8/11/2013 Jelly @ The Hope & Anchor

Spooky time!

OK, I know Halloween was over a week ago - I just had the wrong settings on my camera and it looks like a crappy mobile phone picture. I still haven't got to grips with this new camera... However, the music was much better than my feeble attempts at photography. 'Say Hello' is a forceful opening number from Jelly.

It's a while since I've been to the Hope & Anchor but I do like the place. It's only four or five quid on the door tonight to see three bands, and decent quality ale is being served at pub prices instead of the rip-off prices found in most London's music venues. The toilets downstairs are a bit skanky though - I doubt the girls really want to be able to see the boys though a door that doesn't close as they use the urinal - it gives a new meaning to the infamous phrase 'toilet venue'.

Jelly are an interesting band. All the members have 'paid their dues' in other bands and have now come together to create something new. The music has roots in the '70s and '80s - a mixture of classic and alt-rock with a modern twist and an English rather than American delivery.

Frontman Stevie has a stage persona that draws you in without being egotistical, and he makes a point of drawing attention to the other members at various points during the set.

The band have some memorable songs that encourage to to check out their recently released debut album 'Troubadour, Wizard, The Queen and The Machine' - I'll leave you to figure out who is who in the album title...

The songs are interesting and varied - some of them rock quite hard, while some like 'The Note'are slower and more brooding - a quiet but menacing start that builds...

Unfortunately the band don't have time to play the full album and some good songs like 'Get Out Of Jail' have to be left out.  A short but sweet half hour set and it's all over, but there is still time to enjoy another beer or two before having to head off to the station - they are serving a rather nice brew from Greene King that I haven't heard of before: 1799 Porter.