Well well, here we are in September already! Why does the summer always have to go by so quickly? I feel like I’ve barely seen the sun in between working and gigging! However, it is an amazingly lovely day today, which is nice to wake up to.
So, biggest achievement in August was playing at Shambala festival all by myself! No double bass or guitarist to keep me safe, just me, and four completely new songs never heard before and my very basic guitar playing. May I at this moment remind you that I started playing guitar from scratch last summer so as you can imagine I was shitting myself! Zipped myself up in my tent for almost the whole of Saturday practicing until my fingers were raw, but all in all I must say it went incredibly well. I was playing in a little yurt in the healing fields called the Glo Stage, which was very chilled out and full of the most attentive audience members I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing for!
Of course being nervous I started on the wrong capo on the third song, and sped up to a rather incredible speed during my fourth song but it was brilliant. Huge cheers and lots of pats on the back after my set, (even an encore which I hadn’t prepared so left them wanting more…which I think is always better in the long run!) and two people came up to me after and told me I’d made them cry with my songs! Obviously tears are never my intention, but it’s always nice to know that my songs are touching people.
So yes, Shambala performance wise was incredible, and the festival its self was absolutely insane! For such a small festival, it has an epic impact. I didn’t stop dancing for the full four days I was there which is saying something!
As if that wasn’t enough to give August month of year award, I came home to discover all my Open University materials had arrived- yeeesssss!!!! I cannot wait to start my course- The Arts Past and Present. It looks fascinating, and I feel like my brain needs to be exercised a bit more, no-one has use for a lazy brain. Not to mention, all the stuff I’ll be learning will surely give me some more song material, which would be awesome as Shambala, has given me the acoustic bug!
Aaand last but by no means least my website is finally ready for the world! It should be up by this evening if all goes to plan and then there will be a Ngaio hub of knowledge for anyone who’s interested. We’ve got all the usual suspects- bio, blog, gallery, music, contact etc and I am SO excited! A massively HUGE thank you to the brilliant Sophie O’Kelly for designing it and Chris Humpherson for persevering with it. And a special thank you to Kal for the building business. It wouldn’t of happened without all of your genius people so thanks.
Right, well that’s my babbling done. Have a wonderful day in the sun, and have a cider for me 😉
xox