Wychwood Highlights

[i_kender]

Ah, festivals. Aren’t they great?

This was only my second one, and already I feel like a pro. (buddleia will probably beat me around the head if I mention Glastonbury one more time, but it’s gotta be said… I survived Glastonbury in 2004: I can handle anything) Yes, there are things to grumble about… cold nights, crowded tents, sleeping bags that fail in the night and expire, getting sun-frazzled for two days solid until your brains poach, the queues at the bar, the awful people braying in the queue right in front of you… but there are really great things to be said for festivals too. The music. Seeing new bands who you’ve never heard of (some of whom are great, and some who drive you to drink. Which is luckily just ten feet away). Beer tents. Cold pints of cider on a hot summer’s day. Children enjoying themselves. Children dancing like maniac uncles. Children hitting themselves accidentally on the head with poi. Chai. Hippies. Gorgeous people in not many clothes. Some highlights: 

Billy Bragg was awesome. I knew nothing about him before the gig, and had to keep pestering buddleia for info. “New England” is still stuck in my head.

Martha Wainwright was probably my favourite. Damn, she got soul! Really impressed by her voice, her attitude, and the songs. Even as I watched her slowly crisp in the sun. But what’s with the hyperactive leg? Does she suffer from pins and needles?

The Feeling- won me over. I went from “anodyne pop band” to “truly infectious pop enthusiasm”. Came complete with jumping around and running to the front of the stage to pose with their guitars.

Mundo Jazz- crazed “Latin American” comedian. Clearly grew up watching too many Cheech and Chong videos. Most assuredly has a very boring day job. Banker?

The Handsome Family- twisted dark horror meets Country. Like Nick Cave if he married into the Partridge Family. (I’m just making stuff up now. Can you tell?) Anyway, buddleia is a sick puppy for laughing at their morbid jokes.

The Tiny Tea Tent and their chai. buddleia now has an addiction problem. Does anyone know a support group that can help?

One evening these two little girls ran up to us. The must have been about ten, and both were wearing carnival asks and holding plastic pint glasses.

Girl 1: Hey! Do you want to see a great trick? If you give me 5p I’ll show you how Martians say hello.

Girl 2: And for just 5p I’ll dance like an Egyptian.

So buddleia gave them some money, and Girl 1 rattled off some Martian gibberish, before going on to explain how one would reply in Martian. Then Girl 2 danced around us in a circle, with hands held aloft a la early 80s Egyptian dance move, following this with some Pulp Fiction style fingers across the eyes. As we collapsed in hysterics, Girl 1 explained to us how Martians say goodbye.

Girl 1: Bllbllah! (Both run off)

Me: Bllbllah! *waves*

Buddleia (sotto voce): You just know they’re going to end up working in Marketing.

Me (still waving): Or Media (pronounced MEE-dja).

 

And now, I am ever so slightly ill with sinus trouble, and ridiculously tanned. And my mother has just appeared for a visit for a week, which instantly has me craving cold bottles of white wine, and ham sandwiches.

Comments

[murraynz.livejournal.com]

I'm not being dirty! I'm saying that anyone at a festival that claims to speak another planet's language (except maybe Klingon), is obviously on trips. I don't care if they're 10. They're starting early these days.