Saturday 28 February 2015

Nottingham, February 2015

The 27th time I met Lewis was at the Bodega in Nottingham on Friday 13th February 2015.

This was the sixth date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

It was lovely for me to see Prides in Nottingham as I grew up there.  Also, it was a very special day for me as I was getting my tattoo of Lewis' signature done!

When I was doing a google search for tattoo studios in Nottingham, the first search result was Bodycraft. They have 3 Nottingham studios, one of which is opposite the Bodega, so it seemed like the perfect choice! So when I got to Nottingham I went straight there and they booked an appointment for me that afternoon. I was so excited!

Bodycraft is such a lovely studio and the people there are all so friendly. My tattooist, Dan, was really nice. When I showed him my arm, he asked what it was and I proudly explained that it was Lewis' signature and that Prides were playing in the venue across the road that night! I was trying to persuade everyone in the studio to come to the gig, but I don't think they did. They did however let me listen to Prides while I was having the tattoo done. They'd never heard of them before, but they looked them up on Spotify, and although it wasn't the kind of music they usually listened to, I think they liked it!

My tattoo only took about 5 minutes and it didn't hurt at all!  Dan is a brilliant tattooist and he followed Lewis' signature precisely, so it was exactly as Lewis had signed my arm, I was so happy!



I really wanted to show it to Lewis straight away, although it was wrapped up in cling-film for now. So I went to the bar across the road from the Bodega, so I could see when Prides arrived. When I saw their van, I went outside and spoke to Stewart. He said they'd all been saying that they should go and get tattooed! He went inside the venue and I could hear him tell Lewis I was there... Then Lewis came outside and I showed him my tattoo. I thanked him for picking a non-painful part of my arm to sign! He said he thought I'd be used to getting tattooed by now. He seemed impressed that I'd actually had it done!

Then I went back to the bar across the road, and then I moved to the Bodega's bar, which is a really nice place to have a drink. While I was in there Prides came in to do an interview, I think. I was trying not to look at them, but I couldn't help but look over. How could I not when my favourite band were in the same bar as me! When they were getting up to leave, I went and asked Lewis for a photo. He said 'of course, why not!' It was very kind of him.



I met up with a couple of friends in the bar and it was so lovely to see them. Then in the queue for the gig I met one of my friends from twitter who recognised me as 'Lewis Prides Fan'!

The Bodega is a nice intimate venue, I think it was my favourite of the whole tour. The staff were lovely and friendly too. The stage was small and I had such a wonderful view of Lewis throughout the gig.  He looked even more handsome than ever and I think I fell in love with him a bit more that night.

My lovely friend, Penny, took some amazing photos of Lewis during the gig.  She has very kindly said I can share them on here.



Thank you so much Penny for those gorgeous photos!

After the gig I met Stewart's mum, which was a nice surprise! She recognised me from twitter and said she likes reading my tweets when Prides are on tour to keep up to date with what they're doing. That meant so much to me. She is really lovely, just like her son!

Then I met Callum and he said I was Prides' most enthusiastic fan, which made me so happy!

When I met Lewis, he gave me a hug and he had another look at my tattoo. He asked me to send him a photo of it when I took the cling-film off!

I got some nice photos with him.




Penny took some lovely photos of me meeting him too..




Thank you so much Penny for the use of these photos!

I was saying to Lewis that I thought they'd be playing stadiums soon and that they were just on the edge of getting really huge and famous. He thanked me and said it was nice of me to say that. It's true!

Then I asked Lewis if he'd still remember me now he was getting more and more famous. He said of course he'd remember me and how could he ever forget me. That was the loveliest thing he could have said, and it meant the world to me.

When we left the venue, I met Rory, Grant, and Kieran, of Model Aeroplanes and they are such lovely people, some of the nicest band members I have ever met.


Sadly Ben wasn't around, but he has promised me I can have a photo next time I see them!

Then I had a very cold journey back to Sheffield, but I was with my friends, so it was fun, and we were all looking forward to seeing Prides again the next day!

Friday 27 February 2015

London, February 2015

The 26th time I met Lewis was at Heaven in London on Thursday 12th February 2015.

This was the fifth date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

I got to the venue earlier than usual at 3.30pm. I was just going to have a quick look and find a bar to have a few drinks, but there were 2 girls already queuing outside the venue. So I thought I'd better start queuing too in case it got really busy.

These girls were such big fans of Prides that they'd been queuing since 11.30 that morning! I really admired their dedication. The longest I ever queued for Prides was 5 hours! I felt sorry for them though, they were so cold. I got absolutely freezing but I wasn't there for nearly as long as them.

Later I met up with my friends, and they were all wrapping me up in items of their clothing because I was so cold. It was so sweet of them. And they had brought glow sticks again!

Inside the venue I only just managed to get a front row place, as I got a bit confused on the way in, due to being on the guest list. But the fans I'd met in the queue kindly let me squeeze in next to them. The stage was very high up with a huge barrier.

We'd met Ally in the queue for the gig and he'd told us there would be lots of surprises and even more lighting tonight! The lighting was even more amazing than ever, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen!

The highlight of the gig was when Lauren Aquilina came on stage to perform 'Strong Enough' with Prides. I'd only ever seen her once before at a festival last year, and it was so lovely to see her again. She is so beautiful and has the loveliest voice, and it was a really special moment to see and hear her and Stewart singing together.

There were more surprises, with confetti and balloons coming down from the ceiling.  I collected some confetti to keep forever, and one of my friends got a balloon for me, but we had to pop it when we went for drinks after the gig.

'Messiah' as always was a lovely end to the set. Unfortunately however the venue security staff were very strict and wouldn't allow a stage invasion, which was disappointing, but it wasn't Prides' fault. They had wanted it to happen.

Prides spent a long time meeting fans after the gig. I met Callum and he said Lewis was on his way.  I thought it was nice of him to tell me that. I had a really lovely chat with Callum, and I was talking to him about the first time I ever saw them at Lainfest. I said it was where I'd fallen in love with Lewis, and he said it had been the start of the 'romance'.  I like Callum, he's very funny!



When I was waiting to meet Lewis, I met Ashlea who is Prides' publicist. She is a very lovely lady and was so kind and friendly.



Ashlea introduced me to someone who said he was Lewis' biggest fan, but when he saw my t-shirt and heard about how many times I'd seen Lewis, he said I was the bigger fan. Then someone said to Lewis that his biggest fan was there, and he said I know and said hi Greer and gave me a hug and I could have died of happiness! I don't claim to be Lewis' biggest fan, I don't think you can measure how big a fan is by who sees him the most, I am lucky I am able to travel all over to see Prides, and I know not everyone can do that. But it is a big honour that he thinks I'm his biggest fan. Well he did then, I'm not so sure he still does. But I'm grateful he did once.

So I was talking to Lewis and then Ashlea was saying when is one of you going to get a tattoo of the other one. Well, I had wanted Lewis to sign my arm 6 months ago so I could get it tattooed, but he had said no because he didn't want to be responsible for me getting something for life. I asked Lewis again if he'd sign my arm, and he said no, but then he seemed to be thinking about it. Ashlea said maybe I should sleep on it. I said I'd been thinking about it for 6 months and I still really wanted a tattoo, and Lewis said it had been going on for a year (I guess that's what it felt like to him!!) So then Ashlea asked everyone standing nearby to vote if Lewis should sign my arm for me to get a tattoo, and most people voted yes!

So then my dream came true. Lewis signed my arm. He said he'd make it a good signature as it was going to be on me for life. And it was the most perfect signature ever. I can't even tell you how happy this made me!



I didn't get a photo while Lewis actually signed my arm, so then we did a reconstruction so I had a photo to remember the happy event.



And I got another really lovely photo with him.



I also got a group photo with Lewis and my friends, Simon, Gavin, and Mike, who I first met at Bingley last year and also at the Barfly.  They are big fans of Prides and lovely people who always look after me when I see them.



Then I had a quick chat with Stewart but security told me I had to leave the venue. Stewart kindly said I was with him and let me have a photo.



It was such an amazing night! I got to see my Messiah in Heaven, and my dream came true!

Brighton, February 2015


The 25th time I met Lewis was at The Haunt in Brighton on Wednesday 11th February 2015.

This was the fourth date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

I've been to some beautiful places to see Prides, and Brighton is definitely one of my favourites! I had a lovely walk along the pier in the evening and I fell in love with the place!

After exploring Brighton, I went to queue outside the venue at my usual time of 5.30pm. I met up with 3 friends there, Jen, Fredi and Libbi, who are so lovely. I had met Jen before, most notably at Prides' gig at the Barfly last year, when she had gone up on stage with Prides for 'Messiah'! So I knew it was going to be a fun night...

The venue was nice and intimate, with no barrier in front of the stage, which is my favourite type of venue as you are really close to the band.

The first act tonight was Remi Miles, who I really enjoyed. Remi is an exciting performer to watch and his band were great too. I really liked the music, and Remi's voice is absolutely amazing!

The second act was Model Aeroplanes who were brilliant, although I could only actually see one of them as the smoke was so thick on stage. I later found out that the smoke machine had gone wrong. I really enjoyed their music anyway, they are a very talented young band and lovely people too.

Then it was time for Prides. Fredi had brought glow sticks and we all made bracelets and necklaces to wear! It was such a great idea which I never would have thought of!

Prides were amazing, Lewis was perfection and it was such a wonderful gig. By now I was happily singing along to 'Just Say It', and although I knew the set well, I still found it every bit as exciting as the first night of the tour.

They finished with 'Messiah' as always, and part way through the song Jen got up on stage! Prides loved it! Stewart invited Fredi and Libbi up too, and then there was a full on stage invasion! Even I went up! I went and stood at the back so I could be next to Lewis and it was the most amazing experience ever! I was stood right next to his drumkit and there he was and he was drumming! And then at the end of the song when he stood on the drum and I was right there next to him, I swear I nearly died of happiness!

So the stage invasion was a big success, all started by Jen! Prides loved it so much, they wanted her to do a stage invasion at London the next day..

When Prides walked off stage, and we were all still on there, I suddenly had a really bad idea... I went and took Lewis' drum sticks, his water bottle, his Red Bull can, and his towel. I know I shouldn't have stolen them from Lewis, and I repeated this mistake at a later gig too, for which I am really sorry. I'm not proud of what I did, but I can't lie - I am really happy to have these lovely souvenirs.



I drank what was left of the Red Bull, but I am saving the water forever. I will never use his towel, I keep it now in my drum case, where I keep all my band merchandise and souvenirs.

After the gig, Lewis spotted his drum sticks sticking out of my bag and he said he needed them for tomorrow. But he was only joking and he signed them for me and said I could keep them. I told him what other stuff of his I'd taken and he said 'you don't need all that!' But Lewis, I really do!!

That night I felt really shy around Lewis and I couldn't think of much to say to him, although I had lots I wanted to say. I still get so star struck when I meet him, some times more than others! But I got a lovely photo with him, it's one of my favourites of him.



Then he put a glow stick necklace on his head and I took a photo. I showed it to him and I said he looked cute and he laughed.


I got a group photo with him, Libbi, Jen, and Fredi. It's one of my favourite photos ever!



My friends told Lewis we'd all see him at London tomorrow and he said it was a date! So I kinda had a date with Lewis arranged... except not really.... well not at all! But a fangirl can dream!

Edinburgh, February 2015

The 24th time I met Lewis was at the Liquid Room in Edinburgh on Saturday 7th February 2015.

This was the third date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

I got to the venue early to queue and also because I'd arranged to meet some very special people there...  Earlier that day, Ian and Jordan of Something Something had asked if I could help find a ticket for their friend to go to the gig, so I was meeting up with them to give them the ticket.

While I was sitting outside the venue, all of Prides walked past me. I didn't notice till they'd gone past though, as I was busy tweeting my friend, so I didn't get a chance to say hi to Lewis. I was feeling a bit sad about that, and then suddenly I heard 2 people shouting my name and I looked up and it was Ian and Jordan, or the priests as I call them (because they were the priests in Prides' video for Messiah. Also they made that video, as they did Prides' other videos).

They both gave me a hug and it was so exciting to meet them both, as I am a very big fan of them. I had met Ian before at a Prides gig in Glasgow last year, but I'd never met Jordan. They are both such lovely funny people and they always make me smile. They gave me the cassette tape from the video for Messiah, to thank me for getting a ticket for their friend.  It was so kind of them, it is a really special thing to own, and I will treasure it forever.



Also they wrote me a nice note and signed it from the priests, which meant a lot to me.



I got a lovely photo with them and they made me feel even shorter than usual!



When I got into the venue, there was a girl next to me, Ailsa. We got talking and it turned out that I follow her on twitter, she recognised me as 'Lewis Prides Fan'! I spent the whole evening with her and she is one of the nicest people I ever met.

This was the final night of Flyte being part of the tour, and it was sad to see them for the last time. After their set, I met the singer and he seemed surprised when I said I'd seen them at every night of the tour. I explained I was going to every date of Prides' tour, and he said he hoped I would do the same for them one day.

Prides' set was amazing and again it was one of my favourite times of seeing them. The atmosphere was amazing, with the crowd singing along throughout. I'm not good at gig reviews, as I'm sure you've all noticed if you've read much of my blog! So I suggest you read Ailsa's review, which is a perfect account of the night:
http://throughthewiremusic.com/2015/02/17/live-review-prides-at-the-liquid-rooms-edinburgh-070215/

After the gig, we went to meet the band. I'd asked Ailsa if she wouldn't mind filming me while I was talking to Lewis so I could have a video to watch back to remind me of what it's like to meet him. She got such a lovely video of me and Lewis, and I am so grateful to her. I was talking to Lewis and he asked if I'd been staying in the Ibis last night, because he'd been to the gym again in the morning and he remembered I'd said it was next door. I was gutted when I found out that he'd been there after I'd left the hotel, it would have been so exciting to think he was next door in the gym! I told him that and he laughed. He's so lovely!

Here's the video:



I got some lovely photos with Lewis too. (well I look hideous, but Lewis looks so gorgeous!)





He signed the inside of the cassette card from Messiah and he said it was nice that Ian and Jordan had given it to me.



Then he gave me a goodbye hug, and as he always does because he's so kind, he said get home safely.

Thursday 26 February 2015

Aberdeen, February 2015

The 23rd time I met Lewis was at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Friday 6th February 2015.

This was the second date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

I got to the venue an hour and a half early to queue, and I saw there were a few people stood outside. So I joined what I thought was the queue for Prides, but it turned out that I was in a bus queue. The bus arrived and everyone got on it and I realised I was first in the queue for Prides.

So I sat outside the venue by myself, and then I saw Lewis! He said hi and I thought he was going to cross the road, but he actually came over to talk to me! I couldn't believe it! He told me the venue was very different from Inverness with a much lower stage, and that he'd just been to the gym. I'd noticed there was a gym next door to my hotel and I asked if it was that one and he said yes! I got a photo with him and I was so happy I'd got to meet him at such an unexpected time.



A bit later I saw Stewart crossing the road and he said hi.

The venue was exactly as Lewis had said, with the lower stage, which was better for me as I am very short.

Prides' set was so amazing again, I thought they were even better than at Inverness. There was a brilliant atmosphere with the crowd singing along. It was so nice to hear 'Just Say It' again, it felt like I knew the song now. My highlight of the night was the mixtape, there are no words for how much I adore it.



After the gig, the band were at the merchandise stand and I met Lewis. He gave me a hug and I got a nice photo with him. He asked me if I enjoyed the gig and he said he thought it was better than the night before.



Another fan asked me to take a photo of her with Lewis, so I did but it took me a few attempts because I'm not very good at taking photos, and I never know how to use other people's cameras, and my hands are very shaky. Lewis said I'm the worst photo-taker in the world - and he's right! I wasn't offended, I like that he remembers things like that about me. Anyway the girl was very kind about the photo I'd taken.

I went back to meet Lewis a couple more times as I had some things I wanted signing. Then he said goodbye and he hoped I got home safely.

Friday 20 February 2015

Inverness, February 2015

The 22nd time I met Lewis was at the Ironworks in Inverness on Thursday 5th February 2015.

This was the first date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

The first support act of the night was Alice Bentley, who I'd never heard before. She is a very beautiful and talented young lady with a gorgeous voice. I really enjoyed her performance, in fact she was my very favourite of all Prides' support acts this tour. Also she is a lovely person too. While I was queuing outside the venue before the gig she walked past and said hello to me, which was really nice.

The second support act was Flyte. They had 3 songs in particular which I really liked, one of which was a new song and will be their next single, so I'm looking forward to buying it when it's released.

Then it was time for Prides! Their set started with 'Cold Blooded', followed by 'The Seeds You Sow'. The lighting was spectacular and they sounded even better than ever. Lewis looked particularly gorgeous, wearing a nice vest and his muscles looked even bigger than last time I'd seen him.

Then they played their new single 'Higher Love' with the whole crowd singing along. Next, Stewart said they were going to play a new song called 'Just Say It'. I didn't even know they'd written a new song and it was so exciting to hear it. Sometimes at concerts it can be a bit boring to hear a song you don't know, but that was definitely not the case here. It's an instantly catchy song, and by mid-tour I was singing along to it. Now it is actually one of my very favourite Prides songs. There's one particular bit of the song, which makes me feel so happy whenever I hear it.

The next song was 'Let It Go' which is one of my favourites to watch Lewis drumming. Then they played another of my very favourites 'Little Danger', followed by 'I Should Know You Better'. Then there was another surprise.. they did 'Strong Enough', the song they'd recorded with the lovely Lauren Aquilina. Lauren couldn't be there, so Callum sang her parts. This has become one of my very favourite live songs, as some of Lewis' drum moves during it are the most amazing thing I've seen.

Next was my all time favourite Prides song 'Out Of The Blue', and then came the biggest surprise of the night... Stewart started talking about how they'd done something very hard at the end of 2014 (which produced an amusing response from someone in the crowd that I won't repeat here!) I couldn't think what he meant and then he explained he was talking about their mixtape that they recorded of their favourite songs last year. I thought he was going to say they would play one of the songs from it, but no... they then went on to play the WHOLE mixtape live! I couldn't believe it, and I can honestly say it was the most incredible thing I've ever seen a band do. I already knew what talented musicians Prides are, but to be able to switch from song to song like that, and do the whole 9 minutes, well it was something else. I was absolutely awe-struck the whole way through it!

Then it was the last song of the night, and as always, they finished with Messiah. It got to the end of the song and I was hoping Lewis would get up on his drum like last tour, and he did! So that was the perfect end to what had been the most amazing gig I'd ever been to. It was even better than their last tour!





Afterwards, Prides came to the merchandise stand to meet their fans, as they usually do. I always get so nervous and excited before I meet Lewis, but for some reason it affected me more than normal, my whole body was shaking so much! I just get so star-struck whenever I'm near him. When he saw me he gave me a hug and asked me if I'd enjoyed the gig, and I got a selfie with him.



I'd had a new t-shirt made especially for the tour. I asked Lewis if he liked it and he said it was great and that he would sign the heart. So that made my night, having my idol sign my heart!



I also bought one of the new Prides t-shirts, and Lewis signed it for me.



Then I had something important I needed to do. One of my best friends, Lucy, is a huge fan of Prides, but sadly she was unable to go to any dates of this tour. I knew how upset she was about this and I wanted to do something to try to cheer her up. So I asked Stewart, Callum and Lewis if I could film a video of them saying hello to her and of course they agreed, being the lovely people that they are.  So here it is - Prides' video message for Lucy!


Wednesday 18 February 2015

Lewis Prides News: Higher Love Video

The new video for Higher Love has been released and in my opinion it is the very best Prides video ever (and all their videos have been amazing!)

The video was made by the wonderful Something Something, and Ian's dad actually stars in it! It was filmed in Fairfield Working Men’s Club, and features Lewis in a sparkly jacket looking very handsome!

Here it is!


Monday 9 February 2015

Lewis Prides News: Higher Love Videos

Prides new single is Higher Love, which is one of my favourite songs from seeing them live.
It's available to buy on iTunes now: po.st/HigherLove3

Recently Prides made a lyric video for it, which is so lovely. It is a must-see for all Lewis fans, he looks so very gorgeous!


You can watch the lyric video here:



This video was made by Euan Robertson, who is one of my favourite photographers (check out the Prides photos on his website!)



Also, today Prides have been filming another new video for Higher Love. This video is being made by Something Something, who are my favourite video producers, and I know it's going to be so brilliant and funny!

Some photos from the video shoot were posted on twitter today, and Lewis looks so handsome!





Can't wait to see the video when it's finished!