FlUmmoxed

It's hard to resist a night of proper hard core especially if Canadian and with my friend in NZ Zayn telling me I need to go and Olly seeing them in Cardiff I persuade Pete to accompany me so we meet at Oslo and chat about his recent 5 week holiday aka home de-barnacle-ing in a Kent boat yard somewhere down the Thames on the Isle of Grain. Great Expectations for tonight indeed. Although the bar is well staffed and not busy buying drinks isn't easy here especially if you deal in cash. Pete's first attempt was to give the woman behind the bar "the extra 40p in change" so she could give him just notes and pound coins back. She kept on saying that he'd given her too much and he had to explain the reasoning. Not easy in a noisy pub. Next round, after another woman behind the bar had wandered off trying to find Roadie on the pumps which Pete had mistakenly asked for, when Pete waved cash she said "That's 12 point 4 pounds please" which threw Pete somewhat until he understood what she was on about. God knows what she would have said pre-decimalisation. Oh how we giggled when she handed Pete the change and he quipped "thanks for the two point six pounds change". Sorry, as usual I've strayed away from the point of this blog which is to tell you about the music...

The support band are meant to be very good (and indeed Olly said that they were in Wales) but although competent enough they weren't quite what I was expecting as support for the Canadians. The Tubs deliver a fair set but very 80s rock and even the guest singer doesn't make a huge difference. The Scottish drummer think's he's hilarious by insulting all the English in the audience. Why do that? Some sort of machismo thing? As if any of us could be arsed to have a go at him. Maybe some sort of inferiority complex he has. And I do not tar all those north of the border with that brush. Pete is ambivalent of course and tells me I should be too as I'm practically west of the border as is he. The Alarm is Pete's dismissive summary and with that we sidle outside for fresh air.

Back inside the by now packed smallish room (they seem to be playing smaller and smaller venues) Fucked Up take the stage and launch into a brilliant hard core punk set with the main man's guttural shouty vocals well supported by the great rhythm section, that bass is so badass, and the two guitars which give the band their edge over many hard core punk bands by lending a little sophistication dare I say psyche to the proceedings. It's a great set with old faves and new tunes which gets the varied crowd going including a smallish mosh pit and a lone crowd surfer who was carried around on up turned arms in a very orderly manner. Funny that although pretty hard core they're not a massively moshy band. Their last song is a slice of near funky Madchester groovyness which is ended by each musician leaving the stage until just left with drummer and bassist and then just the former for a drum solo. Thankfully the only bit of rock stupidity (they are hardly ever worthwhile). Luckily we are treated to a one song encore. A great gig and Pete is glad I suggested.

Outside having a last pint we chat to an ageing Plymouth punk in a brand new Chelsea T shirt and being a drummer we have a confusing discussion about cymbals (my fault having just read that the Slits didn't like them). On the way into Hackney Central I say thanks in passing the stage door to the bassist who says thanks back. No I didn't offer to help her lug the kit into wherever the van was parked. A crowded train to Highbury and Islington full of inebriated Halloween celebrants. Next day I blow the cobwebs away with a cycle to Richmond Park and then meander through Mitcham and environs which is why there's a lovely photo of deer below.

The Tubs

FU

Richmond Park

And for those who like yer vids Fked Up make some of the best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OraCnnqObRU - with Duchess Says and 4 guitarists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_sMjHbuQy8 - Madchester

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syg6XGbdUkM - so so good

Party with Fairy

I love a good stat... and these are pretty damn good hey?

15th Oct 2022 - 20 at Leeds Brudenell

17th Oct 2023 - 1,200 at Hackney Earth

17th Oct 2024 - 16,000 at Hammersmith Apollo (over 3 nights)

OK so Leeds was part of Live at Leeds festival and there may have been a few more propping up the bar. Definitely only about 6 of us dancing. They were called just The Dinner Party back then.

And in the last year I saw them at the Roundhouse (3,300) and Glastonbury Other Stage (70,000 capacity and it was pretty full).

So The Last Dinner Party are going from strength to strength and all power to them. That well known astrophysicist and vegan the be-knighted Dr Brian May has pronounced them the new Rock Royalty which should pull in a few more fans and maybe of a varying type to their current fan base. We will rock you indeed.

Anyway I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Debbie and I get off the tube at Hammersmith glancing up towards where the famous Hammersmith Palais was which seems to be a Nandos or maybe it was just past there. We're in the island with the new shopping centre having replaced the brilliant Clarendon Hotel scene of many a psychobilly night and the epic Big Black gig. Regardless we are off to the Apollo nee Odeon and as we approach there is a crazy long queue of mainly youngish women all excitedly shuffling along with security shouting come along now keep moving. It's only 7 pm too. Debbie and I are hustled in the side entrance as we are AAA tonight courtesy of Mary (mother of Abigail). Much thanks and love Mary! We are unfashionably early as we want to see the fashionable Vanity Fairy who is the first support act. We have seen her at the Windmill a few times and fascinated at how she will come over on a big stage. We arrive just in time and there are a lot of fans down the front already. I don't think Vanity fans although I did spot a tall guy with beard and long hair coming out of the tube with a VF tote bag. Vanity takes the stage and goes straight into a great disco set with a sort of euro slant. Her stage show is as terrific as always and her singing comes over really well in such a big space. She owns the stage making full use of it to swoop, dance and twirl around which is difficult at the Windmill as not big enough to swing a roof dog. Shows off her great outfit too. Vanity's audience interaction is as smooth as usual not being intimidated by chatting to thousands rather than dozens. Yes the crowd has grown a fair bit and a lot of bopping around. Our star can't help coming into the audience so we being not down the front lose sight of her for a while. A great set which is over all too soon. A guy and woman next to us have been waving in rhythm (yes a fair bit of that) and whooping and don't look like full on Last Dinner Party fans so I turn and ask if they've seen Vanity Fairy before. The guy is a bit choked and says yes they have in fact he's her boyfriend and it's emotional seeing her up there on the big stage. We have a good chat with them both then wander off to find Mary again. Outside having a breath of fresh air we see an older couple (as in my age) walk past with the Vanity Fairy guy from the tube. Turns out he's Vanity's (oh gosh let's call her Daisy now we know her kith and kin) brother who co writes her songs and the couple are her parents. We have a right old natter and they are lovely people. 

Back inside we watch Kaeto which I think is the name of the singer with her band. They are a good dancy band with a rocky poppy funky vibe. The singer has great hair streaming out due to a constant fan directed at her. Air fan that is. I'm afraid for me it's a bit lost between the excitement of meeting Vanity Fairy's family (OK, I have chatted with her after sets at the Windmill so I'm not starstruck) and anticipation of the headliners. A great warm up for the band, as Vanity pointed out that she was. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone here as it used to be mainly big rock bands. It's a lot like the Brixton Academy with a lovely backdrop behind the stage.

Soon enough it's time for The Last Dinner Party to take the stage. A nice touch allowing the drummer to come on first to the excited applause (they change drummers and I think this is a new one). The band start up and applause reaches fever pitch as Abigail takes the stage. They don't launch into any humdingers but build up the atmosphere and music until we realise that we are into proper rock territory (as Dr B rightly pointed out) and headbanging away. There are obvious comparisons to Queen which I pointed out when I first saw them in the Brudenell... "The music is sharp and at times reminds me of early Queen albums with big tunes often with a traditional rock blues beat and an almost operatic front person. Excellent."  To be honest that sums them up... a great rock band with all of them having a fantastic stage presence jumping from hard rock to operatic. They've dropped their out and out rocking blues number which I loved but apparently they didn't. Can't be picky though as the whole set is magnificent. Great to see such confident and strong women rocking out like this. Whoever thought that Queen would morph with Riot Grrrl not me. Though come to think Queen were ahead of their time in their social attitude. Abigail has the audience enthralled and chats away like she's in the small clubs she was playing just a year ago. Very personable. She tells us that they are collecting for local food banks and also profusely thanks the support acts with stories about how she met both and what an influence they've been on her and the band. A lovely touch and comes over very sincerely. On my way to the bar I pass a youngish guy in a denim jacket as I have on but I don't have an Iron Maiden print on the back. Old school. I tell him he looks cool and I hope he doesn't think I'm taking the piss as I would have been back in the day. Kudos wearing that to the Last Dinner Party mate. I won't go through all the band's songs let's just say that by the very end they finish on the hard hitting and no holds barred Nothing Matters the climax being a massive shower of confetti which covers all of us in the stalls. Very appropriate given the songs chorus. And such great fun putting massive smiles on everyone's faces even after the band leave the stage and we wade through the floor extracting paper from our unprotected orifices (ears, mouths and somehow inside my glasses case).  

We are with Mary all this time and quite rightly she's very proud of her girl on stage. We spot Daisy's family and all go upstairs to the bar with our AAA passes. Here we chat about the gig. Abigail sails over to hug us having a chat then floats off to mingle. We happen to chat to Emily (lead guitar) dad and she comes over so we say hello. Daisy and her boyfriend (sorry, name has gone from poor memory) come over and we enthuse about the gig and chat about other stuff like the Windmill, bands we know and how we met our partners. The usual. Then possibly the highlight of my night. Debbie says that Daisy's dad is into cycling and I should chat to him. He says he used to do a bit of cycling then stopped for years before Daisy go him going again. We chat bikes then he blithely mentions that he was British Road Race Champion for 2 years and won the Team Trial gold at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Sorry musicians, singers, disco divas and rock stars... this is a proper champ. Steve kindly asks me about my bike riding saying how doing 70 miles isn't to be sniffed at. I daren't ask if he wants to go out for a ride - he still looks like he's probably a grimpeur who would leave me watching his backside accelerate away at the slightest incline if not before. Luckily they live in Suffolk! Anyways, it's a great way to end the night and after saying our farewells Debbie and I try our luck on the midnight tubes (remember it's a Thursday not the weekend) and luckily get District, Victoria and Northern line home. It's been an epic night and loads of fun. I usually avoid places like the Odeon but maybe I should stop pining for the Palais and Clarendon as they are long gone. By the way, for more in depth analysis of music by The Last Dinner Party and Vanity Fairy see past blogs.

Big thanks, hugs and love to Mary for making it special for us.

The crowd - before 7!

AAA (on the other side :-)

Vanity Fairy

Kaeto

Not the Clarendon Hotel

Vanity - I like the crescent moon in this

I may have the shakes - but great effects :-)

The Last Dinner Party

TLDP

Taken from further back to where we were

Ticker tape confetti

Daisy's mum; Debbie; Mary (great T); cycling champ (chapeau); Daisy's bro and co-writer

The Joy of Cash Back

Simon's give me a heads up for the "Cash Back Musical Extravaganza" which apparently has bands with various Fat White Family Band members and one of the Alabama 3. It's at a venue I've not been to before in Dean Street (heart of Soho for non Londoners) called All is Joy so definitely worth a try. It's billed as a 2 am finish which is slightly worrying for ageing hipsters like us but early compared to our EOTR outings (see previous blog) and of course there are all night tubes these days. We arrange to meet at the Crown and Two Chairmen but I arrive first and it's so hideously crowded (i.e. very crowded with hideous folk) that I wait outside watching the tourists stumble past. I don't remember Soho being so full of tourists. Simon arrives and we enter the venue stopping briefly to check out the records on sale (for any younger viewers that means 12" albums made of vinyl aka plastic). Then we go up to the bar where Simon removes his coat to show off the full glory of his white trousers and jacket (last seen as The Dancing Jacket at EOTR). It's full of trendy looking folk either in their 20s or in their 60s or so it seems. So we fit in nicely. Top end. The bar is a small cocktail bar with beer only in cans which Simon and I plum for being stingy and not wanting to knock back the drink too quickly. In the corner is a guitarist singer who's vainly asking us to be a bit quieter so that we can hear her play. Or hear herself play. Not an ideal venue for an acoustic guitar (albeit through mic) but she perseveres and has a decent crowd watching her. I think that this is Binti Red singing soulful musings. We wander off along the corridors peeking into darkened rooms marked Studio A and such like and lounging on comfy sofas in a small room until we are evicted. This complex used to be a Warner Brothers production house hence the various rooms and the cinema which is where we now head for. A strange place as it's obviously for viewing films in production or final edits so we are sat at the back on comfy seats whilst in front is a flat wooden area and then 5 rows of comfy cinema chairs. The bands play in front of the screen and not raised on a stage so when we do dance we are all above the bands. We watch a loop of dance scenes from an old black and white film (web search later: Bande à part (1964)) whilst a woman and band are playing just before the stage. This is Luvcat I think. It's a low key set which has it's fans down the front but we keep our comfy chairs only disturbed by a nice young man randomly giving me a coat room ticket and a nice young girl trying to take my seat next to Simon when I'm at the bar. These are typically odd moments which the rest of the night brings both of which may have been pickup ruses but I may be flattering myself. By this time the cartoons are on replacing French film noir or whatever the dancing was. Around this time at the bar I catch the end of Hank Dog (they like their pet names at All is Joy don't they) who looks exactly as you'd expect someone with that name to look and finishes with a shout out of "Do you love me" to which the small bar crowd yells "Yes we love you". Back downstairs Simon and I chat away before the next band Body Horror come on who play a great hard electronic guitar (you can punctuate every which way) strewn set getting us all onto our feet and dancing about. Simon and I opt for the stairs going down the left hand side - 1 each like podium dancers. Around this time things slide into the weird (like a young woman who repeatedly asks us if we know Joseph, No, and if so have we seen him, No) although we glide into weirdness so slowly and subtly it's only after a while that we start wondering whether everyone else is on drugs and if so maybe we should be too. Just to keep with the vibe you understand. Anyway back to the music. We both agree we should see Body Horror again. I think one of them could possibly have played with FWFB but probably not? (Note to Simon - Dash the Henge is a coffee shop / record store in Camberwell). The final band on does have a FWFB member one of the Saoudi brothers. Uncle Daddy are a threesome (web search: the guitarist played with FWFB too) who are a keyboard player shouty singer, rock guitarist (the elusive Joseph) and singer (Nathan Saoudi ) who play a very weird mixture of disjointed dance, rap overlaid with cock rock guitaring. Simon and I dance around regardless trying both left, centre and right of stage to see if things improve. They do after a while... The promised Alabama 3's Larry Love takes the stage intermittently for a few vocals along with a woman who may or may not be Binti Red. By this time I was past caring about who was on the non-stage. Nipping up to the bar and / or loos they have tunes on varying from the sublime (The Streets) to the ridiculous (Human League, pop era). We eventually go with the flow and dance about to Uncle Daddy before going back upstairs for more weird chat. So in amongst the bands and videos we get chatting to various odd balls. I'm not sure if it's just Simon's white suit (which definitely has a lot of interest including from a tailor wondering about the perils of red wine) or the fact that we are two blokes together but everyone seems to assume that we are a couple. Or maybe it's the clientele here. I think this is why good looking young women are happy to chat to us - the alternative reality being that they are trying to chat up Simon as he looks so dapper. His sequined cat ears on his head may have something to do with either reality. I meet someone from work who keeps on saying "I can't believe that you are here in this place Jim" (he's young) who came in by accident and who seems to have made lots of friends very quickly. Maybe that's a hint as to what everyone's been consuming. My football smiley face badge fits right in. Despite all the youngsters chatting to us the only hand I get to hold is a bloke about my age dressed in a skirt who needs my assistance going down a steep step near the non-stage which he'd stumbled down earlier. To be fair I also stumbled down it and needed the assistance of a woman to haul me up when trying to get back up again. I have a good chat with the bloke about stupidly high steps, the bands, the perils of skirts when climbing steep steps and otherwise what a nice venue this is with a great vibe. Other random conversations (all with people in their 20's mind you) are a nice woman from Rhyl who says that there's a roundabout there which always has some bloke showing his arse to the traffic and that it's a nice place and a retirement place for ex-drug dealers who can't afford to retire on the Costa del Sol. She tries to persuade me and Simon to go to a nearby bar with her and her tall non-communicative male friend. We decline. Two Scousers in vests looking like Pirates of the Caribbean extras, after the post production party, who are very into the Clash and make me sing Garageland to them and their photographer friend who shows me her portfolio on her phone. That is not a euphemism. Another Welsh guy in a Cymru vest who we keep on bumping into. Various folk who seem lost and then found, by us and others. We are so into the vibe that Simon even buys the singer of Body Horror a cocktail... and of course he has to buy me one too. We leave about 1 am and I hug my work colleague good night leaving him chatting to two new friends. Strange life isn't it... I've known the guy for a decade and chatted to him at work dos but in an environment like this we're hugging each other and chatting with our arms around each other like best buddies. Like a super hero Simon changes from white suited clubbing king to ageing geezer in mac by donning his, well, his mac and we wander off through the still crowded streets to TCR tube. The journey back is easy so thanks TfL. Although night buses were a lot of fun the tube (free travel for us now!) is easier for us ageing clubbers. Must check out that venue again sometime soon as was a lot of fun. Mind you Simon and myself had similarly random chats with youngsters late at night at End of the Road and there people thought we were a couple. So lovely that you've known each other since you were 15 year olds.,,

Binti Red possibly?

Luvcat probably...?

Bande a part definitely

Hank Dog I assume

Body Horror for sure

Simon shuffling

Band and dancers morphed together

Uncle Daddy

Uncle Daddy with guests

I think we chatted to most of those who are on their feet rather than sitting glumly