Real Ale, Real Music

Went to Bury a few days ago. Famous for black puddings and its market, it also houses a great local concert hall, the Met. My reason to be there - the chance to see rising Huddersfield folk stars, Belinda O'Hooley and Heidi Tidow on the tour to launch their excellent album 'The Hum'. Checked in to the Premier Inn - minutes from the town centre - and headed out for some pre-gig food. Within minutes I came across the Art House. What a place, a lovingly restored art-deco cinema now part of the Wetherspoon empire. Now I am not a fan of all of their properties, but this one is excellent, with balconies, velour curtains and bags of nostalgia. Thursday night, Curry Club, so opted for the Flaming Dragon(the one with 5 chilli symbols) with free pint for £5.99. It hit the spot, so fed and watered I headed a few minutes round the corner to the venue. The Met is a classic local town theatre and concert venue, the sort we need to support. A great benefit of the Met is its Good Bee...

Live music and good ale have always gone well together. Many of you will remember that wonderful former CAMRA-owned pub, the Eagle, on North Street, Leeds. When I first moved for my job to Leeds in the late 70’s, it was there that I wandered, new to the city and knowing no one and immediately felt at home. Sunday nights was folk night, a band called Aiken’s Drum held sway with traditional stuff, their enjoyment enhanced by a variety of superb ales of the time, plus, of course, the legendary Kebab Man. Close by, there were classic pubs like the Roscoe, the Regent and the White Stag, where Irish music was the order of the day, lubricated by pints of superb Tetleys’ Bitter, plus Guinness, of course. Those days have since always encouraged me to seek out real ale pubs with good live music. And, in my experience, 9 times out of 10, the best live music is to be found in pubs with a good selection of traditional beer. Many songs over the years have extolled the pleasures of drinking, be i...