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Sherlocked 2017 Thoughts and Improvements

After two weeks and having still not fully recovered from the tiredness and post-con blues, I’m finally ready to discuss Sherlocked Convention 2017. As you are probably aware, I did attend and review last year’s event (which can be found here ), but was not too complimentary of the event overall, thus making me somewhat sceptical of this year’s event. A key change that the event undertook this year was the venue – from Excel Centre, London to The Hilton Hotel, Birmingham. To me, this did offer a quieter and more intimate event than last year, and did mean that you often bumped into guests whilst walking around, thus creating a very casual atmosphere. On the other hand, however lovely the venue was, I did feel a little trapped, not to mention the fact that I don’t think I could ever afford it again. The room pricing offer was great, and the hotel quality was fantastic, however, it was largely the cost of food and drink, as well as minimal vegetarian food choices, which did create
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'The Band' Musical Review

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Take That are probably the biggest boyband from the nineties, shooting to fame with their daring fashion, cheesy dance moves and timeless songs - so it’s no wonder that their new musical, The Band, is excelling in ticket sales, with many fans eager to see how their favourite teenage to modern day tunes are portrayed. In yet another scripting masterpiece from Tim Firth, The Band is not a tale of Take That, but instead, a highly intelligent and emotive story set between two concerts 25 years apart, and a group of five friends, who tragically become four, and the way in which music has shaped their lives. Tim Firth features all the hits of Take That, in ways I did not expect or imagine, and uses the songs as a way to enrich the storyline, as opposed to just cram them in for the sake of it. The show is instantly relatable for music lovers of any music taste and age, embracing the theme of musical idols as well as those of friendship, ageing and loss. Featuring realistic humou
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Our House Review

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If you have followed this blog for a while you will probably already assume this, but I have never been a huge fan of the ska band Madness. Having been raised on Rock and Metal throughout my 21 years of life, they are never a band I had properly come across, which made my trip to the King’s Theatre Portsmouth to see the Madness musical Our House highly out of character. Written by Tim Firth, Our House follows the story of Joe Casey (Jason Kajdi). Starting on his 16th birthday, we find Joe trying to impress his girlfriend Sarah (Sophie Matthew), where he is quick to face a decision between right or wrong which ultimately impacts the rest of his life. This is where the story truly begins, as the life paths of both good Joe and bad Joe are explored, creating this high-energy musical with two deeply satisfying storylines.   It goes without saying that music is a key element of the show, and I must admit that they are well integrated into the plot and story - which is something
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Joel Dommett Review

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After propelling to fame as the hilarious heartthrob on ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ last year, Joel Dommett has become a household name, with many sceptics, myself included, now seeing him live to determine whether his stand-up shows live up to a high expectation. Yes, that is my chuffed little face at stage door! Accompanied with the perfect pre-show set list, which reminded me of my true, 13-year-old emo phase (which after 7 years I am still waiting to grow out of), Joel’s infectious energy and enthusiastic storytelling filled the entirety of the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton with instantaneous laughter, that continued throughout the evening. From storytelling to observation, dating fails to a confetti canon, a high level of excitement was maintained throughout, stemming one of the most relaxed, yet hilarious, atmospheres I’ve felt to date. Joel’s overall persona, performance and stage presence are well-crafted in the most genuine way possible, allowing an inst
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Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical Review

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It’s no secret that I’m a huge Meatloaf fan. Spending the last twenty years of my life (which is getting worryingly closer to 21) being raised on the likes of Meatloaf, has led to his music, along with Jim Steinman’s lyrics, to symbolise more than words can put into perspective – which could explain why my levels of both excitement and gut-wrenching panic made it to new heights when I was informed I would be seeing Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical. With pre-show nerves, induced by the fear of what was about to happen to the songs that have shaped me into who I am, I entered the Coliseum Theatre, London, and headed straight to the bar. This is when the immersive nature of the show began. With a bottle of Pride of Obsidian in my hand, I took my seat and began reading The Obsidian Times. A small group of actors took to the stage, background acting around a motorbike whilst remaining audience members took to their seat. Then it began – and I was utterly blown away. So much
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Sexy Beast Review

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Experimental, violent and a cast to die for; Jonathan Glazer enters his directing career with a break-through crime drama, broken up with comedy. Sexy Beast has had a great reception over the years, and even as a modern viewer I was not disappointed with the intriguing storyline, as well as the amazing cast performances. The film starred many well-known faces especially Ray Winstone, who played the lead character of Gal, and Ben Kingsley. The film revolves around a retired gang member named Gal, who decides to move to Spain along with his wife Deedee, played by Amanda Redman, and his friends Aitch and Jackie, played by Caven Kendall and Julianne White. The seemingly peaceful storyline soon takes a huge twist when Don Logan, a humorously aggressive troublemaker played by Ben Kingsley, comes onto the scene. It was your typical crime drama film, which also had more artistic twists to ensure it was different from the rest. Winstone played his usual ‘hard man’ character, and there’s
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Take That: Wonderland Live Review

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It’s no secret that Take That are renowned for the spectacles that are their stage shows, and their latest tour, aptly titled ‘Wonderland’ was no exception. Titled the same as their most recent studio album, Wonderland Live was enigmatic in what it will consist of and was truly fit to the Take That form. From a sitar player on a magic carpet to acrobatics, men fighting on stilts to an array of extraordinary headgear, the show really did capture all aspects of the imagination, and filled the whole of the massive O2 Arena. Accompanying Take That was ‘90s pop group ‘All Saints’, who offered impeccable harmonies accompanied with a badass attitude throughout their set. Although their staging was not as visually striking in comparison to Take That’s, the four-part group filled the space with their perfected vocals and dancing (which was the show's salvation from some of the comedic dad dancing that I later had to endure watching). If I am completely honest, All Saints, lik
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