Our first visit to the Bull & Gate is a somewhat mixed evening. Apparently the Battles of Winter have played here 3 times before and all have been really good. Unfortunately tonight the sound is somewhat muddy and the lighting is nearly non-existant.

We have been waiting to see Battles of Winter play live for quite a while. They have not played since July and it was sometime in September when the pretty part of Wild Blanket encountered Graeme, the bassist, on a train. After checking out the music on their website we were impressed. It was no disappointment to see them live. We had never been to the Betsy Trotwood before, so were a little suprised how small a basement it was (made the Hope and Anchor seem spacious). The pub upstairs was friendly with efficent barstaff, and served excellent Shepherd Neame ales.

If we had known how small the venue was, we would have been nervous of  arriving as late as 8.30 after enjoying some excellent 'modern european' cuisine at the Fig and Olive' in Upper Street Islington. But fortunately we were able to enjoy a good meal and still arrive with ample time to see the band. The sound was surprisingly good and the band were as good as the samples we had heard on their website. Pictures were a little difficult in such a confined space, but we hope to do better in January at the Bull & Gate.