Blog: The Brixton Windmill

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I zoomed South after work on Friday to head to Brixton, where I was due to play at the Damnably 5th Birthday Party along with Lazarus Clamp (featuring T "The Tiger" McClure) and various other bands. As I walked up Blenheim Gardens towards the venue I saw someone re-parking a car, to be more properly placed. "I bet that's Tom", i thought. And LO! it was!

We went inside and while the Clamp soundchecked I SNUCK over the the soundman and said "I don't really NEED to soundcheck, so i?" He readily agreed, which pleased me enormously as I had my heart set on a CURRY. THUS once the soundcheck was done Tom, Huw The Drummer DASHED round to Curry Paradise and got ORDERING. As we sat down the table behind us look INTERESTED to see me - I'd like to say this is the NORM and happens all the time, but it just turned out that they were friends of A Little Orchestra who'd been to Totally Acoustic the night before! It was an a) strange b) DELIGHTFUL coincidence!

The rest of the Clamp arrived and ordered, and the restaurant decided to hold ALL the meals back until they were ALL ready... which meant I ended up having to SCOFF my (actually bloody delicious) Balti down in about 8 minutes, before RUNNING round the corner back to the venue, arriving about two minutes before I was due on stage. I needn't have worried QUITE so much, as music was still ongoing in the Smoking Room (they were running two "stages" for the evening) so I waited for them to finish and then, as everyone started to filter back, did THIS:

The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B)

A Little Bit

One Last Party

My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once

It Only Works Because You're here

Theme From Dinosaur Planet

Billy Jones Is Dead

The Lesson Of The Smiths

It seemed to go OK - it was nice to have another go at One Last Party and My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once seems to be clambering manfully into my List Of Songs That Usually Work. It's a funny old venue The Windmill tho - the sound is always GRATE, but it feels like people are almost encouraged to stand FAR AWAY, and you can always here The Regulars having a chat at the back. They're a bit odd too - it's lovely playing in a pub that HAS regulars, but I always get the impression that some of them object to bands BEING there at all, which is strange in a pub that has gigs EVERY NIGHT and has done for years and years. They'd not HORRID about it or anything, but I always wonder why you'd go out hoping for a quiet pint and a chat in a pub which is never, and has never BEEN, even vaguely quiet.

Anyway, it was all good, and I was enjoying the fact that my hangover was significantly ABATING. When I arrived George Damnably had asked why i was LIMPING and he seemed AMUSED when I told him it was due to a WHISKY HANGOVER. Surely I'm not the only one who gets this? But due to sensible intake of some Diet Coke and then BOTTLED LAGER I was feeling MUCH better as the evening progressed, and THOROUGHLY enjoyed watching the majestic CLAMP in action. Michael said part way through that they'd been together 17 years, which is incredibly - I remember watching the early iterations playing at The Phsyio & Firkin back in the 17th Century, and it's a lovely thing to see them travel through the intervening years to become something of a POLISHED ROCK ACT. I don't think they'd necessarily like that description, but sorry chaps, you have become SLIGHTLY KICK ASS!

It was really good, and a brilliant way to finish off the evening. I hopped on a bus back down the hill to the tube station invigorated and heartily cheered - such is the healing power of ROCK!

posted 13/11/2011 by MJ Hibbett

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