As I sit on the train on a miserable Monday morning, I reflect on the weekend. Dry January is over and I’m off to see Tim Burgess!
I first saw Tim with The Charlatans at least 20 years ago at Rock City in Nottingham. I thought that was the last time until my husband reminded me we had seen them at Brighton Dome, sorry Tim 😬
To add to the excitement of a night out for just me and my husband, we thought it would be fun to book a cheap hotel for the night. We then wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing the in-laws when we got back. Cheap, certainly not cheerful.
So far, I’d only had a glass of Prosecco, didn’t want to show myself up after a month of not drinking, plus I had a driving lesson the next day. Of course, they didn’t have that in the venue, so it was onto lager.
The venue was beautiful, a church with amazing ceilings and plenty of space. Before Tim came on, indie music was playing and I thought, this would be perfect for an indie disco!
The crowd was probably about my age, if not a bit older. This seems to be the case now with most gigs I go to now which is fine, we’re all clinging on together! Also mostly men, seemingly more excited at seeing Tim than you would perhaps think, particularly the man who insisted on waving to him all night. It was as if he had an important message he needed to give him: “Tim, you left your straighteners on! Tim, did you feed the dog?!”
The taxi driver even told me there were lots of men out tonight, as he repeatedly apologised for calling me “fella”.
Tim’s lovely, singing as if he’s a child being allowed to play out in the snow, rosy cheeks and beaming wide smile. Even when the feedback was unbearable, he kept smiling until sorted.
Wearing a boiler suit and trainers with his now trademark bleached Andy Warhol style hair, Tim’s looking ageless. I have to say I didn’t know all of his songs, but I was certainly happy to watch. There were no Charlatans songs but I did catch a Culture Club cover. Who knew?
We had been told that after the gig, Tim would be out to sign his albums. So, like the giddy gig goers we are, we waited. True to form, Tim came over. You could say he ran over. He then took control of selling and signing his vinyl before posing for the obligatory photo. Now with his bobble hat on, he’s looking even more pleased with himself, particularly when he meets my husband 😆
With the gig over, what to do next on our crazy night out? We walk past a couple of grim looking pubs, one with a massive queue and decide to head back to the hotel. Enough excitement for one night!
The hotel is horrible but it’s time to ourselves and is perfectly located on the seafront. So, after a cup of tea and a bit of Graham Norton, it’s off to bed.
What a nice mid-forties night out!
Mid Forties Mum 