Edinburgh Fringe 2015

This festival season seemed to fly by, of course August is busy for Dixon and I normally with our anniversary, Island of Punk, and the Rebellion Festival, this year though I only did 1 out of those three and it still flew by so I only managed to see three things this year at the festival.

 The festival opened this year with the Harmonium Project, which was accompanied by coral singing, it was extremely busy and if you could get a second where you weren't being pushed and could take a moment to enjoy it it was gorgeous. A few of us from the studio went out to it together.

Secondly Hayley Gail and I went to see Nick Helm's Can Somebody For the Love of God Please Make All of This Pain and Misery Go Away (Work In Progress), which was great, Nick Helm is always funny, we saw him last year as well. But this show was a lot more understated than the year before. A lot less explosions and sparkle suits but still just as fun. We even managed a wee photo with him before the show, so we all three got a photo with him. He was really nice about it.

And to close out the festival I just managed to see Trainspotting live with Beth, which was as funny as it was intense, I managed to grab a few photos of the rave that opened the show, I don't know how they managed to act after going that mental for that long, and a wee photo of the sets grafitti. It was so well done, Im glad we managed to make it to it.

And so that was my fesitval this year, hopefully next year I will have gotten to some more shows and be working slightly less hours.

August Wrap Up

So loads has happened since my last post, the Edinburgh Fringe festival has started, we went down to Rebellion for the Punk Festival, and we had our 4 year anniversary (still sounds mental saying that). 

I haven't been to as many things as I would have liked to this year so far, I'm missing my days out buddy, but it feels like August is just whizzing by this year. The shop has been so busy with tourists that I am mostly so tired after work, it feels like a lot of effort to do anything. But I have succeeded in seeing two things including one that Dixon even agreed to see.  Firstly I saw Paul Foot with Gail and the Nick Helm with Gail and Dixon. Paul Foot was more mental that expected, but still hilarious, I would say you might want to have seen him on things before seeing him all by himself. But Nick Helm was excellent! So much fun.

Rebellion was really really good again this year, especially when I thought there wasn't that many bands that I wanted to see compared to last year. I would have to say that Thursday was the best day for me even with SNFU, DOA, and NOFX on the Sunday Cyanide Pills and Morning Glory where brilliant, and I got a wee photo with Ezra which as you can see I was pretty excited. I defintitely got the piss taken all weekend for that one, but it made my day so I don't care. I would have photos for NOFX and DOA but unfortunately my phone was stolen at the end of the NOFX concert so this is all I have what I sent to friends and things taken on other peoples phones. But what can you do.

So even ending on a down note, it is still one of the best times so I can't complain too much.

And then it was our anniversary, I can't believe it has already been four years, four years and I already ran out of things that I can buy Dixon as a present, so we decided to just do small things and go out for a dinner and a movie. Someone did not stick to that, someone replaced my phone for me, I was so surprised, he is really too good to me. Not only that but got me flowers and chocolates too. 

We did still go for dinner, it was amazing, we went to David Bann's again, and they did magical things with food. I tried many cocktails and new things this time for starters mains and desserts. I am pretty sure the dessert, Raspberry Jelly with Mint Sorbet and Amaretto Figs was the best thing I have ever eaten, and Dixon couldn't complain about the Budvar either, he doesn't really do dessert. And we topped the evening off with Guardians of the Galaxy, which I thought was excellent, and Dixon had a nice nap. We maybe shouldn't have eaten so much.

I've also done a bit of drawing, but I'll talk about that later.

Cramond 2013

Its that time of year again and the Island of Punk is upon us, I didn't take as many photos with the Holga this year as I did last year, but more with my iPhone so at least I have some It wasn't as nice and clear and warm this time as the last few years, but it was dry and that made it brilliant. We also were not as prepared this year as last, but I blame Mhairi and Darren, cause they didn't come this year so we didn't put the effort in with the BBQ and everything. Still though I got pretty steamin and had a wee nap and in general had a brilliant time! So can't really complain. The Island of Punk is always a good time.

Dixon also played in the Fuk Redding festival down in London the Day after Cramond so I got some painting done, nothing I can show the whole thing of though I am probably giving away too much already but I am pretty excited that I did some painting at all! So what the heck! Just one more painting to go for Counting at the Zoo and then I can send the last batch off!

Cramond Island

Every Year around the second or third weekend of August, this years being the 18th, a concert is organised on the disused bomb shelters of Cramond Island. And though Cramond is an island when the tide goes out, you can walk over. So you get up bright and early and head out to the Firth of the Forth and make the long walk over to the other side up the hill and down again to the bunker, it makes for a pretty different kind of gig. We were very prepared this year and had a BBQ and everything so loads of drink, loads of food and loads of music! Brilliant

Crossing to Cramond

Check us out in the first minute!

Those Are Shite

 The Shite Shirt extravaganza down in Blackpool, it had to be captured on film. Look close and you will see Shite Shorts as well!

 

 

 

 

If you haven't seen these masterpieces go and check them out.

 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/ShiteShirts

Edinburgh Fringe

The last few years that I have been living in Edinburgh the Fringe Festival has kind of been something I just had to deal with and when you work in the center of town its sometimes becomes a nusance. I have wanted to take part but everytime you step out into it it feels over crowded and clostrophobic. I think I have found the solution!

Previously when I went out onto the Royal Mile it was becaue it was my lunch time and I had to get there get food and get back to work, impossible! This year I avoided that bit of the Fringe and Daniels sister Hayley and I actually took part, saw shows, ate at the street vendors, took flyers and had an all around good time!

We ended up seeing 5 shows we paid for and about 4 or 5 free shows, I would say all bar one of the paid shows was brilliant and all bar one of the free shows was shite. Not to say that all free shows are crap but the ones we kept stumbling into definately were.

The highlights of my Fringe were seeing Brendon Burns and Rhyse Darby, also the inside of the Tron Church, and getting to hang out more with Hayley. Can't wait for next year!

 

Rebellion Festival

For once I haven't been blogging because I have been doing nothing, now I have been so busy doing things that I haven't had the time to put together a cohesive post!
August is always a super busy time in Edinburgh more so when you are working during the largest international fringe festival in the world! On top of that every year Daniel and I like to go to Rebellion Festival down in Blackpool, and that is on exactly when the Fringe starts. Luckily I got it off again this year and we were off to see a fairly impressive line-up.
Thanks to Steven we had a lift down in his car, so no trains for us! Which is nice considering in a car its about a four hour long drive.
Blackpool is sort of a weird town where tourism really is its main source of income but people don't really go their for the sights it more for Stag party's and the like that make it down there and so the place really reflects that, with the centre being almost completely full of B&B's. But usually when I have been down before during the festival, the centre seems overrun with Punks! This year it seemed much quieter, which was a bit weird cause they had some of the biggest bands on it this year.
All that aside it was a really great time, and I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to but I suppose that is the price to pay for drinking too much and having far too much fun.

In the end I didn't see as many bands as I would have liked to but it was still an amazing time, I got to see Social Distortion, Star Fucking Hipsters, Rancid, the UK SUBS, just to name a few, though I only saw a a couple more haha.

After the madness was all over we decided to head over to Pleasure Beach the Roller Coaster Park for the day but I think I will talk about that a bit more later!