I left in decent time for the bus - but it was delayed for some reason, and while I'd still have made it, it would have left me tight. Especially when I had to pick up my ticket. So I took the Tube. Happily, the Jazz Cafe is very well located, right beside that major junction in Camden, so either was good to get me there. There seems to have been some altercation at the station just before I arrived - the exit I took was exit-only, and swarming with police. Happily, they didn't stop me getting across the road - I guessed, correctly, that I was headed for the large building with "London's Famous Jazz Venue" emblazoned in neon across the top. I had to queue between crash barriers to get in - was greeted straight away by a woman with a checklist, who stamped my wrist (with ink so non-permanent that it was illegible by the time the main act came on). Shortly after, a guy checked my bag before I even got near the door. Another, polite doorman held the door for me to enter. Staff seem nice here.
It is a cool venue, all coloured lights. The ground floor is standing only - for an extra £5, you can book a table upstairs, overlooking the stage below. It's smaller than you might think from photos. The bar, as I went in, was horrendously crowded - but lo, there is one at the other end too! So I bought a glass of house white - which I must say was quite watery - and took a position at the side of the stage, where I could lean on the wall beside the mixing desk. Not like last night, when the sound engineer was positioned beside me, controlling the mix with her tablet!
A huge number of Spaniards in the audience. In fact, there was a group of four between me and the stage - two couples - whose conversation throughout the evening, while we were waiting for the main attraction, certainly made me feel as though I was back in Spain. Lo echo mucho.. I miss Spain.. Great fun ensued when a stagehand asked them to move their drinks from the stage before the main act came on. She said they could put them at the front instead. Ok, no problem - they just swapped them for their coats, which they put where the drinks had been. So then she had to come along and tell them to move those, too..!
The first act was a guitar player, a drummer, and someone on the oud. And they were excellent - a nice flamenco beat, and accompanied by an enthusiastic chap at the front, doing the traditional flamenco clap. Another couple near him swayed gently in the limited space available, in time to the music.
We had to wait for what seemed like an age for the main act, Diego Guerrero. And oh, what a disappointment.. (I noticed that the enthusiastic folks at the front of the stage for the opening act had disappeared now, too.) I stayed for just a couple of songs - maybe he'd have improved, but honestly, I didn't think it was worth my trouble. As I stood there, squeezed into a teeny space by the people around me, I reflected on what he sounded like. And I decided it was kind of like generic 80s pop. A bit too fusion for me. Think Gloria Estefan - but less catchy, and with a beard and a much worse singing voice. Well hey, what I paid was good value - for the opening act!
I managed to squeeze out - I wasn't the only one. And this time, I got the bus back. (What a relief to sit!) With the usual road works at King's Cross, it took forever - but that was ok, I took the opportunity to finish my book. Tomorrow is Roda de Choro with Alvorada, back at The London Jukebox with the World Music Meetup. Now the Meetup group can't seem to agree with the venue on how long the gig is..
Monday and Tuesday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). Monday is Tartuffe, by Molière, at the National.
Tuesday is a show called Bare: A Pop Opera, at The Sainsbury Theatre.
On Wednesday, I'm back with Let's Do This for another meal at Tas, meeting at The George again beforehand.
On Thursday, I'd have loved to go with UITCS for Season 7, the last of Pinter at the Pinter. Unfortunately, when I checked, although they still had tickets - they were either standing or a minimum price of £93 for that night. Nah, don't really want to go that badly! Never mind, the London European Club is off to a concert of French Chansons: The Sparrows of Paris, at Old Mary's. That's a most acceptable choice! Then I'm back to Ireland at the weekend again.
And on the 25th, I am back with UITCS to Sadler's Wells for Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch! This time though, it's Bon Voyage, Bob. And with cheaper tickets in the back row of each of the lower levels, I'm in the stalls for the first time in ages! Annoying overhang, but hey, they're the cheapest seats, and I get to avoid all those stairs, for once.
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