My first monthly round-up! Featuring such hits as: “Protesting on behalf of the NHS”, “Spending too much money on gig tickets”, “Meeting Musicians is intimidating” and many, many more! 

Hey everyone! More and more I’m finding that I don’t have time for diary writing anymore, and I miss having a way to look back on everything I’m doing. I only ever seem to journal when I’m sad, and that’s fine because it’s a massive help with my anxious & depressive episodes, but it means that I never record all the cool things I’m incredibly lucky to get to do!

In an attempt to remedy this, I’m creating the “What Happened In…” series to document exactly what it’s like to be a leeds-based blogger and creative approaching their twenties waaaaaay too quickly, both for my own benefit and so you guys can come along for the ride.

Is it self-indulgent? Of course, but this is my corner of the internet to do with what I will, and hopefully some of you will find this back-to-basics old-school blogging useful.

Saturday 4th ~ Save Our NHS March, London

March kicked off in the best way possible. I travelled down to London with my boyfriend and his family for a day of fighting the good fight that turned into so much more. The protest (which as you can tell from the pictures / title was against further strain on the NHS) was so huge that even the police couldn’t estimate numbers, and loads of different groups came together in solidarity.

I very rarely make it down south, so Ethan indulged my desire to go sight-seeing even though he’s seen it all before. We got hot chocolates and made our own way to Parliament Square, with the buzz of the demo still all around us. I was too excited to take any pictures, but I saw the National Gallery for the first time, and it absolutely took my breathe away. I can’t lie, when I first saw the Monet in person I very nearly cried.

The day ended with an extremely long train ride home and some very tired limbs, but not before Ethan’s mum grabbed me and insisted we literally make a run for the British Museum, just so we could see the roof. I wasn’t disappointed, the architecture was gorgeous, and I made a promise to myself to return as soon as I could.

Protests are a great way to start a new month, as they always leave me full of energy and enthusiasm to give everything my all. It’s a reminder of how lucky I am, as well as the encouragement I need to think of others who are less so. Even better, I got to spend this march in excellent company, with the love of my life and his amazing family.

Saturday 11th ~ Music For Kits Fundraiser, Leeds

After taking a break from writing professionally over the exam period, this was my first opportunity to dip my toes back in. I started the night in a really bad way as far as mental health goes, but seeing everyone rallying ’round the cause and raising money for the homeless really lifted my spirits, and the great music was a big help too.

Review here, featuring Emerald Sunday, One-Sided Horse and Glass Mountain!

Monday 13th ~ Mallory Knox Wired Pre-Order Party, Leeds

Anyone who knows me knows that Mallory Knox have been one of my favourite bands for years, maybe even my all time favourite band after The Cure and Marilyn Manson. I’m no stranger to seeing them live, before this gig I had seen them 5 times, travelling to Download Festival, Leeds Festival and 2000 Trees just to catch their set. This was the first time I’d been to a pre-order party however.

The venue was tiny and the set short, but it was incredible to see them in such an intimate setting, especially since the songs had been modified to suit the more laid-back atmosphere. After rattling through some of hardest-hitting tracks from the new album, Mikey took questions from the audience, with queries ranging from his song-writing process to his influences to his favourite dinosaur. As a music journalist and a poet, hearing about how people construct songs and balance lyrics against melody is super interesting to me, so hearing Sam talk about how he structured the album was invaluable.

Best of all, we rounded out the night by meeting the band in person, and they were more than happy to chat to me about the state of the industry while they signed things. I got to talk about the importance of Signals (their first album) in my music career, as it was the first record to really show me that albums could be more than the sum of their parts, and listening to an album as a whole ride can change your perspective completely. I didn’t get many pictures, but Mikey was more than happy to oblige me, and even invited me to party with the guys whilst I’m covering Leeds Festival.

….And that’s all folks! Well, at least until part two – coming soon! Let me know what awesome things you got up to this month, and what your goals for April are! Remember, if you want to submit your music for review you can message me here.

Also! As of now I am posting exclusive content over on Niume, as it’s a really cool new site that allows you to support your favourite creators! Go on over and check it out for a sneak-preview of what’s to come, if you use this link to sign up you’ll get $1 just for creating your first post!

Stay Different,
Your Skye