About Me

Hi there!

Hope you have all enjoyed looking through this site and to give you a full picture of who 'is behind all of this' I will write a bit about myself, even though most people probably have met me at gigs or somewhere already!

My name is Mandy Taylor - and I was born on 6th of February 1974 in Arnhem, The Netherlands. Arnhem is the capital of the Gelderland province about a 20 minute drive from the German border. I now live with my (English) husband Geoff and two cats in Westervoort, a pretty village attached to Arnhem.

Arnhem is a famous (or notorious) place, known for 'The Battle Of Arnhem' and operation 'Market Garden' that took place in September 1944. The film 'A Bridge Too Far' has been based on true facts about this battle. A lot of British, Canadian, American and Polish tourists visit the historic sites every year and in September the city still commemerates the battle. If you ever want a full tour when you are visiting - let me know!

Back to the music! During my high school years I was already seriously into music, especially the typical 80's stuff and I think 'the feeling never left'. I played synthesizer, loved bands like Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Human League, Ultravox, INXS, Crowded House, watched The Breakfast Club, The Lost Boys, Flying Doctors, and tried to figure out Rubik's cube....like ever other child of the 80's I suppose!

Also in highschool, I developed a passion for the English language, literature and music. My schoolbooks were covered with pictures of 80's bands and my English teacher saw I was easily distracted by all of this. To keep me motivated he said I better pay attention to his (at the time - sorry - boring lessons) because he said I would surely want to learn the English language to be able to communicate with my 'heroes' if I ever met one them for real.....he convinced me at the time...(wish I could let him know how that turned out).

After high school I wanted a career in journalism, but in those days there were too many people wanting this, and after being unlucky in the draw to enroll the college of Journalism for two years, I choose a career in the Travel & Entertainment industry. Studied Travel and Marketing but till this day I still love journalism, literature and history. I write for some Dutch expat magazines abroad, plus demolish a lot of world news, magazines and all sorts of books..... yeah I admit, following the news is a slight addiction/obsession! Time for an e-reader soon...

Got my degree and for about a decade I have been working as a tourguide and later I organised many (corporate) events, VIP packages, tours, gigs, workshops and team building events. Had my own business for a couple of years but I changed careers about 6 years ago. I have been critically ill in 2004 and after being in and out of hospital for a year I was just lucky to be alive - my life has changed since then. Basically I don't want to waste a single day. Within my capacity I like to do what I am interested in (and I like a LOT of things) and enjoy myself and have people I care about around me. One of these 'enjoyments' is going to gigs and meet lots of different people from all walks of life. Every individual fascinates me and networking is another passion.

After doing a lot of freelance stuff, creating websites, translations, writing, organising small events/gigs and also I have set up a webshop for Dutch expats where they could order all the products from home and get it delivered to their doorstep. This was great fun to doo but...not enough. I missed my travel days and still wanted to be involved in organising events and combine this with my passion for music. Last year the big change came after the idea had been brewing in my head for ages...I set up Six Degrees Entertainment - booking international (and a few national) artists for festivals, corporate events..... Curious what we do exactly? Check out the website:

Even though I have always been following a lot of Spandau and their lead singer Tony Hadley I like to 'cheat' every now and then, and go and see other artists too. This combined with my travelling passion (or obsession) has got me into for example seeing ABC, and a few years ago I was introduced to Martin and later on to the rest of the band. How lovely they all are! They always make you feel welcome and appreciate people coming over to the show.

The first time I saw ABC live was during the Tony Hadley vs Martin Fry tour in 2005. I had just about recovered from my illness and as a 'treat' we went to the UK.
My husband is originally from Leicestershire and we had lived there for a while too. Moved back to Holland in 2000 but still Leicester seemed a good choice to combine a visit to the in-laws and attending a gig!
And what a show it was! Wow! Loved every minute of it and decided there and then to 'study' ABC a bit more. ( I did know 'Poison Arrow', 'The Look of Love', 'All Of My Heart' by the way...so didn't look a total fool near the front..I hope!). Oh and in the attic I found two ABC albums that I had had for years!

Hopefully over the next years , the 80's-revival-fever will blow over to the continent. Somehow it hasn't yet, but I am sure a lot more people would love seeing ABC - from all over the world!

Can't believe you kept reading to the end of this page!! Thanks everyone for sticking around, sending me stuff (it is appreciated!) and keeping good music alive..

Mandy Taylor-Slangewal
Arnhem, 2010