I was going to stay in tonight but yesterday I chanced to glance at the Hooligan Night myspace and found they were playing in the East End tonight. An interesting ebvening is promised with an alternative wedding ceremony and burlesque prior to the band. Vaguely a 29th February theme. The venue is indeed a Working Men's club, but the event is in the upstairs room and downstairs is reserved for members. Probably there is cheap beer downstairs, upstairs it is bottles only, but they do have London Pride in bottles. Lots of people are dressed up for the event, which is nice.
There are some questions about the sound - at some point I am despatched to the sound desk with a request to turn the keyboards down. The evening finishes before 11 (djs continue later) and I am able to rush off for a fairly early night.

Over the years there have been many Marquee clubs; I was a frequent visitor to the one in Wardour street where I saw such bands as Adam and the Ants, the Members, The Tourists (Annie Lennox), Gloria Mundi, Penetration, 999. The last incarnation in Leicester Square had 4 floors and was more like a corporate disco than a rock venue, certainly there was no sweat in the walls and beer on the floor unlike the Wardour Street club (where both were deeply embedded) . In Wardour Street the lager was disgusting and the bitter was worse. Here in St Martin's Lane (next to Stringfellows) the new incarnation is smaller than the Wardour Street venue and very 2008. The drinks are OK athough the draught bitter is off tonight. The room upstairs is quite spacious whilst the stage downstairs is quite intimate. I think they have better lights than they are using tonight. Fortunately I can just about manage to take pictures by the light of a projector with my latest Nikon D300. Hooligan Night put on a good show, and I rush off as I have a busy day tomorrow.