When Life Gets Heavy, Pump Up the Volume!

3 x Recent Moments + 2 x I'm Living For

Hello Bab! How are you? Hope you’re enjoying the start of your Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend?!

A shame about the forecast for rain showers, but I’ll cheer you up from your TV screen on GMB this Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 😝

Music on My Mind

You know that feeling when life throws you a curveball and you're still trying to figure out which way is up? Well that’s where I am right now.

I got some news that I'm still processing (and which I might share with you when I've done that), but what I want to talk about today is how the beautiful, magical, time-traveling companion called music has been my lifeline these past few weeks.

As teen of the ‘80s (best musical decade EVER IMO), I believe that music has this incredible power to lift us out of whatever funk we're in, even if it's just for 3 minutes and 27 seconds.

Sometimes that's all we need to shift our perspective and remember we're actually stronger than we think. Let me explain

Moment 1: Dancing Like Nobody's Watching (Because They Literally Couldn't)

Fresh back from Ibiza with my girl Xenia, and let me tell you – Monday night at Pikes was pure magic.

For those who don't know, Pikes is this legendary hilltop spot where they slap stickers on your phone camera (old school privacy, love it) so you can lose yourself completely.

Standing by that famous pool – yes, THE pool where George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley splashed about in the Club Tropicana video – I felt something shift.

The deep house was pumping, Xenia and I were shaking our booties like we were 22 again. It was spellbinding.

George looking lush on Pikes FB page. Looks like some shenanigans are gwarnin!

There's something about dancing in a place with that much musical history.

The ghosts of every incredible beat that's ever been played there seemed to wrap around us, reminding us that music has always been about connection, joy, and pure human expression.

Moment 2: When Dreams Meet Courage (And Absolutely Slay)

While we were out there, we caught up with our mate Suzy Hopwood doing her thing as a Debbie Harry/Blondie and Madonna tribute act, and FFS, she was MAGNIFICENT.

I've seen Suzy on stage before, but watching her on Wednesday night, was something else.

Earlier in the she shared with me and Xenia the story of how 8 years ago, she quit a soul-crushing 9 to 5 job to follow her heart into music.

And I don’t know about you but there’s something never quite the real deal for me about tribute acts.

Most of the time, they either look like the artist OR sound like them, rarely both. But Suzy? She's the complete package.

Suzy smashing it!

And more than that, watching Suzy command that stage was a masterclass in what happens when you bet on yourself and refuse to let anyone dim your light!

Please go follow her on socials, she’s everywhere you are and she shares with you some of the fun and reality of her life as a performer! Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok

I feel so proud to know her, because my heart just bursts when I watch her on stage.

Heartfelt love and thanks to my babes Xenia and Suzy for such an amazing break away, and for being there for me.

All set for dinner at Amante restaurant!

Moment 3: Top of the Pops & Time Machines

Now, speaking of Blondie – Austen and I have this delicious guilty pleasure. (And I’m pretty sure we’re alone with this one). After the pub on a Friday night, we collapse on the sofa for BBC4's Top of the Pops repeats. Last night was 1980, and what a year that was!

Picture this: punk was fizzling out, mod culture was hanging on, and synth music was bursting through with the likes of OMD and Gary Numan.

He was on the show serving up "We Are Glass" in all his androgynous glory. And believe it or not slim-hipped son of a gun, Cliff Richard was looking a bit fit singing "Devil Woman”. And ABBA's "Fernando" was sitting pretty at No. 1.

A couple of weeks back, I was almost hanging from the big light, screeching at the telly when Duran Duran's "Reflex" came on. Simon le Bon! Woooo! Pass me the smelling salts!

There was something so innovative about that era – the music, the fashion, those state-of-the-art video graphics that cost an absolute fortune back then, but looked like ‘the future’ (even if some look proper naff now).

That crossover moment in music history feels so relevant right now. Sometimes the best things happen when old forms are dying and new ones are being born.

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What I'm Living For: Two Musical Moments on the Horizon

1. The Go West Experience That Nearly Broke My Heart

After months of waiting, I finally got to see my beloved Go West on their 40th anniversary tour a couple of weeks back. And let me tell you about Peter Cox – he’s still got that voice that made me slobber over him when I was a teen, as he stood swivelling his hips wearing that grease-stained tee in the "We Close Our Eyes" video!

But my heart broke a bit to hear that my adorable Richard Drummie wasn't there due to illness, and apparently he's been unwell for quite a while. So I am praying he gets well soon and comes back stronger!

I did my ‘new thing’ of going to a gig solo, but connected with a new friend! The lovely Sally from a private Go West Facebook fan group (yes FB still has its uses!) - which was absolutely ace. She is another legendary woman in her own lifetime, and I feel sure we’ll go to another gig together in the future.

tvmarv

A post shared by @tvmarv

2. My Daily Dose of Soul Salvation This morning, driving to and from Mum's, I had my own personal therapy session courtesy of a Spotify playlist I found.

• Steve Arrington "Feel So Real"

• Tom Browne "Funkin' for Jamaica"

• Earth Wind and Fire "Let's Groove"

• Womack & Womack "Teardrops"

40 minutes of pure soul food that reminded me why I believe so deeply in music's healing power.

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When life gets heavy, music deffo doesn't fix everything — but it gives us moments of light in the middle of the shade - whether we're dancing in Ibiza, cheering on courageous mates following their dreams, or getting whisked away to your younger days by a 44 yr old episode of TOTP.

So dance like nobody's watching. And remember that you're stronger than you know!

All my love

Marv

x

PS I’d love to know how music feeds your soul and what songs have been saving you lately? Hit reply and let us know. How about we build a healing playlist together?!