rhythm and boozeFood, Booze, Bands & News - Issue 9 - September/October 2011

Almost 30 years since he left The

Destructors, former lead singer Neil

Singleton met up with the then

bassist Allen Adams at their

early-80s haunt, The Bull in Market

Deeping. Catching up on old times

in the successful Peterborough

punk band, the pair reminisced on

live gigs, which included a support

slot on GBH’s Attacked by rats tour

in 1982.

“In the early-80s, Peterborough’s

pubs would close at 9pm

on Sundays,” remembers Allen,

“wanting a later drink we would

cross into Lincolnshire and spend

our evenings in The Bull instead.

“A crowd of us would sit on the

left-hand side, which is now the

restaurant, drink beer and generally

make a lot of noise.

“We were so badly behaved that

Aubrey, the landlord, installed a

supermarket mirror so he could

keep an eye on us.”

Older, but not necessarily wiser,

Neil lives in Nelson, New Zealand

and fronts the band Gripper, while

Allen took over on vocals after

reforming The Destructors in 2005.

Last year, both bands featured on

Les Fleurs Du Mal a seven-track

split EP released by Allen’s label

Rowdy Farrago Records and there

are plans for Neil to work with his

old band when he’s next in the UK.

“I recently discovered demo

recordings and rough sketches for

our ‘lost’ second album,” explains

Allen, “which we would have

recorded in 1984 had we not split

up the previous September.

“The plan is for Neil to record one

version using the technology that

was available at the time and then

we’ll re-record it, using a digital

recording system with me on vocals

before releasing both versions of

the album on a double CD.

“Then hopefully, we’ll be able to go

on tour with Neil fronting a version

of The Destructors, playing the

older songs, before I take to the

stage to perform a modern set.

“I’m sure with both the album and

gigs, people will have a favourite

but then they’ll be getting two

Destructors for the price of one.”

nVisit www.destructors.co.uk for

further information

Reunited - Allen Adams and Neil Singleton, and (inset) as they were in 1983 (second left, second right)

The Indestructibles

Out 30 September 2011

The Destructors/Don't Look

Down

Je Suis Radio

Don’t Look Down provide three tracks

on this seven track split EP, the 30th

release from the city’s most productive

label, Rowdy Farrago Records.

The Destructors – the band that the

label was built around – end their

‘man’ trilogy, which started with

Flying Saucer Man and Rock’n’Roll

man, with Trashman.

“Don’t Look Down play original, thought-

provoking melodic punk, reggae and ska.”

- Stamford Mercury

“Proper punk for proper punks is the best

way to describe what The Destructors are

all about!”

- Mass Movement Magazine

BUY ONLINE or as a DOWNLOADBY MAIL ORDER FROM METALONROCK.TVOR AS A DOWNLOAD FROM iTUNES/7DIGITAL

Man Alive

Pub Scrawl

This year’s Kings Lynn Festival,

which takes place over the

weekend of 23-25 September,

features twelve poets including

Matthew Sweeney, Wendy Cope,

DM Black and Kit Wright. Held at

the Town Hall, not Thoresby

College as previously announced,

tickets are available from Tony Ellis

who can be contacted on 01553

691661 during office hours and

01553 761919 at other times. For

further details on the event, go to

www.lynnlitfests.com

Peterborough’s longest running

literary group, Writers in

Peterborough, is back on 12

October at the Great Northern Hotel

with medieval novelist Elizabeth

Chadwick. The evening starts

at 7.30pm, admission £7,

concessions £5.

Founded in the late 1990s, Poets

United continue to meet on the first

Tuesday of the month (6

September, 4 October, 1 November

and so on) with a mix of writing to a

pre-set theme and general

readings. For full details, ring Viv on

01733 340560.

Back from performing at the

Edinburgh Festival, Pint of Poetry,

Dash of Drama will be having its

regular nights at Charters Bar on

Wednesday 14 September and

then on 12 October. It starts around

8.30pm and if you want to read, it is

best to get there at about 8pm as it

can get quite busy.

Poetry Factory continues to offer

constructive criticism to writers and

performers on the third Tuesday of

the month (20 September and 18

October) so ring Pete Irving on

01733 890537 for full details.

Speakeasy is back on Wednesday

28 September at the Brewery Tap

with a performance of Cross Keys

by the Eastern Angles theatre

group – the team who brought us

Our Nobby.

Nicci Pugh will talk about life on a

floating hospital working in the

South Atlantic in 1982 during the

Falklands War on Wednesday

14 September at the John Clare

Cottage in Helpston (next to the

Blue Bell pub) at 7pm. Then top

storyteller Polly Howat will be there

on Friday 30 September, also at

7pm. Tickets for these are only £5

(includes a small glass of wine).

To book a ticket either ring

01733 253330 or email

events@clarecottage.org

The legend that is John Cooper

Clarke will be at the Key Theatre

on Thursday September 29 at

7.30pm. Tickets for this are only

£15 but you’ll have to be quick to

book so either ring 01733 207239,

pop into the box office on The

Embankment or go to their web-site

at www.vivacity-peterborough.com

The Great Fen Project at the

Wildlife Trust Centre in Ramsey

Heights will be hosting an evening

of storytelling on Friday 7 October

at 7.30pm called Human Nature -

stories of our relationship with the

wild with Anne French and Rachel

O’Leary. Cost is a suggested

donation for £5 per person or £3.50

concessions. Booking is essential

and can be made by calling

01487 815524 or emailing

info@greatfen.org.uk

This year’s competition to find the

Fourteenth Poet Laureate of

Peterborough is usually announced

in October. Ever since Toby Wood

won the first competition in 1998

this has had the potential to really

raise the profile of the winning poet,

if they put the effort in. Some of the

previous winners who are still

active on the local scene include

Joy Harris (3rd), myself (5th), Chris

Todd (7th), Mark Grist (10th), Keely

Mills (11th) and MC Mixy (12th).

So keep your eyes open and ask

for and application form in your

local library.

For our Local Hero this issue I’d like

to celebrate Paul Green who

produced Spectacular Diseases, a

magazine from 1976 through to

1988 and also an imprint of a series

of collections, from around 1980 to

about 1993, of such poets as

Rosemary Waldrop, David Miller

and Guillermo Nunez, Emmanuel

Hocquard, and Joseph Guglielmi

among others; all of which earned

Paul an international reputation.

These paved the way for other local

ventures such as The Third Half

and Cork Lined Room.

Cardinal Cox is an enthusiastic

amateur drinker. He’d like to

say hello to those folks who saw

him at various venues over the

Peterborough Festival.

by C

ard

ina

l C

ox

John Cooper Clarke, appearing at The Key Theatre on 29 September.

The future’s bright, thefuture’s Posh

As the new Championship season

gets under way, I feel like a

pregnant woman (i.e. a tough nine

months lay ahead).

This season is going to present

probably PUFC’s greatest ever

challenge; to survive in a league

awash with money, while having a

three-sided ground.

It is going to take everyone involved

– players, fans and the chairman –

to pull together and do everything

we can to keep The Posh in this

league. We can afford to sit and

chuckle about West Ham and

Leicester shelling out millions as

they are, in effect, in a different

league to us. However, we need to

make a good start and try and get

on a roll of results and ride that

wave to the end of the season. We

have to all stick together, get behind

the team, try not to moan, and

believe that Fergie will keep us up.

It is bloody exciting being back in

this league though. There is so

much to look forward to in terms of

away days, huge home games and

hopefully some more hard fought

victories like the opening day win

over Palace.

I was lucky enough to interview

Darragh, prior to the new season

starting and after sitting in his

company for an hour I am

convinced we will stay up. To be

honest, after an hour in his

company, I would have given him

the deeds to our house, if he had

asked for them. The man has an

intoxicating, unbridled passion for

PUFC that is enthralling.

I guess it’s time for my predictions

for the season:

1. Posh will stay up (I reckon a 16th

place finish)

2. George Boyd will be player of the

season

3. David Ball will be our top scorer

Jamie is the co-host of Standing On

The Glebe, the unofficial Posh fans

podcast which is recorded and

released after every home game.

Along with Jamie’s full, un-edited

interview with Darragh McAnthony,

the latest programme can be found

on www.standingontheglebe.co.uk

or via iTunes.

‘George Boyd will be player of the season,’ Photo © www.thposhpics.com

- says Standing on the

Glebe’s Jamie Jones.

Some of the area’s finest

landmarks, many of which are

usually closed to the public, will be

open for this year’s Heritage Open

Days. Taking place on 8-11

September, the long weekend is

co-ordinated by English Heritage

as the country’s contribution to the

wider European Heritage Days.

Admission is free to all participating

attractions and for those that are

usually open to the public, visitors

are offered a little bit extra in the

form of guided tours or a look

behind the scenes.

The whole thing kicks off on

Thursday 8 September with a look

at chattels ‘of historic and artistic

interest’ at a ‘secret location’.

Taking place at 10.30am and

2.30pm, a booking form can

be requested by calling

01733 267740 and

directions will be

provided to

s u c c e s s f u l

applicants.

Monks,

masons and

the secret

spaces of

Peterborough Cathedral, including

a trip up the tower, are revealed at

12pm on Friday 9 September and

10am on Saturday 11 September.

Booking is essential and can be

made by calling (01733) 352676.

Over at Northborough on Saturday,

St Andrew’s parish church will be

open between 11am and 5pm for

visitors to marvel at its early

English Perpendicular architecture.

Booking isn’t necessary, although

appointments can be arranged for

Thursday and Friday by calling

01778 346297.

Interestingly, the church’s

graveyard is the final

resting place of Martha

Clare, wife of ‘peasant

poet’ John, whose

birthplace in

nearby Helpston will be open on

Saturday and Sunday. To book

your place on a tour of Clare

Cottage, call 01733 253330.

Another St Andrew’s church, this

time in Alwalton, is open on

Saturday and Sunday. Booking

isn’t required, refreshments are

available on Saturday and the

weekend coincides with the

church’s flower festival.

The final two attractions open on

Saturday and Sunday are

Longthorpe Tower and The

Customs House, Rivergate – better

known as the Sea Cadets’ Training

Ship Gildenburgh. There is no

need to book for either venue with

visitors welcome between 10am

and 4pm on both days.

A Sunday constitutional

There are three walks to choose

from on Sunday 11 September

and booking isn’t required for any

of them. On a conducted tour of

Broadway Cemetery, which

starts at 2.30pm from the

central grassed area, guides

from The Friends of Broadway

Cemetery will be focusing on

the railway-related deaths

recorded at the site.

A walk around Thorney

starts at 2pm from

outside the Abbey and

ends an hour later

at Thorney Heritage

Museum, which covers

the village’s history

from Saxon times to

its place as a Victorian

‘model village’.

The final walk,

through Milton Park,

is the longest of all,

taking an hour and a

half to two hours.

Starting at 2.30pm

from the Estate

Office off Bretton

Way, sensible shoes

and a packed lunch

are advisable.

Further afield

A 40-minute trip from

OPENED UP

Bay 4 of Queensgate Bus Station

takes you to the Lincolnshire village

of Bourne, a town once famed for

its spring water, railway junction

and the motor racing champion

Raymond Mays. You can discover

these and many other aspects of

the town’s development at

Baldock’s Mill, a former water mill

that contains three floors of

exhibits. Open from 2pm to 4pm on

all four Heritage Open Days,

booking isn’t necessary.

Approximately three miles south

west of Bourne is Toft, home to the

Toft Tunnel which served the long

gone Bourne to Saxby railway line.

On Saturday 10, the Society

for Lincolnshire History and

Archaeology will be leading a two

and a half mile walk that looks at

the history of the line and the

methods employed to build the

tunnel and Lound Viaduct. Starting

at 1.30pm, directions will be

provided after calling the booking

hotline on 01529 461499.

Forward (to) March

One place that is still an important

station on the rail network is March,

which offers regular connections

with Peterborough on the

Birmingham to Stansted Airport

service, a fact that will be

celebrated between 10am and 3pm

on Saturday 10 September with a

guided tour around its railway

station. Organised by The Friends

of March Station, you will have a

chance to look at the disused side

of the station where plans are afoot

to rejuvenate it to provide a small

meeting room, railway museum,

and art gallery. As before, booking

isn’t required.

Around the time that the line

opened in 1846, a Typhoid

epidemic hit the town, killing

hundreds. Local historian Trevor

Bevis believes that the victims were

buried in a mass grave on the High

Street; a site that is now a memorial

garden located behind Trinity

Church. You be able to see this and

the rest of the church on Friday and

Saturday – between 10am to 4pm

and from 10am to 2pm respectively.

Another ecclesiastical site taking

part in Heritage Open Days is St

Wendreda’s Church, the only

Grade I listed building in the town.

Tours are available on Thursday

and Friday at 11am and 2pm.

Tours of the new Waste Transfer

Station – where the town’s rubbish

is separated into recyclable and

non-recyclable material, before it is

sent for further processing – take

place on Friday at 10.30am and

12.30pm; unlike other events

in March, booking is required and

can be done by visiting

www.themarchsociety.org.uk

Two guided walks, led by Andrew

Clarke of the March Society,

entitled ‘A Look at West End March,

Past & Present’ take place on

Saturday. Starting from the rear of

Barclays Bank on the High Street,

the gentle 40-minute stroll starts at

10am and 2pm.

An even gentler range of activities

can be found at March Library on

Saturday between 10am and 3pm.

There will be displays by

the Cambridgeshire Community

Archives Network, U3a and The

March Society, plus an introduction

by the Cambridge Family History

Society into the genealogy

resources on offer.

For further information on

Heritage Open Days and maps to

the properties listed above, visit

www.heritageopendays.org.uk

There’s plenty to see at the Cathedral. Photo © Creative Commons, Martin Pettitt

While its ancestor-game – the

Billard Russe of France and

Belgium – dates back to the early

18th century, Bar Billiards was

invented in the 1930s by David Gill.

With its narrow table that is only

played from one end, it became

an ideal sport to play in pubs

and taverns.

The aim is to pot the eight balls

(seven white and one red that

scores double) in any of the nine

holes in the table, different holes

having different point value. To

increase the need for skill, three

pegs are also placed on the table

and must not be knocked over. The

last ball has to be potted into either

the 100 or 200-point hole, after

being bounced from a side cushion.

There is also a variant of the game

that uses four mushroom-like pegs

on the table.

I remember seeing tables in pubs in

Hampshire and Jersey on holidays

in my distant youth and was

curious about the figure-like skittles

standing guard over the holes.

There are currently several local

leagues in the south east of the

country, belonging to the All

England Association – an group

that had ITN newsreader Reginald

Bosanquet as its patron in the

1970s– plus leagues in Guernsey

and Jersey (where the World

Championships – previously the

British Isles Open – have been held

since 1999). Until recently, a Bar

Billiards table was in operation at

The Ostrich Inn – with proceeds for

its use going to Sue Ryder at

Thorpe Hall – and while there are

leagues in Northamptonshire and

Cambridge & District, the closest

member to us is the Nelsons Head

at Merryland, St. Ives.

We at Rhythm and Booze would

like to hear from any local pubs

where you can play Bar Billiards,

so drop me a line, care of

simonstabler@aol.com

Dave “Dai” Roll is life president of

the Surrealist Sportsman’s Club

and hopes to cover many rare and

unusual pub games in forthcoming

issues. Next time Tip, Piggy, Tip.

The SurrealistSportsman’s Club

A typical Bar Billiards table, photo © Creative Commons/Matt Wright, and (inset) Reginald Bosanquet.

R E V I E W SThe Waterton Arms, 68 Church

Street, Deeping St James,

Peterborough PE6 8HD

01778 342219

As a regular visitor to The Rose in

Frognall, I was disappointed at how

quickly it went downhill after Brian

and Kate Shinkins went their

separate ways. Knowing how well

Kate is doing at The Golden

Pheasant in Etton, it was a pleasant

surprise to see Brian behind the

counter of The Waterton Arms

when I popped in for Sunday lunch.

Having built up a reputation of late

for its high quality food, it was

reassuring to see that while the

restaurant had the look of an

elegant country dining room, the

bar area hadn’t been gentrified and

was serving a selection of real ales

in proper glasses.

As ever, I ordered roast beef, which

was brought over after a short wait.

Looking like a work of art, the

beef was laid on top of a bed

of vegetables including English

watercress and accompanied by a

large Yorkshire pudding and a bowl

of roast potatoes. Although the beef

wasn’t as pink as the waitress had

promised, it was tender and juicy,

everything a good roast dinner

should be.

The Banyan Tree, 53 Westgate,

Peterborough PE1 1QA

01733 342800

A sign outside, offering a lunchtime

special for £5.99, was enough to

tempt me into The Banyan Tree’s

recently opened city centre branch;

sadly, I should have carried on

walking. Being shown to our seats

was the highlight of the meal;

the waiter leaving us with a menu,

not asking if we wanted any

poppadoms, and disappearing for

some time, before finally coming

back to take the drinks order.

We were made to feel second best

to the drinkers at the bar – who

clearly hadn’t realised that this is no

longer a pub – and when the drinks

eventually arrived, we were able to

order our food. As the advertised

deal turned out to be bog standard

chicken curry and rice, we went a la

carte; forgoing starters, I ordered

Saag Ghost, my companion went

for Mysore Chilli Chicken – strips of

chicken, cooked in a chilli and

coconut sauce – and we split a

plain naan and portion of pilau rice

between us. Our food arrived

promptly and while it tasted nice, it

was drenched in garlic; a fact that

everyone I came into contact with

over the following week reminded

me of.

Pub Walks in Underhill Country

Nat Segnit

Penguin/Fig Tree - £12.99

ISBN 978-1-905-49057-8

An interesting take on the guides so

loved by us here at Rhythm &

Booze, Nat Segnit’s debut novel is

set around the travails of its

narrator, Graham Underhill. “A

much loved local watercolourist”

and real ale enthusiast, Underhill is

a man with problems; there are

plans to build a bypass through his

home and wife Sunita is having an

affair, although he is too stubbornly

optimistic to realise.

Although Underhill is a difficult char-

acter to like, through his walks and

pub visits he provides plenty of

fascinating facts on a diverse range

of subjects, which along with the

speculation that he may have

killed one, if not both, of his wives,

ensures that the book is a

page turner.

Beer Festival & Family Fun Day

Nene Valley Railway – 11 June

While last year’s NVR beer festival

was nothing to write home about, it

did show promise and I expected

great things for 2011. Unfortunately

this year’s event is going to be

joked about for years to come.

Although the day started nicely

enough, with a free vintage bus ride

from The Brewery Tap, things took

a turn for the worse upon arrival at

Wansford station where a sign

stated that there was no real ale

available. Now it doesn’t take a

genius to realise that this defeats

the object of a beer festival and as

the beer had arrived on site too late

to allow it to settle, the only thing

approaching ale on sale was

bottled Henry’s IPA. After a bit of a

moan and a decision to go as soon

as the next bus arrived, I went for a

bottle and had a sit down in the

bare marquee – devoid of the pub

games and other attractions found

in there last year. By the time the

bus had arrived a shout went up to

say that real ale was now available.

Deciding to stay on, I found the ales

on offer were Digfield’s March Hare

and Barnwell Bitter; two ales so

local, I could have enjoyed the

brewery’s entire range if I had

stayed in town.

LISTINGSQueensgate, Peterborough

26 September - 2nd October

Chris Porsz, the Paramedic

Paparazzo, presents a selection of

his photographs.

Cock Inn

1305 Lincoln Road, Werrington

Peterborough PE4 6LW

01733 322006

September

10 - Chuck Norris Experience

16 - Hooker

17 - The Influence

24 - 80s Disco

30 - The Returns

The Cherry Tree

9-11 Oundle Road

Peterborough PE2 9PB

01733 703495

September

03 - Sweet Revenge

17 - Sellout

24 - Burlesque

October

14 - Out of order

29 - Kickback

Dragon

Hodgson Centre, Werrington,

Peterborough PE4 5EG

01733 578088

September

03 - The Returns

10 - Porky Pig

16 - DBS

23 - On the ceiling

24 - Karaoke with Rose/Mighty

Mouth

30 - Twenty4

October

01 - Electric Warriors

08 - Under_covers

14 - Twenty4

15 - 60s Disco with DJ Swifty

28 - Karaoke with Rose/Mighty

Mouth

29 - Frankly my dear

The Golden Pheasant

1 Main Road, Etton,

Peterborough PE6 7DA

01733 252387

October

08 - One Eyed Cats

22 - Pennyless

29 - Country Knights

The Ostrich Inn

17 North Street, Peterborough

PE1 2RA

01733 746370

September

02 - East Coast

03 - The Dead Rabbits

09 - Porky Pig

10 - Monkey Boy

16 - Ian Graham and Kath Moore

17 - Beats Working

23 - Eden Burning

30 - The Pulse

October

1st Retrolux

7th Electric Ballroom

14th Gin House

15th Undercover

22nd Glass Heart

The Ploughman

Werrington Centre, Staniland

Way, Werrington PE4 6NA

01733 327696

Sundays – Karaoke with

Trevor/Mighty Mouth

Thursdays – Cash Poker

September

02 - Easiersaid

10 - Rocket

16 - One Eyed Cats

30 - Hooker

October

01 - Monkey Boy

07 - Daffy & the Alien

15 - East Coast

29 - Citizen Smiffy

The Prince of Wales Feathers

38 Peterborough Road, Castor,

Peterborough PE5 7AL

01733 380222

September

17 - Porky Pig

October

01 - Emerald

08 - Crayfish Rocket

15 - Identity Crisis

29 - Les Woods

Three Horseshoes

Church Street, Werrington,

Peterborough. PE4 6QE

01733 571768

September

03 - Dr A’s Rhythm & Groove

10 - The Stereos

17 - Bondi

24 - Karaoke

October

08 - The Returns

15 - Kickback

22 - Monkey Boy

29 - Karaoken

d g

* All listings given in good faith,

Rhythm & Booze cannot be held

responsible for any discrepancy.

Rhythm & Booze, Issue 9 - Sept/Oct 2011. All written material, unless otherwise stated, © Simon Stabler

For details on how to advertise in

the November/December issue

of Rhythm & Booze, or to submit

your free listings, send an email

to simonstabler@aol.com

Deadline for all copy/advertising

is 8 November 2011.

Hodgson CentreWerrington

PeterboroughPE4 5EG

01733 578088

nLeague poker - Tuesdays

nCash Quiz/Meat Raffle - Sundays

nDarts/Pool

nLive Music (see the listings page)

nSix real ales, three changing guests

nAll ales £2.80 a pint

nLive sports shown on TV

The Crown Inn749 Lincoln Road

Peterborough

PE1 3HD

07516395905

Open: 11:30 - 00:00 Sunday - Wednesday

11:30 - 01:00 Thursday - Saturday

www.crowntotown.co.uk

A Pub At The Heart Of Its Community!

nServing quality real ales

nA new lunchtime menu

nDedicated Smoking Patio

nWheelchair access at the front

nFree pool every Thursday from 6pm

nLive Poker League Monday & Thursday from 7:30pm

nFriday Night Karaoke

nFunction room available for hire