30 songs for 30 days: day 9: A picture of the artist who has gotten you through the most

Darren Hayes.



A light in the darkness.
A calm in the storm.
The hope in my despair.
My sanity in the dark of night.
Music made me believe someone else believed in what I did.
Music that meant I wasn't alone.

I owe him so much more than the simple thank you I can give him.

Yesterday was the 5th aniversary of the second time I saw him live. He sung crash and burn that night. I waved. He waved back. Time stood still. Because that song saved my life. I never thought it was possible to witness him sing it. Connect to him and have him connect back.

I'm so blessed and so grateful.

30 songs for 30 days: Day 08 : A song that you know all the words to

Hurts - Stay.

I was OBSESSED with this song. I played it over and over and over.

I ADORE Theo's haunting lyrics and voice.

I love it's big sound.

This song is drawn to the darkness in me.

I adore it's melody.

amazing band.

30 photos for 30 days: day 8: A picture that makes you laugh

So many photos that make me giggle. It had to be this one.

It's a photo of me trying to get as close as I can to a scary big swan to get a picture. Carrying a bag of cupcakes. It's a good job the swan's don't sense fear, or seemingly like cupcakes, or I would have been a goner. LOL.

This photo was taken on October 5th 2007. We were staying in London for a few days to see Darren Hayes at the Royal Albert Hall V.I.P. stylee.

We had gone on a mission looking for the peter pan statue in hyde park (don't ask) and we never found it, but we found a pond. and a swan.

tah-dah.

30 songs for 30 days: Day 07: A song that reminds you of a certain event

Dido - Sand in my Shoes.

It reminds me of when I went round to my best friend’s house for a sleepover and I brought this shiny newly purchased album called 'life for rent' with me. We were 17. Her mum has gone to work, and instead of tearing the place up like some 17 year olds would, we laughed, watched Saturday morning kids TV, read joke books, played iSpy, had a gorgeous pork chop lunch, and then we hit play.

I was never really a huge Dido fan but I did love some of her first album. Through Rick Nowels work with Darren Hayes I discovered Rick had worked on many many albums I loved. Fleetwood Mac, The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Madonna. A lot of songs from my childhood. I do honestly believe the man is a TOTAL genius. I will always have a weakness for loving his stuff.

As we listened through the songs, the ones with Rick's help stood out to me. I was already obsessed with white flag and so was my best friend. David Boreanaz was in the video ;)

I fell in love with sand in my shoes. Because it sounds HEAVENLY. And because I related to that want to escape to the land of the sea and the sun. I related to the trying to 'shake the thought of you'. I loved a boy a lot. And he didn't love me. It seemed no matter what I did, he was still all I thought about. No matter how much he had hurt me.

‘I know I should forget you, but why would I want to?’

So, yeah, RELATE.

Clare Maguire - The Glee Club - Nottingham

So Clare Maguire was amazing at the Glee club in Nottingham tonight.

I have to admit, I didn’t know much about her until my fave pop star Darren Hayes (@darrenhayes) mentioned this song she wrote about MJ and I realised it was the song on the radio at work I always loved. It was called the last dance. And I was obsessed with it.

I had a late night twitter convo with a fave music blogger of mine (@xolondon) and we were talking about how amazing she was and I done two things that night. I pre-ordered light after dark and I bought a ticket to the glee club.

I must confess I haven’t really gotten round to giving Light after dark the plays it deserves but I do love it.

Clare is an amazing singer, and great performer and an absolute sweetheart. You can just see when she performs that music runs through her.

So glad I found her music.

The support act was a guy called Marques Toliver and he was good. Talented musician and singer and an artist TOTALLY lost in the performance and his talent. This is his performance on Jools Holland last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzBM34cEyUU

Clare Maguire Setlist:

1. ain’t nobody (breakage remix)

2. Shield and sword

3. Freedom

4. You’re electric

5. I surrender

6. Sweet lie

7. Break these chains

8. Midnight caller

9. Bullet

10. Burn

11. Happiest pretenders

----Encore----

12. Trouble in mind

13. Mess you around

14. Last dance

It was a wonderful setlist.

I ADORE shield and the sword.

I surrender is always a favourite. It was the reason I pre-ordered light after dark.

Bullet is just a song I LOVE.

The chase and status song ‘midnight caller’ was great.

Happiest pretenders was so cool. Clare walked straight between me and a lady beside me on the front row and wandered around through the audience.

Trouble in mind was a gorgeous blues cover.

New song ‘mess you around’ was wonderful. It went down a storm.

The last dance was AMAZING.

The glee club was a lovely venue, even if they did say we couldn’t take pics. It was a bit weird standing eyeball to eyeball with Clare. If I’d have reached my arm out fully I could have touched the mic stand.

I met her afterwards and she was just adorable. Still in her stage costume she must have been freezing but she happily chatted, took pics and signed my poster I stole off the wall LOL. And she smelt AMAZING.

I also made a new friend called Natalie. She was lovely. Thanks for sharing the time with me, for taking my pic with Clare, and how cool Clare let you sing a bit of a song!

The rest of my pictures are on facebook :)

xx

Today A young man was killed in N. Ireland.

Today a young man, a few months older than me and a new recruit to the police was killed by a car bomb. He lived in a town called Omagh in Northern Ireland. I’m sure many of you remember that Omagh was the scene of devastation once before. I remember that day as if it was yesterday.

He was most likely killed for his religion. This young man did not deserve to die. Why can't people see that for as long as they fight and kill each other and refuse to live in peace, Northern Ireland will never have a future.

And now Omagh is trending on twitter for all the wrong reasons. As soon as I walked in and saw the TV I could see my beautiful Ireland. Ireland looks different to England. I can’t explain it, but I know its look. And then I saw all the police tape. I’m shocked that something like this is still happening less than 18 miles from where I used to live and where my parents still do.

My initial reaction was shock. Shock that after it seems like Ireland was getting more peaceful that this happened. But then they always kick off coming up to an election. My dad’s a wise man. He always said ‘Don’t vote you only encourage them’. And that’s not that I don’t appreciate my right to vote, I do, and I vote in England.

When I first moved to England it took me months to adjust to the fact that police in England are unarmed. Growing up in Ireland I knew no different.

Omagh was a big part of my childhood and it took a long time for it to get back on its feet again after before. Sometimes we still get the bus and go shopping there. That poor man’s family. That poor innocent man. R.I.P. Ronan Kerr. Sadly you wanted a peaceful Ireland but all you’ve got now is a peaceful Heaven.

I still hold Ronan’s dream. That one day Ireland will have peace.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12948992

Savage Garden and Darren Hayes stuff Free & for sale.

please comment below if you are interested in any of the items. thanks.

Savage Garden - Original savage garden fanzine postcards
Set of 8 postcards.
Excellent condition.
None have been marked or written on.

willing to consider any offer. willing to post to anywhere in the world.



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Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply - UK CD single
catologue number: 665602 2
tracklist:
1. truly madly deeply (4.38)
2. truly madly deeply (australian version) (4.38)
3. this side of me (4.09)
4. love can move you (4.47)

i have two copies of Truly madly deeply up for grabs. willing to send them for free, just cost of postage needs covered. one is in excellent condition, the other has a few surface marks on the cd and the corner of the cd case missing. willing to post to anywhere in the world.




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Savage Garden - The Best Thing - UK Audio cassette tape
catologue number: 670985 4
tracklist:
1. The Best Thing (4.19)
2. Hold Me (4.52)
(plays same both sides)

willing to send it for free, just cost of postage needs covered. fair condition considering it's a cardboard case and it's age. willing to post to anywhere in the world.



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savage garden - Hold me - Australian Digipak - single
catologue number: 102867-2
tracklist:
1. hold me
2. hold me (live)
3. the best thing (live)
4. Affirmation (Almighty remix)

willing to consider any offer. wear to the cardboard sleeve. The plastic tray inside has some of the spokes missing to hold the cd. CD is however in extremely good condition. willing to post to anywhere in the world.



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Savage garden - Affirmation - Aussie Digipak - Single
catologue number: 102467-2
tracklist:
1. affirmation
2. i dont care
3. affirmation (stop the beats mix)
4. i knew i loved you (crossover mix)

willing to consider any offer. wear to the cardboard sleeve. The plastic tray inside and the CD is however in extremely good condition. willing to post to anywhere in the world.



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Darren Hayes - Pop!ular - UK single - CD1
catologue number: 675111 1
tracklist:
1. pop!ular (album version)
2. pop!ular (almighty remix radio edit)

willing to consider any offer. extremely good condition. CD appears to have never been played. willing to post to anywhere in the world.


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