Small Packages Mean Good Things (in *some* cases) :P (The London Astoria)

Member Name: khrys

Product:	The London Astoria
Date:	24/05/01 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: small, atmospheric, cheap :)

Disadvantages: small (!), dangerous door, limited places

The Astoria. Well. I have been there once, to see Sepultura. And it was a gig I will never forget.

The first thing that surprised me, was the size. It isn't like Wembley Arena, which has like 8 entrances on one side, and massive office areas, etc. It was a front on the Charing Cross Road, which looked a bit odd. I queued up from 6:10 (doors were at seven), down the side alley, because already, the line was fairly long. There I met a good few interesting people, bought a t-shirt and a hoodie (now customary, £5 and £10 respectively), and got handed out the usual plethora of leaflets (roughly 150 and I didn't get them all!).

At 7:00, the doors opened. The line started to move, and I was soon inside. The next thing I noticed was that the security was nowhere near as strict as that of Wembley Arena (where you are patted down, often metal-detected, and you are told to put any "offensive" clothing (spiked belts, wallet chains etc) into a bag, for which you are given a tag (you claim your stuff afterwards...). I walked into the Astoria and a bloke shone a torch at me, and said "What's that in your pocket (the one on the front of my hoodie). I said "a t-shirt", which is what it was, and he says, "Okay, you can go!". I must say it is a pleasing experience being allowed into a venue without getting the idea they think you wish to kill the members of the band you have just come to see ;). I handed my ticket to the next man, who tore off the detachable part and said "Thank You". Possibly not the most thorough inspection of ticket, but he was clearly good at spotting genuine tickets.

Next, I had to find the place I required: the pit. There were, sadly, no signs there (that I could see!), but there were two ways to go and I took the high road, and found myself at the entrance to what was clearly the smallest mosh pit I had *ever* seen. It was literally around 1/50th the size of Wembley Arena! It wa
s around the size of a small shop floor. Anyways, as I wasa one of the first in there (other people were buying drinks!), I noticed the front had a few unoccupied spaces. So, I took my place. At the *rail*. For an insane speedmetal band. Not the best choice of places you would think ;P. Still, I took my place, and suddenly noticed how close to the speakers I was. I was around 2m from a massive *wall* of speakers of titanic proportions. I noticed this as soon as the speakers started playing the before-show music (to get the crowd in the spirit). I was also only two metres from the stage, so I would be able to see the band up close, which was another great thing.

The arena began to fill up (including in the upstairs part, which consisted of a seating area), and I became a little unsure of whether my current place in the circle was the best choice.

It was.

The first band (OneDice I think...) came on, and started to play. They were the first support, but nonetheless a very good band. Plus, they were English, and you don't see that in the world of rock and metal nowadays... The pit didn't come as alive as it would, but there was a definite movement. Plus, it was deafeningly loud, and a real sense of personal feeling was portrayed (unlike at, say, Wembley, where you are always a great distance from the stage no matter where you are, and further back you just don't get the same effect. There was only one person between me and the bands: a security guard). Also, the Astoria is less "uptight" with its security. In Wembley Arena, if you crowdsurf, you are kicked out of the building. In London Arena, you are given a warning mark on your hand, and then kicked out if you do it again. Here, if you crowdsurfed, the security guards made sure you didn't hurt yourself (you are moved towards the front rather quickly), and then let you back in to the pit, often after congratulating you! I believe this makes the whole effect far bette
r: being relaxed about it is clearly the best idea.

Anyways, on came the next band (HateBreed), and by now, the crowd was quite warmed up. Suddenly there was a great surge to get forward, to around about where I was, so needless to say, I got a little crushed. Never mind. It was great nonetheless. I definitely chose a great place. Although I could imagine that anywhere in the arena would give you the same quality of sound and atmosphere, as the arena wasn't very big. Then came Sepultura.

The entire arena surged forward, apart from those who were at the rail, who held on for dear life. I saw every detail of the band, right down to the picture on their t-shirts, the stickers on their guitars. They rocked. But as this is an opinion about the arena, not the band, I will not go into detail.

As for the rest of the arena in general: the toilets were easy to reach, were very clean and hygenic, and there were plenty, so you wouldn't be left in a massive queue. The refreshments were the usual sort of arena-style-extortionate-price, but that is to be expected (£2 for a bottle of water!). The security guards were very friendly and competent, as were the staff at the refreshment kiosk. Leaving afterwards was easy, the security guards had opened one of the many side doors and I went out there. It was very easy to get back to the tube station; it was just over the road. So then I took the Central Line to Oxford Circus, and the Victora Line back down to Victoria. From there, I got a train. Simple!

Overall, I have no complaints about this venue except a very small one... At the rail, there is an enormous metal gate, which has no protective foam over its hinges. While I was standing there at one point, while the door was opened, I got pushed along slightly. I didn't notice this until the door closed, catching in it a part of my elbow. Luckily it was only skin etc,. but I *still have a scar*, and that problem could easily have been avoid
ed by putting a layer of foam or anything over the door part, so it still opened easily, but was also safe. Other than that, I have nothing bad to say about it. At all.

Summary: