Drum n Bass and Toilet Queues

How did it take me so long to get to the Notting Hill Carnival? I've been meaning to go for well over a decade, how has it taken so very, very long. A cocktail of apathy, busy-ness and the need to coerce friends to join me, I guess.

Glad I've been now though. I feel obliged to sneer at the over priced drinks and the enormous queues for the toilet (mighty glad I wasn't a lady - one hour. ONE HOUR.) but in reality I had a fab time, it always feels naughtily anarchic to be walking down the middle of a road, let alone with a drink in your hand.

Other things I've liked:
The Crystal Maze
It was ace. I felt just like I was on TV in the early nineties. In that I shouted into a room at the same time as everyone else, just like the guys you found really annoying when it was n for real.

Escape Rooms
You know something has gone mainstream when you have several options in Essex. Recently I have escaped both EscapeLive in Southend and the pop-up at Asylum in Chelmsford. Two very different styles.  Go on, jump on a bandwagon.

You know when you get those tingles...

Previous years I've been to the theatre a whole heap and generally enjoyed it quite a lot. This year I've checked out most of the big name shows and been continually less than whelmed.

And then Yerma happened.
Best thing I've seen since Chimerica? Definitely.
Best thing I've seen since Macbeth? Possibly.
Best thing I've seen?  Erm...
Just go see it.

Where's Big Jeff

It's that time of year where I tell you about all the exciting new bands that I saw at Standon.  In reality my Standon experience reached a new nadir. I seemed to spend far too long doing a music quiz and nowhere near enough time riding the cutting edge of the music scene.

Festival highlight: The guy from Rockaoke singing "Where's Big Jeff" to the tune of Purple Rain.  Easily pleased doesn't come close.