Got back from MELT at 2.40am this morning. What a fantastic and also eye opening weekend...Guess it always was going to be with me, Jenny, Micala, Signe, Mira, Sara, Aysen, Dawn, Becky and Minty (mum and dad I guess of the crew!!) Tom, Peter, Joel, Sange, Anna (at the end), Damian 'Damo', Asi, Pinot, Inki, a very motley and varied crew...the drive down was really quite fun - we were a couple of hours late setting off as there was some problemo with the van, but I was the last person to get picked up so was quite lucky to be waiting in my flat until the last moment.
Was not quite so lucky on the way back - think we got into amsterdam at like 11.30, and I didn't then get dropped off until the time I said above (long story).
Anyway we got to the campsite around midnight and set up in the dark. We decided to camp near the nice toilets and showers, which was both lovely and a bit of a pain (until Jen, Micala and I discovered the bus you could catch there and back, it was a good 40 minute walk over to the main ground, 20 mins to the lake area.
We just crashed out, it was fairly chilly by time we arrived and the Camouflage tent Jen had bought, and our blow up mattresses were pretty darn comfy, although we woke up at about 7am absolutely BOILING, had on way too many clothes as had been cold the night before, moved up to the front of the tent with the flap open and managed to sleep a little bit longer. Have to say, being able to sleep almost anywhere is really a good skill to have:)
It was bloody boiling on saturday, so much so that we all felt like we were going to die. We headed down to the lake to cool off (only place to be in that heat - lovely and cold!!), and start drinking, although I was even too hot to drink much alcohol. We stayed there for a few hours the group all together, then needed some shade so headed off to the campsite, where some kind of temporary shade had been erected with a spare tarp someone had thought to bring with them. I was still too hot, and it was crowded under there so actually sat with Mira in her tent, and curled up in the front to try and get some more sleep. The others must've laughed at me, every opportunity I was curling up and trying to get more sleep, but really have been exhausted the past few weeks...
Then suddenly it was time to get ready to go out...animal costumes went on and make-up, I was a cat, along with Dawn and Micala. Then the evening really began - we cats hung out together a lot, Dawn stayed with us most the night, I wasn't really enjoying the same music as some of the others wanted to listen to, so we left them to it (Jen and I), and met up with them again later. Highlight had to be the xx while the others listened to Groove Armada, who I've seen a lot so wasn't so bothered about them...then dancing our arses off to more electronic stuff afterwards. Jen, Dawn and I were out til about 5am, we watched the sun go down and then come up again that night. Managed to stay up to see Bookashade at 3.00am, really really good set, left about 5am and bumped into Tom's messy little brother on way home so we walked and it took us about twice as long, was bloody knacked by time we got in.
Saturday we managed to sleep in til about 11.30, it rained in the morning which tested our tent (yes waterproof), and made it a lot cooler which was excellent for us to sleep in for. We had a lazy morning, sat around and chatted in tents, checked out the facilities, went to the lake again in the afternoon when it had cleared, and this time went around the edge to where there was more shade and less people (really cool), swam off there. By this time Sara and Damo were well and truly together, which was cool and quite amusing to watch.
We went back to camp after trying to sleep with ants and things crawling all over us (not so cool!!), and got another hour in the tent, before getting ready to go out again. Everyone really made more of an effort that night, Mira and Dave had these amazing furry costumes on, sooo cute.
Spent less time with the others that night, saw friendly fires, dirty projectors, then tried to see DJ Shadow but he was delayed apparently, so went to see Tiefshwarz (rocked it!!), danced with Dave and Mira a lot, the Chris Cunningham, really strange dark showvideo show of a woman getting beaten up, in which we followed the others right up to the front, it was all a bit much for Jen and as we were getting out the crowd, she fainted. So spent an hour or so at the medical tent, kinda shook me up. She put in a brave effort after that but wasn't really feeling very great, so she left and I was with Dave and Mira, Jenny and maxine, and some of the others who went to see Chromeo, didnt really like it so went back to the big wheel stage for Ewan Pearson (where Dave and Mira joined us later), and then went to dance to Tiga with whoever was left at the end...pretty cool. Danced to 7am, Damo turned up, then was tired so left with him and got a backsy on the back of his very cool racing bike (I was on saddle and he was peddling on the front), past the lake with the sun coming up, and all the people traipsing home, was really good fun.
The next morning was 'red wine' sunday, once I surfaced all the others were already sitting outside in various outfits and were starting on the booze again - it was probably about 10.30, and was getting warm again.
I put on pink bowtie, pink feather bower and and joined them on the mats. Apart from fact kept on spilling red wine all over the mats out the front (and Signe's cap), it was really really fun. Even that was funny once everyone realised what was happening. Joel and Peter, Signe and Aysen and some of the others hadn't been to sleep and were popping this that and the other to keep going. Think we all crashed about 4, got another hours doze and then started getting ready for the next evening, a much more chilled line-up than the night before. Got there for Kings of Convenience (leadsinger is whitest boy alive also), which was interesting, really nice sound. Was way too hot though, we were sat down around the side in our usual spot. Then it was get well soon, which I didn;t really like - Jen and I decided to have more of a chilled thing so we actually went around to the deckchair part, and then to the beach, dipped toes in sand ((saw someone wearing dawn's mask on the side). broken bells who sounded lovely but we were kind of wandering around at that point and got waylaid by Fred Falke who flipping rocked it, technically very amazing and really good sound. He was on a bit too early to really cut loose to though, strange dancing to that sort of music in the open in the sun at 7.30pm. Then it was to the mainstage where we caught GoldFrapp, the others were in the front, but Jen and I just wanted to sit (Sara and Damo joined us), then Jenny and Maxine, we went into the crowd with the others afterwards for massive attack, sound is good in there (very loud!!), you don't get all the lightshow and special effects though as you can't see much. I preferred it when I saw them in Westerpark. We managed to find the others in the centre, and Jen got a lift up for part of it. Started feeling really wierd though halfway through, it's very strange being part of a group like that where they all obviously get on so well, and you're really not a part of it. Jen isn't very touchy feely, I don't know the others so well, they're all hugging each other with their arms around each other, and I'm stood at the back with Jen not looking like she was having a very good time, think I was annoying her because I kept asking if she was ok (scared she might faint again), the others were all totally trolleyed and I was not. My legs ached and I couldn't see any more, and I missed my good friends. Truth is I'm never going to be good friends with some of that lot, I just can't relax with them, I'm not sure why...I can relax with Mon, mia, Jen (although I really don't get her half the time,), but there is no way they'd ever be at the front in that festival with me...or dancing like a loon to some electronica at 5am. I miss anna and sparky and t, and all that lot, Kate, Tim, Beth, etc. I didn't feel so comfortable with that lot, they just thought I was a square and stopped talking to me after the first day or so (Sange only asking me if she wanted some water, that was a strange moment, thought she was coming to hug me, and she was eying up the water I was holding). The caners all stayed out after that, Micala and Jen and I got a taxi home (after stopping in the sleepless tent quickly we got conned into there by the guy setting up the Rasta stage), but they wanted to go home, and I wanted Anna who would've stayed up and got fucked up with me!! I miss those days because I guess they;d be my equivalent of that group of friends, on the same level as me, and accepting me for me!!
We got a cab back (with a guy who'd lost his girlfriend so then decided to go back and try and find her), crashed, totally exhausted and with that horrible comedown thing of a million questions going around in my head about what I'd done and what the others thought of me (not that today I care so much)!!
We got up and had to pack up the camp at 11, Pete and Sange etc were in a field so started packing up their stuff as well (don't think she was so amused when she came back to find her case outside and piles of stuff put together).
The journey back was hellish with a grumpy Jordy (who yes annoyed me whole weekend), a tearful Aysen, and Peter Adams who tried to keep as high as possible the whole way back and annoy everyone else.
It was hot in the van and was a good 1o hours with all the stops, and then another two dropping people off when we got back - I was going to be the first stop but then Micala changed the order which was slightly annoying!!
Just saw Tom Ryan's photos, think I missed out on quite some fun by liking different music - they hung around as a big group and did funny things like a long jump competition on the last day which looked awesome!! Think we were at Fred Falke at that point - so prolly my fault (although I enjoyed him immensely)!!