The Sims 4- A Review

Hello readers! Back to the more general posts tonight, & what a better way to get back into these than with another review? Two in a week- aren't you lucky! :) This is something I've wanted to write up for ages, as the experience I'm reviewing did happen almost a month ago, however, what with life being a bit all up in the air at the moment, I haven't had the chance to do so. But now that I have, let's crack on with it!

Tonight I'm giving another talk within the realms of my all-time favourite game series- The Sims. You may or may not know, but back at the end of January, in order to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the game, Maxis released a free 48-hour trial of The Sims 4 on Origin. I'd never been majorly excited by The Sims 4, from things I read & from seeing early screenshots I just didn't like the look of it- felt the graphics looked too cartoony & the fact that there were loading screens back in it again really put me off, seeing as the game had progressed to open world in Sims 3. However, a free trial is something to take advantage of & I was curious to give it a go- it is The Sims, after all!

I don't think I used the full 48 hours, but I think I managed to experience enough of the game in order to give it a review. As I only had a short while to explore, I wasn't able to go full-story mode like I do in Sims 3, however, I did create a brother & sister duo & gave them their own stories that I worked on whilst exploring the game. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I initially thought it might be, but if I'm being honest I still prefer Sims 3. Sims 4 did have good points, although the not-so-good points outweighed the good for me. Allow me to elaborate:

Good Points

• Emotions- The new emotions are my favourite feature of Sims 4, & what I believe is the most prominent in this latest addition. For those of you that don't know, Sims don't tend to have a lot of emotion- it's normally good, bad or in-between. In Sims 3, the mood can be affected by certain events, such as negative or positive life experiences. In Sims 4, there are a variety of emotions- inspired, flirty, sad & confident are some I experienced- again brought on by life experiences the Sims have. Unlike with it's predecessors, these emotions are more complex, allowing for new wishes to be made & they can even control actions. A Sim whose feeling confident, for example, has the option to "pee like a champ" (really, that's what it says!) & sad Sims can express their sorrows in the medium of art. By far the best thing about this game!

Emotions example: This is a painting my Sims did when he was sad. Very moving...

• Multitasking- Finally Sims have the ability to multi-task! Admittedly, they can do so a bit in Sims 3, but much like emotions, this is more prominent in Sims 4. Not a particularly major point in comparison to emotions, but I liked it.

• Graphics weren't as bad as I expected- One thing that put me off initially was the way the game looked. As I said earlier, it looked more cartoony, much like the versions of the game you'd see on social media as opposed to the game itself. Whilst actually playing though, it looked alright, I liked how the characters look, didn't look as flat & horrible as how I first saw them & their surroundings in screen shots.

My Sim, Greg. I want his hair...

Here we see Greg's sister, Glenda (green hair) playing chess in the park.

Not So Good Points

• Lack of customisation- One thing that's great about Sims 3 is the ability to have a huge amount of control over customising objects- from clothes to furniture- there are a number of textures & colours to choose from. In Sims 4, this is gone. Outfits & furniture can be customised, but the customisations have already been selected. For example, you can change the colour of a shirt, but the colour you can change it to has already been pre-selected.

• Create-A-Sim- The way Sims are created is another big part of the game. More areas of the body can be customised, however, I found navigating this new feature a bit tricky, especially with the face. The trick, I learned, is to click on the highlighted area of the body & then enlarge or reduce that area. Although this particular ability to customise is great, I personally prefer the use of sliders & diagrams, as found in Sims 3, as this enables a better selection of certain areas & allows an easier selection of finer details.

Took a few minutes to get Greg's face together. With glasses on I think he resembles a character in 'The League of Gentlemen'

• Build mode- To be fair, I'm not the biggest user of build mode anyway, I prefer playing with the Sims than building, but I thought I'd customise the initial house I bought in order to explore it, & although it wasn't much different to before, I found putting the roof on quite difficult & took me a few attempts. I wasn't overly impressed.

My addition to the original house. Thankfully, they kept the blueprint tool, which is something I liked about the new Build Mode.

• Loading screens- Now this is the worst! As I mentioned before, in Sims 3, the series progressed from the loading screens between lots to an open world, so this was one of the initial things that put me off the game & also my least favourite part of it. For starters, it's restricting- every time you want to go somewhere you have to wait a few minutes & stare at a loading screen. Plus, there's hardly anywhere to go in Sims 4, in comparison to the many community lots in Sims 3. Also, I feel it's taking a step back in terms of the Sims games- the open world is what drives the game forward in Sims 3, so to go back to loading screens in Sims 4 really is a shame.

In conclusion- I don't think Sims 4 is worth it. If Maxis had built on the emotions & somehow worked that into Sims 3 (which, as well as the open world & high customisation, has pretty much everything in expansion packs, including time travel), then they'd have an amazing game. Instead, they sacrificed one key element for another, & although the new element makes for a new & interesting game play, it also makes the game lose it's fun slightly by regressing to the singular lots format of Sims 1 & 2.

That's my view readers. Have any of you played Sims 4? If so, what do you think?

Thank you for reading! :)

Here's a better image of Glenda. Again, I want her hair!

Never Mind The B*llocks, Here's A Gig Review

Good evening readers! Seeing as I haven't yet gotten round to making the next part of my music challenge, I thought I'd treat you all to another gig review this evening, seeing as I haven't done one in ages.

On Friday I took my Mum to see The Sex Pistols Experience, a tribute to the prominent punk band of the late 1970s. I'd first heard of the group about a year or so ago, when my friend's Dad went to see them at the same venue. After telling my Mum about it (& that Eddie Tenpole was support), she expressed a great interest, so when I saw they were back in town again (5 days after her birthday, in fact), I told my Mum & got us tickets as part of her birthday present. Enjoying the music of the Sex Pistols myself & being a fan of live music, I thought it would be a good night- & I was correct!

The Sex Pistols Experience in action!

Much like when my friend's Dad went to the concert, The Sex Pistols Experience (who I'll be referring to as SPE for short from now on) were suppoerted by Eddie Tenpole. I had only heard two of his songs briefly- 'Who Killed Bambi?' & 'Swords Of A Thousand Men'- so I wasn't really familiar with his music or persona. My Mum was very excited to see him though, so I had the feeling he would have been good- & he was amazing! In fact, I think I enjoyed him more than the SPE! He had a fantastic stage presence & kept the audience entertained both with music & humour & his guitar playing was brilliant- incorporating both rhythm & melody into his strumming.

Eddie Tenpole- absolutely brilliant!

Now onto the main act- the SPE themselves! Fantastic set, unfortunately as I was not around to see the actual Sex Pistols live I cannot give a comparison to the actual band, but to me they did a pretty good job! Their Johnny Rotten looked menacing throughout- he even had a staring contest with Mum at one point! The band possessed a great energy & kept the audience engaged- much like Eddie Tenpole they used humour as well as the music, making amusing remarks to audience members who called out to them.

Overall, it was a good night. I hadn't listened to any Sex Pistols music in a while, so was great to hear it again! (Plus it turns out I know more 'Never Mind The Bollocks...' lyrics than Mum!) It was also great to hear the music of Eddie Tenpole- will definitely be giving his music a re-listen in the near future!

And that's that. Stay tuned as I return to the music challenge next week, fingers crossed I'll be showing you all a little something!

Thanks for reading! :D

Freaky Friday #1- "Things You See In The Graveyard!"- A Repo! Review

WARNING: CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA

Hey readers! We're now in the month of October, which means Halloween is approaching, so I thought I'd start the season off with a review of a film with scenes that could turn your insides out! And if the concept of this film ever becomes a reality- that could well be the case!

Two weeks ago I decided I'd finally get round to watching 'Repo! The Genetic Opera'. For those of you that don't know, it's a musical set in the not-too-distant future, where organ failure became an epidemic & a company called GeneCo was started to comcat this, offering organ transplants under a payment plan, both for those in need & those wanting “genetic perfection”. However, those that fail to repay for their surgery have their organs repossessed by the Repoman. The story itself follows 17 year old Shilo Wallace, who's (supposed to be) kept in the confines of her bedroom by her over-protective father due to her, apparently, suffering from a blood disease inherited from her late mother. She does, however, venture outside, tempted by GeneCo founder Rotti Largo, who promises her a cure. Outside, she's exposed to the harsh realities of the world she inhabits, but does she get the cure she's promised, or is she just a “mighty small drop in a mighty dark plot”?

Shilo Wallace, portrayed by Alexa Vega

Initially, I had mixed feelings about this film. After I first watched it, I felt I'd enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Over the next two weeks, it grew on me, trying to write this up I kept re-watching part of it, & eventually I had more of the song lyrics getting stuck in my head & I came to realise that I really did enjoy it!

The plot was good, focussing more on Shilo than the act of organ repossessing, something that I wasn't aware of until I watched it. This being the case, it was good to see how it panned out & I enjoyed seeing how the backstories & plot came together. What I really liked about the backstories (this, to me, includes the introduction at the beginning) was the comic book style in which they were shown, the dark tones complimenting the gothic style of the live action well. That's another thing I liked, the gothic theme- certain costumes, such as those for Shilo, Graverobber & especially Blind Mag, were brilliant. I especially loved Blind Mag's make up- it looked amazing! Shilo's outfits were great to, a very simple colour palette of black & white worked well- the white expressing her innocence & the black reflecting her a rebellious edge.

Graverobber, portrayed by Terrance Zdunich

Graverobber I'd say was my favourite character, despite him not being in it very often. Terrance Zdunich did an excellent job of playing this charismatic & striking character & I wish he had been in it more often, rather than just narrating & being conveniantly helpful to Shilo. What I feel is the best song belongs mainly to him, which is 'Zydrate Anatomy'. After I first watched the film, this was the song stuck in my head, & the only one I felt wasn't a conversation to music. The song is catchy & has some good hooks it, such as the repetition of certain lines & the heavy rock guitars. I also liked when this tune was reprised in 'Epilogue'- I have a feeling this is why it got stuck in my head!

Here's the song, absolutely brilliant!

Other songs I enjoyed were '21^st Century Cure'- another by Graverobber, where Zdunich shows off the deep tones in his voice, which work excellently! 'Chase The Morning' is another favourite of mine, again, it's another I find catchy, & I love the tones in Sarah Brightman's voice here. Plus the harpsichord sound in that song & the whole performance of it is just brilliant. 'Seventeen' I liked as it deviated away from everything else & had a good rock & roll feel, & after a re-listen & having it stuck in my head, I'll add 'I Didn't Know I Loved You So Much' to my favourites list as well- such a good song that captures the unconditional love between Shilo & her father. 'Mark It Up' is another that's been stuck in my head, but I wouldn't call it a favourite.

Sarah Brightman as Blind Mag during 'Chase The Morning'

Speaking of songs, this brings me to the point of things I didn't quite like about the film when I first watched it. As I mentioned briefly earlier, I felt quite a lot of the songs were pretty much conversations to music. Some of the rhyming was pretty poor, &, to steal a phrase from a friend of mine who's also watched it, cringeworthy. Through some of the songs, I did find myself sat there thinking “really?” & shaking my head at how bad some of the lyrics were. This was the main thing that initially put me off though, everything else I enjoyed!

Before I end this review, I'd just like to add another couple of things. I would recommend anyone who's into horror, the gothic style or anything a bit weird give it a watch. It isn't for the faint hearted, there are scenes which contain blood & guts & will make you squirm, although the reposessing part isn't in it as much as I initially expected.

Rotti Largo, portrayed by Paul Sorvina

Overall, it is a good film. An original story & concept, ok some of the songs aren't great but still, it's something I'd recommend watching at least once. Rating wise, I'd give it a 7/10, as it has grown on me over the past week & really isn't as cringeworthy as I initially thought it would be.

So if you're considering a night at the opera this October, why not opt for a cheaper version & nab yourself a copy of this film? With a plot & characters worth following & a view into a dystopian future that isn't completely unlikely, I'd say it's definitely something to add to your watch list this October!

Thanks for reading all, I hope you've enjoyed tonight's post! :)

NOTE: IMAGES USED ARE NOT MINE & I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR THEM

"I Am A Partially Deceased Syndrome Sufferer & It Is Not My Fault"

WARNING: INCLUDES MILD SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW 'IN THE FLESH'

Hello readers, today I'd like to take the time to tell you about & recommend one of the most brilliant, captivating shows that has ever graced television- In The Flesh. In case you can't already tell by my choice of adjectives, this show is a favourite of mine & something I feel is quite underrated for how exceptional it is.

Poster for series 1, featuring protagonist Kieren Walker

Let's begin with a brief overview of what it's about:
In The Flesh is a BBC Three drama set after a zombie breakout, known within the series as 'The Rising'. In the series, the zombies (or Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferers, as they are known) have been rehabilitated so that they can be re-introduced into society. The first series follows a young man called Kieren Walker as he is re-introduced back to his family & life in the northern town of Roarton, a place with strong views against PDS sufferers & one of the first places to put into effect a Human Volunteer Force to protect against rabid PDS sufferers (or "rotters" as the townspeople put them). The second series continues to follow Kieran as well as focussing on other characters & follows the story of there being a possible second rising, with the pro-living party, Victus & the Undead Liberation Army both in search for the first risen & building prominent forces in Roarton.

After first reading about this series in the TV guide, I thought, "this looks good". I like zombies & as I was (& still am) reading Darren Shan's 'Zom-B' book series, which also focusses on the revived & thinking undead, thought that the ideas in this show seemed interesting- I liked what Shan had done with the undead so it would be good to see another spin in a similar direction. But me being me, plus having coursework & illness in the family, forgot about the series when it first began & wasn't reminded of it until a couple of weeks later whilst at home one afternoon having lunch, where I thought to myself- "what could I watch while I eat?", then remembered In The Flesh.

After one episode I was hooked. It was so excellent & engaging & I had so many questions as to what was happening, what was going to happen & why things were a certain way that I just had to watch the next episode, which was thankfully also on catch up! It was brilliant- I rarely felt this way about TV shows so I eagerly anticipated the finale, which happened to be on that Sunday (which was also Easter Sunday that year, although I found In The Flesh way more exciting!).

Needless to say I was glad that a second series was commissioned, which turned out to be just as good as the first- plus it was twice as long! Again, the series left me with questions & continued to build on the excellent characters & concept introduced in series 1. I loved it. Had to watch the first two episodes on my laptop at uni, but relished in the moment I could watch it as it aired once I came home. It became, as I put it to my Mum, the best & worst thing about the week- best because there would be a new episode, worst as I had to wait another week for the next!

But what makes this drama so amazing? What elements of the show allow it to be so gripping, to the point where I sacrificed an hour that could have been spent doing coursework (which meant a lot to me at that point in time) in order to see where the story was going. Well, allow me to explain:

• The concept

Typically, when someone says 'zombie drama', you think blood, guts, gore & plenty of people's heads being ripped open. Not in this series. It's seen briefly in flashbacks, but one of the things I really like about this series is the way in which the zombies/PDS sufferers are portrayed. In the series', a drug called 'Neurotriptyline' is used to artificially stimulate brain cells that PDS sufferers can no longer make, which enables them to act as they did when alive, although they can no longer feel things physically or perform functions such as eating. I think it's an original & realistic take on the zombie theme & really brings to mind how humans deal with death & what it must be like for someone who has died to be back with a family/friends that loved & mourned them- this is especially compelling in Kieren's case, I won't say why as I feel this is a key part that is better discovered by watching the show.

• Well written characters

If there's one thing that I love in a series, it's great character development & I personally feel that In The Flesh does this excellently. Let's start with Kieren- at first he seems like anyone else would in his situation- guilty about what he did in his "untreated state" & nervous about seeing his family again. As the first series progresses we learn there are deeper reasons for his feelings & actions & he develops even further as a character in series 2. His 'B.D.F.F' (Best Dead Friend Forever), Amy Dyer, is another excellent asset to the show, providing a positive outlook on having a second chance at life & having a sunny disposition that contrasts yet compliments the more sombre themes & atmosphere in the show. Another character that I feel progresses excellently is Philip- I won't give away too much but let's just say he doesn't turn out to be what you'd first expect! Admittedly, all the prominent characters have great depth which is delivered superbly across both the first & second series.

Amy, Kieren & Simon- image from series 2

• Implications & in general just being well written

One of the things that initially had me glued to In The Flesh was how well written it was & the way certain things are implied rather than being blatantly stated. Again, these are things I don't want to spoil about the show so I won't say too much, but for me it was these things that left me with questions that kept me watching the show. I'm not saying I wouldn't have watched it if things had been more blunt, as looking back I'm pretty sure I would, but I liked being able to question, guess & make judgements for myself. Overall, the series' are very well written & provides not only a fresh take on the zombie theme, but also on the themes of discrimination, love, death & acceptance.

I don't think I can recommend this show enough. It really is fantastic & feel everyone should, at the very least, give it a chance. Both series combined are 9 episodes long, so that's only 9 hours to spare, which can be done in whatever time scale you choose- one a night, one a week, or you could go all out & marathon the whole thing in one go! Currently only the second series is on iPlayer, but I'm sure if you Google it you can find the first series online.

So there we go, my show recommendation, I would say "of the week" but I really do recommend it all the time- it is amazing!

Thank you for reading, now enjoy In The Flesh! :D

DVD Cover- available from Amazon for £15 :)

Note: I take no credit for images used in this blog post.

Tales of the Haunted Youth- Seeing Ghost Town Live

Good evening readers, welcome back to Music Monday & my second detour from the challenge. In today's post come another gig review, this time for a band called Ghost Town who played in a city close to my home town.

Allow me to start with a brief introduction to the band & how I got into them. Ghost Town are an American 4-piece electro-rock band, consisting of Kevin (vocals), Evan (electro), Alix (guitar) & Manny (drums). I got into them a couple of years ago when my friend Tom played me their song 'You're So Creepy'. After that, I gave some more of their songs a listen & purchased their 'Party In The Graveyard' album & 'Bare Bones EP'. Although I haven't followed the band that closely in recent times, I do enjoy their music so thought it would be a great opportunity to go & see them play live, seeing as they were coming close to where I live.

Now onto the gig itself. I went to see them last Wednesday (4th June) with my best friend, Laura & it was great! Prior to the show there was a signing in a HMV close to the venue, which we both attended. I was quite surprised at the turn out as Ghost Town aren't what I would deem a well known band, but there were a fair amount of people there which was good. Me & Laura bought copies of their new album, 'The After Party', to be signed once our turn to meet them came. It was nice meeting them, was very brief but we got to hug them & say "hi"- they're really nice guys. We did have a photo taken with them but it was done by a professional who hasn't yet put any of the signing photos on Facebook.

My signed album. Band members from L-R- Alix, Manny, Kevin & Evan

After the signing, we had a wander round the shops before heading to the venue as we had an hour to kill. Once at the venue & once inside, we visited the merch stand & I got the 'Tentacles' t-shirt of theirs that I'd wanted for ages, as that's one of my favourite songs of theirs. It also happened to be the song they played second in their set, which I was very pleased about!

Overall they did a really good set, the venue they played at was small & there was a good crowd which became alive with energy once the band started. Said energy was spread by the band, who were great to watch & had a fantastic stage presence. It was fun being in the crowd, jumping around & singing along, although I did have to give up on jumping at one point as I had my hair clipped up, which knocked on a ledge I was stood near.

As well as 'Tentacles', they played other older songs such as 'Wasted' (which they opened with), 'Off With Her Head' & 'You're So Creepy'. They also played a couple of newer tracks which I didn't know as well, but 'I'm Weird' was stuck in both mine & Laura's heads afterwards. I'd say this is my favourite of the newer songs.

Once the set ended, the crowd was yelling for an encore, which thankfully happened- & it was acoustic! This was a nice touch, with Kevin asking everyone to sit on the floor whilst they played the final two songs- 'Skeleton' & my other favourite, 'Game Freak', which was brilliant acoustic!

Overall, a brilliant gig, very energetic & fun- me & Laura both enjoyed ourselves very much! I'd recommend giving Ghost Town a listen, if you're into rock with some electro, almost dubstep-esque beats with lyrics relating to the supernatural & paranormal, you'll enjoy their music. Here's a link to their music on Spotify.

And here are some photos of them live:

There we go folks, I hope you've enjoyed tonight's post! Thanks for reading! :D

"Stockholm Sweden, Rock Home Leadin'"- My Story with Blowsight & Seeing Them Live

Hey there readers! First Music Monday where I'm deviating away from the challenge I set myself, but I deviate away for a great reason. I'd like to use this post not only to give a review of the concert I attended on Friday, but to also tell you all a little bit more about my favourite band, Blowsight.

So to start off- who are Blowsight?

Blowsight are a 4-piece band from Stockholm, Sweden, consisting of Nick Red (vocals, guitar), Seb (guitar), Mao (bass) & Fabz (drums). They describe their music as 'PopMetalPunk'- if I recall correctly from an interview I read once, it's because it has "the catchiness of pop, the harshness of metal & the raw sound of punk", a combination that works splendidly in creating some truly amazing songs! I'd say they're a versatile band as well- some songs have a more rock sound, some are slower, plus they sound great acoustic as well!

The band, from L-R- Fabz, Nick, Seb & Mao
(Image is not mine, I take no credit)

And how did I get into them?
For this little section let's take a step back in time to March 2010 (this I know thanks to Facebook timeline- I posted a status on the day I discovered them & decided to look it up). A 15 year-old me is sat in her room & has just opened Spotify to see that what looks to be a metal cover of 'Pokerface' on her recommendations list. I guess it's metal because the image alongside it is a skull, who I later learned is Skully- Blowsight's logo. Wanting to hear a good rock/metal cover of said song, I gave it a listen & it was one of the greatest things I'd ever heard- better than Gaga herself if I may say! It was that brilliant that I gave it a listen a second time before checking out what other music Blowsight had done. At the time, they only had the one album released, 'Destination Terrorville', which I listened to & thoroughly enjoyed- I remember having their song 'Thought of Bride' in my head for a few days after! A month or so later I purchased the album & that's where it all began. From there came the release of single 'Bandit For Life' (which is where the fans got their name the 'Bandits' from- it's also where the first part of the title from this blog is from), their second album 'Dystopia Lane', the 'Shed Evil EP', their third album 'Life & Death' & their latest single, 'Winter Show Mercy (Thank You)', which was released to raise money for homeless charities. I remember fondly awaiting & then listening to each new album/track & immediately loving it- from the stories told within the songs to the lyrics I found myself relating to & the fantastic sound of the music!

Now you know the back story, let's continue with the story of how I got to see them live:

Again, we go back to 2010, where the band played in the UK in a city not far from where I live. As you can imagine, I was thrilled, however, I was in a play at the time & the date of the concert clashed with the final rehearsal, meaning that I, unfortunately, missed them. From that day, I promised myself that if they were to play in my country again, I would be there, even if it meant travelling a bit, I'd go. In fact, as I saw where their various live shows were over the years, I decided that I'd be more than happy to travel over to the continent to see them. I did consider going to Germany to see them last year with my Mum, but instead my whole family took a holiday.

Which brings us to the present & the tale of this weekend's adventure. It began a couple of weeks before the concert, where I saw on Facebook that the band were playing live in Stockholm, with the date conveniently being on the Friday before I weekend I had booked off of work. Seeing this made me feel excited, as I wanted to visit Sweden anyway as well, so why not go over there & see Blowsight? At first, it was just a wild thought in my mind as I didn't really have the money, but thankfully I got my halls of residence contract cancelled so I had some extra money in my bank account, and what a better way to spend it than on going to see my favourite band play live? :D

To begin, I had to get tickets. I'd seen the cost & worked out in English money that they were pretty cheap, so I asked on the event page where I could buy the tickets from. I was told by the event's organiser, a very nice man who I later met named Joakim, that they were available on the door of the event. As I was travelling from England, I asked if I could reserve tickets. I then received a message from him saying that if I was travelling all that way to see the band, I could go on the VIP list & not have to pay, which was amazing news! I would have been more than happy to have paid, but seeing as I now had tickets reserved in this way- the trip was a must! I booked flights & found a hotel near the concert venue & job done!

Now let's skip forward to Friday & the concert itself. Blowsight were, & are, amazing live & the show itself was fantastic! The venue, Enarena Globen, was small-ish & allowed for quite an intimate show, which was nice as it allowed me to stand right near the front. Blowsight were one of the headline acts for the night & played third after Suffix & Overworld (the other headline act).

Blowsight's set was brilliant, beginning with 'This Pain' & followed by 'It's Me You're Looking For'. From the minute they walked on stage they had great energy & presence which radiated into the audience, keeping them hooked. They performed each song excellently & really engaged with the audience- it was great to be a part of it & to sing along surrounded by fellow fans. There was a brief line-up change for the song 'How I Get What I Deserve', where Mao's place was taken by Miche, the bassist of a band called Degraded & a guitarist from another band (whose name I cannot remember) joined too. Another element I really enjoyed about the live show was the added mini-soundtracks before certain songs, such as 'SheDevil' & 'I Wish You 666'- these gave a great atmosphere to the songs & really added something to the live experience. Towards the end of the show they played their Pokerface cover, which was brilliant to hear as it's the song that introduced me to the band, along with 'Bandit For Life' & 'The Simple Art (Of Making You Mine)' as the finishing track, which left the audience on a high & chanting for more. Overall- absolutely fantastic- would definitely go & see them play again! (My promise in England still stands- they come here, I'll be there!)

Some of the shots I got of them. :)

Another amazing thing about the night was that I got to meet the band as well! I spoke to them both before & after the show; Nick recognised me whilst I was sat down prior to their performance & came over, we greeted each other with a hug & he spoke to me & my companion (who, as much as I'd love to, I can't name for various reasons) for a good few minutes before heading off. Joakim had also arranged for me to go upstairs to where they were before their performance, where I properly met Fabz, Mao & Seb as well & we sat talking to them for a bit about various things, such as the Swedish language & how beautiful the weather was in Stockholm. It was brilliant meeting them, they're such lovely people & it was a pleasure being in their company! We took photos & hugged, I also got a signed Skully sticker & one of Fabz's drumsticks as well as buying myself 3 more of their t-shirts. To add to this, during the set, Nick changed language to English (he was speaking Swedish in the breaks in between songs) to thank myself & my companion for travelling all that way to see them, then said the next song, 'Standby Button', was for us. It was a pleasure- I have loved the band & wanted to see them live for the past 4 years, so the opportunity to do so was incredible & I was happy to have travelled all that way.

Me & Blowsight. :D

Signed Skully. :)

I'm really thankful for this opportunity. Thankful to Joakim for organising the event & for adding me to the VIP list & to Nick, Fabz, Seb & Mao for the concert & the awesome music- & to all of them for being really lovely people that I'm so glad to have met! :D

And that concludes the story of how I finally saw Blowsight live & met them, but my story with the band doesn't end there. As their song goes, "I'm a Bandit for life!", that I shall be & am proud to be & shall continue to enjoy their music!

As well as enjoying their music myself, I recommend them to all- which includes you my good readers! Click on some of the links above, go on Spotify (or YouTube if you don't have a Spotify), & discover the awesomeness which is Blowsight! You won't regret it! :D