25/08/2026
I cannot predict the future... but I do have an inkling that this post might be a rather long one. Beautiful Days, what can I even say. I know I could do the standard 'thank you for an amazing weekend' post, which would be entirely genuine but, I'd like to break it down in a little more detail if I may. I'll start near the beginning, even though the video I'm sharing with this post is from deep within the most incredible, hectic and meaningful weekend imaginable. I knew this was always going to be a particularly crazy 4 days, given how many different things there were to do... I had 1 panel discussion, 2 gigs (1 of which was a secret) and 3 guest spots with other bands... and of course, a 3 and half year old to keep fed, watered and in sight (though with a lot of help for that one to be fair).
So, starting with the panel discussion, I was invited to talk about my experiences with ADHD and neurodivergence, alongside 3 other lovely neuro spicy individuals in the Rebel Tent. It was probably the thing I was most worried about as I didn't have any noises or ukuleles to hide behind and I never really know what's going to come out of my mouth. It was great to see such a big turnout for so early on a festival Friday morning and, despite each panellist forgetting what they were talking about at one point or another,😅 it seemed to be well received and beneficial to at least some of the people who I got to speak to after. I didn't say anything I massively regretted and I learned a lot myself too so it was a big win for thing number one! From then it was briefly back into dad mode with an already shattered Sulli who was definitely pushing all the buttons, before heading over to join Nick Parker on the main stage for the collaboration he had curated during lockdown... This was thing 2 I was most worried about; I had written an alternative verse for 'Sometimes' by James back when the world was locked down which I quickly recorded while reading the words from the screen, before then cracking on with trying to navigate through a potential apocalypse. When Nick asked if I'd be up for joining in I was entirely up for it, I was pretty sure the words would be somewhere in my brain... then when I listened to the track and realised I couldn't recall any of it at all, I felt the panic a bit more.. 😬 but after roughly 100 run throughs of the verse on repeat, it started to stick! It was amazing to be part of, I was stood alongside Hannah and Abbe and a stage full of other incredible musicians, while the sun shone down on us all, it was truly magical. Truth be told, in classic Sam / SOTS style, we were seconds away from missing the whole thing as we thought it was going to be the last song in the set so we were off getting water in preparation when I just happened to hear the word 'collaboration' in the distance so we RAN, thankfully fast enough for SOTS to reach the mics just as their verse started! It was SO much fun and the crowd were amazing, turning out in droves for Nick's set. I think I only got one word wrong, which on paper is great but it's obviously the only thing I thought about afterwards 😅 (pretty sure that was covered in the panel discussion).
Roll on Saturday, despite thinking I was actually quite calm about my set that day, it didn't take long until I was frantically running around trying to work out how to get all my equipment to the Little Big Top after hitting a few unforeseen hurdles, but with a good few miles or running back and forth, I was able to sort someone (a hero called Pete) to drive me down with all my things which I was insanely grateful for as I have a quite ridiculous amount of stuff for one person. It's my own fault. I'm usually a bit flappy before a gig but on this day, I had loads of time to get sorted and set up... until I heard the words 'This is our last song...' where I realised 2 hours had just disappeared and I was not as ready as I had anticipated. 😅 There were incredibly tight changeovers so there was no room for me to start later or faff so, I had a VERY flappy few minutes literally sprinting from stage to merch to the dressing room to get all the things I needed. The stage crew were exceptional and worked so hard all weekend to keep things running smoothly and, with thanks to them, family and friends, everything started smoothly and even a few minutes early; another win.
Trying to explain the gig will be tough, I'm sure I'll share more clips in the future as I'm not sure words will quite convey all of what happened but, in general, it was just... bonkers. The singalongs were so loud that at one point, I just had to stop and take it in with a big childish grin across my face. The whole crowd were incredible and I couldn't have had any more fun playing the show, no stress, no panic no little voices in my head telling me I'd got something wrong... it was just pure, unfiltered enjoyment. There were so many highlights and things I could talk about but let's be honest, I don't think anything could top the debut of the 'Siren Sisters'. I've being playing Pop Song less recently as it's not everyone's cup of tea and the joke probably wore off years ago but after a little chat about what song Hannah and Abbe (Sound of the SIrens) could join me for, this felt like the right one. I didn't know much about what they had planned or what they were going to look like so I had to try and maintain composure throughout the song (I was not successful). They had a few hours to come up with something together, 2 days before the show, and what they delivered was perfect and Pop Song will never be the same without them. Something else I recall is not being able to do the social pit, which threw me a bit; I've enjoyed playing around with that this summer so I was keen to do it during this set but when I tried to get people to make a circle, I noticed not much really happened and no one really moved... then it dawned on me, no one COULD move, I hadn't realised until then just how squashed in people were, it was mad. So, instead of a big circle, it turned into a tent wide party of people high fiving, hugging and connecting with each other, and it was truly wonderful to behold (then I got fomo and wanted to join in so I ended up running along the front barrier, high fiving people (see the video) like I was some kind of rockstar... I'm not sure I've ever felt so cool. 🤣) I heard some stories afterwards about some of interactions that happened during that bit of the show and they really made me smile. There are so many other things I could ramble on about but I'm only half way through the weekend. All I will say is that I have never felt so positively overwhelmed at a gig before than I did throughout that set. It will stay with me forever and I think it might have even topped my Big Top gig from a few years before, which I didn't think possible. Thank you to every single person who was part of it and a MASSIVE shout out to Han, Abbe and Woody for helping with Merch afterwards and everyone who queued up and came to chat after, and a massive thank you to those who've since sent me PayPal funds after the issues with the card reader. ❤️
Sunday was another jam packed day! First up, a cheeky little guest spot with the Doonicans, who played an incredible show, I've not seen them since the new line up and I was in stitches throughout. I loved writing a verse for 'Jump Araand' and being up there with everyone was a joy. That was then immediately followed by Sound of the Sirens who were on fire. Their Simon and Garfunkel introduction wasn't only hilarious but also such a good rendition of Sound of Silence. It was great to join them for The Voices again, which we haven't done together for ages, I always love being on stage with them both as it doesn't ever feel pressured or too serious but it's always just FUN. From there I ran over to the Bimble Inn for my secret acoustic set which was billed as 'Accusations Miscast' (it's a Samanagram!). I adore the Bimble Inn, to hang out in or to play, it's just a vibe and ethos I love and the gig was no exception. Well done to everyone for making it on time despite the time change from the program, apologies to those who assumed I'd said the wrong time on stage - you were right to doubt me, I'm just as surprised that I got it right! It was so different to the other gig; there was no real set list and no proper plan; I just played what I felt like at the time, things went in random directions, words fell out of my head and songs changed into other songs halfway through but at no point was I bothered or worried if a song didn't go 'perfectly' or if I forgot something because of how relaxed I feel in that space. It was also great to not play any repeats from the set the day before, meaning I got to dust off some songs I rarely ever play. To then finish off with the Sirens and a tent full of people singing Little Things was a perfect way to end the busiest but most wonderful weekend at Beautiful Days... before then having a child free night with Han that is far too blurry to recount so I won't even try!
So, all in all, I just want to say thank you, to every single person that played any roll in the weekend, from watching, supporting, chatting, pe***ng, helping, Sulli sitting, carrying or any other verb that I can't think of at the moment, I had the most incredible 4 days that I will be able to dip into for years to come should any clouds ever start to form. I hope everyone who went had an amazing weekend and, fingers crossed we'll be able to do it all again next year! I've had a few people message about Tshirts and the Think of a World artwork that they didn't manage to pick up, I have a some left and will happily send out without postage for those at BD's who didn't have time to queue etc, drop me a message. Now... back to reality, good luck! Love to everyone x
