Photo Archive: Musicians, Covent Garden Market, London, c.2009.

Tags

Covent Garden, Covent Garden Market, denim, London, Music, musicians, string instruments

The Old Granary, Welsh Back, Bristol, 27/04/15.

Tags

Acker Bilk, architecture, Bristol, Bristol Byzantine, Jazz, Music, rock, The Granary Club, The Old Granary Bristol, Victorian., Welsh Back Bristol

According to Looking at Buildings. org, this Grade II listed building is an example of Bristol Byzantine architecture, a style I’ve never heard of before, which is characterised by, amongst other things, “upper floors unified through either horizontal or vertical grouping of window openings“.

As well as being of architectural interest, it gained a place in music history, in its second life as The Granary Club. Between 1968 and 1988 it hosted Motorhead, Iron Maidan, Dire Straits, Status Quo, Def Leppard and many more big names [if you follow the link to the club’s tribute page you can see the full list of bands].

Despite the buildings rock credentials, it was initial opened, according to a certain on-line encyclopaedia, as a Jazz club by Ted Cowell, with the help of bowler hat wearing, clarinettist, Acker Bilk MBE.

I had no idea I was going to uncover any of those facts when I started to look into the history of this building; I love it when that happens.     

“Bring Your Own Vinyl Night”, “The White Lion” Public House, Colston Avenue, Bristol, 27/04/15.

Tags

beer festival, Bristol, Chalk board, Colston Avenue Bristol, cone, lion, Music, Public houses, pubs, The White Lion, The White Lion Public House, traffic cone, vinyl

“The Old Duke” Public House, King Street, Bristol, 27/04/15.

Tags

Bristol, David Dickinson, Duke Ellington, Jazz, John Wayne, King Street Bristol, Music, place names, Public houses, pubs, The Duke, The Old Duke Bristol

Almost opposite “The Llandoger Trow” public house, which I mentioned in my previous post, is “The Old Duke“. A certain on-line encyclopaedia informs me that there is a record of a “Duke of Cumberland” public house being on King Street as early as 1775, but now the pubs name pays tribute to a very different Duke; Duke Ellington, the American composer, pianist and band leader.

To quote it’s own website, “The Old Duke is a music venue situated on the cobbled King Street in the heart of Bristol. Named after Duke Ellington, the pub has become world famous for it’s live traditional, New Orleans inspired Jazz music“.

I don’t know anything about jazz, but I find place names, especially the names of public houses, and the history behind them fascinating.

The name “The Old Duke” doesn’t bring anything immediately to mind, neither did the eye catching sign that I stopped to photograph, but I guess that’s because I’m not very musically inclined. “The Duke” however is a nickname common to the late Academy Award winning American actor John Wayne and antiques expert and television presenter David Dickson, so if I were to inherit a pub called “The Old Duke” a subtle name change might be in order.

Photo Archive: “Ex-Easter Island Head”, Liverpool. 2011.

Tags

band names, Bicycle Thieves, Bicycle Thieves 1948 film, Dire Wolfe, Easter Island Head, Ex-Easter Island Head, illustration, Inside Pages, Liverpool, Moai, Music, poster, The Bido Lito Magazine launch, The Cubical, Toxteth Rebel Alliance, Vittorio De Sica

I must confessed, I haven’t heard any of the bands listed above! It was the use of the Easter Island Head or Moai that caught my attention initially, as these monolithic sculptures have fascinated me for a number of years, but there are some great band names on there to. Bicycle Thieves [surely a reference to the 1948 Vittorio De Sica film of the same name?], The Cubical, Dire Wolfe and Toxteth Rebel Alliance to name only four. Perhaps I should look up some of these bands and have a listen…

Photo Archive: “POP TARDIS” Poster, opposite The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, 2014.

Tags

Doctor Who, Music, Police Box, Pop Tardis, poster, Sheffield, Sheffield Student Union, Tardis, University of Sheffield

50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s rooms – it must be bigger on the inside than it is on the outside!

A Depiction of Saint Cecilia in Stained Glass, Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral.

Tags

Bury St Edmunds, Bury St Edmunds Cathedral, Cathedrals, Church architecture, Church of England., Churches, glass, Music, Saints, St Cecilia, stained glass., window

A Depiction of Miriam in Stained Glass, Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral.

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Bury St Edmunds, Bury St Edmunds Cathedral, Cathedrals, Church architecture, Church of England., Churches, Miriam, Music, stained glass., The Bible, window

The Kippax Brass Band, The Victoria Quarter, Leeds, 20/12/14.

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Arcades, Brass band, Christmas, Christmas decorations, Cornet, Eb Bass, glitter balls, Kippax, Leeds, mirror balls, Music, The Kippax Brass Band, The Victoria Quarter Leeds

Established in 1814, the Kippax Brass Band currently have vacancies for a “Eb Bass” and a “Cornet“(if you’re interested, follow the link and click Vacancies). They sounded great in Leeds last Saturday and I hope they will sound great for many years to come. If you want to know where they are going to be playing next, it might be worth consulting their Facebook page for details of up coming performances.

Photo Archive: Beatlemania, Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool, 10/08/11.

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Beatlemania, crowd control, crowds, fence, Liverpool, Museum of Liverpool, Museums, Music, Police, The Beatles