hello from the UK

[landpirate]

So I have been lurking about here for a while and posting bits and pieces but I realised I hadn't actually done one of these intro things. So after a beer or twelve I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm from and am currently living in the UK. My hometown is a city on the south coast called Brighton. I seem to end up back here more often that not but that's not a bad thing because as places go in Britain, Brighton is pretty awesome.

I'm about to hit the big 30 and i'm still a massive mess. Things went a bit odd for me a few years back and I ended up squatting and loving it. I progressed from there to getting a van and living in that for 18months. I've done living and begging on the streets, pitching tents in the woods and spent a while living on a horse drawn gyspy site in Somerset.

Currently I am housed up at my mothers due to having an accident that fucked my mobility up for a bit. I am now totally fixed and ready to get back to doing whatever it is I do best!?! i've enjoyed massively introducing my mum to the joys of bin diving and the treasure that can be found.

In the summer I work at festivals. I do whatever job gets me a free ticket and that all important access all areas wristband. Litter picking, sign painting, stewarding, whatever...

I found this site totally by accident but have so far really enjoyed learning new stuff and educating myself about living off grid in other countries (admittedly I have to look up a few things on the internet as sometimes there is a bit of a language difference)

Anyways if there is anything I can let you know about in the UK I will do my best to be of help to you.

Good chatting with you all so far. X

 

[Kabukimono]

Welcome!

I do have one question. Even though I was raised in England - I've been cruising around Europe for the last four and a half months on my bike. Obivouly there came a time when $$$ was non existent (not a problem here as it's not the first time I found myself in this situation)
My query is; I'm heading back to England in no time and am concious I will still probably have a close to non existent economy.
I got to thinking some while ago and realized that I'd never really seen anyone in England sit outside supermarkets or things like that. Most people hit the high street. I'm not asking whether it's viable or if it works sitting outside shops - as time would just tell me that.
I'm more inclined to knowing what the English are like to vagabonds, in the sense, we all know what the 'English' are like and capable off - so I'm just kinda looking for someone else's previous experiences, where no bunch of pikeys dashed out from behind the trollies and stabbed you to an inch of you're life just for them horrid boots that they thought funny to posses. You get my drift?

Kind welcome!

K.m

 

[Kim Chee]

! i've enjoyed massively introducing my mum to the joys of bin diving and the treasure that can be found.

Yes! Dumpstering is much the same as "going to the thrift store" and not having to wait in line or pay for your items...all this with extended hours.
Who wouldn't like that?

Welcome aboard!

 

[iSTEVEi]

Welcome!

I have one question - I'm interested in working any festival this summer but I have had no luck finding a website or an email address to "Apply" for it. I was wondering if you could help me out. Thanks!

Whats the squatting/dumpstering "scene" like in Brighton?

If your ever up around the Birmingham area hit me up... I'm always up for meeting new people over a few beers.

 

[RockerBilly]

Welcome!

I have one question - I'm interested in working any festival this summer but I have had no luck finding a website or an email address to "Apply" for it. I was wondering if you could help me out. Thanks!

Whats the squatting/dumpstering "scene" like in Brighton?

If your ever up around the Birmingham area hit me up... I'm always up for meeting new people over a few beers.

Ok, so when you find a festival you want to go to, go on the website and look for the "contact us" link, and then there is usually a link for "stewards", click that and it will take you to a third party website, for example Oxfam, or "greenstewards". For boomtown, it will take you to oxfam and show you how to apply. You also have to pay a deposit of about £200 which is 100% refundable, just to make sure you actually show up and do the work. Seriously, stewarding is the way to go, after doing it once I can tell you I will never pay for a festival again.


Man its like this thread was tailor made for me. UK, festivals, dumpstering.

BTW Landpirate, I'm also kind of stuck in a rut right now, in london, and money is just non-existent. I got some good friends here but they're the real housey type. They like eating nice food and working shitty jobs. No fun. I'm trying to find a way to get to portugal for the end of july. If you want a road dog to have adventures with, we should maybe get together some time. I don't spange, I busk. I have nothing against people who do spange though, its just in the UK it is soooo looked down upon. Actually though, if you dressed up in a nice suit on the high street in the daytime, and just went up to other rich looking people saying "excuse me im sorry to bother you but i just realized i've lost my wallet! i hate to do this but is there any chance you'd be willing to give me £2 for the bus?" or something along those lines. you'd make way more than any dirty looking home bum begging for coppers in the gutter

 

[landpirate]

Ah sorry for the delay in me replying to all your posts. I have been busy falling over drunk celebrating my birthday.

Firstly thanks for all the nice welcomes and now I will answer the questions:

Kabukimono: the general publics attitude to street people in the UK depends so much on where in the country you are. In big cities generally people are fine with you in the sense they will ignore you because you are probably just one of hundred buskers/beggers/tramps etc they have seen that day. In smaller towns/rural areas I have found that people who don't want you there can be overly vocal/aggressive in letting you know their feelings. However, people in small towns/rural areas who are keen to help you will bend over backwards to get you what ever you need and will offer to share whatever they have. i think its because in rural areas people are used to helping each other anyway.

I have been shown more aggression and had more problems with other street people than I have ever had with the 'general public', mainly due to the fact you are in competition with each other for the best spot to busk/beg/sleep/feed in. its a dog eat dog world out there and there can be trouble if you roll up and take some home bums favourite pitch.

i think all in all if you can be polite and not too drunk. come across as eccentric and not a bother to people you'll be fine.

I don't really agree with using the term 'pikey' but I understand who you are talking about and I have never had trouble with them.

hope that answers your questions.

iSTEVEi: I've not been to birmingham for years. If i make it there i'll let you know. although at the moment i'm thinking of sunnier climes than the UK. Rockerbilly i think answered your question about festivals pretty well. Unless you have an 'in' with someone who runs a stall or part of production or something like that its probably the best route to go down. I have never done stewarding for oxfam but I know people that have and they are good in that they don't screw you over for your deposit money. I once worked as a litter picker at a festival. I had to pay £150 deposit and agree to work 25 hours during/after the festival. that's fine I did 21 hours work and they sacked me and a whole lot of other people for no reason. They do this so they can keep your deposit money and then give the money to their paid workers. This is just a word of warning that the more official you can go, the better the chances you have of getting your money back. Read the small print! I don't really have any contacts I can give you at this point as I am struggling to find work this year myself. As glastonbury isn't on and a lot of festivals aren't going ahead because of all the olympic/jubliee bullshit the jobs that are available have all been snapped up. If I hear of anything useful I will let you know. You could have a look at these people http://litterpickers.com/ or try http://www.dcsiteservices.com/work-and-jobs-at-festivals-and-events/ I haven't personally worked for either but know people that have.

Once you've done a few it becomes a lot easier to get into others as it is a very incestuous environment where everyone knows everyone and helps out their friends. Good luck though. Let me know if you are going to any and I'll tell you where i'll be and maybe we can say Hi.

RockerBilly: I feel your pain. Since fucking myself up last summer and lying low from the whole squat/travel scene for a while I have ended up hanging with the only sensible friends I know. Who like your friends also like to eat fancy and get up and go to work (crazy fuckers if you ask me!) Are you trying to get to portugal for Boom festival? I am ready to get back on it, but I am Best man or rather Woman at my friends wedding on August 18th so I am stuck in the UK until after that. I am also just waiting to hear back about what I'm doing workwise this summer, possibly not a lot unless I can pass my test to drive a 7.5 tonne truck, my 'summer' boss has some what upped the ante this year! Anyways, i'm probably not much use to you with regards Boom but I am up for adventuring like i say later on in the summer or before if its UK based You say you're in london at the moment? Whereabouts? I'm in Brighton which is like an hour on the train. Maybe we could sort out meeting up for beers and a wander sometime? If you want to PM me any of this then that's cool, i guess the world probably won't want to read anymore of my jibberings!

 

[landpirate]

also forgot to say:

iSTEVEi: the scene in brighton is pretty good. mainly made up of die hard anarchists, kids who think it'll be fun to live off mum and dad but squat at the same time, old school street characters, trustafarians and there are also a lot of students thrown into the mix . people tend to end up here during the summer as its nice by the sea. Brighton was and I think still is the drugs death capital of the UK, so make of that what you will. Ketamine is sadly huge in this city and is kind of killing off the potential for any future youth uprising. It's my home town i'd say its nice for a visit but I am getting kind of tired of it.

and RockerBilly: spangeing sucks, I agree. busking is much better, my guitar skills aren't up to much but my singing is ok and I am good on percussion!

 

[RockerBilly]

Landpirate: im so thrilled to hear that im not completely alone on this island. yeah i have a lot of friends at uni in brighton although i think they'll be back in london soon as they're done with exams but anyway yeah im still sorting out my summer plans. There's a 50:50 chance that after Boom with a bit of luck I will be going on tour with Adam Ant, or if not, then stuck in the UK for a month or so until i can scrape together enough money for a flight to the great northern paradise of canada. anyways yeah i'd be down to stay in touch, do you have facebook?

 

[Kabukimono]

Kabukimono: the general publics attitude to street people in the UK depends so much on where in the country you are. In big cities generally people are fine with you in the sense they will ignore you because you are probably just one of hundred buskers/beggers/tramps etc they have seen that day. In smaller towns/rural areas I have found that people who don't want you there can be overly vocal/aggressive in letting you know their feelings. However, people in small towns/rural areas who are keen to help you will bend over backwards to get you what ever you need and will offer to share whatever they have. i think its because in rural areas people are used to helping each other anyway.

I have been shown more aggression and had more problems with other street people than I have ever had with the 'general public', mainly due to the fact you are in competition with each other for the best spot to busk/beg/sleep/feed in. its a dog eat dog world out there and there can be trouble if you roll up and take some home bums favourite pitch.

i think all in all if you can be polite and not too drunk. come across as eccentric and not a bother to people you'll be fine.

I don't really agree with using the term 'pikey' but I understand who you are talking about and I have never had trouble with them.

hope that answers your questions.

Yes that does mate. Thanks very much - I was just basically looking for some optimism - I mean I was raised in Kent and spent three years in Liverpool very recently - so the term pikey/chavvy boi is just another day in the town. But I get what you mean.
Either way you refreshed my head and opened up my prejudice to thinking that there's a little bit of everything there just as there is anywhere else.

Safe travels mate.

K.m