My celebrity encounters...

In my career as a trainee journalist so far I have come across numerous celebrities, all of which have been nothing but courteous in their communication towards me...

2008: My first brush with a famous actor was when I went to see The Mighty Boosh Live in September 2008 in York. I was writing a review for Soundsphere Magazine and accompanied by Music Journalist Dominic Smith. I was sat right at the back but could see perfectly. I loved every second of the production and if you want to read my review head to my soundsphere.co.uk freelance page!!


Noel Fielding being the sparkling star that he is had to jump into the audience so I watched as he ran around the entire theatre, including straight past me and I automatically threw my hand to the side and brushed past him as he ran past... I bought so much merchandise that day...Fantastic first brush with fame... :)

Vocalist: Piet Bez

2008: My second famous encouter?...It was in December 2008 where a friend of mine was going to meet a band. I had not heard of them before this meeting, but I got a CD in advance to swot up on their music - it was good. Who was the band? (DORP). Now in 2008 they were just starting their career as a band, and I was lucky enough to get to attend a gig they were doing in Vivaz, Scarborough. Once in there I was bundled in a car with the band themselves whilst the interview took place between Music Journalist (Dominic Smith) and the band themselves. It was great experience for me to observe how these interviews took place.

After that we all headed to a nice Italian restaurant down the road, where we al had a meal together, paid for by the band. (It was around this time that I thought 'I could get used to this lifestyle.') Anyway the band shot back to play their set and my role as photographer came into play. I got to take the photographs that would accompany the interview on the website. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in this professional capacity as a journalist.

2010: My third, and possibly most exciting of them all happened just under a year ago in new Manchester's own MEN arena in December 2010. I also make this my most determined act to meet someone famous...seriously I should get a medal!

Me and Tim Minchin - it was all worth it!

So anyway, I was at the MEN Arena with my boyfriend and a couple of friends seeing the comedic legend that is Mr. Tim Minchin and his orchestra accompanied tour. After the couple of hours of hilarious comedy there were rumours that if we waited by the stage back door, we could meet him. Being one of his biggest fans I knew I had to do this. We all went outside into what can only be described as a snow storm and waited...

Two hours later we were still there and there was no sign of him...then we saw a blacked out car drive out the gates and my boyfriend whispered 'There was a Tim shaped shadow in the back of that car...' I thought no, it can't be. It stopped at the traffic lights a few foot from where we were stood and he got out and ran towards the diminished crowd. He yelled 'You're all mad to be out here'. He took a few quick photos before running back to the car - his skinny-jean clad legs in tow and we watched the car drive off.

Having a failed blurred photo spurred my boyfriend to have a crazy idea... 'Why don't we run after the car...the next set of lights he might get out again!' I was stupid enough to agree to this and began my jog through 2 foot of snow as we followed the car. Through three sets of traffic lights, where we caught up and then they changed to green and about 3/4 a mile later the car pulled over and we saw Tim run out of the car and into a bar across the road. We had come this far...why give up now.

We scurried in after him only to be greeted by his smiling snowy face. We got signed concert tickets and amazing photos as well as exchanging words with one of the famous comedians of all time. RESULT! Slightly mad you say? I call it determined...

Sandro Monetti!

2010: I also had the luck of being at such a good university that I had a 'leading international entertainment Journalist' teach me who flew in from L.A every week just to teach us...his name? Sandro Monetti. He was one of the most inspiring lecturers and Journalists I had ever seen. He had such a way of teaching that anyone who listened to him was mesmerized by his stories and his life. He also is quite a dab hand at doing an impression of Colin Firth - and wrote a book about him!

He inspired me to write and when I pitched the idea for my Magazine design to him he said 'That sounds great, if you ever need any feature writers - Look me up' What an inspiration!

Me and the beautiful Michelle Keegan :)

2011: In 2011, I was heading home for the weekend to visit my family in Yorkshire and I was on a very cramped Transpennine Express to Middlesborough, and I happened to glance through the first class window about five minutes before I arrived at my destination. I was on the phone to my mum at the time and I just said 'There is someone sat in first class that looks a lot like Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) from Coronation street...' After my third mention of this I started thinking it was true...she just said 'Go and ask her'.

I thought no that isn;t how things are done is it? About two minutes from my stop I thought what can I lose? If I am wrong, I am wrong, no harm done. If I am right - that's pretty awesome. I went in and just said 'Hi - Have you been in Coronation Street?' She smiled at me and said yes, I have.' I was dumbstruck, I was right - it was her! I didn't want to be too cheeky but I asked for a sneaky photo and an autograph. Turned out she was getting off at the same station stop as me to go to a PR event for coronation Street. Her parting comment was 'I look such a mess - I need to get changed' If this photo is her looking a mess...well god help us all!

Keep your eyes peeled...

Victoria V.L. Walker

True inspirations...

Inspirational Journalists are not new to our generation, in fact there are hundreds of Journalists that have been recognized for their contributions to society but I am going to mention a couple of Journalists that have inspired me in the past...

On Monday 21st November we had a guest speaker in our Career Development module, and I was surprised at who we had.

Frank Gardner - BBC Security Reporter

In the past we have had BBC War reporter Frank Gardner, who on the day Gaddafi was pronounced dead chose to come and talk to us at Staffordshire University instead of heading to London and working on an article...what he had to say was so inspirational and through everything he has never lost his passion and drive for his career choice. His determination was a real inspiration because even when he felt like giving up, his love for the job kept him going and now he extremely well known for his contributions.

Miriam O'Reilly after her court case win

On Monday we were greeted with Miriam O'Reilly - who you should all know is a legend in her own right. When forced to leave Countryfile due to being 'too old' she fought back against the BBC for all the women who have been dismissed from jobs due to ageism. Throughout the fight for justice for women, she has been through so much and she is such an inspiration. The BBC has now changed their policy and Miriam is back working alongside the BBC. This makes me feel so empowered because her contributions have helped women everywhere who know that their job was coming to a close due to their age and hopefully it has now changed so that these fantastic journalists can continue to do the job they love.


I love having these amazing people coming in to see us and talk about their lives, they are truly inspirational people and their time in the journalistic sector has been worth every minute. 


One day...I will be working alongside these people...I look forward to it.

Victoria V.L. Walker

CD review: 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'

Here is a CD review I did for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack that got published on Spheremag.co.uk.

CD Review: 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'                        

Reviews - CD

Written by Victoria Walker            

Wednesday, 02 June 2010 23:14

Following their previous success, 'The Twilight Saga' is due to release its latest instalment of musical diversity. Released on the June 7, 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' is set to be the most popular (and commercially driven) soundtrack yet featuring the musical stylings of Muse, Florence And The Machine and Metric.

Looking in depth at this album as a whole, the listener can begin to hear the usual cross-genre alt-indie-rock sounds springing up as in previous soundtracks. There are the expected beautiful melancholy tracks with heartfelt musical intonations and an equal spread of upbeat songs to keep most everyone happy.

It seemed inevitable that Muse would feature as they have on the previous two soundtracks, new track ‘Neutron Star Collision’ is a wonderful addition to the third film and will no doubt contribute to its success. The song itself is packed with thought-provoking melody to accompany the well thought-out musical score and catchy melody lines.

An up-and-coming artist to watch out for would have to be Metric and their contribution, ‘Eclipse (All Yours)’. From the beginning this song will stick in the subconscious. The vocals are so mesmerising and the tone so passionate making this a song our standout. The combination of musical accompaniment and Emily Haines' talented vocal stylings make for a truly hypnotic track.

Meanwhile, ‘Jacob’s Theme’ is an instrumental that will play to the hearts of the audience. As such a quintessential part of the film, being a character's theme song, it has a reputation to uphold, one wrong note and it's history. Howard Shore has created a beautiful piece that will captivate audiences worldwide and it makes a credible addition to a well thought-out soundtrack.

As a fan, if you are more into skyscraping alternative pop sounds then ‘The Line’ by Battles is the song for you. With a frankly weird but ultimately catchy melody from the first second, the quirky lyrics and tribal beats only add to the positive genius of it. With its variety, 'The Line' will lift you up no matter what mood you're in and that's a promise.

To accompany a movie with such a dedicated fanbase is a hard task and the music can make or break a film as we all know. The bigger names (Muse) will bring the fans in and the less known artists (Battles) make the compilation special. The previous soundtracks for the film were decent, but we think this latest instalment takes it up to a whole other level and will have followers from all over the world celebrating the success of a much admired franchise.

For more information visit the official movie website.

Words: Victoria Walker

Victoria V.L. Walker

Dorp live review

This piece is from the end of 2008 and was written by Music Journalist Dominic Smith with photographs taken by myself. Dorp are an amazing and unique band and I recommend you check them out.

Dorp - The Vivaz, Scarborough [05/12/08]                           

Music    - Live

Written by Dom Smith

Pictures: Victoria Walker     

Wednesday, 10 December 2008 20:32

Copyright of Victoria V.L. Walker

CDorp love playing the North and it's clear to us that this band have been making waves within both the Alternative and mainstream markets over the last few months, and as they return to Scarborough the atmosphere is buzzing.

Just as well really, as when we have managed to catch the band on previous dates down south, their brand of electronic pop-rock failed to cause such a stir. Right from the off tonight the lads bring their very best to The Vivaz. 

Unfortunately and as usual when SPHERE have been around, the opening moments of 'I Got What You Need' are dogged by sound issues. 

Fortunately though, by the time they get round to the anthemic 'Pigs Do Fly' all is well once more and the eager foursome are loving every minute of it.  The tone really picks up during the venemous and guitar-drenched 'NME' and similarly for their powerful standout 'Rollercoaster.' 

With this, Scarborough gets raucous as they bounce around the band, who are feeding from the energy of the 'piddled' attendees.

The group told us beforehand that this was the show that they had most been looking forward to since they began the Rock Sound sponsored tour. That's sweet we thought, because we warn you. The band will not be playing these intimate venues for much longer. Grab on for the ride whilst you still can.

7/10

Copyright of Victoria V.L. Walker

For fans of: Placebo, Radiohead, Alec Empire

They play two more dates before the end of the tour this month. Worcester, The Marrs Bar (11) and Blackburn, The Cellar Bar (12)

For more information please check out the band's Myspace, Website and Youtube links.

Check out The Vivaz HERE. We had a great time, and they have some great rock nights!

Words: Dom Smith and Pics: Victoria Walker

Victoria V.L. Walker

The Mighty Boosh Live review

Here is another piece that I wrote back in 2008 when I went to see The Mighty Boosh live at York Grand Opera House. They were fantastic, but here is my opinion review of that night.

Live Review: The Mighty Boosh [Grand Opera House, York] September 23, 2008                               

Reviews - Live

Written by The Vixen  (Victoria Walker)

Sunday, 28 September 2008 21:46

We shall dive straight in to the opening of the Boosh live experience which brings with it the return of the popular ‘Future Sailors’ routine from series three; and as you would expect by now, the crowd are lapping it up.

The introduction to the cast follows the fantastic opening, with an introduction to Howard Moon and Vince Noir. As expected there are classic comedy lines; ‘That’s not a moustache, it’s a Bovril smudge’, and the witty banter that loyal Boosh fans have come to expect.

 

As Bob Fossil enters centre stage he delivers his part of the show with the usual sexually orientated comments and he begins to dance his way back into the audience’s hearts.

The entrance of Naboo and Bollo in the theme of a rap shows the Boosh’s classic style of incorporating every style of music onto their act, however Vince and Howard have to stop Naboo’s rap pretty quickly as they start spinning off crude lyrics. Of course, what Boosh show would be complete without the famous phrase, ‘I’m going to turn my back on you now, let that be a lesson to you’, combined of course with the accompanying music.

Let me tell you there was absolutely no chance that we could escape the high level of audience interaction and witty banter included in this comedy act, you were practically falling over it from laughing.

With the introduction of the moon there were technical difficulties, we could hear the moon but we could not see him, this did not discourage fans though, as they sat avidly waiting for the problem to be sorted and for the show to continue.

Tony Harrison's entrance is set up in a chat show form, and provides as much humour as you could want, with the comedy guest talking gibberish into the microphone, the audience are left feeling fulfilled and anxious to see more.

As the crack fox is brought in to raise The Hitcher from the dead, a concert is then performed as the curtains fall to signify the interlude.

As the curtain rises once more to a crowd of screaming fans it marks the beginning of Howard’s devised piece ‘No future’. The general story is about based around one man being left alive when all else has been destroyed, there are however four mutants that are taught how to live by Howard himself. It is around this time that Vince begins rebelling against Howard’s script and stealing the limelight from Howard to himself.

He successfully does this by rewriting only his script, and introducing himself and Bob fossil as two robots from the future, and making the enture devised piece a mockery, in true Boosh style.

Throughout the show, Vince attempts to increase marketing strategies for his company by slipping the name into the general chatter. Vince does this because he is now the face of John Claude Jaquette. He turns

Howard’s carefully planned and scripted piece of theatre into one long advert for his company.

With sexual references dotted all over the place, the most important one being the enormous silver tin penis supported by Bob Fossil as a futuristic pleasurebot, make this Boosh tour a lot spicier for the fans, opening up new doors for the ever increasing talent. There are also new crimps, which only build the rapidly growing fan base.

As the curtains fall to signify the end of the show, Eleanor, the man eating widow who has a serious thing for Howard comes out with a bowl of bingo balls. As she reads some out, the balls get thrown into the audience. A twist appears when the ball with the number 666 appears, and the curtains open showing a change of set, to a band layout and Eleanor goes to join the cast all dressed as nana’s to perform the 'Nanageddon' number. The end with an encore and ask the crowd if they want more, and as they clearly did, they performed ‘I did a shit’ to a standing ovation and to end the night off with a bang, the band decided to finish off the night with the return of a well known character ‘Charlie’. Every member of the crowd was on their feet for this spectacular finale. I have to say this was the best performance I have ever been to, and The Mighty Boosh really excelled themselves.

The highlight of my night however, has to be when the Boosh beat the crap out of the honey monster for ripping off their crimps on the new advert. This for me, made all the Boosh fans happy and successfully got revenge on the honey monster, purely because his head was mounted on a spike, and then mercifully, made love to by Tony Harrison.

By the end, the Boosh have acquired a standing ovation and the comedy sketch has turned more into a rock concert. Change is sometimes good, and we think the fact that the mighty Boosh are emerging from a comedy act into a comedy act and a band is one that the audience will love! It shows that the Boosh can adapt to suit its audience, and the ability to do this, should take them a lot further, so far that they will eventually conquer the world.

Words: Victoria Walker

Victoria V.L Walker

The rush of the job...

Entering into a new project can be daunting for the most experienced of journalist never mind a newbie like myself. I have decided to write a series of articles based around a topic that I am passionate about and am quite knowledgeable in as well - Symphonic Metal.

Yes this is a genre that exists, if you don't believe me, even The Guardian recognises it - there are articles if you look hard enough :) It blends the heavy sounds of Metal music with the Orchestral arrangements that give the music some oomph as well as the Operatic vocals you would expect in the most advanced opera. Who invented this genre? Well no other than Finnish Metal gods Nightwish!

Metal is my heart and soul.

Anyway - I decided to write a few articles based around this genre and I spent most of the day emailing about 8 different people regarding quotes, publications etc. My heart literally skipped a beat what one of my sources said yeah sure... call me on Monday. I stared at the email for about half an hour and was so excited! I can see why people love the atmosphere of this job.

Still working on the deadline for my pending preview...I have nearly written a first draft though so that's going well...I have a love hate relationship with deadlines...I know they are there to help and if time is closing in it makes me have the determination to finish it on time, but I sometimes like to take my time on deadlines knowing that I sometimes write better when I am not forced to...

Anyway I am learning new skills, how to work to deadlines, how to interview people and how to approach celebrities and people whom I admire more than anything and ask for a few minutes of their time so I can do something I love by writing the article in the first place but promote them at the same time. Influencing others and proving to myself that I can succeed in this business is a real buzz!!

Victoria V.L. Walker

Within Temptation CD Review

This is a previous CD review from March 2011 that is published on www.spheremag.co.uk and was one of the first pieces I ever had published. That was a proud day!

Within Temptation - 'The Unforgiving'                  

Reviews - CD

Written by Victoria Walker            

Sunday, 27 March 2011 19:34

With 14 years' experience dabbling in the world of symphonic metal, Within Temptation rock our world with the release of their long-awaited fifth album ‘The Unforgiving'. Following the anticipation for video release ‘Faster', vocalist Sharon has replaced the eyeliner and corsets with less make-up and loose fitting tops to prepare for the joys of motherhood, but WT have thankfully stuck to what they know - decadent and deep metal music. Based on a comic book series written by Steven O'Connell, each track from this long-awaited album is based around a character from the comic, with the characters and scenery drawn by comic artist Romano Molenaar.

The album begins with a haunting voiceover from Mother Maiden, the main character in this release, and sums up in a short track her purpose and why she does what she does. Meanwhile, ‘Faster', being their first release to CD is a soulful tune that is guaranteed to get you in the mood to rock out in your bedroom, bathroom or at the bar. Using repetition of the track's title to great effect, it is the track most likely to stick in the mind - an incredibly strong and powerful beast of a tune.

The album continues the band's legacy and does not disappoint fans at any point. Catchy melodies, rockin' guitar riffs and Den Adel's flawless vocals continue on to make this a welcome addition to their musical journey. ‘Fire And Ice' particularly, contains anthemic piano backing notes and comes across as one of the most beautiful ballads that WT has ever recorded. ‘Stairway To The Skies' meanwhile, sees Sharon showing her vocal abilities off through a range of pitches and with the added impact of seriously intelligent guitar workings, this song becomes hauntingly beautiful.

The new album expands well upon the established formula that the group has perfected over the years and successfully combines a comic book and metal music is a duet come true for both WT and the artists. Overall then, it is a well-constructed collection of ballads, catchy melodic tunes and vocals so pitch-perfect they'll no doubt overwhelm you each and every time you listen back.

Words: Victoria Walker

Victoria V.L. Walker

Journalism as a discipline...

A journalists life...Books and research :)

When I first signed up for a Journalism and creative writing degree I was in a little bubble. I thought that if you had the passion to want to write and the knowledge of how to string words together then it was an easy discipline to learn...By the end of my second year I know this to be false hope...

Don't get me wrong I still love Journalism as an art form but I now know that it is something you have to really work hard to master and I have such respect for all journalists working in the field on a day to day basis.

I have learnt so many useful skills such as how to design my own magazine front covers and double page spreads as well as being able to create a newspaper layout which takes such creative skill to perfect.
As part of my web-based Journalism training I created a blog based on something I could write a lot about, which at the time...was things that I could complain about as little things can sometimes get under my skin...I enjoyed writing the blog and spent numerous hours a day dedicating time to the sculpting and writing of that blog: http://rambling-hormonal-bag.blogspot.com/

I can now find, research, write-up, interview and take photos that all relate to news stories that I had to produce as part of my course and I found it one of the hardest things asked of me over the past few years.

Over the course of the News day training I built up the confidence to go and find not only one story a week but two or three and had the courage to approach the ringmaster of The Circus of Horrors and ask for an interview. It was one of the most enlightening moments of my life, it really made me feel good about what I was doing...

Journalism isn't just a career, it is a carefully sculpted way of writing to influence, inspire and brings a new way to get information out into the public sector...I love it!

Victoria V.L. Walker

Welcome to my Journalism Archive...

Hi, This is my first post for this particular blog. I am a third year and wanted to create a space that advertises my skills as a Journalist and that gathers all the work I have written and mentions the numerous pieces I have had published with various publications.

I have gained so much from my university degree that I have more confidence to write the way I want to write and to believe in what I am writing.

I have been interested in Journalism from 2007 and have been writing numerous articles, news stories, reviews, previews and profiles. I am interested in numerous things including film, music, reading, writing journalism articles and spending time with my family and friends...Watch this space for my previous articles...

Victoria V.L Walker