Tom Odell – that lemon life

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to another Friday, to my blog and, believe it or not, the end of August. Can you believe it’s really nearly September? Because I can’t. I mean, today was my last day at work and in three weeks I’ll already be on my way to London. How crazy is that? I can’t believe it’s all happening so fast. But on the other hand, I’m also very very very excited. I’ve dreamed about living in London for over eight years and now it’s really finally happening. To say that I’m almost bursting of happiness would be an understatement. Which also goes for how I’m feeling right now and regarding what I want to tell you guys all about today. Because today, we’re proudly continuing the Sziget festival series and I couldn’t be any happier about it. I hope so far you’ve also enjoyed reading about my time at the festival and that you’re just as much looking forward to hearing all about day 6 as I am to sharing it all with you. It was a phenomenal day. Please enjoy.

Day 6

It all started off with me waking up and immediately planning my outfit. It had to be a good one, a fairy-tale-like one, because it would be the day we’d finally be seeing the angel Florence Welch, aka Florence + The Machine, who is the ultimate fairy, let’s be honest. So, the outfit had to be good. And practical, because it would also be a day of actually sprinting from one gig to another. It was the most packed day of the whole week, I think in total we went to seven different shows. Yes, you read that right. SEVEN. In one single day. You can probably imagine now in what kind of stress we were on that day. I mean, it was the best stress you can think of, but it was still stress. Stress from excitement. I don’t know.

Despite the heat though, I was extremely looking forward to all of the shows, especially to Florence and to Tom Odell and Catfish and The Bottlemen and probably most of all Boy Pablo. I actually found him, or let’s rather say the band, because of the lineup, while I was checking out all the acts. I fell in love immediately. The music they make is exactly what I usually like to listen to. It just fits perfectly. And little did I know that that gig would be one of the funniest ones I’ve ever been to.

But before I get into this, let’s first start right at the beginning. Not to be dramatic or anything, but I think that Monday was actually the hottest day of the whole week. And after already having gone through five days of music and the sun trying to burn us all alive, you could definitely feel how we all were dreaming about a few clouds popping up here and there. Do you know these pictures of the Sahara where all the wild animals, Zebras, Lions and so on, are all lying under the trees, hiding in the few spots of shade they could find? That’s exactly how the island looked when we got there. Everyone was lying under a tree, either asleep or listening to the band playing on the stage in front of them. And here comes another aspect of why I love Sziget so much – the actual island is freaking beautiful. It’s literally the perfect place for a festival. A huge park that has everything you need and that’s located in the middle of Budapest, but that can still be closed off from the rest of the city. Honestly, it’s absolutely perfect. And definitely much better than just that plain field you usually get with most festivals.

And as it was so hot and we were one of those people who were going into their sixth day, we did just the same as them and sat down underneath a tree and just listened to the band playing in front of us. And shortly after that, it was already time for us to head to the main stage to see Tom Odell. That show was especially cool for me, because I had already seen him back in 2016 when I was still living in Berlin, and because he also went to BIMM. A guy, who had also gone to my university, was playing on the main stage at my favourite festival. You can’t dream up stuff like this, I swear. Obviously, he was absolutely amazing. I don’t know how he does it, but whenever I hear his voice live, I immediately get goosebumps everywhere. The power he has.

Unfortunately, we had to leave midway through his set, because Boy Pablo were just about to start playing and they were my number one priority on that day. And boy, they did not let me down. I can’t really think of a gig where I laughed that much in the space of one hour. I’m not even kidding, I really cried tears from laughing, that’s how weird and funny these guys were. I can’t really pinpoint one specific thing that made the whole gig so funny, but I can tell you who the definite highlight was – Erik, their pianist and background singer, who, funnily enough, did much more than that on that day. He played the triangle, the tambourine, the bongos, heck, he even played some maracas-like-shaker. This guy did everything. And on top of that he literally had the most fun on stage and danced and jumped around like crazy. At one point, he literally put on some freaky sunglasses and put his towel on his head and into a turban. That’s how he played one song. And I might add that some white shorts and shoes were the only other pieces of clothing he was wearing. I almost fell over from laughing. I also have to mention that all of these guys are around my age and just getting started as a band and you could actually see how much they were enjoying themselves. They even had a dance-off on stage, during their set. How crazy is that? Honestly, I absolutely adored them. And taking in all that happiness in that tent made me love them even more and made me want to see them again as soon as possible. After over two weeks that have passed, their concert still remains one of the highlights of the whole week. I’ll definitely never forget that set. Never ever.

But of course, the fun didn’t just end there. After that, we went over to another stage to see Bosse, a german band I’ve been wanting to see for quite some time now, and then Catfish and The Bottlemen, who were absolutely fantastic as well. I remember standing there, watching their set and finally realizing that they were exactly what had still been missing from the lineup – good, old indie rock. That’s what I had been secretly craving the whole week and they gave me exactly what I needed.

In total, these are all the amazing acts we got to see on that day:

I Love You Honey Bunny
Big Thief
Tom Odell
Boy Pablo
Bosse
Catfish and The Bottlemen
Florence + The Machine

Obviously, Florence was the ultimate highlight, right after Boy Pablo. God, she was absolutely breathtaking. Thankfully, mum and I managed to get ourselves a good spot to watch the show from, right at the second barrier, and it was just so lovely. I felt like I was in my own safe space as soon as she got on stage. The whole crowd became one big family, with Florence as our queen. I loved the energy she brought and how she interacted with us. I felt so included, like I was part of the show, part of the magic. And it might not be that relevant, but I absolutely adored the dress she was wearing. Just like I said at the beginning of the post – she’s a fairy. She doesn’t just sound and look like a fairy, she really is one. And her voice is the most magical thing of them all. The concert wasn’t just a gig like any other. It was an experience. An inclusive experience, full of love and freedom and magic. I loved every second of it. And I need to thank Florence and her phenomenal band for turning this Monday into such a fairytale-like evening.

And that pretty much was the whole day number 6. Besides the concerts, mum and I also got to screenprint our own shirts, which was super cool as well. I’ve actually been proudly wearing the shirt every few days and the whole thing also got me into the idea of cutting all the shirts I’m not so keen on wearing, but would definitely wear if they just looked a bit different, even if they were just a bit cropped. So, thanks for giving me that idea, Sziget.

Just like all the previous days, I absolutely loved spending time on this island, surrounded by happiness and love and music and people just like me. No wonder I‘m addicted to concerts and festivals. Why leave heaven? And while we were walking back home, away from the very same island, the very same heaven, I knew that the last day would be the one last high I had been waiting for this whole time. The day I’d finally be seeing Twenty One Pilots, my boys, Ty and Josh. The excitement was through the roof. And, without exaggeration, it also is right now, because I can’t wait to tell you all about that day. It was unbelieveable. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to post anything on Monday, as I’ll be away from home, but you can already prepare yourselves for next Friday. And until then, I hope you enjoyed reading all about day 6 of Sziget. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below and I wish you all a lovely weekend and week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Hola everyone.

So, actually, this is kind of a funny story. And it’s probably one of the proudest moments of my life, because as you know, I’m a shy little bird, just learning to get out of its nest.

Anyways, that’s a whole other story. The thing I really want to tell you about is the concert I went to with my friend Leni this week. She had visited me for 6 days and the concert was like the perfect ending of amazing 6 days. Actually, it was her idea, because she wanted to see him – oh, by the way, it was a Tom Odell concert – and I thought “hey, why not?”. So we got our tickets and headed off to the venue.

.
We got there a little late because why should we stress ourselves and just in time for the support act to come to its end. The band was called Jane’s Party and I have to admit, I was pretty amazed by their set. They are a young up and coming indie pop rock band and it was really nice to hear some kind of indie rock before Tom would take the stage with his piano.
So, they played their set and then we had to wait for Tom, of course. And in that time we went over to the merch stand and I noticed the black markers who were lying on the table. And I was like “hey, maybe they’re going to come out and do a little signing session”. Because the support act doing things like that is so common here, I’ve been to three concerts and it alwaaays happened. So I was already pretty excited, even though until this very evening I had never heard of the band.

.
Then we got back to the space we had decided to be ours, but soon Leni told me that the drummer of the band had just gone to the merch stand. And I was like “oh my, I have to get an autograph”. Sadly, Leni was too nervous and shy – which I am usually too – so I went over to him all by myself. And the funny thing is, when I got there he told me that I could get a CD for any price I wanted. I had actually just given Leni my last cash, so I just had 5 euros left. And he seriously took them. And then he signed my ticket and gave me two – not one – TWO CDs. And I couldn’t believe it. I went back to Leni with the biggest grin ever, I thought that was soooo cool. I was seriously amazed.

.
And then Tom came and played his show and although his music isn’t really what I usually listen too, I really enjoyed the show. The band was amazing, he was fantastic and there was a whole lot of energy in the room and it just overwhelmed me so much that I just had to love the show. Which I did, for real.

And then the show ended and Leni and I sat down to wait until the other people had left and we could leave the venue more easily. And then I saw that the other band mates of Jane’s Party had come out and I just had to get their autographs too. So we sat there and waited for the people to leave. While staring at the hot lead singer of the band, who made us both pretty nervous, because he seriously looks like a young DiCaprio and I’m not even kidding.

.
So when there were finally less people chatting with them, we walked up to them. At this time, Leni had just overcome her shyness and also wanted to meet them. We first talked to the guitarist called Tom who was soooo damn nice. He actually asked us for our names and dedicted the CD to us. And I was thinking “I don’t want this to be like get a sign and just say thanks and leave”. I wanted to get to know them, be nice and just a normal human being doing conversations so I randomly started chatting to him. And it was so cool. And I was soooo damn proud of myself for that. Because as I said, usually I’m even too shy to talk to somebody new on the phone, so until now talking to bands was like completely out of my mind. But at that moment I just did it and it was awesome. We talked about the tour and everything and he was sooo nice.

.
Then we waited for the next one – the hot one called Devon or DiCaprio 2.0. – as suddenly another band mate came up to us and asked us if we he should sign our CDs. And of course we said yes. Then he went away but came back again after like a second to ask us if we wanted to take a picture because he – and I quote – “couldn’t just let him (DiCaprio 2.0.) get to take all the pictures”. And I thought that was so funny and so TRUE.

.
And then again there was this moment of total awkward silence and I was like, I don’t want to just stand here, saying nothing. So I again just started a conversation and I think he was actually happy that we talked to him. We talked about their tour and that they should come to our country and he told us which cities and countries he would like to visit. And he again asked for our names and told us how happy he was to meet us. It was so personal and nice and I was so happy.

.
And then we waited for the last two members to sign our CDs. Unfortunately we couldn’t talk to DiCaprio 2.0. I actually think that the whole signing part was just some kind of marketing thing for them, but it was great seeing them anyway. And yes, he looked even better up close.

.
And suddenly we noticed that we were like two of the last few people to be in the venue and it was so cool. And when we got out, we walked past Jeff (the one we took a pic with) and he again said goodbye to us and I think that that’s extreeeeemly cute. Because that showed that he was geniouly happy to have talked to us. And yes, I went out of the venue with the biggest smile on my face.

.
To be honest, I’m still shocked that this really happened. I mean, I never thought that I would be able to overcome my shyness and for real talk to a band. A real and freaking amazing band. The both signed CDs are now right on my shelf at home and two of the coolest pieces in my flat. Apart from the signed tickets. I couldn’t be any happier about how this whole thing went and I know that I’ll never forget this evening.

.
For the last part I want to tell you something guys. Please, if you EVER get the chance to meet a band – even if the band is like super small and unknown – go up to them and talk to them. Really. You won’t regret it. And the band will love you for showing interest. Seriously. That’s something I was always scared of but know am aware that it’s one of the greatest things ever. So, just do it (insert Shia LaBeouf voice).

.
So, there you go guys. This is the story of how I got myself a free Meet & Greet. If any of you want to know more about the concert or the band or the meetup, I’m here. And until then I hope you enjoyed this post and, as always, thanks for reading. x