On Friday November 9th, I was rudely awoken at 4am by my phone alarm. It's never fun getting up early, let alone THAT early. despite the few hours of sleep I had managed, I felt unusually awake. It suddenly hit me like a crashing wave that I was off to BBC Music Introducing Live at the Tobacco Docks in London. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect and was wondering if my early start was worth it as I walked the 30 minute journey to the bus. The air was cold and crisp and my breath was making dancing mirages in the frosty and blurry air as I managed to stutter out some words to my friend.
We arrived at the turning circle and alongside the other tired students, we poured into the bus, embracing the heat gratefully. I had my journey all planned out- kill 3 hours by sleeping. However, I found myself engaged in a deep and interesting topic, debating possibilities and dreaming with my friend as the hours went by. The enriching conversation came to a stop with the bus, as we were ushered out and reminded of our curfew, and we quickly came to join a queue winding it's way down the Tobacco Docks.
The venue that had been set up for the event was a vast and impressive labyrinth of activities and conference rooms. The multiple floors and zones were a lot to take in as I navigated my way to the first conference room. As the hours moved by I found myself in many enlightening talks and could feel my ideas growing and growing as I learnt from different peoples' knowledge and experiences. To my pleasant surprise and vast excitement, a live podcast was taking place with You Me At Six- a band that has inspired me throughout my guitar journey. All the members sat before me, only meters away from the front row where I was lucky to be sat. A demo of 'Loverboy' was played and it became very clear that even at the early stages of their career, the band was highly talented, with a demo that sounded like a professional recording.
The talks drifted by and started to meld into one another as fatigue started catching up with me. I wanted to stay awake and be alert but it seemed to be turning into more of a challenge by the second. My interest was peaked again as I had heard news that Example would be present during a talk called 'From Bedroom To Ibiza'. This alone was enough to keep my attention switched on. Example was one of the first artists I ever got into and when I was younger I would show all my friends his music and excitedly wait for new singles, with 'Playing In The Shadows' on repeat as my school life soundtrack.
Having sat through a pretty neat interview with Deadmau5, myself and some friends raced to the front rows to try and get a seat. We managed to snatch a few seats on the second row and soon after a panel of highly talented musicians and producers made their entrance on the chic stage. My eyes were immediately drawn to a well dressed, peroxide blonde man- Example. There's a saying that you should never meet your idols, but I was not disappointed. Example came off as humble, charming and very knowledgeable, giving the crowd constant wise words of wisdom and witty charm. The panel was well set up, with questions being evenly spread between all the talented individuals present on the stage. By the end of the discussion, I felt like I had just been injected with pure inspiration and motivation, with a feeling of invincibility. I will forever value this confidence boost, and the fact that these amazing people were still just as down to earth as anyone else. My highlight for sure was being able to ask Example a question at the end. I couldn't stop smiling like a freak as he advised on how newer musicians and producers could approach more experienced names for collaborations. The fact that he said he checks all his DMs, no matter who they're from, just made him even more awesome in my eyes, as he is someone who will support new and upcoming artists. Again, his humble manner made his advice all the more believable and meaningful.
In the early hours of the morning, I never would've imagined that I would have such an enriching day, let alone meet and see some of my heroes. It's days like these that make life worth living, even through the darker times, which is something I am constantly reminding myself of.
The bus journey back home felt endless, and through my fatigue and pounding headache of exhaustion, I couldn't help, but just smile.
