The Pyramid Centre in Portsmouth seems like a long way to go to see a band... mainly because it is!…read moreSituated right on the south coast it's one of those "you have to know about it" venues. That said it does attract a good array of touring acts from around the world. On tonight's menu was the band Black Stone Cherry "Heavy rock, southern style". I like this band, they have great riffs, amazing vocals and harmony's. The music's actually not that heavy and they write about peace and raining without ever whining about it (take that counting crows!). The venue it'self is a flat, pyramid shaped room with the stage at one end and a crowded and over priced bar at the other (as standard), it lacks the character of other theatre style venues like Brixton or Shepherds bush which both have raked floors and balconies etc. This means being caught behind a tall person can kill your gig. I didn't get caught behind a tall person, I got caught in the slam pit! I've not done any proffessional moshing for many year an it would appear the rules have changed somewhat. Elbows and kicking are now acceptable, as are obese 14 year olds with their tops off! That experience nearly tainted my whole evening, yet I'm still going with 4 stars because I got to see Duff's (Formerly of Guns N Roses) new band... yeah they sucked, but it never hurts to be in the presence of a legend!

My boyfriend and I took his two young children (3 & 5) to swim here on a Wednesday afternoon last…read moreMarch. We arrived a bit early and the staff at the pool told that we could kill time in the adjacent cafe. The staff at the pool reception was notably grumpy and lacked customer service. They did not give us a great initial impression of the facility. We ha to walk outside and around the building to reach the cafe. It was a bit of a hike on a freeing cold day, but a good spot for a hot chocolate as we waited for the pool to open. I can't remember the price, but we felt like it was reasonable. The changing rooms and lockers are enormous and clean. The bathrooms were clean, but lacking both hand soap and towels. I thought this was especially strange as they had just opened for the day. We all loved the pool complex, especially the kids. They had several large tube slides and a wave pool. For the smaller kids, they had a splash pool with water fountains and small slides. The water was all heated to a comfortable temperature and the building itself was kept warm. it was humid, but I appreciated the fact that I was never cold when getting out of the water. Luckily we visited on a quiet day. I imagine that this place gets very busy and very crowded. We didn't put much money in the parking meter and left in two hours. The kids would have loved to have stayed longer and we should have. It's a very cool facility.

I have never used the swimming pool at the Pyramids, however i hear that is is brilliant for kids,…read morelots of water slides to keep them occupied. I have been to the Pyramids for gigs / events however. Its a big space, the sound is clear and the lighting rig well set out. The room used for the gigs is suitable for bands of all sizes. I was present at a New Years event a couple of years ago in the glass roofed room, and although the sound quality in there was slightly lacking, the space in the room made up for it!

Depending on what you're into, The Portsmouth Pyramids Centre is either a swimming pool and leisure…read morecentre or the main gig venue in Portsmouth. Located side by side, The Pyramids Centre is generally referred to as a venue, as it receives plenty of attention from internationally famous bands including The Darkness, Fear Factory and Hundred Reasons. The venue is fair sized, and (surprisingly) carpeted, so it is more comfortable to sit down while you're waiting between support acts. The bar has an inconvenient wall opposite it preventing a view of the stage from the middle of the bar, but this encourages few barflies, and drinks are more easily accessible.

LA Bowl welcome everyone no matter what age they are. They have about 20 computerised lanes of…read morebowling. They cater for children's parties and will serve food with various different packages. Prices were average for this sort of place but I was impressed to see that under 4's are only charged £1.00 and for a small membership fee you can get discounts off the standard charge. It's easy to find, near to the bus station on the island and ferry links to Portsmouth.

This place was very good. We had a great time. The price was ok but it was so busy. We would have…read morenever got a game if we didn't book in advance. We did have a good time though and the location is perfect. We did not have aany food there but it did look good. The staff were also very friendly.

Superb ice skating rink in Ryde, Isle of Wight. With the music blaring you can let your hair down…read moreand get going - that is if you can stay upright! Thank goodness it has dimmed lights and not everyone can see you making a fool of yourself - when the small kids whizz past you! On first impressions the staff did seem a bit young and vague but when you got talking to them they seemed to know what they were about. Prices were good and they offered family tickets and group rates. They seem to offer different things for all ages.

I love ice skating. We went here on holiday and it was very quiet. You can stay on the ice for ages…read moreand not many people are there. This was very surprising because the proce was very good. We had a great time there. The only fault was the staff. They were not very helpful and a bit rude. However we had a great time.