Still in Lunnndunn at Kazzie’s

I wake up to the sound of my alarm going off.

I sit there in my sleeping bag for a moment just pondering, while Douglas watched on at me, and then it struck me - a random thought that just came from nowhere and landed itself in my head. And I curse out-loud:

“Shit! I forgot my oyster card!”

Grrr, I was so annoyed with myself because of all the things to forget I forgot one of the most important things that I needed for the weekend. Fortunately the bubbling anger at myself goes away as I’m determined to have a good happy weekend.

It’s about 10am, and I know that I’m the only one awake - the idea was that I was going to throw on some clothes, grab some stuff and then jump into the car to seek out Kev’s hotel.

I get caught in the act by K who happened to have woken up too and came down to chat while I rounded things up.We probably could have chatted for ages though I was in a rush and a bit apprehensive about the drive to the hotel. So I bid a hasty farewell to K and made my exit by finding the house key and unlocking the door to let myself out haha. I found it funny that not only had I broken into Kazzie’s house, I had now broke out of Kazzie’s house as well.

Kev told me not to call before 11pm. So part of me didn’t want to get there early, though the other impatient part of me wanted to get there asap so I could get on with the day sooner. Turns out I made it to Kev’s hotel round about 20 mins late, though this was because I kept going the wrong way en-route, then I would realise and have the hassle of turning back around to go the right way while the traffic around me slowly increased with busyness.

I pulled up into the hotel and at first panicked because I couldn’t see how to get to the car park, and I was relying on parking there for the weekend. I rang Kev who answered with that shaky I just woke up tone and I discovered at that point his room was at the front of the hotel, he went to his window to look for me and there he was in all his I just-got-up glory. He explained that to get to the car park I had to drive down this narrow gap by the side of the building, thing was I had seen this and I thought no way would that be the entrance but it was, so I carefully drove through it and parked up.

I finally get to investigate Kev’s hotel room, though unfortunately it did have an air of “stuck in the 80s” vibe to it which made things boring. The most exciting thing to be found was a trouser press (that Kev found out later was shit) .

Kev’s room:

I set up my laptop and check out the wifi situation, all encrypted networks in the area - gay. So I got Kev’s phone plugged in to charge up (since he had this whole awkward thing when his charger is broke and now can only be charged through usb). We chatted for a bit and I eventually jumped into the shower. I had taken it upon myself to go borrow everyone else’s showers that weekend since Kazzie only had a bath, which was fine on occasion but just doesn’t beat a nice hot tasty shower.

Post shower Kev gets a call from Leon and I reclaim my laptop and texted Stephie to see where she had got to as I knew she was due in London soon. I ring Bob to get advice on lacking an oyster card, he told me just to get another one. I chatted to Kev a bit more before we go off and register my car under his name so it wouldn’t get clamped, then I set off to seek the tube and meet up with the rest of the sushi crew with plenty of time to kill.

I discover at this point that the tube wasn’t that far at all, and it was mid walk in the middle of a giant subway (with a roundabout for cyclists 0_o) Stephie texts me back saying she was now at her hotel. I got dead excited and I immediately backtrack while calling Stephie telling her I was near her hotel now and arranged to meet her in the lobby. I also text Kev and tell him that she was here too and he said he would come say hello.

It’s been an interesting situation with the hotels this year, Gem, Kev, Cara, Leon and Paul all stayed in one hotel, while Stephie stayed in another pricier hotel just a minute up the road. Both hotels were part of the same chain/ownership and it turned out pretty well as the reception was based away from the small hotel so we came and went as we pleased there without looking too dodgy. Plus it turned out to be ace for parking up in for the day.

Anyhow, me and Kev found ourselves waiting in the hotel lobby for Stephie whom we both hadn’t see since the last Muse gig in London. God can anyone believe it had been that long? In fact to me it felt like a decade since I had last spoken to Stephie properly. She appeared, short and smiley, make up in shape with her usual fluttering vivid coloured eyelids, she came up and gave me and Kev both proper greetings before we went to check out her room.

Her room wasn’t that much different to Kev’s apart from it was a bit bigger and the bathroom was much much bigger - which seem to immensely impress Kev some what. We chatted for a bit and arsed about with internet on her TV while she got ready to head out. I had invited her along to sushi time and she was game for it though she’d never really had it before. Kev had decided to stay at the hotel to take it easy and meet up with Gem and others arriving that day. I chuckled as Stephie pointed out how much make up she had brought with her teehee - bless.

Kev and Stephie reunite in Stephie’s room:

With Stephie in my company I made my way to the underground this time reaching it and we jumped on and began making out way to Victoria, which I realised wasn’t that easy to get to from where we were. Me and Stephie also got to have a nice chat and catch up between us, I asked her about her journey down and all that. She explained it has just been her travelling over, just her and her little carry case, this is where we born the joke about the idea that she’s there struggling with this case along the road side and out of no where this car pulls up and someone literately picks her up and takes her away hehe. Aww but no nothing like that did happen to her thank god.

Stephie on the tube:

I was surprised that it didn’t take us that long to reach Victoria despite it not being a direct route, and we were almost the first ones there at 1.30pm, though Stu had texted me at some point to say he was there too and asking where I was. You have to remember that no one who was going to be at Sushi knew I had picked up Stephie along the way so she was kinda going to be the surprise. I rang Stu back and eventually after a hiccup I got hold of him and told him where I was. He came to meet up outside of Yo Sushi at the top of the escalator and then i sprung out Stephie, which followed with a nice chat while we waited on the others or until 2pm came around. Then we would EAT!

Stu took this moment to produce the long awaited diagram…this diagram was “the plan” for the weekend - he had been going on about before the weekend that he was going to draw us this lovely diagram ha. Though after noticing some many many inaccuracies me and Stephie set to work with a pen to “update it”.

Check out the flickr notes for details:

There was some more edits after that but alas I forgot to take another photo of it :(

Finally 2pm comes around and with mutual agreement we decide that it was indeed…EATING TIME! We went and grabbed a table and tried to sort one so we had enough room for everybody who was turning up. We ended up seated in a row by the belt, which would had been fine if there wasn’t going to at least 6 of us there. It’s quite hard to all be sociable with one another if you’re sat in a big line…

Just as we began to eat and sort ourselves out Bob appears! Ah Bob the guy who has this skill where he can be late but never miss anything (lets not forget the nin in London fiasco). Bob came rushing in and I sprung Stephie on him while I told him how damn lucky he was with his timing, we had only just got down to eat. Stu had already tucked in mind, grabbing things off the belt and getting on with it like a true hungry food eating man he was. Stephie and I had merely dabbled about the menus while sorting out some water and what not. A waitress comes over and Bob instantly orders right away haha - this is a man who knows what he wants, while I’m left pondering and also getting out and playing with my 400d.

Soon after, Kazzie and Kiernan show up and it got a bit hectic as I spring Stephie upon them and it also became clear that the seating arrangements at the belt wasn’t going to be the best of ideas. So as soon as a table enough for six went free we all shifted over to there which was much much better and much more comfortably socially.

Everyone makes it to Yo Sushi in time to EAT:

I at last got round to ordering, and went for the good olde YAKITORI! (High five!) And yakisoba to begin my glorious sushi meal. Man I was wholesomely intending to splash out aplenty for this tasty glorious meal to be - just because it’s not everyday I get to gorge on yo sushi - but hell when I go and have good grub I make sure I do it right!

While waiting for food we chat and all that, other people order - well Stu just kept eating everything off the belt - with cries of “oh oh get me that” as plates he wanted rolled past. I don’t know why but for some reason he didn’t sit by the belt which would had made a lot more sense - heh. Meanwhile Stephie was going all out with trying out the veggie selection - she had even ordered something from the waitress that wasn’t actually on the menu haha, in which Bob made a slight show about by saying she was “cheating the waitress” and therefore damaging the trust in their “relationship” between them haha. I think she went for some mushroom nigiri things and vegetable yakisoba and other stuff. Kazzie went for the safe things that she discovered she liked eating from last time and was getting giddy and doing things like nabbing some assorted fruit on the belt right away for later. Bob’s eyes twitched while he muttered “For fooks sake!” under his breath as kazzie kept going with getting dishes. It turns out that the reason he got Kazzie to come to yo sushi again was that he had offered to pay for her ha.

Stephie uses the retard learner sticks:

When Stephie’s food arrived she set about trying to use chopsticks. Kazzie tried to show her but struggled to even separate them ha. But once Stephie had them it was clear she wasn’t really an expert at it - this was when Bob pointed out there were the “learner” chopsticks (aka retarded chopsticks) she could use, these were things that resembled two lollipop sticks that kinda fit together and had a slight tweezer vibe to them. Stephie gave them a go and was a bit more joyed with being able to use them, though she still attempted with the normal sort. Bob being Bob mocked her feeble chopstick user ways by claiming he could use chopsticks on the learner ones to pick things up ha - he was about to demonstrate successfully but we got interrupted by the waitress I think.

More banter as well as Kiernan showing us the hat she’d brought Kev, it was the US version of the Joey hat, the same style but with a US flag instead of a UK one hehe. She modelled it for us.

Me and the K:

More food shows up, including my yakitori (high five!) and the first thing I do for some reason was to get pass it over to K and said “Here try some of this” - now I didn’t realise at the time that she was quite a non-adventurous eater, but I got her to try a bit of my yakitori (high five!) purely because it tastes awesome and turned out she liked it. Enough so that she ordered one for herself, and even another plate later. I was glad though because after finding out she was weary of trying new things I’d done well in making sure she found something to eat there.

Yakitori (High five!):

More eating continues and I munch happily on my noodles and chicken on a stick while we have some light banter with a bunch of phototaking along the way. I continued my glorious feast by getting in some proper sushi - some assorted nigiri and maki rolls.

I even decided to give in and order myself my own cup for green tea - hehe, since the last time I’d been I got slightly into drinking it. Though it was funny cause I got Bob to ask for it for me and the waitress instead of giving us another cup of the stuff just came back with a pot and plonked it down by Bob. Haha, though when I did finally get my cup I was draining the stuff stupidly fast. Me and Bob must have got through about three pots of the stuff between us during the whole time we were there! The cups were small though so I blame the speed of the tea consumption on that (you know the idea that it’s a smaller cup so you drink it up faster). Kazzie (who has also acquired a green tea addiction) was also stealing Bob’s cup and proper gulping it down ha. It felt kinda nice and sorta sophisticated to be drinking green tea with my grub, and there’s a strange civilised vibe by asking Bob to top me up from the pot every so often. Everyone should drink green tea with their meal - it’s good shit!

Green tea is good for digestion apparently:

I also decided to venture into something new, this time it was some simple but delicious salmon sashimi aka just raw salmon on it’s own. Mm tasty melt-alious. It was a bit pricey for what you got but hell it’s worth it to try it. This reminds me, one time dunno if it was this time or last time - but me and bob had spotted this girl who had came in and literately ordered like five plates of just sashimi! crazy.

Sashimi is gooddd:

Stephie was still out for trying stuff and she ended up getting some of the miso soup though concluded she didn’t like it that much. That was a shame because like the water and tea it was unlimited refills, I got to try some though and I thought it was alright, quite tasty - wasn’t as salty as the last miso I tried somewhere else either. Though if I hadn’t had my unlimited supply of water and green tea to drown in then I probably would have made sure the miso refills were exploited instead.

Me and Bob were also going to share a dessert (that better be the right spelling) that bob recommended as being tastyyy, but in the end the idea was abandoned as I was getting full and Bob was also feeling adventurous and ordered himself some Beef Raymond, I mean Beef Ramen that he enjoyed quite happily and also filled him up.

Max! What are you doing in the bowl?

People were getting full up by now but we still just took it nice and easy and hung out there. I mean we didn’t really need anything else, it was a alright place, we had food if we needed it and unlimited green tea and water, we had each others company - we were sorted. So more chilling out and chatting - while we also waited for Max and Aino to show up, they were originally intending to come join us for sushi eating too but they got delayed but were still going to come meet up with us.

While sitting about Stephie suddenly randomly gets out all her money and starts riffling through it, now this wouldn’t had been such a noticeable thing if it weren’t for the fact that she was just sitting there fiddling with at least 200 quid in cash! at the table randomly. We all twigged and I was like - Stephie? Why have you got all your money out? Stephie replies - Oh I’m just counting up how much money Kev gave me this morning for giving his a blow job - haha no no just kidding, she said she was just sorting through how much she had for her stay. And she made this amusing comment where she was complaining about how much money she had haha. Though I think she was just on about the amount of paper she had (like how we complain about change) than oppose to her just having lots of money heh. She later does it again and Kazzie joins her as well, pft both flashing their cash and plastic, show offs ;)

“See, sleeping with Kev can be a good thing”:

Being sat next to the belt still meant that we could watch the chef’s at work, preparing and cooking and what not, it just so happens that at one point this chef starts prepping some seafood sticks. We all watched amazed as well, I don’t think I’d ever seen that many seafood sticks in one place ever…but it was when I looked across to Kazzie who was practically drooling over them. She was watching beady eyed, like a puppy who had a string of sausages dangled in front of her, and eventually pipped up and said she really really loved seafood sticks (though this fact boggles me somewhat, as I don’t how she can dislike seafood but go mad only seafood sticks 0_0). I think she really wanted to ask if she could have one, and we all encouraged her to. So she does, she asks the chef person if she could have one and the chef obliges happily and hands one over. Awww bless Kazzie’s kid-like joy as she finally got her seafood stick and began eating it like a cheese-string haha.

“Mmm”:

More chilling out, tea consumption and photo taking later - and Max and Aino finally turn up. There was a whole bunch of greetings and stuff as Kiernan meets them for the first time.

Beef Raymond Max and Aino turn up:

There’s some light bantering, more photo-taking and green tea consumption and I once again go mad with my ID photo taking again. Those who were there at the last big gathering in London will remember how I began my ID photo collection haha. This time I got photos of Aino’s, Stephie’s and K’s (and then later Leon’s).

I wish my ID photos looked as good at this:

I think the whole sushi time went well, people ate good grub, had a nice relaxing time, I consumed loads of green tea - this in my books means s successful venture. Though time was now getting on and it was decided that we should probably head off and go check out the going ons at Trafalgar Square what with the fabled “Muse fans singalong” to be held there…

So we paid up and headed off, but not without a quick stop by Krispy Creme where Bob purchased a dozen original glazed donuts phowerr…He was being a cheeky fucker though by charging one quid a donut to everyone else which was silly considering you can buy one from the stall itself for 95p :P

A short ride on the tube later we emerged at Charling cross where we took a brief walk and emerged by Trafalgar square. Already teeming with people, regular tourists running about the place, it was weird to think that this would become the scene of possibly the biggest muser meet up ever…as well as the site where 600 people would gather and then sing…

We all hurried over to the monument and scrambled up the high edge, while Bob rushed over to the giant lion and mounted it, mask down and looking out across the square - it made me think he should have had a giant sword and the lion should have came to life and then suddenly pounce off while Bob waved the sword about making a war cry of “GWAARRRGHHH” which would have scared the shit out of the tourists, pigeons and muse fans waiting across from us on the steps…

“GWARGHHHH!”:

Though as amusing as it may sound it would also have resultingly meant more extensive blogging (argh blogging!). So I deem it a blessing that did this didn’t happen - though Bob being Bob still brings it upon himself to stir up a scene later…

Meanwhile I join Bob and have a go at clambering up the lion as well, as I already have a habit of climbing lions, and well climbing stuff is fun.Though these lions are damn slippery and I needed a leg up from someone to help get me up there. Was kinda scary though because a wrong slip would meant a nice drop onto solid concrete floor…but hey look the bright side, it was cool view and I got to take photos of Max running off somewhere like a girl…

Eventually we clamber off the lion and join the others chilling out and about by the pillar, it seems we were keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of muse fans lurking on the steps opposite us. Though out came the zoom lens that Bob had and he clipped it on, using it as a helpful spy tool to scan the crowd across the square. The DV cameras also came out, all ready and prepared for any singing antics.

Not much really happened by the pillar for a bit, we lounged about, ate donuts, spyed through cameras and dv cameras, chatted and hung out. We were all conducting this in as as sneaky ninja like way as possible teehee. Which was a good thing for me because I really did want a nice chilled out low key afternoon there, and neither did I want to be noticed or spotted by lots of random people that I didn’t know at all.

There was a downer moment where we were all hunting about for Stephie’s camera - she had literately been taking photos of Bob earlier and now we were all tossing and turning stuff, emptying bags, all in search of it and after much seeking it was determined that it was probably long gone by now. Taken by somebody or lost? Who knows but it was no where to be seen and very little chance of being returned. Stephie was annoyed not at the lost of the camera but the photos on the card still, but we reassured her to just accept the lost and move on, because a camera can be replaced - it could have been much worse, it could have been her passport!

Meanwhile max returned from his quick excursion and tried pathetically to scramble up to join us but in the end had to be helped by Aino hehe.

Aino’s butt crack says hi:

Krispy cremes the perfect dessert (is that the right spelling?) to sushi:

Time was ticking on and we began to wonder why they still hadn’t begun singing yet. We were also speculating the likeliness and success of the whole thing happening, there were a lot of doubts swimming about amongst us but it was merely a case of wait and see for the time being. Meanwhile we managed to keep ourselves entertained through spotting people we thought we knew, and chatting. I rang Kev and told him to get his ass own there, though he told me he was currently waiting for his trousers to be pressed haha. We also saw the unveiling of large black flag - across it in big red letters laid the words “Camp Bellamy”. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or tut at it.

Apart from this it was pretty quiet going, maybe nothing would happen at all? Maybe it would just be quiet and the whole event would collapse…

Just when I thought nothing exciting would kick off Bob pipes up and he proclaims that he felt like going over there, posing behind everyone and then running off. Though as a result we all actually end up encouraging Bob to go through with his idea while Stu would be ready with the camera to take a photo of it all ha, and eventually with (well not that much persuasion) Bob decided he was going to do it.

In order to not make it extremely obvious we were all sat on the monument spying on them Bob set off by going from behind us and walking the long way round the edge of the square before slipping into position. The rest of us watched with anticipation and probably some giggling, Stu was all go with Bob’s camera and we tracked Bob’s progress with our eye’s until he emerged into full view right behind where all these Muse fans were sat. Then in a blink of an eye he pulls a daft pose and then legs the hell out of there round the other way while we all fell about in fits of laughter. Eventually Bob loops back round and returns to us laughing like a girl and giddy from his previous venture.

Bob’s dare/task thing spurred everyone up a bit, and Kazzie decides she wants to do it too. So off she went and once again everyone gets ready with cameras and the sorts, she does the same thing of doing a big loop around and then right behind everyone on the steps, pulls a weird starfish pose and then runs away haha. God we’re so childish but hey can’t help it if we’re amused by such things. Ha it makes me wonder what everyone else thought of Bob/Kazzie looking daft and all - though saying that the square was that busy I don’t think it looked too out of place…

Spot kazzie:

Eventually K turns against us :( ha I kid, but she does head over to catch up with some of the other musers she already knew. We on the other hand remained antisocial and stuck it out on the monument doing a bit more spying and all. Bob at some point goes on a micro excursion with his camera and zoom lens to do some ninja photography and see which musers were there and all.

Now you’d think that running over and posing and running off not subtly once would be enough, and maybe yes doing it twice - you could get away with that too though people might be starting to think - wait a minute mannn what are YOUUU doing here. But a third time? That’s just asking for trouble surely? But none the less Bob declares again that he feels (stupid) daring and wanting once again to go over, pose and run off. Now I personally thought that for a nice quiet covert afternoon it was in serious danger of our cover being blown right open leaving us all exposed for some hectic time.

So Bob wanders over again, we’re all watching through dv cameras or with our eyes or cameras, waiting for the moment to come. But it doesn’t - instead Bob reappears without doing the act and I ask him why didn’t he do it? He gasps back in response - “Sylvie spotted me!!”

Kazzie who had been filming at this time rewinds and shows us the footage - there we see Bob slowly sulking across, he’s blanking K who is there talking with everyone and then we see the figure of Sylvie turn and move after Bob, she’s even reaching out for him with her hand - and like lightning Bob bolts! Legging it away form her reach and aborting the mission at hand. I swear to god I was in utter hysterics after seeing that. Apparently she had also called out his name “Bob?…BOB?!” as well as offering us that little chase scene. I couldn’t believe how he just had ran off like that.

But I knew right then at that very moment that a quiet afternoon was SO not on the cards…

K returns to us to report that did we know that they were intending to do the singalong here, as in where we were sat right now - I didn’t know this and started to think about slipping away to the cafe opposite us by the steps. It wasn’t until I saw that people were bring out stacks/amps and planting them by the monument that I made up my mind I was going, and after a few hiccups and what not I finally set off down the side and wandering over to the cafe. No one was going to go at first but I did get Stephie and Bob to follow who headed across alongside me, while the rest of us drifted behind in a second group.

It was while we were crossing that out of no where we hear this big girlish cry (turning around quickly I noticed that the group behind us had been accosted by a load of other random musers. They must have been spotted or something but they were all converging together - meanwhile we (me, Stephie and Bob) all decided to just keep on moving towards the cafe and we seated ourselves by a table there. We kept it cool, and our backs towards everyone else behind us and to the side of us (where lay the other musers and also Sylvie who, we cannot forget, had spotted Bob). We were still in immediate danger and so we decided to make a further move to somewhere safe and out the way . We proper ninjaed it calmly and coolly away from the cafe, along the side, up the steps and by the balcony.

By the balcony Stephie and Bob sulked down by the gaps between each banister pillar and giggled as we watched Max, Aino, Stu, Kazzie and Kiernan talk to whoever had spotted them. Yes I know, ever so antisocial of us, but what can i say there’s a real kiddish joy from hiding and whatnot.

Spy time:

We decided to stay put this time, and watched as the group mingled and drifted towards the central steps. Bob snapped spy photos with glee and we chilled out. Then as we watched suddenly someone must have given the sign or the signal, because I swear pretty much every person sat on the large central steps rose in one go and like a giant wave they swept across the square and over towards the monument we were once sat on. It was kinda scary, I didn’t realise there were that many people, and hell I was even more surprised that they’d even managed to get that many people together or to attend in the first place.

Muse fans take over Trafalgar:

At this point as I was watching the group migrate across and the small group below still talking I suddenly felt two hands over my eyes. I had absolutely no idea who it was standing behind me and had feared it could had been some randomer who had spotted me. I look behind me and there is standing Gem!

Gem and Cara had somehow, out of all the people she could have spotted first, had seen us three sulking away by the balcony ha. I hadn’t had much contact with Gem and Cara but I knew she was turning up that day. We mingled and chatted and the next thing I noticed was that Kev had appeared out of nowhere also, and was now chatting with everyone in the group near us. Him and K had swapped hats and she’d given him his gift of peanut butter mnms hehe.

Cara and Gem make a show:

We wanted to kinda get Kev’s attention without drawing attention to ourselves, so someone rang him and instructed him in a really ninja mission impossible stylee way to walk towards the steps and just keep on going haha. In the end we got him to meet us and we chatted for a bit before rejoined the social group, and then later ran off to hunt down a milkshake.

At some point the group split, and some headed off near the barrier by the muse fans and some came to join us up on the balcony. We watched and ate the rest of Bob’s donuts as the Musefans began to set up and start their singalong, they went about getting out a giant poster for everyone to sign - they were going to mount it up on the pillar itself but they didn’t have anything to stick it up with.

I think at this point Bob decided he was going to head off and get in closer for a better view so we left him be. I hung about with the others for a while longer before me and Stephie decided to go in for a closer look too.

We set off and drifted away from the others before ending up by one of the fountains, we sat on the side getting a bit sprayed by the jet every time the wind blew our way and we watched on with the better view. I think we see Kev and he talks to us a bit before we go over to where Kazzie and Kiernan were watching from. We all hang about talking for a bit and then Kev points us towards the direction of the monument and low and behold who do we spy sat right where we originally sat before? Right in the middle of the action? Bob! He’s sat there, mask down and poised with camera. I laughed and thought ha cheek, right into the enemy’s turf haha.

So what do we do? After all my ninjaing about and running away and being totally antisocial, what the hell do I sodding go and decide to do?

“Lets go join him!”

And so we do, me, Stephie, Kev, Kazzie and Kiernan, we all scurry off to the side and mount it and go and plant ourselves by Bob while he muttered that we were copying him hehe. And so we sat there, in total obvious view to everyone, in fact the entire Muse fan singalong crew were right in front of us in a massive crowd. Fortunately there were loads of other random people up on the pillar too, so we could had easily blended in nicely as tourists or randomers…but hey of course it’s never that simple..

A bit too close for comfort:

I felt really stupid sat there, a bit too exposed, a bit too placing myself in the center of attention on purpose for my liking, but hell here I was. Sat right in the exact place I was against being at about half an hour ago… But saying that it was a good laugh being where we were, being right in the middle of it yet at the same time not really being a part of it. We observed the goings on - the people in charge were trying to get things in order such as making sure everyone had signed the giant poster. They also began trying to hand out setlists though in the end they kinda failed and ended up just chucking them up in the air and out into the crowd.

An expensive sheet of paper:

We got handed them too, and I think my eyes almost fell out when I saw how many tracks they had planned to sing that evening. It was more than even Muse would play at one gig! Crazy, plus I also tutted as they misspelled anddd misnamed songs (I mean they called “The Groove” - “In the Groove” dammit). Me and Bob got photo taking busy, and we were being quite natural about it, like swapping lenses with each other and me borrowing his zoom lens ha. But yes it does indeed rule that we all have canons and we can interchange gear like that. Gives another good reason for going Canon instead of Nikon, it’s scary to think that practically everyone I know who’s into photography have gone canon with their dslrs.

Some lovely photos I took while there:

So let me continue…we’re sat there, right behind the organisers/leaders of the event, the whole crowd are facing our direction, they’ve just handed out the insane massive setlist, the leaders of the crowd are trying to get the vibe going with Mexican waves, and cheering and all sorts, then right before the singing even begins. Jordan (one of the leaders of the event) tells everyone that there was a photographer from NME there who wanted to take a photo, so everyone look up and cheer - and off they go, the cheer like crazy and the photographer snaps away.

I then hear Bob talking in my ear, saying he’s going to make them cheer again - and he goes up tells them that he’s from Muse Wiki but he’s not crazy bob and he wanted to take a photo too. He clambers up the pillar onto the step above everyone else, pulls down his mask and he gets announced as “Crazy bob from Muse wiki!” hahah, everyone looks up and cheers like crazy and he snaps away hahah, meanwhile I’m trying hard not to fall over laughing again. Bob gets down and Kev tries to cause trouble by insisting he is crazy bob, though bob tries to retaliate by trying to point out that Kev is indeed the very same admin Kev off the board.

Trust Bob to make a scene.

Though I guess I was kinda waiting for it to happen, Bob isn’t one for shying away from attention, though this does not make him attention seeking but merely a guy who has a habit of drawing attention to himself.

Eventually music comes blasting out the amp and the singalong began! They opened with the track of hyper music I think, the leaders of the event began singing and prancing about the front like crazy to the song with an inflatable guitar - and I chuckled to myself as I made a bet in my head that they thought/felt like they were Muse and they were at a gig right now.

But yeah while they were dancing about I listened out for the singing and instead of the ear bleeding tone death chorus I was expecting, we got something that sounded just like any crowd at a gig singing along. It was admittedly quite quiet and being overwhelmed by the music somewhat - apart from the choruses which were louder than the rest of the song. Though criticisms aside, so far the event wasn’t becoming the total pile of shambles that had been expected.

It was strange because as I sat there listening to the muse fans sing along to muse songs I suddenly felt this weird sensation slowly creeping in, it was like some twisted version of deja vu, instead it was nothing like deja vu and what I was experiencing wasn’t the notion that I’d been there and done this before, but merely one that actually anticipation of the next two days coming. I felt like that right that minute I was at a Muse gig right then. Weird.

So we remained there for a bit watching them work their way through this giant setlist and not much happened. Bantering and photo taking and the like and lens swapping. I got out Bob’s zoom lens to spy on everyone else who were currently positioned up on the balcony watching too. At some point Bob encouraged Kev to go over and ask this girl if she was Paris - the person who was originally in charge of the whole singalong event until recently, but had pulled out. Kev was reluctant to go over but after some harassment and reassurance by us he wanders over to the edge of the stage area and hovers about. Milkshake in hand he eventually grabs his moment, leaning over and asking the girl before returning back to us, telling us it was indeed not her - ha. Whoops…

“Paris? Is that you?”

Not much else to say about this point, there was the dancy guy in the crowd, the dancy guy in the pink shirt that had taken a strange liking to K (Kev proclaims loudly and proudly that he did say he was going to get Kiernan laid haha), Kazzie getting well into the event, Bob going to speak to Tom Kirk’s brother(?), Bob trying saying he could get the crowd cheering anytime he wanted but failing when I said go do it now, watching Stephie and Kev spend some quality married couple time together, laughing while the singing and all prancing Matt B wannabe with the inflatable guitar stuck a piece of paper onto his guitar and then scribbled on it with pen during invincible to act as a Kaos Pad, some speeches from charities - all of this while feeling oh so very strange and caught in a somewhat very surreal moment.

Forbidden love between the irish girl and the ginger northerner:

Kiernan makes a new friend:

Eventually I decide to slip away and catch up with the others who were up on the balcony. I went on over and had a natter with the folks there, and also realised Jon had appeared out of nowhere too. Stu asked me how it sounded over there as they couldn’t really hear any singing over there and I told him that it was alright. He also filled me in on the plan for the evening in terms of cars. I was going to be taking Kev, Bob and Leon with me. Ste was having Stu, Gem and Cara, Kazzie took Kiernan, and Jon had Lauren and breast Bob. Though I think in the end I also stole Stephie to have in my car teehee.

How dew?

I did some walking back and forth from the pillar and balcony, nipped by Lauren, Breast Bob and Tania to say Hi. I also brought back a set list for the guys on the balcony to see - just so they took can see how massively long the list of songs were. I had a slight almost killed my 400d moment when I was jumping down from the monument and the camera slipped and almost went smack into the concrete below, that would have been if I hadn’t clamped the sod against the wall - resulting in some scarring/scratches and scrapes on it. Most noticeably on the front of the lens, where had there not been for the filter would have resulted in the actual lens being messed up itself. God bless that UV filter.

By this time it was getting clear that we had seen enough and were getting a bit bored of watching by now, so the question came up of when were we going to go and barbecue at Kazzie’s?

Well I hadn’t a clue since a few of us were still hanging out at the monument and obviously still loving it, especially Kazzie. Ah Kazzie, we watched as each song came on she began rocking it out like crazy and giving it her all, to be honest she belonged with the other fans singing along right now ha. Bless her. Jumping up and down, rocking it out, we watched her amazed and bemused, I think she was more entertaining than the singalong itself.

I decided to remain at the balcony and I too was starting to feel the urge to go and head off, while part of me remained curious to see this through to the end. And when I thought that there couldn’t possibly be any more excitement for the day…Eventually some people return from the monument, telling us excitingly that Bob was going to do a speech! Ha the fucker, though I didn’t believe it was going to happen at first, but then as one song came to the end..well you just have to watch the video…

Oh dear god, I almost died of laughter.A real crowd going, Bob’s over-bubbling charisma does him well again, though I am quite disturbed that he asked them all if they were horny… I’m glad he got the GWARR reference in though, even if most people would have probably thought what the hell?But with that speech came the end of all the possible fun we could have that, I mean how could we top giving a speech? Haha. We slowly but surely rounded everyone together at the balcony and after some random chatting and socialising with some people who we others saw, we tried to get organised, and arranged ourselves into groups depending on on who was going with who in what car. It was at this point that I steal Stephie for my car teehee. I take a photo for Kiernan and Kev with their hats aww.

Two nations unite with hats:

Finally we said farewell to Trafalgar full of random muse fans and made our way to the tube, where we said farewell to the others and we went our separate ways. I was off back to the hotel and people were off to Brent. We planned to stop at a supermarket en-route rather than try and find the one in Hemel, so I would give em a buzz later so we could sync food/shopping ha.

Woooo onwards to Kazzie’s!…

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 8th, 2007 at 5:55 pm and is filed under (Mis)Adventure, Social Life, Travelling me. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.