It is that time of year again. When people migrate from lands further than the eye can see, to two specific locations in England, where huge amounts of cash will be spent in the hope that that person can find a part of themselves that they are happy with; where thousands of people will come to see a handful of groups of people on stages in the hope their collective wisdom will improve our lives for the better. It is of course the Leeds and Reading Festival.
This is one festival I did not think I would be attending due to the fact that I thought they had sold all of their tickets for this year. However, a young man called Christopher Fletcher made it known to me that a record shop called 'Crash Records' had a few more tickets within their possession. With one quick phone call I was able to phone up the record shop and book myself a weekend ticket. I was particularly happy about going to this Leeds Festival for numerous reasons. One reason would be it is awesome. Second reason for my delight would be the fact this is the first time I have actually paid for my own ticket, so I felt a sense of pride. Lastly, a band that goes by the name of Libertines would be playing on the first night. So it can be understood by many people why I was excited.
First things first, in order to stay the whole weekend we would need a tent. Unfortunately, father David had lost my brother Christopher's, tent. To solve this problem sister-in-law Clare was able to obtain a tent from a work colleague who particularly enjoyed camping. So one problem was solved.
At the Leeds Festival it is wise that Chris and I get the tent pitched as close to the Festival Arena as possible, to reduce journey times from the camp site to the Arena. Chris came up with a clever plan of travelling to the campsites at 2am on Wednesday evening in order to avoid a large crowd of people at the entrance. I agreed to come along in order to help Chris. This plan should have worked very effectively enabling us to get the tent pitched quickly. Unfortunately, a couple hundred more people had exactly the same idea. I had to wait a couple of hours in a line whilst holding most of our possessions for that weekend at the same time. So people can understand with the line taking hours to move along that I was beginning to hurt. It was light by the time we had pitched the tent and returned home. Gladly, I had nothing of great importance to do on Thursday, so I took the opportunity and slept all of that day.
Finally, Friday had arrived and the reckless drinking could begin. The first few hours were given to drinking, talking and the eating of junk food. Early in the day there were no performances I particularly wanted to see due to the fact the bigger performances were on in the evening. However, Chris, Clare and Anyka and I went to see a comedian by the name of Kevin Bridges. It was an enjoyable experience and the only thing during the day that I actually wanted to see.
The day went by and I saw many performances like 'The Cribs', which I did enjoy. Unfortunately, the sound quality was not the best and some of the songs I was hoping to hear were not performed, so there was some disappointment but it was generally a good performance.
The time came when the Libertines would be performing. I was very much looking forward to this due to the fact the Libertines are one of my favourite bands and because they have been split up for so long, it is a great occasion to see them playing together again. The performance lived up to expectations. They played all the songs that people have loved these many years and they gave their fans what they wanted, which is why they were so impressive on that night. The only concern was Peter Doherty walked off the stage after three songs, which made me concerned with Peter Doherty being the drug addict we all know, would he be able to continue. Fortunately, he came back on stage after a few minutes and gave a great performance. It was a good night. I felt pity for the band after the Libertines , Arcade Fire, due to the fact that the majority of the crowd left after the Libertines finished so it seemed a bit embarrassing for them. I feel this was an error of the organisers in that they did not make the Libertines the headliners on Friday night.
The weekend continued with excessive drinking and the consumption of junk food. I saw many good acts such as Weezer or Mumford and Son, but I was disappointed that all the performances I wanted to see occurred on Friday night. The rest of the weekend I went to see performances that Clare and Anyka wanted to see, with me having no specific band I wanted to see it was an opportunity to listen to some new bands and comedians. I must admit there were some good performances and I might listen to them later on.
The weekend came to an end and I must admit I was glad. It was not that the festival wasn't good, it was the fact that I had been sleeping rough for three days(although I must admit I did enjoy sleeping in a tent) and the toilets provided were appalling and not fit for purpose. So it was only the little things that I missed at this Festival. I left with Chris, Clare and Anyka early on Sunday evening to avoid traffic and we came home and enjoyed a good stew that was made by mum/dad, I forgot to ask.
To summarise this weekend in one word I would say it was wicked. lol. I hope u lot enjoyed this blog and Ste if you're reading this, you're adopted(joke). No in all seriousness I hope you had a good time in Borneo and I hope you will enjoy Australia. It's a jungle out there! Crikey! Cya l8r.
