Ten Years of McFly - My Story

So, the other night I was at the pub with a few friends and the subject of music taste was brought up. Anyone who knows me even remotely, will probably be aware that McFly are my favourite band. No, they're not constantly at the top of the charts. No, they're not the most popular thing around anymore but for me, good music isn't about that anyway. The size of the fan base does not dictate the quality of the music. Anyway, before I go running off on a tangent and start ranting, I thought I would share with you why McFly will always hold a special place in my heart.

I'll start at the very beginning, I've heard it's a very good place to start! Back in the summer of 2004, I saved up my pocket money and bought McFly's first album 'Room on the Third Floor.' Right from the start, I was hooked. They reminded me of Busted, and I bloody love Busted! I remember sitting on a bench with two friends at breaktime in my final year of primary school, studying the lyric book and memorising all the words. Oh yeah, I was one cool kid. Whilst those two were arguing over who's hair was the best, I used to sit there and think 'God, these songs are awesome!' Again, mega cool. Who needs to play Scarecrow tig when you can read?!

Back in those days, there was no such thing as iPods and smartphones -can you believe it?! We actually managed to cope without them! - and instead I was the proud owner of a CD Walkman. There I'd be, in the back of the car humming and singing along to whatever album was my favourite at the time. I used to go on holiday within the UK a lot and so long car journeys were something I did frequently. I used my time wisely, and introduced my family to my new obsession. One of the most memorable journeys I had was around the time when 'Obviously' first charted. The song had made it onto one of the NOW Compilation CD's which my sister collected. She and I used to attempt to hit play at the same time on our seperate Walkmans and listen to it 'together'. As you can probably imagine, this never worked well and so my grandparents were often treated to deafening recitals slightly out of time again and again until we eventually gave up.

The first time I got to see the boys perform live was relatively far into their career -the Radio:Active tour in November 2008. It was also the first gig I'd ever been to without an adult! Aw. I was incredibly excited during the lead up to it as I had envied my friends going to see them on the tours beforehand. Now it was finally my turn, and I was sure they wouldn't disappoint. My predictions were correct, and I had one of the best nights ever. Seeing them perform live only increased my love and respect for them, as I could truly understand how talented they are. Far too often we see manufactured boy bands step out onto stage and perform songs they haven't written, to backing tracks they haven't recorded along with dance moves they haven't choreographed. Don't get me wrong, cheesy pop music is not always a bad thing, but there is something so special when a band comes together and writes their own material and then play it live. It's more genuine, relatable and in my opinion creates a much better show. 

Since 2008, I have been to at least one gig of every other tour. One of my favourite moments was on the 'Keep Calm and Play Louder' tour in early 2012 when they played 'No Worries'. This isn't one of their most popular songs, yet it is definitely one of my favourites. I hadn't looked up the set list before going so I had no idea that it was going to be played. Danny quietened the crowd, and then him, Tom and Dougie grouped around one microphone and performed it acoustically. The amount of goosebumps I had was quite ridiculous. I think it was mainly because I never thought I'd get to hear it live and then I did.

In 2010, they did a radio tour to promote the next album and so I roped my mum into driving us to a nearby town so that I could finally meet the people who had been such a big part of my life. 

Yay for looking rough in photos I wanted to show off to everyone...

However, my favourite gig of all time happened earlier this year, September to be exact. McFly decided to celebrate their 10th birthday in style - by performing at the Royal Albert Hall and I was lucky enough to get tickets. I'd always wanted to visit RAH, and the fact that the first time I'd be going was to see them was pretty awesome. (Beware, if you weren't already overwhelmed by the amount of fangirling in this post, it'll more than likely get a lot worse now). I can't even properly find words to describe how much I loved the show. I've never cried at a gig before until then. The music combined with the VT's of them through the years, messages from loved ones, Tom in tears as he sang his McFly Musical was incredible. And then what did they go and do? Just when I thought it couldn't get any bloody better they go and bring out Matt Willis and James Bourne. TWO THIRDS OF BUSTED. Yep, it's safe to say all my childhood dreams came true at that moment, haha. 
Throughout the night, I felt like I'd been transported back to those days of reading the lyric book cover to cover all over again, and reliving it all. I've grown up alongside McFly. As their music has changed and evolved so have I, yet I've never stopped enjoying it. As cheesy/cliched as it sounds, no matter what times I've been through, good or bad, there's always been a song to fit the situation. Music is such a powerful thing, and their's has always been one of the first artists I turn to no matter what mood I'm in. And that night in September, I realised just how much their music meant to me. 
Not only did they play an amazing set, you could see how much it means to them. They truly do love what they do, and to see people live their dreams is pretty damn cool if you ask me. They're so genuine and down to earth compared to a lot of bands shoved into the limelight these days. I honestly believe that if they lost all their fanbase, McFly would still continue; they'd just be in a house somewhere rather than a packed venue. 

They are the first proper band I truly became invested in, and I genuinely feel proud when they accomplish things. As much as I may sound like a fangirl throughout this post, I'm not ashamed at all. In a way, I feel like I know them because of how big a part of my life they have been. They've worked hard for everything they've achieved and I can't wait to see what comes next for them, and for us! If you haven't listened to McFly before, check them out. People tend to still view them as these hyper teenage boys jumping around but they're so much more than that. They deserve a lot more recognition than they get.

Now time for the mega-cheese ending. Feeling prepared? Okay, here we go.

Another year over,
And we're still together,
It't not always easy,
But McFly's here forever.

As always, thanks for reading!

A
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xxxx

(P.S. I just have a lot of feelings okay.)

How I'm Feeling At The Moment

Hello,

Lately, I have been avoiding blogging for a number of reasons. One being that I am simply swamped under with uni work at the moment, but another (and the most prominent) is that I haven't wanted to fill the page with negativity. Even now as I sit at my desk typing this, I'm finding myself at a loss of what to say. I haven't wanted to create a generic piece just for the sake of posting something, I've wanted to write something real but I struggled with what. So, I have decided that I'm simply going to tell you all how I'm feeling in the hope that it will help me to free up some of the space currently filled with negativity, making from for positivity and productivity!

This year at university has already seen me come across a number of challenges, for instance being President of a Society. This takes up a vast amount of my 'spare' time, but I am loving every moment of it. Musical Theatre means the world to me as cliched as it sounds. The friends I have made within the society are some of the best I will ever make, and my experience last year truly shaped my university life. Therefore, I am determined to work hard to create the same (if not better) experience for the new members that have joined us this term. This means I am frequently adding many more items to my to-do list before I've managed to cross any off! Luckily for me though,working under pressure is when I perform at my best and so this is a challenge I am willing to accept again and again.

The main challenge I am stuggling with the most at the moment is living away from home. Despite being in the same city that I grew up in, and being able to see my family on most weekends, something just doesn't feel right. Unfortunately, I feel the reason is down to one of the people I am living with.

Last year, myself and two friends put down a deposit for a house for us all to live in the following September. But, in the middle of Summer, right before we had to start making rent payments, one of the girls dropped out choosing to live with the boyfriend she had recently got engaged to. Helpful, not. We were left up the creek without a paddle as my Grandad would say! Myself and my friend contacted practically everyone we knew, but it was too short notice for anyone to be able to afford to move in with us. We were left with having to advertise the property and live with someone we had never met before. I found this extremely daunting as not only had I never moved away from my family, but now it was to be in with someone I had never met. 

To cut a long story short, we found a guy willing to move in and everything was settled. Or so it seemed. Although there is nothing wrong with him personally, I find him extremely difficult to live with. He cooks on average 3-5 massive cakes a week which he then eats, yet is being extremely picky about electricity bills. He has stunk the house out with various foods, the main being fish pie and a huge pork joint. As well as this, I find him to be very uncomfortable to be around. Because he is a few years older than myself, I feel like he believes he has to prove this all the time as he consistently patronises me on a regular basis. It has got to the point now that my other housemate and I come back from lectures and go to our rooms. That is where we stay until we go down to cook, and then come back again. The living room simply doesn't get used as you can't have a conversation without being corrected or interrupted all the time. I don't feel homesick because I'm away from home, I feel homesick because I'm uncomfortable where I am.

However, I have decided that I am not going to let this get me down any longer. I am paying good money to live in this house, and so I want to feel happy in it! From now on, I am banishing all negative vibes from myself, and am purely going to focus on being positive. I am very fortunate to have a lot of great things in my life, and so when I'm down I will put my energy into those, and into creating something rather than just sulking. I'm aware that this post will not be good reading for many of you, but I needed somewhere to let it out. I often find that by writing down my troubles, my brain forms solutions for them at the same time! 

Hopefully, my inspiration will filter through at some point soon and I will have some worthwhile content for you to read!

Have you ever had any bad experiences similar to mine? How did you cope with them?

A

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xxxx

Another World: Grey Coat, Green Scarf

I sometimes wonder how it'd be if we met today. 

Walking down a bustling high street at rush hour, coffee in hand, a mixture of golden leaves rustling under her feet, she rushes to reach the station on time. Then she notices. The grey-coat-green-scarf combination; a sight burned into her consciousness forever. Him. Here. Could it be?

 He disappears behind the mass of people weaving their way through the street. Despite the tiny voice at the back of her mind warning her to stop, she can't help but speed up, desperate to get another look. Just to be sure.

Would you stop and speak? Or would you walk by without a second glance?

Hastily, she attempts to surge through the throng of people, their briefcases beating against her, creating a personal obstacle course. It had to be him, it couldn't possibly be anyone else. She couldn't be wrong again, surely?

I'd like to think you'd still be the same; that we'd go for coffee in a cliched chain store and catch up on times gone by.

There he was, directly in front of her. Her heartbeat pulsing so loud it resonated around her mind creating a soundtrack for her whirring thoughts. Just do it, reach out, touch him. You've waited so long for this moment, dreamed of it endless times, what are you waiting for? Just do it. Reach out. Touch him. Do it. Reach out. Touch him. Do it, reach out, touch him.

'Hello...' 

'He-wow...Is it- is it really you? ...I can't believe it.'

'No, me neither.'

She did it. She reached out. She touched him, and in that one moment, a huge fraction of her life seemed to flash before her in slow motion. All the memories came flooding back, entwining with one another, filling her mind and heart with a montage of images and long lost emotions.

'Sorry, do I know you?'

'Oh. Er...sorry, I-I thought you were somebody else.'

She had been wrong. Again. It wasn't him and it probably never would be. Carrying her embarrassment and heartbreak with her, she fell back into the crowd.

I wonder if I'll ever find out.

Hello everyone,

As you will have guessed by now, I have started to post short extracts that I have penned myself. I really miss being creative, and having the chance to write so hope to post more like this when I feel inspired to! In order to distinguish between these and my regular(ish) type of post, I will name them 'Another World'. I must stress, this is a work of fiction. My life is neither this exciting or romantic, haha.

I'd really appreciate your feedback, so if you have any comments you'd like to share, please do! And if you write anything similar to this yourself, leave your blog below and I'll follow you. 

As always, thanks for reading.

A

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xxxx