#tour kit rundown

[dreamings-free]

“What I love about the Louis Tomlinson tour is I get to do kinda both of those things (being the musical director and the drummer), get to play drums, play big sizes, play nice and loud. But I also get to do all the creative stuff, building the show with Louis. Which is.. yeah that’s what I love.”

— Steve Durham about being in Louis’ touring band

Louis Tomlinson Tour Kit Rundown - Modern Drummer 31/3/24

[whilstiveputdownthisfic]

from Steve Durham's IG stories

as of 11:12 pm edt on Friday, March 29th, 2024

[bastillemxfans]

In June of 2023 while supporting Duran Duran on the 2023 Future Past North American Tour, Bastille drummer Chris "Woody" Wood took a few minutes to give Modern Drummer a rundown of his custom British Drum Company tour kit.

[greensparty]

My Concert History: Foo Fighters UPDATED

Periodically I do a rundown of my concert history of seeing a particular artist. In 2018, I did my concert history of Foo Fighters, but since then I actually need to update the list. Timing couldn't be better with their show at Fenway Park tomorrow, which I'll be at...and have to update this list again! Here now is the update concert history since that 2018 history was published:

- WBCN River Rave 6/8/1997 @ Great Woods (Mansfield, MA)

I didn’t catch any of Foo Fighters’ shows in 1995-96, but I wasn’t going to miss out when The Colour and the Shape was released. Taylor Hawkins had just joined the band, and it was a few months before Pat Smear left the band. The WBCN River Rave also featured Matthew Sweet, Morphine, Fiona Apple, Porno for Pyros, Primus, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Moby just to name a few. Their set was mostly the songs off the first 2 albums. One of the highlights of the festival!

- HMV Records 11/1/1999 @ HMV (New York, NY)

Me meeting Dave Grohl at their HMV in-store

Chris Shiflett had just joined the band. When There is Nothing Left to Lose was released, they did promotional blitz in NYC that included an in-store appearance at HMV. My ex-GF and I traveled down from MA to NYC for this. The band performed for about 40 min. mostly off the new album. Then the band signed copies of the new album and I got to meet them (read all about it here).

- WBCN Xmas Rave 12/1/1999 @ Orpheum Theater (Boston, MA)

Only a month after I got to meet the band, I saw them at the WBCN Xmas Rave, which also featured At the Drive-In and Ben Harper. They played about 13 songs, mostly hits and new album. Great show!

- 4/2/2000 @ Mullins Center (Amherst, MA)

They co-headlined a tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers (my first time seeing RHCP) with opening act Muse. Drove out to UMass Amherst to see this show. It was really cool to see the Foo Fighters in a much bigger venue, a preview of some of the arenas I’d see them in later. RHCP drummer Chad Smith came out and joined them on a second drum kit for “My Hero”.

- 7/3/2003 @ Hammerstein Ballroom (New York, NY)

Even though the band in retrospect isn’t a fan of their 2002 album One By One, its one of my favorites. Promoting the album, the band played 2 shows at Hammerstein with openers My Morning Jacket and Pete Yorn. They did quite a bit of the One By One album and during “Everlong”, a fan apparently proposed during that song!?! 

- Fuse TV Special 6/14/2005 @ Fuse TV studios (New York, NY)

Technically this is not a concert I saw, but I’ll explain why it made the list. I was working at the music video cable TV channel Fuse in 2005 just as the double album In Your Honor had been released. The band was doing a promotional blitz in NYC and stopped by Fuse to do a live performance 7th Avenue Drop show. I tried to go down to see them, but even as an employee and knowing so many people, I wasn’t able to go to the studio due to the capacity limit. But my friend who was working there, managed to get Dave Grohl’s guitar pick for me! Hence it being listed here even though it wasn't an official show I saw.

- 10/14/2005 @ Continental Airlines Arena (Rutherford, NJ)

My girlfriend (who became my wife) and two friends made the trek to NJ to see this co-headlining tour with Weezer and opening act Hot Hot Heat. This was a fantastic show, but the big highlight of the night was when they brought out special guest Roger Taylor of Queen, who played drums on the cover of “Tie Your Mother Down”, which Taylor Hawkins sang on. So much for “Never Meet Your Idols”! 

- 8/21/2006 @ Beacon Theater (New York, NY)

In 2006 they went on an intimate acoustic tour of theaters. I went to the Beacon Theater show with Frank Black (of The Pixies) opening. Further musicians they brought on this tour included Rami Jaffee (who became an official member in 2017), Petra Haden, Drew Hester and returning Foo Fighter Pat Smear, who officially returned as a member in 2010. It was almost like an episode of Storytellers as Dave Grohl talked about some of the songs and their meaning. Very special show!

- 2/19/2008 @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

After the release of Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, the band began playing much larger venues. At this MSG show, Serj Tankian (of System of a Down) and Against Me! opened. Some of the additional musicians who played the 2006 acoustic tour came out for an acoustic section of the show that included the very first Triangle solo in MSG history from their percussionist. 

- 11/13/2011 @ Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)

By the time of 2011′s album Wasting Light, Pat Smear was back as an official band member. For their NYC show at MSG, the openers were The Joy Formidable and Social Distortion. They brought out a few special guests: Bob Mould of Husker Du played on “Dear Rosemary” and “Breakdown” (the Tom Petty song); and Joan Jett came out and did her song “Bad Reputation” with the band. The band also did Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh”.

- 7/19/2015 @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

Obligatory concert selfie of me and my friend Tim with Foo Fighters behind us!

After the 2014 album and HBO series Sonic Highways, I hoped Boston would be an upcoming episode / recording. While on tour to promote the album, just a few weeks earlier, Dave Grohl broke his leg onstage, so for the remainder of the tour he performed on a throne. Even if he was sitting the whole time, it was one hell of a show (read my concert review here). Openers were Royal Blood and Dropkick Murphys. Highlights of the show included Grohl’s surgeon Dr. Lew Schon, who came out and sang The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with the band; a brief cover of The Cars’ “Let’s Go”; a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”, and Godsmack’s Sully Erna joining for Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”. 

7/21/2018 @ Fenway Park (Boston, MA)

my friend Ron, Wally the Green Monster and me at Fenway Park

Taylor Hawkins onstage with Foo Fighters

My second time seeing them at Fenway Park, but this show was very special because I won a contest and got tickets to the show and got to stay at the nearby Verb Hotel and also earlier in the weekend I got to see Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett doing a solo show at City Winery. I wish I could have this experience more often to get to see a musician in a small intimate setting and then see them rock out in a stadium with a band (read my concert review here). My buddy Ron came up and we had a great time! Openers included Boston's The Monsieurs (who I interviewed earlier in the month) and UK's The Struts. Highlights of this show included a cover of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" with Taylor Hawkins singing along with The Struts singer Luke Spiller, the band doing a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" musically while singing Van Halen's "Jump" along with producer Greg Kurstin on piano, and Grohl's daughter Violet (12 at the time) on back-up vocals. Looking back it was one of the best Taylor Hawkins' performances as he also did a drum solo.

Boston Calling 5/23/2023 @ Harvard Athletic Complex (Boston, MA)

Foo Fighters on stage

me in my happy place: watching Foo Fighters

I attended Day of the 2023 Boston Calling festival (read my review here). Foo Fighters' headlined that night of the festival. This was a little over a year after the passing of Taylor Hawkins and only a week after they announced new drummer Josh Freese. Much of this show was about the band breaking in Josh but remembering Taylor. They paid tribute to Taylor with Dave singing “Cold Day in the Sun” (which Taylor sang) and to my surprise they performed “Aurora” because it was Taylor’s favorite Foo Fighter song (I haven’t seen them do that song live since 2003). For “Shame, Shame”, Dave introduced his 17 year-old daughter Violet. The highlight of the night (that got national attention from numerous news and music outlets) was Taylor’s 17 year-old son Shane guest drumming on “This is a Call”. 

Me just hanging out with Mr. Chris Shiflett in 2018

In addition to all of these shows I recounted, I also saw Dave Grohl with Them Crooked Vultures in 2009, Taylor Hawkins with the Coattail Riders in 2006 and 2010, and Chris Shiflett in 2018.

After I see tomorrow's show I'll have to update this concert history!

[gingerbreadingwer]

Andy Hurley - Fall Out Boy - Tour Kit Rundown 22.02.2024

[spooky-stille]

Chris "Woody" Wood - Bastille - Tour Kit Rundown

[iwan1979]

Cyclingnews: Tour de France bikes 2024: The ultimate equipment guide

[jarael]

Yugiri nearly jumped out of her skin, her thoughts disturbed by a yelp coming from Rain’s room.  She hurried to check on her stepchild--

Only to find the Elezen/Viera kit squeezing a small, winged being in a bear hug, giggling their head off.  “Mama!  New friend!”

Yugiri fought the urge to laugh.  “Rain, dear, please allow Feo Ul to breathe.”

With a pout, the toddler released the Pixie, who released several deep breaths to reinflate their lungs.  But Feo Ul was lighthearted, and not wont to hold a grudge against a child.  “Little leaf!  You already have my little sapling’s strength!  Ah, Lady Yugiri,” they addressed the shinobi, “your spouse is doing well.  Sigrun does wish to give you a tour of the First, but it’s too chaotic right now.  I think, on the other hand--there’s more of them?!”

The Pixie’s gaze had turned to the two cribs in the room, holding two young, sleeping Au Ra/Viera infants.  They let out an excited cry, spinning around.  “My little sapling has the cutest leaves!  Oh, Lady Yugiri, you must--“

“Feo Ul,” Yugiri warned, with a hint of mirth, “please keep your voice down, or you’ll have to learn how to change diapers.”

The Pixie crinkled their nose.  “My lovely sapling would be amused, but alas, I was told to give you the full rundown.  Now, where to begin?”

[xe-company]

❝ CAMP CASTAWAY is the second season for MIDNIGHT SOCIETY’s program THE CLUBHOUSE. This season centers around the theme of summer camp, games, friendship, and a healthy bit of heated competition. Member CHAMIN is absent from this season as she was preparing for a surgery in the beginning of 2022. This season is everyone's favorite season of THE CLUBHOUSE. Each ‘winner’ of the games gets a small trophy. While the season plays out, the girls are trying to get patches as well. ❞

BROWSE EPISODES:

EP. 000: WELCOME TO CAMP CASTAWAY SUMMER CAMP | Join the girls in the summer camp season introduction. Each of the girls introduce themselves as camp counselors as they give a small tour of the summer camp.

EP. 001: LET THE GAMES BEGIN | A small rundown of the games to be played. As well as small introductions of other groups that will be playing with them. 

EP. 002: RED ROVER, RED ROVER + TUG-A-WAR ! | Two in one video as the girls play with NV Entertainment’s Woo!Ah!.

EP. 003: MONOPOLY | With the creation of a giant customized Monopoly board the girls see who will with the Midnight Society edition of Monopoly.

EP. 004: RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT | The girls play a few rounds of red light, green light with BIG HIT’s boy group TXT. 

EP. 005: AFTER CAMP COUNSELOR IS ASLEEP | The members try and make traditional summer camp foods while trying not to wake the camp counselor.

EP. 006: SUMMER CAMP MUKBANG | The girls eat and chat about things.

EP. 007: ESCAPE ROOM [BUT MAKE IT A CAMP CABIN] | The staff of Camp Castaway has designed an escape room, but will the girls and BELIFT boy group ENHYPEN be able to escape before the time runs out? 

EP. 008: HIDE-N-CLAP + SHADOW MAN + SIMON SAYS | Combining the three games into one the girls take on another game challenge as the sun starts to set

EP. 009: CAMERA FLASH | Another childhood game is played through a few rounds, the girls, with the lights off, try and take photos of each other with the flash on. After 30 minutes, they look through them and if someone is in the photos with the flash they become it. 

EP. 010: TAG ! + MAFIA | Two games in one video once more but with SD Entertainment’s girl group SATURDAY!

EP. 011: CAMP CASTAWAY OLYMPICS + OBSTACLE COURSE | The first Camp Castaway olympics is happening. An obstacle course is created and the girls as well as JYP’s ITZY try to finish it in the fastest time. 

EP. 012: JUST DANCE + TWISTER | The girls take on punishment after punishment if they’re the ones with the two lowest score and if they fall first out of the pairing in Twister. 

EXTRAS:

CAMP CASTAWAY SEASON TEASER

CAMP CASTAWAY PROMOTION VIDEO 

CAMP CASTAWAY PHOTOSHOOT | BEHIND THE SCENES

CAMP CASTAWAY SEASON SET UP | BEHIND THE SCENES

WON CAM | BEHIND THE SCENES

HYUNJAE CAM | BEHIND THE SCENES

YANG CAM | BEHIND THE SCENES

YIN CAM | BEHIND THE SCENES

X CAM | BEHIND THE SCENES

MEMBERS SECRET MISSIONS COMPILATION

MERCH + PACKAGES:

CAMP CASTAWAY COUNSELOR / STAFF SHIRT + SHORTS

CAMP CASTAWAY CAMPER SHIRT + SHORTS

CAMP CASTAWAY CARE PACKAGE:

[5] ENVELOPED LETTERS [ONE FROM EACH MEMBER] [1] CAMP CASTAWAY POSTCARD [1] CAMP CASTAWAY PROMOTION POSTER [1] CAMPER ID + LANTERN [CUSTOMIZABLE OR MEMBER ID] [3] CAMP CASTAWAY PATCHES [RANDOM 3 OUT OF 25] [1] JOURNAL KIT [JOURNAL, PEN, PENCIL, ERASER, STICKERS] [1] FRIENDSHIP BRACELET [RANDOM 1 OUT OF 5] [2] MEMBER’S PET SELFIES [RANDOM 2 OUT OF 10] [10] PHOTOCARDS [RANDOM 10 OUT OF 50] [1] CAN OF SILLY STRING [RANDOM 1 OUT OF 5] [1] RANDOM PROP/ITEM FROM THE CLUBHOUSE CAMP CASTAWAY SEASON

[societydatabase]

* 𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 / juno & mandy

location: gallagher dorms, gallagher grounds, gillian gallagher’s home

timeline: october 29 –– the morning of november 1

triggers: n/a

PREMISE :  it’s 48 hours before halloween . while everyone is getting ready and sorting through any last minute costume decisions for the party , juno ( @bencvolence​ ) and mandy ( @amandaxhill​ ) return to their respective dorms to find a note from none other than the black dahlias , detailing their task . the two of them have to work together to complete their task and secure their spots within this secret organization . a rundown of how juno and mandy completed their task and the days leading up to it .

𝟒𝟖 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍

with the black dahlia’s pledge initiation taking place a little over a month ago , the pledges very much aware that personalized tasks can be doled out at moment’s notice . this is exactly what happened to juno and mandy . unbeknownst to them , they are the first ones to receive and be paired up for the task .

they return to their respective rooms , each finding a note placed delicately on their pillow . 

Juniper Choi and Amanda Hill,

Your presence is formally required by the Order of the Black Dahlias to meet in the home of Gillian Gallagher on Halloween evening at the eleventh hour. To join the Sisterhood you must stay until dawn, or else you will never hear from us again. We will no longer exist and your claims will be a whisper in the wind.

Good luck.

soon after , juno is knocking on mandy’s door . they devise a plan and start searching for the late founder’s well hidden home . it won’t be easy finding her house . they’re going to need all the time they can get before halloween .

𝟐𝟒 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍

they spend most of yesterday searching for gillian gallagher’s home to no avail . they hope today’s the day and luck is on their side . juno and mandy need to find her house . it would be a shame to lose their spots just because they couldn’t find the late gillian gallagher’s house .

the two of them are up early . they’re going to spend all day searching for it if they have to . if need be , class can wait . but juno hopes that’s not the case . part of their plan relies on finding gillian’s house during the day and returning at night so that they won’t get lost .

after a couple of hours of searching , they find gillian’s home and conduct their own little reconnaissance mission of the surrounding area and the route . juno pulls up a map of the school grounds on her tablet and marked a couple routes that lead to the late founder’s home .

          “ well shit . we’re gonna have to spend the night here ? ”

there’s a reason why the house is well hidden and only fourth years are taken on a tour to the late founder’s home .

they return to school with the intent to meet up after dinner and retrace their steps . for the most part , the task very much present in their minds .

𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍

today’s the day . however , that doesn’t mean juno and mandy won’t enjoy their time at the party . they’re confident they can slip out undetected and break into gillian’s home . it’s no problem , right ? everything is pretty much ready to go . they’ve packed some things and stashed them close to the property . but for now ? they’re at the party . juno certainly doesn’t want the ppc’s efforts to go to waste . 

it doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon ,  mandy makes her way to their meetup spot . juno takes the opportunity to slip out undetected . she heads back to the dorms first for a quick change of clothes before meeting mandy at their rendezvous point . she’s staying the night so might as well wear some comfortable clothes . the sound of the party grows faint as they continue to venture further away from the chapel and towards gillian’s house .

10:35 PM . they keep their guard up move stealthily . the moonlight illuminates the area as the two approach the house . it’s like they can almost hear her cries . not one to be easily scared , juno pulls out her lock picking kit and quickly gets to work .

in less than ten minutes , the door creaks open and abruptly shuts . the sound of leaves rustling can be heard just right outside the window . while gillian’s home has been converted into a museum of sorts for fourth year students , it still doesn’t make it any less creepy . not with the odd sounds coming from god knows where . do they dare explore the other sections of the house ?

      “ this isn’t so bad , right ? ”

                       “ i think we’ll make it to dawn . ”

mandy packed some snacks . juno packed a blanket and her laptop . you never know if gallagher’s internet reaches this far . it’s worth a shot to have something pass the time . they’re a little deterred by the sounds . however , they’re not letting anything stop them . they will get through this . they have to . but they know they won’t be getting a good night’s sleep , that’s for sure .

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

they must’ve dozed off at some point . again , it certainly wasn’t a comfortable night’s rest . juno rouses from her slumber when the morning sun shines through the window . “ oh shit , ” she mumbles , sitting up . she quickly grabs her discarded phone to check the time .  7:13 AM .

“ mandy ! ” she calls out to the other girl . “ hey ! it’s like seven .  i think it’s safe to say that we made it through dawn . ”

the two gather their belongings . they don’t question how the black dahlias would know if they’ve successfully completed their task . word will get back to them . they have their ways . even with juno’s previous experience of being in a secret society in college , the pledging process pales in comparison to this .

they both make their way back to the dorms in silence . it’s unlikely that their roommates would ask where they’ve been all night , but with the party being the night before , would anyone really notice ? they’re banking on the fact that at least half the student body would be hungover . soon enough , juno and mandy are back in their respective dorms , tucked away in their own beds . a majority of gallagher remaining none the wiser as to what happened the night before .

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Time for us to take care of you; Queen x teen reader (platonic)

*Author’s note*

This was a request from my Wattpad and this is also a cute little platonic fic in honor of Brian’s birthday (since in this fic I kinda lean towards Brian here in favorite band member) now this one’s a little different because here and as warning we’ve got you being the assistant for Paul Prenter (UGGGGHHHH!!! DX) but have no fear, the crazy queenies will save you from his tyranny! And you shall find out soon.

So besides the warning for Prenter, there’s fluff, swearing, situation regarding migraines.

Queen taglist:

@geek-and-proud

@plethora-of-things

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@waddles03

@coolcxt

@queendeakyy

__________________________________________________

I was going through some files trying to get everything that Paul told me to organize properly and have ready for Mr. Reid while they all went over to meet with Ray Foster, the record producer for the band.  God even though he’s my ‘boss’ I wish that he would do his own work instead of handing it down to me, especially when I hear Mr. Reid telling him to do this certain task but the second he goes away, he just places the work right on my desk just before I would clock out sometimes.

I paused my work and rubbed my face as I groaned tiredly before placing my chin on top of my hands as my elbows were leaned up against my desk.  Suddenly I felt hands cover my eyes and I let out a small squeak but before I could fight back, a voice said in my ear.

“No, no, no darling no peeking you cheeky thing.”

“Freddie what are you doing?”

“You ask so many questions darling.” I waited for a moment before saying,

“Can I look now?”

“Hold on, not yet.”

“Now can I look?”

“Ever the impatient teenager, thinks work is better than being spoiled. Especially by us, wouldn’t you agree Deacy?” I heard Roger’s voice say.

“Yes indeed. She works much too hard.”

“Alright Fred uncover her eyes, it’s ready.” Brian’s voice spoke up and the second Freddie’s hands uncovered my eyes, I saw before me a tray of food and a cup of my favorite flavor of tea.

“Aww you guys.” I said as I twirled around in my chair and turned to face them.

“You just work so hard love and we know you probably didn’t have time for lunch. So after the meeting with Foster, we slipped past Reid and Prenter and got you your favorite.” Brian explained.

“Ohhh you guys do too much for me. I should be doing stuff like this for you.”

“You do too much of that already. Time we did something for you for a change. Get your mind off of work for once.” Roger said as he playfully ruffled my hair. I shoved his hand away from my head and tried to readjust my hair before I reached for the fried rice first and asked them.

“So, how did the meeting go?” I know I shouldn’t be asking questions like these but throughout these past 8 months since I got this second job to get some extra money for—personal reasons (please don’t ask), the boys of Queen had really become like a second family to me.

Even though they’re bigshot rockstars who most people would believe wouldn’t care much about people who help them behind the scenes, the lads had been nothing but supportive of me.  As a young 15 year old assistant, this whole lifestyle can be intimidating but thanks to John Deacon or as I had the privilege of referring him by his nickname “Deacy”, he’s helped me out by pulling me aside whenever the scene got too hectic especially for someone my age.

If you had to ask me who I’d pick as a favorite it’s really hard to choose but if I really had to and I hope and pray the guys never hear about this but I would have to say it’d be Brian May.  Not because of his rockstar abilities or just due to the fact that he’s the guitarist of this famed group.  No I’m talking about the Brian May fascinator of the stars and the rights of animals.

See once I get to University I’ve always had an interest in becoming a veterinarian but not just for domestic pets, but exotic animals as well.  When I was just 9 years old I saw a family of hedgehogs nesting in my mum’s garden and for weeks on end I helped fed them and made sure the family dog Yaz never went near the nest as to not harm or scare the mama hedgehog and her babies away.  And when Brian first heard about my dream, he was so proud of me that he even gave me an offer.

He vowed that one day if he ever got the chance to run his own little ‘animal safe house’ I would be his personal veterinarian for all sick, injured or orphaned animals he would take in.  We began to bond over our love for the animals and we both shared that the laws of Britain should change on animal rights.  It’s cruel and inhumane that badger baiting is still performed here in the UK even though its illegal. One day Bri and I hope to change that, to make sure that all people that still do stuff like that is truly put to justice no matter what animal they harm.  

Now I won’t say that I either do or do not like it; but in secret when it’s just us two, he sometimes likes to call me his little ‘fox kit’ because he always compared my cuteness to a baby fox kit.

And of course there’s Roger and Freddie.  The two famed troublemakers as I like to call them.  But even with their high energy and true rock and roll spirits, they like to have their quiet moments.  Like I’ve cat-sit for Freddie before and got to go over to his flat to meet them (all of them) as well as his lovely lady Mary Austin.  While Roger and I like to have some talks about cars and boats.

I knew a thing or two about cars thanks to my uncle who owns a mechanic shop in downtown London.  He’s taught me a thing or two about fixing engines, changing a tire so I’m not like most women who just seem to want to sit there in the middle of nowhere in their short jean pants that barely cover their buts and crop-tops waiting for someone to come to their rescue.  Hell I even once got to change one of the tour buses tires when Deacy or any other of the roadies couldn’t seem to get it.

And of course when it comes to fashion, these two try to take me with them when it came to their shopping trips and try to get me in the most outlandish and insane clothes that even I thought were ridiculous.  But I enjoyed spending time with them, plus seeing them make fools of themselves is always a good way for some juicy blackmail should the time ever arise.

“Well we’ve got the approval for the new record.” Deacy said.

“Really? That’s amazing. Congrats guys!”

“Yes. However there is a catch.” Brian added.

“What is it?” I asked worriedly.

“Unlike any other album, they’re sending us out of London. Actually far from any distractions. We’re going to a recording studio called what—Stone farm?” Roger said.

“Rockfield farm studio Roger dear.” Freddie pipped in.  Oh wow.

Now that is a long away from here, actually it’s out of England far.  I’m told that studio is located in the intense farm country of Wales.  Pure agriculture and not rural location.

“You guys have any idea how long you’ll be gone for?” I asked.

“Foster’s giving us a nine week deadline.” Brian answered.

“Oh.”

“Well there’s no need to be sad darling. You’ll be coming with us.” Freddie said as he lightly patted my shoulder.

“What?”

“Oh come on (y/n). Did you really think we’d leave you behind for nine weeks. We’d go mad without you around.” Roger said.

“Honestly I think we’ll try to murder each other without you there to keep us in check.” Deacy answered bluntly.

“But—but I….guys I’m honored you’d think I should go with you to this recording studio but unfortunately Paul’s my boss and I don’t go anywhere unless he tells me it’s okay.”

“Oh no need for that darling. I gave him a full rundown on why you should come along with us and he gladly accepted the reasons.” Freddie said.

Honestly Fred I know why he said he’d take me and it wasn’t because of your reasons. Yes I am well aware of how my boss looks at the frontman of Queen and let me tell you I’m not saying this as ‘unnatural’ for a man to love another man.  I just worry for Freddie’s safety.  

I knew Paul was no good, I don’t even see why he would even advert for an assistant when he hardly gives me the time of day and belittles me every day.

“Okay well there’s also my mum. You….you know how conservative I’ve told you all she is. I doubt she’d let someone my age who with a bunch of guys twice my age to Wales all on her own.”

“We can assure her that no harm shall come to her beloved daughter. Even if we have to chain ourselves to her car in order to prove our point.” Roger said.

“Please say you’ll come with us darling. Please?” Freddie said as he placed his hand on top of my shoulder, looking at me with pleading eyes even through his shades. I set my rice down and said.

“I don’t know guys……”

“Well we know there’s one surefire way to get you to say yes darling.” Oh bugger not again.

I felt both John and Roger’s hands grip both my wrists pulling me out of my seat and I was soon sandwiches between them.  Their arms imprisoning me between them making sure that I wouldn’t get out.

“Still don’t want to change your mind darling? You’ve already gotten the approval might as well take it.” Said Fred.

“I—I—”

“Still not wanting to go I see? Well Roger, Deacy time to step it up my darlings.”

“Awww no not the bunny nose! Deacy please it’s—oh not the double bunny nose!” The famed Queen sandwich plus bunny nose tactic.  Whenever the boys really wanted me to join in on something but I’d try to get out of it, no matter which combo they did.  

Two members would sandwich me in their arms while on either cheek I would feel their noses twitch like a bunny giving me bunny kisses, but if I still refused then I would get passed on to the next combo of whomever was left.

“Ohh please I can’t take it! It’s too cute when I get you both doing it!”

“Then say you’ll come or you’ll get it from Brian and I.”

“Okay! Okay I’ll come, I’ll come.” They all cheered and of course Roger and Deacy began kissing me all over my face and head as Brian and Freddie now came in to complete a royal Queen group hug as they liked to call it with me at the center. “When do we leave?”

“First thing tomorrow morning.”  Well hopefully I can convince my mum to let me go.

With the help of Brian and Deacy (since they were the most responsible of the band, and at this point Deacy was about to become a father at this point since his wife and soulmate Veronica was pregnant so hearing a future parent talk with a current parent seemed a bit easier to understand. Instead of four adult rockstars asking a teen girl to come along with them for her job) my mum allowed me to go.

I spent the next few hours packing and ended up getting about 5 hours of sleep since the cab I would be taking was coming around 6am to pick me up.  My mum kissed me goodbye the next morning and made me promise to call her every single day and night when I got up and before I went to bed.

Finally after a long 3hr. drive we finally arrived.  And let me tell you Rockfield farm definitely lived up to its name.  As I was helping with the unpacking of the band’s stuff Roger was the first one out of the car wearing his fur coat and shades as he said.

“Recording studio?”

“Well the idea was to get away from all distractions.” Paul answered as he held two suitcases in hand.  I grabbed one of the suitcases but as I walked around the car, I slipped on some mud and nearly fell to the ground had it not been for Freddie managing to catch me in time.

“Thanks Fred.”

“No need for thank yous darling. Need any help?”

“No, no I’ve got it.”

“(Y/n) I ain’t paying you to stand around and sell yourself out. Take that suitcase into the studio over there while I show the lads their rooms.” Paul snapped. Dude you hardly pay me at all.

“Yes Mr. Prenter.” I said as I headed in the opposite direction and set the heavy suitcase down.  For the next couple of hours I was helping unload the guys’ guitars, amps, and drumkit into the recording building.  

And of course Paul insisted that since I would figure out cars and talk about stuff that no other girls talk about then I’d have no problem unloading everything, so I was left alone unloading everything without the guys’ knowledge. Paul also had me set up Roger’s kit and have Brian’s guitars all set up and ready for him when it came time to record tomorrow.

By the time everything was set up and I was finally able to leave the studio I turned to see that the sun was just setting.  I walked in to see everyone gathered at the dinner table just finishing up their supper.

“Oh there you are love, we were wondering what was keeping you.” Paul made sure to keep his eyes locked right at me.  Because he had threatened me once that if I ever told the guys of how ‘overworked’ he was giving me, he’d fire me and make sure that I would never be admitted into another Queen concert again.

“Just—thought I’d look outside at the marvelous view we’ve got. I know you guys are gonna have a lot of time to write here.” I said.

“I will admit it defiantly provides no distractions.” Brian said.

“Well I’m gonna give Veronica a call and then probably head to bed.”

“Yeah I think I’ll hit the sack myself.” Roger agreed.

“True my darlings, we’ll take an early start tomorrow.” Freddie said.  With that the guys all decided to turn in for the night.

“(Y/n).” I turned to see Brian still at the table with a plate of fresh food. “Managed to save you a plate.”

“Brian you are my angel, thank you.” I said as I sat down.

“Next time don’t get too lost staring out into the fields, okay. Even you must eat my little fox kit.” I groaned at the nickname and playfully slapped his arm as he laughed softly. “Now eat and don’t stay up too late. Goodnight love.”

“Night Bri.” I said as he kissed the top of my head before heading towards his room. “Oh hang on, we weren’t clearly told. Where’s your room going to be at?” Actually I have no idea. Paul never mentioned a room for me.

“I’ll—I’ll talk to Paul after I talk to my mum. Don’t worry Bri I’m sure my room’s here somewhere.” He looked at me skeptically and said.

“Well just so you know in case he has you sleeping on that dirty old couch, you can always come up to my room. It’s the first door on the right. It doesn’t matter what time you come in, just wake me up and I’ll make room for you, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks Bri. Goodnight.”

“G’night love. Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams.” He then proceeded up the stairs.  After I finished up my dinner, Paul soon came in from the bathroom and I asked him.

“Excuse me, Mr. Prenter.” God I hated calling him that. “Where will I be sleeping at while I’m here?”

“Oh sorry (y/n), but I’m afraid all the rooms have been reserved by the band, Rory and myself.”

“So there’s—no more rooms?”

“Afraid not. But there’s always the couch. Unless you don’t think you can handle staying here, you can always go back to your mum’s place and I’ll tell the lads you were homesick and couldn’t handle being away from your sick mum for too long.” God I really hated it when he used my mum against me.

“The couch will be fine. Goodnight Mr. Prenter.”

“Goodnight lass, and be sure to have breakfast up and cooked by the time we all wake up. As part of the agreement you’ll be making all the meals from now on during our stay here.”

“Very well sir.” I stated.  Paul sneered a grin before heading upstairs to his room.  I put my dish away and headed to the living room to see my suitcase there on the old, soiled (probably mold or cat piss), torn apart, dusty red couch. It hardly looked like it would fit me and as I lay down on it, it already felt lumpy and I swore something was poking me in the back.

Heading into the bathroom I changed into my pajamas but as I stepped out, it was freezing cold.  God I guess summers out here in Wales just get cold.  I raced towards the couch and tried my best to cover myself up with the blanket but it was so think layered and holes that I was barely able to keep warm.

This was gonna be a long night.

By the time it was morning, I was shivering and my neck and back were in pure agony.

“I thought I said to have breakfast ready before I awoke?” I groaned and peered an eye open to see Paul standing over me.

“You said—to have it by the time the guys woke up.”

“And by that I meant Roy and myself. There are two hungry men waiting for their breakfast. Now get off your arse and movie it lassie.” I slowly stood up and felt my head pounding as I tried to ease up the tension in my muscles.

“Can I at least call my mum? I forgot to do that last night.”

“I’m not paying you to gossip band secrets to your mum. Now go and get breakfast ready or I’ll have a cab come and get you for being so incompetent.” He threatened me. I looked at him and he glared down at me with those icy, soulless eyes of his.

“Very well Mr. Prenter. What would you all like to have for breakfast?” He grinned down at me knowing that he had won the battle.

When the guys came down, I was just getting the last bit of breakfast ready and when Deacy saw me he asked me.

“Poppet, are you alright? You look exhausted.” Tell me about it. I just kept tossing and turning on the couch since it was so uncomfortable.  The cold wind seeping through the old wood texture of the house made it almost impossible for me to sleep since I feared of getting pneumonia.

“Just…..just kept worrying about my mum. That’s all.”

“I’m sure she’s fine darling. You can give her a call later after breakfast. So my beautiful chief what have we got cooking this morning?” Freddie asked as he wrapped his arm around me.

Which I knew Paul would give me hell about it later.

For the next week and a half it was the same routine.  I hardly got any sleep, Paul would drag me about all day making sure everything in the studio was set up and he was smart to keep me away from the guys or forced me to put on more makeup so that my eyes wouldn’t appear as dark and baggy as they were.

But one morning, my head was pounding so hard and my vision was blurry.  At first I thought it was just because I was still sleepy and had unshed tears but when Paul’s voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard and that chalkboard was plugged to an amp increasing the sound and the piercing light from the sun as well as the lights in the house just made it painful to even look up, I knew it had to be a migraine.

Of course Paul didn’t care and had me immediately go out into the studio building and try to get everything set up for the boys to record.  But since the sun was out today it gave the room an intense brightness than usual.  I could barely keep my eyes open and my head was pounding like how Roger bangs his drums, maybe even harder than that.

As I was setting up, I just felt this bolt of agonizing pain strike my head and I tried to keep my balance but I ended up falling against the wall.  My ears ringing and tears falling down my face.

“Slacking off once again I see.”

“Please Mr. Prenter can you not talk so loud? My head really, really hurts.”

“It’s just an excuse of yours to getting out of work. I’m tired of all these excuses you’ve been giving out. Just like every woman crying out for attention. Now do your job less you want to be fired!” I groaned and held my hands to my ears to try and block out any sound as my head kept pounding and my ears were ringing.

Through my blurred vision I saw three figures standing in front of me while I felt a fourth figure wrap their arms around me.

“Shhh, it’s okay love. It’s okay. Just lean back into me.” Oh Rog. “That’s it. You can fall into me love, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” I whimpered in agony as I fell against him after feeling a stronger and more painful pounding in my head. Even with putting all my weight against him, he didn’t flinch once.  “That’s it, that’s it just fall into me lovie, I’ve got you.” He whispered.

Oh if there’s one good thing about Roger that I also love it’s his soft voice.  No one would know unless they talk with Roger Taylor that his voice is actually really soft spoken, which is shocking because when people hear him sing, it’s either his high falsetto or this gravely, raspy growl.

“Okay love, I’m going to slowly pick you up, okay? I promise I’ll be as gentle as I can.” I whimpered telling him I understood what he was saying. “Alright love, ready? One….two….three. Oh I know, I know love I’m sorry shhh shshshsh.” I then felt something cover my head.  It felt like an overcoat and I heard Deacy’s voice whisper.

“Let’s get her to my room. Hardly any sunlight gets in and it’s probably the quietest bed in that house probably.” Together the two of them took me out of the recording studio.  Roger kept me close to him, telling me to close my eyes before we stepped a foot outside while Deacy handled every door that came in our path to make sure that when they closed, they wouldn’t slam behind Roger and cause my migraine suffering to get any worse. “Shoes off though, there’s not any carpet for these stairs.”

Deacy took his off first and he then said.

“Here, let me take her down so that we can get her on a more comfortable surface and out of this light.” I felt Roger gently try to transition me into Deacy’s arms now and I couldn’t help but whimper as I felt myself being jostled once more. “Shhh, I know poppet, I know I’m sorry. Just hold out for a bit longer. You’re almost there.” Deacy whispered to me as I felt myself being taken down the stairs.

I groaned with every wood creak but Deacy apologized with every step until finally the nightmare was over and I was gently being set down on the bed.

“There we are love, you can open your eyes now. Slowly.” Slowly I opened my eyes and I saw the blurry figures of both Roger and Deacy.

“There she is. Is it helping at all?” asked Roger.

“I still hurts.” I whimpered out.

“Aww we know love.” I felt his calloused fingers brush away the strands of hair from my face.

“Do you need anything poppet? Medicine? Water?”

“All of the above.” I groaned.

“Okay, Rog you stay with her. Make sure she doesn’t move around too much. I’ll go get the stuff.” I felt Deacy kiss my forehead and I saw him go up the stairs.

The hair stroking and gentle scalp massage was now Roger’s job and I groaned out as I tried to adjust myself.

“No, no, no don’t move love. And try to relax your face. Facial tension only causes the migraines to get worse.”

“I thought you were a dentist?” I couldn’t help but tease.

“I was never a dentist love. I switched my major to biology. Got bored with dentistry.” He said as he bopped my nose.  Soon enough we heard the sound of footsteps coming down as quietly as possible but along with whom we suspected to be Deacy, we also saw Brian and Freddie coming down the stairs.

“Hey there’s our girl. How are you feeling now love?” Freddie asked softly.

“My head still hurts but at least the light’s gone.” I said.

“Well lucky for you I’ve found some pills to help with that.” Deacy answered as he came up to me and handed me the pills first.  I popped them into my mouth as I was now being given my glass of water and I took a sip before finally swallowing the pills as well as the water.

“Ohh god my head feels like it’s gonna explode.”

“Just give it some time my dear.” Freddie soothed as he sat down beside my feet. All was silent for a moment till Roger soon spoke up.

“(Y/n), why didn’t you tell us Prenter was treating you to that degree?” I looked down shamefully but before I could answer Brian spoke up.

“I think that’s something that can be spoken about later. Right now she shouldn’t talk or even be thinking right now. Let’s leave her to recover for the rest of the day.”

“But—what about…..”

“A but-but-but. No buts about it love.” He insisted softly as he lay close beside me stroking my hair softly.  “You lads go on ahead, I’ll take the first watch for our girl.”

“Get well soon darling.” Freddie said gently with a pat to my knee.  Both Rog and Deacy patted my shoulder or hand and the three of them quietly walked up the stairs as best as they could.  Once they were gone, I closed my eyes and moaned tiredly.

“Are the pills helping at all?” he asked me softly as I felt him still stroking my head.

“A bit. I just feel bad about stealing Deacy’s bed.”

“He understands. He wouldn’t have offered for you to take his room if he didn’t.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, now no more talking little fox kit. Time to sleep. That’s what you need.” I moaned tiredly and shut my eyes and for the first time in over a week I was able to sleep peacefully.

When I woke up, I smelt eggs and bacon all the way from downstairs.  I opened my eyes to feel that my migraine was finally gone but I did feel a bit dizzy and woozy.  I slowly got up and wobbled for a moment before getting the strength and mobility to walk up the stairs.

Once I reached the top and saw the sun shining through the house, my head wasn’t pounding as much as it was before and the light didn’t hurt as much.  I headed towards the kitchen and that’s where I saw the guys sitting down eating breakfast.  Deacy was the first to spot me.

“Well look whose finally up.” The other three members turned toward me and they all greeted me with a soft and warm good morning.

“Mornin guys.” I said as I walked toward them.

“How you feeling love?” asked Roger.

“Better than what I was.”

“Here, drink some water. We need to keep you hydrated.” Said Brian as he held out a glass filled with water.  I softly gave him a thanks and took a sip.

“How long was I out?” I questioned.

“Ohh darling, you were out for three days.” Freddie stated.  My heart dropped, I felt lightheaded and I swore if this were a cartoon, my eyes would be popping out of my sockets right now probably inflating bigger than my body.

“What?” oh my god I feel like I’m about to pass out, puke and scream all at the same time. “What? Three—three days. Tell me your joking someone please tell me Fred’s joking.”

“As much as I love a good joke I’m afraid he isn’t love. You’ve really been asleep for three days.” Roger said.

“Here darling, come sit and eat first. Then we’ll explain everything. Plus we’ve got some questions that need to be answered on your part.” Fred added to Roger’s statement.  I walked over toward them and Deacy scooted a chair out and had me sit there which lay between where he and Brian were sitting.  Bri set down my breakfast and my stomach let out a loud growl.

And of course the guys took every advantage to softly laugh at me and I simply flipped them off before digging into my meal.  Oh lord this tasted like heaven! As I ate, Deacy spoke up first.

“Love, why didn’t you ever tell us how hard Paul was making you work?” I paused eating my sausage and swallowed it down before I said.

“You guys don’t understand how men treat women in the music business. Especially if they’re just assistants. I—I wanted to prove to Paul that whatever he gave me I could do it. He’s….he’s always belittled me and had my mum as an excuse to fire me telling me that if I couldn’t handle it, then I could forget the extra money for her.”

“You could’ve come to us. We’d would’ve helped you.” Said Roger as he rubbed my back with his hand.

“But I don’t want to take you guys hard-earned money.”

“No not that. I mean we would’ve helped you out with your work, especially here. We could’ve set up our own equipment, you didn’t have to do all that.”

“He was working you too hard. Barely giving you a break. You know if you had told us the extent he was forcing on you, we would’ve helped you, right?” Brian said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.  I looked down shamefully fiddling with the remaining bits of my eggs and said shamefully.

“I’m sorry guys. I just—thought I could handle it.”

“You’re a hard worker poppet, but you also need to realize you’re still a kid. You don’t need to work till you drop, no one your age should experience things like migraines until you reach college.” Deacy said.

“I’m not a kid Deacy.”

“Ohh come off it, you may be a teenager but you’ll always be a kid to us.” Roger teased as he playfully poked my cheek making me whine out and slap away his hand. It was then I finally noticed that Paul had yet to show his face.

“Uhh guys, where is Paul?”

“He’s out darling. I fired him.” Freddie spoke.

“What? But—but then that means….Fred if he’s fired then I’m fired! Why would you—”

“Darling relax. Everything’s going to be okay.” He tried to assure me but I was frantic as I yelled back.

“How!? You do realize he was my boss! Sure I never liked him hell I hated the bastard but if he’s fired then I have no job!”

“Love, relax. If you’d let us explain you’d know that you’re no longer a manager’s assistant.” Brian spoke up as he cupped my face in his hands.

“What now?”

“We made some called to Reid and after explaining the grueling amount of work and harm Paul was causing you, while he’s fired. You’re now moving up the ranks.”

“Huh?”

“From now on darling you will be our day to day manager. Keeping an eye on us and making sure we don’t kill each other. Hell you’ll be remembered as the youngest manager in history.” Deacy said as he gently nudged his shoulder against mine.

I looked at them all and they were all looking at me with a unanimous look that they all agreed to this and had no objections to me being their new day to day manager.

“But….but guys you do realize I have school in the autumn and in the spring, right. How can I possible be your manager when I’m not even out of high school yet?”

“That’s where we’ve bent the rule with Reid.” Roger explained.

“Until your graduation we’ve agreed to settle for summer tours so that you can be there for us day to day to check in on us, while when you have school we’ll perform at concert venues and do recordings for our albums. Also when the school year starts back up, you’ll come to the studio every day after school for 5 hours a day just to make sure we’re on schedule.”

“And since we’ve also figured out that Paul had screwed around with your payment contract, Miami is in charge of your payroll. But since you are still a minor about to take on such a task, he’s currently trying to convince your mum and nana to let you have this better job offer. So that way they will also be safely financed and better informed on your performance as a manager.” Deacy stated.

“He’ll make them see reason darling. This is a better opportunity for you to get a better understanding of management. Especially if you wish to one day open up that animal rehab that you’ve been dreaming of so much.” I looked at each of them and just couldn’t believe the extent they were all going to help me out.

“Ohh you guys. This—I can’t believe you would do this for me.”

“You deserve it love, you’re just as much a part of this family as the four of us are. You’ve looked after us long enough, time for us to look after you, my little fox kit.” Brian said as he gently stroke his thumbs across my cheeks gingerly.

“Thanks you guys, I love you.”

“We love you too (y/n) dear. Now I decree there is one remedy we have yet to give you and now it is the proper time for you to receive.” Freddie proclaimed as he got me up out of my chair.

“And what would that be?” I asked.  It was then I saw all of them looking at each other with sparks of mischief in their eyes. The air grew tense as they all grinned at each other and either nodded or winked at one another before looking down at me.

“OTTER QUEEN CUDDLE!!”

“Wha? AHH Hey! Oh c’mon you guys. Ahh Rog, Deacy don’t tickle me!” I exclaimed as I was now put in the middle of a Queen group hug.  But ever since telling them and letting them know how I wanted to help animals, they dubbed this group hug specifically an ‘otter queen cuddle’ since I had shared with them that otters love to stay in groups and hold each other close so that they won’t separate from their families or mates.

Along with being in the middle of the otter cuddle, I felt their noses nuzzle all over my face and even one by one each of them would give me an Eskimo kiss, as well as quick pecks.  Each of them talking about how much they loved me, how they would always be there to take care of me, even calling me animal nicknames since they clearly must’ve heard Brian call me his ‘fox kit’.  So now according to the Freddie I am his ‘little kitten’, Deacy refers to me as ‘chipmunk’ and Roger calls me his ‘hummingbird’.

“You guys are impossible, you know that?” I teased.

“But you love us, don’t you hummingbird?” Roger said as he pecked my nose.

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t have you guys any other way.” I admitted as I cuddled deeper into their embrace and they all squeezed around me tighter like four little otters.

[dreamings-free]

Steve Durham - Louis Tomlinson Tour Kit Rundown

Modern Drummer met up with Steve Durham, drummer and musical director for the Louis Tomlinson Faith in the Future World Tour. Steve gave us an in-depth look at his Gretsch USA Custom drums and spoke a bit about his early influences, career, and the Louis Tomlinson gig. The rundown took place at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL in 2023.

- Modern Drummer Magazine 31/3/24

[stormtrprinstilettos]

Fun’s For Free - Chapter 5 (Roger x Reader) (smut)

Summary: It’s 1978 and you’re assigned to follow Queen on their North American tour to promote their new album. Only problem is the magazine you write for has not been kind to the band in the past, and someone has a hard time letting go of that fact.

Series Masterlist here!

In this “episode”: More? What does that mean?

Word Count: ~3.7K

Warnings: Language, smut (oral) and even some fluff. 18+

[A/N: I’m seriously blown away every time someone asks to be tagged in any of my stuff. Thanks to all of you who have ever sent me a kind word on anything I’ve ever posted here. It really means a lot. Hope you all keep enjoying this story. I know I say it all the time, but this one is really fun to write!]

November 12, 1978 – somewhere around Cleveland More. He wants more. What is more? You haven’t found out. The two of you hadn’t had the chance to talk since he told you that two days ago. It was driving you crazy, but you couldn’t focus on that. There was finally peace and quiet on the bus – everyone was sleeping except for you, so you were taking the chance to write. After Boston tomorrow night and Providence the night after, there would be four days in New York – your home base – and Mike, your editor, was expecting the first part of your article to be turned in.

You were so focused on writing that you didn’t notice your company until he started to quietly chuckle as he sat next to you. “Such concentration,” you hear Roger say before looking up at him. “And those glasses? You look like a sexy school teacher.” You roll your eyes and throw your pen at him. “I hope you’re only writing nice things about me in there.”

“So I shouldn’t put this part in about how you’re incredibly annoying and a major pain in my ass?” you ask with a cheeky smile.

“At least put in there that I’m good in bed.”

“Now why would I want to ruin my reputation like that?” you joke. “I’m still hoping to snag Roger Daltrey. It’ll never happen if he knew I let you have me.”

He smirks at your joke and chuffs when he accepts the fact that he can’t come out with a retort to it. “Tell me something about you. Your dreams, your fears. Your likes and dislikes.” He starts to chuckle. “I need to know you more than just intimately.”

“Well, I’m living my dream. I always wanted to be a writer,” you start. “I’m scared of heights and failure. I like sunny days and chocolate cake and I don’t like pineapples and boredom.”

For the next hour, you and Roger sit together on the bus, talking – not arguing. The conversation flowed smoothly, the laughter was immense and often, and you don’t think the smile ever left your face, or his. You don’t know how it went from complete loathing between the two of you to this, but it did; neither of you wanted to question it. It felt… right. It felt like this was how it was all supposed to be. You finally realize may be the “more” that Roger wanted.

“You’re sleepy,” he murmurs with a soft smile, noticing your heavy eyes. “I’ll let you sleep.”

He starts to stand up but you pull him back down. “No!” you whisper loudly. “Stay.” He sits back down and you put your head on his shoulder. He, in turn, wraps his arm around you and holds you close, and you both drift off to sleep.

November 13, 1978 – Boston, Massachusetts You and Roger woke up before everyone else, so it was easy to keep your little secret. Confusion was abound, however, when the two of you managed to walk off the bus and into the hotel lobby without arguing about something. “Are you feeling okay?” John asked, somewhat joking. “You haven’t had an argument in two days.” You roll your eyes and giggle before walking into the elevator to go to your room.

For the show tonight, you’re sitting with the rest of the press in front of the stage instead of on the side like you normally do. That’s where you meet Charlie, a reporter for one of the local newspapers. He’s tall, he’s got a nice body, he’s funny, he’s got great hair, and a great voice… basically everything you’ve ever looked for in a one night stand, but you weren’t looking for one.

Keyword: Weren’t.

After the show, Charlie followed you backstage. You introduced him to Freddie, John and Brian and left him to chat when you went look for Roger. You found him. With a girl, of course. It wasn’t any different than any other day, but tonight it stings.

So you invited Charlie back to the hotel for some drinks. And then to your room. But he was so drunk nothing happened. You were relieved, actually, but his snoring is making it impossible for you to sleep. Frustrated, and looking for any reason to leave the room, you throw on a sweatshirt over your tank top, slip on some shoes, grab the room key, and go for a walk. You have no idea where you’re going, but you had to get out of that room.

When you make it to the hotel lobby, you see Roger sitting at the bar alone. “Well this is something I’ve never seen before,” you joke as you sit next to him.

He doesn’t even look at you, instead looking at his drink. “What? He wasn’t good enough so you need me to finish you off?”

“Excuse me?” you say, actually offended.

He turns and glares at you, clearly pissed off. “Then what do you want?”

You stand up from the stool and start to walk away, but quickly turn back around and go back to him. “You have absolutely no right to be angry with me,” you tell him, your voice quite forceful. “No right at all.”

“I’m supposed to be happy I’m your second option?” he asks, his voice equally as forceful as yours.

“You think I’m here for sex?” Now you’re seething. “I saw you here and I came to say hi.” You turn to walk away again but you can’t let this go. “You know, fuck you. You want to talk about a second option? What about me?”

“What about you, Y/N? What?” He stands up and pulls you off to the side, away from the bartender’s ear shot. “You think I…”

“Every night, Roger,” you fuss. “Every night except for three I’ve seen you chatting up some girl. The three nights you didn’t were the nights you were with me.”

“And how many of them do you think I spent the night with?” he dithers. “None. Not a single one. Do you know why?” He grabs the top of your arms and pulls you close as he bends down to get close to your face. “Because I don’t want any of them. I only want you.” Your mouth drops open and you’re rendered speechless. He quickly lets go of your arms and walks out of the bar, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

November 15, 1978 – New York, New York The relief you felt as soon as you stepped off the bus was indescribable. Home. You’re home. They have three shows in New York in four days and you get to sleep in your own bed, see your friends, relax and rejuvenate. As soon as you were able, you grabbed your suitcase from the bus and scurried to grab a taxi. “You really are in a rush, aren’t you?” you heard Brian ask from behind you. You turned around and he was standing there chuckling. “I was going find something to eat. Would you like to join me?”

You were hungry, and you’ve taken a huge liking to Brian – as a friend, of course – so, while you were really looking forward to being alone, you caved and nodded your head. “Why don’t you come with me? I just have to drop this off at my place and there’s a great pizza joint right next to my building.” Neither one of you noticed Roger watching and seething as you both climbed into the cab to leave.

No, nothing happened with you and Brian. He didn’t even come up to your apartment when you dropped off your suitcase. You introduced him to the best pizza in Brooklyn, and an hour later he went back to the hotel. You took the rest of the day for yourself. It had been a mentally exhausting 24 hours and you wanted to get away from any and all drama for as long as possible. Roger wasn’t speaking to you, and the tension felt like it was at an all-time high. He was barely even looking at you, and for some reason it was eating you up inside. It was eating him up inside, too.

November 16, 1978 – Madison Square Garden “Mike says you’re having the time of your life,” Daisy, a co-worker, says as she tries to stifle a laugh.

You roll your eyes and start to giggle. “I could seriously strangle you and Barry and any of the other critics who ever said anything negative about them,” you tell her. “They’re great, but fuck. Roger has been…” Your voice trails off and you sigh. “Let’s just say it’s been interesting.”

The two of you are sitting on the side of the stage as the guys are preparing to do their soundcheck. Freddie, being nosy as he tends to be, is curious about who your friend is, so you introduce them. John and Brian soon come over to meet Daisy, too, but Roger doesn’t. Not that you thought he would, but he did walk by and immediately sat at the drum kit. “He’s not speaking to me either now,” Brian tells you in your ear. “I don’t know why.” He shrugs his shoulders and walks away.

Roger keeps glancing and you, and you at him, and Daisy immediately picks up on it. “So what’s the story here?” she asks. “With you and pretty boy.”

You give her the rundown, about how he completely hated you before you even met because of negative things printed about them in the magazine. “It’s beyond frustrating,” you sigh. “Just when we start to get along, something happens and we start despising each other again.”

“Well,” she starts. “Maybe you shouldn’t have fucked him.” You look at her, mouth completely dropped open, and start to deny, deny, deny – but she stops you. “Don’t even try to tell me that you haven’t.”

You give her a side eyed glare but can’t stop yourself from giggling. “I’m not discussing this with you.”

“They let you bring friends along now?” you hear Roger snip as he takes a drag of his cigarette, not even realizing he had walked over.

“I’m Daisy,” she says as she stands up and holds out her hand. “I write for…”

He doesn’t look at her, only you. “Now there’s two of you?” he asks. “One of you is hard enough to handle.” Daisy stops talking, instead paying attention to the interaction between you and Roger.

“She’s here for the show tonight,” you tell him. “Don’t worry.”

“That’s all I need. It’s bad enough I have you to deal with every night. Now you’ve multiplied and I’m going to stress doubly.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, Roger.” You turn to Daisy and give her a tired look. “See what I mean?”

He bends over and grabs your arm. “We need to talk.”

“No,” you say as you tug your arm away. “We don’t.”

“Will you just fucking…” He’s being loud, but quickly tones it down. “Stop being so difficult.” He gently holds your arm again. In order not to cause yet another scene, you excuse yourself and follow him down the backstage hall and to their dressing room. You walk in, but he stays standing in the doorway.

You stand there in silence, waiting for him to talk for what seems like forever. He walks closer to you and takes your face gently in the palm of his hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispers as he leans in for a kiss. Not a kiss tinged by alcohol. He’s completely sober, as are you, so that’s why your mind is completely blown right now. You grab the waist of his pants, pull him into the room and he kicks the door closed behind him. His breathing is uneven as he looks into your eyes, and they’re burning with a lust that matches yours. Your mouths meld together and his tongue effortlessly glides over yours with satisfying strokes.

“Roger,” you whisper as you stop the kiss. “We can’t… You have to do the soundcheck…” Your voice is somewhat hoarse and he responds by kissing you more. You pull back again, unable to open your eyes for a few seconds and start to talk again.

“Shh,” he whispers, still holding his palm to your cheek. Neither of you even know what to say. That kiss completely melted the both of you. “Why are we like this?” he asks, genuinely wondering why.

His eyes. His fucking eyes are amazing and you wonder how, after all of the glaring and staring you’ve done at them, how you never realized just how perfect they are. “I don’t know,” you whisper back. The door starts to open and you both quickly move away from the door and from each other.

“Come on, Rog!” John yells as he walks in before walking right back out. “You can finish the argument after we’re done.” Roger flashes you a soft, gentle smile before he follows John out, and every inch of your insides flutter.

You walk back out after taking a few minutes to regain your composure and take your seat next to Daisy again. “These guys are hilarious,” she says with a giggle. “They’re so… bitchy.” You just smile and turn your gaze to Roger. He gives you a wink and forces his focus to what he’s supposed to be doing.

After the show, you and Daisy are standing outside, away from prying ears, discussing the show. She hated it. The music was good enough, but she found the performance drab. “I am begging you, please, be gentle in the review. I still have another month…”

“I’m sorry, Y/N, but I’m always honest,” she says. “But never mind that, tell me about Roger.” She nudges your arm and gives you a sly smirk. “How many times? Is he good? I bet he’s good.”

You roll your eyes and light a cigarette. “I am here to write a story. My judgment won’t be clouded by a pair of blue eyes.” You take a deep sigh and look out into the parking lot, seeing the crowd has thinned significantly. “I’m heading home. I miss my bed.” You give Daisy a hug, promise to hang out before you leave again, and head back inside to grab your purse.

And, of course, the first thing you see when you walk in is Roger, smiling his toothy smile, surrounded by giggling girls. Only this time, you don’t feel jealous or angered in any way. Not after that kiss. There was something different about it. He doesn’t notice you walk by. Freddie does, though, and he calls your name, blowing your cover. “Where are you sneaking off to?” he asks. “We’re just getting started, darling.”

“I’m going home,” you tell him. “I know. I’m boring. But I have to go to the office in the morning.” You give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “But I’ll be here tomorrow in time for the show.”

As soon as you walk outside, you hear a voice from behind you. “‘A colossal sonic volcano whose eruption maketh the earth tremble,’” he says. “I read it last night.”

“Yeah,” you smirk as you turn around. “Are you surprised, Mr. Taylor?”

“Yeah, I am,” he smiles. You raise a brow and continue to smirk. “Especially considering you wrote that in Dallas. I guess I misjudged you.”

“You did,” you giggle. “But I didn’t misjudge you. I still think you’re a dick.”

He inches closer to you. “Where you off to then?”

“Home,” you tell him before taking a deep breath. “What about you?”

“Well, that depends,” he says, inching even closer and bringing his same hand up to you cheek like he did earlier. “Depends on if I get invited anywhere.” He smiles and you can’t resist it.

November 17, 1978 – 11am, Brooklyn, New York “Yes, Mike, I’ll be there,” you groan. “I don’t know why you can’t wait until tomorrow.” Roger’s under the sheet and keeps nibbling on your thigh and you’re trying not to giggle. “No, Mike, there’s nothing going on.” Roger’s now positioned himself in between your legs and is trying to open them, but you’re trying to stop him and start tapping on his head. “I don’t care what Daisy said, nothing’s going on.” Roger’s won the battle, and he’s now starting to tease you with his tongue. You try your hardest to stifle your gasp. “Mike, stop. I’ll be there at 1.” You slam the phone down and start laughing, and you can feel Roger’s chuckle against your core. “You could have just gotten me fired,” you laugh, but enjoying the feeling he’s creating way too much to fuss too much.

“Shhh,” he says, moving away for a moment, throwing the sheet off. “I’m trying to work here.” He laps and sucks on your swollen lips, his tongue moving unhurried over your clit as he hums over your sensitive flesh, making you quiver. You prop yourself up so you can watch him, and you see his eyes looking up at you, leaving you unable to take a breath deep enough to clear the euphoria he is creating right now. An excitement cry escapes your mouth as he starts to suck harder, flicking his tongue over and over until the last drop is sucked out of you. Each muscle in your body tenses as he takes you over the edge and fucks you with his tongue until you cum. He takes one last lick up before looking up at you, quite pleased with himself. “Did I ever tell you how absolutely delicious you are?” he smirks. “I just couldn’t resist.”

You start to giggle and pull him up to you. He gives you a deep kiss when he reaches your mouth, cupping your neck as he kisses you. “If we get caught I can get in a lot of trouble, you know.”

“Hmm,” he mumbles as he kisses your neck. “Then I guess we better keep this our little secret.”

“I’m serious,” you giggle. His kisses are tickling you so you nudge him off, making him lay next to you on his back. “That’s what Mike was calling for.” He looks confused. “His exact words were ‘if I find out you’re fucking around with one of them I’m pulling you out.’”

Roger starts to grin and you can’t hold in your giggle. “Well it’s his own fault for sending someone pretty to us then, isn’t it?” You roll your eyes, but can’t stop giggling. “Hey, our secret. Promise.”

“Wow,” you say after you stop giggling and stare up at the ceiling. “So I’m actually getting paid to be a groupie.” You turn and look at him, keeping a serious face. “I’ve always wanted to be a groupie.”

He starts to laugh. “Yeah, but unfortunately, you’re a groupie for the wrong Roger.”

“That’s okay. I’ll consider this practice for when I get the right one.” You flash him a cheeky smirk before sitting up. “I have to get ready to get to the office before Mark comes and finds me.”

1:00pm – Midtown Manhattan You sneak in Mike’s office before anyone can catch you. Candice, the assistant editor, sees you and rushes in, excited to see you. “Soooo, how’s it going? Mike said you were having a little issue with Roger Taylor.” She sits in Mike’s chair, a big smile on her face, eager to hear everything.

“We’ve worked it out, actually,” you inform her. “At least I think we have. He doesn’t hate me anymore, so that’s progress.” As you fill Candice in on everything, Mike walks in and slams the door, startling you.

“Did you get to the part when you started banging the guy or no?” Mike is angry. Seething. You’ve never seen him like this before. He’s always happy around you, jovial, sarcastic… everything but downright angry. “Don’t even open your mouth to tell me that you didn’t. Daisy told me…”

“Daisy?” you yell. “Daisy who is pissed off that I got this gig and she didn’t Daisy? That one? How would she even know?”

Mark calms down, takes a deep breath and sits on his desk, directly in front of you. “Look, Y/N, I just want this to be a fair article. It’s not just your journalistic integrity at stake, it’s the entire magazine.”

You reach down into your bag and hand him your notebook that is stuffed with other papers. “My typewriter broke so most of it is jotted down until I can type it up, but that’s it. That’s what it is so far.” Candice rushes over to sit next to Mike and they start reading what you’ve written. “If you read this and can honestly tell me that it’s written from the point of view of someone who’s fucking the drummer, or all of them plus the road crew, I’ll walk away.” You stand up from your chair and start pacing. “But I’m quite proud of what I’ve got there so far, and I really want to finish this, Mike.” He looks up at you. “You’re the one who sent me.”

He stands up as he hands everything to Candice, who is still reading. “I sent you because of your attitude. I knew if anyone could handle these guys for two months it would be you.” You stare at him, wondering why he seems to be feeling like he’s made a mistake. “We’re the only magazine they’re letting in, and …”

“Mike,” you say as you place a hand on his shoulder. “This is a huge chance you’ve given me. Do you really think I’m going to fuck it up?”

“This is really good, Mike,” Candice pipes up. “You should read it all.” She stands and holds your notebook in her hand, pointing down at it as she walks over to him. “I mean, do you really think she would have written this part about how childish he is if she…”

As you listen to her point out all of the negative things you’ve written about him – not that there was many – you realize exactly what Mike was worried about. If you leave all of that in, Roger will be pissed. If you take it out, you’re not exactly going to be telling the whole story.

“Stay on it,” Mike tells you. “And get a new typewriter because you can’t turn this mess in.” You smile and take the notebook from Candice. “Y/N, I’m serious. If I find out…”

“You won’t find anything out,” you smile.

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[melisusthewee]

I am going to tell you a story

I've already mentioned on here that I've taken up rock climbing. I go once a week with a couple of friends. It's good exercise, and I might go more often once the auto-belays are back up and running. We'll see. It's good to spend time with some friends who have been nothing but supportive and nurturing when it comes to what I've been going through. It's a nice distraction for a couple hours while I climb walls, and try to figure out puzzles, and throw all of my concentration into things.

But that's not what I'm here to tell you about today. And I am also not going to talk about the ex. It's not one of those posts. But I am going to tell you about a boy. Or several.

No, scratch that. I am going to tell you a story about men. And some badass women. Because as much as rock climbing with friends is good for me and is a good post-betrayal hobby, I really needed something that was just for me. Something I could focus on and put time and energy into, where I could meet new people who didn't know me or anything about me prior to the moment they first met me.

Which is exactly how (and why) I found AEMMA... otherwise known as the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts.

To give you a basic rundown, the AEMMA is a HEMA-affiliated academy. But they do things a little differently. The curriculum is ever-evolving and they develop their curriculum primarily from the writings of Fiore dei Liberi who wrote an illustrated manuscript that covers fighting and combat from unarmed grappling all the way through to mounted combat. In addition to this specific manuscript focus (though they do also lift instructions from other manuscripts), more advanced members who have reached the scholler and free scholler rank are expected to assist in studying the source material, adding their thoughts and interpretations in order to further develop the program, as well as assist in teaching recruits.

So this is where I ended up, signing up for their intake class, enthusiastic about something both practical (in terms of the wrestling and dagger fighting) and unique (the sword fighting, and promises of eventually pole axe combat, sword and buckler, and full armour fighting), but also nervous as hell. HEMA groups sometimes can have... reputations. For being dramatic, cliquey, and in more recent years having an issue with being a target for alt-right infiltrators. I didn't know what to expect. Would I walk in and be the only woman? Would I be surrounded by metal heads? Basement nerd bros? Neo Nazis?

I show up to the first class, where the office door is open and two people are sitting inside. A woman with bright red hair, some of which has been braided in Celtic style jumps to her feet to welcome me and shake my hand. She introduces herself as one of the free schollers in the academy who also runs the warm up fitness class beforehand. I immediately notice her hands are covered in runic tattoos. She then hands me a waiver to fill out and tells me to just hand it back once I'm done so she can "WITNESS ME UPON THE FURY ROAD!!!"

I am then introduced to the other occupant in the room, a man sitting at a computer who is introduced as another one of the schollers and also the academy's secretary. If he's not in the office, Mr. Secretary (obviously not his real name) can be found either at his second job in the north end teaching children how to fence or practicing his fire breathing after hours when no one else is around. I can only describe this man as looking stereotypically like a samurai, long black hair pulled back in a simple tie. You would think the mention of the fire breathing would be the part he brags about. But no. Instead, he turns to me and grins. "The Russian and Chinese parents tell me I have full permission to make their children cry."

These people are weird and I love them already.

The remaining members of the new intake class gradually show up one by one. We all introduce ourselves, talk about what led us to be here, etc. Then we meet the senior scholler in charge of the intake class who takes us on a tour and shows us around the place, introducing us to the folks we're going to meet and the teachers who are going to beat us senseless with swords. It's honestly great, because the ongoing recruit class shows a big mix of both gender, age, culture, and fitness level. It's explained that the goal of the academy is to make it an open and welcome environment for people of all types who want to learn how to hit things with swords really well!

I decide to stay along with a couple of the other intakes after our intro lesson because Monday nights at the academy are Fight Nights. After the evening's lesson, the advanced recruits and the schollers basically get together in full sword fighting kits (those that have them), and two lists are set up for duels. It's open for schollers to fight each other, recruits to spar one another, or recruits to flag down a scholler and get in some one-on-one practice and lessons. And this is when I meet our next character - Jacques.

"Jacques" is not actually his name. I don't know his name yet. We were briefly introduced, but it was in passing so I've forgotten it! But I shall call him Jacques because he is extremely French.

So here we are. It's Fight Night. The advanced recruits and schollers are all changing into their kits. And out of the armoury walks Jacques. Dressed in his gambeson and gorget, battered leather gloves on his hands, fencing helmet tucked under one arm, and his broadsword held in the other. With the way this man's hair was combed and his beard trimmed, if it weren't for the New Balance sneakers on his feet you would have sworn this man had just walked out of the Hundred Years War. I had to do a double take. I am still not convinced he is not secretly a time traveller.

Lastly, we have Duncan who is our wrestling instructor and gets a mention because of Dragon Age. Duncan does not look anything like Warden Commander Duncan. He is stocky and broad-shouldered, and built more like DAO Alistair than Duncan. Duncan, however, gets a special mention because Wednesdays are Bologneise night where the schollers study a special Italian style of sword fighting. This style of fighting involves the use of a sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other. It is so on point that I had to share it with the rest of you.

I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to like this place.

[digitaltourbus]

(via Joey Jordison (of VIMIC, ex- Slipknot) – GEAR MASTERS Ep. 86 [VIDEO] | Digital Tour Bus)

[daily5sosupdate]

I’ll be the first to admit that when I first heard of 5 Seconds of Summer it was because of my niece Kayla. At the time, she was starting to get the hang of playing guitar and she said, “There’s this cool band called 5 Seconds of Summer, you should check them out.” I said, “OK but didn’t they open for One Direction?”, she proudly said yes and played a few songs.

My initial reaction was this is really good radio-friendly Pop-Punk. A few months later she asked for help in learning some parts of one of their songs from their debut album 5 Seconds of Summer. We started going through the parts and I was forced to pay closer attention. While listening, I thought to myself, “Wow, these are well crafted songs…. Those guitars sound great, the vocal arrangements are on point and the rhythm section is seriously good.”

As soon as Kayla started learning guitar I was feeding her a steady diet of Zeppelin, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, U2, Nirvana and more, to show her the groups she “should be” drawing influence on. She humored me, listened and had some positive comments but like my first listening of 5SOS not much came out of it. Then I realized, “Why on earth would she want to emulate my “rock gods”? “. She has found her own for her generation and they deserved the recognition.

Rock Out With Your Socks Out

My first in person encounter with 5SOS in September 2015 and I was determined to find out who they were as musicians. Studio albums are one thing but playing live is a completely different animal. At that time, I had failed to appreciate that 5SOS was a band that was essentially born on the road opening up for One Direction in 2013 and 2014. Now 5SOS and 1D don’t exactly have the same sound and opening for one of, if not the biggest groups of 2013/2014 has an upside and a downside. On the upside, you get to perform your music and expose your band to a massive audience but the downside is the fans came to see One Direction not 5 Seconds of Summer. Therefore, you have to work harder than the headliner to capture the audience.

We had made arrangements to go to meet the 5SOS technical crew at the show in Hartford, CT on the final run of their first headlining tour Rock Out With Your Socks Out, which covered 3 continents and 69 cities. The pre-show period of any live concert is already a hive of controlled chaos hours before the band takes the stage. A team of hard working people are loading in equipment, placing stage pieces, setting lights, rigging line arrays, conducting sound checks, dealing with the inevitable and daily “uh oh” moments, plus getting all the instruments set and show ready. Don’t forget, this is all what you can see from the seats at the venue, there is just as much going on backstage too.

After sound check the stage was empty and doors hadn’t opened yet, so that was the perfect time to meet with the crew to understand how everything on stage is used.  During this brief downtime, Ashton Irwin (Drums/Vocals) had taken it upon himself to come over and introduce himself and thank us for coming. Ashton didn’t have to do that, in fact he probably gave up his one break he had all day to do it, but he did, which made an impression on me.

Ashton went on to explain how he was using a V-DRUMS Portable TD-4KP as a warm up kit and a SPD-SX Sampling Pad  on stage. One of Michael Clifford’s (Guitar/Vocals) first pedals was a BOSS DD-20 Giga Delay  , plus Luke Hemmings (Guitar/Vocals), Calum Hood (Bass/Vocals) and Michael were already using BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuners on stage. The first single from the band’s forthcoming second album Sounds Good Feels Good had just been released and the video for She’s Kinda Hot was released a month later.

The video for She’s Kinda Hot features Ashton playing SPD-SX with custom stickers. In addition, it is clear the band’s sound had evolved and pushed forward from the first album.

So there I was, standing in the audience like a good forty something musician, arms crossed with that “impress me” look on my face. The lights went down, 5 Seconds of Summer took the stage and the venue went exploded with energy.  5SOS can put on a show and they didn’t rely on gimmicks or hide behind production. It was clear to me that they were not only talented musicians but performers too, I was truly impressed, these guys could play.

Sounds Good Feels Good

Just like their debut album, John Feldmann produced their second Sounds Good Feels Good, but the songs featured a deeper musicianship and darker tone than the first album. The evolution of their sound had started and Jet Black Heart is a great example of the new direction the band was taking.

Sounds Good Feels Good, like its predecessor 5 Seconds of Summer, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, making 5SOS the first band (non-vocal) to have their first two albums debut at number one.

Sounds Live Feel Live

To accompany the success of Sounds Good Feels Good and the three singles released from the album, 5SOS announced another world tour, Sounds Live Feel Live which covered 4 continents and 101 shows.

The relationship between Roland/BOSS and 5 Seconds of Summer had deepened since the initial meet up the previous year. The band was in rehearsals and all the pieces for the tour were coming together. Ashton was going out with a new hybrid drum kit that was half acoustic and half Roland V-Drums. The V-Drums components were the SPD-SX, KT-10 Kick Trigger, TM-2 and V-Pads.

For the tour, Michael and Luke had both selected the Waza Amplifiers and Cabinets  which was very exciting for both us and them (more on that later). Calum was running a BOSS only pedal board which included a BB-1X Bass Driver . In addition, all three were using the BOSS ES-8 Switchers.  Finally, Michael had led the decision to have the RD-800 on stage. Carry On was the opening song and the first notes heard would be the RD-800.

The Waza Amp Story

As the guitarists in “The World’s Hottest Band” ( Rolling Stone – Dec 2015), Michael and Luke could have chosen any amp they wanted but they decided to go with the BOSS Wazas based on tone. This decision is another example of the band putting their vision and sound ahead of “playing it safe”. They loved the tone control and “Waza Brown Sound” that Waza system brought to the stage.

BOSS had only just announced the Waza Amps a few months before so the factory was still ramping up production. The plan was for the first units from the factory in Japan were to be hand delivered by the BOSS team to the first show of the tour in Nagoya. As you can imagine, a band embarking on a world tour with empty flight cases and trusting that your gear will be ready once you fly halfway across the world is not exactly the norm and requires some significant trust.

Meanwhile in Hamamatsu, Japan, the BOSS team including Yoshi Ikegami President of BOSS, were diligently hand assembling each amp and cabinet.

On the day of the first show in Nagoya, Yoshi Ikegami and the BOSS team loaded up the vans with Waza Amps and Cabinets and headed out to Century Hall in Nagoya. The 5SOS team had finished assembling the the stage and were getting ready to start sound check when Ikegami-san arrived with the Waza Amps and Cabinets. They unloaded the vans, rolled the Wazas on stage and fired up. The show and more importantly the tour could now go on!

Youngblood

Evolution is a key to life and this is no different when it comes to music. Given the success 5SOS had achieved, you would think that they had found “the formula” to producing hit after hit. Instead of sticking to their Pop/Punk roots that had garnered them worldwide success, the Australian quartet ripped up their “playbook” and took an entire year to craft their new album. The result is another step forward in their sonic evolution.

Want You Back is the first single from the forthcoming third album Youngblood. The audio only video is already over 10 million views and the music video was released at the end of March. Check out the video above and you’ll see the Waza cabs.

Want You Back – Acoustic

5 Seconds of Summer have been preforming acoustic versions of Want You Back at radio stations across North America and Europe. The reception to the stripped down version has been incredibly positive and on April 6 they released videos for both an acoustic and remix version of Want You Back.

The acoustic performances of Want You Back also feature Roland & BOSS products. Calum, Luke and Michael are using TU-3 tuners and Ashton is using an SPD::ONE Kick. The SPD::ONE Kick is a single trigger pad loaded with kick drums sounds that can be mounted on a drum kick and hit with drum stick. In addition, the SPD::ONE Kick can be placed on the floor and used as a pedal to allow the percussionist to trigger the sounds with their feet. Ashton is using the yellow SPD::ONE Kick as a trigger pedal and you can see him using it in the SirriusXM performance below.

5SOS III Tour

Now that the 5SOS III tour has started, additional new songs from the upcoming album have been heard by the masses. The sound and direction are more mature and  another step forward in the band’s continual evolution.

Luke, Michael, Calum and Ashton didn’t stop with changing their approach to making music, they also changed things up in regards to touring.

The 5SOS III tour is a four-month tour across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, focusing on intimate venues. They could have easily kicked off another worldwide headlining arena tour but instead decided to “flip the script” and go small when everyone expected them to go big. This approach ensures the best fan experience for their new songs. Performing in smaller venues impacts the amount of equipment used as everything has to be efficient and just as importantly, need to be able to fit on stages that vary in size form night to night.

Here’s a rundown of what Roland & BOSS products 5 Seconds of Summer are taking out on the 5SOS III tour.

Ashton Irwin – Percussion/Vocals

Ashton plays a Gretsch drumkit with DW hardware. The Roland SPD-SX-SE is used to trigger samples and loops. In addition to playing the SPD-SX-SE directly, Ashton utilizes the RT-30K, RT-30HR and RT-30H drum triggers on the Kick and Snare. The drum triggers allow Ashton to either completely replace his acoustic drum sounds with samples on the SPD-SX-SE or he can augment the existing acoustic tone with sounds from the SPD-SX-SE. For example, a kick drum might require extra punch or low end for a single song, the triggers allow an additional sound to be played every time he hits the kick drum, toms or snare.

Michael Clifford – Guitar/Vocals, Luke Hemmings – Guitar/Vocals

Michael and Luke both use the BOSS Waza Amp Cabinets to get their tones on stage. Each of the stacks feature 2 Waza Amp 412 Cabinets which are closed back with four custom 12-inch speakers for a maximum input of 320 watts. Given that each stack can handle up to 640 watts for a total of 1280 watts coming off stage, we are not sure if they will need a PA!

To ensure their guitars are in tune, BOSS TU-3w Chromatic Tuners are used by both Luke and Michael. The TU-3w has the same tuning functions as the TU-3 but includes more refined internal circuity.

Calum Hood – Bass/Vocals/Synth

Calum is utilizing BOSS pedals to sculpt his bass tone. The CEB-3 Bass Chorus is used to fatten up his sound, the ODB-3 Bass Driver is used to add distortion, the BOSS GEB-7 EQ is used to shape the bass sound and the BB-1x Bass Driver adds a rounder and warmer distortion and depth to his bass tone.  Finally, everything is kept in tune using the BOSS TU-3w Chromatic Tuner.

On the previous tour Michael and Luke also performed keys using the RD-800 however for this tour Calum has taken on the keys duties. The Roland SYSTEM-8 is used for deep bass tones and you can hear Calum play the INTEGRA-7 superNATURAL Sound Module piano sound (via MIDI) on the intro to Want You Back when they perform live. The SYSTEM-8 is a PLUG OUT synthesizer which means not only does it generate incredible sounds using the four onboard Oscillators (including a sub oscillator), waveforms and LFOs it also can load PLUG OUT iconic ACB synths like the JUNO-106, JUPITER-8 and more which means you can customize the SYSTEM-8 in anyway you want! You can even use any of the these synths and many more in your favorite DAW by subscribing to the Roland Cloud.

On June 22nd the third album Youngblood will be released and is available for pre-order now. The title track Youngblood is available now to anyone who pre-orders the album. Check out the live video of Youngblood to see all of the Roland and BOSS gear in action from the 5SOS III tour.

To support the album release the first leg three month leg of Meet You There Tour has been announced which will cover the US and Canada starting in August 2018. Roland and BOSS are looking forward to being part of this next chapter.