Thoroughly modern millennial

Tag: 2012

  • ‘Keep Clam & Play Louder’: McFLY at Southampton Guildhall 2012

    What I wore: Top [McFLY Tour 2007], Denim shirt [H&M], Leggings [New Look], Ankle Boots [Dorothy Perkins], Necklace [DIY-ed]

    It’s been at least 5 years since I saw McFLY, so when they announced they’d be stopping off in Southampton on their ‘Keep Calm and Play Louder’ Tour I jumped onto Ticketmaster and booked those tickets faster than you can say ‘5 Colours in her hair’. Some may scoff at my love of this band but despite what you think of their recorded versions of their songs or their stints on reality TV shows, if you really want to get an idea of what McFLY are like as a band? See them live. 

    Me and my sister arrived at the Guildhall at about 6pm and two queues on either side of the building were already huge and only got bigger as we headed inside at 7pm. 
    There were two support acts. Raising Maisie (@raisingmaisie), a polished punk indie-eqsue band, all suited and booted with big hair and eyeliner. And the main support for the tour, Ivyrise (@Ivyrise). Ivyrise are a very McFLY-eqsue pop punk band who really played up the crowd, they also took to the queue before the gig to get people to sign up to their mailing list and I got a nice high-five from guitarist Dan cos I’d watched them on YouTube before the gig. Hopefully I’ll get to see them again in May on their tour. 
    It was another hour before McFLY came on and our view pretty much sucked for most of the gig (too many tall people and me at 5′ tall, you do the math lol) so most of my photos are pretty horrendous. They opened up playing ‘God Save the Queen’ on guitar, leading into  ‘Nowhere left to run’, the whole crowd went wild, camera/iphones flashing and a giant surge to push forward towards the stage. Notable moments from the gig were old favourites such as ‘Star Girl’, ‘I Wanna Hold You’ and (a personal favourite for me) B-Side ‘No Worries’. It was a real treat to see them able to pull songs out from 4/5 different albums and medley them, as was the case with POV/She Falls Asleep pt2/Down Goes Another One. 
    Danny Jones was especially on point a this gig, channelling Springsteen’s front man capabilities to get the crowd to sing along to a medley of covers, of artists such as Rihanna, Whitney Houston and One Direction, mixed with ‘Everybody Knows‘. 
    What really impressed me was their 3 newest tracks; ‘Red’, ‘Touch the rain’ and the tentatively named ‘Do what’cha want‘. As someone who wasn’t that big a fan of their more electro sound for ‘Above the Noise’, these new songs are a promising return to their earlier The Who and Springsteen inspired sound mixed with a good dose of Blink-182. 
    And a McFLY gig would not be complete without a few random moments, from Dougie’s preacher call and response, Tom saving Dougie from a little humiliation of not knowing the whole of the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme tune and a Danny-led chant for their long standing guitar tech Neil. 
    All in all my boys did not let down. Their vocals and musician-ship really shine when live in front of a crowd and, quite honestly, they know it. 
    Definitely looking forward to the new album! And you guys should too! 

     

  • Wishlist Item…

    Basic Tie Brogues
    £14.99
    from New Look

    There’s something about a pair of grey, vintage-looking brogues that’s just so chic. I found this gorgeous pair whilst at work but alas none in my size (typical). I love the slightly Parisian prep feel about them and they’d look fabulous this S/S’s pastel trend. Add that to the fact that they’re only £14.99 and I definitely know where my paycheck will be going at the end of the month!

  • The Hunger Games World Premiere L.A. – red carpet fashion round up

    Oh you honestly didn’t think I wasn’t gonna do one of these did you? ;)
    The Hunger Games world premiere was held last Monday in L.A. and to say it was quite the spectacle is quite an understatement. I’ve not seen a fandom so hyped since the mega franchises of Harry Potter and Twilight. I was certainly impressed by the cast, both leads and support actors, on the red carpet and there were also a few familiar faces amongst the tributes and Panem citizens…

    First up, the girl on fire herself, Miss Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer did Katniss proud and kicked down any competition for the best dressed in a stunning gold Prabal Gurung gown. I love the styling here, very simple to make sure the gown does the talking. Also check out the photo below for the back of the dress, really beautiful.

    Two adorable young ladies I was looking forward to seeing were Willow Shields (who plays Primrose Everdeen, Katnss’ sister) and Amandla Stenberg (who play Rue). I’ll applaud both girls for dressing both event and age appropriate. Willow stepped out in a Marc Jacobs dress, which I’ll give her a pass. We’ve seen in the past (a la early Emma Watson) that it’s pretty hard for young girls like her to find dresses that fit, though I do hope she looks towards Chloe Moretz for future styling tips. 
    Amandla got an audible ‘Awww’ from me in her Collette Dinnigan dress. The dress itself is stunning and I love her silver accessories here. 

    Not wanting to be outshone by her younger co-stars was Elizabeth Banks. She stormed the event in her own firery Atelier Versace mini. Brilliant styling, hair and make up!

    It’s no secret that this is probably the first and only Hunger Games premiere for this group of ladies, as they play just some of the main Tributes in the movie, so I was happy they all opted for the ‘Go big or go home’ approach to their looks. Isabella Furhman and Leven Rambin, the dangerous career Tributes looked a million miles away from their bloody on-screen counterparts. I’m completely in love with Isabella’s Oscar de la Renta dress, the vintage feel suits her perfectly and the pop of colour in her lipstick is just what the outfit needs. Leven certainly could’ve upstaged Jennifer in this red Chagoury Couture gown, but she kept the styling classic and classy. Both Kalia Prescott and Jackie Emerson brought a little drama too in their gowns. 

    It wasn’t all dresses on the red carpet. Kelly Osbourne and Leslie Man opted for slick suits. I’m not convinced about Kelly’s mismatched ensemble here but Leslie’s Monique Lhuiller jumpsuit is perfection. 

    And finally onto some of the filler attendees. My thoughts on all three were ‘well, at least they didn’t upstage the main cast’. Kendall and Kylie Jenner, played it safe in mini dresses (honestly I’m pretty pissed they got to go…and they haven’t even read the book ¬_¬). Shailene Woodley continues to disappoint me even after awards season, in an unshapely Honor gown. And finally Miley Cyrus, who I’ll concede has read the books and is dating one of the leads, in Emilio Pucci. Out of all of this gorgeous collection I’m not surprised she chose the midriff-underwear-brassiere ensemble. From the waist down she looks fine, I just hate the lingerie looking top. 
    [All photos via Zimbio]

    Not one to end on a low note, the trailer for the film is below if you’re wondering what all the hype was about. And also READ THE TRILOGY. It’s a fabulous book series, I just hope they do the book justice!