From: Pete
Well I've finally reaquired my normal level of coherence and am no
longer dribbling, phew.
What a lovely weekend! Coo is Pontins a bleak and foreboding place -
what must people be escaping from to chose that? A 'five bed chalet'
was a one bedroom flat (with 2 bunk beds and a single bed, and room to
swing a kitten in skateboard pads) and a sofa bed in a bedsit with
'kitchenette' attached. Bizarrely, a 6 bed one is two bedrooms with
2x2-single beds (which can be pushed together), two large sofas and a
table and 4 chairs. (top tip, pop pickers, get six or book a six!)
Basics sorted. Friday night, all a little chaotic, people come with
different sets, though the setting and substances tend to be the same..
or similar...
4 rooms, one big one, good projections, podiums etc but never really
felt welcoming or cosy to us - maybe the ceilings were just too high? I
wonder wether it's a bit like bad comedians - they don't have the
confidence to wait/slow it down.. enjoy the silence between gags - they
have to fill it with bosh and can't quite conjure the funk.
Dj Sneak in the second biggest room - starts v. promisingly, excellent
canterhouse, boompty boom, the room is full, it's funky as fuck - He had
an MC - who (IMHO, natch) accentuated the beats/midrange stuff I like to
groove to.. great for about 90mins - then a 'live band' with him which
didn't quite cut it.. the room died on its arse. by the end of the set
there were 40 people there in a 600 capacity room. Shame. Didn't hear FK
as we were in an advanced state of refreshment by then, else where.
Heard he was quite hard and room still dead. - little forays back to
our chalet for pick me ups, chill outs etc kept us perky. missed Sacha -
who was apparently rather good - but started his set at 5am! 5am! That's
a bloody milkman and baker set!
Chill and chat and codshit most of saturday - Cash money was apparently
rather good hip hop style, but so was the company in the chalets..
Saturday eve... more nonsense till late on - Phil Hartnoll - good
tunes, but 2.30 at kempton style mixing, got our shit together to see
the Stantons - big phat rolling basslines, more *fun* than the other
rooms ( they were in a smaller room, lower ceilings) - it seemed to gel
- the only time we saw
black/white/asian/men/women/gay/straight/old/young people in equal ish
proportions.. a lot of the other rooms were TFB tastic. - young straight
white men..Plumps took the bass deeper but we'd had it by then - but
could feel it through our chalet walls!
Went out for one last skirmish in the 'ching bar' (oh sorry, the
'icebar' [read cynical attempt by Marlboro to make menthol fags appear
'cool' by erm, making a bar out of ice, carving the menthol logo into
it, having a rather dubious greyish green (is that sputum?) bright
lighting in it, and some dolly birds with knockers and fags usherette
style at the entrance]). I said I'd rather it was a nice purple colour -
Marina, work head on, pointed out "but then it would be silk cut!").
[hmm note to self micheal moore style, could I stand there with fags, a
cows lung and a pot of blackstrap molasses and do negative connotations instead?]
Anyway - more lively music, like a London ching bar, snooty tooters but
more of a laugh..gave us a boost for a while, then time for bed said zebedee..
Sunday - woke to find we'd been inadvertently locked in our chalet by
the hardcore up all nighters - rescued after texting by chaletmate in a
witches hat and large comedy ears. Unfazed. A Hearty breakfast - a
fruit corner and 8 spoons- later we bid farewell.. and took care of
unfinished business at home..
All in all - bloody marvellous. Mostly cos the people we were with were
great - funny, not pissheads, sparky, creative, put the effort in, gave
more than they took (no mean feat!). The place didn't really 'go off'
for me other than in the breakbeat room, although the music was good
elsewhere too - guess the 'extracurricular' activities in the chalets
were more appealing.
Good work, well done (Gold Star, A-)
