Save London Music Special - The Torrington rises over N12 (in Spirit) as live music returns

We have some very exciting news from The Save London Music Campaign. Whilst last year was primarily one where we were promoting a message, this year, we've had a very different focus. We've been working on a few projects to bring music back to some iconic places. Many of you will remember the highly successful North Finchley Festival in May, where over 1,500 people watched 50 acts in six venues over a weekend in May. Putting that together was a supreme effort, but the plan was to prove that the people of North Finchley wanted to see high quality live music back in N12. We were then very tied up with the Mill Hill Music Festival, Jesterfest in West Hampstead, the Cricklewood Festival and finally The Wembley Festival.

Well there is some great news. The Save London Music campaign has not only secured a night at The Bohemia to put music back on North Finchley High Street. We are also working with long time promoter of The Torrington, Pete Feenstra, to help him promote a live music at The Old Finchleans club in Southover, near Woodside Park Tube station, under the title of "Spirit of The Torrington".

North Finchley is one of the iconic homes of live music in London, as we blogged last month. We are committed to making sure that the future is as bright as the past for North Finchleys live music scene. Whilst the Torrington may be no more, we are sure that with two great venues, it can be twice as good!

Here are the details

Spirit of The Torrington – Eliza Neals and The Narcotics + Troy Redfern Band

September 10 @ 7:45 am - 11:00 pm

We are proud to welcome, all the way from Detroit USA, Eliza Neal & The Narcotics. The award winning sultry and powerful blues rock soul vocalist, recording artist, composer and performer is being compared to greats like Janis Joplin, Etta James and Ricki Lee Jones.

The band features a powerful mix of blues, rock and psychedelic soul, with  a twist of Jam band, originals  and southern rock covers. They’ve won best Blues songwrite twice and best rock songwriter in the detroit Music Awards. Do not miss this amazing band!

Support from awesome slide guitar rockers, The Troy Redfern band - For more details of Pete Feenstra gigs - www.feenstra.co.uk

Down The Road from The Torrington – The False Dots + Support live at The Bohemia!

September 22 @ 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm

The False Dots

The Save London Music Campaign is delighted to launch the first of a series of gigs bringing high quality live music back to the High Street in North Finchley. We kick off with Mill Hill Legends, The False Dots + Support. The False Dots have been playing their blend of psychedelic rock, tinged with dark humour and a punk energy and ethos since 1979. In the 1980’s the band toured the UK and Europe and had a strong cult following in London.

 They are soon to release their long awaited new album “Songs of Love and War”. They launch our very special series of gigs at The Bohemia as part of our “Down the Road from The Torrington” series of gigs.
Admission is free, to help lead guitar Rog T celebrate his birthday, so please come along for a truly awesome night in one of Londons finest Brewpubs!

A Trip around The Borough of Barnet - Day 4 - The Torrington

We live in an amazing borough. For some time, for some time I've been meaning to do a little series on the good things. So all this week, I'll be taking you on a little trip around the Borough, detailing some of the things I like most in our neighbourhood.

Today we revist the Torrington. Perhaps the most iconic pub rock venue in the Borough, the Torrington in North Finchley. We had a great guest  blog on the subject by Allen Ashley back in 2015. Now it is not even a pub, but a hairdressers.

Guest Blog - Now A Sports Bar – The Torrington, Finchley 

The long time promoter of the Torrington is Barnet Bee, who shared a few great memories of the venue with The Barnet Eye.

 We spoke about the genres 

"I ran the Torri for 30 yrs 68 to 98 and had to move with the changing music trends. Modern Jazz to Rock/Blues was natural enough but I was never at home with punk. "

 I asked him what was the stand out night 

"Probably Dr John, though I chose the wrong musicians to play alongside him - the Balham Alligators, not sopisticated enough, Geraint Watkins excepted. Jim Richardson, bass player with G.F.'s Blue Flames castigated me saying that they would have done it for nothing; not that that would have been the case. One unexpected bonus was that a very young John Cleary played my specially hired piano with great New Orleans panache. Other contenders, Clover (almost Huey Lewis and the News) and the great saxophonist Tubby Hayes who I loved.  I must finally mention another great saxophonist Dick Morrissey who started me hassling to try to secure that room for live music. Previously I had to go to the Bulls Head in Barnes to hear him. Coincidentally we were both Irish (different sides) and we were born on the same day of the same year - odd. Other favourites were Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer in Vinegar Joe, early 70's, Man, 70's and 80's and of course Alex Harvey and Steve Marriott.."

 And of course I asked him about Punk.

"So few of them could play well and if I just wanted the buzz I could go elsewhere and not have to clear up the wreckage. At the Torri, I loved Dury's Kilburn and the High Roads, with the 101'ers I could not help but admire Joe Strummer's commitment and I knew that the Strangers could really play. However Hugh Cornwell, following on The Pistols outrages which garnered top headlines was determined to create a riot at The Torri. The crowd was split between regulars and those with a plethora of safety pins at the front heaving and spitting at anyone around. Then Cornwell broke a string. 'Not much happening up here, why not start something out there. The mayhem increase exponenitally so I grabbed Hugh and yelled 'I'm paying you to play not wreck the place', so he quickly got going again, but it was still 'touch and go' whether or not the big window would stand the buffeting. At 10 pm I went outside and said 'Please God get us to 10.30 with the place being wrecked and I'll never put them on again'. At 10.30 I compered by complimenting the band, hoped they had all enjoyed themselves' and droned on a bit while the hubbub subsided a bit. I think it was Dave Greenfield, realising the gravity of the situation, who began a low key encore which was executed faultlessly. No great damage done, absolutely hundred of safety pins and bits of torn clothing on the floor, but we got away with it. Ian Grant, their then manager rang me a few weeks later when they were in the charts wanting to do another. I politely declined"

After his period, perhaps the greatest female artist of all started making her way there. There are loads of great videos of the venue. I love this one of Amy Winehouse in 2003 at the venue

For many of us the heyday was the 1970/80's. Much of this is detailed in the Torrington Music facebook page. Here's just one post listing the gigs from 1985

Barnet Bee has listed many of the complete years bookings. I chose 1985 here as an example. 

Torrington Gigs

Torrington Music 1985. Georgie Fame, Man, The G.B. Blues Co. and Morrissey/Mullen, Heart and Soul were rock steady favourites but new pretenders were forcing their way through. Notable among those was Big Town Playboys featuring ace pianist/vocalist Mike Sanchez. Little Sister and Dave Kelly did good business and there was a rare visit from Rocket 88. Steve Marriott; what a gig!

Sun 6th Jan Morrissey/Mullen. Noel McCalla was now featured as vocalist on M/M’s gigs from now on. Dick, Jim & unsighted Pete Jacobsen had great musical empathy

Sun 13th Jan Heart and Soul. Here’s a great band I caught up with last year. Keyboard man Tim Hinkley hailed from Vinegar Joe & Bobby Gass from his band years before.

Sun 20rd Jan Dave Kelly Band. Blues Band gtr/voc launched his own band, the line-up varying, but often with Rob Townsend & Gary Fletcher. Still gigs around.
Sun 27th Jan Snake Davis & The Suspicions. Stax, Motown and Atlantic classic soul from a fine Hull group. Part of Northern exodus of bands seeking UK-wide fame.

Steve Marriott at The Torrington

Sun 3rd Feb Morrissey/Mullen
Sun 10th Feb Rent Party. Still hoping for one of our pundits, punters who can remind me of the personnel. They proved to be an extremely popular band back then.
Sun 17th Feb Heart and Soul
Sun 24th Feb Little Sister. Graham & Malcolm Foster, Gary Brewer and Andy Wells were great favourites & attracted an extremely enthusiastic blues/rock following. Malcolm Foster left to join the Pretenders. Malcolm Hoskins replaced him.
Sun 3rd Mar Morrissey/Mullen.
Sun 10th Mar Root Jackson & the G. B. Blues Company. Wonderful band with Bob Henrit (dms), Jim Rodford (bs), Derek Griffiths (gtr) John Beecham (tbn) and Alan Feldman (pno).
Sun 17th Mar Pete Thomas’s Deep Sea Jivers. Pete’s rocky sax-lead blues was a real tonic from Manchester’s Band on The Wall. Carol Grimes/Pete Zorn guest on disc
Sun 24th Mar Little Sister
Sun 31st Mar Man. Fabulous Welsh Wizards come to lay siege on North Finchley again. Round the block for Micky, Deke, Martin and now ‘Pugwash’ John Weathers
Sun 7thApr Morrissey/Mullen
Sun 14th Apr Dave Kelly Band
Sun 21st Apr Rent Party
Sun 28th Apr Root Jackson and the G.B. Blues Company.
Sun 5th May Morrissey/Mullen
Sun 12th May Big Town Playboys, feat Ricky Cool & Mike Sanchez. Should have been huge.
Sun 19st May Heart and Soul
Sun 26th May Root Jackson and the G.B. Blues Company.
Sun 2nd Jun Morrissey/Mullen
Fri 7th Jun Root Jackson and the G.B. Blues Company.
Sun 9th Jun Big Town Playboys
Fri 14th Jun Man
Sun 16th Jun Heart and Soul
Sun 21st Jun Little Sister.
Sun 23rd Jun Root Jackson and the G. B. Blues Company.
Fri 28th Jun Morrissey/Mullen
Sun 30th Jun Lunch/Eve Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames. Always full house when he trod our self-built stage. Alan Skidmore (tnr), ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton (tpt) Ronnie Johnson (gtr), Jim Richardson (bs), Speedy Acquaye (congas), Tony Crombie? (dms)
Fri 5th July Tex Maniax. Mike Berry, Andy Roberts, B.J. Cole, Ian Campbell, Bob Loveday & Al Stewart. Star studded line-up and very enjoyable but sadly, short-lived.
Sun 7th July Morrissey/Mullen
Fri 12th July Rent Party. Can someone help with line-up? I know they pulled very well.
Sun 14th July Man
Sun 21st July Heart and Soul. Edwina Laurie (Lulu’s sister, guested on this one).
Fri 26th July Tex Maniax.
Sun 28th July Big Town Playboys, feat Ricky Cool & Mike Sanchez.
Fri 2nd Aug Steve Marriott and his Packet of Three. Brilliant Small Faces man makes his debut here with Jerry Shirley on bass and Jim Leverton on bass. What a gig!
Sun 4th Aug Morrissey Mullen.
Fri 9th Aug Superjazz. Award winning 22 piece jazz Orchestra. Modest crowd but great.
Sun 11th Aug Little Sister.
Fri 16th Aug District Six. Brilliant Afro-jazz outfit. Featured super pianist Mervyn Afrika. Sadly they were short-lived. I wonder if Mervyn Afrika still plays in the U.K.
Sun 18th Oct Juice on the Loose.
Fri 30th Aug Little Sister.
Sun 1st Sep Big Town Playboys
Fri 6th Sep Root Jackson and The G. B. Blues Company.
Fri 13th Sep Morrissey/Mullen (no vocalist as Noel was off with Icelandic Mezzo Forte.
Sun 15th Sep Rent Party
Fri 20th Sep Ruthless Blues feat Johnny Mars. I had quite forgotten that it was first fronted by Johnny Mars. Was Stevie Smith was in Salt with Mick Clarke?
Sun 22nd Sep Root Jackson and the G. B. Blues Company.
Sun 27th Sep Little Sister
Sun 29th Sep Juice on the Loose
Fri 4th Oct Living Daylites, featuring local ace guitarists Jay Stapely and Ian Hunt.
Sun 6th Oct Morrissey Mullen. Noel McCalla is back
Sun 13th Oct Big Town Playboys
Fri 18th Oct Tex Maniax
Sun 20th Oct Rent Party – cancelled (van broke down)
Sun 27th Oct Juice on the Loose. Not sure of line-up of this late line up. Rod Demick help!
Fri 1st Nov Living Daylites, featuring local ace guitarists Jay Stapely and Ian Hunt.
Sun 3rd Nov Morrissey/Mullen
Fri 8th Nov Ian Stewart’s Rocket 88. Sixth Stone’s freewheeling big blues band.
Sun 10th Nov Rent Party.
Sun 15th Nov Big Town Playboys
Sun 17th Nov Lunch/Eve Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames. Clive is one our greatest British musicians, now gigs as a trio with sons James & Tristan when not with Van Morrison etc
Fri 22nd Nov Morrissey/Mullen
Sun 24th Nov Root Jackson and the G. B. Blues Company
Fri 29th Nov Living Daylites.
Sun 31st Nov Little Sister
Sun 8th Nov Morrissey/Mullen
Sun 15th Nov Steve Marriott and his Packet of Three. Always sensational, what a guy.
Fri 20th Nov Root Jackson and the G. B. Blues Company
Sun 22nd Dec Christmas Gig with Morrissey/Mullen. Who else - Dick was a great friend, 3 free punches; made by myself. Seb now em-ceeing & party organising.
Sun 29th Dec Little Sister. Perfect antidote to our inevitable post-Christmas hangover.

Live Venues are vital. Where will we find the next Amy without the likes of the Torrington? That is why one of my missions in life is to keep music live! I am planning a series of Torrington revisted gigs for the Bohemia for later in the year. Watch this space!

Guest Blog - Now A Sports Bar – The Torrington, Finchley by Allen Ashley

By Allen Ashley






Now A Sports Bar
But back in the day the Torrington – or “Torrington House” as it lately styles itself – tucked like an afterthought onto the side of Lipton’s supermarket in North Finchley High Road, was the musical oasis that glittered, sweated and heaved every Sunday evening.  Sundays in the 70s were exactly like they’re always made out to be: grey; rain-soaked; “Horizon” or “The Onedin Line” on telly; most shops not allowed to open; tubes and buses on an infrequent, if they can be bothered timetable.  Sunday roast was the fulcrum of the weekend.  I might have played football up the park with my mates in the morning then stuffed myself with potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and Paxo; but by 7 o’clock that evening I was ready to meet up with my mates John and Ade and check out who was on at the Torrington that night. 

Food Orders Taken
We had our own band, of course – me on 12 string acoustic guitar, Adrian on bass and John on biscuit tin percussion.  We never progressed any further than playing very loudly in my grandmother’s living room.  The bands that graced the Torrington, however, were often on their way to somewhere, be that brief fame or oblivion.  We’d read about them in the “New Musical Express” and now they’d rolled into Finchley.  The bigger names of the day, the people whose albums we saved up for and cherished – Hawkwind, Al Stewart, Gentle Giant – would do annual tours that climaxed at Hammersmith Odeon.  The Torrington was in the league below, along with its sort of sister venue, The Hope and Anchor in Islington.  Up and coming rock stars; rhythm and blues singers; bands incorporating elements of Stevie Wonder / Bobby Womack style funk; rock ‘n’ roll revivalists…
By day and on all other evenings, the Torrington’s extra bar was a restaurant serving the Berni Inn style good quality British cuisine that would have delighted Regan and Carter from “The Sweeney”.  On the Sabbath, though, they shifted the tables out and handed over control to George: an imposing, no-nonsense Scotsman who handled all the bookings.  It was standing room only.  Walk-ups most nights but pay in advance at Christmas.  Foolishly, I once risked George’s wrath by scribbling an addition to his “Forthcoming Attractions” list.  It read something like: “20 December – Kokomo. 27 December – No gig.”  Beneath this latter, I appended: “Plus support”.  My hormone-scrambled teenage brain obviously thought it was funny at the time.  Clearly, I’d learned nothing from having been beaten up by a prefect a few years earlier when I entered “Lady Godiva” into the school swimming gala.

Party Bookings Taken
The Christmas show drew a huge crowd, promising two or three bands plus a DJ and a stripper.  We were on nodding terms with the DJ.  Think of all the Simon Bates, Gary Davis, and DLT clichés and he adhered to them.  Although, to be fair, he probably hasn’t troubled Operation Yewtree.  As for the stripper… this was my first time and I’ve blanked out a certain amount.  She was a fairly ordinary looking, long-haired white woman who did her routine pretty quickly.  No tattoos, no piercings, no Brazilian shaving, no surgery or enhancements – these were simpler times.  I spent the whole act focused on the main issue, which was: Shit, what if my mother finds out?

All England Games Shown Live
There were the bands I saw at the Torrington and the ones that I somehow inexplicably missed.  Why did I not manage to mooch along for the Sensational Alex Harvey Band?  Now, that would have been a tick-off.  But I saw Dr Feelgood in their original incarnation with mop-topped Wilko Johnson and his 1000 yard stare as scary as hell as he paced metronomically backwards and forwards whilst chopping out electrifying guitar riffs.  I saw Brinsley Schwarz complete with Nick Lowe.  I also saw hastily assembled supergroups that might include the likes of Mike Patto, Carol Grimes and Dave “I Hear You Knocking” Edmunds.  I saw The Flying Aces – a version of Welsh psych-rock pioneers Man – and I spent the whole show clutching the 12 inch cardboard LP sleeve of Deke Leonard’s album which some of them had played on and which they autographed for me in the cupboard that passed for a dressing room to the side of the barely raised stage.  Sensibly, I’d left the actual vinyl record at home for fear of damage.
I saw the Kursaal Flyers and String Driven Thing.  The list goes on.
The 1970s witnessed a massive 1950s revival.  This was apparent from the more commercial acts who filled “Top of the Pops” every week: Mud, Alvin Stardust, Showaddywaddy, Suzi Quatro and (whisper it) Gary Glitter.  In Torrington terms, pub rock meant bands who could play 3 verses, a bridge and a chorus; who could sprinkle their set with classic American rock ‘n’ roll standards such as “Route 66” or “Get Out of Denver”; who could encore with “Johnny B. Goode” with the crowd jabbing back with “Go! Go, Johnny, go!”  A night at the Torrington was a musical education in the roots of the music that I loved, that powered my bloodstream. 

Special Offers on Bottled Beers During World Cup
The biggest star I ever saw at this 100 to 150 capacity back room was Shakin’ Stevens.  This was way back when, believe it or not, he had real credibility.  Backed by his tight outfit The Sunsets, this was before he did a year in the West End playing Elvis; this was before “Green Door” and “Merry Christmas Everyone”; this was before screaming and fainting female fans; before the hypnotic leg-jerking in slacks; before the snowman jumper and other chunky knitwear.  Like fans of a lower league team who’ve drawn Arsenal or Man United in the FA Cup, John and I found our home venue “taken” that night by dozens of itinerant rockabillies: appearing as if from time capsules, Brylcreemed quiffs immaculate, dressed in leather jackets or brothel creepers, motorbikes parked outside and egos in full flow within.  It was quite a night as Shaky and his crew turned the clock back to 1956.  I’d seen him stand on top of a piano on TV during a performance of “Mean Woman Blues”.  To his credit, he attempted it that evening, even though the ceiling was pretty low, maybe 8 or 10 feet high.  The show ended shambolically with a huddle of drunken biker types mobbing what passed for a stage.  Most of us lived to tell the tale.

Smoking Area Available
I almost didn’t live to tell that tale.  One evening I was standing nodding my head in time with some rhythm and blues band or other when a guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder.  “Your coat’s on fire,” he stated laconically. 
I panicked and ripped off my blue quilted jacket to discover a perfect, expanding burn-hole caused by somebody’s lit cigarette.  Nylon can go up in seconds and I was lucky to extinguish the fire quickly.  In fact, I showed off the damage like a battle scar for the next few months.  I don’t miss smoking in pubs one bit. 

Special Offers on Selected Beers
Lager was even fizzier in those days.  Well brought up, I didn’t tend to use shop doorways on the way home but instead made my way to the public convenience in Stanhope Road that was open all hours.  It seems unthinkable now that an unstaffed gent’s could be open on a side street on a Sunday at 11pm but… more innocent times, I suppose.

Watch Premier League Games Live Here
The best group I ever saw at the Torrington was one you may never have heard of: A Band Called O.  They were a five piece with a lead singer sporting blond curly locks – like a later version of me in my twenties or like a younger Robert Plant.  His name was Pix.  I wanted to be him.  They went down a storm on their first visit with a catchy yet dreamy set and were re-booked for a rapid return.  They were later signed to a major label – CBS/Epic – and released an execrable debut LP that had been produced to vacuity.  John bought it and we listened intently.  It sounded nothing like the band we knew and, in turn, led to nothing.  Sadly, a typical tale from the time. 
When punk crashed the airwaves in the mid to late seventies, pub rock became derided and the scene shifted to spittoons and ripped out cinemas to catch – or be caught by – the happening bands.  And yet many of punk’s progenitors cut their teeth on the pub rock circuit – the aforementioned Nick Lowe, Joe Strummer in the 101ers, Ian Dury in Kilburn and the High Roads.  In a recent BBC Four documentary, Wilko Johnson spoke of driving up to the Torrington all the way from Canvey Island in order to check out the opposition.
It was a scene; now long gone.  It was a happy ritual; now long gone.  It was my youth.
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Allen Ashley is an Author, Poet and Singer. For full details see Allens website http://allenashley.com/ . Guest blogs are always welcome at The Barnet Eye. (Allen is also a long time musical collaborator with Rog T in the False Dots). We are featuring this guest blog as part of our special series for the #SaveLondonMusic campaign.