Wanderlust

Reload!

2009-10-16T14:08:19Z

Finally got around to updating the name, to anyone who's been left confused.

Hmph, while I'm here, I suppose I should leave a small update:

University is finished. Or at least it is until I get something worth basing my master's degree on. I graduated. With a first, apparently :)

I say apparently... Due to a mix-up, I've not received the paperwork yet :/

As to what I'm doing at the moment: Bits of music journalism, more photos, and otherwise enjoying life.

I can't make Whitby this October, sadly. So have a good time to those of you who are. I'll miss you! :(

See you at the Project Pitchfork and DeviantUK gig at the end of the month, whoever's going :)

Also, I'm now on DeviantArt
http://wanderlustmodel.deviantart.com/

Tiled Interests

2009-06-10T14:37:24Z

Sort of an update, at least;

I've been wandering in an odd sort of limbo ever since University finished. A hazy cloud of anti-climax and ambivalence, with the paths of life spread out before me to pick and choose at my leisure. Apparently the prognosis is good, but I'd like to see that in writing before I go and trumpet my claims to all and sundry.

There are two main things I want to do now: A master's degree, and get a job - Ideally as writer specialising in games, because my last few major projects have been writing games. I've been progressing along both paths, but I really need to get my results back first. I've had enough of academia; There was a Gaming conference at the university last week, which left me perplexed more than anything else. Still, I got the chance to make some good contacts.

Did I say there were two main things I want to do? I lied. Of course I'm DJing at The Coven this weekend, which I'm looking very forward to. Come along, why don'tcha? :) I'm also arranging (or trying to) a few more photoshoots to update my portfolio, while the summer's here (the one good thing about this wretched season).

So yeah - all good for me. Hello Livejournal, by the way, how are you?

Small points:

1) Star Trek film was good fun. Quite unexpected. Love the way they just annihilated the whole previous timeline - ahahaheh.
2) Same for Terminator Salvation. Of course I'm biased - THE BALE is in this film (my hero). Sam Worthington was also pretty damn good. And Chekov from Star Trek as Kyle Reese. Also A10s. Love those 'planes :)
3) European election nonsense: Oh dear oh dear. If the election of some BNP men wasn't bad enough, a big angry mob has to come along and make them look sympathetic. Does no-one learn?
4) Must try and organise more Germany trips. Gutted that I missed Leipzig :/

Finally; Meme stolen from thedinster

Rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. (Google Image Search may also work; I myself used DeviantArt.)
b. Pick an image.
c. Copy each image URL into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3.
d. Save the image and post it on this note.

1. What is your first name? Wanderlust
2. What is your favourite colour? Black/Green
3. What is your favourite food? Ice Cream
4. Favourite drink? Guinness
5. Dream vacation? Mars
6. Favourite hobby? DJing
7. What you want to be when you grow up? Model
8. What do you love most in life? Music
9. Best self-description? Ascendant

1Wanderlust_by_Obscure_Nymph 2 black_green_day__by_gnato 3 ice_cream_by_Yuke 4 Guiness_by_schumix 5 mars__2580_by_shardanas 6 DJing_by_jstyle23 7 model_by_cocoasweety 8 Music_by_KiddyGrinde r9 Ascendant_by_Rykk

And did I mention this? :D

What Star Trek Character Are You?

2009-05-31T10:47:14Z

Hello Livejournal. I haven't completely forgotten you. I just gave up writing for lent, and decided I quite like that :)

Your results:
You are An Expendable Character (Redshirt)

An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		90%
Jean-Luc Picard		85%
Will Riker		80%
Spock		65%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		55%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		55%
Chekov		55%
Uhura		55%
Geordi LaForge		55%
Worf		55%
Deanna Troi		55%
Mr. Scott		45%
Beverly Crusher		40%
Data		35%
Mr. Sulu		30%

Since your accomplishments are seldom noticed,
and you are rarely thought of, you are expendable.
That doesn't mean your job isn't important but if you
were in Star Trek you would be killed off in the first
episode you appeared in.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test

All Aboard the Good Ship Black Planet!

2008-09-01T11:32:29Z

Friday the 5th of September,

The Bear, Bedford,

Hosts Black Planet's FIRST ANNIVERSARY!

To top off a hell of a year, we've laid on some lovely nibbles, and the finest DJs in Bedfordshire. Oh yeah, and Russ ;) :p

Featuring DJs Stephan, Wanderlust, Nephilimbabe, Mr Prozac and CyberAndy!

Just imagine in the space below a really cool and nattily photoshopped flier. It's not on this computer :(

Check back later ;)

And come to the night! >:(

Can't Write. Have Photos.

2008-08-28T22:49:44Z

Still unable to write. Falling behind on these funtin' blogs. I will recover my mojo, though!

So, for those who haven't seen pixie_fae</lj> 's mad skills:

Tinsley Towers Ended

2008-08-26T06:17:39Z

Since time immemorial, all our jaunts north have been marked by the landmark of Sheffield's Tinsley Towers. Big Industrial cooling towers, marking the unofficial start of the grim northern wastes. We drove up past them on Friday, and when we came back, they were stumps.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/image_galleries/tinsley_cooling_towers_gallery.shtml?2

Despite the earth-shattering brazilliance of the weekend I've just had: Sad face :(

Not the M'era Luna Blog

2008-08-15T09:44:47Z

...That comes later.

But for now... Most of you will know how annoyed I am with work. Yes - I'm still here. Every time I tell them I'm quitting, I get tossed a bone, and reminded it's almost Uni-time again... and I go and do some more photos and/or DJing and forget my woes. Recently the annoyance has been too much to bear.

Awhile back, after all the MySpaces and etc were blocked here, our company raised a knock-off in-house version, which was mainly just a preference-generated blurb and picture. We all quickly decided to mock the thing, and I uploaded the picture of me in my Ninja Mask with some guns, and fiddled about with the blurb to read:

'I am myself making the world a more awesome place through the power of my own righteousness.

I am salvation in the midst of darkest depression.

I am heavy weapons and spaceships and cyberpunk awesomeness.

I. Am. Wesforce!'

... Now, months later, I found a package on my desk.

My own personalised little notebook, with all that on the cover, in orange writing on black.

I've been all :) today.

How to Read Goth Club Flyers;

2008-08-01T13:40:09Z

...Nicked from Martin Oldgoth over at the Whitby Forums, who nicked it off an American club type...

See how many you can spot ^^

How to understand club terminology

"All ages" = as if telling someone's age in zombie inspired make up and near dark conditions weren't difficult enough already

"All night long" = or until 2 a.m. when the city's bar closing ordinance kicks in, which ever comes first

"Blisspop" = we made up this genre just to see if you were paying attention to our flyer

"Costume Contest" = be prepared to hear at least three different DJs spin "Everyday is Halloween" and claim they didn't hear it when the other DJs played it

"Dark Alternative" = we have no idea what to call half the songs we're going to play tonight

"Dark/Fetish attire encouraged" = if you pretend to be a goth, we'll pretend to play goth music

"Darkwave" = we think this is somehow related to goth

"Deathrock" (when placed last on the list of music genres) = we'll play that song by the Virgin Prunes, but you have to listen to 3 hrs. of VNV Nation before we get to it

"Deathrock" (when placed first on the list of music genres) = we'll play two Rozz-era Christian Death songs in a row at some point during the evening

"Deathrock/Psychobilly/Horror Punk" = we hope you like songs about zombies, dead girlfriends and spooky things in the woods enough to listen to 4 hours of them

"Deathrock/Punk/Old School Goth" = we firmly believe the only music worth listening to was recorded between 1977 and 1983

"Deathrock/EBM" = never draw up a flyer when you're high on crack

"Deathrock/Metal" - never draw up a flyer when you've doing crystal meth for 5 days straight either

"Dress code is black" = the people who come here don't know enough about Goth to know what to wear so we have to remind them

"Dress to impress" = the court order regarding cameras in the Club was lifted after the lawsuit was settled out of court

"EBM" = like techno, but with less musical ability and more glow sticks.

"80's" = we hope you like "Karma Chameleon" a lot because we have 13 different versions of it

"Electro" = *beep* music

"Enjoy our drink specials" = our landlord turned off the air conditioning so it gets really hot in here

"Ethereal" = we own the entire Cocteau Twins back catalog

"Experimental" = Synth-punk performed by people don't know how to play an instrument, but it sounds classier if we call it "Experimental"

"Fetish wear encouraged" = lots of *oontz oontz* music, latex club wear, and a some guy running around with a whip

"$5 cover before 10 p.m." = the cops never show up to raid the place before 11 p.m.

"Free give aways" = we still have lots of "Saw II" and "the Hills Have Eyes" posters left from last year's give away

"Full Bar" = our bar is twice as big as the dance floor

"Futurepop" = music not good enough to be classified as "EBM"

"Glam" = in case you thought deathhawks, ripped t-shirts and torn fishnets were too modest of a fashion statement

"Go Go Girls" = our music will sound better if you're staring at a half naked chick

"Goth" = our DJ knows who Peter Murphy is

"Gothic Industrial" = lots of *oontz oontz* music, latex club wear, and some girl with big, poofy pigtails running around with a couple of glow sticks

"Harsh EBM" = when regular EBM isn't awful enough

"Impressive selection of beer" = just in case anyone ever comes to a Goth club to be impressed by the beer, we've got you covered

"Industrial Decadence" = overweight EBM chicks in midriff baring fetishwear

"Just off the freeway" = we're located next to the abandoned medical waste disposal plant in a section of town not patrolled by police

"Legendary" = selling my soul for a steady club night 23 yrs. ago seemed like such a good idea at the time...

"Live Bands" = real musicians aren't embarrassed to be seen in our club with our patrons

"Mash Ups" = someone got a Mac with Garage Band for their birthday, but can't figure out how to use it

"New Romantic" = Adam Ant, Duran Duran and, ahhh, ummm, errr.... more Adam Ant and Duran Duran

"Neofolk" = Der Furher's music, unplugged

"No Cover Charge" = our venue is a classic dive bar with a decent sound system

"Nu Wave" = I'm 2 lazy to spel check my flyerz be4 I hand them oot

"Old School Punk" = we specialize in mohawks and mosh pits

"Old School" (genre unspecified) = we bought a crate of vinyl at a garage sale

"Our DJ brings you the best in..." = our DJ will spin whatever his girlfriend left him after they split up

"Old School Goth" = our DJ's roommate went to school with Peter Murphy

"Plenty of available parking" = the neighborhood is so bad that no one is else is willing to park on the streets here

"Powernoise" = we play music so obnoxious that even the rivetheads will complain

"REAL Alternative" = our DJ interned at KROQ

"Remixes" = someone got a Mac with Garage Band for their birthday and figured out how to use it

"Remodeled" = they painted the walls after they were closed down for health code violations

"Request Night" = we got off work late and didn't have time to come up with a proper setlist

"Retro" = Our DJ found a bunch of 80's comps at a second hand store and most of them aren't too badly scratched

"Smoking Patio" = forget about sneaking in through the back exit

"Two dance rooms" = our Gothic Industrial club plays both kinds of music, gothic and industrial

"Underground" = our DJ really likes She Wants Revenge

"Indie" = Our DJ eventually got burned out on She Wants Revenge and is now on an Interpol kick

"Vampire" or "Vampiric" = douchebag or douchebagic

"Vendors" = we have a girl selling bat-themed jewelry and spiderweb necklaces at a table next to the dance floor

"VIP Lounge" = in case the people on the dance floor weren't pretentious enough for you

"We spin vinyl" = our DJs are damn good!

"With a little booty hip hop to mix it up" = no matter how drunk you get, you're going to regret coming here for years to come

Dystopian Shoot

2008-07-14T12:40:58Z

Really quite busy weekend - but really quite bloody good too. I'll do a bit of a write-up of all the Deviancy later.

But first these, taken in Luton by my good friend Mr Wilvok, accompanied by green_dreads. (more on his LJ)

All feedback gratefully appreciated :)

4th of July - Smackpunch America Day!

2008-07-07T07:51:49Z

...

For which I was to play a set with CyberAndy down at Bedford's Black Planet at The Bear. Prettygood turnout, I though - many thanks to Marna and J for giving a lift to myself, Stephan and Matt. Thanks to the irrepressible Paul, and to The Adenoids, and to everyone else who crawled from the rotten woodwork of ye olde disgusting Bedford towne. I tried to get a bit of metal into the set, because the pub always has a big metal element. Never thought I'd get people headbanging to Curve, but there you go ;) (it's a pretty headbanging song... Check it out). I also tried to eliminate Americans from the playlist altogether (get 'em back for trying to airbrush us out of history in all their war films ;) ), but someone went and requested NIN, so whatcha gonna do...

I ended up playing a bit longer than originally planned, but this is how it went;

Tiamat - Brighter than the Sun
PrO-jekt - Evilution
Die Krupps - Fatherland (Eldritch Mix)
London After Midnight - America's a Fucking Disease (r)
Gothminister - Angel
Rammstein - Amerika (r)
Curve - Dog Bone
Nine Inch Nails - Dead Souls (r)
Tech-Noir - Dying Star
Blutengel - Vampire Romance (mix by Solitary Experiments)
Absurd Minds - Venture Inward
Katscan - Damn You All to Hell
Icon of Coil - Former Self
Bigod 20 - Carpe Diem (Transmission Mix)
And One - Metal Hammer
The Birthday Massacre - To Die For
Team America - America, Fuck Yeah!

-------------------------------

Standing tall amid the confusion

A willowy yet savage beauty

Mike Litus, Laura, Stefan

Andy admires my cleavage

The Power of Absurd Minds puts Matt into convulsions.

Getting more CDs from the ammo box.

New friends!

Stefan - you gonna get raped!

Obviously I am the liche-Queen!

-------------------------------

Aside from that, life goes on - Did some more photos at the weekend, with a cyber/industrial/urban decay theme, which should be good - still eagerly awaiting the ones I did in London with Benjamin Kaufmann, who is currently somewhere in Botswana. I'm to be at Santa Pod on the 20th of July to be a Gothic Alice in Wonderland - which should be fun. Anyone fancy coming along?

Also: M'era Luna and Infest soon! I cannot wait. Who's coming? :D

Wesforce - A Space Adventure

2008-05-15T17:22:26Z

Because I'm too written-out to do a write-up of Leipzig yet!

I escaped from Starbase Wesforce!

I killed Androktone the red-shirted ensign, Mystical Munkee the medibot, Electronaut the tribble, I Diametric I the nutrivend drinks machine, Alterred the tribble, Senor Aies the medibot, Iwilldietonight the engineer, Doctorrdave the medibot, Pandorasighs the engineer and Wgw Egl the engineer.

I salvaged an ALIEN-4800 supercomputer, the Log of the USS Selerox, a Skostrangerian raygun, an akamilithium crystal, the Log of the USS Lil Red Neck, a marylittlegothlithium crystal, an CYBERPUNK-30 phaser, Nova Drzava's commbadge, a Petrol-Bombs screwdriver, a xpq21lithium crystal and 142 galacticredits.

Score: 682

Explore Starbase Wesforce and try to beat this score,
or enter your username to generate and explore your own space adventure...

The Best Birthday Present

2008-04-01T23:08:16Z

I didn't get many presents this year. There was the fridge and the fishcake, a couple of DVDs - all well appreciated, of course.

But nothing can top the sense of justice upon hearing on my birthday that the Sophie Lancaster murderers (or at least two of them) have been found guilty, and can expect to be sentenced appropriately. By appropriately, I mean 'they'll never see daylight or their neanderthal parents again', but I may be hoping for too much. These two, who tried to claim autism, who attacked someone similarly in the same place months before and got let off, who made violence-glorifyng and misogynistic rap videos to put on youtube with government money, who joked with their parents when taken in for questioning by the police, should never be allowed into society again.

But why should we stop there? There are hundreds just like them, the sons and daughters of Margaret Thatcher. They occupy the streets, parks and shopping centres of this once-great country and lay siege to the national psyche, a millstone around our collective necks. They hide behind cheap alcohol, yet their real affliction is stupidity and uneducation. They claim destitution, yet are no less priviledged than anyone in my social circle. They never knew their fathers. I never knew mine, yet I've not murdered anyone.

Lock them up. Lock their parents up. This should be only the beginning.

The Birthday Week has ended. You will be Remembered!

2008-03-30T16:53:12Z

And what a bloody week it was!

green_dreads and I started proceedings with a day in Camden, where gothyjdarkstarand maznigewere so kind to accept us in their motorised conveyance to Gotham 9. Beforehand we dropped in on a vegetarian Thai buffet, all powered-up in our gothic battlegear. And of course, being Thais, they attended to Julian and my needs first. Hehe, somewhere being transgendered is actually an advantage - who'd have thought?

We arrived at Gotham just in time to see the end of Razorblade Kisses, and catch Novus (by whose grace we were able to attend the event), who were brilliant. Psyche were excellent too. And I got to meetMrs Novus and Mr Psyche, and do my excellent impression of a stuttering social reject, always good fun. Gothminister left me pretty cold, after playing all the tracks by them I like in the first few minutes. Hmph. It was definitely more of a social occasion for me anyway, being the first time I'd been out of the house in weeks - I'd all but seized up from all the time spent making my game, spriting the graphics and such. Good company from

_bunster_and friend, and nephilimbabewith his excellently cynical dissection of all and sundry.

With not a moment's rest (considering Steve and I were both completely knackered to start with) we headed out the next night into the traffic with

litus666 to Slimes, where Inertia and Hocico were playing. I bloody love Inertia, I've a lot of time for them. So friendly too, not to mention sextacular. After my disgraceful display of sycophancy Hocico came on. All was great until, waving my arms in the air like a whiteheaded windmill, I brought them down in the head of a dumpy girl with a face only a mother could love. I immediately apologised profusely, being the good Catholic I am (not), and was met with a face more suited to a worse occasion. Whereupon you're guilty of running over someone's mother repeatedly, for instance, before penetrating the corpse. I repeated my apologies, but this 'woman' (sorry, just can't take someone less feminine than me seriously as a female :s ) just stared like a monged-out puffer fish. This carried on for about 30 seconds, and then she let out a barrage of words, ending in 'an' i'll kill your fackin' mate too!'. I glanced over at Stephan (looking asleep on his feet, to my left, nowhere near this idiot) and wondered what she had against him, befire giving her the 'talk to the hand' hand. I tried to be nice! Such idiocy aside, Hocico were great. Just a bit too intense and long for me at that point :(

What else... Had one quiet day, and then some work, which was pretty shit. Then it was the actual birthday, which of course, I had to go into Uni on (one week of Easter holiday, one day back, then a month of holiday - and guess which day my birthday is! :| ). It was to be a big day - I had my laptop with me and all my notes, for this was the big presentation and progress report of my major project. I was suitably geared up and ready, when one of the lecturers handed me a familiar plastic sleeve. 'Oh by the way, Craig left you this.' It was the Script I'd handed in just after Christmas for scriptwriting. 'Great,' I thought, 'I've been waiting for this.' And the wait was worth it - a sustained barrage of slagging, with words like 'banal', 'cod-philosophical', 'not even worthy of parody' all the way though, backed up and added to by the other lecturer. While it took the wind out of my sails a bit, I was actually pretty damn pleased. For too long now I've been worried I'm being treated with kid gloves. Every piece of writing I've done has been a resounding success...Now I've found somewhere I can fall down - and can eliminate the inefficiency.

I don't really remember the presentation on the game that came later, because it was generally really positive. You have to concentrate on your failures really, don't you? And besides, there was pubbing to do.

Friday was a work day, and as such shrouded in doom and gloom. Adding to that, I wondered if my workmates would remember it was my birthday. I actually got really badly hurt when working at Blue Arrow, when my then boss publically cancelled my birthday card and whip-round (he was going out of his way to be a complete twat to everyone - and it turned out later he was having a nervous breakdown. Think he's in a mental home now).

Time ticked on, nothing happened. 'That's fine,' I told myself. 'Can't take these things for granted. Be grateful for what you do have.' (which at that point was my 'Birthday Cake' - an extra fishcake given by the nice fish'n'chip shop man). Of course by 4'0'clock I was depressed to the point of starting a big long email to my boss telliing him what a cnut he is, that I've been working here two years with no real rewards or perks... I emailed one of my workmates who said 'Yeah, I think it's right out of order. They said they were cancelling all birthdays starting with yours. Sorry man.' That did it. I was just about ready to send the email that'd get me fired when... Bang. Everyone was stood around my desk with a big silver-wrapped package. It was all a bloody wind-up! Gahhhh. Lucky I don't think anyone saw the email, and I walked away with renewed faith in humanity and a fridge shaped like an alien egg :)

In another twist, that same evening we all went out for a drink in uber-middle class St Albans for my birthday and a friends 'firing party', during which he got drunk and 'outed' me. Hm :| Have to see what comes of that...

And then there was the main event: Extinction, down in Win-kachester. Poor old

green_dreads had been sweating bullets trying to organise this, with only minimal help and encouragement from me (no phone, was my excuse), and things had been getting pretty strained at the last minute. We had to cancel our plans for a minibus because no-one would have wanted to pay £25 a head. Wesforcian Medals of Excellence go to Marna and lil_beer_monster for driving down, and the Wesforcian Citation of Honour goes to everyone else who came down (including two bitterly feuding friends who put their differences, and illnesses, aside), and to selerox and drdave for running the night. Great time was had by all, the music was better than I could've hoped for, and a girl with really nice and prominent cleavage told me how pretty I was.

Can't ask for more than that :)

Photos;

Where's your other hand, Loopy?

I'm not the only one who gets this kind of treatment...

Kelly's best side, probably

Those damned fingers again!

I am Wanderlust. I am your Queen!

It's not a proper night until Kelly gets molested (?)

The moment of shame

So now... The adrenaline of Birthday Week is over.

Bring on the white-knuckled intensity of Post-Birthday Week!

One Step Closer to TOTAL DOMINATION

2008-03-01T22:54:11Z

Allow me to let you in on a little secret.

Not that it's much of a secret to the infinity-loop shaped circle of my inner friends and comrades.

I am writing a game as part of one of my many University tasks. It's a simple game engine, with simple 16-bit style graphics (extensively pixelled, a task for which I gladly gave up all that pointless family rubbish over Christmas) , and rather non-inspired RPG gameplay. BUT! It is the story that will be special about this game (this being a writing course). I am aiming for a large amount of interactivity for an RPG. Multiple diverging plot paths, complex morality-based decisions with realistic repercussions, characters to relate to, ignore, or shoot in the head. Also guns. Lots of guns. Maybe a few sexy tentacle beasts, in honour of Hideo Kojima (Japanese game writer, wrote the Metal Gear series, broke new ground in game-writing, also a complete and unabashed perv).

If all that sounds a bit stupid to you, that's fine. I have however been chosen to represent Creative Writing with it for the University open day on the 8th of March (should anyone want to come along) - so screw you :D

Hooray.

***

In other news: I might leave my job.

A Small Update Pertaining to Matters of the Club Known as Antichrist

2008-03-01T21:41:55Z

...Which was where we went last night.

An excellent night. Having previously been the the Antichrist before (Sin), I was expecting miles and miles of winding staircases and confusing smoke-and-perv-filled corridors ready to punish my inappropriately high-heeled feet. The event is now held at Torture Garden, which is much easier to navigate, and slightly less full of pervs (big 'no wanking' signs on the front door :) ). There was, I recall, a naked man behind me at the bar, and I threatened his exposed member with a straight-from-the-fridge beer bottle - but 'twas all in good fun!

No bands this time sadly - very disappointing as I was expective to see XP8 again. I also missed most of the shows, except for the very skillful fire woman. Music was one of two main camps: Ear-Bleeding Industrial noise, and general goth/darkwave. 'twas the latter that got my attention, and lo and behold that of dozens of people I've met in various places. morbidfrog gave it large, with commendable gusto. seleroxand black666cat, Dr Dave, [info]marylittlegoth, Gentleman Jim and Maisey from the old Sticks crowd were there as were soozie, Tex and Simon from Luton (and of course Marna, J, Ben, Ash, the crazy pirate-loving girl from Bedford, green_dreads and krying4you, proving that, if any was needed, Luton and Basingstoke are now Goth-Twins, their inhabitants doomed to constantly run into eachother no matter which goth event they attend. I also met a very pretty girl and sometime acquaintance who no longer comes to Coven, who seemed quite approachable, but fell foul to my lack of communicative skills. Can't win 'em all, eh?

Oh and Paul, I met two of your security guard mates there :) Small world!

For Essi

2007-12-12T17:53:44Z

Cinderella Theory, Coven, Golden Compass and other adventures

2007-12-09T19:48:06Z

First up: Cinderella.

Cinderella, by my reasoning, was a transvestite.

She had to be home before 12. Why?
* Because if she went home with a guy she'd obviously be 'found out'

The shoe she left behind would fit no other woman in the land
* Yes, but because her shoe size was too big rather than too small.

The ugly sisters hate her and resent her beauty
* Because she looks better than them despite her male genes - Venus Envy.

The ugly sisters are often played by men in drag
* Kind of an in-joke. Role-reversal.

The Prince is infaturated with her.
* She truly has something no other woman has, he just can't put his finger on it.
Not in public, at least.

The story has a typically fairytale happy ending
* This is to counterpoint the certain doom that awaits transvestites in real life. Age. Hair loss. Middle-age spread. Beard growth. Being found out and ostracised. It's not pretty. But in this story at least 'Cinderella' gets what she wants. Sadly in real life "Prince Charming" would probably take her home, shag her, then kill her because he's confused about his sexuality. See the Gwen Araujo case.

Thoughts? Should I do another one for The Little Mermaid? ;)

***

I saw, on a whim, The Golden Compass. I was expecting something bollocks, derivative and childlike, like Harry Potter, but the amazing visuals had suckered me in. Now I wish I'd read the original books - this is an intelligent fantasy film, a well-realsied alternate Earth - see a Steampunk-esque London which has St Paul's and The Gherkin rubbing shoulders with baroque fantasy towers. The quirk where every human has an animal 'Daemon' counterpart as their soulmate (literally) is well done, and oozing metaphor. Guards and soldiers are paired with Dogs. Slimy scumbags are paired with snakes. The main character's Daemon is able to change form, spending most of his time as a sort of muskrat thing, or Cat. Oddly it continually reminds me of Green Dreads/Stephan.

What's more, there's a pretty high bodycount for a PG film. Every time someone dies their daemon vanishes in a puff of golden dust. In later scenes when those dastardly Catholic - Uh, Magistyerium scumbags get a good kicking, there are showers of the stuff. Stirring. If only the Catholic Church had had a kicking like this in real life... Bah. I hate religious upbringings.

Anyway. I recommend this film, and await the sequels.

***

Pretty good time at Coven last night. Good lot of people in there, good atmosphere. Good SWANK too, though I couldn't really dance to them in my pole-dancer shoes. A lot of people seemed nonplussed by them too. Screw 'em if they can't enjoy a SWANK with the rest of us :)

Bizarre Result from Christmas Song Meme...

2007-12-07T21:35:24Z

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Wesforce sent to me...

Twelve flamethrowers drumming

Eleven corsets piping

Ten cruxshadows a-leaping

Nine spaceships dancing

Eight lutonopolis a-milking

Seven cats a-swimming

Six grenades a-dancing

Five atta-a-a-ack helicopters

Four petrol bombs

Three chris morris

Two hand grenades

...and a camouflage in an alternate history.

Must make me sound like a right nutjob...

Le Wesforce dans l'appartement à Paris s'il vous plaît

2007-12-06T00:27:08Z

I've just got back from Paris.

There's someone Stephan and I met a good long while ago. Magdalena, a Polish girl named after an A Perfect Circle song. She's chronically phobic of cameras (with no reason, because she looks kind of like a younger Bettie Page with a fringe and green eyes) but crazily knowledgeable of languages. And for some reason she decided to move to Paris (Where she lives in an apartment named 101. And she was born in 1984. Spooky, eh?). I'd never been, and in my never-ending quest to live up to my stage-name and be everywhere in the world I decided to take up the invitation to stay awhile, come and see if the place lives up to the hype, and see what makes French goths tick.

French people are funny aren't they? At least they are as cannon fodder in all those old Sharpe episodes. But they've had some brazilliant writers (I've just finished a Jules Verne marathon). They're also our closest cousins on the continent, geographically if not linguistically. So really I should've visited this country a long long time ago.

Or should I have?

I headed off to the airport (Wow, I actually get to leave from the one on my doorstep for a change!) at the ridiculous hour of 3AM, cursing the budget airlines revolution that has simultaneously opened the (nearby) world to us while at the same time damning us with the compulsion to go for cheap, stupid flight times, and enabling the lumpenproletariat chavs to tarnish our great British name abroad (if 'eye-beefa' counts as abroad still). That and the pollution caused by so many jet flights and fags smoked and stella cans dumped in the mediterranean. God damn chavs.

But yes, I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport - the first of approximately 1,000,001 things named after the controversial pineapple-headed manic-depressive. From here I'm to take an RER train (Like an underground that goes overground) to Port Royal, where Magdalena stays. I travel past crumbling graffiti-covered projects, grim urban wastelands and decaying light industry. It's just like being at home, though I can't help feeling people are staring at me. Perhaps I look too happy. Or perhaps its the German flags on my army jacket (This is my master plan - I'm travelling incognito. I can be as rude or ignorant as I want, and people won't know I'm British and feel justified in their anti-British ways. Hurrah!). The train gets really crowded and there's lots of pushing and shoving, with my bags taking up lots of space. People are talking French at me.

'Ach. Ich bin Deutsch. Ich kann Französisch nicht sprechen.' I say. It seems to work.

I eventually reach the destination, and meet my contact. It's 8'0'clock AM local time now, and we're both knackered. I suggest coffee. We stop at one of those picturesque little French cafes - y'know, the kind of ones you think they build especially for American tourists, then pack away and go to Maccy B's while no-one's looking. I get a coffee. Default coffee here is a thimble full of espresso strength stuff. I pay the man. He looks unhappy. Perhaps he thinks I really am German because I had to get Magdalena to translate for me (I know French for 'I'd like a coffee if you please', but can't really say it. But then I can't really speak English on most days anyway either).

Magdalena has University today, so I'm left to my own devices. All alone in a big new city for the first time, in the morning. What do I do?

I go to sleep :D

It was a good idea actually. This was the best sleep I had in five days - the rest of it being spent on the cold tile floor in my sleeping bag that hasn't been washed since Sweden. Oops.

Later on, there was much sampling of Paris nightlife to be done. The Cata Bar was the one real goth pub we went to. It was dark and grimy and full of people in black. So far so good. It had some good, low-key music on. But it was incredibly smoky. France it seems is a bit backward in it's smoking laws, in that people are still allowed to smoke indoors. In a day and age when really it should be illegal to smoke anywhere at any time, this simply is unacceptable. What was otherwise a great place was made unbearable. Even when I suggested we move to the back of the room to get away (for Magdalena suffered even worse than me), we were thwarted by the fact that half the bar was in fact an optical illusion. A mirror image. Or mirage, if you like!

Even later that night, we got to a new place ' La Loco'. Loco as in Locomotive, because it's industro-trainily themed, and very well done as it turns out. We got there by wandering through the huge red-light district (I got propositioned by cheap French tarts! Another of my life ambitions fulfilled :D ) and asking some passers-by ('Je ne comprends pas. Um, do you guys like, speak English?' they say, being Americans. 'Um... Ich kann sprechen nicht Amerikan.')

Inside, the club was cool and metallic blue, with cushions of deep-red, LED-lined stairs, and mysteron-like roving lights. really a very polished affair, making up for the fact that beer is Heineken (330ml cans at €5 a pop) and the place seemed deserted. Yes, this was a big night - And hardly any goths were about! Those I did see seemed firmly ensonced in the fashions of goth circa 1983, which shouldn't be taken as any kind of criticism. They looked mostly very cool, deathrock-ish in ripped fishnets, hair shaved to the sides of the head. It'd just have been nice to see some of the fashion variation shown by people at a night out in... Oh I don't know, every other place in Europe. It was also disbelief-inspiring that such a big city could have so few goths, if this night is to be taken for example. I start to realise why Laibach cancelled...

Rosa Crux are the first band on. With a long intro by an orchestra's worth of drums (real drums, just played by robots), a massive set of bells, a choir, video backing and a supertanker payload of high melodrama, they were fantastic, and captivating, (and indeed I went and got the CD the next day). There was even a bit of a show with two girls naked but for masonry dust and big horrible matted hair-extensions plugged into their mouths having a bit of a dance, perfectly synchronised.

I think Christian Death afterwards must've been a bit overshadowed, but gave a pretty good account of themselves. Eva O's top must've been superglued on or something, because it seemed to be about to burst open at any moment. Also she almost set fire to herself on the candles left over by the previous band. With a set of short, sharp heavy songs, it was enjoyable even to someone who doesn't know too much of their repertoire. Near the end, a metaller jumped up on stage, then launched himself off, slamdunking a photographer as he went. Both were knocked unconsious. Brilliant! Not for the photographer maybe, as I saw him being carried off by two others.

After that we went to wait for the nightbus home. There were France-chavs about. They're just like the British ones, except younger, more polite, and seemingly they've never seen someone with facial piercings before.

Day two was a bit of a shopping day. Magdalena had heard of a gothic shop, 'Le Cabinet de Curiositè', which we visited. The Trilby-hatted shopkeeper had been at the gig last night. Small scene, small shop. Very small shop, but filled with nice things - Old records, ancient gothic books, old records, skulls, etc. The chap gave us free coffee. A thimbleful of very bitter espresso. I sense a trend here.

I've noticed many French roads are named after Resistance men from the second world war. They also seem to be renamed at an alarming regular basis. Something that suggests a malleable view of history, and an enforced sense of patriotism. There are many French flags hanging from public buildings. France seems to be almost as bad as the US with it's flag-worship. We're not talking 'football fans' cars' here, we're talking huge big overt displays of grandiosity. It seems a bit much, like someone has something to prove. Perhaps there is still a national debt of confidence to be paid after the Second World War...

That night we got to another alternative pub (Piano et Vashon), which was impressively postered, and quite nice, but for the presence of all the smokers. after a Japanese meal (many many Japanese restaurants here) it was time for another club. 'Le Klub', in fact, which promised Electro and 'Indus' music. I wasn't quite expecting lots of people in sensible polo-neck jumpers and trainers then, all hanging around in a tiny room smoking at eachother, while the music started off as Depeche Mode, then coldwave, then faded to background muzz. At least the cloakroom girl had PVC on, and some piercings. I like to think we connected on some level there :)

Day 3. Magdalena had university today, so it was time for me to venture outward relying entirely on my own communication skills. I thought I'd do some touristy things, so I hopped on the metro (Metro seems fast and not too crowded. Plus points: Many of the tubeway adverts are pretty much pornographic. Bad points: Some sod's decided it's a good idea to have loads of accordion players on the trains to add a faux-French atmosphere and annoy everyone) and went to the Eiffel Tower. It's very big and impressive, if a tad rusty these days. In a cool touch, they've posted regular patrols of French Army soldiers with assault rifles around the tower base. I wanted to get a picture with them, but they didn't look like taking shit from anyone - especially not from an English German goth tourist. Up above at the Palace, there were crepe sellers, and loads of teenage kids practising football skills and dancing to some very dodgy Eurodance. It sounded like it made DJ Otzi sound like Aphex Twin... Next port of call on the Tourist trail was the Arc de Triomphe, a big thing set in the middle of what must be the world's largest roundabout. I spent more time looking at that than the arch - cars going round and round and round, constantly bibbing, swerving left and right, cutting eachother up, while some old duffer on a bike blithely pedals through. Brilliant!

This was in a place called the 'Etoile Charles de Gaulle', which makes it maybe the 1,000,000th thing I've seen named after him so far - 1,000,001 if you count the aircraft carrier I saw the next day in the French Navy museum - and that's not even counting local Dance DJ Charles de Goal! Such cult of personality does not sit right with me. Why don't they just rename Paris 'Charles de Gaulle city'?

Later that (fourth) day we went and saw Eastern Promises (in French subtitles :D). An absolutely brilliant film, in any case. And here Vincent Cassel was playing to his home crowd. You could almost literally feel the admiration of the audience. And rightly so; he's a great actor. Just a pity he doesn't get the recognition he deserves outside of France.

Unfortunately we got soaked both on the way to and from the film, and that effectively killed me for the next day. And that is that, as we say. Comments, opinions anyone? Hope I didn't do too much Parisian-bashing. They seem like an okay sort. Probably more polite and better-dressed on the whole than Londoners. But then your average Rottweiler is more polite and better-dressed than your average Londoner ;)

And now the pics:

Big tranny club

Red light city

La Marmite!

Rosa Crux

Their choir, and the candles that almost did for Eva O later on.

Bagpip hero

Naked mutants

You'd be able to make out Eva O here, if my camera wasn't so shit. I'm sure Magdalena has better pics...

Some Meccano tower, or the like

The view just before I moved my Tesla Troopers in and energised the whole thing (If anyone's played Red Alert 2 here? :D)

Now... Coven this weekend, with SWANK down at the Hat Factory. Who's coming? :)

Musings on Black Planet, Novus, and Deviant UK :)

2007-11-19T14:40:09Z

Its hard to believe that only last week it was yet another Coven night. The penultimate of the year. It seems like I'm at a different place every weekend - not that that's a bad thing. When you have the choice and freedom to choose your haunts, life is so much better. Much better than those dreary days with only The Edge in Luton, listening to a stream of aural shit from DJs who seemed to regard NME as the be-all and end-all, where ego is key, and punters are but thralls.

The fucks.

If there's one thing I'm missing right now, it's London nights. I'm very sad to hear about what's happening to the Dev. If you haven't heard - the residents, Robin and Janine, were chucked out at a moment's notice and had the rug pulled out from under them. The pub is being renamed, and rebranded as a 'rock' rather than goth pub. I've not been there since (I was planning to. Definite case of 'don't know what you've got 'til its gone'). I hope they haven't touched all the (I don't think I'm exaggerating here) historic posters on the ceiling. And to think of all the pretty European gothgirls I've taken for visits there...:( Yet another victim of the crapperisation of Camden.

The bastards.

Enough of that. Yes, Black Planet, it is my pleasure to say, is where I was on Saturday. I missed the last Dr Fell's night ever (another moment of sadness and nostalgia washes past), but that was unavoidable really. For one thing I'd already committed myself, for another, I had no travel, and most importantly, I need to give a certain someone the space she desires. Good luck with your new venture Paul :)).

It's pretty sad how many people in Bedford don't give Black Planet the attention it deserves - it's a great place, though expensive, and has a great selection of music. I've not been so keen on the bands until now.

I'd not heard anything of Novus before (but their cover art of a boobed Gyndroid threw my expectations completely out). They turned out to be a tight group of EBM/Synthpoppers. They struck me like a far edgier SWARF, with some good dancy songs, but excelling at the slow ballady tunes like 'Emotive'. Which is good, I don't normally like this kind of song. And I should add they were all nice people. Shortly into the set, a man in red took to showering the stage in showers of sparks from an angle-grinder. I thought 'Hm, this angle-grinding is a bit gimmicky'. And then I thought 'Shit, what if there's a fire?' But then I smelled the burning metal, and learned to enjoy the sparks... And everything was fine :D

Deviant UK I know all about, having followed their progress for some time, and having seen them at Whitby. They didn't disappoint! Though I will say... It's pretty intimidating having him glaring at you in the front row, with those evil-shaped eyebrows of his...

And then I got distracted by some drunken chav muppet going up to the stage to shake Jay's hand (which he accepted, reluctantly). There was also some woman counterpart of his grinding herself against me and feeling my tits most of the time, almost falling over and dragging me with her. Distracting. It appears there was an invasion of drunken chavs, many of whom (male and female) spent the rest of the night trying to chat me up. Maybe they'd have had a better effect if they were sober enough to actually speak. I don't like being groped. It's just about tolerable if its a pretty person... Not some alcoholic goon in a sheepskin jacket.

Chavs.

They laugh at us, sneer at us, and point the finger.

Then they come along and fancy us, because we're something out of the ordinary. We have femininity and mysteriousness, something majorly lacking in their own supposed females.

For some reason they interpret this as them having a chance with us. Do we have 'i'm easy' written on our heads?

Let's hope they don't come back.

Some pics as placeholders until I get more:

My poor hair has been damaged :(

Many thanks to Marna, Kelly, J, Dave+1 and Stephan for the pics :)

And look, I've been screwing about on photoshop again.

Cheap fantasy art anyone? :D

wanderlustzero @ 2007-11-19T12:12:00

2007-11-19T12:15:06Z

Oh dear oh dear...

Maxi-Minimum Whitbage

2007-11-17T00:22:07Z

...Not because it was a bad time per se, more because it could so easily have been what with all the screw-ups involved with the organisation, the fact we weren't seeing the bands, and the fact that the chav population of the one-time goth haven seems to have tripled in the time since we were there last...

In the event we only got a couple of days in town, having side-trekked to Redditch to meet the famed Doktor Aies, pick up S.W.Goliath who popped over from the Land of Ire and blasted north over the moors.

Yet for the detracting factors, there's no place like it. We arrived in town, found our place (gotten right at the last minute, against all the odds), threw our bags down and got tarted up. Goliath (Can I call you Angus here?) being new to town didn't wait to sightsee and rushed off to get some huge new stompy new rocks. A good few people came up to speak and be friendly (Hello Boguls), Lyndsay and Chandra were found wandering about, and we encountered the ever-present photograph people. One chap ( www.myspace.com/clydee101 ) is doing a book on alternative lifestyles, and I think I made the cut :).

Shortly after we went for a meal the Resolution, and to see Deviant UK, with the truly surreal experience of a band blasting out soundcheck songs over your cottage pie.

After a night of Jagermeister and cheesy Japanese filmage we took an easy day. Shopping mostly (New fairy wings :D ), then a walk by the beach, and somewhere along the line we got the break the new guy in with a trip up the abbey. The rest seemed to blur into a haze of Jagermeister really, until Sexy Sunday. Brilliant as always. Sometimes I think I'd like a whole weekend of Sexy Sunday, non-stop. Oh wait it wasn't that brilliant... Set could've used some variation. Also Lyndsay got nutted during a Rammstein meltdown, so I dragged her to safety. The first-aid people were very nice. Also nice meeting Whitby transvestite types again.

Lyndsay survived, we went home, and dropped Angus at Leeds. But he left behind his supply of contraband imported nerds...

So, a short but nice Whitby...

Photos...

Marna, J, Angus

Jagermeister... It's a killer!

Angus at Abbey

Ready for Action.

Very important place, this.

Time to industrialise the beach...

I, um, couldn't possibly comment...

The boat Dracula's chav sister washed ashore in? :D

New wings!

J shortly before being devoured whole...

Sounds pretty unappetising really...

Thanks to Angus for the pics :) Still waiting for Marna and J's...

Infest Meltdown

2007-08-30T01:15:34Z

Infest Blog follows (as usual) a pic of me looking really quite slutty. I didn't plan it this way!

Yet again I find myself dragging my (sleek) arse down to the concrete and corrugated-iron maze that is Luton airport - dozens of big hangars filled with junk that the A-team would find heavenly, yet not exactly pleasing on the industrial eye. I'm clambering onto a piss-smelling coach once more for a lengthy journey that'll end in the kind of musical meltdown that is about all I can do these days to get my heartrate going at a human rate. And I love it. The exotic, far-flung and cultured destination this time? Bradford. Bradford, home of race riots, the occasional BNP councilman, lots of people who look like they live walking on eggshells - and for one weekend only, the whole gamut of goths, industrials and cyber types. Oh yes, and the bands. We're in for a real treat with the bands; in no particular order: Apoptygigimajigger Berzerk, VNPea Nation (Praise the Frozen, best before 2012), Rupesh Cartel, Portion Control, Faderhead, Caustic, The Gothsicles...

The Gothsicles.

I've arrived at the venue and gotten my wristband and programme. I leaf through, reading the blurbs ('As the matrix around us collapses, a pervading white noise summons us back to reality. Moments when reality and desire collide and surfaces begin to crackle, messages from a cold world, whose inhabitants no longer live but still operate' - niiiice), and find 'The Gothsicles'. It says, 'What, The Gothsicles? Why the fuck did we hire a band with a name like that? Jesus Christ!'. I was sold immediately, and resolved to see The Gothsicles. Of course I missed them.

Walking around, I feel a bit lost at first. This isn't Whitby with its hundreds of people all seemingly drifting from the Victorian age (except for the New Rock boots). No... This is the future. A place I've never truly been. Beepy beepy accessories and silver panels and neon hair abound... But that's just me. Others are even more so - they snarl, and pout, and glare, and make me feel right not at home, as a newbie, a southerner, and as someone not as Industrial/Cyber as he/she could. Which suits me - nothing like a new group to break into :D

Greyhound are the first band, Stephan excitedly drags me towards them. Its powernoise, bass heavy enough the vibrating surface of your chest has more an effect on you than the music. I quite like it, despite being (sort of) new to the genre. I wouln't rush out to grab them though.

One band down, we wandered around some. We'd already met some neighbours - Big Steve and Jan, heading up a whole load of Belfast types. I was just thinking how they're like an Irish Darren and Alice when Jan compliments my hair, thereby earning my lifelong trust, admiration and gratitude - we've got our festival friends!

^This be Steve

Next band was Portion Control. Old-style Industrialists I thought of along the same lines as Nitzer Ebb - shouty bloke and minimalistic backing. Doesn't sound like much, except I thought they were brilliant. Lots of energy, lots of visuals (excellent backdrops of urban London grime) and great bass-heavy beats. It probably shouldn't work, but it did. I just regret not getting to see them in London recently.

^Portion Control

^Liann, Pixie, Jim-bob, Stephan Hussein

Sometime after that we bumped into some *GASP* Luton people! Jesus H Christ, its not just the two of us flying the flag (Burberry cap on white circle inside red? *shudder*). Pixie, girlfriend Lianne and an energetic chap called James are there too.

I can't remember what we did for the rest of that night. Danced a bit maybe. Sat down and had some food at their (pretty good I must say) food station... Went home. Slept on a hard, hard floor.

^That's a gimpcat. There's only one reason someone would dress like that and perch herself on a wall by a busy staircase - attentionwhoring. Stephan obliged, and she got arsey with him. 'What d'you wanna take a picture of me for?'

I'm wondering the same thing. Maybe someone will stumble across this looking for gothporn and jack off over their monitor: that'd be pretty funny. Bet it'd be Dan's sort of thing.

^ Here are some more cybergothic peoples. Its blurry, yes - my #1 camera is out for the count, and I'm back to the crap American made #2, which incidentally is the reason why all my band pics are crap. Sorry 'bout that. But then my band pics would be crap anyway, because I don't have a press pass for the camera pit or anything. If you really wanted to see pics of the bands anyway you'd be reading a proper write-up, not this 00:37am ramble and photowhore session.

^Kind of a cyber Tarzan. He was bloody restless, too.

^Marky got this pic of me stalking our Tarzan. I never realised I look so... intent... when taking photos.

Who Mark?

^This be Marky, with ladyfriend, and our Stephan. They lived just across from us, and quickly proved to be completely top people. They're great. More of them later.

First band we saw were Faderhead, again a hot recommendation of Stephan's. They came on, their singer with a really thick US accent, with songs about Houston and other American-y things (but sadly not the 'Coke for my Ass' song Stephan kept muttering). Odd then that they're from Tyskland! They do however have a nice line in energetic shouty-beaty songs. Excellent stage presence, but probably nowhere near as good in recorded format.

^Oddly enough, no-one got good pictures of the singer. We did get Dr T though, who we both agreed is completely sextacular. Great muscle-tone, good moves, and excellent keyboardage. She gets 8.5 on the objectificationometer.

^Excellent tall devil-girls, handing out lollipops. You probably can't see but one has tiger-stripe tattoos down her arms - which I want, dearly.

We managed to see a large bit of Dope Stars Inc. Good to see XP8 man Marko Visconti on beepy beepy things, livening up immensely what would otherwise be 5 men having a mass guitar-wank. Probably sounds unfair. I do give them credit though for being something quite leftfield for what is otherwise a bleakly electronic festival. 13th Monkey after that, seemed quite similar to Greyhound to me - yet I was entranced by their VJing (Episodes of Monkey. Just what *is* Tripitaka, anyway?) and was distracted from the music.

^Then there was a terse, crowded wait...

^A happy fellow

And BLAM! Apoptygma Berzerk bounded onto the stage, with limitless energy and verve by the bucketload, going headfirst into every song and exploding out the other end with the guitar man throwing every shape possible. Every song sounded great - even those from the (unfairly) lamented last album. Stephan Groth is a great frontman, even if he does share hairstyles with Jeanbaptiste Emmanuelle Zorg (from the Fifth Element). Completely brilliant show, satisfying in every way.

^Stephan got this pic

^I got this one pic, then my camera died. Worth it? YEAH! *airpunch*

^Then we went and partied with all our Oirish friends and Tori from Deviant Hair

With depressing inevitablity, the third day reared it's ugly head. We started by taking an ill-advised trip to sainsbury's (me in full battle gear, frightening the locals), and then walking up to the venue, when a very pretty goth girl came with us for protection, for she was getting harassed by a carload of Asianchavs (tm), asking her how much she cost, etc. They didn't ask me, the cheeky scum!

^Nice to meet some fellow M'era Luna veterans.

^Rupesh Cartel, from Sweden provided very pleasing and easy on the ears synthpop. I must get some more.

Painbastard, up next however, seemed to completely bely his name. His jagged black armour, aggressive name and vocal effects were completely at odds with his very German genteel stage manner. Most odd. Can't fault the music, though again it could've been angrier and stompier. No pics, as my camera has now officially died at this point.

We missed Soman. Not much to say there then. But we got the sense that whole band was just the warm up, as the crowd stayed in place, and the hall filled out and VNV Nation took the stage. I'd thought Apop were good, but this was the real deal. VNV hit an immediate rapport with the crowd ('And here's another song that sounds like all the others!') and carried it all off brilliantly. The drum kit fell apart a bit, so Ronan gave a bit of stand-up as they fixed the 'Meccano drum set'. He made a good point that, only in Britain it seems are goths able to laugh at themselves. 'Look at you there, in all your beepy beepy stuff. Did ye wire yerself up to a car battery?'

Before the gig I'd been feeling a bit fatigued (damn high heels). All this was blown away, and we all stayed happy through 5 (yes, five) encore songs ('And now for a ballad, just so you know not all our songs are beepy beepy stuff' - and then they played 'Honour' x_X). What a perfect god damn bloody gig. Must make a note not to be so hard on Oirland in future.

^Both VNVers were wandering around afterwards, happy to chat and hang around. Really nice lads :)

And... That was it. Only another piss-soaked coach to take us home via the hellish dump that gets called 'Broad Marsh Bus Station' in Nottingham stood in our way... We survived, just about.

Roll on the next one!

Melancholy Sophie Lancaster Post - Killed for Being a Goth

2007-08-29T01:12:29Z

I was going to write a big happy bleepy Infest blog here, with lots of attention-whorey pictures and bleatings about how excellent everything is right now - but somehow that doesn't seem appropriate. Midway through VNV Nation's set, Ronan Harris dedicated a song to 'Sophie Lancaster - murdered for being a goth.'

I'd never heard this. Indeed some people were sceptical, or dismissive. All through the rest of the festival (and mindful of a goth girl we met, who tagged onto us because she had a car full of asianchavs kerbcrawling after her, calling her a prostitute, and other names, and she wanted some safety), I had the thought of her in the back of my head.

BBC News Story

Telegraph Story

Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend Rob were attacked by a gang of 15-17 year olds - fucking children. They were punched, kicked, pushed to the ground and had their faces and necks kicked and stamped on until the point they were unrecognisable. Sophie was dragged around by her dreads until her scalp was bared from skin in places. Both went into coma, and Sophie died several days ago, largely unnoticed by the Suns of the world and other papers, themselves awash with other stories of people killed by chavs (yes, chavs. Its time people stopped seeing chavs as some kind of cute social mishap, or accused people using the word of social elitism - I came from a dirt-poor background, and you don't see me committing crimes, violent acts etc under the guise of self-imposed ignorance).

So please excuse the melodrama, but this is my own small tribute to Sophie and Rob, people I've never known, but by all accounts have a lot in common with. May they be remembered perpetually, and may the murderers rot in hell.

-W-

Charge your Lasers for Battle!

2007-08-22T14:48:01Z

Stephan had a brazilliant idea for Infest - something I haven't done in a long time.

Laser Quest!

So that's Infest, but I want more. We need some lasering closer to home:

Laser Quest in Luton is, sadly, a thing of the past. Apparently the manager ran off with all the money, and the splendid cyber-industrial indoor Wasteland they'd constructed is now a women-only gym.

There is, however, one in Cambridge! Times and other possible locations; I'm open to suggestions.

Consider this a sounding call: Who's interested in a few laser games? Hopefully there'll be enough people to get a full group - then we'll go and laser eachother to death in full goth!

Could anything be more fun?

Shut up, it can't.