Thursday 26 September 2013

Where I've Been and What I've Been Up To

I'm aware that this blog has been quiet since mid-August, and as usual when I'm making one of these apologetic round up blogs, it's not because I haven't been writing, but because I've been writing for other people.

Firstly, Rebellion was amazing and I'm really proud to have been part of the team who raised almost 2000 pounds for Streetlife, a charity in Blackpool that supports vulnerable young people. 

I also orchestrated press coverage including a sneaky little article I did myself for Louder Than War. You can read at about it here. 

The programme yet again looked amazing, and Daryl and the other contributors did a great job. As usual I'm honoured to be asked to participate - a particular festival highlight was Mark from Booze and Glory telling me he loved my articles and they really made him laugh. Brilliant. 

Here's me and my Dad in front of the banner we raffled off, obligatory 11am ciders ahoy! 

After Rebellion we had one last hurrah in London before heading back to San Francisco. Where better to go than a gig than at the Underworld in Camden? A venue I am overly familiar with, surrounded by friends and family and a line up of my dreams. Louise Distras, Harrington Saints, The Filaments and the Street Dogs. Plus the Watford lot, the 12 Bar lot, the Camden contingent, my Pirates and a Sparrer. We Know How To Live.

You can read my full review for Louder Than War here. Probably the only gig review I've ever written where I've actually used photos I've taken on my phone. Including this one of Johnny Rioux which I was really proud of... 


I then wrote another piece for the Huffington Post, this one about the trials and tribulations of being a West Ham fan abroad, or a football fan in general. Disappointingly the piece received only one comment and pretty mediocre interactions. Meh. These things happen. You can read it here.

I tweeted the link at the few West Ham accounts to see what they thought and it got RT'd by a few sites. West Ham Till I Die is one of the leading fan blogs and the editor, Iain Dale got in touch and asked if he could reproduce it on the site. This was very exciting. It attracts visits from more than 60,000 West Ham supporters every month. 

Within an hour of it going up it had almost 50 comments, most saying that they really liked the post. The comments alone are worth reading. Some are hilarious. Check them out here.



Then I got an email asking if I wanted to join the WHTID team as a regular (and their only female) contributor. An opportunity I jumped at.

You can read my articles on What Happens When Your Boyfriend Brings West Ham Bad Luck and Raising A Glass To The Next Generation of West Ham Fans by clicking on the links.

So that brings us up to date with where I've been writing and what I've been doing since I last posted. I'm really pleased to announce that I've also joined the writing team at New Noise Magazine so the Rebellion programme won't be the only thing I write that I get to see in print! Links and posts as and when they happen.

Oi Oi! and COYI - don't forget to find me on Twitter @hannahmcfaull