Smyths at the 100 Club

Now I am inordinately proud of myself that I managed to put this night together. It  really wasn't easy. I mean booking tickets to see the Smyths was easy enough, in that I managed to get them before they sold out. Managing to gather together three teenagers and a 20 year old student was the tricky part, dodging birthdays, holidays, rail strikes and medical appointments, one of them coming in from Chippenham, and getting us all out in time to see the gig. Trust me that was an achievement, months in the planning.

But the evening was, from my viewpoint (and I think their's too) a great success. Managed to get Jasper and Luka fed at my place first, just got Eoin in from his train journey in time to go straight back out the house again. I had stocked up on party packs of beers for the after party!

Now we didn't get there at opening so the place was pretty crowded when we arrived. 100 club is a small venue and so no surprise it had sold out. But we were in time to see all of the Smyths' two sets. Sorry photos not up to my usual standard but I wasn't at the front, didn't bring my camera and the lighting is awful. The sound was a little ropy too to be honest, but the Smyths are wonderful!

And gratifying to me in that although there were a lot of old timers there, there were a lot of youngsters too, and everyone in between. Truly a 40 year age range, even if my little gang were among the youngest. And so nice seeing Luka and Aron so into this music that predates their birth by decades. While the Smyths are a tribute act, they are a very able band, and don't just copy the Smiths but elaborate and adapt their songs. Maybe that was most notable in their closing version of possibly the Smiths best record, How Soon is Now?, converting a self pitying lament into a seriously good dance tune.

Sadly, I forgot to do what I meant to do, and capture the lads together in a photo. Would have been a nice memento of the night.

But anyway, we returned to my place to make an attack on my beer collection, and just chat away. The lads just all got on so well in that relaxed and amusing banter that really intelligent youngsters can produce when being silly. You had to be there. And we managed to waffle until 3:30 am. Fortunately my house is large enough that I could put them all up in separate beds so somewhat more comfortable sleeping than when they crash at their mates' places.

I promised breakfast next morning, but frankly it was lunch by the time the last of them surfaced. Obviously I was first up and took a photo of the sense of abandonment of footwear that greeted me at bottom of the stairs. Teenagers!

Got all of them on buses home after lunch, bar Eoin who was coming with me to a comedy night in Greenwich with a colleague of mine and his girlfriend. Headliner was Stephen K Amos who was stupidly brilliant. Had the audience in stitches from his first words. And Eoin, as the trooper he is, then made his way across to the opposite side of London at 10:30 to Jasper's 18th birthday party. I eschewed the invitation that Jasper sweetly extended to me. Really, a 60 year old does not belong at an 18th!

So now just to organise a reunion for next Smyths gig in January, dodging university admissions, holidays, birthdays etc. Fingers crossed!