#show two

[applysome]

Miles at the Jacaranda

First Show

I bought a ticket to the 845 show when it went on sale and the show sold out pretty quickly. So when a second date was put on and tickets were still available, it would be silly not to, right, when I'm already in Liverpool?

I was dead centre three rows back and you know when you're convinced that one of your favourites is looking directly at you and no one else? Yeah this time it was actually possible, and real or imagined I felt so shy looking at Miles 😭

My own insecurities aside(!) it was a brilliant show (I wouldn't expect any less) and all of the new songs sound great. It was also good to hear acoustic versions of some of Miles's big hits. There's something really special about stripped back, acoustic sets. Also as a bonus, I got a close up look that might help me figure out strumming patterns of some songs I've been learning to help my disastrous guitar playing!

I definitely wasn't expecting to hear any TLSP songs, especially not both of them back to back 😭 I have mixed emotions about that. Of course they were brilliant but Standing Next to Me with no harmony and Aviation without the riff played on the viper... I don't know 🥺

Live Forever was so special to hear as a tribute to Ricky Hatton. Tragic circumstances, obviously, and Miles said he'd been hastily learning the chords backstage to be able to pull it off.

Not pictured is the drunk woman constantly screaming for Baggio while Miles was talking about how important the album is to him, to the point it threw him off and he had to speak to her. He handled it like a pro, obviously, and carried on, and her friend / partner swooped in to stop her from ruining the last song with her shouting!

The photos really don't do the silk tunic justice, trust me.

So out I went, a quick walk around the brewery complex to stretch my joints (I'm old) and back into the queue!

Show Two

This was the show that was originally announced so was sold out. There was definitely more of a lively atmosphere as you'd expect and Miles seemed to feed off the energy a bit more which was lovely and he looked happy.

I was second row back on the left this time and from this angle Miles was really under the glow of the red lights, hence why everything looks so red!

I thought there might be a slightly different set list, but it worked in the first show, so why change it? Live Forever really went off, and so did Standing Next to Me and Aviation.

The standout song of the shows for me was My Love. I didn't record it in either show because I just wanted to appreciate it. I could probably write a whole post on it on its own.... The girls behind me were saying to each other how sad it was, and it really was. Sad and beautiful. I just know the album version is going to get me!

But all of the new songs were brilliant and I love how Miles is so proud of the Sunlight in the Shadows riff he makes the entire crowd sing it, because he thinks we're missing out by just hearing the acoustic version!

It was such a good night, I'm so grateful I got to see Miles live again, let alone twice, and I can't wait for the album release. Hopefully there'll be a full tour announcement soon. All of the songs will sound incredible with the whole band!

And a lovely glittery mirrorball juxtaposed against the steel and brick of the old brewery above the queue 🤍

[applysome]

Enjoy this oddly attractive up-strum from Love is Cruel as much as I did… ♥️

[applysome]

Aviation

[applysome]

Liverpool show two in full

🐆.

[applysome]

I Pray

[applysome]

Troubled Son

[arts-su]

CSM Show Two: Snow Vuong

Snow Vuong is graduating from BA Product Design at CSM, and explained her degree show work Silver Lining - a sleeping bag that both campers and people who sleep rough could benefit from.

"Silver Lining was born from my experience of sleeping rough outside.  I wanted to impact what I saw in the UK: the rate of rough sleeping has been going up the past three years, and although there’s been Government schemes of re-integrating them back into their homes it’s so flawed because putting people in a place they don’t want to be eventually leads them to go back to a community or place they feel safe – which is the homeless community.  In terms of trying to make a change - I didn’t want to force a group of people, but instead give them power in their decision-making.  When I was sleeping outside, I felt fear of my belongings being stolen, cold because I did it during the winter, and I felt uncomfortable, and no interaction from people made me feel invisible.  So with this bag you can sleep on your belongings for a sense of security.  The bag itself has a silver lining, which reflects body heat, but it’s also made with a material that eats odour, so it’s hygienically clean and keeps from infections spreading.  With the foam mattress it keeps you more comfortable and 40% warmer than if you were sleeping on cardboard.  So I tackled the fear and the warmth through the design alone, but through the social enterprise of it being geared towards camping enthusiasts – for every bag that’s purchased, every two bags would be donated back into welfare societies so that they can distribute it to the people who need it.  That relationship – you buying the bag, and knowing that a rough sleeper is getting one too, means that the experience you get is shared. 

After graduation I plan to develop the project and refine a few things with the design.  I’ve had a lot of interest, so it’s possible the project could be launched for commercial use within the next year.  If it can be distributed back into the community that would make this degree worthwhile for me – to make a change in an area that hasn’t been tackled yet.  I wish to inspire a lot more students, designers and societies with my work."

Central Saint Martins Show Two, showcasing work from graduating designers, runs until Sunday.