A Life Most Extraordinary

Good afternoon, and huge apologies for my recent absence - I have well and truly been neglecting my blogging duties, and there is nothing else to say except please stick with me...I value every single one of you lovely people who take the time to visit, and I will from now on endeavour to give you glorious nuggets of goings-on as often as I can!

The photo above signified the end of the first round of gigs of 2015 for one of the fabulous bands I am lucky enough to perform with - the mighty Classic Rock Show. We're seen here taking our final bow at the beautiful Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, a favourite venue of mine and always a brilliant night of laughter, fun, rowdy crowds and superb music. We had a ball! The whole tour, short as it was, completely rocked - and it was genuinely a pleasure because I enjoyed every show. The mix of tunes and the talent of others on stage with me was a dynamite combination...from 'Hotel California' to 'Bat Out Of Hell', 'Layla' to 'Beat It', 'Whole Lotta Love' to 'Telegraph Road', we moved through some great, great hits, and the boys do it all with such ease. Considering we all only got together as a band in mid January, we've done pretty well!!

So, after my very memorable gig with Jason Donovan at the end of January, February has been flying by, and now my husband is once again away on foreign shores. He has spent the last week touring South America (a real whirlwind, taking in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico in just eight days!) and will be flying on to the States at the beginning of March to start what will be an incredible tour with Brit Floyd. I will be out there from mid-July until the end of August with the band, which will be exciting as it will have been well over a year since I toured properly with them. 

Meanwhile, back at home, I am trying my best to do that 'transformation' thing that many people attempt at this time of year. More exercise. Better eating habits. More fresh air and sunlight. More sleep (but not too much!) Some creative, interesting and lovely things to work on. Generally taking care of yourself. You know the drill. It's never easy, but I think with little steps I can achieve a few things on my extensive list. I need to offload some of the pressure I feel to succeed, and actually see if I can make it happen!!

Enjoy the last few days of February, and fingers crossed for some seriously spring-like weather..

Emily x

From Butlin's with Love..Singing with Jason!!

 

Hello from a dressing room at The Anvil in Basingstoke! I left London this morning to go back on the road with The Classic Rock Show, having had one of the best weeks EVER. Officially. Without doubt.

So, on 28th, 29th and 30th January I had three very cool gigs with The Classic Rock Show, in Cambridge, Cheltenham and London,  to super crowds - I thought I was fighting off a cold, so the audience warmth and encouragement really helped when I was feeling as if my voice might go! I love how crowds can push you on..

After the London show, I found my way to Crouch End with help from my dearest younger brother - who is now a fully-fledged Londoner - and prepared for Saturday. 

You see, on Saturday, I managed to fulfill a childhood dream. It was unexpected, completely brilliant and the ultimate buzz. I had a gig with someone I have loved since I was eight years old, none other than the wonderful Jason Donovan. Talk about a career highlight!! I was stepping in on backing vocals, and ended up performing that immortal duet 'Especially For You' onstage at Butlin's in Bognor Regis to a crowd of 2,500 screaming Jason fans, as well as many of his other hits (including two of my personal favourites, 'Too Many Broken Hearts' and 'When You Come Back To Me'!)

My heart was hammering on the train to Bognor Regis, as I listened to the songs over and over again, and wondered how I was going to get through; but as soon as I arrived, everyone was so kind, and I had a whale of a time. Just a touch of nerves before going onstage, and then I was fine. I don't think I made too much of a fool of myself with the man himself (I do recall telling him that it was a childhood dream of mine to sing with him, and he smiled and gave me a hug, which was nice!) and he was lovely - genuine, talented, soft-spoken and relaxed. I think he was pretty tired as he's going in to The King's Speech, opening in Chichester tonight, as Lionel Logue, and had been in technical rehearsals; the gig went swimmingly though, and he gave a superb performance. His band were also a joy.

After sampling the delights of Butlin's on a Saturday night during an 80's Big Weekend (there were some incredible costumes to be seen, and I think my highlights were Beetlejuice, Timmy Mallett and a guy dressed as Pamela Anderson in Baywatch) and dancing on down with the band in the bar, I headed to bed happy, and warmed by a real love for my job. I think the gin and tonics I'd had may have helped with the warmth too...! 

Sometimes, a career opportunity comes along that truly excites and re-ignites you, that offers unexpected moments of brilliance where everything comes together and you feel like you're floating on air. It may sound over-dramatic, but I got that on Saturday.  I thought, this is why I do what I do.

Thank you, Jason. I hope we get to sing together again one day.

Rock, pop & grooving..

 

Good afternoon everybody, I trust you are all well? I come to you today from a dressing room in the glorious Sage in Gateshead, where our Classic Rock Show tour has landed and will be performing tonight! It's been quite a long week - we started in Leeds on Wednesday, then went to Salford on Thursday, and hit Harrogate yesterday (pictured was my 'star' dressing room in Harrogate's lovely old Royal Hall). It is a beautiful, sunny and crisp day, and I have shopped for the starving band and crew, watched an episode of 'Coronation Street' (one of my guilty pleasures), washed my hair, and pulled out one of the strangest things to ever come out of a suitcase...a cowbell.

So, I'm catching up with you all now, to say I'm still here, sorry to have been quiet this month, and sending rock vibes to all. The show is going swimmingly - I have been testing out my organ skills during 'Bat Out Of Hell' and a couple of other songs, grooving like a mad woman, playing the cowbell like it's going out of fashion, and singing my heart out. A good, productive January so far on the music side!

Hope your January is rolling by splendidly. Until next time,

Emily x

Ring in the new

 

To be honest with you, and without wanting to 'wish my life away', I am so pleased to welcome 2015, and say a fond farewell to 2014 - a year of change, of limbo, of choices and experiences and a lot of wobbles; a year of highs and lows, of joy and tears, and more solitude than I would have liked, in hindsight.

When I welcomed in 2014, I had made some game-changing decisions. I felt brave, empowered, and on the edge of what I knew; I have no regrets, and can say that I feel proud of myself. My hope was to move into a phase of openness, of potential shifts in circumstance, and new possibility; I attempted to balance my life by giving myself the gift of time, to explore previously overlooked paths, and to experiment a little. I had big dreams, of peace, tranquillity and fulfilment, of renewed energy and an uncluttered mind. I can't berate myself too much for not achieving everything on the 'list' - finish my novel and record my album, amongst other things(!) - as it was optimistic (ten years' worth of 'putting things off' had become a rather long 'to do' list!)

To be fair to myself, I have put myself out there, to a point; I have worked in slightly different circles, meeting fresh faces and pushing my boundaries, but as 2014 came to a close I realised that my mind is still cluttered. Some things cling on by their nails, refusing to budge from my brain, and as I try to see off old habits that certainly do die hard, I have also found a load of new ones. Uncertainty and doubt are not my friends - they are nobody's friends! - and my hope for 2015 is that I can shed some of that self-doubt that has crippled me in the past so that I can continue to move forward with a light heart.

'Balance' is my word for 2015. Find it if I can, build on it, and try to maintain it. 

What's your word for this new year? Wishing you all a fabulous start to 2015!

Xx