So it’s the night before the day when the maddest collection of musicians, punks, vagabonds and those on the outside of whatever it is they feel they aren’t part of, come together for their annual celebration in the tatty seaside town that is Blackpool.
The assortment have started to arrive early and while my time is spent wondering where I will safely park my car for the weekend and whether to go with the paid option or not, the music starts up. All sorts of bars around Blackpool’s Winter gardens have been taken over by the punks. Fringe shows aplenty are on this year. I was planning on going along. I really was. There were some I really wanted to see. In the end I stroll down the prom dream of when I would be on holidays with my parents and wish their presence was physical and not just memories. Blackpool is a tough one for me. It exorcises demons in a way other childhood memories don’t. It’s where I came for many years with my mam and dad. We travelled by boat, plane, train and even the Ribble bus one year which could well have been a quicker walk. I walk through coral island and picture my mam on the 2 penny falls, wandering around trying to find some falls about to collapse so she could call me over. I listen out for the bingo master “any lines or your 4 corners”.
I dream of days gone by and suddenly I remember my trip to the Bierkellar in 1984 to see the Angelic Upstarts. Darren Russell was starting to put gigs on that year in Birmingham and here we are 4 decades later. I’m wandering around aimlessly wishing for times gone by and he is nervously waiting for the doors to open on a festival celebrating times gone by.
Of course it is not just a paen to the past. It is a celebration of a scene that is happening and one that is rising. I will celebrate that over the next few days. For now I’m sitting in a restaurant, it’s best night this year for “tofu” fish and chips and Charlie Harper is beside me having his dinner!! This is another typical city with me having another typical daydream. Dreaming of Mensi and the Upstarts fights with fascists – there was one in the bier Keller that night. Dreaming of Shirley and Jo Blowers self catering flats on Palatine road. Dreaming of irn bru and chips for supper and while these visits were happening I was developing my own punk rock education.
That’s evolving still but for now I celebrate being alive, being in the same room as Charlie Harper and look forward to the next adventurous 4 days.
Oh and by the way I went with paid parking
