others, a mixture of generations filling the venue for a night of brilliant music.

Opening the night, local act Turbowolf (8). I wasn't sure what to expect from them, but they thoroughly impressed with their unique brand of psychedelic, electronic rock. Vocalist Chris Georgiadis, looking like the hippie brother of the 118 guys, made very good use of the limited space on stage, his mad eyes encapturing every audience member present and rounding everything off with a little bit of crowdsurfing. Black Spiders (8) continue to show us why they are a force to be reckoned with on the live circuit, newer songs like 'KISS Tried to Kill Me' slotting in perfectly alongside more well-known numbers such as 'Stay Down', and no time is wasted between songs - banter is kept to a minimum to allow the music to do the talking. The big surprise of the night is Therapy? (9) who gives us a balanced mix of old and new songs and really get the crowd going, inciting the first pits of the night with an 11-song set that had pace and power. 'Nowhere' and 'Screamager' off 1994 album Troublegum and new single 'Living in the Shadow of a Terrible Thing' were particular highlights and the band put all pre-show doubts I had about them to rest.

No such doubts about headliners Skindred (9), however: the reggae metal boys hailing from Newport in Wales are well known for their energetic live shows, and despite a false start when they lost all power on stage before they'd even played a note, they recovered to give the 1,600 strong crowd a performance that made the price of the ticket even MORE of a bargain. It's a mystery  to many why these guys are playing academies and not venues like Hammersmith Apollo: the crowd didn't stop moving for the entirity of the set. The band played four songs from new album Union Black and mashed up plenty of others - 'Pressure' was combined with their cover of AC/DC's 'Back in Black'; 'The Fear' had the outro for 'Rude Boy For Life' and closing song 'Nobody' was preceded by a snippet of Slayer's 'Raining Blood'. They even threw in a small intermission of Beyonce's 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)'. Frontman Benji Webbe is as charismatic as ever with his banter and his prescence, and is probably the UK's best frontman not called Bruce Dickinson. But the best is yet to come, as on encore song 'Warning', the Academy is greeted with the sight of 1,600 people swinging clothing over their heads and performing the 'Newport Helicopter'. By 11:30 it's all over, as is the Jagermeister Music Tour for 2012. But what a tour.

At long last!

It's over. The madness of my second year is FINALLY over. I sit here writing this from my family home in Gloucester, able to kick back and relax for the first time in over 3 months. And WOW, it feels good!

Of course, now I'm looking towards next year. In 12 months' time I will have graduated, more or less, and that's a scary prospect. But hopefully I will have everything in order for the years ahead as I go off into the outside world, with nothing more than 21 years of life experience and a BA(Hons) degree in Drama with Creative Writing. My saving grace is that it IS 12 months away still, I have a while to prepare yet.

In other news, two of my cousins are expecting children later this year! They're due on the 10th and 11th October respectively, and with my grandmother turning 80 on the 9th, that makes for a very busy month! What's even better is that the arrival expected on the 11th is in fact twins! Many congratulations to them.

My first gig of this year is on Saturday! I have been waiting for this for the last five months, and you can expect a special review in the wee hours of Sunday morning or the afternoon of that day too - the latter is more likely. All well and good the review will be printed in the university's paper and a shortened 100-word version printed in Metal Hammer magazine. Fingers crossed eh?

What else? Ooh yes, Drama Society things! Well, firstly, more congratulations are in order as we retained our 'Society of the Year' award from the Darts Society and have now won it 3 years out of the last 4, which is a fantastic achievement and now we must look to win it four years in five! Also, I have been chosen to co-direct one of the radio plays due to be recorded in the coming months - we have adapted two of our original writing pieces, 'Into Oblivion' and 'Subject to Requirement', and having performed in the former last year I am very happy to be directing it this time around! Talking of Original Writing, the next Showcase is coming up and I am looking to direct AND act in it, so here's to auditions going well.

Right, I'm going to resume my Pokemon adventure on my phone - get my newly caught Vulpix up to scratch.

Laters xx

Special post: The demise of Sonisphere 2012

In the big story of the week, the cancellation of Sonisphere was announced. The organisers said it was due to an impossibility to put on a festival fit for the fans, and the official statement can be read here. Whilst I respect their decision and applaud them for not attempting to put on a half-assed festival, I do feel they only have themselves to blame for the following reasons:

1) The lineup was not as strong as previous years. True, the headliners were massive: KISS, Queen + Adam Lambert and Faith No More, but even THEY couldn't stand up to the previous years of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slipknot, to name three. Also, the undercard wasn't as strong, despite the announcements of Refused and three bands playing albums in full (Glassjaw, Mastodon and Hundred Reasons). The lineup just didn't stand up to the stellar bill that Download has put together this year. That therefore would have been a factor in potentially poor ticket sales. However, Sonisphere made one fatal decision:

2) They announced far too late. By the time they had announced the first batch of bands, Download had a huge lineup and people who had needed to book time off work for the summer had had to do so. The trouble as well was Sonisphere, only going into it's fourth year, was still too new to have established a following like Reading/Leeds or Glastonbury where tickets are often almost sold out from the moment early bird tickets go on sale after the festival has finished. Hell, even DOWNLOAD hasn't got that, and rock festivals have been held at Donington for over 30 years. If Sonisphere had announced KISS with Metallica, Queen with Sabbath, FNM with The Prodigy then they probably would still be going ahead. Last year's headliner battle was immense:

-Download announce the return of System of a Down after a 5 year hiatus. Everybody goes mental

-Two days later, Sonisphere announce Slipknot, on their first tour since the death of bassist Paul Gray. Knebworth is set to be the last date. Everyone goes even more mental.

-Sonisphere confirm Biffy Clyro to headline the Saturday night in their first ever festival headline slot. Opinions are vastly divided.

-Download follow suit by revealing Linkin Park as their Sunday night headliner. Opinions divided again.

-Sonisphere attempt to bury the hatchet with the confirmation of The Big 4 on the Friday night: Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and headliners Metallica one after the other, with Diamond Head opening, leaving Download to come up with something truly special.

-Download bring back Def Leppard as their final headliner, which seems very underwhelming. Advantage Sonisphere.

I therefore feel that even though people would have still said Download had the stronger lineup, Sonisphere would not have got itself into the mess that it did.

3)I believe the festival was struggling to book bands: many were exclusive to Download or Reading/Leeds and therefore could not be announced until after those respective festivals were over (in the case of R/L then, not at all). Touring commitments would have also meant a no-show, whilst other events taking place in the UK this year have already had an effect: the Big Chill was cancelled because they were struggling to book acts owing to the Olympics. Similarly, Glastonbury moved forward their 'break' year amid concerns of a portaloo shortage. Perhaps these also combined to result in the cancellation? I do wonder whether Sonisphere approached certain bands, but as they couldn't promise the bands when they would be announced, the bands themselves turned down the offers. That's just speculation though, as indeed, it all is.

So, Soni '12 is a no-go: will there be a 2013? The answer is we just don't know: there was no confirmation of a festival next year in the official statement and with the news that Sonisphere Italy is facing a similar fate, a rumour that the company has gone bust is slowly rumbling round. However, Italy is in a worse finanicial state than us, and whilst Sonisphere doesn't have the demand that Glastonbury and R/L do, I am more than certain there is enough demand for Download to continue having a main rival to battle in the quest for the UK's premier rock festival. I am sure we will see. I'm pencilling the 5-7th July and the 12-14th as dates for Sonisphere 2013, back at Knebworth, where it belongs.

It's been a while...

I actually can't remember the last time I made a blog post (checks date) 22 days ago. Since then, I've done loads of rehearsals, slept a lot and my Dad has even turned a year older. However, today I post another one - it's been a long time!

In a week's time, I will be at home. I am so close to finishing second year it's unreal. Four days of lessons, one essay due in on the 4th, a performance on the 5th, a second essay on the 30th April and I'm done for second year. It's scary too, thinking that this time next year I'll be in my last lessons of uni, ready to face the outside world with nothing more than a degree in Drama with Creative Writing. The good thing is that there is still another year in the middle though haha.

I'm slightly worried about next year, I won't lie. It's a lot more about us as individuals - the year is worth 75% of our final grade, so we all have to do what's best for us. Don't get me wrong, the nature of the course means the support will still be there in an abundance, and we will still be a very close-knit year, but I do have a horrible feeling that it won't be quite the same. Considering that I've only really got to know my year in the last 6 months, I don't want to have to make huge sacrifices in order to push forwards.

Talking of our year, I want to say thank you to all the second year drama students at UWE for the last week. The weather has been gorgeous and I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you out on the sunken lawn chilling, laughing, playing frisbee or football and just generally having a good time. This academic year hasn't been brilliant for me as a whole, but this last week proved to me that you all have my back and are there for me, and I can't praise you enough for that.

I handed in my Creative Writing Portfolio yesterday! Act One of 'The Thin Ice' is completed and Act Two will be written this summer, all well and good. It's loosely based on Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' and in celebration of finishing it I watched the film version for the very first time on Thursday night. Good film as well.

In two Saturday's time I will be heading into the O2 Academy for my first gig of the year! I can't wait! It's the Jagermeister Music Tour and the last night of the tour as well. I'm so excited it's unreal. Seeing Skindred for the second time is going to be excellent.

There is a special blog post coming up in a few minutes time on the big rock story of the week!

Laters xx

Special Post: The debate on gay marriages

Today, in the year 2012, society is more accepting of all colours, creeds, genders and orientations than ever before. And it is the latter that I am going to talk about in this special blog post, inspired by a huge debate that I saw on Facebook.

Currently, in the United Kingdom, homosexuals do not have the right to get married. They have the right to enter a civil partnership with one another, but that is how their status must remain: legally, a man cannot be married to another man, a woman married to another woman. This also makes all civil partnerships void of certain things, such as tax benefits. However, the government recently began a 12-week consultation period into the possibility of gay marriages in England and Wales, and I for one fully support the notion and will be most disappointed if it is rejected. Why? Well read on…

Firstly, I believe that, as long as two people are in love with one another and wish to be together for the rest of their lives then they should be allowed to marry, regardless of whether they are man and woman, man and man or woman and woman. I really don’t think it’s right that there should be double standards on this sort of thing. We as humans cannot help which sex we fancy or who we fall in love with, and the law should not hinder that in any way.

Secondly, and the big debate at the heart of this, is the religious standings on the subject. We are a predominantly Christian nation, there are more Christians in this country than any other religion, and understandably so the Church of England has it’s own views and standing on the matter. However, as a Christian myself who has grown up in this society, I would like to throw my two cents into the mixing pot and if this is heard, then brilliant.

People will draw on Leviticus 20:13 from the Bible which states:

“If a man has sexual relations with another man, they have done a disgusting thing, and both shall be put to death.”

Now, I cannot change what is written, but I can challenge it, and I do so thus: the verse says quite clearly that men cannot have sex with other men. But that only condemns the PRACTICE of gay sex. It does not condemn the ORIENTATION. Furthermore, the Bible should be taken as a set of guidelines on life, not taken as word-for-word literal. If you begin to do that, you end up getting the wrong end of the stick. As such, each teaching needs to be applied in as modern a context as possible. And in a world where gays and lesbians have more rights than ever, I think that the Church should not condemn gay sex any longer, but merely frown upon it for a moment and then let it go. Sex is a wonderful thing, the Bible teaches that it cements a relationship together and bring a couple closer, and if you are in a healthy relationship that has a wonderful sex life, I do not see any reason why you should be seen as inferior based solely on the gender of the person you happen to be sleeping with. In my opinion, the Church needs to kick itself into the 21^st Century and welcome all orientations through its doors and teach every one the word of God, and if they wish to be married then so be it.

Following on from this is something very interesting I came across on the internet. Listed below are 11 of the 14 ‘prohibited marriages’ that the Bible lays out. The three missing cause debates in their own right, and I would rather keep on topic at this point:

1. With father or mother.
2. With one's sister or half-sister.
3. With one's mother-in-law.
4. With a grandchild.
5. With one's aunt.
6. With one's uncle or uncle's wife.
7. With one's daughter-in-law.
8. With your brother's wife.
9. With a woman and her daughter or her grand daughter.
10. With two women who are sisters.
11. With thy neighbour's wife.

Now, I was looking down that list and what do I notice? That’s right; nowhere in that list (nor in the three omitted) does it say that a ‘prohibited’ marriage is one between members of the same sex. I admit that the Bible does not say people of the same sex CAN marry, but it also does not say they CAN’T. As a result, I see no full argument for why the Church should not allow gay marriages and will be very hurt if this legislation is not passed in three month’s time.

To summarise quickly: In my view, all couples should be allowed the chance to marry, regardless of orientation – the only rule should be that they will be committed to one another for life. The Church should not be stalling on this; they should have revised their teachings long ago and moved forward. If I were the pastor of a church, I would welcome everyone through my doors and treat them as equals, for Jesus did not practice any form of elitism.

Please, feel free to leave comments below and I will reply to them as soon as possible.

Over and out.

xx

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Lots of things to think about over the next few weeks, and lots of assessments too, so if I don't post much, again it'll be down to that.

 

Firstly though, I'd like to offer up my prayers and thoughts to Fabrice Muamba, the Bolton Wanderers midfielder who suffered a heart attack on the field of play today in a match between Tottenham Hostpur and Bolton at White Hart Lane. The match was abandoned after 41 minutes and Muamba was rushed to hospital, where he is said to be 'critically ill' and in intensive care, but 'stable'. Here's to you making a full recovery man, you don't deserve to have your life cut short at 23, especially not when you have a family and a young child. We're all behind you.

 

Secondly, continuing with the sporting theme, congratulations to Wales for winning the Six Nations. I wouldn't usually be pleased, but their winger used to go to my school, and I feel incredibly proud to have gone to the same school as an international rugby player. I hope I can emulate his triumph by going on to be a well-known actor. If I don't then so be it, but I damn well want to be one. As for England, our young side has shown a huge amount of promise during the tournament and will go on to achieve great things I'm sure.

 

I have been listening today to a band called Ghost. They have caused quite a stir within the world of metal, and are probably the first band I would describe as metal without being remotely heavy. No, seriously, they're completely metal but they're a lot more melodic than their look lets on: the frontman is a skeleton Pope called Papa Emeritus, the other five wear hooded cloaks that disguise their faces and are known as Nameless Ghoul. All of them. They look like a band to play black metal with indistinguishable vocals, fast guitars and lots of bass kicks. But they don't. Here's an example of their work:

 

 

Ok, so maybe they're a little heavy, but it's unquestionably metal. And I really dig it.

 

I've also been continuing my Creative Writing Portfolio. I'm doing a play loosely based on the album 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd. So far I have the first 4 scenes down, and I intend to write more tomorrow. It's all looking good currently, I'm very pleased at how much I've got done today.

 

That's about it for my life so far. Tune in next time for the continuing adventures of me in 'My Life'.

 

Laters xx 

Special: Farewell, farewell, Godspeed Titanic!

It was a musical nobody expected UWE to do. It was so different from the bouncy Our House of the previous year that I wasn’t initially interested in doing it, and only came in at the last minute to provide an extra male voice.

It’s developed into the greatest musical I’ve ever done, and I’m so sad that it’s now over.

Titanic, about the famous luxury liner that sank on it’s maiden voyage nearly 100 years ago, does not go down the line of the film. There’s no Jack, or Rose, or Celine Dion.

And thank God.

Because it’s FAR better than that.

The music is grand and epic, really giving the audience a sense of the excitement at boarding the ‘Largest Moving Object in the World’ and giving us an insight into what it was like on all three class levels: the first living in a ‘Remarkable Age’, whilst the third describe their dream jobs when they reach America, before the iceberg is struck and the excitement turns to confusion, panic and then acceptance of death, before the final scene shows reflection from the survivors who made it onto the Carpathia. If you missed out on watching the CPA do it, you really DID miss out.

Anyway, why has this been the best musical ever? Well, for one, the cast have been fantastic. The best cast I have been involved in bar none. That is not to say the casts of every other performance I’ve been in have been poor, I’ve enjoyed working with every cast, but never have I seen a group of people gel together like we have. It really is one big family, and I can’t wait to work with as many of you in the future on future musicals and the like. We’ve had laughs, we’ve had tears, we’ve made one very impressive spider diagram along the way, but most of all we have represented our university in one of the best ways possible.

As such, following on from the awards last night, I have decided to hand out a few of my own – you may even get small prizes if you’re lucky! So:

The Keep Calm and Carry On Award goes to Naomi Wilkinson and Jade Hall for carrying on with their final few scenes despite a clash of heads resulting in mild concussion for the pair of them.

The Best Outside Reference Award goes to Khoi Nguyen for his ‘Big Bang Theory’ knocking during the matinee.

The Best Audience Reaction Award goes to Adam Hopkins for the wolf whistles received on opening night when stepping out of his room.

The Consistently Funny Award goes to Paul Bailey for explaining that he still has a wife, receiving a laugh every single night.

Paul Bailey also receives the Online Maniac Award for tagging every single picture taken of us at socials or rehearsals.

Finally, The Shot in the Foot Award goes to Liam Gordon for trying to convince us the picture of his sister in his wallet was actually his seven year-old daughter – until he mentioned she was born in 1997.

A few quick thank-yous as well – to Alice Dalrymple and Lora Seward for organising buffet lunches, plugging us on the radio and being general good mother hens to us all, to Anthony Garnham, Lora and Lizzi Fortin for allowing us the use of their homes for socials and general merriment, to Ian Henderson, Jacquie Bell and Alexander Turasiewicz for putting their time and effort into direction, choreography and production, and to everyone else for playing their part to full effect and putting on a powerful, moving and exceptional production.

So, Titanic has been a rousing success, but as we know, all good things must come to an end at some point and sadly, that happened last night. Next year we go from the shipyard to the farmyard with the very tongue-in-cheek Honk! and an absolute mile away from where we were, but I know it’s going to be an absolute laugh.

See you all for next year’s musical?

Alright then!

Over and out from your ‘Big Mouth’ cast member, and lots of love to you all.

Elliot xx

And so, the end is near...

You will all get a special update tomorrow about Titanic - tonight is the final night and I am due on the bus in just over two hours. But for now, here's an update on the life of Elliot!

Quitting smoking has gone very well. I admit I have had my slip-ups, but in some way this is really good - the fact that, after having the odd cigarette, I haven't fallen back into my old ways means that I don't HAVE to in the future - I can go on being a lot healthier and things. So that's all good.

Sonisphere have FINALLY announced a lineup! And I have to say - WHAT a lineup! Three exclusive headline performances from KISS, Queen and Faith No More, with other appearances by Evanescence, Tim Minchin, The Darkness, Mastodon (performing latest album 'The Hunter' in full), Marilyn Manson, Within Temptation, Wolmother, Black Stone Cherry and LOADS more. It's not got the lineup that Sonisphere has had in the last three years, but it's still incredibly strong. Here's hoping I can go.

I'm getting by on my work: I've lost a lot of confidence in myself recently with everything I do, but I guess that's just because I've been focusing on other things in the last couple of weeks. Lots of assignments coming up soon but I should get through them with little trouble at all.

A few of the guys on my course went out last week in town. It was great to spend some time with my coursemates as I never really go out with them, always going out with the Drama Society when I do hit the town, but it was a really good night, and the 4:30am bedtime suggested that too. I also tried a wonderful cider called Black Dragon, a Welsh concoction that is 7.2% strong and a pint I was forced to down to 'Save the Queen'. Somehow, I didn't have a hangover, which considering what I drank is a great effort.

I have really got into playing Civilization II recently, the second of Sid Meier's series. I absolutely love it, it's a brilliant game and hopefully I won't have to use cheat mode to get through it in the near future.

Many congratulations to Terri Hammond and Daisy Cochran for winning the race to St. Matthias Campus Officer for next academic year - you're going to do a sterling job, I'm sure of it. Comiserations to Pip Hyland and Richard Gibson who finished runners up. Also, big condolences to Tom Renhard who sadly did not gain the position of SU President for next year. You're going to go onto bigger and better things in the future.

Right, I'm off to get ready and then out for the day! I will most likely be sleeping tomorrow, but will post on the highs and lows of Titanic at some point.

Laters xx 

Special post: Guns N' Roses - Not Always 'Welcome to the Bumble'

They were rightly labelled as the most dangerous band on the planet. Their debut album is regarded as one of the best ever, the two follow up albums sat at #1 and #2 simultaneously on release week and the peak came in 1992 when they co-headlined an arena tour with none other than Metallica.

After that, the story doesn’t go according to plan. A breakdown in band communications saw every member but the singer replaced. The follow up to their 1994 covers album didn’t surface until 2008. Live shows were marred by walkouts, late start times, constant cancellations and generally poor onstage conduct. And today, Guns N’ Roses announced a new UK arena tour in May of this year that was greeted with apathy and overall disinterest, many hoping that the band’s induction to the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame will rekindle a ‘classic’ lineup reunion.

Now, I cannot say that the band are completely blameless: I think singer Axl Rose needs his ego deflated significantly and a good look in the mirror. But I would like to take this opportunity to make a solid case for why you should see the band on tour this year and not pass up the opportunity.

Firstly, the whole situation regarding the lineup. The countless comments of, “It’s not GnR, it’s Axl and Friends/The Axl Rose Band/Axl and his massively inflated ego (delete as appropriate)” and “No Slash=No GnR” are just moronic. I say to these people: grow up, get over it and move forward a good 15-20 years. Alright, so the ‘classic’ lineup has been completely demolished, but out of the eight current members, 5 have been a part of the band for ten years or more – Axl, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Richard Fortus and Chris Pitman: Stinson has actually now been bassist longer than Duff McKagan was. Yes, there have been a lot of changes: since the classic lineup that released ‘Appetite for Destruction’, GnR have gone through ten guitarists, two bass players and five drummers (adding two keyboard players in the process) but half of the lineup has been stable since Pitman’s addition in May 1998 (Fortus joined in July 2002). To me, that says a lot. Plus, as far as I’m concerned, it’s the only Guns N’ Roses I ever knew.

Onto the live shows. People complain about Axl’s conduct and rightly so: a tendency to walk off if bottles are thrown, taking to the stage up to three hours late, being out of breath and out of tune. The setlist comprises a huge amount of jams and solos that could quite easily have additional songs added. Plus, with a ticket price of around £50 standard, the question for value-for money comes up quite a lot. However, I think that as long as you book the following day off work then you should definitely go. It IS a gamble, I won’t lie, and the chances of them taking to the stage on time are less than zero, but they know how to put on a show. Axl still has the energy of when he was younger, if not the physique, and there is a huge amount of special effects and levels upon the stage to give a great show to anyone who goes to see them. I also feel that with so many members the sound is a lot fuller than when it was the ‘classic’ band, although that’s just my opinion. Plus, having watched videos of them from New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas, they are far better than the trainwreck to show up at Reading and Leeds in 2010.

As for the potential of a classic lineup reunion – I often bring the point up that bands like Iron Maiden and Motorhead only have one original member and you don’t  see people calling them ‘Lemmy and Co.’ or ‘The Steve Harris Experience’, to which they reply ‘Yeah, but they haven’t dragged the band’s name through tons of shit just for the money’. I put this to you: how many bands that have reformed are NOT doing it JUST for the money? Regardless of whether they release new albums or not, if they say they’re not doing it for the money then they’re lying through their teeth. It would be the same here: a classic reunion does not interest me in the slightest. And let’s be honest and realistic, the reunion won’t happen: Slash is enjoying his work as a solo artist, Duff has his band Loaded and plays in Velvet Revolver alongside Slash, Steven recently published his autobiography and Izzy is content on his own. Plus, I cannot see Axl turning around to every member of the current GnR lineup and saying “The classic lineup is back; you’re all fired.” I wouldn’t put it past him, but I really cannot see him doing it. I think that the lineup will be reunited, shake hands and make everyone believe they’ve buried the hatchet, then go back to their separate projects afterwards and not think about it again.

So, Guns N’ Roses in May? Yeah, I think people should go if they haven’t seen the band before. I know it’s a risk, but I think one last chance to let them redeem themselves is needed. If they fail you this time then you have every right to wash your hands of them. But I fully believe that you would see a far better show to any classic reunion. Let the King do his thing, embrace the classic hits and see Guns N’ Roses in the UK in May.