Plan B

I can't believe it's nearly November already. Christmas decorations and presents are already going on sale in Shops and Halloween hasn't even happened yet! So, Vince and I have been officially living together for nearly two months and it's going really well...except for the fact that neither of us have any money and we're sharing our living room and kitchen with a furry family of mice!

We thought we only had the one after the boys accidentally caught it on camera...that particular furry creature is now dead thanks to out mouse traps but we've since found two more mice holes in the living room so we're pretty sure there's a few more scurrying about. We have one in the kitchen also, who seems to be some kind of magician mouse. We've put food on the traps but it seems to be able to get onto the trap, lean into and get the food out without the trap getting it. Clever! We're going to have to resort to poison pretty soon!

Anyway, enough about mice. As I said, living together is going well except for the fact that neither of us has any money. Over the summer I worked and saved in the hope I would be able to live on it until after Christmas when I could find a job that wasn't a Christmas temp. Unfortunately my plan hasn't seemed to work as I don't think my money will be able to stretch that far, especially as I have to buy presents as well! Hopefully there will be some shifts in the Student Union but other than that, I'm going to have to hope there's a job for me when I go back home for Christmas.


Last weekend Vince and I went to London for the weekend. It was a really great weekend. I bought tickets to see my favourite band, My Chemical Romance. I booked the Custom House at ExCel hotel for us to stay in which was really nice, we ended up falling asleep when we got there as we're not used to getting up so early to catch the coach. Anyway, we made it to the gig and I have to say it was amazing! If you've read the below post which includes my review, you'll be able to tell, but it was possibly the best gig I've been to in a long long time. There isn't very many photos of Vince and I as I seem to be incapable of smiling properly but there are a few gig photos that I took on my phone and my camera. My camera is RUBBISH by the way!






As I said, my camera is rubbish so these were the best I could get. On the Sunday we enjoyed a nice cooked breakfast and then decided we would pick a place on the tube map and go exploring. Well, instead we settled on Shepherds Bush and decided to see Paranormal Activity 2 and have a roast dinner! Brilliant :)

Since then I've been working on Styleclone.com and various reviews. I've got another review lined up for the Portsmouth News, which will hopefully be printed in the paper! Fingers crossed!


I'm just one followed away from 80! That's amazing. :)

My Chemical Romance live at Hammersmith Apollo

Sorry to bore you all with band stuff, but I really wanted to post this review.

My Chemical Romance live at Hammersmith Apollo
October 23rd 2010

Throughout the world, amongst rock fans old and young, there is a wave of excitement bubbling underneath the surface in anticipation for the return of the mighty My Chemical Romance. Every fan can feel it washing through them each time they read a news item or hear sneak peeks of tracks from the new album, ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys,’ released on November 22nd.

These past few weeks have seen this excitement rumbling slowly up the Richter scale, and when the band announced their first UK tour in 3 years, MCR fans all over the country went wild, snapping up tickets within hours, realising that the bands return was closer than ever.


The now very colourful circus rolled into London’s Hammersmith Apollo to be greeted by fans who had been camping outside the venue since the previous night, braving the cold temperatures and rain in order to be that little bit closer to the band.

Handpicked by Frank Iero, Scottish Indie rockers Twin Atlantic took to the stage as the only support act of the night. Perhaps it was nerves that meant they took a little while to really warm up, but once they did, it was clear that they really gave it their all. They tore up every inch of the stage, dropping to their knees and scratching at their guitars while writhing around on the floor. It was great to see the audience singing and dancing along to tracks such as ‘You’re Turning Into John Wayne,’ and ‘Lightspeed,’ and for a band playing to a completely different audience than what they’re used to, they certainly did a good job and won over new fans along the way.

The thirty minute break after Twin Atlantic’s set was an agonisingly long time for the audience. Every roadie that took to the stage received a deafening cheer and it wasn’t long before the “MCR!” chants began.

Finally taking to the stage at 9pm, it soon felt like they’d never been away. They tore straight into their new single ‘Na Na Na,’ with almost every fan in the room already knowing it word for word. The new tracks were sandwiched cleverly between some of the band’s biggest hits, such as the delectable ‘Thank You For The Venom,’ which followed the new single, to the heart pumping ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise),’ which continued the mayhem that was the dance fuelled ‘Planetary (GO!).’

‘Cemetery Drive’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell Kid’ whisk the audience right back to the bands ‘Three Cheers’ era, while a surprise performance of ‘Our Lady of Sorrows,’ a first in five years, separates the diehard fans from the rest and proves that MCR’s older tracks still stand up strong against their newer material.

Things wound down for a few minutes while the emotional 'I Don't Love You,' floated around the venue. The pace quickly picked up again when the cheeky 'You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison' started up, with Gerard ordering all the males in the audience to whip off their t-shirts and wave them in the air. Unsurprisingly, many obliged.

'Honey This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us' was another surprise for the dedicated fans, and an even bigger surprise for the two twins who were pulled on-stage to sing along. Of course, they couldn't contain their excitement and messed up their timings spectacularly. Showing them how it's done, Gerard launched into the much loved track while the twins ran around the stage, hugging each band member before taking to the microphones to warble a few lines before being ushered off.

'Welcome To The Black Parade' and 'Helena' were the two biggest songs of the entire night. The raw emotion and elation from the tracks was felt by everybody in the venue, bringing everyone together for a mass sing-a-long. With 'Helena' usually being the band's closing song, nobody expected them to go on for a further 6 songs plus an encore. 'Mama' was a phenomenal burst of energy and power, while 'Teenagers' brought out everybody's childish side for a good old fashioned mosh.

'The Ghost of You' kicked off in a flurry of green smoke, while 'Famous Last Words' and 'Sleep' saw the band really giving it their all. Their love for performing live became apparent in the way they were left gasping for air as the final beats left the speakers.

As Gerard took to the stage alone for 'Cancer,' the lighters and mobile phones quickly rose into the air as the poignant and emotional track filled the venue.

It was a risky move to put an unknown track as the show's encore, but thankfully, the U2-esque stadium filler that was 'The Kids From Yesterday' had the crowd jumping and screaming like it was as familiar to them as any other track. As the song drew to a close, each member left the stage individually, leaving bassist Mikey Way and their then unknown drummer, Mike Pedicone, to bring the spectacular event to an end in true style.

For every fan in the venue, the gig they had just witnessed secured MCR back into their rightful place as one of the best rock bands on the planet. If, like me, you pushed MCR to the side as you discovered new bands to fill the four year long void they left behind, this gig reminded us why we turned to this band in the first place. Their electricity, emotion and happiness to be playing again contaminated the crowd and assured fans that the band are stronger than ever.


At the beginning of the show, Gerard Way said he and his band were not only excited to be playing again but they were also extremely excited for the next ten years for My Chemical Romance. That night, over 5000 people became just as excited as to what the future holds.


Review by Cherry Pullinger