retiredmartin

More bargain music from folk not recycling their past glories on Wednesday night, and a rare London gig that isn’t in Hackney.

I even got Mrs RM to accompany me to see Laura J Martin, whose genius is well suited to intimate venues like The Harrison, five minutes from Kings Cross station.

The offer of tapas and Spanish craft beer at Camino wasn’t a factor. Not at all.  Barcino’s Raval IPA had a trendy label, but coming after Cloudwater collaborations in Nunhead seemed a bit lightweight.

The Harrison is one of the many solid pubs between Euston and Grays Inn Roads that I walk past but never go in.  The next street contains the Boot, a classic from the Rough Pub Guide which I’m almost disappointed to see has brought back real ale.

The ubiquitous North London line-up of Landlord (NBSS 3 but unsparkled), Pride and Doom Bar in the Harrison, which tells you where its priorities lay.  That said, the lovely upstairs bar was packed mid-week; good to see young folk kicking Dryanuary into touch.

Downstairs the tiny (40ish) venue showcased a rather more eclectic mix of music hosted by Lost Horizons Folk Club. Comfy seats three feet from the stage, no plastic glass nonsense and superb sound. Well done to Tricia for organising this gem.

Intriguing acoustic story-telling from James O’Hara-Knight,  George Frake’s stunning voice, and Laura’s uncategorisable pop for the price of two pints.

Mrs RM was transfixed by LJM’s flautistry at close quarters, during a set drawn largely from one of last year’s top LPs but with some old weird stuff as well.

Introducing “Green, Grey, Grim” with the words “This is for the North”, several folk behind us were clearly bewildered as to whether she meant High Barnet or Highgate.