What a brilliant night had by all!! One I will never ever forget! Getting in was an ordeal for me..as I was ID'd.. and like Time said, when you are actually asked for ID you never have it on you. So I got chucked out and ended up in a white tent run by the Youth Action Project. They basically told me there was nothing they could really do.. only provide somewhere warm for me to stay during the night! What a bloody insult after all the times I have been to the sanctuary, and have never been ID'd.. I was humiliated and angry and close to tears. For in the background I could hear my favourite tune being played out by Dj Sarge - Scott Brown - Healing Mind.. and it was doing me in, in a big way. I was trying to come to terms with what was happening.. but couldn't, I was meant to meet loadsa people inside! I suggested to a YAP rep that I should re-join the queue again and see what happens. I left the tent and bumped into Smithers, who I travelled down with! This must have been fate.. because I thought he had gone inside.. but he met Bug on the way in.. they were both waiting for Breeze and Cakes to arrive, and suggested that I snuck in with them through the guest list queue. I was extremely nervous.. but must have turned into stealth mode (no - not as in magic carpet :) for I managed to walk straight through the guest list queue, then also the security that had refused my entry, and thirdly no one asked me for my ticket!! Strange hey! *Thank you Bug/Smithers/Cakes for your support* So I got in.. and was full of Euphoria and buzzin' because I was the total contrast of what I had felt just 20 mins earlier! I just went around totally aimlessly looking for people. I first bumped into Andrew and Jo.. I was extremely happy to see them, and we all went off to see Tina in the chill out, then went for a stomp to Breeze's set which was hard and fast. Then it was time for the first USH meetup, all the usual people were here, and finally got to meet Steve (radium) which was cool! So we took off to stomp to Vinylgroover which overlapped into Force & Styles.. hmm Higher Ground first tune - I was in such a cheesy mood, I couldn't help but dance.. MC Junior then announced that as it's the 10th Birthday.. here's one for you! And then Paradise and Dreams was dropped.. went down really well.. everyone sang along.. come on don't pretend you don't know the words!! I suddenly then got fidgety as you do.. and thought I'd have a wander.. went back to where everyone met up at 11pm, and there were still loads there! Cakes was up to his usual hilarious antics.. and challenged me to ask the burgerman for a "chocolate starfisherman" burger - hahahah!! Don't ask ! :) Wandered again from here and went on a roller coaster ride with Andrew and Bridie, Jo felt a bit ill I think.. so stayed off. The ride was brilliant.. it went round really slow at first for ages and ages, and we were thinking .. cooome ooon!!! I think that's exactly what the ride op wanted.. so we all blew our whistles and horns.. screamed like mad monster.. and then we floated up, up, up and away :)! Came off it totally buzzin'! I have to say the quality of production over this night was the best I have ever seen, and having such a packed crowd who were so up for it at the same time.. enhanced the night so much.. that at some times it was hard to handle! I then stomped all the way through Vibes/Brisk/Dougal/Slipmatt without hardly stopping.. tune after tune was dropped, for example lost generation, basic nature, and many new others which I hadn't heard before. It was a great surprise to MC Livelee there, I remember Chedda and I exclaiming about his presence, and basically just being bouncy and happy about it. My energy levels just went up and up. I had an excellent stompin' session.. what's the point in paying all that money just to sit in the chill out room.. Which I noticed was packed solid! The atmosphere in here was good, they had a huge videoscreen, playing extremely weird videos. I watched 2 mins of a 60's film before leaving - very odd indeed! I reckon Brisk played the set of the night.. there were some new tunes thrown in, it was characteristically hard and fast! Stomping to it was as dutiful, as a pendulum is to a grandfather clock! Was that a sailaway remix I heard.. I think it was. and yes it was good! The end of the birthday ended up with the sanctuary rammed to maximum capacity, the sound mind blowing. Slipmatt ended with his hardcore version of "On a ragga tip", and then surprisingly for HS, one last tune was played at just gone 7am. I don't think you need any guesses as to what this last track was.. a clue.. it involves the word "star". However to annoy the critics, it went down extremely well.. and was an excellent end to an evening that was almost perfect. I'm giving the night a whopping 9/10, it was packed solid, and I haven't seen an atmosphere in that place since Hardcore Heaven Vs Slammin Vinyl' last year! A few of us came to the conclusion that many of the older ravers came back being that it was one of the last HS's, the atmosphere really did reflect this theory! OKAY - Listen Listen listen... My friends.. there is only ONE place to be this New Years Eve. This has to be Helter Skelter.. I don't even have to remind you that the atmosphere will be totally unparalleled, think about the atmosphere, during two points of the night.. the first at midnight.. when we all live under this date and time : 01/01/00 - 00:00 - could this signal a new fresh level of awareness throughout the world as many are predicting? I hope it will.. and could you think of a better way to start it off than that? Secondly when the last beat is dropped.. Signalling the end of the decade that Helter Skelter has lived. All the memories of this night will stay with you forever. You will do your best to articulate them to your children, and your children's children :) I hope to see you all there... and collectively make it a night to remember! Massive shout outs go out to the following (In No Order whatsoever) Smithers, Chedda, Charm, Andrew, Jo, Icekid, Steve (Radium), Bug, KRS, Time, Cakes, Slammin' Sam, Tina (Moonlight Raver), Taffy, Beth, Bridie, Michelle, Adidas Matt, Chris, Chris.e.manic, DjUplift, Stuart, Lizzie,Conrad, Nita and Roo and anyone else that I've surely missed!!!
