Totally Uncontrolled

Chelfyn and I had a lovely time at Ashton Court Festival on Saturday bumping into people we've not seen for years. We spent most of the day hanging out in front of the dance stage with the Bristol Ravers , and grooving in the sun. We had a great day but it was sad to see the corporates have moved in and called it the 'Orange' Ashton Court Festival this year.

Ashton Court started off as Bristol Community festival, and at one point was the biggest free festival in Europe but not enough people put their money in the buckets to keep the costs under control. I understand their reasons for needing corporate sponsors but when you have a sponsor's name before the name of an event, it just seems to lose its soul.

Later that night we headed off to The Depot for the Totally Uncontrolled afterparty, the main room being hosted by TMet UK. Swim kicked off the warm up set followed by Catjane, Chelfyn [who opened with his remix of Relax], and then Stich from Labyrinth who played some sublime techno to close.I missed most of the action in the downstairs rooms, but caught Smiffy in the Pool Room mixing Phat Planet into Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson. Strangely - it worked.

It was great fun being in The Depot again, watching munters playing nose pool and leaving trails of drool. It was like we'd never been away.

Missing the Whanau
Britain is currently in the middle of a heatwave which is being compared to the long hot summer of 1976. Chelfyn was practically panting yesterday and is suffering in the heat. Britain is not designed to be this hot. You end up baking in the cities and the beaches always get rammed. I'm getting homesick for more space, and less people. Coming back to the UK has made us realise how much we've gone Kiwi and that New Zealand is where we really want to be.

I'm really glad we've been able to come back for a visit to see our familiy and friends, but Bristol no longer feels like home, just a place where I spent ten awesome years. As well as catching up with the UK Whanau, it's been great to test out our music.

Everyone we've played it to from DJ's, producers to record store owners have said that what we're making in New Zealand is every bit as good as what is being made in the UK. It's helped us believe that we're on the right track and should stick at it.

Catching up with the UK crew

I've just spent a week in Hereford with my Mum which has been lovely, but it was tiring having to refuse so much food! I lived in Herefordshire until I was 18 and it's a beautiful place. Rolling farmland, the stately River Wye and picturesque little villages straight off the front of chocolate boxes like the black and white houses of Weobly.

I went for a walk around my old school (Hereford Cathedral School) which has been going since Anglo Saxon times. It was a very good school and I enjoyed my time there but it was harsh having to go to school on Saturday mornings!

We're now back in Bristol and catching up with the UK crew. Cat the head of TMet UK has been making a name for herself as a techno DJ while we've been away. We're at Cat's house in Easton and everyone is playing back to back with Chelfyn grinning like a loon.

We're getting really excited about Ashton Court Festival next week. Chelfyn is playing the main room of the Totally Uncontrolled afterparty which is being held at The Depot, my favourite Bristol club. I dread to think how many hours I have spent in that club over the years.

Happy Birthday to me

Thailand really was Land of Smiles, and they loved our bright coloured hair. I sometimes forget the way we must look - a guy with an orange mohawk and chick with long purple hair. But in all the years I've been dyeing, I have never been applauded just for walking down a street. Looking through Western eyes you'd see poverty and dirt, but the Thai are a happy race. It's ironic that unhappy fat often people worship a skinny guy being tortured to death, and happy skinny people worship a smiley fat guy, chilling under a tree.

We were greeted at Heathrow by gunmetal grey skies. If Aoeteroa is Land of the Long White Cloud, then the UK is Land of the Long Grey Cloud. It felt very strange and a bit depressing to be back. Yesterday was my 30th birthday. I spent it hanging outside the Star and Garter at St Paul's Carnival with my gay friends and had a wonderful time. All of the boys are dabbling in promoting now including Sapphire [interviewed here by the BBC]. She's a Bristol style icon as you can see at Sapphire's fabulous get up gallery, and I've know her since I worked at Venue Magazine.

Venue Magazine is also a Bristol institution. I started there when I was 21 on the specialist guides. I was crap at selling advertising, but then they put me on student promotions and writing club reviews which was lots of fun. It's a dream job reviewing club nights in your twenties and I met some amazing people. Bristol is a great place to live and I highly recommend it.