HW: Newcastle gig

[M Holmes]

Zeitgeist writes:

> I could run a minibus from Edinburgh. I used to do that for the Glasgow
> gigs anyway.

> Well I don't drive, but I'm happy to collate names, dates, locations,
> bottom sizes and pass to Mr Holmes for preparation of itinerary.

OK, feel free.  Minibuses take between 12 and 16 folks.  You generally
have to hire 'em with a driver (and we'll all want to drink anyway?)
which bumps up the cost.  Hopefully we'd be able to do
Edinburgh-Newcastle and back for around 30 Pounds each but I'd really
need to check since it's a while since I've done this. The big advantage
(unless we got a really mean driver) would be a party on the bus on the
way there and by organising a whipround for a driver's tip, they usually
drop folks off individually on the way back.

We've had some fine Hawkwind parties in minibuses over the years.
Although one had me rather worried. 5 seats had been advertised by
flysheeting the Hawkwind bins in record shops here. We got a crew from
Penicuik. They turned up at the bus with a kit for making a bong 3 feet
high with a load of tubes coming out of it and as far as I could tell,
they'd borrowed half the stash of the Furry Freak Brothers. The rest of
us were all pretty tolerant and the driver either didn't notice the
smell, or affected not to. By halfway to Glasgow the bus must have
looked like something out of Cheech and Chong with smoke pouring out of
it. There were serious worries about how much the driver would take in
secondhand. The rest of us were definitely experiencing seconhand
effects. Then it turned out that due to a Euro leaders meeting in
Edinburgh (the entourage of which had held us up crossing Edinburgh) the
cops had roadblocks and were checking vehicles coming into Edinburgh
late at night. I was beginning to see headlines by the time we were past
this.

A fine time was had by all (and the driver got a pretty good tip to
divert to Penicuik on his way home) and that motorway bridge that they
light up in different colours has never looked quite so pretty since.

FoFP