Opening the end of a festival - with quirks!

Vicfest happens on the second bank holiday in May every year ("Whit Week") and I always offer my services as rambling roustabout comedy type to them as it raises money for two excellent charities that currently escape me. This year I performed as the penultimate act on the last night in the barn that (a week later) I would get covered in glitter in at Dolly's Barn Party. No matter - there's an unofficial opening to get on with!

I figured I hadn't opened a festival just before it closed yet and as it was a special occasion I was keen to get a photograph of the audience for once and take the pic myself - seeing as I couldn't thus be in it to cut the ribbon myself, I thought I'd get a Time Bandit to do me the honour of wielding the scissors. The ribbon holders for this one were the lovely Chloe (On her second "opening" so now a veteran - her first one was the infamous first video opening further down the page) and her mate, whose name (I think) started with an "F". Since I was technically opening the festival it seemed sensible to do it from the stage and this additionally added to the slight oddness of the occasion, seeing a it was during my set, unannounced and treated largely with friendly bemusement. My set involved debut performances of "What Difference Does It Make" and "Young Parisians". Morrissey was nowhere to be seen (no real surprise there) but I was a little disappointed that Adam Ant couldn't make it - we'd both been in Newcastle the night before and I, at least, had made the effort.

I broke every rule in the book for this one - the ribbon holders aren't in full view, I didn't cut the ribbon myself, it was taken from the reverse angle to usual but in my defence: an obscured Time Bandit is an ideal Paulyb substitute, it gives a great idea of the crowd assembled and both the girls had particularly nice hands.

Oh and this is the main venue for Vicfest but it also takes place in both the pub itself AND the car park. It really is quite a big deal. So raise your glasses and let's have a big cheer for the landlady of the Victoria public house (the eponymous Victoria Kevans), charity fundraising and of course Unofficial Openings! Prost! Bock! Naz dravri! Skol!

All Hail Morris! After seeing this blog he emailed a couple of photos he'd taken himself of the momentous occasion. I've picked the one where I am the most obscured so you can see the ladies in their full glory and a particularly iconic scissor. Some of these unofficial openings just write themselves! Moztastic!