Beer & Music

So it's been a busy November for me. Let's look back at the calendar and pick out a few highlights. Of course there were nights in between but I shan't bore you with all of them.

Thursday, 10 November
The evening started with at catch up at The Founders Arms on the Southbank (in London) with an old friend, Kay, over from Oz. I say started, because I got there just after 5:30pm but had to dash off an hour and a half later for a "Matching Wine with French Cheese" tasting session I had booked many months ago for me and my wife. Very good it was too. I dashed back to The Founders Arms getting there at about 10pm to finish up the evening, quite sozzled and very happy.

Thursday, 17 November
This evening was a Champagne & Fizzy wine tasting session at Theatre of Wine in Greenwich. These events are very popular, informal (sitting round the big wooden table in the middle of the shop) and have a capacity of 20 people. We tasted 12 wines including a bottle that sold for £150 and they only had 3 left, with no more made. Lovely stuff. And the French cheese on offer was superb too. Highly recommended (hic!)

Saturday, 19 November
The evening of The Greenwich Tweetup part-deux co-organised with Lara Ruffle, whose website that link takes you to. This was a great evening in my local pub with good company and a fantastic band Repertoire Dogs that I danced  and went a bit mental to. They covered everything from the 60's (Beatles & Kinks), through all the decades up to present (Kasabian & Kings Of Leon). We had twelve people turn up which isn't bad for a second event where Tweeps don't necessarily know anybody else.

Thursday, 24 November
Ice skating at the Tower of London, very kindly paid for my the company I work for, The Train Line. Some Dutch Courage needed in the form of Jaegermeister and a few mulled wines. There is a video on YouTube showing some of what happened. I show up at the beginning and near the end. This was followed by the pub of course.

Friday, 25 November
A gig! The indescribable, incredibly funny, punk-poet-rapper Mik Artistik who we've seen a few times now, having first saw him by chance at The Avalon Cafe at Glastonbury, 2007 (I think!) He played a social club by a housing estate near Latimer Road tube station in the general Notting Hill Gate area. A very good night was had by all, and he even name-checked my bro-in-law Carl, during one of his early songs. The DJ was Martin Benedict Volpeliere-Pierrot (known as Ben) from Curiosity Killed The Cat, a poppy/jazzy band that were big in the 80s. My wife had her photo taken with him.

Saturday, 26 November
Another gig! The Lancashire Hotpots comedy folk band this time at The Bull and Gate, next to The Forum in Kentish Town. Another favourite of ours, along with Mik, who with seen many times before. They've been doing an annual Christmas gig in London for a few years now. Now I know the words "comedy folk" probably make you think of Pam Ayres or Jethro, but these are nothing like that. A good old knees up, very funny, always different every gig and thoroughly nice blokes to talk to. Check them out on Yoo Choob.

Wednesday, 30 November
We're on a bit of a music tip now, as yet another gig! This time the legendary George Clinton &Parliament Funkadelic at the Jazz Cafe in Camden. George was 70 years old earlier this year. He was on stage for about 75% of the time and they did a full 2-hour set. He occasionally sat down and his voice his shot, probably from all the singing and smoking he's done. He lit a joint and smoked it on stage during a song too, the old devil! A funky Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop kinda night.