Hard Rock Hell III

Oh My God! What an AWESOME weekend!

Goth, Rock, Metal and Chips with Curry Sauce! OK, the curry sauce wasn't great but the rest was amazing!

After seeing the Fabulous Eddie Izzard at the O2 in Greenwich on Thursday night, Keith and I got back to South Woodham at about 1am to do last minute packing and hair-dying and stuff. We finally crashed out at 3am, only to be rudely awoken by many, many alarms at 7am!

One large mug of proper coffee later, we headed off to sunny Southend to pick up Dan and Laura, who were equally excited about the prospect of a weekend of rock and metal mayhem.

We decided to avoid getting fleeced by service stations en route and opted for a huge breakfast in a builder's cafe, which judging by the looks on people's faces, had never served a bunch of goths... ever! Then we were on our way, ably assisted by Dan's SatNav which bleeped at me every time I went over the speed limit. There was probably too much bleeping really, truth be told.

The journey was long and rainy. I was already knackered from sod-all sleep. Thankfully Dan took over driving just after we passed Birmingham and I nodded off in the back seat for a bit until we reached Wales.

After some driving about in darkness, hilly roads and LOTS of rain, we finally found Pontins in Prestatyn, home to Hard Rock Hell! After a mad dash to the chalet to dump luggage and change into something suitably outrageous, we headed straight for the stages for the night.

Joy of joys - everything in walking distance - I don't have to drive - Rum here I come!!! Wahay!

Dan and Laura



Me and Keith



First up, Korpiklaani. Finnish folk metal band. They were amazing, energetic and a great boost considering most of us were running on energy drinks at that point!


See all the Korpiklaani pics here!

Next up Dutch band Delain. Singer had a great voice and Laura and I really liked her jacket... and that fact that she wasn't too girly to do a bit of headbanging!


See all the Delain pics here!

Then on to Swedish metal band Hysterica. Definitely the biggest disappointment of the event! Despite the carefully contrived "metal" appearance they were definitely the Metal Spice Girls manufactured band. They weren't up to much really so we only stayed for two tracks.


See all the Hysterica pics here!

After that disappointment we headed off to a different stage to see Ratt, an original 80's hair metal band (yeah - I cribbed that off Keith - I had no idea!). I didn't know any of their stuff at all but loud energetic and rocky was good and I really enjoyed their set.


See all the Ratt pics here!

Stomachs growling, we headed off in search of food to find the only option was Captain Cod and he was definitely wanting to shut shop! Sadly we were in the door before he did and three out of four of us had chips with curry sauce. Three out of four of us also regretted the curry sauce almost instantly! Not only was it vile, it also had sweetcorn in it, much to Keith's very vocal disgust! Laura was the only sensible one who refrained!

After that we headed back to the other stage which had thankfully been vacated by the awful girl band and was now host to Eden's Curse, a band we hadn't particularly planned into our hectic schedule but as it happens we were glad we got to see. The guitarist was brilliant and fascinating to watch play!


See all the Eden's Curse pics here!

At this point we were all flagging (and suffering the effects of curry sauce) but most of us wanted to see the last band of the evening, Sonata Arctica, and there was still almost an hour to go before they came on! Dan caved first and headed off to the shop to get milk for the morning before going back to the chalet. Keith, Laura and I decided to stick it out. Well, in a manner of speaking. Keith went off to watch Winterborn while Laura and I grabbed a table on the sidelines and I actually did fall asleep in my chair for their entire set!

Keith came back and woke us up before leading us to the neighbouring stage the long way round, which took us outside into the cold and rain. OK, yes, we definitely woke up!

Sonata Arctica were worth staying up for! I'd only heard some of their stuff for the first time in the car on the way up and I have to say they sounded much better live. Despite my extreme sleepiness, I thoroughly enjoyed their set.


See all the Sonata Arctica pics here!

Shuffled back to the chalet, did battle with the sofa bed and collapsed in a heap. Ahhhh sleep!

Lunch at The O2

Slight change of routine today. Not that we have a routine but today was very differnt from usual. I got to Keith's last night (battled through bloody awful traffic too but that's a whole other story!) to be told that his Dad had called and arranged for us all to meet up at the O2 in Greenwich for lunch this afternoon.

So it was an early start, left the house by 10:30 to get back to Greenwich for midday.

Got there a bit early so had a mooch in the O2 shop and bought a SIM for my old phone which Aaron no longer needs since we bought him an upgrade for his birthday. Gemima is now the proud owner of her first mobile phone and she is delighted!

Met up with Keith's Dad and his wife Stephanie. After a mini debate we settled on Frankie & Benny's and parked ourselves there for a couple of hours! It was lovely to see them both again, its been a very long time! Stephanie was looking well, positively glowing actually! Gemima was quite taken with her - actually, particularly with her charm bracelet. I sense a request for a christmas present coming my way!

After a lot of food and a good long natter, we said our goodbyes and headed back to my house to get everyone's Warhammer stuff in preparation for battle tomorrow, then it was back to SWF for ice hockey webcast and chilling on the sofa!

DragonForce!

Took Aaron to his first proper gig this evening. Me, Keith, Aaron, Sam and Sam's friend Connor piled into the car and headed off to the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend to see Dragonforce; one of his most favourite bands!

Aaron had brilliant time. We were 2nd from front for the whole gig - which included three support bands - one of which (Sabaton) I will definitely go and see again!

Pics on Keith's blog as I didn't have my camera!

Rock of Ages Festival

Well... it wasn't really a festival as you'd normally imagine a festival to be. To me, a festival is something brightly coloured, sunny, outdoors, daytime and crowded. This was quite possibly the exact opposite.

After picking Aaron up on my way home from work and meeting Keith in Nandos for dinner at the O2 (again!) the three of us trekked off to Canning Town in search of this Rock festival.

We've been to the nicer parts of Canning Town. Its got a nice modern tube station on the Jubilee Line. It's one stop from Greenwich. It boasts a massive exhibition centre, The Excel.

But head off in the wrong direction and you find yourself in dimly lit industrial areas on the Thames, with junk yards, a variety of stenches and roads full of pot holes, which don't deter the buses from speeding through at a rate of knots anxious to be far from there. It was this side of Canning Town that the three of us found ourselves wandering through looking for the elusive Bridgehouse 2 venue.

It was so well hidden we took a couple of trips around the block and were on the verge of giving up and going home before we noticed a tiny sign tucked away announcing that the upstairs of a small building was to play host to this event. We were cold, somewhat uncomfortable being out on the streets and tired of wandering about, so we headed off up to the top floor.

What we found was free tickets for the rest of the weekend because the band we had come to see (SPiT LiKE THiS) had pulled out, a crowd of abut 30-odd people, mostly band members and small bar.

The festival had more of a local pub feel to it, which actually was quite nice. We perched ourselves on some bar stools and settled in to be entertained. We had time to see three bands before having to succumb to "last train" mania and rush back to the Station. There are reviews and pics on Keith's blog.

First up were Trashtown Thrillers, who were a fun, earthy, energetic band to get things going with.


I liked all the bands we saw but my favourite of the evening had to be Cato Street Conspiracy, who were up second. They took forever to set up (which Keith and I got a little grumpy about) but were definitely worth the wait.


Couldn't help but think their lead guitarist was a relative of Rimmer (Red Dwarf).



Last but not least were Kitty Hudson, musically good, visually odd! You could be forgiven for seeing on Bass guitar, The Kurgan (Highlander), lead vocals a short, young Paul Weller, drums, The Big Show and Guitar, Neville Longbottom of Harry Potter fame.



It was a fun night even if the venue was in a dodgy area. Not convinced we'll use the free tickets for the rest of the weekend, especially as we are heading off to see Dragonforce in Southend tomorrow night.

Tooth Fairy!

Gemima started the morning off grumbling about her wobbly tooth. She continued to grumble about it throughout breakfast, then halfway through her bowl of soggy Oatibix, she raced up to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

She came back down, pleased as punch, tooth in hand and gap in mouth, announcing that last time a tooth had come out at her Dad's, the tooth fairy left her £5!

Sadly the tooth fairy who visits here has less resources so she's only getting £1!

Busy, busy, busy... and nice dinner surprise!

Feeling a bit more human today. Talked with Keith and Aaron and went to bed feeling less crappy and upset last night.

Today was insanely busy. My supervisor and her line manager were both out on a course in the morning, so I was pretty much left to my own devices. It was a good learning experience - lots happening on my cases and I think I dealt with them pretty well.

Got a message from Keith during the day saying he had changed his mind and was now going to the Cryogenica gig in Islington, so we arranged to have a very quick dinner at the O2 in Greenwich.

Rushed off after work to pick Gemima up from after-school club before heading off to meet Keith in Nandos, where dinner was on the table waiting for us! We got to chat and eat for about 40 minutes before Keith had to race back to get the tube.

It was a nice surprise. Didn't have to cook AND got to see Keith! Result!

Spot the Common Denominator...

I am feeling a little flat today. Could be tiredness. Could be the early arrival of the decorators, come to give me belly ache and backache.

Most likely its because my son has chosen, yet again, not to come home but to stay at his Nan's.

So, lets work this out...

My eldest daughter doesn't want to live with me.
My son doesnt want to live with me.
My youngest daughter only lives with me part-time.
My boyfriend doesn't want to live with me.

In fact, no-one wants to fucking live with me!!!!

Am I really so bad?