Americana
Last year we all looked at going to The Americana festival at Newark showground, but for one reason or another we didn’t end up getting there. This year, the year of the ‘credit crunch’, swine flu and torrential storms we decided this would be the year! Sensible, hey?
Whenever we go on these adventures we (nearly) always take along our two buddies, Julie and 5 star Trev, who since our successful trip to Germany has embraced camping like a teenager embraces Big Brother and a PSP console!
We didn’t know what to expect at all, apart from the promise of American classic cars, the fast food stands and quite a lot of bands that Julie seemed to know an awful lot about and we had never heard of!
Taking a motorhome away with friends is great fun, we packed up with all the food we needed and plenty of booze and set off. Julie and 5 star Trev met us on the way and packed all their gear in too, minus Julie’s hairdryer that had somehow found its way into her case (probably a lapse of camping concentration)!
We were given a choice of hard standing (on the old airstrip runway) or grass. Hmmm, not a hard decision to make. So safely situated on the airstrip we packed up our beer and wine, walked to the main stage and settled down in our camping chairs. 5 hours later and a bit worse for wear we went back to start our BBQ (we like the thrill of the combination of semi-drunk BBQ operatives and two foot flames, yeah, tomb-stoners beware this is the thrill of 2009).
This is the sensible bit……… 
Tip: You do walk a long way at these summer festivals, especially at Newark showground, the ground is enormous!
Best to pack a nice comfy pair of shoes (even if they don’t look great with your rock n roll outfit). Don’t do what I did and spend all weekend in a pair of 4 inch stilettos sinking into the damp ground!
End of tip!
Imelda May
The highlight was Imelda May on the centre stage on the Saturday, problem was Colin Paul and the Persuaders were on at the same time on stage 2 so we abandoned Imelda half way through to listen to Colin blasting out Promised Land and Johnny b Good whilst we danced around our brollies and sang at the top of our voices.
The entertainment continues inside at these festivals, in what can only be described as being like a big cowshed. People were squashed in wall-to-wall. If ever there was an advert of ‘what not to do’ in times of a flu crisis, it was this. We made our speedy escape, only to find out the following week there is an incubation period for all the little virusy bugs to make themselves at home and get comfy. For ten days after me and my husband sat staring at each other waiting for the onset of the ‘black death’! I blame the hysteria on the News at 10! The guy that stands in front of the screen featuring those big red, fuzzy, magnified bacteria positively relishes the thought of half the worlds population suffering with unspeakable symptoms, probably because he knows while it’s going on his job is safe!
Apart from the threat of swine flu I can recommend Americana, http://www.americana-international.co.uk/ it is really great fun and there are some excellent bands on, especially Union Avenue who are kind of Johnny Cash who don’t sing Johnny Cash songs, instead they cover Bob Marley and sing it like Johnny Cash. Bizarre, but great. So if you don’t mind camping on a broken up runway with lots of guys dressed as cowboys and lots of girls dressed as Patsy Cline it could be your thing. If you go next year watch out for us, we are the ones with the cooler full of Polish beer and a surgical mask on
