Day 425
Monday September 2
We’ve never tried to play at The Dublin Castle and it’s time to get onto that. This is one of Camden’s most iconic music venues. It’s where Madness made their name and no Camden documentary is complete without it. It was even chosen as one of the main featured venues for the recent Amy Winehouse movie Back To Black. Which, incidentally, took in much of the immediate area around where we live. Oh yeah. We recently discovered that just around the time she started to become famous she lived almost directly behind our own street. Sometime last year we got leaflets through our letterbox giving us a heads up on filming happening pretty much outside our back window on certain days. We didn’t know it at the time, but that was for Back To Black.
Ok. Back to the Dublin Castle. Monday’s their open mic night. It advertises as sign up being at 7pm. Cool. It’s about a 20 minute walk from us and once Maja’s finished work for the day we get out the door as soon as we can and we’re there by about five past seven. We’re met by a despondent guitar carrying guy on his way out who says, ‘Guys, The list was full hours ago.’ He suggests we still have a look with the throwaway line of, ‘Well, you never know do you?’ We walk through the bar and into the venue. It’s already well underway and the place is packed with expectant musicians. It’s a zoo. There’s no point trying to find an organiser in all this or trying to get ourselves on any kind of list. We immediately decide to get back out on the street and make a new plan. As we’re walking out we get called by a table that we’re passing. Oh, there’s a guy we recognise. Fergal. We met and hung out with him one time at The Good Mixer. And he brought us to a gig here. He’s recognised us as, and a couple of his friends say they’ve seen us out and about as well. There are four of them seated around a table, consolation pints in front of them. They now tell us they’re a band who often play at the open mic here. But even they’ve not managed to get on tonight. They say they got here an hour ago and the list was already full. People had started arriving by 4pm apparently. We’re starting to get the picture now. The world and its mother comes to Camden to play The Dublin Castle. We thank them for the hello and head off to leave, but they quickly call us back to say there’s an open mic at the King William IV in Hampstead tonight and that they’re thinking of heading down there themselves. Cool. Thanks a lot for the heads up. We’ll check it out. And maybe see you there.
As we make our way down the hill of Parkway to Camden tube station we keep seeing people with guitars on backs heading towards us. They can only be going to The Dublin Castle. We get to the station and a few people are coming out of it, also with guitars and also heading straight in the direction of The Castle. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are going there, but let’s make that educated guess. It is still not long after 7pm afterall. I’ve really never seen anything like this. I hope they didn’t have to come far, but I have a feeling that at least one or two will have done. Right. Onto Hampstead.
I know the William IV. Not massively well, but I tried hustling it a few times back in the Insider days. I must have got some encouraging noises because I remember going back a few times. But I never quite managed to get us over the line. That was the story of a lot of venues as I hammered on all those doors all that time ago. Well, we’re going to play here tonight.
But we’re a little confused when we first enter. It all looks like a normal local English pub lounge. Semi large, but with no sign of an open mic. All lovely and cosy and the staff are all busy and bustly. But nothing about it at all feels open mikey. We even wonder if we have the right place. Apparently we do as we’re told it’s going to be over there in the corner once the host Simon arrives. So he’s not here yet. Great. We’re well in time. Quite different from what we’ve just left.
Now we know we’re in the right place, we notice a smattering of people around with guitars and we get ourselves a drink, find a table and sit back. When Simon does arrive, he is very welcoming, as well as being quite impressed when he asks where else we’ve played and we run off a list of European cities. He actually meant where else in London, but OK. That will definitely do as an answer. We’re kind of sat in the middle of the room now in possible the most well known pub in Hampstead, itself one of the most expensive areas in the UK. We’re suddenly struck by how genteel our surroundings feel. We start to talk to Simon about the general vibe here and he talks about it being acoustic, gentle, not too loud. With this, we begin to feel we might just be in the wrong place. We certainly have the repertoire to do a gentle set and fit in with the environment, but that’s not really our thing. We want to blast it out and just go for it. All of a sudden we feel this might not be the kind of place for that and we start to talk about maybe not staying. I’m certainly decided. No. This isn’t for us. I think it’s only because we have a considerable amount of our first pint left that we decide to stick around for now. Although it should also be said that Maja’s the one making the stronger case for sticking around and seeing how it goes. I’ve all but got my jacket back on. OK. Let’s have a quick chat with Simon and tell him we really are quite lively and punky. Oh, he says, but you just use an acoustic guitar? Yes. Oh, that’s fine. He explains they just don’t want big distorted electric guitars going on. Acoustic, no matter how vigorously played, should be fine. There is that word should, but we do at least feel assured enough to relax again, stick around and just do our own thing and see how it goes.
A few minutes later, Simon kicks it all off with some beautifully realised cover songs, perfectly setting the mood, pretty much as we might have expected. A few more acts, some a little upbeat but still on the gentler side if our end of the scale is added to the mix.
Then it’s our turn. We get up and Simon introduces us enthusiastically, but it still feels like we’re invading a bit on everyone’s quiet countryside vibish evening. But no matter. We’ve been in situations like this before. As in all of those, let’s just go for it. And if, in pure Back To The Future style, we’re told, ‘I’m sorry, you’re just too damn loud,’ then fine. We smash straight into Rock’n’Roll Tree. We follow this with I Like You (Better When You’re Naked, and finish off with Till Sunset Burns.
Well, straight away, Simon is like, oh my. Although he does come and turn us down just a smidge. But it’s clear he very much approves as he dances his way back to his original position. Out on the floor the rest of the bar responds. The bar staff suddenly have springs in their steps and at the back of the bar, leading into another bar, a guy suddenly bursts in and dances his way to the centre of it all, continuing to dance as we by now confidently rock it all out. This isn’t just accepted. This is triumphant. Ladies and gentlemen, The Diaries are in town. Where the hell did they come from? This genteel pub we were so reticent at upsetting has suddenly been transformed into a rock concert. Maja is joyfully at the centre as she takes advantage of the cordless mic and starts to work the room, moving out into the centre of it and beyond. We’ve totally taken over this place by now. This is our room. As so often, this doesn’t feel like an open mic. It feels like a show. Our NOW Hustles are generally three to five song shows anyway, so this really isn’t that much different.
Into Sunset Burns and we can see that more and more people have come through from the back room. We finish to a big cheer, but then Maja remembers the thing we always have to say. Everyone, these are all our own songs. With that the place just erupts. And we’re done. Free to go back out into the place, but with everyone now knowing exactly who we are and what we do. To handshakes and backslaps, we go back to our seats, the guitar gets dropped off and we split up into different directions and go round handing out cards and generally just meeting people. As I said, there’s a back room too, so you can go out the door at that far corner, all the way round the smaller back area, then back down the side of the bar to return to the corner stage area. I do the back bit, and when I return, I see Maja is already seated and being feted by a small and enthusiastic group. I join them and get introduced around. Among them is the guy who came in dancing, a very high sign of approval in here apparently, and Jimmy, the owner himself. Oh wow. Maja’s been pulled straight into the centre circle. Again, this is Hampstead and this is the King William IV. It’s been here since the 1700s and its walls are covered with photographs of legends of entertainment who’ve drank here down the years. And no doubt many legends of entertainment still do. London’s the UK’s, the world’s great and good of entertainment, all the movers and shakers come to Hampstead and all of them will know and most likely have been to this bar. Where we have just come and totally made ourselves known and our presence felt. The welcome we feel here now is immense and yes we will be back. We stay for quite a while longer, enjoying the continuing open mic and generally mingling, getting to know the bar staff, the whole thing. What an evening this has turned out to be, and what a let down it was that kicked the whole thing off. You may have been wondering about our friends back at The Dublin Castle. Well, they clearly made other plans and didn’t make it down tonight, but I’m sure we will be seeing them around Camden again. They will be very gratefully thanked.
