#dream job tour

[allfillernothriller]

Yard Act (+ Murkage Dave + Folly Group) @ Les Nuits Botaniques, Brussels, Dream Job Tour, 28.04.24

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

Land of the Blind

What. A. Night. The acoustics? Terrible. Did they play Grifter's Grief and Petroleum like I expected they would? Nope. Am I disappointed? Not in the least. There's no way for me to assert one gig was better than the other. They were unique experiences and I'm so happy I went to both.

My favourite spot at any given concert is near the singer's mic but a little to the side so that I can get a good view of the bassist. As you can tell on the video, that's precisely where I was 🥰

10mins before the start of Murkage Dave's set, there was still only 12 of us inside, and man. That was heartbreaking to me (at least at first). I saw him get on stage and start his set fully focused like everything was normal, but it certainly didn't feel normal to me. Back in Paris, the venue was full from the moment they opened the doors. (Maybe cause this time was a festival?) Thankfully, people started to come in bit by bit and by his 4th song the tent was filled. But in the meantime I turned into a self-appointed hype man and cheered + sang along anytime I remembered lyrics from his set in Paris. He flashed me the biggest smile and that was my job done. I'll say, he killed it! He acts out some of his lyrics while singing them and I love how theatrical his presence on stage is. In the end, he told us that while we were 12 at first, he felt very welcomed by the fact that his performance attracted the rest of the audience inside. I'm glad it turned out to be a positive experience for him bc I was quite worried during the first 3 songs.

Folly Group was the best kind of slap in the face. You know me, I went without listening to anything first. That strategy has never failed me and I'm going to keep doing that until I die. They are so good?? Ridiculously good. I'm defo seeing them again some day, in a nebulous future.

Yard Act... They were magnificent. Beautiful people, beautiful show. They gave their all for the last one, the energy was electric! Daisy and Lauren went all out with the dance moves and I was so here for it! Love them, love the vibe they bring, it's the icing on the cake. I hope they'll stick with the band next tour (fingers crossed).

Now here come the fun parts.

James, James, James.

Dunno if any of you recall the post I made for the Paris gig, but basically he caught me singing along to the newest songs and went through a hilarious mix of emotions bc most ppl in attendance didn't know the lyrics yet. (It was at the very beginning of the EU tour, by the end of it more and more goers had had the time to memorise the lyrics.)

Well, this time I was front row and in his line of sight more often than not. So of course he noticed I was pit choiring (dunno if that's a thing but you know what I mean) during the 2nd song (Dead Horse), came to the edge of the stage right in front of me, crouched a little, looked me straight in the eye and basically sang the last verse with me. Thing is, he did it again during the next song (When the Laughter Stops) for the remaining half of the 2nd verse and from that point on, it turned into a game, sort of?

Land of the Blind was next, he gave me a pointed look from the mic stand at the very beginning of the 1st verse (to see if I'd start singing straight away I assume?), he didn't sing directly with me this time BUT mimed the 'magic trick' in front of me. (🥰)

Now for the real shenanigans. The following song was Fizzy Fish and it is my absolute favourite. However, there is a tricky part at the beginning of the song — a tongue-twister (and rather long at that). You prolly know where this is going. So, when I cheered obnoxiously at the first notes, he got a twinkle in his eye and a grin that spelled trouble and before I knew it, he was squatting in front of me, initiating the most intense eye contact I've received in years (eyes wide and intent, as he does), daring me to follow. And you best believe that I always mess up this part when singing in the comfort of my own home, and given the smug look James was giving me, he was 100% trying to trip me up. But I wasn't going to turn down a challenge from one of my favourite musicians, was I? Bc the other thing is, that lil stunt of his channelled my focus and I was able to sing through the tongue-twister for the 1st time thanks to him. He feigned annoyance and moved to the other side of the stage, and that was fucking hilarious. He came back at the very end though, and addressed the “keep your silly grin plastered accross your stupid fucking face” line to me. Love that man.

Oh, but we're not done. Next up was We Make Hits, and I believe that's their most popular one from the latest album. The crowd was extra responsive, and James tried to interact with as many people as possible. He still sang the first chorus with me, but the band (not just James) went and tripped *everyone* up on the 2nd one (took a longer pause between 2 lines basically), everybody in the crowd fell for it, except me. (I'm not psychic, their body language was easier to read from my pov.) I'm not gonna lie, I felt a tinge of pride.

James 'left' me alone for the next few songs (for one he was too hyper to stay put, and that would've been unfair to the rest of the audience if he gave attention only to me). But! He sang the tiniest bits of A Vineyard for the North and 100% Endurance with me and that meant the world. James is a certified sweetheart and I wish he was my big brother.

Surely, I'm done now, right? Think again. Bc I have to tell you about Ryan. I'm autistic, right, it's no secret. I'm very sensitive to sounds, I do suffer from misophonia and that does include music sometimes (heavy autotunes, recorders...) but that also means I get the exact opposite of that. Sensitivity works both ways, and I've been obsessed with bass guitars and basslines for as long as I can remember, and even that is putting it lightly. (I could make a post about that to go into further details if you're interested but this one is never-ending enough as it is.) When filming a performance, I keep my eyes off my phone as much as possible, but I always try to make sure to get decent footage of the bass. Now Ryan was quite far off to the side, and the stage was rather wide, so that meant if I wanted him in the frame, I had to blatantly orient my phone towards him. I got caught, obvs. He didn't pay much mind at first (I like how he looks very focused and overly serious when he's playing, you wouldn't guess he's just as silly as James is), but after a while he realised I was filming him specifically a lot. He sort of kept and eye on me from then on, and so we made eye contact several times (esp when James was interacting with other members of the crowd). I was unapologetic bc I'd kill for his basslines, but at one point he raised an eyebrow at me, tilted his head towards Sam (who was at the opposite side of the stage) and nodded once. I chuckled, nodded back and filmed Sam bc I felt called out. 🥲 (Don't get me wrong, Sam is a tremendous guitarist but tHE BASS.) I basically got scolded by one of my favourite bassists of all time for not giving his bandmates enough attention, that was both sweet and really funny. Ryan caught me again a few more times (I couldn't help myself) and he'd give me a glare with no real heat or roll his eyes lmao.

I had such a blast! Towards the end of 100% Endurance, James thanked their crew and each band member, I yelled "LOVE YA" enough times to pass as the lunatic I am, so that was great too (/gen). James always thanks Ryan last (they're the co-founding members), and takes the time to hug him and give him lil kisses to his temple and cheek, and that's when Ryan melts. Lemme tell you, seeing a grown man drop his professional musician mask and turn into a puppy in anticipation at the sight of his co-founding bandmate walking over to him is the most adorable fucking thing ever. (The queerplatonic vibes they got going too 🥹) I'm a bit sad I didn't record that, but there'll be other opportunities.

This time it wasn't just Murkage Dave joining in on the Trench Coat Museum fun, but Folly Group too and the result was insane! Sadly all my footage is extremely saturated (again, the acoustics suuucked).

After the concert, a handful of us goers were waiting round to see if we could get a setlist but the security staff didn't know anything about that. Thankfully, Ryan walked back on stage to get something so I asked him directly. He was so surprised he didn't reply, he simply gave me an acknowledging glance and proceeded to peel off his setlist with the greatest care in the world. I immediately thanked him profusely (and loudly) and some guy waiting with me had the audacity to say Ryan wasn't going to give it to us. I got super defensive and told him that yes, he was, what do you think he's doing? Ryan gave me a fond lil lopsided smile, got up and went on to peel off (just as carefully) all of the remaining setlists. I just... Lost it, half yelled “AWW YOU'RE SUCH A SWEETHEART, YOU'RE THE BEST”, thus successfully embarrassing the both of us. He sent me a look that said “do you have to be so loud?” (tbf I didn't). He gathered the setlists in a pile and handed them to the staff so we could have them. I've never received one in such good condition, they always get at least a tad torn and/or crumpled. But look at that! 🥹

I love him so much, protect him at all costs. ❤️

Even though I remember everything vividly, I'm still having trouble realising everything I've told you here actually happened. I'm a lucky bastard.

I'm in love with this band. 🧡

🫶🏻

[Click on 'read more' for bonus vids & pics]

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Murkage Dave keeping it real (World I Want to Live In)

He's got a sense of humour too (Gotta Go DJ)

Folly Group setting the tone (Awake and Hungry)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

James making the most of the last gig (Pour Another)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

Daisy & Lauren 🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 (Pour Another)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

James decided to sing the 'clean' version of Land of the Blind, and I decided to ruin it

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

Yard Act tricking the crowd (We Make Hits)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

Losing my entire mind over them (Dream Job)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

I can't post the video itself bc my obnoxious cheering pollutes the audio, so have a gif instead (Dream Job)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

The four words James sang with me (A Vineyard for the North)

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

A very blurry James singing with me (100% Endurance)

Better yet, the video

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights]

Ryan staring at me disapprovingly while I'm filming him (The Trench Coat Museum)

He looks absolutely done with me but don't let that fool you, he's a very endearing man 🧡

Bonus anecdote:

The woman who was next to me at the barrier (I'd say she was in her 50s) accosted me after the gig was over and told me she had fun watching James sing with me 🥹

Post-concert sap for everyone involved 🧡

[square-braxket]

YARD ACT

my favourite most blurriest photos i took whilst dancing terribly at the gig last night ‼️💥

[hersreputation]

Midnights + favorite lines/songs 

Why can't you sleep? Maybe you lie awake in the aftershock of falling headlong into a connection that feels like some surreal cataclysmic event. Like spontaneous combustion, or seeing snow falling on a tropical beach. A lavender haze crush that feels like the crash of wave.

Or was tonight the night you realized how solitary, how alone you really are, no matter how high you climb.  The elevation just makes it colder.

Some midnights, you're out and you're buzzing with electric current — an adventurer in pursuit of rapturous thrill. Music blaring from speakers and the reckless intimacy of dancing with strangers. Something in this shadowy room to make you feel shiny again. On these nights, you know that there are facets of you that only glow in the dark.

Why are you still up at this hour? Because you're cosplaying vengeance fantasies, where the bad bad man is hauled away in handcuffs and you get to watch it happen. You laugh into the mirror with a red wine snarl. You look positively deranged.

Maybe you were trying to mastermind matters of the heart again. You've gotten lost in the labyrinth of your head, where the fear wraps its claws around the fragile throat of true love. Will you be able to save it in time? Save it from who? Well, it obvious. From you.

[icedhotkopi]

In which Anya meets the Moon Knight System (first pic isnt part of the comic that's in the second pic)

more SpyxFamily x MCU doodles [ pt 1 ]

[draconicace]

went to the vet for a follow-up and cersei the cat peed on my leg on the way...

this is her at the vet

[colgatebluemintygel]

o em gee he’s lined up 2 lecture what is he teaching 🤨

omg i got several asks about this i love how curious yall are HEHE but it is broadly about monstrosity in medieval lit !! one of the assignments will involve the students creating a bestiary 🤭

[koreanthrillerenjoyer]

im pissed at kq, this new comeback a to z or wtvr seems sooooo rushed, and ateez is to me art so i love to dive into every aspect like clothing storyline etc, but this shit is wack and rushed. the album design is hella ugly, the concept photos so plane, and the sport concept? idk, for an ateez song? is the anarchy era over? are they just gonna move on? it might be cuz they kinda won in the crazy form mv.

eitherway i wouldve loved it if this was all for a japanese bside, but its not and i dont feel the passion from the kq concept team

[maraschinomerry]

Me: I'm finally starting to get over my various crises and feel like myself again!

The biggest crisis yet:

[heartshaped-lou]

-

[whyisntketchupasmoothie]

.

[liebelesbe]

hmmmmmmm

[allfillernothriller]

Yard Act (+ Murkage Dave) @ Cabaret Sauvage, Paris, Dream Job Tour, 05.04.24

I made 4th-5th rows! Which isn't bad at all considering how tiny the Cabaret Sauvage is (there's no barrier, the front row's at the foot of the stage. From the 4th row, I wasn't further away from the stage than I was back when I was front row at Ally Pally for Jamie T).

I was once again rewarded for my decision to NOT listen to Murkage Dave before going. Hearing new stuff for the first time live slaps, that's why I love festivals and support acts. Successfully set myself up for a nice surprise ✨

I took a shit ton of videos, kept the parts that were decent enough, and compiled them in a montage like it's 2013. Here's the link:

[YouTube description:

[CW eyestrain: flashing lights @ ppl prone to seizures, proceed with caution]

Disclaimer! I can't afford a fancier phone and I'm no pro. Not to mention the fact that I will NEVER sacrifice my live experiences over footage. So yeah, it's shaky, but again, if I feel like dancing, I'll do just that; and if I'd rather keep my eyes on the band than make sure they're in the frame, that takes priority too. I guess what I'm trying to say is that those are primarily there for me to relive the memories, they weren't meant for aesthetics. Buuut, that doesn't mean I can't share them with you, does it?

Dropping this collection of excerpts from the gig like barging in your living room with a stack of pics from my latest trip. Look, I'm no film editor either, and evidently my brain was stuck in 2013, so that cringeworthy montage will have to do.

I know it's a shame I didn't record Payday & Dark Days (among others), but what can I say? I was too busy moshpitting.]

The atmosphere was incredible. There was a respectful vibe in the audience that made me feel safe. I actually partook in a moshpit wilfully and without fear for the first time in my life and that is a HUGE deal to me bc I'm usually too big of a wuss to try and on the rare occurrences I got caught up in one, people pushed too hard and some wound up hurt. Not this time. No one pushed too hard, no one tripped over, it was all friendly, benevolent horseplay and I HAD fun!!

A few complementary anecdotes:

When they played Land of the Blind, someone from the front row handed James a coin for the 'magic trick' part of the song. Who was this anonymous hero? Was it a spur of the moment decision? Did they just happen to have a coin in their pocket? Did they plan this??? So many questions. Defo in my top 3 most wholesome moments I've witnessed at a gig.

Most of my fellow croissants didn't know the words (I mean apart from The Overload and 100% Endurance bc they're from the 1st album; or they knew the words but couldn't pronounce them? Idk, point is, they didn't sing much), which was to be expected, but there were a few expats & brit tourists here and there, and throughout the concert, after a coupla moshpits & crowd movements, nearly all of us english speakers ended up gathered in a single group and we all sang along together: that was mint.

James pointed at everyone he could see wearing a trench coat and I was among them 🥰

Once again, not so many ppl knew the words, especially the newest songs. And there was me, who's obsessed with song lyrics, singing along nearly the entire time. The look on James' face when he made eye contact with me during When the Laughter Stops, Fizzy Fish and A Vineyard for the North, and realised I was singing too was priceless. He had the same reaction all 3 times lmao. The man was a mix of surprise, confusion, pride and amusement, he's such a sweetheart 🥲 I'm always a tad apprehensive when I get caught singing by the artist bc I don't know how'll they react, they all tend to feel differently about audience participation (e.g. Jamie T loves it so much when we sing along, I suspect it's one of his favourite things about going on stage and Brian Molko didn't pay it much mind, like it made not much of a difference to him lol) but James didn't seem to dislike it (I've heard there are artists who hate it but no one I've seen so far). I posted the bit from the video with the caption "backing vocals from the pit" to my Instagram story mentioning them and they shared it to theirs, so I take it they're okay with pit choirs.

James asked us to make some noise and when he saw how responsive we were, he had us do it 5 more times like he couldn't help himself and his giddy giggling made it impossible to be annoyed with him tbh

I love them. I love them so much.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Bonuses

One thing I didn't include in the video

The mandatory pre-gig youth hostel mirror selfie to show off my fit

Turning my trench coat into an Ace Trench Coat™ with merch

[drinkurkombucha]

Me on my way to give you life advice that you absolutely should not listen to in any way:

[unofficialoracle]

me to myself, full of joy and self love: there is something wrong with me. lol

[madwickedawesome]

what if inchanged my entire planned career path to become a FIELD RESEARCHER😄😄😄😄😄😄(god Help me im so tired)

[sanstropfremir]

kai releasing a new solo album but also rumored of an exo and super m comeback. i swear this dude has to enlist soon? not sure how realistic it would be that he participates in them... unless the super m promotions are similar to got the beat and a live stage at mnet... nct mark also supposed to go on tour with dream (?).

he does, i think he needs to go by the end of the year, same with sehun. kai tends to take a lot of time to plan his solos so i can imagine rover has probably been in the works for a while, which likely would have freed up a bit of time for the to pre-film an exo cb and possibly a superm one. they also might be taking him out of superm if they're planning for it to be in the second half of the year. the exo cb is likely to be in the summer so he can probably participate in that, but we'll just have to see bc nobody knows how much of sm's projected plan is actually going to pan out