Nights On The Tiles

Not ONE but TWO Successive Nights Out For Conrad
For those of you familiar with your curmudgeonly old scribe, this indeed burning the candle at both ends and in the middle simultaneously, a tricky operation liable to leave burnt fingertips.

Also this.

     Last night was waving farewell to Roxy, who has moved from our seventh floor domicile downstairs to the third, doing all sorts of dreadfully important stuff, juggling with the fate of nations, the balance of trade, and what colour packets of eggs ought to be.
     It was also the debut performance of From The Kites Of San Quentin's shortly-to-be-released new album, at the Eagle Inn on Collier Street in Salford.  
     So your humble scribe went from Tiger Tiger - where he confesses he had rather a lot to drink - and then over to Salford.
     Tonight I'm going out for a meal in Manchester - which I may post about tomorrow - hence the timing of this post.
     On with the motley!

Roxy's Little Soiree
The venue is Tiger Tiger, a frequent watering hole for those of us working at My Still Coyly Un-named Employer, as it is within a quick stagger of the offices.

Usually a little busier

     And here we have the more sober photographs, the ones before everyone has wrapped themselves around umpteen cocktails and lagers:

Tom, Katie, Nicola, then Mark (showing his back) and Peter
Also Conrad's beer lower centre.

     As is my wont at these things, I ordered two pints because I was so thirsty the first one went down in a couple of minutes.  For worried readers:  I do moderate this rate.

Katie, Rob (not I), Lee, Nicola, Mark, Russell and Peter
Becca's abandoned Rasberry Dacquiri lower centre.

     Becca vanished early in the proceedings, and it would have been both rude and wasteful to just let her drink get chucked out, so - er - Conrad sipped most of it.

Katie, Russell, Lee, Nicola, Roxy (hiding), Tom and Lauren, with her back to your humble scribe

     Roxy, ever the walking fashion statement, had on those jeans that trendy young people wear, with a pair of gaping holes where the knees should be. Given the volume of the music, Conrad resorted to the written word to comment -

     Fair play to Roxy, she agreed to a photo to explain my comment:

Roxy, rocking it with the kneeless look.  Legless came later.

     I lasted longer than many who were there at the start, proving that an old dog can pace himself.  Then it was time to amble over to Salford, taking in a moody view of the River Irwell en route:

I guess you had to be there.

And thence to the Eagle Inn, viz:

Eagling

     The bar staff very sportingly allowed me to sample a couple of the beers on draught, which is a first for me.  Anyway, less of beer, more of venue, which is very small:

They do manage a balcony

And the Kites stage set-up:

Phil, Alison and Luke

   FYI, Phil plays the keyboards, twiddles dials and fiddles with sliders - basically a ton of black boxes that Conrad (musical knowledge = nil) regards with a smidge of wariness.
    Alison sings, and she had a peculiar black box affixed to her microphone that Ian (fellow gig goer and incidentally driving force of Claw The Thin Ice) and I wondered about.  She has posted earlier this year on Facebook about a mysterious black box that did everything.  Possibly the same item?
     Luke, over in the corner, plays the guitar, and although you can't really see from this angle (me holding the camera on high above audience heads) he has a paste-table crammed with effect gadgets, although the rumour that one makes three cups of tea when pressed is probably a fib.

Playing!

     Then they played, two lots of three songs, then another set to complete the lot.  Conrad has to admit he wasn't that struck on the first one, but did like the others and one piece might almost be called their tribute to "Over The Wall" with a ton of percussive effects really driving the song.

Now Alison, bless her, was upset at her performance when I went up to say hello afterwards, so I had to reassure her that she'd done wonderfully.  One gets the feeling that a semi-tone out of place is seen by her as damning the whole night.  Not so, Alison!  The Kites were <ahem> flying high!

The balcony.  Just had to get that in.

Time to post and run - gotta get them brownies in a tub, and get dressed, and catch the bus to catch a bus, that sort of thing.