The event page advertised the band as being on at 10, but it turned out that the first act of the evening was at 8. Now, I needed to decide where to eat beforehand, so when someone in the group asked whether anyone was interested in eating, I replied in the affirmative, and we two arranged to meet outside at abt. 7.30 and see whether there was room in the restaurant. As I was waiting for her, an elderly lady carried in an enormous instrument case, and I wondered whether she was one of the Sparrows..
When my companion arrived, we checked out the "upstairs" restaurant. "Upstairs" here means ground level (the music venue is in the basement), and there were some free tables. There was a suggestion that we could eat in the garden at the back, but it was a teensy bit cold, so we didn't - we sat inside, near the back, instead. And a quirky venue it is, full of little design touches; I was particularly struck by the large photo of Jimi Hendrix that stared right at me all through my meal. As I was by the charming - and pointedly French - waiter. Sadly, I was less struck by the meal itself; I had a rather bland lamb shank, with mash. Why is it that there are qualified chefs who haven't grasped the value of flavouring their dishes..? I believe my companion's eggs Benedict were nice, though.
After an adequate meal, and an interesting chat, we made our way down the stairs just behind us to the music venue. I could've paid on the door, and probably should've - I was praying my phone battery wouldn't die (it's charging as I write). It was my only proof of payment, as I could bring up the confirmation email. Well, the battery lasted, and a good thing too - he took down an amount of information from that mail. As he dealt with us, he shushed us, so we didn't disturb the act currently on stage. And he gave us rather cool entry stamps on our wrists ( I like the logo):
We asked about the table Meetup was meant to be booking, and he gestured behind him - to the table absolutely festooned with Meetup signs. Ah, right! Unfortunately, it was oddly positioned behind a wall, where all you could see was the bar at the back of the room. There was no-one sitting at it. We took one look and found a table round the other side, where we could see the stage. I got a wine from the bar, and discovered that the house white is as nondescript as the Spanish white I'd had with dinner. Oddly, considering they also seem to have a wine store next door.
First up was a young lady with a guitar, and her name was IsseyCee. I loved her voice - it had an edginess that's popular right now. She wasn't really unique, but I did enjoy listening to her, and her choice of Loving You as a cover was both brave and apt. She was followed by Flora Cook, another solo lady with a guitar - more of a freewheelin' soft rock act. Another great voice, and the kind of music that makes you think of driving on the wide open road.
The third act was a duo - a guitarist/beatboxer, and a female singer that was the third in a row with a mane of blonde hair! Kalina and Gael, they were called. Essentially a cover band with beatboxing, they had one original (instrumental) number, which the guitarist/beatboxer introduced partly in Spanish, for the benefit of his mother, who was in the audience, it seems. Meantime, we spied two people at the Meetup table, whom we invited to come join us, as there was room - and they could see the stage from where we were.
The act we'd come to see was up fourth. The singer was the organiser of the Meetup, and we'd seen her around through the evening, dressed in a vaguely retro manner that made us think she might be in the band. (And yes, that elderly lady I'd spied earlier was in the band too, playing that enormous double bass she lugged in while I was waiting.) The band was completed by a guitarist and an accordionist. And they were truly lovely, and transported us back to Paris in the first half of the 20th century.. or they would have, if we could've heard them! By this stage, I think the crowd had started to arrive for the final act - the place was crammed, and the din from the bar threatened to drown out the performers. So much for telling people to shush! The singer had to tell them to ramp up the volume, and the poor lady pretty much had to yell into the (old-fashioned) microphone for the 45 minutes or so they were on stage.
Well, the act also included several Javas - a kind of French version of the waltz, quicker and designed for confined spaces (appropriately). And for each one, she grabbed a gentleman from the audience, gave him a flat cap for authenticity, and danced with him a bit, in that style. Highlight of the night though, and the one that got the crowd singing along, was La Vie en Rose.
After that, the crowd started to gather around the stage for the final act, Ballin' Jacks. Standing room only by this point, and so they stood and we couldn't see unless we did too. This was also the loudest act of the night by far - an odd combination with the acts that went before. So I left - I'd had enough. and it was late anyway. Not terribly impressed with the venue. But the acts that went before were good, and the company of my fellow Meetup people was excellent - I hope to meet them again, perhaps somewhere we can actually hear each other. Oh, and there were lots more Meetup people there, apparently, whom we never met. Not an easy group to meet people in - they don't put much emphasis on that.
Tomorrow, lots of interesting walks are planned, but it's supposed to rain, so I passed. However, a Meetup group I hadn't heard of is headed to a spy comedy called Communicating Doors, at the Menier Chocolate Factory. RSVPs are already closed for it, so I booked my own ticket again - on the venue website, as the few tickets available elsewhere turned out more expensive! It's a matinee, but I should get enough sleep in..
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