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We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
2002 | Musical
9
7.8 (5 Ratings)
Show Rating
I went to watch We Will Rock You at the Palace Theatre in Manchester back in February, and I had such a fantastic night.

It really is a genius marketing idea to announce a tour of this show not long after the release of the hugely successful Bohemian Rhapsody film. And boy is it a good show. I knew nothing about this other than it was Queen music, and I'm not sure what I had been expecting from the actual story but this wasn't it! The plot centres around a futuristic world where rock music is banned, and whilst the actual story element isn't particularly strong, it more than makes up for this by being downright hilarious. You can tell this is a Ben Elton written musical. The script is so funny and clever, and I love how it's obviously been updated over the years to still be relevant with modern pop culture. The acting and singing too are very strong. The two leads have stunning voices and whilst Ian McIntosh isn't quite Freddie, he still has an amazing voice. Although for me the two standouts were Adam Strong as Khashoggi (who really needed even more stage time) and Michael McKell as Buddy. McKell especially was amazing, really embracing the camp Jack Sparrow-esque Buddy and bringing the house down with his delivery on the jokes.

Whilst the plot may not be the strongest, this more than makes up for it in sheer fun and entertainment.
  
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    SpareRoom

    Lifestyle and Finance

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The Spread Book 1: The Hill
The Spread Book 1: The Hill
Iain Rob Wright | 2020 | Horror, Thriller
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I would definitely class myself as a fan of Iain's books; I have read a fair number and have rarely been disappointed. Iain's stories take me back to the books of my youth and although I am a number of years past my youth now, I still enjoy a good horror/creep-fest book every now and again and Iain is more and more my go-to author.

Here we have the first in an as yet unknown number of books in a new series. I can't go into much detail about the plot as I don't want to spoil it for anyone but a group of Manchester lads go on a stag weekend in the wilds of Scotland and whilst investigating the area, climb a hill and find something odd ... everything starts to go badly wrong from then on.

Well written, excellent characters, perfect setting, great pace, plenty of tension and excellent body horror scenes makes this a great read and I eagerly await Book 2: The Village which is out on 6th October 2020 ... I want to read it now!

Disclaimer: As a member of Iain's "street team", I was sent a copy of this book before publication however I didn't get chance to read it before it was published so decided to buy it anyway to support him so he can continue to write great stories and also because I'm good like that 😉
  
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Toni Lynn Donald (1997 KP) Aug 30, 2020

Love his books! always creepy and a good story. I haven't read this one yet, it's on my list of books I still have to read.

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Jesters_folly (230 KP) Aug 30, 2020

I'm currently read my first book by him, The house under the bridge

    Street Shuffle Europe

    Street Shuffle Europe

    Travel and Reference

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    Street Shuffle Europe uses Google Street View technology to help you discover Europe. Simply tap the...

    London Tube Map

    London Tube Map

    Navigation and Travel

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    London Tube Map is the original Tube Map app with TfL (Transport for London) Tube map, TfL Journey...

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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Brotherhood in Books

Apr 2, 2019  
Brotherhood
Brotherhood
David Beckler | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Byron is called home to Manchester by his panicked teenage nephew, Philip, when he becomes embroiled in the murder of one of his school friends. Philip is adamant that he is innocent, and Byron believes him. Unfortunately, the murdered boy has a rather dangerous family, and there is history between the leader of this family and Byron.
Byron is helped by his friend Adam, who was in the Marines with him, and they try to solve the murder to hopefully exonerate Philip.
I really enjoyed this book. Byron and Adam seemed like really nice people, believe it or not, even though they knew how to handle themselves and there was consequently a fair bit of violence!
There was the added interest and/ or complication of an African child soldier who had been adopted by a British couple. I really felt very sad for him as I read his flashbacks; he had led an awful, violent childhood.
This looks as though it’s the start of a really good series. I liked that Byron and Adam appeared to have an equal status in their little team, and the police officers and procedures all seemed genuine to me (but then I’m not a police officer!). It was such a fast, exciting read, and I really did gasp out loud a couple of times whilst I was reading! I’ll be interested to see where this series goes next.
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this book, which I hope I’ve fairly reviewed!
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) created a post

Jun 11, 2019  
Last night I went to watch Backstreet Boys at the Manchester Arena. Not going to lie, BSB were one of my favourite bands when I was younger and I was never able to see them live at the time. So needless to say when they announced a new tour, I jumped at the chance to go and the tickets were like gold dust.

All I can say is that after 26 years in the business, the boys have still got it. They've all got fantastic voices live which is a bit of a surprise for a boyband and they can't half dance too. They really know how to put on a good show, and the majority of the audience were up on their feet throughout the entire show (us included). They did a good mix of all of their classic tunes interspersed with some from the new album too. If I have to criticise anything, they could have upped the stage production. It was just them on a massive stage with a lot of flashing lights and videos of random things playing on a screen in the background. Whilst its impressive that they can hold the stage themselves, maybe a little more would've been good. Also, I was a bit sad that they didnt come out on stage dressed as monsters for Everybody... but still a very good show and a childhood dream come true 9/10

I'll leave you with a picture of me & my friend rocking our retro looking BSB tickets ?
     
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Andy K (10821 KP) Jun 11, 2019

Looking great Sarah! Thanks for posting!

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Erika (17788 KP) Jun 12, 2019

I saw BSB around 8 years ago, when they toured with NKOTB, they're so good! Glad you got to see them!