Summer Of '75 (Roger Taylor/Queen)

Chapter 20

Amelia's P.OV.

The drive from Rusper to Brighton didn't take long at all, despite the busy traffic on the road and the couple of queues we ended up having to wait in which set us back on the way. Even when we were stationary, we certainly weren't sort of entertainment to keep us amused. Most of the journey consisted of the guys arguing over what music to play on the radio, with suggestions coming from Charlotte and I every so often to try and keep the peace between them. Brian wanted Beatles, Roger wanted some Who, Freddie wanted Hendrix (John suggested some funk to settle the dispute, but we all firmly said no to that). It was a nightmare. But after going through their collection of cassette tapes, we eventually settled on listening to Physical Graffiti, a fairly recent album, and the arguing was brought to an end.

When we arrived in Brighton and drove down through the town of many streets towards the waterfront, I wasn't surprised to see that the place was absolutely heaving with people. Everywhere you looked, there were holidaymakers and families lining the pavements going about their business - which I knew would make finding a parking spot prove very difficult. We drove around the town checking out car parks for any free spaces, preferably as close to the beach as possible, but to no avail.

'It's just so damn busy.' Brian sighed as we pulled out of another fully accommodated car park.

'Well, it is the height of the summer, Brian. Is it any wonder? Roger replied to his comment, rolling his eyes.

We drove around for a bit longer, our hope wearing thin, until John pointed out a sign for a car park which we hadn't been to yet.

'There, look.' he informed Brian, pointing to junction quickly before the guitarist drove straight past it.

Turning in, we weren't expecting to find a free space here either, but our luck soon changed when someone in a red Vauxhall began pulling out of a space just meters in front of us. Brian sat at the wheel with determination on his face as he waited for the car to drive away. When it finally did, he swung into the space with ease before putting the handbrake on and switching off the engine.

He smiled to himself, 'At long last.'

Luckily for us, we'd found a parking spot just a few minutes walk away from the beach (you could even see it from here) so at least we wouldn't have to walk for miles to find the van again, or struggle to remember where we had left it either. We all jumped out and shut the doors behind us, the guys grabbing some stuff from the boot, before Brian locked it up. As we began walking, I couldn't help but notice Freddie's edginess as he looked around him, as if he were searching for someone.

'You looking out for somebody, Freddie?' I asked, putting my sunglasses on.

'Hm?' his gaze landed on me, 'Oh. No, no. Just...looking around.'

'You're not keeping an eye out for photographers, are you?' I asked worriedly. Maybe going somewhere with the band further afield from the farm wasn't such a good idea after all.

'No, the press won't be here. I'm just, uh, observing my lovely surroundings, that's all. Brighton brings back a lot of childhood memories, you see - I used to come here often when I was younger.'

I nodded my head in reply, although I still think he was hiding something. Not wanting to question him further, I said nothing more about it and caught up with Charlotte as the two of us strolled along the pavement together. However, my suspicions were right as when we made it to the seafront, there was a surprise waiting for Brian, John and Freddie - although he was the one who had planned it. As we walked along the seafront, we were approached by two women - a brunette and a red-head, who was heavily pregnant. Being me, I just assumed they were fans at first glance, but after seeing the guys reactions, I realised they were much more than that.