Greetings!
Forgive my abscence, the past week has taken a fair old bit out of my rheummy old bones. I've also been busy with other little projects which have taken up a fair bit of my time.
I was reminded on Saturday night of two reasons why I don't go out much anymore.
1 - Wetherspoons seems to be the standard meetup joint for these escapades. Yes, the beer is cheap, but when you consider that the standard of service is pitiful and the food is disgusting, you sort of realise why they can afford to sell cut price booze. To top it off, the gorilla in the sta-prest suit that passed as their security actually made a beeline for me and asked that I remove the skip cap I had on. I know it's not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing look in the world, but my hair was in a state and needed to be hidden. I think he was itching to kick fuck out of someone to be honest......................
2- City centre venues can kiss my arse. Went to see some bands with my brother and his girlfriend at the Classic Grand, and to be honest, was bored rigid. Also got scammed at the bar. Twelve quid for three pints!!! It was only when I went to the bar later to find out if there was anything available that wasn't a fiver, that I realised that it was a flat rate of three quid per pint. My brother, never one to let these things lie, had it out with the bar staff and all but accused the girl who served him of ripping him off. Sadly, I think he had a point. How do you pour three pints and think it's four? The music is probably best not discussed. One mob sounded like the anaemic offspring of The Editors and Razorlight. The 2nd lot looked quite good and had a singer that looked like Nick Drake in drainpipes and winkle pickers, but their songs were distinctly unmemorable. The last lot were Arcade Fire without the stage prescence or tunes.
Is this what the kids want? It's certainly what they're given and they seem to lap it up like it was manna from heaven. Dreary, predictable and not worth paying to see. Give me Circle of Tyrants and their malformed thrash metal bretheren any day of the week. Live music should be fun, not a chore.
6 comments:
There is a great expression used by The Word magazine to describe these kinds of bands - Landfill Indie. So very, very true. It can't be just our age, can it?!
Anyway, I'm up in Glasgow next week. I'll look out for you in Weatherspoons then...
£12? I thought Glasgow would be cheaper than London.
Cocktails - Lism over at Last Years Girl uses that one too. It's an excellent description, though I fear it was ever thus. You'll always have generic indie bands kicking around at various levels.
To be honest, I was in the wrong place if I wanted to hear anything interesting. Who knows, maybe at least one of them will break free of the shackles of fashion to do something interesting.
As for Wetherspoons, can I just say that you should avoid the Crystal Palace like the plague. Horrible place, certainly on a Saturday. In fact, that whole part of Glasgow city centre is vile. If you find me anywhere, it'll be in Babbity Bowsters ;).
Billy - It's only a matter of time. Even three quid is too much for a tumbler of Tennents fizzy rat widdle.
Sadly I know the lovely Crystal Palace very well. Some of my more annoying colleagues would only go there - on account of the cheap beer. But surely most sane people would prefer to pay just a bit extra to go somewhere with at least a vaguely decent atmosphere?
Like Babbity Bowsters, yes! Or the Uisge Beatha on Woodlands Road which used to be a favourite stopping off point after work (when I wasn't at the Crystal Palace, a pub I can't remember the name of on Queen Street or the Star Wars theme bar that used to be near the Mitchell Library - wish that was still there!!)
I had to wait 45 minutes to get served in Wetherspoons once.
There are plenty of places, more good than bad, but if I'm out with my brother and his mates, we always seem to gravitate towards the CP. As you said, cheap drink, but an atmosphere that makes you want to down it in five minutes flat and get the hell out.
The Star Wars theme pub is now called Chinaski's and has become a Charles Bukowski theme pub. Ace!
BW - Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. A pie, beans and chips were ordered and when the plate arrived half an hour later, the pie was half cremated and the beans were cold. They also didn't have the staff on to change empty kegs. Miserable. Oh, and don't bother complaining in writing, because they couldn't give a flying fuck. They know people will keep coming for the holy grail of cheap booze.
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