This is now officially my favourite music venue in the world. Sorry Sidcup, I still adore you, but it is. It has history. It has atmosphere. It's graced countless legends and inspirations. It's still intact. Simultaneously sophisticated yet rough around the edges. Prestigious yet attainable. Even an adequate crowd there is one of the most electrically thrilling things you could ever experience - let alone a sell-out.
I look at other places up in London that claim to have legacy because someone from Madness used their toilet 40 years ago, claim for said "legacy" to be intact because they haven't cleaned it since, claim credit for a huge band's success who played there to 4 people pre-fame, claim to be prestigious when you could label an MP3 of a fart as 'indie' and get offered a headlining slot, and claim to be "nurturing new talent" when you fill it out and earn less than the price of a single entry-fee to split between four people. But not the 100 Club. It's authentic. It's REAL.
When people ask what my absolute ambition is, I have three things; inspirations and aficionado's saying "hey I like this guy's music", earning enough to buy a semi-detached house in 21st Century South East London from just music, and selling out the 100 Club with music I've written. Is that deluded? We've all met people sincerely anticipating multiple mansions, private jets, stadium tours, and swimming pools full of Rolls Royces because they've just landed a gig in Camden, so I hope not!
So a SOLD OUT show at the 100 Club last Saturday with Nine Below Zero fully placed me in my element. Packed with a sea of wild supporters feeding us with a constant flow of adrenaline instinctively yo-yo'd back and forth between performer and punter, possessing everyone in the room with an unstoppable flow of energy and stamina from start to finish that the most intensive gym goer would be exhausted by within minutes anywhere else. The room is alive, live music is alive, and the thrill was immeasurable.
With the band, this month we also made trips to the wonderful Wimborne and Chelmsford, and this weekend the tour concludes at Milton Keynes and Haslemere Hall, with a special set never to be heard ever again.
Aside from a few festivals and one-off's, this year is sparse on the Nine Below front, so I'll be using it to exercise in my own stuff, tie up unfinished projects of myself and others, and find a way to keep myself occupied before I find myself involuntarily so!
It may be worth mentioning that Nine Below Zero's tour with Dr Feelgood later this year will be Monks-less. Don't worry, I've not left nor been booted! Since joining I've always known that more stripped-back incarnations would be inevitable for some legs, circumstances and occasions. But I feel it's fair to give a head's up to friends, family, and supporters of mine who may be coming specifically to egg me on, but I'd strongly recommend you go anyway - perhaps I'll join you at a local one!
That said we're on the drawing board for some sonic magic to smash 2024 with.
And in the meantime I have some ideas to tackle this year with. Some stuff I've been gagging to do for years, prevented by either insecurities or priorities. I want to take the wheel myself for the first time ever, and see what happens.
Not expecting The 100 Club on my larry anytime soon yet, though - I'll aim for the 1 Club first and build up from there.
Watch this space and stay in touch x