Summer In The City

...what happened to Spring?!



It seems like summer has arrived in London. The weekend saw soaring temperatures, loads of lobster tans and drunken revellers spilling out of every pub in the land. The capital was packed, both with tourists and winter-weary locals stumbling, blinking into the fierce sunlight.

We were celebrating the completion of Tim's last big paper of this term. Something like eighteen thousand words. Still a couple of exams and a short paper to do, but the end of this year's study is in sight. Alcohol was drunk. Lots of it.

It was also a weekend of walking, culminating an afternoon stroll from Old Spitalfields Market, past London Wall, Moorgate, St Paul's, up High Hoburn, through Soho and on to Picadilly Circus and Haymarket. Total distance? Something like 4 miles (and two beers). Sometimes it's nice to abandon public transport and rely on Shanks's Pony to get from A to B. You see so much that you would ordinarily miss when trapped in a bus or on the tube. It reconnects you to the city.

What of The Project? Not much progress. The physical need to be out in the sun took precedence over playing guitar. I did swing by Studio Lounge on Borough High Street but didn't go in. I'll admit that I was intimidated by the place's blacked-out windows and no obvious point of entry. It was Friday night, I was headed to meet Tim's class at the pub and I used that as an excuse not to ring the doorbell. Next time, eh?

Oh, and last but not least, The Oli Brown Band have released their debut CD, "Open Road" on Ruf Records. There's a complete track listing on their website. I was very pleased to see that they've included all my favourite tracks from their recent shows, including a cover of Ram Jam's "Black Betty" which they just tore up live onstage. I have, of course, ordered a copy of the album and will give you guys a full review as and when it arrives. I'm really curious to see how the backing of a label will have changed the sound of their studio produced material. Very exciting times for the band, I'm sure!