Firstly, I would like to apologise for not getting these online yesterday as I said I would. Between writing my novel, two essays, reading a mountain of books and attending the university’s Annual English Lecture, it somehow slipped my mind…
Anyway, here are some of my photos from the night:
On 2nd June it was the Hull University End of Year Ball, so me and my boyfriend bought tickets. I had been the previous year but this was the first time my boyfriend had been and he loved it! We spent most of the night watching the live acts, which included:
Amelia Lily: after being leaving X-Factor she was voted back in by the public and went on to come third in the competition. Her performance was incredibly lively and she did some wonderful covers of current pop songs as well as some older classic songs. Her voice is really powerful and was definitely not conveyed well when she was on TV!
Next up was a tribute band from Hull. The Kings of Lyon, though from Yorkshire, sound exactly like their idols, the Kings of Leon. Even when they speak it’s hard to imagine they are from anywhere other than Tennessee! They sounded exactly like the real band and you soon forgot that you were listening to a tribute band.
Next was a *surprise special guest* that no one had been told about. After an agonising set change, we were presented with Zipparah Tafari, better known as Mr Zip, the singer from Britain’s Got Talent, who performed his own annoyingly catchy song, ‘where’s me keys, where’s me phone?’ His performance drew in the crowds to see who the mystery guest was, and his lively song soon had the crowd dancing!
After another set change Katy B stormed the stage, offering an hugely exciting performance. Pulling out all of the stops 
with remixes and strobe lighting; even free T-shirts! Katy B was definitely my favourite performance of the night. Before the performance I didn’t think I knew many Katy B song but suddenly I realised that I knew more than I thought and the atmosphere in the crowd was amazing.
The final performance of the night came from Wretch 32. After a ridiculously drawn out set change, the audience was incredibly hyped up for a fantastic performance, and while Wretch sounded amazing, the performance fell short in my opinion. After the amazing atmosphere created by Katy B, I was disappointed that Wretch 32 didn’t match it. In my opinion Katy B would have been a much better close to the evening. However, the night was still fantastic and I got to experience some amazing acts at my own university which was brilliant. I hope next year’s ball is just as good!
On 14th April I made my boyfriend undertake the two hour drive to Manchester just to see Emilie Autumn in concert. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Emilie Autumn, she is an American musician unlike any other. Her music, which has been classified as ‘gothic industrial’ is a spectacular explosion of strong beats and deep (sometimes screamed) lyrics.
The first thing anyone will notice about an Emilie Autumn concert is the wonderful and somewhat bizarre style of dress – and that’s just the audience! It’s true that the fans appear of the ‘alternative’ kind, but when you begin to look at the people who are there it is amazing to see a collection of people ranging from fourteen to the over-forty’s from across a wide distance, from all different backgrounds. It is one of the few places where such a wide range of people all gather together because they are incredibly passionate about the same thing.
Once the show starts, you cannot help but be blown away by the large props and glittering (and revealing) costumes. Everything is adorned with sequins and diamantes and is designed to show as much skin as physically possible. EA and her band of ‘Bloody Crumpets’ assume dramatic and memorable characters so that every minute between songs is filled with a pantomimesque stage show. If that wasn’t enough, the audience is also treated to burlesque routines as well as numerous other circus-style tricks involving fire and stilts.
So after a whirlwind ride of two hours of none stop singing, dancing and performing the audience is left breathless. At the price of fourteen pounds per ticket you get everything from a musical performance to a circus show, with world class violin playing and a harpsichord thrown in for good measure. Although most people take an instant dislike to the music, after a few listens you will be hooked! No matter how well known, no musician can meet the unbelievable experience Emilie Autumn’s shows have to offer!
Roll on the next EA tour!
If you enjoyed this please read my article on the London Olympics: http://bit.ly/IaTK1X
Handmade by Hannah 