pluk

First off, Ministry of Sound at Thorpe Park was outstanding. I did not have any idea what to expect from it really, was thinking the dome would not make much of a venue and the notorious Thorpe clientèle might make things a bit uncomfortable. I was very wrong on both counts. The evening was run like two different events stuck together, summer nights riding followed by the nightclub separately. I expected them to blend together in some way, having appropriate music pumped around the park maybe, but it was all nice and relaxed wandering through the empty dusky park with beer in hand. A couple of other bars would have been nice (there was nothing on the whole Inferno to Colossus side of the park), but riding in the darkness with no queues is always going to be superb. Was also a very nice touch of them to open up Rush and Tidal on top of the advertised line up, little things like this really make a difference, great to see the park being so generous. Once the rides began to close everyone made their way to the club, where the transformation of the dome really worked; totally cleared of furniture and machines, surrounded by black curtain, a couple of well staffed bars set up, a huge stage and lighting rig and a sound system that really worked in what must be an awkward space acoustically. Impressive. They even had a stand selling dirty doners to mop up that alcohol, which I gratefully devoured at the end of the night. There was a bit of a scrum for the bar at first, but that soon died down. Then everyone started dancing, and didn't stop. The atmosphere was great, I didn't see any trouble (except a couple of fellas who had smuggled in joints and smoked them in the middle of the dance floor stinking the place out, if you'd call that trouble), everyone was just there for a good time and it certainly seemed like they had one. But there is always a but. The music was not what it could have, or I think it should have, been. It started well with a good string of proper classics for an hour or so, but then it lost its way. I can see what they were aiming for, they had advertised a 90's night but most of the people who went were barely born then, so they were playing mushups of 90's with modern stuff like putting Katie Perry over some 90's tune or another. That is all very well, but there is only so much of that stuff that exists and they soon started repeating themselves, and they needed to throw in some of the real classics too. A couple of months ago a posted a few of the tunes I would like to hear. Of those we got little snippets of just two (Insomnia (minus the essential break and build) and Funk Phenomena (as a little sample in a mash up)). Here is largely what you did miss. And this is what, unbelievably, you didn't miss... Tori Amos - Professional Widow Arman Van Helden remix. THE bassline of the 90's, missing this was criminal! Sugar is Sweeter - CJ Bolland Arman Van Helden remix. The other bassline of the 90's. Moloko - Sing it Back. The 90's were chock full of sing-a-long feel good house music and this was one of the best, would have gone down a storm I'm sure, along with many other of the same ilk. Gat Decor - Dergees of Passion. Full of energy, two classics mashed together to make something greater than its two parts. Goldie - Inner City Life. The 90's saw the start of a whole new genre of music, maybe it wouldn't quite have fitted on the night but I'd have gone bat**** crazy. And just as important as the record selection on a night like this is how it is all stitched together, which comes down to the skill of the DJ. In a previous life I used to do a bit of DJing myself and the mid to late 90's was my peak, now I'm not suggesting for a second I'd have done a better job than those who did this night (actually, sod it, yes I would have) but maybe if they'd have got someone from the right era they'd have had a better idea. Back then the best DJs put their personality into the mixing, and they could do that because it wasn't all slick and perfectly matched up for them by a computer hooked up to some CDJs, but was on 12" vinyl which they touched and and manipulate with their own hands, putting a huge amount of energy into the set if it is done well. Thorpe posted a pic from behind the decks, and it was indeed a pair of CDJs. There is no way the DJ could have done the music justice with those. If you want to see what I mean I've found on youtube my favourite DJ set of all time, Jeremy Healy on the Fantazia House Collection volume 3. I must have listened to it a thousand times and still find it fresh and exciting, the tracks are amazing on their own but what Healy does with them puts the whole thing in another league. Compare this with the digitally stuck together soulless nothing MoS themselves release today on their mix compilations, and largely gave us on the night. I'm sure that no one will bother but please, clear yourself an hour and a quarter, hook this up to some proper speakers and play it loud. This is what we should have been aiming for that night... http://youtu.be/LxFjg1R77G4

Inexplicably... YAY!!! etc etc etc, you get the idea! Real report from the night here.

Was a decent little feature, made the park look nice. It's a long time since the Alton and Pleasure Beach documentary which I remember being popular at the time, shame we so little of this stuff on the TV.

Sky +'d!

If it is like MoS you will get a wristband. I have no idea how they'll manage it as they emptied everyone from the park then opened back up for that, I don't see how that is possible in half hour! As for the parking, the barriers go up about an hour after park close anyway, so you'll just drive straight through.

Ah, I see. I have no idea if that can be amended to work like the other one, but I suggest hitting the tab on the top to check it instead. I don't think it is right to tell people to post less or make any blog entry huge, it's the system or the way we search that should change.

I don't understand how you are viewing it? If I hit the blog tab I get a list of the most recently updated blogs, with only listing per blog (if you know what I mean, so a second post in the same blog just bumps it to the top, it doesn't show twice). And that list is long, 20 blogs currently shown.

I don't recall ever seeing that before! Really?!! No one had ever thought of doing that before 1990?

It is not possible to filter that volume of water at that speed, a pump like that needs to be fed from clean water. And there is no way to have the source clean as it is part of the general water system, fed from and feeding into other water sources (as opposed to tidal, which is its own enclosed system).

I was surprised on MoS that I did see quite a lot of people doing X. Also surprisingly Colossus and Saw were both walk on and going round half empty whenever I saw them! Stealth and NI were the ones I saw build up a modest queue at a couple of times, but it really was 2 or 3 dispatches max before boarding which on one train can be 5/10 mins.

The cannon was installed last year or the year before I think, and was used regularly on hot days last season. Having been under it it is quite something, you get tidal wet! They don't use it now for some reason, possibly because chucking that much unfiltered water (Rumba is in natural water, like loggers) might not be the best idea health wise. Shame though, it really is superb.

Well MoS was a 1000 ticket event and with all coasters on one train queues were all 5/10 mins or walk on at all times. Tidal and Rush were also operating like you say, but that does not make a huge difference. I've heard this will also be 1000 but don't know if that is correct. Even if they doubled it to 2000 I don't think you'd have any queues that would be much of a problem, especially if they didn't drop to one train.

Google translate, it's not perfect, is it?! Yes, yes YEEEESSSS! Learn Merlin, learn... They've got your number!

So glad you didn't bugger off in the end! You clearly have anxiety in the extreme, and it is great that you have been able to confront that here. I've always thought confidence does not exist, it is not a real tangible thing. When you say that is what everyone is doing! You are not so weird after all! See you for the icecream!

Peaj has jumped me? Outraged. STEWARDS ENQUIRY!

Superb. Just the direction they need to go in. Is that going to be our ithotmk? Royalty free themes ftw!

'Quest', no HD sadly.

Hot summer=excuse to eat lollies and icecream=good thing. Having to wear a big heavy clingy stab vest in it is not fun though, but the feeling as you peel it off at the end of a shift makes it all worth while!

And there goes my days off!

But they are trying to be different brands offering a different service to different people. Thorpe and Alton are broadly trying to do the same thing as each other, especially regarding these ponts. Clearly one could learn by looking at what the other is doing. I still find this exaggerated queue time vs excessive fastrack sales thing disgusting and hard to defend, even if it really is accidental/coincidental as some people are so adamant is the case. It'll end up being the next watchdog report if they keep it up!

Was open, evacd at least three times then closed for good around 4 I think it was. Still closed when I popped in today around 12.

Home at last, really had a great time. Shame I couldn't make the whole day but I think 12hrs of Thorpe is quite enough! Got a decent amount of rides in with a good crowd, a lot of beer and some very bad 'dancing' through the night. I even jumped on for a quick detonation while I popped back on park for a hangover burger when I collected my car! Worth saying here how impressed I was with the whole Ministry of Sound set up, they really create a great atmosphere and do a more than decent job of turning the rather unlikely dome into a nightclub. Some of the music choice was a bit odd and pushing the boundaries of what I expect to hear on a 90's night, but that is just taste I guess. Apologies to my roomies if my supersonic snoring kept you awake (although Fish hit some impressive volume himself at times so he can't complain) and too anyone if I did/said anything beyond the mark while full of beer (I'm well aware my sense of humour goes a bit dark and nasty when I'm drunk, deep down I guess I'm just a bit dark and nasty!). And, as ever, thanks to Peaj for the organising.

Vortex and storm surge both dead right now, mo idea if that'll be the same tomorrow.

You are quite right with the SRQs and fastrack, sadly. My top tip would be to do everything you can to get there early, they often open 15mins or so before advertised time and even if the don't that first hour will be your best. Thorpe, being physically much smaller than AT, does not have the queue fluctuations that the spread out park does; once it is busy it is busy everywhere and stays that way until the death. So making the most of that first hour is everything. Personally I find Colossus queue the most painful, so I'd hi that straight off (if it opens on time, occasionally it doesn't), and then straight over to Saw before that builds up. No one touches the water rides before 11.00, so if you want to do that loggers is right next door and it will get a hefty queue later if it is warm. You might prefer to do Swarm front and back first though, because that will have a monster queue later on, but then so will Saw and Colossus so you can't win really! Stealth and NI usually have more reasonable queues throughout the day. Beyond that the queues will likely be full and you'll just have to wait. The last hour should be a bit quieter so if any of the queues hit stupid times you may as well hold of on them until near the end. I wouldn't waste your time with Storm Surge, Rumba Rapids is fun but weak compared to Conga River Rapids(?) so you might not want to bother if there's a big wait. Rush and Vortex are usually the only flats to get really big queues so maybe do the other flats when it is at its busiest. Good luck!