... he ain't no human being.
OK so if the Sex Pistols wrote their jubilee song 45 years later they may have changed human being to something that rhymed with king but probably not as tame as Matlock's tweet of silly thing. Although I guess that was one of their song titles. And king should rhyme with being better than queen does but for some quirk of the pronunciation of the English language it don't.
Anyways we have tickets for the Windmill who are presenting the currently aptly named The Queen's Head which I assume is a nod (geddit) to the pub on Stockwell Road that back in the day had a bit of a reputation and spawned The Fat White Family Band according to lore. Debbie and I cycle having to use lights on our way there for the first time for a few months. Of course Pete and Wendy are already there and just about finished their drinks then Todd joins us in a while. The locals are having to suffer the non stop coverage of the death of the monarch instead of their usual fare of European football. First up are The Early Mornings who are a trio and great musicians. The bassist is fabulous running up and down the neck and I think playing chords at some stages. Sounded like it or maybe he was just very very fast. They flitted across genres from a Raincoats like post punk to a funky Stone Roses style with a bit of indie angst thrown in. Some hard guitar riffs too. Drummer kept the two guitarists honest. They don't say a lot, in fact nothing apart from the guitarist singer saying they were getting a headache and then thanking us at the end of the set. Excellent start. Blue Bendy look interesting and sound interesting but in that typical British meaning of interesting which often non Brits mistake for actually being interesting rather than hmmm, well yeah. Which is what this lot were like. It just sounded a bit of a mish mash to me without a driving rhythm. Pete complains it was all a bit jazzy and whilst I know what he means it's not the magnificent mangling of jazz that that other Windmill band black midi gives us. We move outside again which I hate doing for a band that has bothered to write songs and play them to us whether I like them or not but I don't think we were missed as the place is packed and remains so all night. Maybe another time and place. As I say, interesting. Last up are the band who when I first saw them listed thought it a dubious name but maybe they were waiting for this moment. The Queen's Head are very popular. They have a varied look including someone in a suit and a Trainspotting Ewan McGregor doppleganger, as was the singer of the previous band. Maybe it's the new look rather than the blindfold in the jumble sale look which I'm trying hard to achieve. We are pushed out of the dance floor although that doesn't stop us indulging and who can resist this fabulous mix of rock indie and funky dance. The music veers around and keeps on coming back to a deep groove that makes me think they have been indulging in a fair bit of Stone Roses, see the theme of the night, and Chemicals. The Brothers I mean not the class As. There again... given the usage of the cubicle in the loos I do wonder. By the way Bruce's The Burnout sticker's head has finally been stuck over after all these years. It had a good run and some is still visible. Anyway the kids love them, the band I mean, sorry about the digression, and so do we. Yay for dancing at the Windmill!! After all that excitement we pop outside again for further discussion of my rusty chain and my cleansing and lubricating of it and no one asks if we want to sit down. God, the time that happens in the Windmill garden may be the time to come just to watch the football rather than the bands. When I think we're about to leave I go out the front where there are a couple chatting one of which jumps in shock when they hear a dog barking above them. Their mate explains the famous Roof Dog. I say "Son Of" which I think is showing my age. I forget these teenagers would never have seen the previous Roof Dog who was very much louder and fiercer. Todd has toddled off and we say our goodbyes to Pete and Wendy who have a virtual wedding to attend at 3 am and then me and Debbie cycle off home for a well earned rest.
This was meant to be the start of a fun packed weekend with Dulwich Hamlet on the Saturday and Sunday watching racing at the Herne Hill Velodrome. The latter was cancelled for some reason and the former a victim of hereditary privilege. So it will be spent riding bikes and and sorting the our yes including me chains. If any readers need a 9 speed chain let me know in the comments.
No future for you. Possibly for at least 2 of the 3 bands tonight. But which ones?
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| Early Morning style |
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| Can you play as fast as me |
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| Apologies to the rest of the Bendy band |
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| The Queen's Heads |
