#main act

Hannah Trigwell was the opening act for the night and she blew me away with her beautiful voice. It was a lovely way to start the night and her acoustic set led on nicely to Loops’ own set. She sang her own songs, which reminded me a little of Ed Sheeran, that I recommend listening to (and buying), as well as some covers. Below is a small snippet of a cover of ‘Stay With Me’ by Sam Smith.

The crowd went wild when Jeremy Loops got to the stage. From the very first second it was clear that he loved every moment of performing and was grateful to get the opportunity. They didn’t slow down for a second, even after the show Jeremy took the time to meet fans, take pictures and sign pre-release copies of his album.

One of the bonuses of an intimate venue is the atmosphere and artist interaction and Jeremy definitely worked the crowd, at times even pausing for conversation. It was a brilliant show and being at the barrier I got an amazing view of it. The whole band barely stayed still, dancing from one end of the stage to another and encouraging the crowd to do the same. (It’s at this point I’ll mention how exceptional Jamie Faul’s dancing is – one of the highlights of my night.)

The crowd sang along to every song, but the volume definitely grew when Loops sang ‘Down South’ – arguably his most popular song that was played on UK radio for the first time this month. There is something brilliant about this song, inspired by Jeremy’s home South Africa it seems to encapsulate the feeling of summer and smiles and happiness.

It’s always fun to see how the songs come together live, witnessing the songs grow as loops are added (hence Jeremy Loops) was amazing. There’s such an interesting stage dynamic, with band members coming and going for various songs. One second it’s just Jeremy rocking out on a harmonica and guitar, then suddenly there’s a saxophone and drumming and a rapper.

One of the highlights of the night, for me, is ‘I Wrote It For You’. The song closed the night as high-energy as when it began and sees the crowd getting involved in singing the chorus on a loop. This song stands out so much for me, it encapsulates that live feeling in a song and it never fails to provide that final burst of energy a finale song needs.

Jeremy Loops puts on a show you don’t want to miss. Keep an eye out for tour dates and pick up his brilliant album ‘Trading Changes’ released across Europe Feb 26th.

If you want to see more of the show here’s a playlist of every song they played on my YouTube channel:

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The Doctor had been thinking while he traveled. He still traveled alone, but he made more frequent stops to see people he knew, at least. He honestly wasn’t sure what he wanted to do now. Things felt slightly different. Off centered. A bit wibbly.

The message light was blinking at him when he walked back into the TARDIS. “Play back message.” He shrugged out of his coat, tossing it on a strut as he headed to the console. A particular voice, unmistakable in accent, filled the room. He found himself smiling immediately.

He started putting in the coordinates to her home before he thought better of it. Hitting the brake at the moment her last word faded, he held on and hummed to himself. There was no reason he could not go and visit Amy Pond. No reason at all. In fact, he even tried to aim at just the right moment. Right when she hung up the phone.

She stared at him crossing her arms. “If you mean that door,” she pointed to the now open back entrance door, “then it was locked. Did you break in?” she questioned.

"You aren’t supposed to be back here, and why would you even want to break into a pet shop for anyway?" There really wasn’t anything extravagant or expensive he could steal and sell, only the pets and they were in the front so he’d be easily caught.

"I think they make the doors just fine."

She looked him over for a moment longer. “Seriously what are you doing back here?” She didn’t want to call the cops if she didn’t have to.

Did he break in? Well, yes,  technically. “Oh! That, wellll—“ He paused. “Just looking for something a bit important!  Thought it might have come in this way.” He stared back, shoving his hands in his pocket. He rocked on his heels a few times before he flashed her a smile.

“Pet shop? Oh, but that’s brilliant!” He looked around, only now realizing where he’d ended up. “Makes sense, but, still. Brilliant. Doors? Oh, no. Doors are rubbish. Well, some are. There are some that are quite good and designed for purpose. Keeps out anything. And in anything. Rather sturdy, those doors. This one looked sturdier than it was. Sorry about the door! Right—“ He stopped, looking to the door, then around again.

Settling his attention back on her, he cleared his throat. “I’m the Doctor. Looking for something. Don’t mind me. I have a bit of a knack for these things. Just need to make sure it didn’t get in here. It rather likes cats. Not a cat person, me. Had a bit of an experience. Or two. Two, really, but who’s counting? Might have been three, come to think of it."

His life was random. That was how he chose to live it these days. Random and without aim or purpose. He went where he was needed, trusting his TARDIS to land him where he could make a difference. Sometimes she took him places he could save people. Sometimes she took him places he needed to see. He had grown to believe in random far more than he’d ever like to admit.

Today was different. Today he had his own purpose. He had his own agenda. Something was nagging at the back of his mind that led him to stand at the monitor. He input information, conducting a search.

“Oh, don’t give me that, old girl. You know, as well as I do, I need to do this. No telling what she’s up to.” The ship hummed a bit louder at him, but soon enough he’d located what he needed. Her whereabouts.

He chewed on his lower lip a moment, standing rather still as he stared at the results. That could be very, very not good. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he rocked on his heels as he debated a course of action. He needed to make sure she wasn’t up to universe ending mischief. He also found he wanted to see her. It was a growing impulse. An impulse leading him like those that made him jump or dash into the unknown without hardly a look back.

Inhaling sharply, he input the course and set the parameters. “Right. I know I don’t often say this, but I am going to see the Master. Do lead me right, yeah?” He stroked the console for a moment, then flipped the brake and held on. The ride was bumpy, but he hardly even noticed. His mind was racing with possibilities.

His best enemy. His worst friend. The universe was a far less interesting place without her.

Today was different. Today he had his own purpose. He was going to see the Master. Maybe she might give him another purpose. Those were in rare supply in his life any more.

They’d hurt her. It was all he could think. They’d hurt her and something inside of him just came undone with that. He was going to make them pay. Every single one of them.

Once he’d started, he couldn’t stop. He’d always warned her. He’d always told her that there was something inside him that she’d never see. She was seeing it now. He didn’t even need to use anything other than his hands. It was more satisfying that way.

He couldn’t stop, even now, when there was just one left. He was completely out of his mind, and he didn’t even register who he had backed into the wall. His forearm kept her pinned there as he gripped his other hand into a fist. Blind with a fury he hadn’t felt in so very, very long, he didn’t register the fact she was the one he was now hurting.

Before he could hurt her further, she spoke to him. He didn’t understand at first. He couldn’t make meaning of the sound he was hearing. He just heard her heartbeat and knew it had to be snuffed out. They’d hurt her.

The words replayed themselves in his mind. Echoing around. They weren’t like the others. There was no begging for mercy. There was no fear. There was no regret simply because they realized their pathetic lives meant nothing to the Time Lord. The words were different.

He stopped, blinking a few times. “R-rose?”

He jumped back away from her, his eyes widening in horror.

Oh, what had he done? He didn’t even think about the others. That would come later. He’d.. he’d almost killed her.

He felt every single ounce of energy drain out of him. He didn’t even have the strength to stand. He fell to his knees, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Get away from me, Rose."

He was just as bad as the others had been. He always hurt her. This time, he’d almost done the unthinkable.

It was time. He couldn’t even be around her now. He didn’t deserve it. He never had. He never would. It was time.

[text] Time machine, Amy Pond. When do you want me in the neighborhood again?