Not Quite To Plan...
Soooo there I was last Friday, full of hope for the weekend ahead. That'll teach me.
As I was about to leave the house I got a call saying would I mind doing a set instead of MC'ing tonight. I kinda did mind, but said ok. My flu was still raging through my system so yeah might not be a bad thing to do less and then I could get back to the lovely Copthorne Hotel and have a good soak in a hot bath.
The train is overcrowded and overheated, not to mention over-priced! I survived the journey, just tho my temperature combined with that of the train, meant it was far from comfortable. As I emerged into daylight from New St Station just about to jump into a cab, I get another call. This one is telling me that there's 'a problem' with the hotel and so we are all staying at a place called the City Inn, which apparently, is miles better than the Copthorne.
It's certainly closer to the gig, in what seems to be Birmingham's 'Hotel Quarter'. The reception is decked out in a sub-standard Malmaison style and the price is higher than the other hotel, so I'm expecting good things. Get up to my room and at first glance it all looks very fancy. There's a DVD and a CD player - a £20 deposit is required to actually rent a disc to use on these things which is a bit of a joke as I'm sure there's parts of the city centre where you could buy the latest blockbuster off a Chinese bloke for £2!
There's a little flat screen telly too, and I mean little the actual screen is too small to view from the bed! The bathroom is no such thing, a tiny space with shower, loo and sink. the bed is a small double, and there's very little support from the mattress which feels like little more than a piece of foam slung over a bit of mdf. To say I was disappointed is a slight understatement.
The phrase 'boutique hotel' has become totally corrupted, shoving a Goodman's stereo in the corner does not make you a boutique! This place is basically a glorified Travel Lodge (more of which later).
The gigs thank god were amazing, I was working with James Dowdswell who I haven't seen for years. He's a great guy and it was a joy to watch him perform. Greg Burns was MC'ing and did a sterling job and Rex Boyd was closing on Friday. I missed Rex's set because I was feeling too rough to stick around, but he had a good un.
Saturday I slept mostly, so that I was refreshed and fighting fit-ish for the show. The place was packed with one party of 70 from Bid-Up/Price-Drop TV. They were a lively bunch but very good natured. It was their Christmas do - bit late but what the hey. It seemed like everyone in the room was celebrating something from fortcoming nuptuals to birthdays and anniversaries, and there was a really great atmosphere. James and Rex did the business again and we had Stu Who closing. I've not seen Stu for a bit and he was on great form. Looking like a perverted pirate, he delivered a cracking set with a great Dexys Midnight Runners gag that really tickled me.
Sunday was spent killing time really, I had to check out of the Shitty Inn by 1pm and I'd booked a room at the Travel Lodge across the road in case I couldn't get home from the gig at the Nightingale tonight. It was £26 and the term 'no frills' certainly applied! Having said that, at least they're honest. You get a bed, a bath (!), a portable telly and a kettle and that's about it. You also get staff who are friendly and helpful with no airs and graces.
As luck would have it, I was getting a lift home after the show so I only needed the place for a few hours. It didn't feel like a waste as I'd have spent more than £26 in the shops if I hadn't had this place to chill out in.
Got to the Nightingale to find an empty -apart from the staff - room. I was told that the previous week had been cancelled and it looked likely that would happen tonight. I got a drink and sat chatting to the sound guy, then the regular MC Mrs Barbara Nice arrived. I haven't seen her for a while, she's such a great laugh that I didn't really mind the fact that I'd wasted an entire day waiting for a gig that might not happen. The other act was Chris Neill who'd driven up from London and spent an hour getting lost in the city trying to find the place, as you might imagine he was less than thrilled to see an empty room!
The good bit was tho that we got paid anyway, and an early start meant that Chris was dropping me at my door before midnight (bless him). It was only the second time I'd met Chris and we got on like a house on fire during the drive home. I love it when I meet new people and have a connection!
So, all in all, not the most pleasurable weekend I've ever had, but in the grand scheme of things it was far from the worst too!
As I was about to leave the house I got a call saying would I mind doing a set instead of MC'ing tonight. I kinda did mind, but said ok. My flu was still raging through my system so yeah might not be a bad thing to do less and then I could get back to the lovely Copthorne Hotel and have a good soak in a hot bath.
The train is overcrowded and overheated, not to mention over-priced! I survived the journey, just tho my temperature combined with that of the train, meant it was far from comfortable. As I emerged into daylight from New St Station just about to jump into a cab, I get another call. This one is telling me that there's 'a problem' with the hotel and so we are all staying at a place called the City Inn, which apparently, is miles better than the Copthorne.
It's certainly closer to the gig, in what seems to be Birmingham's 'Hotel Quarter'. The reception is decked out in a sub-standard Malmaison style and the price is higher than the other hotel, so I'm expecting good things. Get up to my room and at first glance it all looks very fancy. There's a DVD and a CD player - a £20 deposit is required to actually rent a disc to use on these things which is a bit of a joke as I'm sure there's parts of the city centre where you could buy the latest blockbuster off a Chinese bloke for £2!
There's a little flat screen telly too, and I mean little the actual screen is too small to view from the bed! The bathroom is no such thing, a tiny space with shower, loo and sink. the bed is a small double, and there's very little support from the mattress which feels like little more than a piece of foam slung over a bit of mdf. To say I was disappointed is a slight understatement.
The phrase 'boutique hotel' has become totally corrupted, shoving a Goodman's stereo in the corner does not make you a boutique! This place is basically a glorified Travel Lodge (more of which later).
The gigs thank god were amazing, I was working with James Dowdswell who I haven't seen for years. He's a great guy and it was a joy to watch him perform. Greg Burns was MC'ing and did a sterling job and Rex Boyd was closing on Friday. I missed Rex's set because I was feeling too rough to stick around, but he had a good un.
Saturday I slept mostly, so that I was refreshed and fighting fit-ish for the show. The place was packed with one party of 70 from Bid-Up/Price-Drop TV. They were a lively bunch but very good natured. It was their Christmas do - bit late but what the hey. It seemed like everyone in the room was celebrating something from fortcoming nuptuals to birthdays and anniversaries, and there was a really great atmosphere. James and Rex did the business again and we had Stu Who closing. I've not seen Stu for a bit and he was on great form. Looking like a perverted pirate, he delivered a cracking set with a great Dexys Midnight Runners gag that really tickled me.
Sunday was spent killing time really, I had to check out of the Shitty Inn by 1pm and I'd booked a room at the Travel Lodge across the road in case I couldn't get home from the gig at the Nightingale tonight. It was £26 and the term 'no frills' certainly applied! Having said that, at least they're honest. You get a bed, a bath (!), a portable telly and a kettle and that's about it. You also get staff who are friendly and helpful with no airs and graces.
As luck would have it, I was getting a lift home after the show so I only needed the place for a few hours. It didn't feel like a waste as I'd have spent more than £26 in the shops if I hadn't had this place to chill out in.
Got to the Nightingale to find an empty -apart from the staff - room. I was told that the previous week had been cancelled and it looked likely that would happen tonight. I got a drink and sat chatting to the sound guy, then the regular MC Mrs Barbara Nice arrived. I haven't seen her for a while, she's such a great laugh that I didn't really mind the fact that I'd wasted an entire day waiting for a gig that might not happen. The other act was Chris Neill who'd driven up from London and spent an hour getting lost in the city trying to find the place, as you might imagine he was less than thrilled to see an empty room!
The good bit was tho that we got paid anyway, and an early start meant that Chris was dropping me at my door before midnight (bless him). It was only the second time I'd met Chris and we got on like a house on fire during the drive home. I love it when I meet new people and have a connection!
So, all in all, not the most pleasurable weekend I've ever had, but in the grand scheme of things it was far from the worst too!
Labels: Misc and TV
posted by JoJo Smith at Tuesday, January 16, 2007
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