Yeah, I can’t believe that you can’t believe the year has flown by. 12 months since our last weekend sojourn to Blackpool and it feels like no time since I was looking forward to the seagull filled decaying new town that Blackpool is.
This time round it’s 50 years of punk rock and 30 years of Rebellion that is being celebrated. The big punk takeover of Blackpool is normally the first full weekend of August but this time round it is a 7 day event. With that in mind there has been gigs on each night by the seaside as the remnants from the World Darts Masters is being cleaned from the Winter gardens. I don’t have the stamina for a week of gigs in advance so miss Tom Robinson, Steve Drewett, Wildhearts, Kirk Branson, Adam and The Ants, The Skids, Charlie Harper, TV Smith, Neville Staple and Death of Guitar Pop among others. My train pulls into Blackpool North as Rhoda Dakar is spinning sounds getting the crowd ready for Neville Staples but I’m just intent on settling in.
The train journey was good. A few years ago I decided to get the boat and train to the seaside and not worry about airports and all the hassle that goes with them. Walking on the ferry in Dublin as it crawls to Holyhead makes me smile as the mode of transport is so much more civilised. Into Holyhead then and i catch the London train to switch at Crewe. Of course it was slightly delayed so there was a knock on repercussion as I felt the rush around the different platforms knowing I was getting the right train but that shadow of doubt was still trying to take over.
I was very Tempted to just keep going to Euston and see what happened but did make the switch at Crewe for the Edinburgh train and subsequently final switch at Preston. No matter how often you travel you always feel you are missing something and that feeling didn’t go. It does make the switchover of trains a little bit more unsettling. If you’ve any tips on how to get round that please let me know
As I get into Blackpool I realise I would be in London if I’d have stayed on that train. It took the same time. Stress free, nearly but a lot longer than the flight
Blackpool seems a little bit more run down each time I visit. More shopfronts are derelict. There’s an abundance of charity shops and discount stores. Litter is strewn on the streets and I wonder how it can be turned around. One step at a time I guess. For now it’s bed and visions of punk rock galore.
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