a snare drum rises up and throws itself into the audience as juju watches

The Cobden Club is sort of posh, it's a members only club near the Harrow Road. "We have an eclectic mix of members - bohemian Notting Hillbillies, musicians, artists, aristos and trustafarians." says their website. Membership cost £250 a year, but those of us who have sent our names can get in for the night. Apparently this is a showcase evening, what does that mean? Isn't every gig a showcase ? Reactions to the venue vary, JuJu says it reminds her of a school play, and I think the stage does indeed look a bit like a school hall. The lighting is very high and seems more suitable for a play than live music. It all seems very clean, but everywhere seems clean since 1st July.

For this 'showcase' each of the 4 bands is supposed to do 3 songs before a break, and another 3 songs after. This format doen't sound very appealing to me nor to Little Fish who negotiate doing 5 songs in a set before the break. As there is some delay while Little Fish set up and the sound is perfected, the eventual effect is that Little Fish become the centrepiece of this Showcase (which they were in my eyes anyway, whenever they played). Whilst more songs from Little Fish would have been welcome, in some ways a short set concentrates the experience.

As we are leaving Damon Albarn is spotted entering the private party on the floor below. I didn't see him myself but in this age of celebrity I thought a little name-dropping would increase my circulation. The person who did see him thought him less attractive in the flesh; I don't know what to make of that as I didn't think he was notably attractive in any other medium. Well that's enough celebrity gossip, now a few fashion tips......