A Day In... Birmingham (feat All Time Low)

All Time Low is one of my favorite bands.

That's a simple enough fact.

Until last Saturday I didn't know they would be my all time favorite live act, too.

Saturday

The day started with a two hours train travel. I have to admit, I prefer trains to coaches, but sadly the latter is a lot cheaper, especially on long journals. Birmingham is close enough to not empty my pockets luckily.

I arrived at 12am and still had about two hours until I could check in into my hostel, so I decided to go into the shopping centre right next to Moor Street Station. And boy, that's one gigantic shopping centre! Three floors, very long and with everything you could possibly want. Not to forget about the market on the street and in a market hall just outside. Those are mostly groceries, but I also saw a few Tshirt booths.

The hostel was ok. It's close the the city centre, though the area was actually an industrial area and looks a bit scary when you walk back in the middle of the night on your own. The entrance hall where the breakfast would be was nice and cosy, but not the best I've ever seen. The staff was very friendly and funny. I got an upgrade from a 12 to a 6 bed room and went there immediatly. It is definitely safe, you need two codes to go into the room and your room, the bed seemed clean and even the toilet/shower was good.
Not the best I've been to, but acceptable.

After that I went straight to the Barclaycard Arena. Or, I tried to. I actually needed far longer that I thought because I got lost and had to walk for a while to get back on track. Of course there was already a rather big line when I got there 2,5h before the doors would open. At first I was disappointed, but as the line got longer and longer I realised I was actually lucky to be where I was. Turns out, I was really far in th front of the arena.
The nice thing about concerts is that you meet people who like the same bands you like, too. So go out there, make some friends and let them hold your place when you need a pee break, Cause you will definitely need one at some point.

The concert was fantastic. Against the Current and Good Charlotte were the opening acts. I know AtC but I'm not a fan, though I have to admite they are great live performers. GC one the other hand got me excited when I found out I'd be seeing them. They are really funny, too, and know how to get the fans worked up.

All Time Low was... I can't even describe it. Fantastic. Wonderful. Fucking alive.
Like I said, I was in the front and Jack's side, which is already the best place you could be in cause that guy is on fire. Jumping around, dancing, twerking?!, pulling bras that were thrown over stage on his head. And let's not forget that he stripped down to nothing but Union Jack boxers in the mini-break before the encore. He takes fan's cameras and takes videos of the crowd, his fellow band
members and his nipple. he licks Alex'es mic when is isn't looking, he is just having the time of his life. I would love to party with him one day.
Rian (my fav tbh) was right in my line off sight, too. One great drummer, I can totally understand why he won awards for his talent. He was shredding it up there, a shame he didn't have a mic.
I'm not saying Alex and Zack aren't good, they were fantastic, too. Alex is a great singer and entertainer you could say. I have no idea how many "your mother" jokes he made. Sadly I couldn't really see Zack most of the time.

However, all good things come to an end, and after the encore the lights came back up and I walked back to the hostel. Or, I tried to. First I had to get something to eat cause I was starving and my knees hurt so much I was nobbling rather than walking. I got back a bit before midnight and just fell right into my bed.

The Setlist:

1. Kids in the Dark
2. A Love Like War
3. Dancing with a Wolf
4. Backseat Serenade
5. Lost in Stereo
6. Poppin' Champagne
7. Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)
8. Runaways
9. Tidal Waves
10. Bail Me out (feat Joel Madden)
11. Therapy
12. Missing You
13. Coffeeshop Soundtrack
14. Don't You Go
15. Old Scars/Future Hearts

Encore:

1. Weightless
2. Something's Gotta Give
3. Dear Maria, Count Me In

Sunday

Sunday didn't start very good. I didn't sleep well and woke up way too early, way before breakfast would start, but I also wasn't able to fall back asleep. So I decided to go have a shower and pack my things while I waited. Breakfast was good, toast and fruits. The problem was that my train back was at 4pm, so I had a lot of time to kill.

My original plan was to go to the art gallery, than the library and maybe another detour to the shopping centre. Sadly, my left knee didn't agree. It hurt so bad I had to sit down instead and wasn't able to walk too far. The gallery was still near enough to walk to, but the library just wasn't possible. Instead, I went to the church right next to the shopping mall to sit down and have a few quiet minutes. All of this plus useless shopping and sitting in cafes finally got me to 4pm.

My knee problem also meant I couldn't go to the Chinese New Years party in Central London. I was already too late for the parade anyway, but though I could at least drop by for a bit. Instead, I went straight home. A shame, but my health is more important that anything.

Hindu Temple

Did you know that the biggest Hindu Temple outside Asia is located in London?

Yeah, me neither.

So when a friend of mine asked if we wanted to go there I was actually really surprised. Good thing I didn't have anything planned. With only three busses and a bit of waiting we made our way to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

First thing you had to do was leave your bag outside the whole area and once you enter the building, you also had to get rid of your shoes. The entrance hall is very high, with beautiful wooden walls and carpets. Once you go to to through the left door you have the choice between a Hindu museum, which explains the origins and most important aspects of the religion as well as the temple itself, and the small praying hall. 

(pic from londonpass.com)

We went to the praying hall first, which is made of a very bright stone (marble as far as I remember) that is carved into small lovely details. Panels all around the room explain the importance of several deity and their relationship with one another. 

Don't forget to look up at the ceiling and the inside of the dome!

(pic from lbc.co.uk)

The museum (the only part of the temple you have to pay a small fee of 2 pound for) is a mix of explanations of how the religion was founded, which people and deity are the 'most important' or most commonly known and facts about when and how this specific temple was built. It's weird to know that it was built in just about three years. And lets not forget how advanced the people hundreds and even thousands of years ago were in maths, medicine, language and many more in comparision to Europe. Somehow it's easy to forget about all of that when you never really think or even learn about it.

So even if you are not the most religious person, you should definitely pay it a visit. It will be worth it. We can only truely understand and therefore accept other people when we open our minds to their believes and way of living and thinking. Ignorance is not acceptance after all.

Theatre

Jim Broadbent is a well known actor. To most young people he is Professor Kirke in Narnia or Horace Slughorn in Harry Potter. But he also playes in theatres!
His latest role is (was) that of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in Central London.

It's a bit late now for a recommandation since me and my friends were there on Saturday for the second last performance. We got day tickets for the first row for only 10 pound; they are not exactly the best seats, but better than nothing. And who knows how much the actual good seats would cost.

Seeing the play was actually a huge coincidence! Our original plan was to go see a musical, our favorites being Mamma Mia! or Wicked. I arrived a bit early and started walking around when I saw the theatre A Christmas Carol was playing in. I already knew the theatre, it was the same I saw Daniel Radcliffe almost three years earlier in. I met the others and we decided to at least ask for ticket prices for the muscials. We could have gotten seats for Mamma Mia! for only 18 pounds (restricted view obviously). But we went with the theatre instead since, like I said, it was the last day. So four tickets for the afternoon show it was.

After getting lunch and walking around, we came back. And wow, it was truely amazing. Really funny, a bit ridiculous at times and the costumes were amazing. Props to the staff behind the scenes for that.
One of the funniest moments was when the entire cast broke the fourth wall and started packing away the equipment and later even threw chocolate coins into the crowd. Or was it the scene where Jim Broadbent confessed his love for a lady in the audience?

Great performance by everyone. Afterwards we went outside and to the stage door at the back of the building in the hope to catch some of the performers. We actually got three autographes! But we wouldn't get Jim Broadbent's until after the evening performance.

We actually didn't plan on staying so long after he didn't come outside in the afternoon, but we staying in CL for so long that we decided to try it. We spent the time eating Italian at Leichester Square, I had pasta and the others very well done pizza for a surprisingly low price considering the location. Then we went looking for a Shisha bar and eventually found one in a side street near Leichester Square station while looking for a different one. By the way, did you know there is a Starbucks that actually has people bringing you to your seat and taking your order? Fancy!
On our way to the tub station we figured out the evening performance of Christmas Carol was over and we decided to try it again. This time he had to come outside after all.
And yes, we got his autograph as well. I told him it was great, especially the breaking of the 4th wall, and then we left for good. Nothing exciting, but still a great memory (and yet another thing to show off with, lets be honest). If there is one place to meet famous people in Europe, it is definitely London.