Notting Hill Carnival

Yea we checked it out today.

Lots of semi naked women so no complaints from me. The back of the carnival had basically a compitation for the loadest system and some of them were bloody loud, made me need to deficate.

Its was very busy and I can't stand still too long so we moved after half an hour, the thing goes on for ever, there must of been two miles of carnival.

The best sounding rig was radio ones IMO

Chaps

I once had to visit Heathrow Airport on business and on the way in got caught up in the hordes on their way to the festival.

A high proportion of them appeared to be under the influence of illegal substances and I would recommend any normal person to steer well clear of it.

Regards

Mick

Very ethnically correct I'm sure

If I lived in Notting Hill; I'd go somewhere else for the weekend (to get some sleep)

quote:

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Originally posted by Mick Parry:
A high proportion of them appeared to be under the influence of illegal substances and I would recommend any normal person to steer well clear of it.

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Mick, I am a "normal" person and I enjoyed it, so I suspect your views are rather out of touch with reality. Dev

quote:

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Originally posted by J.N.:
_Very ethnically correct I'm sure_

If I lived in Notting Hill; I'd go somewhere else for the weekend (to get some sleep)

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Actually John, I reckon the ratio of black/white was about 50%/50%, but you are a RAdio 2 listener aren't you

Well I did what I have done on Bank Holiday Monday most years: Carnival in the afternoon, walk across Hyde park then Proms in the evening. London can be a fantastic city.

Carnival seemed a little quieter than it has done in the past (It's all relative). I think the new route which goes A to B rather than following a closed loop makes things feel less packed/exciting/claustrophobic, depending on your view-point. Carnival has been very mixed for the twenty years I've been going and I suspect long before that. It's London innit! It might have started as Trinidadian inspired (floats, pans) but the Jamaicans (static sound-systems) made their mark pretty quickly. Whatever, there were folk of many different shades of brown or pink who looked like they were having a great time. I doubt if the range of substances being consumed was much different from what might be sampled on your average night out in Swindon. Despite this, the ambience was relaxed and cheerful. I feel a damn sight less intimidated at Carnival than I do at 11.15pm in many towns in England.

Dev: "TOO MUCH BASS"

duncan

Email: djcritchley at hotmail.com

Mick is correct in recommending that all sensible people steer clear of the NHC, but not for the reasons I suspect he would suggest..

Notting Hill is the very worst place on Earth - an overrated, horrible dump, the smuggest place in the universe with a population to match. Concrete the bugger over, I say.

Carnival is likewise overrated, but I suppose it has one redeeming aaspect, in that it annoys some of W11's more self-satisfied residents.

Kevin

Saaaaarf London rules

I second Kevin's views, although its not quite THE very worst place on Earth, that accolade goes to Birmingham.

"the smuggest place in the universe with a population to match"

No I think that would go to maybe Barnes or Wimbledon or Clapham or maybe Putney or Richmond. Hurry up and get the little ones into the back of the volvo for the school run. Oh I forgot 'south london rules'.

You have all the same snoobbery down there , just crap transport and not much decent night life. Enjoy

Who can ever get enough BASS!?

Carnival is not a spectator sport, our own traditions of carnival, where everyone could be lewd and rude for the day, has long been overrun by the capitalist system and the 'works clock', along with religious and state control! Let's not forget where we cummin from. To look at carnival is to look at humanity in its most glorious and celebratory form, but you can't just look at it, you've got to be at it! It cannot be bought either, like a hi fi type buying a box, it has to be done, the music, the tune is everything.

Ok, I live in a sleepy lancashire town now, and thats the way i want it, nothing happens, lessens I makes it happen, and that fine by me.

I belonged to Baha Radar, a carnival group in Kennington SE11, circa 85 - 90, we used to meet in a school, once a week initially for the winter months and then more often as Notting Hill carnival approached, Trinidadians talked about the history of carnival, how it was used to parody European power and politics back in the days of colonialism and slavery. It was an outlet, full of passion and pent up emotions held in check for most of the year until this one period when everyone would go nuts and express the groinest side of themselves, helped no doubt with rum and other spirits. We learned dance movements based on African tribal rhythms and we learned to let go of stiff ego's and self consciousness and to adjust our ego's to the joy mode, to give, to look at, to smile. We were'nt as serious as our Kennington Oval carnival group neighbours around the corner, huge group, huge costumes, huge discipline, preparation, rehearsal, out to win the carnival competitions, best costumes, best band etc.

We just basically wanted to experience it from the inside, not as onlookers, that would do for us, we could take it from there.

Carnival has a structure, people plan and scheme for it all year, imagine all that energy building up, all that communing and getting together, not many people in our current society experience that at such an intense level, such intense joy and satisfaction of it all coming together on the day, the competition, the chains off, the shackles off, freedom to claim the streets, to dance, to shake booty, to smile at and be smiled at, to enjoin, to be shocked and to shock oneself with ones own cheekiness and capicity to be happy beyond buying the next upgrade or getting the next payrise or coming out on top of the next business deal.

Our group was fairly unruly and undisciplined so we chose the characters of Jab Jab (little devils) for the parade, this allowed us to work on our costumes but on the day Jab Jab could just wander here and there and chant 'i come from hell, i go to hell, i come from hell, i go to hell', strangely liberating that mantra and with the right thong (in the days before thongs became official!) and lots of chiffon and whatever funky material one could find to costume up, a bottle of tequila shared with a mate also helped, one would take to the streets with a position in the parade after riding mob handed clinging on for dear life on the back of a flat bed, 20 or so Jab Jabs cruising over Vauxhall Bridge on the way to W11 and the gateway to heaven and hell for the day, a whole life lived in 12 hours on the street, a positive addiction, one day, enough to last for a whole year, intravenous joy and 100 humanity while only miles away sarf london and the rest of the country set time aside to worry about whatever illusionary need or perceived lack is going to spoil their day.

Everyone in the UK should take time out to be a Jab Jab at least once! Be less than a slave to our own ambitions, just for one day get a glimpse of...............the real me and how it could be!

Do it! Naim people.

Steve D