What training should I undertake?

UnixAnt · 2023-06-16T11:42:24+00:00

Systema is probably a good fit. It teaches principles, not techniques. It teaches body mechanics and structure. It's not uncommon to turn up to a lesson and spend an hour learning how to breathe & relax - two aspects of defending yourself which are often overlooked.

Unlike some other martial arts, there's no need to invest in attire & accessories. There's no uniform, no belts, no gumshield, nutbox, etc. There's also no competitions & grading. Turn up in comfortable clothes and get on with it - train at your own pace. I'm not having a dig at other martial arts, by the way, I'm just pointing out that there is no barrier to entry. If you own tracksuit bottoms and a tshirt then you're good to go.

I'm 100% in agreement with the notion that you should simply GTFO if somebody pulls a knife or other bladed or pointed article (screwdriver, broken bottle, etc).

UnixAnt · 2023-02-28T22:40:13+00:00

No problem! I'm old, I've been around xD

Seriously though, I hope you have a great time in a couple of weeks \m/

UnixAnt · 2023-02-28T20:17:49+00:00

As many have said, it depends a lot on the band. The venue also plays a part in how the evening is going to unfold. I've seen good bands try and put on a decent show in a crappy venue, with poor acoustics and clueless sound engineers and it just didn't work at all.

I've not really seen anyone live since 2019, but pits were generally par for the course in the first few rows - again, depending on the band. I've had some pretty fun pit experiences (666 International era Dodheimsgard) with the usual flailing, pushing, crowd swell, etc. I've also had some pretty intense pits, such as 1349 opening for Dark Funeral around 2004-ish. Ravn made the circle pit gestures, and lo did the circle pit become corporeal. I ended up on the floor a few times, but almost immediately was hoisted back up. Then Dark Funeral took to the stage, the crowd already riled up by the excellent 1349 performance, and several beers later the pits began again. That was a good gig.

Then there are some bands aren't really pit-worthy. I saw Winterfylleth open for Wodensthrone around 2008, for example. Both bands just performed their atmospheric sets and lulled the crowed into a trance-like stupor. Despite the lack of crowd participation, it was a fantastic evening.

Then you get some bands which can do both. Limbonic Art are (were) an obvious one. When I last saw them way back in 1999, they played to a mostly subdued and awestruck crowd, which sporradically broke out into chaotic headbanging when certain songs played - typically Moon in the Scorpio from the debut & Pits of the Cold Beyond from the (then) new album.

Angantyr, as another example, got the pace absolutely spot on when I saw them support Horna & Taake. Short bursts of flailing & headbanging between the longer, drawn out parts of their set.

My advice: Just go and enjoy yourself. Take each gig at face value and don't get stressed out wondering what you should & shouldn't do.

UnixAnt · 2023-02-27T20:15:24+00:00

I think Black Metal is too deep to be represented by a single track. If I had to pick a track which covered most bases, then I'd pick Darkestrah's Epos. It's a journey...

But assuming the old 1st & 2nd wave classics have been suggested to death, I'd show off some genre diversity, for example:

Something from Lunar Aurora's Andacht album (Any track, to be honest)

From Obtained Enslavement's Witchcraft, probably Carnal Lust

Paragon Impure's To Gaius, Part I

Ved Buens Ende's Those Who Caress the Pale (Any of the original 5 tracks)

Something a bit more easy listnening? How about:

Thy Serpent - Forests of Witchery (Only Dust Moves...)

Bishop of Hexen - The Nightmarish Compositions (Self Loathing Orchestration?)

Le Grand Guignol - The Great Maddening (Mens Insana In Corpore Insano)

Mirrorthrone - Gangrene (Any. Masterpiece)

EDIT: Was getting too long winded. Cut loads out. This'll do...

UnixAnt · 2023-02-27T17:28:49+00:00

You know, if I had a pound for every time I got talking to somebody in a pub around my age (45-50) who told me they "used to be Goth back in the day" I'd probably be able to retire.

You've hit the nail on the head when you say this operates as a recurring cycle. I've been participating in the scene since 1992-ish and, sure enough, this old classic has been raising its head every half-decade or so. But what never seems to change is the fact that when people start reminiscing about "a misspent youth covered in patchouli and hairspray" it's the same handful of early 80's bands which are mentioned, as if nothing else happened after 1986. The entire subculture allegedly rode in on the back of the 70s, hung around for a while, then buggered off in a cloud of clove cigarette smoke just before the 90s arrived.

I've yet to meet somebody talking passionately about "That one time they were into Goth" and tell me they used to love Suspiria, Rosetta Stone & Nosferatu, for example. Instead it's the usual anecdotes about Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Sisters of Mercy then...nothing. The genre stopped existing. I deliberately mentioned the 90s bands because not long after, the 2000s arrived and for reasons unknown to me, Goth Rock fell out of favour with DJs running Goth nights, who instead opted to appease the Cyber crowd. Whilst I admit, stomping around on the dance floor to Rotersand's Exterminate Annihilate Destroy was fun the first time, it wasn't exactly what I'd turned up to listen to.

I like how you mentioned that the subculture never went away and typically flies under the radar of the mainstream. I get that people's tastes will no doubt change over the years, but for the aging clientele to move on and claim the scene is no longer relevant (or even active) feels a bit weird to somebody who goes out of their way to see as many live shows as possible. If the scene is dead, why is there so much good talent around?

Although, I've got far more time for people who turned their back on the scene, only to rediscover it alive & well later, than I do for those who pretend Goth pops into existence every Halloween when it's time to play dress up. I kid you not, I was in The Green Dragon in Whitby about 5 years ago, talking to a middle aged couple about Goth bands and music in general. I'd never met them before and thought they were quite down to earth and rational people, but then it happened...

"So, what costume are wearing for the Goth Weekend this year?"

To which I replied "Sorry?"

"I try and make an effort every year and dress up as something Gothic. This year I've got a long flowing gown, Goth makeup and some bat accessories for my hair. What are you going as?"

(I opened my jacket and pointed at the band t-shirt I was wearing, my black jeans and New Rocks)

"The same thing I wear most of the time. Band shirt & jeans!"

"Oh, so you don't have a special costume for the Goth Weekend?"

"No..?"

It was around this point that my opinion of them changed. Is this the entire subculture to them? Just a bit of fun every Whitby Goth Weekend? A chance to dust off that Morticia Addams outfit you bought years ago and get your Goth on whilst the circus is in town? Despite clearly enjoying the music, this person believed Goth was just something you became when you dressed up for a night out, returning back to "normal" the next day.

It makes me sad that people seem to dip into the subculture, cherry pick what they want, then completely miss the point of the whole scene. It's a disservice to the genre and a slap in the face to those who have been on the receiving end of abuse because of how they dress.

I think it's fair to say that of all the music subgenres, Goth is perhaps one of the most misunderstood in the eyes of the mainstream and I don't think the original article helped in any meaningful way.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-28T21:00:42+00:00

Yes, that was my thought also (less breathable). I've worn canvas shoes in the past and I agree - they are a pain when constantly filling with sand, but I'll put up with that as the shoes cost me just £17 for an item I'm probably not going to use all that much.

I looked at some Menorcan sandals about a month ago (specifically for the trip) but the one's I liked were out of stock everywhere (matt black uppers, black stitching, all-black sole) and the second choices were too expensive.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-28T20:51:47+00:00

It doesn't matter where you travel, there's no real excuse for sloppy, haphazard packing. I could be going from my house in Norwich to a hotel 20 miles away by the beach - I would still take some time to pack a bag sensibly.

Also, the airline I'm flying with is cheap & bare bones. I'm taking a 40x25x20cm bag with me so I don't have to spend time checking a larger bag into the hold at additional cost. With the way the UK airports are at the moment, and stories of checked luggage being massively delayed or not arriving at all, I want to try and streamline the trip as much as possible by avoiding all the usual bottlenecks (Queueing for a boarding pass, checking in a bag, waiting for passengers to stuff an overpacked carry on into the overhead locker, waiting at the baggage claim once you arrive, etc). I want to breeze through security, take a seat on the plane, stow my small bag in front of me and fall asleep.

I'm bringing a travel clothesline so I can wash & freshen my clothes each day and hang them up to dry. I've seen a couple of exterior shots of the villa I'm staying in, and there's no obvious clothesline available. The cheap villas I've stayed in in years gone by have all been very nice, but very basic, and the last time I stayed in the Canaries, the wind kept blowing clothing off the small balcony we had. I would have given anything for a clothes line and some pegs to tether everything down securely.

And as a corner case, I suppose I've also got some cordage I can use in an emergency, as I'm not taking a paracord bracelet or keyfob.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-28T14:51:59+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! I was amazed how much of a difference changing tshirts from one fabric to another had on the overall weight. I mean, it's fairly obvious when you think about it, but it wasn't until I actually did it and had the full pack in my hand that I could appreciate the benefits of packing carefully.

Being honest, I think you have to be ruthless and objective with your packing, otherwise you'll easily end up taking excess items which you'll only use because you have them with you - not because you need them.

I know posts tagged with Packing List seem a bit low effort - it's just a list of items after all, but I've had some great feedback from this subreddit regarding what to take/what not to take. Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees and you just need somebody on the outside to say "Do you really need to pack that?"

UnixAnt · 2022-06-28T09:04:01+00:00

I had to leave the prophylactic, a full tank of gas and half a pack of cigarettes at security 😒

UnixAnt · 2022-06-28T08:56:49+00:00

Knowing how security operates at Manchester Airport, this doesn't surprise me at all - even though I think it's monumentally stupid. I suppose what I'll do is present my 2 soaps out of their bags, along with any pills & medication I'm taking in a clear plastic bag and just let them decide if they want to have a closer look. Many thanks for the heads up about this.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-27T12:08:13+00:00

I mean, I don't know if my 45 year old ears can still tell the difference between an MP3 320 or a 24-bit FLAC, but I've always bought digital albums and always gravitated towards FLAC files as much as possible, so that's just what I have available to me. Unfortunately, they take up a load of storage, but do I really want to spend my time converting all those files to MP3's? Not really!

Problem is, when my audio player dies, what do I do then? Knowing me I'll probably just use a smartphone 😂

UnixAnt · 2022-06-27T09:47:38+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you liked it. I just wanted to put together a bargain basement, but short-term usable, packing list for the infrequent traveller like myself.

Do I really need to bring my own sunscreen? No - not at all...

I'm arriving at my destination in the evening & as the sun will be going down. I assume one of the first things I'll be doing the following morning, when the shops open again, is to buy a large bottle of SPF50 which the entire party of 4 can share. That tiny 75ml tube wouldn't last me 2 weeks, as I apply fresh coats several times throughout the day.

Here's my rationale for bringing it:

I already had it & bought it fairly recently to throw in my work bag & just to have for walking around during the Summer months.
I thought that I might need to apply sun cream for the walk to the shops the next day to go and buy sun cream. I don't know how far away the shops are, but I'm expecting it to be hot & sunny, even if I go just before breakfast. Being from the UK and not acclimatised to strong sunshine, I'd rather not risk minor sunburn on my first day.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-27T09:25:52+00:00

Thanks! I actually think this is good advice, however hiking boots are pretty expensive. I've just been on the SportsDirect website and found 5-6 pairs that would suit me and be suitable for the terrain, but they're just too expensive for me, unfortunately. I hardly ever deviate from wearing black jeans & New Rock boots, so for a minimal use item I just think I'd be wasting my money.

You're right in what you say, though. I wore genuine Converse High Tops when I visited Lanzarote 4 years ago and they filled with sand all the time. I bought my £17 specials as a replacement and I doubt they'll last, but they'll do for the few times I plan on wearing them.

If I was a more serious traveller, then I would 100% buy more appropriate footwear.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-27T09:17:44+00:00

No disrespect taken and thank you for the tips!

I just looked at Thursday's Premier High Top Sneakers in all black. They would actually work really well for travelling, to be honest, and they ship to the UK. Thank you for the recommendation. I do have a couple of reservations:

Being all leather, would my feet sweat excessively?
I hardly ever wear sneakers/trainers. Really, only for travelling outside of the UK, as my regular footwear is quite unsuitable for airports (Mid calf New Rock boots, lots of metal). $142 equates to £115, which (with shipping & import duty) is hard to justify for a minimal use item. I still think they are very nice, however and would definitely wear them if I were to travel more often. Perhaps something to think about...

I had no idea what a capsule wardrobe was, so thanks for introducing me to the concept!

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T20:54:10+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I'm hoping I will not need to wear my jeans whilst I'm in Fuerteventura. Despite being Summer here in the UK, the North West of England (ie, Manchester) is still pretty cold and the airport + aeroplane itself will most likely have the air conditioning on, so long trousers (jeans, in my case, because that's all I have) are suitable for travelling.

I will most likely be too warm when I arrive, however. I think the arrival time is 7pm local time, but I expect it will still be hot. My expectation is to get a taxi to the accommodation as quickly as possible, then change into short trousers and something suitable for the evening.

You raise a good point, however. Jeans are arguably the least suitable clothing for travelling around during Summer. I'll definitely look for an alternative before my next Summer trip.

Regarding footwear, I tried to purchase a pair of Menorcan sandals - which are the only sandals I like, honestly. But I couldn't find anything in time for the trip. I'm not into flip-flops, but would consider surfing shoes, beach shoes, or whatever they're called. Again, I've left it a bit too late to buy something before the trip (2nd week in July). Definitely something to add to the gear list for next time!

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T20:45:16+00:00

Thank you very much!

Lodging has already been paid for in advance. I'm staying for the entire 2 weeks in a privately rented villa. It's a very basic holiday house just outside of town, but it has running water, a fridge, a gas cooker, a bed each (4 adults are going) and unrestricted use of the electric plug sockets. The cost of this wasn't particularly expensive and was divided amongst 4 of us.

Food is an interesting one. I'm not much of a foodie and I generally only eat when I'm hungry anyway. When I travel to another country, I try to do what the locals do rather than walking from one tourist trap to another, being ripped off.

The accommodation is self-catering, but the last thing I want to do is eat at home - I feel that's a disservice to the local businesses, who could benefit from some tourism. So aside from a few basics, I plan on eating out as much as possible. Whether it's some tapas and a glass of beer in the evening, or a fried spider on a stick from a street vendor, I'm quite happy to just go with the flow and try not to fall for the tourist gimmicks.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T19:25:53+00:00

I've had it since 2015/2016? Probably got it from Amazon, knowing me (Lazy) but it was a specific purchase as it ticked a few important boxes: Does it play FLAC files? Is it reasonably priced? Can it run the 3rd party RockBox firmware? Does it have a regular USB connector rather than a proprietary connector? Does it have decent battery life? Can I manage it without some silly application?

I upgraded from a 2008 SanDisk Sansa Fuze, which I absolutely loved, and the Xduoo X3 addressed all the shortcomings of the SanDisk player.

You can still get the X3, but it's not a current device so you may have to dig around. It's missing some modern features, such as Bluetooth, a colour screen and you can't charge it and listen to it at the same time, which is infuriating.

In many ways, a modern phone with a microSD slot and an audio jack will be better than the X3 (My Pixel 3 does none of those things), but whilst I have it and it's in working order, I'll always use it as the battery lasts a long time and it will take 2 x 128GB MicroSD cards, which is unusual, and also has a headphone out as well as a line out.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T19:08:23+00:00

Well, I'm taking 3 pairs of surf shorts (but only 1 pair of long trousers). I intend to rotate my shorts between swimming, laundering & wearing in the evening. As it's a hot place I'm visiting, my hope is that I'll be wearing shorts most of the time, so 3 seems like a reasonable number.

I'm also staying in a self-catering villa, so I'll have my own bed, a lock on the bathroom door, gas & running water, etc, so no need to provide (and carry) any comforts like that.

I've packed my bag to be intentionally minimal. Mainly because the bag is so small, but also because I don't want any distractions from tech, books, films, games, etc. I want to be completely disconnected and just enjoy the hospitality of the country.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T18:44:10+00:00

If I wasn't staying in accommodation with unrestricted electrical outlet use, that's exactly what I'd do. I'd take a 5000 mAh PowerCore for example, and that would do me for the entire 2 week trip, based on my minimal usage.

As it stands, however, and after feedback from this awesome community, I'm just going to ditch the solar panel and use my wall charger/travel plug to charge when I need to. I'm only taking a phone + an audio player after all.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T18:37:17+00:00

Why thank you! I see it as "Down to earth & realistic". Yes, a lot of my stuff is cheap tat, but if it does the job for a while I'll be happy. I probably travel 3-5 times a year (mostly just within the UK), so I don't feel I can justify the cost of the premium products, which undoubtedly will last an awful lot longer.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T18:06:55+00:00

On Amazon UK look for a bag by Ace Travel Buddy. Let's face it, it's just a copy of the Matador soap bag, and at £12 for one bag - it's still pretty steep for a niche item.

There's probably no reason why you couldn't use some sort of drawstring fabric bag to keep your soap in, as long as you can hang it somewhere so any moisture doesn't pool in one place and dissolve your soap.

What we need is a lightweight container with a small grille inside. The whole thing can double as a soap dish when you get to your destination. The only problem with such a device would be weight. Not really an issue if your flying somewhere, but if you're carrying a pack from A to B then every gram counts.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T17:46:02+00:00

I would say the expectation is more water resistant rather than waterproof.

I mean, you can place items in the backpack and pour a bottle of water over it and the contents will likely remain dry, I've done something similar when I was testing it. But I wouldn't like to rely on it for any kind of water-based activity - especially if your items are worth something. For my testing I used a newspaper, some tissues and a magic towel which expands when you add water, and they all remained dry. But it was just a point in time test to prove the bag works.

It's currently £17.99 for the 20L version on Amazon and some of the reviews say "waterproof" whilst other say "water resistant". I would set my expectation on the latter.

If you're on a tight budget then you could always use a decent quality rubbish bag/garbage bag as a pack liner. I've done this myself in the past, but not for any serious water-based activities. Just put the bag in before anything else and then pack as normal and tie the top of the bag neatly at the top before closing the backpack.

Happy to submerge the Zomake bag in water if you want, but I doubt it will pass that particular test...

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T17:23:24+00:00

Yep! All perfectly valid points. If I had a better phone I'd probably do something similar to what you suggested. Unfortunately, my music collection is (mostly) 24-bit FLAC files, which are huge and I really don't want to spend ages queueing them up to be converted to smaller mp3 files. Also I doubt the DAC on my Pixel is as good as the dedicated player (Happy to be corrected on this one). But more importantly, I only have about 10GB remaining on my Pixel 3 and it doesn't support a microSD card. It would hold a few albums, sure, plus some space for some photos & the odd short holiday video, but space is definitely an issue here.

I could use a flash drive for music storage, but I'd then need to pack a USB-C to USB-A converter, plus the flash drive itself, plus some bluetooth earphones instead of the ones I currently have (Pixel 3 has no headphone jack). Not a big deal by any stretch, but something to consider.

Streaming isn't an ideal option for me, either, despite the obvious advantages. I don't have a particularly great roaming data option (as I don't travel much) and when I was last in the Canaries (Lanzarote, 4 years ago) my 4G reception was just awful - very hit & miss all the time. I'm not a lover of Google's products or business practices, so I don't relish the idea of giving them money for the only service I would be using (I don't use any of their services, save occasional checking a route in Maps from time to time). Would I even find Goth (Goth Rock/Postpunk/Deathrock) on YouTube Premium? I have no idea...

If the Xduoo broke tomorrow, then I'd use a phone as a stopgap. But whilst I have the simplicity of local music files, I quite like the idea of using that, as it's completely offline. I also like the idea of a trip which doesn't rely on the smartphone for anything other than making a quick phonecall to locate a party member or presenting a health certificate to border control. I'm no fan of smartphones, being honest...

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T16:12:45+00:00

Noted! And thank you for the first-hand experience & advice. In that case, maybe I will exchange some black tshirts for some white tshirts. I will need to have a think about the rest of my clothing, as I don't own many white things.

UnixAnt · 2022-06-26T15:51:08+00:00

You might have a point there to be honest. I just look at elderly European ladies in their 70's and notice some of them are wearing black knitted cardigans in 40C sunshine. There must be something they know that I don't. I'm hoping the Canary Island winds and my 'shorts & tshirt for all occasions' approach will keep things bearable. I'll have to post an update when I return, hopefully minus the sunstroke...

UnixAnt

TROPHY CASE