7/11/2009 The Whybirds @ The Garage

Subject	The Whybirds @ The Garage
PostedDate	11/7/2009
	I'm here tonight to check out the venue as much as the band - this is my first visit to The Garage since it's reopened after it's refurb. This used to be probably my favourite venue for quite a while as it was easy to get to, it was easy to get a decent view due to the layout and lack of pillars, and it had a nice long bar from where you could still see the stage. OK, so the sound was often shit - but that applies to nearly all London club venues.  This venue has been much missed since it's closure several years ago, and for a long time it looked unlikely it would ever reopen. The reason for it's closure was basically that the roof fell in and it would cost far too much to repair. That and the drains needed sorting out. This was around the time that the owners the Mean Fiddler Group were selling off all their venues anyway - they sold this one too. It went through a change of hands or two, and at one point work actually started on repairs - then the recession kicked in and all work on the venue was stopped. Things have changed a bit on London's live music scene since The Garage shut. We have lost several important venues due to the dreaded CrossRail scheme: The Astoria, LA2, Metro, and SIN have gone, and further up Holloway Road Nambucca shut due to a fire. This has left a shortage of music venues, and now The Garage is back to help fill that gap. The place is rather more 'corporate' (a regretable recent trend in music venues) than before, but I doubt it would have re-opened otherwise. So what's the refurbished Garage like? Well the basic layout is virtually unchanged, and the long bar at the back remains, but the choice of beverages on offer is rather limited and a step backwards. No bitter or beer of the brown variety on offer - no bottles of Newcastle Brown or similar either. Pints of lager or cider - that's yer lot.  The mirrored back wall has gone, so performers onstage can no longer admire themselves. The new arched roof is very noticable. Everything used to be painted black - as it should be in a proper 'rock 'n' roll' venue.  This has changed and a lot of money has obviously been spent on the interior decor. It actually looks quite classy now - if anything it's a bit too 'nice' for a rock venue. Comfy sofas? I wonder how long they will last?  One familiar thing remains - the old stainless steel urinal in the gents! Something strikes me as odd - the old enclosed mixing desk has been swept away and replaced with new sound and lighting desks in approximately the same place but much more open than before. I guess this makes for a better view for people standing behind, but at the more extreme rock and punk shows pints of beer often go sailing through the air to land on the heads of some unfortunates. Surely it's only a matter of time before a pint of beer thrown by some moron lands on the mixing desk! And that will be the end of that night's show.  So as I said, The Garage isn't really a rock 'n' roll venue any more... So, onto the night's entertainment. I'd never really heard of the Whybirds before, but judging by the full venue a lot of other people have. They are a British country rock band and are certainly very good at what that do, but a bit tame for me. I don't really buy into their whole rather contrived all wearing plaid shirts thing - they are from Bedford for chrissakes! I'm glad I checked them out, but I got bored after a while and can't see myself ever going to see them again. Their crowd was a bit 'straight' as well - lots of boring middle aged people and their boring kids - not my scene at all. Oh well - it will all be rather different when I'm here for Ginger's Birthday Bash in a few weeks...