HAPPENINGS (whats been going doon)

Alright you lot!? It’s been a long old 6 months since I last posted on ‘Ver Society and let me tell you, a LOT has happened. After 3 long years of blood, sweat-and a hell of a lot of tears- I’ve finally finished my degree! And what a whopper of a 3 years it has been. But it doesn’t stop there, there’s a lot more to it than that. So,grab a biccie (mine’s a bourbon), get comfy and have a gander at what’s been, in the words of a band I love very very much,“Happening” & my reflections on my education coming to an end.

Ello. Long time no blog isn’t it. I know this happens a lot but you know how things are with me. I don’t exactly stick at things ,do I? So would you Adam n Eve it if I told you I’ve only gone and bloody done it. Uni. That thing. That thing I said I’d never do. If someone asked me about it in school I’d tell ‘em to fuck off, there weren’t no blimmin' way I’d be off to uni. Uni, as far as I was concerned, wasn't for people like me. 

I hated school, all of it, right from day dot when I toddled into those big metal gates at the age of 4 to when I stormed out at 16 to start college, I couldn’t wait to get out. I’d tell people that as soon as I was done with compulsory education at 18 I’d be gone. I didn’t know what I’d be doing, but I just knew I’d be out of there. Struggling socially at school was one thing, but academics were another. And it’s not like I didn’t enjoy learning either. I’ve always loved learning. Trust me, I soak up random facts like a sponge, I enjoy a good wikipedia deep dive at 3am, I’m a pro at pub quizzes and everyone wants me on their team when it comes to the music rounds. At parents' evenings in primary, I was ripped apart. “She’s disruptive, she lacks social awareness, she can’t follow instructions”. Ok, I admit I was a bit of a little shit, but the constant criticism I received as a kid has forever stuck with me and is probably why I’m so self deprecating now. How am I supposed to see myself in a positive light if I’ve only ever been put down? The only positivity that ever got pulled out was the line “she’ll write a book one day”. Ok, so I haven’t yet achieved my childhood dream of becoming Jacqueline Wilson, or her protege for that matter, but I like to think holding a music journalism degree is a somewhat start. And despite all this, I oozed confidence at that age, because you don’t give a shit when you’re a kid do you. Well, at least I didn’t. Until I got to high school that was and then I shat myself. 

People tell you to remember your school days as the best days of your life and to them I say, “fuck off”. High school was the worst 5 years of my life and I wouldn’t relive it for a second. As vomit inducing as this sounds- and I really mean it- music was the only thing that got me through and if it wasn’t for a little band from Leicester (yeah didn’t take long for me to mention them did it) I wouldn’t have made it out alive. I certainly wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now, tapping out this post on a Sunday afternoon, having just got a first in my degree, my final project for which entailed making a magazine about said band, whilst my Mum sits in the chair opposite and makes her way through the millionth Wimbledon match of the month. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t think I’d make it to the end of uni either. I was bed bound for the majority of the second half of first year and the second half of second year for that matter, which is where everything crossed my mind again. I spent the majority of my 20th on the sofa crying and thinking it was going to be my last birthday. But, a few days later, with a change of doctor- one that finally took me seriously for that matter- I managed to get myself on meds and I went into third year with a new lease of life. 

Despite the dodgy side effects- heartburn, heat exhaustion and thinking I was having a heart attack on the daily amongst others, Sertraline saved my life and is probably the reason I went through my last year of education the way I did. No mental breakdowns this year, nope. The first year of my life since I was about 14.  In fact, this year was the year everything came full circle. In my first semester of third year, with the 20th anniversary of my beloved Kasabian’s debut album looming within the next year, I decided my final project, or the “dissertation” as most uni’s refer to it, would be centred around that. So,as already mentioned and being the hard hitting journalist I am, I ended up spending my last 6 months at university making a magazine containing as much Kasabian brain rot as I could muster up,a somewhat biography of everything they’ve done over the past 2 decades. Which then ended up with me attending a pretty exciting big wig exclusive listening party back in February where I got to listen to their brand spanking new album Happenings before anyone else. Yep, that’s right, I was listening to Italian Horror before you were. From the 15 year old who only lived for her favourite band to the 21 year old that ended up at their press events, I am very much proof the fangirl to music industry professional pipeline exists. 

Speaking of being a…erm…"music industry professional”, I was also lucky enough to score my first big girl job straight outta uni, working as a music marketing coordinator back in May. As of July, I am no longer a music marketing coordinator. Nooooow, I won’t go into all the details, because I did leave on good terms with everyone despite what went down, but me and them just didn’t work out. And it’s fine. It doesn’t always work out well and as sickly as it sounds, I’m very much a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. So whilst I find myself unemployed again, I’ve got more time to pen some posts whilst I go on the job hunt and get some freelance work in the process. And I’m ok and that’s all that matters.

I’ve got loads of gigs lined up, having just got back from seeing them at Victoria Park, I’ve got a whole Kasabian tour to come in November and I’m seeing them in Kingston this Friday (both shows, yes I am that delusional). And, AND, I’m headed to Latitude next week to see ‘em take on the Friday headliner slot. I feel like a proud parent seeing them grace the stage in my homeland of East Anglia. Football may not have come home this summer, but Kasabian certainly have. September brings me The Last Dinner Party, whose album Prelude To Ecstasy might just be my album of the year (aside from…y’know…the obvious one) and October, Shambolics, for erm…the third time in the space of the year, I ended up seeing them at The Great Escape twice as it is, but what can I say, I can’t resist a Scottish band. Expect blog posts banging on about ‘em in months to come. 

So yeah, that’s where I’m at. That’s what’s been…erm…”Happening”. 

Stick around, follow us on socials, you know you want to. See yous soon x

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