Saturday 27 June 2009

Bristol, Banksy, and the Big Ones


With my good pal Joe passing his driving test two weeks ago last Friday, and his swift acquisition of a shiny new(ish) VW Golf two days later, we spent little time in planning an epic road trip. With a vast array of exciting and exotic locations now accessible to us and our four wheels, where did we decide to go? Well, it was none other than the golden jewel of a city that is Bristol, to see the living legend Stevil Kanevil. Hells, this was most definitely a Big One.

Matt, Joe and myself hit the road at 4pm on Thursday afternoon heading southbound, after having already said our fond farewells to our families. With tunes blasting out of the windows and 2 nice cold 4packs on the floor for both Matt and I, we made good time heading down the M5 at a comfortable and legal speed.

The first night was a relatively chilled affair. Most of Ste's house mates were about and happy to entertain us. Despite having cleaned off more than just our 4 beers in the car, Matt and I were more than capable of staying in control of our actions (a la beach house ;D) and proceeded to soak up the Bristol groove in a dignified manner.

The second day however, is where the Big Ones really shone. After having carried out some James Bond action in sneaking into the sports hall without paying to play some football, we left for the Bristol Museum at 4 in order to go and see the Banksy exhibition. It was pretty radstock to say the least, with lots of witty sculptures and paintings which often brought a smile to my face. Following that, the evening entertainment was perhaps some of Bristols best. No trip to Bristol is complete without a visit to the ultimate Bristol Big Ones, the Cori Tap. Here, their speciality is a cider which is as easy to drink as apple juice, and yet almost as potent as a Special Brew. The result when coupled with a vast and varying array of drinking games (race the ace, IDR, bluffing, and a dice game amongst others) is not pretty. Served exclusively as halves, only a brave few have managed to reach double digits in a single session (Matt attests to having drank 10 halves, but I am not so sure). The night was finally topped off after an eventful walk home, with superb renditions of "Reptilia", "Sabotage" and "Maps" on Rock Band by the Birmingham Boys accompanied by the Bristol Bunch. Hells.

Needless to say, the return leg of our journey on the Saturday afternoon was a much quieter affair. Luckily, unlike Matt and I, Joe had known his limits at the Cori Tap and was in a much better state than us to drive home. We arrived back in Birmingham on time and all absolutely shattered.

Big Ones, I'm sure you'll all agree.

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