Arthur Brown at Eel Pie Club

All Arthur Brown concerts that it is possible for me to get to I go to and that imperative was even stronger than usual having seen him at Lewes in November for what was probably my favourite concert of his ever. By then I had already booked to see him at The Eel Pie Club in Twickenham and the next step was the logistics.

The Eel Pie is an unusual, and unhelpful, shape and so I wanted to get in early to bag one of the few decent seats. Doors were 7:45pm and I was in the queue around 7pm. Luckily the queue was only a couple of people at that stage (though they were later joined by friends) so I was reasonably confident.

Julia and Peter joined me before the doors opened and we were amongst the first to be let in byJason on security who had amused us with his conspiracy theories (15 Minute Cites are a form of lockdown, etc.) while we waited.

My initial plan was to sit on the lower lever next to the stage but all the gubbins, artistic and technical, meant that the view from there was very obstructed so we went for seats in the prime position on the upper level. The view from there is the best but the seats are just Ottomans (no backs) so are lest comfortable. The view won.

I really really love this incarnation of Crazy World of Arthur Brown musically and theatrically. Other people obviously like it too and the gig was sold out.

The set was, I think, the same as at Lewes with several newish songs and a few classics (e.g. Fire and Time Captives) delivered with a keyboards-heavy late 60's vibe, think Doors' Light My Fire, that had extended instrumental sections to give Arthur time to do his many costume changes. There was even some audience participation as we joined in on the chants of "Burn!" and on the "La da da" ending to Time Captives.

It was yet another brilliant evening with Arthur Brown and his band. I plan to see them again in November!

Martin Turner Ex Wishbone Ash at The Eel Pie Club

My Google Calendar, which only goes so far back, informs me that I have seen a version of Wishbone Ash 9 times, Martin Turner's version of the band 7 times (at Eel Pie Club 4 times) and heard the complete Argus 4 times. These are all underestimates due to my unreliable record keeping.

So it should come as no surprise that I went to see Martin Turner Ex Wishbone Ash on their lates visit to Eel Pie Club, an event I booked many moons ago but which had been rescheduled due to covid.

The gig was sold out, proving the value of buying the tickets over a year in advance! £17 well invested.

We got in just after the doors opened but were far to late to get a seat, not that we particularly wanted one, but we did get a good standing position on the raised section where we usually stand, the only difference this time was that there were people sitting in front of us. The photo shows how good our position was.

The venue was rammed which made getting to the bar more difficult that it was worth so this was an unusually dry concert.

The music was just as good as expected, and as it always is with this band. They have great material to work with and they know how to make the most of it. Argus was a very familiar treat and they followed this with their subsequent album Wishbone Four. I did not know this as an album but they had played some of the tracks before and it sounded much the same anyway so that was fine.

Martin was in a talkative mood and gave us introductions to several of the songs explaining how they were inspired, composed and recorded. We also got a few jokes.

The good vibes started with the band and spread through the very appreciative audience. It was another excellent evening. And it's only a few months until I am due to see them again.

Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash at The Eel Pie Club

Somehow it had been a year since I last saw Martin Turner's version of Wishbone Ash play (at the Boom Boom Club in Sutton) and that was so good that I was clearly going to see them play at an even close venue, The Eel Pie Club in Twickenham.

I had been to The Eel Pie Club a couple of times before and found it something of a frustrating venue with its sunken stage area and restricted view for people of modest height. Knowing that I got there a little before the doors opened at 8:30pm.

Even so, all the prime seats had been taken by the time that I got in but I was not interested in seating and I was pleased to get a good standing position by the top of the stairs down to the pit. You can tell how good my view was from the photos.

With the doors not opening until quite late that gave me time to do a few things first. My evening started with a walk to the Eel Pie pub (nothing to do with the club) to meet a friend before we went to a curry house nearby for a couple of vindaloos. A good start to the evening.

I quickly came to appreciate my vantage point not just because of the uninterrupted view but also because I was well positioned to hear the band being a little way back from the stage. Normally I have to sacrifice the sound for the view but this time I had both.

The top photo shows what Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash are all about, three guitars playing off each other while the drums keep them in order. The sound they made was the one they always have, blues inspired rock, whether it was a classic song from their 1972 album Argus (which Martin wrote most of) or a song from their most recent album Written in the Stars. These were long songs with plenty of guitar solos and we all loved them.

Somewhere along the way they played the whole of Argus, as they had done on a previous tour but not the last time that I saw them.

There were few surprises, even the joke Martin told was one he had told before, and that was as it should be. We had gone to hear classic Wishbone Ash and that is what Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash delivered with panache and good humour. A happy band is a good band and they were both. I was very happy too.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown at the Eel Pie Club Twickenham

I loved Matilda the Musical so much that I bought tickets to see it again. Then an Arthur Brown concert was arranged for the same day and the Matilda ticket was gladly given away. Arthur is not to be missed.

The Eel Pie Club meets above the Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham, more or less opposite the station. It is also easily reachable by bus. I walked. It's about 4km from where I live so that is a comfortable forty minute walk.

I had not bough tickets in advance so I headed to the pub early. The club opening time was advertised as 8:30 and I got to the pub just after 8. Besides, it was clearly the better option to be in the pub early with time for a pint than sitting around at home for an hour or so to arrive at the gig on time.

There was a reasonable queue when the doors opened. Due to the vagaries of the venue the queue was outside despite there being a door to the upstairs room from the bar. As I was sitting in that bar I was not at the front of the queue but I need not have worried as all the keen early arrivers were desperate for seats leaving plenty of space next to the stage for me.

I chose to go just right of centre where I had a clear view of Arthur and was right next to Lucie Rejchrtova on keyboards.

The concert started around 9:15 as planned and in the familiar way with the band walking on stage and playing the first number in painted Venetian masks.

The picture above shows lead guitarist Nina Gromniak in hers.

While I'm mentioning people, a quick word about Angel Flame who dances for two of my favourite bands, Arthur Brown and Space Ritual. I was delighted to get this shot of her waiting to do one of her pieces as she is notoriously difficult to photograph because she moves all the time.

The show was a surprising mix of the very familiar and some, er, surprises.

The familiar included favourite songs like Kites, Devil's Grip and, of course, Fire. The surprises were the four new songs (one brand new, three new to Arthur - I think) and the new arrangements of the old songs.

I think that the changes reflected a growing confidence in what was a relatively new band as the big change was a rebalancing of responsibilities. Previously The sound of the Crazy World was that of the sixties keyboards played by Lucie, think of the Doors into to Light My Fire. Some of that was still there but the other musicians contributed much more. For example, Nina played four solos when previously it had been just one.

The overall result was to give the band a more funky sound that was both new and satisfying. It was a treat to hear the songs evolve again; some of them have been evolving for fifty years.

Arthur was Arthur and displayed the usual physical and mental agility as he delivered his songs and stories with passion and skill.

He also wore his usual stage outfits that included the colourful face paint, long black coat,  almost as long pink jacket, and grey Greek style trousers that were joined together down to the knees.  It is a large stage persona sitting on a large man.

But he is modest too and Arthur frequently vacated the centre stage position to allow the spotlight to fall on somebody else.

Finally, a picture of the whole band taking a well-earned and enthusiastic cascade of cheering and applause. From left to right that is Nina, Arthur, Lucie, Samuel Walker (drums) and Jim Mortimore (bass).

I managed to speak to a most of them after the concert and it is always a nice end to the evening to be able to thank the performers personally and individually.

Every Arthur Brown concert is good, which is why I keep going, and this one was more special than most because of the new songs and evolving sound. Arthur is on a journey and I am on for the ride.

Groundhogs at The Eel Pie Club

The Groundhogs were one those bands that I read about in the 70s but never got to hear much of their music (in those days we relied on taping our friends' records and on Radio 1's limited rock output) so I welcomed the opportunity to see them playing locally.

The Eel Pie Club has a long and distinguished history dating back to the early 60s. The venue has changed over the years and its current home is above the Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham. The venue betrays its "upstairs bar" heritage and makes few concessions in becoming a live music venue. The main viewing area is quite small but experience gained at many concerts enabled me to shuffle my way gradually to the front.

The Groundhogs are a traditional power-trio (like Cream etc.) and reply heavily on their front-man, which is OK because that's Tony McPhee and he can play! Most of the songs seem to be little more than a few threads in which to tie guitar solos together so if you like guitar solos (I do!) then Groundhogs are your sort of band.

It is always unfair to compare one guitarist with another but as Tony McPhee is not necessarily that well known I'll offer Robin Trower as a simile as he plays with a lot of slide and extensive use of the tremolo arm.

The Groundhogs made gloriously loud noises for the best part of two hours before leaving us with our happy memories to go and find a bus home and the result of the England game.