So, here we are. The 32nd and final gig of this tour, in Belgrade,
Serbia.
I was thinking back to our first gig today, in Helsinki on 20th September
and it seems an absolute age ago! We've been on the road for nearly
two months and it's been an amazing and eye opening journey. We've
visited 19 countries, played to around 130,000 people and spent a
total of nearly 19 hours on stage. Sometimes it's been tiring and
tough of course, but it's left me with a load of great memories and
a real feel for so many of the countries we've been lucky enough to
visit.
I
want to say a huge thanks to my band and crew, as well as all the
people behind the scenes who arranged this tour. Thanks as well to
Tom Jones and his people for making this a great experience.
I'm
looking forward to a rest and getting back to 'real life' though it
will be odd having lived in each others pockets for 2 months then
not seeing each other until the next gig.
So,
I'm off to go on stage for the last time this tour. Thanks to those
of you who made the journey to come and see a gig. I hope to see the
rest of you at a gig soon.
Bye
for now!
Florence
x
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 20
Budapest. We had an early start and a six hour journey to Budapest today
before the gig, stopping off at a couple of Slovakian service stations
on the way! Unfortunately, due to the schedule, it looks like we may not
get to see a lot of Budapest, which is a shame.
The sound check and gig tonight went well, I can't believe that the next
show will be the last night of the tour ...and on Friday the 13th as well!
Really tired tonight so I'm straight off to bed. See you
again for the last blog…
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 19
Prague is a pretty little place. A lot of character in
some of the buildings here and it was nice to have a walk around.
Security at the venue took on a whole new level. Once we got past the
airport style bag scanners, it seemed our ‘All Access’ passes
weren’t enough for us to enter the backstage area. Eventually, a
crew member popped up to give us all other passes and those got us in.
The band members passes meant they had to adopt personas such as Alf and
Klaus. Confusingly, I looked down at mine, which was a photo ID for a
man called Cyril.
Sound check has gone well and we’re looking forward to the gig before
travelling to Hungary tomorrow.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 18
Paris. We had some time to explore some of this beautiful capital today.
The venue is in a lovely part of the city just up the road from the The
Arc de Triomphe.
The real treat of the day was seeing my two of my best friends - who had
taken a three hour train ride from the south of France to see me!
We had a great gig and left pretty much straight away to make the trip to
Dover to get the 3am ferry, hitting home by 7am. Being on stage in fashionable
Paris is a pretty glamorous feeling - being on a ferry at 3am after hours
of travelling was perhaps one of the less glamorous moments of the tour!
But it's good to be home now to recover before the last week of the tour.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part
17
Zurich. I woke up in Switzerland today, which has to be the cleanest country
on the tour! We hit the ground running, straight into some promotion including
a radio performance and some interviews for the Swiss newspapers.
A much needed
afternoon nap followed (I don't usually sleep during the day, but sometimes
on tour you need a top up!) before coming down to the venue. We are changing
the set list tonight, which should keep us all on our toes. Branka is
just getting my hair and make up started before I sound check with a load
of rollers in my hair - an event that has become so customary, even Tom
Jones's crew don't give me odd looks any more!
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part
16
Milan. This tour has taken me from not having seen much of Europe
to having seen the majority of it's countries, which has been an amazing
journey. Italy is one of those countries which has a big reputation, so
a few of us braved the November rain towards the tram then the metro and
surfaced outside Milan Cathedral, where the wind blew my umbrella inside
out!
You can't go to Milan without sampling some of it's famous food and fashion,
so we found a great little restaurant where I had an excellent spaghetti
carbonara, (a dish up there with chicken on my favourites list!) then a
bit of clothes shopping, of course!
We
held the gig a little late, (nothing is rushed by the Italians, including
the taking of their seats!) before playing to a lovely, appreciative audience.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part
15
Halloween night tonight, but nothing scary about my day today, in fact it
was very pleasant! Alice, our fantastic press lady in the Netherlands set
us up as one of 4 great acts in a live radio concert for Radio 2, Holland.
The full band was with me on this one and we played "Hard To Get",
"Love Can Be A Battlefield" and "A Fool In Love". "Hard
To Get" has been receiving some airplay over here and it was great
to see people singing along!
After
the show Alice took us all to a lovely Thai restaurant ...located right
in the middle of the red light district! The stroll back to the taxis
was certainly and eye opening experience…
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part
14
Belgium. I popped into Antwerp today to buy some Ugg boots. For
those of you not familiar, these are like fluffy snow boots! The weather
is starting to turn wintery and we started this tour when it was still Summer,
so some warm clothes have been much needed.
We got to
the venue today and found the dressing room awash with Belgium chocolates!
The concrete arena here meant that sound was quite boomy in sound check
but once we got on stage for the gig the sound was good as an audience
tends to 'soak up' a lot of sound.
Tomorrow
we hit Amsterdam for a live radio performance of 3 tracks.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part
13
Luxembourg. I must admit, I knew next to nothing about this country and
was very pleasantly surprised. It's a really sweet place, modern but with
some picturesque little spots! We had a little time to look around and the
band and I found a little cafe to have a lunch of crepes and milkshakes.
Very continental.
The gig was good, with a friendly crowd. We got back on
the bus to make the overnight trip to Belgium. Luxembourg was certainly
a pleasant find.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part
12
Belfast. So, over the border into Northern Ireland and on to Belfast.
We played the Odyssey Arena tonight and the crowd was lovely, especially
the antics of two ladies on the front row, who seemed to have made good
use of the show bar before we came on - that's the
first time someone has danced through our whole set!
Tomorrow
we fly back to England where we once again pick up our tour bus and head
off into the depths of the Europe!
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part 11
Dublin. Today
was the first time I've ever been to Ireland. The O2, (The Point as it
used to be called) has been renovated into a fantastic Arena. The crowd
were really friendly! I then went on to do a live radio with my keyboard
player Matt. We played "Love Can Be A Battlefield", which is
the first time I have sung this track live on radio. A very early start,
but a few coffees later and we were raring to go! We now take a trip across
the border to Belfast.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part 10
Wembley. When we first received the Tom Jones tour dates through, this
was the one that stuck out. Wembley is such an iconic place to play. It
was great to play a date in London too and really nice to see so many
of the people who are such a help 'behind the scenes': Sue, my press lady,
Neil, my agent as well as Denise and Jane from Dramatico. Mum and Dad
were joined by my Godmother and some of my good friends. With a bout of
flu still doing the rounds, myself and the band were slightly low on energy,
but we did our best as always, the crowd seemed to enjoy it and we collapsed
back into the dressing room afterwards, looking forward to a day of recovery
before Dublin on Monday.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT?Part 9
I woke up yesterday with a burning fever! Can’t remember the last
time I felt that ill. I pretty much spent the whole day in bed. Luckily,
that happened on a day off and I woke up today feeling a bit better. It’s
one of the tricky things being a singer: the fact that your voice is your
instrument, and it means you need to be even more aware of trying to keep
yourself well. However, apparently it wasn’t just me as several members
of the band seem to have been through the wars too!
I decided to take it really easy in sound check today so that hopefully
this evening’s show goes as well as possible. I’ve got a real
soft spot for Brighton, especially as I was only born just down the road
from here.
More soon!
Florence x
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 8
After a day back at home, we took a trip down to the sea. Bournemouth
has an interesting venue, more wide than long. It looks like the kind
of place they’d hold sports events in. I must say, it did win the
award for smallest dressing room so far and everyone was stumbling over
each other to get ready! However, the staff were absolutely lovely with
a few of the usher stopping me after our set to say how much they had
enjoyed it.
A few days off and then back to the seaside: Brighton on Friday.
Florence x
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 7
Manchester was a good gig last night. I had a group of old school friends
in who now go to Manchester University. The Manchester Evening News Arena
reminded me of some of the Scandinavian arenas in that for some reason,
it was very cold before we went on!
It's been nice to be based at one hotel for the last few days after doing
a few nights on the bus. It was only a short trip to the Echo Arena in Liverpool,
where we are now. Catering served up some more top class food tonight, but
the band decided we need to carefully time when we eat: too early and you're
not hungry for dinner but starving later. Too late however, and you find
yourself having to perform on a full stomach - not conducive to all the
dance moves in the set!
Birmingham tomorrow. Bye for now!
Florence x
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 6
Monday
the 13th saw us waking up in Newcastle. It was nice to have my friend Rosie
come to see me. We had a chat afterwards and she told me she noticed my
nail varnish – it’s easy to forget about those giant screens
on each side of the stage projecting every last detail right to the back
of each arena! Guess it’s better not to think of things like that
whilst performing!
It’s
always a bit more nerve-wracking when there’s someone you know,
like Rosie, watching. So you can imagine my surprise when, the next night
in Glasgow, my uncle, aunt and cousins were not only in, but right near
the front! They were very supportive though and we met for a catch up
after the show. Sometimes you can’t always see to the back of these
arenas when the lights are shining at you on stage, then every now and
again, the lighting changes and you catch a glimpse of all 8,000 people.
It’s quite an awesome sight.
Manchester
Evening News Arena tonight, and then a bit of shopping before we prepare
for Liverpool’s show tomorrow night.
Florence
x
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 5
We
played another two dates in Cardiff Arena, with my manager Mike Batt and
his wife Julianne coming down to see the Saturday night show. My parents
also returned to see this show after coming to the opening Cardiff night.
Mum, for some reason, brought me a lifetime supply of shampoo. She seems
to have forgot that I’m coming home next week!
On Monday we left Cardiff for Newcastle. It was nice to
spend some time with the band and we all sat down to watch some Eddie
Murphy stand up DVDs on the drive to pass the time. We then went out for
a Mexican meal in Newcastle in the evening: chicken fajitas all round!
Actually, I must confess, chicken is one of my favourites. Chicken bites
and Fry’s Turkish Delight. Lovely.
Gig
in Newcastle tonight and then we take the bus straight up to Scotland
for the Glasgow gig tomorrow. Just off to have some catering after sound
check now. Wonder if there’s chicken on the menu…
Lots of love,
Florence
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 4
I spent last Thursday in Berlin. There was no gig and so the band travelled
home to London, but my day was taken up with press and promotion. The day
started with an interview in Hamburg before my German record company rep
George, my make up artist, Branka and I then took the train to Berlin where
I did 5 interviews including one for an independent TV company, followed
by a photo shoot. A night swapping the tour bus for a lovely Berlin hotel
was much appreciated.
On Friday morning we left for Cardiff, meeting the tour bus at Heathrow:
hugs all round, the band and I inseparable once again! The crowd at Cardiff
was fantastic, unlike my attempt at the Welsh for “good evening”
which only mustered a ripple of laughter from the audience! It was awesome
seeing my parents that night, who supplied me with some much-needed clean
clothes!
Lots of love,
Florence
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 3
The crowd at the Ahoy in Rotterdam were absolutely amazing last night! A
huge turn out and when I mentioned that we were about to play our last song
the crowd shouted "Ahh"! Quite an amazing feeling given we're
Tom's support act!
We travelled overnight to Hamburg and I managed to go for a jog around a
very picturesque lake. It was nice to re-visit Hamburg after touring here
nearly two years ago, singing backing vocals on Mike Batt's German tour.
Just off to soundcheck now for what will be the last German show, before
the British leg starts on Friday night. It's going to be great - and it'll
give me the opportunity to catch up with my parents in Wales when they come
to see me at the first night in Cardiff.
Lots of love,
Florence
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 2
Saturday’s show in Vienna was a really great gig, the band were on
fire. We had a day off on Sunday in Frankfurt and I went shopping and spent
all my money on MAC. Of course I totally blame Branka J - Branka is my make
up artist and she trained in special effects and make up at university and
worked at MAC for a while. She is absolutely brilliant and this is her first
real tour as well. Branka is from Serbia and the last night of the tour
on November 13th is at Belgrade Arena so she’ll be able to see her
family which is great..
Only a few more shows before we come back to Britain. My parents are coming
to one of the shows in Cardiff which is exciting as they’ve not seen
me on this tour yet. I’m hoping my Nan can come as well as she really
likes Tom Jones but she’s got a bad hip at the moment so I’m
not sure if she can make it which will be really sad.
Will have news about a new car soon!!! Watch this space
Lots of love
Florence
x
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 1
Hi.
I’m in the middle of my second week now supporting the amazing Sir
Tom Jones. I have got into more of a routine - the band and crew have
all toured before so they know the ropes but it took a bit of time for
me to adjust to life on the road. We are travelling in an amazing “rock
& roll” tour bus so every night after the gig we board the bus
and watch a DVD in the lounge at the back and relax. The guys have got
into the habit of making popcorn. “Bed” is a little bunk about
the size of a coffin and I found it really hard to sleep for the first
week but I think I’ve now cracked it and had my first really good
night’s sleep on board last night. It is quite strange going to
bed in one place and waking up somewhere else – often in a different
country. A lot of the time we are parked outside the venue so the scenery
is a plain grey wall but we’ve also seen some beautiful, beautiful
places.
Jönköping
in Sweden was stunning. We were there on our first day off so I actually
got to see a bit of it and it was a lovely small town with cobbled streets
and the biggest lake I’ve ever seen in my life. I found a little fish
restaurant (even though I don’t eat fish) and sat under blankets by
an open fire. It was a nice way to chill out. We all went for the most delicious
Lebanese meal in the evening.
I celebrated my 21st birthday party on Saturday by playing to thousands
of people in Malmo (in Sweden). Amazing. My best birthday so far. Tom Jones
wished me a happy birthday and gave me a hug…but I’d just come
off stage and was really sweaty so I don’t think I can expect another
hug anytime soon. He (Sir Tom) has watched a few of my shows from the side
of the stage (OMG!). I would so love to duet with him. His voice is incredible.
Every night he is unbelievable, his voice is amazing. He sounds even better
than on the record, ridiculously good. He still has “it” - he
is even still getting knickers thrown up on to the stage. I’m humbled
to be on tour with him.
The gigs are going really well. Love Can Be A Battlefield seems to be a
favourite as well as Can’t Catch Me and Jump On The Wagon, which is
a good up-tempo concert song. The show in Copenhagen in Denmark on Monday
was great. A lot of the gigs have been seated but that one wasn’t
and there was practically a mosh-pit at the front!! There are usually massive
video screens by the stage and between one and three cameras filming so
that people at the back of the venue can see. The first time I saw myself
20 foot high was quite weird.
I flew back to London to perform on Alan Titchmarsh’s ITV show; it
was pre-recorded on Wednesday and then was broadcast yesterday. It was my
first UK TV so that was exciting. We had a very quick chat and then performed
Hard To Get and afterwards the producer said that she loved it and would
I go back next year for the next single. Would I?????? I can’t wait!!
The whole thing was actually a bit of a blur if I’m honest. I haven’t
seen it yet but my friends and family said it looked and sounded good.
On Thursday Colin (my tour manager, who makes sure I get to wherever I need
to be and organises everything) and I had a really early flight back to
Germany for an interview with a big radio station called WDR and last night
we played in Dusseldorf. Today we woke up in Nuremberg, which is an absolutely
stunning place; it’s really picturesque with cobbled streets, big
churches and cathedrals, very quaint. I’m really sad that I didn’t
have more time there so I hope I can go back. First thing we went to Radio
F (one of the biggest radio stations) for a great interview with really
interesting questions about the music and my album and they played 4 songs.
It’s a great feeling hearing your songs on the radio.
I’m looking forward to Sunday as we have a day off in Frankfurt and
I’ll have a chance to look around and also to go shopping. I need
some shampoo! I’m going to try and discover what the local speciality
food is wherever we go. Sometimes it will be a bit hard as we eat at service
stations and at the venue but I’ll do my best. I’ve seen so
many sausages and cheese & ham sandwiches so I need to be a bit more
adventurous. I’ve drunk more coffee than ever before and I’m
actually missing chicken. Odd...
That’s it for today.
Lots of love
Florence
The
past couple of weeks have been incredible! We had several days’
rehearsals at a massive studio complex called Music Bank near the Tower
of London. The band, consisting of three brass (trumpet, trombone and
sax) plus guitar, bass, drums, piano and backup vocals - sound fantastic
and we are becoming great friends. Our first gig together was to be the
opening act at the Isle Of Wight Festival. This involved a drive to Southampton
and a one hour trip on the Isle Of Wight ferry. It was a brilliant day
despite a spectacular thunderstorm drenching us as we stood on deck. When
we got to the festival it stayed sunny. The festival promoter, John Giddings
came and said hello before we went on in the big top. He seems really
nice, and stayed to watch our set, saying very kind things afterwards.
It was phenomenal to be doing my first gig to so many people at such a
big festival, but our nerves held, and we came off stage buzzing with
excitement.
WHAT’S
NEW PUSSYCAT? Part 21
