Tuesday, January 3, 2017

The BottleRock Lineup – “Festival Band” by Lewis Bootle

     The 2017 festival lineups are making their presence. Napa Valley’s BottleRock was announced this week, with headliners Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and Maroon 5. It’s time to post the story in Lewis Bootle’s “Festival Band,” featuring Gecko.

    Lewis Bootle is based in Ware, UK. 


Lyrics of “Festival Band”
As I walked into the festival community
I bumped into a steward
Said "Sorry sir excuse me,"
Cool, I asked him for directions
But then somebody else must have gone
And just grabbed his attention [‘cos he done one]
But that’s cool I'll find another someone
To finish off his sentence
And point me to the entrance,
To the gates where they seem to scan the tickets
Where the dogs do the sniffing
And the people aren't much different,

I can't find my festival money,
I lost my wallet
My mate’s skint,
And it's far from funny,
I thought this would be easy-ish
Then I lost my fifty quid,
When people get their cheesy chips
I'm contemplating eating dips,

Cruised up, boozed up, queued up, the steward started stewin up,
excuse us, something about a drug search,
"What's that up your stuffed shirt?"
Nothing, gotta trust, sir,
Just the pillow I was hugging from the bus, sir,

You know what it's like on the mega bus,
everyone is mega fussed,
People always talking too loud, [but it's never us],
Well behaved for the ten of us,
Anyway he thought I was selling drugs,
An accusation unfair,
I'd never carry drugs,
[Can I buy them when I'm in there?]

Festival band, wrapped about an inch around my hand,
That's the way it’s gotta be
So later I can let in Sam
Festival band, wrapped about an inch around my hand,
That's the way it’s gotta be
So later I can let in Sam
Sam can't afford the ticket price,
So I gotta sneak him in
In the dead of night [Shh, in the dead of night]

Oh shit.
My phone's just died, Sam's gonna be pissed off,
I need Sam here for the festival to lift off,
He's my best mate you see
The only time we lose connection is when I've got no battery,

Now we're on the inside
Follow as the path bends
queues history as we passed tents
need to hurry up and pitch up, we discussed is this picturesque enough for us 
[Group picture!]

Faces to disgust, we've been stitched up
The only place left to pitch is the perimeter
Settle down the luggage unpack the bags,
A mallet, a peg and a beer in my hand,
Memories of good times spent,
that tent's been flooded and the pegs are quite bent
[But we'll use ‘em again]

Everyone went to the arena, I said I'll see ya,
Twiddling my thumbs just seems wrong,
Dream on, how long I've been gone,
Discussing philosophy with a man dressed as a tree frog

Duke boots on
Don't call me Mr. Wellington,
Flat out the batts on my festival telephone,
Heaven knows, I'll never know,
Where my mates did 
They ever go zipping round the camp like a velodrome

I'm here at a random campsite,
Staring down with hippies contemplating ant life,
And other bugs teaming in the scenery,
What does all of this greenery mean to me? Nature!
Gone off track man, I've gone off piste,
The sun’s gone down
But no need for skis, or a chair lift, to lift me
I got these new friends
But I need Sam with me!

Festival band, wrapped about an inch around my hand,
That's the way it’s gotta be, so later I can let in Sam,
Festival band, wrapped about an inch around my hand,
That's the way it’s gotta be, so later I can let in Sam,
Sam can't afford the ticket price,
So I've gotta sneak him in in the dead of night
[In the dead of night]

Now it's 4am and I feel downhearted
No closer to finding Sam since my search started,
I was at the gate for what felt like hours
Thinking why do phones have to be battery powered,
Couldn't charge it either ‘cos I had no cash
Which meant no lunch, no dinner, no midnight snack,
Sat alone by the tent nursing my last beer
Not really feeling it when Sam's not here,

As the night fades and the morning light rises
I make out a shape beyond my half closed eyelids,
Can't make it out
There’s a figure in the distance
My drunken eyes try figure out who it is there
As he gets a bit closer this stranger looks stranger
Try to arrange a clearer picture
Am I in danger?

He's covered in mud
From head to toe
But I know that jacket
It couldn't be though
And I know that strut
My mind tries to place him a
As he gets a bit closer
I'm struck by amazement
My vision’s validated
I don't understand
Standing before me is my best mate Sam!

And if it couldn’t be better
He spins his backpack around
Plunges in his hand in and wacks out my 50 pounds

[You would not believe the night I've had.]


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