First pub of the evening, and last of my six Dumfries ticks, was the New Bazaar. No idea why I left this ’till last (yes I do, Mrs RM wouldn’t have gone in it with me).
The riverside was all mine.
On the riverfront, but not your typical riverfront pub, the New Bazaar was a sticky joy.
Matthew Lawrenson will have something to say about the font, which reminded me of the Crescent in Salford (RIP). The streets behind the pub reminded me of something I saw in London Dungeon once*.
As you can tell by the Miller‘s livery, this is a Proper Workingman’s Pub. The last time I saw Miller on a GBG pub was the Piper in Kettering, which is a pub everyone ought to visit once.
The beer choice was (from memory) Theakston and Landlord. Only go for Landlord if you’re really sure about it.
One of those pubs where you’re the only one not sitting at the bar, I plonked down at the table along the wall and pretended to watch the Sweden v Germany match. Sweden scored, somehow. No-one noticed.
The Theakston was better than good (NBSS 3+), but served in a sticky McEwans glass reserved for real ale scum. I love that attention to detail.
This is the main Queen of the South FC pub, as you can tell by this impressive display in the smoking hut.
Back in the pub something had animated the bar, perhaps a BetFred advert at half-time.
In the side room, a group of young lads were rehearsing for their free gig later that night. Their rendition of “Echo Beach” was all muffins, no Martha.
“F*****g ‘Orrible” said the oldest Old Boy,not a fan of ’80s Canadian power pop.
I didn’t want to leave, but I really needed to get back to Mrs RM with chocolate and Brew Dog. But not yet.
*I was commandeered by the lady with the cut throat razor in the (old) London Dungeon once and had to scream. I didn’t need to pretend.
retiredmartin 
This is the type of pub tourists like me would not likely find their way into without the GBG. Looks great.
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YOU and Dick would go, possibly without the steer from the GBG. I doubt the average tourist would. They’d end up in the imposing Wetherspoons !
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If we get Dick to Scotland. These beer scores aren’t helping though.
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They don’t even have Brew Dog on draft !
To be fair, when it’s good it’s very good.
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“(yes I do, Mrs RM wouldn’t have gone in it with me).”
I don’t blame her. It’s pretty close to the Sheriff Court which says something about it. 🙂
“Matthew Lawrenson will have something to say about the font,”
I agree. The font is a bit… *cough* bazaar. 🙂
“Blokes at the bar”
Well, apart from the one in what looks like purple. 😉
“Their rendition of “Echo Beach” was all muffins, no Martha.”
Argh. Now I can’t that bloody song out of my head.
“*I was commandeered by the lady with the cut throat razor ”
Oh I’m sure the razor could cut more than just throats. 😉
Cheers
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Martha & The Muffins one of Canada’s finest exports, of course 😉
Martha is now 67 – feeling old yet?
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Yes. I wondered if that should have been 57. I have a Martha solo single(with Peter Hook) from the summer of ’83 where she looks early 20s. Which just shows that, as with Debbie Harry, some of our favourites were older than they looked ! (it worked in reverse for some of us).
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Partially duff info. That solo Martha was Martha Ladly not Johnson (there were two of them in the Muffins apparently). The one I recall from’83 is 58, no 23 back then. Can’t keep up.
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Ah yes, that explains it. There were in fact two Marthas. Looking at the video, Martha Ladly, the blonde girl with the pudding-basin haircut, was the one I always though of as “Martha”, but it is Martha Johnson who actually sings the song.
Some of the all-time classic lyrics:
“From nine to five I have to spend my time at work
My job is very boring I’m an office clerk”
Doesn’t work in a Manc accent, though.
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I can imagine John Cooper Clarke “singing” it, though !
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That “From nine to five I have to spend my time at work” line might have given Florrie Palmer the idea for a song recorded by Sheena Easton in 1980. ..
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Which one was that then 🤔
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Echo Beach, far away in time, Echo Beach, far away in time…
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The font is one called “Arnold Böcklin”, an early 1900s decorative Art Nouveau thing. Usually used by people who consider themselves “quirky and expressive”. I’ve always thought it looks peculiar blown up to that size on signage, but who am I to judge?
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Certainly draws you in.
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Matthew,
I did letterpress printing when I was younger and would never have used a font as arty-farty as Arnold Böcklin.
And I’m quite sure I’ve never used a pub with such lettering on its sign.
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That looks like the kind of pub sensitive young hipsters might have to think twice about before venturing inside 😮
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It’s very Stockport Tiviot (RIP) or Boar’s Head (RIP), which says something about the survival rates of boozers in Scotland. There were a lot just like this in Dumfries !
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The Boar’s Head is still going strong! Do you mean the Bull’s Head? Or the Spread Eagle was maybe a bit like that.
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I meant the Spread Eagle, of course :-()
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I do hope I haven’t provoked mass suicides in Stockport with false info !
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Martin, next time you venture to Coatbridge a pub crawl towards central Glasgow, stopping at every bar you pass, is a necessity. Your appreciation of the Rifle Drum will surely soar.
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I will do a trip round Easterhouse and Ballieston if you raise enough funds to repatriate the body.
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Where do you think they get the Guy for their bonfire?
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Guy Ritchie ?
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Looks like a proper pub frequented by people who live in the vicinity…it’ll never catch on!
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You don’t see many pubs like that round your way, do you ?
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Just the occasional one or two!
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Still reeling over the news that the Crescent is no more 😭
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Yes, very sad. Not sure anything definite yet though.
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Sadly, this is now a Chinese restaurant. Experience of cask in Dumfries so far not good 🙁
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Yes, that’s a real loss.
The heat can’t be helping !
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No heatwave here, max 21°C.
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Actual definition of a heatwave in Scotland !
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