london - bucharest: May 1st Celebrations Mamaia & Vama Veche

May 1st weekend is generally regarded as the start of summer here in Romania, and if you know what's good for you, you head down to the beach. We had a Get Loaded promotion to carry out with military precision, so we packed the car with spray cans, posters, badges, mix cds, tee shirts, lighters and the like and headed off to Mamaia and Vama Veche, two very contrasting beach destinations. Mamaia is full of 'tops off' essex ravers (romanian style of course) and Vama is full of students who trip over tents on the beach and sleep in their own vomit.

We arrived in Mamaia a day early (thursday) and spent the midnight hours spray painting the sides of barns and other roadside targets with Get Loaded graphics. A lazy friday afternoon and evening gave way to a dj set at Gossip Club in Mamaia, followed by a sunrise party on the beach. Sleeeeep.

Saturday night we headed off to Vama Veche to film two bands who had come over from London. A big hello to K-tron and Rob from 'All You Can Eat' club, and Fidel, Paul and Jeffrey from 'Applicants'. Both bands put in great shows, but quite frankly left the Romanians completly dumbfounded. We shot some great footage, grabbed a couple of crates of beer and made our way back to the bands humble rooms to drink and talk late into the night. It was a surreal experience sitting in a wooden shed-like room, conversations overlapping each other and reaching totally abstract and random conclusions, while the band members were still in on-stage garb with fake blood all over their faces.

Sunday and we were back in Mamaia dancing on the beach all day, handing out Get Loaded stuff and having a riot to some great sets from Lee Burridge and others. That night saw the headstrong off to see Dj Meat and Marco Carola from Naples, which pretty much finished everyone off for another year.