Easter Night saw the re-emergence of Reclaim the Beach after a winter slumber, and this it did witha good deal of attitude. The eveing was kick started (like the generator) by the excellent 'Rythmns of Resistance', a 15-strong samba band who are not afraid of getting their drums sandy. Their awsome beats attracted allsorts of suprised passers by on to the beach and joining in with the growing crowd as the tide subsided.

Many people have refreshingly taken matters into their own hands somewhat, and there were more bonfires being built than ever before. There were also what seemed like armies of fire-twirling majorettes in colourful jumpers, and even a man selling sort of hot dogs to unsuspecting people. The samba drummers for some time made two parties out of one, when they moved along the beach at low tide and had a few hundred people whooping around them, but could not be heard a few hundred yards up the beach where the magic Klezmer Band, She'koyokh, were bringing a completely different flavour to a cool spring night on the Thames beach. The band played accordian, double bass and various other unrecognisable instruments and sang wonderful hearty jewish wedding-type music to a reeling frenzied dancing crowd. Spektrum, without whom a Reclaim the Beach is not quite the same, were as great as ever, turning the crowd wild with pulsating raunch thumping from the system.

The Big Blue, a large blue object installation, hung silently above the steps watching the proceedings over the heads of those arriving on the beach. It would have flashed at them when they arrived, and suprised them, but was a little tired from its journey from north of the river, and so just looked big and odd and suprisingly light instead. Traditional beach sandcastle art was created lovingly by some keen creatives, which looked slightly pagan and freakesh with a touch of the snowman about them with eyes made of saucers, a bit like their makers.

Numbers have grown over winter and there were many many people, most of them great, interesting, helpful and enthusiastic, even to the end recycling sorting part which is never fun, but many hands make it all go thet much faster. So it was a great night.

The Big Blue - City Mine[d]