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It's 12.30pm when James and I woke up. We had to be out of the house and on the road by 1.00pm. A pre meet up was arranged at Warwickshire Services at 3pm to collect tickets and meet some CTW members. So, it was, a race against time so we didn't turn up late and keep people waiting. Up we dashed, time to get organised. Clean clothes ? Check. Mobile Phones ? Check. Camera ? Check. Money ? Check. Car keys ? Check. That's us done. Lets get out of here !! Ok, so we hit the road, leaving our current location of Leighton Buzzard heading for Warwickshire Services. I think at this stage we need some tunage in the CD player - something to get us in the mood! I left James be the decider of what tunes to play, only, my ears were hearing the soundtracks of all the James Bond movies. Erm, nice one James, but I think we have forgotten your tarten slippers and your Sunday paper back at the house. Would you like to go back get them ? Turn it off ! We put a bit of trance music on, Ferry Corsten to be exact ! This got us in the mood and also prolonged our excitement of going to see the man himself in the GodsKitchen Arena. COME ON !! We get to Warwickshire services, only to meet up with a few people that were there before us. We chatted about the commencing event, what DJ are you going to see, what members of the site have you not met...It was getting more exciting at this point. I think, before any event CTW's members attend, it's all about meeting the people, makes the whole thing much more exciting to see old faces again, and seeing the people you have spoken to for some time but have not yet met!! Well, it's how it makes me feel anyway ! We decide to have a bite to eat and a gossip and wait for more members to turn up. During this time, James was telling me how good last year was and how generous the weather was for the 15-hour event. Now the weather wasn't looking good today, but come rain or shine, we were all there. If you are a dedicated clubber, then nothing will get in the way of you enjoying today. It's all about the people, and the music. This was going to be Global Gathering and CTW Gathering combined into one. This is going to be large, so LET'S AV IT! Cars began to pull up in parking spaces outside the services, and the likes of @Mr Moo, @majikman, Modular1, @rachel, @Clubbing Si, @FredTheBaddie, Mrs_Baddie, turned up, and put a smile on my face. It was good to see these people again, knowing I was going to have a fantastic 15 hours with them, but yet, there are far more members to meet ! It's now 4pm, the plan was, get some petrol, then this is it. The final journey, to, GodsKitchen Global Gathering. You wana know what he has got on his menu ? Then I suggest you get your ticket at the ready. Dinner is served ! We cruise down the motorway, all in a trail, following one another. Following the signs of "Global Gathering". Each sign I saw, I would get these tingles of excitement, as I knew we were getting closer to the event ! We got close enough to be in a massive tail back of traffic. Like minded clubbers on their way to the entrance of the event. Cars glowed with cyber dress, music was heard from cars in front and behind, but at this point, it began to rain. Not slightly, but a bit of a downpour. This was my first Global Gathering, and I wanted it to be one to be remembered. I don't care about the rain. I don't care about my hair getting wet, this was about ENJOYMENT, not my appearance We were in traffic for, maybe an hour, but the wait in the traffic was actually worth it. We finally got in and parked up by about 6pm. Although James and I couldn’t leave the car as we had no tickets as a friend of ours took hold of them and we were to meet her and collect them from her, but due to the mobile network being "up in the air", it was a bit of a struggle having to get hold of her, but alas, in the end, we got in contact. The plan was, meet at the entrance, grab our tickets, and in we go ! We got to the entrance, handed in our tickets, security was fine, searches were fine, in we go. Tada!.....As we get into the site, we take a look around and search for the CTW meet up point, to which was actually non existence, due to the map of the site being incorrectly laid out ! Never mind, I’m sure we will see some members at some point and sort out a meeting point. We took a look around the fairground, and boy was it HUGE! There was a Bunji Jump, Waltzers (everyone’s favourite !), Bumper Cars, loads of "up in the air" rides, so many to spend all your enjoyment on to have a break from the heat of the tents. We spotted Tresh and had a gossip and went to see if we could find some people, but we couldn't, so we decided to get a burger. Two cheeseburgers and one hotdog, a grand total off FIFTEEN ENGLISH POUNDS! How much??!?! Bit of a ridiculous price £5 a burger, but I guess, it had to be done. You can’t really starve. We spotted the Beer Tent to which we headed to first, as we gathered, this is where most of the members will be, before heading to the various music tents that were on offer today. The beer tent was a nice size, nice and dry, funky house orientated and filled with lots of clubbers. This is where most CTW's were spotted. @TomD (long time no see!!!), @Bushy, @DoObY, RickD, Scream, Jellybabyuk, Jon_m, and so many more people I was excited to see. EVERYONE was on a high in this tent as so many people were pleased to see eachother. The meet ups that CTW organise really are the best. You can instantly feel the love and see the joy in people’s faces, to see eachother again. It's GREAT From this moment on, seeing all these people, I just KNEW, that tonight, was going to be excellent. There is nothing better than being with the people you love the most. You will find all these people, on CTW. I think now that conversations were had, and jokes and smiles were shared, it was time to head for the Sundissential Tent....as we got there, Jez & Charlie were just on the decks, banging out mine and Bushy's all time favourite tune "[censored] Hostile" by the man himself, Paul Glazby. The crowd was loving it and I was buzzing hard by this time off the atmosphere this tent was filled with. It was DELISCIOUS to say the least ! The tent was crowded although still a bit of room at the back for more clubbers to come on in ! My mission right now was to find @Tony P & Miss Diddy, to which we found at the front of the tent giving it some hardcore moves to Jez & Charlie. James, myself and @DoObY decided to stay at the front for a bit so we could capture some excellent photos to go in our CTW gallery. To which, we cought some very good photos and some close ups of the DJs that were to perform tonight. We had only just cought the end of Jez & Charlies set but it was, as always, excellent. Next up on the decks was Illogic. This mans music style is hard/trance energy. Always a crowd pleaser, he was pretty banging! Standing at the front on my tip toes looking at the crowd behind me, was just so amazing, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I was just amazed at the crowd. A known tune form the man himself "I Just Can't Stop" came streaming through the powerful soundsystem and filled the tent with an euphoric lift and the crowd just went ballistic. They were LOVING IT ! A crowd like this always goes down well. And with Illogic banging out all these tunes that the clubbers love, You can't go wrong ! Ok. next up, Ian M. Iv not seen this man play before, but, I was reassured By Miss Diddy, this guy, was the man. He was the clone of Glazby on the decks. Now I LOVE Paul Glazby, so I guess I’m in for a right treat ! I have to admit, this guy was playing very hard, just to my likeing. All the crowd, yet again, was going wild, I could see everyone behind me jumping up and down and heard people next to me commenting on how good he was ! There I was watching James and @DoObYDoObY getting jiggy with it, and one of my favourite tunes came into play. RR Fierce "Full Metal". I'm sure any hardhouse clubber will know this tune is a b*tch of a tune ! Gets the crowd going EVERY time ! It's hard, it's fast, and it's one that most clubbers love. I'll av suma that thank you very much ! He also played "[censored] Hostile". It got beaten a bit *too* much as I was told that BK had previously played it, aswell as Jez & Charile, but, never the less, it still got the crowd going. That tune never seems to let the crowd down. It's gets their feet into motion Paul Kershaw was the next DJ to grace the decks. Iv not seen this man play before, but, I was impressed. I'm not the best person to tell you hat tunes are played, although I keep my ears open for the ones I know that deserve a mention. Like, Faithless - We Come One. This was incredible. The crowd reacted to it straight away. I could almost feel the ground shake as all those like minded clubbers were avin' it like they never ad' it before ! It was amazing. Something I will reminisce ! As his set came to an end, the next DJ to take the stand, was someone I have wanted to see for a very long time, but have always, either, not attended where he was playing, or have missed his set because im chilling out in the corer somewhere. Yes, it was, K90. TonyP was just telling me, minutes before he started his set, that his guy is a lunatic. He doesn't just stand there and smile, he is actually one of the clubbers that are standing in front of him in the crowd. Arms everywhere, dancing to the beats. His intro tune was "Daydreamer" to which EVERYONE loved. Iv not heard this before but so many people around me were like "Oh my god this tune is wikid!". Cheers from all around the tent were heard, and the more the crowd cheered, the more he was eager to go ballistic to his own set. His attitude was 100% spot on. There is nothing better than seeing a DJ stand there and be "one of us" throughout the whole of his set. James, DoObY and I decided to go and take a wander over to the GodsKitchen arena. As we got out of the SS tent, more rain greeted us; the mud we walked in was absolutely HORRENDOUS. You would think that being as I am from Wales, I would have brought along my comboin'arvestor and me wellies, never mind eh It took us about 10 minutes to get the GK arena because of the state on the ground we had to walk on. But, it was fun. Watching everyone slip and slide was part of the fun. hehe. Anyway, we get to the GK arena, but it was VERY rammed. But Tiesto was in full force on the decks, and as we got there, he played, Motorcycle - As The Rush Comes. It's a very popular Trance tune at the moment to which everyone seems to be loving. The moment I heard this play, my heart sank and all I could hear was the crowd scream with excitement. The love in this tent almost unpegged the GK tent. I'm not joking. Inside this tent was so beautifully laid out, I have never seen such a pretty sight. You could tell, that this tent was planned and organised properly. It had that "feel at home" feel. We left the GK tent to wander off back over to the SS tent, where we just got in to hear K90 finish his set off smoothly with the best tune he could ever send his set off with a bang - RED SNAPPER. As I heard this being played, EVERYONE just gave out a massive ROAR. The sound system wasn't so boom at the back of the tent, but none the less I could hear it clear enough to know what tune was being played. It's a clubbers favourite ! And it most certainly was the icing on the cake to end the set. I could not stop my feet from bouncing away. This man really was fantastic. I will most deffinatly make the effort in the future to go and see him again. Top stuff. It was 11.00pm and again we decided to go and mingle outside, in the mud, and try and find some of the members of CTW, check out how their night is going and who played the best set so far. To our surprise, we couldn't find anyone. haha ! I mean, all these people from all around the country, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack to find certain people, so we went to the fair for an hour. Myself and DoObY went on the waltzers and had some fun as James was a bit to *chicken* to be tossed round in circles and come off them walking like you had some kind of accident in your pants (although, I did later hear, then miss_diddy dragged him on the walzters and he came off them looking as though he had seen a ghost haha!) - but hey, it's all part of the festival fun. You can't go to an event and ignore the fair rides. I mean, it would be rude not too After having fun in the fare, we decided, to yet again head back to the SS tent where we just caught the end of Lab4's set. Oh my god. Words can't describe how euphoric the tail of their set was. I was stuck for words as I could feel every single hair on the back of my neck, rise. It was unbelievable. I only wish we went back a bit earlier to witness the rest of the set as Lab4 are undoubtedly, AMAZING. I was disappointed ! But then, things had gotten better - Rob Tissera was up next ! Down the front we go in search for TonyP and Miss Diddy. It was so packed you had to squeeze yourself through! Up came Rob Tissera, coming up to the crowd, having photos, signing records, always has time for us clubbers. Which is nice. So, up he went, and started to kick things off nicely. Tissera, always smiling when playing a set, always 'avin it with the crowd. Bouncing along with his tunes. There was real energy in his set. The selection was excellent although, I wasn't recognising much of the tunes he was playing, sometimes I tend to make note in my head, of what tunes I recognise, but then forget the day after haha. I was amazed though, at the way he used the upfaders on his mixer when playing a certain tune. I stood there and watched him just naturally tease the crowd with the tune he was playing out and the tune he was cueing. I can't think of a better word other than AMAZING. Rob Tissera, I salute you. After Rob showed us what he could do on those decks, which never ceases to amaze me, it was time to head over to the Strongbow tent to meet up with some CTW members and catch up on what fun they were having, unfortunately, when we got there none were to be seen ! We took a seat to rest our feet as we had been standing up for some time now ! DoObY decided to take the dancefloor on and strut his stuff to the funky house they played in this tent. We stayed in here for roughly an hour. My god !! As I was "up" in the clouds, my mind was sucked into the funky music that was being pushed through the excellent sound system. This funky house was the kind of funky music I have never had the pleasure of hearing. At one point, I had to pull DoObY off the dance floor and explain to him how AMAZING this set was. It was nothing more that EUPHORIC. I was amazed, as I never thought there was such a thing as "Euphoric Funky House". I didn't want to leave this tent ! It was full of LOVE !! STICK THAT IN YOUR STRONGBOW PINT AND DOWN IT !! After a while I decided to pull out my mobile phone to check for any text messages from any of the CTW crew to go and find them, sadly, moments after putting my phone back in my pocket, some pikey, had dipped their hands into my pocket, and take my mobile phone and put it in their own pocket. Oh well, it kinda put a dampner on my night, but what the hell, [censored] happens, a phone can be renewed. We decided after a LONG rest in this tent, we would go and walk around, what can now be called, a flooded BOG, which was the field of GKGG. Oh it's all fun at the end of the day. There is nothing better than walking around a field, upon tough mud. Plenty of exercise, because at one point, it felt as though I was using an aerobics stepper. Yes, it was that tough to walk in !! We headed back to the SS tent, it was round about 5am. Luckily, we find most of the CTW members, at least the ones that are mentioned in this review anyway ! We managed to catch Karims set, who was playing my FAVOURITE hardhouse tune PH4. I remember at one point, I said to Bushy "Hey, this is PH4 isn't it, it's the flip side of Hostile?" "I duno" he said". "Oh, ang on mun, yeh ew are right Maria, It's banging!" Bushy. It has to be said, the man is a Legend, he too, is from Wales! And is always one of the members I always look forward to seeing when we all meet up I guess the night was slowly coming to an end now L The whole 15hours has been a dream. The place was amazing, the DJz performed well, and the tents were designed in such a way, you felt like you were at the actual venues. We all headed back at the carpark to let the banter flow and experiences shared among us before we hit the road back home. The field, to which GKGG was situated in, was nothing more than a massive mud bath. But looking back now, it was incredibly fun. After a long day/night we headed back to an afterparty in Birmingham, party to chill and carry on with the ever-lasting banter. I'm glad I attended the festival of GKGG, the saddest part about it all, though, was leaving everyone, and not knowing when we are going to see them next L And I didn't manage to get my Leek of my best mate TomD. It will be missed L GKGG was an experience never to be forgotten for me. And I can quite gladly say, I will be there next year, without a doubt If you didn't go, then you missed out. U better go and take a look in our galleries and let the envy take over you. Until next time kids, AV IT LARGE !! @Maria Photo Album