- not to live in the Allotment*, because this post is nothing to do with the noble and ancient sport of cricket, which is a blessing as Conrad knows nothing about it. Really, the only thing I can tell you about cricket is that one of the fielding positions is called "Silly Mid On", and you'll have to Google as to why that is, since I have a schedule to keep.
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| Hmmm. I'll allow this one, Art. |
Nor, again, is this post anything to do with the seminal Birthday Party single "Release the Bats" - Youtube link here:
Although, given that the BP were Australian, they might indeed have had a cricket sub-text in there; you know the Australians - drinking, waging war on the Axis and cricket are all in their DNA.
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| Nick Cave, brooding Antipodean and film chap. |
No, what I am taking a long time getting to is my attendance at the John Carpenter gig at the Victoria Warehouse. This tour is entitled "Release the Bats", and given that John is a South Canadian, he might have these on his mind:
| Or knot. (Ha!) |
So, let the rotley begin festering!
Dateline: Saturday 29th October 2016
Your humble scribe ventured boldly onto the tram on this day, a novel experience, and then rode it all the way out to Pomona Station, the closest stop to Victoria Warehouse. Not being very clear exactly where it was, I decided to ask a party of fellow travellers if they knew VW's location. This was not entirely a shot in the dark, as one of their party was dressed up as a pretty fair imitation of Snake Plissken, eyepatch and all. No gun - a wise omission in this country's security climate.
"Who is John Carpenter? What is Snake Plissken?" I can hear some of you whining. If Snake were real you wouldn't be asking that for long. Art?
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| Standing joke: "I heard you were dead." |
I didn't ask the impersonator about the snake tattoo as this kind of thing can easily be misconstrued.
One short walk later - HOLY RAVIOLI!
Sorry, but the weekend's coincidence rolled in and bit me on the arse as I was taking my ticket out of my wallet en route to VW.
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| See! See! "Release the bats" |
Just as I did so, a bat, a real live one, cruised over the path and the railing next to me. There and gone in a split second, obviously I didn't have time to get a picture for you skeptics out there so you'll just have to take my word for it.
As we neared the venue I took a photo. Art?
The best way to experience VW - from a long way off whilst going somewhere else. Many a football fan did this as a football match had apparently finished quite recently, as they regarded us film fans with a touch of bemusement.
Then, a long wait ensued. Conrad, an aging man with large feet that spread his weight around, and a weight that has decreased a lot of late, was still not enjoying all this standing around. Don't forget, I'd already spent half the afternoon queueing at 'Travelling Man' for the very gentlemanly Mike Mignola**.
Feeling achey about the feet isn't very rock 'n' roll, is it? although I could console myself that I was the oldest person in - DAMN IT! That elderly gent visible in the picture above looks to be in his seventies. Curses. I can't even make my usual claim.
We then proceeded to the security check, where the multiple sub-divisions of my bag fooled the steward into overlooking the man with all the pens***. Oho. Someone has a sense of humour -
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| Another "Escape From New York" reference |
Proof that either another VW minion has a sense of humour and a variable-speed drill with adjustable bits, or John provided a bit of prop material:
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| A "The Thing" reference. Apart from the Ash trays. That's probably "Evil Dead" |
Then we get a view of the venue, which is grim and unappealing indeed. Art?
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| The picturesque part |
"Grimy Victorian Industrial Squalor" is not a winning look in the opinion of your humble scribe. Your views may vary, in which case the exit door is THAT WAY!
Allow me to display the mixing decks in the main hall. Art?
If you were late in, then this is where you got to stand, meaning that you couldn't hear or see the stage at all^. There's a lot of comments on Facebook and the M.E.N. website complaining about this, deriding the venue for overbooking.
Conrad's got no complaints! I was right up at the front. See?
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| Close enough to spit. (Though I am far too well-bred to do so) |
And we will leave it there for tonight, as I can easily string out another post from the band's performance alone.
* The Allotment of Eden, that is. Britain!
** You know, creator of "Hellboy"
*** Melanie - "The Girl With All The Gifts"; Conrad - "The Man With All The Pens". Is there a film in there?
^ Cue evil snicker.
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