I'm not sure why I expected something new as I've seen year upon year of midnight explosions, now, and the variation is minimal. Forgive me for comparing something as expensive as London's New Year fireworks to a meagre £6k Wythall display in November but cheaper is better. Wythall's display included deliberate pauses and crescendoes rather than a constant attack. The end was defined and noticeable. It lasted longer. It didn't try too hard. The fireworks were visible, rather than described as "oooh, pastel colours" in parts.
As for the choice of music, I'm equally disappointed. Akin to the big bangs, the sound engineers crammed in as many popular tracks as they could. I spotted Dizzee Rascal's Bonkers towards the end which, I might add, was not famed in 2012 at all. Did they cram so many songs in that they had to dip into previous years? Is my popular music rant deserving of perhaps suggesting that I'm getting old or was it really just a bit naff?
Admittedly, when I could see the fireworks through the smoke it did look impressive. Just not impressive enough. If the planners had reeled it in a bit and spread out the massive displays to weave with some smaller shows it would have held my concentration for longer and made me far more interested in what was going to come next.
When I saw the London fireworks for myself, squished at the banks of the Thames in 2010, one of the best moments was the very end when the sky slowly cleared and the twinkles from the last explosion faded. The crowd crescendoed to a deafening cheer and shouts of "Happy New Year!" in all different languages and accents were heard. The BBC always miss that bit and cut the edit immediately after the last firework has done its duty. Shame.
But what can one hope for after such an intense year focused on London's expertise? We've burnt out a bit with the Olympics, Paralympics and Jubilee. Maybe 2013's display will be longer, more subtle and with a bit more care.
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