HW: home and away (Final Fit)

[J Strobridge]

Subtitle: The Hunting of the Site

"Stop, stop" I had cried, forcing the driver to venture down a road so
narrow and twisting that the car nearly had to bend double to take the
corners.   Further down and further in we crept, the sky growing darker
the hedges higher, the hills steeper, the last glimmer of the yellow
poster fading into the dusk behind us.  "Are you sure?" the driver
hunched himself over the driving wheel and we both peered nervously
into the gloom - at any minute I expected to see the Four Motorbike
Riders of the Apocalypse appear in front of us around the bend just
ahead ('Good Omens', Pratchett and Gaiman) but didn't mention this - I
got the impression he wouldn't have Understood.   A road turned off to
the left.  "Down here" I said, "there's a map on the back of the ticket -
see - it's quite clear, we go this way".   His eyes flicked anxiously at
the blood red ticket I held towards him.  Clearly so far as he was
concerned he was heading for eternal entrapment - lost forever in a maze
of unmarked Devon roads and doomed to become the eternal wandering taxi
driver with the meter turned off, hag-ridden by a manic Hawkwind fan who
drove him ever onwards, deeper and deeper into the countryside with a
cry of "there must be a Hawkwind gig down here somewhere".

This was his darkest hour for at that moment we both saw the flicker of
another yellow glow.   He screeched to a halt and we read "Private.  No
Entry".   "This is it!" he announced.   I looked at him in horror "No -
it says No Entry" I cried, "it has to be further on - please...."   It
was a Good Thing that we had by now gone round so many bends that we
were heading back the way we'd come - the scent of home was in his head,
his mind was filled with visions of escape, even if it meant taking me
back with him.   We continued down until we found "Car Park".   "Here?"
he asked hopefully.  "No, no.  This is the Car Park" - onwards to
"Entrance".   My bag was out of the car within milliseconds and I found
myself standing beside it equally as fast paying him the fare and
emptying the contents of my purse into his hands by way of compensation
- he had done everything he could possibly do under the circumstances
I guess - but I have never seen a taxi leave the scene quite so fast!

Paradise Regained:

No problems about camping - the field was almost empty.   No problems
about food either - there was none.   But I'd anticipated that and after
a solid sandwich or two set off to see if the PH on my ever-so-
dependable-OS-accurate-to-the-last-1000th-of-a-meter map meant what I
thought it meant.   It did.  The Green Dragon at Langtree sits at the
top of a hill and is a fine pub - once you get up there.   Pool
table, jukebox, bar full of local folk.   Every head turned to watch me
come in - you could almost touch the curiosity "I Spy Strangers" but
Devon folk are nice people - if you talk they'll chat and if you
want to sit quiet you can do that too so I got a half pint of the local
brew and sat in a quiet corner to enjoy the atmosphere.   Strange thing
about Devon beer tho' no matter what kind it is, it always goes flat as
soon as it touches the glass.   Good taste though.   The occasional
drift of conversation came my way:

FIRST MAN AT THE BAR (to his friend):  Y' goin to Zummer Daze tomorrow?
SECOND MAN AT THE BAR:  Dunno, I moit.  Depends what I'm doin.
'Awkwind playing innit?  What koind of music do they do?
FIRST MAN:  Not zhure now - Zilver Machine, you remember that?   Long
time ago that one.
SECOND MAN:   Oh yeah - bet they won't be playing that one.

A terrible desire rushed over me to stand up and cry evangelically "You
should go, you should go, don't miss this - it'll be terrific".  I stood
up...... but didn't of course.  I got another pint of flat Devon
fine-tasting ale and sat down again.   Cowardice I guess.   I rescued a
couple of lost car drivers on the way back so it wasn't entirely a
wasted journey.

It rained overnight but the sun shone Saturday.   Two bands didn't turn
up - the blues player got an extra half hour on stage and most people
enjoyed the rave stages in the next field.   Jeremy and Mike Wright
appeared and a friend from Edinburgh and we stood by the backstage gate
for a while.   Dave Brock emerged - which was nice and he chatted to some
folk - obviously friends.   Captain Rizz played - rather more rock and
less reggae than I'd expected and finally Hawkwind, as the sun set and
the sky turned from pale grey into nightfall.

Welcome to Utopia:

It was excellent.   It was a huge stage and the sound system was
astonishingly clear for the vocals.   The lightshow was perfect for the
open air setting and transformed the place.   It was, I regret to say,
only a small crowd, I dunno - maybe 500?   But Hawkwind won a lot of
friends - probably new friends that evening.   From all around I heard
"Hey, this is good, I can see what you were talking about - this is
excellent".    I only hope the band don't feel disillusioned about
playing to 30,000 abroad and a mere 500 in a field where the cows had
been moved out only a day or so before (you could tell) back home.  They
really impressed everyone around me anyhow and I don't think anyone
regretted their journey.   I certainly didn't.   The track list was
probably the same as Germany - I didn't take a careful note
unfortunately - it slowed down a bit around Vega/Love In Space/Kapal
section (I think!) but Aerospaceage Inferno and Silver Machine are a
great way to finish up.   There was a long encore and they finished with
just ten minutes to spare before the Council imposed their curfew.
Definitely worth it.

The journey out is another story for another time in another place on
another day......   but if you are ever in North Devon and you see a taxi
driver race away from you when you speak the name of "Langtree" -
you'll know why!

jill

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J.D.Strobridge at ed.ac.uk                         eset08 at tattoo.ed.ac.uk
                                                ELIJSA at srv0.arts.ed.ac.uk

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