Cruxshadows \ Wendyhouse weekend

[myz_lilith]

The lost review

or

HOW I SOLD MYSELF TO ROGUE
Had a selection of the usual suspects turn up to stay for the weekend: Vix (who doesn't believe in LJ's), hotlavajava, Ellie my wife, and strawpig who managed to make it all the way from Wales in spite of British Rail's best efforts to stop him. In addition to this draconianshiva, angelwars and cat_in_a_box assembled at ours beforehand in the hope of spotting lykeios in a towel. So there was much confusion and monkeys and people and bustling and hustling and hurling potatoes and coffee and makeup and hairspray at faces and hoping they all ended up in the right place. I decided to stick with the original plan of corset and handmade skirt and leave the slinky nightdress and wings combo for next month.

Made it down to the Adelphi within half an hour of the time we planned to be there (!!!!) or so and met up with {lj user="LOTS OF PEOPLE"} (if I name them all individually I'll miss someone out and mortally offend them for life, although I will mention viktoria33 as it was the first time I met her and her other half in real life and she is lovely, even though I didn't get to talk to them for very long) Was afraid it was going to be horribly hot and sticky and it was a little but not unbearably so, and the place didn't have that horrible tightly packed feel in spite of being sold out.

Screaming Banshee Aircrew were fab - I enjoyed this much better than the set at the Basement, partly because I hadn't been on a two day Hullfest just before and so was not dying horribly, and partly cos I can't stand the Basement - I'd love a week in that place with a large sledgehammer and a teach yourself architecture book. So with that in mind I probably wasn't the best person to compare but still, they rocked and I bounced and got lots of photos that all looked the same.

I know there were some worries beforehand about whether the sound system was going to be right but these were groundless. The quality was good right at the front and right at the back. I know this because I was dashing from one to another like a mad thing (we were sat at the back, but I had to join strawpig and thelxiope at the front because it was the front and we were mere inches from Cruxshadow's frontsman Rogue's gyrating crotch, then I had to keep dashing bck to the back to tell Vix all about it and grab a drink and then leg it back to the front again) Also had the magical moment with Vix where we realised that Rogue was pulling his old trick of starting the show talking into his radio mic from the back by the sound desk, just where we were sitting which meant that while everyone else was straining towards the stage, we got our own little private concert. Then I nipped up to the front to seek out photo opportunities. Only problem was that I ended up in too good a place - while technically I was in a perfact place for taking photos, I ended up being too close - I only had a disposable camera cos I thought I'd only be able to get a couple of snapshots from the back - wish I'd taken the proper camera with me as that could have focussed a lot closer up and got some aazing pics. I was also afeared that if I took pictures of anyone from that range the flash would blind them causing some kind of mass Cruxshadows pile up and leaving me having to flee from the country under an assumed name. Or at least the City. Which would be a shame seeing as how everyone else seems intent on moving here. Also I didn't get a picture of bitbat while Rogue was singing to her - in 3 years of promoting the Cruxshadows in Leeds she still hasn't got a photo of that - though it was partly her own fault for not telling me that till afterwards. (Much as it was all Rogue's fault for not telling me till afterwards that he was used to camera flashes and I could have snapped away to my heart's content from 6 inches away - but more of that later)

Finally gave in to the music and retreated to the back where I had room to dance properly. Only to hear a call for people to get onstage and so leg it back to the front once again. (Someone should have lent me a glowstick to use as a relay baton - I'm sure I could have broken some kind of record that night) Got there to find thelxiope gyrating on stage and putting the backing dancers to shame :-) Eventually at the end strawpig and I got to pile up there as well and many other people too but I lost track being so hyper at the thought that I was on stage with the Cruxshadows (even though I think they may have kind of left the stage by then, but who cares, it counts)

(I would have written more about the music but writers block delayed this entry for so long (this update journal window has been sat open since 17:51 on 20th July, apparently) that I don't have any clear memories to put down. While I do like their music on CD I am prepared to admit they can end up sounding a little same-y, but live they are always magnificent. The details, however, have faded. Bad writer's block. Naughty.)

Afterwards some people dived into cars to head straight to Wendyhouse and requisition tables, while some of us stayed behind on an autograph hunting mission. (Please note I was in no way doing this for my own personal pleasure, no siree. armie and June had somehow managed to end up in Florida on the one weekend that the Crixshadows were in the UK in some kind of bizarre gothic exchange ritual and it was my solemn sworn duty to get them a signed copy of the new EP) Was somewhat flattered to find that the band actually remembered me from the first time they played in Leeds (brandishing a plastic chainsaw and commanding the lead singer take it onstage to make it famous is always a good way to get remembered) and I only use the massive understatement "somewhat flattered" as I have a sneaking suspicion that they might just have caught the word chainsaw and decided to agree with everything I said.

Then I actually got to talk to Rogue.

Not in a "gosh you're so good dribble dribble dribble way" but in a grown up, sensible way! Me! Talking! Sensible and conversational and everything!

Now to realise just how amazing this is, you have to understand this. Usually when confronted with a famous person I am incapable of forming even simple words. I dread the day when any of my friends become famous as I will no longer be able to talk to them. If I every become famous I shall have to develop a split personality so that I can be able to not be able to talk to myself. Even the most easy going and loquacious celebrity (Neil Gaiman, who's book signing stretched on for hours cos of him chatting awat to his fans, springs to mind) reduces me to mumblings, blurtings and a soft mushy place where my intellect used to play.

This time, things were different, and I know why. The last couple of parties I've been to, I seem to have talked way too much to people about my design business. Which is ok, cos it's kind of taking off and that excites me. And people seemed interested and didn't make any run-away-now excuses about their shoes being on fire or grandmothers funerals or anything. But I still left the next day fearing I may have been a little... dull. Which is strangely worse than fearing (or indeed knowing) that I have done something hideously drunkenly extroverted which makes the fact that we won't be heading that way again for at least a year something of a relief. And besides, I missed out on all the conspiracy theory's about hedgehogs and pineapples and swans and broken arms and fireman and jam and I don't know what else cos I missed it

Whereas at the gig, this was what saved me. As I was preparing to launch into my usual "Heeheehee. I saw you. On the stage. You were singing. On the stage. I saw you. Heeheeheeheeee" repartee, I instead somehow ended up trying to blag entry to one of the Cruxshadow's big American gigs as an official photographer. And then asking them who did their album artwork. And telling them that it should be me. And through this it emerged that Rogue used to be an art student, and we ended up having a long conversation about art and creativity and chasing dreams... it was probably all a mixture of alcohol (me) giddiness (me again) and sleep deprivation (him) leading to the talking of much bollocks, but still it was a vast improvement on the rolling on the floor and gurning that I usually seem to achieve when dealing with even slightly famous people. I think it was possibly this that prompted strawpig to join in and sell Rogue a Deadtech t-shirt, although any help I may have given in getting the conversation along those tracks wa probably countered by the fact that the poor boy could hardly get a word in edgeways. Still he did, and hopefully soon the Deadtech website will not only be up and running, it will sport an "As worn by Rogue of the Cruxshadows" tagline

(If anyone is interested in th business wheelings and dealings, it turns out that up until now Rogue did all the bands artwork himself, but with the latest album they've got someone in to do it for them as they've reached the point where they're now too busy to do everythig themselves. So he said get in touch, and stay in touch and you never know what might come up. So I'm going to. Cos you never know. I also pointed out that any other up and coming bands could be pointed in my direction if they needed a graphic artist. I sold myself GOOD)

In spite of this gabbling away, I still ended up practically having to drag strawpig, pixioto and angelwars away by their hair in the end. Chris (Cruxshadow's keyboardist) had opened the back of the van to expose... some kind of super duper Mac running some kind of all singing all dancing software. I probably would have been more impressed if I actually owned a Mac (have tentative plans in that direction but still not sure whether taking out a business loan at this stage would be an investment or an unecessary burden) so I switched into mother-hen-in-a-corset-and-big-boots mode and herded them into a taxi, whereupon they geeked all the way to Wendyhouse.

(It was at this point that tentative plans were formed by no less than two people to move to Leeds. I did try to explain that not every weekend here involves famous rock stars indulging in computing chit chat but this appeared to deter no-one :-) Eventually everyone in the world is going to live in Leeds and I shall be Queen of the Universe)

Wendyhouse was utterly fab - I don't think I realised before how much difference going out beforehand makes. It always seems to take so long to get round everyone to say hello and to get into a bouncy party state of mind that by the time I get there it's time to go home. Whereas this time I had a truly wonderful night, danced loads, and ended up feeling like I was talking to people because I wanted to rather than because I know them and therefore should. (Before anyone gets insulted this isn't ever WHY I talk to people. It just feels that way sometimes) So next Wendyhouse I am definitely going out somewhere beforehand.

Still no Flash Gordon played though. I am staring a campaign to make the theme for August Wendyhouse "Queen" - not only does it have all kinds of costume possibilities (Freddie, regal attire, pretty boys in drag) it means someone WILL play Flash or face death by 100 Freddie Mercury alikes.

All in all a really really REALLY good night.

And then we went home to bed and went to sleep and that was what I did when I went to the gig.

The end.