…and back again.

Posted by admin on December 11th, 2006 filed in I and I

Just outside of sheffield at around 59mph the china machine lets outs a burst of black smoke from its engine. no one inside says anything for a few seconds then a quick turn is made off the motor way to examine the innards. Three men stand around the china machine pointing at and poking engine parts speculating about the cause of the smoke. After a phone call to dad we’re back on the road and heading south.
We get to Butlins around 10pm having missed the Melvins. Luckily it was so packed out, and the people at atp are so lovely, that they played again at lunch time on saturday. Sonic youth were fantastic, kim gordon danced in a silver dress, sweetest moves you can imagine. I’ve never really been into iggy pop, but he proved to me that night why he has become a legend, truly amazing, I saw his penis as well.
That weekend leckie and I shared a double bed. Both of us, being away from our girlfriends (my self for nearly a month now), were quick to cuddle up when not thinking about it…
The first band of saturday was Big Business, which is the bassist and drummer #1 from the melvins. Awesome, perhaps even more so than the melvins. Then the melvins, masive and huge. A thousand heads become nothing more than metronomes providing attendant rhythms to jiggly bodies.
We relaxed in the lazy river and got scared on the Black Hole in a way that makes you feel old and embarrassed in front of kids. The pool is deffinitely the best addition to the new look atp.
Wolf Eyes are ridiculous, they were the loudest I have ever felt them this weekend. what is even more ridiculous is how seriously they are taken by people who don’t like their music. Two men of 40ish stand in front of me in the cue for 6 Organs of Admittance. They are noticabley disturbed by the enthusiasm that myself and AJ’s flatmate share for this band. “They’re taking the piss” they repeatedly try to tell us. This music and its performance is ridiculous, perhaps the over the top machismo of Wolf Eyes is too close to home for these guys. It is the obsurdity of this band that is so entertaining, sonically and performatively.
I am woken at around 4am. Leckie has unknowingly inserted his elbow into my ear. When I come round I notice that he is mumbling something, it slowly becomes clearer: “look at IT, go on, LOOK AT IT….”. During breakfast he informs me that he was having sexy dreams last night. Perfect, I wonder…..
Matts Gustaffson and Eye do a duo. It was at first dissapointing to see that Gustaffson didn’t have his barritone, but what he did have was a small red box that spilled filth from every hole. Eye played what looked like lightbulbs. I always thought that Lungfish are like a bunch wizards on their day off. Eye is like a prize fighting wizard in full swing. Home made instruments glued with magic.
On sunday night I head to bed early. We are leaving at 5:30am so I can get back to newcastle in time to examine the first years i teach on a monday.
At 4:30am I am woken by leckie with a bottle of worcester sauce. 30 minutes is all he needs, he’ll sleep in the car.
We’re making good time. Somewhere near birmingham leckie wakes up, I had noticed the smell but was tricking myself into thinking it was outside. The passenger side is well soaked in worcester sauce and it will stink for a fortnight. Back in time for the assessment, I cannot feel my cheeks, 17 hours driving in a weekend means a pilonidal sinus cannot be too far away…