Mouth of Tyne

A Concert in a Castle

Tynemouth Castle

On the 13th of July Kirsten and I made our way back up North to see the lovely McFLY boys in concert. This was Kirsten's first time seeing them so it was very exciting. The day was as follows...

Traveling to Tynemouth

Magazine at the station. HARRY AND CAGGIE!

First I would like to start off with how to pronounce this city's name. TYNEMOUTH sounds like "tine...mouth". I still am not positive if this is actually correct. We decided to catch the later train at 10:00 AM rather than 9:00 AM. HINTS: From King's College if you are walking briskly you can make it to the train station in about 30 minutes. I suggest leaving about an hour early so that if you get lost or have any mishaps you can have some time to breath once you get your ticket and are ready to go. I have also seen my student rail card pay for itself from all my traveling and it will only get better as I travel more. HIGHLY SUGGEST if you are even going to an airport twice that you buy one. I know I have mentioned it before, but it really proves to be worth while quickly. We took the train changing at Peterborough to Newcastle where we hopped on the Metro to Tynemouth. The trip in total was approximately 5 hours. On the train I did some reading and napping while Kirsten worked on one of her essays. All in all it was a nice and relaxing trip in my opinion. 

Bronte Room #2

No. 61 & Lui's

We arrived at our bed and breakfast to find that it was ADORABLE and the people who own it are lovely. Barbara was so nice and they remembered my mom calling to tell them we were coming and that it was a last name none of them could pronounce. Ha! We stayed in the Bronte room (great names right!) and had a quaint view of the main street where the festivities were going to take place. We were so lucky that it was clear outside! We had no rain (although some wind) and there was a view of the ocean too. I am so glad that they had a cancellation that we could take. We met some fans and their parents from Missouri at breakfast who also had a cancellation. What a great and inexpensive place to get to stay!

Kirsten and I excited for the show

Before going to dinner we met up with Neil (McFLY's guitar tech) and had a good chat about our lives and plans for McFLY in the future. Here I will share some of these facts in case anyone is interested. McFLY are currently writing for One Direction and the song they are working on in studio currently will most likely be 1D's new single. Also McFLY are considering making another real pass at the US. Who knows...maybe they will be an opening act or maybe they will do a smaller scale tour. Either way I am just happy they are coming back and that my friends who had never heard of them until they met me get to see them. It's weird to think about how long ago I saw McFLY in California (2006) and how much has changed since then. This was my 3rd meeting with Neil in England since then and it's odd to think 6 years have gone by and where we both are now in our lives. I am very curious to see what type of crowd comes out to the shows in America. Who knows, I may even see some of the old fans I saw way back then.

We went to Lui's for dinner and it was really great food. Kirsten and I both had calamari and tomato soup with a lovely cider named OLD ROSIE. I highly recommend it. I was surprised how good it tasted because it had a bit of a high alcohol content for a cider and I expected it to be bitter. It definitely gave us some warmth to keep away the cold during the time before McFLY came on stage.

The Beach

When people think of England they aren't really thinking about the beaches...and even if they were I suggest you don't speak to me about beaches because I am from California and will probably laugh at you if you try. It was really cool to see a beach in England though. I stood there and considered that I am standing on completely different ground. I was touching water from a whole different coast. That this place I am in is entirely different from where I am from. This is what I think is the beauty of studying abroad. You are getting a new experience and seeing a different world. The beach was very cool and it has a view of the castle from its shores.

McFLY!

It is hard to talk about McFLY without sounding like a fan girl (which I suppose you could call me if you really wanted, but I just prefer dedicated fan). This was my 3rd time seeing them live in concert while in the UK and it was fantastic. Compared to the arena tours it wasn't as flashy. It was really cool to see it as more of a festival set up. I always love meeting fans from other countries. We met a girl who is studying abroad in Italy who came over to see them play. She is originally from Ohio and had missed the opportunity to see the boys last time they were in the USA because she didn't know who they were at the time. She and Kirsten both bought different merchandise to take home as souvenirs. 

Bassist for The Struts

The opening act for the boys was THE STRUTS who I saw them play with last Spring. It's not that they are bad at all, I just can't stand the lead singer. He reminds me of a strange cross between Jagger and Steven Tyler. Overall he just has a very weird vibe to him and when you are trying to watch the other band members you get really distracted by his antics on stage. Neil told me that they changed up a few of the band members, but I was not lucky enough for them to have changed the lead singer haha. On a brighter note though they did change the bassist to a very cute guy and I thoroughly approve of that! Is it bad to say that I wouldn't mind seeing them again if it meant that I got to meet the bassist? I am pretty sure the rest of the crowd share my opinion.

Team Flones jammin'

The boys came on stage around 7:30 PM and played until 9:00 PM. It was a proper gig which was unexpected! I loved when they played the new material (RED and TOUCH THE RAIN) and when they did the medley/mash up. It was nice to hear some of the old songs as well because when they do the arena tours they tend to play songs from the album that the tour is named for or trying to promote. Sadly they didn't play No Worries, but I can cross my fingers for future shows. As usual the guys were up to their antics on stage. They were doing Geordie accents and making fun of each other. At one point Dougie took off his over shirt to reveal a t-shirt, but they made a big deal about it as if he was stripping. The showmanship that they have on stage creates a contagious smile in the audience. I think this is one of the reasons I like them so much, because they are true performers who write their own material and love their fans. 

The sun came out about 8:00 PM which was great. As you can see in the videos, you sometimes can't make out their faces because the sun is so bright. What a great backdrop for a show! The sun was brilliant, the beach is in the back ground and you are in a castle. I can honestly say I don't think I will ever have an experience like this again, especially not back in the States. 

The set list was as follows (but not necessarily in order):

• Nowhere Left to Run
• One for the Radio
• Star Girl
• Don't Stop Me Now
• Lies
• Red
• Obviously
• All About You
• Everybody Knows (with Medley)
• Transylvania 
• 5 Colors in Her Hair
• Shine a Light
• Touch the Rain

Things Going on Recently

Happy 27th Birthday, Tom!

• Tayla arrived yesterday from Spain. Sadly her purse got stolen as soon as she got into Heathrow :(
• Today (as in July 17th)is Tom Fletcher's 27th birthday
• Will Robin van Persie stay with Arsenal?! 
• I have learned that there is something called Geordie Shore here that is similar to Jersey Shore back home. Apparently they say "WHY AYE!" which means "yes". Personally I feel that you should just say yes because it is shorter. Haha!