Just by chance, we found out on Friday that Man-Machine, a Kraftwerk tribute band (the best according to their poster, the only one in Europe according to one web source) were playing in one of our local pubs the following night. My websearch also taught me they were playing Bestival and supporting Chemical Brothers (ironically enough!) and Pet Shop Boys. Well, we thought, this could be great or it could be terrible, but we had to go and find out for ourselves.
We tried rallying the troops but to little avail, although we did manage to convince some very nice people that we had just met to give it a try. We took up our places in the beer garden as the band set up their technology complete with laser displays, under the covered patio. They gave us a good show with the usual favourites including Autobahn, The Robots and The Model, as well as some lesser known tracks.
Predictably, after a relatively nice day, it started to rain and they feared for their equipment and finished hastily on a few tracks from other bands including Faithless. Bravely we stuck it out, marvelling at how pretty the raindrops looked in the lasers – like green and red glitter – a bit like Christmas!
We could tell they were wondering (as were we) what on earth they were doing playing in a pub beer garden in the north of England, and at one point said 'we've never played at a garden party before'. It could only be Britain couldn't it? Sitting outside in the rain listening to electronic music! We had a chat to them as they were packing up, and I asked them what brought them up here from the Isle of Wight. It turned out that one of their wives ran a Punch tavern pub and did an article for their magazine, and they were interested in the band and asked if they could advertise them for hire to Punch pub licensees, hence why Liz, landlady of the White Swan, ended up with them in her beer garden.
Very surreal. Very fun. You can check the band out on myspace, and if you get chance, go see them!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Mini Glastonbury
At the risk of being boring and predictably English, I am afraid it is still the great British summer that occupies my thoughts yet again this week. It is now getting to the stage that I can't even remember the last day it didn't rain. Oh no, wait a minute! It was Thursday so only 3 days ago, but i think that was the only day of the week that was dry.
This weekend there is a music festival on here called 'World on Your doorstep'. The idea is really good – music from around the world, but by people who live in and around the region. As the weather was shit, we went down quite late yesterday and saw just a few acts, the highlight being The Ukrainians who do a mix of trad., original and cover tracks. Very funny in places, especially Anarchy in the Ukraine.
Food and drink (no alcohol) was in the form of Asian cuisine, West Indian BBQ (I think) and an organic fairtrade cafe, ran by floaty organic fairtrade hippies whose heads were obviously full of alfalfa sprouts thus rendering them incapable of serving anyone faster than snail pace. They were cute though and I loved the 'tour of the cakes'. Our mate got quite irate at their ineptitude and tendency to go off and do a spot of washing up when there was a queue of people waiting for coffee.
The muddy kids and dogs were enough to cheer anyone up though. A few toddlers had made an impromptu paddling pool amidst the soaking grass, and many a game was spotted which involved making your mates slip in the mud in interesting and amusing ways. Well, you might as well have a laugh otherwise you'd just kill yourself wouldn't you? It's like having our own mini Glastonbury!
This impression is further enhanced by the presence of a number of middle aged and elderly people in strange clothes with a tendency to partake in strange dancing and generally behave as if they are from another planet. It is a constant source of mystery where these people go the rest of the time. You may occasionally see them in the organic grocers but never in the co-op or anywhere else normal. Where do they hide?
This weekend there is a music festival on here called 'World on Your doorstep'. The idea is really good – music from around the world, but by people who live in and around the region. As the weather was shit, we went down quite late yesterday and saw just a few acts, the highlight being The Ukrainians who do a mix of trad., original and cover tracks. Very funny in places, especially Anarchy in the Ukraine.
Food and drink (no alcohol) was in the form of Asian cuisine, West Indian BBQ (I think) and an organic fairtrade cafe, ran by floaty organic fairtrade hippies whose heads were obviously full of alfalfa sprouts thus rendering them incapable of serving anyone faster than snail pace. They were cute though and I loved the 'tour of the cakes'. Our mate got quite irate at their ineptitude and tendency to go off and do a spot of washing up when there was a queue of people waiting for coffee.
The muddy kids and dogs were enough to cheer anyone up though. A few toddlers had made an impromptu paddling pool amidst the soaking grass, and many a game was spotted which involved making your mates slip in the mud in interesting and amusing ways. Well, you might as well have a laugh otherwise you'd just kill yourself wouldn't you? It's like having our own mini Glastonbury!
This impression is further enhanced by the presence of a number of middle aged and elderly people in strange clothes with a tendency to partake in strange dancing and generally behave as if they are from another planet. It is a constant source of mystery where these people go the rest of the time. You may occasionally see them in the organic grocers but never in the co-op or anywhere else normal. Where do they hide?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Forty days more?
Today is St. Swithin's day, and they say that if it rains today, it will rain for the next forty days and forty nights. And guess what? Yep, it rained. Even the weatherman this morning seemed to believe this folk adage. Oh dear!
Apparently, the following rhyme has been known since Elizabethan times:
'St Swithin’s Day, if it does rainFull forty days, it will remainSt Swithin’s Day, if it be fairFor forty days, t'will rain no more.'
I must admit to never having heard this before, so thanks to Woodlands Junior School, Kent for their informative website. I have found that lots of schools have informative websites, which I think is brilliant.
Anyway, I went on about the crappy British summer last time, so maybe I should change the record. Actually, yesterday was quite nice – there was even some sun, and there were at least 2 days last week when it didn't rain, although it wasn't what you'd call warm.
Last night we went to the pub for the first time since the smoking ban and it was quite odd.
Predictably, lots of people were outside smoking but as the night wore on it got a bit chilly for al fresco drinking so there was lots of coming and going... and some impromptu entertainment from a couple of women doing dirty dancing. Very funny!
Apparently, the following rhyme has been known since Elizabethan times:
'St Swithin’s Day, if it does rainFull forty days, it will remainSt Swithin’s Day, if it be fairFor forty days, t'will rain no more.'
I must admit to never having heard this before, so thanks to Woodlands Junior School, Kent for their informative website. I have found that lots of schools have informative websites, which I think is brilliant.
Anyway, I went on about the crappy British summer last time, so maybe I should change the record. Actually, yesterday was quite nice – there was even some sun, and there were at least 2 days last week when it didn't rain, although it wasn't what you'd call warm.
Last night we went to the pub for the first time since the smoking ban and it was quite odd.
Predictably, lots of people were outside smoking but as the night wore on it got a bit chilly for al fresco drinking so there was lots of coming and going... and some impromptu entertainment from a couple of women doing dirty dancing. Very funny!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Summer of Mud
Despite the fact that I read in the paper yesterday that it is too early to write off the British summer, I am becoming increasingly resigned to the fact that it is going to be a complete wash-out. After a fabulous April, May was mixed, but June and the beginning of July have been horrendous. While we were experiencing unseasonal weather conditions in Northern Ireland at the end of June, much of England was experiencing some of the worst flooding in years and Glastonbury was a predictable mud-bath.
An item on the Countryfile programme this morning highlighted the environmental impact of festivals (of which there are about 400 this summer) including the amount of rubbish and leftover belongings scattering the Glastonbury site. This included 10,000 tents, and not all of them of the cheap pop-up variety. I was astounded at the waste! Furthermore, I (along with those who leave their tents behind I guess) assumed these would be recycled, but many end up as landfill. I suppose there are just too many of them. People should be ashamed of themselves!
Yesterday we went to an event that was part of Garforth Arts festival called 'Playground Party' We went because there were some good acts on, including Eliza Carthy and the Ratcatchers, Kate Rusby and Courtney Pine (we didn't stay for him). However, it was a small event attended mainly by local people and I was quite surprised at the calibre of musicians they had got to play there. One of the good things about it was that there was hardly any rubbish lying around. Most people seemed to be disposing of it responsibly and a group of young people were also going around collecting waste.
The item on Countryfile raised the issue of whether urban festivals were more environmental, and I have to say that the Garforth event did seem to have less of an environmental impact. Mind you, I had to drive there as the trains stop so bloody early, which was a shame as I do like to use public transport where possible.
If the powers-that-be really are serious about wanting us to 'go green' they should make it easy for us such as having a truly affordable integrated public transport system, collecting ALL our recyclable waste (see my blog 20 May 2007) and stop hectoring us!
Meanwhile, back to the weather. What plans can we make for future festivals and camping trips with all this damn rain? Fields and parks are so waterlogged still that casualties already include the Bradford Mela, the Mytholmroyd Gala, and possibly the Huddersfield carnival. Hardly earth-shattering events I grant you, but the fact that they're not going ahead makes the crappy summer even more dismal. So now we will probably plan an escape to the Med., but so is everyone else so what hope for a cheap bargain? Oh well, I guess if we don't go abroad we can feel smug about the size of our 'carbon footprint (sic).
An item on the Countryfile programme this morning highlighted the environmental impact of festivals (of which there are about 400 this summer) including the amount of rubbish and leftover belongings scattering the Glastonbury site. This included 10,000 tents, and not all of them of the cheap pop-up variety. I was astounded at the waste! Furthermore, I (along with those who leave their tents behind I guess) assumed these would be recycled, but many end up as landfill. I suppose there are just too many of them. People should be ashamed of themselves!
Yesterday we went to an event that was part of Garforth Arts festival called 'Playground Party' We went because there were some good acts on, including Eliza Carthy and the Ratcatchers, Kate Rusby and Courtney Pine (we didn't stay for him). However, it was a small event attended mainly by local people and I was quite surprised at the calibre of musicians they had got to play there. One of the good things about it was that there was hardly any rubbish lying around. Most people seemed to be disposing of it responsibly and a group of young people were also going around collecting waste.
The item on Countryfile raised the issue of whether urban festivals were more environmental, and I have to say that the Garforth event did seem to have less of an environmental impact. Mind you, I had to drive there as the trains stop so bloody early, which was a shame as I do like to use public transport where possible.
If the powers-that-be really are serious about wanting us to 'go green' they should make it easy for us such as having a truly affordable integrated public transport system, collecting ALL our recyclable waste (see my blog 20 May 2007) and stop hectoring us!
Meanwhile, back to the weather. What plans can we make for future festivals and camping trips with all this damn rain? Fields and parks are so waterlogged still that casualties already include the Bradford Mela, the Mytholmroyd Gala, and possibly the Huddersfield carnival. Hardly earth-shattering events I grant you, but the fact that they're not going ahead makes the crappy summer even more dismal. So now we will probably plan an escape to the Med., but so is everyone else so what hope for a cheap bargain? Oh well, I guess if we don't go abroad we can feel smug about the size of our 'carbon footprint (sic).
Monday, July 02, 2007
Notes on a Small Province
We have just returned from a holiday in Northern Ireland, and I think it is no exaggeration to say it was the funniest holiday ever. This was due to a number of factors; firstly, the extreme weather conditions including torrential showers, gale-force winds and night-time temperatures of around 5 degrees Celsius (at the end of June for God's sake!).
Thankfully, our brand new weather-proof tent bought specifically in anticipation of such adverse conditions, withstood the test with flying colours. We even managed to cook dinner most nights. In fact, it became part of the challenge. Even on the last night in camp when we said we would go out to a restaurant if it rained, we changed our minds.
Secondly, the people are quite funny, and I don't mean this in a horrid way but in the new era of the re-convened assembly where politicians from all sides seem to at last be talking and getting on, we got the distinct impression that there might be tolerance, but in many cases that's as much as we can hope for and we should be thankful they can even manage that. Many towns literally wear their colours on their sleeve, and you can tell as soon as you drive in whether it is inhabited by people of English, Scottish or Irish descent, or it is mixed.
Unusually for us, we avoided most public houses as they looked uninviting to say the least. Many had blacked-out windows so you couldn't check it out before entering the door, and you would have had to squeeze past one or more dodgy-looking fellas loitering around the entrance smoking, it already being illegal to smoke inside public premises in Northern Ireland (joined by England yesterday so we got an early glimpse of things to come...). So what's funny here, you say? Well, in the mornings, Radio Ulster has a 'phone in and whatever the topic, it turns into a slanging match between the two sides. The best one was arguing about car parking in the hospital and a woman shouting at the representative of the parking company whose head office happens to be in London 'It's because we're Irish. You hate us 'cos we're Irish!' On another occasion, over an argument concerning taxi pick-up rules, one vociferous caller instructed a man on the other side of the divide to 'fuck off and go fuck yerself!' Charming! You can certainly see how this kind of attitude boils over into violence.
Indeed, there were a few reports of rather nasty murder cases in the papers and on the radio while we were there. In one case, a woman accused her sister who had killed her own husband of being 'an afterbirth .... my ma chucked away the wrong bit'. In another case, the victim feigned death and overheard his attacker asking a mate to go and fetch a saw so he could cut up the body to dispose of it! Jeez!
Another funny aspect for us was how little money we spent, and not for want of trying. It is the only UK holiday where I've spent below-budget. Obviously, not going to pubs much helped, but also lunches when we were out during the day were really cheap cafe affairs, usually involving chips or champ (mashed potatoes with scallions/spring onions in case you were wondering). And hardly anything to buy, although we did get some cheap nice clothes – just as well as the summer clothes we brought were completely useless and we ran out of warm pants and fleeces!
Anyway, we had a really good time in spite of/because of these idiosyncrasies, and I learned a lot about the place and the roots of the troubles etc. (Derry is a fascinating place to visit to get historical perspective). It will be interesting to see if the new era of peace lasts (I really hope so) and if the expected increase in tourism will change the place and there will be gourmet restaurants outside of Belfast (which is fab by the way; may write more about that later!)
Thankfully, our brand new weather-proof tent bought specifically in anticipation of such adverse conditions, withstood the test with flying colours. We even managed to cook dinner most nights. In fact, it became part of the challenge. Even on the last night in camp when we said we would go out to a restaurant if it rained, we changed our minds.
Secondly, the people are quite funny, and I don't mean this in a horrid way but in the new era of the re-convened assembly where politicians from all sides seem to at last be talking and getting on, we got the distinct impression that there might be tolerance, but in many cases that's as much as we can hope for and we should be thankful they can even manage that. Many towns literally wear their colours on their sleeve, and you can tell as soon as you drive in whether it is inhabited by people of English, Scottish or Irish descent, or it is mixed.
Unusually for us, we avoided most public houses as they looked uninviting to say the least. Many had blacked-out windows so you couldn't check it out before entering the door, and you would have had to squeeze past one or more dodgy-looking fellas loitering around the entrance smoking, it already being illegal to smoke inside public premises in Northern Ireland (joined by England yesterday so we got an early glimpse of things to come...). So what's funny here, you say? Well, in the mornings, Radio Ulster has a 'phone in and whatever the topic, it turns into a slanging match between the two sides. The best one was arguing about car parking in the hospital and a woman shouting at the representative of the parking company whose head office happens to be in London 'It's because we're Irish. You hate us 'cos we're Irish!' On another occasion, over an argument concerning taxi pick-up rules, one vociferous caller instructed a man on the other side of the divide to 'fuck off and go fuck yerself!' Charming! You can certainly see how this kind of attitude boils over into violence.
Indeed, there were a few reports of rather nasty murder cases in the papers and on the radio while we were there. In one case, a woman accused her sister who had killed her own husband of being 'an afterbirth .... my ma chucked away the wrong bit'. In another case, the victim feigned death and overheard his attacker asking a mate to go and fetch a saw so he could cut up the body to dispose of it! Jeez!
Another funny aspect for us was how little money we spent, and not for want of trying. It is the only UK holiday where I've spent below-budget. Obviously, not going to pubs much helped, but also lunches when we were out during the day were really cheap cafe affairs, usually involving chips or champ (mashed potatoes with scallions/spring onions in case you were wondering). And hardly anything to buy, although we did get some cheap nice clothes – just as well as the summer clothes we brought were completely useless and we ran out of warm pants and fleeces!
Anyway, we had a really good time in spite of/because of these idiosyncrasies, and I learned a lot about the place and the roots of the troubles etc. (Derry is a fascinating place to visit to get historical perspective). It will be interesting to see if the new era of peace lasts (I really hope so) and if the expected increase in tourism will change the place and there will be gourmet restaurants outside of Belfast (which is fab by the way; may write more about that later!)
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