Ironically after several months of Covid-19 lockdown and therefore no gigs, the first band I get to see post-lockdown is the last band I got to see before lockdown. It's Jimmy C & The Blues Dragons again, but in a very different venue. In fact this outdoor venue is totally unlike any other I have ever been to. St Mary's Tower is all that remains of a church dating back over five hundred years.
It really is a special place, and a
very unusual music venue - quite unique. Music events here are free, although today's is in aid of a cancer charity so donations are very welcome. It's just round the corner from Hornsey Station on the line out of Kings Cross so very easy to get to. On a nice summer's day St Mary's Tower is a lovely place to visit, but if it wasn't for Jimmy C & Co I would never have known it was there - even though I sometimes pass nearby on the train and have driven/ridden just round the corner from it many times. It turns out that Jimmy lives locally and has already played a few events here.
There is no stage as such, but the band set up on the steps just in front of the tower which just as good - with plenty of room for a full band including horn section.
The outdoor acoustics are surprisingly good and it is a very pleasant place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The tower itself is quite spectacular and has been rebuilt and added to at various times over the past few hundred years.
I can't imagine the previous users of the church could ever have imagined the use it is being put to now, but Jimmy is obviously loving it!
There are a few guest musicians - including a horn section and Max from
Lord Algae. Jimmy C & The Blues Dragons crank out their brand of rock and blues to their usual high standard. Jimmy performs one of his own songs today which has a very specific and historical connection to this place. The song is called '
Jacob Walker' and is about a man who is buried in the churchyard just yards away from the spot where Jimmy is singing about him. The song tells the story of a slave who travelled from America with his mistress to become 'her faithful servant' in Highgate - they both died only two weeks apart in 1841 aged 39 and are buried together here in St Mary's churchyard. This place certainly has some stories to tell. When the band had a break I took time to have a good look at the tower and also explore the churchyard - there are information boards scattered around and I found it all quite fascinating.
As there are no 'facilities' as such like toilets or refreshments you need to improvise a bit by bringing your own food and drink - but the nearby Great Northern Railway Tavern seems happy to let people attending events at the Tower use their toilets - which also gives me a chance to pop in for a pint - they have some nice ales in there and it's a proper old fashioned pub. All in all it's been a very nice day out with some good music and some interesting history to delve into - I shall definitely be back.
