Last weekend we were very fortunate to witness the amazing Giants as they visited Liverpool. Royal De Luxe last visited Liverpool in 2014 and I was so amazed back then that when we heard they were bringing their giants back to the streets of Liverpool we just couldn't wait.
I suppose if you have never heard of Royal De Luxe before or of the giants then you probably have no idea what I am talking about so let me quickly explain. Royal De Luxe are a company of inventors, stuntmen, poets and scrap-dealers all at once, led by Jean-Luc Courcoult. Royal de Luxe are currently considered to be an iconic, almost mythical, street theater company - equal to the Theatre du Soleil for conventional indoor theatre.
On Thursday 4th October Little Boy Giant was seen resting in St Georges Hall in Liverpool. It was the first appearance of the Giant who would be walking around Liverpool that weekend. Thousands of people queued to see the giant sleeping and in the evening of the 4th a surprise visitor also appeared at St Georges Hall, Xolo. Xolo the dog has visited Liverpool before back in 2014 with Little Girl Giant, Her Grandma and Her Deep Sea Diver Uncle. From what I saw on TV the crowds went crazy when the dog appeared as I know he was a favourite last time he visited.
We had planned to go to Princes Park after school on Friday 5th October to see the Little Boy Giant after he had a sleep with Xolo. We arrived at 4pm and the streets were filled with people eagerly awaiting the Giants. We managed to get a good spot and little J was excited although didn't know what to expect. He hd seen them before but he was only one at the time so other than showing him photos he couldn't remember.
About 4:30pm there was a buzz in the air and you just knew the Giants were on their way. First up was Xolo. He's so playful and likes to really interact with the crowds. We were shouting his name as he approached where we stood and he came charging over with his tongue out and tail wagging. Little J was amazed and kept asking me was he real. Even though you could see his mechanisms and the people operating him, I said yes.
Next was the Little Boy Giant. He approached us to the sounds of African music. He was huge and little J just stared at him. I wasn't sure whether he would be afraid or not but he loved it. Big J has seen the giants before and I was so pleased he came along too as I know it may not be a cool thing to do at 16 but it's an experience he will never forget.
Once the Giants had passed little J instantly said he wanted to see them again. Luckily we had already planned to visit Liverpool Town Centre on the Saturday as a 3rd Giant had appeared. He was just called the Giant and believe me he was huge.
On the Saturday the Giant was resting at the Albert Dock due to wake up at 11am. We headed in to town which wasn't as busy as I had expected but it turns out we were just very lucky parking as the crowds were insane when we actually got by the Giants.
We got to the dock just in time to see him being lifted out of his bed and placed on to the street ready for his walk around town. We managed to squeeze in on the roadside and within minutes he was walking past us.
He was absolutely amazing and it really was of those 'you have to see it, to believe it' moments. Little J was just staring at him as he walked past. I would love to know what went through his head as he saw him, then said ' What's his name?' I replied 'He's just called the Giant' Little J thought for a minute and said 'I want to call him Jesus' To be fair he was dressed like the images we see of Jesus with beige robes on and sandals. John said he looked like Luke Skywalker!
Once he had gone we decided to hang around for a hour as the boy giant and Xolo were on their way to where we were. We popped to the toilet, visited the official merchandise stand and then found a space on the roadside. I had brought a packed lunch so we sat and ate that and within minutes we could hear the African music and huge crowds walked towards us. It was the little boy Giant first. He had walked to just where we were sitting and then he stopped as the company set out a huge table and chair and they prepared to give him his lunch. Xolo shortly followed and was given a wash and a pamper before having some lunch too.
This was like watching a show as it went on for about 20/30 minutes as we saw the giant eat his lunch followed by a huge cream cake. It was amazing seeing him actually eating and wondering where on earth did it go?
After the lunch show the music changed to soft and quiet music and both the little boy giant and Xolo fell asleep.
The Royal De Luxe company then left their posts to take a well earned bow and received a huge round of applause. The way they work to make the giants move and walk is incredible. They are swinging off huge ropes from the top of the giant to the floor and constantly pulling on ropes to make their mouths move and hands. It's unbelievable. I could watch the Giants all day, they are fascinating. Unfortunately if the rumour is true that was the last ever appearance of the Giants, I really hope not as it's amazing to watch and would love to see them again.
Michelle
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