Sunday, March 26, 2006

Festive

The sun shone for half an hour yesterday morning, momentarily lifting London's ambient temperature above minus seven, and turning my fancy lightly to thoughts of summer music festivals.

I've sworn never to go to Glastonbury* again, following that unfortunate incident in 2000, and I'm far too old now for all that V and T in the Park-type nonsense. And since All Tomorrow's Parties is already sold out, there's no choice but to look further afield.

So it was with a glad heart and a hasty fumbling for my battered Egg card that I noticed the line-up for what could be the Greatest Festival Ever. The crème de la crème of the US indie-rock and freak-folk (don't look at me, I don't make these up) "scene" united in one place for two whole glorious days. So what if that place is thousands of miles away? It's only $30 a ticket! With the current dollar-sterling exchange rate, that's practically free! Yes, there's the small matter of transatlantic flights and hotel accommodation, but still - bargain!

Hmm, and I wonder why I'm always so broke.

But then, it's not like I'm also planning to fly to Helsinki in August for the Koneisto Festival of Electronic Music, is it? It is? Oh.

Well, I could always save money by not going to the Bestival on the Isle of Wight in September. What's that? I *am* planning to attend that one too? Ah.

Still, hac via semel, as they say. Party on!


* Tabby Rabbit has pointed out that Glastonbury isn't actually on this year, so I couldn't go even if I wanted to. Which is probably just as well.


tags: | | |

18 comments:

Taiga the Fox said...

Fab Fab, Koneisto rules!

(= Of course you'll fly here.)

Dave said...

Enjoy life while you're young.

Othewise one day you'll wake up old and miserable, like me.

patroclus said...

Taiga: Oh, I fully intend to, just as soon as they announce the dates...

Dave: Hmm, according to our blog profiles, we're the same age. I am indeed enjoying life, though. Living on borrowed time and all that.

Anonymous said...

Devendra Banhart seems to be playing at all the festivals you've linked to.

Does he play for free, anywhere? I expect to see him in the line up for Monsters Of Rock (if that's still going) and the Caister Soul Weekender, then.

patroclus said...

He does seem to get about, doesn't he? What's more, "they" invented the whole freak-folk genre just for him - which raises important questions about genre theory that I'm...not really willing to start thinking about now.

Tim F said...

Have you seen this? http://getrichslow.blogspot.com/

LC seems to have flown the blognest. Can you have a word with the silly sausage and get him back with the programme?

Taiga the Fox said...

I also tried to find if they'd announced the dates, but all I found was a Koneisto Girls hoodie, which was rather amusing. (Or not.)

patroclus said...

Tim: I have seen it and I'm sure (or at least I hope) LC will be back before long.

Taiga: Perfect for wearing to said festival! I've found that "koneisto" means "machine", which bring my Finnish vocabulary all the way up to three words!

Anonymous said...

Davendra - he's all over San Francisco but I manage to avoid him. I collided with the new folk thing by accident at Cafe du Nord - a girl/woman singing about dragons and her brother; so annoying I would have thrown my wellington boot at her if I'd been wearing one, or two.
And Betty - the Caister soul weekender is still going?!

Dave said...

Re my earlier comment:

1. Don't believe everything you read.
2. My blog-post of the 17th December 2005 explains something of my inner self on the matter of age...
3. ...Although that of the 16th December may seem to suggest that the external evidence is at variance.
4. Men mature well, don't they?
10. In my mind, you and I are exactly the same age, you're right.

patroclus said...

Interpreter P: is the reference to Heller just serendipitous, or has someone at long last spotted one of my cunningly-disguised Catch-22 quotes?

Well actually, it's always the same quote. I only know one. And even then I had to look it up to be sure.

Dave said...

'O heller Tag'

Some kind of Viking ceremony, perfomed in remote areas of Scotland? Probably using Pictish symbols.

(Like Shetland's Up-Helly-Aa.)

patroclus said...

The Vikings would never have used Pictish symbols. They had their own runes, which had the added advantage of actually making sense.

Dave said...

They may, of course, have used Pictish symbols which made no sense to anyone if they were trying to claim they were insane, and thus be let off any more missions raping and pillaging.

Being insane, was however, a requirement in a berserker, and thus...

Tabby Rabbit said...

>>which had the added advantage of actually making sense>> you mean they came up with something a tad more reliable than some enigmatic/random letters on worn-away lumps of stone?

GreatSheElephant said...

your friendly neighbourhood would be berserker pops in to ask Dave why on earth anyone would want to be let off raping and pillaging duty?

Dave said...

Have you not seen the film Eric the Viking?

A sensitive Viking might prefer flower arranging. Or he might have a headache.

patroclus said...

What I don't get about the Vikings is that they insisted on doing everything outside. That's fine if you live in the Caribbean, but Norway? Brrrr.