Passenger - The Arches Glasgow, 19th January

Virtually unknown on the music scene until recent of late, Passenger aka Mike Rosenburg, admits that the last gig he headlined in Glasgow was in front of a mere seventeen people. Fast forward six months and Passenger is headlining a sold out show in The Arches due to hard work and determination. With a little help from his fellow musician friends, he secured a massive gig at the end of 2012 supporting Ed Sheeran on his sold out UK tour and this put him firmly on the list for up and coming music acts of 2013. The crowd in The Arches erupts when Passenger shouts “How many of you saw me supporting Ed Sheeran?!” and I must admit if it wasn’t for Ed Sheeran I wouldn’t be at this gig either.

     Previously a five piece band, Passenger broke up in 2009 with Mike carrying on the band name and becoming a solo act. Being a solo act suits his musical style much better as he played the entire gig acoustically and sometimes played to the crowd ‘unplugged’ without the use of a guitar amp of a mic. The stillness of the crowd as they listen intently to love songs such as ‘Caravan’ and ‘I See Love’ is remarkable. Hanging onto every lyric he whispers, it’s difficult to imagine how these songs would have as much power if there was a full band behind him.

     However the more upbeat songs definitely derive from Passengers latest album ‘All the Little Lights’. Mike funded the album and recorded it himself, releasing it in 2011 to much deserved critical acclaim. The single ‘Let Her Go’ and ‘Life’s For the Living’ are met with the best response from the crowd. Although originally from England, Mike does a lot of his song writing in Glasgow and ‘Feather on the Clyde’ is always a crowd pleaser in Scotland and this is debatably why his Scottish fans like him so much. Having a way with words, Mike charms his way through the entire gig. Clearly humbled that so many people have bought tickets to see him, he admits it’s been a struggle to get where he is today and included a lot of humour throughout his entire set including the song ‘I Hate’. A tongue-in-cheek track that was never meant to be taken seriously is a frank take on everything he hates including The X Factor, magazines, racist men and festival toilets. No matter how many times it is played, the audience laughs along and it proves that there are still some talented original songwriters left in today’s music industry.

Romeo & Juliet

                                                   'These violent delights have violent ends
                                                              and in their triumph die,
                                                                Like fire and water,
                                                         Which as they kiss consume.'

I started 2013 with a new tattoo today. My third tattoo but my first in three years. This has been my FAVOURITE Shakespeare quote for years and in a spur of the moment decision I finally decided to get it inked. It means a lot to me and I live my life by it. Nothing lasts forever, so take nothing for granted.

Good things come to those who wait...

I certainly didn't expect that motherhood wouldn't wait for me. Although, I am the most stubborn and impatient person I know so why would I wait for anything? A driver in front of me taking a little longer than necessary to pull away at a roundabout just sets me off. But nothing would have prepared me for this. My pregnancy was a struggle, I'm not going to lie. I had so many thoughts and ideas and decisions and voices and everyone else's opinions on MY LIFE running through my mind and crashing into everything else that I eventually lost my way a little. Seeing my daughter for the first time? I immediately found my way back.

I haven't blogged in a while. The truth is, I've been to busy being a mother and  girlfriend that I just didn't have the time. My family amaze me every day and I want to spend every spare minute I have with THEM. Lily was born on the 18th of March 2012 at 10.45am weighing 7lbs and 15 1/2 ounces. 10 months later she is nearly walking and talking and has myself and her dad running around after 24/7. If I could I would give everything up to be with her all the time. But being a parent doesn't stop me from achieving the things in my life that I want to achieve. I am finally getting back into the journalism game and have applied for four work experience placements in the past two days alone! I hope to fit in some time with the Press Association and advance my interest in photography over the coming months so watch this space! I am making good use of my new camera at last. All pictures of Lily of course but that's not the point... shes too gorgeous not to photograph!
Contrary to what some people think, not all teenage parents are claiming benefits and making nothing of their lives.

I am many things now. A mother, a teenager, a girlfriend, a daughter sister and a friend, a driver, a dancer, a cafe assistant, a student and a writer. I want to write more than anything else and being a parent will not stop me from achieving my dreams. Lily and Calum enhance my life, not hinder it. I sometimes wonder what life without Lily would be like. It would be no life at all. I'm not the girl I was when I was 16 anymore, I'm much more than that. I've come so far in the past year and 2013 is shaping up to be incredible already. Two gigs in the next 7 days, Lilys 1st birthday and a trip to Dublin in March, Paris, Ibiza, TITP, a family holiday and my cousins hen night AND wedding in the summer as well as graduating my second year of uni?! It's a good life and being a mother is only just the beginning, not the end. Good things may come to those who wait but I for one am certainly not prepared to wait. Work hard and make goals for yourself. Have ambition. Live your dreams. But most importantly, have fun...