Good Vibrations 2007 (Warning: Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics)

17th February 2007

H and I recently went to the Good Vibrations festival in Centennial Park. It was our third festival here in Sydney.

I was looking forward to this festival, especially as I wasn't really fussed by what I saw or missed. There were some big names, like The Beastie Boys and Jurassic 5, but I was happy to go with the flow and just hang out with our mates.

As it goes, it turned out to be my least favourite of the three festivals that I've been too. The site was the biggest of the three and there were just too many people there, as you can see in the pictures below. There was nowhere to sit down and chill out, which was pretty essential given how hot it was there. Jurassic 5 and Nightmares On Wax played in the Roots Tent and I don't think I have ever been so hot at a gig. You can imagine what I mean here and here. I thought the crap Sneaky Sound System (here), who were playing on the main stage, would have diverted most of the punters there, but alas not. Crowds poured into the Roots Tent from all angles.

There were also a couple of other stages where DJs played to crowds under huge covers. Maybe there put them up to provide some shade (the organisers had blocked off access to the woods, no doubt because they would turn into one huge urinal) but I would've rather seen them play on outdoor stages, especially as it was such a nice day.

My highlight was seeing Snoop Dogg perform on the main stage. There were rumours going round that he would be there and an empty space on the program confirmed everyone's suspicions. It had to be him. I actually went off on my own to see him. It seemed like the entire festival went to see him as well, so I hung back and watched from afar. He dropped some wicked tunes though (here, here and here). He also made an appearance with The Beastie Boys.

H and I caught half an hour of the aging Beastie Boys before hooking up with other at Timo Maas. I hate chugging progressive house and that's what he played. There were some okay moments though (here and here) but for me, he is one of these DJs who goes through the motions.

Anyway, enough of the winging. It wasn't the best festival but it was still good fun and a great way to spend another beautiful day here. I love festivals. I love the atmosphere and I love the randomness.

And I can't wait for Parklife 2007.

I've also bought tickets to the V Festival (Groove Armada and Pixies) in March and The Great Escape Festival (Gomez, The Lemonheads, Fat Freddy's Drop and The Roots) in April.

Book Twenty

I finished Book Twenty yesterday. I didn't think it was quite as good as Book Nineteen but I still enjoyed it a lot. Once again the final few pages were full of different plot twists. I have also taken to writing down each characters name in the back of the book as they are introduced. I then try and link them together depending on the plot, which helps me remember who is who and what they are doing in the book.

The Speedboat

14th January 2007

Now I've driven a few go-karts in my time, including a very fast and (most probably) highly illegal one in Thailand and one on ice in Bristol, but never a speedboat. I was given this opportunity by Chris and Martin, who invited H and I up to the Hawkesbury with Anna and Claire, for a day out on their 32 foot timeshare speedboat.

No matter how much fun I have had in the past on a go-kart, I can safely say that driving a speedboat at 45mph is so much better. I think H would agree! We hooned around the same places we went on the houseboat, as well as Palm Beach, the home of Home & Away.

What a brilliant day out it was. Great weather, great company and a great way to check out our new waterproof camera.

Check out the other videos here (I sound posh, but I'm not!), here and here.

I have never been a big fan of boating but this was so much fun. Quite why anyone would want to go sailing when you can drop a couple of engines over the back is beyond me.