rewind to the 100 club

Last night I went to The Hundred Club; it's at 100 Oxford Street, just in case you don't know. It hasn't changed a bit, ever....alright, there was a small change, in that there used to be a Chinese takeaway at one end of the room. The serving hatch is still there, but serves pizzas and other types of food now.

Anyway, the reason I went, was that Phil was playing there. Yes, Phil played the 100 club. It was brilliant, and I haven't seen Phil play like that for ages. He's been getting together with Swill; Swill of The Men They Couldn't Hang fame. It's been a good pairing; so far, they played a charity to at The Hive bar in Brentford, the bar formerly known as The Stripes, then they played in our extension, and then, a corker of a gig at The Hundred Club. It was weird going there after so many years, I went in the late 80's I think, to see George Melly, but before that, I regularly bunked off school in the afternoons to go and listen to jazz in the afternoons.

Once I went with Katy Hacker, and as we were were going downstairs, a man stopped us and asked us what we thought of Acker Bilk, and Katy (who knew a lot about clarinettists, her dad being Alan Hacker), stated 'oh he's alright, but I prefer Benny Goodman'. We looked around the staircase, and there were photos everywhere of the man we were talking to, Acker Bilk.
Anyway we used to sit down there, smoking and listening to Jazz in the afternoon, thinking we were really cool, and of course we were!

Back to last night, the first to play was Robb Johnson; how excellent he is. What intelligent lyrics and clever, enjoyable music. A treat, but of course I was really there to see Phil play with Swill. They were so good. It was exciting to watch Phil play like that again...before he went on he had said to a young man we sat near that he played 'now and again'. When Phil joined Swill and played a couple of tunes, he really shone. It was an equal pairing. Different to other music Phil is doing where he is very much part of other people's creative control, which is also also enjoyable and exciting to watch, but last night was special. He was getting riotous applause of his own. I was so proud and excited. They were thrilling to watch together, was like they'd played together for years.

Then it was Chumbawumba. Well, I remember them as a sort of political dance music troupe. I think I even had one of their albums, or a tape once, maybe still have ina box somewhere. Anyway last night wasn't what I'd expected at all. They were very musical, folky, acoustic and still proudly political. It was a stirring performance. There were traditional English songs, some with new words, some with original words. There were songs about current hot issues, but it was never 'worthy' in an annoying way, rather, inspiring and proud to be at a gig where issues are kept live, and all to beutiful music. They should play at Whitby Folk Week, in fact all three acts should! What an even more amazing folk week that would be.