Only Once a Year...

I've just endured a highly traumatic weekend, besieged in my own home by barbarians. Actually, it wasn't as exciting as that description makes it sound. Perhaps I should explain; I have the misfortune to live just across the road from a town-centre park. Now, it isn't the park itself which is the problem - it's actually quite a nice park, surprisingly large and well kept. Its main downside is that, despite its proximity to the local police station, it seems to be the favoured locale for local muggers. But crime, in the conventional sense, isn't the problem here. No, the park also gets used for all manner of events, from funfairs and circuses to hot air balloon festivals. Most of these cause me no problems. However, just recently they've been using it to stage an annual 'music' festival. Before you get the wrong idea, we're not talking Glastonbury or T in the Park here. No. Definitely not. This is essentially an ego-stroking session for local 'bands' whose usual venue is some pub, where they ruin people's evenings out. Granted, there are usually a few has-been bands who were once famous for two minutes in 1983 on the bill as well, but by and large, it's mainly a platform for local shite.

I don't have a problem with these shite bands playing their shite music to their moronic fans. What I do have a problem with is the fact that it is played so fucking loud that my windows literally shake and I can't hear myself think in my own home. If it was just during the day, it wouldn't be so bad. But on Saturday it went on until past 11 o'clock at night. Luckily, my next door neighbours had, for the second year running, been driven out of their house by the intolerable racket, so I was able to turn the volume of my TV up to max in a bid to drown out the noise from the park. To no avail, as it turned out, I could still hear the shit. Indeed, all I could hear all day was the steady thump of the bass line, with someone shouting over the top. Nothing melodic or anything which could be called a tune. Now, whenever I've had the temerity to voice any kind of complaint about this, I've inevitably been met with the response 'don't be a kill-joy, it's only once a year, mate'. Fine, so if I was to break into the house of any of the idiots championing this event every 12 July, say, brutalise and bum-rape them, that would be OK because it was 'only once a year', would it? Because, trust me, those of us who have had to endure this torture for three years running feel just as violated!

That's the funny thing about this whole issue, though,the way in which this event is always portrayed by the local press and council as an unqualified success which the whole town enjoyed. Any dissenters to this version of events are dismissed as a minority of out-of-touch kill-joys. In fact, it is damn near impossible to get any kind of criticism of this event published in the local press. Clearly, the promoters have the local paper and councillors in their pocket. A fact underlined by the fact that at least one local pub lost its live music licence after a single complaint about noise levels which were far lower than those I had to endure this weekend. However, I don't think that I am being unreasonable in thinking that I should have a choice as to whether or not I have to listen to somebody else's idea of music. I also know that I'm not the only one who feels this way. The fact is that the park is a completely inappropriate venue for this event - the houses closest to it are occupied by OAPs - yet we local residents have never been consulted over its use for this purpose. I'm not saying they shouldn't hold such an event in the town, just that it should be in a more appropriate venue - a field outside of town, like most music festivals, perhaps? Anyway, now I've got all that off my chest, normal service will be resumed tomorrow!