The Five Golden Rules Of Moshing

Hey Guys!

So I was inspired to write this post by my recent voyage to Reading Festival and the horror that was the crowds. In an effort for less people to have to experience the hell I did I thought I would enlighten those of you who weren't already aware with what we shall refer to as “mosh etiquette”. Moshing is a great way to blow off some stream and get the crowd going and I am definitely pro-moshing and never understand why certain venues try to ban it. However, as we know there is always that one asshat that feels the need to ruin everything for everyone else. So carry on reading if you don’t want to be “that guy” and let me explain to you five ways of not moshing like a complete knob! It's better to know now then to have a big pissed of metal head pick you up and kick you out.

Source: Editorial.bandwagon.sg

Rule 1: Pushing, shoving and even shouldering is acceptable. Kicking, punching and “hardcore dancing" are not. People get into pits to have a good time not to brutally beat up other members of the crowd. Don’t be an ass.

Rule 2: If there is someone stood on the edge of the pit who clearly doesn’t want to get involved (normally easily identifiable by the look of horror on their face and if female inappropriate footwear). Don’t pull them in! If you’re that guy that thinks it’s funny to throw scared thirteen year olds into pits, stop. Don’t be an ass.

Rule 3: As it so happens every now and then people will lose things in the pits, namely shoes, phones, wallets and dignity. If you find something that isn't yours hold it up and let the respective owner reclaim it. Don’t use the pits as an excuse to pick up a free iPhone or some extra booze money. Don’t be an ass

Rule 4: Every now and then some poor unfortunate soul will get pulled into a pit, if you see this person, get them out. It’s good mosh etiquette and good karma, don’t leave them panicking in the middle and even more so don’t make it harder for them to get out. Don’t be an ass

Rule 5: This one is a bit of a combination of rules three and four, in this kind of environment people are going to end up on the floor. If you weren't aware of that I would highly recommend reconsidering your choice of activity. However, as you may gather the floor isn't an ideal place to be and being trampled by a crowd of people isn't anyone's idea of fun. So if you see a fallen soldier on the floor, help them up. It might not be the most gentle of processes but at lend a hand if you can and even more importantly don't deliberately trample them or kick them when they're down. Don't be an ass.

So there you have it guy’s five basic tips to ensure you are not an ass! As light-hearted as this post is guys there is truth too it so keep this tips in mind when you make your venture into the wonderful world of live music. I might even make a follow up post for the non-moshers so keep your eyes out for that one!

Love & TubTubs

Reading Festival Rant 2014

Hey Guys

So every summer I throw myself into the world of festivals and this year was no different with me attending both Sonisphire and Reading Festival. When it comes to music I tend to gravitate towards the alternative scene however this still ranges over a large spectrum from glam rock to heavy metal so festivals such as Sonisphire, Download and Bloodstock are the obvious choices every summer. However, with me being local to Reading Festival I decided to go with a friend that had a spare ticket and even though the line up wasn't exactly to my taste there were a select few good bands and the idea of partying in a field for three days solid is always an appealing one. Hey what could go wrong right?



Source: http://www.readingfestival.com

 

Oh how wrong I was. Don't get me wrong I will be fair to Reading and say that some of the reasons I didn't enjoy my time there were down to poor decisions on my part and it did have some high points which I will get onto later but first let me get my little rant out of the way. Firstly the staff that were working for Reading Festival were definitely only there for the free entry, never in my life have I met more unhelpful staff who were constantly giving me wrong advice or not knowing answers to things they really should of. Now I'm not sure if this was down to poor briefing on the festivals part, or laziness on the members of staffs part but I picked up very quickly that if you wanted any helpful advice to look for staff members that looked like they really didn't want to be there. Another point I'd like to make is the amount of hiccups that occurred with bands sets over the weekend from the power going out during paramores set to bands having to stop mid-song because their instruments weren't tuned properly. I totally accept that things like this may happen here and there with such a huge event but it happened with 50% of the bands I saw and by Sunday was really starting to grate on me.

Another point that I really want to make is the crowds at Reading, now as I said before I tend to gravitate towards heavier music which means I'm no stranger to rough crowds, mosh pits and many drunk people in a small area. That said the crowds at Reading were nothing like I'd ever experienced before, even with the more mellow bands that I saw there were people starting pits left right and centre which is fine by me. However, these were not standard mosh pits these were people out to try and hurt everyone around them; kicking, punching even biting I saw it all and don't even get me started on the amount of young girls I saw being dragged into these pits that clearly wanted nothing to do with it and were scared shitless. Eventually I decided I'd had enough of being kicked in the head and went to leave the crowd which was a challenge in itself as it appears no one is willing to help you in anyway and you end up having to turn into an asshole yourself and push people out of the way to get yourself out. I guess mosh etiquette is wasted here and I'm just spoilt by the kindness of metal crowds, and they say we're the rough bunch!

A final point I would like to add to round off my Reading rant 2014 is that this assholery didn't end at the crowds and I received regular abuse walking around site, this hit an all time high when I group of guys decided to grab me and harass me on my way back to my tent on my own. I must say out of every music event I've ever been to Reading is definitely where I felt the least safe, and it takes a lot to unnerve me. Now these were the main points that really made the festival a total write off for me, sure there were other things that did annoy me over the weekend but I will credit that to me already not feeling great about things due to the above points and also some poor decisions on my part.

With my rant out the way I'm going to say that although I completely stick to my view that Reading 2014 was the worst festival I've ever attended it did have some high points which I will cover in my next blog post to prevent this turning into an essay. Hell it feels so weird to write a negative review on something but I really needed to vent my frustration about a wasted £200! So I'll talk to you guys very soon with a much happier outlook on things and even a few festival pictures thrown in there for good measure!

Love & TubTubs 

I Have Returned!

Hey Guys!

Long-time no see right? I'm sorry I've been popping up then vanishing again but let’s not focus on that and just be happy we're all here together at last. Awh. So today is September first which marks the start of a new academic year here in England, this means that students all over the country will be flying the nest and heading off to university to start the rest of their lives. Me? I'm staying put for another year to figure out exactly what I want to do with my life and generally pull my shit together before I have to take on any real responsibilities. 

That means today marks the first day of what is going to be one of the most stressful years of my life, not going to university until 2015 means I now must start the challenge of finding new friends, finding myself and getting to grips with the joys of being an adult (and can openers) and I wish to share it with you lovely lot!

The face behind the blog! Nice to meet you!

Not going to university doesn't mean however that I’ll be sat on my ass playing hayday and eating popcorn for an entire year, oh no. That will only make up 30% of my life. This year will also consist of me continuing my life as a student in an attempt to bump up my UCAS points, saving some money, traveling and more importantly to you lot, blogging! For the foreseeable future I want to document my life for you all sharing everything from study advice to reviews and how to’s. Pugs to Products. Music to Moomins…You get the idea.

With all that said and done it’s lovely to meet you all let me introduce myself, my name's Alexi, student and pug mother, preparing to grab life by the balls in what is looking to be a very interesting year. Go introduce yourselves down in the comments and I’ll speak to you all very soon.

Love and TubTubs