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YES?!

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LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: A Sleepless Melody - The Last Teenagers Tour

As much as I had a blast last weekend at my first ever mid-day gig, I will say that I was a little annoyed that the list of supporting acts seemed to grow day-by-day. I honestly thought there were only going to be 4! Then I heard there were 6, but then when I got there, guest fan reviewer, Jacqui and I counted and there were EIGHT!

If it was a music fest I wouldn’t have minded so much, but it was advertised as a headline show for A Sleepless Melody – not that I was completely turned off, just a little unprepared! So much so, at a point the three of us ended up outside just chatting and catching up. We didn’t want to be rude to the bands that traveled from everywhere to put on a good show, but it was just too hot inside – note to self, next time you trek to Livo PCYC BYO (air) fan! – and the energy levels weren’t as high as I imagined it would be.

Enough complaints and making up for those complaints – time to have fun and point out the positives. Although I was surprised by the amount of supporting bands, at least I was thrown into underground music scene around the country. I was able to see bands that I would never actually choose to see. And to my surprise, there were a few “diamonds in the rough”. I did also manage to see how picky I really was about what I listened to and solidify my reasons for being so picky. So let’s get into this review!!!

***

Cupid Against Venus

Excellent start to a rather intimate turnout for the show. These guys set a mood that got Miss Jo and I dancing. Their original songs brought great vibes to the room and their cover brought everyone to their feet! You can never go wrong with 80s Classic, “Hound Dog” by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll! Jacqui, Jo and I were doing the twist and singing along regardless of the heat.

Chasing Amy

Theses guys I had heard of before and was glad to hear live! More people were singing along this time around and it really felt like the show was about to deliver regardless of the turnout and the weather. Keeping the energy levels up, these guys played a great set!

Your Weight in Gold and Sunsets

I’m putting these guys together because they didn’t really do anything for me but scare the living daylights out of me! I mean the three of us weren’t down the front like usual, but for the next hour we were happy to stand at the back and watch people make pyramids and throw their fists in the air and…dance (if that’s what you call it…) to the Screamo music.

Don’t hate us – we’re just not big on music from that genre. Sorry guys, but you can’t please everyone – and from all the…dancers and pyramids that were made that day, you don’t need to! You’ve got supporters anyway!

Madison

Jacqui is a big fan of this band (and so are ASM!) so we WERE down the front for this set. I even got to be introduced to lead singer, David, because Jacqui was so eager for Jo and I to listen to them. They were INCREDIBLE, I added them to my iTunes list as soon as I got home! All three of us were really happy to dance along with their songs. I will say I loved the harmonica – no one plays interesting instruments like that anymore – so kudos guys!

***

I will have to apologise to Highways, Wake the Giants and Sunnyside Up fans. I wasn’t actually there to see these guys play because the heat was too much inside the building and I was getting tired of standing. (I actually left before Sunnyside Up could hit the stage because I had to be a responsible good sister and have my siblings home early.)

***

A Sleepless Melody

I got talk to these guys before they hit the stage, and they’re absolutely some of the nicest guys I’ve ever met! Jacqui pretty much introduced them to Jo and I while we they were waiting for their turn to hit the stage. I said in my review for their EP that the quality of their music was surprisingly excellent! And these guys LIVE are even better. The energy was absolutely amazing by the time they were on stage.

Everyone was singing along and everyone had smiles on their faces. The guys were having a blast performing and I was just so glad to share it with good friends. Going through 7 bands for these guys was worth it – 30 minutes of my life that I would love to re-live any day!

***

Fan-reviewer Corner

with

Jacqui and Jo

What did you guys think of the venue?

Jo: I loved it - it was so chill. I loved how you could just move around, like you could jump around up the front when your favourite bands were on, then chill at the back or even just hang around outside when they were setting up or you if weren't particularly interested in the band that was playing.

Jacqui: Liverpool PCYC was a good little venue for the gig, unfortunately difficult to get to and a bit far from Sydney itself. The set-up (sound, etc.) was decent; though considering the daytime concert, there wasn’t much to work with in terms of lighting. There also wasn’t any space for each band’s gear, and the pile that was created side of stage seemed awkward for them. The space itself was roomy, but stuffy considering the heat. The stage seemed spacious enough for each band, though movement of gear seemed tricky, the bands all dealt really well with what they had.

What about the supporting bands?

Jo: I really liked most of them, namely Madison, Cupid Against Venus, Sunny Side Up and Chasing Amy. There were a couple others that I liked, and a few (hardcore screamo ones) that I wasn't into at all, but hey, just my opinion!

Jacqui: There was an interesting and eclectic mix of bands present to support A Sleepless Melody; some (in my opinion) were perfectly suited to the task, with a similar style or genre of music, others… not so much. The harder style pop-punk bands really didn’t take my fancy and their fans were a bit... intimidating. The remaining bands were brilliant, definitely the kind of music I enjoy and I think make great supports for the ASM boys. The Sunnyside Up boys had supported them throughout the tour, and it was great to see their “partnership” continue.

Moment of truth, how were ASM?

Jo: They were great! This was the first time I'd seen them, and I'd only very briefly listened to their music before, but while they were playing I felt like I'd been a fan for years! They were really lively and engaged the audience perfectly, they seemed like they were having as much fun as the fans, which I really like in a performance.

Jacqui: The band did brilliantly, the set list was varied and it was great to hear the whole new EP (The Last Teenagers) with some tracks off their self-titled EP too. From the somewhat emotional “Beautiful Life” to the upbeat feel of “Heads Down, Thumbs Up”, which caused a mini dance party for some, the guys played with energy and emotion.

Overall thoughts about the show?

Jo: It was brilliant, definitely on my top ten list of awesome days! Great music, great people, great environment, great experience! Would totally do it over again!

Jacqui: Due to the large number of support acts (eight!), the day became long and a bit tedious. The heat of the day didn’t help with that feeling, but it was certainly worth the wait when the guys hit the stage and played with all they had. The concert was certainly worth the 15 dollars a ticket and even the difficulties of getting to the venue. An amazing set-up by Loud Touring and A Sleepless Melody, a brilliant day was had by others and myself.

sL Star Rating: 3 Stars

Next on sL: NEW EMPIRE COMPETITION ANNOUNCED!

FILM: The Vow

Imagine five years of your life erased form your life and the only thing you can remember is the life that you had left behind. In “a moment of impact,” that’s what Page (Rachel McAdams) has experienced. She wakes up in a hospital ward, with a ring on her finger and a man named Leo (Channing Tatum) claiming to be her husband. It’s almost as though, Reality has dealt her a card to either restart her life or continue the life she’s forgotten.

Storyline

Based on a true story, The Vow takes on the concepts of memory, memory loss and the uncertainties that come with having to remember. Opening with a glance of the life the happy couple lived and the car accident that changed it all, audiences are led through a journey with Page in an attempt to discover who she was and fill-in the gaps that have left so much confusion.

It’s a basic love story, 50 First Dates with a more ‘dramatic-take’ if you will. There’s nothing too drastic in terms of a miraculous discovery for her condition or a sudden epiphany that sparks her memory; it’s just a simple take in portraying a situation and dealing with it in a realistic way. The movie simply asks, “If you forgot all the reasons why you changed, would you go back to who you were?” and, “If you remembered, would it ruin the life you changed for or make the life you had better?”

Without spoiling the movie too much, I just want to say that there shouldn’t be too much hype brought up for this film. It’s literally a film about self-discovery and how that one person who would loves you (no matter what) would do what’s best for you; how that one person who would give you up even if they didn’t want to; and how that one person would hope that you would one day remember, but would understand if you never did.

The Cast

Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum work well together. You believed Tatum as the husband who would do all he could to get his wife back. McAdams plays her role beautifully as she balances between her roles of a doting and loving wife with a woman who became estranged from a man she once loved. Their dynamic was brilliant and I commend them both for their delivery.

I will say though that this is one of Tatum’s best roles in terms of being the lead. It was a role that was different to being the typical ‘eye-candy’ for the lead female. This role required a different dynamic where his emotions had to be rooted in a deeper love than the superficial puppy love that most chick-flicks are formulated on. I commend him for his achievement.

Overall

There’s not really that much to work with for this film. Like I said, it’s just a simple story. It’s one that girls will see with their mums and couples will enjoy. Not to sure if the boys / men will enjoy it, but it’s one they’ll endure if they have to. I’d recommend it for everyone just because it’s a simple story, but one with a powerful concept

sL Star Rating: 3 Stars

NEXT on sL: A SLEEPLESS MELODY – The Last Teenagers Tour, Sydney Show

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STRICTLYLEISURE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STRICTLYLEISURE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YYYYYOOOOUUU!!!

YES! strictlyLeisure has been live for TWO YEARS!!! Like I said, I would have never imagined that this could happen. And since I haven't been to the cinemas lately, I thought, "Just be cause I can't, why can't my readers?!"

So to celebrate, I'm sending ONE loyal reader to EVENT CINEMAS for the best experience ever - the VMAX EXPERIENCE! Yes, ONE faithful reader will be making their way to their nearest Event Cinemas and getting the FULL movie experience just to celebrate strictlyLeisure turning Two!

How can you win this AMAZING Prize? Go to: http://strictlyleisure.tumblr.com/comps for the details.

***

Thank you all so much for making these past two years to amazing! Especially in the Music scene in the past year. You guys have just been so incredible and I am forever grateful to each one of you for reading, following and interacting with me.

Whether you're a Movie-buff, Galaxy Defender, Empire Family Member, Swifty or Directioner, I want to thank all so much for your support and readership. You guys have just been the greatest readers anyone can have.

Hopefully there'll be many more years to come!!!

Much love and God bless,

sL xxx

NEW SINGLE: One Direction - One Thing

One Thing - One Direction

Firstly, I’m going to blatantly say that when I heard the preview for this song my heart sank. Not because of the lyrics – I mean you’d think that with the title and all – but no, sadly it sank because I thought it was going to be like Save You and Stole My Heart with the whole dance feel to it. I literally thought, “Oh no! I’m going to disappoint some fans because of my personal preference in music.” But! Don’t fear! My review doesn’t end here (rhyme was totally unplanned!).

So when February 10 rolled in and I eagerly downloaded the One Thing bundle from iTunes, I jumped the playlist and went straight to I Should Have Kissed You. To my relief after playing the song a few times I actually liked it! It’s got the flair and catchiness of What Makes You Beautiful, but it’s more like Everything About You where Pop meets Dance.

To be honest, there’s nothing too special about this song besides the fact that it’s a new track and it’s actually one of the first songs they recorded. Storyline wise, it’s almost from the opposite perspective of their song Taken. In Taken it’s all about telling a girl that she can’t mess with his emotions anymore, because he’s found someone that loves him back and doesn’t string him along - so she missed out. But in I Should’ve Kissed You the guy misses out. It’s about missing that moment where they could’ve had something, but the moment passed and now there’s this limbo between the guy and girl. The entire song is just asking the girl if they can go back to that moment and have it all again so he can kiss her.

If you’re like me and absolutely cannot stand House / Dance / Techno music you’ll be happy to hear that this song is more Pop than the genres I just listed. I’m not saying that because I generally like One Direction, but because it’s the truth. I mean none of their songs are really drenched with too much techno-pizzazz but there’s enough to show diversity in their voices. This song is great example of how well Liam, Harry, Zayn, Niall and Louis really blend their voices together. Dance or Techno tracks are usually highly embedded with so much white noise already that adding not one, but five voices could be a deadly mix to the track. Thankfully none of their tracks have been sent to the overload graveyard, but it is one caution I will put out there for future One Direction writers and even for the guys to consider when they write their own songs.

Overall:

It’s a great song that you can dance and sing along to. I’m sure the Directioners are already loving it; but I will say, I still prefer the slower songs by the boys. Songs like this tend to focus on three vocals and I personally would like to hear Niall and Louis a lot more. If they do more song like this, the best example of sharing the airwaves is Everything About You where they each have a section to sing.

sL Star Rating: 2.5 Stars

Next on sL: The Vow

BLOG: Filling In The Awkward Silence with an Apology

Hello Everyone!!!

It's been so busy with my personal life lately that I haven't had the time to update you guys or review anything for you.

I am soooooo SORRY!!!

Here are a few things coming up for you all:

10 February - ONE DIRECTION will be releasing their single "One Thing" for Australian fans on their site with their NEW TRACK: "I Should Have Kissed You". I'm gonna get my hands on it to review it for you. Might take a while in terms of shipping and stuff, but I might cheat and get the MP3 version instead because I want to share the new track with you guys. (And save as much as possible!)

19 February - A SLEEPLESS MELODY continues their "The Last Teenagers Tour" here in Sydney and I've got some special guest FAN REVIEWERS (who will be revealed very soon!) who are joining me to review the show. I might even get a few pictures with the boys just to share with you on Facebook and Twitter (as well as Instagram if you have it :D).

TBA - More films!!! I only have short amount of free time left to get into the cinemas and I will try and get a few movie reviews in for you guys. If not...

I'm going to run a movie competition for you guys!!!

Just because I can't get to the cinemas doesn't mean YOU can't. I'll keep you guys posted and ONE loyal reader will receive a special gift from yours truly. I want to keep it a surprise because...

strictlyLeisure

is

turning

TWO!!!

this Year!!!!

That's right!!! strictlyLeisure will be turning TWO this month thanks to all of YOU!!! But there are few people that I've reviewed that I want to thank especially:

From 2010:

• Miss TAYLOR SWIFT for her Fearless Tour 2010. The FIRST show I every reviewed and still one of the best concerts I've been to.
• Mr LOGAN LERMAN who captivated my sister's heart for the first six months of that year. This guy is an amazing actor, if you haven't seen anything by him I recommend that you do. In particular: My One and Only (along side Reese Witherspoon and Kevin Bacon) and Meet Bill (along side Aaron Ekhart and Jessica Alba).
• EASTERFEST for allowing me to see HAWK NELSON who blew the house down that night! I recommend going to Easterfest this year guys! There's a great line up - you can also get involved, go to: http://www.agmf.com.au/ to checkout the line-up, dates and how to get tickets.
• Mr JUSTIN BIEBER for being the topic of my complaints over hype to this day. Can I just say, I respect him as an artist and I do like to listen to his music in small dosages.
• DISNEY for amazing shows like Hannah Montana and Sonny With A Chance who gave me the best laughs and the best tunes on my iPod.

For 2011:

• EVENT CINEMAS for getting in contact with me and using my reviews for their films. I enjoy writing for you guys and I love coming to your cinemas to watch all the films that I review! I look forward to another great year together!
• McFlyDares Girls: JAY, LUCY, HANNAH, SAZZ and NICKY for taking the time to talk to me about their campaign to raise money for BIRT and EYES ALIGHT please keep donating to this cause! Click: http://www.birt.co.uk/eyesalight/ for more information and how to donate. Especially with McFly's upcoming "Keep Calm and Play Louder Tour" coming up - see where the girls will be and how you can help raise money along side them.
• CAPITOL THEATRE for hosting one of the most magical theatrical experiences for me. Mary Poppins was an absolute delight to share with my mother for Mother's Day and we both loved every minute of it.
• DAYLIGHT HOURS, A SLEEPLESS MELODY and THE NTH DEGREE for getting in contact with me and allowing me to share my thoughts about their music. I loved doing that for you guys and I can't wait to see you all live! I might have to hit Melbourne soon!
• JAKE NAUTA for his amazing solo career and for going another round for his debut solo album. You're a legend!
• And of course to: MCFLY and NEW EMPIRE the two most reviewed or mentioned bands that strictlyLeisure has reviewed in 2011. Thank you guys for the friends I've made and the opportunities you guys have opened for your fans to get to know you. For McFly - SUPER CITY is amazing and I had A LOT of fun reviewing it and I will be renewing my citizenship for another year! For New Empire - you guys have just been a delight to meet each time and I love supporting you guys!

And of course:

YOU GUYS - My Readers!

I never thought it would get this far - running competitions, keeping up with reviews or meeting you guys in real life! You guys have just been amazing these past two years and I just want to thank you guys so much for encouraging me to share things with you and for taking time to actually read what I have to say.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I really thought I would give up after a few months, but two YEARS later and I'm still writing reviews for you guys!!! I am so blessed! Thank you!

Much Love,

sL xxx

PS.

If you like the GIFs see: strictlygifs.tumblr.com :D