A sedate start to our evening in Doncaster, though emerging from the Alehouse we were alerted to a couple snogging (polite term) up in the scaffolding above the market place. Never change, Donny.
So what cultural diversions does this capital of Yorkshire hedonism offer the intrepid traveller.
Well, mint Prosecco for a start.
I’d forgotten, or blocked out, the strip of clubs along Lazarus Court. There was no way those bouncers were letting scruffs like us in.
We would have watched “Peterloo” but the multiplex seems to have moved out to Lakeside, and the flashy new theatre was obviously just for show.
So we wandered, admiring the architecture (perhaps the only people doing that),
and wondering what the mysterious “Spreadlove” was all about.
“Oh look” said Mrs RM. “Tut ‘n’ Shive. I remember them“.
Well that was in Hitchin, 20 years ago. Donny’s Tut is surely a solitary survivor of this much-loved brand. Well done, Greene King, for protecting our pub heritage.
It used to be GBG, and still has a decent range of cask at Ā£3 a pint.
Obviously we had to have the ’80s pop one in honour of Mark. Cool and decent enough.
It’s a corking pub for all ages, at least on a Saturday night, the sort you get in Gosforth or Wakefield. Students avoiding the sick pools of Hall Gate, Old Boys enjoying “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (the song, obvs) and Stone Roses at decent volumes, a good buzz.
Then it all went a bit blurry.
Ah, that’s better. For the second week in a row, my Saturday night saw grown men arguing over ELO on the jukebox (“Mr Blue Sky“). When did ELO become acceptable ?
There’s a choice of Spoons in Donny. I thought the Gate House would be the liveliest, being tucked down another alley used as an informal latrine.
But “wow” say my notes. It was just scruffy and wonderful, full of real people. A bit like the party central in Winchester without the inflatable dick.
And folk having earnest career discussions.
Mrs RM and I shared the salted caramel cookie dough and four coffees.
By this time it was gone 9.30pm and Matt’s gig had only just started. In fact, he’d left the venue to get a coke and had to get a member of the band to help him back in the venue as he was under 18. So we were in for a late one.
Round the corner from Vintage Rock Bar, the Queen Crafthouse offered craft and a covers band only playing Sheffield music. Hoorah !
How many Sheffield musicians can you name that a three piece can cover ?
Anyway, this was people dancing to Pulp at 11.15pm.
Matt would have been horrified. His night of post-hardcore metal finished at 11.15pm. Hopefully he’ll have learnt his lesson about “Doors Open” times.
retiredmartin 
“we were alerted to a couple snogging”
Were they being loud? Did a version of Angry Babe point them out? Maybe a heads up by Twitter? š
“Well, mint Prosecco for a start.”
Ugh. Definitely hedonistic in my books.
“the strip of clubs along Lazarus Court”
I read that as ‘strip clubs’. Am I wrong?
“One for Depeche Mode fans”
The Rubik’s Cube sold me.
“Suds”
But rather bereft of lacings.
“without the inflatable dick.”
For what it’s worth most dicks are inflatable… until they reach 70 (or so I hear).
“We were on lemonade by now”
And I see the Prosecco mint has snuck into one of the beers.
“Hopefully heāll have learnt his lesson about āDoors Openā times.”
The saying ‘they’ll never learn’ comes to mind. š
Cheers
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So much here I may recycle into future posts.
Oddly, Doncaster isn’t really strip club territory. Suspect you travel to Barnsley for that.
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Looks nice.
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But what is a Tut and what is a Shive? Less of the Barnsley quips too, please.
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A tut is what you do when you see young people snogging in the snagging. A shive is, no idea.
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They belong in the same lexicon as tap ‘n’ spile, Richard. They are various kinds of bungs and breathers hammered into wooden casks, according to clever people found by Google.
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Nearly, the Shive is the bung in the bung hole of a cask, the Tut is the hole with the plug in the bung hole that you knock through into the cask when you vent it. When you’ve vented it you put a spile in it.
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Yes, I read that too Richard, just couldn’t be bothered to write it all again. If you knew, then why did you ask though?
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Oh, and “It’s the wrong Sir Nigel, Gromit. The WRONG SIR NIGEL!”
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Love the ,ale grooming place – I saw a similar place to this but for ladies in Whitstable -must be an up & coming trend .Donny leads the way !
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“male ” ( not woken up properly ! ) Although ale grooming is an interesting concept
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I’m just glad there’s an innocent explanation to that place. The blackened windows and “male grooming” had me worried.
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But when you return on the publication of the 2020 GBG will you remember to find out if it’s grooming OF males or grooming BY males ?
The opening hours of 9.30am to 6pm suggest it’s somewhere to go when the nightclubs are closed.
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Yes, by/of is the distinction I’m looking for. Definitely a post-club venue.
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Terrific! Is that you dancing in the final pic with a slightly lifted foot??? ELO became acceptable when they released Mr Blue Sky and Jasper Carrot and Trevor Francis both liked them! A pint of Depeche Mode – was it any good?
Surely they covered Heaven 17, Arctic Monkeys, Human League and Joe Cocker? On a loop..
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I don’t like to mention the foot. Oh, that’s Si.
ELO might have been acceptable in Brum but they weren’t in Cambridge until that Dr Who episode all about Mr Blue Sky in 2007.
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If “Just Can’t Get Enough” was true to its inspiration, it was fizzy, and fairly enjoyable, but maybe not something you’d want to have several of, one after the other. š
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It tasted more like “Get the balance right” !
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Lol! When it comes to Depeche Mode references, clearly you are the master, and I am the servant. š
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(applause)
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