Gracie Abrams; Sydney Night 2

Hi,

Gracie Abrams has started her run of shows on The Secret Of Us Tour around New Zealand and Australia with her opener, Ashe and I was lucky enough to attend the second night of the Sydney leg. We bought the tickets when they were first released last year so this has been a long and exciting wait.

When we first arrived to the venue, all I could see was bows, skirts and pastel blues/yellows. This is to fit Gracie's aesthetic. I too was wearing a navy blue shirt, striped blue & white pants, red converses and a red bow in my hair. The crowd surrounding the outside of the arena had a very homely feeling. It was mostly teenage girls and they were conversing with one another, often rather excitingly despite having never met before. Multiple girls asked me to take photos of them while I did the same. Though I was not General Admission, I did wander over there and those in the line were trading bracelets as well as discussing their fangirl moments, even if they had probably just met each other a few hours ago. It probably felt like one of the safest spaces and it honestly was like one big friend group. 

The merch line was also relatively simple to get through. I arrived later than I normally do to a concert and upon sight, the line wasn't enormous with the staff exceptionally friendly. I got a Secret Of Us Tour hoodie (very good quality) and I am definitely wearing it as we approach winter. I also had some nachos next to the merch tent and while it was expensive, they gave us so much sour cream and guacamole, that it was worth it.

After we passed security checks, with our bags making it through smoothly, we arrived to our seats to find we had an amazing view. I was honestly closer than what I imagined and could see the B stage covered up. When Ashe arrived, even through my terrible phone zoom, you could still spot exactly where she was on stage. She was amazing! I only knew a few of her songs but I definitely recommend checking her out. Ashe got us hyped and ready for Gracie as well as singing a cover of 'Vampire' by Olivia Rodrigo to make the audience go wild. 

Gracie, or her team, picked out some amazing songs while we waited for her. She knew her target audience and most people were singing along so loudly, that you might have thought the concert had already started. When she did arrive, the cheers got so amplified and I thought my ears were going to pop. She hasn't even arrived yet and the stage hadn't given any indication she was about to start, but those down the very front could see some movement and started cheering, so we followed suit. 

Gracie sung a two hour setlist with some incredible songs on it. I lost my voice at the third because she played Blowing Smoke, which is one of my absolute favourites. I was up on my feet for most of it, and of course I videoed the whole thing. Most people say it ruins the experience of the concert but I prefer having them to relieve the experience. I just hold my phone but still sing, vibe and even if my videos come out shaky and not instagram-worthy, you can still look back on them. I prefer the ones where you can hear me screeching because you know I had a good time. 

During her surprise song, she sung 'This is what the drugs are for' from Good Riddance. I had been discussing what song she might do before we entered the arena, as she had only done covers for the Aus/NZ leg of the tour so far, and I said, Good Riddance. When she started introducing the song, saying, 'its from Good Riddance', you better believe I screamed 'I called it'.

When she had wrapped up, with 'Close to You' to get everyone on their feet, and actually left, I was left with a sense of astonishment. I always end concerts with the feeling of 'it actually ended?'. Then we were caught up in the crowd of everyone trying to escape as well as the loud voices ringing around dissecting the concert. Made it home right on midnight.

I had one of the best times ever at TSOU tour and Gracie sung, danced and entertained us for a massive two hours with some banger songs (still hoping that one day I can hear Best live) and I only have half a voice left the next day.

Here's a video of Gracie singing, 'That's so True', (video owned by me):

Until next time!

Taylor Swift's new album TTPD is here!

So Taylor Swift just dropped her album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) and of course, I was waiting for it and so excited to hear it. I listened to it all in order, as soon as it dropped and I need a few business days to process the Tortured Poets Department. Not even days. Weeks. 

I did have an initial ranking I did, which will certainly change as I listen and some songs probably went over my head. I won't tell you what it is but a few favourites I had that probably won't change are: My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys, So Long London, So High School and thanK you aIMee, will probably remain top ten, maybe top five. 

I went to the shops for a while after I had listened to TTPD twice and when I came back, I was shocked to discover that it was a DOUBLE DROP and screamed so loud, my mother thought I fell. I did have my suspicions with the hints she was giving on social media such as the emojis in the captions of her posts but I didn't actually believe it. Also FIFTEEN MORE SONGS? The mastermind was writing. 

I like Fortnight (ft Post Malone) but I'm scared I might not when the music video comes out and it'll feel like a single and might get overplayed, like Anti Hero. I have to say, from my first initial reaction, it automatically went top two in my album rankings. It definitely suited my taste of music and any songs that I liked, not loved, Taylor immediately swooped in with the bridge that it was so hard to do a rough rank. And it felt so personal and she was so angry and then sad. 

I am also knee deep in a school assessment and keeping up with Formula 1. I have been sucked into the sport, I fear. I was relistening to TTPD, while texting my Swiftie GC, while watching Sprint Quali, which by the way was a rollercoaster with Lando getting pole, not getting pole and then getting pole again and trying to read the lyrics for TTPD because I just discovered they were on Genius so that is basically my life right now.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Everyone affected by any of the recent events in Sydney, I see you and hear you and I hope that Australia can get through this calmly and peacefully.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Sydney

Where do I even begin? I have been a fan of Taylor Swift since reputation and when she announced she was coming to Australia, I was ecstatic. I managed to survive the Great War in the first general sale in June. I was really lucky and I was so grateful that I managed to get two tickets, one for me and one for my mum. She played four back to back shows, from Friday to Monday, and I got the best day, which was the second night, Saturday, at Accor Stadium in Sydney (it was also the first one to be sold out). I can not believe I got to go to the Eras Tour, dressed in the Lover Era and my mum was dressed in the Red Era.

Sydney Olympic Park was really ready for Taylor's arrival and everywhere you went, you could either see some swifties or some posters of tay herself. I forced my parents to arrive really early because I knew the place would get packed really fast. My dad dropped us off and we immediately got in line for merch. It took us a solid hour to just get to the front and they had already sold out of many small sizes. I ended up getting the navy crewneck in a size M (because they had run out of size S). Because we had a lot of time to kill, me and my mum hopped into another merch line and had to wait ANOTHER hour before we made it to the front. This time, they had more size S's and I got the white tour t shirt. 

We had about two hours before doors opened so we found a shady spot and ate some lunch. Coincidentally, Blink 182 also had a show in the arena next to us (Qudos Bank Arena) and I knew my best friend was watching the show so I actually met up with her as she got her merch (spoiler: it did not take her an hour). We also heard the opening act, Sabrina Carpenter soundchecking Feather! 

When the doors opened, we found our seats and I was actually surprised how close we were. I managed to get C Reserve so we were in the stands but we were Row 19 so it wasn't that bad. Then Sabrina started her performance and I love her. There was only a handful of girls standing, I was one of them and the outro was killer, iykyk. 

Then of course, after another wait, the countdown came on and then when Taylor came on, I was screaming so loud. I remember every detail of the past shows I have been to but I kid you not, I really have to focus hard to remember that night. I would film the start and the bridges of songs (while singing) and then turn my phone off in the middle so I could just sing and be in the moment.

My surprise songs were: Should've Said No x You're Not Sorry (guitar) and New Years Day x Peace (piano) and when she started to mash up Peace with New Years Day, I felt my soul LEAVE MY BODY. I can't even begin to express how much those two songs killed me and I'm glad she finally got to hear all the Aussie says 'naur'. 

This is a video of New Years Day x Peace and if you listen closely, you can hear me losing it:

I can't even rate this experience. You just have to know, it was the coolest one ever and I'll probably remember it forever. I only got about 90% of my voice back TODAY.

To everyone who went, I hope you all had a nice nap and the post concert depression doesn't hit that hard for you after.

20 Days: 20 Taylor Swift Songs

Taylor Swift JUST announced Australian dates with the amazing Sabrina Carpenter which gives me permission to post back to back Swift posts. So I'm going to tell you my favourite Taylor Swift song for the past twenty days of June. 

02/06/2023:

The Alcott (feat Taylor Swift).

Technically, this counts because she is featured quite a bit in this song. I saw a tiktok edit of How I Met Your Mother and then the song got stuck in my head.

03/06/2023

Hits Different

"I pictured you with other girls in love... then threw up on the street" - a classic example of unhinged lyrics that you can scream along to.

04/06/2023

Ivy

"so yeah... its a fire... its a goddamn blaze in the dark and you started it... you started it" that whole part lives in my head, rent-free.

05/06/2023

State Of Grace

06/06/2023

Come Back... Be Here

"This is falling in love and you are worlds away" "And I don't wanna need you this away" - every relationship ever.

07/06/2023

If This Was A Movie

08/06/2023

Hey Stephen

I have a strong feeling this song will reach my Spotify Wrapped.

09/06/2023

The Last Time (feat Gary Lightbody)

I was in a mood that day.

10/06/2023

Karma

11/06/2023

The Lucky One

12/06/2023

Dear Reader

Such a good song and deserves more hype

13/06/2023

The Story Of Us

begins my speak now era

14/06/2023

Sparks Fly

this entire bridge

15/06/2023 (also my dad's birthday!)

Haunted

this song will remain one of my favourites till the end of time

16/06/2023

Better Than Revenge

in an angry mood

17/06/2023

I Bet You Think About Me (feat Chris Stapleton)

18/06/2023

All Of The Girls You Loved Before

19/06/2023

Snow On The Beach (feat Lana Del Ray)

this song is ethereal

20/06/2023

Delicate

21/06/2023

Our Song

had this tune in my head playing for the entire day

Taylor Swift Word List: Folklore/Evermore

If anyone has listened to folklore or evermore, they would know the sheer amount of words that Dr Taylor Swift has placed that many don't know the definition of. I'm here to help. 

All definitions are from Oxford Dictionary or Merriam-Webster.

Folklore:

mirrorball:

revellers: a person who is enjoying themselves in a noisy or lively way.

the last great american dynasty:

gauche: unsophisticated and socially awkward

illicit affairs:

illicit: forbidden

clandestine: done secretly

mercurial: subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mind and mood

the lakes:

elegies: a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead

eulogize: praise highly in speech or writing

calamitous: involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous

evermore:

long story short:

precipice: a very steep rock face or cliff, especially a tall one

dorothea:

lark: a source or quest for amusement or adventure

ivy:

incandescent: strikingly bright, radiant or clear

champagne problems:

midas touch: the ability to make money out out of anything

gold rush:

contrarian: opposing or rejecting popular culture

evermore:

unmoored: (of a person): insecure, confused, or lacking contact with reality

HARRY STYLES; SYDNEY NIGHT 2

I SAW HARRY STYLES! 

Harry Styles did a tour of Australia last week, starting at Perth and ending at Sydney. He performed two shows at Sydney and I was fortunate enough to attend the second show with my mother. It was his final show in Australia, making me even luckier as it was a special one.

The show was on Saturday and we bought the tickets on Wednesday. We weren't planning to go because I was waiting for another concert but my mum has listened to As It Was and really wanted to go. So we looked to see if there were any tickets left and there were! They were Level 6 but you could still see him on the big screen. 

I live an hour and a half away but because we had seats, we only needed to be early for the merch. The doors for the stadium opened at 5pm so we left the house at 1pm. We arrived at Accor Stadium at 2:30pm. We walked around, trying to find merch. I wanted the blue jumble crewneck but it was sold out from the first night so we tried to find the yellow one. At the first merch stand, they only had it in the small so we walked around the whole stadium, trying to find the other merch stands. They finally had it in a large, so we bought that. 

We waited around for a bit and then went inside when the crowd had died down a bit. We had to climb a long ramp because we were right at the top. Then we sat down and waited for two hours before Wet Leg, the opening band, started playing. The crowd was electric and when they finished, "Best Song Ever" by One Direction started playing and the crowd just grew louder. By the time, Harry actually came on, everyone was so impatient.

He was ethereal on that stage. None of us could believe he was real. He started with Music For A Sushi Restaurant and the crowd lit up. I was standing up and screaming. Then he did Golden, Adore You, Keep Driving, Daylight and Woman. I sat next to this girl who was two years older than me and during Matilda, she sang the whole time that everyone kept giving her bad looks. I felt so bad. Then Harry sang Little Freak and that was one of the songs I was desperate to hear and the lights looked so good. 

Satellite was one I was looking forward to hearing but it turned out to be one of my most favourites, live. The chorus was so good with everyone else screaming along. Then Cinema came along but my iPhone storage had ran out. I had checked my photo storage but had completely forgotten to check my storage as a whole. Luckily, I quickly deleted some apps that I didn't need and managed to continue filming and dancing along to Cinema as well. I had taken a glimpse of the setlist but I was surprised that TPWK was so early but everyone was up on their feet and dancing along. Then WMYB and everyone knows that song. Late Night Talking and Watermelon Sugar were quite popular as well because they are singles and even those who don't really like Harry Styles know them. Love of My Life, the second song I was desperate to hear, came up next and again, the lights in the stadium were gorgeous. Sign Of The Times was next and that song is so beautiful and iconic. Then, as a special treat, Harry brought Daryl Braithwaite onstage with him to sing "The Horses". Then he said a massive goodbye speech and sang As It Was and Kiwi. Then he sprinted away and the whole stadium went silent for a brief second as we all registered the fact that we wouldn't see him again.

We decided to drive back home so we left at 11pm and arrived home at around 12:30am. The whole drive, I was looking back at the videos while trying not to fall asleep. The concert didn't seem real and I can't believe I got to see Harry and he breathed the same air as me.

This is a video I took from Matilda. (video is owned by me):

Reputation; Taylor Swift

Reputation always rank high on any of my album rankings for Taylor Swift. It holds personal meaning for me and it was the first album I ever listened to from her. Although I was aware of Swift from 1989, I didn't really listen to her music until Reputation. Although it was incredibly hard, I've ranked the songs from her album by MY personal preference and how the meaning behind them impacted me. This is not by which song is "the best" or which is "more lyrically better". This is from me.

15. Endgame feat Ed Sheeran and Future.

I can repeat the entire post-chorus and verse 3 off the top of the my head (I hit you like bang, we tried to forget it but we just couldn't). This song wasn't horrible or terrible. I just preferred the others. 

14. Look What You Made Me Do

This is the perfect comeback song and in fact, the first song I heard in passing. It was a bit too repetitive for my taste but its the perfect song to scream and be angry with. Its a song about revenge and the music video is beautifully shot and ICONIC.

13. ...Ready For It?

Whenever I want to listen to this album, because it is the first song, I overplay it many times. I've had countless moments where I press play, get through this song, but have to pause it because I've had to do something else. I still enjoy this song but I have overplayed it many times.

12. So It Goes

This is the song I listen to the least. I was going back through the songs, humming through them and I don't really listen to So It Goes enough to actually know the lyrics off the top of my head, except for the chorus. So its not that I don't like this song, its that its terribly underrated that I haven't listened to it a lot.

11. New Years Day

If I were to hum any song from this album, I would hum this one. Its a song that embodies calmness and its a great song to slow dance to. I prefer songs that you can sing along to, with more pop beats, which is why I'm a reputation girlie, not a folklore girlie (although I love folklore!). New Years Day can be too slow for my liking sometimes but its not a bad song and I know its criminal to rate it this low.

10. I Did Something Bad

This is Reputation to its core. Swift talks about the public perception of her and throws away every rulebook in this song. If you need something to scream, this is the song for you. Although reputation isn't just about revenge and angry, you can't get any more reputation than this song.

9. Dress

THE BRIDGE IN THIS SONG IS EVERYTHING!! It depicts Joe and Taylor's relationship and their introduction to each other. It's a fun one to sing on tour (not that I went) and the vocals!!

8. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

This song is about the media spinning and twisted all her words, especially about how she brought friends with her on stage on her 1989 tour. Its a fun one to sing and I hum it sometimes, even when I'm not aware I'm doing it. It gets stuck in your head.

7. Don't Blame Me

This song enters the "legendary" and "iconic" titles of Taylor Swift. It is not in the Top 6 because it has gotten overplayed on platforms such as Tiktok but the vocals in this are INSANE. Period.

6. Gorgeous

If I don't know what song to play, I play this one. Gorgeous is such a vibey and happy song and the LYRICS. (Ocean blue eyes, looking in mine, I feel like I might, sink and drown and die)

5. Getaway Car

The goddamn bridge in this one. That's all I have to say. THE BRIDGE. Also I still want a music video for this. (We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde (Oh-oh), Until I switched to the other side, to the other side, It's no surprise I turned you in (Oh-oh), 'Cause us traitors never win)

4. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

This is the very first song I ever listened to by Taylor Swift and it wasn't because the shopping centre had decided to blast it or because it was number 1 on radios. I was on an airplane and I wanted to close my eyes but I wanted to listen to music. I didn't really know any artists but I remembered Taylor Swift. So I searched her name up and it came up with her most recent album during the time and I pressed a random song which happened to be this one. The lyricism in this one is amazing!

3. Delicate

This is track 5 on the album and follows Swift pattern of putting vulnerable songs on Track 5. Its an incredibly delicate song. The first tracks were more upbeat and angry but you hit this song and it starts to become scary that someone loves you and wants to be with you, despite your reputation. It also one of the most catchiest chorus's ever. 

2. King Of My Heart

Top 2! THE BRIDGE ON THIS ONE AGAIN! I'm convinced Miss Swift writes the best bridges. Why this is on the top 2 requires no explanation. It just is.

1. Call It What You Want

Favourite song off the record and I didn't even need to think. I can nearly rattle of the lyrics, word by word for the majority of the song.