Oracle Roulette: blog

I've been to my fair share of music festivals but never one outside the UK, and Roskilde is one that I remember older friends talking about in excitement awe when I was a little (well, before I hit gig-going age). So when I saw that the organisers were looking for people to attend the festival for free and write a blog about it in the months leading up to it as well as while there, I got a little bit excited. So I've not been doing this writing malarkey long and I'm still finding my feet in places, but the last couple of festivals that I've been to I've had such a strong urge to document what I'd seen and done for people to read about, I thought I'd apply.

Unsurprisingly, the application process attracted over 450 entries, and I didn't get in (you can read the successful blogs here by the way). I was disappointed, yeah, but let's be realistic, I've only been doing this for real for 5 minutes (years of doing it in my head probably doesn't count. Should have thought of that years ago really..). But I thought it would be a shame for my application never to see the light of day ever again - so here it is. I don't think it's awful, but it ain't really in the top 2%. Some of it I'd probably change if I did it again but I'm leaving it like this because it's a little moment in my history now and you can't muck about with that shit. Look what happened to Marty McFly.

Name: Ellyoracle

Music Preference: Anything I’ve not heard before. Anything I have heard before and liked. Currently into: Future of the Left / LCD soundsystem / Hafdis Huld / Pulled Apart by Horses / Ladyhawke / Fuck Buttons. Anything loud and/or with a beat basically. (I make an exception for Hafdis because she sings about robots).

Reason for going to Roskilde, and why I am the blogger of choice: Roskilde’s a bit of a legend for us Brits - a bit like Glastonbury is when you’re growing up in the UK, but y’know, ABROAD! The line-up always looks amazing, I mean this year (already) you have FM Belfast! Pavement! Obscure Danish bands! (apologies – if you’re Danish and reading this you’ll think I’ve been living under a rock..). I do love discovering new music, whether it’s new full stop or just new to me, it’s pretty hard to stop me going to gigs. Ok it doesn’t even have to be new music, anything that I already like gets me quite excited too. It all kinda makes me twitchy-in-a-good-way, I love the atmosphere, I love the adrenaline, I love sharing the experience. Hell I even love trying to fit 6 different bands into one night (doesn’t always work to be honest but it adds to the entertainment). Stick all that into a festival, complete with wellies, loo roll and cider, and I can’t think of anything that makes me happier (other than maybe cake). Oddly though I’ve only just realised that I also enjoy writing about music, the whole live experience, and how it makes me feel. Fortunately people also seem to enjoy reading what I write (I’d still do it even if they didn’t but the positive feedback is quite nice. A bit like cake). I’m told my style is chatty and conversational, (oh, and witty.. ;) ) and people like reading it because it’s full of enthusiasm and easy to read - and that’s got to be a good thing for grabbing hold of your audience right? So... Putting all that together and blogging about Roskilde? Writing about the anticipation and who I’d like to see? A week of running around in a field in my wellies HAVING to go and see as many bands as I want? Talking to people and getting those obscure festival anecdotes out of them? Finding a solution at 3am for not having any ketchup? (Oh hang on, you don’t need to know about that…). AND telling people what I think about it in my very own Roskilde blog? I’m so excited you might have to calm me down by feeding me cake! *(*this means that I would very much like the position and that I think I would be really good at it, much better than everyone else).

Lots of people seem to have some thoughts on The Odeon and other aspects of Bradford's regeneration, including the Westfield hole saga, so I thought I'd list the ones I've come across so far (in no particular order, although have tried to put the most recent ones first). I'm sure there are loads I've missed so if you know of one then please let me know via the comments and I'll add. Enjoy!

Keith Ruffles:
Should we save Bradford's Odeon Cinema?

Tales from Bradistan:
Wastefield
Democracy Wall
Save the Odeon part 1
Save the Odeon part 2

Alex Ross

Regarding Bradford Odeon (+ more)

John Mclear

Does average Joe care about the Odeon?

Jenny the Flaneuse

Culture, engagement and regeneration in Bradford

Paul Routledge (Mirror.co.uk)
The "Hopkins Hole"

The Devil's Own Blog (photoblog)

RIP Odeon - murdered

RIP Odeon 2

A sight soon to be gone

Converse on 28 days later

Inside the Odeon