It's been a big weekend, so I'm a little behind in my posts. I'll catch up again soon. Saturday I decided to visit the Tate Modern to see what was on. Aside from the exhibits it's a really great space to visit and was another opportunity to soak up the London skyline.

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In the evening was Unsound London Night 3 at a small club near Elephant and Castle under the overhead railroad tracks. It was an early start for this type of venue and very "intimate". The first artist played mainly atonal noise soundscapes which weren't really my thing but were interesting to watch.

Robert Piotrowicz

Next up we're the Durian Brothers. By this time the venue was getting packed ... a little too packed for my liking, but I guess that's London. They were quite a contrast after the previous artist with their rolling rhythm and occasional melodic riffs. I really enjoyed them.

Durian Brothers

Last was the band I was most interested in seeing Forest Swords. Their music was something different again mixing great soundscapes, sometimes etherial and sometimes heavy, and even throwing the occasional dub step beats in.

Forest Swords

There was an after party at the same venue but I suspect the music would have been quite hard and I decided I was in the mood for something a bit lighter so I made my way to Vauxhall to "gay" things up a bit. I was intending to check out a bar I planned to visit Sunday but it had started to rain so I popped into the closest bar, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, instead. Once again, it was a packed venue, more than any I can remember visiting. But the crowd were very friendly and clearly having a great night. There was a bit of a floorshow happening at the time which was quite a laugh. A bit of a quiz show with three contestants on the stage competing with the audience. Last question was a blindfolded cake taste test ... how English.

Once the music started it was a bit of an eclectic mix but fun. Every now and then they played a crowd favourite ... with just about the whole place singing along! It was a great night. Lot's of fun and not like anything I've experienced in a long time.

Yesterday was a quiet day due to the late night before. Apart from a midday walk I lazed around the apartment. It was nice to not have an agenda. In the evening was Unsound London night 2 at LSO St Luke's. The first artist was Pianohooligan. The guy is from Poland and played a treated grand piano. Well, "played" isn't really the right word he more "danced" all over it getting all sorts of sounds from it. It was quite mesmerizing.

Pianohooligan

Next up was Lustmord who I saw at Adelaide Unsound. I wasn't that keen when I saw him then so I wasn't sure what to expect this time. Once the sound system kicked in though it was intense. I thought the sound quality in Adelaide was good but the bass last night was incredible - floor shakingly incredible.

Lustmord

Before the show there was a Q&A with Lustmord and it was great to learn about the technology he uses and some of his creative process.

Biggest surprise of the night was bumping into a friend Adam. It shouldn't have been a surprise as he's heavily involved in arts festivals and he introduced me to one of the Unsound co-curators.

Last night was the first night of Unsound London. It was a little daunting as I know no-one going to the events. I did my very best to chat to a few people though. Last night was Demdike Stare and Anna Zaradny. I saw Demdike Stare in Adelaide and recognized some of the performance but it was the first time I've seen Anna Zaradny. Both were wonderful and hypnotic. Afterwards I went to the after party downstairs in a small club in north London. Met a few people and had a good dance before finding my way home. All in all a good start to Unsound. It was a late night so having a very slow morning today though. Anna Zaradny

Today got off to a lazy start. I'm sleeping better but still waking up early. I fluffed around in the morning before heading off to meet Bec and Brock again. This time we headed to the Geffrye Museum. It's a museum of the home and contains faithfully reproduced rooms from the 17th through to 20th centuries. It was fascinating to see the progression of styles. In particular it was amazing to see how quickly the change in style has accelerated in the 20th century compared with the couple of centuries before it. The grounds were quite beautiful too. After hanging out with Geffrye we visited Bill's for lunch.

Finished the day early as tonight is the first night of Unsound London. Back to the apartment for a nap and dinner before heading out. I'll let you know how it was in part 2.

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I caught up with Bec and Brock today for a trip to Greenwich. First "port" of call was the Cutty Sark. A great attraction for a classic ship. Afterwards we had a long lunch at the nearby Gipsy Moth. The weather has been very mild so we were able to dine outside.

We went on to the Royal Observatory and I managed to get my head around some basic navigation concepts!

In the evening we met up with their other friends in the city near embankment. I'm getting used to getting around central London and was able to easily walk in from the apartment. The bar was actually tiny but over time has spilled into and taken over the adjoining lane. And Melbourne thinks they have laneways? This was taking it to the next level. After a few wines we crossed the Thames for dinner in Southbank. A balmy evening and great company made for a lovely evening.

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Today's adventure was a day trip to Bath. First I had to work out how best to get there. I finished up catching two trains on the tube to Paddington station and then a conventional train to Bath. I was quite proud of myself that I managed all the connections without a hitch. I really want to go by train so I could see some if the countryside and also practice my train photography techniques for Europe. Along the way to Bath there were some gorgeous towns, often where every house looked identical, as if the entire town had been allocated only one house design.

Bath itself was very beautiful. I hadn't realised it would be so hilly and one if my first sights was the rows of houses in layers on the elevated ground in the distance. The majority of buildings had a sandstone appearance which creates an unusual uniformity even with varying architecture. There was also a mix of winding streets and little alley ways to explore.

Naturally I had to do at least one touristy thing and visit the Roman baths.

Somewhere along the line I popped into the Pig and Fiddle for a quick refreshment.

The river Avon flows through the middle of the town and there was an assortment of boats and barges along it.

By the way, although this post is titled "slow train to bath" that has nothing to do with the speed if the train. As I wandered around the town I suddenly realised that I'd reduced my usual manic walking pace to a very leisurely stroll ... without even trying. Felt nice to slow down.

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Today I had a ticket for the viewing platform of the Shard so I decided it would be a good day for walking around the city. I woke up feeling OK with no significant effects of jet lag. The weather so far has been mild but very overcast. My first mission was to get to a supermarket for supplies. I think it's fun shopping for normal goods in a new place - everything looks different and slightly exotic, regardless of how ordinary.

After breakfast it was time to move. The apartment is very close to Holborn underground station. But I have resolved to walk as much as I can so I set off in the general direction of St Paul's just taking in the hustle and bustle. Having been here 3 years ago there was a degree of familiarity while still so much I haven't seen. Even St Paul's seemed different because I had approached it from a different side.

I got to the Shard a bit early but was able to go straight up. It was amazing! Unfortunately the grey and misty skies hampered the view but it was still breathtaking.

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After the Shard I made my way to towards the Imperial War Museum. Unfortunately it's undergoing some major renovations so I didn't real see all that much. So I didn't stay long and then made my way to Southbank for a refreshing pint. By this time the sun was coming out and the afternoon ended up being gorgeous and perfect for strolling by the Thames.

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All in all a perfect day, but my feet are killing me. Time for an early night. Off to visit Bath tomorrow.

All my flights went according to plan. I didn't manage to sleep much on the plane, but more than usual. Once I'd finally gotten through the longest queue I have ever seen in my life in customs I took the tube to the apartment. Got a nice surprise when they told me they've upgraded me to a slightly larger one. Perfect size for me. I caught up with Bec and Brock at their friend Emma's who made a truly epic "full English" for us. In the late afternoon Emma had arranged for our names to be on the door list for an outdoor DJ set in east London.

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By that stage I was feeling a bit delirious from lack of sleep but it was just what I needed to push through until proper bed time. After Emma took us to an amazing bagel shop in Brick Lane. So good ... and so busy at 10:30 at night! Saw this street art on the way to the tube after.

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All day I experienced normal life and then every now and then I'd remember ... oh that's right - I'm in London. Pinch me!

PS I would definitely recommend Singapore Airlines. The service was outstanding.

I've been looking forward to this moment for so long that now it's here I'm a little numb. Maybe too excited to feel it? All checked in and ready to go.

I still remember being a kid and thinking sadly that the year 2000 might be quite dull because I'd be 38 and "over the hill". As it turned out, 2000 was anything but dull. So it's encouraging to realise that, in 2013 and at the ripe old age of 51, I'm about to embark on what could well be the biggest adventure of my life yet! Sure, Europe 2010 was massive and truly wonderful. I don't think I could embark on Europe 2013 without having that experience behind me, but this time I'm travelling solo and this time the trip is linked to exciting music events as well. So today is day 1. Soon I fly to London via a quick plane change in Singapore. All being well I land in London Sunday morning at 7:30. My friends Bec and Brock will be in town towards the end of their fabulous holiday and I'm very much looking forward to catching up.

Up, up and away!

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These are trailers from two of my highlights from Unsound Adelaide 2013. [vimeo http://vimeo.com/50906330]

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/30806639]

Need I say more?

Now that I've finished work and I'm actually on holidays I feel I can allow myself to finally get excited. This exciting new update from Unsound does the trick perfectly!

10 days to go and to pass my spare time I've been checking out the artists for both the London and Krakow festivals. I know it's hard to get a sense of being there from an audio or video clip, but I've definitely got my "must see" list sorted out. Needless to say this has further heightened my excitement levels! Check out the above links for yourself. Thinking about this adventure, I've been reflecting on how it's so much more than just a holiday for me. Being my first solo holiday overseas and even my first solo holiday away from home I know it's also an opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and give myself a new challenge. Last time I traveled overseas I learnt that the rich memories you gain do actually last so this time I want to make as many new memories as I can. For me, I know that will take some extra courage at times and a lot of just "being in the moment". These are things I seem to have lost the knack of lately so I'm looking forward to learning again.

And when I get back, I hope this experience will have made a lasting difference. Things need to change. I often think in terms of punctuation. So will "IB in Europe 2013" be a full stop followed by a new sentence or an ellipsis followed by a fresh thought? I'm not sure ... but I think I'd be more than happy with either.

This clip is a great example of what I've already encountered of the "Unsound" experience both sonic-ally and visually. Can't wait to encounter more! [vimeo http://vimeo.com/60578749]

One disadvantage of being so organised is that all I have left to do now is sit and wait. Luckily there are plenty of other things to keep me busy and help distract me from the building excitement. People have asked me to explain what Unsound is all about. I've done my best but I suspect I haven't really done it justice. So here's an excerpt of a recent announcement from their website which might explain better.

In 2013 the theme for Unsound Festival Krakow is INTERFERENCE. This relates to the physics of sound, including the overlay of varied sound waves and rhythms, distortion, disrupted audio, sonic disturbance, and the act of obstructing or impeding. More than ever before, these elements are used in a wide range of contemporary music, from the developing noise scene to ever- evolving club music.

Additionally, the theme will be explored for its social and cultural significance, questioning the meaning of "underground" in today's networked, commodified and data-driven world. INTERFERENCE will set this year’s Unsound festival on the amorphous border between entertainment and challenging experience, often playing against the easy consumption of music and demanding engagement from audiences. You won't find huge headliners at Unsound. It won't be transmitted via the Internet in easy video chunks. But for one week the festival will create a unique temporary autonomous zone for audience and artists alike that will feel like nowhere else.

The theme will also manifest itself via the placement of unique installations and performances in unusual spaces.

This week the festival also announced a ban on photography and filming at all events. There will even be minimal official photography. The rationale is to encourage people to just be in the moment. I've never been a big photo taker at concerts, so this won't be a huge deal and I completely get and support what they're trying to achieve. But as I'm travelling on my own I must admit I am a little disappointed that I won't be able to take the occasional event photo to help relive and share the moments.

Today marks 30 days until I head off for London and beyond. Anyone who knows me won't be surprised that I'm deep into researching, planning, documenting, listing and otherwise organising for the trip. But, for me, that's definitely not a bad thing. Last evening's objective was to research some more information about the train journeys I'll be taking. It certainly helped fill in some gaps and reassured me that train is a great way to get around Europe. So now I just need to contain my excitement for another 30 days ...

Although London and Krakow will be the key event destinations on this trip, I'm really excited about visiting Amsterdam and Berlin too. I'll only be in Amsterdam for a few days but I will have a whole week in Berlin to explore and really get a sense of the city, history and architecture.

Unsound Festival Poster

Unsound London Poster

The Unsound Festival in Krakow, Poland in October and the shorter Unsound London a few weeks earlier have been the catalyst for arranging this trip to Europe.  Earlier this year I attended Unsound Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival and the experience left me with a taste for more. It may not be true, but it seems to me that similar events don't happen often in Adelaide so I had been lamenting the absence of opportunity. At the same time I had been feeling for a while that it would soon be time to head back to London and Europe. So when I read that Unsound would have some events in London followed by the full festival only a few weeks later I made the snap decision to go for it. I'm a slow, methodical thinker, so making the decision, booking my leave and the return flights all within 48 hours was pretty impressive for me. And probably wise - I might have talked myself out if it by now otherwise.