Olympic Torch Fires Excitement

A bus stopped in the distance, the doors opened and the flame flickered into sight. The crowd’s cheers grew ever louder as the Olympic Torch went by in a flash. The runner smiled and within moments she was off up the hill and out of sight.

This was the first and most likely the last time the Olympic Flame would pass through Lochwinnoch. A once in a lifetime event and it had to be seen. Even the school children dressed in standard attire had dragged themselves away from their games consoles and social networking, and were giggling, grinning and cheering with the rest of the assembled crowds as the torch ran by.

Only a few hours earlier it was business as usual with a few residents wandering along the streets. Lochwinnoch just a small village in the west of Scotland, locals shopping and sheltering from the rain.

Now the police had arrived, railings being positioned the length of the high street for the expected crowds to stand behind, officials beginning to cordon off areas and direct the parking as the first cars started to arrive.

People began to gather ,wondering where the best place to stand would be to get the best view possible of the main event and hoping that the rain would hold off, although most had brollies at the ready.

In Lochwinnoch all the traffic had stopped, with roads being closed till later in the afternoon. The rain had decided to stop for the time being and the sun was doing its best to shine through the grey clouds. People had walked up the hill to gather and see the torch run through the whole village and on toward Kilmalcolm.

Long before the torch arrived, the Olympic entourage fuelled the crowd with energy. So many police outriders drove down the street, buses and coaches following on and finally the main noisy buses. The Coca-Cola truck, music blaring, handing out gifts and small bottles of fizzy, then the Samsung bus with deafening sounds and a huge screen on the side showing cartoon singers.

It was now only a matter of time before this little village would carve its place in history with its first glimpse of the Olympic torch. The crowd at the crossroads gave a large cheer, the torch had arrived and at last the runners were ready in place to exchange the flame as the Olympic bus stopped...

Cheering all along the street as the first runner passed the crowds and then the torch was handed on to the next girl smiling as the people clapped and children waved their flags. People all around took pictures to show off to their friends via Facebook. Held at arm’s length the torch passed by and on up the hill until it could be seen no more, the Olympic cavalcade following on behind it.

The cheers died down and the crowd looked around wondering if it was all over, chatting about what had just happened and deciding what to do next.

A few minutes later the hype had disappeared, people began to move the barriers and cross the road. Some headed for ice-cream and chips, others to the local shops. Normal life began to resume as people drove away from the village in cars and coaches. Everyone with a different story to tell about the fact they had just witnessed a historic event and seen the Olympic Torch.

Everything is Designed, Few Things are Designed Well

As I read back the notes from my interview with 21-year old Jade, I realise what a remarkable girl she really is. Despite not turning up to school much and dropping out at 15, she still got the best marks possible. Living with a younger brother and sister with more than a fair share of family drama, at age 16 she got a part-time job, while starting an entry-level college course to what would eventually become a way to earn her degree in graphic design.

“Growing up in Glasgow was quite good”, she tells me, and “I wouldn’t have wanted to live anywhere else. I grew up in rough places but I had a really happy childhood, you learn to appreciate things when you move to other places.”

I asked her when she realised she wanted to become a graphic designer, “Quite late I guess compared to some people; I think I was about 16. I had studied a few courses including Communications and Media and the whole time I can remember thinking 'I want this to look like this'. I was more focused on the layout than anything else so after that I knew that’s what I wanted to do, graphic design.  When I went into it I didn't really know what it was about, I didn't even know what typography was and that's like one of the main things in graphic design, it’s now my favourite thing.”

Having often been branded a ‘teacher’s pet’ myself I wanted to know if Jade put herself in that category too, “Erm, not really, I was always quite smart at school. Quiet in class but outside of class I was quite loud and obnoxious. In first year I was quite smart and quiet and then when it got to about second year, I got in with the wrong crowd and started smoking during lunch breaks. I was still smarter than them, I was in top classes but I wish I had gone into school more instead of thinking 'I can't be bothered'. For all of my exams I got As, despite the fact that I wasn't in for most of that year. So I did well but I left when I was 15 and went to college which I regret because doing your exams in school is probably easier than college but at the same time that's when I found out I wanted to be a graphic designer.”

“I think it's important to still try and do your best at school because when you get older it is a lot harder. Most people should stay and stick it at school even until fifth year at least because it does make it a lot easier trying to get into uni.”

The obvious question for me to ask was ‘What logo do you wish you’d designed?’ “That's a hard one, the obvious choice would be the Nike logo but that was designed by a student who literally just did a tick for a competition and they basically thought 'oh, that's an awesome logo' and it became their whole brand identity. I don't think there's just one logo I wish I'd designed because there's just so many that are just so great, I can't just choose one.”

Everyone idolises someone in their profession, Jade says “I quite like a lot of illustrators at the moment and handwritten letters which is like handwritten typography. Someone called Alison Carmichael and another lady called Johanna Basford, their stuff is all handwritten styles. They do so many adverts, you'd probably recognise some of their stuff. Johanna Basford did the Christmas one for Buchanan Galleries with all of the Christmas decorations and candy canes and stuff, it's really nice, I didn't actually realise it was her until I went onto her website. I'm quite into that at the moment and they're probably the people that I aspire to be like. It's good to be good at typography and graphic design but to have a particular niche like that; it's quite in demand at the moment."

Without coming across too negative I asked Jade if she ever wishes she had gone down a different profession, “Yeah, probably every day” she nods, to my surprise, “because it's quite stressful and a lot of people don't understand. For example, if you meet someone for the first time and they say, ' what do you do?' and you say 'oh I'm a graphic designer' so they're like 'right, okay!' because they don't really understand what it is that you do. People tend to think it's just sitting on a computer all day or drawing a quick logo but it's not. There are times where you're designing something that you think is just no good , other times where you do something and you think it's amazing, and then two weeks later you think 'no, it's not good'. I think it's quite good to be like that though because if you always think that your work's great then there's not going to be any room for improvements. I do wish I'd chosen a different profession sometimes but at the same time I can't imagine myself doing anything else.”

“Hopefully with a fancy kitchen from Dwell!” she giggles as to where she sees herself in five years’ time. However, on the more serious note, she says, “I'd quite like to move to Manchester because they've got a lot of really good design studios that are quite young and professional, London as well but I think Manchester more so because it's not as busy. Hopefully I'll just be in a small design studio but one that's really good.”

Throughout her college years Jade maintained her part-time job, gaining more responsibilities and often working the equivalent of four full days a week. All this while studying extremely hard yet still managing to be a typical student; partying through the night and living (or should I say mudding) it up at festivals such as Sonisphere and Download. 

Since the interview Jade has bagged herself a full-time job in graphic design starting someday very soon, while continuing to do her own freelance work under the name iambiko. I wish Jade the very best of luck with her new job and I'm sure it won't be long until she's partying hard in Manchester.

Check out Jade's website iambiko.com

Here A Bike, There A Bike

Holland is like something you have never seen before, not because of the 'Coffeeshops' or the windmills but the bikes. I recently went to stay in Utrecht for the weekend and I could not believe the amount of bicycles. Most people don't have cars or use public transport, they take their bikes. All of the roads are designed especially for the two-wheelers. I love the idea of it, I can only admire the Dutch lifestyle. Cycling 10km to school or work is the norm over there,  "Why walk when you can take the bike?"

If I took my bike into town here, I probably wouldn't return intact. However in Utrecht I cycled into town and back three or four times in the space of 24 hours and even made a trip to the supermarket filling up bags on the rear of the bike, an easy way to carry it home. Cycling felt quite effortless. Drivers in the Britain have no time for cyclists but in Holland it's a completely different story. Bikes have right of way, no matter what. Even walking around I had to be extra careful that I wasn't run over, but by a bike, as walking in a bike is not acceptable. Bikes have right of way over the pedestrian, you must keep out of their way.

Have you ever struggled to remember where you parked your car, for instance, at a shopping centre? Well change that thought from car to bike, which railing did I lock my bike to? Where exactly is that street where I left my bike? That is if you can find a somewhere free to begin with. There are big spaces with bike locks for people to leave their bikes, commonly outside train stations. However, there's often hundreds in the one place, hence why some bicycles are decorated so wierdly and wonderfully.

People worry about maintaining their car; filling it with fuel, paying for road tax and insurance but none of this would be necessary if we all used bikes. The environment would benefit from it too, this kind of culture could be just the thing to get society healthy again. I appreciate a key part of the bike domination is because Holland is so flat but surely there's some way around this. We're constantly putting down new roads and coming up with ways to build on the railway line, of course, all costing fortunes when really, what is stopping us using bikes instead?

Down at the Apple Tree with Nina Nesbitt

Ahead of her King Tuts gig on the 17^th May, I was lucky enough to go backstage to catch up with one of my favourite musicians of the moment, singer/songwriter, Nina Nesbitt. On entering the young star’s dressing room I noticed a small fridge containing a pint glass of milk, bizarrely, lit up like the Crown Jewels. Nina had no more clues than I did as to why it was there.

On the 23^rd of April Nina released her EP ‘The Apple Tree’ with five original tracks which fans went mad for. She reached number 6 in the album chart on iTunes and is still, one month later, number 5 in the Singer/Songwriter chart. I asked how she reacted to it’s success, “I thought it was quite funny to be honest, I didn’t really expect it to do that well, I was just putting it out there for fans to hear the music. Then, it charted. It’s just weird, but I’m really grateful that loads of people have bought it, it’s cool.”

The talented 17 year old now has over 16,000 twitter followers and Sold Out her own headline mini-UK tour. “It’s a bit crazy,” she smiles, “a year ago I played my first gig in Manchester. Since then it’s escalated really fast but it’s great, I’m really grateful that I’ve got loads of followers and people coming to see the gigs.”

Along with the positive, there is also the negative. There’s lots of internet ‘trolls’ out there, sending hate for no apparent reason. After supporting Ed Sheeran on tour a rumour spread that they were an item, promting abuse from many of his young fans. Nina tells me, “I think I’ve been quite fortunate with the number of people that send me abuse, I get about 1 or 2 every month but it can be pretty deep, they don’t know me at all. If they knew me, I don’t mind them not liking me but I find it quite odd when people say ‘I hate you’ or make up things like ‘you’ve stolen my boyfriend’ because I’m not dating Ed Sheeran. I don’t know why anyone would hate me if they don’t know me, it’s weird.  Fair enough not liking my music but when they send me stuff I do get quite angry and have to laugh at them, my fans are really supportive as well.” Her fans don’t let the trolls off lightly and as Nina says herself, it’s better just to ignore it.

I asked Nina her highlight gig to date, “I had a really good gig in Denmark supporting Ed Sheeran and usually as a support act you get about 50% listening and then the rest coming in and chatting away, in Denmark it was like pin drop silence. For The Apple Tree they were all singing along and I loved that gig, it was nice to know that there are actually people that don’t know you that do listen because most people aren't bothered if they don't know your name. Or in September last year I had my tenth gig at the Glasgow SECC, it was Jim Gellatly from Clyde1 that had asked me to play and it was just two songs at this arena, just me and my guitar. It was crazy, but the crowd were really good there.” Although, after her sold out gig in King Tuts, Glasgow, that night, she posted on her Facebook, “That was my favourite gig I've played, thank you GLASGOW! It was crazy to hear you all singing back the songs word for word that I wrote in my room a few months back.”  

I first met Nina at the Young Scot Awards last month when I was reporting and she won an award in the Entertainment category. She told me how much it meant to win as other stories were so inspirational. “I’m so grateful to have won an award like that. It’s so important that I’ve got support from Scotland and it’s great I think because that’s where I’m from.”

For her tour she plays an acoustic set with either piano or guitar, “I’ve brought in a trigger pedal which triggers beats off behind me and I think when my album comes out I would think about getting a band, I’m not really wanting to get the standard four piece band though, I’d like something a bit different.”

“I think quite a lot of people’s parents would hope they’d go to uni but I’ve always been quite a strong willed child “, she laughs, “and my parents know that once my mind made up about something, it’s what I’m going to do. They’re great and really supportive, it’s good that they understand music is a career because some people don’t think it is.”

“I’m writing with Elliot aka Example, over the summer. We need to find a date that we’re both free but I’m really looking forward to writing with him. At the moment I have a lot of tracks for the album but I’d like some cool co-writes on it. I think our song-writing style is quite similar even though our music is quite different.”

A couple of times I asked Nina about designers or coveted items but she seems to have little interest in the latest designer must have but much prefers to mooch about in vintage shops.

“A mansion and a swimming pool,” she chooses as something she’d love to buy but couldn’t justify spending the money on, “but I couldn’t afford that anyway!” she laughs. (Although she will be able to soon as her success continues!)

Nina’s had an immense amount of airplay for an unsigned artist. Jim Gellatly plays her single ‘The Apple Tree’ every Sunday and Radio Scotland have added it to their playlist, in fact my granny was telling me the other day how she’d heard Nina’s “lovely voice” on the radio. She has also found herself a big fan in Fearne Cotton and is in fact her ‘Big Thing This Week’ which means she’ll be played on Radio1 everyday. “It’s definitely a really important part of music, radio play, it’s really weird to hear it on the radio. All of the Scottish stations have been really supportive as well, it’s amazing.”

When I ask how she came to song-writing she tells me she loved to write stories when she was 5, when she was 10 she picked up keyboard and started putting the stories to music. Two years ago she taught herself guitar and that’s when her songs developed.

I asked about her music video influences but she struggles to tell me one she wishes was hers. “To be honest I don’t watch a lot of music videos but most these days seem to be girls dancing around with no clothes on,” she sighs. Nina has spoken out before about her disapproval for people stripping off to sell records, The Guardian were supposed to be writing about the ‘Up and coming star Nina Nesbitt’ but instead decided a porn pop star was more important, proving her point perhaps.

Just like me Nina is not a fan of camping and mud, which would explain why she hasn’t been an avid festival goer. However, as a playing artist it’s a different story. “I’m excited to be doing some pretty big festivals this year.”

The interview concluded with Nina and I posing for photographs which took longer than anticipated as the camera was on video setting. Luckily, Nina isn’t the diva type and laughed about it.  

You can purchase both the 'Live Take EP' and 'The Apple Tree' from iTunes now!

Scotland's Future Looking Bright at Young Scot Awards

There I stood, my first time on a red carpet, in Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel. Lots of men in kilts and ladies looking glamorous in their evening wear. As all the guests walked through the revolving door, they were met with Little Eye (the winner of last years unsigned act)’s acoustic performance, completing the atmosphere. The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception to give everyone a chance to mingle. As I went upstairs to join the finalists for a better view from the balcony, Matt Cardle walked past with his guitar!  It was only when I looked at the table plan, I realised how big the event was. There were over 70 tables for over 700 guests all there to celebrate the young people of Scotland.

The Hilton Ballroom set for the guests

The guests were then called to the festival-themed ballroom. A music note, an electric guitar or a tepee were glowing in the middle of each table creating a lovely ambience. The meal began with a tasty cheese and tomato bruschetta, an Italian-style chicken Kiev was served for the main but I think the most talked about part of the meal interesting looking dessert. To the side of the lemon cheesecake was a line of popping candy, candyfloss ice-cream and hay-like spun sugar.  Twitter was full of pictures of the unique ‘golden ball of sugar’.  For me the best part was the delicious candyfloss ice-cream.

As soon as the plates were cleared host Romeo took to the stage to start the most important part of the evening, the award ceremony. 19 year old David Stewart from Dalmarnock took the first award for his impressive work within the community followed by Edward Johnstone, another 19 year old, from Cranhill for over 600 hours of volunteering. I was surprised to learn in a fortune cookie that over a third of young people in Scotland volunteer, yet teenagers are still labelled as lazy, useless and rude. Thankfully not the lasting impression anyone would have from the inspirational stories.

The award for Unsung Hero created a moment of sadness in the room, the winner Reamonn Gormley had lost his life through a violent act on such a kind and caring young man. Every person in the room was on their feet as his parents collected the award.

Twin Atlantic, Fiona and I

The Truth About Youth award went to Ullapool team Get To Know Your Techno who voluntarily teach older people in the community how to use modern technology. Maybe something we should all do with our older relatives, I know I’m guilty of rolling my eyes when my mum asks for some advice. I know it’s hard to imagine not growing up with mobiles and iPads, but even 10 years ago not everybody had a mobile.

Nina Nesbitt and I on the night

The guests were then entertained by Scottish rock band Twin Atlantic, who I was lucky enough to meet before their incredible performance. Described as “the best performers at the awards in the last three years” by one tweeter, they graciously received the first ever Sunday Mail Pathways to Music Award which was kept secret until the night.

Singer/Songwriter Nina Nesbitt received the Entertainment award, her independently released EP The Apple Tree got to number 6 on the iTunes chart soon after release and charted worldwide. In her acceptance speech she congratulated all the other winners and said she felt “truly inspired” by their work.

Erin McNeill collecting
her award

The Sunday Mail Readers Award and indeed overall Young Scot of the Year award went to 21 year old Erin McNeill who was horrifically burned in a house fire just three years ago. She now volunteers with the Fire Service warning others about the dangers of fire. On the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 last year she took part in a 5K run in New York raising £5500. Erin’s tearful speech left the rest of the guests and I in awe.

Matt Cardle closed the evening with an acoustic performance of two tracks from his album, including Christmas 2010 number 1 ‘Many of Horror’ aka ‘When We Collide’.

As the guests began to slowly head towards the waiting “carriage”, there was a buzz about all the evenings events and I, as a ‘Young Scot, was left feeling proud to be represented by these amazing people.

Published in the Young Scot Magazine, Sunday Mail on the 13^th May 2012

The Man of the Moment

I write this review whilst singing along to ‘Bones’, one of the tracks on Lewis Watson’s EP ‘It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW’. I first heard about the 19 year old singer/songwriter via twitter, people were raving about him. I checked out his YouTube channel, which has over 34,000 subscribers and 3 million views, and fell in love with his raw voice. Being just him and his guitar, he’s often compared to Ed Sheeran but Lewis is completely different. It’s like comparing nutella and peanut butter, they’re just as good but in different ways.  After listening to a couple of his covers, I bought his single #3 on iTunes. 

Soon after that, on the 12^th April, his independently released EP was available on iTunes. Buying this turned out to be one of my better decisions of late and now I can’t seem to get enough of him. It’s not just his music everyone is going mad about, it’s his sweet, yet crazy, self too. I love how he tries to tweet back to as many fans on twitter as he can, constantly thanking them for their support or even just for buying his music. He’s currently selling physical copies of ‘It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW’ via his website, promising to customise every single one with a requested message/signature. According to his Instagram, the last one he signed was #619!

‘What About Today?’ is the first song on the EP and opens simply with the sound of a guitar. Throughout the song, Lewis’ backing vocal gives it a very fresh and pretty sound. The song is about being constantly confused as to why someone loves you one minute but not the next, with the main line in the song being ‘Well you loved me last night, but what about today?’

The next song is ‘Windows’, my personal favourite. I love the opening line of  "I'm not here to startle you, hell, I only came 'cause you asked me to". It just feels real and down to earth, I guess. The lyrics are beautiful and everybody can relate to missing somebody and no matter what you do, you still wish they could be there with you. I'm sure this one has lots of girls sobbing into their pillow.

Track number 3 is called ‘Bones’,  the first single from the EP. It’s one of those love songs you wish was about you and dream about someone singing it to you. It’s Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW closes with ‘Nothing’, the gorgeous song about doing anything for that one person you love because without them you are…nothing.

With so much talent at the age of only 19 we should expect big things from Mr.Watson. He’s already had plays on MTV, AKA and 1Xtra and had recognition from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Wiley and Charlie Simpson.

It's Got Four Sad Songs On It BTW is out now on iTunes!

A Tale of Fake Hair and Eyelashes

As I walked down the corridor the other day, I admired the year group photos on the wall dating back a good few years. Everyone looked so smart, their ties were pushed right up to their necks and they all looked almost the same. That’s when I thought ‘what are we actually wearing for school?’ Now our ties are so short and people wear all sorts of coloured hoodies, and that’s boys and girls, virtually no one is the same. Some of the girls at my school tend to a go a little overboard with the make-up too and their skirts are more thigh-skimming than knee length.

It made me wonder when we stopped looking smart for school. If you look at photos from five years ago, people stuck to the uniform and weren’t caked in make-up. I can remember being sent out a letter last year that stated “the length of some pupil’s school skirts” were “causing concern”.  Blaming the school would be unfair, after all they did send out a letter. I can’t believe their parents let them leave the house looking the way they do! If I was that orange my mum would leave me in a bath to soak for about a week. In the photos on Facebook of these girls out partying at the weekend their make-up is identical, down to the last fake eyelash and hair extension. I guess it’s only a matter of time before they’re wearing the same thing too.

I much prefer looking completely different in my out of school hours compared to what I consider appropriate as my uniform. Trying so hard to rebel, I guess they’ll all look the same, creating their own chavtastic brand of ‘uniform’.

Another Stage, Another Story

Recently I met up with the lovely Ross McKinnon, 17, an up and coming musical theatre performer from Glasgow. He's currently on a 2 year course at the Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre Arts (GAMTA), whilst studying at school. Ross was recently awarded a full-time 3 year Scholarship to GAMTA.

I asked him how old he was when he first got into musical theatre, "It's kind of been all of my life, I was about eight when I started, I got into a local drama group  but my mum had been taking me to see shows for years. The first show I did was South Pacific, and from there on it's been kind of constant," he says. "Musical theatre is what I want to do. I went to see Oliver, my first ever show, when I was 4 and it's always stuck with me. I wanted to play the Artful Dodger after seeing it, I can even remember the day when I realised I was too old for the part. Also, my Dad used to take me to see panto every Christmas."

In 2009, at the age of fourteen, Ross made the transition from amateur dramatics to becoming a professional with GAMTA. "It was horrible for me because I really didn't want to leave, I can remember being so upset," he tells me, "but now I know it was the right move at the right time."

For someone so talented and after everything he has achieved, it's incredible how little self belief Ross has. So many talentless people are so cocky, yet he sits there in his Jack Wills hoodie and tells me he isn't even that good. "I got the scholarship and people were complementing me and I'm like 'guys, this isn't me you're talking about?' because I don't believe them. I don't sit there and think "wow, I'm amazing" because I'm not, looking at the people around me I can see how good they are and how hard I really need to work because I'm nowhere near as good," he says with a look of determination. When the reality is his hard work is already paying off, hence winning the only scholarship.

I admire Ross' dedication and ambition, between his hard work at school and theatrical studies, I doubt he has much time left to Facebook, watch soaps and play Xbox like most teens his age.

"Musical Theatre is what I want to do, it's my passion, it's all I listen to on my iPod and it's all I have on my phone, one of my friends insists I should put some 'proper music' on there. My Dad keeps saying I could tell you anything about musical theatre but I couldn't tell you the top 10 in the charts."

When asked if he would consider doing serious drama, he said "There's different ranks in acting and it's like there is; 'Shakespearian actors' then 'Theatre Actors' and then 'TV and Movies' and right at the bottom, musicals. People look down on musical theatre and say it's not serious but it's so much harder. You have to sing, act and dance at the same time. If you do a play, you have to act, yes it can be very intense and most musicals tend to be quite upbeat but there is a whole different side to musical theatre that people don't see at first glance. It is  looked down on it because of commercial stuff but if you really look into it, it's quite serious and in some ways harder. I do like plays, I read a lot of plays but musical theatre is what I want to do."

Most people get nervous having to perform to even a small crowd but for Ross, his nerves really depend on the situation. "At the Young Scot Awards last year I wasn't very nervous because I was so comfortable with the people I was performing with. I just thought it's going to go well, they know what they're doing," Ross tells me. "Taken out of my musical theatre scenario, I do get very nervous. Also a lot of the time changes are made just before a show and that's quite nerve racking. You can't predict how it's going to go. One time we did a show and the main character lost his voice on the night. He had a lot of big notes and just couldn't hit them, we had a panic rehearsal and the show was changed up a lot, that made me really nervous. Usually I'm part of a cast I can trust, you can play off each other and work it out."

Ross found it hard to pick just one favourite performance, "I loved 'Me and My Girl', I did that when I was a lot younger but at GAMTA we did a performance of 'Scrooge', an adaption of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. They wrote it themselves and it was brilliant, I loved it. It was double-cast and it was brilliant, just a brilliant show, amazing music and an amazing part.." he stops to think, "But 13 was brilliant as well, the one where lead lost his voice. I heard his voice was going and I just went on stage and started singing. By the end of the song, I realised everyone else had gathered on stage too, singing.  It felt like a big family came out and supported him and that was a really good night, I would probably say that was the best performance I've had just because I will never forget that."

"Just give me any theatre in London and I'll go," he answers when I ask which venue he'd love to perform in. "I'd love to play in the Adelphi in London just because they have staged some amazing shows. To stand on that stage and think 'wow, the people who've stood here before me'. I think it would depend what show as well, the experience you have and be like 'this is the place, this is where it happened'."

I asked him if there's a part he would love to play and a person he'd most want to perform with, he blushes, "Oh, this is really embarrassing, it's on Broadway just now. I'd love to play Bert in Mary Poppins, that's my dream part, how sad is that?" he laughs. "And as far as people go, Chris Colfer or Michael Ball, I admire them both so much."

He recently featured on BBC's Glee Club for Sport's Relief, "We only did it for a bit of fun, it was for charity and it was an experience. It was brilliant because now I know that I don't like that kind of scene." He continues, "I had an idea that I didn't like talent shows, I would never go on The X Factor or Britain's Got Talent but now I can say I've done it and I didn't like it."

Of course, I had to ask Ross his professional opinion on Glee, "I really like certain things about Glee but then I don't like other things about it. I like that they have brought musical theatre to a wider audience and it's like a 'thing' now," he explains. "Although, I don't like the fact they make out it can be handed to you on a plate if you join the school's glee club, because a lot of people think they can do it and it will be easy."

The industry is very competitive and he's definitely not naive, "I see the amount of people I perform with and how good they are. I went to an audition for a show on the BBC called MI:5 and there were so many people there, literally hundreds, that wasn't the only day they were auditioning and there were only 3 parts going." If he doesn't make it, he would love to teach Drama or English.

I asked Ross if he thought tickets for West End Shows in London are out of reach for most people because of their prices, he replied, "I think it's terrible, I paid £75 for my Sweeney Todd ticket alone so for a family, it's hundreds. However, these shows seem to sell out."

Ross has a lot going on in the next few months, "We're doing a show called Spring Awakening, it's quite an edgy show, with sexual content and it's all a bit grown-up. Then, I'll be leaving school at the end of the year and going to start the course full time. So there's exciting times but first it's my exams," he sighs.

JLS 4th Dimension Tour

Last week (April 5th) I went to see JLS on their tour at the SECC in Glasgow. At £35 a ticket the boys were expected to put on a big show. Going in, I could tell what kind of audience this was going to be. Hoards of young girls ran by every few seconds with their JLS hoodies(£30) and foam fingers(£12), average age of the girls was probably about ten years old.

When I went in, the first support act were already on stage and as I got to my seat their set was just finishing. I was sat at the front of Block LL very close to the stage, on the aisle end at an angle. This meant no one was in front of me, my view was amazing, I could see every move. The second support act Vida came on stage after a short message from Oritsé promoting them. The girls performed a small collection of their own songs but it was clear their "swag" was more important than the vocal or lyrical content. Maybe the act was better from a distance? As the performance went on, their singing got shakier and their debut single failed to impress the arena. Starboy Nathan was the last support act, he had two dancers and really got the crowd going. He performed his brand new single 'Who Am I' and everyone joined in with the chorus. He also performed his big hit from last year 'Diamonds' and the whole arena sang along. 

A security man came and spoke to the people sat in my area to inform us that "the band would walk by" and that we weren't to "jump out or grab them". This got my friends and I extremely excited! After a twenty minute break a video came on the screens explaining JLS' mission, they had to pass 4 dimensions to collect their gems (which were of course their trademark colours). There was then a 10 second countdown and one by one JLS came down, on wires onto a second stage in the middle of the audience. It was very theatrical to watch and the roar of the screaming arena was quite incredible. They began to sing and it was made clear that no matter what, the vocals were not lost. Aston has an amazing range! After a couple of songs it was time for them to walk through the audience to the main stage. Marvin and JB took on my side of the arena while Aston and Oritsé went via the other way. I put my hand out as they went by and got to hold Marvin's hand, just for a second. It was hard to believe that I had just touched Marvin Humes' hand! 

The second dimension of the tour was very colourful and striking to watch. Say what you like about these boys but you cannot deny their talent for dancing, the routines showed a wide variety of dance moves and brought something fresh.

Amongst all of their own hits, the boys performed a cover of Labrinth's 'Earthquake'. This included flying across the stage on wires, faceless dancers, lightsabers and fire! It really felt like I was captured in the moment. When they came down, the band got onto a triangular platform and glided across the audience onto the alternative stage for a second time. 

Whilst the boys continued to blast out their biggest hits with amazing dance routines, security gathered in the aisles once again to prepare for them passing back to the main stage. I was so excited and knew what to expect this time as Aston and Oritsé came by. I actually got to touch both of them, their arms were ridiculously muscley and really very sweaty. The next 5 minutes consisted of me jumping around and swooning over the fact that I TOUCHED JLS!

In the last part of the tour the boys interacted with the crowd a bit more, they did a medley of covers including 'OMG', 'Beautiful People' and 'Yeah x3'. The lads certainly know how to work a crowd. Aston was talking to the fans while Marvin and Oritsé wiped down and then threw their towel into the audience, good banter. They then thanked their fans for everything and came across as very humble and genuine guys. It's refreshing to see such successful popstars actually appreciating what they have. They work so hard and deserve every success. A very happy Glasgow crowd left the SECC that night and I guarantee there were no disappointed fans any other night of the tour. In one word...stunning!