Hello, I appear to be properly ill - pukey, achy bones, coughing, sneezing, sore throat-flavoured ill. It's either a very bad cold, the start of flu, or the results of a fun overdose at ATP. I spent most of Monday asleep and incapable of movement, and yesterday wasn't much better. Today I was able to get to the Turkish supermarket for some food staples, and now I feel like I've gone ten rounds with mighty Thor. Weak, in a very real sense!
Friday: The whole chalet sans Andrew piles into the Passion Wagon, and I have to say that driving to the site is PURE LUXURY, esp with Jo's wicked pop mix to sing along to. We check in with ease - hooray, no queuing! I go see
Giant Sand, who are a band of an ever-changing lineup that sang some growly alt-country songs with some wicked hoedown riffs and stompy great tunes which was a good intro to the weekend. This was followed by
Throwing Muses, who were very good and made only better by seeing the squeeful expressions on Rick and KT's faces.
Marna and Pete made delicious curry and then I had a slight moment where I was afraid of PEOPLE argh omg, so went back to my chalet where there was karaoke, which worked to cheer me up. I had another minor argh moment where I felt like I was boring and had nothing to say, but then I had a lovely chat with Melissa and Miriam and went back to their chalet for some herbal medication. Despite feeling like The Socially Awkward Penguin, I relaxed and it was all good and that was the only social !angst! moment, and it was really hardly anything so RESULT.
Mel and Sara and Tim went into the sea because they are mentalists. I watched a bit of an old film and then had some sleeps.
Saturday: FLUMES FLUMES FLUMES! OH MY LORD they were fun and the best way to set up a day of Pure Fun. The Space Bowl goes all drain-swirly and chucks you in a pool at the end, the Black Hole is terrifyingly dark, the Blue Comet hmm was kinda slow and lame and the one with the raft was quite fun too. Sara and I talk to some random Welsh dudes. Our boobs look awesome in our swimming costumes, result! We have a lazy swim and then I really enjoy my banana, yoghurt and coffee!
I finally got to see 'The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly' and am disturbed by how hott Clint Eastwood is as Blondie (Tim agrees with me though, so at least I'm not alone!)
Th' Faith Healers are deliciously loud and fuzzy and tasty, and the last 15 minutes make me feel kind of stoned and drunk and sleepy and tired all at once.
Wire wake me up lots and temporarily restore Kat's faith in musics with guitars. A restorative cup of tea and some delicious Marna / Pete cooked chilli sets me up for
The Breeders on the laaast splaaash, and I bounce around like a silly person, then - proving my utter lack of indie cred - fuck off after Cannonball to play DDR and air hockey with Kat. More indie shows should have this option.
Singstar back at the chalet and then staying up till late o'clock listening to my iPod whilst my chalet mates snoozed, and playing Bejeweled. Melissa phones and tries to get me to come to the sea / indie disco, but I am feeling kind of achy and am old. I do kind of wish I had gone to at least ONE indie disco, but meh. I also missed a few bands I would have liked to see but what can you do?
Sunday: I wanted to go to the flumes again, but felt waaay too achy. Spent the morning lounging around in house trousers listening to the rain and Tim and Sara playing wrestling on the Xbox, drinking coffee and feeling smug about not being in a tent. Sara and I bullied Tim into making us cheesy beans on toast. I then had a shower, just like the other days. LUXURY I tell you - hooray for civilised festivals! It brightened up enough to walk to the town / seaside (ooh I should download my photos, yes) and then back for bowling, which I was RUBBISH at, but who cares? I love bowling. I also did not come last, which is all I ever really want from bowling :D The only band I saw today was
Melt-Banana, bonkers Japanese noise who were great fun and I DID want to get up and move around but oh, the achey bones (notice a theme?) Ewan cooked some brilliant tasty nachos and then I finally saw Anvil: The Story of Anvil which I cannot recommend enough. There was some gentle karaoke and then sleeps.
Monday: I made cheese on toast and veggie sausages and coffee for sleepy people and we left ahead of schedule. There was more lovely musics on the way back, and being dropped off outside my house was fucking fantastic. Sorry Mother Nature - you'll have to take another one on the chin there. Lovely tasty sleeps for most of the day.
Also at various points: making friends with Steve the goose / having very sappy vegetarian moments, hugs from drunk people, pinpointing my Type to the slightly shopworn, gently ageing indie boy, having my fringe genre defined for me, walking in a sea of converse, playing UNO, having 'It's Tricky' in my head after Jo and Rick's rap battle, and meeting new lovely people.
ATP = tick vg, would do again and have every intention of doing so!
