I hadn't been to the Forum before, so research was required once again on how to get there. Overground, Google Maps said. Fair enough - get off at Gospel Oak and walk for about 10 minutes. This walk looked easy enough, and I made a note of landmarks on Streetview. Only thing with the Overground is, if you're going to the other side of the city, you need to watch your trains back - they finish a lot earlier than the Tube. The Overground did seem to be faster though - and was cheaper. The venue website said there was an 11pm curfew. Now, the same was true of Kasabian when I saw them, and they finished a good bit before 11. The Overground timetable indicated that I needed to be catching a train at 11.10 to make the last connecting train home - I figured that was doable, but looked up my best route by Tube as a Plan B. (TFL has a dinky new timetable feature, BTW - check it out!)
The Overground is horrendously crowded at rush hour - so I checked the venue website and saw that Erasure weren't due on until 8.30. I had never heard of the support, so wasn't pushed about seeing them, and had a leisurely dinner at home before catching the Overground at 7.23. (I also had a reserved seat at the concert, so didn't need to queue for a good place.) It was still busy, and I didn't get a seat until halfway through the journey, but it was a lot more comfortable than it would have been earlier.
The train deposited me at Gospel Oak just after 8, as promised, and the walk took just over 10 minutes, as promised. Left from the station, right at the crossroads, and it's on your right. At that time, the queue to get in was moving pretty quickly, and after a cursory bag search, I was in.
Unusually, I didn't notice any merchandising. I didn't fancy anything to drink from the bar, and just made for my seat. Upstairs, fourth row from the front - at the side, as I expected from the reserved seats.
Some people were in the wrong place when I arrived, but after some confusion we were all in our correct seats. The place is a bit smaller than the Brixton Academy. Seating is on cushioned benches - no back though, and my back was killing me! And as the hall filled, those benches became pretty snug. It didn't help that the guy to my right must have been well over 6 foot - I didn't come up to his shoulder! With the best of intentions, he could've given me a nasty blow to the jaw with his elbow as the night progressed - fortunately, he kept himself pretty sedate. The place was pretty much sold out - the only seats I could see were a few two rows in front of us, which were finally occupied by a group that didn't make it in until 9.30!
Well, it wasn't long before the main attraction. This show was almost completely filled with lighting effects that confused my phone camera, but I did manage a few shots:
It's not very obvious, but in the first shot, singer Andy Bell is wearing a spangly, oversized top hat and purple leggings - both of which are later discarded, revealing spangly underpants. No shrinking violet, this lad! Vince Clarke, on the other hand, positively hides himself behind his synthesiser, wearing a suit and a flat cap and only emerging once to take a bow, led by Andy. The rest of the act consists of a couple of dark-skinned backing singers, sporting enormous afros (spoiler: they're wigs!), black vests and spangly trousers.
The light show is amazing. The sound is pulsating. I wasn't familiar with any of the material from the first part of the show - but then I wouldn't be. Mind you, the fact that hardly anyone around me was on their feet indicated that they mightn't know it either, and this was probably new stuff. Later on, of course, they hit the classics, and I defy anyone not to sing along to Always, A Little Respect, Love to Hate You, or the finale, Sometimes. Indeed, the balcony was bouncing away merrily, even more than for Kasabian. I don't think, however, that many people can have been expecting the rendition of Gaudete, by Andy and the backing singers.
Delicious 80s kitsch. And kudos to the audience member who exited just in front of me, wearing gold-painted trainers with wings attached.. Two sold-out nights of Erasure make a good start to Christmas, methinks! Mind you, the show was short enough - we were out just after 10, and I made my train back with no difficulty.
So - time for one drink tomorrow evening, and it's off to hear Polyphony perform 20th century English carols in Temple Church, as part of the Temple Winter Festival. This'll be another new venue for me. And more that's new, hopefully, on Wednesday, when I go on a London Architecture Walk to see the Christmas lights. Thursday is the company Christmas party at Painshill Conservatory - the bag I ordered for it arrived today, but I'm having trouble with the lights on the hat. Wouldn't be Christmas without trouble with lights! Flying to Ireland for Christmas on Friday. And then not very much until Christmas dinner in the Oakwood Arms..
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