Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (20 Dec 25)

Another very welcome gig by Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern in Raynes Park. Superficially it was the same as all the other Rainbow in Rock gig I have been too (and that is a very good thing) but I did nake a few mental notes during the evening.

The setlist, which always changes, seemed to be geared more toward the newer Rainbow material rather then the older Deep Purple songs. There were a couple I barely recognised and there was no space for songs like Burn, Mistreated or Stormbringer.

The keyboards were more prominent that before.

The bar staff were quietly efficient. The service was always quick and friendly, they remembered what I was drinking too.

It was worth going for Stargazer alone, it is possibly the best song ever written, though Like A Hurricane is a contender too.

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (12 Sep 25)

For some reason I had not seen Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern since February and whether that was their fault or mine, or both, I was glad to end the musical drought.

As is my custom, I was slightly late so missed the start (but not Man on the Silver Mountain) so I do not know if anything was said about the keyboard player who was new. His newness showed a little as he messed by just a little a couple of times which is no surprise given how much catching up he had to do with the other four who have been playing these songs together for years. It made no difference to my enjoyment of the evening.

Other than that things were pretty much the same, the pub was full with plenty of familiar faces, the beer was good (Wimbledon Brewery's SW19 this time), the set list was fantastic and the playing superb. 

This was exactly what I go to see pub bands for.

Memento at The Cavern (24 May 25)

Memento remain one of the best things to do on a Saturday night so I was back at The Cavern to see them again.

As usual I walked there and took longer than I expected (I always get distracted along the way) so I missed some of their set but I did manage to catch a good chunk of the first half and all of the second.

Arriving late I ended up towards the back of the pub, not that that mattered.

The pub served Wainwright's Gold and I had a few of those which helped to refresh and relax me. A good choice.

Memento did what Memento do, they played a wide variety of rock songs, some of which I knew, with well rehearsed skill and obvious love for the music.

A highlight for me was Heaven and Hell from the Dio Black Sabbath period, a song I have loved since buying the album in 1980 (only 45 years ago!).

I went expecting good music, beer and atmosphere and, once again, Memento at The Cavern delivered in full.

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (28 Feb 25)

Seeing Rainbow in Rock playing at The Cavern in Raynes Park is a great habit to be in and this was my first chance to do so in 2025.

A lot about the evening followed the familiar lines with plenty of good songs played brilliantly, lots of people I knew there and some decent beer (Wainwright) to drink. Any evening that ends with Stargazer, Highway Star and Smoke on the Water has to be a great evening.

There was one slight, and good, change which this photo reveals. The keyboards had a bigger influence this time and that was due to increasing the number of sets of keys from one (played at an odd angle) to three.

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (13 Dec 24)

Rainbow in Rock are my favourite pub band by quite a large margin; my second favourite pub band is Memento which is the same musicians but with a different set list.

The Cavern in Raynes Park is regular venue for them and I get there to see them whenever I can, which is a few times a year things like health permitting. Raynes Park is a doddle to get to by bus and/or walking which helps. It also helps that they sell Wimbledon Brewery's Copper Leaf red ale.

I got their in good time and started the evening close to the band with a pillar behind me.  That position gave me an uninterrupted view allowing me to take this photo. I deliberately took it during one of the quieter moments, Catch the Rainbow from the 1975 album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow by Rainbow - you can see where the band got their name from.

Rainbow in Rock play a wide range of Deep Purple and Rainbow songs nd they delight in choosing some of the more obscure ones while leaving out obvious songs like Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. Every Rainbow in Rock gig is different.

There is one ritual that they are keeping to, for the moment at least, and that is to end the first half with Child in Time and the second with Rainbow Rising. And long may they continue to do so.

Memento at The Cavern (23 Nov 24)

Fates had conspired against me for much of 2024 and I had missed a few Memento gigs through things like double-booking and illness so it was great to be able to see them again at, what has become. the usual venue, The Cavern in Raynes Park.

It was also great to get my timing right, for once, and to arrive at the pub just before the band started playing.

The pub had changed it beers since my last visit but that was okay as the beer that I went for was good and soI had a few of them. The new beer was complimented by old friends and acquaintances and the pub had a very welcoming and convivial atmosphere. 

Memento started playing just after 9 and finished soon after 11 with just a short break in the middle. Along the way they played their usual mix of rock (Kashmir) and heavier pop (Love Is Like Oxygen) songs, including a couple by Uriah Heep which is always a good idea.

Memento know both how to play these songs and how to put them together into a consistently exciting set, and that made for a great evening. Again.

Memento at Hounslow Sports and Social Club (6 Jan 24)

I was aware that Hounslow Sports and Social Club was on the local covers band circuit and I had walked past the place a few times on my walks but I had never been there before. What took me there this time was Memento, feedback from other people who had been there and confirmation that some mates were also going. 

 I have targets to reach so I walked there, the route I chose was 9.5km, took 1 hour 45 and added a few more roads to my CityStrides Lifemap. My timing was good too and I arrived at 9pm just as the band started playing.

The venue had a lot going for it. While it cost £3 to enter (it is a members club) that was quickly made up with the cheap beer, at £3.4 for a pint of Pravha it was almost a steal. And being a social club, it was well set up for concerts with a stage, dance area then tables then a long bar. It was busy too which always helps.

The stage was well and truly set for Memento and they used it very well. They are excellent musicians and play some great songs, e.g. Stairway to Heaven, and a few not so great songs that are still good to hear, e.g. Final Countdown.

With a short break, they played until well gone 11pm, stretching the value of the £3 investment even further. It was a superb evening and I strongly suspect that I will be back to Hounslow before too long.

I'll see Memento again even sooner. Friday.

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (23 Dec 23)

It was three months since I had last seen Rainbow in Rock so obviously I was keen to see them again on a return visit to The Cavern in Raynes Park.

In many ways this was like all other Rainbow in Rock gigs that I have been to, excellent songs played excellently in a well constructed set that contained many very familiar songs plus a few unexpected ones. The mandatory crown-pleases included Child in Time and Stargazer while the less familiar songs included Never Before (from Machine Head).

What made the gig different was that this was their last gig with Andy Fuller on keyboards. He normally hides behind Andrew on bass so I made a point of taking a photo from the side this time, and in saying a few words to Andy afterwards.

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (7 Oct 23)

As always, going to see Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern was a no-brainer, even though I had walked over 30km earlier in the day.

To be honest, I would have been happy if Rainbow and Rock had played just Child in Time and Stargazer but they added plenty of that to deliver a rocking two hours of music from the extensive Deep Purple and Rainbow catalogue. (this is a copy from a previous post and it is still true)

Memento at The Cavern (14 Jul 23)

Memento, and their twin band Rainbow and Rock, have the happy habit of playing The Cavern in Raynes Park and I have developed the equally habit of going to see them simply because they are exactly what a great pub rock band should be.

To set the evening up nicely I walked to Raynes Park from home via Kingston Hill and Wimbledon Common.

The Memento half of the twin has a broader set list and, perhaps perversely, that means that I like Rainbow in Rock more but it is a close run thing. A big plus for the broader set list is the inclusion of Faith Healer and I had worn one of my several Sensational Alex Harvey Band t-shirts in anticipation.

Memento, like Rainbow in Rock, end the two halves of their set with long classics that everyone knows and loves; this night it was Stairway to Heaven and Freebird.

The pub played its part in another great evening by providing several excellent pints of Wimbledon Common and a great atmosphere. Include in that were several friends, acquaintances and familiar faces.

It was another superb evening in every respect.

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern (10 Jun 23)

They played Stargazer. 

That was all they had to do but they played many more excellent songs too. Another great night out with the best band in the local pub rock scene.

The Cavern pub did its bit supplying a few pints of Gold to encourage a little movement (it would be bit of an exaggeration to call it dancing).

Until the next time!

Rainbow in Rock at The Cavern

When I saw Memento at The Cavern in February I said that they only band better than that was Rainbow in Rock (same band, different songs) so it is no surprise that I was back at The Cavern a month later to see them.

As always the place was full, there we quite a few familiar faces there, the beer was good and the music was excellent.

To be honest, I would have been happy if Rainbow and Rock had played just Child in Time and Stargazer but they added plenty of that to deliver a rocking two hours of music from the extensive Deep Purple and Rainbow catalogue.

Memento at The Cavern

Various factors, including the impact of covid-19 and the gentrification of some pubs, have led to be going to vastly fewer pub gigs than I used to and now the only place I go to regularly (but not frequently) is The Cavern in Raynes Park. It's about 6km away so it is a decent walk to get there and a couple of buses to get back so it has to be a good band to drag me out that far.

Memento are a very good band. I've known this since April 2016 and I have taken every available opportunity to see them since then.

While other pub bands have very good musicians and include keyboards, two things make Memento exceptional; the lead singer and the setlist. Almost all other pub bands have an average (at best) singer and play the same rock standards, like Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon.

One song helps to make my point. The band started playing and before the song was recognised this was clearly a Black Sabbath number because Memento sounded just like them. Then comes recognition and it is not an obvious song, like Paranoid or Iron Man, but it is Heaven and Hell from the 1980 album of the same name. That incarnation of Black Sabbath had Ronnie James Dio on lead vocals (for the first time) and Memento's front-man, Tamas Csemez, does Dio very well.

I was also impressed by Tamas' t-shirt which I guessed was John Byrne's cover for X-Men issue 122. I was wrong, it is actually issue 125 (September 1979).

Memento really are an exceptional band and there is only one other band on the circuit that comes anywhere close to them, and that is Rainbow in Rock which is the same people with a different setlist.

Memento at The Old Moot House got me dancing

On almost any other night Memento would have been my first choice band but on this evening there were three good bands to choose between and Memento came a very close second to Nursery Cryme. Luckily the two gigs were close to each other and one was due to finish an hour earlier so I was able to see all of Nursery Cryme at The Oak before dashing to The Old Moot House to catch the end of Memento.

I arrived just as they were into Child In Time, which was an astoundingly good time to arrive. This was followed by Stargazer and I was singing along. It did not take much to get me dancing too.

There were a few familiar faces there and I had some pleasant conversations in between the songs. I went for the music and the social element was a nice bonus.

All too soon it was over. Memeno were, of course, called back for one more song and they finished with Highway Star. An excellent way to close an excellent set.

A fantastic night with Memento at the Fox and Duck

I got this one wrong.

I saw the listing for Memento on LemonRock, saw that they were a new band and so classified their gig at the Fox and Duck as one to go to late if there was nothing better to do, something like a Steven Segal film on ITV. There was no Steven Segal film on ITV that night so I went to see Memento late, getting there around 10:30.

My mistake was immediately obvious.

Not only was the pub packed but there was a lively and happy atmosphere with everybody singing and/or dancing. The picture below is the best that I could do to get one of the band. In that crowd there were several people that I knew, including the famous Ralph who I often see at Hawkwind gigs. Most of the Fox and Duck regulars were there too.

I suspect that, unlike me, some of the people there had paid attention to the poster or knew of the band through some other means. The key words to note include Prezence and Rush.

I had seen Prezence play at the Fox and Duck a couple of times, in 2012 and 2014, and had loved them. If I had known that they had largely been reborn as Memento I would definitely have been there at the start of the evening. Rush are a band that I have loved since Permanent Waves in 1980 and while they can still sell out stadiums they do not often feature in cover bands' set lists.

The one band member that you can see at all clearly in the photo is lead singer Tamas Csemez who also fronted Prezence. Most, if not all, of the cover bands that come to the Fox and Duck are competent, or better, musicians but if there is a common weakness it is in the vocalists. Not here. I thought that Tamas made all the difference to the band and I was pleased to be able to tell him that afterwards. Of course the rest of the band had to play their parts too and they all did so magnificently.

I did not attempt to keep a set list but a few of the songs stuck in my head. We did have some Rush with Tom Sawyer, Rainbow’s Kill the King, The Final Countdown by Europe and Deep Purple's Mistreated. There were lots more like that and that is why everybody was singing and dancing.

It was a fantastic night and next time they are at the Fox and Duck, Saturday 8 October, then I'll be there early. It is already in my diary.

A couple of quick notes to close. One of the Fox and Duck regulars gave the gig three "wow!"s on Facebook afterwards, a record, and another friend told me that Tamas had been the original singer with prog covers band secondSight who I had seen several times. A couple of little touches to make a great night even better.

It's nights like this that I live for.