Getting to the Astoria/Children of Bodom awesomeness thread

[lafunky xxvii]

I'm going to see Children of Bodom with my brother and a few friends on Thursday night, but I'm not too sure how to get to the Astoria. We'll get the train to Euston, but not sure where to go from there. So if someone (possibly Keith) could tell me what to do it would be awesome.

Edited January 27, 2006 by lafunky xxvii

[MDK]

Tottenham Court Road station, when you come out turn right and look up at the big sex shop, its a ten second walk from there.

[K]

From Euston, go and get a return ticket to Tottenham Court Road. It will be a couple of quid each.

Find the NORTHERN LINE platform where trains go SOUTHBOUND.

You want to get on a train heading towards MORDEN.

Get on the train, and go three stops. You will get off at Tottenham Court Road.

Leave the station, and look around. You'll see some fountains. Walk towards them, but on the other side of the road. There's a sex shop on the side of the road... keep walking. You will go past the Mean Fiddler, another music venue, and on the next corner you'll see the Astoria. The queue will snake around some back streets, just join the end.

Once you get to tottenham court road station, just follow the people dressed like you. Thats all I did the first couple of times.

Euston is a big station, but it is signposted pretty well. Just remember you want the Northern Line towards Morden.

[TMM]

When I was up in London looking for the Mean Fiddler and all I saw was a big silver door. I was sad.

[K]

Were you looking for someone playing a violin angrily? Because you would be dissapointed.

[TMM]

Were you looking for someone playing a violin angrily? Because you would be dissapointed.

I was expecting a bigger sign...all I saw was a big silver door.

What's it like in there? Only asking coz of Fozzy on February 4th.

[MDK]

How many ewb-ers are going to Fozzy? >_>

[K]

...... You're going to Fozzy on Feb 4th?

Congratulations, you get to hang out with Iwc who is going by himself.

Fiddler is a quality venue. It's really small, but it has great acoustics, and it's got an upper balcony going all round the sides with the bar, and open windows so you can see whats happening.

It's sweet.

[TMM]

...... You're going to Fozzy on Feb 4th?

Congratulations, you get to hang out with Iwc who is going by himself.

Fiddler is a quality venue. It's really small, but it has great acoustics, and it's got an upper balcony going all round the sides with the bar, and open windows so you can see whats happening.

It's sweet.

Cool. It's going to be very interesting because the smallest venue I've been to before this would be, uh, Wembley Arena, so, yes, hmmm.

Why doesn't e-bay have any Fozzy t-shirts!?! Huh!?! WHY!?!?!

[K]

Don't worry about it, pick up a tshirt on the night. They always have a bunch. Fiddler is small as well. Might sign autographs at the end.

[lafunky xxvii]

Cheers Keith.

What's the Astoria like anyway? What's the layout of it? What time would you recommend getting there for 6.30 doors?

[MDK]

The layout is nice, sometimes I like to stand on the raised bit at the back near the sound system thingy.

[K]

Doesn't really matter what time you get there. You can force your way to wherever you want to stand once it starts. I always turn up a half hour early though.

It's difficult to describe the layout, it's a lot wider than it is deep, which is good as more people can get up front. Opposite the stage is an upstairs balcony (One level) where all the seats are. The area myke described is directly underneath this. If you have standing tickets you'll all be downstairs. There is a bar near where Myke described, and they can be quite strict on ID, so if you drink try and bring a drivers license or passport. The merchandise stand is next to this as well, and is absolutely tiny. It's like a little hole in the wall.

The toilets are disgusting, and beware they have a little dude who sprays you with perfume and then makes you give him money. Scared the shit out of me the first time I saw him. To get to them, face the stage and walk right, you'll see some stairs going down. They are poorly labeled, but they're there. The womens are on the left of the stage.

[Marsh]

If anyone sprayed perfume on me, they wouldn't get anything more than a pound out of me.

HAHA A POUND. GET IT? IT'S MONEY, AND ANOTHER WORD FOR A BEATING.

[MDK]

Once again Marsh brings the funny.

Or not >_>

[K]

Just realised Lafunk, as well as MORDEN you can also get a train bound for KENNINGTON.

[lafunky xxvii]

Cheers Keith (Y)

[lafunky xxvii]

I just went to see Children of Bodom.

COB Pwn.

Bodom are better than your favorite band

Bodom make your favorite band look gay

You wish you were at Children of Bodom.

be jealous.

Anyway on with more details.

Got the train to Euston last night, got tickets on the 4 for 2 offer so a return cost me, my brother and two of his friends £6.75 each. Score. Had a nice brisk walk in the cold down to the Astoria. I didn't want to get us lost so we ask two Evening Standard guys directions. They are very helpful. Got to the Astoria and joined the queue. It was pretty long, but we were thankful it wasn't half as long as the Nightwish one. Got in just as the first band were finishing. I was pretty surprised at the size of the venue. I thought it would be bigger than the Hammersmith since I always hear of the Astoria holding gigs. We got into the crowd to meet some more of my brother's friends and just as we got to them a pit started next to them. Got a little intense for my liking, especially when some gimp came in with a flying kick, so I took a position on the balcony upstairs. Second band were ok. Sort of like Soulfly, Sepultura, latin metal sound. The only English you could decipher from the lead singer was 'jump' and 'fuck'. It was awesome seeing everyone headbanging/jumping/arms in the air from the balcony. The moshes looks awesome too. Highlight of the night - some kid whos looking really out of place in a white t-shirt of whatever goes in the pit and starts spinning round swinging his arms and doing spinning roundhouse kicks, mid kick someone charges into him and he hits the deck. He gets up again and charges to the other side of the pit only to get shoulderblocked by this massive guy with a beard. It was like Rey Mysterio running into Andre The Giant. They took ages doing the Bodom set, and for some reason there was half a car there. No one quite knew why. Bodom came on and the crowd erupted. They were awesome. I'm not a diehard fan so didn't recognise all the songs, but the ones of Hate Crew Deathroll rocked particularly hard, such as Needled 24/7, Bodom Beach Terror, Bodom After Midnight, Everytime I Die and Hate Me. Disappointed they didn't play Kissing The Shadows, but that's because my brother's band do a cover of it and so it's a bit of a cult classic around us. At one point Janne started playing Bless This Child and Alexei said "Nightwish is not the issue here". They also teased Oops I Did It Again and Youth Gone Wild covers. Came outside, and was disappointed with the quality of the tout t-shirts. Managed to beat the other group back to Euston by foot when they took the underground (and paid a tenner more each for their train tickets to include the underground).

Overall, it was awesome. Bodom pwn.

[Farmer Reil]

Bodom do pwn, but Dragonforce AND Edguy in the same night pwn more. See, if only you'd waited until next Friday to go to the Astoria...

[Liam]

Bodom do pwn, but Dragonforce AND Edguy in the same night pwn more. See, if only you'd waited until next Friday to go to the Astoria...

I'd like Edguy I guess....if they weren't the laughing stock of just about everything ever >_>

But I could imagine Bodom would own.