Lincoln, February 2015

The 29th time I met Lewis was at the Engine Shed in Lincoln on Monday 16th February 2015.

Before the gig I was having some drinks in the bar next door to the venue and I saw Ally in there, it was nice to say hello.

Because the bar and the venue were all in one building, in the upstairs corridor you could hear Prides soundcheck. So I went and sat out there and happily sang along to myself.

The gig itself was lovely. Prides' set was slightly shorter than the tour set, but I think it was only one song they didn't play. I was worried they wouldn't do the mixtape, but they did, and it was so beautiful as always. Lewis looked particularly gorgeous and was wearing a really nice vest. His drumming was so perfect. I later found out that he was ill that evening, but you wouldn't have known it seeing him on stage, he was absolutely brilliant.

I met Prides briefly after the gig. Stewart gave me a hug and Callum was very kind.

Lewis was ill, which I hadn't realised. He very kindly let me have a photo with him and gave me a hug.

Sheffield, February 2015

The 28th time I met Lewis was at the Leadmill in Sheffield on Saturday 14th February 2015, Valentine's Day!

This was the seventh and last date of Prides headline UK tour February 2015.

I was so excited to see Prides in Sheffield where I live! And to get to see my idol on Valentine's Day was a dream come true! I tweeted Lewis earlier in the day to wish him a happy Valentine's Day and he favourited my tweet! That was kind of him.

I met up with my boyfriend and a friend for some pre-Prides drinks in a bar near to the venue, but I decided to go and queue at my usual time of 5.30pm, as I hadn't noticed that the doors were opening half an hour later than the other nights of the tour.

So I left the bar and a minute later who did I see walking towards me... all of Prides and their team! I felt so embarrassed and said something stupid like "hi I'm not following you", which was probably the worst thing I could have said. And then I nearly tripped up.

While I was in the queue outside the Leadmill I saw a friend who I didn't know was going to be at the gig that night, so that was a lovely surprise!

When the Leadmill doors opened, I was shocked to see that it was the small stage! I am sure Prides could have easily sold out the main stage of the venue, it seemed a shame for them to be playing to a smaller audience. Although it was nice from a personal point of view to see them on the small stage as it meant I was so close to Lewis.

My twin sister came to the gig with me, which meant the world to me! Although she said she was only going to stay at the front with me for a couple of songs, she enjoyed Prides so much that she stayed there right till "Messiah", and she only went away then because she had to pop out for a minute.

Prides were so amazing! Nothing I say can do justice to how brilliant they were, but my friend Penny has written a lovely review of the gig, please read it here:
http://www.backseatmafia.com/2015/02/15/live-review-prides-leadmill-14th-february-2015

Here are some of Penny's amazing photos she took of Lewis during the gig:

Thank you Penny for giving me permission to use these in my blog.

After Prides had finished playing, I asked their tour manager if I could have Lewis' water bottle and he very kindly gave it to me. This was particularly nice of him after I stole Lewis' things at the Brighton gig, and in hindsight I did not deserve this kindness.

Prides came to the merchandise stand to meet fans, as always. I was so excited to introduce my sister to them! They were all really lovely to her.

When I met Lewis he gave me a hug and said Happy Valentine's Day! What a lovely thing to say to a fan, it made my life! I gave him a Valentine's card, but it wasn't a romantic card, obviously, I am not completely deluded! It was more just a thank you letter I'd written for him in a card I'd made. For the rest of the evening while he was meeting fans I could see him holding it. That made me so happy.

I showed Lewis my tattoo and he stroked my arm where it was. (I mean, because you could feel the raised area where the tattoo was healing.) He signed my tattoo appointment card for me too.

I was talking to Lewis with my sister, and I just kind of attached myself to him so I was stood hugging him and I felt like I could die there and then of happiness. Now I wish I had done. I don't mean that in a morbid way, but it was the happiest moment of my life.

When I was talking to Stewart, my sister said that I must be like a mascot for Prides because I'm at every gig. Stewart said I was like one of the family now. When I think of his words now, I cry.

Also, I didn't know this at the time, but at one point in the evening while I was talking to Lewis, my sister was talking to Callum and she said to thank Lewis for always being so kind to me. And Callum said "Why wouldn't we be kind? She's our number 1 fan". I can't even tell you what that means to me, especially now.

Later in the evening, I saw Lewis heading toward the backstage entrance, so I went to say goodbye to him. But the music was so loud he couldn't hear a word I was saying and I couldn't hear him. I didn't want the evening to end like that...

So I waited in the Leadmill to see if he came back out, but he didn't. I left the venue and was going to go home, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, as I never can after a Prides gig, and I knew I'd just be sitting up thinking of my idol being just a few miles away...

So I decided to wait outside the venue where Prides' van was parked, so I could say goodbye to Lewis.

I'm not sure how long I waited, but the time passed quickly and I actually didn't feel cold because I was wearing my two Prides sweaters.

Eventually Prides came out and Lewis gave me a hug and he thanked me for my card and said it was lovely. That made my life! He really is so kind. Then he said Happy Valentine's Day again.

So I'm really glad I did wait that extra time outside to see him. It was such a lovely ending to what I can honestly say was the best evening ever of my whole life.

Thank you Prides for all the lovely kind things you said to me that night, you made me so happy and I am so very grateful for everything. It was beyond anything I could ever have dreamed of.

Lewis Prides News: Dot To Dot Festival

Today it has been announced that Prides will be playing at Dot To Dot Festival this year.

Dot To Dot is a 3 day festival which will take place in Manchester on Friday 22nd May, Bristol on Saturday 23rd May, and Nottingham on Sunday 24th May 2015.

Prides will be at all 3 dates.

Here is the line up so far:

This year is Dot To Dot's 10th birthday, so it will be a very special event.

Dot To Dot is operated by DHP Family, a leading name in the live entertainment industry.

For more information and to buy tickets, please see: http://www.dottodotfestival.co.uk/

Facebook fan page

I've set up a facebook fan page for Lewis: https://www.facebook.com/LewisPridesfanpage

Please like it! :)

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!

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!