So Maschinenfest was last weekend, and it was a lot of fun! We saw a lot of bands, did a lot of dancing, drank a lot of beer, and saw a little of Germany!

Some parts were a little disappointing though; for example some of the newer material by bands that I haven't seen live for a while wasn't quite up to the level I had hoped. MS Gentur and P·A·L were fairly big let-downs for me. I'm not sure if it's just that I remember them much better than they really were last time, or if it's the fact that it's now about eight years later and they have mellowed and/or changed style. Maybe it's both!

On the other hand, we discovered a few bands that I hadn't heard of before that were really good! Two that particularly stick in my mind were Scorn (from Napalm Death! awesome) and Enduser, and in the end that's what it was all about for me.

The last night, after all the bands were done, turned into a random party with everyone - including the staff - letting off steam. There was a guy in a gimp mask, and another wearing only a cardboard box! This was probably one of my best memories of the weekend and I had an amazing time. There are rumours it may have been the last one, but I sincerely hope not, as I'm already planning to go back next year!

So I finally got around to booking my sojourn to Krefeld for Maschinenfest today. I've never been before; in fact I've never even been to Germany before, and I hadn't really intended to go. That is, until a friend of mine said she was going to be going too and pointed out that there were some really excellent bands on the line-up (MS Gentur, P·A·L, Winterkälte, to name just a few).

It's all a bit last minute, and I don't really have enough holidays left to go, but what the hell; it would be awful to miss out on such a great set of bands, and it'll be an adventure to explore a new place! I can't wait...