That's Where The Music Takes Me....

I've just returned from a couple of days in that London, where I combined seeing one of my favourite bands on one of their rare UK visits with visiting a few different parts of the capital, taking in a few pubs along the way....

Sunday morning and it was an early start to catch the train first to Leeds, and then on to London. So first a breakfast at the Station Cafe in Brighouse before wandering around the corner to wait for the train. The temperature had dropped a bit overnight from the extreme heat of the past few days, and it was pleasant waiting in the sunshine which had been joined by some welcome, freshening winds. The train arrived after a bit of a delay, we got to Leeds, and from there it was an event-free journey to Kings Cross.

As I emerged from the busy station it was immediately apparent that down here they hadn't had the message re the heatwave, so it felt as warm here as it had done in Yorkshire yesterday. I set off for my Travelodge and gradually realised I had gone on Grays Inn Road, which was the wrong road. I wasn't far away when I checked on Google Maps after I'd pulled into a half-familiar pub to check my bearings over a refreshing pint, no more than 5 minutes away. The pub was the Lucas Arms, one I'd walked past a few times but never been in. It was a pleasant enough place, a typical London pub, with several tables occupied by diners. It is a Greene King pub with the obvious limitations on beer choice, and I asked the Polish-sounding barman for a pint of the 3.4% IPA, which came with no head and not a lot of flavour, but it was cool and refreshing (NBSS 3). 

I finished my pint and set off for my Travelodge which was on King Cross Lane, passing a favourite pub in these parts, the Queens Head, en route, which I noted for a potential nightcap later. I got checked in quickly, dropped off my bag and discarded my coat, and then I was back out in the warm sunshine. I headed back towards Kings Cross, but having not quite decided where to go before ending up at the Brixton Academy where one of my favourite bands,  LCD Soundsystem, were performing this evening. I called in to the Scottish Stores on Caledonian Road to finalise my plans. Now I had beem here a couple of months ago when I had not been impressed with the beer choice so I decided to give it another chance. The same red-haired lass was behind the bar as last time and but this time there was a beer on I'd not before, Down the 'Atch, a 3.7% session bitter from Brentwood Brewing Co whose beers I'd not tried before. It was ok, if a little thin, but quite malty with a bitter finish (NBSS 3). I got busy on my phone; the challenge was it was an early gig with the doors of the Brixton Academy opening at 5, and support act Working Men's Club likely to be one at 5.45, so I needed to be not too far away and make sure I had something to eat, but there were limited pub opportunities in Brixton itself. Meanwhile, the Scottish Stores had the usual mix of knowing locals, cool kids, and disorientated tourists you find in the pubs around King's Cross. I finalised my plans, I finished my beer, took my empty glass back to the bar, and headed back into the sunshine.

Scottish Stores

A few minutes later I was walking through the extensive catacombs beneath Kings Cross and St Pancras on my way to catch a tube to Pimlico on the Victoria Line, which actually ends up at Brixton, although not close to the Academy. After a few minutes wait in the sweltering heat of both the station and the carriage, a few stops down the line, I alighted from the tube and walked out into the fresh air, got my bearings and walked down an elegant residential street of white buildings towards what would be my first visit to the pub I had earmarked.

The Cask Pub & Kitchen, which calls itself A Modern British Pub is something of a beer destination with up to 10 beers on cask and 20 on keg, with an extensive range of bottled beers from both the UK and around the world, plus a vintage beer cellar with what it claims is the largest collection of beer for sale in the UK, with over 2,000 beers from as far back as the 1950s. It is an unusual-looking modern brick building situated in part of the Lillington Gardens Estate, which was amongst the last of the high-density public housing schemes built in London during the post war period. It is regarded to as one of the most significant as it introduced a new standard that was achieved with a medium-rise structure rather than by building a high-rise tower block. 

Inside the pub, which is Grade ll listed, there is something of an art deco look to what is a light and airy large single room. Despite the extensive beer list not many of the beers on were from London, so I ordered a pint of White Knight from Goffs of Cheltenham, which I have always enjoyed and this 4.7% premium blonde beer was on good form, the best beer of the day so far (NBSS 3.5). The food featured a number of different burger options, so I went for Heat, a "80% rump 20% flank Scottish beef patty double-dipped in hot buffalo sauce. Served with blue cheese, shredded lettuce, red onion relish, pickles and house chips" which was cooked to order and spot on, just what I needed before heading for the gig. As I was waiting for my food a number of musicians drifted into the pub. By their accents most were American and not long afterwards the rest of us were being treated to the sounds of bluegrass, this corner of South West London ringing to the sound of the Appalachians and I could have quite easily stayed longer than the next pint I got, The Greatest Love Story, a 4.5% single hop pale featuring Simcoe from East London brewers Pretty Decent from the keg selection, which was pretty decent. But time was moving on and I had a gig to get to.

Bluegrass, burgers, and beer at the Cask Pub & Kitchen

I got an Uber to Brixton to save time. I had never been to this part of London before and as Mahamad drove us through places like Stockwell in my head I was hearing tunes like Guns of Brixton and Electric Avenue, songs inspired by this part of South London. We snaked through narrow suburban streets and soon we were across the road from the O2 Brixton Academy, which opened in 1929 as a cinema, and became a concert venue in 1983, and with a capacity just shy of 5,000, it is one of the largest non-arena music venues in London, hosting many top artists such as Bob Dylan, Madonna, the Smiths, the Clash, Arcade Fire, and the Prodigy.

LCD Soundsystem emerged from New York in 2002 as the vehicle of their charismatic frontman James Murphy, and over the years have honed their own distinct style of dance-rock fused with electro beats. Releasing the first of their 4 albums in 2005, their next three, Sounds of Silver, This Is Happening, and the #1 album American Dream, garnered increasing critical acclaim, with tunes such as North American Scum, Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, Tonite, New York I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down, and I Can Change gaining them a large following worldwide. This evening was the final night of an 8 night residency here, and they were supported tonight by Working Men's Club, who I'd first seen playing in the yard out back at the Grayston Unity in Halifax. They appeared on stage at 5.45 as I'd predicted and placed a blistering half hour set blending indie rock with electronic sounds which I enjoyed from my seat high in the circle. After a relatively short turnaround, the roadies left the stage, final checks done, setlists and drinks in position, the filler music stopped, and the lights went down. Bob Seger's We've Got Tonight started to play over the speakers, and as the song drew to a close, LCD Soundsystem emerged on to the stage to loud cheers. They kicked off with Oh Baby, then I Can Change, and those of us in the seats were on our feet. And it pretty much stayed like that as they played for well over an hour and a quarter, and then came back for an encore, starting with North American Scum. I left as it was really warm and I'd decided to beat the crowds to get an Uber, but it turned out they actually did 5 songs in the encore, a far cry from the trend nowadays where most artists don't do one at all. A top night of brilliant music, another tick off the bucket list, if rather too warm to make the best of it.

LCD Soundsystem at Brixton Academy

My Uber arrived, and my driver was Sayid, who like my earlier driver Mahamad, was from Somalia and likewise pleasant company as we drove through the quietening city streets all the way back to King's Cross. About 20 minutes later I got dropped off just around the corner from what was to be my final pub of the day, one I had visited only a couple of months earlier, and which I had walked past earlier in the day. The Queens Head on Acton Street is a fine pub set in a row of residential properties and at around 9.30 pm on a Sunday evening had assumed the role of a local, the tourists finally done for the day (excluding myself of course). From the cask selection, I got myself a pint of the 4.8% Cowcatcher APA from the East London Brewing Conpany, hopped with Amarillo, Chinook, Simcoe and Citra which was very refreshing and a massive step up from the last time I had tried any of their beers (NBSS 3.5). And as I watched the scene at the bar where an animated little guy was banging on about this and that to a very patient older couple sat alongside their bags of shopping at the bar, I sneaked in and ordered a pint of a 4% Azacca Pale Ale from Kernel from the keg options to bring the evening to a close, having had a long but excellent day.

The following day I headed to a completely different part of London. After a quick Greggs breakfast - well I do like their bacon rolls - I took the Victoria Line to Highgate & Islington, where I picked up the Windrush overground line and got off at Wapping, by the River Thames, whose station is actually a long way below ground. I emerged on to a quiet street, and spotting a nice-looking cafe a few doors away I went for a coffee whilst I got my bearings.

I was on Wapping High Street, a narrow road which snakes west to east through this historic riverside settlement, which developed alongside the river wall, hemmed in by the river to the south and the drained Wapping Marsh to the north. This gave it a peculiarly narrow and constricted shape, consisting of little more than Wapping High Street and some north - south side streets.  It was described in the early 17th century as a "continual street, or a filthy strait passage, with alleys of small tenements or cottages, built, inhabited by sailors' victuallers." Wapping's position by the Thames meant it had a strong maritime character and was inhabited by sailors, boatbuilders, instrument-makers, victuallers, and all the other trades that supported the seafarer, with a very cosmopolitan population. Wapping was also the site of 'Execution Dock', where convicted pirates would be hung from a gibbet constructed close to the low water mark, their bodies left in position until they had been submerged by the Thames three times. Things changed radically in the 19th century when the London Docks were built to the north and west of the High Street. Wapping's population fell by nearly 60%, with many houses destroyed during the building of the docks and giant warehouses along the riverfront. Squeezed between the high walls of the docks and warehouses, the riverside area became isolated from the rest of London, and it wasn't until 1869 that Wapping underground station opened linking it via the former East London line to the rest of the capital. Nowadays the old warehouses are home to many luxury apartments and Wapping has become a very desirable area to live.

Three pubs were listed in the Good Beer Guide, all of which looked to be well worth a visit. I wandered on the High Street and turned up Wapping Wall towards the Prospect of Whitby, which claims to be the oldest riverside pub in London. It opened in 1520 as the Pelican, and then became known as the Devil's Tavern, due to its somewhat dubious reputation, eventually becoming known by its current name which was taken from a Tyneside collier ship which was moored close by. Most of the current building actually dates from 1777, replacing the original one which was largely destroyed by fire. The pub is now owned by Greene King who have continued to maintain the historic character of the pub.

The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping

It was before noon when I walked in but the pub already had a few people sat around. I ordered a pint of the 3.9% Prospect of Whitby Bitter, which is apparently brewed specifically for the pub by GK. I walked through the historic interior with its flagstone floor and went outside on to a small decked balcony which afforded spectacular views over the river. I stood watching out over the fascinating scene with its constant procession of river traffic, each one send waves of different sizes crashing into the walls below. The words of Ewan McColl's Sweet Thames, Flow Softly came to me as I enjoyed my pint on this watery lookout - "Kissed her once again at Wapping, Flow, sweet river, flow, After that there was no stoppin', Sweet Thames, flow softly." And then a voice: "I'm going to have to shut the door as its nearly high tide." A young lady was urging me back inside and so I followed her, she then shut the door with a bang, and I retreated to a small table across from a large fireplace.

The beer was actually very good, cool, bitter, with plenty of flavour, and in excellent condition (NBSS 3.5), not what I would have expected given the usual bland nature of a lot of Greene King's output. A large guy with a beard came over and said hello, we got chatting when he asked me where I was from. It turned out he was the new landlord who had just taken over that morning, so I wished him well. I have no doubt it can get very busy and uncomfortable here at times, but on this early Monday lunchtime I'd had a thoroughly enjoyable time in this historic and atmospheric old pub.

The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping

As I had lingered longer than planned at the Prospect of Whitby, I decided I had realistically only got time to visit one more pub here today as I was conscious of allowing enough time to get back to Kings Cross to get my train home. So I opted for the nearer of the two, Turner's Old Star, a former Fullers house in a pleasant location off Wapping Lane with its couple of pubs, small shops, and a Sainsbury's Local. A historic, family-run street-corner local, it takes its name from the famous artist, JMW Turner, who once owned the building. I ordered a pint of the 4.2% Mayflower Session IPA, an easy-drinking modern pale ale from Southwark Brewing, hopped with Sorachi, Ace, Centennial, Cascade, and Falconer's Flight. There was a special price if I paid cash, the friendly lady behind the bar said, a pint for a fiver! My mind flashed back to the New Brew-m in Burnley, where I could have enjoyed two and a half  pints for that today being a Monday! Still it was a very good pint (NBSS 3.5), and I loved the friendly atmosphere of this lovely old East End pub.

Turner's Old Star, Wapping

And from there it was back to the station to make my way back to Kings Cross and home. It had been an excellent if short visit to Wapping, and with one pub left to do in the Good Beer Guide I have every excuse to come back again soon and spend longer in this fascinating and historic part of London. In fact, it had been a brilliant trip all around....

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And here's some LCD Soundsystem with 'North American Scum'....