On Repeat #3: One of Many July Playlists

I've already spoken about a couple of artists that I can't get enough of (see here and here), today I thought I'd take a different approach and share some of the tracks I've been enjoying at the moment in the form of a playlist. I am a huge playlist maker. Some may argue that there is never an occasion for one lasting 55 hours...I beg to differ. Sometimes I use Soundcloud as my method of choice, a lot of the time I opt for Spotify; it just depends on what kind of thing I'm looking for. I always appreciate any recommendations and love trawling through other like-minded people's playlists to discover something that I may not have heard before, or just to see how tracks are put together. Hopefully some of you might enjoy this in the same way! 

Longitude Festival 2014, Dublin

Last weekend I hopped on a plane to Dublin to go to Longitude festival, which is essentially Latitude's smaller, younger, Irish sister. Being completely honest, I wasn't even aware it was on when it debuted last year and I wouldn't be surprised if it passed by again this year with a lot of people not realising it existed. I saw a lot of coverage relating to Latitude in the lead up to the weekend, but very little about Longitude, so I've taken it upon myself to sing its praises!

The only festival I've been to previously was Leeds years ago, so I was extremely excited to get back into the festival spirit. Live music is one of my favourite things in the world and as far as the line up went, it basically consisted of everyone I love at the moment. There's also the other small factor that it is a no camping festival, I assume due to its smaller size. I've done the whole camping/gross toilets thing at Leeds and whilst it is good fun and I definitely think it's part of the experience at some festivals, I can't tell you how nice it was to have a comfy bed at the end of the day and more importantly, the luxury of a shower! I didn't even need to take dry shampoo. Crazy.

We were staying in a hotel (Bewley's Hotel Leopordstown, FYI) which did the job of acting as a base perfectly and even ran their own little bus service to the festival site every day which was really useful. The festival was held in Marlay Park with the biggest stage in the main part of the site and then bridges off to other areas. The feel of the place was so relaxed and there was such a happy atmosphere, it warmed my little heart! Food-wise, a special shout out goes to Dave's Wood-Fired Pizza Company for the best sweet potato fries I've EVER HAD. Oh, and to the ice cream man we single-handedly kept in business (sometimes all you need in life is sunshine and a 99.)

Now onto the important bit, the music. I won't list everything we saw because that would just be boring for you, but I'll try to pick out a few highlights. I have to give a special mention to George Ezra, HAIM and James Vincent McMorrow who were absolutely incredible, as expected, and also to Bastille and Rudimental for putting on a corker of a show! Sam Smith and Disclosure were two acts who really surprised me in terms of just how much I loved their sets and I am also now Hozier's new biggest fan - definitely check him out if you haven't already, he really caught my...erm...ear? 

So, without further ado, here are a few snaps from the weekend... 

Paolo Nutini, Manchester, 24th May 2014

First thing's first, let's get the grovelling out of the way - firstly, I apologise for how late this post is! I've been meaning to write it for ages and don't particularly have an excuse as to why it's a month and a half after the event sooo, sorry about that. Secondly, I apologise for my shoddy photography skills because, to be honest, getting a blog-worthy picture was the last thing on my mind when Paolo was staring out at me (by which I mean he definitely clocked me from the stage and was enchanted by my beauty. I don't care if we were sat in the lower tier and the lights were pretty much off, he clearly has good eyesight...)

Rewind to 2006 and Paolo Nutini's first album, These Streets, was a firm favourite of mine. I was a big fan back in the day and so, for nostalgia's sake if nothing else, having the chance to see him live 8 years down the line was an opportunity too exciting to miss. I hadn't heard much of his most recent album when we booked the tickets, but it seemed like as soon as I knew I was going, he was everywhere! Caustic Love went in at number one and was the fastest selling album of the year so far, its reception was brilliant (and with good reason) and he was promoting it all over the place. When I heard his Abbey Road session of Iron Sky, that was it. As dramatic and lame as it sounds, that song gets me deep! So, with a heart full of Iron Sky and high expectations, the evening arrived.

I can honestly say that Paolo sounded better live than on record, and that can't be said for many people. His voice is incredible and he puts everything into it - it's as though he's lost in his own little world but then somehow he still manages to be so engaged with the audience, it's brilliant to see. He reworked some of the old favourites which I really enjoyed and as if I need to say it, Iron Sky was mind-blowingly perfect. I don't think I've ever heard a crowd go as crazy as they did for Paolo and his fantastic band, and it really seemed like he, along with everyone else, didn't want the evening to end. It was an absolutely incredible experience and let me say it now, if you ever get the chance to see him live then go, go, go!

A Weekend in London

Yesterday I arrived home from a weekend away visiting a friend in London. If this reunion alone didn't make me happy enough in itself, I had the best time exploring the city, seeing some fantastic art and eating ridiculously good food along the way. I'll try and keep this fairly short and sweet, give a quick rundown of some of the best bits of my trip and finish up with a shed load of photographs to swoon over.

First up, as always, the food. We went to a fantastic little cafe called The Spoke where I had probably the best pork sandwich I've ever had...pretty big claim there. Not to sound too much like Greg Wallace or anything, but the combination of tender pork and soft, fresh sourdough was so on point. It seems a bit dramatic, but it was just that good (and HUGE). Other food highlights included Wahaca on the South Bank for some delicious Mexican street food and The Bread and Bean where, surprise surprise, I went for the pancakes. I'm almost bored of hearing myself talk about pancakes again (!) but seriously they were brilliant (and HUGE). We also sampled some Lebanese street food at the Yalla Yalla pop up in Shoreditch (mmm, falafel) and a final shout out on the food front goes to Ruby Violet in Tufnell Park for transporting me back to my childhood with their super tasty raspberry ripple ice cream. 

I don't know why I bother pretending to justify my food obsession on here anymore, but in order to make myself feel better, let me just say a quick word on the amount of walking we did (that must surely work off some of the pancake calories right?) We took part in an Alternative London walking tour which showcased some incredible street art around the East End. I honestly can't recommend these tours enough - we had a lovely guide, Lily, an artist herself, who took us around and discussed some of the history of the area as well as telling us about the artworks we came across. It was such a fantastic opportunity to see a different side of the city and really encouraged you to open your eyes and look at what's around you. I haven't inserted photos of every piece we saw as I didn't want to risk spoiling it for anyone else who might be interested in doing the tour themselves, but hopefully the images I have included will do it justice and encourage you to go along! 

Another place I really enjoyed was The Photographer's Gallery, which is currently exhibiting some work by photography students. It was brilliant to see some new, up and coming UK talent, but I also loved their John Deakin exhibition which focussed mainly on his portraits and gave an interesting insight into Soho in the '50s and '60s. Again, I would definitely recommend paying it a visit if you have the chance.

My final afternoon was spent seeing yet another side of the city, surrounded by beautiful greenery in Hampstead Heath, sunbathing and catching up on trashy magazines, as you do, before going for dinner in Covent Garden. I also definitely saw Jack from Bombay Bicycle Club, just saying. All in all a fantastic weekend!