This is the first year that I have been to the Jazz Festival (I think?!) and I can honestly say, I will go again!

We arrived an hour or so before the main acts came on stage, so we could have a look around and see what else was happening. I am so pleased we did. Sadly, I have no idea who we listened to but on the side stage in the refreshment area, there was a wonderful jazz band playing. It wasn’t crazy jazz, but mellow and calm. There was a pianist, a saxophonist, a bassist and a percussionist (is that a word?). They all had impeccable timing and such an amazing command of their instruments. I sat there with my eyes closed and let all the stress of the day melt off me.

Just as well I did… because it may all have been very different if I had entered into the pit of hell, otherwise known as the main arena, before I had relaxed!

We heard the screams, so figured The Wanted must be coming on soon. We should have known how bad it was going to be when we could hear it so far away and with the wind blowing in the opposite direction! Wow. Hormones and teenage girls are a lethal mix! (That said, I totally did the same when I went to see Take That, so I can’t be too mean!!)

I have to say, I didn’t really know who The Wanted were before they hit the stage. I figured I would know a few of their songs when I heard them and generally I just like to see people live. So, I didn’t have many expectations really! And that is probably a good thing.

The boys all sounded horribly nasal. Is this a new singing style that makes me super old because I know nothing about it?! I would blame their sound systems or something, except as soon as there was more than one of them singing, it was fine. Their harmonies were tight and that was a joy to hear a couple of times.

The girls I was with knew slightly more about them, and when I moaned really loudly about one of the boys (don’t ask me who they are!) singing particularly badly and completely through his nose, I was told to give him an easy ride as he had had throat surgery and may be nervous about using his voice properly. This made sense, so I had a google (yes, at the time!) to see what that was all about.

It turns out that Nathan (I love google) had surgery, yes. In April of 2013. My conclusion, he was just shit.

I have to say, that I slightly understand the fuss about the Max one (again, thanks for the name check Google!). He appears to be quite pretty and sings fairly well. There was a couple of moments when he completely hit it perfectly. However, this illusion was utterly ruined when he opened his mouth to speak.

NEXT!!

Olly Murs… I am now a fan!

I went along thinking that again, I wasn’t sure I knew how much this chap had done but I knew there were a couple of tracks that I really liked. It was a bit of a shock when he came on stage and didn’t look anything like I imagined, nor did he sing the songs that I thought were his!

Oops! Major embarrassing moment where the girls laughed uncontrollably at me!!

Given he wasn’t who I thought, I still did know a few of his songs! Bonus! It wouldn’t have mattered either way though. That boy is a natural. His vocals are crisp and clear, he is entertaining and engaging, and he is cute as a button! One of the highlights for me though was watching my friend, K, swoon every time he did or said something cheeky! I have never seen her like that before! It was fabulous!!

Whereas I was slightly confused as to why The Wanted were there (can they even spell jazz?!), Olly fit in perfectly! His set and sound were just the tonic that we all needed after the screeching had finished. There were still a few girls giving it a good scream every now and again, but the pre-teens and tweens had been whisked off after their boys played. Thankfully.

So, all in all, a very enjoyable evening of live entertainment. I am so pleased I went!

One quick moan, because that’s what I do: What a total and utter cock up from the organisers and the RTA at the end of the night. A venue with about 10,000 people emptying out in the middle of no-where (Festival Park is not in one of the main areas in Dubai), and not a taxi to be found! Are you actually kidding me?! I finally got home nearly 2hrs after we walked away from the stage. Major booooooooooooo.