Jesterkevin

Actually I think the jury's still out on that one PUOTF should be re-named 'Pick Your Jaw Up Off The Floor' due to the effect it has on you when you hear it sung live.

It certainly has Blackpool Portobello Road Popstarz at Scala Bestival Brick Lane Paul O'Grady The Bloomsbury Ballroom Jools Holland Just how spoilt have we been? 8 events in 24 days. We only made it to 4 of those but what has struck me is how different each experience has been, each one was totally unique but equally as enjoyable as the rest. Life as an English based MFC'er certainly has been 'Golden'

Really big THANK YOU to Caz who as well as being a world famous celebrity who is recognised by people she has never met, is also a super-duper intuitive lens person. Jules and I had our photo taken with Shakira after the show, but our camera was on the wrong setting and we didn't get it Caz had Daz's camera ready to take a photo for him but luckily she had the foresight to take one of us too. Thanks again Caz, we owe you one

Pick up of the Floor was my least favourite track from TBWKTM (always liked it but just not as much as the rest) but after hearing it performed live last night all I can say is..... WOW !! It sounds incredible, make sure you set your Sky+ / video for Friday night and prepare to be blown away. It should definately be shown as they recorded the Friday night program pretty much "as live" before they went live for last nights show. It lasted just over an hour but they re-recorded one of Shakiras songs due to sound problems. They also had to re-record another one of hers again after the live show but these should just be edited in to the show without adding any extra time. Had a brilliant time last night, the warm up guy was funny and had some good banter with Daz regarding 'Boiled Sweets' 'Dancing' and the 'need for a bucket of cold water' It was lovely to see so many familiar faces there, what with Blackpool and Bloomsbury it feels like we're starting to see more of you guys than our families !! I mean that in a good way though, it's always lovely to meet you all

There's already a poll thread for people to name their favourite track on the wonderful "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" but while driving today I found myself mentally putting the tracks in order from most liked to least liked and that got me to wondering what other peoples 'Order of Preference' would be. I think from previous discussions mine will be pretty different to most peoples but hey, it'd be boring if we all liked the same thing. Here's mine..... 1. By The Time 2. Toy Boy 3. We Are Golden 4. I See You 5. Rain 6. Good Gone Girl 7. Blue Eyes 8. Dr John 9. Blame It On The Girls 10.Touches You 11. One Foot Boy 12. Pick Up Off The Floor Please feel free to share yours....

That looks really funny, like Luciano has a 'little hand' and has put it on top of your head (a bit of enhancement in Photoshop though and you can see it is actually Jules hand lol.....she's playing with her hair)

I voted for 'By The Time' as I find it hauntingly brilliant, it actually gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it, but I also think 'We Are Golden', 'Toy Boy', 'Rain' and 'I See You' are works of genius Not to mention the fact I love 'Blue Eyes' to bits....but that's another matter

Ditto A lovely bunch of peeps who have always made Jules and I feel very welcome. Oh, and thanks for the rendition of "Happy Birthday" when I arrived ..... ............made me feel all spesh

What a brilliant picture, I love it !!

Hopefully it'll push on to number 1 next week now that the video is actually getting some airplay on the music channels.

The Stig's true identity relealed at last (a Google image search is recommended for non-UK MFCers)

Sadly no pics or vids from us for this gig as our back up camera is not really up to the job from where we stood (side balcony with Jemmalee, Babs, Kath, Sarah and Daz) but to be honest I gave up quite early and decided just to enjoy the gig. Really liked this venue, didn't think we'd be lucky enough to see MIKA play another intimate gig now that he has grown as an artist, but Scala fitted the bill perfectly. The atmosphere inside was electric and the sound quality and lighting were fantastic also. Just a little sad that our MIKA week is at an end, it's been a blast though. Any tour news yet dammit !!

It was DEFINATELY 'Gaga' who had been sitting on his face Tooooooo tired to write a full review, got home at 4.00am and just leaving for work now but this gig was absolutely electric. His voice seems to get stronger every time we see him and his energy last night was off the scale. Last night we were treated to the best live version of Happy Ending ever, hope it comes over as well on peoples videos as it did at the gig.....quite breathtaking!! Just a mention about the stage invasion, I'm not in any way contradicting what Cazgirl has posted, just pointing out that sometimes from a different perspective things can appear very different. This is how I saw it.... Mika was picked up by about 8 people and held horizontaly with his head towards the crowd, it looked like he was going to be passed out into the crowd on his back (a kind of reverse crowd surf if you like) He was held like this for a few moments and I'm guessing he let them know he wasn't up for this so they immediately lifted him upright again. He was laughing and smiling throughout so although this had the potential to get out of hand he seemed quite happy with the situation and gave some of those who had lifted him a hug before he left the stage.....perhaps that's just me living in my 'HAPPY MIKA WORLD' and seeing the best in people. However it happened though shouldn't detract from what was an incredible performance. It seems traditional now, even cliched, to say after every gig that he just gets better each time but it is also true, last nights gig was incredible. Off to work now.....

I know how you feel, pretty much a perfect night all round. Again, again, again !! :boing:

Tops tops weekend !! Despite being only 5 songs, this was probably the most enjoyable gig I have been to. Thanks to the lovely Jemmalee the long journey absolutely flew by, we sang and laughed most of the way but the biggest laugh was saved for when we drove past the Merrie England bar next to the Pier in Blackpool. They had posters for The Legendary Joey Blower. Call us weird but something about this tickled us and from that moment on Joey Blower.........sorry, I meant to say "THE LEGENDARY" Joey Blower became an integral part of our weekend. Whilst queuing we did a bit of Joey homework on Google and it seems he has his own website, this is him for those who are wondering why we found all of this so funny... ....anyway, enough about the Maestro of Mayhem (as we believe he likes to be known) let's talk MIKA We checked into the hotel at lunchtime and then took a tram along a very windy seafront towards the Winter Gardens. Indoor queueing is definately to be recommended, and it was lovely to meet some new MFC'ers and meet up with so many that are now considered old friends. Big thanks to Liz and Jo for keeping our place in the queue while we went for a bite to eat. It turned out the KFC queue was bigger than the one in the Winter Gardens so we opted for a liquid lunch instead (well, we did have a couple of packets of peanuts between us....very nutritional...lol) The ladies ahead of us in the queue were Will Young fans and they were fascinated by the golden theme which was slowly becoming evident as the queue grew. The security guard who has already been mentioned was brilliant and kept us well entertained with gems such as... "Sorry, it's been cancelled" "Sorry, no eating or drinking allowed in the queue" "Sorry, nobody wearing gold is allowed in I'm afraid" He was quite a character. Word soon got around that there were 2 stages inside and then panic set in that we would rush to the front of the wrong one. On the way in we asked and were told that the stage to the right was the main stage so we headed for this and stood there hoping we had guessed right. Had we taken the time to have a look around then the glitter cannons either side of the stage, the silver foil at the back, and the big silver baloons on the balcony above might have given us the clues we needed. Once these had been spotted we could relax. Pixie Lott was up first and we were surprised at her voice and confidence on stage, she even tackled the Beatles classic 'In My Life' and really did it justice. Newton Faulkner was next on the other stage, he sounded great and his choice of songs including 'Pure Imagination' from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was inspired. Back to main stage and Will Young who we really enjoyed, his vocals in 'Leave Right Now' in particular were crystal clear. Then it was back to the other stage for Daniel Merriweather who to be fair didn't get our full attention as we were watching the stage being 'silverified' for MIKA. but 'Red' sounded very good. Then Kate Thornton introduced MIKA and from the moment he arrived on stage he lit up the room. He was full of energy and really going for it. 'We Are Golden' came across particularly well and the way he got the audience involved for 'Blame It On The Girls' worked well (Our side were won hands down by the way) George Michaels 'Faith' was probably not the best song to show off his vocal range but he gave us a laugh by having the words taped to various places on the stage (and using them frequently) I guess we have become a little accustomed to the glittery, balloony finale but it still looked spectacular and the Will Young fans loved it....in fact they loved MIKA full stop so it looks like our boy has made some new fans. We waited in the Winter Gardens entrance and sure enough MIKA put in an appearance complete with glitter stripe on his cheek. Even allowing for the hand shaking incident he seemed completely at ease with the situation and genuinely happy to see everybody. The way he orchestrated where everyone should stand for the group photo brought back memories of the 'Big Girl' video shoot, I'm not saying he's a control freak or anything but he certainly likes things to be done right. He then mingled with people for a while and Jules was lucky enough to get a photo taken with him. he chatted with people on a variety of topics and just seemed really laid back. MIKA said his goodbyes and then everybody split into their little groups and departed. A few of us moved onto the bar in the hotel next to ours for drinks and had a wonderful time, the staff were very helpful and gave us a takeaway menu for a place that delivers late, so food was ordered and we had a midnight feast, well actually it was nearer a 1.30am feast but who was looking at the clock. Finally headed next door to our hotel at about 2.30 and slept soundly. Made it up for breakfast and then had coffee and a look at Joey Blowers venue before heading off home. We did take a little detour via Manchester on the way home but that's a story for another day, as a Liverpool fan I don't really like to talk about ( brrrr....shivers running down spine) Only joking Jemma, I had a great time. Sadly our camera was playing up so the pics didn't come out too well, even after playing around with them in photoshop they still look a bit crap but I thought I'd post them anyway (the camera has since died completely....R.I.P Nikon Coolpix) All in all a fantastic weekend, big thanks you to all of the MFC'ers who helped to make it so (not to mention the man himself) See you all on the tour

Just a note for anyone thinking of joining us at the Chequers Plaza Hotel http://www.chequersplaza.com It has a 24 hour bar, so no doubt there will be plenty of fun to be had after the show, it is situated right on the front so it will be easy to hop on a tram to and from the gig. Really looking forward to this now, we have the following week off work too so plenty of time to recover

Recorded this in High Definition on Channel4HD last night and it looks stunning.... sharp lines, vibrant colours and incredible detail. Just one gripe with Channel 4 though.......why oh why do they feel the need to put a bloody great "Coming Up Next Kevin Bishop" banner at the bottom of the screen about 30 seconds from the end of the video. People have only got to press the TV Guide button on their remotes if they want to know what's coming up next, sorry for the rant but this is a pet hate of mine. Anyway, We Are Golden is already my favourite MIKA video by far and the song is very close to becoming my favourite MIKA song too. Just watching it make you feel GOLDEN

After a very long week at work doing 13 hour days (all of which spent on my feet) I was exhuasted by Friday and just could not face hours of queuing and being on my feet for the gig. It seemed unfair for me to ask the Ticket Fairy for a place when I knew someone else would enjoy it more so the plan was for my lovely wife Jules (Blue Eyes) to travel up alone in the moring while I was at work so she could join the the queue nice and early. Then I would meet up with her after the gig so we could travel home together. I arrived in Camden at 8.30 and went to Bartok which is directly opposite The Roundhouse, ordered a drink, found a lovely comfortable leather chair at the back of the bar and prepared myself for a nice relaxing evening. Within 2 minutes of me sitting down they dimmed the lights and Grace Kelly came on the music systyem and I thought "what a perfect way to spend the evening" ....then Lollipop came on .....then My Interpretation ....by the time Love Today started I downed my drink and headed over the road with the intention of getting in one way or another, the pull of seeing MIKA live was just too strong. I asked a doorman if there were any standby places left and was met with a very grumpy "NO" so I tried one of his colleagues who had just turned two girls away and got the same response from him. I was just resigning myself to heading back over the road when the head doorperson came out to give her staff some instructions and I thought I'd have one last go. Once she had finished talking, I took her to one side and asked really politely if perhaps any of the competition winners had not turned up, and if there was any chance if I could get in, she apologised but said all of the places had been taken. I told her that my wife was in there and that I had come to collect her but not to worry, I would wait for her outside and I sat down on the step. She must have felt sorry for me as she re-appeared 30 seconds later with a wrist band and lanyard and motioned for me to come in.....I didn't need to be asked twice When I entered the gig, 'Blame It On The Girls' was just starting so I had missed the first couple of songs but I wasn't worried about that ...I WAS IN !!! I went to the side of the stage and could see Jules, Babs, Daz etc in the middle of the front row but decided it would be unfair to try and join them....at 6'2 and size XXL I'm not someone you want to be behind at a gig so I stayed further back and I have to say the perspective of seeing a show from there was really enjoyable, I found I could take in the whole spectacle without all the bumping and jostling. I've been lucky enough to go to quite few of MIKA's gigs over the past 2 and a half years and they have all been special for different reaons but it's funny.....I expected the least from the itunes Festival and yet it delivered so much. MIKA was in outstanding form and the whole feel of the evening was electric. My only regret is that I didn't get to hear 'We Are Golden' live but the rest of the gig more than made up for that disappointment....also, it was safely saved on the Sky+ when we got home anyway. Guess what, by the end of the gig I had completely forgotten I had blisters, I'm sooooooo glad I decided to blag my way in. As always, the icing on the cake was meeting all the lovely MFCers after the show, who we both think of as friends now (in fact we see more of you guys than we do some of our 'real' friends ) The meet and greet was very light hearted and relaxed. We have been very lucky in the past, seeing MIKA at small gigs like Fopp and Concorde2 in Brighton. In those days not many people would stay and talk to him and he was happy to chat at length with anyone who wanted to, we thought those days were long gone, given how successful he has become but Friday night was a nice reminder of how relaxed he used to be with fans after a gig. Not the same obviously but as near as we will ever get to those days again. Just realised I have been waffling a bit now so I'll stop hogging the computer and let Jules post her thoughts on the evening (she has some nice piccies to post too.....think I'd better leave the camera with her all the time in future) Roll on the next gigs

Hiya, we saw him but as he was out with friends, we thought it better to 'respect his privacy' Had a nice catch up with Phil, his driver (best job in the world or what) He said Brian is a fan and described MIKA as a great kid...lol

Name and shame time........ ................it was Daz !! They announced just before MIKA came out that he would be walking along the line to say "hi" to everyone, but that he would not be posing for photographs or signing things. We were about 10th in the queue just behind Daz, who asked VERY POLITELY if he would mind signing his EP/ Book. MIKA screwed up his face in a "Well I'm not really supposed to be doing that" kind of way but after deliberating for all of half a second he gave a huge smile and said "Oh, go on then" He then kept Daz's pen and continued on down the line. I have to say I was very impressed with the meet-n-greet, and I have nothing but respect for MIKA and his management for arranging this when in truth they would probably all just like to get away after a job well done. It would be very easy for him to be ushered into a car without talking to anyone (like many other artists) but it says alot about him that he doesn't. The gig itself was very impressive, his songs lend themselves really well to acoustic gigs. It was also lovely to meet so many new faces from the MFC as well as seeing some good friends again. All in all a great night

That is a fantastic picture, shame about the microphone stand getting in the way. I'm still very much an amatuer on Photoshop but I've had a go at removing it.... I'll play around with it and see if I can get it any better.

Thanks for all your suggestions, loving some of the pics:mf_lustslow: You guys must have similar tastes to Jules and I as quite a few of the ones posted were already on our shortlist!! Please keep em coming......

Hi Guys I know there is a calendar available to buy this year but I enjoyed doing the 'unofficial' one so much last year, I've decided to do a 2009 one too. As per last year I'll upload the finished files on here for people to print off. Last years was a landscape desktop calendar..... http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12480 ....but this year I thought I'd go for a smaller portrait one. Jules has saved lots of possible pics and I could easily pick 12 of those but I thought I'd also throw it out to you guys this year. If you have any unusual or favourite pics you would like included, please post them in this thread and I'll use as many as I can. I'll set the ball rolling with this one which just happens to be one of Jules faves... Over to you......

I can't speak for U2, Bon Jovi or the Killers but I know members of the Queen fan club pay £18.00 a year to be a member so I guess they deserve all the perks they get. And to be fair they do get looked after very well (pre-sales on tickets, best seats etc) Perhaps this is something MIKA's people should consider.

Sorry, I got a bit carried away with my rant but I had intended to put that I know 90% of the people on here are absolutely lovely (Obviously Robertina and Babs, you both come into this catagory:wub2: ) it is the other 10% I have an issue with. I'm all for freedom of speech and people expresing their opinions but a line gets crossed when those opinions relate to someones character. That is the sort of thing I would expect a moderators to be stamping down on, not encouraging. ....anyways, apologies & big hugs to all you nice MFC'ers, please disregard my rant as it was not aimed at you.