retiredmartin

November 2026. Cambridge.

You might have thought I’d had enough “Crushing Death and Grief” of late, but here they are, like darkness my old friend, promoting a gig by THE hot indie sensation of 2026 at a social club in the back streets of workingmen’s Cambridge on Bonfire Night.

They’ve delayed the gig ’till after the fireworks on Midsummer Common, which I decide to attend despite vowing never to do, and nip in the third and most controversial of the Cambs GBG newbies.

Yes, no cask ale available at the Campaign for Real Ale’s new entry, but lots of craft, “some of which can be real ale in KeyKeg“. Has anyone ever asked “is this KeyKeg real or not ?“.

I really don’t care, I’ll drink anything, but craft keg is a very different beast to cask.

Thirsty has had a good decade selling juicy IPAs, sours and orange wines to suburban Cambridge, lured to Mitcham’s Corner by changing food carts outside what used to be the “private shop”.

The staff are particularly good here, and if my two-thirds of Burnt Mill was tasty but a tad on the thin side then that’s my fault for not having a pint of the Mexican Hot Choc Stout, I guess.

I join the throng of thousands heading to the town common for the fireworks, even though I think fireworks dull and pointless. If you’ve seen the Australia Day light show in Adelaide our UK bangers and rockets look very plain. Actually, the 1970s displays my Dad put on for the local Salvation Army on his field were more impressive.

And all over in fourteen minutes ! If you don’t believe me, here’s the whole display;

The crowds headed home to Chesterton and Kings Hedges, wondering why they’d come. I headed for a night of crushing death and grief (and Adnam’s Bitter).