RB and Soul Revue

Tonight, back at the QT Bar - for the RB and Soul Revue. I can easily walk there from home - and my route took me past GBK. So, in I went. Busier than usual, but they managed to find me a table that was already cleaned! That's the thing here, they're understaffed for how busy they get, so tables go uncleaned for hours, at worst - honestly, they'd do it, but whenever they start, they get called to attend to someone - I saw it happen this evening. Well, the bloke that showed me to my table wasn't the one who knows me, so he brought a menu - when I said I already knew what I wanted, he said he'd be right back with the tablet to take the order. Except he wasn't - two tables who'd been deciding for a while grabbed him in the meantime, so it was actually perhaps 10 minutes later that he got back to me. No harm, I had time.

It was then about half an hour before my order arrived - and this was an easy one, just a classic burger; I'd have liked onion rings, but they were out of them again. The burger came before the wine - I said it to the waiter, and he disappeared for another few minutes, but had it for me by the time I'd taken a couple of bites of the burger. Which was, as usual, delish. Mind you, I'd had to get my own knife - the cutlery tin on the table contained all of six forks, but no knives! I thought it'd be quicker to get it myself.

I hung out there for quite a while, playing my phone game - despite getting an email earlier today from QT Bar, about my reservation "at 6.30", I knew they don't actually open until about 7.30, the show starting about 8.

Now, they put on a great show - but, given my experience last time, I was going to buy my drink at the upstairs bar and take it down with me - better choice! At least this time, I knew where I was going.. Pity I didn't think to check CT first, who have cheap tickets!! Unfortunately, by the time I got there it was nearly 7.30, and when I asked whether downstairs was open, he checked and said it was, and directed me to the person in charge, who sent me off down. So that little plan didn't quite work. Never mind, I got a front row seat - I was supposed to share with someone, but she never showed, so I got the table all to myself!

Ah man, they were excellent! Great musicians, mostly music I knew - and a cracking frontman, who came out into the audience in an effort to get us up and moving. Reminded me a little of another frontman..

Had to admire the waiting staff. who were pretty on the ball - less to do than usual, I think, mind you, with the whole audience on their feet. And the Maitre d' bopping his way among us as he collected payment at the end of the night.. Yes, another excellent show from QT Bar. Have to hand it to them, the entertainment is first class.

Tomorrow, I booked at Conway Hall, for a concert called Sing Like a Vagabond - Shouts and Cries of Victorian London. Tickets are free, but you do have to book.

Of course, when something is free and I'm going on my own, you know my plans can change.. Well now, I did think it funny that the one free, solo, and therefore changeable, event that I was going to this week.. coincided with Bono's stopover in London (at the Palladium) on his book tour (speaking of frontmen); he's promoting his autobiography, Surrender. Which, of course, I have already - plus the audiobook. Couldn't resist, given that Bono himself narrates it. Anyway, tickets for his live appearances went on sale a month ago. Could I get one?! Not a hope - Dublin sold out in five seconds, London in seven, I hear. (They are smaller venues than usual for U2 concerts - not that U2 is actually playing on this tour, he has a few stand-in musicians.)

But lately, there have been ticket drops.. so I checked when I woke on Sunday. And would you credit it, London was advertising about eight tickets.. literally shaking, I booked the closest I could get to the stage - Stalls, Row M. Had the wrong password for my Ticketmaster account, of course.. but managed it, in the end. (At this stage, only the London one is convenient.) And then - I wept tears of joy and relief. Goes to show - never give up. (Now sold out again.) Oh, and the ticket comes with a free copy of the book.. Lordy, at this stage I'll be gifting everyone a copy for Christmas!

On Thursday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats at the Coliseum, for a performance of Yeomen of the Guard, by Gilbert & Sullivan. And knowing the steepness of the steps in the Balcony - and the irregularity - and what with my stairs phobia - I've done my best to get a seat at the side, so I can use the handrail to get down. Oh, and an aisle seat, what with the restricted legroom.. So, a very musical week.

Then I'm back to Ireland again. On Saturday, UL is hosting a PhD reunion, with a tour of the campus and, crucially, free lunch. And I'll be using the occasion to catch up with an old friend and, hopefully, find out what finally prompted him to quit lecturing at last, more than 10 years after I did, considering he was bullied even worse than I was!

Planning a film on Sunday.. and coming up is Aisha, just releasing this weekend, which centres on a young woman in Direct Provision (Ireland's asylum processing system). Looks like a hard watch, focusing as it does on a severely criticised system, which can see asylum seekers stuck for years in limbo, while their claims are processed..

Concert: Divas & Walk: Sophisticated (& Sometimes Seedy) St. James'

Yesterday, as usual for a Monday, I was on my own.. heading to Divas, at the QT bar. Which, of course, focuses on the hits of - the divas! Now, Over 40 Living the Life were going to this, too, but their event was full - I can't actually remember where I got the idea to go to the show, but it might well have been from them! Anyway, with them charging £20, I got a cheaper ticket on my own, for £15.

Well, the weather finally seems to have remembered it's supposed to be cold by this time of year - and it's catching up with a vengeance. I first noticed it on Sunday, and yesterday was freezing! Cue me having a major search for jumpers..

Now, I never trust places like this for food - not great choice, and too expensive. So I ate in O' Neill's (as usual) before leaving. Got to the address in time for 6.30, as specified on my ticket. So - the address is #66 Great Queen Street. What you need to know is, this is part of the Middle Eight - I'd have saved myself some confusion if I'd realised. It's actually a hotel. Has a big "66" on the front, you can't miss it. Oh, and I'd have saved myself some more confusion if I'd realised that the large windows are actually automatic sliding doors.. well, to be fair, I'd never seen any so wide! So, once I saw someone go in - and followed him - I was making progress.

Next thing I needed to know was - heh. The QT bar - which, it turns out, is in the basement - only opens around 7. And while the nice man said the show would start at 7.30 - naw, it didn't start until nearly 8. So, don't be in any hurry. Now, I really should have ordered something from this bar - the menu is more extensive, and the lady you can just see in blue, on the left (who was also attending the show) ordered a carafe, which they kindly brought downstairs for her, with her glass, when it was time. (We were led down.) No carafes downstairs, and no sauvignon blanc.

Instead, £12 for a 175ml glass of chardonnay, which does make it the most expensive (by volume) I've had in London. Ouch. On the plus side, I got a very decent seat, for what was the cheapest ticket price in the house. I think I recognised the group, when they arrived around 7, BTW - not any individual, but they kind of had the look of a Meetup group about them. And guess what? Yes, for their £20, they were sat closer than I was - slightly. The row in front of me, in fact - and to the side. Four of them - when another pair arrived and said hi to them, they weren't seated together, but at another table, not even adjacent. Have to say, for the extra that you always seem to have to pay with them, I can't see the value!

And so to the show. Four singers, belting out a medley from a gallery of "divas" - aka solo female stars. Interestingly, one of the first things I noticed was that the singer in the strapless dress - second from the right in the photo - bore a striking resemblance to someone I knew in college! Huh, fancy. Second thing I noticed was how she had to keep hoiking up that dress during the show. :-) Might have had something to do with the mic pack hanging on the back..

So, as you might expect, it was a mixture - some I had never heard, some I had heard of and wished never to hear again. Some were crowd pleasers - and, as usual, what pleased the crowd the most generally left me quite cold, so as they were urging everyone onto their feet, I was sat there, sipping expensive wine and thinking - "don't you dare". Happily, they didn't really force anyone to do anything - although people in the front row, as in comedy shows, tended to get more attention. And the one in red had a habit of meandering through the audience, "engaging" us.

Having said that, there were some songs I really got into. "All the Single Ladies" opened the show, and was a pretty good choice. But it didn't make as much of an impression on me as "Torn", one I've always loved. And wow, Mary J. Blige was a revelation! Crikey, I'd forgotten "Family Affair" was one of hers.. Also glad to hear "Man! I Feel Like a Woman", it's been too long. But wow, I could have done without the Whitney.. So, basically, a good show. But just over an hour long! Hmm. Ah well. So, when they sent me a survey link today, I responded with two comments - overpriced drinks, and an unexpectedly short show. Otherwise, it's a good night out - runs every second Monday. And now you know. Oh, and FYI the toilets are back in the ground-level bar, through the restaurant.. and the disposal bin in my cubicle wouldn't work. Just sayin'.

Didn't have time to blog last night, as today, I was back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners! Gee, over two weeks since I last saw them.. Anyway, this walk is around Sophisticated (& Sometimes Seedy) St. James'.. I got a combination of buses down there. Should have gotten there six minutes early - better, in fact, given that my second bus came early! Well, early according to Google Maps - the LCD display would make you lose hope entirely, constantly predicting it was coming when there was no sign.

The journey was entertaining - the lovely, quiet doggie sat across from me was as good as gold until another of his kind started complaining, somewhere down the back. So then the doggie beside me must needs join in, with the human attached to the dog down the back finally trying to shush it. And then there was a middle-aged lady, obviously unfamiliar with both London and its buses. So, unable to get the required info from the driver, she decided to sit beside me and ask how to get to the V&A - oh, and by the way, how to pay, which she hadn't for this bus! So, Google Maps and I helped her tremendously. (Wonder how she got back..)

With all the traffic, the damn bus was late. And I couldn't see anyone - of course, cold as it was, they were all ensconced in Pret. Easy to find 'em - just look for the large group. So I said hi, paid, and seeing all the peeps with hot drinks, thought - now there's an idea. So off I schlepped and got a hot chocolate. Which was v nice. And then we nipped back across the road I'd just nipped across to join them.

We started in Green Park, before mooching off around the posh streets of the area - our progress only marred by traffic noise, road works, and rain - we got poured on for a lot of the way.

Shocking to hear there are still men's clubs that refuse to allow women, or only allow them in certain parts. Sorry, I don't care how you frame it, I cannot support that. Anyway, speaking of toffs:

I never realised there was a statue of Beau Brummel! Well now. And it faces the fabulous Burlington Arcade:

Down alleys and backstreets we went - always good. And taking cover from the monsoon where possible. In one covered passage, we came across a piece of artwork, a play on the piece of artwork that brought Yoko Ono to John Lennon's attention:

An interesting frieze commemorates St. James' Theatre, demolished - as the plaque underneath explains - despite a campaign by Vivien Leigh and her husband, Sir Laurence Olivier, who managed it. That's them in the middle:

No visit to the area would be complete without swinging by the palace, of course:

And among other famous faces:

(More usually depicted with a hat..) In other facts - it had completely slipped my notice that Constance Markievicz was actually the first female MP! (and, after Irish independence, was elected to the Irish cabinet, making her the first female cabinet member in Europe).

Our walk finished with the Crimean War memorial:

and its most famous participant, Florence Nightingale:

One of the more interesting walks this, I have to say. And then we walked some more, seeking lunch! and passing a guy that I'm sure was filming for Streetview. Also noticed the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is covered - in preparation for a new sculpture! Anyway, we finally fetched up at Mr. Fogg's Tavern - where, by dint of moving some folks, we made room for all of us! What a quirky place:

The ceiling is an absolute riot of colour, covered in every imaginable accessory - and some not really imaginable:

A constant diet of music hall music and similar - we remarked that the staff must have been sick of listening to so much of it! We ordered wine, as usual - which came in a fancy ice bucket:

Bit hard to put a meal together, with so many different menus - a separate one for sandwiches, and one with "small bites", which, however, includes fish n chips. Also burgers. And I have to hand it to them, the chips are some of the best I've had. Even if they did leave the tomato in my burger, after I asked them not to..

Cute pub, excellent day! Meantime, during the walk, I got a phone call from the latest recruiters - called them back on my way home, and scheduled an interview (well, an informal chat) tomorrow! Maybe this one will work out..? Unfortunately, only last night I finally booked something for tomorrow - and wouldn't you know it, it's Walking the Lambeth Walk, which clashes with the interview! Even more annoying, I booked it with TAC to get it cheaper, and therefore had to pay in advance - and it's non-refundable. Nuts. So, after tomorrow's interview, the outlook is pretty bleak for things to do on Meetup - looking like Soho Comedy Factory again, really! Now, they do have a Meetup group, with no need to buy a ticket - but their attendance is booked up. Still, when I went before, nobody asked me for a ticket, or whom I was with.. Might schlep along there. Or might not. Watch this space.

On Thursday, thinking film (which is why this blog took so long!). A few Indian films at the top - which, of course, I'm very wary of. I rejected one romance - but had trouble deciding on the next on the list, Dhokha. This is a thriller, in which a cop's wife is taken hostage by a terrorist. Has a twist, though - she's got mental health issues. Something along the lines of - which reality should we believe? So, might give that a whirl - have to traipse all the way up to Wood Green again, is the only thing.

Back to Ireland on Friday - and the weekend's film, as of now, is looking like one I'd never even heard of until today, when someone was talking about it! Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a comedy about a 50s cleaning lady (Lesley Manville), who dreams of owning a Dior dress - so, off she goes to Paris for it! Based on a book, it seems - and from the trailer, it looks like the absolutely charming story of a middle-aged lady who finally gets the chance to fulfil a few of her dreams! Showing in Ennis, again.

On Monday, I've booked with 50-50 Trivia again for the afternoon - which might be scuppered if I get this job, which starts next week! Rescheduled from the day of the Queen's funeral. Then Ivan is supposed to be back, and has suggested going for a drink in the evening - I have to check with him on Sunday, when I'm back from Ireland, though.

Next Tuesday, I've "provisionally" booked with Laurence and the 45+s again - this time, for Down and Out in Clerkenwell, ironically very near to where I live. Again, I might have to cancel this if, as he says, I go from "provisional" to "professional"!

That evening, at any rate, I'm with the 45+s again - this time for a classical concert, at St. John's, Smith Square. OMG it's years since I was last there - and they have discounted tickets!

And on the 5th, I've "provisionally" booked for the Soho Comedy Factory again.. We shall see.