Another video I shot at TGE. This time it’s These New Puritans with “Elvis”. Spitting the code. Brilliant.
more about “These New Puritans - Elvis (Live)“, posted with vodpod
June 15, 2008
Good times at The Great Escape
I’ve finally had time to sit down and write about three awesome nights in Brighton, albeit four weeks after the fact. Better late than never. All photographs are my own. Apologies for the length. Anyway, read on!
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Since I’ve been in Europe, I’ve managed to see a few concerts. When I found out about the Great Escape Festival I knew I had to go to Brighton. As a student and low-income earner ticket prices were an issue, but thankfully it only cost me £45 (or approximately AU$95) plus the booking fee. For three nights of live music and running around a town like Brighton it would be stupid to pass up.
And so I arrived in Brighton on May 14, the day before the festival started. I was lucky enough to be fucked over by the hostel I had originally booked, Sluggies Backpackers. I walked for 20 minutes with my bags in the hot sun to this place only to find out that (according to the woman on reception) their old manager had quit two weeks earlier and had ‘forgotten’ to enter my booking in their computer system, despite taking my £25 deposit. The bastards! Eventually, proof of my booking was found in their diary and I was offered one night in a bed followed by another three on a thin mattress on the floor. After seeing the room and pointing out the fact that you couldn’t fit a mattress on their shitty floor, I reclaimed my deposit and commandeered their phone to find an alternative to this busted up excuse for a hostel. After 20 minutes I was walking back down the street to a bed in a better location. Problem solved.
After settling in my new hostel, I went for a stroll around town. Navigating Brighton’s many lanes is incredibly confusing, but the best way to do things is to get lost and surprise yourself as you come across little treasures. Eventually, I realised I should probably eat something. After a late lunch and a trip to the supermarket, I made my way to the ticket stand where I traded my ticket for a festival wristband and programme. For the most part, the programme was well laid out - a few pages filled with the usual tripe from no one you care about, followed by a well structured timetable for the coming three nights, and finally the band section, where each performer had a two or three sentence writeup. The excitement was building…
June 13, 2008
No Age @ The Great Escape
I shot this video at the No Age gig during the The Great Escape Festival. The song is “Teen Creeps” from their new album Nouns. Stay tuned for the belated post of my festival experience. Enjoy!
more about “No Age @ The Great Escape“, posted with vodpod
May 25, 2008
Slowly, but surely!
It’s been sometime since I last posted anything. Things have been hectic in Europe and I haven’t had that much time to sit down and write. So, from a hostel in Paris, here goes…
I’ve haven’t been keeping up with current events worldwide, but I just came across the news that on May 15 the Supreme Court in California made the landmark decision to overturna ban and legalise gay marriage. I would hope that many of you already know about this fantastic event. The Supreme Court has said it would be unconstitutional to deprive anyone of the right to marry the person of their choice. This is an incredible decision. Of course, they are not the first community in the world to decide to legalise gay marriage. This decision would make them the second state in the US to do so, the first being Massachusetts in 2004. But for a community like California to do so confirms that, despite all that is wrong with the world, we are finally moving in the right direction.
I’m not aware of all the details at the moment. I will do some reading when I get the time. But for now, here are some articles that I think you should read:
These are primarily links from the Advocate, who have been covering the event with obvious interest. I think it best to hear from the LGBT community on this issue, at least primarily. But, that does not mean it is an issue or a decision that will effect only them - this is an international issue. I have included news items from the US, UK and Australia, but I have found little English language responses to the issue outside the West. If you are aware of any, please let me know!
In any case, if California can make this decision, then perhaps we can strive to have gay marriage legalised in Australia and the rest of the world.
On a personal level, I have very strong views on the issue. I do not accept, for one moment, the idea that marriage is strictly an institution that belongs to heterosexual couples. In the 21st century, such an idea is absurd. Such heteronormativity belongs in the dustbin of history. The destruction of our own environment and other such horrors aside, we are supposedly a progressive species. I also don’t agree with the argument that comes from some in the LGBT community that advocating for gay marriage is only buying into such a heteronormative institution. Those people in LGBT relationships should be given the right to choose to recognise their relationship however they wish, and marriage should be one of their options.
I apologise for the hasty manner in which this post has been put together. I was very excited at hearing this news and just had to write something. In the coming week, I will endeavour to put together a more substantial piece on the issue. For now, we can celebrate and hope for more news like this from across the globe. California is not enough! Keep on fighting!
April 23, 2008
On a jetplane…
Evening all,
I’m off to Europe in a couple of hours. My first trip overseas. Travel blogging here we come.
Well, I have a plane to catch.
Bye!
