For those about to rock...

It's 3am and I'm negotiating the streets of Central London. Dodging drunk people and speeding taxis. A string of 80's classics are on the iPod and Dan's keeping me awake and on track through the winding roads. Five hours earlier, the final night of the 2009 Music & Media Academy on the Isle of Wight finished with a bang... with an enthusiastic crowd moshing into one of our cameramen!

Dan & I set off from Luton around 8am on Friday for a 20-hour roadtrip-cum-multimedia extravaganza. We picked up Emma from Guildford and headed for the ferry in Portsmouth. Once over on the Isle of Wight we got "caught in traffic" but still made it in time for lunch. The whole afternoon was spent putting together the camera kit, testing leads, planning shots, adjusting leads & testing our internet set-up.

The whole of the Academy builds to the final night concert. The musicians write, jam, practice and are coached to improve their skills. They meet new like-minded people and form bands ready to perform at the final show. The media crew - this year consisting of just 6, mainly returning young people - work to produce video interviews, posters, publicity, stickers and general accompaniments to the final show. This year, as an added incentive, they are broadcasting the whole show live on the internet so people at home can watch too.

The Friday set-up goes remarkably well - we're finished with time to spare and there's a relaxed expectation about the team. Soon enough it is show time and the bands launch into various rock and blues numbers. The online audience grows and we eventually reach 117 viewers although at any one point, our maximum audience is 32. The gig is a real mixed bag with some of the acts being a little more polished than others. However, all of the bands and performers know how to rock - unlike the following evening's X Factor performers - and the whole place is jumping. In fact, as the gig draws to a close some of the gathered crowd get a little over-excited, crashing into camera & cameraman! It's a great night and everyone has a real blast...



For us though, the night isn't over yet. We hurriedly pack up the kit and we hit the ferry back to the mainland at midnight. Then we head up to Guildford (note to self: it is best to turn on the engine before you drive off a ferry!) to drop of some of Gibbo's kit and pick up some late night snacks. Next we go to Streatham in South London, to deliver Emma home before navigating through the heart of the capital and back up to Luton. Dan gets home around 3:30am and I'm back in Hitchin before 4. A monster of a night... but it rocked!