Punkabilly in Poland

19.11.06

Arrived in Varsoova (Warsaw) yesterday at 7,30am after an overnight bus trip - both feeling a bit shabby but smugly pleased to have saved a night's accomodation bill. After tramping around the bus station in a sleep-deprived daze trying to find simple things such as ATM, bus stop to town etc, which was somehow all harder than it should have been, we managed to get ourselves some zloty and to the youth hostel.

Youth hostel was booked out so they sent us uptown to a rather nice hotel (ie: we had a telly) that was actually the same price as the hostel room because they have a DISCOUNT on the weekends - does that seem odd to you? It seems weird to me but I'm not complaining. Wish we'd stayed there another night, but we're back in the hostel now for tonight and tomorrow. Nathan's Villa Hostel is the name, somehow never thought I'd be staying in a place called Nathan. And now that I mention it, I don't think I ever really pictured myself in Warsaw or Poland, but there ya go, here I am.

We spent yesterday getting our bearings, tramping up and down the main street, as one tends to do in a new town. Didn't make it to the old town yet (which is actually a new, rebuilt version of the old town that had the bejesus bombed out of it in the war), but we did climb the tallest, ugliest building in Poland - the Palace of Science and Technology. Built by Stalin, it is thought to be one of the finest examples of yuk Soviet architecture around. It is big.

As last night was Saturday, and we're in a large grotty capital city, we decided we'd better see what Warsaw had to offer in the way of nightclubbing entertainment. After a modest Polish feast, we checked out a few bars, which were thankfully all in the vicinity of each other/our hotel and this is what we found.

Beerhall place - pretty horrible, home-brewed beer was good, but it was packed with people getting geared up for some foolsball match and the staff decked out in wrong-looking 'national costumes' was a bit ick.

Local pub type place - seemed quite good, if you were there with at least 5 others, which we weren't. Saw a round of about 20 shots of evil looking blue 'vomit-maker' cocktail being delivered to one table and thought, actually maybe we're glad we're not here with a big group!

Lemon nightclub - utterly hideous. As Isco remarked, it's sad when 20-year old kids look like they're depressed sad old drunks so early in the night. Loud, bad music (described as 'hangover volume' by the guidebook). Utterly dull - picture Club 77 on a bad night. At this stage we were getting a bit worried, thinking "Could Warsaw be as bad as Sydney on an off evening?" But then we made it to...

Aurora - fantastic, we struck gold! A band called Miguel and the Living Dead were playing - these guys are the Polish version of Zombie Ghost Train, check it out: http://www.myspace.com/miguelandthelivingdead

Anyway, the club was great, excellent people, plenty of Polish goths/punks/psychobilly types there. A girl I met asked if we'd come to Warsaw especially for this gig, as we seemed to fit right in. Apparently a lot of people had come from various parts of the country for this special night - I said nup! Just luck and good timing. Some terrible UK punk band, Ausgang, was also playing - they surcked... the worst thing I heard was their version of California Uber Alles - honestly, why would you cover a great song, and make it sh*t? Ridiculous?!

Anyway, Isco spent half the night chatting to some sort of skinhead gang member type, who thankfully hated nazis but kept telling us he was a 'hooligan'. I forced some American dude to dance with me - he lives in Warsaw and plays in another punky band called Nasty Habits. Maybe I like this town : )