HarbourLife

I went to a one-day festival on the harbour on Saturday, appropriately enough called HarbourLife. (I took that picture, click on it for the big version.)

A mate of a mate won two tickets, couldn't go, so flogged them to my mate for fifty bucks, so off we went. It's quite a small one, and it weren't sold out, so it was nice and cosy, in a stunning location right on the harbour opposite the Opera House. The beer tents and toilets and that were in the trees of the park and stage was down some steps right on the harbour.

The Temper Trap were headlining, but I hadn't heard of any of the other acts on the bill, which wasn't surprising as they turned out to be dance acts and DJs (I'd vaguely heard of Metronomy, who are from the UK). I didn't know until I got there that it's normally headlined by a big dance act and the whole thing is more of a dance festival than anything rock-based. Which would also explain the heavy police presence with sniffer dogs at the gates on the way in. Which would also explain everyone being off their tits on pills by the time we moseyed on down there at about half four.

The first band/DJ came on at two and the thing finished at ten, and I'm guessing the Essex-Police-circa-1995 style heavy-handed tactics meant that people who were indulging in naughties necked them just before they rocked up to the gates, so that by the time we got there they were all having a rare old time. Rather than me, who just felt very old! Most of the punters were kids, which was fair enough, but there were quite a few folk our age and older, and looking at them mushed off their chops and giving it the large gave me the right fear. This remember, is all in blazing sunshine and 80 degree heat.

The 'Trap were very good, though they've only got one album so it was over fairly sharp. Then we walked into the Cross and went to the Darlo Bar, and then the Green Park Hotel as the Darlo shuts at midnight but the Green Park's open until two. By that time we were in quite an advanced state of refreshment so it was only natural I then got myself home. And sat up until four watching Birmingham beat Chelsea, about which I can remember very little.