MIKA @ The Little Noise Session

A lot of people have been to gigs, right? You're going to see someone famous and it's pretty exciting stuff. You watch the show, you're marvelled (hopefully), and you go home in good spirits.

But if you're a Super Fan, it's kinda different.

The person you're seeing is not just a famous person. They are someone who have helped shape your life for the better because of their music, and because of the opportunities and love - yes, love - they give you.

Some famous people can be such arseholes and, while I'm sure Mika can have his arseholey moments, he certainly isn't to his fans. He's so patient with us and if he has the time, he does have a conversation with you. He's so genuine and endearing, how can you NOT like him? Seriously. Loathe his music if you like, I don't care, but you can't say he's an abolute prick.

So, going to Mika gigs, for me, isn't just about the music. It's about the whole package, and boy does Mika deliver everytime.

After waiting in the cold for several hours (and having met Jimmy for the first time who recognised me because of my scripts and shook my hand), we were let in the Union Chapel with no fuss (they let people in small group by small group, there was no rushing or panicking) and I ended up being 5 rows (pews) from the front and in the centre. Jackpot. I had a lovely view.





The first act was Daisy Dares You and barely 16. I quite liked her, she seemed really sweet. The act after was a Robert Pattinson look-a-like named Alex Gardner. His music was good but acoustically, it did sound a bit samey.





Jo Whiley announced that Paloma Faith had pulled out because she lost her voice. I was a bit gutted to be honest, because I've never heard her stuff but was told that she was good live, so I was looking forward to her. But there's always a silver lining in every bad news you hear: MIKA would be performing an extra long set! BONUS.

Mika and The King's Singers came on (they're a group 6 men who sing acapella) and they started off with Grace Kelly - a great way to warm the audience up! It was fun and upbeat, new and different. You could see that Mika was really concentrating and really trying to take control of what was happening on stage, almost acting like a conductor.
Mika was also quite happy to talk to the audience about things and was definitely in fine spirits, laughing and joking away with the odd swear word here and there (and in a Chapel too, I say, Mika!)
It was a fantastic gig with a fantastic atmosphere, and I have to say that Mika needs to do seated gigs more often. The vibe is better and there's far less hassle.

The songs that got me the most were Over My Shoulder, By The Time, Rain and We Are Golden.

Over My Shoulder was sheer perfection, the notes were spot on and crystal clear. It was his best performance of that song ever, and the best thing about it? Everyone shut up and listened. I mean, I know I don't often contain myself vocally when it comes to gigs, but when it's a song like that you don't join in. It's kind of like an unwritten rule.
As for By The Time, it was practically acapella all the way through and it was the first time anyone had heard it live. It's not my favourite song on the CD (though I do love it) but live...it was stunning. I think I would preferred female vocals, but maybe I'm just used to Imogen Heap. ANYWAY, the song was a complete surprise and it was beautiful. There are not enough superlatives. I think it's my favourite performance from the night.
What I liked about Rain was that it started off as a ballad, but about halfway through there was a beat behind it that funked it up slightly, yet still making the song mellow and it sounded really...organic. There was energy: Not too much, but enough to get into it.
I love We Are Golden. Full stop. I love it live because it's like everyone's sticking by each other whilst shouting "WE ARE NOT WHAT YOU THINK WE ARE, WE ARE GOLDEN! WE ARE GOLDEN!" It was a more mellow version, but I think it's still powerful enough to be empowered by it, personally.



Mika was so well received at The Little Noise Session, there's so much love for the guy. Seriously! I've been a supporter since the beginning and I've seen his career rocket, and will probably (hopefully) continue to do so. He has so much extraordinary talent and if people don't recognise that, then they're missing out. He has a lot of charm and wit, friendly yet cheeky, and a musical genius. There's no doubt about it.

I describe Mika like a Jewellery Box. It has all sorts of compartments filled with different types of Jewellery and colours. You're always surprised at what you find and you're always marvelled at how it glitters and shines. (That wasn't intended to kind of rhyme, by the way). Every box you open, there's something new and different.
Basically, Mika has many tricks up his sleeves and - like the great Wizard he is - has us all under a spell. He has us on a string and he's the master puppeteer, he knows what strings to pull to get us going. He is a Master. There's no question about it.

The thing about meet and greets is that they could be so much nicer. There was a small group of people on either side of the door, and there was a large space in between us so that, when Mika was outside - he'd have enough room.
But no, as soon as Mika comes out people crowd him. WHY? If you were sensible, Mika would come round to you, but if you're gonna hassle him it's gonna make things difficult, isn't it. Honestly! People don't make things better for themselves.

I managed to give him the Astroboy poster and he seemed genuinely pleased with it! However he couldn't roll it back up so I did it for him while he was signing things, but because people mobbed him it was difficult to get the poster back to him so I had to follow him all the way round just so I could hand back his present. Seriously, he was almost halfway in the car when he got it back.

But the job was done and the night was brilliant. Here are my vlogs which capture the atmosphere of the day, plus snippets of the gig AND the meet and greet and the end. Enjoy.













Check out Mika getting my gift at 6:40. It's an awesome reaction.