Saturday 7 August 2010

Something for the Weekend

So Leeds lose the first game of the new season. Some fair football played and it’s a pretty new team. We need better striking options, but other than that I’m going to be quite sanguine about things.
The weekend is a time for enjoyment. You could argue the case that every day should be that way, of course, but work being what it is…For us, it was a trip to Twycross Zoo in the afternoon. Highly entertained by an ape that has discovered that an endless series of forward rolls is a great way to charm people, and the grace of the leopards, snow and otherwise.
In the evening a visit to Nottingham Riverside Festival. For my partner, who’s lived here most of her life, this is old hat. For me (and my son) it’s new, and ostensibly to hear a couple of bands. But it’s more feast – in the Leeds sense – that festival. Endless rides by the path along the river, an orgy of noise and lights that becomes an assault on the senses. I went to Woodhouse feat a couple of times as a teenager but it was never my taste, and most of this wasn’t either.
The chance to see Shooglenifty again was good, and overall they didn’t disappoint. They can play beautifully, but the mix let electric guitar overpower everything, not a good idea. The Ghanaian music of Atongo Zimba was as lulling as when I saw and interviewed him five years ago, but Penny wasn’t convinced. Should be stay for the fireworks? In the end the answer was no. Both of us felt overwhelmed by all the noise and the people. Still, I’ve never done crowds that well. So it was home to bed…

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