ONCE UPON A DREAM; Belinda Carlisle Concert!!!

 

"Convincing eyes, persuasive lips, the helpless heart just can't resist their power,

You know you've got a hold over me..."

It's close to midnight and I have just returned home from the Belinda Carlisle Decades Tour. I've had these tickets for almost two years, but the concert has been rescheduled twice due to the Covid pandemic, so it has been a long time coming! It didn't disappoint.

I've loved Belinda ever since I was a young girl, when she was on Top of the Pops singing Heaven Is A Place On Earth. I loved the red hair, the 1980s image and the music. She was one of my top teenage idols, along with Kylie and Madonna. I listened to her music all the time and it would always make me want to jump up and dance around with my friends. It still has that effect on me, and I've been dancing like a lunatic all night!

So to see her live for the first time was incredible! I loved every second of the concert tonight. It's hard to believe that Belinda is in her mid-sixties, for she was full of energy and enthusiasm on stage.  She wore the most beautiful floaty sequinned skirt - understated, classy, age-appropriate and perfect for her laid back vibe. Madonna could learn a lot from Belinda in that respect! 

Unlike the Kylie, Britney and Little Mix concerts I've been to in the past, there was no projection, no harness work, no glitter drops, no dancers, no bells and whistles. It was just Belinda, doing her thing, with a dressed down band for backup and a professionalism that shone through. This was an actual, stripped back gig, from a bona fide musician and consummate vocalist. She sang every word live, with a few changes to suit her more mature voice, but which didn't detract from the originals we all know and love. 

She held that concert together with such grace, showing no signs of pressure at being the sole reason everyone was there and the keystone for the entire gig. There were no dancers or backing singers to support her, or to take the pressure off. It was just her, dancing like a gypsy princess with her tambourine, her red hair swishing and shimmering under the lights. So glamorous! She's just so effortlessly cool!

She didn't perform Valentine, but she sang most of my other favourite songs, including I Get Weak, Do You Feel Like I Feel, Leave a Light On, Runaway Horses (which used to be one of my staples to sing as the anchor vocalist on karaoke nights!) La Luna, Vision of You, Summer Rain, Circle in the Sand and of course, Heaven on Earth.  She opened the show with We Want the Same Thing and closed with an encore of Live Your Life Be Free. She even sang songs I've never heard before, from her Go-Go days, but I was too young at the time, to remember them! A lot of her songs have special meaning to me, so it was pretty emotional at times, remembering people I'll never see and the things we'll never do together.

I doubt very much if Belinda Carlisle will be touring the UK again on this scale, so the odds of her coming back to my home town in the future are pretty slim. It really did feel like a once in a lifetime experience. It is certainly one of the very best concerts I have ever been lucky enough to attend and it's a night that I will never forget. There wasn't much on sale in the way of souvenirs, no tour programs or DVDs, but it was enough to see her perform and to share space with my idol. I have come home very happy and content to tick this one off my bucket list. Now I'm going to play my old Belinda records until I feel sleepy and prolong the concert buzz for a bit longer. I'll leave you with the wise words of Belinda herself...

"If you want me I'll be there, to run my fingers through your hair, rules are made to be broken everyday...Live your life, be free!"

Wishing you the sweetest of dreams

Marie xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Taylor Swift Candlelit Concert!

 Candles all aglow, waiting for the string quartet

It's after midnight and I have just arrived home from a night out at a beautiful Candlelit Concert, featuring a string quartet who were playing a tribute to the music of Taylor Swift. The venue was an old church, as you can see, which was lit with hundreds of candles all over, even down the aisles, to light your path between seats.

I had seen these Candlelit Concerts all over social media back in December, when they were touring with a Christmas Carol concert, but they were not coming to my home town during the festive period. So when I saw that they were coming in February instead, to play a full program of Taylor Swift music, I knew I couldn't miss it and I immediately bought the tickets.

I've been looking forward to it all month and it did not disappoint. The glow of the candles could clearly be seen from the darkness of the city street, making people eager to take their seats and get in out of the cold. There was a bit of a storm brewing tonight and it was very chilly, but inside the church hall, all was aglow with a welcoming warmth.  

It was one of the most beautiful musical events I have ever attended. The overhead lights dimmed as soon as the quartet came on and took their places, with just the flickering of the candles all around. It was so cosy and when they opened the concert with Wildest Dreams, I had tears in my eyes. That is such a special song to me...He's so tall and handsome as hell, he's so bad but he does it so well...Love. 

They didn't only play Taylor's ballads though, but mixed in a lot of her more upbeat songs, such as Bad Blood, You Need To Calm Down, 22 and We Are Never Getting Back Together.  Of course her love songs were predominant, but that's just Taylor. They also played a few of my other favourites, including Everything Has Changed, Blank Space, You Belong With Me and the wonderful Love Story, which is another of my personal favorites...Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone, I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run...

I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around...

It was a wonderful experience to hear familiar pop music, played live by such a talented group of musicians and in a classical way.  It made me wish that Taylor would do an orchestral album of all her hits, so that I can have this kind of musical rendition of her work on CD, to play whenever I like, because it was just so relaxing. They ended on a high note with Trouble and Blank Space. I would definitely go to see a Candlelit Concert again and I'm sure I shall have the wildest dreams about Romeo tonight as a result...Some day when you leave me, I'll bet these memories follow you around...Say you'll remember me. 

If you get the chance to attend one of these gorgeous concerts, I highly recommend it. Goodnight and sweet dreams,

Marie x

VALENTINE; Chocolate

 In a heart-shape come around me

 And then melt me slowly down...

Like chocolate...

xoxo

BOOK NOOK; The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce

 

"She had tied a kerchief with a strawberry print over her hair to keep the draft from playing with it and blowing it into her eyes. She wore a pink T-shirt over the denim shorts that day, it was a nice one with puffed sleeves and heart-shaped buttons running down the chest. I immediately wanted one, and tried to picture what it would look like on myself."

I recieved an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Penguin and I have been looking forward to reading it.  I wanted to save it until I could allow myself to be fully absorbed by it and I finished it today. 

The Witch in the Well is an interesting novel, rooted in both witchcraft and modern influencer culture. This juxtaposition of the old, seamlessly blended with the new, makes for a very fascinating concept. I enjoyed that the story has an on-going theme of female relational aggression running throughout, as the two protagonists have a difficult history together.

When we first meet Cathy and Elena, they are little girls. Cathy has been badly injured in a car accident, meaning that she feels isolated and alone, unable to run and play with the other children, due to her injured legs. Elena, on the other hand, is a summer visitor, whose family stay at the big house in the village, known as the castle. Elena is portrayed as 'the perfect girl' - happy, friendly and agile, with long golden hair and a pretty face. In short she is everything that Cathy wants to be, so naturally, Cathy is drawn to Elena and begins to idolize her. The two friends meet up every summer, which is something that Cathy looks forward to all year long. She copies Elena and tries to be just like her, even resorting to pinching Elena's things from time to time.

But then Elena stops coming for the summer holidays and Cathy feels very betrayed and resentful. This is when the female aggression really takes hold. Years later, when Elena returns to the castle, she is a popular Influencer and author.  She plans to write a book about the local legend of the witch in the well and Cathy is horrified, as she has been writing a similar book for years. Elena however, isn't about to let Cathy's animosity stop her and so the competitive spirit flares between them.

And that is just the beginning of the book! As both women conduct their research, we learn more about the witch Ilsbeth, who was drowned in the well more than a hundred years ago. With both writers eager to have their say and get their own version of Ilsbeth's story out first, tempers flare, old grudges resurface and are posted online. 

 This is a novel filled with magic spells, poppets, wraiths, water kelpies and so on. There are twig dolls in the woods, reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project and old folklore woven into the plot.  It is a slow burn in terms of pace, but the characters are well drawn, though not always likable.  In some ways it reminded me of a book I read last spring called Idol, which also had a theme of female relational aggression.  Female friendships can be so very difficult and complex, so its great that there are new novels coming out which address this issue of envy, jealousy and copying between girlfriends, as most of us have had some experience of it. 

This is a complex novel, with multiple viewpoints and narrators, which can be confusing at times and can seem a bit clunky, but do bear with it as all the threads tie together in the end! However, if you find it difficult to keep up with multiple POV, you might struggle with this one.  Likewise, if you are not a patient reader. I enjoyed it though. 

The Witch in the Well is a fun witchy book to curl up with on a cold and frosty night.  It's not scary enough to keep you awake at night, but it is interesting enough to make you think about the dynamics of female friendships, the injustice of the witch hunts and sisterhood in general. It will make you ponder on the question; when does sincere admiration for a friend become an unhealthy, jealousy fueled obsession? 

Overall I liked this witchy story. It's not the best I've ever read, but it was quite unique and not like any other witchy book I've read before. I particularly liked that the author had incorporated Influencer culture into the plot as, from a marketing point of view, I think that will help to draw in a younger reading audience than most witchy novels attract. 

And no, the author Camilla Bruce, is no relation of mine. We just happen to share the best Clan name in the world! Happy reading.

Bright Blessings

Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher for the purposes of review. It will be released on 23rd February 2023, in both hardback and digital formats. It is available for Pre-order now. 

BOOK NOOK; The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea

 "She must not weep; the tears will freeze, and if she brushes them away, the ice will flay the flesh from her face."

I have just finished reading The Glass Woman which is an Icelandic saga. It is a Gothic romance, with lots of secrets and lies, mysteries and puzzles to unravel.  It follows the main protagonist, Rosa, who meets a stranger in her home town and agrees to marry him. She is captivated by him, even though there are rumours that he is a dangerous and violent man, following the sudden disappearance and death of his first wife.  But he is wealthy and of good standing in another village, and Rosa and her mother are in need of food, warmth and security since Rosa's father passed away. So when he proposes, she accepts and moves with him to his croft, leaving behind her mother and all that she knows. 

In her marriage of convenience however, Rosa begins to suspect that the rumours about her husband are true.  Once he has ensconced her in his croft, he turns off the charm and becomes extremely controlling and harsh.  He expects Rosa to cook and clean all day, while he goes out fishing, or surveying his lands and livestock. Left alone in the croft, Rosa begins to hear strange noises from the loft and convinces herself that she is being haunted by her husband's first wife.Whispers of witchcraft spread around the village, as the locals spread their mistrust of Rosa through their gossip, and witchcraft means death by burning. 

This character driven novel is dark and disturbing, with subtle echoes of both Jane Eyre and Rebecca. It also reminded me somewhat of the Bluebeard fairytale. I wouldn't describe it as a happy novel, although the ending is satisfactory, but it deals with themes of child abuse and rape, isolation, exile, controlling behaviour and so on.  It is quite a slow burn. It's not a book that had me eager to turn the pages - rather it made me quite fearful of what I was about to read next! Nevertheless it was a very engaging story and I liked the main characters, Rosa and her childhood friend Pall. 

Being set in Iceland in midwinter, this is a very snowy book, so it is a good winter read. There are lots of Icelandic words used within the novel, but there is also a full Glossary at the back of the book, so you get to learn snippets of a new language as you read, which is an added educational bonus.  All in all, I did enjoy The Glass Woman, but it isn't a favourite. I would have preferred it to have more ghostly activity and less general misery! However, it was still a pleasant way to spend a cold winter's day.  Happy Reading!

BB Marie x