Four years ago I went to the Forever Heavenly Weekend at London's Southbank Centre. Saint Etienne headlined the final night and had just released the greatest hits compilation 'London Conversations'. To promote the album, the band set up a website of the same name and asked people to submit their own London Conversation. Here's mine...
I travelled to London from the North.
The nights were spent thrilling to the music, which left the days free to explore the metropolis. I found myself marvelling up at the Gherkin, the Lloyds tower and the Stock Exchange and although it was a Saturday and the City boys were on hiatus, I was disturbed by how all the shops and bars were closed.
Apart from a few other tourists, I virtually had the place to myself.
I had deliberately chosen to avoid the craven consumerism of Oxford Street, but this was ridiculous - more like '28 Days Later', but without the zombies and bloodshed.
As I made for the Tube, I concluded that it must usually be like this or that everyone was at Boris's Thames shindig.
The next night I returned from Saint Etienne's triumphant, security-baiting Heavenly weekend closer, and turned on the TV, to news of Lehmann Brothers' collapse.
By the next morning, I saw the City Boys had turned into zombies and it was their blood being shed. It didn't surprise me at all.
22 September 2008
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