Shanti Barn Party is the latest Psytrance event i’ve been to and was held in the deepest recesses of the Lake District on the 15th and 16th April.

It was amazing.

From the location which had stunning scenery through 360 degrees around the campsite to the amazing decorations inside the event barn. Large dancefloor and plenty of chill out seating.

The music was fantastic and started at 8pm and went on until 8pm the next day with a list of fabulous DJ’s.

Coupled with people who make up an amazing Psytrance family, what better place could one hope to be.

Plenty of dancing, sitting and talking and even the night skies I had an amazing weekend.

I look forward to the next one and thanks to Chris and Austin for organising.

Big love to everyone who attended.

Wow, just wow! What a night Crystal Kids 2022 has been.

Crystal Kids was held at Rebellion which is next to Deansgate Train station. The club is well maintained and well run with nice friendly staff with a large bar area and two sound stages/dance floors at opposite ends of the club.

Yet again, the Psytrance family has been amazing, and I’ve had another fantastic evening. Love you all, you know who you are?

So much great dancing and music that my feet hurt from the 26,000 steps I’ve danced since midnight and I’ve still found time to socialise as well.

Apologies as always to the new people I’ve met during the evening!

I absolutely suck at remembering names as I think most of those who know me already will attest. Please don’t be put out as I will remember, I just need to be reminded a few times before it sinks in.

The acts tonight at crystal kids have all brought something fantastic to the table and those folks I danced to see didn’t disappoint.

A big shout out to Electric Blue and Mutated Pony who’s music made me dance my bloody socks off to the point a little sweat may have come out!

Fantastic evening and so glad I talked myself into going.

Let’s be clear here I don’t normally get really drunk. I don’t know why but I seem to have some kind of inbuilt filter, most of the time. Which when I get to a certain point I just stop drinking almost like an off switch.

My problem when I get drunk is that I’m a sleepy drunk, and when I’ve had quite a bit to drink the need to go and get in bed is very strong. It’s been known for me to fall asleep when I’ve been out with friends before now.

Last night, however, I didn’t seem to get to this point and don’t remember very much after 12:30 am.

I met Princess at noon in the New Union for a few drinks and then Gavyn for lunch at 2pm at Via. Then onto The Goose, The Rem and back to Via.

Things get hazy from here but we met Michael and Alex and I have photos from inside New York New York, Centrestage and the New Union!

The next thing I remembered was waking up in my hotel room at 9:30, laid in bed, fully clothed and still wearing my shoes.

Then being really sick and this being nothing but fluids! Yuck!

Now, I’m not normally someone who gets into such a state and I honestly can’t remember the last time I was that drunk.

Apparently, I was taken back to my hotel by my amazing friends who said this was unaided (this I doubt).

Last night I drank gin and I blame this as I don’t normally touch spirits unless it’s shots of Sambuca, as an occasional treat, but we started drinking at lunch and didn’t stop until the small hours of Saturday morning. We ate along the way but I think the volume or the type of drink was the killer for me.

What worries me is how drunk I got and at least I have good friends who took me back to my hotel and made sure I was okay. Plus I was in one of the safest places in Manchester where I am well known but its worried me a little and I think I need to kerb the gin in the future as its not good for me.

What could have happened?

What if I wasn’t with my beautiful friends? Worries me a bit when I think about it!

Time to go home?

But is it?

Since September 2020 I carry a breath-testing kit in the car since a friend was stopped by the rozzers and breathalysed and blew 0.079 a day after a night out in May. 0.01 more and bye bye license, so since then I’ve carried this in the car.

I’ve got the BACtrack Trace Breathalyser (linky to Amazon) as it has lots of great reviews.

Anyway, at 11 am after food I blew 0.097 which is over the legal limit of 0.08% BAC, then at 5 pm, after a tonne of water and more food, I blew 0.021. It’s a handy tool to have.

Lesson learnt?

No more gin!

I love this image <3

Woke up this morning and my first thought was, night out tonight in Leeds. Plus I get to see my amazing friend, Wendy.

Bags are already packed. Open car, thrown bags in the boot and place dog on back seat. (tyre screeching) drop dog at dog sitters for the weekend, (more tyre screeching) and off to the train station.

The initial plan was to stop at Manchester and have lunch in the village but alas because the train service in this country is still stuck in 1890, I ended up getting straight onto my connecting train to Leeds!

Trains from Stoke running late, again equals no time for anything in Manchester. Late trains should not be happening on 21st century England. Unfortunately, the train system is stuck in this country are absolute wank and i’d never rely on them if I had to be somewhere on time.

Now, having said that, I do love travelling by train as it gives me time to watch the world go by and download my thoughts or write articles like this. The trains are weird things these days with social distancing and the like. Over half the seats have little red tickets on them “Corovavirus, don’t sit here” and the ones you can sit at have little green tickets on them, “sit here’.

I sit and look out the window and watch the world go buy while listening to a bit of Goa trance. Wish I had a joint to smoke while I watch the scenery rush by.

I arrive in Leeds about 3pm and Google maps directs me to the Cosmopolitan hotel but I’ve for it set to car mode so end up walking about half a mile not 0.2 of a mile!

I check in and retire to McDonald’s for a bite to eat as I missed lunch thanks to the trains.

Food troffed and back to the hotel.

One of the things I havent had to time do this week was colour my hair. Yes folks, shock horror. I’m not a natural blonde.

Time to do my roots (hair) as they’re getting a bit brown. I had booked into the hairdresser’s but despite making a booking 2 weeks before, they called me on the day of my appointment to tell me they needed to do a patch test and I couldn’t have any work done until 48 hours afterward, impossible as I’m on holiday then. Okay, you had two weeks to tell me this so, very very unprofessional of you Wilson’s in Macclesfield. Never shall I darken your doors again!

So, I’m sat in my hotel room with a £5 hair bleaching kit and doing my roots with a glass of wine.

Kit used and hair all tied up, time to shave….. Everything. Dysphoria treatment time. I hate my body hair with a passion. I absolutely hate being hairy and it’s one of my biggest issues! So thirty minutes of shaving and all is shaven and hair dye is ready to be washed out.

Time to get ready now as Wendy texts to say, “meet up in reception at 8pm”.

Its the hottest day of the year so probably wont be sat in my hotel room until then as its warm in here.

I get dressed and sweating I head for the air conditioned bar.

I’m ready!

 

I’m ready long before 8pm and after a cold drink in the bar I decide to go for a walk round to the off license to get some cigs.

On walked past a bar on Assembly street I get my first compliment of the night off two ladies stood outside said bar.

“Ay up my love. You look fantastic in that dress and I love your shoes”

We chat for a few minutes and then I set off to walk back round to Viaduct where I end up stood chatting for about an hour before I go meet Wendy.

Those who know me well know I’ll chat to anyone these days and the girls sat outside viaduct shouted “hello gorgeous” and offered to buy me a drink.

Who am I to refuse when beautiful women offer to buy me drinks?

Back to the hotel to meet up with Wendy. “You eaten?”
“Well I had a McDonald’s does that count as eating?”
So off we proceed to find food!

Not much choice for a quick bite to eat and we end up getting a sandwich from Sainsbury’s. This lack of proper food was probably where my alcohol problems started as I hadn’t had much to eat that day and I got drunk very quickly that night.

However it could have also been the Pina Coladas in Tiki Hideout

First place we go for a drink is a bar down a little back street behind the Viaduct. No idea what it’s called but it’s full of middle aged men drinking pints. I took great pride in photo bombing a couples selfies something they only noticed when one partner showed his photos to his partner. At least he had a sense of humour about it and I ended up having my photo taken with them later on in Viaduct. I dont remember rightly but I think they bought us drinks!

We were going to go in Viaduct at this point but the queue was moohasive!

Across the road to Queens court and, yeah, Hmmm.

We stood outside while the door person said “it’s booking only but we’ll see if we can fit you in”. Great sounds like their busy? No, empty as a eunachs ball sack inside.

One drink “let’s go some where else?” says Wendy. So back across the road to Viaduct which now has a slightly smaller queue than before.

Great chatting in the queue with folk. Bit of Dunkirk spirit in the queue, bit of banter and the third compliment of the night from two ladies stood behind us. They looked ace as well <3

So we enter Viaduct.

Wow! What a great bar and I want to go back here when social distancing has gone away. Very, very friendly place this, the staff and the customers all very chatty. Got chatting to a young lass in the smoking area about life, the universe and a few other things. Told her she looked ace and she said she wishes she’d got dressed up as she felt underdressed compared to me. “Yeah but I bet your not sweating your arse off”. She laughed.

Very trans friendly venue and the place was full of all types of people. Loved the maître d’ who’s outfit was a sparkly purple blazer and bowler hat trimmed with a pride flag coloured tie.

I don’t recall how many drinks we had here but it was a few!

From here we stagger down the road to Tiki Hideout. Again amazing atmosphere and best of all they do cocktails!!!!

Pina Coladas for me please and they arrive in a hollowed-out frozen pineapple! Lush!

Several cocktails later and it appears to be 2 a.m.

“I can barely walk straight” says I
“I can barely stand up mate” says Wendy.

Next thing I remember is waking up to my phone ringing at 9:40am. I’m still fully clothed and laid face down on the bed!

One shoe is on the bed and the other is in the bathroom.

We’re supposed to be going shopping! Well thats what we’d arranged!!!!

 

 

 

Shopping in Leeds

Wendy has sent me a message saying she needs till 11 to get ready. Yes mate, me to!

I fall into the bathroom and by 11 o’clock i’ve managed to make myself look decent!

I decend the straircase and meet up with Wendy who looks rougher than me. “You eaten”, “How? I’ve just woken up”

First port of call is somewhere we can get sustenance, so across the road to the Bridge restaurant for a full English breakfast.

Best hangover cure in the world. While sat at the side of the River Aire. Delightful location and brillian breakfast.

One of the hottest weekends of the year why did we decide we would go shopping round Leeds, but alas bearing the heat was worth it.

Leeds is an amazing place to go shopping in my opinion and i’ve come home with a fantastic set of trousers and woollen jacket from M&S for less than £50 and two fab dresses from Roman.

Again, Wendy. Thank you for an amazing evening and a great days shopping.

Love you my friend and let’s do it again.

Soon!

 

Thanks to the “We’re all going to die” Coronavirus lockdown, the Sparkle 2020 annual Sparkle Event for Trans, Non-binary/Genderfluid and Intersex festival, was cancelled. However, because we all isolated and put our sad little lives on hold and didnt die, we’re here to tell the tale.

On 4th July (so, very apt this being Independance day, maybe Will Smith and Jeff Goldbloom will come save us from Corona-aliens?) and now lockdown restrictions have been lifted a little. This has meant many of the bar owners in Manchester have said a collected “Thank fuck!” and opened for business. This has meant that many who would have attended the Sparkle event put on their best frocks, painted their nails and applied their make up and headed down to the village in Manchester. Myself included.

Rules, rules and more f**king rules.

However, all is not peachy and rosey in pub and bar land, and because of Coronavirus said bars everywhere have been asked to deal with a shit load of additional rules if they want to open and stay open. Lots of rules and regulations imposed on said bars means a night out in Manchester was a very different experience from the norm. I don’t think anyone can even pick the rule book up anymore let alone throw it out! It must be HUUUUGE!

Instead of “knees up Mother Brown” it was “Stop your dancing Mother Brown and sit the fuck down!”

I’m not going to complain though, (who am I kidding), but as at least I could go out and mingle with my girly friends. However, lets just discuss what its like in the village at the moment.

For a start to get into most of the bars in the village you have to either booked in advance to gain entry or join a free membership scheme. Those that have a membership scheme I say, big thumbs up as you have got your shit together. You turn up and they ask, “Are you a member?”, Yes – Yes I am, “OK, Whats your membership number?”

Provide them with that info and you’re in and shown to a table. No messing about. Bar Pop, You rock as we came inside your humble abode twice on Saturday and we were inside in minutes. Door staff very professional. Concierge staff, fantastic and bar staff were amazeballs. Big shout to the girls serving outside. Amazing service and you looked bloody amazing!

Those bars that don’t have a membership scheme you have to fill in a form at the door, and provide name, phone no and some ask for your address. (Thankfully bodily fluid samples aren’t needed)

One of the bars, which I wont mention its name but its on BLOOM street, had a “Scan a QR code” which then took you to a website where you filled in your details. It should have been the perfect solution but unless you have your camera already setup to scan QR codes (Thighphones do, Android phones don’t!) So, you either have to change the settings in your camera or use a QR code reader. Took me about 2 minutes to find a QR reader then enter my details. I’d also say the bouncers at this club didnt have a bloody clue as there were two QR codes and they made us scan both despite them taking you to the same fucking website. I did point this out and got “You need to do both!”.

Ultimately the QR code system was more of a faff than many of the other simpler schemes and was reflected in the confusion I saw on Friday evening when I went out for a ciggie. Many people not social distancing so they could crowd round to use the QR codes.

All this registration of visitors and booking scheme is all for track and trace. So, if there is a Covid-19 outbreak they can contact you and you can self isolate for 14 days. Thats the theory and i’m sure in the mind of some civil servants somewhere, its a well thought out plan!

Anyway, enough with the track and trace bollocks, and back to the Sparkle event, that isnt really Sparkle, Sparkle event. I say “event” but it was more a meeting of likeminded people. The official Sparkle event had been cancelled but lots of Trans folk turned up to the village anyway. Too, either see whats happening but more likely to show moral support for the bars, dress up and have a night out in Manchester. When you think about it who wouldnt want a night out and support those bars which have provided amazing fun and entertainment over the years and who have been closed since March.

Lots of people also attended this weekend because they already had hotel bookings and wanted to be in the heart of the LGBTQ+ community, this was why I went. My companion on this weekends jolly jaunt, Wendy, had bookings already and invited me down and I am so glad i went with her and Julieanne, as we had an absolute scream. My face actually ached on Sunday morning from all the laughing we did and I havent laughed that much for a very, very long time. Sometimes my life is SOOOO serious

It was very noticable at weekend how many Trans people where in the village. Many more than on a normal weekend i’d say. Well pretty much more than every weekend since March!

There was also protest on Saturday to stop changes to the Gender Reassignment Act. meaning plans put forward by Therasa May’s government would be “ditched”, which allow trans people to change their birth certificates without medical diagnosis. This bag of shit government want to put in place safeguards to protect safe spaces for women which would mean amendments to the Equality Act. I wont voice my personal views about this here today. I was aiming to attend the event but alas because everything takes 10 times as long now because everywhere has extra rule, I missed the event as I was stood in a series of never ending queues!

Just a quick note! People of Manchester, Primark is not that amazing, really its not but it didn’t stop some of you queuing right down the street! One look at the queue and the words “Fuck that” may have been shouted quite loudly by both Wendy and myself!

Anyway, on to the night out on the weekend that was supposed to be Sparkle weekend, but wasnt, but then kind of was, 2020.

Amazeballs food at the Molly House.

Because we had to book into everywhere, especially if you wanted to eat, then i’d booked us into the Molly House on Richmond street for Friday night. If you dont know the Molly House, go. The food is great and its located inbetween Canal Street and Bloom Street.

I’m pretty sure i’d booked us in for food, but we were shown to a settee on arrival. Yeah, a settee! “Its very comfy” Not being funny love but i’m sure it is but i’m not eating food sat on that! They moved us downstairs to a table.

Drinks ordered, food ordered and what amazing food. 5 Tapas dishes for £20. I know some folk might be thinking, 5 Tapas is nowt. The food was fantastic, and we ordered 10 Tapas between Julieanne and myself, while Wendy chose the Chicken Burger with *cough* Salad. Molly house, great Chicken Burger but the salad is a bit stingy. Just saying.

Question just to answer my curiosity. If you order fries with the Chicken burger do they come in the same size dish as the salad? Just curious?

Back to the Tapas. Yes, I ordered all the fish dishes and Julianne went for the meat dishes. Calamari was spot on, Chorizo (oh! my god) and the Cheese balls. Dont normally like cheesy balls but these. Oh, My God!!!!

Prices are great as well.

Onwards to drunken oblivion!

Food and several drinks later and we go across the way to Iconic Bar and can’t fault the staff in there either. Friendly, quick service and great hospitality. I will be going in there again soon, maybe after another meal at the Molly.

Onwards and onto Canal Street and Via and this is where things get a little disappointing.

Not Via itself, NO!

Via itself was amazing as always as were the bar staff and serving staff. They are always lovely and very helpful.

This was the point where we realised just how different things are, with the Coronavirus rules and regulations at the moment.

Normally in Via you cant hear yourself speak, which isnt a bad thing sometimes, but tonight the music is so quiet I can hear myself walk across the wooden floor, this is despite being shown to a table right underneath one of the speakers. There was music on but it was so quiet. I look round and everyones sat down, the tables are spaced out at the requisite government approved distance in accordance to current guidelines and staff are busy wiping down recently vacated tables with generous amounts of sanitiser and paper towels.

Yes, this is all well and good but its so fucking quiet in here. I ask and am told “Well we cant have the music loud, and theres no dancing”. This as we found out was in all bars and is screwed up, IMHO. I’ll explain why later!

We enjoy quite a few drinks in Via before closing hours force us out onto the street. We did try to go back in on Saturday night but where denied access as they wouldnt let anyone in after 10pm!

Oh, theres lots of other establishments closing as well at 11pm. This does not bode well for a night out but we see CentreStage is still open and they have music playing outside. This looks like a winner, winner. For those who dont know where CentreStage is its opposide New York, New York on Bloom Street. Yes, next door to “The Docs”.

Drinks are cheap, staff are very happy, chatty and efficient but inside there’s no music. WTF?

So, outside I go to have a ciggie and find myself dancing on my own in the middle of Bloom street. Much to the amusement of the door staff at CentreStage and New York, New York. The hostess at New York, New York, Nicole (drop dead gorgeous) “Oh, my god!!!” and i’ll say it again “After myself, you were the most beautiful woman I saw all weekend” but I digress.

Before long i’m told to stop dancing by the fun police. Wendy and Julieanne eventually come outside and join me in a little dance before the tables and chairs are tidied away and Bloom street is yet again given over to the motor car. So, we proceed to the last place we can find open which is Bloom.

What a transformation now that this place has social distancing. Because there is about 1/4 of the people in there that there normally is, I can actually see how dark and drab the place is.

I’d never noticed before that all the walls downstairs are painted black. Now, either i’m the least observant person on planet earth (and yes sometime because of my own vanity, I dont wear my glasses) or because of lack of the colours of people, lights and TV screen’s, it makes you really notice the black. There is music on but its so quiet you can here people talking over it. All the TV screens are displaying Covid-19 public information information, no doubt needed so they can get a license to open again.

Two drinks and we’re out of there and I cant believe i’m saying this but here goes.

A night out in the village, in central Manchester and i’m going back to my hotel at 1:15am!

What the a c t u a l  f u c k?

We stagger into the Village Chippy and then back to our hotel.

That was Friday night.

Here’s why I think the no dancing rule is bollocks

A few places in the village over the weekend had music on, albiet very quiet and folk were trying to dance. I also think most people were also trying to still socially isolate as well. So the groups who were out were smaller groups and those attempting to dance were dancing together. Maybe in other parts of the city or other cities this isnt the case, but out side Centre Stage those dancing with me weren’t dancing next to me there were probably more than 6 foot away! Again on Saturday night we were in Churchills and there were people attempting to dance when the bouncers weren’t around but they were doing this in the groups they were sat with at the tables they were sat at. I know the venues have been told “No dancing” but honestly it was possible. I saw it, several times.

Personally I need to dance soon and I think for a lot of people its an outlet. Let us dance. Please!

A rude awakening

Saturday morning, 9am on the dot, I am rudely awoken by music coming from somewhere. No, Covid restriction bollocks with this crap thats being played. Seriously shit music and the guy singing doesnt even know the words to the songs he’s singing. I found out later it was a group of street entertainer (and I use those words extremely loosely). They were shit!

New Order’s, True Faith is one of my favourite tunes and when you’re hung over at 9am, and your listening to someone attempting to sing it but they dont know the words. Well, just the first first few lines then the singer just mumbles the rest. It made me want to jump out of bed and go sing it myself!

I’ve heard drunken Japanese business men sing that song. Japanese business men who were extremely drunk and who do not speak a single word of English. They did a more convincing job of singing that song than this bunch of clowns.

Next song up is Morriseys, “Heaven knows i’m miserable now!” – If Morrisey heard this i’m sure he’d write the sequal “Heaven knows I’ve heard it all now”

By this time my hangover is kicking in and theres a little monkey inside my head bashing two cymbals together and your making it worse with your shit music and shit vocals.

They stop at 9:15 as they seem to have either exhausted their repertoire or they’ve collected enough for a pint each in Wetherspoons? Who knows but they’ve stopped singing and I drift off back to sleep.

10am I am dragged screaming and kicking from my drunken slumber by the same clowns playing exactly the same songs in the same order!!!!!

Same shit different hour. Exactly the same songs in the same order with the same piss poor singing and feedback from amps. 10:15 and they stop again.

I should also point out that I must have been rather drunk because although I am in bed, I am fully clothed and am still wearing everything, even my heels!

• I recall leaving the village, we had a chippy supper.
• I dont recall walking back. Honestly, which way we walked I have no idea.
• I recall getting back to the hotel door because they asked for my name.
• I also don’t recall getting to my room.

I think all the mixes of different drinks finally caught up with me and POW! I passed out. At least it was in a bed.

I get up, take off my heels and start to make the bed. Oops! there’s a makeup face on the pillow. Hahahaha!

I decide to get up and got hunt for food. Luckily room service has delivered my food to outside my room and I nearly fall over the Covid regulation paper bag as I exit my room. I pick it up, retreat inside and sit like Golum in Lord of the Rings eating my continental, ie: awful, breakfast. The hunt or proper food will have to wait.

That was my Friday night on what would have been the Sparkle 2020 weekend, which wasnt Sparkle weekend but kinda was.

Saturday night was much the same as Friday but just Wendy and I and we drank lots, laughed even more and had a bloody great time.

Roll on the next weekend out, out.

Its Friday and I was supposed to be going out tonight to Leeds, however the event is cancelled and i’m at home self isolating. So… What do you do?

You get up, shave your legs, iron your best dress, put on your face, dig out a new pair of stockings, get dressed and go out in your own house.

Had a good laugh with my housemates along with a few drinks and some music. Danced about for a while I took my dog for a walk about midnight. Felt kinda liberating to walk round.