Panda Power
The Social in Little Portland Street, by Oxford Circus has a tiny stage, but an amazing atmosphere. You walk down a winding staircase and into the venue, which has stone seats and you feel like you have just entered an illicit drinking den. We were asked to play this charming venue by Panda Power, which is run by popular Club DJ, Resonance FM DJ and singer-songwriter Jean-Genie Graham (seriously there is nothing she can’t do – real Grrl power!)
Panda Power nights have an amazing array of musical talent that cuts across all genres and celebrates the musical melting pot that is London. It was amazing to be asked to play at the venue. In fact the small stage and stone seats make for perfect conditions to leap off stage and climb onto the furniture – rock n’ roll!
Anita Maj @Panda Power
Anita Maj @ Panda Power 2
Anita Maj @ Panda Power 3
East Coast return
In other news, I made another trip to the States this month as we were asked to play the Philly F/M festival again! This time I flew in from JFK and went straight to rehearsals with my New York/Philly band. The same guys as last year joined me again – Ryan on guitar, Brandon on bass and Tim on drums and we gelled so well it was just like putting on an old pair of gloves!
This time we were put on the outdoor stage on Girard Street during the main Saturday event.
Stevie and Bianca my friends from LA got married in Connecticut, so I was fortunate to be on the East Coast and make their special day. Both bride and groom looked gorgeous and during the wedding all the bridesmaids and bestmen lined up by the side of the couple– very cool! Connecticut is a beautiful state, with some amazing scenery and very English weather — yes it rained!
The beauty of the East Coast is that you can drive through several states in a day and that’s what we did. I drove from the wedding in Connecticut, where the partying carried on at 7am, to head back to New York to pick up my band. Then we drove through New Jersey and ended up in Philadelphia at 2 pm (4 states in 6 hours!) and played our show at 3 pm. Now that’s Rock n’ Roll!
I spent a few days in New York after the wedding, walked around a lot and dropped in on the famous Sidewalk Café Open Mic in Alphabet Street, and went to see the Statue of Liberty from the inside.
Stevie & Bianca wedding
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is an inspiration, not only is it a symbol of hope and liberty (it was the first thing immigrants saw when entering the US for decades), it almost never existed due to its huge cost and the engineering feat needed to make it stable in all types of weather. The statue was finally unveiled in 1886, 21 years after creator Bartholdi thought of it.
It was a dream in Bartholdi’s mind, but with hard work and dedication his dream came true, just like everything we see around us today – once they were just ideas. So go out and follow your dreams!
Philly F/M Fest 2011
Statue of Liberty
Rock on!
Anita x
