rhythm & booze issue 2

8
Summer’s here and for fans of Real Ale, Peterborough’s Beer Festivals are just the ticket. While CAMRA’s annual event on the Embankment isn’t until the end of August, many pubs and venues are already offering drinkers the chance to taste quality locally brewed beer in the open air. More information on events at The Hand & Heart, Ploughman and The Ostrich Inn, amongst others, can be found on page 7 – however one festival offering that little bit extra is Nene Valley Railway’s Beer Festival & Family Day. Held at Wansford Station on June 12, the event offers a wide variety of ales, a chance to ride on Thomas the Tank Engine, stilt walkers, wandering minstrels and a traditional roundabout. Holders of an adult rover ticket, which offers unlimited travel on the Nene Valley Railway, will be given a voucher for a free pint, while a complimentary bus service - which operates along Oundle Road - is available at the times below:- Beer Festival Bus Timetable Outward Brewery Tap 12:00 14:00 16:00 Cherry Tree 12:10 14:10 16:10 Ramblewood 12:15 14:15 16:15 Wansford 12:30 14:30 16:30 Return Wansford 13:30 15:30 17:30 Ramblewood 13:45 15:45 17:45 Cherry Tree 13:50 15:50 17:50 Brewery Tap 14:00 16:00 18:00 Further information is available by visiting www.nvr.org.uk or calling 01780 784444. Food, Booze, Bands & News - June/July 2010 Thomas - in steam on June 12, Photo © Nene Valley Railway FULL STEAM AHEAD

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The second issue of Rhythm & Booze, the Peterborough-based pub, food, music and culture magazine. Articles include a feature on Nicholas Bond Owen, inter-war pub improvements and Cardinal Cox's Pub Scrawl column

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

Summer’s here and for fans of

Real Ale, Peterborough’s Beer

Festivals are just the ticket.

While CAMRA’s annual event on

the Embankment isn’t until the end

of August, many pubs and venues

are already offering drinkers the

chance to taste quality locally

brewed beer in the open air.

More information on events at The

Hand & Heart, Ploughman and

The Ostrich Inn, amongst others,

can be found on page 7 – however

one festival offering that little bit

extra is Nene Valley Railway’s

Beer Festival & Family Day.

Held at Wansford Station on June

12, the event offers a wide variety

of ales, a chance to ride on

Thomas the Tank Engine, stilt

walkers, wandering minstrels and

a traditional roundabout.

Holders of an adult rover ticket,

which offers unlimited travel on the

Nene Valley Railway, will be given

a voucher for a free pint, while a

complimentary bus service - which

operates along Oundle Road - is

available at the times below:-

Beer Festival Bus Timetable

Outward

Brewery Tap 12:00 14:00 16:00

Cherry Tree 12:10 14:10 16:10

Ramblewood 12:15 14:15 16:15

Wansford 12:30 14:30 16:30

Return

Wansford 13:30 15:30 17:30

Ramblewood 13:45 15:45 17:45

Cherry Tree 13:50 15:50 17:50

Brewery Tap 14:00 16:00 18:00

Further information is available by

visiting www.nvr.org.uk or calling

01780 784444.

Food, Booze, Bands & News - June/July 2010

Thomas - in steam on June 12, Photo © Nene Valley Railway

F U L LSTEAMAHEAD

Page 2: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

IN-STORE, ONLINE, DOWNLOADON SALE IN HMV, CATHEDRAL SQUAREBY MAIL ORDER FROM METALONROCK.TVOR AS A DOWNLOAD FROM iTUNES / 7DIGITAL

made in peterborough

"Having seen The Black Marias live, I waskeen to see if they could deliver the samepunch through my stereo. I needn't haveworried!" - punkoiuk

"Prolific in their approach, The Destructorsserve up angry, socially conscious Punk,hearkening back to a more old school,British style." - Pop Matters

Zengakuren

The Black Marias

/The Destructors

Peterborough’s Punk

Patriarchs unite for this

split single.

Featuring three tracks

from each band, The

Destructors offer us a

re-working of their 1982

classic - Religion.

Out June 28 2010

Page 3: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

Pub Scrawl

Pub poetry is alive, well and

making a name for itself in Pe-

terborough. The city’s former

Poet Laureate, Cardinal Cox, ex-

plains how it’s nothing like the

stuff you were forced to sit

through at school.

The origins of pub poetry can be

found in the crossover of stand-up

comedy and folk music - think Billy

Connolly or Mike Harding in the

early-70s, the dub poetry of Linton

Kwesi Johnson in the mid-70s,

punk poetry of Attila the Stockbro-

ker in the late-70s and the hip-hop

and contemporary spoken dance

of acts such as The Streets.

Locally the godfather of pub poetry

is Toby Woods, the city’s first Poet

Laureate and resident at The

Gaslight comedy club for many

years. In the city there are two

main poetry circles, Poets United

and Pint of Poetry, though both

have a proportion of members of

the other.

Poets United has been going for

over 10 years, its members have

had work published far and wide,

with regular performances around

the city and, earlier this year, at

the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festi-

val. They meet on the first Tues-

day of the month and more

information can be found by call-

ing Viv on 01733 340560.

Pint of Poetry, Dash of Drama has

been meeting at Charter’s for al-

most four years, earning itself a

mention in the Good Pub Guide.

Meeting on the second Wednes-

day of the month, Pint of Poetry

can be emailed at

[email protected]

Speakeasy, who hold nights at the

Brewery Tap and Mama Liz’s in

Stamford, features the best of

local acts and poets from across

the country. Memorably pop-

chartist Scroobius Pip headlined

an evening in the first year and

more information can be found at

myspace.com/speakeasypoetry

What would be in it for a publican

to host an evening of poetry? Well,

mid-week entertainment that the

locals could join in with for a start

and I expect most pubs have a

couple of regulars who can pen a

verse for the barmaid’s birthday

and probably a bit more. The

groups listed above have mem-

bers who would enjoy the chance

of meeting new listeners, buying a

beer or two in new surroundings

into the bargain. Who knows, per-

haps a future Laureate of Peter-

borough is supping at a corner

table?

The John Clare Festival, held in

Helpston July 9-11 features a vari-

ety of events celebrating the

poet’s work. Both pubs in the vil-

lage have a connection to Clare, in

his early life he was potboy at the

Bluebell, while his body rested in

The Exeter Arms the night before

his funeral. The following Satur-

day, July 17, sees the fifth T S

Eliot festival held in Little Gidding

near Huntingdon.

Cardinal Cox is an enthusiastic

amateur drinker who has been

having his poetry and other writ-

ings printed in the small-press for

over 25 years.

He recently had the collection A

Sack of Midnight published by

Hilltop Press of Huddersfield.

Linton Kwesi Johnson, Photo © Penguin Books

Page 4: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

Anyone watching an old episode of

Grange Hill can count former child

actors still in the profession on the

fingers of one hand. For every Todd

Carty, there’s five Terry Sue Patts.

A George & Mildred marathon on

digital TV lead Simon Stabler to ask,

whatever happened to Nicholas

Bond Owen?

George & Mildred, one of the most

popular sitcoms of the 70s, starred

Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce. It re-

located their Man About The House

characters to the upmarket Hampton

Wick. While Mildred tried to better her-

self, George, much to the dismay of

posh neighbour Jeffrey Fourmile (Nor-

man Eshley), remained his lazy slob-

bish self.

Playing Jeffrey’s son, Tristram, was

eight-year-old Nicholas Bond Owen.

He got into acting by accident, when

his older brother Matthew, a former

bouncing baby competitor, signed up

with a child model agency. Nick, “his

little fat brother, who went everywhere

with him and smiled a lot,” was also

signed up.

After the odd catalogue shoot, Nick

was invited to audition for the part of

Tristram at Thames Television. With “a

huge amount of luck” and his mum

teaching him how to pronounce his

lines, Nick won the part.

With several Nicholas Owens on Eq-

uity’s books, a middle name was re-

quired. Nick’s mum gave two

suggestions, while he was allowed to

suggest a third. A 007 fan, Nick chose

Bond, a name which “has haunted me

ever since”.

George and Mildred ran for five series,

including a feature film where the

Fourmiles made a brief appearance.

Sadly, Yootha Joyce’s death ended the

show. A spin off, with George coming

to terms with life as a widower, never

materialised. Nick remembers Yootha

as “such a warm person, a talented

lady who was the star of the show.”

During the show’s run Nick appeared

as the catapult-wielding Kevin in, the

poorly received, Confessions from a

Holiday Camp. After George and Mil-

dred, he appeared in Eric Sykes’ mod-

ern take on the silent movie, Rhubarb

Rhubarb, followed by mini series The

Coral Island and Lassiter, a Tom Sell-

eck crime romp set in the 50s. A part in

an episode of Dramarama was book-

ended by roles in the BBC classic seri-

als Oliver Twist and David Copperfield,

his final television credit.

Nick went to college to study for his A-

levels, continuing in the occasional

stage role until he was 25. A change of

agents lead to a reduction in the

amount of work he was being offered.

Finding employment with Penguin

Books he found himself in a position to

turn down six months work at the

RSC.

Whatever happto TV’s Tristram

Nicholas Bond Owen - Then & Now, Screenshots © (Left) Thames Television (Right) Chrysalis Entertainment

Page 5: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

“That pretty much sealed my fate with

the agent, I needed to change agents

but I had quite a good job, was busy

playing football and falling in love.”

Nick spent 15 years at Penguin and

its owners Pearson, working in every-

thing from courier to operations man-

ager. When his final contract expired

he was told of a vacancy with “a new

and exciting media company in the

city.” He applied and next thing he

knew, he was distribution director at

free business paper City AM.

Despite the change in career, Nick has

many happy memories of acting. “It’s

not until you’re not acting anymore you

realise how much you miss it. I trav-

elled the world on the back of George

& Mildred and was spoilt rotten by

everyone involved.

“My only gripe was being stuck in a re-

hearsal room on a Saturday morning

when I wanted to be outside playing

football.”

pened m?

WHERE ARETHEY NOW?

Lee MacDonald

(Zammo in Grange Hill)

A promising career as a boxer was

cruelly scuppered when Lee was

involved in a road traffic accident.

Having worked as a locksmith’s

assistant during recording breaks

from Grange Hill, he decided to

pursue this as a full-time career.

Now aged 42, Lee is married,

owns his own locksmith shop in

Wallington, Surrey and makes the

occasional TV appearance – most

recently on BBC Children In

Need’s Celebrity Scissorhands.

Photo © BBC

Nicholas Bond Owen wasn’t the only young actor of the 70s and 80s to

disappear from our screens. Here we track down another three actors

who are no longer in the business.

Harriet Philpin

(Mrs Secret Lemonade Drinker)

While she guest starred in Doctor

Who, The Sweeney and Blake’s 7,

Harriet is better known as the wife of

The Secret Lemonade Drinker in the

R Whites adverts.

Giving up acting to start a family in

the early-80s, Harriet runs a textiles

business - which specialises in

reusing vintage materials - on Bere

Island off the coast of Ireland.

Screenshot © BBC

Keith Jayne

(Stig of the Dump)

Fed-up with being typecast, Keith

returned to college in order to

study finance and investment - a

move that he describes as “one

of my better decisions.”

Now running a financial services

business in Truro, Keith has been

in contact with an agent and is

considering a return to acting.

Find out more about Keith in the

next issue of Rhythm & Booze.

Screenshot © Thames Television

Page 6: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

The Mark

21st Century (two-track digital

download)

*****

Marked Man Records - Released

May 24

www.last.fm/music/theMark

Previously heard on This Is Peter-

borough Too, The Mark’s debut

single contains the tracks 21st

Century and 42nd Nervous Break-

down. Opening with a jangly guitar

riff, the title-track bursts into life

with a powerful rhythm section.

Bristling with an energy reminis-

cent of The Wildhearts, if they

sang in their own accents, the only

downside is the amount of break-

downs and Smiths-esque

stop/starts that litter the track.

Thankfully the band make up for it

with 42nd Nervous Breakdown, a

fast paced Rockabilly number that

would give the Stray Cats a run for

their money.

The Destructors

Politika (12-track CD album)

*****

Rowdy Farrago Records – Re-

leased April 7

www.destructors.co.uk

From the over-productive mind of

Allen Adams, comes The Destruc-

tors’ take on the long drawn out

process that was this year’s Gen-

eral Election. Opening with To

Vote or Not To Vote, the album

features a mix of covers and origi-

nals, delivered in the band’s im-

itable Scuzz Punk style. While this

release may be a little heavy for

some people’s palates, the Euro-

phobes amongst you will love their

tourettes “tribute” to the EU. Points

are, however, deducted for a cover

of Labour Party by The Now. With

the original being so good, any

cover automatically sounds like an

insult.

The Candle Thieves

Church Street - St. John the Bap-

tist, 01/05/10

*****

Viewpoint: front right hand side of

the nave, seated

Despite a penchant for toy instru-

ments and NHS glasses, The

Candle Thieves are a world away

from the Belle & Sebastian twee-

ness that their image suggests.

In order to play every venue possi-

ble, from kitchens to back gar-

dens, the band’s lunchtime gig

took place in a church that ap-

pears to be “bigger on the inside

than out”. Even though the audi-

ence suffered from the arse-numb-

ing effect of the pews, The Candle

Thieves - with their sprinkling of

summertime pop - were able to

keep everyone spellbound. Judg-

ing by this performance, regard-

less of how they acquired their

illuminations, this is one Peterbor-

ough band that is going to shine

brightly.

Chimichanga

6 Church Street, Peterborough

PE1 1XB

01733 315015

*****

The Prezzo group seems to have

an obsession with taking over Pe-

terborough’s pubs. First their

eponymous pizza restaurant

opened at The Alderman and now

their Chimichanga brand has

taken over the former Lion/Verve.

The menu contains standard Tex

Mex fare of nachos, fajitas and

ribs, with lighter options of crab

cakes, calamari and salads. While

any refit needs to be paid for,

much of the menu seems a little

pricey for the average lunchtime -

althought it’s ideally placed for an

evening meal.

Satisdiction

Ammon Shea

*****

Penguin, £9.99

ISBN 978-0-141-04025-7

© Alexandra Horrowitz

For most of us, a dictionary is a

valuable resource - either when

we’re unsure of a word or fancy

looking up profanities for a bit of a

laugh. Ammon Shea, on the other

hand, believes that dictionaries

are something to read from cover

to cover. Satisdiction explains

what it’s like to spend a small for-

tune on, and to read all 21,730

pages of, the Oxford English Dic-

tionary. While Shea comes across

like the Rain Man when he remi-

nisces on his obsession, he more

than makes up for it by selecting a

series of words that exist in the

English language few of us will

ever use.

R E V I E W S

Page 7: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

The Cellar Bar, Thorpe Road

Peterborough, PE3 6JQ

07775 841239

June

3rd - Lloyd Watson/Rex Gates/Mur-

ray Hockridge

4th - The Vow

5th - Mick Davison & Friends

6th – BBQ + Feet To The Fire

10th – DJ Mr Whippy

11th - Proto Inferno

12th - Blues After Midnight

13th - BBQ + Jeremy Watson Trio

17th - Lloyd Watson solo

18th - Open Mic session

19th - The Mark/Jambo Reign

20th – BBQ – band TBC

24th - Second Drove

25th - Richard Groom & Friends

26th - Murray Hockridge & Dave

Kilminster

27th – BBQ – band TBC

July

1st - Lee Major

2nd - The Pulse

3rd - Peterborough Punk Club

4th - BBQ + The Contrast

8th - Ken Wynne

9th – Quest

10th – Frankly My Dear

11th – BBQ + Jeremy Watson Trio

15th – Lloyd, Rex & Murray

16th - Open Mic

17th - Taking Care of Business

18th – BBQ - band TBC

22nd - Jeremy Watson and Helen

Burnett jazz duo

23rd - Lloyd Watson (full band)

24th – Retrolux

25th - BBQ -band TBC

29th - Lloyd, Rex & Murray

30th – Siren

31st – TBC

Mondays – Quiz Night

Tuesdays – Karaoke (£2 a pint)

Wednesdays(June) - Darts

(July) – Chill Out Night

BBQs start at 17:00, costs £9

each (includes a free pint and un-

limited visits) - band on at 19:00

All events start at 20:30 unless

otherwise stated.

The Cherry Tree, Oundle Road

Peterborough, PE2 9PB

01733 703495

June

4th - Soul Weaver

5th - Porky Pig

11th - Aladdinsane

12th - England v USA (19:30)

18th - England v Algeria (19:30)

19th - Riff Raff

23rd - England v Slovenia (15:00)

24th - Open Mic Night (20:00)

25th - Black Rose

26th - Retrolux

All events start at 21:00 unless

otherwise stated.

Nene Valley Railway, Wansford

Station, Stibbington, PE8 6LR

01780 784444

June

12th - Beer Festival & Family Day

(Further information on front page)

19th - Steamin’ Blues - (Tickets

£18 in advance by calling the

number above)

The Ostrich Inn, 17 North Street

Peterborough, PE1 2RA

01733 752255

June

4th - Porky Pig

5th - Circa ‘73

11th - Lloyd Watson Band

12th - Les Woods Band

13th - The Malingers (16:00-18:00)

18th - White Spirit

19th - Colin Smith – Unplugged

20th - Pennyless (16:00-18:00)

25th - Gin House

26th - Electric Warriors

27th - Retrolux (16:00-18:00)

July

2nd - 101 Proof

3rd – Leon

4th – TBA

8th – 11th Beer Festival

8th – Mighty Quinn

9th - Children of the Revolution

10th – Frankly My Dear

11th – Ian Graham & Kat Moore

(16:00-18:00)

16th – Sell Out

17th – Retrolux

18th – TBA

23rd – Daffy & The Alien

24th – Mighty Quinn

25th – Lloyd Watson Band

30th – Citizen Smith

31st – Storm

Tuesdays – Poker (19:30)

Wednesdays - Quiz night (20:30)

Thursdays – Karaoke (20:00)

Sunday Afternoons – BBQ

(weather permitting)

All events start at 21:00 unless

otherwise stated.

Hand & Heart, Highbury Street

Peterborough PE1 3BE

01733 564653

1st - 4th July - Beer Festival

Ploughman, Staniland Way

Werrington, PE4 6NA

01733 573594

2nd - 4th July -Beer Festival

The Solstice, Northminster Road

Peterborough, PE1 1YN

01733 560231

10th June - The Contrast

The Westwood Hotel, Mayor’s

Walk, Peterborough, PE3 6EY

June

12th - Loyd Watson

19th - Filthy Lucre

26th - Bikers Bash – (12:00 - 0:00)

16th & 31st July – Lloyd Watson

All details correct at time of press,

please confirm with venue to

avoid disappointment.

Rhythm & Booze, Issue 2 – June/July 2010. All material, unless otherwise stated, © Simon Stabler

Please send any letters, submissions, material for review or gig listings to [email protected] by 15th July

L I S T I N G S

Page 8: Rhythm & Booze Issue 2

BETWEENTHE WARSDuring the inter-war years, Pe-

terborough was seen a “go

ahead” city in the local press.

The decades that followed the

Great War saw the construction

of new shops, houses and

amenities - including The Lido,

Town Bridge, Wentworth Street

Telephone Exchange and the

Town Hall. Local historian Steve

Williams uncovers a time when

landlords would have welcomed

a smoking ban.

The 1930s saw many improve-

ments to people’s lives, including

better standards of living and the

introduction of paid holidays. Slum

clearances, assisted by Govern-

ment subsidy, combined with af-

fordable loans – saw an increase

in private housing. In Peterbor-

ough, new estates sprang up in

Paston, Stanground and the east-

ern part of the city, while a rebuild-

ing programme of public houses –

making them appeal to members

of a modern, more sober society –

began in earnest.

Brigadier General Strong, of the

Peterborough Licensing Bench,

agreed with the brewers aspira-

tions - saying, “What we should

aim at more than anything else is

the improvement of licensed prem-

ises and it should be our aim to

make them into really comfortable

houses of refreshment, and not

merely drinking shops.”

He could have easily have been

talking about The George &

Dragon, Cumbergate – described

by the Chief Constable as “an old

house, the rooms being low and

badly ventilated.” Work had al-

ready been carried out to improve

the bar, however this had proved

unsuccessful with two licensees

resigning due to the suffocating ef-

fect of tobacco smoke.

Trade had already suffered at the

pub, due to uncertainty about its

future – thanks in part to the suc-

cess of the newly rebuilt White

Lion, less than 100 yards away.

Mowbray & Co, the Grantham

based brewer behind The George

& Dragon, had planned to build a

replacement pub on Westfield

Road. While Mr Clipstone, the li-

censee, and his customers were in

favour of a move – objections by

the management of Baker Perkins,

led to the pub closing with no

chance of relocation.

This wasn’t the only pub to disap-

pear from the city during this time.

However, The Greyhound, Crown,

Paul Pry and Royal Oak, all on

Lincoln Road, were joined by The

Fountain, Hand & Heart and The

Star - by being completely rebuilt.

The Northfields, The Blue Peter

and The Lime Tree were brand

new pubs, built in areas that had

seen the spread of housing es-

tates, with The Lime Tree, Walton

– beneficiary of the Boat, Bridge

Street’s relinquished licence –

being promoted by the brewery as

a beacon of civility, as this advert

testifies:-

If you have not yet acquainted

yourself with the super luxury of

the Lime Tree Hotel, Mr Poole of-

fers you a hearty invitation to

come and investigate the sociabil-

ity and infinitely superior environ-

ment. A special branch of the

hotel’s accommodation is an at-

tractive service offered to parties

for teas and light refreshments

(from 1/- a head) in the outdoor

pavilion.

With its spacious gardens, tea

pavilion with veranda, children’s

sandpit, swings, fountain and a

goldfish pool, The Lime Tree was

certainly a great improvement on

the George & Dragon.

Steve Williams is an authority on

the history of Peterborough’s pubs

and conducts a series of historical

tours around the city.

His website, which contains a

weekly quiz, campaign information

and the latest in pub and festival

news, can be found at:-

www.peterboroughpubs.co.uk

The original Paul Pry, Lincoln Road