Monday 27th March 06 - Raw-UK Launch at The Welly (1/4) By Joe Hakim Photos by Darren Rogers

(1/4), (2/4), (3/4), (4/4).

Photograph Gallery   Gallery 1,   Gallery 2,   Gallery 3,   Gallery 4,   Gallery 5.

So the night starts with me getting my wires crossed and spending twenty minutes standing outside the wrong venue. It's freezing cold and it takes two cigarettes to make the correct synapses in my brain fire up, and then I realise my mistake. Somewhat sheepishly I make my way to The Welly, my face half paralysed by the wind.

Once I get there I have the task of actually getting into the place. 'This is a private function,' one of the bouncers says, putting his arm up to block my way. 'I'm on some kind of list,' I protest, moving past him. And for once in my life it turns out I'm right, so I don't have to blag my way in. It's a small victory, but you have to take them where you can.

I'm at The Welly for the RAW-UK broadcast, which is being used as a means of demonstrating a new technology that allows live video and music to be streamed live across the internet at almost DVD quality.

Developed by Hull based company, IP Media Services Ltd, this technology promises to deliver TV on demand across the internet. It's all very exciting - almost makes me wish I had a monster computer and broadband access at home, but alas, I cannot afford such things, so I'm content to merely turn up to events like this and pretend I know what I'm on about.

Like most super-heroes, I've discovered the benefits of having at least one alter-ego. Quite a lot of people know me as Barman - no, not a dyslexic Batman, but a man who has the mighty powers of being able to get you pissed, and within five minutes of getting in the venue it becomes clear that I actually serve a lot of these media types who are attending this gig on a regular basis, which goes some way to explaining why they keep looking at me with a bemused contempt: Who the fuck let you in here?

I am absolutely broke as per usual, so I start the task of blagging drinks here and there. Cilla and Mo are here, so I cling to them like a retarded step-child for the first half hour or so. As we're stood gabbing, one of the bigwigs from The Welly walks past and says hi, and then asks why thisisUll didn't cover The Paddingtons' gig the other night. Well, Mr. Welly man, I say to you now the same thing I say to all the owners of venues around Hull - the writers and photographers who appear on thisisull.com work for free. If you want thisisull to do a review for you, all we require is a week's notice, free entry to the gig itself, free beer and the still beating heart of an elk. Ok, I lied about the last thing, but you get the drift.

Continued .... Next Page (2/4)

Photographs courtesy and Copyright ©  Darren Rogers 2006

Photograph Gallery   Gallery 1,   Gallery 2,   Gallery 3,   Gallery 4,   Gallery 5.

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