suburban pub rock
So I've got a new regular place to DJ. In Nunhead. The glamma! It's such an odd bit of town; like an East Anglian town plopped down into the corner of Southeast London... it's so timewarped that I actually found myself doing a double take when I walked past an internet cafe - it just looked out of place. I swear the weather turns overcast as you enter the area. It's really quite deliciously drab.
The pub itself is just great. It's got a middle sized saloon bar out back where they show Sky Sports and whatnot but that's closed in the evening, so I'm just in the really small front bar. It's recently done up, with some good art on the walls, big squashy sofas and stuff, and they do some good food, but it's absolutely not a self-conscious gastropub, they've still kept the pubbiness of it. Old blokes and barflies drink there, during the day they play best of Dire Straits etc etc. Proper pub. The youngish Irish landlord, Dick, is bang into his job, really committed to having a good atmosphere, and he succeeds; so it was a compliment when he asked me to do the Saturday nights after I'd played a party in the backroom before Xmas - and he's paying handsomely too :))))
First week last week was sparsely attended but filled out a bit after midnight, and people sang along to stuff I'd never have expected... this time I invited a few pals along, including twobuses, several ex-Host boys, _moggy_'s workmate etc, and there were lots more other punters too, and it was like a proper party. Doing the Friday nights round the corner to a less 'discerning' crowd over a rubbish soundsystem where I have to play old favourites non stop to keep their interest do has progressively turned me into a real pop fiend; New Years Eve was the point of no return - doing the absolute trash DJ act of whacking the volume down for the choruses of 'Livin On A Prayer' while people dancing on tables bellowed along was glorious. So last night there was lots of 'Kids In America', 'Goody Two Shoes', and LOTS of singing along. 'Ah-hoooooo I wanna be ith you everywhe-here' by Fleetwood Mac was a killer, and people went barmy to 'Once In A Lifetime' ... but they were just as happy to get down to fairly mental stuff like 'War Is Coming War Is Coming' and Theo Parrish stuff, so it was the best of both worlds. Shame I'm going to have to give up the Sunday sessions now that I'm doing Friday and Saturday but it'll be worth it; last night was an absolute scream, and I think it's going to get better as it goes on. Who needs 'fashionable central london'?
The pub itself is just great. It's got a middle sized saloon bar out back where they show Sky Sports and whatnot but that's closed in the evening, so I'm just in the really small front bar. It's recently done up, with some good art on the walls, big squashy sofas and stuff, and they do some good food, but it's absolutely not a self-conscious gastropub, they've still kept the pubbiness of it. Old blokes and barflies drink there, during the day they play best of Dire Straits etc etc. Proper pub. The youngish Irish landlord, Dick, is bang into his job, really committed to having a good atmosphere, and he succeeds; so it was a compliment when he asked me to do the Saturday nights after I'd played a party in the backroom before Xmas - and he's paying handsomely too :))))
First week last week was sparsely attended but filled out a bit after midnight, and people sang along to stuff I'd never have expected... this time I invited a few pals along, including twobuses, several ex-Host boys, _moggy_'s workmate etc, and there were lots more other punters too, and it was like a proper party. Doing the Friday nights round the corner to a less 'discerning' crowd over a rubbish soundsystem where I have to play old favourites non stop to keep their interest do has progressively turned me into a real pop fiend; New Years Eve was the point of no return - doing the absolute trash DJ act of whacking the volume down for the choruses of 'Livin On A Prayer' while people dancing on tables bellowed along was glorious. So last night there was lots of 'Kids In America', 'Goody Two Shoes', and LOTS of singing along. 'Ah-hoooooo I wanna be ith you everywhe-here' by Fleetwood Mac was a killer, and people went barmy to 'Once In A Lifetime' ... but they were just as happy to get down to fairly mental stuff like 'War Is Coming War Is Coming' and Theo Parrish stuff, so it was the best of both worlds. Shame I'm going to have to give up the Sunday sessions now that I'm doing Friday and Saturday but it'll be worth it; last night was an absolute scream, and I think it's going to get better as it goes on. Who needs 'fashionable central london'?