SECRET FALAFEL HEAVEN

AFTER having spent the best part of a week [literally and metaphorically] in a field somewhere in the Cambridgeshire area, suffice to say that a fair few things were learnt [and lost] at the not-so-secret Secret Garden Party.

ONE] I'm ageing before my time/everyone else has been told something I haven't.
           What I mean by this is that I was exceptionally surprised at how dark the atmosphere was in comparison to last
           year's frivolities.  Rather than papiermaché penguins and walking ice cream beings, the fields were littered with
           canesters and people lying on the walkways, not moving or breathing.  Far from an exaggeration [and there are
           plenty of witnesses, albeit ones dressed as snow-white-dwarf-nuns], this was a reality, one which seemed to
           be worse than at any other festival myself or my friends had been to, which can only mean one of three things:
                               a] I'm turning into a full-blown stubborn old lady, complete with grey hair and a love for herbal tea. [fact
                                   and fact]
                               b] Everyone apart from me has been told that the world's going to end at the end of this week, so
                                   "numbness" and "stupor" should become our two new favourite words.
                               c] People are actually insane. [Looking around me at SGP I am inclined to sway towards this one]
           I may be wrong here, but i've always believed that the fun has 1oo% stopped once the person has stopped
           moving and breathing.  NOTE: This is merely an observation and not a dig at anyone who spent the entire
           weekend blissfully unconscious.

Here's a relatively sane-looking man supporting my band H E A R T S in the crowd for Blondie.

Here are the bones of a dinosaur in the crowd for Blondie.

TWO] I love falafel.
           I mean, a lot. Whilst this might not come as a mind-blowing revelation, I have to say that this statement manifested
           itself in the form of an addiction at SGP. It wouldn't be a lie to say that I spent a lot of my time on the right-hand
           side of the foody field, thinking about the right hand side of the foody field, and walking to the right hand-side of
           the foody field [where the temple of Falafel was]. This would only have been OK if:
                            a] I hadn't paid nearly £2oo to go to a music festival, to see bands and things,  and
                            b] It's normal to eat the same thing for four days nearly twice a day.
           Ask me anything about this festival and i'll be able to tell you that the Falafel was good.

See that boy on the left? This is literally what my face looked like every day.

THREE] SLOW CLUB are really rather good.  Being one of the four bands that I saw last weekend [a pitiful attempt at
               broadening my musical horizons] they really managed to sweep me into the festival mood [whatever that
               really is] and kept my attention and intrigue for the entire set.  Great use of male/female vocal harmonies
               [my pet love band-wise at the moment] and a girl drummer at the front of the stage who could actually play the
               drums whilst singing  incredibly well, not the standard obligatory, pointless girl-at-the-front with the meg-white
              esque snare.  One last surprising thing about this band is the fact that they sound noticeably better live as
              opposed to recorded, and by that I mean less twee, with the vocals really standing out powerfully.  I'd
              reccommend cathing them live if you have the opportunity, so I've sought out their forthcoming dates which you
              can find HERE .

Narcolepsy at its most musical.

So there we are.
Another week, another band, another thing learnt and some wellies lost.
Smashing.
x

SWEET CAMPS OF FIRE!

WELL, it's almost been a very long time since I last learnt something of interest, but I've finally been enlightened yet again, giving me  just about enough information to squeeze out a delightful pocket-sized post.
Without further ado I present to you the latest things I have learnt.

ONE] I haven't lost my sense of sniffing out new bands JUST yet.
           I've recently stumbled across a few bands [albeit with the help of SUP MAGAZINE'S BLOG ] which i feel have hit
           the proverbial summery spot right on the nose. These bands are:
                        a] Sweet Bulbs : From Brooklyn, this four-sometimes-five piece band sound a bit like Best Coast on a
                            particularly hazy Summer's day if they'd swallowed a distortion pedal in a semi-dream state.  Favourite
                            track at the moment is Fell In a Cave, a song that makes me want to don a fringed jacket, some
                            feathers and laze around at...oh..I don't know...COACHELLA.  [rather annoyingly the tickets do not
                           go on re-sale 'til January, stopping us from booking flights/accommodation til then which leaves it very
                           fine/increases the price by about a million pounds.  If anyone can help find a solution, please get in
                           contact.  There's a souvenir in it for you. Similarly if you want to go aswell, get in touch!]

I can't stop looking at the black square on the wall. Slightly distracting.

                       b] Summer Camp : Whilst not being a particularly new musical discovery, this band are definitely one to
                           get stuck into this summer.  Having played early on at Wireless Festival a few weeks back before
                           bands such as Metronomy and the mighty Pulp, this rather good looking duo are simultaneously cool
                           as cucumbers that have been in the fridge for a few days, and have clearly thought about ways to keep
                           their songs interesting, namely with defining tempo changes and plucked up vocal harmonies.
                          Favourite tracks at the moment are most definitely Round the Moon displaying the best of their features
                         with added shoulder pads, and I Want You which suddenly turns into an Ibiza banger half way through.

I looked at three pictures of this band and in every single one the guy is touching his ear. No joke.

TWO] Time maximisation is Key.

           Next time you want to stop wasting time, try doing two things at once:

                   a] Nutrition: eating bonbons and typing up reports.  It is not OK to do this if you

                                      don't have any concept of "That's far too much now.", or

                                      value the word 'concentration'.

                   b] Meetings: bringing someone you need/want to see on an (un)necessary train journey with you,

                   c] Education: watching Hollyokes whilst doing everything else.

Just in case you were wandering, contacts with writing on is not cool. Unlike Hollyoaks, which is coolest.

Secret Garden Party begins next Thursday, so look out for a multitude of things I have learnt (and probably left behind) in a field in Huntingdon.

Have a Wonderful Day.