concerts – that lemon life

At the seaside

Hola everyone.

How are you all doing today? I hope so far you’ve had an amazing Friday and that you’re looking forward to the weekend. I, for my part, have been enjoying my time at home the past two weeks and am currently mentally preparing myself for Ed’s show next week. My friend and I want to try and get front row, so the plan is to get to the venue as early as possible and basically stay there the whole day, which is something I’ve never done before. But we’ll try our best. We’re coming for you, Ed.

Besides that, I’m currently also processing the past months I got to spend in Brighton and London, which is partly what I want to do with this post right here as well. I’ve been going through all the pictures on my phone and I just couldn’t help myself but choose my favourites. And now, obviously, I can’t help but have to share them with you. You guys know how much in love I am with photography and as I haven’t done a photography post in a while now, I thought it was time to change that.

Some of you might already know most of the pictures if you’ve been following my blog for a while now, but I’m sure there’ll be a few surprises in there as well. All of them were either taken on my phone or my Sony camera, but I do really love all of them equally. I just love looking at pictures and sharing them with the world so much. Photography is art. Nobody can tell me otherwise.

As always, I hope you enjoy the pictures and please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. I’d love to hear what you think. And, of course, I wish you all a nice weekend and thanks for reading. x

New Music Friday

Hola everyone.

How are we doing? Doing good, I hope. Personally, in the past few days, I’ve been in an incredible mood. Because, you guessed it, concert season is coming up and starting next Sunday with the one and only band Hippo Campus. And then the week after that we have Saint Raymond and just a few days after that I’ll finally be seeing my beans Tyler and Josh and last but not least the week after my love Tom. And just two days after that unbelievable experience I’ll be flying back home for spring break (is it even spring break though? I honestly have no idea). So yeah, you could say I’ve got some exciting days coming up. I can’t wait.

And as my next few weeks will basically consist of thinking about, listening to and plainly experiencing music, I thought we’d all get in the groove now together with another lovely New Music Friday. I know I didn’t even post the last one that long ago, but the music industry works at a different pace, so while we’ve been living our lives at usual, normal, chilled pace, quite a few artists and bands decided to release amazing new music. And besides that, as usual, I also got to know some other new incredible tracks, which I’m dying to share with you today. Some were recommended to me, some I found by myself and some got to me because of the updated Sziget lineup. And one has to know all the bands that will be at their favourite festival, obviously.

Most of the tracks, I noticed, are quite heavy on the bass and a bit more electronic than usual, but I’m sure you’ll love them nonetheless. Of course, the usual indie-ness still plays a big part. So, get ready, put some good headphones on, turn up the volume and enjoy.

Beirut – Family Curse / Varieties of Exile

I can’t really remember when I found this band, I just know that it was last year and that I was shocked that I had found it this late. Obviously, better late than never, but come on. This band is amazing. And when I saw that they had released a new album called Gallipoli, I instantly had to listen to it (the two songs here are my favourite ones of the album). And no joke, it’s such a fantastic collection of even more fantastic songs. I can’t really put it into words, but their music is just so special. It’s really different and deserves and needs to be heard.

Hucci & Jaya – Fountain

Here comes the electronic vibe. I told you it would. This one right here is one of the bands that will be playing at Sziget this year. And despite some other tracks not being my cup of tea, this one is just too cool to not like it. I really enjoy the vibe of it and I can already see my mum and me attending their show at like 2am and totally enjoying it.

New Atlas – Morphine / Lay Low

To be honest, both of these songs couldn’t be any more different from each other. While Morphine is a fun indie-rock track, Lay Low is a weird, bassy electronic song that I can already see being played in clubs over and over again. And funnily enough, I really really like both of the tracks. Also, Lay Low is a strict case of the headphone rule. Those are essentially what make the song so fun to listen to.

Wallows ft. Clairo – Are You Bored Yet?

My boys are back with another new amazing track and oh my god, I’m so happy. Did I tell you that I recently bought tickets to see them in London this June? I honestly can’t believe I’m really seeing them live. It’s as if 2019 decided to be the year of the impossible concerts that suddenly became possible. Hippo Campus, Tom, The Jungle Giants (they’re coming to the Great Escape here in Brighton for their UK debut) and now Wallows. Literally crazy. And such good music, holy moly.

Son Lux – Lost It To Trying

Another Sziget contestant and another amazing song, obviously. And there’s also quite a funny story to this, because when I first listened to this song I thought I was being fooled at or something and the Fall Out Boy fans among you will probably get what I mean within the first few seconds of listening to this song. Because this right here is the reason why the song ‘4th of July’ by FOB is such a bop. Because they sampled it. I coincidentally found the ‘original’ track. How funny is that? And, obviously, it’s a fantastic song.

Jónsi – Who Are You Thinking Of?

I recently got to watch the movie ‘Boy Erased’ – and, oh boy, was that an incredible and also super sad movie, wow – and this song right here was featured in it and immediately caught my attention. You can literally hear the sadness in the song, which I adore. Sometimes I’m such a sucker for sad tracks, I can’t tell why. I can just say that I love this one right here. And I also love the movie, which is why I now have to urge you to both listen to this song and watch the movie. Please.

Hippo Campus – Violet

And last but not least we have this gem right here. You guys know that I’m head over heels in love with this band and now that I’ll finally be seeing them live next week, I’ve been listening to their music non-stop. So much, that Violet has now become my favourite track of theirs (although that usually changes on a weekly basis, but oh well). It’s just such an incredibly fun song, I don’t even know what to tell you. But what I do know is that it’s part of their set-list, which means that I’ll get the chance to completely freak out when they play it. Which I can’t wait for.

So yeah, guys, there you go. That’s about all the new music that I’ve got to share with you for now. I dearly hope that you enjoy these tracks as much as I do. As always, please don’t hesitate to share your opinions and thoughts down below. I’d love to hear them. And until then I wish you all a lovely weekend and hope you’re doing good. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

A Late Night Talk

Hola everyone.

Right now, it’s a few minutes after 9 p.m here in Brighton. The sky has long darkened and slowly but surely you can feel the city calm down. I’ve always loved these times. I’ve always been a creature of the night. And I’ve always been a big fan of late night chats. The talks when people suddenly start discussing their own fate, their personality, their deepest desires and strongest fears. Something about the night makes the truth, the sincereness come out and I’ve always loved that and been fascinated by it. And now that I’ve been thinking about what to write as today’s post, I thought such a late night talk would be the perfect fit. So, get into something comfy, grab a tea and let’s get chatting.

You know, since the beginning of 2019 – which we’re still in, actually, right? – I’ve been thinking about the last year, probably as many other people too. Maybe even yourself. For me, 2018 was truly the craziest year of my entire life so far. Without any doubt. I finished my first bachelor’s degree. Started my own music column for the magazine I’m writing for. Worked at a damn huge festival for the very first time (hopefully not the last). Visited Sziget again, thank god. Worked at the biggest music promotion company in my country. Saw Ed twice (can never be enough, though). Saw my love Marty again. Strolled through the streets of Budapest with my mum. Finally saw the one and only Justin Timberlake live (was well over due, trust me). Moved to Brighton to study music journalism at the legendary BIMM (probably the craziest part). Did my very first interview with a musician, that I’m a huge fan of (this right here is the big contestant for the first spot on the list of craziness, next to the move). Had the very same interview published in The Sun (say whatever you want about the paper, it’s a damn huge deal). Read a ton of books and listened to so much more music. Laughed more. Loved more. Lived more. And so much more that I can’t seem to remember now.

And seeing it now, black on white, makes it even more crazy. If anyone would have told me I’d be where I am right now, I would have laughed in their face. But now I’m really here. And now it’s already 2019 and I have no idea what’s going to happen. I can just hope for the best and that my plans will become reality. Maybe, at this time in a year, I’ll be in London, together with Leni. Stuffed into a small but cozy apartment in the middle of the city we’ve always dreamed about and now call our home. It won’t always be the easiest, but we’ll always make it work, I’m sure of that.

I’ve always been someone who gives everything for her dreams. Who fights for them with all her might. I wouldn’t be where I am if I wasn’t that person. And I’m very proud of that. And it’s not just about big dreams. Even the smallest one is important. Just recently I finally edited all the videos I had saved together into a little potpourri of different moments of my life and added one of Tom’s songs to it. Just put a black and white filter over it and there you have your super emotional video. One that I’ve been wanting to make for ages and finally did. And I’m so happy and proud because of it. Or, another example, since 2015 it has always been my big wish to see Marty every year. And since then I’ve been able to stick to it, every single year. Not just because I wanted it that much, but because I also fought for it. The same with seeing Ed live or getting my mum to visit Sziget again, for the whole week this time (yes, seven full on festival days, I can already start mentally preparing myself for the recovery). And I know, I’m literally just talking about music related things right now, but that stuff basically rules my life, so. Or even if it’s just finishing a book and being proud of it. It’s about the small dreams, the small goals and the small fights. Because we can only grow from small ones.

But finally, what I wanna say – no matter how you’re feeling right now, it will get better, trust me. And if you have a dream, go and fight for it. No matter how small or big it is, crazy or normal it might sound. If it means something to you, it deserves to become reality. Please let nobody tell you any different.

And if you need an immediate portion of happiness to feel better, here you go. I’ve been listening to and looking at this little adorable bean while writing this post and my heart is nearly bursting, so I’m pretty sure you could call Tyler a literal happy pill. Such a cutie, I don’t know how Jenna is able to handle him (good for her though, he’s a true gem).

And yeah, I think that’s it for this late night’s talk. I hope I could inspire you a bit with my babbling about music and dreams and I dearly hope that you enjoyed this post. And I also hope that the little bean named Tyler could put a smile on your face. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. Start your own late night chat, go on. And besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you a lovely week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Halloween à la Capaldi

Hola everyone.

Happy November and belated Happy Halloween to you guys. You know, I’ve always been quite in love with this special holiday – although, is it really a true holiday? – but unlike here in the UK, this night of the dead was never a big deal in my country. No trick or treating, no little kids strolling from house to house. Just people dressing up weirdly and drinking and eating way too much stuff. But here in the UK and Brighton it’s like Christmas, only there’s no Santa, but vampires and witches and hundreds of Michael Myers. Less scary than you would think, but definitely fascinating.

So, you could say that this year’s Halloween was a bit more unusual and tons more special than my past ones. But not just because of all the craziness of the people in this town. More because I got to spend this Halloween with a very special person – the one and only Lewis Capaldi. And yes, you guessed it right, I spent this year’s Halloween at a concert. Couldn’t get more on brand, right?

Most of you guys will probably know this Scottish guy with the raspy voice, but if you don’t, what are you doing with your life? Okay, no, I’m just joking. But honestly, you’re truly missing out if your ears haven’t yet been blessed by Lewis’s amazing voice. He’s actually only been around since the beginning of last year, when his song “Bruises” basically blew the metaphorical roof of the internet off. It was everywhere. Even I heard it, without knowing who this guy was and having even less of a clue that I’d be seeing him live twice the following year. Since then he’s been touring Europe countless times, the headline tour he’s doing now even selling out for most of the dates, which is completely crazy. I mean, he hasn’t even got an album out and is already at that stage of his career. Which he’s fully aware of himself, as he joked on Wednesday in his funny Scottish accent: “I just realized, I only have like seven f*cking songs”. A singer-songwriter with a unique voice who doesn’t take himself too seriously, what a catch.

Actually, I would describe the show as an amazing party, sprinkled with raspy screams, raw voices, tons of goosebumps, some very emotional tears, only the very best selection of dirty jokes and minutes filled with laughter. So, overall, I have to say I pretty much loved every single second of it and actually never wanted it to end. Lewis’s voice is something special, that completely draws you into it. It totally fills you up and cuddles you like a blanket. Which is something that especially got noticeable when he played some of his newest tracks, which, by the way, I can’t wait for to be finally released. His new album is definitely one of those musical pieces that I’ll be eagerly looking forward to.

If I had to choose my favorite moment of the set, I would say either those few minutes when Lewis played one of his new songs and the whole crowd just went completely silent, letting his voice float through the room and fill it up. Or the very end, when he played “Bruises”, which is the one song he’s most well-known for. That’s the song everyone knew and every single person could sing and scream. Suddenly the whole crowd morphed together into one huge choir, which, not to be dramatic or anything, was rather magical. Those are exactly the moments I love the most at concerts – the most quiet and most passionate ones. It’s live music at its finest.

For me, Lewis is one of those people you can go and see live over and over again, because he’ll always make you crack up with his jokes and dream for a bit with his songs. He just knows how to turn the evening into something special. And I’m more than happy that I got to spent Halloween at his concert, because it was just so different, in the best way possible.

If any of you have a bit of money left and an intense urge to spice up your playlist with some new, amazing music, I’d highly recommend going to one of Lewis’s shows. I think he’s touring the UK and Europe for a bit now over the next few months, so it’s worth to look out for him. And until then I’d love to hear your opinions on his music, I really hope you like it. So, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments and thoughts down below. As always, I hope you’re all doing good and that you enjoyed this post. I wish you all a great weekend. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

I’M FREE

Hola everyone.

I know. I know. I know. Where have I been? Did I get stuck in a hole? Did I decide to disappear for a few weeks and start a new life? I have to say, it’s nothing like that. It’s uni. Or it was. Because two days ago, I finally had my last exams and now I’m free. I’m finally free. Free. Free. Free.

And I can’t even tell you how much I’ve missed posting stuff on here, talking to you guys. But I just couldn’t afford spending my time on anything else than studying and basically existing. That’s what I’ve been doing the past two weeks. And god, it was exhausting. You have no idea. I finally understand why exam week is called week of hell. Because it really feels like hell. But now it’s over and I’m so freaking happy. And I’ve got so many things to tell you guys. So, let’s get right to it.

First of all, the new Fall Out Boy album is out and it’s so damn good, holy moly. At first, due to Young and Menace, I was a little bit worried I’d loose my favorite punk boys. But thank god, I didn’t. The new album is so amazing, seriously. It’s the perfect mixture of punk songs, electronic beats, slow, soulful pieces and amazing guitars and Patricks angelic voice. It gets very close to being perfect, really really really close. Maybe it even is perfect. So I can just strongly recommend it to you guys, please go and have a listen, seriously. If I had to chose, I’d probably say that “Bishops Knife Trick” is my favorite track of the whole album. But let’s be honest, that basically changes after every single listen of the whole album. The songs are just too good. And, in typical FOB manner, the track titles are pretty much the coolest thing ever. I have no idea how they come up with names like “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea”, but I’m glad they do.

And now, the most important news. Yesterday, in order to end the semester in the most amazing way ever and have a nice party, my mum and I went to a concert, a Nothing But Thieves concert. And holy moly guys, I’m still so damn speechless, it was such a blast. And I know what you’re thinking right now – isn’t that the band I just saw a few weeks ago, two months, to be exact? And yes, indeed it is, you’re a 100 % percent right. You may question now why I would buy tickets to a show I basically went to two months before? And here’s the simple answer: because. And since yesterday, I will always go to see a band I love with all of my heart twice if I can. Because yesterday was easily ten times better than the first show. And I didn’t think that that was even possible.

First of all the venue was like a third of the venue in Vienna. The room was packed with people and it was hot as hell. I have no idea why, but somehow Conor, the lead singer, still decided to wear not only one, but two long sleeved sweaters. I was nearly dying there in the crowd, Price, the drummer, was half naked, and then there was Conor, jumping around cuddled into two sweaters. Such a weirdo, I love it. And due to the size of the venue, we were so close to the stage and, especially pleasant for me, close to Conor. We even had some eye contact going on once in a while. And I just loved it so much, watching him and the boys interact and do their thing, being able to notice all the little details about them.

Also, I don’t even know how, in the matter of the past two months, they got so much better, they even excelled themselves. It was crazy. You could see how comfortable they were on stage and how much they enjoyed it. Conors voice just gets better and better with every single show and just their whole set too. They are such an unbelievably amazing band. And I loved seeing how happy they were. For me, a show gets a hundred times better when you see that the band enjoys it as much as the crowd. If they are happy, I am happy too.

Another highlight was of course the updated setlist which included one of their most amazing songs – Number 13. And god, was it worth it. It’s such a blast live, holy moly. And a new cover of a song called “Be My Husband” replaced the one of “Free Falling”, which was extra special for me, as it was one of the songs Ed covered during the first show I ever saw him. And let’s be honest, Conors voice is just breathtaking. Thankfully I got to film the whole part of the show, even him chatting with the crowd for a while, laughing and joking around. He’s such a damn cutie. Seriously. Having his laugh on tape is literally the best thing.

But, I have to say, my most favorite part of the show has to be when they played “Ban All the Music” and somehow literally everyone went totally apeshit. No joke. I mean, the crowd was amazing throughout the whole show. Jumping around, dancing, crowdsurfing, doing moshpits over and over. Conor even said that it was the best moshpit he had ever seen. But when they played BATM, it got a totally different level of crazy. First of all, the crowd went completely berserk. Then Stu, their tour manager/handy-man, started crowdsurfing out of nowhere. God, I laughed so much. And the boys just followed, jumping around on stage, laughing and joking. At some point Dom, one of the guitarists, even went up to the mic and just screamed a note, while Conor stood next to him, looking at him like “what the hell are you doing???” and laughing his butt off. God, that was such an experience. It wasn’t just a concert, it was so much more.

So yeah guys, there you go. That was last night. I also have to mention that it ended in the coolest way possible, because when we walked out of the venue, we walked past the tour bus and I was like “oh my god, how cool. I’ve never been this close to one of these buses.” And there was this little gap in-between the curtains and I just randomly looked at it and there he was, sitting there, eating I don’t know what – Conor. I can’t really explain why, but somehow that was such a special moment for me. Because it’s something completely different when you see someone on stage, doing what they love and what they are best at, and then off-stage, all calm and relaxed, without the whole star appeal. It just was really special.

For me it was the most perfect way to end my semester and to start my break. And it was the perfect way of rewarding myself for all the exams and hard work. I think it’s important to give back to yourself once in a while. And I’m so happy that my mum enjoyed it as much as I did.

Apart from that, I am just really glad that I get to be at home now for the whole month. And it’s already my last semester of uni. How crazy is that? Time has really flown by. Oh and oh my god guys, tomorrow I’m having my interview with BIMM, you know, the university in Britain I applied for. On the one hand I’m really really really nervous, but on the other hand I’m also so excited. I’ll of course keep you updated. And expect to hear a lot more from me again, I am officially back. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and that you’re all doing good. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And of course, thanks for reading. x

My Songs of 2017

Hola everyone.

The year is really coming to an end, isn’t it? I think not even my shock can change that. And as the year is ending, I thought I’d look through all of the songs I added to my playlist this year and then make some kind of list of my songs of the year 2017.

And what a year it has been. There were so many amazing songs and albums published. Ed has pretty much taken over the year with his album “Divide” and became the most streamed artist of 2017. And I’m so proud of him. I really am. And Paramore. Their new album “After Laughter” is pretty much breathtaking. And Nothing But Thieves surprised us all with their amazing new album “Broken Machine”. And I found my love for the fascinating Tom Rosenthal and his beautiful, calming songs. And Fall Out Boy teased their new style of music with three singles and I can just say, I’m pretty stoked for their new, upcoming album which is being released in the first half of January. And Martijn also released so many amazing songs, not to forget the show in Amsterdam I went to. I still can’t really believe that I experienced that. So crazy. And also all the other amazing, unbelievable concerts I attended. I flew to Zürich to see Ed – one of the best nights in my life. I saw Paramore and The 1975 in a matter of three days. I went to a festival to see Kings of Leon for the second time and had some kind of reunion with Two Door Cinema Club in Vienna, the one band it all started with. And so much more. What a crazy, amazing year it has been.

So, without further ado, here is my list of the songs of 2017. Please enjoy:

The Killers – Mr. Brightside
Saint Raymond – Night Crawling (Re-Edit)
Bad Decisions – Chills
The Hunna – Sycamore Tree
Hippo Campus – Monsoon (live)
Ed Sheeran – How Would You Feel (Paean)
BØRNS – 10,000 Emerald Pools
Fall Out Boy – Young and Menace
Paramore – Rose-Colored Boy
Kristian Kostov – Beautiful Mess
Kraftklub – Chemie Chemie Ya
Sidney Bechet – Si tu voics ma mère
Imagine Dragons – I Don’t Know Why
Martin Garrix – Pizza
The Wrecks – Favorite Liar
Nothing But Thieves – Amsterdam
Tom Rosenthal – Bob in the Rain and the Lizard of Hope

All of these songs mean something to me. Some of them are my favorite songs of an album. Some are songs I’ve been listening to basically 24/7. Some of them are songs that I just recently fell in love with all over again. And some are connected to really important, lovely memories of this year – whether it was a special moment at a concert, a nice evening on a holiday trip or a track in a movie. They all mean something. And through that they’ve all become a part of me, a part of myself.

And also, it seems like I wasn’t the only one who had the idea of doing some kind of musical summary of 2017 – Spotify did too. So they made some kind of list and statistic of my year on Spotify. And it’s pretty fascinating, I have to say. But it describes me in the very best way.

I think it perfectly shows what I enjoy most in music. The only thing that shocks me is that Martijn is missing from the list. But I think it’s so funny that the list of my favorite artists starts off with Tom Rosenthal and Ed, both really slow, calming musicians and then it does like a 180 degree change towards the more indie rock and pop zone with Nothing But Thieves, Fall Out Boy and Paramore. Also, I’m actually pretty proud of the amount of minutes I’ve listened to music – 17.408. That’s like 12 whole days. How crazy is that? Especially when you look at the amount of minutes of 2015 – just about 4700, I think. That’s a pretty huge increase, I’d say.

So yeah guys, there you go. That’s my musical year. And actually I already have so many concerts planned in 2018 – I think I’ve never had so many concert tickets waiting in my drawer. And I can’t wait to attend all of them. And I can’t wait for all the albums, songs, concerts and festivals that are waiting for me, waiting to be published, waiting to be attended. I’m really excited to see what 2018 has in store for me. And until then I’ll just enjoy what 2017 gave me. And I hope you do too.

Also, guys, I won’t be posting anything on Monday, as it’s Christmas, of course. So I wish you all an amazing Christmas and nice holidays and happy days with your loved ones. And I hope you enjoyed this little post. And, as always, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below and thanks for reading. x