Dancing a Monday night away? Sign me up.

Last Monday evening, a lovely friend and I went to see Leigh-Anne (Pinnock) the former Little Mix superstar in her own concert.

To be honest, if my friend hadn’t had a spare ticket, I wouldn’t have gone. Not because I don’t think that Leigh-Anne is a great singer, dancer, or entertainer, but just because I don’t really listen to her music. I also wasn’t aware that she was doing a solo tour.

I love live music, and I think hearing your favourite song live is like an out-of-body experience, if I may compare it to that. I’ve only ever been to two concerts in my life, plus, now, 2 gigs, but 5 Seconds of Summer and Coldplay put on very good shows. Not that I’m the biggest Leigh-Anne fan ever, but I know that my friend loves her, and I know that it would mean a lot for her to be there, with or without me.

Anyway, 2 days, a couple of Snapchat messages and a ticket payment later, I thought: ‘Why not?’ and was on the 5:30 pm train with my pink lipstick, heeled ankle boots and braided hair to Camden Town. I know I went a bit over the top, but I was going to a gig! I felt cool.

We started with some Mexican food. Veggie, of course. We went to this fantastic independent restaurant. The raspberry margarita was frozen, delicious and surprisingly smooth, with a small hit from the tequila. We went for some sharing tapas, but the mini veggie quesadillas were the best part of the meal for us. Cheesy, flavourful and with a little heat, stunning.

Off to the gig, and I was a little nervous, purely because we were standing, and judging by the queue into the venue that we sidestepped earlier, there were millions of people in there already. But security were lovely, the bartender even let me try some wine before I purchased a glass, and after the warm up act, I was ready to go. Hearing the buzz of the crowd, the soothing thumping of the speaker and everyone singing along to the Little Mix and Rihanna songs over the sound system was cool. They put her name up on the curtain and everyone screamed, which was amazing. I was so excited to see what would happen when she took the stage.

My friend got her wish, because also waiting excitedly for Leigh-Anne to take the stage, about 10 metres above us (we said) were her former bandmates, Perrie and Jade. So that was pretty cool! Celebrity-spotting for the day, done.

Leigh-Anne was fantastic. I don’t think I can put into words how great of an entertainer she is. She had two outfits, the black cutout one was my favourite, and her backup dancers were phenomenal. I think I was just watching them at times, and I liked that her staging was quite simplistic because it really emphasised her vocal range and dance ability. I didn’t know a single lyric, apart from the words “My Love”, but I danced, I jumped, I clapped, I cheered. My friend was dancing away and singing to one of her favourite artists, and I was so happy that I could experience that with her. The concert was about an hour, so just the right length of time to not get too tired from dancing, in my opinion.

I did have a hard time seeing her sometimes though, even in my tiny heels. I got a little frustrated.

Actually, I got very frustrated. Instead of taking advantage and living in the moment, everyone in front of me had their phones in the air. I understand a video now and then, and wanting to have some content for memories, but surely your arm got tired after a while? I felt like I might as well have been at home at times and watching someone else on TikTok. Forget the money I paid. The man in front of me (who granted, did let me stand in front of him for a better view, because he was significantly taller than I was) spent the whole time filming the back of someone’s head. I only know that because I had to watch the gig through his phone camera at times.

I know I didn’t get there early enough to be at the barrier. I know I’m not a Leigh-Anne superfan (self-declared, see above). I know standing at a gig is mainly for the ‘atmosphere’ and ‘it’s all part of it’. But I paid the same amount as everyone else to be there, and I loved being ‘part of the crowd’. All I ask is to let me see the show!

Leigh-Anne, you put on a fabulous evening. The singing, the dancing, and the overall performance was fantastic, and I’m so glad that I was fortunate enough to go. I listened to your music all the way home, and I can say proudly that I now know at least 2 songs.

Even if you don’t know every song or wouldn’t even call yourself a fan of an artist, don’t be deterred from seeing them or going to a live performance. You might have the best night of your life! And despite being frustrated by the excessive phone usage, I had a fantastic evening and would definitely go again.

But I guess my little take, or insight, is don’t waste so much time worrying about filming content for later that you forget where you are or don’t live in the moment. And please stop waving your phone, and your arms, and whatever in my face. I’m not that tall, I can’t see!