Just wandering around and saw some guitars.....

prince

Yesterday the wife and I were just wandering around London and had to take a detour around some major construction works, We ended up in Denmark Street, home to Wunjo Guitar store plus half a dozen others. There must be 5,000 on display in the space of 100 meters.

I wouldn't say their pricing is amazingly cheaper than RSA (US Standard Strat was on special at about R12,000 (GBP 1,000) but the selection is impressive.

The selection of live gigs is also impressive with Ozzy, Roger Waters, Blondie and Roger Daltry performing in the next month or so. I have had to stop looking to see who else is playing or the ZA Rands budget will be depleted very quickly.

Bob-Dubery

prince wrote The selection of live gigs is also impressive with Ozzy, Roger Waters, Blondie and Roger Daltry performing in the next month or so. I have had to stop looking to see who else is playing or the ZA Rands budget will be depleted very quickly.

Don't just look at the big arenas. In the last couple of years I have seen great shows in small venues in the UK.

I should think the Meltdown festival (Southbank Center) will be starting up soon. I was at a couple of nights of that last year and wish I'd been to more. Fab free shows in the foyer too.

Bob-Dubery

PS: Martin Simpson plays the Kalamazoo Klub this Friday. A chance to see a fab player in a small, intimate venue. 12 quid. Bargain!

prince

Thanks Bob, I will check out the Meltdown festival. Unfortunately we leave London for a while on Friday morning.

Today I had the most expensive milkshake I have ever had, I was allowed to keep the glass but still. On the wall in the Cafe was Pete Townsend's Gibson LP that he donated back in the 60's or early 70's because they had a Clapton guitar on their wall. That was what got the Hard Rock Cafe going. The barman must have seen "that look in my eyes" and offered to sell it to me ? but it never happened. Also saw a Keith Moon handmade percussion instrument, a Hendrix jacket, one of Clapton's suits, Richie Sambora's (sp ??) strat in the same colours as mine, a pink Keith Richards strat plus a whole lot of other stuff. If you take it as an entry fee with a milkshake and glass chucked in it was well worth 11 quid.

Bob-Dubery

prince wrote Thanks Bob, I will check out the Meltdown festival. Unfortunately we leave London for a while on Friday morning.

Ray Davies is the curator this year. So if you like the Kinks....

It ran for 10 days last year, but there were NO repeat shows. I think it's like that every year.

Bob-Dubery

Meltdown opens this Friday. Ray Davies playing on the opening night. At the Royal Festival Hall which is only metres away from Waterloo Bridge.

Will he play THAT song? (and it is an excellent song)

Squonk

This looks good, see how many old names on the list, Arthur Brown, The Fugs, Nick Lowe, Alan Price, The Kast Off Kinks have some interesting names as well.
Madness and Jerry Dammers(The Specials) would be good to see for a laugh as well...

prince

Unfortunately we leave London tomorrow morning, not going to make this one ☹

We "had to" do the Harrods thing and they sell, amongst other things, Fender guitars. Strabngely, their pricing wasn't too bad, maybe GBP100 more for a strat than what you would pay in Denmark street. The rest of their stuff seems horribly over priced but someone must be buying or they would be out of business.

StephenG

prince wrote Unfortunately we leave London tomorrow morning, not going to make this one ☹

We "had to" do the Harrods thing and they sell, amongst other things, Fender guitars. Strabngely, their pricing wasn't too bad, maybe GBP100 more for a strat than what you would pay in Denmark street. The rest of their stuff seems horribly over priced but someone must be buying or they would be out of business.

now that Harrods are operating like a sunday flea market - i suspect they will be out of business..

did they still have the 2 glass encased Squiers signed by Claption selling for GBP2,500.00 ???

singemonkey

Alan Price is still alive? ???

Am I the only person in the world who loves his sound-track album to Oh Lucky Man?

Squonk

Was that the one that had Malcolm Mcdowell in it, a wierd kind of musical film?
Saw that in the 70's at the Picadilly Theatre in Yeoville, had some good music, didn't know it was Alan Price

Bob-Dubery

singemonkey wrote Alan Price is still alive? ???

Yep. Though I see that Tuli Kupferberg isn't, so you're only getting half of the The Fugs - which can't be helped.

I'm quite surprised to see how many of the 60s artists that Davies has lined up are still active. Apparently Arthur Brown managed to set fire to his hair as recently as 2007.

singemonkey

Squonk wrote Was that the one that had Malcolm Mcdowell in it, a wierd kind of musical film?

That's the one. True acid film. Love the part where he finds the dude whose head has been grafted on to a goat's body - not happy at all.