Oh My Stars

Prepare yourself for a lot of pictures (more can be found here) and a lot of fangirling.

So last night was the Duran Duran concert which was in Birmingham. We got there in good time, despite getting confused and taking a back route into the city center. Got parking, got in and bypassed the merchandise stand with a right good will. (I have a sweatshirt already. Even if they had sparkley shirts.)

The opening act was The Duke Spirit who were added in at the last minute because someone in The Long Blondes had broken a leg. The Duke Spirit were really good, sort of a vocal mix of Bjork, Siouxsie and Esthero over some pretty decent rock with hints of Depeche Mode and The Killers.

And then…

Wait! There’s more.

(During Reach Up For The Sunrise from Astronaut.)

Seeing a band in it’s hometown is always a great thing. But when that band is Duran Duran… well, what can you say? It was AWESOME. Even if it was my first concert in a wheelchair. Even if I wasn’t allowed to bring my proper camera and so it was between J. and I trying to get decent pictures on our little point and shoots (these photos are a mix of his and mine). Even if we were quite a way from the stage and no one around us knew any of the stuff off the new album. For the record, J. and I LOVE the new album and I was singing along so loudly that I lost my voice. That’s always the mark of a great show.

It was a great night. Until we started back. We got lost (again) and every single freeway between here and Birmingham was being resurfaced. We had to take a detour out into the middle of the country. And English country roads in the pitch black are kinda creepy.

But overall, I send heartfelt thanks and big squishy hugs to Simon, John, Nick and Roger. Y’all are awesome. And sexy to boot!

How was you weekend?

 

Friday Afternoon Miscellany

Here’s a music meme I found over at Pancakes & French Fries. This one is actually pretty hard because I am darn near shameless when it comes to music. I find I am quite selective in my music love and can easily block out the fact that someone I’m not too keen on is singing a great song. But there are a few I have to explain when they come up on my playlist. (Embedded videos ahoy.)

Share 5 songs you are embarrassed to admit to others you like and tell why.

1) Thunderbirds Are Go by Busted.

Ok, Busted suck. They have that baby-voice-heavy-guitar thing going on that just doesn’t float my boat. But! I love the Thunderbirds. I adore the old tv show, love the film (Bill Paxton is in it!) and think this song is fun. Fun, fun, fun. Fun! And it does look cool when spaceships come out of the pool. Although my favorite bit is when all the palm trees flatten out of the way so Thunderbird 2 can take off. Yes, I’m a geek.

2) Why Haven’t I Heard From You by Reba McEntire.

I don’t like country music. I went to highshool in a town where country was ALL there was to listen to. That’s where I heard this song. The music is quite good but the lyrics crack me up.

3) Footloose by Kenny Loggins.

Raise your hand if you saw this in the theater. *raises hand* I was five or six, I think. But I remember dancing like an idiot to this song. During recess at school we’d put on little shows (singing the Kids Incorporated theme was one of our favorite ones) but this one was popular too. Oh, the memories.

4) Waterloo by ABBA.

Back when Eurovision was actually turning out hits (Nena’s 99 Red Balloons won Eurovision too). I got really into ABBA at university. My mom worked at the school I went to and we carpooled. One day I dropped her off at her building and she got out of the car as one of her coworkers walked by. ABBA was blaring out of the car and my mom pointed at me and said “it’s her music, not mine!” I mean, that’s a rarity, being able to embarass your mother. Douze points!

5) Don’t Stop Movin by S Club 7.

Just laugh. It’s ok, I’m laughing too.

What cringeworthy music do you love?

 

Flair Blocking And Head Music

Flair is blocking, yay! Mr F is complaining that it smells like damp sheep. And I am, as ever, a bit freaked out by the amount that Berroco Ultra Alpaca grows when wet. Also, Flair looks huge. I’m guessing that’s the flariness and not because I made a size too big. I hope, anyway.

The head music part comes from this car commercial. Every single time I see this commercial the song gets stuck in my head (and apparently I’m not the only one, Mr F is currently humming it). Thanks to the wonder of google, I now know that the song is The Beep Beep Song and the artist is one Simone White who has a beautiful voice. (I also know I’m not the only one asking who it was!) I plan on picking up her album tout suite.

Otherwise it’s a lazy day knitting and watching the Newcastle v Sunderland game. I’m rooting for Sunderland, because as an American, it’s always gotta be the underdog.