#loud kids tour in europe

[8iunie]

[kiss-this]

[icarodamiano]

Victoria De Angelis at Mežaparka Lielā estrāde | Riga, Latvia | May 18, 2023 | LOUD KIDS TOUR

Via Gallery Måneskin

[lifeofa-fangirl]

Måneskin performing Vent'anni and If Not For You accoustically - Vorst National, Brussels (Belgium) - 02.03.2023

I will never get over this ❤️.

[damiannasworld]

Loud Kids Tour Gets Louder, Europe 2023

Calendar by MaNazaskin

[hee0soo]

Ambassador of the Heart |Part 2.|

PAIRING — Kim Hongjoong x afab!ModelReader

SUMMARY — An encounter at the Balmain Winter Show 2023 leaves you flustered...

GENRE — FashionAU

WARNINGS — controlling men (not the members)

WORD COUNT — 1.5k

~Part 1~ |~Part 3~

March 2023

“You want to go see what now?” your manager hissed, irritated by the news you had just shared with him.

You weren´t phased by his tone, already used to the mood swings the man sometimes had and instead continued munching on the snacks currently in your hands.

Waiting for the camera team to set up for your photo shooting, you had sat down on one of the couches specifically prepared for you and the other models hired to do the job while scrolling through you Insta feed which brought you to the current situation.

“I want to go see the Ateez concert tomorrow night. You remember the guy we met at the presentation a few days ago? He´s part of the group and they´re doing a Europe tour at the moment.”

The man put his hands on his hips, looking like a bird puffing out his feathers to appear more threatening.

“No!”

Looking away from the screen of your phone to eye him, you carefully considered what to say next.

“No? What do you mean no?”

“It means exactly what I said, y/n! You will not go see some concert of a man you don´t know!”

Juliana, who was cleaning up some of her utensils, was rolling her eyes at the man´s behavior while you had to school your face into neutral one.

You didn´t need a scandal just because someone from the staff misunderstood the way you looked at your manager.

“I´m sorry but since when is that a decision you can make?”

You put the phone down and leaned back on the couch, arms crossed as you were getting slightly annoyed.

“I am your manager!” the man snarled.

Nodding calmly, you fixed your eyes on him.

“Exactly! You are my manager, Cole, not my babysitter! Which means, if I want to go see a groups concert whose music caught my interest, I. will. Go!”

Your voice was low as you enunciated the last 3 words of your monologue.

The fact that this was even something you had to argue about was getting on your nerves! It was as if Cole thought you weren´t able to make decisions for yourself like some child!

“Come on Cole, she wants to go to a concert! Not buy drugs in a back alley… If she wants to go then you have no say in the matter!”

Juliana cut in, throwing the man a hard look.

He only huffed and stormed away, mumbling something you were sure was not for your ears.

You looked at the other woman thankfully.

“Remind me why I’m still paying him to be my manager?” you whined, letting your head rest on the back of the couch.

The stylist shrugged, not knowing what to answer.

If she was being honest, that was a question she had often asked herself already! Cole was good at his job no doubt, but the way he treated the people around him sometimes bordered on bullying!

Maybe that was also the reason why his wife had left him with her 2 kids, but that was a thought Juliana didn´t dare utter out loud.

“Don´t worry about him darling. Just go have fun tomorrow and tell me everything you know about this group. You really got me curious about them.”

She assured you with a gentle smile only to sit down next to you while you waited for your turn to be in front of the camera.

So that´s what you did.

You told her about everything. How you had searched the strangers name as soon as you got into the car after the presentation just 2 days ago. How you now have 99% of his groups songs on your playlist. How you binge watched fan edits of them all night to the point where you were severely exhausted the next day. How you adored the way his dimples showed when he smiled at his fans and how you confidently called yourself an Atiny now.

Juliana listened patiently, suppressing a fond smile.

And if she shot the management a text to get you backstage after the concert, you didn´t have to know about it until the next day….

The concert was amazing and you finally understood what fans meant when they talked about post-concert depression. The overwhelming sadness you felt as the boys went backstage after their last song was unlike anything you had ever experienced before!

You were getting up from your seat in the upper ranks when someone held you back.

The man who had touched your shoulder looked vaguely familiar but you couldn´t place from where you knew him. He showed you the little card attached to his jacket, telling you that he was part of the staff working for the groups you had just watched.

“Can you follow me, y/n-ssi?”

You hesitated. Was this really a good idea? Maybe you were getting tricked!

But the man did have an ID to confirm he was from the Staff so how bad could this be?

You just knew that Cole would whoop your ass if he knew that you actually considered following the man and maybe, for once, it seemed like he would be right!

This smelled like a trap.

A trap you were going to fall for if it was one as you nodded once and followed without asking more questions.

You had a hunched where he led you as you past the security with him to get into the artist area where you were greeted by 8 very tall men, getting ready to leave the arena.

It was the youngest who noticed you first, seemingly recognizing you as he waved enthusiastically at you. Gummy smile on full display as he elbowed the blonde half of the twin towers who looked confused by the sudden contact with his ribs.

The man beside you fake coughed to get the attention of the rest and you watched in amusement as 6 more heads whipped around to look at where the sound was coming.

“Annyeonghaseyo! I´m y/n!” you choked out in a hurry, probably making a fool out of yourself by how much you stumbled over the words as you introduced yourself.

But even then, you were glad you had decided to look up the few words when you had first found out what language the group spoke.

It didn´t take longer than a second for them to unfreeze and suddenly you were in the midst of the chaos that was Ateez as they did their group greeting.

Seonghwa stepped forward, leaving the stunned leader rooted to the ground.

“You watched, the concert?” he asked, fumbling with his words as much as you were earlier.

“Yes you were amazing. I really loved your performance!”

“Ah thank you!” Wooyoung yelled as he skipped over, promptly receiving a scolding glance from the eldest member for being so loud.

You had to admit that the younger topaz member had quickly taken the place as your bias wrecker so the pout he sends towards his hyung way made you want to squish his cheeks with your hands.

While his members were distracted talking to you, Hongjoong watched the interaction carefully.

It wasn´t that he didn´t want to talk to you, more that he was too shy to do it!

The rapper had been enamored ever since Oliver had officially introduced him to you and even before he had been curious as to whom the beauty in the elevator was!

He even had told his members about you, which had cause a flood of teasing for the leader, which had been stopped by his very serious threat of sending the members to his room…

That threat had worked better when they were still rookies.

San had even gone as far as to search you up and sent the picture of you and him to the group chat! So when you had walked into the green room, all of them already knew who you were and now that you were here, he didn´t know what to say or do.

“Hyung! Look who came to see us!” Yunho said while removing the chocker from around his neck.

“Aish, you-“he playfully lunged at the tallest who dodged skillfully.

“Come on, this is you one chance of talking to her without anyone judging!”

“You mean besides you brats?”

“Seonghwa-hyuuung? Joongie-hyung called us brats again…”

Seonghwa skillfully ignored the complaint and continued talking to you with Wooyoung and Yeosang while Jongho and Mingi were removing their make-up.

Your eyes found his while Wooyoung was animatedly talking about something you could quite grasp.

Hongjoong gave you a quick smile, joining his fellow 98-liner by your side.

The manager at the door was signaling that there wasn´t much time left before you had to leave again as he was tapping on the watch on his wrist.

“So you, enjoyed the show?” he asked, voice sounding a little breathless but none the less sincere. His cute accent while speaking English having the same effect it had on you before!

“I did. Thank you and I’m happy to meet you once more.”

“I´m, very happy, too.”

Taglist: @marirose25

[the-dawn-star]

Helloooo it’s me again hehe! Is it possible if you can do an imagine for the the volturi kings in which they meet their last living descendant. Like she is a teen (orphaned) and was included in the tour and Marcus suddenly snapped to her direction since he can see bonds. He saw that somehow she is a descendant to all the three kings. He immediately offered Aro his hand who all too eagerly took it. And her personality can be like a mixed of the three she can be a bit playful like Aro, easily angered like Caius, and calm like Marcus. When they realize she was living in an orphanage they adopt her lol.

Thankkk you so much :))

A/N: Hi! First, I know that they aren't related really, but let's just pretend that they are for this post. And second, I love this idea, and I kind of picked what elements I took to my writing.

-S

+ 700ish words.

Getting vacations were rare when you lived in a room that had six other kids living with you. But this was your time to relax.  

You had earned enough money to travel around Europe for your 17th summer.  

Most people were concerned with a 17 year old traveling themselves but nothing could ruin your mood.  

You had done so much work for the opportunity to travel, and you found yourself at a nice town in Italy. 

Walking down the main street you saw a tour guide group, while the guide told something about the water fountain. And you couldn’t help but to stay and listen to the history of the town.  

You knew that you couldn’t afford whatever the guide was asking for, so you kept yourself out of sight at the back of the group.  

The group moved from the water fountain to the church in the middle of the city.  

So many stairs and hallways, only to end up in a marble hallway with massive wooden double doors.  

You let out a gasp as the doors opened into a massive room full of people in black robes.  

Someone let out a scream, and then a loud stop.  

You turned to look at the direction of the sound and saw all the people in the room confused.  

You had learned the basics of the Italian language, but you couldn’t decipher the fast pace of what was happening by three men who didn’t have the black robes on but weren’t clearly part of the tour group.  

And within a second the three men were looking at you, even if you were at the back of the room. 

A man with dark silky black hair said something again in Italian, and a hand wrapped itself around my arm. The next second you were in a different room that was something between a library and a living room.  

You didn’t know what to think, you had been just taken away against you will to a room in a place that you weren’t sure what it was. 

So you just sat on the sofa that you had been set on, by whoever took you arm by the man’s command.  

 You didn’t know what to do and to do your exhausting trip and the comfy sofa, you fell asleep.  

When you woke up there came a long explanation. 

You were a descendant of three God old vampires who were the kings of their species, and two of them had powers above the whole vampire thing.  

The night had fallen by the time you were caught up to speed. But still, there was million other things you were confused and tired of.  

Aro (who had most of the talking) held his hand to me, not forcing you but simply asking.  

“Now you know us, but we do not know much about you.”  

Aro was a bit creepy, but it was clear that came from being out of contact with humans for so long. Actually, that held up with all of them.  

You laid your hand to Aro’s palm and he took a hold of it with both of his hands.  

When Aro finally let go of your hand his red eyes were full of sorrow.  

“Your life has been something that no human should go through, nonetheless our descendants.”  

You couldn’t say anything, someone finally said what you had wished for so long. Someone saying that you didn’t deserve to go through the death of your parents.  

You blinked away the tears and covered your mouth with your hand.  

“We would like to get to know you officially if you are comfortable with that.” Marcus said and smiled for the first time since you had seen him.  

“You can stay here as long as you would like, I’m sure a little vacation wouldn’t hurt. And we will be sure that you are safe and comfortable with your stay.” Aro had a small sad smile on his lips, and I couldn’t help but nod. 

[angclnumber]

𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳 !

here to say that i want even more sapphic stuff so i want to get some thing going with the muses under the cut ! if you are interested in a starter from any of them then please like this post ! ♡

𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑬𝑺 .

DAWN MENKEN LIAW / director / bi / she + they / chase sui wonders

born in amsterdam and ( mostly ) raised in new york and has the weird accent to prove it, brought up by the world’s grumpiest old man and it shows, mother owns one of europe’s most successful talent agencies, guitarist in all girl punk band called atomic boob as a side gig, painfully pessimistic, a tortured artist trying to make it in the film industry, has an attitude problem tbh, janis ian coded .

HAVEN MAURY LIANG / weather girl / queer / she + they / havana rose liu

local weird girl who will flirtatiously read your palm at a party, has big dreams of joining cirque du soleil as a trapeze artist and is simply forecasting the weather until then, in love with love and everything to do with it while simultaneously being a commitment-phobe, victim of the perfect little rich girl to quietly disowned pipeline, the vibe of a drunk girl in a club bathroom, a lil ty lee inspired .

ROMINA ESCOBAR / reality tv star / lesbian / she + her / camila mendes

a part of a family reality show inspired by the kardashians, deeply codependent and therefore painfully loyal to those she deems deserving, more than kind of bratty, vain, and self absorbed, hates men and is loud about it, is probably the last one to figure out her sexuality because doesn't every gal just want to makeout with her bffs sometimes ? mildly inspired by jennifer check .

RUTH RANSOM / actress / bi / she + her / kristine froseth

daughter of a washed up rockstar and his groupie, mommy and daddy issues ( double homicide ), ran away from home at seventeen, energiser bunny adjacent girlie who never shuts up, the world's biggest flirt with the world's biggest commitment issues, stumbled into the world of acting half hungover and still in last night's glittery makeup, manic pixie dream just a girl inspired by penny lane.

SLATER KATZ  / rockstar / lesbian / she + they / ruby cruz

born and raised in australia, replacement child to an incredibly well off couple who wanted to save their marriage , has had a prodigious talent with music from childhood, has daddy issues, mommy issues, and anger issues, painfully obtuse with feelings, does not know how to talk to people, tends to hit first and ask questions later, never has an empty bed, billy dunn and daisy jones coded .

𝑻𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑬𝑺 .

ELM MOSSBACH  / museum tour guide / queer / she + they / taylor russell

works for a small museum in a small town in the middle of nowhere, generally the kind of place that people stop by for gas on their way to somewhere better, very much suburban gothic inspired in terms of environment . does she work at an oddities museum ? maybe so . longs for adventure but feels stuck, wants to get out of this town .

FELICIA 'FLICK' RELF / actress / bi / she + her / madelyn cline + meghann fahy

was in a mystery inc crew when she was a teenager and is the star of a limited series inspired by their exploits, is seen as a sellout by the other members of that crew but does it really matter if she's famous ? grew up in a motel as the daughter of the deadbeat parents who owned it, swears all the supernatural stuff in their stories is all fake, but was it really ? semi inspired by scooby doo and the x files .

KINSLEY 'KIDNEY' BEAN  / petty thief / bi / she + her / abigail cowen

raised by two parents who had too many kids to truly give a fuck about all of them, the only girl in a hoard full of brothers, has the accent of a southern belle and the charm to match, will use that charm to walk away with your wallet, has never been single for more than a few weeks in her life, responsible for more than a few gas station hold ups, inspired by villains ( 2019 ) and bandits in general .

LORENA FONTBONA  / grad student / queer / she + they / jenna ortega

drenched in dark academia vibes but exclusively the weird ones, family owns a successful board game company that a lot of them are convinced they made a deal with the devil for but ren has their doubts, a legacy in a secret society, game theory student who reluctantly plans to take over the family business, a natural cynic, april ludgate coded and semi inspired by ready or not .

OCTOBER 'TOBI' CRAFT  / f1 racer / lesbian / she + they / margaret qualley

white trash golden retriever, grew up in a trailer park without a lot of prospects so even she's surprised that she got this far, raised by a father that specifically always wanted one of one of his sons to race ( surprise, dad !), got discovered by chance while street racing ( allegedly ) and hasn't looked back since, can't go to a gay bar without running into at least five girls that she's slept with .

RAVEN ZHAO  / gas station attendant / bi / she + they / courtney eaton

final girl of death valley, nevada and no one will let her forget it, born as the child of a obsessive occultist and his lovesick wife and was abandoned by both respectively, spent most of her adolescence living in an abandoned 'cursed' church and ergo was the town's very own social pariah ( and the first scapegoat ) for it, refuses to go to therapy even if the killer ended up being her own mother .

WREN 'OZ' OSWIN  / athlete / lesbian / they + them / brigette lundy paine

raised by a couple of zoologists who named all of their children after animals and dragged them around the world for their work, one of seven kids, grew up homeschooled and therefore chronically online in search of community and it shows, a goober who just happens to be tall and surprisingly athletic, the world's biggest romantic but they try to keep that on the low, in the wnba .

WYATT KILMER  / student / lesbian / she + they / sophie thatcher

was the favourite child of the worst father in the world which sucked but happens to come in very handy in the zombie apocalypse, was taught to hunt under the guise of bonding, lost almost their entire family at the start of the apocalypse but is searching for their little brother, was the first person in their family to go to university but does that matter now ? deeply ( and reluctantly ) protective .

ZIAZAN 'ZI' DERIAN  / mortician / lesbian / she + her / angela sarafyan

grew up working in her family's funeral home and always knew she would inherit it, has a passion for her work that was also inherited, deeply romantic in an only mildly creepy way ( most of the time ), almost always finds herself going for the crazy ones, writes gothic literature under a pseudonym, vaguely inspired by morticia addams and lisa frankenstein .

[not-that-dillinger]

Hope the random question is okay! Does Ed have any positive childhood memories or just positive memories in general of his mother or father?

Random questions are always welcome!

Ed has very few memories of his mother because she divorced his father when he was 10 and he never saw her after that. But she once pulled him out of school for a day to go to the aquarium when she found out he wasn't allowed to go on the school field trip because he got in trouble for something he didn't do (that happened a lot, unfortunately...)

She also liked to take him for walks in the park after school, and his collection of Sherlock Holmes was probably hers. He also has her collection of Mark Miller Traveller Rule books. She was probably planning to play that with him when he was older. I like to imagine they regularly had game night on the weekends when she wasn't at work.

Ed's favorite tea is chamomile-lavender with licorice root because that's what his mother used to make him when he had nightmares.

As for his father... I really have a hard time seeing Ed having any positive memories of him, but I know there's gotta be something... Else IDK how he would have survived through high school. (Also any positive memories would just make everything else hurt so much more...) He probably has more positive memories of his father's assistant, Peter, than he does of his father.

The problem with Dillinger Sr. is I cannot imagine him doing ANY of the stereotypical father-son bonding things. Sports? IDK maybe cricket? Definitely not (American) football; man's too British for that. Baseball? IDK maybe? Fishing? I can't see him enjoying sitting outdoors much. Nor can I see him enjoying getting his hands dirty to fix a car or something like that. Video games are also out of the question.

...Maybe watching old episodes of Doctor Who or Monty Python or some other old British film or something.

I do like to imagine... Okay. Context: so usually Dillinger Sr. would have Peter watch Ed when he was away on business trips, but there were times where Peter couldn't, and Sr. would have to take Ed with him. It wasn't super often, but it did happen maybe once a year or something like that. Between not liking loud noises or confined spaces or crowds... Or his father, lets be honest... airports when Ed was a kid were generally miserable times.

But I like to imagine there's one time, probably in May or June when Ed's in high school (IDK maybe a junior?) that Sr. has a business trip in Europe that would last a week, and he planned a surprise vacation for the two of them. Ed was dreading it because he'd be stuck in close quarters with his father for a week with no escape, and he was going to have to miss out on the theatre club's final production of the year (no, he never told his father he did theatre).

The business trip isn't terrible. Ed spent most of the time cooped up in the hotel room, reading e-mailing his friends or something. It's lonely, but as far as these trips usually go, it's probably one of the better experiences he's had.

They go on a fancy tour of Europe (you know what I CAN see Sr. doing now? Going to the Louvre. Just for the privilege of being able to say he's seen the Mona Lisa up close and personal...) and hit all the tourist must-see's. The whole trip is weirdly pleasant. Neither of them talks much, but from what little conversation they do have, Sr. definitely realizes he does not know his son AT ALL. He indulges Ed a little. They have fancy dinners and deserts, and Sr. lets Ed buy all the post cards to send to his friends and practically anything he wants (they're mostly gifts for his friends). Ed gets to meet and visit his grandparents for the first time in England, and his grandfather takes him to see a West End showing of Les Miserables.

The whole trip is pleasant enough that Ed thinks maybe things will be different when they get back home.

Except then they do go home, and Sr. goes back to work, and they fall back into the same old patterns...

[8iunie]

CHAPTER I - OUT NOW

via Måneskin’s Instagram story, 21.04.2023

[kiss-this]

[icarodamiano]

Palazzo dello Sport | Night 2 | Rome, Italy, March 25, 2023 | LOUD KIDS TOUR

via nicoleethesenvitz

[bashvaughn]

a few months prior…

A few months prior, Sebastian and Jocalyn as a collective, had been nothing but distant, childhood memories of the past. Sweet and innocent, the budding friendship had come to a sudden and abrupt end when Josie and her family had travelled to Europe and further for some few years whilst her father and his band had completed successful tours after tours. And what was left behind was a particularly gutted 10 year-old Sebastian, having lost his best friend, and though today he didn’t grow so upset when he thought about Jo as he had done in his younger youth, his thoughts often crossed back to those times. He wondered how she was, what she looked like, and where she even was. Had she kept the necklace he’d gotten her? Did she even remember him?

He wasn’t entirely the same as he had been as a child. He was a sweet boy growing up, polite and kind, but after all these years, there wasn’t really much left of Seb Vaughn from 1988. He’d sort of just, well, vanished, one day, faded into the background. His older brother Nathaniel’s death had left a deep and empty wound in the bottom of his heart, still raw and unhealed seven years on. It had left him angry at the world and unable to express his emotions, when really, inside, there was still just that little boy who’d never really grown up, a little boy who just needed some assertion that whatever was going on inside his brain was okay. He didn’t spend much time at home, any opportunity to be out the house, he took; his relationship with his parents wasn’t exactly the best, not since Nate had died. It was hard watching your mother often breakdown once the working day finished.

Out the house. Yes. Being out the house was good. A party! He loved parties, rich kid parties were the best. They had the best sound systems, the most liquor, the biggest pools. The angry teenage boy wasn’t very popular amongst the younger students, amongst those that 1995 would class as “uncool”, as over time had turned himself into quite a bit of a bully, a thug or sorts who enjoyed taunting those less fortunate or lucky as him. But to the majority? He was rather sort after, envied in ways. Guys wanted to be him: he was the tallest kid in school, built strong and toned at 6’5” with a sharp jaw, played quarterback on the school football team, always had his brown curtained locks of hair perfectly swept back at all times. The girls wanted to be with him for all those very reasons. But sure, despite having a fling or two over the years, a couple of nights tangled in bedsheets, he strangely paid them little mind. He paid very few people any mind these days. Or anything.

He arrived as the sun had just set. A final all-out party in the school holiday before they returned back for the new academic year. One last send off. Some kid who lived just outside the city in some sprawling mansion. He walked up the steps of the house entrance with a bounce almost, pack of beer in his hand, his good friend since childhood, Brian, walking beside him. He wore a pair of blue denim jeans, a black belt secured around them, a red plaid shirt tucker inside, sleeves rolled up, top buttons undone, a tiny, silver hoop in his ear, cigarette packet in the pocket. The door wide open, he stepped inside to a house almost bursting full of students. It was loud and chaotic, full of booming music and disorganisation. The perfect party.

He was a presence amongst his peers, that could be said. Idolised in many ways despite the element of fear from some. You had to be when you’d just been made football captain for the new year after the previous one had graduated. He had a pretty intense reputation. Walking inside, he was greeted with happy cheers and welcomes from the students, the owner of the house walking over to him with a wide grin. “Vaughn, you made it!” Sebastian’s smile was never as big as anyone else, it was more of a just an upwards turn. Nodding, he greeted his friend, shoulder tapping him as a hello. “Sup, man.” He responded, ignoring the way people turned their heads a little. Turning to some of the partygoers, the house owner clapped his hands, “New captain himself, ladies and gents!” The teens nearby cheered, some downing their drinks as a toast of sorts.

Laughing quietly, he shook his head, “Touching — lemme get a drink, man.” He beckoned towards the large, open kitchen ahead, beginning to hear over in search of a clean red cup.

Sebastian was, however, obliviously unaware that there was also another big revelation in attendance tonight. A unexpected storm that arrived back with an awestruck greeting from students all around.

[lifeofa-fangirl]

Thomas' solo - Vorst National, Brussels (Belgium) - 02.03.2023

Because Thomas freaking Raggi deserves to be the star of his own post.

[michelleplayswithfire]

Interview: George Ezra

Superstar singer-songwriter George Ezra has turned a three-month walk into a streaming sensation. Here's the story behind his journey from End to End.

Interview: Nick Hallissey Photos: Lucy Zilberkweit PR

The funny thing about End to End, says George Ezra, is that he doesn't really know how to describe it.

"It's a weird one. There's music, there's friendship, there's a bit of biography... but there's also hiking. A lot of hiking. I'm not sure how you tell people all of that quickly."

Whatever the film is, it has swiftly become one of the first streaming sensations of 2023, earning adoring reviews for its humour, heart and honesty. It follows George and his friends Adam Scarborough and Christy Tattershall as they hike from Land's End to John O'Groats the scenic way, covering 1215 miles over 95 days in the strange post-lockdown summer of 2021.

As George says, it's a film with a lot of angles. Partly it helps George make sense of the whirlwind of his recent life, from first single Budapest in 2013 through hits such as Blame It On Me and the all-conquering Shotgun, with the attendant craziness of world tours. It's also a launchpad for his most recent album, Gold Rush Kid, which produced the massive hit Green Green Grass.

It's also a story of a nation emerging from lockdown. The trio met musicians who are finally able to contemplate the return of live performance -- and do so as part of the film, including the adorable Fisherman's Friends in Port Isaac and the elfin Kinnaris Quartet in Glencoe.

But it's also -- in fact, mostly -- about three mates on a walk. Yes, there's a belting soundtrack, but the abiding soundscape is George Ezra laughing out loud. A lot.

"I laughed on that walk more than I've ever laughed about anything," he says with pride. "You can't see that much beauty, in the company of two friends I genuinely love, and not react with joy. We didn't fall out, not once. Yes we'd have hours or days where one of us might talk less, or we'd spread out a bit, but that was the great thing: it all balanced out; the conversation and the quiet.

That said, the film doesn't shirk from honesty. There are points where things get grim -- especially in the days of remote, trackless and midge-ridden mountain bog between Fort William and Altnaharra. But even then, George and co manage to find joy when they least expect it.

"When we reached a high pass after a day walking through that dismal, wet bowl of a valley somewhere, and we finally got to look back, it all made sense," he says.

"You realise you have to go through that to get to this. It's beautiful, and you can only see it by walking. Anyway, you can't have a whole film just saying 'THIS IS GREAT!' because that's not true, and anyone who goes walking will know that." Walking first became a big part of George's life in 2014. After a long solo journey around Europe finding inspiration for his first album, he decided the best way to decompress and process his experiences was to go for a big walk.

"On a complete whim, I took two and a half weeks and walked the Cotswold Way. I stayed above little pubs and a local company ferried my luggage," he explains.

"It was so good, just to live life at that slow pace and enjoy what was around me. I loved my guidebook too, because it told me everything about the landmarks, and that really fascinated me -- the points of interest, not just the way to go." But actually, he reflects, it might all have started way before that.

"When I was a kid we walked a fair bit. Dad would take us to Snowdon and afterwards he'd hand out the certificates saying 'well done -- you climbed Snowdon!' For years I didn't realise he made them himself. I thought everyone got them." All these experiences fed into the End to End project. From Exmoor to Offa's Dyke, from the Peaks to the Highlands: not only is the filming beautiful, but you can see George eagerly gobbling up information from his Cicerone guidebook, Walking the End to End Trail.

And George's dad has a wonderful cameo during a phone call for Father's Day. "What's your advice, Dad?" asks George, to which Dad immediately replies: "Just put one foot in front of the other, son, and keep smiling."

Among George's personal highlights are High Cup in the Pennines, which he describes on camera as "the most incredible thing I've ever seen". "The guidebook said it was coming but we didn't appreciate what it was going to be," says George. "Christy was flying the drone as we got close to it, and he flew it ahead over the edge. He got vertigo just looking at the camera screen and had to sit down. Then we hit it for real and it was sensational. The frustration is you can't communicate just how vast it is on any camera. You need people to go there and see it."

Likewise Conic Hill, with its first, vast view over Loch Lomond. On film, George declares it "the best view of the walk so far".

"The truth is we probably each said that 200 times along the walk and that's just the one that made the cut," he confides to CW.

"I'm the worst, because I have a tendency to be a bit puppydog about things. But that is a really special place. It's moments like that where it just hits you: all this is free. It's out here waiting for us to find it."

George also remarks in the film that the walk is a way of equipping himself to handle the anxieties of touring and recording. And, he says, it's worked. "There are these moments of panic when you look at the amount of travel you'll be doing over a month, or you worry that you're not in control of your life," he tells CW.

"But this time, thanks to the walk, I've been able to take a breath and go, 'yeah, but it's fine'. The journey will be what it's going to be, and I'm fine with that."

The best thing is, the experience has left George hungry for more.

"As we were approaching John O'Groats each of us said we're never doing this again, and then within about a fortnight of getting home I started thinking the opposite. I'm now fairly sure at some point I will do it again."

Better still, he hopes the feeling might just be infectious.

"There's so much I love about the film, but one of my hopes is that it might inspire a few people to get out with friends and go for a walk. You don't need to hike the length of the country, there are amazing walks everywhere. Wherever you are, whoever you can find, just go."

George Ezra: End to End is available on Prime Video now. For album details, tour dates and festival appearances, visit georgeezra.com

THREE QUICK QUESTIONS

If you could go walking with anyone, alive or dead, who might it be and why?

Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer. Before the walk I read the book Endurance, and I kind of carried it with me. I just think anything I could experience on a hike, he would have weathered ten times over and he'd just be like, 'pull yourself together, come on, let's go'.

Is there a particular place where you think, 'yep, I'm happy here'?

I love the long, empty beaches on the north Norfolk coast. And almost anywhere along the West Highland Way.

What's the best walking snack?

One of the crew on the film was a friend called Meg. She's a fantastic baker and occasionally she'd make us this banana bread that had an entire bar of Galaxy as the base. Anytime we had that, it was bliss.

Source: Country Walking

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH ANDERS

Early in his career, anders was part music, part mystery. Branding obscured his face. Social media presence? Sparse. The Mississauga-born artist was already turning heads with his clean, cavernous RnB before 2018′s “Love No More” – a certified-platinum collaboration with Loud Luxury.

We had the opportunity to chat with the two-time Juno nominee and Warner Music Canada’s latest signee about his new single “Come with Me” (Joe Stone Remix), and the current Canadian music landscape.

“Come with Me” (Joe Stone Remix) is a new version of the original smooth, RnB-pop hybrid with an all-too-relatable summer narrative. How did this song and remix come together?

This song came together when I was traveling a couple years ago in Europe. I was doing a couple shows out there and had my girlfriend come meet me in one of the cities. We had a nice little trip together, which ultimately helped me make this song.

You grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, raised by a single mother of Vietnamese heritage. In what ways did your upbringing influence your sound?

I think my upbringing helped influence my sound in a way where my friends and I would share music around and help put each other on different vibes. There were also a couple greats coming out of my area at the time as well.

You are a father yourself; has this changed how you approach certain topics in your music?

Being a father is definitely something that has changed how I approach certain topics in my music. I want my kids to listen to my music as they grow up and have them relate to certain things that I sing about. Going forward they might even hear songs that talk about them and their lives as well.

Did you ever face any challenges as a POC in the industry, and if so, how were you able to overcome them and find your voice as an artist?

There were definitely some challenges coming up as an Asian artist in the Toronto music scene, as there would be for any person of colour. I feel like I was able to overcome them with the support of my friends, family and fans throughout the city, mostly by giving me the confidence and willingness to be myself and not let certain negativity get the best of me. With the support of all my fans, I was able to find my voice as an artist and continue to pursue my dream of music.

Have you noticed a shift in the Canadian music landscape since you started out, in terms of sound or diversity?

Over the years I have definitely noticed a shift in the Canadian music landscape, mostly in terms of the diversity. I think in terms of the sound, specifically in rap within Toronto, there is a standard “Toronto” sound that will kind of always be present in the scene here. The diversity within Canadian music has grown since I’ve started and it’s nice to see a lot of different cultures and sounds coming out of Canada these days. Hopefully we can continue to bring light to the Canadian talent in music.

You recently wrapped a 10-date tour across Canada, including a sold-out show at The Opera House in Toronto. How was it, interacting with and performing in front of fans new and old?

The tour was awesome. It was my first tour ever and being able to perform again after Covid was a perfect way to get the summer going. It was great seeing fans from all over the country come out and support.

What is up next for you?

Right now, I’m working on new music and raising my newborn daughter Love Ly.

Who are some artists/songs on your current playlist?

Some artists/songs on my current playlist are “Out of Time” by The Weeknd, “All Mine” by Brent Faiyaz, “Massive” by Drake and “Very Alone” by Zaia. Just to name a few.

Our signature question—if you could be any ice cream flavor, which would you be and why?

I think if I were to be any ice cream flavor I would be the Ben & Jerry’s Netflix & Chilll’d flavour because it's complex.

Photo credit to: Tiger Saysavanh