September 24, 2018

London, UK

Hi everyone! It's lovely to be writing my first blog of the new year at home, in (sunny!) Richmond, with a cup of tea in hand. That's not to say that we haven't been working hard thus far. We've done 6 concerts since we started back, a few in Germany, 1 in Italy, and a couple in the Netherlands. It was particularly nice for me to sing again in the Teatro Sociale in Brescia (Italy), where I did my first international KS concert in September 2016. The crowd was as warm and wild this time as I remember it being last time. And walking on stage seemed a lot less scary having done so 226 times since then.It's bittersweet being in Tim and Chris's final term; it's sad thinking that we only have a handful of tours left as a set of 6, having shared so many incredible experiences in the space of 2-and-a-bit years as this line-up. The group has benefitted so much from what TWW and CG have brought, and their legacy will live on into the group's future, as it has done with every member over our history. But it's also an exciting time, as we prepare Eddie and Nick to join the group - we have rehearsals, photo shoots, meetings and shadowing-tours all lined up in the coming months, as they prepare to step in and take over their two roles as seamlessly as possible. It will be a challenge for the remaining 4 of us, with Tim and Chris, to coach Eddie and Nick in the tricks of the trade ready to step out in France in January. But what a thrill!In the meantime, for those of you who don't do social media, and are interested, I'm delighted to say that Ellie and I got engaged during the holidays. We were in Scotland on a walking holiday, and she foolishly agreed to marry me. So that's some rather lovely news that will sustain me during any cold winter touring!I hope you're well, wherever in the world you are, and that we'll see you at a concert somewhere soon.