Nothing's changed

[Rusco]

...or is it? Well, Nothing's Changed was a Varukers song & ep from 90's era, but here it would be nice to hear from British people how Britain has changed in last ten years?

How about the prices, tickets and all the other things? I was there more than ten years ago last time and I'm just thinking what to be prepared about.

BTW, I heard the storm that hit there to southern coast week ago was a really nasty one. Hope you've got things all right there now?

[Barty]

Ticket prices have gone up considerably (NMA have kept theirs remarkably cheap in comparison)...as has the price of an accompanying beer

Our major cities look even more similar to one another - thanks to chain shops over powering independents....pubs are closing at a scary rate - there are very few left outside city / town centres. It's a huge shame.

That said, there's still loads to celebrate and enjoy about Britain - the countryside's still outstanding, London is buzzing as ever, Spurs could finish in the top 4 with a bit of luck  and we're still producing some of the best music in the world.

Where do you live, Rusco? And are you coming over for NMA gigs? If so, which ones? Be good to have a beer if you're doing Leeds / Manchester / Bilston / Nottingham....

[Shush]

You've touch on an interesting point on the changing face of streets  in towns and cities. So fewer specialist food shops, cobblers, record shops, iron mongers, independent trades shops etc.

Every small town England today seems to have the same sort of thing. -- several charity shops, money lending shop, fast food outlets, bookies, a tattooist and loads of boarded up pubs. We are no longer a nation of shop keepers.

[Toronto Popular Front]

You've touch on an interesting point on the changing face of streets  in towns and cities. So fewer specialist food shops, cobblers, record shops, iron mongers, independent trades shops etc.

Every small town England today seems to have the same sort of thing. -- several charity shops, money lending shop, fast food outlets, bookies, a tattooist and loads of boarded up pubs. We are no longer a nation of shop keepers.

i would disagree to a point about specialist food shops, try visiting farmers markets or farm shops. if you find a good farm shop they will produce alot of interseting stuff. we have a really good one near us and even a farm with a shop that farms buffalo - tastier & healthier than beef

[Rusco]

Ticket prices have gone up considerably (NMA have kept theirs remarkably cheap in comparison)...as has the price of an accompanying beer

If I remember right, a price for a beer was 3,50 pounds at cheapest? Fantastic!

Barty said:
Our major cities look even more similar to one another - thanks to chain shops over powering independents....pubs are closing at a scary rate - there are very few left outside city / town centres. It's a huge shame.

I've heard some explanation about why pubs close so early is due to the old laws, that working class would get up early enough. I don't know is there any sense with that nowadays.

That said, there's still loads to celebrate and enjoy about Britain - the countryside's still outstanding, London is buzzing as ever, Spurs could finish in the top 4 with a bit of luck  and we're still producing some of the best music in the world.

Where do you live, Rusco? And are you coming over for NMA gigs? If so, which ones? Be good to have a beer if you're doing Leeds / Manchester / Bilston / Nottingham....

Thank you Barty! I'm living in Finland. Near to west-southern coast. And yes - we`re coming there because of the tour. But unluckily not to any of the gigs you mentioned. Me and Minna are going to Brighton and London. Staying 5 days there in total... Our friends did the Valencia gig earlier and at first they had to come to Britain too but cancelled the idea later on.

How about a food price? Or train and underground tickets? I've checked some railway sites and I think I'm going to print their maps too.

Cheers!

[purplehaze]

tickets for gigs i remember  thinking it was expensive when they went up from a fiver to seven quid ,that was a hawkwind gig

[Shush]

You've touch on an interesting point on the changing face of streets  in towns and cities. So fewer specialist food shops, cobblers, record shops, iron mongers, independent trades shops etc.

Every small town England today seems to have the same sort of thing. -- several charity shops, money lending shop, fast food outlets, bookies, a tattooist and loads of boarded up pubs. We are no longer a nation of shop keepers.

i would disagree to a point about specialist food shops, try visiting farmers markets or farm shops. if you find a good farm shop they will produce alot of interseting stuff. we have a really good one near us and even a farm with a shop that farms buffalo - tastier & healthier than beef

Maybe I misworded specialist food shops. I meant shops that just do one trade. We used to have two independent Butchers on our high street and a Coop. Nowadays everyone uses the nearby Sainsbury's. Now that the big brand super markets are doing the "outlet" stores in towns and cities, I think things like the butcher, the bakers etc will become a thing of the past. 

[Toronto Popular Front]

You've touch on an interesting point on the changing face of streets  in towns and cities. So fewer specialist food shops, cobblers, record shops, iron mongers, independent trades shops etc.

Every small town England today seems to have the same sort of thing. -- several charity shops, money lending shop, fast food outlets, bookies, a tattooist and loads of boarded up pubs. We are no longer a nation of shop keepers.

i would disagree to a point about specialist food shops, try visiting farmers markets or farm shops. if you find a good farm shop they will produce alot of interseting stuff. we have a really good one near us and even a farm with a shop that farms buffalo - tastier & healthier than beef

Maybe I misworded specialist food shops. I meant shops that just do one trade. We used to have two independent Butchers on our high street and a Coop. Nowadays everyone uses the nearby Sainsbury's. Now that the big brand super markets are doing the "outlet" stores in towns and cities, I think things like the butcher, the bakers etc will become a thing of the past.

again i say farm shops, they have their own butchers who do exactly what butchers do. only the meat comes straight from the farm they are working on (apart from the blood for the black puddings)

[c]

Barty said:
Our major cities look even more similar to one another - thanks to chain shops over powering independents....pubs are closing at a scary rate - there are very few left outside city / town centres. It's a huge shame.

I've heard some explanation about why pubs close so early is due to the old laws, that working class would get up early enough. I don't know is there any sense with that nowadays.

quote]

Licensing laws were introduced in this country during the first world war in order to limit the alcohol consumption of munitions workers and other workers in activities that were similarly regarded as vital for the war effort. We've had them ever since, albeit that they have changed over the years.

Where do you live, Rusco? And are you coming over for NMA gigs? If so, which ones? Be good to have a beer if you're doing Leeds / Manchester / Bilston / Nottingham....

Thank you Barty! I'm living in Finland. Near to west-southern coast. And yes - we`re coming there because of the tour. But unluckily not to any of the gigs you mentioned. Me and Minna are going to Brighton and London. Staying 5 days there in total... Our friends did the Valencia gig earlier and at first they had to come to Britain too but cancelled the idea later on.

How about a food price? Or train and underground tickets? I've checked some railway sites and I think I'm going to print their maps too.

Cheers!

[Rusco]

Now after the great gigs & our trip I could mention couple of things I noticed there.

-the Devs in Camden was probably saved in some kinda wax last 13 years...

-on the other hand there seemed to be even more population in London. Guess it's because of the rush of forthcoming Christmas? Shopping gifts etc.

-travel tics, trains and tube systems still working well. (One thing I noticed is that it's not(?) allowed to enter to bus from the other doors than the driver's one - which is reasonable of course.)

-tobacco cost a hell lot! Same thing is happening here too but it's not that much at all.

-it's a bit strange that you still have single-glassed windows in apartments - even at the coastal areas where the amount of moist in the air is bigger.