[Monolith]

Any holmes out there hitting Creamfields this August? Some gems in between the tripe but not sure if I can justify the expenditure unless I can summon the psyche.

[Jaspersharpe]

What's the chav factor like there these days?

I've been twice. '02 was fucking brilliant. Underworld, Faithless, Sasha, Xpress 2, the worst mixing I've ever seen from Jimmy Van M, a giant duck getting mugged which resulted in a keystone cops style police v two lads chase, a rotating climbing wall that I won a t-shirt for staying on when it turned horizontal (no drug testing fortunately) and a really good feel about the whole thing. '03 was still good but the amount of fake Burberry and messiness seemed to have doubled.

I'm too old for such things now. 

[BenF]

'02 was fucking brilliant. Underworld, Faithless, Sasha, Xpress 2, the worst mixing I've ever seen from Jimmy Van M, a giant duck getting mugged which resulted in a keystone cops style police v two lads chase, a rotating climbing wall that I won a t-shirt for staying on when it turned horizontal (no drug testing fortunately) and a really good feel about the whole thing.

I went along that year, my only visit though despite living just a few miles away from the old venue.  Agree that it was great, Underworld being particularly good, although DJ Shadow was a highlight for me along with Justin Robertson playing his usual high quality set.  I queued for the climbing wall thing but was so fucked by the time I got there I figured I'd shake my way off and instead headed off to jump up and down some more.  A wasted twnety minute queue.

Won't be there this year though Monolith, more likely to be in Switzerland as you probably imagined. 

[Jaspersharpe]

I queued for the climbing wall thing but was so fucked by the time I got there I figured I'd shake my way off and instead headed off to jump up and down some more.  A wasted twnety minute queue.

I think you had to stay on it for a minute and a half or something to win a shirt. I know I failed on the flash attempt with about three seconds to go, we went and had a go on the big wheel and I returned "freshened up" and pulled to victory. I wasn't climbing at the time and was weak as fuck but the guy running it said I was the only person to have managed it which wasn't surprising considering the states most punters were in! Everyone else we saw on it fell off as soon as it got past vertical. 

[BenF]

 

Yeah it was the state of the punters trying it that encouraged me and Tom Sugden to queue for it!  We thought we'd find it fairly easy.  Unfortunately I was too "freshened up" as you put it, and Tom is just too nice to crush such an easy wall; he'd have pissed it and then probably have had to pay for repairs for damages caused by his massive hands. 

[Monolith]

Tom Sugden at Creamfields is the best bit, let alone the modesty of crushing a beginners wall! See if I can get him psyched for 08 in your absence Ben.