4th Legend Rally

Croydon to Chislehurst...it's not that long a journey, is it? Eleven miles max? I'm quite proud of the fact that I managed to do this journey in just under three hours (taking into account the 30 minute KFC pit stop in Orpington). When it comes to deciding which day of the week to avoid if you are travelling by automobile in and around the London area, Saturdays tend to be the most evil of them all, even if you decide on a traffic diversion via Wallington, the M25 and Swanley. For the sake of your own sanity, don't do it.

On arriving at the site (Old Elthamians Rugby Club) that played host to this year's 4th Legends Rally organised by the local Triumph enthusiasts I was greeted with a serene setting of tents, bikes and greenery which seemed quite a sedate affair. Rally goers were obviously sleeping off the hangovers gained from the previous night as they listened to the sounds provided by Drrink and Fertile Fuzz which I missed (due to what was a rather lame excuse: Welly shopping in Croydon. Never found any to buy, should've bought a sleeping bag - but more on that later).

Emma (Stu's missus) awoke from a behemoth of a tent (which I presumed to be an oversized scout marquee on first sight) with baby Mia hunting the surrounding premises for her dummy. Hunger bugs manifested in me even after the recent KFC trip, so I ambled towards the two mobile eateries that catered for 1) the burger crowd and 2) the eastern Asian fancying grub types. On Emma's recommendation, I plumped for the latter and proceeded to scoff a mild chicken curry (it was the hottest they did). Mia chose a burger (see below).

Gap filled, I then drove into town to stock up on liquid provisions.
Note to Stu: I know exactly how much is left in that bottle of JD - don't even think about it!

Star attraction The Booze Brothers eventually accumulated together to set their gear up. It was only then that I remembered why I was put off being in a gigging band. It's too much hard work. All that humping an' a heaving, and I'm not talking groupie action here. It's the shifting of the amps that inspires the laziness within me. Bikes and trikes whizzed past taking kids for short rides around the grounds, much to the little 'uns delight, which goes to show what a truly wonderful family-orientated event this was.

Ver "Bruvvers" (sic) took to the stage for the first of two sets and played a rip-roaring version of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" amongst others ("Mr Blue Sky" anyone?). I'm glad to say they went down rather well, but on reflection it was more of a warm up for their blistering second set, of which they kept the bulk of the most popular numbers (leave the Elton John song out lads - it reminds me of W*tf*rd FC). Here's that set list in full:

A triumphant (geddit?) end resulted with a trio of songs in the encore which the audience lapped up. It seemed a bit of an anti-climax that another band were following on, but rockabilly group The House Rockers still managed to get the crowd on their feet as they played rock 'n' roll standards from the era when it was rock 'n' roll. The three piece played stuff like "Mystery Train" and "War Ensemble"...OK, I've lied about the second song I mentioned. I just can't think of any other rockabilly songs that they did play...but I'm sure they did all the standards usual to that genre. The singer even spoke in an American drawl, which sounded quite convincing as he probably came from Catford.

The negative side of the day's events appeared towards the end of the night as a glass bottle was smashed over someone's head. The troublemakers soon left the site before the arrival of two police officers (what would two plod have done if this skirmish had erupted into a riot? Call for back-up?) It's a shame it happened as this was an isolated incident. Everyone who attended this rally was so warm, friendly and laid back and much enjoyment was had all round. I certainly hope it will not affect any decision to curb a future rally.

Stu had a spare sleeping bag for me, but trying to fall asleep wasn't that easy. A blocked nostril, hard flooring (the air bed was reserved for Stu & Emma's son Ben, who arrived back later on after revelling in the small hours with female company, tsk-tsk) and the on-loan sleeping bag was tighter than a gnat's chuff for a fat git like me - I managed to get my legs in but very little else. That's when I remembered that home was but a short drive away, so I said my cheerios to Stu, got in the car and started to drive away from the grounds, narrowly missing some drunken blonde bint who was scrabbling on the dirt track by the exit.

Here's some fuzzy footage of The Boozers in action (still wondering why this should be better quality picture - wise...I really need to go Hi-Def soon). This clip shows the spirit of the event better than the words of this post and it's dedicated to Emma, RoMo and Swiper (if he's still around). Enjoy. I certainly did.

Stu - Guitar & Vocals, Paul - Bass & Vocals, Graham - Keyboards, Mike - Drums & Vocals