Southend

I asked, "So what's there to do in Essex?"

"Nothing." came the flat reply. When people give me this sort of answer to my questions, I'm invariably thrilled. I like doing nothing.

The drive to Essex was fast. Virtually zero traffic out of central London. We reached Essex under the estimated 1.2 hours. Way too early. Blur was scheduled to come on only at 8.45 pm. Perfect. I wanted to spend some time walking around the area. So we drove around the rest of Essex. Lots of quaint cottages to look at.

Then we headed down to Southend-on-Sea to get nearer to the gig venue. Well, it was a bleak rocky beach and desolate grey sea. The friend wanted a spin on the rollercoaster. OK! So up the rollercoaster it was! WIEEEEEEEEE. Cheap thrill.

Then it was a quick dinner of frozen pizza and ale at the local pub. The usual sort of gig dinner- forgettable. Heh. I didn't want ale nor guinness draft. So I picked cider. After trying out so many, I decided Brothers cider tasted better than Magners.

The cider and crap carbs were totally walked off when we realized we might just be late for the gig. In the crisp evening air, we almost sprinted all the way up the slope to get to the Pavillion on time.