1am blues...

1am, can't sleep, Brooke Fraser on a continual loop in my head. Actually a lot has been running through my head, live in general really. I need to get my self a job, but I'm reluctant to do so. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm feeling like the last job (night club photography) were just trying to screw me over. Unfortunately people are like that in the world today. Worrying about my Godspell audition and through a hissy fit about my singing ability this morning. Missing everyone back in New Zealand. Needing a good hug. HAHAHA. I'm such a noob. I think it just because I'm tired. I don't think I'm sleeping very well at the moment. That and I was up nearly all night at Wychwood Festival (I will blog about it eventually). So much is going on between my ears and I wish I could pull a plug and watch it all drain away. Enjoying playing the flute again, not very good though but recalling fingering. Having trouble with sentence construction, maybe because its 1:15am. What else? My book is friken amazing, The likeness, by Tana French. Nealy half way through. I'm glad Suzann Boil didn't win Britain's got Talent, would have gone straight to her head I reckon. I feeling in a very artistic mood, it think I could write a good poem, but I really can't be bothered. Want to write more but really can't be bothered. Hope you enjoyed my blog of nothing, I'm going back to bed! And here's a cat....

Spring Awakening

And the wait had finally ended, the one show i had wanted to see since this time last year. Just in the nick of time as well as it well be off the West end at the end of the month, and it had only been running since April. Even with its 5 star reviews it has to end. I heard from an usherette during the interval that since the houses had been so small the produces run out of money, which was a shame because it was f**king fantastic!! From the moment the the first song started (Mama who bore me) I was hooked. The whole show was everything I expected and more. I just want to take the show to bits and examine every cog, wheel and spring and put it all back together then start all over to see if I had missed anything. Since I had read the original play I had a vague idea what was going to happen (not to mention I already know every line to every song) but there were still surprises and twists and turns that truly made this musical a unique piece of art. You find so many musicals that are all singing, dancing, bright, colorful and buzzing such as Wicked, The Producers, Mama Mia. Not to say anything bad about them, I love these types of musicals, and I have done a few of these myself, but Spring Awakening holds something else. It holds a certain truth and a depth of language which I truly love. The lyrics to every song are of a higher intellect of any other I have heard and the same runs through all the dialogue. The story follows a group of teenagers going though, to put its simple, puberty, and not only self discovery but the discovery of the world around them. A truly brilliant show and one of the best I have ever seen. Although I must say I was more than a little disappointed from the comments of my fellow theater goers. Such as, the music was good but the story not so much, it was to depressing and i don't feel the usual buzz, and (this ones the worst) it was to high school musical for me!!!!!! *gasp* Have you ever seen high school musical Ant? Do you remember any part of High School Musical with swearing, beatings, rape, masturbation and pascal nudity, hmm. And that story line was ten, no a million times better, not to mention the music. It is the complete opposite to High School Musical in every way. Dose anyone do in High School Musical, although that wouldn't be a bad thing. If you haven guessed I despise High School Musical. This is a drama musical with comedy aspects, in the same way as Rent, but I didn't feel depressed at the end just buzzing for more. Anyway to my fellow theater goers you are just a bunch of old farts (but I love you really). But to be fair this show is aimed towards the younger generation. Brilliant show and I hope it comes back to the West end because I would be happy to see it again and again and again.

Hats and Crazy Horses!!

There is always time for the sea and I have learned this more than ever over the last few days. My long walks along the stony shore have kept me entertained for many hours. Being rapped in my own thoughts with the ocean crashing and the gentle chatter of locals and tourist alike in my ear is good for the soul. I've been searching for strange stones on the beach (I've found one in the shape of a telephone but Rowen's says it looks like a fetus hahaha) and chuckling at the odd wipe-outs on a bike or skateboard. I know i shouldn't laugh but what can you do? Also being able to look out across the sea and seeing the curvature of the earth can tell you just how small you are. I say how wonderful the beach but I don't really agree with being attacked by a large flock of seagulls but you got to take the good with the bad.

I've been strolling through the north laine (and that not a spelling error) a lot, which are fulled with every kind of shop you can image. There this one shop called "Snoopers paradise" which is just full of second hand "stuff" and not just any "stuff" awesome "stuff" radical "stuff" and even retro "Stuff". You could dress you whole house with Snoopers "stuff" and your your-self. And it also were I found the best thing ever.... my £1 hat. Oh I love my one pound hat. Everything else is a blur except my £1 hat. I am officially obsessed with my £1 hat. Just thinking about my £1 hat gets me excited...but not in a creepy way...but even still I love my £1 hat!!!

Oh the eccentrics, as Rowen says, every type you can imagine. Big hair, bright hair, spiked hair, slick hair, tight jeans, bagging jeans, striped, poke-a-dotted, multi colored jeans, emos, skaters, goths, pucks, hipsters and of all ages and races, and all smushed into the town of Brighton. And that's only a small dent into the styles of Brighton.

The other night I went out with Rowen and two of her friend, Damion and Neal, to The Interstella Circus. With cup of soup in hand I was hoping for a good show. But with the entrance of the MC and his bad poetry I was ready to hide in my cup, I suppose thats because he wasn't much of a master....of anything really. Some of the individual act raised me from my cup, but the compere was not the ideal gel to stick it all together, he was more like school PVA glue, watery and makes one hell of a mess. I found I was enjoying the acrobatics the most with genuine cheers coming from my mouth. With a bit more variety and some different glue they would have a great show. But this was my introduction to a tacky sea side circus and I enjoyed every minute of it. All but the woman who sung a song about crazy horses who sounded like a horse which left us buzzing red crosses "Britten's got talent" style.

I have enjoyed my time in Brighton and I'm sad its coming to an end but I will definitely be back for more of the Brighton experience. And who knows I might find a new £1 hat!!!

Great Escape

My first weekend in Brighton (without my mum and sister) when extremely well with a long evening of bands at the Great Escape Festival. I party hard with Rowen and Antz watching several different upcoming bands.
Starting off with two bands from (ironically) New Zealand. Boom Boom Echo and Die Die Die two punk bands bent on being as loud as possible, not really my cup of tea...

But it all when up from there with an alternative band called Mechanical Bride to start the evening off. An eerie xylophone piece kick of the session and was indented in my mind for the next few hours.

After our short taster of Mechanical Bride we traveled round to a small cave like basement with a small band set up in the corner. Talking regulars fulled the crowded bar with noise and prepared me for a shot performance, but then they started to play. With jaws on the floor "The Low Anthems" had calmed the stormy chatter. With folky, rocky, jazzy sound and great vocals and lyrics they made a perfect trio. Playing guitar, bass, double bass (made me wish I kept playing), clarinet, drums keyboard and something else. That something else was like a xylophone but with discs and you play it with a bow, it made an amazing sound and just topped off how good these guys were. I will be keeping my eye on them, I think they could make it big. And on to the next venue we when.

Now I suppose you have to take the good with the bad because what came next was a shock to the system. Mothlite. Picture four guys: 2 on keyboard type things, 1 with what looked to be an old tape recorder and the other with a mic, tambourine and 2 drums and all four playing different songs at once. Oh the sounds of electronic post rock sound (whatever that relay is?). There opening number called "jungle sound" was a combination of beeps, bang and several other strange sounds, that did not remind me of any jungle I've been to. Although in saying that it was a laugh to watch. The guy with the tape recorder was the spitting image of a child from a frog and a zombie. And the singing complained that the sound was just not quite loud enough sending Antz into an out burst of laughter.

After a bite to eat we headed over to the Prince Albert, a pub in the North Laine, to hear a band called the Woodpigeons. Unfortunately we were crammed in a small room on the second floor and almost died from the extreme heat so we headed out side to catch a breather instead. Out side I picked up a glow stick after donating to make a wish foundation. How could my evening get any better, glow sticks rock!! Armed with a glow stick we headed back to were the Mechanical Bride played to see something very different.

Thomas Truax playing his Sister Spinster, Hornicator and Stringaling (WHAT?) to make the most absurd music I've ever heard, and that is no way near a bad thing. Singing songs to from the films of David Lynch it was the best way to finish the evening. "These a full moon over wow town to nightttttttttt!!!" Although it was not the end there was more to come....

We arrive at a house party of some of Rowen and Antz friends were I was subjected to the festive activity of drunken parents taking full advantage of there night off which was quite a laugh. Although being asked multiple times what kind of music I was in to dose get a tad tedious. Someone even thought I was Rowen and Antz son HAHA!!! We still don't know who it was worst for.

A late night but a good one, makes me wonder what else Brighton has to offer.

And so the blogging begins

Hay all
I've heard that when you have a diary (or in this day and age a blog) you can live every moment three times: once in the moment, once writing the moment and once rereading the moment. In this we can relive moments of great joy over and over. In saying this I have never been good at recoding anything, the last attempt at keeping a diary only lasted a week, it just comes down to the point of "can I actuality be bothered?" followed by the short answer "No...." But in saying this I will try my hardest and will fight with every fiber in my body to keep this blog. Oh this all sounds so dramatic! Ha!
The point of this blog: to document my travels and express my feelings on the world around me, places, theatre, restaurants books and blar blar blar. Just like every other blog out there. But the big question is..
How long will it last?!!?!?