Or Camden and the Tate Modern Part 2
I had the pleasure of attending the Where It’s At Is Where You Are christmas shindig at the 12 Bar on Denmark street yesterday. WIAIWYA is run by the lovely Jon Jervis who was a one time resident of sunny Maidenhead but has managed to escape. He’s responsible for releasing some extremely fine pop from hip and happening beat combos around the world.
I was ostensibly there to see Marky and JC in their ‘Now We Are Six’ guise. Last christmas they put together a CD of carols arranged in their own inimitable style and, for those that missed it, it has resurfaced this year as a double CD of festive cheer. As well as compéring the night and providing the alternative activities between sets they performed a selection of these yuletide offerings.
The 12 Bar is a cool little venue, it obviously hasn’t been painted or thoroughly dusted since some point in the early eighties, but that only added to its charm. It looks, feels and smelt like a ‘proper’ music venue; fag ash and beer, carpets who’s sole function is to make the floor non-slip and enough biological material to reliably clone everyone who has ever visited it.
We arrived slightly before the doorman was paying attention so I had the fun of watching his bemused face an hour later when i went to pay for already being inside. The first third of the building serves as a cafe during the day, the second third the bar and the back third holds a stage you can ‘just’ squeeze a band onto. The stage area is split level and sitting looking out from the balcony of the second level you can easily kick the performer of your choice in the head.
We settled into the balcony seating straight away, claiming it for ourselves (aching gallery stomping feet were screaming for respite) and watched the sound checks. Marky and JC came up to join us and tooled us up for their set with glitter and party poppers and all of a sudden not only were we their to watch but we’d also become the pyrotechnics crew.