Stitch That Shit

Between us, me and Frankie have a LOT of talented friends. Whether they’re poets or musicians, artists or writers, their skills amaze and impress us continuously. I wanted to start a section of this blog where I can showcase and introduce these people, encourage everyone to check out what they do and hopefully you can bag yourself a little treat from the more crafty of the bunch! What a better way to start this section that with a sneaky bit of self-promo to get into the swing of things.

Stitch That Shit was something I came up with a couple of years ago to sell little bits that I really just made for fun. I now have an Etsy store up and running as well as a Facebook page and offer ready made items and also personalised pieces. There are two things I sell on my Etsy; hand-made jewellery made from recycled guitar strings (kindly donated by my musical friends) and also quirky cross stitches/embroidery.

I started making guitar string jewellery a few months ago, it’s just bracelets and rings at the moment but I’m trying to figure out making some pendants for necklaces and other bits and bobs in the near future! Each one is unique and you can choose the colour of the string and the thickness of the ring – no two are the same. I also give the option on my Facebook page to send me your old strings and I will make them into jewellery for you! They’re cheap little pieces that can be worn with anything and no two are the same.

Bracelets

Rings

 

I’ve done cross stitching and embroidery from a young age as my mum loves following huge patterned pieces and my house is full of them. In the past couple of years I started designing my own cross stitches to make, anything from unicorns to burritos. Each piece is designed by me and made by me, every piece can be personalised and I take requests for them too. Any idea’s that you have are welcome, want a piece based around a TV show? Let me know. Want a piece that’s all about fairy’s and ice cream? Let me know. I’ve also done a few baby/birthday/wedding piece with the names, dates etc. They’re not expensive and if you want a one off item, it won’t be remade or sold to anyone else! They’re great for gifts, wall hangings or framed and put on display.

Follow your Dreams

Solar System

I Love You more than Burritos

Believe in Yourself

 

If you want to check out the store or message me about any idea’s or queries, have a look at the Etsy and Facebook pages. Let me know what you think, share it around and get yourself something new!

Cracked: Survival Experience 23/04/16

How would I describe my Cracked experience?

To begin with, it was intriguing. Since I first read about Cracked I wanted to take part, to experience this fear that so many people speak of. I did my research but since all of the reviews are so vague and secretive, I found myself wanting to know what really goes on in there. Being such a huge horror fan, I’ve always been looking for something that will truly scare me and I never thought I would find that something. After not being able to afford a ticket for Cracked, I was lucky enough to win a competition and bag myself a place on the week 3 tour. All of my questions were about to be answered.
As time went on it became daunting. The 2 and a half hour long journey to Wakefield felt like the longest car ride I’ve ever taken, not even cigarettes and happy music helped with settling my nerves. After sitting in the hotel room for a couple of hours, getting my many layers of clothes on and waiting in the lobby talking to the rest of my group seemed to last for hours.  I was clock watching, waiting for the time to come for us to walk to the pick up point and the seconds seemed like minutes.
It was unnerving walking through the streets of Wakefield at 7pm to find the pick up point. We walked for around 10 minutes and I busied myself talking nonsense with Ahmet, Tabby and James to take my mind off what was to come. The streets turned to fields and before long we were on a country lane surrounded by trees, grass and nothing more. We turned a corner and Rosalie was stood waiting for us. Our experience was about to begin.
The beginning of our night was exhausting. We pretty much instantly met The Sarge and he did not go easy on any of us. Waiting for that truck to come pick us up and take us to the secret location felt like forever, and there were many moments where I thought about whether or not I could actually deal with what was about to come.

Finally the truck arrived and we dragged our tired bodies up from the ground to meet the man himself, Blake. We were loaded into the truck and I truly felt like I was being kidnapped as we bumped along through the lanes. Sarge instructed us to sing a macabre song with him and as the voices got louder, my heartbeat got faster. Arriving at the Cracked location, things got a whole lot worse, so much so that one of my team mates said the safe word after I (Subject 1) was taken inside. Sooner than I’d like to have hoped, we met with Sarge again and were subjected to more of his punishments. I seriously struggled at this point, and lost another of my team mates who said the safe word after an incident with some water (click here to see his review). Now it was just myself and Tabby left and things were about to get a whole lot worse.

From there it became stressful. Challenge 1 involved trying to find a tiny object in a huge messy room, and was one of the most difficult things I had to do that night. Being only 5ft tall, I got many splinters running my hands along high shelves that I couldn’t see on to, and shredded my nails digging through the dirt. Blake was not happy that we failed and we would be punished. The next part of the challenge was by far the most terrifying part of the night and the most emotional that I’d been throughout. All I will say is that it involved a ‘drink’ and a box. I will never forget my time in that box. I sobbed and hyperventilated for the entirety of this part of the challenge, but I beat a phobia of mine and am so proud of myself for not cracking at that point.

During the final two challenges, I felt so many emotions and was panicked and on high alert for the rest of my night. Challenge 2 left me alone in the dark with only my thoughts and Blake’s voice. My mind was on overdrive and I honestly felt like I was going insane for the lengthy period of time that we were in there. The third and final challenge I got to was brutal. I will simply call it ‘the bucket’. I was blindfolded, taken into a room and put on my knees with my hands tied behind my back. I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen and was clueless to what was in front of me. Once we started and I was introduced to ‘the bucket’ I think I lasted around two anxiety filled minutes before blurting out the safe word and my final team mate followed less than a minute later.
As soon as the safe word came out of my mouth, my blindfold was taken off and I was scooped up, untied and wrapped in blankets. I was taken into the room where challenge 1 was set, sat on a chair and had a warm cup of coffee put in my hands while Rosalie, Blake, Sarge and the other actors congratulated me on my efforts. Seeing how lovely everyone really is helped me appreciate how good they are at their jobs!

The last word I can use to describe my experience with Cracked is Blake. Blake is the mastermind behind Cracked. He gets into your head and under your skin, even now I find myself thinking back to my time spent with him and he still terrifies me. He will always be burrowed deep in my mind and I feel like I could never thank him enough for the incredible, surreal experience I had that night. It was me vs myself and no matter what happened, in my mind I won. I beat my inner demons and I am so proud of myself for taking part and lasting over 3 hours. I will certainly be back next year to make it all the way through and I can finally say that I found that something to truly scare me and keep me awake at night.
I am Blake. We are Blake.

Patent Pending, Boy Jumps Ship and Smart Casual

I went to an absolutely incredible show at the O2 Academy 2 in Birmingham on 14/04/16 and thought it would work well as my first gig review.
My cousin received tickets to go see Patent Pending, Boy Jumps Ship and Smart Casual for her birthday and didn’t have anyone to go along with her, so I volunteered. I knew of Smart Casual from when they supported my boyfriend Shaun’s old band, I’d never heard of Boy Jumps Ship and I only knew a couple of Patent Pending songs. Nevertheless, I was very much looking forward to it!

The second Smart Casual graced the stage, everyone was loving them! They are a local Birmingham band and said we were the biggest crowd they’d ever played to, but I never would have guessed! They all seemed confident in what they were doing and I could tell they were really enjoying themselves.
Their music style was very pop punk (which I loved) and even though I didn’t know any of the songs I had fun dancing and singing along where I could. They had some great banter with each other, especially the singer Colin and the drummer Talbot, and their crowd interaction was excellent. They’re all really lovely guys and I actually found myself disappointed when their set was over, I will definitely go see them again!

Next up were Boy Jumps Ship! Again, I didn’t know any of their songs but that didn’t stop me dancing around and enjoying myself. I actually downloaded their music the second I got home! They were heavier than the other two bands playing but it was a really great contrast with all of the happy, bouncy pop punk that was played for the rest of the night. The singers voice was absolutely incredible, it was on a higher scale but worked perfectly with their Mallory Knox/Twin Atlantic-esque style. Their song Black Hearts Don’t Beat is definitely a personal favourite of mine. I know it was mentioned that they are playing again in Birmingham at the start of May, so I will definitely be going to that show if I can!

Last but definitely not least, Patent Pending! They came on with Eye of the Tiger playing and went straight into Started in my Head with the whole crowd chanting “Here we, here we, here we f*cking go!” I got instant chills and realised from that moment that I had discovered a new favourite band. Their singer Joe Ragosta is honestly such a lovely person, his crowd interaction is probably the best I have ever seen. At one point he had a crowd swimming competition with his brother (who was their merch guy) and apparently they’ve done it at every show on the tour. Not only that, but they’re keeping scores!
They then went in to playing songs like I Already Know, Little Diamonds, The Whiskey The Liar The Thief, The Way You Make Me Shake and All-Star Hipster with the crowd going absolutely insane the whole time.
The drummer from Smart Casual came back on stage and then Patent Pending played a little metal song that they called I Think He’s Really British, screaming about tea and crumpets. Joe then made a lovely speech while singing One Less Heart To Break about how happy the band are when they’re making music and how the great crowds like us make it easier leaving their families behind (I actually shed a little tear at this point), then he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the sound of the crowd singing along, which was beautiful. Their last song was Hey Mario which was absolutely huge, the crowd were doing Mario jumps along with Joe and everyone was dancing and just loving the moment that most of us had been waiting for.
After they’d finished and left everyone to scream for a minute or so, they came back to play Brighter and Douchebag, and then exited the stage in style with 80’s music playing, leaving everyone in the room absolutely buzzing. It was by far one of the best shows I have ever experienced and I will 110% be going to see them again when they come back. I love going in blind to a gig and coming out with a new favourite band and a night to always remember. If you like being happy, go see Patent Pending! You won’t regret it.

 

Gabrielle Aplin – 14/2/2016

A gig review seems to be like the ideal subject for my first blog post. I go to a lot of gigs with there being bands that stay at our house during their tours, and I am super passionate about watching people do their thing and express themselves without worry or judgement. Having musical friends helps too! Usually the gigs I go to are local or small bands from around the country, but occasionally I go to a show for an artist I love.

Last minute gigs are my thing, suddenly deciding “There’s a show on, let’s go” is just the best thing and usually leads to the most amazing nights.  This time, I was in Liverpool with my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day when he suggested we go to see Gabrielle Aplin. I wasn’t about to say no to that, so 5 hours before the doors opened we bought tickets, leaving us just enough time to get home and get to the O2 Institute in Birmingham.

Hannah Grace –

Unfortunately we missed almost her whole set because I wasn’t prepared to stand in a queue (that was 2 roads long) in the rain after a long day.  We got in just in time for her final song and a few words thanking the crowd for turning up and supporting her. From what I heard whilst looking for a seat her voice is absolutely amazing, very well suited to her soulful style and sends shivers down my spine. She’s someone I’ve since listen to and love on an early morning drive to work.

Lewis Watson –

Starting his set by saying “What a great day to stand up here and sing songs about my ex-girlfriend”, I instantly liked Lewis. He was chatty and thankful throughout, and his crowd interaction was brilliant. At one point he replied to a girl who shouted that she loved him! He was cute, funny and most of all happy. He radiated joy at being able to perform in front of a crowd and do what he so obviously loves.

Lewis was a little poorly, but that didn’t stop him giving an amazing performance. His voice was one that gave me goose bumps and each song sent out a message about love, loss, happiness and sadness. Each song came with a little story of its origins and that added to the overall wonder of his set. I loved every song that he performed on that stage with his guitar, and the audience was so silent with admiration that you could hear a pin drop. I went home after the show and downloaded his album, which is definitely worth a listen.

Gabrielle Aplin –

I’m going to start this by saying just how much I love this ladies music. Since I first heard Home in 2013, I have been in love with her voice. Her first album English Rain is still a favourite of mine and her most recent album Light Up The Dark brought a slight change in style with less acoustic and more lively, upbeat songs. I couldn’t wait to hear a mix of both live.

After waiting half an hour for her to come on stage, the room went dark. Everyone was in complete silence and you could feel the excitement in the air. It was one of the most overwhelming feelings I have ever experienced, with so many people being so silent. Usually I go for standing tickets, but I was glad to be sat in the balcony or my shaking legs would’ve probably given way. As she started playing the first song of the set, Coming Home, a single light came on behind her illuminating the crowd and casting her shadow across the room. She has such a powerful voice that it connected with emotions deep within me and gave me a feeling that I’ve never experienced before and doubt I will ever again.

As Coming Home came to an end, the band came on (including Hannah Grace, meaning I had a chance to hear more of her) and the lights came up. Finally I could see the woman I had waited so long to see, looking like an angel in flowing white, as though she was floating below me. When the band started and her second song began the whole room was silent, the atmosphere so intimate and intense that it was breath taking. The second song was another from the first album, and the third was a favourite of mine from English Rain, Panic Chord. At first I had very mixed feelings about this song as it was being played with a band and it was different from the version I loved so much, but it was a beautiful take on an amazing piece of music and soon my feelings faded back to those of absolute wonder.

She was chatty throughout and her crowd interaction was fantastic, thanking us for being so quiet but encouraging us to get involved and make some noise (still no one did). Telling stories throughout her set she captivated the audience and made us all feel like old friends. She continued on with a mix of old and new songs and seeing them live made me appreciate them a lot more. I saw the way she was branching out in a better light rather than a big change, and she still makes the same music just with that little bit extra.

Then came the tears. The band left the stage and it was once again just Gabrielle and her guitar and a room full of people. David Bowie’s sad death was not long before this gig and the next song to be played was Space Oddity. She gave it her own personal touch and it was truly beautiful. Mid song Gabrielle noticed a bit of a commotion in the crowd and stopped playing. Someone had fainted and she ensured that security got to the person and that everything was okay before she continued. It was so lovely to see her showing how much she cares for the people there to see her. She then continued with Space Oddity and the room erupted with applause and cheers at her beautiful tribute.

Please Don’t Say You Love Me was the next song to be played and is my favourite song of hers. It’s an amazing piece of music and she performed it so beautifully with the crowd singing a whole chorus to her. Then it was back to her newer music and she was free of her guitar and able to move around the stage more with the last song being Sweet Nothings which was performed perfectly.

Of course, there was an en-core. She left the stage only to come back on and take a seat at her piano with a member of the band on violin to play Salvation, having a little cough mid-song but just laughing it off and carrying on like a true professional. The whole time she was singing Salvation I had one thought – this cannot be the last song, she has to play Home. As it drew to an end my fingers were crossed and I was leaning as far forward in my seat as I could, the lights went to just her, and there it was. Home. The song I’d waited 3 years to hear live and I was not disappointed. I got out of my seat and walked to the part of the balcony closest to the stage in absolute awe. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and I’m not ashamed to say I cried a hell of a lot. She’s such a powerful presence and if you ever get the chance you MUST go and see her.

 

Come Into Darkness by Daniel I. Russell

Daniel I. Russell is one of my favourite authors, despite the fact that I only discovered him a few months back. Since then I have downloaded and read all of his work that is available on the kindle store. One of my favourites is Come Into Darkness, so I thought I’d write a review and share my thoughts on this incredible book with all of you.
I hope you enjoy!

Mario Fulcinni is a young adult film actor with a dark past. Constantly plagued by flashbacks of the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, he has struggled through life and as a result has suffered with drug addiction. His agent sends him to a party, promising that it will change his life forever and Mario arrives via taxi at Metus House on a rainy night. He is greeted by Worth, a chubby old man wearing a crimson blazer, with wild grey hair and a large moustache. Before long they are joined by a lady called Kerry who will be Mario’s partner for the night. They venture on through different rooms and soon enough they begin to realise that Metus House is not all that it seems.

The character of Mario, I found was an interesting one. The moment he was introduced I decided that he was definitely the kind of person I would mortally hate. Before long I realised I was rooting for him, then I found myself emotionally attached and almost shedding tears for him, and then I despised him again. My opinions of Mario went round in circles without me even second thinking them and for Russell to be able to create such a character, I admire him greatly.

As for Worth, he was by far my favourite. He was a real handful at times but I could never really let myself dislike him, I think I got a little attached to his character. His way of speaking, his stubbornness and his lack of care for Mario’s angry outbursts were simply wonderful. I’d love a prequel to this story, I need to know more about Worth and where he comes from!

Kerry was on the same level as Mario. At times I really hated her character and others I related to her and wanted to help her. There’s one scene in particular involving some coloured floor tiles in which I found myself getting so emotionally invested that I needed to take a minute to remind myself that it wasn’t real. It’s a very dark scene and I don’t want to say too much, but I couldn’t help feeling for Kerry at that moment and I’m sure any other readers will feel the same.

As a whole, Come into Darkness is beyond words. I will never understand how Daniel I. Russell makes his unique and complex story lines work so well. He throws monsters, supernatural entities, robots, werewolves and Van Helsing type hunters into his work, but with his incredible way of writing it all just slots together perfectly and creates a little something wonderful like I have never read before. His writing style is beautiful, the way he builds each character is perfect and the vivid images I get in my head whilst reading his books is unexplainable. I feel that, after reading Come Into Darkness, I could accurately case and direct a movie based on the story. It’s so descriptive that I find myself regularly day dreaming about his writing and the images that his writing has placed into my mind.

There are twists and turns throughout the entirety of this little novel, but the one it ends on is simply mind blowing. It leaves you to decide how it truly ends and you find yourself thinking back over everything you’ve just read to see if you’ve missed anything. If you’ve ever listened to me before, listen to me now and go buy this book! I promise you’ll thank me for it.

 

Pinky and the Brain

Hey friends! We are Frankie and Kirsty (Krankie), two pals who live in the West Midlands. We both love reading, watching movies and going to shows so we thought it would be great to start up a blog together so we can share all of our experiences with you all. As an intro, we have put together some questions to help you get to know us a little better. It’s a little long, but it’s our first post and in all honesty we were having fun and got carried away. Enjoy!

When and how did you first meet?
We met in October 2015 when our boyfriends Tom and Shaun started a band and moved in together. We became friends over a mutual love for animals and matching onesies (they are mice with squeaky noses and they make us look like Pinky and the Brain).

Who are your idols?
Kirsty: Definitely Sharon Needles. I live by “When in doubt, freak ’em out!” More realistically, it’s got to be my mom, she’s a champ.
Frankie: Without a doubt, Frankie Boyle. He does not care what people think of his views, he’s actually very politically correct and despite some of the jokes he makes, he’s actually a super nice guy. I am honoured to share my name with him. I mean, and my mom too of course, although I doubt she would be too happy at being put into the same category as Frankie Boyle.
Kirsty: My mom would love to be in the same category as Sharon.

Where are your favourite places and why?
Frankie: I love Florida. I’ve been there twice before and will be going for my third time in May with Shaun and my family (I will be sure to write about my experience!) I’m an adrenaline junkie so I’m first in the queue for all of the roller coasters, the food is incredible and everyone is just so happy there that it’s impossible to have a bad day! Oh and Disney World is there. Lets not forget about Disney World.
Kirsty: It’s got to be my home from home Tywyn, a little town in Gwynedd, Wales. As soon as I turned 18 I upped and left Birmingham to move there. I found my boyfriend Tom, found a new part of myself and thought I’d never be anywhere else; turns out I was to come back to the West Midlands after just over a year. The place is a dream, the scenery is some of the best, the people there hold my heart and being surrounded by animals, mountains and the sea was pure bliss. My parents live there now and I still drive down often to catch up on village gossip.
Frankie: I need to come back with you next time. I need to see the baby lambies and the sea!

What music do you like?
Kirsty: This is always so tough for me to answer. When people say they listen to all kinds of music, I take it to a whole other level. Honestly I switch from soft acoustic vocals from artists like Birdy and Demi Louise, to the absolute wonder that is Die Antwoord, to the childhood memories of Sleeping With Sirens and Memphis Mayfire. I love lots of music, my Spotify is a total train wreck. My passion is going to local shows and seeing people from my home town when they are having the time of their lives, expressing themselves and showcasing their passion to a room full of strangers.
Frankie: I can relate to Kirsty there, my music taste is hilariously inconsistent. My spotify can shuffle from Motionless in White to The Phantom of the Opera soudtrack, but my favourite artists right now are Four Year Strong (if FYS are playing, everyone kows it’s me who put them on), Die Antwoord, Led by Lanterns, Baby Metal, State Champs, Beethoven, 30 Seconds to Mars, Hopsin and Childish Gambino. Recently I’ve been listening to a great band called Casey, their music is like nothing I’ve heard before. It’s slow and emotional but still really heavy, and their lyrics and music videos are stunning. Dying is Your Latest Fashion, the old Escape the Fate album will always be a favourite of mine too, and lets not be forgetting good old Mickey Bubble either. His Christmas albums are banging and his Feeling Good cover will always be in my top 10.

What are your favorite foods/drinks?
Frankie: My absolute number one is wensleydale cheese with cranberries, I eat it by the block because I can’t stop once I’ve opened it. I also love a good double stuff oreo, I can’t be dealing with standard oreos because there just isn’t enough stuff if you know what I mean. Can’t beat some pulpy orange juice either and I sometimes like to treat myself to a bottle of cravendale, it’s so much better than your average milk. As for actual food that you can make a meal out of; I love pasta, fishcakes, sweetcorn and good ol’ jacket taytos. I am also known to love cake, Kirsty was my favourite person in the world when she used to work at a dessert shop and would bring me gifts of cake after work.
Kirsty: People tag her in photos saying ‘tag a friend who would eat this cake’, it’s hilarious. I just like pizza, pasta and coffee. Carb Queen.
Frankie: I just remembered an important one. Papa Johns special garlic sauce.

What are your favourite movies/TV shows?
Kirsty: RU PAULS DRAG RACE HUNTYYYY! Honestly I am so obsessed with it. I’ve watched every episode at least three times. Snatch Games episodes at least 6. Also Orange Is The New Black (Season 4 is out between mine and Frankie’s birthdays, we’ve planned the whole day already and its two months away), Adventure Time and Community is an old favourite too. I’m sure everyone will find out that I have a very old soul, so day-time TV appeals to me a lot; This Morning, Jeremy Kyle, The One Show, Bargain Hunters, Antiques Roadshow etc, etc. Films aren’t really a big love of mine. I like rom-coms and comedies, but Frankie’s pulled me over to the horror side and I can really get into a psychological thriller. My favourite film is a toss-up between Pitch Perfect and Room.
Frankie: Star Trek is my life. I also love a bit of Jezza and RuPaul, and I was seriously addicted to Orange is the New Black but all in all I’m a horror girl. I love a movie that will terrify me to the point of losing some sleep and The Grudge did that for me as a kid. The scene where Kayako is hiding in the bed traumatised me so much that I still sleep with the duvet tucked under my feet so nothing can crawl in. Obviously this means that it’s one of my favourite movies! I also love movies like Oldboy, The Orphanage, Requiem for a Dream, The Butterfly Effect and 30 Days of Night but my favourite movies in the whole entire world are House of 1000 Corpses and The Devils Rejects. Rob Zombie is  genius and no one does it better than Bill Moseley, Sid Haig and Sheri-Moon. As for TV, I could watch the crime channel all day every day, I’m a sucker for true crime and I’ve done so much research on serial killers that it’s kinda scary. Utopia is my favourite TV series of all time, mostly because nothing pulls me in like a beautiful film (seriously, those colours), but it’s an incredible show with a perfect story line. Of course I also love Disney and Adventure Time, we must have a break from the weird stuff sometimes.
Kirsty: Filthy Frank. I mean its YouTube but we watch it on the TV so it definitely counts as TV. Even if it doesn’t, he’s still getting mentioned. Shout out to Pink Man, Salamander Man, Bald Chocolate Man, Chin Chin, Hershey Kisses and obviously Frank. The worst show on the internet.
Frankie: We love you Papa Franku.

What are your favourite things to read?
Frankie: This is going to be a long answer… I am such a bookworm. I love paperbacks and that new book smell is my absolute favorite so I was super reluctant to go over to the kindle side. I don’t regret it and my little paperwhite now comes absolutely everywhere with me. My favourite genres are true crime, horror, thriller and extreme horror. My favourite author Matt Shaw (who is actually a pretty good friend of mine now) writes mostly horror/extreme horror but occasionally branches off to romance, drama and even erotica. My favourite books of his are Monster, The Missing Years of Thomas Pritchard, Heaven’s Calling, Every book in The Peter Chronicles, The Breakdown, Control and A House in the Country. I also feature in his books Don’t Read and A Sting in the Tale. If you’re into that kind of stuff, definitely check him out. My other favourite author who I recently discovered (and have now read everything he has ever written) is Daniel I. Russell. I can’t even begin to describe his writing style and I honestly don’t understand how he makes his story lines work so flawlessly, but my favourite books of his are Retard, Critique, Mothers Boys and Come Into Darkness. Other than that, the books that come to mind as some of my recent favourites are Ring Around Rosie by Emily Pattulo, White is the Coldest Colour and the sequel When Evil Calls Your Name by John Nicholl, Charlotte by Stuart Keane (the sequel and prequel are due to be released this year and I am so excited), Whispers by Stuart Keane, Seed by Ania Ahlborn, Tortured by Victoria Spry, Child C by Christopher Spry, Deliverance for Amelia by Bonny Capps, Survivor by J.F. Gonzalez, Send Me No Flowers by Jenny Tomlin and Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. Wow, that was long. I’ll stop now.
Kirsty: I’m a big book worm too. It’s a rule of mine to always have a book in my bag, it feels like a sort of safety net. I don’t want to tell you anything about my favourite books so I’ve made a (quite long) list of them and you can choose if you want to find out for yourselves: The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Elephants On Acid, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee,  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Attatchments by Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson, One Day by David Nicholls, Us by David Nicholls, Uglies (4 book set with Pretties, Specials and Extras) by Scott Westerfeld, Rotting Dead Fucks by Matt Shaw, Monster by Matt Shaw, Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, Girl A by Girl A, The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and We’re all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.

What are your biggest fears?
Kirsty: I’m pretty scared of a lot of things, including groups of teenagers (they’re very threatening, I’m sure I was scared of anyone older than me at their age). I’m scared of the dark, daddy long legs, open water, dentists and heights. I’m also terrified of stepping unevenly on pavements, god knows why. Oh and of course my pets dying is a big fear they’re my babies.
Frankie: I’m scared of aliens, Tom Cruise and the saxaphone solo from Careless Whisper by George Michael. Have you ever heard something that makes you feel really sick and gives you that horrible anxiety feeling that something bad is going to happen? That’s what I get when I hear that saxaphone, I have no idea why. I also don’t ever want to go blind and I never ever want my cat Gizmo to die but that’s fine because he’s going to live forever.

What are your favourite body modifications that you have? Are there any others that you like but would never get?
Frankie: Other than my septum, navel and anti-tragus piercings, the only other body modifications I have are my 12 tattoos. I like all of my piercings (otherwise I’d just take them out) and although I love all of my tattoos so much, my favourites are the lady and gentleman cats I have on my calves. They are drinking tea and reading books and are based on my cat loving nan and grandad who are no longer with us. I adore my sternum piece too but it was so painful that I don’t think I’ll be able to love it as much as I should until my final sitting is over and done with. As for others that I don’t have myself, I love how navel removal looks and also tongue splitting. I don’t think I could ever get them done myself though! I may get a little shaped silicone implant under my skin one day, those look real pretty.
Kirsty: I’ve got 4 piercings but some of my favourites are ones I’ve taken out, I loved my thumb web but it’s such an inconvenience I couldn’t keep it. My favourite of the ones I have is definitely my septum. Other than my piercings it’s my 5 tattoos which I love all in equal measure. They all mean something special or represent something close to my heart which makes it hard to choose between them. I suppose if I really had to it would be the matching dream-catcher I have with my mom. My favourite one is probably going to be the next one booked which is a big portrait of my dog in a kind of traditional style, but slightly more realistic. As for body modification that I love but would never get/don’t have I also LOVE tongue splitting, I think its super beautiful and I also love scarification but don’t think I’d ever bring myself to get something… Maybe something small one day, who knows.

What are your favourite alcoholic drinks?
Kirsty: As much as I hate vodka, it’s my go-to for a night out. If I want to enjoy a drink at the pub or just with my friends at home it’ll be lager or a nice gin and tonic (I told you, old soul).
Frankie: I love a beer, whether it be at the pub or at home with a curry. Banana bread beer is my all time favourite, although I do like Red Stripe and Budweiser and I enjoy a vanilla vodka and coke sometimes.

What are your dream jobs?
Frankie: I would love to be a writer. I write a lot of short horror stories for fun and post them online, but have never done anything more with it and I’m not sure I have the talent to make it my career. For as long as I can remember my dream has been to work in funeral care, embalming and preparing the deceased. I would also love to work with and assist special needs children. 
Kirsty: I’ve wanted to work with animals for as long as I can remember. I’ve done an Animal Management course and was going to do Veterinary Nursing then realised I’m far too soft for that. I need to find something where I am required to sit and cuddle animals and nothing more. I love my current job too though, I meet amazing people, hear some great stories and get inspiration for new piercings/tattoos.

What are your favourite inside jokes?
Kirsty: “Hey…. shut yer murrrrrth”
Frankie: I thought you were going to write “Hey boss” then got disappointed, but I like that one too.
Kirsty: How about Pinky and the Brain, or La Cucaracha??
Frankie: *trots down the corridor* How about some special tea/specialty?
Kirsty: Pasta and mayonnaise, DONTTTTT CAREEEEE *slaps lips* (this is probably not funny at all to anyone reading this but we are giggling)
Frankie: Edible floor pebbles, you stupid cat….. I mean, there must be some more funny ones but I’m all out of brain juice. This makes me sad.
Kirsty: I can’t think of any more it’s making me angry, why is this happening!!!!

What are the best gigs you’ve ever been to?
Frankie: I’m not sure this counts as a gig, but Shaun took me to see The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London for my birthday last year and it was the most incredible experience of my life. I cried all the way through (no one else did so Shaun had to hide me in the interval because I was embarrassed) and at the end when the cast came out, Phantom got a standing ovation as he was walking to the front of the stage; he stopped in his tracks and put his head in his hands because he was so overwhelmed by everyones responses, so of course I sobbed some more. It was all so beautiful.  As for actual gigs, 30 Seconds to Mars were beyond incredible at the NIA in Birmingham 2013, as were Four Year Strong at The O2 Academy in Birmingham last year (I cried at both). The Four Year Strong show was my little sisters first gig too, so that’s pretty special. I have to say though, my favorite gig of all time and probably the most important night of my life was when I went to see Twenty Twenty on my 14th birthday in 2010 and a band called From the Get Go supported them. Their singer at the time, Shaun Hill, is now the love of my life and that night was the first night I ever set eyes on him. I added him on Facebook that night, messaged him over 3 years later and here we are now 2 and a 1/2 years on!
Kirsty: I don’t think mine counts as a gig either, because it was when Tom took me to see Let It Be in London last year. I screamed and cried more than anyone in the room and sang along to every song. I absolutely love The Beatles and we’d planned the trip around going to see it. They’re my favourite band to have ever made music and the fact that I’ll never see the real deal is heartbreaking. The guys who perform Let It Be look so much like them and sound just like them too. It was an absolutely overwhelming experience and we’re going again this year! Other gigs that I’ll never forget are All Time Low/You Me At Six in 2015, CHVRCHES in 2016 and Gabrielle Aplin on Valentines Day 2016.

What are your favourite animals?
Kirsty: Obviously my pets are my favourite animals in the whole world. Rats are one of my favourite animals anyway because they’re so intelligent and loving. Anyone who has a bad opinion of rats should meet mine and they’d love them instantly. My other favourite animals are orcas (I have a tattoo of an orca saying no tank is big enough as a big f*ck you to sea world), otters because who doesn’t love them, they’re just wet cats and platypus’ because they’re just all the left over cute bits from every other animal, all rolled into one. I love all animals so much, it’s so hard to pick favourites and I just want to keep adding and adding to the list.
Frankie: Cats cats cats!!!! I love cats so much, they’re just so floofy and cuddly and loving and they have tiny little toes and I just love them. I have 3 cat tattoos, me and my mom have matching tattoos of the grumpy cat and I plan to get a portrait tattoo of my little floof Gizmo. Me and my parents had 7 cats at one point and I can’t ever imagine living without a cat in my life. Gizmo can do whatever he wants, if he wants to grab food from my plate with his little paws he most certainly can. I actually have a video of him picking up my toast crust with his claws and eating it from his little foot and it’s the best, seriously I show it to everyone.I could never be mad at cats. They are the best.
Kirsty: She’s the actual definition of a crazy cat lady. I’m going to make a petition to have her face put in the dictionary under ‘crazy cat lady’.

How would you describe eachother?
Frankie: Kirsty is like an uncooked bit of spaghetti, like she’s super tall and skinny. She’s also like Pinky from Pinky and the Brain because we both have mouse onesies and she’s the tall one. I told her a story once about how she is like Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh because he’s the tall one and he shouts at everyone and he always wants to get his own way, like in the movie Winnie the Pooh Spring-Time with Roo when Rabbit goes crazy and makes everyone do his spring cleaning when they all want to play outside and they’re all super scared of him and they have to teach him how not to be mad and shouty anymore and to just have fun. Yeah, that’s Kirsty sometimes. I mean she’s nice, she brings me cake and she goes all marshmallowy and gives me hugs sometimes but only when I’m super super sad because we don’t really do hugs unless they’re totally necessary.
Kirsty: Whilst I am an uncooked bit of spaghetti, Frankie is a squished bit of play-dough. You know when you squish something and it gets chubbier and mushed up? That’s Frankie. If she was my height she would be skinnier than I am but she is not, she is squished (for the record she came up with the original reference, I am not being mean). She is almost a whole foot smaller than me and it’s hilarious when we stand next to each other. Even in her highest heels I can see over her head. She’s the total opposite of me on the shape front. I am spaghetti and she is play-dough. Also, I need to mention that the Pinky and the Brain thing is something I laughed at silently in my head for a long long time before telling her, resulting in both of us laughing until we cried. Not only do we resemble Pinky and the Brain (especially in our mouse onesies) but she is like the tiny little boss that sometimes has to tell big stupid me that I’m being realllllllly stupid. It’s a painfully accurate comparison. But she is also my fellow pasta queen, fellow Ru Paul enthusiast and fellow crazy animal lady. We really do only hug when necessary, once she got the urge to hug me and told me about it and we both got super creeped out. Frankie is my little home slice play-dough ball.
Frankie: Yeah, I’ll never know why I got the urge to hug you that one time. At least I didn’t act on it though. I am happy to have you as my best pal and fellow Sharon Needles lover, even if you do shout at me and try to make me spring clean your house (she doesn’t do that).
Kirsty: I hate cleaning.

Top picture: Frankie
Bottom picture: Kirsty