Monkey Chews was easy enough to find (just round the corner from Chalk Farm tube) much more difficult to get in. It used to be a pub with lots (well maybe 3) doors which are all blocked up now. After walking round twice I found the entrance. Once inside it looked like a normal pub - quite cosy but no sign of any bands. Afterchecking the toilets, the kitchen and the cleaner's cupboardI found the secret door which led upstairs. There, in a room upstairs above a pub I found the Johnsons about to begin their set. It rather reminded me of the gigs I used to see upstairs at the Chippenham (Raincoats, Modettes, Tesco Bombers). The line between the audience and the band is a thin one. You just have to feel part of the gig rather than a disinterested spectator who happens to have wandered in for a drink.

The Johnsons do not disappoint with their energetic set which leaves the whole room dripping with sweat by the end of the first song. Pussycat Johnson manages to fill what little space remains between the Johnsons and the crowd with her prancing and pouncing and stretching - like a dervish with a microphone. This makes the guys in the band look relatively sedate, but this is an illusion. So after half an hour we're all exhaused. City Lights also played an enjoyable set but I needed a drink, so there are no photos.