I might be typing away with a TGE14 wristband dangling from my right hand, nursing a three day hangover from excessive partying, drinking, eating and mucking about in Brighton but a festival experience I didn't really have...
Some festivals are just about the bands, generally The Great Escape is about discovering new ones but the past couple of years it has got busier and busier making it hard work to catch anything on your to-do list, there's no point in planning, it'll never happen, unless you really dig queuing, I don't. I had had a brief look at the line up but nothing really excited me anyway and, although the festival was the focal point there was something else on the agenda, a stag party, and a hen party too! Fifty of us, long term mates invading the south coast for three days of carnage and that is exactly what happened. Music took the backseat.
Hen and stag parties should not mix but with us it would be weird not to. We are a tight bunch who share a love of music and boozing so we knew the separation would not stick and for me I broke the rules before even landing in Brighton as I met some of the girls at Victoria before boarding the train where the drinking began, a six foot cardboard cut out Liam Gallagher came along for the ride too, things got rowdy.
The forecast wasn't great for the weekend which doesn't bode well when queuing outside venues are mandatory. I lived in Brighton for two years so I know my way round and as we touched down the boys and girls separated. Our lad pad, located ideally central made life pretty easy, at first it looked a swanky crib but when full of twenty five plus lads that was never going to last... Within hours that clean, tidy and fresh feel of the five story house was ruined.
Once wristbands were collected, alcohol consumed, festival vibes were go, that didn't last long. First stop were Drowners at Coalition, some hens were there, partying was on! The band were pretty average to be fair, not the saviours of guitar music which we had hoped for. It was breezy on the seafront, after aimlessly wandering round in the cold it was back to the house, I have no idea what happened next. Then...
The morning arrived, I had peaked early, getting out of bed seemed like unlikely thing at the time. This was a hangover I didn't deserve, bed bound till two, standing up was a chore, conversations seemed impossible and throwing up didn't help matters like I had hoped. I looked a state, my skin almost ghostly, eyes vacant, I wanted to end it all. Somehow I got myself going and after some acclimatising to reality I made it to the pier, the fresh sea air cleared my head, I was in the lengthy process of pulling through. The first pint didn't go down easily but after a little downtown, some surreal convos with new friends, I was good to go!
Finally made it to a gig! It was at the Corn Exchange for Baby Strange who failed to grab my attention, Darlia followed, more enjoyable but barely groundbreaking, I guess that represents the current trend in guitar bands. The venue didn't help, pretty soulless, moral was dipping, rapidly, till I made it to the Hen House, four rum and cokes later and I was back in the game. Tried to make it to Peace and Fat White Family at The Haunt but the queue was huge, it was freezing and began raining, this was not happening so I wisely called it a night.
The final day began wearily but nothing to serious, the sun was shining, food was on the cards, a jaunt to Cafe Rouge where they delivered moral boosting antidote to the table in the form of Eggs Benedict, perfect. Lifesaving, you could say.
A beach party for stag and hens with tropical vibes didn't last long as the weather didn't play ball so we relocated to the house continuing the group bonding until a new scene was needed, this time Nandos, it wasn't the smoothest of operations but it did the trick, setting things up nicely for the final night but another lacking in live music, not totally, we did catch this rapper at the Green Door Store who seemed to lack confidence, spending what felt like forever just putting samples together but once he began to rap and his flow got going I really liked him, just wish there had been more of it.
With the festival nearing its end we attempted to catch one last grasp of live music, back at the Corn Exchange for Jon Hopkins (no, me neither...) but again, the huge queue and shitty weather putting a stop to that plan so it was back to the birds place for one final blow out.
It was almost time for all this to end as morning arrived, my weary body could take no more of this. Another day would have finished me off. A quick tidy up then a meet up with the girls in Wetherspoons before jumping on the train to London. The Great Escape 2014 was officially over. Maybe we didn't take full advantage of the 300 bands playing the festival, maybe I drank too much, ate too much, maybe I feel shit now but I have a tonne of great memories and ace friends.
See you in 2015! LADS LADS LADS