Rikkette and Boudicca

We were pretty Arts out after the North Atlantic cruise so we opted for history and outstanding natural beauty. The gastopubs were amazing. A tour of North England Hadrian's Wall and the Lake District was in order.  I could spend weeks in the North of England adventuring around and discovering gems in out of the way places.

One rainy evening we went to the Wateredge Inn on the shores of Lake Windemere in Ambleside.  The venue had a magnificently beautiful outlook but the atmosphere, food and drink were more counter meal more than Gastropub. It didn't matter as we had come for the live music that we saw advertised outside, Fiona Hanlon.  Things didn't improve too much.  She played a number of standard classics "Your Song", "True Colours", "Killing Me Softly" which were ok but not fabulous.  She was very interactive with the audience maybe a little too much as there seemed to be more talking that playing.  The provision of percussion instruments to the crowd which included small children was the final straw and His Grumpiness and I decided to leave them to it.

The next day we headed back to London.  I wanted to see Paul Kelly but he was sold out so I was determined to find that brilliant but hitherto unknown musician hidden away in a small bar in one of London's many pubs.  We went to a pub called The Gladstone Arms that seemed to fit the bill.  At The Glad we discovered a fabulous jazz singer who was accompanied by a guitarist and trumpet player.  With a London style Gin and Tonic in hand and my best boy, His Grumpiness, drinking whisky and water by my side in a bar south of the Thames I discovered something new and exciting.  This is what I had been searching for.  The pub was full of Brit's of West Indian descent and the place was rocking.  Rikette's version of Marley's "Redemption Song" had the whole bar singing.  If you find yourself in London I would highly recommend a visit to The Glad on the corner of Sanctuary Street with its Anglo-Indian food and great entertainment.

Check out Rikette's lovely voice here in a clip of one of her rehearsals.

The following evening we went back to Shakespeare's to Globe Theatre but this time to see an original play rather than a Shakespearen classic.  The play in question was Boudicca and it was fantastic.  We went to a night showing and the atmosphere as the sun set and the darkness took over in Boudicca's Roman England was thrilling.  The highlight was the cast's performance of The Clash's "London Calling".  I felt as though I wanted to jump down and take on those nasty Roman's.  A play to stir the passions - Shakespeare would have been thrilled.

It was time though to go in search of entertainment a little less Anglo.  Next stop the Scandinavia and Finland.  Finland is known for its metal music but I'm not sure what else I might expect to find.