Watsky at ULU live London

(All photos by Mike Squires)

I went to see one of my biggest inspirations, George Watsky play live.

'I'm gonna get there if it takes a day or fifty years' - Moral of the Story

The whole day was a challenge for me. I don't get on well with London, the tangled tube lines and fast paced atmosphere combined with being in an unfamiliar environment really tests my anxiety. I knew that I would be out on the streets of London the whole day and late into the night. No amount of preparation and maps calmed me.

However, I managed to get through the day only panicking once or twice, and I'm so incredibly proud of myself.

At Russell Square station we had to get the lift up to the street, there were 175 steps and the sign said to only use them in an emergency. I panicked, my first instinct to avoid the lift, but there was nothing I could do. Once we were in the lift I kept picturing it plummeting and us all dying. Much of the rest of my anxiety was on the way home, we had an hour to get to the train station but I still panicked about being stranded in London overnight, but after some arguments with google maps, we made it to Victoria with 20 minutes to spare in the cold on our aching feet.

The concert itself was amazing. George has an amazing way of making the audience feel equal. It didn't feel as though he was on a pedestal, he felt like one of us. Flawed, passionate and human. He played quite a few of his older songs which I was grateful for and he in-turn was grateful we knew all the words.

I have called George one of my biggest inspirations for around four years now, around the time I found him I was big into spoken word poetry, before Watsky I never realised how closely linked poetry and rap are. Through him I gained a greater appreciation of well written rap with clever lyrics. I found two more of my favourite artists and inspirations Childish Gambino and Brockhampton.

I bought all of his albums and his audio book and listened to his poems regularly. I listened to his audiobook for the second time on the way to and from university in my first year when I was having a particularly rough time, I can't express how grateful I am to have had something to make me smile on those long days.

When I discovered the website mentioned in his song ‘Don’t be nice’ was real and features alternate versions of the songs on his album ‘X infinity’. I just about lost my mind. I was home alone at the time, I sat up in bed out of disbelief and started talking to myself out loud. I filmed my reaction and I still have the video. It's gold.

They say to never meet your heroes, but although I didn't meet him, ( I had an opportunity to, I stayed late after the show to get merch and he came out to chat to fans), the atmosphere he created on stage alone didn't let me down, it only cemented the fact that as flawed and human as he is, he is still a huge inspiration to me.

'If you love what you're doing you've already succeeded.' - Never Let It Die

The day I saw Watsky live is a day that I will never forget. As much as London makes me anxious, I find I never regret going. The days I have spent in London have, for the most part been filled with joy and inspiration.

It's not always a bad thing to get lost.

Kaitlyn