Terror on the Thames
- Posted on June 6, 2008 5:32 PM
- 0 comments
we set off down the rivers about four oclock in the afternoon last monday. the sun was shining and the river lay open asnd glistening before us as we cruised gently down stream. Stopping off by a disused and derelect barn we found by the side of the river we spent the evening having our own little rivaste barn dance .... this ran on a little later than we exected until at around 4 in the morning someone had the ill fated idea of starting the boat and heading off downstream.
Jack from Naked and the Boys took the tiller and suceeded in ramming us into every possible bank and bend of the river while the rest of us frantically tried to kee the ship afloat with barge poles and sticks. Torrential downpours followed as we made our way downstream - crusing solidly for 15 hours.
We broke down and Derek Meins had to make a 2 mile bike ride through the storm to his producer's house by the river to fetch tools to fix our fast decaying boat.
Outside Reading Marcus Mumford took the tiller and immediatly ran us into the nearest lock throwing the sleeping inhabitants of the barge from thier narrow bunks. The river continued to get wilder until lock keepers began trying to get us off the river - warning us of 'lethal floods' - however, we had to continue to make the next night's show on time.
One moment is particulalry vivid in my memory as the boat swung 180 degress towards a huge wier where the water flowed in fierce rapids - a massive sign - read ' danger of death keep away' - me and ben lovett stood at the nose of the boat and watched as we edged closer and closer to the prepice....
Eventually we arrived that night exhasusted, wet but safe and sound. Since then it has been a whilrlwind of gigs, boat parties, jams. There is always a warm familly atmosphere on board, a stew gently simmering on the stove, someone plucking on a guitar....someone vomiting breakfast in the sink, or else taking ot shots at passing swans with catapaults... we're only half way there. more to come.
