Summer in the City
Well, I have to come clean and say despite the moan-a-thon of my last blog, my life in Sydney of the last 3 months has been a bit of a cracker with one thing and another. Nowhere like Sydney lays on so much to help the people of the city have a good time. Free festivals, open air cinema showings, exhibitions galore and all kinds of concert and theatre. And the stuff I went to only scratches the surface.
Starting with Australia Day, it was basically like New Year but the fireworks were at Darling harbor and not the harbor Bridge...
I did manage the Dance festival Good Vibrations with assorted fellow scousers Heather, Kerry & Chris on a blazing day full of mad aussie sorts, all off their heads on 'pingers' or maybe the sun had turned them a bit doolally? Whatever, it was a scorcher, the likes of which Glasto or Leeds Fest can only dream of and only marred by the fact that I would have loved to see some of my own, homegrown, festi-loving friends there too. Shaun Ryder did an early Godawful turn on the decks that was frankly embarrassing but his miming to D.A.R.E seem to be a crowd pleaser. Whatever.
Went to the Bondi pavilion Open-air cinema to see Daft Punks 'Discovery' Japanese anami music vids played in their entirety - lots of whooping, dancing in seats and pointing of fingers from myself & Lucy and two gay geezers in front of us who seemed to be the only people there for a good time and to listen to the music. Even managed to shout out to the audience 'COME ON ITS THE LAST SONG' (it made Lucy laugh anyway) and you could see people were twitching to dance or clap- but then Bondi takes itself so bloody seriously that they must have decided they were too cool. Aussies don't know about Audience Participation y'see. They don't have panto here. Only Neighbours...
Onto Tropfest. This is a free festival held in a park in the city where people picnic all day, drink and lounge about, in the middle is a cube of four giant screens and a stage with a band on. Then at 8 the thing begins. 15 short film finalists get their films viewed by the public and then after a vote- a winner, and then, I assume, all kinds of film breaks. The theme was 'Bubble' and some were pretty good actually. Then it started spitting. Then raining a little. Then some of my mates were like 'we're off the pub, call us in a bit'. Then the sky turned black and a MONSOON like you have never seen just threw itself down- the festival was pulled officially and people were just running everywhere to get out of it. In the end blagged into some 'after show' tents with new partner in crime Jason and despite clearly looking like the drowned gate crashers we were, we still blagged a few drinks, a bit of water melon (?) and then onto more drinking. Get in.
Then, of course, Mardi Gras!!! Literally having friends in really high places (Heather & Ian thanks for a tip top party) meant we were all on the aformentioned's balcony overlooking Oxford Street and the main parade. It opened with the Dykes On Bikes- revving lezzas with their boobs hanging out on Harley Davidsons, and then a mix of gay and lesbians letting it all hang out in carnival style on some hilarious floats. There were the 'Line Dancing Kate Mosses' - a load of transvestites pouring lines of sugar up the street and then pretending to snort it up through comedy length straws. There was 'Broke Back Morman' complete with tent and dubious shadows from within... Human giant disco balls.. and some rather hardcore stuff I wouldnt want to mention to me ma....
Afterwards a huge firework display that non can rival the Aussies for. They just KNOW it isn't going to be rained off like it could be in the UK.
Watched a bit of Brazilian Capohirea on Bondi at the South American Festival, you have never seen anything like it, the skill is amazing- so are their bodies hehehe... and been to a few museums etc. (etc = bars, clubs, pubs)
Finally Heathers 30th. To surprise her, Ian chartered a private yatch, we each paid 30 quid (20 of us) and then tricked her into coming. 5 hours of lauding it up sailing past the Opera House and under the bridge a few times, 3 sheets to the wind (and I'm not talking about the sails)and generally being very drunk and happy and thinking that yep, I have been one lucky so & so to be so far from my home and to have made such a nice little life here- however temporary. The full stop on the summer was a busy week for Phils birthday, a night out clubbing to see Paul Van Dyke (trance anyone?) and both myself and Jason flicking the 'v's' to the naff call centre job- and nipping off to Thailand for a wedding hehehehehe.......
Starting with Australia Day, it was basically like New Year but the fireworks were at Darling harbor and not the harbor Bridge...
I did manage the Dance festival Good Vibrations with assorted fellow scousers Heather, Kerry & Chris on a blazing day full of mad aussie sorts, all off their heads on 'pingers' or maybe the sun had turned them a bit doolally? Whatever, it was a scorcher, the likes of which Glasto or Leeds Fest can only dream of and only marred by the fact that I would have loved to see some of my own, homegrown, festi-loving friends there too. Shaun Ryder did an early Godawful turn on the decks that was frankly embarrassing but his miming to D.A.R.E seem to be a crowd pleaser. Whatever.
Went to the Bondi pavilion Open-air cinema to see Daft Punks 'Discovery' Japanese anami music vids played in their entirety - lots of whooping, dancing in seats and pointing of fingers from myself & Lucy and two gay geezers in front of us who seemed to be the only people there for a good time and to listen to the music. Even managed to shout out to the audience 'COME ON ITS THE LAST SONG' (it made Lucy laugh anyway) and you could see people were twitching to dance or clap- but then Bondi takes itself so bloody seriously that they must have decided they were too cool. Aussies don't know about Audience Participation y'see. They don't have panto here. Only Neighbours...
Onto Tropfest. This is a free festival held in a park in the city where people picnic all day, drink and lounge about, in the middle is a cube of four giant screens and a stage with a band on. Then at 8 the thing begins. 15 short film finalists get their films viewed by the public and then after a vote- a winner, and then, I assume, all kinds of film breaks. The theme was 'Bubble' and some were pretty good actually. Then it started spitting. Then raining a little. Then some of my mates were like 'we're off the pub, call us in a bit'. Then the sky turned black and a MONSOON like you have never seen just threw itself down- the festival was pulled officially and people were just running everywhere to get out of it. In the end blagged into some 'after show' tents with new partner in crime Jason and despite clearly looking like the drowned gate crashers we were, we still blagged a few drinks, a bit of water melon (?) and then onto more drinking. Get in.
Then, of course, Mardi Gras!!! Literally having friends in really high places (Heather & Ian thanks for a tip top party) meant we were all on the aformentioned's balcony overlooking Oxford Street and the main parade. It opened with the Dykes On Bikes- revving lezzas with their boobs hanging out on Harley Davidsons, and then a mix of gay and lesbians letting it all hang out in carnival style on some hilarious floats. There were the 'Line Dancing Kate Mosses' - a load of transvestites pouring lines of sugar up the street and then pretending to snort it up through comedy length straws. There was 'Broke Back Morman' complete with tent and dubious shadows from within... Human giant disco balls.. and some rather hardcore stuff I wouldnt want to mention to me ma....
Afterwards a huge firework display that non can rival the Aussies for. They just KNOW it isn't going to be rained off like it could be in the UK.
Watched a bit of Brazilian Capohirea on Bondi at the South American Festival, you have never seen anything like it, the skill is amazing- so are their bodies hehehe... and been to a few museums etc. (etc = bars, clubs, pubs)
Finally Heathers 30th. To surprise her, Ian chartered a private yatch, we each paid 30 quid (20 of us) and then tricked her into coming. 5 hours of lauding it up sailing past the Opera House and under the bridge a few times, 3 sheets to the wind (and I'm not talking about the sails)and generally being very drunk and happy and thinking that yep, I have been one lucky so & so to be so far from my home and to have made such a nice little life here- however temporary. The full stop on the summer was a busy week for Phils birthday, a night out clubbing to see Paul Van Dyke (trance anyone?) and both myself and Jason flicking the 'v's' to the naff call centre job- and nipping off to Thailand for a wedding hehehehehe.......
posted by LesAlanos @ 11:05 PM
0 comments
