Not-Quite-a-Markie-Post

[przed]

Still sorting through far too many pics for the Markie post I promised a few of you Thatter types (tonight! promise!), but today we have an actual video of an actual new song!

And there's a (very short) tour in June, and tickets go on sale next week. Cue hyperventilating and much crossing of fingers.

Comments

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

This post is Markie enough for me and exactly what we need right now!! (The 'Thatter types' that is ;))

I'm already so deeply in love with the song, and video! So powerful, with a melancholic feel to it, just how Mark's songs are supposed to sound. That's what I hear anyway ;) What do you think of the song/video?

And have you seen and read the interview on the BBC site? So Markie, so sad at times! I'm hoping really, really hard that this album will do well, the poor insecure thing!

So are you going to try and get tickets? (I've put my hopes on that presale you get access to when you order the CD from his site!)

[przed.livejournal.com]

Us Thatter types need all the Markie we can get!

I love the song too! You're right that it's just what Mark's songs should sound like. Melancholy with a bit of hope on the side. The video reminds me of the one for How Do You Love. A bit sad, a bit quirky, entirely lovely.

I did read/watch the BBC interview. The written part actually almost made me cry, although he seemed far more together in the video portion. I really, really hope the album does well. Fourth time lucky.

I'm totally going to try for tickets. I ordered the deluxe CD from his site so I get the presale code. None of the dates are great for me (was so hoping for a Saturday) but I'm going to see what other people are doing. Which show were you thinking of? (My preference is probably Glasgow or Manchester, with London or Birmingham coming second.)

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

It does resemble the video for How Do You Love! Even though Stars doesn't break my heart like that one does, thankfully ;) Entirely lovely indeed!

The video fortunately was more optimistic than the written part. The fact he simply wanted to be an astronaut in Berlin instead of London really made me laugh. His facial expression in that part is one of my favourites of him. *g* He's so damned honest (which I love, but sometimes it's hard to watch too..), I'm afraid they had to cut out large parts of the video to make it less painful ;)

Wow, that's dedication of the highest order! (Even the time the tickets go on sale will be the middle of the night in your time zone, right?) I couldn't resist ordering the box set. It's all making me very nervous, I hope they won't mess up sending out the presale codes! It's a real shame there's no Saturday. Much more hassle now.. Somehow I convinced my mum to come along (she loves Mark too, obviously ;)) and I want a standing ticket, but my mum needs a seated one, so I'll need to have a good look at the different venues and what would be most convenient. My preference is probably Birmingham, Glasgow or Manchester, in that order.

[przed.livejournal.com]

How Do You Love completely breaks my heart. I only watch it very very rarely.

Him talking about being an astronaut in Berlin is adorable, as is him showing the crew around the studio. You're right that he's so open that it can be painful to watch. (There's chunks of Celebrity Big Brother I couldn't watch for exactly the same reason.)

I set my alarm for 3 a.m. when I got a-ha tickets for Wembley a few years back, so I know it's not that bad. It is all a bit nervous-making, though. I'm debating the standing versus seating thing myself. Being on the diminutive side (I make Mark look tall *g*) standing is a dodgy thing unless I get really close. And since I crossed 40, I really appreciate gigs where I can sit down. But then again, I stood all night for a Kaiser Chiefs gig last fall and was none the worse for wear, so I know I can do it. Decisions, decisions...

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

I think I have watched How Do you Love only twice.. Alone Without You belongs in the same category for me...

It's lovely to hear him talk about his Rabbit Hutch so proudly. And he's totally chuffed with his coffee holder gift from Mr. Barlow. Yeah CBB, yikes. It's obvious he was having such a hard time back then, and he still remained the nicest person ever (whenever he decided to get out of bed... *g*)

Set the alarm for 3 a.m. As you do... ;) At least you won't be at work at that hour ;)
The possibility of sitting down does have many advantages. And I think I would go for seating too (as I have horrible feet and need heaps of painkillers to get through the night :p) if I hadn't experienced this magic:











But the hours and hours of queuing.. And it can be really annoying if you can't get close enough, so I can imagine it's even less fun when your view is being blocked. Tough decisions...

I've also decided I'll go for the show in Frankfurt too. It's 'only' a 3 hour drive from where I live and the tickets are on sale, just like that, now, and I could buy one, just like that, no pain (30€, I mean who wouldn't?) I don't care I'm seeing Bruce Springsteen the day before and that it will be a mad rush and I have no idea how to get there yet :p Considering you're prepared to cross the Atlantic to go see him, I have a feeling you might understand :p It's Mark after all!

I hope the length of this comment won't mess anything up..

[przed.livejournal.com]

First of all, let me just say: I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm really really not jealous. (Okay, maybe just a bit. *g*) See, I keep thinking that there's no way I'd want to go to the effort of doing standing tickets for a TT show, and then I see pics like this or hear Halo's story about shaking Howard's hand and I'm all "Sign me up!"

Yeah, Mark is soo chuffed with his Rabbit Hutch, it's adorable. And I can't help but love the way he says "Mr. Bahlow." ;-) And parts of CBB just made me cringe and fast forward. Though him and Sue Perkins being cute together kept me going.

Frankfurt! Crikey, that might be doable. But are the tickets really on sale now? (I'm sure they'll all be gone by the time I figure it out, but still...

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

Why would you be? It's only Markie. ;) Yep, that's what makes it all 1000% worth it in the end. I nearly fainted when I shook Mark's hand (and I don't normally do that, honest ;)). Next tour you really should sign up! ;)

Haha wanted to mention the Bahlow, it just sounds so good. Him and Sue made the best comical/cute duo.

Yes, on sale now! Here!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Okay, I may have just bought Frankfurt tickets! OMG!

And I think it's perfectly understandable that you nearly fainted when you shook Mark's hand. I probably would too!

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

You have?! That's brilliant!! If you could just always buy tickets like this, that would be a perfect world. Good luck with the rest of your arrangements!

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm still undecided about whether I'll do this gig or an English one, but Frankfurt actually makes a lot of sense. The flights are a bit cheaper, and I'd only have to use 1 or 2 vacation days. Most of the other dates I'm looking at would take close to all of the 4 days I've got left. Plus, having the tickets already is far less stressful than wondering if I'll get through Wednesday morning. (Though I was getting a bit excited about doing either Sheffield or Dublin.)

Good luck to you, too, arranging your travel after the Springsteen concert. (That'll be a brilliant one too. I've only seen him once, many years ago, but he's genius live.)

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

Sparkly new icon! Looking good! More tough decisions.. Frankfurt sounds more practical for you (and yeah, how great is it to already have that ticket in hand!), but I can imagine you'd prefer Sheffield or Dublin. Have you decided already?

Thanks, think I'll just drive straight from Springsteen's gig (genius sounds good btw ;)) to Frankfurt to get a short night's sleep there, problem solved, yay! I won't let that ticket go to waste! ;)

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm almost firmly decided on Frankfurt. If I fly KLM it's cheaper than flying into England, and the dates are just better for me. Plus not having to stress about getting a ticket is a huge relief. (Although now I'm stressing about the ticket getting lost in the mail!) And soundofthesurf should be able to come.

My tentative plan is to fly in to Frankfurt Saturday morning, spend the day seeing the city and getting over jetlag, and then Sunday is concert day! We definitely should try and meet up!

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

The fear of your ticket getting lost in the mail is horrible! Didn't want to go through that so I chose the home print ticket. (But it's ugly compared to the beautiful fanticket you'll receive ;))

Here's hoping your jetlag won't be too bad, it will be a tiring experience. (But totally worth it, I'm sure.) Yeah, we definitely should try!

[przed.livejournal.com]

I spent a good five minutes contemplating that ticket delivery option page. Because printing the tickets at home would have saved the stress, but for this concert I really did want the actual printed object. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'll be waiting until I've got them in hand (or rather, soundofthesurf does, since it cost 34 Euros less to send them to her) before I breathe easily.

I'm generally pretty good at traveling and getting over jet lag, so it should be good. And definitely, absolutely worth it.

We totally should try to hook up for the show, if not before as well. (Are you going with anyone else to this one?)

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

So it's shipping within Germany? Even less risk of something going wrong in the mail. (And my experiences with eventim.de have been very good, tickets usually arrive well in time!) I think I'd have chosen the real thing too if I wasn't secretly hoping to still get a printed ticket if I manage to get UK-tickets ;) (And I think 15€ for postage to the Benelux is a bit much. 34€ for Canada?! That's seriously overpriced.)

Nope, all on my own for the Frankfurt one, yikes ;) Not sure yet whether I'd like to queue for this one (after 4 hours of sleep ;)). So you're going with soundofthesurf ? When you decide how you want to plan your Sunday, I'd love to hear!

Oh, and how lovely is Rob's support of Mark? (And Mark's last tweet is too adorable.) I can't help but find Howard's and especially Gary's advertisement a bit meager so far though. I probably expect too much of the poor guys ;)

[przed.livejournal.com]

The tickets shipped today, so there'll be no problem on the timing. And I've booked my (massively expensive) flight tonight. So I'm definitely going!

If you're on your own, we definitely have to get together for the show! I can go either way on the queueing. (Though I said that for a-ha in New York, and ended up getting in line at 5. And actually had fun in the line and met some other fans, so it was all good.)

You wouldn't happen to have any opinions on Frankfurt hotels would you? soundofthesurf recommended the hrs.com website, but I haven't had time to do a proper search on it yet.

Good on Rob for supporting Mark. And I thought Howard's tweet was nicely Howard. But Mr Bahlow's support is a bit thin. Though given what Mark said in the Beeb interview about deliberately not calling on his friends for help with the album, it could all just be part of him doing it on his own.

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

Good news on the tickets, and flight and that you're definitely going! I hope you can somehow forget about the massive expenses so you can really start looking forward to seeing him live!! I mean...!!

I'd definitely love that!((Even though I'm a nervous fool when it comes to things like this and I usually start stumbling over my very bad English, get even more insecure and go silent.. Yeah.. I'm an idiot. Just so you know ;)) I'll just wait and see what your plans will be! I find it so hard to guess what time you'd have to start queuing to get near the front and whether it's worth queuing if you don't get there very early etc...

I always use booking.com and made a reservation for the Best Western Scala, affordable, looks decent enough and is a 3 minute walk from the Gibson Club (I searched for hotels near the club). Turm Hotel was my second choice, but I read something dodgy about reservations not being honoured (you can't pay in advance). I didn't have to pay attention to public transportation when I was selecting though...

That explanation is totally satisfying, just what I needed to hear ;)

[przed.livejournal.com]

The massive expense is already forgotten. *g* And I'm sooo looking forward to the concert.

Meeting up is a must! And no worries about your English. Just remember it's 100% better than my non-existant Dutch. *g* I've got no clue about how early queueing will start. (Maybe we can make plans once soundofthesurf finds out when she can make it in.)

The Best Western looked good, but in the end I couldn't resist the Villa Orange. (That name! Plus is had good reviews.) It's just a few streets north of the Best Western.

I'm sticking with that explanation. It's either that, or give Gary a good talking to. *g*

[rangerke.livejournal.com]

Isn't it the best feeling :D Yesterday after buying tickets for Glasgow and booking the hotel and flights, I felt slightly overwhelmed, it's a bit much for my budget and June will be hectic. But then again, it's Mark we're talking about and I thought of your amazing crazy trip and all was good again. *g* So much to look forward to!

Yay!Will try and remember this when I have my nervous stammer attack ;) Making plans once soundofthesurf knows more sounds perfect.

Of course you couldn't resist! It looks lovely and that name... Done deal ;)

Hmm, Gary could probably use a good talking to anyway.. :p

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to be a positive role model. *g* Or some kind of role model, anyway. ;-)

I'm sure there won't be nervous stammer attacks. There'll be too much squeeing!

I'm glad we're in agreement on Gary. *g* (I respect Mr. Barlow, but every once in a while I'm sure he could use a stern talking to.)

[przed.livejournal.com]

It's a great song, and a lovely video! Can't wait to hear the rest of the album now.

I don't know if I'll get tickets either, but I'm going to make the attempt. I've been hoping I'd get the chance to see him solo, even more than with TT. (Though of course, I'm also dying to see TT live.)

Stay tuned for the Markie post!

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

It's a gorgeous song! He does really write some beautiful stuff and this is among his best, I really do feel *g*

I really hope this one goes better for him, he deserves it at least as much - on pure artistic merit, leaving aside how lovely he is - as half the artists in the chart.

[przed.livejournal.com]

It is gorgeous. And bodes well for the rest of the album. (It might be heresy, but I love his lead vocals best on TT albums, and his solo albums better than their group ones.)

He does finally deserve some solo success, not just because he's a lovely bloke, but because the music is fab. I have to admit to being a bit worried for him on that count, but hopefully this is the time that works for him.

[sunshine-2525.livejournal.com]

This is a great Markie-post, even if it's not a "real" one ;)

I love the song very much and I like the video too. The video is a bit sad I think. I must say that I love the song more than maybe I thought I would have. I was a little worried beforehand whith the talk about electro-pop so I kind of feared that I wouldn't like it very much. I want to really like the music, and not just like it because it's Mark, if that makes any sense ;) But I need not have worried; I love it!

I have listened to the preview of the songs from the album and that sounds very promising too :) I don't want to listen to the preview too much though, but I was too curious to not have a listen *g*.

The tour dates are really bad ones for me and I'm not sure I will be able to go to any of the dates, which is making me totally miserable :( I wish they had not announced the tour dates so close to the actual dates...Anyway, I pre-ordered the deluxe boxset to get the pre-sale code. The dates that maybe *could* work is either Sheffield or Glasgow, so we'll see. I wish I could go to any of the German dates. It would be heaven to be able to buy a ticket already, not having to worry about ticketstress ;) But sadly those dates are impossible for me. Oh well, we'll se what happens. The most important thing is that Mark is back!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Breaking out the brand new spaceman!Mark icon!

I know what you mean about being worried about the music. I wasn't so worried about the electropop thing, but more that Mark and his producers would autotune all the quirkiness I love out of his voice. But the voice is still recognizably Mark, and the song is awesome and I've got it pleasantly stuck in my head. The video is a bit sad, but then there are lovely moments at the end when he's smiling in wonder at the things he sees and it's all okay. (Unlike How Do You Love, which is a truly sad vid.) I haven't previewed any of the other songs yet, but am looking foward to them.

None of the dates were great for me. Most of the English ones would have meant giving up theatre tickets we've already bought (Book of Mormon and a collaboration between Robert Wilson and Willem Dafoe, both of which I would sacrifice for a Mark concert, but would prefer not to.) I was leaning towards Sheffield, but the Frankfurt date works best, and has the advantage of being on sale now. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get a ticket in the presale. BTW, an Irish co-worker recommended the Sheffield show over Glasgow. He says Sheffield's become a really interesting city to visit in the last few years, while in his opinion Glasgow is not nearly so nice. Well, actually, he used words that I shall not repeat here.

[sunshine-2525.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I love the spaceman!Mark! icon! Fabulous! *g*

Yes, you could still recognize Mark very much, which is a good thing :)
Yeah, I agree about the video; it's not just sad, there is also hope in it. I think it's the melancholy of the music that makes the video look a bit more sad than it actually is.

Thanks, I'm keeping my fingers crossed too;) I hope I could get a ticket in the presale on Wednesday. I have the day off that day so I can be at the computer all day if needed ;) Thanks for the tip about Sheffield/Glasgow. Hehe, so your co-worker is not that impressed with Glasgow? The image I have of Glasgow is not that good/interesting either, so hoping for Sheffield then ;) I need to do some research about flights and stuff.

[przed.livejournal.com]

The actual word my co-worker used to describe Glasgow was, ahem, sh*thole. So, yeah, he's not a fan. (And that description gets a Howard icon, not Mark. *g*)

Here's hoping you don't need the whole day to get through for tickets!

[sunshine-2525.livejournal.com]

Oh, I better try and stay away from Glasgow then ;) A Howard icon definitely suits better with that description *g*. On the plus side with Glasgow is that there are direct flights Stockholm-Glasgow, but the date for Glasgow is probably worse for me than Sheffield. I'm now trying to see if London or Birmingham could work instead. It all depends on work, if I can get a day or two extra off. At work the schedule for our summer holidays are already set and very difficult to change. It would have been so much easier if there had been a Saturday gig, that would have been perfect.

Thanks, I hope everything will go smoothly, but I fear the worst ;)

[przed.livejournal.com]

The frustrating thing with the tour is that the best dates aren't necessarily the most convenient places to get to. Good luck with managing your work schedule.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best is always my motto. ;-)

[sunshine-2525.livejournal.com]

Thanks. After a lot of thinking back and forth I've come to the conclusion that my best option is the Sheffield date, so I will try getting tickets for that one.

That is also my motto! ;)

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

I *love* the song, and I think Mark's voice sounds fantastic, better than ever!
I'm going to the Shepherd's Bush gig, which is where I saw him back in 1997, I think it was.
If the tickets sales are good, perhaps they'll add some more dates. :)
Really hope the album does well, too!

[przed.livejournal.com]

It's a fantastic song, and I think you're right about Mark's voice!

Shepherd's Bush looked like a great venue, if only the gig weren't on a Thursday. Shall look forward to you report of the gig. I'm wondering if they'll add more shows if demand warrants it.

And yeah, fingers crosses the album does really well!

[asilia.livejournal.com]

That song literally has me all over the place ♥ It is so so so beautiful and the entire album preview is amazing - I'm so proud!!!

Are you gonna try and get tickets for the tour? I'm not sure I will - I would obviously LOVE to go see him but the only affordable trip would be to London and the date is just the worst timing ever as I have musical tickets for the day after so need to be home again by then... And for just a *very* short (about 24 hours all in all) trip, I'm not sure I can spend around 500 euros... I'm a bit disappointed by the extremely short notice of the tour announcement, it's really not very considerate of people from abroad or every working human being actually...

[przed.livejournal.com]

I LOVE the song. It's so very Mark, and everything I was hoping for. I haven't listened to the preview yet--I sort of want to approach the whole album unspoiled--but I may yet cave and listen to it.

I got tickets for the Frankfurt date, though I haven't yet booked my flight yet. I'm planning on doing that today, because the prices for flights have already gone up from when I checked them on Friday. The short notice is extremely problematic, and the dates are mostly horrible. (Most of the English dates would have required me giving up theatre tickets I've already booked, and I was so hoping for a Saturday date so I didn't have to burn too much vacation crossing the Atlantic.) It's going to be an insane price for one concert, but I've done it before (for a-ha) and I don't want to risk this being the only chance I have to see Mark play solo. Though I half think this might be the precursor to a long, bigger tour.

::sigh::

[asilia.livejournal.com]

That's great you'll get to see him! I don't even wanna imagine what you'll have to pay for flights from there - it's already way too expensive to book anything short notice from here!

I was hoping for a Saturday date as well - and that he wouldn't do anything before July so we'd have a bit more time to plan. It looks like most of my friends aren't gonna make it either so yeah... I'll probably be reasonable and skip it too, hoping he'll do some more stuff later this year.

[przed.livejournal.com]

The flights were...not inexpensive. But I did finally find one that was a bit cheaper, though it did mean two stopovers on the way back. It would have been nice to have more lead time to book flights ahead and get a cheaper deal.

Being reasonable is probably a good thing. I no doubt would have if I'd ever seen him before. But I haven't, and was apparently quite happy to throw reason to the wind this once. ;-)

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you that there are more shows later in the year.

[asilia.livejournal.com]

Haha in the end, I caved. Tickets for the London gig and plane tickets are already bought ;) Some of my TT girls are going as well and three of us went to Mark's gig at the Shepherds Bush Empire (where the gig in June is as well) in 2003 - we're from 3 different countries and that concert 10 years was the first time we met in person so we kinda had to go again now :)

It's gonna be stressful but I'll have a whole day in London as well so I'm actually quite excited :)

[przed.livejournal.com]

Hooray for caving! (I am definitely not a model of restraint. *g*) Shepherd's Bush looked like a brilliant venue to see him, and even more brilliant if you saw him there 10 years ago. And with TT friends as well!

I'm looking forward to meeting soundofthesurf and rangerke for the first time in Frankfurt myself. It'll make the whole concert experience even better.

Enjoy London! I look forward to hearing how it went.