31/12/2007 New Year's Eve - Part Two, The Urban Voodoo Machine, etc.

Subject	New Year’s Eve - Part Two, the Urban Voodoo Machine, etc
PostedDate	12/31/2007
	This is turning out to be a pretty good New Year's Eve. The entertainment continues - good value for money, although the quality is variable. After the 'delights' of Norma Guntz & her Tom Jones Tumour earlier in the evening we are now treated to 'Elephant Man Elvis'. Who thinks this stuff up?!!  These sort of acts tend to be fairly predictable, but can be amusing for the first minute or so - but the joke quickly wears off. Fortunately, this act is mercifully short. As with the recent Texas Chainsaw show at The Forum these 'in between the bands' acts do fill up the time while the gear is set up between the band's sets so they do help pass the waiting time... The main band of the night is the Urban Voodoo Machine. I've seen this band enough times now to know that we are going to be really well entertained regardless of how large or small the venue is. This mob can be a lot of fun in a small pub venue, but as there are usually around nine people in the band it's best if there is a large stage - this venue is ideal. Urban Voodoo Machine shows tend to be unpredictable affairs and you can never tell quite what is going to happen next - instruments are swapped round, guest artists appear, and there is always a slight air of chaos giving the show a slightly punk edge, along with all the blues, jazz, rock & roll and other influences.  It does just what it says on the tin. This band is quite unique and very entertaining. The set is broken up on this occasion by Lady Ane and her fire-eating act - this is quite spectacular and none of my pictures do it justice! As well as fire-eating and fire-breathing, one of the clowns from earlier is brought on for more torture - in this case his bare back is whipped, but the whip is on fire! The band carry on playing while all this is taking place, before resuming their main set. One of the things which keeps this band so entertaining is that there are always different things happening on stage. Some bands have a guitar hero - this band has a violin hero! Towards the end of the show Urban Voodoo Machine are joined by most of the performers from the other acts - although Jim Jones of the Revue is actually a usual Urban Voodoo member anyway. It makes for a terrific finale to what has been a great evening's entertainment and an excellent way to see 2007 off.  The fun isn't over even after all the acts on stage have finished - the DJs carry on spinning great old rock & roll classics and more obscure tunes alike on into the night.  The bar in the music rooms downstairs has been open for some time, and eventually the party moves down there with the DJs cranking out more top rock & roll tunes. The stairs down to the other room are slippery with spilt drinks, and in spite of the signs warning of the danger a few people still come to grief - although not me amazingly enough. The place is open til 6 in the morning on New Year's Day and the tube is running non-stop all through the night so no worries about getting home. Surprisingly enough, there don't seem to be any real casualties through the night, although vast quantities of alcohol must have been consumed.  This is usually the main night of the year when all the 'amateur drinkers' appear who don't go out on the piss much for the rest of the year, and end up making arses of themselves or causing trouble when they can't hold their drink, but as I suspected, this crowd can hold their booze and the place is free of all those idiots - apart from one twat who was making a bit of a nuisance of himself a bit later on and had to be 'escorted' from the premises by security.  Rock 'n' roll events like this are always the best places to go for a good time on New Year's Eve as they tend to be chav and arsehole free zones with everybody just up for enjoying the music, sinking a few drinks, and having a good time with like minded souls. A few of us staggered out of there around sixish and went to someone's flat to carry on for a while after. I evenually got home around eleven in the morning and crashed out having been up for well over 24 hours. It was dark by the time I woke up and New Year's Day itself was virtually over, but it was certainly a good night!