Fantastic gig yesterday, a really good trip all round. I had the afternoon off, Clare the whole day, so we headed into London at 2pm. We left the car at the station to pick up again the next day. Got to St Pancras and Clare decided that she had the wrong shoes on, and would need to buy some new ones... We had a look round the Coal Drops Yard area of Kings Cross but didn't see anything suitable so jumped on a train to Angel and she bought some new trainers there. Then to a pub at last, over two hours after our little trip had started. First to the Alma on Chapel Market, it advertised cask ales but had none. Then round the corner to the Three Johns whic did not look promising online but was actually very good. I think my beer was a bit cloudy, not quite right, but it was a nice setting and the best chance of real ale we had found so I let it go. We booked and cancelled a few places for dinner and eventually settled on Granary Square, back at Kings Cross.
Granary Square is next door to Caravan where we had eaten before with the boys. We could only get a table outside, but they had heaters and things so it was fine. Our food was good, we had burgers and wine, but when we went inside to use the loo we got real table envy. While it was fine outside, it was GREAT inside, so we want to go back and get a better table. From dinner to the gig, but via one more pub. We went in the Parcel Yard in Kings Cross station.
We got to The Wate Rats in time for the support band, who were very good. Kind of pub rock, a bit like Doctor Feelgood. Strangely they showed a 1982 snooker match between Alex Higgins and Jimmy White as the backdrop to their set. Strange but I liked it. They were popular, it was busy already. We knew it was sold out long in advance for David Devant And His Spirit Wife. The headline band were amazing, basically just doing the first album plus some associated tracks. Absolutely fantastic, as good as they were twenty-five years ago. The crowd were older, though not everyone there could have been there first time around. Wasn't sure if I'd know anyone, but one person recognised me first, and then another person recognised my new wokerati t-shirt1. Two of the band have big beards now that makes them look their age, but the other two are looking younger than I. To accompany the songs they had a video backdrop too, theirs showing pictures from their early gigs and highlights of their career, including celebrity fans and friends at their gigs. They seem to have had Damien Hirst on stage with them once, not at any of the gigs I was at though.
Set list seems to have been (from the actual setlist someone posted here2):
... but I know they also played Cookie and possibly a few more. Fantastic gig. Enormous!
We got the last-but-one train back out of London, had to change at Ashford, and then a taxi from Folkestone West. What a great night though.
And I got up and did Parkrun the next morning.
💬 David Devant at Kings Cross Water Rats
Paul Clarke's weblog - I live in A small town, Kent. Wed + father to two, I am a full-stack web engineer, + I do js / Node, some ruby, other languages ect ect. I like pubs, parkrun, eating, home automation and other diy stuff, history, tree stuff, TV, squirrels, pirates, lego, and TIME TRAVEL.