So, mes chês lecteurs, I've been gone for a while, but I'm back and posting.
If you are wondering about the title, it refers to the Mandragora's Fest, which was a mini-treffen attempt here in Mexico City. The concept was nice, and the event itself was not so bad. There were many medieval attractions (I actually hurt my hand with and arrow, a huge splinter stuck in my finger whilst I was shooting it) quite a few gothic and medieval stands and good fun. Joculatore Domini deserves a special mention, as they not only knew their instruments but also had the charisma to make quite a great show. Oh, there was also an "Arabian House", with bellydancers and hukkas (water smoking-pipes). Overall it was a nice day. I got my rear end handed over to me by my dear lady in sword combat, but took my revenge in what we call cotton swab combat (The combatants are placed with little space to move or maneuver armed with staffs that have big stuffy ends. They must then attempt to knock the other opponent off his or her place).
But it was far from perfect. It was unorganized, and the stands were scattered all over the place like an mp3 on a FAT32 partition. And it was not a small place, mind you. Security at the entrance was adamant about removing any metal spikes, and everyone complied only to find out that they were selling spikes, swords, maces and daggers inside.
And then things took a turn for the worst.
The local bands played, and after that there was an hour long wait before Clan of Xymox climbed on the stage.
So, Xymox, plays and everyone is hopping happy, until the manager of Atrocity asked them not to go through the whole repertoire because they had a plane to catch at 6 am (it was about 1 am at this point). Xymox tells him to go to hell, he pulls their plug. Then As it was Atrocity and Leave's Eyes turn to perform, the generator went out and stayed out for quite a while. When it came back, the surge disabled Atrocity's equipment and they couldn't play. They tried to save the situation by singing acapella, but the crowd was somewhat aggressive and they got insulted off the stage. After that, they told us that To/Die/For would be playing later. We went to a nearby bonfire and heard some people play the flute and enjoyed ourselves for a while before leaving. We'd been standing or walking for almost 12 hours straight, plus it was freezing out there, so we didn't stay to see the last two bands. It was a shame that the concert was not so good due to the lack of proper organization, but all in all it was a good event, hope they learn from their mistakes and make a better one next year.
Rêves Doux
