If you follow me over on Instagram, then you'll know that I was in Spain for the High Rockabilly festival at the beginning of September, as I kept my newsfeed pretty updated with photos. Now that we are heading towards the end of October, I thought I'd better get a move on and update my blog with a recap!
This was our second year going to the High, so this time around we were familiar with our surroundings. The great thing about this weekender is that there is a beach. A lovely beach where you can lounge, read and frolick with your friends - in between the pool party at the Solimar Hotel, and the evening music venue. Although the weather wasn't as hot as last year, we spent a lot of time being beach bunnies...
We also spent a lot of time in the lift, as our apartment was on the 6th floor. As you can see, the lift was tiny, but we still all managed to cram into it every night...
Now onto the festival! My favourite part of the event is the pool party. It's so fun to dance and people-watch poolside, with great music and colourful summery outfits. We did a lot of dancing this year, and dj highlights for me included Johnny Hoodoo and also the dj on last day, who played the last set (ooops! I can't remember his name!).
Alas the pool party was rained off on the Saturday, as there was a monsoon-style rain storm which lasted for hours! A group of us were having lunch at the time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the guys at the next table (from the band, The Quasars) stripping off their clothes and running into the sea in their undercrackers! This was followed with their rendition of 'Singing in the Rain'. A magical moment!
Rain threatened the pool party on Sunday too, but people kept on dancing - a rain dance, you could say - which soon put a stop to the rain, without so much as a dampener on anyone's spirits.
Of course, the pool party is also a great place to shop for vintage, as well as wear it, with Sneaky Tiki and Vintage King (our apartment buddies) selling their wares every day at the Solimar Hotel. Loverboy bought some great pieces from them, but I did my shopping in the evenings at the main venue. This year I picked up two pairs of Freddies of Pinewood capri jeans, as well as a fabulous pair of earrings, and an olive necklace, from Bow and Crossbones - all of which I love!
The musical highlights this year for me were The Lucky Stars from L.A. who played on the Thursday night, and the poolside tiki entertainment put on by the Hukilau Hotshots (who, incidentally, are the same guys as The Lucky Stars, except with more ukulele and less honky tonk) on Saturday afternoon. These guys are awesome! I picked up a Lucky Stars CD at the event and have been listening to it at home - I can't wait to see them play again, hopefully in a smaller venue with more dancing, next time!
There were a few bands that I would have liked to have seen, but missed, sadly, due to timing (ie. their sets were during my dinner time or nap time) - we definitely caught more bands last year, and I want to make sure I catch more next year!
On the Monday after the weekender, we discovered that there was a pool party happening at the Canada Palace hotel, with London's dj Howard, who runs Jinx's Joint. Well, we had so much fun dancing, and worked up quite the sweat - so much so that Aaron unexpectedly jumped, fully-clothed into the pool! I love that goofy hubs of mine, he is so funny!
Now, on either side of the High, there is a pre and post party. The pre-party is held along a street where there are various bars and a stage set up outside with live music. We had lot of fun at the pre-party this year, and I also drank a lot of cava, which by all accounts, turned me into the drunkie paparazzi, making everyone pose for pictures! Miss Turnstiles and I were also interviewed by a film crew that night...
The post-party was held on the same street, except this time my night was sponsored by gin and tonic. We went out for a lovely meal with our High Rockabilly housemates, and headed to the party, where I did a bit of dancing....and then broke out in an allergic reaction which all but turned me into the elephant woman! What started as hives on my wrists ended up covering my whole body and swelling up, and loverboy had to drag me to the nearest hospital where I was promptly administered an injection in my derriere - for the cost of 100 Euros. Whether it was something in the shellfish spaghetti or one of the spices, I don't know - what I do know is that it brought an abrupt end to the party for me!
Loverboy and I spent a couple of extra days in Spain once our friends had left, but that is for another post! On our last night, I looked out to sea and saw a thunderstorm in the distance, which was quite beautiful...
So another High Rockabilly has been and gone - we had an excellent time, and so much fun with friends old and new...I can't wait til next year! But until then, the Rhythm Riot is just around the corner. Hooray!
This was our second year going to the High, so this time around we were familiar with our surroundings. The great thing about this weekender is that there is a beach. A lovely beach where you can lounge, read and frolick with your friends - in between the pool party at the Solimar Hotel, and the evening music venue. Although the weather wasn't as hot as last year, we spent a lot of time being beach bunnies...
We also spent a lot of time in the lift, as our apartment was on the 6th floor. As you can see, the lift was tiny, but we still all managed to cram into it every night...
Now onto the festival! My favourite part of the event is the pool party. It's so fun to dance and people-watch poolside, with great music and colourful summery outfits. We did a lot of dancing this year, and dj highlights for me included Johnny Hoodoo and also the dj on last day, who played the last set (ooops! I can't remember his name!).
Alas the pool party was rained off on the Saturday, as there was a monsoon-style rain storm which lasted for hours! A group of us were having lunch at the time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the guys at the next table (from the band, The Quasars) stripping off their clothes and running into the sea in their undercrackers! This was followed with their rendition of 'Singing in the Rain'. A magical moment!
When the rain got so heavy that it was splashing under the awning, everyone piled inside the cafe!
Rain threatened the pool party on Sunday too, but people kept on dancing - a rain dance, you could say - which soon put a stop to the rain, without so much as a dampener on anyone's spirits.
Of course, the pool party is also a great place to shop for vintage, as well as wear it, with Sneaky Tiki and Vintage King (our apartment buddies) selling their wares every day at the Solimar Hotel. Loverboy bought some great pieces from them, but I did my shopping in the evenings at the main venue. This year I picked up two pairs of Freddies of Pinewood capri jeans, as well as a fabulous pair of earrings, and an olive necklace, from Bow and Crossbones - all of which I love!
The Vintage King calculating with the help of Hello Kitty!
New Freddies of Pinewood jeans, modelled on our balcony!
The musical highlights this year for me were The Lucky Stars from L.A. who played on the Thursday night, and the poolside tiki entertainment put on by the Hukilau Hotshots (who, incidentally, are the same guys as The Lucky Stars, except with more ukulele and less honky tonk) on Saturday afternoon. These guys are awesome! I picked up a Lucky Stars CD at the event and have been listening to it at home - I can't wait to see them play again, hopefully in a smaller venue with more dancing, next time!
There were a few bands that I would have liked to have seen, but missed, sadly, due to timing (ie. their sets were during my dinner time or nap time) - we definitely caught more bands last year, and I want to make sure I catch more next year!
Colbert Hamilton & The Hell Razors played the last night.
Now, on either side of the High, there is a pre and post party. The pre-party is held along a street where there are various bars and a stage set up outside with live music. We had lot of fun at the pre-party this year, and I also drank a lot of cava, which by all accounts, turned me into the drunkie paparazzi, making everyone pose for pictures! Miss Turnstiles and I were also interviewed by a film crew that night...
The post-party was held on the same street, except this time my night was sponsored by gin and tonic. We went out for a lovely meal with our High Rockabilly housemates, and headed to the party, where I did a bit of dancing....and then broke out in an allergic reaction which all but turned me into the elephant woman! What started as hives on my wrists ended up covering my whole body and swelling up, and loverboy had to drag me to the nearest hospital where I was promptly administered an injection in my derriere - for the cost of 100 Euros. Whether it was something in the shellfish spaghetti or one of the spices, I don't know - what I do know is that it brought an abrupt end to the party for me!
Our waiter gave me a halo...
The offending article!
Shortly after this photo was taken, things took a turn for the worse...
Loverboy and I spent a couple of extra days in Spain once our friends had left, but that is for another post! On our last night, I looked out to sea and saw a thunderstorm in the distance, which was quite beautiful...
So another High Rockabilly has been and gone - we had an excellent time, and so much fun with friends old and new...I can't wait til next year! But until then, the Rhythm Riot is just around the corner. Hooray!
Im so sorry to hear you had a severe allergic reaction. That must have been very frightening.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you had lots o f fun before everything went south.Your olive necklace is very cute .
Thanks Mariela! I became very panicky, as it all escalated so quickly (and obviously, the gin and tonics didn't help)! Luckily, once I got to the injection, the reaction went down quite quickly, although I did get weird flare-ups for the next few days, on my arms, and had to take medication for a week.
DeleteYes, I am glad that it happened on the last night of the event, and it didn't ruin the rest of the trip! xx
Oh my, this looks AMAZING!! Everyone looks fantastic, the dancing looks like a lot of fun and the weather looked good too (albeit the odd downpour!) Shame that you had an allergic reaction to the seafood :( that must've been a pretty horrid experience to have and especially in a foreign country!
ReplyDeleteOnly 3 weeks to go until Rhythm Riot! I'm excited (and a bit nervous!) x
No need to be nervous, silly! You are going to have sooooooo much fun!!!!!! :) Be sure to come and say hi if you spot me, and I will be sure to do the same! xx
DeleteI have always wanted to go to the High and never been able to go because I cannot leave my job at that time of the year... you seem to have so much fun!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are Lucky to go to Rhythm Riot, my last time was in 2008... already 5 years ago....I really want to go back!
Oh that is a shame! But at least you are able to go to other events, like VLV, which is even better! :)
DeleteYou should definitely try to visit for the RR again at some point. It is not as glamorous as Vegas, and definitely not as warm (!!!) but it is so much fun, and the musical line-up is always excellent!
Enjoyed seeing all of your High Rockabilly photos on Instagram and love your recap! Sounds like a fun filled holiday. So sorry to hear about your allergic reaction that one night. Looks like you made up for any lost time the rest of your stay though! 22 days ‘til the Riot!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elisa! Even the allergic reaction could not ruin the holiday - after that cleared up it was business as usual hahah! Woop! The Riot will be here before we know it! :)
DeleteAAARGH!!! I wish we could have been there again with you guys this year! Scary! I'm glad you got the shot (however expensive), allergic reactions like that are nothing to mess with! You both look awesome as per usual!
ReplyDeleteI wish you guys could have been there too! Maybe you will come back again in the next few years? Or maybe come out to one of our weekenders in the UK?! :D Yeah the allergy was scary - poor Aaron had to listen to me crying about turning into the elephant woman! :P
DeleteOh my goodness, honey, I am so deeply sorry to hear about your horrible allergic reaction. I've had a few of those myself over the years and know how incredibly frightening and unpleasant they can be. I hope with all my heart that you never get hit by one again.
ReplyDeleteWonderful snaps and outfits, guys! I just adore the pictures of you two dancing. You're such a beautiful, joyful couple.
♥ Jessica
Thanks Jessica - it was very scary, as it just seemed to progress so quickly. I definitely suffer from allergies, as I tend to break out in a few hives on almost a daily basis, but it had never been so severe as to cover my whole body and completely swell up!
DeleteThank you for the lovely, kind compliment, it means so much! xxxx
This looks like so much fun. Love the photos of the dancing and looking at everyone's outfits. Hope you are feeling better after the horrible allergy incident.
ReplyDeleteIt is a really lovely weekender, as you get a combination of sunshine, beach, music and dancing! It is great for people watching, and the outfits that I see, never fail to amaze me - so much eye candy! Thanks for the kind sentiments - the injection got me back to normal quite quickly, but not before giving me quite a scare!
DeleteIt sounds perfect. Plus sunshine has to be a bonus at the moment! You just can't beat a spot of people watching, especially when fabulous outfits are on show.
DeleteOhhh, I would so much want to be back there! NOW! and still 10 months to wait...
ReplyDeleteMe too...but there is also Viva Las Vegas to look forward to, before then... :)
Delete