The coach ride from London to Donington was a pretty long ride, but relaxing nonetheless.
Of course, having spent the entire day making my way from Heathrow to the city, followed by a delicious lunch and some sight-seeing, it was perfectly normal for me to simply fall asleep as the bus made its way through the congested highways and country roads at night. I suppose this Festival was probably really popular, but the people who were on the coach with me had me a bit worried. What was up with all the dark clothing, belt chains, and pierced lips? The fact that some people had some rather anti-Christian tattoos and shirts was definitely a mood-killer for me.
Ignoring the thought that the Festival might actually be some sort of occult gathering, I tried to focus my thoughts on Betty. The truth was that I really was concerned about Betty; the outside world is not a safe place to be for a 17-year-old pissed-off blonde to be. I did not know who I should be angry with: Veronica and Archie for making her go on the warpath, or myself for putting my personal need for entertainment ahead of her.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" So much for my rather peaceful slumber.
"Sure," I started replying as I opened my eyes, "go knock yourself out..."
"Ummm... Are you okay?"
"I..." Right, I'm definitely not okay. At some point, someone would need to give up one of their defining traits in order to grow up. Suddenly, dating doesn't look so bad right now.
She had the voice of an angel. Not that I know what an angel sounds like, but her voice was perfect to me, like Betty's. A somewhat long nose, blue eys brimming with energy, her face framed by shoulder-length, messy red hair. There was something about her that seemed right.
"I'm Nathalie Davies," the girl started, "and for the love of God, please don't tell me you have never seen a girl before!"
"Oh." She sounded quite cute when she's angry. Was she angry at me? "Oh, I've got quite a few female friends back from where I come from. It's just that you're..."
That's it. It's time to say goodbye to my old self.
"I'm Forsythe. It's a pleasure to meet you." Taking hold of her right hand, I brought it closer so that I could kiss the back of it.
Despite the huge blush on her face, it was obvious that Nathalie took some pleasure from that act as there was a sheepish grin on her face as she sat down next to me. "You're quite a chamer, aren't you, Forsythe," she teased, "your parents named you well. Why, if you had some sort of crown on you, you'd look like a king!"
I really did regret leaving my trademark hat behind. Nathalie seemed to be into oddities like that. "So, Nathalie," I started up in an attempt to start a conversation, "what brings you here? What type of music will I expect to listen to over at this festival?"
"Oh, this is actually my first time visiting England, and I've always wanted to go attend the Download Festival. Don't tell me you've never even heard of this festival before!" My silence confirmed everything. "Oh, don't worry," Nathalie giggled, "you'll actually enjoy it. It's a gathering of major hard rock acts, ranging from post hardcore punk to the most brutal death metal out there." The redhead then proceeded to frown. She's a definite rival to Betty for the cutest frown I've ever seen. "I'm not really keen on those uber-satanic black metal bands, though, and someone needs to shoot the organisers for giving Simple Plan top billing! They're not even hard rock at all! Fucking pussies!"
My poor ears. Somehow, though, my heart did not seem to mind. Having Nathalie around felt like a welcome change. Not wanting the conversation to lose any momentum, I decided to bring up my own music background.
"I haven't really listened to much hard rock before but, as a drummer, I thought it would be an interesting experience for me."
"Oh?" That got Nathalie's interest. "What type of music do you play?"
"Mostly low-fi, garage-type surf rock." I might have officially screwed up over here, but I just kept going. "Mostly simple stuff, but the town that I'm from likes my band's music."
Nathalie's reaction was unexpected. "That's so cool! Must be fun having your own band and having lots of people loving your music. I suppose you did end up juggling your band and your schoolwork, though."
"And both eating and sleeping too."
"Boys..." Nathalie snorted. I think I definitely need to start cutting back on my sleeping now. Before I could comment, the redhead had resumed her cheerful self. "Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Download Festival. Judging from the heavy metal acts, you'll be able to learn quite a lot."
"That's good to know." Looking at my watch, I noticed that we still had quite a while to go, especially with the traffic jams heading towards Donington. Resisting the urge to yawn, I heard Nathalie yawn in a rather cute manner next to me. She's called me a charmer, so I'll have to live up to that. "Feel free to rest your head on my shoulder."
"Sure, I'd like that," Nathalie purred, as she fell asleep. I could not resist the opportunity to just gently stroke her hair before I too fell asleep. It simply felt right.
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When the bus finally arrived at the festival, Nathalie and I went our separate ways, but not before agreeing to meet up later that day at the main stage. Losing track of where I was heading, I inadvertently found myself in a small rehearsal room, complete with a guitar, a 5-string bass, a few amps, and a drum set with two bass drums.
As it was my first time seeing a set with two bass drums, I took a quick look around before making like George W. Bush and taking my place behind the kit. Picking up the drum sticks, I started off with some simple beats, something similar to what I usually do with The Archies. Picking up speed, I started incorporating the second bass drum, and also proceeded to throw in plenty of rolls and fills.
It was liberating. I had no idea where the energy was coming from, but it was appealing to me, and I proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the drum set.
It did not take long for me to be discovered. A few minutes after I started going all out, I heard a bass rumbling. Looking up, I saw a tall but stocky man with long hair and a short beard thumping away on the bass. Before I could even comment, I heard the electric guitar start up with a crunching power chord. Shifting my eyes, I saw a lanky male with long blond hair and a bit of a goatee riffing away.
While I was tempted to ask what was with the long hair, I had a gut feeling that whoever these guys were, they are bloody excellent at what they do, so I doubled up all my effort into pounding away at the drums. Noticing the guitarist give a brief nod to the bassist, I started building myself up for a rather explosive climax, with each drum beat getting louder and louder. I did not disappoint.
"That, my friend," the guitarist roared as he put away the guitar, " was beautiful in a fan-fucking-tastic way! That was fucking metal! Do you agree with that, Pete?"
"Indeed." The bassist was more reserved in the way he talked, but you could not miss the twinkle in his eye. "That, by itself, will be more than enough reason for Alexi and myself to cover for your presence in a restricted area. Don't worry, we'll invite you back here next year as our special guest."
Well! Reggie Mantle, eat your heart out! I've just been given the green light by two heavy metal heavyweights!
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Sneaking out under Peter Iwers' guidance, I made my way to the Tuborg stage, where Alexi and his band were getting ready to perform.
"Listen up, you fucking hate crew, we're Children Of Bodom from Finland, and I've got something to say to you all! ARE YOU DEAD YET?"
The next thirty to sixty minutes came as a complete aural assault, but I could definitely appreciate the energy. Everything about the band was completely melodic, even the way that Alexi was death-growling the lyrics to the various songs while performing all those lead licks on his own guitar. I was also completely floored by the percussion attack; marathon sessions on the double bass drums, blast beats, countless rolls and fills... With the memory of this band's performance now implanted into my mind, I made a note to myself to buy their CDs before returning to Riverdale.
As soon as the band finished their final song, which I believe was "Downfall", I started making my way towards the main stage. Having wondered around the place prior to the impromptu jam session, I had taken note of the various landmarks in this area, so I had a good idea of where the stage would be.
Besides, it was the biggest stage in the area, so there was no way I could miss it.
When I arrived, Peter Iwers' band, In Flames, had just finished their set with a rousing rendition of "Embody The Invisible" (I found out the name of the song from one of the fans nearby). As I stood there, applauding away, I was tackled from the side by a human rocket.
"Enjoying the show so far, Forsythe?" There was mischief in Nathalie's eyes as she lifted herself off my body, allowing me to see down her shirt. My body's natural reaction did not help at all. After a few seconds, the redhead picked herself up from the ground, allowing me to stand up.
"Yeah, it's really great. I'm going to hunt down all of Children Of Bodom's CDs before I head back to Riverdale."
"You're from Riverdale? That's so cool!" There was no denying the fact that Nathalie was oh-so cute when she starts getting a bit hyper. "I'm currently travelling around while my stuff is being moved to Riverdale! I'm sure we can meet up there some time soon!"
Before I could comment, the next band was already up on the main stage. "We're Coheed & Cambria from New York, and we're proud to be here, performing for you guys!" Making sure that his guitar was in tune, the lead singer announced the starting song. "This song is 'The Suffering'."
As the song went on with its stop-start palm-muted riffs and the improvised solos, I could not help but feel some sort of weight being lifted from my chest. It was as though as I was being liberated from my anti-dating attitude. As I turned to face Nathalie, she pulled my head down and gave me a lingering kiss. The kiss was mind-blowing, but I felt a little disturbed. I was already falling in love with Betty, and Nathalie kissing me was starting to throw a wrench into things.
The redhead noticed my hesitation. "What's her name, Forsythe?"
"Her name's Betty. I was actually planning on travelling around to look for her because she's really angry with couple of our friends. She's the first true female friend I've ever had, and I would have given up my anti-dating attitude to go out with her if it was not for my friend, on whom she has a terrible crush on."
"How long?"
"For a couple of years."
"I'll be truthful here, Forsythe, when I first saw you on the bus, I fell for you almost straight away. At first, I thought that it was the combination of your oddities and your almost-regal behavior. It's the fact that you care so much for this girl who's crushing on one of your friends that sealed the deal for me."
That was the first time a girl has ever said anything nice about me. I was torn between my feelings for both Nathalie and Betty.
"Don't worry, I'll stick with you while you search for your friend. If anything, chances are that I might probably fall for her as well." With that Nathalie gave me another smouldering kiss. As she pulled back, I leaned forward to continue what she started.
As the chorus started playing, I realised that change is not too bad at all.
Listen well, will you marry me?(Not now, boy...)
