Alright, I guess it's my turn...
I first got into the Bluetones when I was 11 and RTTLCS came out, my sister bought the singles after seeing them on the chart show and we both loved them, got the album and it quickly became a favourite. My parents had ETF before but I never really listened to it until afterwards (yes, my parents got into the Bluetones before me).
By age 13 I was starting to use the internet a bit and decided to wander over to see what I might find on the website for this nice band... I pretty quickly got hooked on the forum and the old chat room. Everyone was so friendly! The chatting went on and I started to get jealous of everyone talking about the gigs, after everyone on the forums telling me I had to go, in 2001 I saw my opportunity and convinced my parents we should see the Bluetones in Manchester (by this point my sister had moved on to other bands).
It was my first ever gig and it was a great show, didn't disappoint one bit.
Back to the forums, I was getting to know people fairly well and making friends, by the time I was 16 I finally got the chance to meet some of these people I'd been talking to for years. Plans were made and tickets were bought, I got on the train and went down to Leicester (yes, at age 16, on my own, to meet a load of weirdos I'd only ever spoken to on the internet... and it happened many times after that too... and you know what, I didn't get raped or murdered once!)
So, in Leicester, waiting at the train station to get picked up in a car by LM Laura and Boove. We had a few drinks, some food and then went to the Charlotte to meet a few others off the forum. The gig was a great sweaty thing, and afterwards me and Laura went backstage to meet the boys and steal some crisps (posh cheese and onion ones I seem to remember). My first time meeting the band, and as incredibley shy and quiet as I was (everyone who knows me now, I was 10 times quieter back then!), I wasn't at all nervous. It was just like hanging around with a few friends. Anyway, we left with our crisps and went back to Boove's to watch the Lion King (...again, shy 16 year old, now drunk girl, staying at Boove's and didn't get raped or murdered!) It was a brilliant night and one I won't forget.
After the success of that night I got convinced to come to Sheffield the next week, where I first met Jabs and Ferg from the forums, and again Laura and Boove came along too. This is one of the gigs I consider an all time favourite, as the Leadmill is a great venue, Trap2 and the Vessels were supporting, who I loved, and there were a lot of new friends made that night. The day started early in the pub, by the time gig time came we were all happily bouncing and singing along and then carried on dancing into the night. We ended up back at a random house of someone Jabs vaguely knew (Jabs - known for hating gingers and young uns, has never failed to look out for me since we first met. She may have scared people away on the forums before, but in person she's been nothing but lovely, and I really appreciate all she's done for me over the years)... so anyway, with about 8 of us crammed into someone's living room we tried to get a bit of sleep. It was at this point we realised Boove had gone missing... the drunken fool decided to leave and wander the strange streets of Sheffield. After missing boy was found we all had a rest, it learnt that I can actually sleep on the arm of a chair!
There's been many more such gig related nights as this, travelling over the country, meeting lots of new people because of the band who have since become good friends... so much so we don't need the excuse of a Bluetones gig to meet up and have a good time anymore. We'll travel across the country just to see each other (and they're not all just friends either, a lot of these people now have been together years, got married and had children... and the reason they met? Because of the Bluetones and the forum)
Anyway, back to me being a teenager, still in 6th form and doing all my arty A levels. Being an artist is all I've ever wanted to do, and with my obvious computer loving ways, what else would a quiet young girl do than make a website to show off all her pictures and share them with her Bluetones loving friends. Everyone was always very supportive, saying how good they were... but who knows if they mean that or are just being nice... until one day when I got my first ever commission from the lovely Scandal. Being nice is one thing, but someone actually wanting to pay money for one of my paintings! Certainly gives you a confidence boost. After having sold my first painting, there was a little hope that maybe this might work, I could do what I've wanted since I was little and paint for a living. Well, it was certainly worth giving it a try anyway! So once 6th form was over I ignored any ideas of going to uni or getting a job and stayed at home and painted instead, putting everything I did up online and sharing it online and with my new friends. Eventually it got going, I've now been selling my work online (and locally) for 5 years, and half the people I know because of the Bluetones now have my artwork sat on their walls.
Not only have I managed to make money from these Bluetones fans, but the Bluetones music also inspires me:
Time & Again
I Like To Lie
Now I realise I've hardly mentioned the actual music at all in this post, and I do absolutely love their music, it's what started all this and kept me coming to all the gigs and buying the CDs, but that's not why I'm going to miss them.
The Bluetones are my favourite band, I will probably always consider them my favourite band, but it's not because I think they make the best music in the world (...as good as it is), but because they've made the biggest impact on my life. I can't imagine another band ever making this much difference to me.
There's been a lot of amazing nights, a hell of a lot of good friends made, friends who have been there when I really needed it, never failed to cheer me up, give me a little extra confidence, helped me live my dream... who knows where I'd be now if it wasn't for all that.
And you know what, we'll always have the Bluetones music, there might not be anything new, but they've certainly provided us with enough songs over the years to enjoy for a long time. There'll always be the friends we've made... we might not have the excuse of a Bluetones gig to meet up at, but we can still all have a good time... and there'll always be Mark touring around the country on his own, can't see him stopping any time soon. But Adam, Eds and Scott... I'm gonna miss seeing you guys.
