It's something of repeat motif around this semi detached corner of Cyberspace - but, The Railway Hotel is Southend's most rock 'n' roll local.
Run by two multi-instrumentalist musicians -Fi Jacobs and Dave Dulake, it's a pub with a platinum plated pedigree that - over the recent run of months has hosted: Chas Hodges honky-tonking it up on the pub's grand piano (joined by his son on drums), one of Britain's premier league harpists Wes Weston regularly hooting 'n' tooting along with Martin McNeill's Bottletop Blues Band. A pub quiz hosted by Ed Tudor-Pole and John Cooper Clarke winging in for a gig (with Wilko Johnson in the audience)
And the Feeding of the Five Thousand. An all-you-can-eat endurance challenge, seeing who can chow down and plough through the all-veggie pub menu before the Crass album of the same name completes. On a similar riff a couple of weeks previously, Piley and myself popped in for our usual pre-show pint and noticed a petit, pixie faced lady framed with a floss of backcombed hair, topped off with a red beret. Who, it turned out - was Crass vocalist Eve Libertine.
Eve had dropped in to taste test The Railway's Crass Burger, loved the grub, the pub and parked herself there until closing time. Luckily I managed to grab a handful of natter with her...
Me: Relaying how Reality Asylum is still one of the spookiest tunes ever rendered to record and rattled me somthing rotten as a teen.
Eve: That she's still musically active and working with Mark Webber at the mo' - but has also been pitching with in with Mark Stewart ex of The Pop Group.
And what a fine slice of elctro agit-pop they've produced with Nothing is Sacred...which you can grab for free - at Mark's website hereabouts..
And check out his newie due in Feb (20th) - a Primal Scream team-up
Should you be hanging around town Southend way - whizz your way to The Railway. You never know who you'll meet. Or track them on the Twitterverse. The Railway
8 comments:
It was the Tam then the Old Ash Tree in Medway - Nicky Moore would be found in them areas .... these days it is all a bit thin on the ground... plus obviously I don't frequent many boozers any more! :-)
Was that part of the Billy Childish scene too F-Ron?
Gah, I've now got an earworm. A song that went "I wanted so much for my fist night with you, but the Railway Hotel is the best I can do..."
No idea what it was or how I know it, and I suspect it's a rotten song anyway, but it won't leave me alone...
Your local is way better than mine.
Wicked!
Check out these ceramic vessels i made in honour of The Railway.. They were displayed there during Artside 2011 behind the bar!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missannabeldee/6814761547/
and my blog:
http://missannabeldee.blogspot.com/
... I hope to make some more ceramic pieces featuring local pubs etc later in the year so watch this space!
I've found it ISB here - and incredibly there's a Piley connection with a Mike Batt
It really is a great venue Adam - if you're ever Southend way drop in?
Love it Annabel - are the Billet and The Ship on your list..
This is great Dave! Cheers for the nice comments xx
Well I never. Mike Batt. Just proves the old adage about the potency of cheap music. That's been in my head for thirty years. Terry Waite got off with less than that.
Word Veri: "monido" . Are you writing your own these days?
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