Bellowhead (Sheffield)

Having bid farewell to my fellow Spibods, I once again navigated the tube to Victoria and got on a bus to Sheffield. Once again a not very comfortable megabus trip but at least nobody tried to bash me in the face this time. Spent some time rambling around the Meadowhall shopping centre (and got some Percy Pigs from M&S. Bettyslippers keeps producing them at Bellowhead gigs and I think I'm becoming addicted!) and then headed off to find the Leadmill. I amused myself for a little while trying to find a bus station whose luggage lockers were useable till after the gig to stow my big bag but couldn't find one open long enough so resigned myself to having to keep it with me at the gig and ambled along to join the queue. Turns out I was the first in the queue which turned out to be fortunate since the queue organisation was appalling and the venue was a really funny shape. Ayhow, got in and took up station on the fiddle side of the stage (having seen the brass side the previous day) which allowed me to my bag on the other side of the barrier which was nice. Couldn't see any other spibods but I got chatting to the lass beside me who was good fun which was fortunate because two lads pushed their way to the front and they were right nyaffs for the whole gig, constantly mocking what was going on on the stage. Fortunately for me, they were on my deaf side and at least they seemed to like the dance numbers.
Another great gig from the 'Heads and lovely to see it all again from a different point of view with the fiddle section up to their usual antics. One very memorable note was the smoke machine which seemed to based right where the fiddles were and went into overdrive during the Rochester Coconut dance and first we lost the fiddle section, then we lost the rest of the band and then the people on either side of me disappeared! Could hear Jon Boden asking if we were still out there and asking if the machine could be turned off please and they eventually all hove into view again.
Highlights? Everybody's reaction to the fiddles disappearing, Paul Sartin hijacking Rachel McShane's chair when she was about to play the cello, Paul Sartin trying to land himself in deep water by asking for an interpreter (and those are some snazzy purple winklepickers that he seems to have gotten hold of!), Sam Sweeney apparently attempting to kill his cowbell during little Sally Racket and Pete Flood weaving an increasingly convoluted tale around 'Frog's Legs and Dragon's Teeth' while pleading for the band to start playing because he couldn't think of anything else to say. (Needless to say they just left him to it!).

Huge admiration for the band for keeping up that level of energy for so long. They've still a week left to go so I hope they don't run themselves into the ground.

After the gig, caught up with Shelley and Stephen who'd been at the other end of the stage which was nice and then set off to make the hour and a half walk back to the Meadowhall Interchange to get the bus back to Edinburgh. This seemed like such a good idea when I set out but by the time I was halfway there, my feet were agony. Then I got there and realised that was the least of my worries since they seem to have installed some sort of anti vandal device which plays loud, really bad music through the whole station. It was very effective. Given the choice I would have been out of there like a shot but I had to wait there for 2 hours and 45 minutes in the freezing cold and, by the time the bus arrived, I was homicidal! Anyhow another uneventful but supremely uncomfortable journey back to Edinburgh and was I glad I'd taken the Monday off this time cause I just about had the energy to shower when I got back before clambering in to bed and snoozing the day away. Got up in time to go to rapper which was fun despite me not really being awake and then back home and back to bed.

Don't think I can take much more travelling by megabus. I need to either find a job that pays enough for me to take the train or to move further south and I need to do it soon.
However, no matter how horrendous the various journeys were, they were still completely worth it for Bellowhead. Roll on New year is all I can say (as I settle down for a cup of tea in my new Bellowhead mug)