A gig to which I certainly would not have gone without Dave and Mauro, but an excellent one! Stornoway were on first, and were very impressive, with some tinges of country in their songs that I really appreciated, being a bit of a country fan (as my growing collection of Johnny Cash/Gram Parsons/Carter Family/relevant Smithsonian Folkways CDs attests), but also clever and affecting lyrics, and a song about marine conservation, hurrah! Borderville were what people were really waiting for, though, and I soon saw why, when they launched into this wonderfully layered incredibly dramatic set of tunes, some of them in 3/4 time - and one even very suitable for a mazurka. I think I was probably the only one in the room thinking that, but I was also surprised by the number of non-students in the room, probably about a quarter. The bands all seemed to be students, or student-age, and I suppose I assumed that anyone over 25 wouldn't turn up, but there they were, even standing on tables and benches at the back of the room to get a better view. I was right down at the front with Mauro and Dave, definitely the best place to be, and even if I did get a bit of tinnitus afterwards walking down the street, it cleared up in the half hour it took us to walk back to Iffley Road.
Iffley Road was where Liz's birthday was being celebrated, with a kitchen full of half-empty bottles and a house entirely full of interesting and friendly people to show how something should be celebrated. And a whisky cave - or, rather, several whisky cupboards since there wasn't enough space for Ed's and Roger's collection of bottles. If I get an invite to their Burns Night supper, I shall definitely try and go, and see if I can bake the Burns Night cake recipe I spotted in the Guardian's guide to baking that came with the Saturday Guardian. It, er, involves whisky. But not tatties, neeps, or haggis.
No comments:
Post a Comment