April and May both disappeared into a haze of late nights, new songs and exciting creative projects, brought swiftly to an end with five gigs in four days, While I probably haven’t quite caught up on my sleep yet, I’m feeling slightly refreshed and ready for June. I think. Here’s a run down of the last couple of months.
Gigs
Obviously April was the month that The Spitfire Sisters sang on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express…I wrote a whole other blog post about it but we haven’t stopped talking about it so it’s worth mentioning again! We also had a wonderful performance at Beaulieu Abbey and at The Pallant in Havant on the day of the Royal Wedding, where there were definitely wedding dresses involved.
Photo Credit: Will at The Pallant
Why did I already have a wedding dress in my closet? That's a story for another day.
With Down For The Count I’ve been all over - Gloucestershire, Oxford, London, Sussex, Kent - and to a lovely gig by the sea in Bournemouth!
Shameless Selfie By The Sea
I’ve had some lovely gigs with Blue Lion Band as well; it’s such a privilege singing with different bands and performing so many genres of music.
What a lovely group of gents I get to gig with for Blue Lion.
Photoshoots and Videos
April and May saw three photoshoots, a music video shoot a live video recording. Two photoshoots and the music video were with The Spitfire Sisters. You may have seen us chucking cake at each other and Anna’s amazing stop-motion in the video for Afternoon Tea; you can watch it here if not! Aside from the volume of laundry and intensive hair washing, this was one of my favourite projects I’ve worked on.
We also frolicked in the Bluebells for a photoshoot at the beginning of May, with Steve Christie taking some beautiful photos for us.
Back in April, Down For The Count recorded a performance at The Tabernacle live; here’s me singing the Ella Fitzgerald song Sugarfoot Rag. More scat singing as you will hear!
I also had the privilege of working with the amazing Sara Lincoln; she photographed my cousin’s wedding last September and the photos were beautiful. Sara is wonderful to work with, full of creative and ingenious ideas and I’m so pleased with the photos she has sent me so far.
New Songs
Several gigs in April & May required learning new songs. My learning process differs for each song. When it’s a Spitfire Song, like the arrangement of Royals by Lorde that Louisa wrote for us, Louisa will send over a written part as well as a midi file or vocal example to learn with. I never used to like learning with sheet music in front of me but now I almost always find it easier to read it, hammer it out on piano and then go from there.
I also had to learn a few new Ella Fitzgerald songs for a Down For The Count performance at Hideaway. Perdido was my favourite song that I added to my repertoire in May; I use an app on my iPad to slow down the scat section of the song so I can transcribe it, then I gradually increase the speed while I practice. I normally start at about 50% of the speed - it’s an intense process, much to the delight of my neighbours I’m sure!
I like to record my singing when I’m practicing; it helps me work out which bits are going well and which parts of songs I need help with. I don’t often show anyone these videos but occasionally I share a Work In Progress video on my instagram which you can check out here.
One Completely Lost Voice
By the end of April I had completely lost my voice for the second time in about 6 months. This is obviously pretty devastating for a singer; without a voice you can’t work, and without work you can’t pay your bills There is no sick pay when you’re self-employed. This prompted me to go and see the brilliant Lucinda Allen who understood my situation completely. It's scary as I know I have a lifetime of bad habits to iron out but I trust Lucinda completely so I'm looking forward to working with her over the next few months.
And The Other Stuff...
What I’ve Been Watching: Season Two of The Handmaid’s Tale on Channel 4. It’s horrific and painful to watch but an absolutely essential, brilliantly made programme. I could not recommend it enough, but I advise not watching it on your own.
What Bands I’ve Been Listening To: I keep an updated Spotify playlist of my Music Monday blog posts here, but I’ve also been trying to see as much live music as possible. I’ve been to see some amazing gigs in the last few weeks, but the best was Band of Skulls at The Joiners. They were amazing and played all of their best tunes. I was even lucky enough to score a signed vinyl for my birthday from James.
What I’ve Been Reading: I’m currently reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron which is hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. I haven't found anything I've loved reading since I finished The Power by Naomi Alderman back in February, so I'm looking for recommendations.
What I’ve Been Eating: As much healthy stuff as possible! It’s hard to keep that up when you’re driving several hundred miles in a weekend; I eat sweets to keep me awake and I confess there’s an occasional drivethru…but mostly it’s been wholesome meals and no snacking. My brother Joe bought me back some Everything But The Bagel seasoning from New York and I’ve put that on everything, James made the best Paella I’ve ever had, smoothies and coffee keep me going when teaching, and Leon’s Vegan Menu keeps me alive when I’m in London for work.
What I’ve Been Wearing: Ghost, Vivien of Holloway, Lady V Vintage, & charity shop sequins for gigs, and comfy spring dresses from ASOS, denim jackets and sliders for everything in between.
