Category: Going out

Posted on

Elton John at Hatfield – Magic Summer Live

I have now been lucky enough to see Elton John play live twice in the same year, which is quite an achievement I think! The first time I wrote about the experience in my blog post Elton John at The Royal Opera House. This time, I have to say could have been much better, if the organisers had any idea of how to run an event like this! The Magic Summer Live ‘picnic’ as it was billed was a dismal display of organisational skills, and I have to say I have never been to such an appallingly run event! You can read more about the lack of food stalls, lack of toilets, massively overpriced ‘VIP’ tickets, queues for everything etc etc here as it’s too miserable to ramble on about it here!

Elton’s performance was flawless, and despite playing to crowds who were soaked to the skin (having stood in near torrential rain all day), he managed to whip us all up into a Sunday night frenzy! Many people left before and during his show – not because of Elton I might add, but because the whole event was such a shambles, and I think people were wet through, starving hungry and basically couldn’t wait to get home. I know lots of people were very unhappy at feeling they had to leave and miss the headline act – and what an act! Elton John was the consummate professional and he made several comments to us about how grateful he was that we’d stood in the rain all day waiting for him to come on. His performance saved what was left of the day for me. Magic FM take note: if you want tips on who to partner up with or how to run events in future, have a chat with the teams behind The Secret Garden Party – which had THE most amazing organisation! Anyway, it was an experience and we just tried to make the best of it., and it all felt better when Elton sang for us 🙂

You can just about see Elton on his piano to the left of the stage!  
Dancing in the dark (and the rain)

A shot of Elton John on the big screen

Posted on

Tim Minchin and London all dressed up

I am sure that with the world news events of this week the Royal Wedding seems a very long time ago, however, I thought I would share these rather jolly pictures of London I took the night before!

Looking up The Mall, towards Trafalgar Square

Looking down The Mall, towards Buckingham Palace

Die-hard fans from the US

I have to say, the atmosphere, even the evening before the big event was amazing. There was a lively buzz in the air and I enjoyed walking around and listening to varied global accents and languages being spoken. After a picnic on a bench in St James’ Park, it was time to jump into a taxi to the main event of the evening which was watching Tim Minchin at The Royal Albert Hall.

Tim Minchin concert: View from our booth seats, before he came on

Tim’s combination of stand-up comedy interspersed with funny songs goes surprisingly well with the 55 piece orchestra accompanying him on his piano! I spent most of the time laughing my head off, but there are also some tender moments like when he sings about his young daughter. The crowd were 4,000 strong and there was an electric atmosphere in the Albert Hall that night. All in all, a fantastic live show.

Posted on

Fun in the Sun during the Easter break

Spring has most definitely sprung in London. I am just hoping that we didn’t have ‘an early summer’ like we did last year. My bones have been revelling in this new warmth! Here are some photos to show you just how much I have been enjoying being outdoors over the last month.

Camden Market and Camden Lock O2 Arena, Jamiroquai concert

Walking in The College Valley, Northumberland

I for one, as a UK resident have been so excited about the second of three bank holiday weekends in quick succession (Easter, The Royal Wedding and May Bank Holiday) and intend to be outside for as much of it as I can. I am going to The Royal Albert Hall tonight to see the incredibly funny and astute Tim Minchin and while I am there I hope to take some photos to share with you of the decorations and preparations which will be completed by then for the imminent wedding tomorrow. You can now see them here.

Posted on

Elton John at The Royal Opera House!

Waiting for Elton John

Elton’s piano, on stage at The Royal Opera House

I was extremely lucky last month to attend a one-off concert by Elton John at The Royal Opera House. This was the second of two concerts he played to raise money for a new organ for The Royal Academy of Music, where Elton studied as a young man.

The Royal Opera House, London

Like many others, I have always been aware of Elton John and his hits, (spanning 4 decades!), but I didn’t realise how prolific and legendary he actually is. Seeing him in this context was a real treat – just the man and his music. He was on stage with his piano, with no song lists or lyric sheets. Elton was joined half way through by his long-time collaborator, percussionist Ray Cooper. The first 6 or so rows of the audience were made up of his die-hard fans, and what was lovely was that he spoke directly to them several times during the show.

 

 My favourite song of the night was ‘Rocket Man’ which was sung with such pathos, it made me cry! The lyrics ‘I’m not the an they think I am at home’ made me so sad. There must be millions of people around the world pretending to be something or someone they are not.

Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Me, doing a pretty good impression of The Queen

 Earlier in the day, I had been to visit the Sir John Soan Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It is the former home of the architect whose most famous works include the exterior of The Bank of England, the Holy Trinity Church in Marylebone and the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.

His house, no. 12 Lincoln’s Inn Fields is now a museum which he donated to the nation. He stated in his will that everything in the house should remain the same as when he died and that it should be free for the public to view. 

There is a one-in-one-out policy due to the limited space inside and the huge number of historic treasures contained within the rooms. Photography is also not permitted, which is why I could not share more pictures here.

This tiny museum is well worth a visit, if you are in the area and have an hour to spare. The best time to visit is in the morning, (when there are no queues) and Holborn is the nearest tube.

Just as the show began, designer Valentino sat in the middle most seat to watch, flanked by body guards

The atmospheric lighting creates a warm glow inside Looking at my programme before the show

Back inside the Opera House – these photos were taken before the show began and the non-celebrities had taken their seats!

Amongst the famous people I spotted was Lulu, who seemed to be having a grand time singing along and Joely Richardson who stood next to me in the loos! The most famous person I saw was designer Valentino who had the centre most seat in the place.

Thankfully there were many many music fans in the audience too, otherwise it could have been a bit of a dry affair!

As I always say when I watch live music, it was a privilege to watch a complete virtuoso at work, doing what he loves and does best.

Posted on

Somerset House – My birthday celebrations

Although for some people, January is dreary, sluggish and a time to stay indoors, it’s not like that for me as I celebrate my birthday on the 9th. As a child this time of year was like one long party. The Christmas holidays rolled into January and before I had had a chance to play with all of my toys it was my birthday! Well, yesterday was a wonderful day and as such, I thought I would share some elements of it with you. 

 

After a hearty breakfast (which was cooked for me) I went to visit my mum, who after all, gave me my birthday. Having filled up with tea and receiving my gifts I went on my way to Somerset House. I always think of it as a place where the records of births, deaths and marriages are kept, but in fact, the public records which used to be held here were dispersed to different offices to the 1970’s. Somerset House is now a cultural and arts centre, open to the public with lots for everyone to enjoy. 

View of The Thames from Somerset House

 

I didn’t go and see the Dior exhibition, although it looked very good through the window. 

 

 Through the entrance hall which is beautifully grand, is the Michelin-starred restaurant Tom’s Kitchen. I had a look around inside and it was exquisitely decorated with old maps of The Thames on the walls. It didn’t look stuffy or overly formal either. I walked through to the ice-rink which has been a winter feature since 2000.

 

Hidden down a corridor was the famous staircase ‘The Nelson Stair’ which was rebuilt in the 1950’s after suffering war damage.

Messing about

View of the ceiling from the stairs

A photo of my ticket to The Courtauld Gallery – Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve (detail)

The main part of my trip was to visit the Courtauld Gallery. Although I enjoy exhibitions I think I get sensory overload and end up with a headache if I try to see too much on one day. I much prefer smaller galleries or to visit them more than once and just see them a bit at a time if possible. So for me the size of this gallery is perfect. It contains many personal collections and the paintings and exhibits are displayed in themed galleries. I didn’t take any photos inside, so I have shown you a picture of my ticket, featuring Cranach’s Adam and Eve(painted 1526).

I can’t explain the feelings I had when I was standing so close to such masterpieces that I have poured over for years in books. I could see ever crack in the oil and imagined how many owners had had possession of such a painting over the years. I particularly loved the Creation and Fall of Man by Mariotto Albertinelli in the Renaissance Gallery and spent half an hour looking at the paintings in that first room. Maybe that’s why I usually feel so tired after I visit an art gallery!

The Ice Rink in full romantic evening splendour

Later in the evening I had a delicious dinner in Soho’s Lexington Street. What a a fabulous birthday! Here’s to a happy and healthy 2011 🙂

Posted on

The London Philharmonic Orchestra at The Royal Festival Hall

I absolutely adore London. I am so grateful to have grown up here with all of the diversity of cultures, food and endless opportunities. I am still amazed whenever I take a trip into town (at least once a week) and I always find something new which I haven’t experienced before.

Last night I was lucky enough to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra at The Royal Festival Hall for the second time. I managed to take one sneaky photo (as photography during the performance is not permitted) – this one was taken before it started, I might add.

I was seated behind the orchestra, facing the conductor

As someone who loves live music and concerts of any kind, this was no exception. I am not a connoisseur of classical music by any stretch of the imagination, but I can still appreciate genius when I hear it. If you have not experienced such an event, and you have the possibility to do so, I would say try it at least once. The tickets range from £9.00 to £55.00 – mine was one of the cheapest seats, but I still had a fabulous view of the whole orchestra and I was able to see all of the faces of the musicians and the conductor, which definitely added to the experience. The orchestra played Beethoven’s 4th and Mahler’s 1st symphonies.

The Royal Festival Hall’s principal conductor Vladimir Jurowski

Posted on

Rodrigo y Gabriela Concert, Shepherd’s Bush Empire

 Here are some photos from an amazing concert I went to a few weeks ago. If you know Rodrigo and Gabriela, or have watched them on YouTube, you will have an idea of how incredibly talented these musicians are. This was the second time I had seen them (the first was at The Roundhouse in 2007) and even though I have watched lots of video clips – it was surprise to watch Gabriela’s unique guitar playing style again. Watch them performing Hanuman from their new album 11:11 here. It was also beautiful how respectful the crowd were when they played their slower, more classical-style songs. Usually for a concert, you could hear a pin drop at those points. I loved the speeches the two of them made between the songs, and the fact that rather than playing at Wembley Arena for one night, they chose to play 5 nights at The Shepherd’s Bush Empire instead, even though this meant 5 lots of bills! And this paid off – the intimacy of the venue (as I have said about small venues before) just brought it alive even more!

Rodrigo and Gabriela say goodnight

 

In full flow

 

 

Posted on

Mark Ronson and The Business International at The Hackney Empire

Two nights ago I had an amazing night out at The Hackney Empire. After a dodgy dinner (with questionable service to boot), I walked in the rain through a crowded mixture of young trendies and media-types and ladies of a certain age, to the entrance. As the evening’s events were a surprise, I was even more excited when I realised what we were about to watch! Mark Ronson‘s new album ‘Record Collection‘ had arrived in the post a few days earlier so I had only listened to the whole album twice before the show. This did not matter one bit, as the songs are catchy in an un-obvious sort of way. They’re sort of off-beat and kooky but at the same time accessible and so reminiscent of the ’80s pop-synth records I grew up with (hence the ladies of a certain age!) 🙂

The band is joined onsatge by his idols and mine, Duran Duran

I find it amazing, watching musicians create their art in front of me, which is why I love gigs and concerts so much. It’s the idea that I’m watching people ‘in flow’, doing what they love and sharing it with others. It’s the ‘liveness’ of it all, and although it was utterly professional, I was able to see into the wings of the stage from where I was sitting, and got to see people milling about, out of character as it were. Whether or not you like the style of music or the bands, is of course a matter of personal taste. I think you can tell, I was blown away!

The band is joined onstage by Boy George

Mark Ronson onstage with Amanda WarnerWatching in awe, inside the Hackney Empire Original mosaic work in the entrance to The Hackney Empire

The entrance to The Hackney Empire, a beautiful intimate venue

Posted on

Highgate Cemetery – Weekend walks

I feel so privileged to live in such an amazing city. London night-life is varied and abundant, but it is easy to spend a small fortune on entertainment and so I have been trying to be more creative with my days and evenings out. Two weeks ago I visited Highgate Cemetery. It was my second visit and I still haven’t been on the tour of the West Cemetery, which I hope to go on next time. I found the East Cemetery peaceful, beautiful and very photogenic. It reminded me of the other Victorian cemetery I’ve been to, the Glasgow Necropolis.

 

There are many famous interments at the cemetery including Karl Marx and his family. This is a great afternoon outing, which will leave you with change from a fiver!

 The grave of Karl Marx, Highgate Cemetery