A Tale of Two Gigs

(I’m a bit late with this one – what can I say, Christmas intervened)

Gig the first

It’s an awful long time since I’ve been to two Griffin gigs in a week (well, if you discount the Ivyrise gigs, which I do, as they weren’t actually about him)!

But the week before Christmas, I found myself travelling to London to the Cobden Club, which I’d arranged before it was announced that there would also be a band gig at the Ainsty pub (about two miles from where I live, and at the end of my friend’s road) later the same week.

The image that ‘private member’s club’ conjured up in my mind was somewhat different to the reality, which was a converted ‘Worker’s Institute’ in North London, but inside, it was a pretty nice venue, with a ‘proper’ stage, and a bar at the back – and bar prices that caused a sharp intake of breath!

The room seemed fairly empty when we arrived, though we did take what were almost the last seats, but filled up later – though as this was behind us, I didn’t actually realise it at the time. As well as Griffin, there were two other performers – I didn’t catch the name of either of them, and won’t be bothering to try and find out. Neither of them was exactly cheerful or Christmassy, and the second one in particular just made me replace the exceedingly expensive vodka with wine!

Griffin did two sets - a few songs from the Ivyrise gigs, a couple of new ones, and a couple of old favourites. Thankfully he performed first in the second half, so we didn’t have to sit through the most miserable guy again, and headed for the last tube. Crossing London late at night on a Sunday is not easy, however, and we missed the last train from London Bridge, picking up a taxi instead. The bonus? When he dropped us off, we were able to get chips!

Gig the second

The Ainsty is a pub I haven’t been to in a very long time. When we entered, it was to find a spacious but busy pub, which seemed to have lost a few interior walls since the last time I’d been.

In the best sense of ‘it’s sooo 2004’, this one was a bit like going back to somewhere near the beginning. J and V had come along with Corinne and I. As neither of them had seen Griffin since the heady days of the Grand Opera House, I wondered what they’d think of it all. Somehow, we ended up right in front of the ‘stage’ (or rather, the elevated seating area), and were in prime position for dancing, which meant that for once he didn’t have to make more than one appeal for people to dance.

The whole set was covers, which worked for a Christmas gig, and was also good for those in the audience who just wanted to hear songs that they knew. J and V both really enjoyed it – more so than the Opera House, they said (!!!). As for me, well, I spilled my wine, danced my feet off, and waved my arms in the air, whilst Coza continued the 2004 tradition by getting the set list, pinching beer and a guitar*. It all felt a bit rock and roll in a way that it hasn’t for ages.

As we made our way home sometime after midnight, chips were mentioned, and I discovered the disadvantage of an out of town gig. We couldn’t find any!

*An inflatable one from the Pound Shop!