I was pleasantly surprised with last nights dalliance in the Cosmopole Bar & Venue as what at first glance appears to be a bog standard live bandstand actually turns out out to be a quirky and idiosyncratic little arena for some above average musicality.
Although relatively quiet last night due, no doubt, to the mid week slot it was still sufficiently populated to make things worthwhile for the various acts booked in for steady slots before the open mic session begun and gave a warm, gently restrained atmosphere that was comfortable without being overly stifling.
Staff were friendly and efficient and completely genial, sometimes a rare luxury in a small, town centre venue, but in this instance I couldn't fault them.
They had obviously gotten wind that I was on my way in and duly got my seat ready for me complete with place setting ..
.. conveniently situated directly above my resting perch.
Appearance wise, the venue lends itself to easy viewing with a full length bar and open floorplan with a well lived in feel that adds character without pretence or having tendency to decend into the shabby. The only fly in the ointment was the lack of available seating but that may well have been a situation once again tied with last night being an early midweek gig.
Stage areas numbered two, with the larger stage being curtained off last night. A quick 'jook' behind the barrier revealed a raised floor area more than capable of handling more a substantial showing of both equipment and bodies.
Sound system was faultless (to my ears at least) with crisp, sharp sound at a good level with no discernable feedback or distortion. The more avid audiophiles among you may beg to differ on this point but, as I said, fine by my standards.
Clientèle (with the exception of my good friend, colleague and erstwhile stooge - Frank) ..
.. were of course, all pretty young things of the Indy variety and perfectly pleasant to be in and around.
Not that I was actually IN any of them .. that would have been rude without a proper introduction and possibly even slightly illegal for a man of my years.
Music last night was a mixed bag of, I have to say, very competent individuals who entertained with proficient rendition in various genres including, of course Milwaukee Dave aka Lone Groover who gave his usual faultless renditions of immaculate blues numbers.
That having been said, the remaining turns for the evening were certainly not of lesser quality with the possible exception of the last act (not pictured here), who really could have done with cheering up a bit. Poor lad was obviously on an emo/grunge trip that he didn't quite manage to pull off.
In fact, if someone had pulled him off he may well have rallied round a bit and managed a brighter set. Good advice for his next effort perhaps.
And that, I'm afraid, was evenings' end for me .. but not for the gig itself as, having a late licence 7 days a week, proceedings carried on with open mic session performances until 3am.
All in all, this venue seems a promising prospect for further investigation with particular attention possibly on weekend performances. A definite second and third (and more) visits on the cards methinks.
Take a chance and check things out .. you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
PS. Oor Josef happenstanced along too last night and livened things up no end .. thoroughly nice bloke with a wicked and acerbic sense of humour. I really need to get along to more meetings if the rest of you shambles are up to his standard company and conversation wise.
Nice one Josef .. hope to bump into you again very soon.