ldn magazine – that lemon life

Bella Venezia

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and also a new week. I hope so far your Monday has been nice and that you enjoyed the past weekend. I personally spent most of the weekend exploring London and working on our uni magazine LDN. So far, I’m honestly super proud of what my team and I have achieved with the mag so far and I truly can’t wait to finally hold the first print issue in my hands. Although this is technically not even my own magazine, the past few weeks have felt like I’ve been building up something that is mine. Something I can pour all my heart and creativity into. And although I spend almost every free hour either working on or thinking about the magazine without really getting anything back in return, by which I mean money and such, it has made me happier than I could have ever imagined. It almost feels like I was meant to be the editor of the paper. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

On the other side, it could also be that I’m spending so much time working on the mag to get my mind off of missing my family and my home, especially my cat and my dog. Unfortunately, both haven’t been doing super well, which has left me feeling completely useless and helpless. Thankfully my parents are doing the most amazing job at looking after both my babies and I can’t wait to be with them again in two months. I think it’s just also been very tough for me to live without a pet for the first time in what feels like an eternity. It’s like a piece of myself, of my soul was left behind when I moved away from home. Actually, my flatmate Elena was meant to come with her feline friend Gatto, but getting him to London from Italy has proven more complicated than we thought. So getting our new furry child has been our number one mission ever since. So that might be another reason why I’m busying myself with the magazine and also basically burying myself in plants. It’s as if my brain and soul are looking for anything that is alive besides my flatmates for me to look after and give my love to. To be honest, you could probably do some psychological study on this, because, I’m not gonna lie, this is a bit weird. But hey, it’s what’s keeping me sane and happy these days, so there we go.

Additionally, looking back on my amazing summer – despite Corona and all that crap – has helped me a lot with staying positive. And part of that utterly beautiful summer was the trip to Venice with my mum, which is what I want to share with you guys today. Finally. I know, I’ve been talking about this for so long and never got around to showing you the pictures of our phenomenal trip, but I guess better late than never, right? So here they are, finally. My favorite shots from Venice.

To be honest, my mum and I both came to the conclusion pretty quickly that a trip to Venice could never possibly have been any better than ours. Although it was a risk to go to Italy in the middle of Corona, we knew that it would be worth it all and it truly was. I don’t think Venice will ever be this beautiful again. We all know what Venice looks like in the summer – now imagine that same city but just without the people. Because that’s what it was like. Empty. Not like Zombie Apocalypse empty, but empty for Venice standards. And gosh, the weather was just so amazing. And the food was even better. I remember not really loving the city the first time I went there, but that trip definitely made me fall head over heels in love with it. It is definitely a trip I will never ever forget. And one that rewarded me with memories and pictures filled with some much beauty that they will prolong into eternity. But, just see for yourself.

And yeah, now we’ve already reached the end of today’s post. As always, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and me babbling a bit about my life and my time in Venice. I truly hope you’re doing good in these rather stressful times and that maybe this post helped you get your mind off stuff for a short while. I’d really love to hear all your thoughts and opinions, so please don’t hesitate to leave any comments down below. And until then, I wish you all the best week and, of course, thanks for reading. x

A night with the club

Hola everyone.

God, it feels like it’s been ages since I posted something. Probably because it literally has been ages. I mean, I know it only has been about two weeks, but it feels way longer than that. Also, I’m very sorry that it has been so long. I’m not even going to come up with any excuses, mostly because I’m currently working on not stressing myself because of everything, especially not my blog, because, in reality, it shouldn’t cause me any stress at all as it is my blog and I have the freedom to decide when I want to post something or not. So, there it is. But still, I’m sorry. I hope you had a great few days though and that you’re doing great.

Today, finally, I’d like to share something very very very special with you. Those of you who have been following my blog for the past few months and especially the past few weeks will know that I recently had the honour of seeing Bombay Bicycle Club live for the very first time. In, like, ever. But the even more exciting part was that while I was seeing them in this tiny venue in Brighton and later on writing about it on here (click here to read that post), I already knew that I’d be seeing them again shortly after that. Which is exactly what happened last Friday and I just have to tell you all about that fantastic night and unforgettable show.

First, let me just remind you of the fact that Bombay have been one of my favourite band ever since I found them in 2016, right after their breakup, and I would’ve never thought I would ever get to see them live. But now I’m sitting in my room here in London, with the experience of not only one Bombay gig but two. It’s been a week and I still can’t believe it really happened. That my friend Lauren and I went to Ally Pally and actually managed to get to the front row. That I got to talk to Liz Lawrence, who’s part of their live band, after the show. And that I felt like I had the biggest hangover the next day from all the excessive dancing, singing and screaming (I mean, I’ve never had a real hangover, but I feel like it might feel like how I did that day). That’s how good the gig was. I remember that I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time and that I never wanted it to end. Which, as far as I could tell, was something I shared with the band. They looked so proud and happy. I really loved every moment. And I can’t even begin to describe how happy, excited and damn thankful I am that they’re back. One of the best indie bands ever has finally returned and I couldn’t be any more thrilled about it.

If any of you get the chance to see these guys live, please do it. Even if you don’t know their old or new songs or any of them – just go for the experience. Maybe you’ll walk out with a new favourite band, you never know. And until then I hope you enjoy me babbling about them, which will probably keep on being a regular part of this blog – I apologise in advance (but really I’m not sorry at all, they’re too good for that).

As you’ve probably noticed, this would usually be the part where I either continue talking about the gig or end the post, but none of those two things are going to happen. As some of you might have noticed, I’ve recently been proudly sharing my reviews that I write for LDN magazine with you guys, which I also want to do now. As you can guess, I obviously had to write a review of Bombay’s show and I feel like it’s such a nice piece, I’d love for you to read it. So, here you go. I hope you like it (here’s the link to the original) and that you’re doing good, obviously. And yeah, please enjoy and let me know what you think. Until then, I wish you all a fantastic Friday and a lovely weekend and, as always, thanks for reading. x

Live Review: Bombay Bicycle Club @ Alexandra Palace

It was a sad day for the world of music when the British indie group Bombay Bicycle Club announced their breakup at the beginning of 2016 after many years of success and fame. For a very long time no one was sure whether they would ever hear from their beloved rockers again, but almost to the day, four years later, news was spread that seemed almost too good to be true: Bombay Bicycle Club are back.

In addition to the comeback, their fans, who had been waiting for their return all this time, were also blessed with the announcement of a new tour and their fifth album “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong”, which was released on the 17^th of January. Even I, who had been hoping for the Londoners to somehow resurface again ever since discovering them at the end of 2016, couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. Suddenly they were back. Hard to believe, since they had been the one band that I had been too late for, the one that I would never get to hear new music from and the one band that I would definitely never have the chance to see live.

And yet, on a cool Friday evening, I find myself in the big hall that is the ever so famous Ally Pally in London, knowing that Bombay Bicycle Club would be appearing in just a few minutes to play the first gig of their two sold-out nights. A thought that still seems unreal to me while standing in front of the barrier and facing the enormous stage.

Suddenly there is a loud uproar, followed by a sea of shining, flashing lights that herald the lively start of the evening with “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)”. Their highly anticipated comeback single gives a clear signal that Bombay Bicycle Club still know who they are and where they belong, even after so many years – namely on the stages of this world. Despite the dark undertones of their new material, the live experience lights up the concert hall and is also reflected in the collective proud smiles of the Londoner stars.

Since this is their comeback tour and also, as told by guitarist Jamie MacColl, the closest they can get to having a hometown show, the crowd is not only gifted with fresh material from their incredibly loved new album, but also with a setlist that gleams through its certain touch of nostalgia. Throughout the whole night, the old is united with the new and in one moment even merged seamlessly. Hits like “Luna”, “Shuffle” and fan favorite “Always Like This” make the crowd bounce and shake like nothing else, while newcomers “I Can Hardly Speak”, “Good Day” and “I Worry About You” offer brief insights into the new record and showcase the growth the band has gone through during their break. Ultimately, the London boys are still the same, with their emotional lyrics, haunting beats, and addictive guitar riffs.

Given the quality of their show and the magnetism of the band, it comes as no surprise that loud, persistent screams fill up the venue before an electrifying encore and the Brits’ final goodbyes. It’s a special show that marks the beginning of a new era for Bombay. After all this time, they still remain one of the most progressive indie bands of the past decade, delivering every show as if it were their last. Let’s just hope that they really came to stay this time.

An evening with Tom

Hola everyone.

How are you all doing on this – at least here in London – grey and rainy Monday? I hope so far your Monday has been less grey and less rainy than mine. And if it hasn’t, oh well, at least there’s your reason to cuddle up in a blanket and watch a nice movie. Besides that, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that you’re looking forward to the upcoming days.

Today, I thought, would be a nice time to talk a bit about the last Tom Rosenthal gig that I went to at the beginning of December last year – as promised – and share the review with you that I wrote about it for the LDN magazine (click here to check out our website). You all can probably guess that I absolutely loved every single second of the gig – and yes, I did. It was so beautiful and just straight-up lovely, I never wanted the evening to end. Tom never fails to excel even my biggest expectations, while still staying himself and just so down to earth. The crowds have become bigger, but he’s still the same Tom, with his dad jokes, strange concert outfits (this time, specially for the Christmas gig, it was a fluffy jacket that lit up like a colourful Christmas tree) and way too stunning voice. He’s definitely one of those artists that I will never ever stop being in love with and that I could see live over and over again without it ever losing its thrill and excitement. That’s just who Tom is. The perfect talent.

Because of this, it was an absolute honour for me to write a review of the gig for our magazine. He deserves all the attention he’s receiving and so much more. And I already can’t wait to write more about him. But until then, I hope you guys enjoy this review (see down below) – according to Tom himself it’s a good one, so there you go. And speaking of him, he’s currently doing another small EU + UK tour and you should all definitely go and see him. I’m not even kidding. You’ll miss out on one of the best, loveliest and nicest gigs of your life if you let the chance of seeing him live slip. Really. So, go and see Tom. You won’t regret it, I swear. And on my part, I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below and I wish you all a nice week. And, of course, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the review. x

Live Review: Tom Rosenthal @ Islington Assembly Hall (10.12.2019)

Tom Rosenthal has always gone a bit against the current. His special style of indie folk-pop has always been very self-contained to mainly acoustic songs that make you dream of long car rides under a starry night sky, but still, they have stayed on the right side of indie cheese. For the past ten years, Tom has continued to make songs that are ridiculously catchy but feel homegrown and more like a tight, warm hug than anything else. And until a series of small-scale 100 capacity gigs at the St Pancras Old Church at the beginning of 2019, most of them used to be cherished secrets, buried deep in the depths of Spotify & Co.

Today, a few months, a handful of new songs and a whole UK/EU tour later, Tom has come back to London, with an added zero to his sold-out gig at the Islington Assembly Hall. But this where the changes begin and end again. The banner below Tom’s keyboard is still the one made by his wife. His accompaniment still consists of only a single cellist and a guitarist, which again reflects his musical style perfectly: intimate, emotive, and wonderfully personal. And he is still the same Tom Rosenthal, moving seamlessly from existential sorrow to jolly comedy. The haunting harmonies of the oh so popular ‘It’s OK’ make way for the uplifting brightness of fan favorites‘ P.A.S.T.A’, ‘Watermelon’ and ‘Red Red Red’, also known as the ‘fun sing-a-long bit’, where the audience does actually sing along.

Through the usual dressing of overwhelming emotions, endless smiles and even the odd dance number to the sunny ‘Love Loosens Limbs’, it becomes clear that the true power of Tom’s talent flourishes in his live performances. He jokes that it may have taken him a bit long to finally play his own gigs and thanks the crowd for sharing the evening with him countless times. And as he leaves the stage to rapturous applause, everyone in the small venue silently agrees – Tom Rosenthal has finally arrived and he has come to stay.

The ultimate update

Hola everyone.

I know, I know. Where the hell have I been? To be honest, I can’t even really defend myself here. The only thing I can say is that I’ve been so incredibly busy the past two weeks that running from uni to work and then back again has been basically the only thing I’ve been doing (besides sleep, which is the most important part, let’s be real). And I’m not complaining, but it has definitely led to me having nearly no time at all to concentrate on this blog, which is a shame. Buuuuut I’m finally back again and as it’s been quite some time – actually, just a bit over a week, but it feels like ages – I thought a little update post would be nice. Also, so much has happened, I just have to share it with you. Please enjoy.

Okay, let’s start with the most recent and also most exciting thing – basically the best thing that has happened to me this week. This month. Eternity. Whatever. Guess who today, literally just a few hours ago, bought tickets to see her favourite boys in Dublin next year? MEEEEEEEE. It’s me (duh). I can’t freaking believe it. I’m really going to see Ty and Josh again, at their (maybe) only solo show of the whole year. How is this real life? For those of you who are a bit confused right now, I’m obviously talking about Twenty One Pilots. Only my favourite band, in like, ever. And now, after the incredible year that was 2019, I’m also going to see them next year. This is just too crazy. Even more so considering that Jenna is pregnant and Josh and Debby are planning on getting married and the whole fandom thought they’d go on another hiatus after their shows finished this year. But no. There is this one solo show (besides a few festival appearances) in Dublin, with Nothing But Thieves (!!! my other boys) and Blackbear as supports. And I’m going. Holy freaking moly. At this point, I really have to thank my friend Lauren, who luckily was awake and could buy the tickets for us, as Ticketmaster decided to be a dick and not let me verify any of the credit cards I used (thanks guys). She was my savior. And I’m just so happy right now, oh wow. The 25th of June 2020 can’t come quickly enough – just to add, I’m going with my mum (because she’s the coolest, obviously) and the gig is literally on her birthday. Do you see now how crazy this all is? I’m literally the luckiest girl on earth.

So far, so exciting. Now let’s roll on to something I haven’t really talked about since I moved to London – my job. Or let’s call it the story of how literally the soberest person on earth ended up being a bartender. I know, what a weird concept. But it works, trust me. Because even as stressful and exhausting the job might be, I absolutely love it. I’m not going to explicitly name the venue I’m working at (you know, for safety reasons and all that), but it’s definitely the best place I could’ve found. The team is absolutely fantastic and feels like a little family, the customers are always incredibly nice and I basically get paid to attend concerts. In short, it’s literally the best job ever. And although I might not be able to tell the customers which gin or which rum tastes the nicest, I feel like I’m doing my job pretty well and I really do look forward to every single shift. I can only repeat myself – what a lucky girl I am.

And last but not least – Christmas is coming closer and closer and I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it. It’s literally lurking around the corner. Can you see it? Because I can and I’m immensely shocked how fast time has flown by. It feels like I only moved here a few weeks ago. And now I’ll be home again for the Christmas break in less than two weeks. How crazy is that? And although I’m unbelievably in love with London, I really can’t wait to finally be home. It will be nearly three months since having seen my parents, and, in all honesty, that’s simply way too long. I miss waking up with Peaches in my bed and cuddling with her late at night. I miss going for daily walks with my mum and Molly. I miss playing cards with my parents. I even miss having to wake them up every few minutes when they fall asleep on the couch while we’re watching a movie. I just miss being home.

Also, I don’t know about you, but I seriously can’t wait for Christmas. But not the presents or anything like that, I’m way over that age now (yep, I’m getting old). I mean the get-togethers with the family, the waking up to a snow-covered garden, the setting up the Christmas tree. And the fairy lights. I’m definitely ready for the fairy lights. Give me all the fairy lights. Might have to add now that London does an incredible job of basically covering the whole city in cute lights. I really appreciate it. So, yeah, Christmas can come. The chocolate-filled calendar is already propped up on my table.

And with that, we’ve already come to the end of this post… Oh, no, I forgot one thing. My interview with the one and only band half•alive has finally been published and I’m so so so happy to share with all of you (click here). I’m insanely proud of it and I really hope you enjoy it. Please don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts and comments – this also includes the ones for this post right here. And yeah, to come to a close: in a nutshell, I am currently doing incredibly well and I hope you are too. Also, I wish you all an amazing weekend and, as always, thanks so much for reading. x

The Sounds of Heaven

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and also with that to another week. I hope the last week and weekend have been great and that you’re doing good. First of all, I need to apologise for not posting anything the past week. I was quite busy the last few days – good busy, not bad busy, thank god – and could unfortunately never find the right time to actually sit down and write something, although ever since Saturday the 19^th – the one two weeks ago – I’ve had one post fully planned out. This one you’re reading right now, to be exact. And it’s a special one, I can tell you that. Because today, and finally, I have the honour of telling you everything about the very beautiful, super mesmerizing and absolutely unbelievable Amber Run gig I had the chance to attend. It was incredible. I can’t wait for you to read this.

Okay, so, first of all, the whole adventure started off with me – and buckle up for this – actually getting to interview these lovely guys from this incredible band. Joe, Henry, and Tom. The fantastic trio. And the ultimate reason for one of the most phenomenal days/evenings/nights of my entire life. I’m not gonna go into much detail about the whole interview, as all the gossip and stuff isn’t really my thing, but I do want to say that they were the nicest guys ever and that I still feel so incredibly honoured to have got the chance to meet them. I’ll definitely never ever forget it. And with that, it is also my pleasure to share the finished feature I wrote about our whole chat with you guys. So, if you want to check that out, please just click here and enjoy. Also, please don’t hesitate to tell me your thoughts if you do check it out. I appreciate any kind of feedback. Thank youuuu.

So, yeah, that was kind of the first part of the absolute madness that was that day. And I had every intention to fully enjoy every second of it. After the super lovely interview, I then obviously had to stay at the venue – the Roundhouse in London – in order to get to the front for the gig. You might think now that it could be a bit weird to be there as a journalist at first and then end up in the front row for the gig, but, in all honesty, I had waited for that gig for a long time and besides that, I’m also short, so it’s either the front or seats for me. And in that case, it had to be the front. Which I actually managed to get – I mean, it was second row, but let’s not be that strict, right -, which I’m still kind of proud of. I know, I know, I was one of the first people to actually get to the venue, so where else would I be, but still. I’m proud.

After quite some time of waiting outside and then inside, which mainly consisted of me sitting on the cold floor and fangirling about the interview with my friend, it was finally time for the support band – Stereo Honey – to come on stage and then, after them, Amber Run. I can’t even put into words how excited I was. Even after having spent quite some time with them chatting while being sat in a tiny room, it was still so incredible to see them on stage. Maybe also because it was my first time of seeing them live. Either way, if anyone ever looked professional and at ease with what they’re doing, it was definitely them. And I truly, truly loved that. You know, whenever a band is on stage, playing live, and really shows and lets the crowd know that they are enjoying the moment just as much as the people attending the gig, the whole thing levels up by about a hundred for me. It just completely changes the overall dynamic in the room when the artists are as happy as the crowd. And that’s why it matters so much to me. I want the band or the artist to be happy. Just as happy as I am in that moment. And I think, on that particular Saturday, the whole room was definitely just one big heap of happiness (and maybe a bit of melancholic sadness in-between, depending on the song they were playing).

Out of the whole one and a half hours, there were quite a few highlights, which I do have to talk about because I simply can’t help myself. The first one definitely has to be finally getting to hear ‘Amen’ and ‘I Found’ live. I cried during both of them. Both kinda broke my heart – ‘Amen’ a tad more simply because of its story and existence in general (or how Joe put it – it was peak emo). And both were an experience that I could only describe as heavenly and otherworldly. I mean, the whole gig in itself felt like a trip to heaven for a few reasons. For once, there’s Joe’s voice. If you don’t know how it sounds, please go and check it out now, because I simply have no words to describe how beautiful it is. Then there’s the fantastic band. And last but not least, there were the moments I will forever cherish when all three of them – Joe, Henry (their keyboardist) and Tom (their bassist) – sang together. I can’t even describe what their voices combined sounded like. Heaven. They sounded like heaven. And they made me feel like I was in heaven.

Besides that, there was also this very cute moment when they started playing ‘What Could Be As Lonely’, which is one of my absolute favourites and also funnily enough one of theirs as well, and Henry, who was right in front of me, and I had this very fun moment of complete understanding and excitement. The story to that is that we had discussed the song during the interview and at the end they had said that they would make sure to play the song. So, when they played it, Henry looked at me with that look of “AHA! There you go.” on his face and I just laughed at him and gave him two thumbs up. It was such a sweet moment, honestly. Actually having a real interaction with the band during the gig is literally one of the best things ever.

And last but not least I have to mention the moment when all the crying on my behalf started, which was when they played ‘Affection’. I mean, this one has always had a special place in my heart as it was the first song I heard of their newest album, but what made it all even more incredible was that they actually had the singer of Stereo Honey come up on stage to perform the song with them. Have any of you guys ever had to cry because something was too beautiful to cope? Because that was exactly what happened to me while I was listening to them and watching them. It was just so damn beautiful. And wholesome. And cute. It was simply perfect.

Actually, that’s what I would call the whole day/night overall. It was nothing short of perfection. As soon as the gig had ended, I fell in this kind of trance. It had really been this good. I felt like I was on a cloud or something. And I know this might sound super crazy now, but out of the over 170 artists I’ve seen live over the course of my whole life, that band and that gig definitely earned a spot in my top 10. And that’s really saying something. I’m easily excited and interested, but not like that. Amber Run did more than just excite and interest me. So much more.

Also, absolute probs to their whole team and especially their stage and light designers, because, heck, what a show. I mean, just take a look at the pics down below. How beautiful does that look? With the colours and the sign and just everything. So pretty.

So, overall, that Saturday, that interview, that gig and Amber Run created something magical that I had never experienced before and I will forever be grateful for that and cherish every single moment. If any of you guys ever get the chance to see these incredible guys live, please please please do yourself a favour and go to the show. Even if you don’t know their music. Trust me, you’ll love them. And obviously, checking them out on Spotify is a must as well. And until then, I can only hope that you enjoyed reading about this magical, heavenly day/night that I got to experience. I’m utterly happy that I got to share it with you and I can’t wait to hear all your opinions. And as always, I wish you all an amazing week and, of course, thanks for reading. x