My first trip to the Wedgewood Rooms- an interview with the wonderful Adam Ficek

So I was alerted by a recently formed festival friend of an upcoming DJ set at the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea; Portsmouth. My soon to be University hometown; something I am very much excited about. My partner, Jack, has always raged on and on about how awesome the Wedgewood Rooms are as a venue; the many gigs he's been to and what a great atmosphere it radiates with every visit. 

Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Portsmouth as a City is filled to the brim and buzzing with nightlife, every pub, bar or drinking hole has some form of music emenating from the rooftops. With every visitor coming out for a fag, another door and thumping baseline spills out onto the streets. We'd ventured to Wagamama's for a fantastic gluten free dinner- being from the Isle of wight, where we lack these kind of bigger name places, any trip to the mainland is an excuse for a sneaky Waga's.

 Followed by a wander down the high street to the Shack as recommended by the wonderful friend who actually arranged my first big interview; with the lovely Adam Ficek, once Babyshambles Drummer and now his own Front runner.  And wow!! The Shack was incredibly nautically themed, and served truly devine cocktails, can highly reccomend their Mojhitos. 

 

Then for the big event, with the local comedy club only ending at 11, Jack and i enjoyed a few drinks at the Wedgewood Room bar whilst waiting for Tyler (whom I already owe so much to), who appeared with backstage stickers; much to my delight!! Who doesn't enjoy the opportunity to enjoy backstage, no matter the event. Wonderful 80's and 90's hits were already being smashed out as the lovely Adam appeared. He entered with a smile and any awkward feelings I may have harboured for this interview just flew out of the window. He obligingly sat through all of my questions and luckily didn't decline any! 

We started off light with some easy ones; 

What got you into DJ'ing, I've heard some of your Roses Kings Castles pieces and they're all so lovely and accoustic; I've always assumed that they're two different worlds, band life and DJ sets?

Before Babyshambles I was part of all sorts of things, with a heavy electronic background themed around Brit pop, all the way through the late 90's I performed midweek during different clubs around the UK; from garage to Northern soul, I had a pretty diverse mix. With weddings and bigger events at the weekends. My own acoustic stuff is more refined in a sense. But the palette is huge for a Dj Set. I really get bored of the same old sterile laptop mixes that some churn out, I love to try new shit. 

When asked about how he got into music in general Adam commented; 

I left school with one GCSE in geography, I went on to my local college to study a music BTEC. Followed by a Jazz degree at Middlesex university. It's more than just a profession for me, it was hours and hours of practising; switching between the drums and my guitars. I've actually just gone on and finished a second Masters Degree in Music Technology, and its what I enjoy teaching at the moment. 

Which one song never fails to draw in the masses?

Well it depends where I am, what's going on. I like to throw a few curve balls, it's nice to try and venture out of my comfort zone, of the familiar songs everyone plays- the ones that just do their job. It's hard though, you don't want to dig yourself into any holes, being too adventurous, a palate cleanser helps in between. Tonight I'm looking at Barbra Ann by the Beach Boys, who knows I may mix it up; bit of Soul, some house, bit of disco. 

Was the transition from insanely talented drummer, to equally as great frontman hard? 

Honestly, I struggle with being the frontman, it does get hard and I do get a bit nervous. The pressure, thinking about what my right and left hands are doing all at the same time, whilst chords and harmonics are going around your head and you've got to remember the words and the right pitches. I like tall orders and challenging myself. I get so bored of the same things, open chords are so boring, so I mix it up and sometimes panic. With 3-4 hours a day practice I'm getting there, getting better. I won't lie, it goes wrong a lot. That's why I don't really like covers, I just end up improvising, tell them it's a Jazz live remix. If you front it out, 9 times out of 10 they're cool with it, just don't look embarrassed by this 'toxic harmony' you've accidentally created. 

What got you into pledge music?

Well it's the most known musically by people, and it's a fairly simple and straightforward way of crowdfunding. 

Can you tell me a bit more about it, how it works? 

I self funded my first four albums, I looked into crowdfunding, but I wasn't sure. As they take money upfront so when it came to finding Pledge before the decisions on my fifth album I decided to give it a go; it takes 15% of overall crowd funded goal. I took a gamble, and it helped me to gauge the interest. It's a great idea for any artists hoping to do the same, old or new. 

Any new things in the pipeline, what will it sound like? I'm very impressed already with the lovely brass vibes in earlier pieces. 

It's called EP 1- Adam Ficek, very original. And it'll mostly feature strings and flute, maybe a bit of drums and mallets, it'll have a lovely woody feel. 

 

Who got you into music? 

I dunno really, my older brother I guess. He was the cool one, he was all into the alternative stuff- he got me into the likes of Velvet Underground and The Doors; both big loves of mine. But there's always a big love for BananaRama. 

*cue an awkward comment from me about how the tables have turned, who's the cool one now*

Haha, I guess so. I mean he is a successful banker though; even if I do have a lot of fun. 

What was the first instrument you learnt how to play?

I was always self taught, it was whatever was kicking about at the time. Probably an old tin whistle. 

 

Okay, so one thing; how on earth do I pronounce your surname?

Phonetically sounded it Fi-check. And it originates from the Ukraine; my nan came over after the Second World War, aged ten with no one, she built herself up from there.

So I then threw in a curve ball. 

Are you aware your name is a search on "urban dictionary"?

Wow, no I didn't. I'm a bit shocked and impressed. 

*when asked about if he knew- he responded with*

I didn't have a clue, and honestly it's one of those jokingly done things of If I knew how to, I probably would have, haha. But it is dated back to 2006. 

And I rounded it up with a question I'm hoping to carry over onto all of my future interviews. 

If you were a Hendrix song, what one would you be? 

Fire- it's just the best and I like it a lot. 

And he even threw in a wonderful and light hearted anecdote about how in 

2008 when it all started off, he had this idea of 'have my first single for free'. So every day he went down to his local POBOX, and sent out single after single, where he must of sent out a good 1000 free singles. The thing was, the recievers all around the world were supposed to pay for the postage when they collected, but he had a fair few refuse to, but take the single, leaving him to foot the bill. It was a great laugh.

I stayed for the entirety of Adam's set and then some. My plan to be on the 12am ferry home was short lived, it soon turned into the 3am boat. But what an amazing time we had, the atmosphere was intense, true to his word the Beach Boys blared out across the room with everyone on their feet going for it. The room was packed, with bodies dancing their hearts out. Thanks to my fantastic parental musical education, I only failed to name one or two songs played the entire evening; I felt pretty impressed. But what made the night for me was the never ending broadcasts of my wonderful childhood favourites; Scooby Doo, Count Duckular, Sonic, Star Wars, Mario and many more being projected moving onto the screen behind the decks. 

Adam was truly on top form, hit after hit was fired out and the masses were impressed. I can't even begin to recommend him enough, it was well worth the half an hour walk on foot from the Fishbourne ferry terminal at 4am back to Jack's house. Yes my legs may ache and I may be haggardly sat at work typing this up, while I try and soak away my hangover; but if he comes to a venue near you, he's not one to miss. 

I met the wonderful Kat and Carl last night, those who make sure everything rocks at the Wedgewood Rooms on a regular basis, and they were so happy to oblige and talk, I can't wait for the next time I head on over to divulge in the talented performers they draw in. They deserve crazy amounts kudos for the hard work they do, and how many peoples nights they make truly blissful. 

My favourite part of the interview was Carl walking in mid way through talking about his body and bottles of water; the details are something I feel he may wish not to be included. And they shall be omitted purely because of his dazzling personality and how encouraging he was about the event and everything. 

Thank you so very much to those who made it an incredibly special night, and a very big thank you to the crazy humble Adam Ficek, he truly is a lovely guy. And my honest opinion is you really do need to check him out. His repertoire is spot on, a perfect range of hits, both unusual and well loved. I squealed with delight at Surfing Bird being played, Alan Partridge in the background; it made the moment.  He's got his own YouTube channel and is on Spotify. I was very lucky to be part of a great event- with a wonderful turn out. It's a Sin Events are ones to watch. 

(From left to right; the wonderful Tyler Gibb, Adam Ficek himself, and me) 

Working in any kind of industry that involves customer service. (Especially food)

From a young age I was exposed to customer service, building up my work ethos slowly. My family owned a party shop, it's motto was literally 'we take having fun very seriously', and it was a hell of a lot of fun, so I was used to talking to customers. I assumed that life was always going to be that great; and fun (Oh the naivety). So by the age of 14 I began taking on a summer job at a food place, down on my local seafront. But nothing can ever prepare you for what it's like working in the food industry. That in itself is a whole other fucking mine field when it comes to customer service. 

The top 10 things I will never understand about it. And can never even begin to explain to myself, let alone other people. 

1- Why on earth would you talk to your server like a piece of shit when they're about to handle your food?! 

2- If your server tells you that they're out of stock of a particular product, why on earth would you begin to abuse them and take it out on them? I'm guessing if it was your 15/16/17 year old on £3.68 an hour you'd kick up a bitch fit if they came home and told you just how a customer had talked to them. 

3- Why would you post all over social media about the state of a fast food establishment's tables and site; and complain how disgusting it is to eat in that kind of environment. Whilst you, yourself then proceed to drop half of your meal onto the floor, smear sauce on the table top, allow your annoying sprog to wipe grease all over the windows, oh and not forgetting leaving your rubbish strewn across the entire place. 

4- Who in their right mind decides to coat a fucking toilet seat in mayonnaise? 

5- Why after great customer service would you go into the bathrooms and forcibly ram a whole toilet roll down the loo to deliberately block it up?

6- If a server or waitress tells you that if you order your food in this way and listen you could have it a hell of a lot cheaper, why ignore them?!

7- People who decide to cancel their entire order, after it's gone through to the kitchen and they've started making it already. Just because one teeny item from their order isn't available to buy. 

8- When you re-read someone's order back to them 5 times, and they agree with it after making multiple changes. Then when it comes out they scream at you for it being wrong, and how it could only be down to you. Even though you read it out to them like 5 times before you processed it. 

9- The amount of mess customers can make. 

10- When you get a totally unreasonable customer, who takes out their entire life and problems out on you, decides to become condescending; and then assumes because you work somewhere for a low wage, you must be worthless and totally not have smashing grades, life goals and plans. 

In my entire life so far, I have never been able to accept why such fucking people exist. What kicks could you possibly get through belittling your server. Oh and when they chime in with the comments of 'If it wasn't for me buying this stuff, and making this mess, you wouldn't have a job'. On a regular and pretty much daily basis since the age of 14, I've fantasised a lot about what I'd like to do to difficult customers in my head. Yes I'm smiling on the outside and calling you sir and madam politely, but inside my head you've been suffocated, beheaded and reversed over by a fucking truck. 

With each year of maturity, comes a hardier and politer customer service front, I've loved every job I've had since I started working. A few have had their awkward and shitty moments, but usually the great customers outweigh the awful ones. Take Monday night for example, I had several ladies compliment my eye makeup, and ask how I do it. How do I stand there for hours on end, and greet every individual with a smile and a look of genuine care and concern for their issues. I couldn't answer, I laughed and made a joke about how it's hard at times; but at the end of the day it's regular and guaranteed money. But in the same evening, where I geniunely felt so happy and positive about my job, I had an individual forcibly ram a whole loo roll down the toilet. Eh, it's swings and roundabouts. You can't win them all. 

One thing I can say, I know that when I go out; I neatly stack my plates, use tissues to wipe any sauce mess up, I bin my rubbish and put away my trays. Because I know that my servers have names, they have emotions and they have feelings. They are not robots- programmed to put up with your bullshit.  Yes it's their job, but no one wants a shitty day; and if I can make someone's shift a bit easier, I will! I'm also not a total wanker of gigantic proportions. 

You can always tell if the person you're serving has ever worked in the food industry; life usually gets 100% easier and they're incredibly understanding most of the time. If you're planning on applying for any job that involves customer service, and or food; grow a thick skin and learn to take life with a pinch of salt. You can honestly never predict how a shift will go, what you'll get next or how a night will end. What I love the most is having a great team; knowing that I can have a laugh with the people I work with; and we can sit and have a giggle about the bad together and get through it. I may not be able to go back out there and deal with a difficult customer, but a colleague can; and she can go out and call them 'My lovelies' and pacify them completely and make all of your frustration just wash away. 

Find a job, but find one with a great workforce. If you can't have a laugh- you won't be able to cope. I still bring up the mayonnaise on the toilet seat story now, 5 years on, and it still makes friends laugh. You may get a shit wage, but you'll have memories that last a life time. (Ha!). 

Coeliac Disease and Me- a bitter sweet tale.

 

For the last 5 years I've had numerous medical procedures done and I've had so much blood taken; I probably could have given someone a full transfusion if you add it up. 

At the age of 14 I started getting awful abdominal cramps, that would rip through me and leave me feeling like I was going to pass out. Then would follow a mysterious internal bleed! (Spooky and gross, I know, I know). At 14 it was terrifying- when the inside of the toilet looks like a horrific murder has taken place, you begin to painic. This came on right before my GCSE's and it slowly increased in pain levels and frequency as I got older. At first I was told by the doctors that it was nothing and I needn't worry. I was told to eat more fibre and I would grow out of it. (Fannied off as I like to call it). 

Then when it got to the point that fatigue had set in that badly and often i was fully bedridden and struggling to muster up enough strength to even go downstairs; let alone into sixth form for crucial lessons. We knew something was really wrong, it went from a fairly regular occurrence that would just come and go, I'd cope with the pain and it would be over. To something so excruciatingly painful and horrendous- the doctors could no longer ignore it. 

I was prescribed all sorts to try and take away the pain, and that was as good as it got. I sat on waiting list after waiting list for procedures; from barium meal tests, to multiple colonoscopys, X-rays of weird things, internal organ investigations, sooooooo many blood tests and finally after 5 years a gastroscopy. I went from being told it was nothing at 14 and fobbed off, to aged 16/17 and being told I could have Bowel Cancer or Crohns Disease. I was shellshocked, as were my family and those around me. 

November/December/January 2015 were really dark months for me, after being told this news by my local doctors, my family insisted on a second opinion. I was very fortunate to have my wonderful Granny around to help at this point- it was totally unfair to assume that my family right after Christmas could afford to fork out for a private doctor for me. But we were all freaking out, no one wants to hear 'it might be cancer' at any age, let alone before the age of 18- and I know it sent my parents into utter shock. They started talking about holidays away, getting a puppy, there were constant hushed tones coming from the kitchen and I never wanted to show them how sad or worried i was by it. 

The private 'specialist' was no help, other than ruling out Cancer with a click of his fingers (supposedly) he performed the tests that my doctors had already done and concluded 'you're just getting lady pains and a mixture of haemorrhoids'. Even though I know the difference between menstrual pain?!? And most certainly didn't have haemorrhoids. I lost it completely,  I left the room in tears and felt utterly defeated by those who we are supposed to rely on for help when we need it. I continued to surf the waiting lists for my other tests, all of which ruled out cancer officially as well as bloody piles!!! 

But none of them left us any the wiser as to my problem. By this point I was questioning was I mad? Was I a hypochondriac that was just insisting something was wrong and it was all in my head?! The only thing that kept me sane was the chronic amount of blood- as grim as that sounds. I honestly thought we'd almost exhausted everything! I was sick to death of Google. Can I just also point out- please never ever sit on Google (you just end up feeling worse). I cut out meat at one point, I attempted a month without gluten. That in itself was rather hard, as without the proper guidance you'd be shocked by just how many things we put into ourselves on a regular basis that are contaminated with gluten. 

For me the final procedure that led to my medical conclusions was a gastroscopy. A teeny tiny camera was inserted down my throat all the way into my stomach, where it took biopsies (little samples of inflamed tissue) to be tested by their labs. And yes, it was just a disturbing as it sounds. You don't eat or drink for like 12 hours before, which as the total fatty that i am, was hard. I insisted on the pain relief to numb me the fuck out via an IV and the throat numbing spray (I'm not an idiot, I wasn't facing that not off of my tits). 

Two weeks later I was informed by my doctor that I was a type two coeliac. Hoorah 🎉🎉 5 years too late. 

Apparently I could have had a simple blood test and saved this entire palava. The NHS at its finest in my opinion, I'd supposedly had every blood test under the sun done, but not the one for coeliac disease. It's actually kind of funny when you look at it now, I love the description online available for 'coeliac disease' 

And that's totally not the wonderful array of symptoms I presented for the last... Hrrrrm...5 years; 

- BLOATING!!!!!!!

- Severe stomach problems (charming way of putting diarrhoea) 

- Followed by on and off constant constipation 

- Any family member can tell you about the insanely gross levels of wind. 

- Reccurant stomach pain and cramping.

- The one thing my blood levels did show was a severe lacking of B12 (so I was actually given an injection to rectify it?!) 

- TIREDNESS?!?!?! 

- I was the lowest weight I'd been in yonks back then, I managed to hit a size 10 and weigh around 10 Stone. After my diagnosis, I'm now a 14, with wonderful weight fluctuations. 

- The never ending mouth ulcers. 

- I've always had a dry skin eczema issue. 

- I won't lie, I put my constant downer mood onto the fact that I was in a lot of pain and just hated everything and never contemplated 'depression', as I'm a relatively upbeat person. 

- Christ, my balance is inexistant as is my coordination, Sixth form put that down to Dyspraxia. Oops. Along with my joints wonderful game of 'Oooh Patsie's going up or down stairs, or crossing the road- let's give way on her!!' 

So yes... I had a lot of fun in my teenage years. As I creep closer to 20 with every day, I'm happy that I have discovered what's wrong with me and I know how to rectify it. It's not easy.. I mean I found out a week before I started working in a fast food establishment that literally just sells southern fried chicken. And it sucks, I've given in and caved a few times (it smells that bloody good all shift) and believe me, I pay for it. On a vast array of different levels, and I know I have no one but myself to blame. 

But I'm mostly good, as the one things that scares me more than anything else is the line on every web page about coeliac disease 'increased chance of miscarriage and fertility issues'. I know I'm only just verging on 20 and I've got my whole life ahead of me, but I'd hate to know my diet now would be the contributing factor in why I wouldn't aspire to have a family of my own. And I know more than anything, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Followed by 'an increase risk of bowel cancer', Sod's law being I can have kids, but oh look; 'nope you've got bowel cancer' is my prognosis and how I'm leaving the world. I am that macabre, this is how my mind works. 

 So I try to stick to my 'Gluten free diet'- the food is mediocre a lot of the times. I like to call it 'Food that's double the price, but half the size!'. But already, I can see a great increase in the market. It's expanding like crazy, as more and more people become aware of the growing need coeliacs have. (Not to eat utter shit and muck when at home or out and about may I just add). Literally, I tried this 'Mrs Crumbles' Pasta packet at work the other day, one word; VILE. Like ingesting vomit infused with cheese. But the ranges of foods, sauces, desserts, and snacks available are amazing. You just have to look and experiment, I guess its personal taste and preference, as I loved 'Mrs Crumbles' biscuits. They're delicious. Marks and Spencer's and Morrisons for me are leading the way, it's not always cheap, but it's worth it. From tempura chicken to fish fingers, fudge cakes to pot noodles and my favourites so far are M&S sausages. It's so hard to just walk into a shop and pick up a packet of sausages now. 

Life is easy and tasty, as long as you prepare in advance. Gravies are delicious if you use a knorr stock pot and a bit of the meat juices and some corn flour to thicken, soups can easily have the same added to them (minus the corn flour obvs). But my all time favourite is still CHEESE SAUCE!!!! The only thing you've got to worry about is gradually adding your flour or it will over thicken. Eating out is simple, so many places cater for coeliacs!! I had a wonderful gluten free meal at Pizza Express yesterday: 

And shockingly, many festivals do too!! My Isle of Wight Festival 2016 experience was made by tons of fantastic stall holders who had alergen information on hand. My only (sober) photo of my gluten free choices at the Festival was this; 

The Crispy Duck wrap stall was very happy to help, by providing duck fat chunky chips instead!! 

And all in all, I think I've gotten off lightly; yes it's a life long infliction and I've got to give foods up. But I'd rather give up food than my chance to have a family and enjoy life. My only wish is that I'd known sooner, so the damage to my gut would be less severe. I feel happier as a person, my mood has brightened, the pain has gone, my stomach is fine 99% of the time, I'm happy to leave the house!! And I'm not obsessing over my weight, I feel confident and radiant as a person; whatever the scales may say. So here, enjoy a dodgy full body shot of me (with my legs out and on show in a fairly skimpy playsuit). I was so confident that night, ft. My wonderfully talented and gorgeous friend Danni. 

All I can say is if you've read this and you think 'I bloat a lot and end up in a lot of pain', please do not try and cut gluten completely out of your diet. As that can be honestly be a trigger!!! Seek medical advice and just keep pushing, maybe just reduce the quantity you eat in the mean time. So yes.. Enough of my gross ramblings, pictures of food and pictures of me for one day. I hope this could maybe be of some use to someone ☺️

Thanks for reading 💕

Festival Fun Times.

 

So I feel like at 1am on a Friday night after a fairly busy shift at work, it's the perfect time to unwind and finalise all of my wonderful experiences from the weekend gone by. I won't lie, it's been a struggle to even get to this stage!!

This weekend summed up for me- it involved spending far too much money (money from my car fund!!!) that I really didn't have, enjoying many wonderful bands and having far too much fun!! And I wouldn't change it for the world. 

I was incredibly lucky to get my hands on a set of Big Top Guest and Boutique Artist passes for the Isle of Wight festival 2016!!! It was my first IOW festival, I've lived down here for almost 6 years and I've shamefully never been. On a first glance this years line up looks fairly poor. Both The Who and Queen aren't getting any younger, and you never know what you'll get with such high status bands. So much excitement about how fantastic they were.. And less focus on what they are now; I was dreading them, I thought they would honestly be the biggest anticlimax. But it's safe to say I was wrong, I was blown away on both Saturday and Sunday night; but that's for a whole other post. 

This post is all about the little guys. For me, my weekend was made by the sheer quality of all of the smaller up and coming bands. The atmosphere, the excitement and the non stop glowing ambition and pride these guys have for themselves, their band mates and the crowds they so deservingly achieved across all of the stages. I fell in love with so many wonderful up and coming artists, and they are all budding geniuses. So many of them pumping out quirky and original pieces already- and all of these have potential just gleaming from them. 

We were lucky enough to have gotten our wristbands from the fantastic people that are Mama Jerk and the Lady Fingers. These guys, oh my god- these guys. Take the quirkiest and happiest tracks you know, spin them on their heads. Add some funky brass action and crazy ska feeling to it, and you wont even get vaguely close to how intensely brilliant these guys are. They were performing on the Midnight Bakery- Cirque De La Quirk stage and they drew in a hefty crowd for such a pokey out of the way stage. For a full half an hour I was not only captivated; but mesmerised by their wonderfully original tunes. I didn't want it to end! 

The only pro to after they had finished performing (much to the entire crowds dismay) was that my family and I got to go backstage and chill with the band. They were rather chuffed when my artistically aspiring 15 year old brother asked if they fancied signing his guitar, and all turned into fangirling teenagers who were trying so hard to play it cool. They had apparently never been asked to sign anything before, and I like to think they'll forever treasure us being their first of many. The entire band rocked and my parents now want a trip away in September to go and watch them perform and totally smash it in Bristol, and i can't blame them. If anyone actually decides to read this post and is intrigued then please do go and check them out, the link to their Facebook is here- https://m.facebook.com/mamajerk/

And here is the brilliant Band in question and Tyler! Thank you again for allowing us to have such an amazing weekend and for showing us some fantastic music ☺️ 

The next band that deserves a massive shout out and hefty amounts of recognition for their sheer raw talent; is Bang Bang Romeo- a few weeks back I saw a suggested page pop up on my Facebook feed, describing a band as 'like a Tarantino soundtrack' and from that point on I was determined to see them!! Anyone who knows me, knows my love of Tarantino films and soundtracks. And on Saturday morning whilst we walked in through the artist entrance of the festival I caught a glimpse of a lady in the most gorgeously eye catching peacock feather headdress- it was diva dazzling and you just knew she was a performer. 

We made our way to the BigTop Backstage VIP bar, where we heard a voice that can only be described as powerful whilst beautifully mesmerising coming from the BigTop. And I was shocked; the crowd inside the BigTop was nowhere near the size that I believe they deserved or should have commanded. 

Sleek and sexy- the lead vocalist Anastasia Walker fully embodies both adjectives in such a strong way. I have never before heard such strength in vocals. She is definitely one to watch- and I am expecting crazy big things from her and Bang Bang Romeo over the coming years. I had the joy of running into her whilst exploring the backstage section of the Hard Rock Stage on the Sunday and she was so politely modest when it came to praise. 

One of the highlights of my entire weekend was ending up beside them in the crowd for Queen on Sunday night!! My mum by this point had made up for the fact we only found the free bar on Sunday. And the 12 year old in me was whispering 'omg there's Bang Bang Romeo!! The fab band I was telling you about' and she only went and  approached her and them.  I was dying inside and out; cringing so hard- followed by being completely shocked by their reaction, the entire band introduced themselves and put up with a rather drunk Gorman family and their crazed ramblings.

 Anastasia and her lovely girlfriend and family were truly wonderful people, and as pretentious and cliche as its sounds; 'incredibly down to earth'. I've been promised an exclusive interview come September when I start my journalism course and I am truly humbled by their reaction to my writing aspirations.  I would again really appreciate it if you guys could check them out too!! Their Facebook link is here- https://www.facebook.com/bbromeo/

I managed to get a cheeky selfie with the leading lady herself!! (Ft. My gorgeous Friend Chloe) 

So it's nearing 2am and I feel like I've rambled on too much already for one evening (early morning 😉) There are many more wonderful reviews of some truly amazing bands to come, so please do keep your eyes peeled!! Much more to come; and please please please check out both bands I've bigged up here 🎉

Neurodegenerative diseases and me

      So for a long time one of my favourite jokes to tell was;

"Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease which would you rather have?"

To which you'd respond to the persons confused face and say "Parkinson's of course, better to spill half of your vodka, than to forget where the fuck you put it!".  I was told it by a friend a few years ago, and me being at that gawky teen age of about 13/14 didn't see anything wrong with it, it was in bad taste, but it always cracked a smile out of someone.

 But now, aged 19 I can see where I was going wrong; I can start to question just how many people I may have upset without even realising I had, just with that shoddy excuse for humour. 

As a child, my Granddad Leo was always a major part of my life, I was a daddies girl In every aspect of the term and this was extended to my Granddad. Only now do I realise just how lucky I was, to have had such a wonderful person in my life. And that's even with his flaws, the chain smoking, the constant fecks, buggers and even the occasional C bomb, the fact that dad referred to him as 'be careful, if that isn't nailed down to the floor!' To me, it just made him well, him. 

 He would drive my mum crazy, always sat in the same spot on our sofa, leaving ashtrays with lit fags in them around the house and the sniggers and laughter when mum would tell me off. She especially hated that, along with him smoking in the car. One of the things I remember the most from my childhood, was mum shouting at him on a regular basis, as he'd sit and smoke in the back of the car whilst myself and my brother were sat with him. It was always something along the lines of "my children are not bloody ashtrays Leo", Granddad would always apologise and smirk this cheeky grin that always stretched to his soft blue eyes. But you always knew it would happen again. 

 He wouldn't go anywhere without Charlie the dog, I've seen videos of myself aged two/three with mushed up quavers in my hands, banging these tight cheesey fists against my baby walker screaming "CHALIE CHALIE" with utter delight as Charlie would circle around me. He was Granddad's shadow, he always was, and I like to think he always will be, now that they have each other up there. The holiday we took to the Norfolk Broads together will always remain with me, I was a chunky child with a thick full fringe and bob cut, and the photos of me in the tight bright orange life jacket sat cheekily with Granddad and Charlie are some of my favourites, I have a framed copy, with seashells we collected on that trip stuck around the frame. Our walks up the downs in Ventnor, to look at all the cows and rabbits, tiring both myself and the dog out were a big part of my routine growing up. There are so many things I did as a child with him in my life, things I know I'm incredibly lucky to have experienced. Fishing, scrumping, poaching and Wombling trips, but to name a few. All these positive wonderful memories, where he was happy and a proper person. Before Neurodegenerative diseases consumed him.

The thing I will never forget, the most comforting memory I have of my time with him was our countless midnight feasts. He'd wake up and potter down to the kitchen, to fry up some bacon or some ham; ham seemed to be his favourite, and I'd smell it wafting up the stairs. Occasionally when I'd sneak down to join him, would he send me away, but nine times out of ten he'd set up a plate for me and we'd sit munching and talking, throwing bits for Charlie to enjoy, until he'd remind me of school the next day and I'd be sent to bed with a "shhh don't wake you're parents". Of course both of them knew, but they were happy I was spending quality time with my Granddad. His bedside table, always stashed full of battenberg, silver and red wrapped tea cakes and all sorts of cakes and treats, which he'd lovingly share whilst watching dodgy kids TV with me after school. 

There are so many things I remember about him, but towards the end there are so many things I know he won't have remembered about me. He'd had Alzheimer's and dementia for the last ten years... Since I was about 9, and there are lots of things I didn't realise but my family did. Leaving the occasional lit cigarette around the house was one thing, but many in such a short space of time begins to worry the people you love. I didn't understand this, I didn't see how he had begun to change, I didn't understand why he was beginning to change or why he needed specialist help. And until last Monday, when I saw my Granddad for the last time, I didn't understand why Alzheimer's and Dementia were such destructive things and how much pain they actually caused. The only happiness I have been able to find today, the day my beloved Granddad died, is that he is no longer suffering. Seeing him so fragile, so small, doped up on morphine, really got to me. As I sat on the edge of his bed, holding his hand between mine, telling the shell of the Granddad I remember, just how much I love him and how I always will, I realised how painful these disorders are. He developed a rather aggressive form of cancer of the lungs, which had spread to his ribs, that on its own is devastating, but combine that with such conditions, that's no way of life at all, especially at only 83. 

There is nothing funny about a condition that destroys lives, that affects every member of a family, that changes a persons every aspect of being. My Granddad shouldn't have needed to be spoon fed, shouldn't have lost control of himself as a person, and without those conditions ruining his life, he wouldn't have. I will never find that joke funny, not after seeing first hand how much Alzheimer's changes a person. No one should have to suffer the way he did, and the way thousands of others suffer from these life changing conditions. 

I know that I was very lucky to have him around whilst I grew up, and I know that he was always proud of me, I wouldn't change the time I had with him for the world. His smell, his smile, the way it felt when he hugged you; how safe you felt with his gigantic hands and arms around you, that's one thing that made me smile when I got to see him on Monday, his hands hadn't changed a bit. They still dwarfed the rest of his body. I am so thankful that I got that time with him, the chance to see him, even if it was for the last time.  Because I can't be completely gutted about him passing, as I know he's in a much better place and isn't suffering anymore. No one shouldn't be able to control their thought patterns, their memories or their lives. 

Now I'm writing this, not as a warning, but as something to consider I guess; next time anyone decides to make a joke in bad taste.. You don't know what people have seen, been through or watched happen to people they love and cherish. My Granddad will always be so special to me, and mean so much to me and I hope he's up their smiling down on me, reunited with Nanny and Charlie the dog, finally settled and back in control. That's what I choose to believe anyway. I love him, and I will never forget the years we had together- especially all the love, the laughter and that big yellow teapot.

Goodbye Granddad, I am so proud to be your Granddaughter.

October inspired, home grown pumpkin soup!

Some of the wonderful pumpkins my family have grown on the farm, all scrubbed up and ready to be turned into culinary delights. 

Now October is most definitely my favourite month, with the change of month brings a change of season. Warm woolly jumpers, hot mugs of tea, comfy pyjamas and of course a change of menu to suit the changes to the weather; cheesey lasagnas, hot cottage pies, casseroles with rich gravy and fluffy dumplings and best of all tasty and thick soups. Nothing beats a hot mug of soup, from a can is convenient and all good and well but nothing beats a home made pan of fresh soup! Not only is it quick and simple, but you can quite literally put any vegetables you want in it. This makes it incredibly easy for the savvy student to buy their veg in bulk, cheaply from a local market or store, and turn it into quite literally; liquid gold! Soup can easily be made up in large batches and frozen in containers to be taken out and heated on the stove or in a microwave at a later date; healthy, inexpensive and convenient!!! 

Now here's a basic recipe I always follow for any soup I make, a couple of potatoes, onions or leeks, a lot of butter and of course salt and pepper to taste! You just need to add whichever veg you fancy and if you're feeling really daring, some cream. The onion or leeks create a perfect base flavour for any soup, and the potato is there to thicken and bulk up, without fail I follow this for any new soup I try. 

My favourite soup of all time however, has to be pumpkin! Silky smooth and lovely with a little splash of double cream and a small handful of grated cheese, pumpkin soup is the perfect snack, lunch or dinner in my eyes. And here is my version of the trusty and October inspired pumpkin soup; 

Ingredients: 

1- 3/4 medium sized onions or two medium sized leeks 

2- 4/5 medium sized potatoes 

3- two small cooking pumpkins

4- butter 

5- salt and pepper 

6- double cream 

7- marigold vegetable powder

8- 3 cloves of garlic

First of all peel your potatoes, in the picture I have a few too many as after I peeled them I decided that I didn't need all of the, and they would ruin the pumpkin flavour, so I put them in water for another meal. 

Peel and then slice your potatoes into decent sized slices: 

Before then making them into 'chip stick' strips, then chop across and make them into teeny squares like so; 

They don't have to be perfect, but ideally you want them of similar sizes or they won't cook evenly and you may have lumpy bits of hard potato if you're cooking this quickly to serve. Then turn to your pumpkins, slice them into dodgy halves, where one half is definitely large than the other, so they can be made into thirds. 

Using a tablespoon scoop out the inside 'goo' of the pumpkin, as if you were rounding out a scoop of ice cream, making sure there's no darker orange still remaining on the flesh on the inside. 

This is only a roughly done example, as you can clearly see the darker orange 'goo' still stuck to the flesh of the pumpkin. Once you have scooped them all out you need to use your peeler, an ordinary kitchen one will do, it's pretty easy and quite fun! 

Once they are scooped out and peeled they should look like this, a bit strange, but it's worth it!  

Next step is to slice them like you would a melon, I found this an easy way of safetly managing to cut them into decent sized cubes like you'd do with the potatoes. 

Then turn your attention to your onions, top and tail them before slicing them in half down the top, put them inside down onto the board and chop them into nicely sized 'rainbow rings', and then into squares, like so: 

Next do the same process with the garlic cloves, top and tail them before cutting them into flat wedges and strips so you can easily chop them into small pieces. 

Place the diced onions, garlic and pumpkin into a large heavy bottomed pan along with a nice job of butter and proceed to soften up over a medium heat. Adding salt and pepper to taste as you go. 

Let it sweat and soften before adding your cubed potatoes, then pour in just enough water to cover the vegetables, put the lid on and allow to simmer until the potatoes are cooked. You'll know when they're done as a fork will glide through them easily and they will break up. 

When all the veg is cooked through take a hand blitzer/blender, and whizz up until you have a nice thick broth, if you like a few lumps then don't blitz for as long, but I like it thick and smooth. Then using a Pyrex jug add 2/3 teaspoons of marigold bouillon vegetable powder to to roughly 400ml of water and add to the soup, this is a kind of seasoned stock and is my favourite thing to use in soups. It's salty and nicely flavoured and just adds an extra layer of depth to your soup, it's also pretty versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes, like in a casserole with a bit of flour to make a thick gravy. It's also vegetarian friendly and very affordable! A pot of 150g is only £1.99 at Holland and barratt, but can be bought in bulk in 1-5kg tubs for around £10-£20, perfect for students! 

Add your bouillon powder and a nice dash of double cream, and serve it up! It's perfect with some buttered crusty bread, and my favourite way to serve it is with a handful of grated cheddar, truly delicious! 

I still have a long way to go with presentation, as you can see, however it's a quick lunch and it's a rough idea of a great recipe anyone can try! You can easily swap pumpkins for butternut squash. That's equally as tasty, or just leeks and a few more potatoes. Whatever you do or add, it should taste just as great, so good luck with your soup inspired adventures, and enjoy! 

Gooey chocolate and Oreo brownies.

I adore all things sweet and chocolatey, when given the opportunity I am a right sucker for chocolate binges. The past two weeks have been a total wardrobe nightmare for me in the sense that I can't stop stuffing my face with chocolate. So on Tuesday I decided to get creative, Instead of spending money on utter calorific nonsense that the shops surrounding my house have on special; I turned to my kitchen cupboards and using the left over cooking chocolate from the eclairs made recently, I launched into making brownies! 

So to not contradict myself in talking about shop bought nonsense I must state that yes, as the title suggests Oreos were used!! But only in one batch, the other were walnut and chocolate brownies. 

I was really looking forward to experimenting with some of my favourite biscuits, and after trailing these brownies out on my obliging family, friends and ever so willing boyfriend; I have come to the conclusion that this is the best recipe for them!

 I have previously attempted others, sometimes using Pinterest to just gather a general consensus of ingredient ratios to work out what I'd need to tweak. This recipe is partially based on Jamie Oliver's Brownie recipe, however I have worked with different qualities, used different ingredients and varied the steps to do what I believe is right. The end result is something purely mind blowing! The centres are warm and gooey, and the Oreos and walnut create a gorgeous taste blend to combat the over sweetness of the sheer quantity of choclate and sugar used. 

However, the biggest problem I have found with brownies is that of how long do they take to bake? Jamie himself suggests 25 minutes maximum, but it's more of a trial and error thing. In my opinion the bigger and deeper the tray, the longer they take to cook, and quite frankly I adore a chunky brownie. So while I use deeper trays when baking, what I would recommend is an oven temperature of 180 degrees, and if they still wobble like jelly at the 40 minute mark, turn that down to 150, just so they don't burn and spoil to try and achieve a nice overall bake. The perfect brownie will still have an ooze to it when you use a fork to pierce the top, unlike with a normal cake where you know that it is done by inserting a fork and having it come out clean, I half wish I had taken pictures to show this now, sorry! 

Either way, 

This was my end result; 

So if you feel inspired to try, you will need; 

INGREDIENTS: 

1- 250g of butter

2- 200g or so! Of cooking chocolate, I like a milk to dark mix!

3- A hand full of nuts, of course this is down to personal preference 

4- 80g of choclate powder

5- 65g of plain flour

6- 1 teaspoon baking powder 

7- 360g of sugar

8- 4 large eggs

The first step is to preheat your oven at 180 degrees!!! 

Then weigh out your ingredients, with the flour and chocolate powder you need to sift them into one large mixing bowl, you don't want lumps in anyway as they affect the texture of the brownies. 

In a second heat proof bowl you need to place the butter, you can just place the full amount straight in, or cut into rough cubes. Next break your chocolate into small squares like so, I have used an equal ratio of dark, milk and white chocolate for this recipe as I feel it adds a nice not overly sweet edge to the end product. 

Add the broken pieces of choclate to your heatproof bowl with the butter and create a ban-Marie. To do this you will need a large saucepan and a heat proof bowl. You fill the pan up with just enough water so it covers an inch or two of the base of the bowl once lowered Into the pan, this creates a gentle way of melting and bonding the butter and choclate. Like below! 

I like to melt the butter first before adding the chocolate, this just makes it sleeker and easier in my opinion. Then add the chocolate to this, very gently and stir, make sure the pan isn't too high as you don't want water splashing into your bowl. 

The chocolate shouldn't take too long to melt as the butter will be pretty warm, it should melt down into a sleek and buttery brown sludge! 

Now turn your attention to the dry ingredients, combine the sifted flour and chocolate powder in one bowl, along with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder, try to aim for a semi level teaspoon as this is your rising agent due to the recipe calling for plain flour, and if too much is used then you will taste it when you eat the brownies. If I'm honest, it's not a very nice taste when there's too much! 

Due to always using lightly salted butter (usually bought from tesco as its only 92p!! Sheer bargain) I don't feel the need to add a pinch of salt, however if you choose to use marge or unsalted butter a pinch of salt should be added too. Then add your sugar to the bowl and mix the dry ingredients up. 

Then you need to carefully pour in the chocolate and butter mixture, stirring it in and making sure there is no dry at the bottom of the bowl, or you will end up with undermixed and grainy brownies, also unpleasant tasting. 

Once you have stirred in the wet to the dry, you need to think about any other extras you wish to add to your batter, I have chosen to add a handful of dried walnuts as they are supposedly what any old and orginal brownie recipe calls for. However nuts are purely optional, and if allergic or you just don't enjoy the taste then please do not add them! I have chopped them up, nice and small so they're just an extra flavour. This to me is the perfect size! 

Add the chopped nuts to the batter bowl and if you want it to be extra chocolatey you can always add an assortment of chunks or chips like I have. Make sure to stir these in well as you want a nice even mix, I would recommend waiting for the batter to cool first or the chocolate will just melt. 

After adding your extras, you then need to crack four reasonably sized eggs into another bowl. I like to crack them into a separate container as this way you can clearly see if any sneaky pieces of shell have managed to fall in. Just to make sure you don't end up with crunchy brownies! In the picture used below there are clearly eight eggs, this is due to me making a double batch, so half could be Oreo and the other could be plain. 

Wisk up your eggs and add them a bit at a time to make sure that they are fully mixed into the batter. 

it'll look rather odd at first and a bit slimy, but once it is fully mixed in you should end up with a sleek and glossy batter, like so; 

Any lumps visible in the photo are purely the nuts and the chocolate chips. Leave this to one side and prepare your baking tray, greaseproof paper at this point is a lifesaver as all you have to do is smear a little butter along the bottom and sides of the pan before placing in a cut to size sheet of greaseproof paper. Making sure it is shiny side up, so the brownies will easily peal away and not stick. You then need to take 3-4 Oreos and crumble them up over the bottom of the tray like this

Then spoon in your brownie batter over the top of the crumbled Oreo pieces, using a spatula to ease any mixture stuck to the bowl, as there's no point being wasteful! 

The next step involves using the same spatula to smooth out your mixture evenly in the tray, ensuring that once it is in the oven, it'll have an even bake overall. Even in this photo I'm pretty sure it could be a bit flatter to make sure it won't be uneven. 

Take the rest of your packet of Oreos and crumble them up over the tray, placing the bits about a  third of the way into the gooey batter. Repeat this over the entire top to give a nice covering of crumbled cookie. 

Then place the bad boy into your preheated oven! As stated above it was recommended to bake for 25 minutes, however when I checked at this point it was wobbly like jelly. So it's a trial and error situation, where you need to keep setting the alarm for 10 minutes at a time after it's been in for half an hour. Just to make sure you don't over bake it, you need to aim for it being just a little bit wet and gooey on the inside in order for the perfect and most Incredible brownie!  Your fork should come out a bit messy when you check the centre. My tray was baked to perfection at around 45/50 minutes in my opinion. 

Here is the final result! Next time I will turn the oven down a bit at the half hour mark just so the edges don't rise up and darken as much. It didn't change the taste, and it's purely personal preference as I found the edges a bit chewey, however my dad loved them the most. Make sure that you leave the tray on the side to cool slightly, before you take the brownies out onto a baking rack to cool. You then need to peel the greaseproof paper off of the bottom, before turning them out to cool, do this carefully if they are still hot so you don't peel away any of the brownie. Then cut them up into nice sized chunks like so. I displayed mine on a cake stand I've had in the cupboard for months but just haven't gotten around to using yet. 

Brownies can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, as snacks, as a pudding heated up in a microwave before adding a dollop of cream or a scoop ice cream. But best of all if you make up a large batch you can freeze and defrost them, perfect for students! I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and maybe try it out yourself!