Beyonce Formation World Tour

Queen B. Bey. Beyonce. What a show!!!

If there’s anyone who knows how to put on a Stadium tour, it’s Beyonce Knowles. I attended her Formation Tour at Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow this week and have been thinking about it ever since.

I’ve seen Beyonce before and you always expect her to be good, but this tour is something else! From sassy costumes to insane choreography to angry dancing in a pool of water, this tour has it all. Let’s face it – she is the Queen! #flawless

The only criticism I have of the entire show was that there was no Single Ladies.. I’m not sure if B is fed up singing the song or maybe she is just over it entirely but I was poised and ready to bust out my best single ladies moves which were sadly never required. Having said that, B sang almost every other song from her repertoire, including the Destiny’s Child days so I wasn’t too broken hearted. I guess I will just have to re-enact how I think the routine would have gone down… on my own, in my room, where absolutely no one can see or hear me.

Anyway, if you are going to the tour you are in for a treat, Beyonce never lets you down! The girl can sing. If you have already been to the tour, you will probably like me be wondering just how one becomes Beyonce? Or even one of her dancers/band? If you need a replacement B, I’m only a phone call away!

Glastonbury 2016

I’m muddier than I ever thought was possible, my whole body is sore, I have no money to my name… and I literally had the best weekend ever!!

Glastonbury, you have my heart. You were everything I expected and so much more.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, this weekend was my first ever visit to Glastonbury music festival. Now I have heard a lot about Glastonbury and how amazing it is, but no one could have prepared me for the sheer size and scale of the festival. We literally walked for hours and hours every day and were lucky if we saw maybe half of what was going on. It is an experience that you truly need to see to believe, no words I could write would do it any justice.

The site was muddier than I ever thought was possible and even though I hate mud and rain it honestly didn’t ruin my experience at all, in fact in some cases it even made it better. Watching people losing wellies to a mud mountain, trying to manoeuvre through knee deep mud in the dark with a drink in each hand and jumping around to Two Door Cinema Club during a torrential downpour are memories that will stay with me forever!

Something which again is not possible for me to do any justice in this blog is the atmosphere at Glastonbury. Everyone, from staff to bands to the campers, are genuinely having the time of their life and everyone, from all over the world, is welcomed and accepted. I can honestly say I didn’t witness a single fight or disturbance and I was actually taken aback by how friendly and open everyone was (the cynic in me was very confused!). You can wear what you want, be who you want to be, dance as weirdly and wildly as you can and will still be accepted. It’s an experience I will never forget and am so happy I got to be a part of something that is so special and brought so many different types of people together. 

Without being too cliché the highlights of the festival were definitely the headliners Adele and Coldplay who are world class in very sense of the word. Other standouts for me included Jess Glynne and Catfish and the Bottlemen. There was never going to be enough time for me to see everyone I wanted but every act I did see put their heart and soul into their performance and as I said it was the best festival I have ever been to in my life.

I could honestly go on about my experience at Glastonbury for hours and still not say everything I want to so I’ll try to end it here. This weekend will stay with me for a long time and I don’t think I’ll ever go to a festival quite as memorable as this one every again.  There’s a reason why it’s described as the best festival in the world and I 100% agree. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to go and I certainly hope it’s not my last time!

Coming back from the festival to the bleak and torn UK was a definite wake up call and I can only hope one day we will all live in a world everyone is happy and accepting of each other. It is possible, just look at Glastonbury – peace, love and rock and roll prevail year in year out. It may only be for a few days each year but it proves that it is possible for everyone to get along and that acceptance, love and friendship always wins!

So Glastonbury, thank you for everything. See you next year!

Festival Season 2016!

FESTIVAL SEASON IS BACK! This is one of my favourite times of the year! Sun (hopefully), music, friends and alcohol – what more could you possibly want!?

Now I am by no means the camping sort of person, but invite me to a festival and I am there in a heartbeat. The only festival I have camped the full 4 days at is T in The Park in Scotland, which credit where it’s due is a fantastic event and every year I've had the best time. Getting lost at 3am in a sea of tents is a skill which, well I never really use any other time but it's still a skill, OK!? I didn’t go last year but am hoping to return even if just for a day this year – I mean Red Hot Chilli Peppers, come on!

Yes you get roughly 0 hours sleep, you switch between freezing and roasting about 6 times a night and the toilets are quite frankly disgusting, but for some reason you keep going back! Living on burger vans and cheap alcohol for 3 days and either getting completely sunburnt or ending up like a drowned rat is all part of the fun.

I’m not really interested in festival fashion, I mean is there really a way to make wellies glamorous!? Stick on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, sunglasses and you're good to go, trust me a few hours in no one even cares what you are wearing! I am more interested in having a great time with my friends, in a field, listening to some amazing tunes instead of worrying about which dress to wear or my shoes getting dirty.

This year I am lucky enough to be braving the big one, Glastonbury, which if recent weather reports are anything to go by will be a muddy delight. I’ve got my tent ready, my poncho packed and my liver .. well my liver doesn’t know what’s about to hit it but I genuinely can’t wait. It’s a shame that there a lot of stage clashes for the bands I want to see but I’m sure I will have the best time. Be sure to check back to see if I survived! 

One day I’ll be lucky enough to hit up sunny Coachella, Benicassim or even just rent a camper van for a UK festival but until I make my millions and that happens it’s tent life for me and I can't wait! 

I'll be updating my adventures on Snapchat so make sure to add me - juliesimpson22

Anyone going to Glastonbury, T in the Park or any other festivals this year, let me know in the comments!

Super Bowl 2016 - Half time show

Typing this at 2.30 am UK time but … can we just talk about the Super Bowl half time show!?

I’ve said it before but if your team isn’t in the final (or if like me you know very little about American Football) then the half time show is what the Super Bowl is all about! That and buffalo wings, obviously.

Coldplay were good and all but Beyonce and Bruno Mars killed it! I mean KILLEDDDD it. The main things I learned from B’s performance were 1) how to make an entrance, 2) that the double slut drop is officially a thing and 3) it's ok to wear fishnets and a garter to the Super Bowl, because fashion. There were giant flowers, a dance off, a mash up and a throwback montage, what more could you ask for!? Ok ok so maybe an appearance from left shark would’ve been good but we can’t have it all. And no, they didn’t mention Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson during the montage - even though it’s arguably one of the most memorable moments in half time show history! We all know it happened SB, it’s not something you forget in a hurry.

SQUAD GOALS (minus the random on the right!?)
  photo credit here

Sport and music are two of my favourite things so to me the Super Bowl half time show will always be worth staying up for. Chris Martin’s outfit aside I think this years show was success and had a sort of Olympic ceremony style feel to it which we haven’t seen before. On a side note Lady Gaga rocked the national anthem in a glittery red pant suit so, that’s a thing I guess? And Queen B announced her Formation World tour. Sign me up because there’s no way I am missing that.

Highlights of the show and the game can be found here - http://www.nfl.com 
What were your favourite moments of the night?

V pretty. 

            

                       

                  

Ibiza 2015!

Last week I had some time off work and used it wisely.. by spending a week partying in Ibiza with my friends!

Hardly a relaxing holiday but one which everyone has to do at some point in their life (or a few times if you are like me)! Sleeping all day and out all night is not for everyone but I have been to Ibiza before and always have a great time -it’s definitely a holiday to remember. I got to see some amazing artists/DJ’s and was also lucky enough to get tickets to the Radio 1 Ibiza Weekend, hosted by Annie Mac with sets from Disclosure and Calvin Harris to name a few.

I attended some amazing events in iconic Ibiza venues – Ibiza Rocks, Ushuaia and Amnesia being highlights. I stayed in San Antonio so getting to the big clubs was a bit of a trek however there are always plenty of buses running to the venues and it’s easy enough to get a taxi which aren’t too expensive if there are 3 or 4 people sharing.

My favourite event of the week had to be Rudimental at Ibiza Rocks, where there was a special appearance by ‘everyone’s favourite ginger’ Mr Ed Sheeran.  Having listened to dance music every day it was refreshing to actually see an act who had instruments, singers and weren’t stuck behind a mixing deck the entire time! They certainly know how to put on a good show and the crowd were insane.

 Other highlights include a free gig by Glaswegian band Prides at Ibiza Rocks café, Sub Focus and Chase and Status in Amnesia and of course a few nights out in the legendary West End. A couple of my friends also went to Café Mambo where they watched Grimmy do his Radio 1 show live from the beach. The only other thing I sat out of was the Pukka Up boat party – the sea, alcohol and my stomach are not a good combination but I heard it was a good day.

It wouldn't be a holiday in the Mediterranean without a classic sunset and if there's something Ibiza does well it's a sunset. Below was one  taken on the beach outside Cafe Mambo, a type of 'calm before the storm' if you will, where party-goers come together to appreciate mother nature! Olympic Holidays are running a competition to find the perfect Med sunset on their website - but I think you'll agree that this one is tough to beat, especially when shot on an iPhone!!

Overall I had an amazing time in Ibiza – it would be hard not too! I definitely recommend a trip over there, though a few days would probably be enough – 1 week was a bit too much for me!! The big clubs tend to be expensive but if you can plan or purchase tickets in advance you should be able to manage your money. 

I’m not sure if I will return to Ibiza any time soon but I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a memorable and exciting summer.

To watch a few clips from my trip check out my Youtube video here.

 

Ed Sheeran and Rudimental at Ibiza Rocks

Rudimental