Saturday 23 September 2017

Concert: Rob Luft - "Riser" Album Launch

Tonight, I was to do that free comedy, with Discover LDN.UK, but instead headed to the launch of Rob Luft's new album, Riser, at King's Place. As advertised by The London Jazz Meetup. What a joy to have a lie-in.. it's a month since I had nowhere to be until evening on any given day! Spent most of the day reading A Book of Horrors - a really superior collection of horror short stories I just got.

In the evening, I left home a little early to shop for a card and wrapping paper for the present I got for my mother, whose birthday is next month. Handily, there's a Paperchase not 10 minutes' walk away from me! With a great selection, I had little problem finding what I wanted, and attractively wrapped, too; it was as I was leaving the store that I thought - oops, here I am with a big bag, and the venue sent an email not long ago warning that they wouldn't be allowed. Oh well, I was hardly going to trek back home with it - that would make me very late! So I just headed straight for the bus.

I had a choice of two buses - happily, the one that came was the #390, which stops right across the road from King's Place! A short journey then, and I hopped off at a stop that Google Maps has misnamed, but which is actually named for King's Place - I've reported the issue to them. Anyway, there's a pedestrian crossing right in front of the entrance to King's Place, and I was soon across and got my ticket from the box office - who asked me for the first line of my address, but said nothing about my large bag. I made my way into the bar, where the group were to meet - and, joy, this time there was a Meetup sign (unlike the recent event with the London Science Talks and Museums Meetup).. it really does make things so much easier.

After an age spent waiting at the bar, where they always seem to be making cocktails (which are, apparently, very good), I came back to my seat with a drink. And was delighted to find a friendly bunch of folks - I would have expected that with jazz, actually. So, we chatted convivially until the evening organiser brought the news that the doors were now open. So I downed the rest of what was a very pleasant wine, and downstairs we went (me nearly forgetting my Paperchase bag on the way). Where they asked just to peek in my handbag - she assured me she wouldn't rummage, and sure enough, she didn't - and they ignored my big Paperchase bag completely! Guess no-one sent them the memo - not that it would've mattered, the adjacent cloakroom was free anyway.

Seating was unassigned, and we were lucky to get there early, for good seats - the show had sold out. Now, I know little about jazz, and had never heard of this guy before the event was advertised - but I liked what little of him I'd seen on YouTube, and I was to discover that I liked him in person, too. Someone remarked that when he'd seen him before, he had a rockier sound - but tonight, his stuff was quite slow, a lot of it quite otherworldly, with some African influences. Really interesting, really good, and a couple of covers - and some amusing commentary from the man himself - to round it off. Not to everyone's taste - some left at the interval - and not that I felt like buying that album: but I had an excellent time.

Also liked the group, and the way the group owner made it his business, both beforehand and at the interval, to mingle and chat to people. Meetup organisers aren't always so concerned about their members.. I missed them afterwards, but I'm looking forward to the event I have booked with them in November. Outside, with a cardiac arrest-inducing dash, I managed to catch my bus home.. and, catching a whiff of takeaway chips around King's Cross, when I got off the bus, I stopped at KFC, to pick up a portion of fries.. and a double portion of beans in BBQ sauce, 'coz I love 'em! On the plus side, since they didn't have to cook any chicken for my order, I got it in seconds!

I had booked the same free comedy, with the same group, tomorrow, but was again saved - this time, by the World Music Meetup! They're off to see Kefaya, in Nell's Jazz and Blues bar, back in my old stomping ground of North End Road! Happy days, when I was working there.. Sounds livelier than tonight's, which is fine. And I get another lie-in, which is even finer!

On Monday, a group called Theatre and Stuff is off to see Prism, at Hampstead Theatre. They're charging extra to go with them, though - so I happily bought my own ticket. What the hey, odds are I won't know any of them anyway.

On Tuesday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats - to see Wings, at the Young Vic. Accidentally booked standing, I think.. :-/

On Wednesday, I was with Up in the Cheap Seats again - for Jekyll & Hyde, presented by the National Youth Theatre, at the Ambassadors Theatre. But gee, of course, London Literary Walks is out again - King's Cross and John Betjeman, this one. Likely to be the last of the year - I couldn't miss it.

On Thursday, I was with another new group: London, Surrey and Beyond.. for an event called "A Unique Experience. Olde Pub, Gerry's Private Club, 2 'i's Famous Fish 'n' Chips". Which says it all, really! But then TunedIn advertised flamenco at Sands Films.. irresistible really. So I've booked that instead. And then RSVPed with the World Music Meetup, when they finally got around to advertising it. (I see that London, Surrey and Beyond event has been cancelled now, for lack of interest.) Then it's back to Ireland for the weekend again.

On the 2nd October, I had booked at Hampstead Theatre, for No One Will Tell Me How to Start a RevolutionNorth London Friends are attending - and charging extra, so I was going it alone! But now it turns out I'm spending the week in the Stockholm office - back on the 8th.

On the 3rd October, it was free comedy in Hammersmith - nominally. With Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich. So, that was easy to cancel, for Stockholm!

On the 4th October was Up in the Cheap Seats and Labour of Love, with Martin Freeman, at the Noel Coward Theatre. Cheapest tickets from the venue, for once!

On the 5th October, same group - headed to see the Company Wayne McGregor, at Sadler's Wells.

And finally! on the 6th October, headed to see Chekhov's The Seagull, at the Lyric. Third night in a row for that group - almost as busy a group as I am a person! So, four things in all I had to cancel, without refund.. what the hey, I'll doubtless be saving money in Stockholm! Expenses paid, after all.

On the 9th October, I'm finally going to see the show so many people have asked me whether I'm seeing. Ink is showing at the Duke of York's Theatre. 

On the 10th October, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Ballet Boyz at Sadler's Wells.

On the 11th October, back with Funzing (London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night) for a talk on Revolution in Iran: Girl with a Gun. This will be an interview with a female Kurdish revolutionary.. on the Battersea Barge, which I believe can get choppy. Never mind. This is one I got for free, for completing a loyalty card with three talks.

On the 12th October, Let's Do This are back to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, where London Concertante is performing Bach Violin Concertos. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

And on the 16th October, back at Southwark Playhouse with Up in the Cheap Seats - this time, it's for A Day By the Sea.

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