Tuesday: Went down the Tap way too early as I normally do when I'm paranoid I'm going to get there too late for the one band I really want to see. After a while of hanging about by myself I got my wristband to see the bands. Later Geoff, Lindsay and some of her friends came down, they saw me by myself and took pity on me and let me hang out with them for a while.
The Break In: Ran in when I heard them start. Their new, new singer is working out all right, this guy can actually make it through more than a few seconds of screaming without constantly running out of breath, whole songs even. Managed to scream into the mic for Give Them Hell and Against Leviathan. I was a bit disappointed they didn't do any older stuff, I was tempted to call for Standing Strong. It wasn't really worth the ten quid I spent on the ticket, but I haven't seen them in two years, I would have kicked myself for missing them.
The Chariot: Thought I'd give them a chance (despite finding out they have ex-members of Norma Jean, I just don't really get on with Christian Hardcore) and at least try and get my money's worth. They weren't too bad, I even didn't mind some of their songs, but still wouldn't buy their stuff.
Geoff and Lindsay were talking to two separate people and I didn't want to interrupt either (I'm awkward like that), eventually I went up to Geoff and said goodbye then left for chips. Got in a taxi and asked for my road "the last time I took someone there I didn't get paid" "don't worry about that" "I should hope not" he thought I asked him to take me to Seagull Road, I managed to correct him when he started going up Darnley Road, made sure I gave him a pound tip when we got to my house.
Wednesday: Got invited to this lunch Kent County Council put on as a thank you for doing that days work experience with them in Kings Hill, it was a fucking shambles, first off I had to wait nearly an hour for Sue to get there as the other guy who took part was blind and insisted on getting public transport, but missed his train at Dartford. We thought we'd be able to talk to someone about my problem of finding Admin work with Asperger's Syndrome, we spoke to a middle aged woman with an annoying American tang in her accent who set up the work experience and another woman who listened about how many times I've applied to KCC and never gotten an interview, she gave us a card so we could track the next application I do. They had prepared a Vegan lunch for me consisting of cold potato wedges and salad, ate while listening to a lecture on dealing with mental illness in the work place, Sue talked to some people she knew and then we left, parents picked me up and took me home, I changed and then they took me to Rochester station. Went straight from Victoria to HMV in Oxford Street, picked up Seasick Steve's album and James Brown's Funky People Part 2 compilation then went Virgin to get Part 1 because they were selling it a pound cheaper than HMV. Got something to eat at the Vegan Thai/Chinese place off Soho Square then went to the Jazz Caf and got a sarsaparilla (which I thought was only drunk by teetotal cowboys but no, they still make it), tasted like coke without the caffeine and a dash of raspberry. Looked through the Indie comics and graphic novels in Foleys and Borders, Mills was taking a while to get to London so I decided to go in the Crobar as I've always wanted to but no one else wanted to go. Went in, got an apple & mango J20 and had a look on the fabled awesome jukebox I'd heard so much about, it did not disappoint, put on some Eyehategod, Sick Of It All and old Misfits, hung around 'til seven then went outside the venue and waited for it to open. I was hanging out by the Witchcraft merch table when Mills came over, bought the new Witchcraft album on CD then we talked bollocks by the bar until the first band started.
Diagonal: They had a drummer, a bass player, two guitarists, a keyboard player, an organist and a saxophone player. Two word came to mind; Hawk and Wind. They sounded alright, like Dillinger Escape Plan if they focused more on the Jazz breakdowns in their songsbut also a lot like Hawkwind.
Gentleman's Pistols: Shit hot seventies style Rock, the singer/guitarist kept doing all these Marc Bolan style moves, I could totally forgive the fact he was wearing the most effeminate vest, and the bass player wearing bright fucking red flairs. Bought one of their seven inches afterwards.
Witchcraft: Opened with No Angel Or Demon which was marred by technical difficulties but they managed to sort it out towards the end. Played a lot off the new album which I hadn't heard yet, but it was still well enjoyable. One thing that was good about being so close to them was you could hear the drummer count in the songs in Swedish which we couldn't hear when we saw them at the Astoria because of the fucking great big barrier. They ended with Three Sisters They Were Weak, no time for an encore as the venue had reached curfew.
We got to Victoria, went to Marks & Spencer's, got a fruit salad and Clementine juice (I'm irredeemably middle class, I know). Ate with Mills 'til our train got there. Put up with Klaxons fans around us (I knew that Marilyn Manson and Paradise Lost were playing London that day, so I was prepared for teeny Goths and proper Goths but I hadn't anticipated that fresh hell), got off at Rochester and walked home, I'm going to London two more times in the space of next week, I need to save money somehow.
The Break In: Ran in when I heard them start. Their new, new singer is working out all right, this guy can actually make it through more than a few seconds of screaming without constantly running out of breath, whole songs even. Managed to scream into the mic for Give Them Hell and Against Leviathan. I was a bit disappointed they didn't do any older stuff, I was tempted to call for Standing Strong. It wasn't really worth the ten quid I spent on the ticket, but I haven't seen them in two years, I would have kicked myself for missing them.
The Chariot: Thought I'd give them a chance (despite finding out they have ex-members of Norma Jean, I just don't really get on with Christian Hardcore) and at least try and get my money's worth. They weren't too bad, I even didn't mind some of their songs, but still wouldn't buy their stuff.
Geoff and Lindsay were talking to two separate people and I didn't want to interrupt either (I'm awkward like that), eventually I went up to Geoff and said goodbye then left for chips. Got in a taxi and asked for my road "the last time I took someone there I didn't get paid" "don't worry about that" "I should hope not" he thought I asked him to take me to Seagull Road, I managed to correct him when he started going up Darnley Road, made sure I gave him a pound tip when we got to my house.
Wednesday: Got invited to this lunch Kent County Council put on as a thank you for doing that days work experience with them in Kings Hill, it was a fucking shambles, first off I had to wait nearly an hour for Sue to get there as the other guy who took part was blind and insisted on getting public transport, but missed his train at Dartford. We thought we'd be able to talk to someone about my problem of finding Admin work with Asperger's Syndrome, we spoke to a middle aged woman with an annoying American tang in her accent who set up the work experience and another woman who listened about how many times I've applied to KCC and never gotten an interview, she gave us a card so we could track the next application I do. They had prepared a Vegan lunch for me consisting of cold potato wedges and salad, ate while listening to a lecture on dealing with mental illness in the work place, Sue talked to some people she knew and then we left, parents picked me up and took me home, I changed and then they took me to Rochester station. Went straight from Victoria to HMV in Oxford Street, picked up Seasick Steve's album and James Brown's Funky People Part 2 compilation then went Virgin to get Part 1 because they were selling it a pound cheaper than HMV. Got something to eat at the Vegan Thai/Chinese place off Soho Square then went to the Jazz Caf and got a sarsaparilla (which I thought was only drunk by teetotal cowboys but no, they still make it), tasted like coke without the caffeine and a dash of raspberry. Looked through the Indie comics and graphic novels in Foleys and Borders, Mills was taking a while to get to London so I decided to go in the Crobar as I've always wanted to but no one else wanted to go. Went in, got an apple & mango J20 and had a look on the fabled awesome jukebox I'd heard so much about, it did not disappoint, put on some Eyehategod, Sick Of It All and old Misfits, hung around 'til seven then went outside the venue and waited for it to open. I was hanging out by the Witchcraft merch table when Mills came over, bought the new Witchcraft album on CD then we talked bollocks by the bar until the first band started.
Diagonal: They had a drummer, a bass player, two guitarists, a keyboard player, an organist and a saxophone player. Two word came to mind; Hawk and Wind. They sounded alright, like Dillinger Escape Plan if they focused more on the Jazz breakdowns in their songsbut also a lot like Hawkwind.
Gentleman's Pistols: Shit hot seventies style Rock, the singer/guitarist kept doing all these Marc Bolan style moves, I could totally forgive the fact he was wearing the most effeminate vest, and the bass player wearing bright fucking red flairs. Bought one of their seven inches afterwards.
Witchcraft: Opened with No Angel Or Demon which was marred by technical difficulties but they managed to sort it out towards the end. Played a lot off the new album which I hadn't heard yet, but it was still well enjoyable. One thing that was good about being so close to them was you could hear the drummer count in the songs in Swedish which we couldn't hear when we saw them at the Astoria because of the fucking great big barrier. They ended with Three Sisters They Were Weak, no time for an encore as the venue had reached curfew.
We got to Victoria, went to Marks & Spencer's, got a fruit salad and Clementine juice (I'm irredeemably middle class, I know). Ate with Mills 'til our train got there. Put up with Klaxons fans around us (I knew that Marilyn Manson and Paradise Lost were playing London that day, so I was prepared for teeny Goths and proper Goths but I hadn't anticipated that fresh hell), got off at Rochester and walked home, I'm going to London two more times in the space of next week, I need to save money somehow.