Ah, gotta love events – especially boozy PR ones that involve cheeky awards and random karaoke at the bar across the street.
Yes, I finally made it to the Flackenhacks (or as they were called this year in tribute to the late King of Pop – the Jackenhacks). This is the third year for the awards. The first one was shortly after I started this blog and The World’s Leading gave me my first plug introducing me to the London PR scene. I was gutted I couldn’t go, and promised to go the second year’s, but that didn’t actually end up happening. I believe it was because I had just moved to London and my bank account was in dire straits.
I suppose that brings me to the cost this year… and meh – not so impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lovely time, but for £35 I ended up having two glasses of wine and a few nibbles. I can’t remember what time the bar actually ran out, but I think it was around 10, 10:30? The food was really tasty, but that too, was available for way too short a time. The poor lady going around with the tray was nearly attacked everytime she came out of the kitchen.
The awards themselves, while funny enough, were completely impossible to hear since people talked through the whole thing.
Anyhoo, suffice to say I had a much better time when we retired to Murphy’s to sing American Pie and Total Eclipse of the Heart at a ridiculously loud level.
Oh, and also watching girls trying to rip off Tim Hoang‘s shirt while he took down Brendan Cooper was pretty funny too.

15 October, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Hey Mel. we’re really sorry that you didn’t feel that you got great value last night. We put all the money from ticket sales behind the bar and by our reckoning that should have worked out at an average of 5/6 free drinks for everyone…so your two glasses of wine did come up short. I can only assume that there were bigger and faster drinkers around which, I guess, will always be the case.
The food we’re looking into (sponsors’ cash paid for the grub). We had to order food a while before the event on an estimate of numbers and a last-minute rush of ticket sales did mean that we slightly (but only slightly) under-catered. I think the greater problem was, as you point out, that the waiters and waitresses were (a) finding it difficult to navigate their way through the throng and (b) being pounced on as soon as leaving the kitchen doors and left with trays as bare as a new-born baby.
The sound seems to be an annual issue. We pumped it up as loud as possible and were assured by the venue that it would be good enough. It wasn’t. It also didn’t help that half the audience didn’t seem bothered about listening and carried on chatting away regardless. We were grateful to the Speed lads for persevering as valiantly as they did!
But hey, like we say, sorry you didn’t feel it was great value but hope the karaoke bar shenanigans made up for it…
16 October, 2009 at 8:11 am
Hi Mel,
great photo and nice meeting you that night.
All the best.
Roger
16 October, 2009 at 10:29 am
those pants look tight and shiny
20 October, 2009 at 7:13 pm
@jackenhacks
No worries, it’s all good. Bloody hard trying to organise an event of that magnitude!
20 October, 2009 at 9:49 pm
OK, that’s really quite embarrassing and I’d completely forgotten about it…
21 October, 2009 at 1:42 am
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23 October, 2009 at 11:06 am
Great photos and nice meeting you that night.
Good luck..
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