Model Events Management Student

Because this post is filled with just 'events'. Music and corporate, I win the title of best Events Management student, even though I learn more by being at them and working them, to what I do actually at uni. It's like, passing your driving theory test does not mean you can actually drive the car...

I had fully intended to write this blog post on the Tuesday after Melodifestivalen. However, because each peak is followed by a trough, the trough dipped below the graph line and I ended up going back home.
Retrospectively February was such a good month...

Wow this has taken a painfully long time to write and publish. The number one rule I have for myself when doing these is to NEVER blog when sad, upset, angry, tired, jealous, annoyed..... etc. The last two weeks have been pretty tough, and whilst I'm still sad, this is a different kind of sad. I'm allowed to blog when I'm this kind of sad.


Laaast laaast Tuesday, I went to see Charlee Drew at the Cluny 2. Charlee isn't very well known as a singer, and I only found him by chance after watching him do a cover of Labrinth's Let the Sun Shine on YouTube. I just liked his weird Leicester accent and the way he sang, and as he started to do more covers, I started to like them too. Then came the original material (after Sugar Rush!) and that was... good too. So I've known about him for I'd say at least 3 years, and have always said that I'd go and see him if he ever came to Newcastle. And that's what he did.
I have never been to a Cluny gig before... never been indie enough. But as me and my friend tried our hardest not to get lost, we had our tickets checked and walked in, PAST the stage where the support were playing to the seats where FOURTEEN people were sitting. One, four. That was it. A few more people arrived later on, since he wasn't on stage until about 9pm. The drummer of one of the support bands had a pop bottle with rice in it for his shaker, and I felt an indescribable feeling of just 'awww', because these are just local bands who nobody has ever, or will ever hear of. One in a million get discovered like this, but when you're playing to 17 people, that ain't gonna happen. Customarily, I was put on both of their mailing lists, because I'm so caring and supportive.


Charlee was amazing though. It was just him and a guitar and he smashed it. Singing to 6 drunken middle-aged women who couldn't even see the stage, and a lot of people who knew him from when he toured with 5ive a few months ago. I was probably one of the youngest there - it was a weird demographic. Loads of older people there, when Charlee is I think, 24. Despite him saying it was his most difficult gig he's ever played, he still stuck around at the end to chat and stuff, and he remembered me from Twitter and we talked about his first song he's ever released, which he took offline. Told him how gutted I was he didn't play it and that he should 'rerecord' it since his ex-manager hated it. He said he'd think about it hahaha.

He's like a foot taller than me hahahah

He's really nice. Look him up.



Then on Thursday, it was a completely different type of event, since I was operating PowerPoint at an awards show. We got carvery for dinner. It was free. What more could you want? Curry for tea. That was also free. Student heaven.

Augmented reality testing for the night. 

This was the red heat. Next Thursday is the green heat. It all makes sense when you think about these things.

Also operating two shows back-to-back next week. Will feel like a propa little grafta, because usually I do very little work during the day haha. Half looking forward to it...



And then on Friday, it was a whole different event again, because it's that Melodifestivalen time of the year. It was my third year at the Melodifestivalen final this year, and unfortunately probably my last. I feel like I've grown out of that scene a little, and I wasn't as excited for it this year. Last minute change of plan, my brother ended up joining me for the weekend. Strange kind of weekend when you're hanging out with your brother in a foreign country.

Plane selfie

We found a pizza shop along from where we were staying. They did fab pizza.

Let ourselves into someone else's house, and slept in their bed. Will ALWAYS find this a weird concept.

Jordan toothbrushes, yuurr.

Åhléns 

The McDonalds I had to take a mortgage out to buy... £6.50 for a meal?! Outrageous.

Drottningsgatan, where there are 3 H&M's on the same street. Amazing. I wish I wasn't with my brother, or I would have visited all of them.

modern art

Best part of the event is seeing it when it's quiet

Selfie. Selfie with a sharpy light, that I had not intended. We sat behind control too, how hilarious hahahaha

Anton and the compassionate runner

This here is one of my favourite pictures, even though it's a little skew whiff... Both the crowd and the stage. By the time my panorama got round to the screen on the right, the camera angle had changed too hahahaha

Instagram

Wor Robin

Sanna the winner. Once again I brought home a little piece of confetti but I have no idea where it is again... :(

Beautiful Max burgers

The woman who's house we stayed in was a dancer in Eurovision last year, and she kindly left her lanyard out for me haha. I look fabulous.

Obvs sad to go home...

Plane meals

Sunset at Stansted Airport

And up until two weeks ago, that's where I left this post. So now I'm trying to write it as if it's just happened, but really it was weeks ago.
I think that was the last time I'll be going to Melodifestivalen (at least as a member of the paying audience). Hopefully the next time I have to go will be to work for it. Otherwise, bye bye Melodifestivalen, and perhaps bye bye Sweden. I've kind of lost interest and grown up out of the whole 'Swedish pop scene', and feel a bit bad about it. I might revisit in the summer for a free concert if there's anyone good going, otherwise, it might be years before I'm back. Tack för en fantastiskt fem år. Ni är varför jag är vem jag är idag.


Then I got back and spent some time with these bums.

I tried to stay in Sunderland, but that only lasted for a day. Oops.

At uni on Wednesday though, we had a rescheduled lecture for 5 minutes after our usual Wednesday lecture, so in the 5 minute gap, we went to get lunch. I don't know what I was thinking, but I got a huge chicken korma takeaway from the post, but very cheap cafe in the library and took it back to the lecture. Luckily it was for about 70 people, and so I didn't draw too much attention to my massive fat lunch. But it was gorgeous. Safe to say my attention was certainly not directed at the speaker...

I also did THIS MUCH WORK!

It's a shame it was on a whiteboard and the most ephemeral piece of work you'll ever see.


And then we had pizza.
We had more than pizza actually, we had a three course meal from Domino's.

Only because our essays were due in imminently and I hadn't even started mine, this was the only motivational technique that would work.


Then I spent two days working at the Hilton. I love these, even though they can get a bit tedious waiting around. I do the powerpoint on the big screens, so most of my work is already preprepared during the week, I just have to make sure everything works, and then I'm pretty much done until the show starts.

Same with Melodifestivalen, the best part is before it even begins.

 Remember how 2 weeks ago was the red heat? This is the... green heat! Who would even guess?!
Next time is the blue heat, wow.

Selfie interval
Look how desperate my hair is to be dyed hahahaha

Then Friday was back to the Hilton. Propa pissed the bus driver off because I didn't know where the stop was, so as we drove practically past it, I pressed the button and made him stop hahaha. Ooops.


Shining a Light on Excellence Awards. For the mental health department of the NHS I think. Don't ask me, I just press the right arrow key to advance the slides...

Got fed a creme egg though. Not complaining.

Look at how beautiful this set is. I can't even deal with how pretty all of the colours are too. I just love it.
This desk had nothing to do with the colours though.

 It's a shame it was just a massive piss up for the nurses and support workers though, because a whole TWO people fell off the stage hahahahahaha. Hilarious.

Disco Dave was on a this point

That actually brings us up to date, since I've been 'relaxing' this weekend. Back to finishing my essay on Monday though, but perhaps that means more pizza, so it's not all bad.




Jordanavia :)