📙 Part 2: Describe an event you attended in which you didn't enjoy the music played

This episode's vocabulary

Get-together (n) – A small informal social gathering. → We decided to have a small get-together at the new venue.

Venue (n) – The place where something happens, such as a concert, conference, or sports event. → It was a new venue up the road from where we live.

A change of scene (idiom) – A move to a different place or environment for a new experience. → For whatever reason, we had decided on a change of scene.

Seemed like a good idea at the time (idiom) – A phrase used to say that a decision appeared correct when it was made, but was later proven to be wrong. → It definitely seemed like a good idea at the time, although it turned out not to be.

To no avail (idiom) – Without any success or any effect. → We asked them to turn the music down, but to no avail.

Put up with (phrasal verb) – To tolerate or endure something unpleasant. → We'd already paid, so we just had to put up with it.

Usual haunts (n) – Places that someone visits frequently. → We'll probably just go back to our usual haunts next time.

Intrusive (adj) – Causing disruption or annoyance through being unwelcome. → The music was a lot less intrusive and there's a bit more peace and quiet.

Barely hear yourself think (idiom) – An expression used to describe a place that is extremely noisy. → It was so loud you could barely hear yourself even think.

Overwhelming (adj) – Very great in amount or effect; overpowering. → The volume was overwhelming and made it hard to talk.

Ghastly (adj) – Extremely unpleasant or bad. → If you don't like a particular genre, you might describe the music as ghastly.

End up (phrasal verb) – To finally be in a particular place or situation, often unexpectedly. → We'll probably end up going somewhere very different.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Describe an event you attended in which you didn't enjoy the music played. You should say what it was, who you went with, why you decided to go there, and explain why you didn't enjoy it.

Rory: I suppose the one that immediately comes to mind is the last time I had lunch with my friends or the place where I had lunch with my friends. Speaking about what it was, it wasn't anything special. We just decided to have a small get together at this new venue up the road from where we live. Apparently, it's been open for a while, but we, well, I'd never been before. So we decided to try it out. It's like a big open plan eating and drinking space inside this brewery with live music. If we consider who I went with, like I said, it was just some friends who live locally. We've been getting together at each other's houses for years now, but for whatever reason we had decided on a change of scene. So when I think about why I decided to go there, it's actually quite vague. I'm pretty sure it was just for a bit of variety. And it definitely seemed like a good idea at the time, although it turned out later not to be such a good idea. Because as for why I didn't enjoy it, or at least as far as why I didn't enjoy it is concerned, it wasn't the music itself that was the problem. It was the volume they played it at. It was way too loud and you could barely hear yourself even think, let alone understand what the person next to you was saying. And that seemed totally unnecessary, and I wish they just turned it down. In fact, I'm pretty sure that some of us asked at some point, but that was to no avail, and unfortunately, we'd already paid for lunch. So we just had to put up with it. If we ever decide to do something like that again, I think we'll probably end up going somewhere very different or maybe just back to our usual haunts where the music is a lot less intrusive and it's a there's a bit more peace and quiet. I know that's my preference for sure.