#blood on the dancefloor era

[luisa-tatis]

Blood on the Dancefloor 💃🏻🕺🏻

#michael jackson #photoshoot #king of pop #moonwalkers #history #era history #history era #Blood on the dancefloor #backstage

[jacksonunboxing]

#michael jackson is it scary #michael jackson promo cd #michael jackson unboxing #jackson unboxing #is it scary cd #michael jackson blood on the dancefloor #michael jackson ghosts #michael jackson cd collection #michael jackson music collection #rare michael jackson cd #michael jackson history #michael jackson history era #michael jackson fan collection #Youtube

[fiendir]

Swedish pre-eurovision show report, fiendir edition! (yes I'm late, forgot it was live. I'm a bad eurogay don't cancel me)

1st song: girl with so much plastic surgery and/or makeup she can only make one (1) expression attempts and fails to mumble rap with a Spanish accent. Prediction: going to be a club banger once summer comes around and it's good so I get an excuse to leave the dancefloor.

2nd song: ...girl. I cannot express how much I love you and your vibes, and the message. absolute queen, no crown grand enough for you. but this is a hard fucking pass because this dialect is just. never going to be it. those rolling R:s and the missed high notes physically wound me. I'm sorry. Prediction: hearing the first notes to this will trigger my fight/flight response no matter where I am.

3rd song: can we get any more darin-era adorable? actually no this is worse, it's even more fluffy and pseudo-down-to-earth. if I was a 14 year old right now I would be crying and shaking rn. Prediction: going to be used for the emotional moment in every single big Swedish show/movie 2024 and forward. aka its going to be irreversibly ruined despite being a decent song.

4th song: this is (sadly) my culture, with me being from the North and just spontaneously forming in the trunk of a volvo. It should hit me in some form of nostalgia, but no. It sucks so bad. These fuckers gentrified my ancestral epadunk and they will pay the price in blood. Prediction: at least one of these fuckers will face charges for sexual assault before the 2023 is over.

5th song: I'm sleep. This one doesn't even deserve any attempt at funny sass. Prediction: going to have a fucking billion arena-EDM remixes before you can down your next lukewarm rekorderlig.

6th song: ladies, y'all are genuinely cool. but why. why have you inflicted this on us. this is all (an attempt at) style with no substance. so lazy. Prediction: going to be a MASSIVE hit with drag queens for reasons apparent.

7th: ...I'm not saying this just because I have a massive fucking crush on Jon-Henrik (like the rest of Sweden I know) but this is my fav. HOWEVER: Sweden is still a colonial shitstain of a country and if we send a song with jojk to Eurovision? 3000% of the prize money should go to sami people. At least. Way fucking overdue. Prediction: I want this to win so bad but oh boy does it have problematic implications.

#Melodifestivalen #Mello #låt mig få vara lite cringe ok

[trickstarbrave]

Can I please have your scenecore music reccs these playlists are killing me but I want new music to listen to

i actually dont like a lot of scene music nowadays and ironically i like more music on the scenecore playlists for nostalgia bgfhgregh they get some right but also. some are just vocaloid songs or random electronic japanese inspired ones??? when most of the acknowledgment japan got in the subculture was just hello kitty. but sure i can give a brief overview of what i thought were Classic Scene Music from my era

(please note pretty much every big name creator was either bullied relentlessly or is just the most awful person in existence, maybe both. you cannot throw a rock into classic scene music without hitting a fucking predator or racist, usually you will hit more than once. this is not a recommendation of artists to support financially or even good music)

fer sure is like. the most quintessential scene song i can think of. it is horrible, nonsense lyrics that revolve around just mentioning sex and drugs and myspace and getting ur hair done. but it was the bop of the year. i can still recite the fucking jkjkjkjk lololol bridge.

bring me the horizon is pretty indicative of the metalcore part of the music subculture. never super into it but i think their music has mostly held up???

metro station. shake it was on repeat for me.

jeffree star. he embodies some of the worst aspects of the scene subculture scene. chronically online, racist and sexist as hell, spewed more transphobia than a conservative or terf today, and just annoying in general. his music was pretty iconic for scene kids tho and he helped build up some of the aesthetics of it

blood on the dancefloor. see above for jeffree star but worse along with child predators and worse music. the genre of music i would describe it as is "music that would make your parents ban you from ever using the internet again in your entire life" which was appealing when you were 15 during the height of shock culture of the late 2000's/early 2010's. the music is worse than jeffree star's though like i said, musically disjointed, hard to listen to at some points, with equally disjointed or weirdly rhymed lyrics. it was again pretty iconic at the time and exemplified some of the scene culture in this time period in multiple ways.

hellogoodbye was like. more chill in many aspects to the point it may be hard to categorize it as scene but it kind of fed into scene culture so i would recommend them on some level. it would show up on someone's myspace or knock off myspace more often than not.

mayday parade i feel is newer...? or maybe they have just stuck around culturally more lol. i still like their cover of when i grow up i confess.

miss murder by AFI was constantly playing on my ipod nano before classes if that helps.

if you put metal, screamo, pop punk, and techno in a blender with drugs and sex you probably have scene music. a gif of gir dancing to sexy vampire is also incredibly scene on the techno side. but most of the playlists lack the variety you will see and need more pop punk and emo lest they actually just be "fast paced music you listened to on the internet in 2010"

[hotcocoabuns]

For the person, the father, the husband, the son, the brother, the uncle, the genius, the legend and so many things more he was.

Michael truly was and will continue to be larger than life itself, a force of nature and a once-in-a-lifetime artist. Thank you for all the positivity you brought into this wickedly wonderful world and I hope you may rest in peace now. You deserve it.

Please be respectful of the fans and the Jackson family’s grief, send them your best wishes and let them be.

Please consider donating to Taj Jackson’s untitled documentary about his uncle, Michael Jackson!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/untitled-michael-jackson-documentary-series

#michael jackson #10yearswithoutmichaeljackson #michael joseph jackson #michael joe jackson #HIStory era #bad era #off the wall era #thriller era #this is it #this is it era #blood on the dancefloor #blood on the dancefloor era #facts don’t lie people do #lies run sprints truth runs marathons #80s music #90s music #the king of pop #king of pop #pop #pop music #2000s music #70s music

[michaeljackson82958]

WARNING: LONG POST WITH EVIDENCE THAT MICHAEL JACKSON IS INNOCENT AND BEING FRAMED BY THIS DOCUMENTARY YET AGAIN

**The evidence the media refuses to show you about Michael Jackson’s accusers**

I’ve felt total and utter shame at my industry as the coverage of tonight’s Michael Jackson TV show has grown increasingly dishonest and dangerous. I’ve worked in the media since I was a teenager. The whole media knows these two men are liars. But that’s not good for clicks or ratings.

For five years, these men – both professional actors – have been suing Michael Jackson’s estate for hundreds of millions of dollars. This lawsuit has generated thousands of pages of court records: witness statements, motions, depositions and disclosure. These public documents PROVE beyond any reasonable doubt that the men are lying. The whole media knows about these documents, but is refusing to report on their contents.

I’ve tried not to fill my feed with posts about this, but you are all being lied to from every direction. So this is my contribution to the debate – a list of just some of the public record information the media is refusing to tell you.

*Both men strenuously defended Jackson, including under oath, for decades, and only decided they’d been molested years after his death, when they were both in financial trouble and filed a lawsuit seeking hundreds of millions of dollars. That lawsuit was thrown out of court – twice – but the men are in the middle of an appeal, giving them a gigantic financial motive to lie.

*Since filing their lawsuit, both men have repeatedly changed their stories, frequently telling directly contradictory versions of the same supposed events. For example, Wade Robson has told at least four directly contradictory stories about the first time Jackson supposedly abused him.

*In the lawsuit, Robson was caught lying under oath so brazenly that the judge threw out his entire witness statement and said no rational juror could ever believe his account.

*Between 2012 and 2014, Robson wrote two drafts of an abuse memoir and tried unsuccessfully to sell them to publishers. Meanwhile, he lied under oath and said he’d never discussed his allegations with anyone except his lawyers. When the Jackson estate discovered he’d actually been shopping books, the court ordered him to produce the drafts as evidence. They revealed the story of his abuse had changed significantly from one draft to the next.

*Robson was also ordered to release his emails as evidence. He breached the order repeatedly, first by claiming they didn’t exist, then by simply refusing to hand them over. Then he redacted all the emails between himself and his family members and cited ‘attorney-client’ privilege, even though none of his family are attorneys.

*When he eventually complied with the court order and released the emails, they revealed that at the time he was constructing his lawsuit and abuse memoir, he was researching and emailing himself links to old tabloid newspaper stories about abuse allegations against Michael Jackson.

*The emails showed Robson found one particular story from the early 1990s which specifically named he and his mother. He emailed it to his mother and asked whether it was true. She replied, ‘Wow, none of that is true’. He then included it in his story anyway.

*Emails also revealed that throughout 2011/12, Robson was lobbying Jackson’s estate for a job directing and choreographing an official Michael Jackson tribute show in Las Vegas. His campaign to secure this role had included sending emails explaining that his amazing friendship with Jackson meant nobody was better qualified for the role than he was, and he was devoted to doing the best job he possibly could ‘for Michael’. After being told someone else had got the job, he suddenly claimed he’d been abused and filed a creditor’s claim against the estate for millions of dollars.

*Months later, according to Jimmy Safechuck, he flipped on the TV and saw Wade Robson being interviewed about his lawsuit. In that moment, Safechuck suddenly remembered that he had been abused by Jackson as well, so decided to join the lawsuit. He didn’t mention that this epiphany coincided exactly with his inheritance circling the drain after a relative died and the surviving siblings started suing each other – including him – for control of the family business.

*Robson was also ordered to produce his diaries as evidence. In them, he’d written about how these allegations might rescue his failing career by making him ‘relatable and relevant’. He also wrote, ‘It’s time for me to get mine.’ When questioned under oath about what he’d meant when he wrote that, he refused to answer.

*Both men tell stories in the TV show which directly contradict stories told under oath in their lawsuit. In fact, they have continued to change their stories as recently as within the last week.

*For example, Jimmy Safechuck claims under oath in the lawsuit that he only remembered Jackson had abused him in 2013 when he turned on the TV and saw Robson. Yet in tonight’s TV show and interviews promoting it, he claims he knew he’d been abused in 2005 and thus, when asked to testify for Jackson’s defence ‘towards the end of the trial’, he refused to do so.

*But that’s a provable lie. Safechuck was never asked to testify for Jackson’s defence. The judge ruled long before the trial began that testimony could only be heard about certain children, and Safechuck was not one of them. All testimony about Safechuck was literally banned from the courtroom. So Jackson’s defence cannot have asked him to testify – and certainly not after the trial was already underway.

*Robson claimed in a BBC interview last week that Jackson had abused him ‘hundreds of times’. Yet his mother’s sworn testimony is that they went to Neverland roughly 14 times but Jackson was almost never there. She estimates the number of times they visited the ranch and he was actually there was four.

*Questioned about their financial motive, the men now say they don’t care about money and are only suing to embolden other abuse victims by holding the Jackson estate accountable. This is a provable lie. The lawsuit was originally filed under seal and Robson tried to extract a settlement from the estate with zero publicity. Only when the estate refused to pay a bean did he go public.

I could continue, but if you’re still on board with the TV show and its accusers at this point, you are irrational to the point of mania.

Tonight’s TV show covers up all of this information, instead presenting two professional actors’ heavily edited and completely unchallenged testimony without ever examining their credibility, their proven lies and perjury, their constantly changing stories or their financial motives.

It is a stain on the journalistic profession, as has been the rest of the media’s coverage.

#michael jackson #mj #king of pop #mjj #moonwalker #applehead #era #pop #fam #mj innocent #Michael Jackson is innocent #HBO #documentary #leaving neverLand #thriller #off the wall #bad #dangerous #blood on the dancefloor #history #invincible #album #tour #family #community #evidence #evidence that prices Michael Jackson is innocent #smooth Criminal #LGBT #pride

[copias-thrall]

I believe you answered something semi-recently about the Papas and marriage, but what do you think their weddings would be like? And if you have the time, the ghouls as well!

Apologies for taking so long to get to you! I was not the person who wrote about marriage with the Papas. Does anyone know who that was?

But I can take a crack at their weddings (with some Era 4 Ghouls)!

*mentions of sex; animal sacrifice*

(Young) Papa Nihil: The ceremony takes place  inside a circle of lilies in a meadow that’s surrounded by wilderness. The rest of Nihil’s followers are there as guests. Everyone—including you and Nihil—wear diaphanous garments of crepe and linen in white. As the sun sets, Sister Imperator ties both your hands together and declares you both married. Someone brings a goat into the circle, and Sister Imperator hands you a ritual dagger. As one, you and Nihil bring your tied hands down and plunge the knife into the goat’s neck as an offering to Satan to bless your union. Everyone cheers, and you and Nihil strip so the orgy can start.

Papa I: A simple ceremony in the chapel, the only attendees are close friends and family (there will be a big reception for the congregation later). He wears his vestments and you wear formal ritual robes. His youngest brother performs the marriage rites and Secondo stands up as his best man. Papa III sniffles his way through the marriage scripture, and halfway through Papa I produces a cloth handkerchief to hand to him. He elects for the long service, and at some point Nihil dozes off. The two of you exchange self-written vows professing your love for each other before Papa III tips a chalice of goat’s blood over your heads as a show of asking for Satan’s favor over your marriage. Papa I has the chapel cleared for the ritual consummation, which is brief but pleasurable. After the two of you clean up and change, you join the festivities in honor of your union that are already in full swing.

Papa II: He wants to be married, but hates weddings. He has a lower-ranking officiate do the vows in private with Ghouls as witnesses. In lieu of formal attire, you both wear simple, but expensive silk robes. Instead of a ring, he collars you, then leads you to the ritual altar where anyone who’s interested is invited to watch him consummate his bond with you. It’s not the entire congregation, but the hall is filled, including his family and band Ghouls. Everyone cheers once you’ve both completed, and he invites everyone to the quad to partake in the goat roast. The goats are trussed up shibari-style with little apple gags—courtesy of his youngest brother.

Papa III: Bride. Zilla. Did you think you were going to get much say? Designer everything and flowers galore. He has a list of 20 groomsmen, and you have to remind him that you don’t have enough people in your own party to pair with them; you manage to negotiate down to 5. He hires a wedding planner that he’s constantly fighting with on the phone. She’s a stern woman with an earpiece and is probably the only reason the whole event doesn’t collapse in on itself. A few days before the ceremony, Papa comes to you and has a meltdown because there was a mishap with the coolers at the florist, and now all the boutonnieres will be red instead of blush. You take him into your arms and remind him that as long as you get to marry him, your wedding will be a success. Your words and a little …*ahem* … comfort goes a long way to calming him down. On the day of, Papa is a mess, and you give his groomsmen a stern talking to regarding keeping him focused. He starts tearing up before Nihil even starts the ceremony, and he’s a blubbering mess by the time you get to the vows. The sacrificial blood is actually a really expensive wine that the two of you drink out of a chalice (“Our Dark Lord will know how much of a sacrifice it was to open that bottle, amore”). He elects to have the ritual consummation as part of your wedding night. After the two of you take leave of the reception (that has at that point devolved into drunken shenanigans with fire ghouls setting table covers on fire), Papa III leads you to the altar; he’s covered it with a warm blanket and lit many candles (“For mood lighting, dolce”).

Papa IV: As long as you’re happy, he’s fine with going along with whatever you want. His only request is that you follow the traditional wedding customs of The Church. When you discuss ring bearers, he suggests his ratties—but at your look, he laughs it off. You’re still not sure if he was joking or not. You’re surprised when he commissions formal robes that match his vestments, but you’re happy to color-coordinate with him. The ceremony is an understated affair otherwise, with Primo performing the vows. Nihil and Papa III doze off. Goat’s Blood? Gross, no thank you. You and Copia agreed to cut your palms over His symbol instead. There was some debate about the ritual consummation, and in the end, you compromised with the decision of a privacy screen. For the reception, Copia changes into a fresh white suit so everyone can see how much he adores you.

***

Aether: He wants to incorporate both of your traditions into the ceremony and is involved in planning the wedding every step of the way. The two of you have a traditional Church wedding, but afterwards you’ll do a Run out into the woods so he can catch you and prove he’s mate material. He adorns your finger with a ring because he doesn’t think biting you would be a good idea, but has you pierce the spade of his tail with a ring since you can’t really bite him with your blunt teeth.

Dew: Til death do you part sounds like a long time, but if it’ll make you happy, ok I guess. You do absolutely all of the planning. He goes out for his bachelor party the night before the ceremony and shows up the next day in rough shape and in a suit that is decidedly not the one you bought for him. He seems impatient throughout, perking up after his vows when he gets to put a claiming bite on you. Like Aether, he lets you pierce his tail, and smiles wickedly when he tells you to Run.

Swiss: He wants the complete experience! The two of you have the most traditional wedding, and he wears a suit so tight it could rival Copia’s. He likes the weight of your ring on his finger, but refuses to bite you (“I don’t want to hurt you or chance infection, babe”). He absolutely smashes cake into your face (he grabs a fistful before it’s even brought out and creams you as you’re accepting congratulations from the Clergy). He’s the first on the dancefloor screaming  for “That Shout song”. A Run? Aren’t you exhausted from dancing? Let’s save the rest of your energy for the wedding night.

Rain: Is a little smushy about marrying you, but isn’t really interested in a Church wedding. The closet thing he can think of to a water ghoul wedding is a baptism. Officiated by Mountain, the two of you exchange vows standing waist-deep in a pool of water in the forest. You dunk each other in turn after your vows, then submerge yourself when you seal it with a kiss. He’s happy to wear your ring on a chain around his neck, and he likes the idea of his bite mark on you—but doesn’t want to scar your skin—so he has Mountain tattoo the pattern of his teeth on your shoulder. He hadn’t even considered a Run, but hey—if you’re offering.

Mountain: He takes you deep into the forest alone—this is something that’s just for the two of you. He finds a shady canopy and instructs you to ruminate on your love and commitment to him while he takes your hands. You’re not sure how long you both stand there, but when you open your eyes, the sun has moved considerably and Mountain is smiling a secret smile at you. He’s mixed up a natural ink, and the two of you tattoo his clan’s symbol for ownership on each other. Afterwards, he has you consummate your union on a patch of soft dirt. A little indignant at being left out, the two of you come back to the dorms to find the other Band Ghouls have thrown you an impromptu reception.

Cirrus & Cumulus: Our girls are a package deal! The three of you have a beach wedding, and they wear versions of white dresses—they love this human custom, but don’t quite get what makes a wedding dress a wedding dress. They’re happy to exchange rings if they come with a jewel, but if you want something pierced, they’re happy to give your ear a new hole for a little bauble. Copia officiates, and the Band Ghouls are there as the wedding party. Dew complains about the sand the whole time, and Cumulus finally threatens to dunk him into the ocean if he doesn’t shut up (Swiss and Mountain end up tossing him in later just to be assholes). There’s a buffet full of goodies, and everyone sits on beach blankets eating and laughing until the sun goes down. If you want to do a Run, they’ll happily chase you … but wouldn’t you rather get back to the bungalow where you can have some fun in front of the fire?

#sweet-bitsy #weddings #mostly fluff #the papas #reader #nameless ghouls #era 4

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Blue Eyes Part 2

Summary: After the Garrison is shot up, the youngest Shelby daughter finds a new home in London. She strips herself of her last name and tries to live a peaceful life far away from her brothers’ chaos in Birmingham. But fate leads her right back into it after she runs into Alfie Solomons.

Part 2: A chance encounter between a Shelby and a Solomons. But neither knows who the other really is. 

           Ella Thorne spent her twenty-third birthday with close friends. They went out dancing at a popular club that January night. It was well liked by the young adults of London who liked frivolous fun mixed with intrigue. There, the ordinary rubbed elbows with the wealthy and the criminal. It was great fun and perfect for a birthday celebration.

           Amelia, Ella’s best friend who she met at work, was a carefree spirit who loved the era. She wore her hair short and her dresses even shorter. She mastered the smoky eye and used her alluring appearance to lure men like a siren’s song. Often times she had multiple men trying to win over her affection at the same time. There were rumors that she’d had affairs with American mafia and European royalty. But behind all the showmanship, the young woman was a kind soul and a loyal friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           “Don’t you want to dance with that boy again?” Amelia pointed out a dapper man who had asked Ella for a dance earlier in the night. He stood by a group of well-dressed colleagues. His green eyes kept returning to Ella and he gave her a smile whenever she returned the glance.

           “Oh, I think my shoes have given me a blister.” She replied and nursed her gin. “He’s sweet but not very interesting.”

           “His mate said he’s a banker. Might be well off?” Amelia shrugged.

           Ella smiled but shook her head. She knew money wasn’t everything. “What about you? I’ve seen you dancing with four different men tonight.”

           “Five.” Amelia corrected with a smug smile. “They’re nice and all, but none of them could keep up with me on the dancefloor.” She sighed dramatically and leaned against the bar. "So I assume they couldn't keep up with me in life."

           “I don’t think anyone could keep up with you, Amelia.”

           “I know but…oh shit, look!” She gasped and pointed towards the entrance of the lavish club.

           “What?” Ella tried to see over the crowd of dancers and drinkers but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

           “That’s Alfie Solomons. Bloody hell, what’d you think he’s doing here?” She asked.

           Her friend saw the crowd start to part slowly like the Red Sea. She saw a small group of men making their way through. “I don’t know who that is. But he’s at a bar, I’m assuming he came here to drink.”

           “No, El.” Amelia shook her head firmly. “He’s a gangster but don't let him hear you call him that. Controls Camden Town, s’fucking terrifying. He doesn’t come to clubs unless he has a reason.”

           Ella furrowed her eyebrows. The men drew closer and she finally got a good look at the man leading the pack. Barflies quickly moved aside to let him through. They seemed afraid to be caught in his line of vision. He appeared very intimidating. A black hat cast a shadow over his face; he wore a big coat and multiple rings on his fingers.

           “Just keep your head down,” Amelia whispered to her friend over the loud jazz music. "Ignore him and he'll ignore you."

           Ella had never seen her friend shy away from anything. But she apparently had a good reason just like the rest of the club. She turned and faced the bartender who had gone a little pale.

           The gangster arrived at the bar; he was given a wide berth despite the packed nature of the club. “Evening, Louis.” He greeted the man behind the bar.

           “Mr. Solomons, can I help you with anything?” The bartender swallowed hard and approached him slowly. "A drink maybe?"

           “Nah mate, just out having some fucking fun, ain’t I?”

           “O-okay…”

           Alfie chuckled and gestured for the man to come closer. Warily, the bartender leaned in. With frightening speed, the gangster grabbed the man by the collar and slammed his face against the bar top.

           Ella jolted and watched the bartender pick himself up and stagger back a few steps. His nose was clearly broken and blood streaming down his face. She’d never seen anyone react so violently when they were unprovoked. But no one else seemed surprised. In fact, even the bartender looked like he had been expecting it the moment Alfie walked in. He simply grabbed a towel from under the bar and pressed it to his bloodied nose, wincing from the pain.

           “Your boss is fucking late again, mate. You know I don't give people a third chance. Fuck, you're lucky I gave you lot a second chance.” Alfie continued talking like he hadn’t just bashed the man’s face in.

           “I-I’ll get him on the telephone…” Louis stammered behind the towel.

           “’Course he ain’t here again.” Alfie sighed heavily and adjusted a gold ring on his index finger. “Fucking hiding out and making you face the consequences, s’a disgrace, innit? He's a coward, yeah, and people like that in my fucking neck of the woods don't survive very long.”

           “Yes, sir…”

           Alfie pointed at him with two fingers. “You get him on the phone, yeah, you tell him if he innit down here in two minutes with the proper money he owes me, I’ll fucking kill you both. Right? Good lad.”

           The bartender nodded shakily and hurried off.

           Ella was frozen in place. Her blood had run cold as she listened to the threats the man was dealing out. She wasn’t sure if he would really kill the poor boy but she wouldn’t put it past him.

           “Did’ya hear me?”

           Ella was in such a state of shock that she didn’t even notice the gangster had turned his attention to her. She met his eyes and was partially surprised to see how handsome he was, albeit rough around the edges. He certainly wasn’t the clean-cut gentleman that Amelia fawned after. But had had lovely teal green eyes and a spine-chilling scar that marked his right cheek, not completely hidden by his beard. He was interesting even on face value and Ella couldn't look away even if it meant her safety.

           “Sorry?” She wasn’t sure how she found her voice again. It was nearly impossible to think straight in his presence. It was such a strange contradiction that she felt. She’d watched him harm an innocent young man, continue to threaten his life, and now she was caught up in his appearance.

           “Said your drink’s empty, love.” He repeated himself. A small smile graced his face.

           “Oh uh…” Ella glanced down and saw that she had finished her gin. “Yes, well I…”

           But he didn't let her finish. “Fucking hell, you’ve got blue eyes, don’t ya?” He bent down slightly to come eye to eye with her. “What’s your last name, love?” There was only one other person on this planet that had eyes like her.

           “Thorne,” Ella answered. She’d successfully gotten the name Shelby out of her mouth during those four years away from Birmingham. “Ella Thorne.”

           Alfie nodded slowly. Tommy never mentioned having a relative named Ella. “Alfie Solomons.” He introduced himself in turn. “Sorry, ‘bout the little show.” He gestured to the blood on the counter. "But it's all business, innit?"

           “N-no it’s okay,” Ella replied. She felt someone tugging her arm and saw Amelia give her a look of alarm.

           Alfie raised an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?” He asked.

           Amelia shook her head firmly. She looked immensely uncomfortable when his attention turned to her. “No, Mr. Solomons. I uh…”

           “Go and dance, I’ll be right here,” Ella assured her friend. It took some convincing but Amelia did eventually retreat to the dance floor, looking over her shoulder every so often.

           “Ah, your friend’s told you who I am.” Alfie surmised by Amelia's reaction to him.

           “She knew your name,” Ella admitted. But she remembered not to say anything about his profession to his face.

           “And you didn’t.”

           “I can’t say I know everyone in London.” She smiled shakily. "It's such a large city."

           He nodded with an amused look and ran a hand over his beard. “Just an innocent bit then, aren’t you? Small life in a big city, aye?”

           Her lips parted and she thought about her family. She certainly didn't have a small life when she was in Birmingham. The Shelby name gave her a larger appearance. London did make her feel smaller but that was good. Fewer people paid attention to you when they didn't care what your last name was. “Do you judge people based on how they look?”

           Alfie leaned back to take in her appearance. “You a Soviet spy or something?” He cocked an eyebrow.

           Ella couldn’t help but giggle at the outrageous idea. She'd never been accused of being a spy before, let alone one from Russia. “No.”

           He actually let a small smile make his beard twitch. She had a charming smile. “Well, they usually send beautiful women that’ll catch you off guard, don’t they? And when they've got you naked and tied up, they stick a gun to your fucking head.”

           Her cheeks flushed red when he called her beautiful. She was strangely used to crass language. She grew up swearing like a sailor because of her brothers. She tried to be a little more refined now that she was a professional woman, working in an office. But habit was hard to break and Amelia always laughed whenever the girl got too drunk to speak English and reverted to Shelta. The young woman ducked her head and shrugged. “You spoke to me first, Mr. Solomons.” She replied.

           He chuckled and tapped his fingers against the bar top. “Cheeky.”

           “Do you always think you have spies on your tail?” She wondered and tilted her head to the side. “Most people aren’t worried about spies."

           “I’m just a baker, love.” He smirked. “What would spies want with me?”

           The bartender returned with a nervous looking man following him. His eyes were shifty and he looked like he was going to be sick when he saw Alfie standing there. “Mr. Solomons.” The man cleared his throat and tried to look him in the eye.

           Alfie looked displeased that he would have to conclude the business he’d come there to carry out. He was a little more interested in the woman to his right. The one with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. There was something about her that was drawing him.

           But business was business.

           “Is that money I see in your hand?” Alfie looked surprised. “Really? To think I was going to have to fucking beat it out of you.”

           “I-it’s…” The man’s sentence stopped abruptly and he shook his head. “Erm…here.” The owner of the bar handed Alfie the envelope of cash.

           Ella had seen massive wads of money before and hats full of coins. She often wandered around the betting shop, helping Finn read the betting slips, following Polly around, and seeing if Tommy would let her drive the family car. Sometimes she glanced over her aunt’s shoulder as she opened the safe. It was unreal to see that much money in one place. But her brothers made it happen.

           But Alfie seemed displeased when he took a peek into the envelope. “Seems short. Ollie, count it.” He handed the envelope to the curly-haired man standing to his left. As his assistant swiftly counted the bills, Alfie kept a hard look at the owner of the bar.

           “It’s only half,” Ollie informed his boss and returned the envelope to him.

           Ella saw the owner of the bar go even paler than before. She clutched her purse close to her side and looked for Amelia in the crowd.

           “Half. Fucking half? Louis, mate, did I ask for half or did I ask for the full amount?” Alfie narrowed his eyes at the bartender.

           “F-full, sir.” He answered.

           “So why do I only have fucking half of the payment in me fucking hand?” He demanded.

           Ella wondered briefly if this was how her brothers handled business. She could for sure see John and Arthur carrying out in such a way. She’d seen Arthur threaten men for far less, like accidentally bumping into her on the sidewalk. But she wasn’t sure about Tommy. She often wondered if Tommy was capable of hurting anyone. He was intimidating, sure but that didn’t mean he would be as brutal as her brothers or the man beside her at the bar. She usually considered him the brains of the operation and not the force.

           Alfie pocketed the money in his coat. “I’ve got to take care of some business, love.” He turned to Ella.

           She nodded and realized she wasn’t afraid of him like she probably should’ve been. Like Amelia and the rest of the club was. She knew how gangsters were. They were only scary to the people who had reason to be scared of them. She wasn’t afraid of her brothers because she was under their protection. Alfie didn’t seem like the kind of man who would harm her unless he had good reason to.

           “Have a good night then, yeah?”

           “Yeah…you too,” Ella replied even though she had a good feeling he was going to seriously injure the men behind the bar. But what was that compared to all the men her brothers had harmed? Maybe she'd grown too accustomed to the idea of violence even while she was away. There was always a reminder in the back of her mind that her brothers were dangerous and she didn't even know the half of their deeds.

           He smiled and tipped his hat to her before turning and walking towards the back door of the bar. His entourage followed him as well as the owner of the bar who would be found in the Thames the next morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           Ella woke up with a bit of a hangover. Amelia had kept her out into the early morning hours. She’d only managed to get a bit of sleep before the sounds of London woke her up. After getting dressed, she went downstairs and picked up the mail. She sorted through the pile and stopped at a cream-colored envelope.

           Miss Ella Shelby

           She rolled her eyes and knew who it was from. Only Tommy insisted on calling her by her given name. She often missed her family but she felt she had a good reason to stay in London. She had Ada who seemed happy to keep her distance from the family business too. Although these days she found herself more involved.

           Tommy called Ada frequently to make sure Ella was safe and doing okay. He snuck small amounts of money into her bank account, just enough that she wouldn’t get suspicious. He just wanted to feel a little less guilty. Tommy missed his youngest sister but he had to carry on. He just thought she’d be back in Birmingham by then but four years later and she didn’t show any signs of giving in.

           Ella opened the envelope and furrowed her eyebrows when she read the invitation.

           Cordially invited…Wedding…Thomas Shelby…Grace Burgess.

           “What?” Ella whispered under her breath. She shook her head in disbelief and left her apartment to walk to Ada’s.

~~~~~~~~~

           “Married? I thought Grace was just the barmaid at the Garrison, what on Earth?” Ella shook the invitation at her sister. “What is he trying to pull?”

           “El, it’s not some master plan,” Ada assured her. “Sit, I’ll make you tea.”

           Instead, Ella threw the invitation on the table and followed her older sister into the kitchen. “Ada, he wrote Shelby on the envelope!” She exclaimed. “I told him…”

           “He misses you. They all miss you.” Ada interrupted her. “You know how much they care about you.” She started the kettle and pulled out two teacups.

           Ella huffed. “Why is he marrying her?” She asked suspiciously.

           “They have a child together now. He only thought it was right and I think he really does still love her.”

           Her mouth fell open. “A…what? A child?”

           Ada sighed softly. “You’ve been away from Birmingham for longer than you think.”

           “I…” She scoffed in disbelief. But the shock of the news hit her in the heart. She hadn’t known her brother was a father now. She didn’t know her new nephew even existed. “When’s the wedding?” She asked quietly.

           “Next month,” Ada answered and poured her sister a cup of tea, adding in the milk and two sugars she always requested. “I think it would mean the world to him if you were there.”

           Ella looked at her feet and sighed. “I know.”

           “He’s got a lot on his plate right now. The Oddfellows, the Soviets, the London outfit.” Ada listed off and went to sit down in the parlor.

           She sat on a sofa and slowly stirred the milk into her tea. She wrestled with the idea of attending her brother’s wedding. Could she really be heartless and refuse to go? Or would she be protecting herself? She had hardly any clue what Ada was talking about anymore. Used to be her brother only dealt with the other gypsy families, the police, and the people in Birmingham. “The London outfit?”

           Ada waved her hand with a shrug. “Other gangsters who work from London. The Italians, the Jews.”

           Ella had a sinking feeling in her gut. If Tommy was getting involved with firms in London, then she was more open to being victimized by his enemies. “Are we safe?” She asked.

           Her sister nodded. “Of course. Tommy knows what he’s doing.” Both of the Shelby girls weren’t completely sure about that but he always seemed like he had a plan for any possible scenario. “I would just stick to the areas you know. Stay out of Camden and don’t trust anyone who says they’re a fucking baker.”

           Ella stared at her. “A what?”

           “A baker. Usually means they work for a distillery in Camden Town.”

           “Oh…” Ella felt her chest tighten. Had she come into contact with one of her brothers' enemies? Was that why he asked her last name? He thought she was a Shelby because of her blue eyes. She had just lied to a very dangerous man and now she could only pray she never came into contact with him again. Even though she had thought about his playful eyes all night and how her heart had skipped a beat when he called her beautiful. A fucking baker. Tommy would have a fit if he found out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla​ @giftofdreams​

Tag list: @deaflikehawkeye​ @octaviareina​

Masterpost

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#alfie solomons #alfie solomonsxoc #alfie solomons x oc #alfie solomons imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky fookin blinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #fanfiction #ofc #oc #shelby #tommy shelby #ada thorne #ada shelby #tom hardy #tom hardy character

[cristalconnors]

BEST SONGS of 2019

20. “MOTIVATION”- Normani

“Why would we ever do something instead of falling into the bed right now?”

Watching the 2019 VMAs, it was easy to feel despondent about the current state of mainstream pop. And then Normani descended from a basketball hoop, breaking up a string of lifeless performances of cookie-cutter top 40 with a preposterously physical tour de force that harkened back to an era when pop fame felt like something closer to a meritocracy, when talent mattered more than spectacle. It felt like a major arrival: at last another pop goddess that truly had all the goods. The public may not have caught up to her quite yet, but “Motivation” is a statement of purpose for Normani: I’m here, I’m very fucking talented, and I’m not going anywhere.

19. “SO HOT YOU’RE HURTING MY FEELINGS”- Caroline Polachek

“I cry on the dancefloor, it’s so embarrassing”

The charms of “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” are seemingly endless. First, there’s that title that makes you chuckle the first few times you hear it. Then, there’s the pre-chorus that title is effortlessly plugged into: a crystal clear image of lovelorn insecurity placed atop a sublimely simple melody that builds into a harmonious, show-stopping chorus. But the song’s zenith has got to be that bridge, marrying a mind-bending, distorted vocal solo that more closely resembles electric guitar with the singsongy refrain “show me your banana,” effortlessly striking a balance between the highbrow and the silly, casting Polachek as the carefree pop diva she perhaps always should have been.

18.“WAY TO THE SHOW”- Solange

“Candy paint down to the floor”

“I want it to bang and make your trunk rattle.” I think about that quote a lot when listening to “Way to the Show,” the grooviest track on When I Get Home- the one whose meandering funk bass line and countless key changes build to an explosion of synth runs and gun cocking, showcasing Knowles’s growth as both a songwriter and curator of mood as she crafts a singularly hallucinatory, heavenly vision of Houston and the sounds that raised her.

17. “WONDER BOY”- ARTHUR RUSSELL

“I’m a wonder boy. I can do nothing”

The back catalogue of notorious perfectionist and genreless chameleon Arthur Russell is so vast, so varied that even 27 years after he was taken from us, we’re still being treated to new material. Every single song of his that’s been released posthumously, including all 19 tracks of Iowa Dream, feel like their own revelation, each of them a uniquely dazzling bucking of all your expectations of what a song of his should sound like. “Wonder Boy” is unique in how tidily its melancholy, frosty images of impermanence sum up the tragic story of Arthur Russell the man- the brilliant artist who never found success and only ever managed to put out a single album while he was alive- the wonder boy who could do nothing.

16. “I THINK OF SATURDAY”- Moodymann

“I called you on Thursday... I called you on Friday...”

“I Think of Saturday” starts simply enough, listing the days of the week almost as a gimmick, evoking soul and early rock filtered through a house lens, until halfway through the song when the beat drops away, introducing a brief sample of Joe Simon’s “With You in Mind” that’s followed by the reintroduction of the beat, but now accompanied by a recurring distorted, dissonant chord that reframes the song as a sinisterly rousing account of unrequited desire and delusion that refracts itself over and over again. 

15. “SOFIA”- Clairo

“I think we could do it if we tried”

The opening bars of Clairo’s “Sofia” sound like a really good Strokes knock off, but the song quickly reveals itself to be something vastly more interesting, unfolding itself steadily over the course of three minutes as she and producer Rostam Batmanglij subvert well worn pop tropes to craft an exquisitely textured, soul-baring, and ultimately hopeful anthem for young wlw everywhere.

14. “LARK”- Angel Olsen

“What about my dreams?”

Olsen’s widescreen, abstract vision of a break-up song is thrillingly unbound from the constrictions of song structure and narrative, favoring instead the visceral power of strings and drastic dynamic contrast to craft a symphony in miniature, a “journey through grief” as Olsen herself describes it, that announces the bold, panoramic vision of her fourth album.

13. “WALK AWAY”- (Sandy) Alex G

“Someday I’m gonna walk away from you. Not today...”

“Walk Away” evokes the sense of being trapped, stuck in a cycle of recognizing unhealthy relationships or habits and being unable or unwilling to do anything about them, looping the simple two line refrain over and over and over again to weave a hopeless, woozy tapestry of crunching beats, acoustic and electric guitar, mournful piano and harpsichord, and distorted vocals.

12. “THIS COUNTRY MAKES IT HARD TO FUCK” (BJÖRK REMIX)- Fever Ray

“That’s not how to love me!”

Björk isolates the most memorable line from Fever Ray’s “This Country”- “this country makes it hard to fuck!”-and explodes it, distorting it and stretching it across a fearsome sample of the droning, discordant flutes from “Song of the Alféreces and Dances of the Chinos,” evoking a kind of tortured funhouse mirror image of the current state of reproductive rights that rightly recasts Fever Ray’s song as a horror film.

11. “ABOUT WORK THE DANCEFLOOR”- Georgia

“I was just thinking about work the danefloor...”

“About Work the Dancefloor” is Georgia’s ode to the cathartic, restorative powers of the dancefloor, where your worries fall away as you melt into the crowd and language abstracts itself, as evidenced by that perplexing chorus that doesn’t seem to mean anything- and why should it? When you’re lost in her pounding bass and gurgling synths, that incoherence is strangely comforting. You can cast whatever meaning you want onto it and work through it physically, together. 

10. “GONE”- Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens

“I try real hard, but I’m caught up by my insecurities”

The jelly squiggles that criss-cross Charli XCX and her collaborator’s faces on the artwork released for the singles from her latest album Charli suggest a kind of symbiosis, a cosmic intertwining of sorts. But only “Gone” achieves a true melding of the minds, where Charli and Chris’s best and boldest instincts collide, complimenting one another seamlessly in this dizzying vision of insecurity and isolation that unravels into a stunning pop abstraction. 

09. “CELLOPHANE”- FKA twigs

“Why don’t I do it for you?”

Usually for FKA twigs, more is more. Her songs are busy, even the slower ones, packed to the brim with glitches, unusual rhythms, and a million little details that pull attention, giving them texture and making them extremely immersive listening experiences. “Cellophane” pares those idiosyncrasies back. They’re still there, but the focus is twigs’s voice, which bends and cracks and really emotes in a way we’ve never heard. Her voice is naked and unvarnished, allowing her to be truly vulnerable in a way we’ve never heard either, and it’s heartbreaking. 

08. “CINNAMON GIRL”- Lana Del Rey

“If you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”

“Cinnamon Girl” is the culmination of every other ballad she’s ever written. They were practice and this is the real deal- a painterly missive on tumultuous love that reads like a pained confession whispered in confidence, something Lana’s always done well, but her composition has never been so exquisite or immersive, so beautifully in concert with her poetry or her velvet voice, or so flawlessly constructed, effortlessly building toward a show-stopping finale that asserts Lana as the postmodern princess of Americana.

07. “COOKIE BUTTER”- Kim Gordon

“Industrial...metal...supplies...”

“Cookie Butter” has got to be the most stunning showcase of the power of Kim Gordon’s voice, as she drags out some vowels, muffles others, attacks consonants and bends words until they don’t sound like words anymore, all atop a trance inducing beat drives towards the song’s unlikely climax- Kim Gordon saying “cookie butter” in the most impossibly distinct way you could imagine that carries the weight of an EDM drop, leading the track into it’s disorienting second half that both clarifies and obscures the half that came before it. Haunting and addictive. 

06. “CATTAILS”- Big Thief

“You don’t need to know why when you cry.”

To hear Big Thief talk about the process of writing and recording “Cattails” on their episode of the Song Exploder podcast, one is struck by how organic it was. Adrianne Lenker describes it as a “magic wind” that swept through the studio, the song kind of falling out of them in one take. That sense of life comes through in the song, the simple, sublime repetition, bounce, and build of it sounding like a transmission from deep within the soul, a cosmic image of nostalgia and grief that is as cathartic as it is heavenly.

05. “GOD CONTROL”- Madonna

“I think I understand why people get a gun.”

“God Control” is ostensibly about gun control, though you’d be forgiven if you had a hard time discerning what exactly she’s trying to say. Like some of her best work, it’s provocative and maybe a little empty, but damn if it isn’t supremely interesting and compelling as hell. Madonna taps into a sense of apocalyptic malaise and skepticism of authority that feels at times remarkably in tune with the public consciousness, at others a grotesque caricature of it, to uniformly fascinating results as she spins a deranged disco yarn that, once those swirling strings hit, is downright euphoric. 

04. “GOLD TEETH”- Blood Orange, ft. Gangsta Boo, Project Pat, & Tinashe

“We gon’ rumble in this ho!”

Blood Orange takes Project Pat’s “Rinky Dink II/We’re Gonna Rumble” and explodes it, gifting it both playful levity and added depth with a rollicking beat minor chord synths respectively, effortlessly criss crossing Hynes’s many disparate strengths and interests in the most effortlessly rousing and joyful track in his entire ouevre, elevated by the powerhouse Three 6 Mafia reunion verses of Gangsta Boo and Project Pat himself.

03. “INCAPABLE”- Róisín Murphy

“I don’t know if I can love, in all honesty.”

“Incapable,” Róisín Murphy’s virtuosic disco epic, stops time. That indelibly simple bass line loops over and over and over again until you’re lost in it, the song slowly building itself on top of it, adding claps here, hi hat there, rising towards a stunning sequence backed by whooshing synths where the song really comes alive, where an almost boastful breakup anthem morphs into a glamorously melancholy self-indictment in which she ponders that maybe it’s her there’s something wrong with, creating a dazzling dichotomy between the pitfalls of introspection and the bliss of the dancefloor.

02. “MOVIES”- Weyes Blood

“The meaning of life doesn’t seem to shine like that screen.”

“Movies,” appropriately, plays out with a big screen gloss. Those arpeggiated synths feel like they’re slowly expanding as Natalie Mering coos atop them, wondering how if movies are fake, how come they’re more real than anything in real life? As the synths suddenly give way to frenzied strings, the song splits itself open, giving itself over wholly to the melodrama, the sweeping enormity of feeling that Mering so masterfully conjures as she longs for the vitality, the simple answers, and the meaningfulness of movies.

01. “DO YOU LOVE HER NOW”- Jai Paul

“There’s a time for everything.”

On June 1, 2019, when I first read the news that Jai Paul had released new music, news so momentous it was accompanied by a red “breaking news” banner on Pitchfork’s home page, I immediately found my headphones and sequestered myself. I knew whatever I was about to listen to would require my undivided attention. Quite frankly, I was shocked it existed at all. After the notorious, devastating leak of his music in 2013, he’d exiled himself so thoroughly that it was easy to believe he was just gone forever. But here it was, the second coming- two (2!) new songs, effectively doubling the amount of  (completed) material he’s released in an official capacity. 

Pressing play, I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, that it might somehow diminish the work of his that I’d loved so much, that changed the way I think about pop and R&B. That didn’t end up being a problem. While “He” is excellent, “Do You Love Her Now” is maybe the most stunning piece of music he’s ever written. Billowing, moseying guitars provide the heartbeat for what starts as a straightforward, sublimely simple send up of 60′s and 70′s R&B. But this Jai Paul we’re talking about, and nothing he does is simple. Nuances and complexities creep out organically from the fabric of the song- synths whiz in and out, harmonies soar to the forefront of the soundscape seemingly out of nowhere and fall away just as suddenly, crafting an immersive, richly textured listening experience that is unpredictable, washing over you like a wave, building, cresting, and crashing over and over again. 

#Music of 2019 #Do You Love Her Now #Jai Paul #Weyes Blood #Incapable #Róisín Murphy #Gold Teeth #Blood Orange #God Control #Madonna #Cattails #Big Thief #Cookie Butter #Kim Gordon #Cinnamon Girl #Lana Del Rey #cellophane #FKA twigs #Charli XCX #Christine and the Queens #Georgia #Fever Ray #(Sandy) Alex G #Angel Olsen #Clairo #Moodymann #Arthur Russell #solange #Caroline Polachek #Normani

[nikalovesmj]

Jackson 5/childhood Era (1958-1978)

Off The Wall era (1979-1981)

Thriller era (1982-1986)

Bad era (1987-1990)

Dangerous Era (1991-1994)

HIStory era (1995-1996)

Blood On The Dancefloor era (1997-2000)

Invincible era (2001-2002)

Mature era (2003-2008)

This Is It era (2009-)

Which era are you born in?

#I'm BOTDF era #Michael jackson #MJ #King of Pop #Michael #Era #70s #80s #90s #00s #Pop #Music #King #Legend #Icon

[happyimagines]

Legends of Tomorrow: Nate/Reader

write literally anything for protective nate heywood im begging you

Author: Queen of Geeks

(Hope you like it! Please send in more Legends requests!)

Gideon played music over the speakers as I stood in the space made for training on the Waverider. Taking a deep breath, I swung the metal staff in my hands the way that Sara had taught me. Each movement after the another was fluid as I practiced stances and getting a feel for different types of weaponry rather than a gun. However, the smooth motions were intercepted when the staff came into contact with someone’s head. Spherically Nate’s metal head. The force from the hit caused the staff to vibrate and I dropped it as my arms shook.

“The music’s a little loud!” Nate yelled over the music as he reverted back to his normal self.

“I am so sorry! Gideon! Turn the music down!” I yelled.

As the music volume went down, I turned my attention back to Nate.

“I’m really sorry,” I told him running my fingers through my hair.

“It’s okay, I see that training with Sara’s made you deadlier.” Nate bent to pick up my staff and held it out to me.

“And is that a bad thing?” I took the staff and Nate stepped closer to me, a grin on his face. “Want to train?”

“Sure, just let me-” Before Nate could finish his sentence, I fell backwards and used my weight to throw him over me. He landed on his back and groaned. I jumped to my feet and looked down at my boyfriend.

“You could’ve given me a heads up.”

“Yeah, and let you turn to steel? No thanks.” I smiled.

Nate sighed and pushed himself into a standing position. Once he was balanced on both feet, I pointed my staff at him.

“I’m sure this would be more intimidating if this was a different weapon.” Nate told me.

I smiled before swinging it, there was a clang as it his metal arm.

“Okay,” Nate grabbed the staff and pulled at it caused me to fall into his chest. “What now?” Nate asked, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.

“Guys,” Sara’s voice came on over the speakers. “Looks like we’re heading to the ‘20s.”

“Now we suit up.”

Nate smiled as he handed me a drink. I smiled back as he slid into the seat next to mine. As I looked around the secret bar that was hidden behind a small bookstore, I took note of any possible exits that would be needed in case of a haste escape. Many of those who had come to enjoy themselves were soon becoming drunker by the minute and rowdier. The rest of the team were spread out across the room trying to discreetly identify a “creature of the night” that had attacked. According to the descriptions we had gathered from everyone in the time period, it sounded like we were dealing with a werewolf.

“I know that we’re meant to be focusing on a magical creature,” I said into my comm. “But we’ll have to be careful about the drunks that are carrying pistols.”

“I’ll protect you.” Nate put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to side and pressed a kiss to the side of my head.

I smiled and laughed at Mick who rolled his eyes from the other side of the room. My laughter was cut short when a local from the era came to the table.

“Can we help you?” Nate asked.

“Actually, I’m here to speak to your friend.” He looked pointedly at me as if trying to see what I looked like without my clothes on.

“Maybe I’m not here to speak to you,” I told him.

“Listen here, when I say that I want to speak to you, I will.” He leaned over the table.

My body tensed as I reached for the knife on my thigh.

“If she says no, she means no.” Nate told him firmly.

The man stared at Nate, I grabbed Nate’s hand that was on my waist. It was cold like steel. The man rolled his eyes and left.

“I could’ve taken him.” I grumbled.

“As entertaining as that would’ve been, we need to maintain a cover.”

I sighed and took a sip of my drink. Rowdy drunks had begun pushing one another on the dancefloor. As they did, their anger increased more and more.

“Hey guys, it looks like things are about to get hair.” Sara told us. As she said the last word, one of the dancers shifted into a fur covered creature. “And I didn’t mean that literally!”

I looked at Nate who had gotten to his feet. Pulling my knife from its sheaf, I threw it at the werewolf and it howled before throwing it to the ground. Gunshots rang through the hall as people ran screaming. Sara attempted to reach the werewolf. However, if she wanted to avoid becoming ribbons, there was no way for her to get close.

“Ray?” Sara half-yelled the comms.

“Got it!” Ray was buzzing around, shrunken in his ATOM suit. The werewolf swatted again, this time I heard Ray screaming in the comms.

“I’m going in,” I told Nate pulling another hidden knife. He jumped in front of me, completely steeled up, and I prepared myself.

However, before I could, there was a growl in front of me as another werewolf shifted.

“Oh my god,” I groaned. I slashed with my knife and there was a red line that had formed on the arm of the werewolf. It stumbled before falling face-first on the ground. Whirling around, I saw a rocks glass soar through the air and hit the first werewolf only to have aggravate it more.

“Are you serious Mick?” Sara yelled fending herself form the first wolf.

“Heads up!” Nate punched the werewolf causing it to roar.

“Look out!”

There was a click of a gun from behind me and I whirled around. A clubgoer had a gun pointed at the werewolf. I grabbed it and pointed it back.

“Out.” I told him. However, there the ringing of a gunshot and I felt hot pain coursing through my body. I fell to the ground clutching my side as blood began pooling out.

“Guys, we have an issue!” Nate yelled appearing at my side.

“Get (Y/N) back to the ship!” Zari told him.

“I’m fine!” I got to my feet however dizziness washed over me.

“You got shot!” Nate told me as I descended into darkness.

Groaning, I turned my head as my eyes adjusted to the light of the med-bay. The pain from where I had been shot had subsided to a dull ache and my head felt heavy.

“You look nervous.” I pointed out looking at Nate.

“Well yeah, you got shot.”

“I’m fine,” I assured him as I pushed myself into a sitting position. Nate sighed, and I squeezed his hand. “Nate, how about we make a promise?”

“A promise?”

“To be careful, to not get in the way of bullets, because you’re also guilty of that.”

“I promise.”

“And you need to stop being so protective.” I told him.

“That’s something I can’t promise.”

I smiled and held up my free hand and lifted the pinkie. Nate smiled and linked his pinkie with mine.

#What would you like to read next? #legends of tomorrow imagines #legends of tomorrow oneshots #DC comics imagines #DC comics oneshots #Nate Heywood oneshots #Nate Heywood imagines

[ofadan]

1920′s AU (Eliza)

notes:  kept  the  supernatural  element.  still  frenemies,  just  a  bit  older.

          they’re  at  a  party  where  no  one  really  knows  each  other  —  it’s  just  another  ploy  of  his  parents  to  keep  up  their  immaculate  impression  &  reputation  by  mass-inviting  businessmen  to  have  a  chit-chat  and  get  drunk  on  merely  two  glasses  of  gin  rickey.  there’s  a  smooth  jazz  band  playing  in  the  background,  blending  into  the  golden  lights  of  the  stage,  and  the  ladies  are  too  shy  to  occupy  the  dancefloor  whereas  the  gentlemen  are  too  busy  discussing  their  cash  prizes  of  gambling  and  the  vivid  details  of  their  nights  spent  with  women  they  met  under  illegal  circumstances.  adan  isn’t  surprised,  by  all  means;  after  all,  it’s  the  era  of  organized  crimes  and  many  activities  that  are  thrilling  because  of  the  sole  possibility  of  keeping  the  local  police  on  their  toes,  but  he  wishes  his  supernatural  hearing  wouldn’t  catch  glimpses  of  their  conversations  behind  the  curtains,  even  with  summer  delights  strumming  in  his  ears.

          out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye,  adan  sees  eliza.  she’s  gorgeous,  of  course;  a  matching  set  of  pearls  only  enhance  her  features  along  with  her  dress,  but  even  though  the  girl  is  laughing  at  his  fiancée’s  comment,  he  can’t  help  but  scowl.  who  invited  her?  well,  that’s  a  rhetorical  question,  for  sure,  as  he  sees  the  answer  on  her  arm,  but  still.  perhaps  their  rivalry  is  childish  —  truth  be  told,  he’s  not  sure  if  there’s  any  basis  to  it  other  than  the  fact  that  they’re  on  different  supernatural  teams  —  but  he  allows  himself  to  indulge.  life  is  more  fun  when  you’re  competing,  isn’t  it?  the  vampire  decides  to  approach  the  pair,  mostly  to  greet  victoria,  but  that  loud  mouth  of  the  singer  (  call  him  bratty,  but  he  will  most  likely  drain  him  of  his  blood  in  the  back  of  this  building’s  alley  when  the  night  is  over  )  picks  the  moment  to  specifically  invite  him  and  eliza  to  the  dancefloor.  the  man  takes  cognizance  of  the  amused  smirk  that  paints  victoria’s  face  as  he  plasters  on  a  feigned  smile,  offering  the  werewolf  a  hand  to  lead  her  to  the  dancefloor.  he  can’t  help  it;  as  much  as  he  despises  his  own  family,  he  doesn’t  break  promises,  one  of  them  to  dance  along  to  whatever  this  party  would  bring  him.

          the  floor  is  empty  as  they  take  place  in  the  center,  with  a  myriad  of  eyes  drinking  them  in.  they’re  greedy,  eager  to  experience  the  youth  they’ve  lost  many  years  ago  by  living  vicariously  through  them.  the  song  is  still  upbeat  and  it’s  the  only  thing  he  can  be  grateful  for  at  the  moment.  surprisingly  enough,  they’re  a  good  match  —  their  fluid  moves  keep  up  with  each  other  as  eliza’s  pearls  rattle  on  top  of  her  collarbones,  her  heels  shaking  the  ground  beneath  them,  and  adan’s  suit  keeps  perfectly  still  while  his  intense  stare  drills  into  her  eyes  with  every  beat.  when  the  song  ends  after  what  feels  like  an  eternity,  a  burst  of  applause  floods  the  room  along  with  partners  convincing  each  other  to  top  their  performance,  and  adan  only  flashes  a  grin.  “  won’t  you  look  at  that?  maybe  you’re  not  that  hopeless  after  all.  ”  even  though  there’s  slight  sarcasm  lacing  his  voice,  he’s  still  somewhat  impressed,  but  to  conceal  that,  adan  wipes  off  his  hands  on  his  pants  as  if  he’s  been  infected,  going  that  extra  mile  to  be  dramatic,  and  walks  away.  he’s  going  to  need  that  gin  rickey  now.   

#‘ answered / 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜. ” #‘ eliza / 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. ” #‘ alternate universe / 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜. ” #could u tell i was excited abt this au.......

[the-beastslayers-queen]

A Dangerous Game: Chapter 11

Chapter 11 has arrived, and this is the last full chapter of this story. I will be posting the epilogue tonight as a special double feature. Tagging: @queenofthearchitect @biforbecky2belts @writtingrose @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @mox-made-me-do-it @sassyspacedust @sammyfireheartashryver @jeffhardyenigmawwefan @afauss2009 @calwitch @romans-babygirl-wwe @finnsauroraborealis @accidentalsethrollinsblog and @romansrgn My tag list is still open to newcomers and I will be working on new fics and filling requests very soon. Enjoy!

It has been a week or so since Drew has held us here in Glasgow Kiss. My leg is being held together with a rigid splint and I’m bound to this chair 24/7. I’ve barely had enough to eat and I’ve been given the bare minimum of water to keep me from dehydrating. I was getting so worried for the health of my baby. I was terrified that McIntyre might force me into a late miscarriage or just cause permanent damage to my baby that she’d be disabled or stillborn.

Finn where the fuck are you? Seth and I need you. Your niece needs you.

Finn

I finally got everyone together and figured out that Drew went to ground at Glasgow Kiss. His whole crew has been far too silent. That means they’re there with him, holding my sister and brother-in-law prisoner. I knew I’d need all the help I could get to break in there to free them.

I had managed to not only get the Elite on my side, but I also managed to bring in the Undisputed Era. I buried the hatchet with them and I offered to make sure Miami stays in their care and no one moves in without their permission.

“Bálor,” I looked up from my desk, looking over the blueprints of McIntyre’s crown jewel to figure out the plan of attack. There I saw Hunter and he was ready to go to war to save his son from McIntyre, “You’ve studied that blueprint a thousand times since you came back from Iowa. We need to get our asses into gear. Seth and Cat and their baby have little time left. They could all already be dead by now.”

“I’m as worried and hungry for blood as you are, Hunter,” I looked up at him, the fire burning in my eyes, “But we need to go in with a plan of attack and have a plan of escape once we find them.”

“If I know Seth as well as I think I do,” Hunter leaned over the blueprint with me, “He’s already trying to get an opening to break out of there and get to Cat. He is my son after all.”

Seth

It’s been the same damn routine for the last week or so I’ve been stuck here under McIntyre’s thumb. I’m pulled out of my cell, beat in my ribs, and then dragged upstairs to be tortured some more in front of Cat. And today was no different.

Joe was having fun beating into my ribs like usual, but when he performed his signature Cocina Clutch, he dropped his weight sideways and I felt a tearing in my knee. I went down screaming in pain.

“Stop it, please,” I heard Cat scream. My vision started to fade to black as I felt Joe crush my torso between his legs as I tried to suck in as much air as I could.

Cat

I had to watch again as Seth was beaten in front of me. I could hardly recognize him anymore. Both of his beautiful brown eyes were swollen into slits from how many punches to his face he’s received. He had several cuts on his nose and cheeks from the hard hits from Joe’s stiff jabs. His lip is split and so swollen it’s hard to see his mustache anymore. I think he has a couple chipped teeth too.

Now what’s worse is he’s out cold and I think Joe messed up his leg. As soon as Seth was out cold, I fought hard against my bindings. I wanted so desperately to go to his side and cradle him in my arms. I wanted to take the pain away the only way I knew how. This was heinous and cruel. We did not deserve to be treated like this. I was going to see to it that once I was free I was going to end McIntyre and Joe for what they’ve done to us.

“You sick bastard,” I screamed at Joe as he smirked over Seth’s unconscious body, “I’m going to kill you!”

“Shut up,” Joe charged over towards me and slapped me hard across my face. I spat out the blood that pooled into my mouth right into his face, earning me a swift stab of a knife into my right shoulder, right into the scar from when I had gotten shot what feels like so long ago, “That’s what you get for betraying my man Drew.”

“Joe,” I looked up to find Shaemus standing behind Joe, “Why don’t you take a break. I’ll look over the punishments of Rollins and Bálor.”

Joe left Shaemus alone with myself and Seth. I glared at him, waiting for him to start torturing me. Instead he handed me a razor blade. I looked at him confused.

“Shh, don’t say a word and keep that hidden,” he whispered to me, “I’ve been a plant of your brothers. I was away in Ireland when they took you and Seth. I’m trying to get word out to Finn to get here to save you. I’m going to plant a bobby pin in Seth’s hair so he’ll be able to break out of his chains to help with the plan. I’m going to make sure you get out of here alive and that your baby is unharmed, okay. Please trust me, lass.”

I shifted the blade he gave me up into my sleeve and I watched as Shaemus put a bobby pin into Seth’s bun where it was out of sight of anyone. Seth began to stir and recoiled once he was able to see Shaemus standing over him.

“Relax Seth,” Shaemus whispered, “I’m on your side in all of this. I just stashed a bobby pin into your hair so when you get locked up tonight, you can escape and get into the security room and shut down the alarm system. I’m telling Finn to attack tonight get you and Cat out of here before more damage can be done to either of you.”

Seth

I took in Shaemus’s words as I let my gaze shift over to Cat. There I saw she had fresh blood on her face and on her shirt. That was when I saw that she was stabbed right in her scar on her right shoulder, right where Strong had shot her back in Miami.

“Why help us,” I asked him, groaning in pain from my right knee and my ribs along with all the other damage I’ve suffered since being dragged here, “You’re in his damn clan.”

“I’m a plant sent here by Finn,” he replied, “I was in Ireland when everything started. When I came back I told Finn where we had you two and to get blueprints to know the layout of the club so they can find you both quickly. I’m going to have Finn attack tonight.”

“So you can ambush him and force him and my father to watch us die,” I asked him, not trusting him for a second.

“Seth for fuck’s sake,” I looked over to Cat as she was struggling through her pain, “We need you to break out of your cell tonight and get to the security room to shut down the alarms. That way Finn and Hunter can get us out of here. I can’t keep going on like this. I’m going to lose our baby if McIntyre continues torturing me.”

I finally nodded and accepted Shaemus’s help. I mean I was going to have to learn to trust him in order to save my family from McIntyre.

“Escape your cell tonight,” Shaemus ordered, “I will have Finn and Hunter ready to bust down the doors and get you both out.”

That night, I was locked up like normal. I waited a few hours before I attempted to fish out the bobby pin from my hair. It took me several tries, but I got the bobby pin and I picked the lock on my right wrist, freeing myself easily. I then freed my left hand and I was off to the races. I managed to get the door to my cell open and snuck quietly through the hall. I saw some nameless jobber that was under McIntyre’s employ and grabbed him quickly and snapped his neck. I couldn’t risk being caught.

Once I was done with him, I made my way upstairs and found Shaemus waiting for me. He put a finger to his lip and gestured for me to follow him. I obeyed and he led me right to the security room. From there, he took the liberty of knocking out the guard stationed there and locked the door once we were in and clear.

“Alright make it quick,” Shaemus commanded, “There’s no telling how long this fella is going to stay out.”

I simply nodded and got to work on hacking into and shutting down the alarm system. I did not want to give McIntyre the chance to stop Finn and my dad from rescuing us. I wish I was as good of a hacker as Cat, I knew she’d have this down way faster than I would, but I had no idea where in the club she was being held.

“Once I do this I want you to help me find Cat,” I looked over towards Shaemus as he made sure his gun was ready and loaded, “I don’t want her to be left behind.”

“You got it,” Shaemus pulled out the gun from the security guard’s holster, “I’m sure you know how to work this.”

“You bet your ass,” I told him, “And I’ll make sure to pop one into Drew.”

Finally the alarm was down and Shaemus send out a text to Finn to let him know it was time to come in to take the fight to McIntyre and get us out. Shaemus led me out of the office and I saw my dad come running towards me with Dean and Roman hot on his heels.

“You look like shit, Uce,” Roman grimaced at seeing me so banged up, “They did quite the number on you.”

“No time,” Hunter spoke up, “We need to help Finn find Cat. Do you know where she could be?”

“No but if I had to venture a guess it’d be McIntyre’s office above the dancefloor,” Sheamus answered, “I’ll go find Finn and lead him there. You guys go on ahead.”

I led the way with my dad and brothers up to Drew’s office. When we arrived, Drew knew we were coming and had Corbin and Ziggler waiting for us. I wasted no time in popping them both in their kneecaps to get them out of the way. Dad opened the door and I saw Drew holding Cat to him, the barrel of his gun kissing her temple. She looked absolutely terrified.

“Let her go, McIntyre,” I sneered at him as I pointed my gun at him, “She’s not yours anymore. She was never yours.”

“I will not let you take her,” he shouted back, “She was promised to me. If I can’t have her, no one will.”

“Shoot him,” Cat begged, “I trust you, Seth.”

I opted not to shoot him. Instead I moved closer. I inched closer and closer as Roman and Dean took up my sides to try to prevent Drew from getting away from me. Once I was close enough I grabbed onto Cat and ripped her from his grasp. That was when I heard a gun go off. I looked down at my stomach and I saw nothing but red.

“Seth,” I heard Cat scream.

Cat

Drew shot him, he really shot Seth. I grabbed hold of Seth’s gun and I drew it on McIntyre. I whipped it in his face, dazing him. I then stepped on his hand, putting all of my weight into it. I ended up crushing his hand and breaking his grasp on the gun. I kicked it away and I stood over him, ready to shoot him.

“Am le bás, soith,” I sneered before I pulled the trigger.

Drew became lifeless and I fell to my knees as Finn came running into the room. I turned around and saw Seth lying in Roman’s arms.

“Stay with us, Uce,” he begged, “Your wife and kid are going to need you.”

“Seth,” I crawled over to him and took hold of his hand in mine, “Please don’t die on me. I beg you, please stay with us.”

Seth

I woke up and groaned in sheer pain. I felt like my whole body was on fire. I looked around and saw I was in a hospital bed. I felt like absolute shit. I also couldn’t believe I was alive. I remember getting shot, but nothing else. I continued to look around until I spotted an all too familiar face. Mom.

“Seth, baby,” she cooed as she saw my eyes fixate on her, “Oh good you’re awake. I have to tell your father. We’ve all been worried sick.”

“Mom,” I croaked out, grimacing in pain, “Where’s Cat? Is she alright? The baby?”

“Oh hush now,” she chided, “They’re both okay. Cat is up in the maternity ward for monitoring her and the baby. Once we’re able to, I’m going to help you go up to see her.”

“Is McIntyre gone,” I asked, not remembering anything past getting shot.

“Cat killed him,” she replied, “Nailed the bastard right between the eyes. Your father and Dean would not stop talking about how badass she is.”

“How bad off was I that I had to come here,” I asked.

“You were in very rough shape,” she answered as she stroked my hair, “You were bleeding out from your gunshot wound so we had to rush you here. You had surgery to repair all the damage done to you while under captivity.”

“What about the rest of McIntyre’s clan,” I asked, “What happened to them.”

“They were all arrested when Breeze and Dango came in with the calvary. Shawn presented Cat’s rape kit to make sure Ziggler and Corbin got burned and locked up for a very long time,” she replied, “Now I’m going to see if it might be easier to have Cat come down to see you. You rest easy, okay. I’ll get Dean and Roman to sit with you while I’m gone.”

Cat

When Stephanie told me Seth was awake, I was overjoyed. I was okay, I had stitches everywhere and I was checked thoroughly to make sure the baby was okay. Turned out our daughter is a little trooper and was going to be just fine. She suffered no damage or ill affects which made my heart rest easy. My doctor said it was okay for me to go but to come back if anything changes for me.

I made it down to Seth’s room and I found Dean and Roman talking with Seth, going on and on about how things are going to change now that Drew was gone. I knocked lightly on the door and Dean and Roman both looked at me in my wounded glory. I had to have a moonboot on over the cast I had on my leg from when Drew broke it, I was lucky to be able to walk at all with it.

“Your old lady is here, Seth,” Dean joked, “It’s good to see you in one piece, doll face.”

“We’ll leave you two alone,” Roman guided Dean out of the room and I took a seat on the bed next to Seth, taking his hand in mine the moment I was settled.

“We’re free,” Seth murmured as he brought my knuckles up to his face so he could kiss them, “Now we can live out our lives without having to look over our shoulders.”

“I know,” I smiled, “I have some news for you.”

“What is it,” he asked, “The baby is doing really well right?”

“Oh she’s doing just fine,” I smiled at him as he blanked for a second trying to process what I meant, “We’re having a little girl, Seth.”

“Our own little princess,” Seth released my hand and rested his on my belly, rubbing it gently, “She’ll be a total badass like her mom. I can just see it now. She’ll be beating up all the little boys in school.”

#seth rollins x oc #seth rollins fic #seth rollins fanfic #seth rollins fanfiction #wwe fic #wwe fanfic #wwe fanfiction #A Dangerous Game

[livanya]

Michael Jackson Inktober - Dangerous era

Continuing with the Inktober drawings of Michael Jackson Songs in chronological order. Ok, I cheated with "Is it scary" which actually belongs to Blood on the Dancefloor. ;)

#inktober #inktrober2018 #michaeljackson #dangerous #mjart #mjcartoon #halloween #michaeljacksonhalloween

[benjaminjamestaylor]

My Top 10 Albums of 2018

If you know me well, you know I do this every year. It’s not in the hope that people will read it; more a sort of time capsule that I can look back on in the future and fondly remember the music that soundtracked my year. Some years, there’s a clear and obvious number one (Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015, for example). Others – such as this one – are more of a close-run thing, with the top spots changing sometimes as late as the writing process.

Before I get to my top ten, I would be remiss not to mention a few albums that missed out but have nonetheless been regulars in my rotation this year. Firstly, I should tip my cap to the experimentation shown by Beach House, Ben Howard, and Low, all of whom showed a refreshing intent to break from their norm and make some greatly interesting music. I’m also acutely aware of the lack of representation for R&B and hip-hop in my top ten – I didn’t ignore these genres, it just so happened that they weren’t among my ten favourites. Kids See Ghosts and Earl Sweatshirt in particular came close, and Janelle Monáe was another that I enjoyed greatly. Here’s my honourable mentions list in full:

Beach House – 7; Ben Howard – Noonday Dream; Low – Double Negative; Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer; Brockhampton – Iridescence; Anderson .Paak – Oxnard; Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim; Jeff Tweedy – WARM; Matt Maltese – Bad Contestant; Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts; Pusha T – Daytona; Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs; Parquet Courts – Wide Awake; Kurt Vile – Bottle It In; The Beths – Future Me Hates Me; Jungle – For Ever; Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel; Mitski – Be The Cowboy; Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off Dog; Lucy Dacus – Historian.

Also, here’s a Spotify playlist of all my favourite tracks from the year.

Now on to the top ten…

10. Blood Orange – Negro Swan

I’ve got a soft spot for a true album – one that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and should be listened to as a whole. There are actually very few tracks on Negro Swan that hit home outside the context of the album. But there’s so much to like here: the way tracks flow into each other, punctuated by regular snippets of dialogue from the likes of transgender activist Janet Mock. The word that defines this album is ‘introspection’ – there are regular references to the desire to be loved and the fear of allowing oneself to be loved completely. At times the tracks feel frustratingly unfinished, and that’s all that keeps this at the back end of my top ten.

Highlights: ‘Saint’, ‘Charcoal Baby’, ‘Nappy Wonder’

9. Snail Mail – Lush

It’s been a hell of a year for young, female indie rockers (more on that later…), and Lindsey Jordan (A.K.A. Snail Mail) is perhaps the most prodigious of them all. The teenager’s debut, Lush, is a highly impressive record that showcases her signature sound: subtle, twinkly guitar melodies and foot-tapping drum beats. It tails off a little towards the back end of the album, as the novelty of her style begins to wear off. You wonder if this was a record she rushed into making, to capitalise on the considerable hype around her. If that’s the case, it’s a shame as a few more songs to the standard of ‘Pristine’ and ‘Heat Wave’ may have pushed this album up into my top five.

Highlights: ‘Pristine’, ‘Heat Wave’, ‘Stick’

8. The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

This album is getting a lot of love, and I’ll admit that on first listen I didn’t get the hype. The 1975 are a somewhat controversial band – they face lavish praise and upturned noses in seemingly equal measure. There were moments of their absurdly-titled previous record that I liked, but their overly synthetic sound and Matty Healy’s unique vocal style are occasionally grating. ABIIOR has its flaws, but there’s also much to admire. They’ve incorporated a variety of styles, from stripped-back acoustic to arena pop and even jazz. The obvious themes of life and love in a digital age are well-explored and the production is, at times, gorgeous. Stick with it – it might just grow on you.

Highlights: ‘Love It If We Made It’, ‘Inside Your Mind’, ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’

7. U.S. Girls – In A Poem Unlimited

In many ways, this record is a better executed version of the 1975’s. Meg Remy looks at similar themes of our problematic modern world, though in her case she explores them through a lens of feminine anger. Songs like ‘Rage of Plastics’ and ‘M.A.H.’ are direct, furious tirades towards American politics in the Obama era. The instrumentation and production is staggeringly brilliant throughout, with each track demonstrating a different string from Remy’s bow. On ‘Rosebud’, she channels her inner Madonna to produce one of the finest, most listenable indie pop tunes of the year.

Highlights: ‘M.A.H.’, ‘Rosebud’, ‘L-Over’

6. Maribou State – Kingdoms In Colour

My favourite electronic album of the year, Kingdoms In Colour improves on Maribou State’s encouraging debut, 2015’s Portraits. The improvements lie in their balance between the dance-pop hits, where they utilise long-time collaborator Holly Walker on vocals, and the more experimental, sample-based pieces that make up the rest of the album. It’s the latter that leave the most lasting impression, no better than on ‘Vale’, with the sample of Melanie de Baliso’s ‘I Feel You’ dovetailing beautifully with the group’s accompanying melody. If you’re looking for an album to put on as a backing track at your next party, look no further.

Highlights: ‘Beginner’s Luck’, ‘Nervous Tics’, ‘Vale’

5. Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine

A collaboration between Bon Iver and the National was never going to be bad, was it? Big Red Machine doesn’t quite hit the heights you might expect from such a high-profile meeting of minds, but there are enough moments of genius here to make it an album worth revisiting repeatedly. For the most part, Justin Vernon leaves his trademark complex song structures at the door in favour of simpler, more lineal compositions. This leads to some tracks feeling repetitive at times, although even these feature a central hook strong enough to keep you interested. And on 'Lyla', with its polyrhythms and meandering structure, there are hints of the exciting fruits this partnership could eventually produce.

Highlights: ‘Lyla’, ‘Hymnostic’, ‘I Won’t Run From It’

4. Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Perhaps Arctic Monkeys’ most divisive album since Humbug, TBHAC is also their bravest and most ambitious. It’s essentially a concept album – tales of a futuristic hotel on the moon brought to life by Alex Turner’s controversial switch from guitar to piano. It’s no surprise that the album has alienated some of the band’s more fundamentalist fans, as there’s a blatant lack of Turner’s usual indie dancefloor hits as well as a side-lining of outstanding drummer Matt Helders. Instead, we’re treated to songs without clear structures and, aside from ‘Four Out Of Five’, catchy choruses. Turner occasionally strays too far towards self-indulgence (‘Batphone’ is a difficult listen), but he’s still a remarkable lyricist and he’s produced an album that cements their status as the band of their era.

Highlights: ‘Star Treatment’, ‘American Sports’, ‘Four Out Of Five’

3. boygenius – boygenius EP

I may be cheating a tad here by including an EP, but given that there’s as much to enjoy here as on many fine albums released this year, you’ll excuse me. boygenius are a supergroup of sorts, featuring female up-and-comers Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. Individually, all three are well worth a listen. But their collaborative EP propels them to new heights. Each has their own songwriting moments (two each from the six-track EP), and these intertwine through stunning vocal harmonies to form a completely cohesive collection of songs. The finest moments are Bridgers’, with her soft vocal timbre particularly captivating on ‘Me And My Dog’. We can only hope the success of this experiment results in a full-length album in 2019.

Highlights: ‘Me And My Dog’, ‘Souvenir’, ‘Ketchum, ID’

2. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

No album surprised me more in 2018 than this one. After a slew of out-of-this-world reviews, I decided I had to give Golden Hour at least one listen – if only to be able to confirm it as what almost all country pop albums are: ‘not for me’. The thing is, this record transcends genre, and even those who like neither country nor pop will appreciate its beauty and the quality of its songs. Everything on Golden Hour is well-executed: Musgraves sings beautifully; the instrumentation feels minimal yet rounded; the production is absolutely on-point; and the melodies are to die for. There are even psychedelic elements throughout – nods to Musgraves’ use of acid during the album’s production. Give this album a chance, leave your prejudices at the door, and you’ll be treated to a simply perfect collection of pop songs.

Highlights: ‘Slow Burn’, ‘Wonder Woman’, ‘High Horse’

1. Soccer Mommy – Clean

As I mentioned, this wasn’t a runaway number one. But the more I re-listened to my shortlist, the more it became clear that Clean was the strongest candidate for top spot. Snail Mail and boygenius have already taken spots in my top ten, demonstrating what a strong year it has been for female indie vocalists. But Soccer Mommy’s (Sophie Allison’s) album just feels like the finished product that both Snail Mail and boygenius are aiming to eventually produce.

Clean doesn’t just contain great songs with deliciously spiky lyrics (the opening line of ‘Your Dog’ is a belter), it also feels so well balanced. Laid-back, melancholy tunes like ‘Still Clean’ and ‘Blossom’ are countered by catchy indie numbers like ‘Cool’ and ‘Skin’. Allison’s voice seems refined too – perfectly able to handle those two ends of the spectrum. Considering the album centres on a feeling of teenage angst, the sound feels remarkably mature. It’s a worthy album of the year.

Highlights: ‘Cool’, ‘Skin’, ‘Blossom (Wasting All My Time)’

[sophieebdaily]

Português/English

Em entrevista para o Renowed For Sound, Sophie fala sobre o lockdown do Reino Unido, seu novo álbum de estúdio, turnê e fala que se sente sortuda pelos fãs que tem. Leia o diálogo de Sophie com Brendon Veevers traduzido logo abaixo:

O lockdown pode ter tomado um controle sombrio sobre o Reino Unido e o mundo todo durante a melhor parte de 2020, mas o ícone pop Sophie Ellis-Bextor tem estado ao nosso lado em todo o caminho com suas travessuras familiares transmitidas online em forma de Kitchen Discos. Uma homenagem a sua família, que se juntou à estrela durante meia hora de entretenimento semanal, Ellis-Bextor entregou contos e covers para elevar nossos ânimos e um dos resultados foi sua primeira coleção de grandes sucessos, lançada no final de 2020, no formato brilhante chamado Songs From The Kitchen Disco.

Como o ícone pop, mãe, esposa e personalidade online nos diz quando falamos com ela recentemente, na véspera do Natal, sobre o otimismo para os planos de fazer uma turnê da Kitchen Disco, juntamente como ato de abertura para a turnê de arena What The Future Holds em novembro, estão agora em seus lugares. Também falamos sobre como está lidando com a quarentena e como ela tem levado durante o ano desafiador que foi 2020, bem como planos para um novo álbum de estúdio. Aqui está o que a criadora do hit Murder On The Dancefloor teve a nos dizer...

Brendon Veevers: Sophie, olá! Como você está?

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Olá Brendon! Sim, eu sou bem obrigada, eu estava esperando sua ligação.

BV: Você está no Oeste de Londres, não é Sophie?

SEB: Sim, eu estou.

BV: Eu morava no Oeste de Londres também e me lembro que alguns anos atrás, passei por você na rua. Você estava empurrando um carrinho de bebê com um de seus filhos mais novos na época. Lembro-me de ir trabalhar no dia seguinte me gabando que eu vi a Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

SEB: (risos) sim. E eu ainda posso ser vista com um carrinho de bebê de vez em quando.

BV: Eu sei que você está muito ocupada promovendo o seu disco de grandes sucessos no momento, então eu irei direto ao ponto aqui. Como mãe de 5 filhos, um álbum de greatest hits recém-lançado, 2 séries online regulares e 2 turnês para o próximo ano, você parece ser uma mulher muito ocupada. Antes de tocar no assunto em cada uma dessas coisas, como o confinamento em geral tem tratado você e sua família neste ano?

SEB: Bem, provavelmente igual muitas pessoas. Um pouco misturado, na verdade. Não foi tudo desgraça e tristeza. Conseguimos lidar em passar por isso. Sabe, se eu tivesse que ficar trancada com pessoas então eu estou com todas as pessoas que eu teria escolhido. Eu acho que nós tínhamos o mecanismo da nossa própria família que acredito que é o que deu à luz às Kitchen Discos, porque como uma família, isso é o que fazemos quando estamos nos sentindo que precisamos comemorar ou apenas deixar de lado alguma tensão ou até mesmo apenas pular por aí e se divertir – nós colocamos música, as luzes, então isso tem sido uma boa parte do nosso ano, mas sim, como todo mundo nós também tivemos momentos que foram realmente complicados. Todo o meu trabalho que foi planejado para o ano foi cancelado, assim como o de meu marido, houve então muita adaptação e reajuste das coisas e há um monte de coisas que perdemos sobre nossas vidas normais e que ainda estão faltando, mas estamos levando.

BV: Você mencionou a sua Kitchen Disco e é sobre isso que eu queria falar com você. De onde veio a ideia de fazer isso?

SEB: Quer saber? Foi meio espontâneo. Foi estranho. A ideia não foi minha, foi do meu marido. Acho que ambos acreditamos que sentimos falta das pessoas e perdemos as coisas normais que fazemos, mas os tempos são realmente difíceis; com o peso das notícias e se adaptando às crianças e suas atividades, por estarem fora da escola e esse tipo de coisa. Então ele disse ‘por que não fazemos isso como um show online’ e eu pensei que era absolutamente insano, com um bebê chorando e coisas assim, mas então eu pensei ‘que se dane!’. O que de pior que poderia acontecer? E, na verdade, isso fez com que nos sentíssemos muito bem e eu estava um pouco preocupada que as pessoas pudessem pensar que eu tinha enlouquecido um pouco, mas então eu pensei que as coisas já estavam um pouco pesadas – vamos fazer algo divertido. E na verdade tivemos uma resposta tão adorável e calorosa que nós nos sentimos muito melhores. Era uma maneira de se conectar com nossa família e nossos amigos, bem como com outras pessoas, então se tornou exatamente o que fazíamos todas às sextas-feiras durante uma vida toda. Foi apenas meia hora em uma sexta-feira e o resto da semana era bem doméstico, mundano e tedioso. Então, toda sexta tínhamos algo para nos distrair e pensar em novas músicas para fazer e apenas nos divertirmos.

BV: Seus filhos são o motivo de inveja de tantos fãs ao redor do mundo com a experiência de performances tão íntimas da Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Quais são as opiniões dos seus filhos sobre a mãe e o pai serem estrelas pop? É algo que eles se vangloriam ou algo que realmente ‘tanto faz’?

SEB: Sabe, eu acho que eles não são nenhum dos dois tipos, de certa forma. Eles estão apenas indo com o que está acontecendo em suas vidas. Eles têm uma espécie de lugar saudável para isso, eu não acredito que eu esteja criando pequenos fãs – o que eu acho apropriado, mas eu também acho que todos eles nos apoiam e eles gostam do fato de que a mãe e o pai gostam do que fazem e eu acho que eles gostam da loucura do fato de que há tantas coisas diferentes acontecendo ao mesmo tempo. Mas também, eles não estão pensando sobre isso o tempo todo (risos). E mesmo com as Kitchen Discos eles são apenas crianças vestindo suas fantasias e com luzes e eu espero ter escolhido algumas músicas que eles possam gostar. Eu realmente não acho que eles estavam pensando muito sobre isso, além de serem 25 minutos de suas vidas uma vez por semana, na verdade, mas para eles é apenas um pouco de diversão como um aniversário de família e isso vai e vem, algumas vezes funciona, outras um pouco complicado e, em seguida, a vida segue.

BV: Com você e Richard na indústria da música, vocês estão em um espaço criativo que sua casa claramente é, isso passou para qualquer um de seus filhos? Algum deles despertou interesse nas artes?

SEB: Olha, eu ficaria surpresa se nenhum deles quisesse estar em uma banda em algum momento da vida. Eu acho que definitivamente somos uma família bastante criativa, então o lado criativo das coisas não é algo que liga e desliga em nossa família, mas qualquer coisa pode mudar à medida que crescem e alguns deles são muito novos então é muito difícil dizer agora, mas eu definitivamente acho que eles amam música e todos eles têm sua própria identidade musical e para ser honesta, isso é tudo que eu realmente queria para eles. Antes de ser cantora, eu era fã de música e a música têm sido uma coisa tão grandiosa na minha vida e acho que também é provavelmente por isso que o Kitchen Disco surgiu, porque mesmo antes de termos a ideia de fazer isso como um show, tudo o que estava acontecendo nas notícias só me fez querer pensar sobre, sabe, músicas que me deram ânimo ou me ajudaram a aliviar a tensão e me dar um pouco de libertação. A música tem sido uma grande companheira para mim. Através de todos os altos e baixos que eu passei, eu acho que se seus filhos podem ter isso também, então eles sempre terão um lugar e uma maneira de articular o que eles estão sentindo.

BV: Você lançou recentemente sua primeira coleção de grandes sucessos. Tendo esse tempo em confinamento e refletindo sobre sua carreira e lançando esse álbum, ao olhar para trás ao longo dos anos e dos seus singles, o que você diria que é a sua maior conquista? Por qual single você mais gostaria que a Sophie Ellis Bextor fosse lembrada?

SEB: Uau, não sou muito boa em pensar sobre mim mesma nesses termos. No meu próprio tipo de desenvolvimento como artista, acho que meu quinto álbum (Wanderlust, de 2014) foi algo muito importante para mim. Mas você sabe, é muito difícil já que houve alguns momentos marcantes, porque eu estava em uma banda antes de Groovejet. Em uma banda chamada theaudience quando eu era adolescente e era uma banda bem indie. E quando eu fiz Groovejet, foi a primeira vez que eu realmente pensei em fazer qualquer outro gênero musical. Então essa música foi muito fundamental para mim, não só porque foi comercialmente bem sucedida, mas porque ela me ensinou que havia tantas outras possibilidades e coisas que eu poderia fazer se quisesse. E, obviamente, Murder on the Dancefloor é uma canção que levou a mim e ao meu primeiro álbum (Read My Lips) pelo mundo todo. Mas eu acho que meu quinto álbum, de uma forma mais pessoal, foi o meu momento mais corajoso, pois eu estava em um lugar bastante cômodo quando eu estava fazendo-o e eu provavelmente poderia ter continuado fazendo o de costume, no gênero que eu já me encontrava. Mas eu pensei "Eu não sou tão velha ainda – eu quero agitar as coisas e explorar outras possibilidades" então eu fiz esse disco mais folk que não tinha nenhuma dança ou balada, e eu fiz uma música chamada Young Blood, que é verdadeiramente uma canção de amor. Era muito mais vulnerável que algumas das outras coisas que eu já havia feito e para mim isso foi muito satisfatório. Então, eu acredito que para qualquer uma dessas músicas houve um pouco de onde o caminho mudou de direção.

BV: Ao longo de sua carreira você trabalhou com outras pessoas e produziram algumas colaborações muito memoráveis, como Spiller (Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)) e The Freemasons  (Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)). Há alguém com quem você adoraria em fazer uma colaboração no futuro?

SEB: Umm, quer saber? No momento, estou muito satisfeita. Estou fazendo meu terceiro álbum com o Ed Harcourt, com quem já fiz alguns álbuns antes e ele é brilhante. O que é tão especial sobre ele, é que não se parece como um trabalho. É divertido. E ele é tão bom no que faz, que eu sempre quero dar o meu melhor. É apenas sobre o desafio, mas também é uma maneira adorável de passar o dia e eu estou muito feliz com o trabalho que estamos fazendo, eu estou me sentindo bastante satisfeita até agora. Mas estou aberta a muitas coisas. Eu amo o fato de que amanhã ou até mesmo nesta tarde, eu poderia receber um e-mail ou um telefonema onde eu recebo uma oportunidade que muda a direção dos próximos 6 meses. Sou viciada nisso. Eu sempre tenho esse ‘friozinho na barriga’, sabe, que diz "o que mais há lá fora?".

BV: Uma publicação sua recente através do Facebook, mencionava que quando o ano começou você estava no meio do caminho escrevendo um novo álbum. Ainda há planos para completar e lançar esse disco?

SEB: Ah sim, definitivamente. Só precisamos terminá-lo. É só que, sim, no meio do caminho.. quando o lockdown começou, igual a todo mundo, eu pensei que tudo o que eu estou fazendo agora está em pausa e quando estivermos livres da pandemia então eu vou apenas pressionar o play novamente, eu pensei que era isso que eu estava fazendo. E então eu percebi que na metade do ano eu precisava fazer essa parte do que está acontecendo comigo agora. Isso influenciou às coisas e mudou tudo. E eu entendo isso agora. Acho que quando a quarentena começou, havia alguns especialistas na TV dizendo que você não voltaria ao normal. A vida não seria a mesma. E eu realmente não conseguia entender isso. Também, esse conceito soa muito assustador, não é mesmo? Quando você já está lidando com coisas assustadoras, eu acho que é isso que eles queriam dizer. Houve certas coisas sobre como nossas vidas foram afetadas este ano que talvez iremos levar adiante. Além de todas as coisas óbvias como se alguém que você conhece estivesse doente ou que tivesse morrido, é uma coisa tão única que temos vivido onde literalmente todos no planeta foram afetados de alguma forma.

BV: A indústria da música tomou um grande golpe da pandemia e você capturou a crise que a indústria musical enfrenta perfeitamente para o seu vídeo de Crying at the Discotheque, onde você filmou em uma série de locais vazios. Como alguém que está acostumada a preencher esses espaços em turnê, como foi isso?

SEB: Sim, há algumas coisas que você não pensa como a indústria de boates, DJ's e artistas e a hospitalidade, por exemplo. Há tanta coisa. Sim, você está certo Brendon, com o vídeo eu queria destacar isso. Eu me senti muito empática com meus muitos colegas que não tiveram tanta sorte quanto eu em seus outros projetos. Se você é alguém que normalmente está na estrada em torno de 48 semanas ao longo do ano, onde eles estão colocando as luzes no palco ou gerenciando turnês, não há realmente uma solução fácil em como você pode fazer algo assim em seu dia a dia. Eu diria que algumas pessoas foram jogadas em situações desesperadoras. Então, no começo eu pensei "eu sinto por eles" e "eu sinto pelo que está acontecendo com eles" então eu queria destacar todas as coisas que normalmente acontecem dentro dessa nossa cultura que está em espera. Mas, sim, eu me senti muito triste. Eu nunca pensei em como isso poderia me afetar e na verdade eu me senti muito para baixo ao longo dos dias por algumas razões. Obviamente este é o meu trabalho diário, então é algo que eu estou fazendo o tempo todo – eu estaria fazendo shows e isso é parte do trabalho que Richard e eu fazemos. Mas também, como alguém que vive em uma capital como Londres, uma cidade como essa, onde tudo é tão vibrante e há sempre algo acontecendo., acho que esqueci o fato de que normalmente gosto de que há uma vida agitada ao meu redor e pessoas fazendo coisas e fazendo planos. Toda noite você vai para a cama e há um bilhão de espetáculos, há teatros, há shows, há turnês, há cultura e artes e isso tudo foi colocado em pausa. Está tudo quieto. E essa quietude é bastante estranha. Isso vai voltar. Ainda há muita incerteza, mas não foi abordado publicamente e às vezes parece bastante desrespeitoso ou uma questão de retreinamento. Está tudo bem para conseguir outro emprego se seu trabalho normal foi colocado em espera, mas é muito diferente quando te dizem que você precisa ir e aprender uma habilidade completamente diferente, porque o que você fazia não é mais parte do que está acontecendo agora. Isso é horrível, não é?

BV: Você anunciou a Kitchen Disco Tour para 2021. O que podemos esperar da turnê?

SEB: Sim, acho que foi apenas uma progressão natural. No meio do caminho fazendo esses shows, tivemos um público virtual porque não era possível fazer isso ao vivo, mas obviamente eu teria feito uma turnê em 2020 de qualquer maneira, mas eu acho que a Kitchen Disco está apenas trazendo isso ao vivo para tentar fazer as pessoas se sentirem como se ainda estivessem fazendo parte disso tudo. Acho que vai ser algo mágico. Estou me sentindo muito otimista agora com a notícia de que as várias vacinas testadas estão sendo eficazes. E para ser honesta, se minha turnê não for adiante, eu sou apenas uma representação de bilhões de eventos ao vivo acontecendo a partir de março/abril em diante. Estaremos em um momento terrível se tudo tiver que ser colocado em pausa por mais tempo de qualquer maneira, então eu estou me sentindo bem. Estou me sentindo cautelosamente otimista no momento. Nada que sugira que eles não encontrarão uma maneira de fazer isso acontecer.

BV: Você também está se juntando à banda STEPS em sua turnê ‘What The Future Holds’ a partir de novembro de 2021, então você vai estar muito ocupada na estrada no próximo ano. Você já falou com a banda sobre o seu ato de abertura e você já os conheceu pessoalmente antes?

SEB: Sim, na verdade eu estou em turnê sozinha com eles. Então, eu vou segurar o set de apoio por um pouco mais, colocando a multidão no clima. Sim, já conheci alguns deles antes. Eu não conheci todos eles, mas eles são gerenciados por um cara chamado Peter Lorraine que eu conheço há cerca de 20 anos. Ele era um dos gerentes na Polydor quando eu era de lá e somos amigos há muito tempo. Ele é absolutamente brilhante e eu o amo, então é um tipo de desculpa para trabalhar com ele também. Eu acho que todos nós vamos ter momentos muito bons. Acredito que será muito amigável e muito divertido. Eu acho que com a maneira como todo mundo está se sentindo, serão coisas que fará se sentirem melhor e eles têm o elemento nostalgia também. Há algo realmente reconfortante em ter uma bela noite com boa música pop, certo?

BV: Eu tenho que dizer que você tem fãs incríveis. Lendo através de posts nas redes sociais e os comentários que eles deixam, você deve estar muito orgulhosa da sua comunidade de fãs. O que gostaria de dizer aos seus fãs com este novo ano começando?

SEB: Aww, é muito bom que você note isso porque eu me sinto muito sortuda. Acho que sempre foi algo que me deu muita força. Eu acredito que meus fãs realmente me encorajaram a ser mais ousada ao longo dos anos porque, admitidamente, muito disso estava na minha cabeça sobre os parâmetros do que eu poderia ou não fazer. As pessoas estão realmente dispostas a correr um certo risco com você se eles sentem que você está fazendo isso pelas razões certas e eu realmente meio que aprendi muito disso. Acho que este ano mais do que nunca tem sido sobre comunidade. Graças às mídias sociais pois através disso eu pude literalmente receber todos em minha casa e tem sido uma grande parte de nossas vidas. Eu senti, especialmente no início do primeiro lockdown do Reino Unido, estava terminando as Kitchen Discos após dois meses e meio em maio, eu me senti muito, mas muito apegada a todos e protetora também, assim como o que a Kitchen Disco significou para todos e algumas dessas pessoas podem nem ser meus fãs – eles podem ter achado divertido assistir às crianças ou talvez ouvir algumas músicas cover que eles gostam – mas ainda assim significou muito em ter isso tudo. Foi tão reconfortante e eu fiz um monte de novos amigos com isso, na verdade. Então eu escrevia de volta para as pessoas e fiz conexões. Este ano tem sido sobre tantas barreiras caindo e a maneira como interagimos uns com os outros, tornando-se apenas algo mais autêntico e eu acho que isso trouxe o melhor de muita gente e acho que tem sido realmente maravilhoso, então sim, essa é uma outra razão quando no próximo ano eu estiver no palco e eu ver os rostos de pessoas na plateia, eu posso acabar chorando um pouco (risos).

Tradução: Natalia Franco

ENGLISH

In a recent interview for Renowed For Sound, Sophie talks about lockdown in the UK, her new record, tour and talks how lucky she feels about her fans (). Read Sophie and Brendon Veevers chat here.

Lockdown may have taken a grim hold over the UK and the world throughout the best part of 2020, but pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been right by our sides every part of the way with her uplifting online family antics in the form of Kitchen Discos. A homage to her creative family who joined the star during the 25 minute weekly entertainment, Ellis-Bextor delivered anecdotes and covers to build community and lift our spirits and one of the results was her very first greatest hits collection, released at the end of 2020, in the sparkly form of Songs From The Kitchen Disco.

As the pop icon, mother, wife and online personality tells us when we recently spoke with her in the lead up to Christmas, there is optimism in the air as plans to tour her Kitchen Discos, along with a support slot for Steps’ What The Future Holds arena tour in November, are now in place. We also go to speak about her management of lockdown and how she has pushed through the challenging year that was 2020 as well as plans for a new studio album. Here is what the Murder on the Dancefloor hitmaker had to tell us…

Brendon Veevers: Sophie, hello! How are you?

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Hi Brendon, yes I’m good thanks, I’ve been expecting your call.

BV: You’re over West London way aren’t you Sophie?

SEB: Yeah, I am.

BV: I used to live over in West London and I remember a number of years ago walking passed you in the street. You were pushing a pram with one of your younger children at the time. I remember going to work the next day bragging that I saw Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

SEB: (laughs) yes. And I can still be spotted with a pram every once and a while.

BV: I know you are up to your ears with work promoting your greatest hits record at the moment so I’m just going to diver straight in here. As a mother of 5, a Greatest Hits album just released, 2 regular online series and 2 tours for next year being set in place, you seem to have been a busy woman. Before touching on each of these things, how has lockdown in general been treating you and your family this year?

SEB: Oh well, probably just like lots of people. A bit of a mixed bag really. Umm its not been all doom and gloom. We’ve managed to find our way through it. You know, if I had to be locked down with people then I’m with all of the people I would have chosen. I think we had our family’s coping mechanism which I think is what gave birth to the Kitchen Discos because as a family that’s what we do when we’re feeling like we need to celebrate or just get some tension out or just jump around and have some fun we put some music on and put the disco lights on so that’s been a nice part of our year but yeah, like everybody else we’ve also had moments that have been really tricky.

All my work that was planned for the year went, so was my husbands so there’s been a lot of adapting and adjusting and there are loads of things that we miss about our normal lives and are still missing but we’re muddling through.

BV: You mentioned your Kitchen Disco’s there and that’s what I wanted to talk about with you. Where did the idea come from to do your Kitchen Discos?

SEB: You know what? It was kind of really instinctive. It was weird. It wasn’t my idea, it was my husbands. I think we both felt that we missed people and we missed the normal things we get up to but the times are quite relentless really; with the heaviness of the news and adjusting to the kids all being off school and that sort of thing. So he said why don’t we do these as a gig online and I thought it was absolute insanity really, with a baby crying and all that but then I thought sod it. What’s the worst that could happen.

And actually it made us feel really good and I was a bit worried that people might think that I had gone a little bit insane but then I thought that things are already a bit barky – lets do something fun.

And actually we got such a lovely, warm response but also we felt good. It made us feel better. It was a way to connect with our family and our friends as well as other people so then it became just what we did every Friday and it actually took on a whole life. That was only half an hour on a Friday and the rest of the week was pretty domestic and mundane and quite Groundhog Day-ish.

So each Friday we had something to distract us and to think of new songs to do and yeah, just have some fun really.

BV: Your children are the envy of so many fans around the world with getting to experience such intimate Sophie Ellis-Bextor performances. What are your kid views of mum and dad the pop stars. Is it something they brag about or something that doesn’t really phase them?

SEB: You know, I think they are kind of neither of the above in a way. They are kind of just getting on with the business of what ever is going on in their lives. They have a sort of healthy place for it really, in that I don’t think I’m raising any tiny fans which I think it appropriate but I also think they are all supportive and they like the fact that mum and dad enjoy what they do and I think they like the daftness of the fact that there are so many different things happening all of the time.

But also, a lot of the time they aren’t really thinking about it at all (laughs). And even with the Kitchen Discos they are just children putting on their fancy dress and with the lights and I hope I have chosen a couple of songs that they may like. I don’t really think they were thinking that much about it outside of it being 25 minutes of their lives once a week, really, but for them its just a bit of fun like a family birthday and it kind of comes and goes and some of it works and some bits are a bit tricky and then life just continues afterwards really.

BV: With both yourself and Richard being in the music industry, are with such a creative space that your home clearly is, has that rubbed off on any of your children? Have any of them raised interest in the arts?

SEB: You know I would be quite surprised if none of them want to be in a band at some point. I think definitely that we are quite a creative family so the creative side of things isn’t something that switches on and off in our family but anything could change as they grow up and some of them are so little that its quite hard to say but I definitely think that they love music and they are a fan of things and they all have their own musical identity and to be honest that is all I ever really wanted for them.

Before I’m a singer I’m a music fan and some music has been such a big thing in my life and I think its also probably why the Kitchen Disco’s came into being because even before we had the idea to do it as a gig that everything that was going on in the news just made me want to think about, you know, songs that gave me a lift or help me kind of get the emotions out really and give me a bit if a catharsis.

Music has been such a big companion to me. Through all the highs and the lows that I’ve been through and I think if your kids can have that too then they will always have a place and a way to articulate what they’re feeling.

BV: You’ve recently released your first Greatest Hits Collection. Having this time in lockdown and reflect on your career and put this record together, when looking back over the years and yours singles, what would you say is your proudest achievement. What single would you most like Sophie Ellis Bextor to be remembered for?

SEB: Oh wow, I’m not really good at thinking about myself in those terms. In my own sort of development of things as an artist I think my fifth album (2014’s Wanderlust) was really quite an important one for me. But you know, its really quite hard because there have been a few milestone moments, really, because I was in a band before Groovejet. In a band called Theaudience when I was a teenager and that was very much an indie band. And when I did Groovejet, it was the first time I had ever really thought about doing any other genre. So that song was really pivotal for me, not just because it was commercially successful but because it taught me that there were so many other possibilities and things that I could do if I wanted to.

And obviously Murder on the Dancefloor is a song that took me and my first album (Read My Lips) around the world. But I think that my fifth album, in a more personal way, that was my most sort of, brave moment, really because I was in quite a comfortable spot when I was doing that album and I could have probably just kept turning it on and doing what I was doing in the genre that I was already in. But I thought “I’m not that old yet – I want to shake things up and explore other possibilities” so I made this folk record that didn’t have any dance or disco and I did a song called Young Blood, which is a love song really. It was much more vulnerable that some of the other things that I had done and for me that was really satisfying.

So I think for any one of those songs really, there was a bit of a point where the path has changed direction.

BV: Throughout your career you have worked with others to produce some very memorable collaborations including Spiller (Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)) and Freemasons (Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)). Is there anyone that you would particularly love to see yourself collaborating with in the future?

SEB: Ummm, you know what? At the moment I am pretty satisfied. I’m doing my third album with Ed Harcourt and who I have done a couple of albums with before and he is just so brilliant. And what is so special about it is that it doesn’t feel like work in the slightest. It feels fun. And because he is so good at what he does, I always want to try my best. Its just just about the challenge but its also just a really lovely way to spend the day and I’m really happy with the work we’re doing so at the moment I’m feeling quite satisfied, really.

I am open to lots of things though. I love the fact that tomorrow, or this afternoon even, I could get an email or a phone call where I get an opportunity that changes the direction of the next 6 months. I’m quite addicted to that really. I always have that feeling in my tummy, you know, that says “what else is out there?”.

BV: A recent post of yours on Facebook mentioned that you started the year half way through writing a new record. Are there still plans to complete and release that record?

SEB: Of yes, definitely. We just need to finish it. Its just that, yeah, halfway through …. when lockdown first started, like everybody I thought that everything that I am up to is now on pause and when we are out of it then I’ll just press unpause and I thought that that is what I was doing. And then I realised that halfway through the year I need to weave this part of what’s been going on into what’s happening with me because its actually there now. Its influenced things and changed things. And I get that now.

I think when the lockdown first started there were a few pundits on TV saying you wont just be going back to normal. That life wont actually be quite the same. And I didn’t really get that. And also, that concept sounds really quite scary, doesn’t it, when you are already dealing with scary things and I guess that is what they meant. That there has just been certain things about the way our lives have been affected this year that we might carry forward. Aside from all of the obvious stuff like if anyone that you know has been ill or who has died. It is such a unique thing we have lived through where literally everyone on the planet has been affected in some way.

BV: The music industry has taken a massive blow from the pandemic and you captured the crisis that the music industry faces quite perfectly for your video for Crying at the Discotech where you shot in a series of empty venues. As someone who is used to filling these spaces on tour, what was that like?

SEB: Yeah, you know there are some things that you don’t think about like the nightclub industry, DJ’s and performers and hospitality. There’s so much. Yeah, you’re right Brendon, with the video I did just want to highlight this.

I felt very empathetic towards my lots of my colleagues who aren’t as lucky as me that they found other projects. If you’re someone that is normally on the road around 48 weeks of the year where they are rigging lights or tour managing, there isn’t really an easy fix as to how you replicate something like that in your day to day lives. Some people have been thrown into a really desperate situation I would say. So at first I thought “I feel for them” and “I feel for what’s happening to them” so I wanted to highlight all the stuff that normally goes on within this massive part of our culture that’s on hold.

But actually, your right, I felt quite gloomy you know. I never really thought about how it might affect me on the day and actually I did feel quite low over the days afterwards just because for a few reasons. Obviously this is my day job so its something that I would be doing all of the time – I would be doing gigs and that is so much a part of the fabric of what Richard and I would be doing all of the time. But also, as someone who lives in a capital like London, a city like that where it is so vibrant and there is always something going on. I think I forgot the fact that normally I quite like the fact that there is life just buzzing around me all of the time and people doing things and making plans. Every night you go to bed there is a billion stage shows on, there’s theatre, there’s gigs, there’s tours, there’s culture and the arts and that’s all been put on hold. Its all quiet. And that quietness is quite eerie.

It will come back. There’s still a lot of uncertainty but here is just hasn’t been addressed very publicly and if it has its sometimes felt quite dismissive or a matter of retraining. Everybody is fine to get another job if their normal job has been put on hold but its very different when you are told you need to go and learn a completely different skillset because that’s not now what’s part of what’s going on anymore. That’s quite gruesome isn’t it.

BV: You’ve recently announced the Kitchen Disco Tour for 2021. What can we expect from the tour?

SEB: So yeah I guess it was just a natural progression, really. Halfway through doing these gigs we had a virtual audience because it wasn’t possible to do this live but obviously I would have toured this year anyway but I think the Kitchen Discos is just bringing it into venues and to try to make people keep like they are a part of what we were doing. I think its just going to be magical.

I am feeling pretty optimistic now with the news of the several vaccines being effective. And to be honest, if my tour doesn’t go ahead, I’m just one representation of billions of live events happening from March/April onwards. We will be in a pretty dire strait if everything has to be put on hold for much longer anyway so I’m feeling good. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic at the moment really. Nothing to suggest they wont find a way to make it happen.

BV: You are also joining STEPS on their What The Future Holds Tour starting in November 2021 so you are going to be very busy on the road next year. Have you spoke to the band about your support slot with them and have you met Steps before?

SEB: Yeah I’m actually touring on my own with them. So Ill be holding the support set for a little bit, just getting the crowd in the mood. Yeah, I’ve met a couple of them before. I’ve not met them all but they are managed by a guy named Peter Lorraine who I’ve known for about 20 years. He used to be a product manager at Polydor when I was signed there and we’ve been friends for a really long time. He’s absolutely brilliant and I love him to bits so its kind of an excuse to work with him too so I think we will all just have a really nice time. I think it will be really friendly and really fun. I think with the way everybody is feeling that everyone is going to be going to things that will make them feel better and they have the nostalgia element as well so they already know its going to make them feel good. There is something really comforting about having a good night out with some good pop music right?

BV: I have to say that you have some amazing fans. Reading through social media posts and the comments they leave, you must be very proud of your fanbase. What would you like to say to your fans as start this new year?

SEB: Aww that’s really nice that you notice that because I do feel really lucky. I think it was always something that I took a lot of strength from. I do find that my fans have actually encouraged me to be bolder over the years because, admittedly, a lot of it was in my head about the parameters of what I could and couldn’t do.

People are actually willing to take a bit of a risk with you if they feel like you are doing it for the right reasons and I have really kind of taken a lot from that.

I think this year more than ever its just been about community. Thank goodness for the social media stuff really because through that I could literally welcome everybody into my home and its been a massive part of our lives. I felt, especially at the beginning of the first lockdown that the UK was ending after 2 1/2 months back in May, I felt very, very attached to everybody and protective as well of what the Kitchen Disco has meant to everyone and some of those people may not be any fan of mine – they may have just found it fun to watch the kids or maybe hear some covers they like – but still it meant so much to just even have that. It was so comforting and I made a lot of new friends out of it actually. So I was writing back to people and making connections.

This year has been about so many barriers coming down and the way we interact with each other becoming just a little bit more authentic and I think its brought the best out of a lot of people and I think that’s been really wonderful, so yeah, that’s another reason when next year I’m stood on stage and I see peoples faces I might end up getting a little weepy (laughs)

BV: Thanks so much Sophie. I am a huge fan and its been an absolute pleasure.

SEB: Aww thanks Brendon.

#interview #entrevista