Friday Fun and local music round up

 As is the tradition in Barnet, we start with some festivae fun, courtesy of our Twitter mate Robert Wilkinson. If you need a stocking filler his Dad joke book is excellent.

Our local take away are doing a Christmas menu this year featuring a range of Reindeer kebabs!

I've Just ordered a Donner.

— Robert Wilkinson (@robertwlk) December 16, 2025

And on to the Barnet music. The Borough's favourite Ska/Punk Band The False Dots will be in Camden Town at The Dublin Castle this Sunday from 2pm having our annual Xmas party!

We have some amazing special guests lined up and have even put together a very special Xmas song for your delectation, in Portuguese, English and Spanish!

It has been a tough old year for some of us, but Xmas is a time to see family and friends, kick back and celebrate, so on to the rest of our local gigs, no one can say Barnet is not rocking this Xmas. Keep an eye on the Barnet Music Facebook page

Friday 19th

Kings Head 8.30pm – 11pm Jamie Whelligan (new change of music)

Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Highstone (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s covers)

Queens Arms 8.30pm – 11pm Phoenix Blues Band (Rhythm & Blues)

The Old Bull Theatre 8pm £7 (plus booking fee) £10 on door Folk Club Night

Elephant Inn 8pm – 11pm Leon Knight (Covers 50s – present solo artist)

Lord Kitchener 8.30pm – late Karaoke Night

Barrington 8.30pm – midnight Karaoke with Neil

Cavalier 7.30 - Karaoke Disco with Iain H

Saturday 20th

Builders Arm 7.30pm – 10.30pm(early start/finish) Paparazzi (Covers – various)

Toolans 9pm X-pressions

Butchers Arms 9.30. - midnight The Looters (60s/70s covers

The Arkley Club 8.30pm – 11.30pm £5 cash on door Peace & Love Ska & Reggae Band

Lord Nelson 8pm – 11pm - The Cool Hand Ukes

Sunday 21st

Ye Olde Monken Holt 7pm – 9pm The Sequels (60s/70s covers)

Toolans 8.30 Two in Accord ft Mary O Rourke

Butchers 8.30 – 11.30pm Butchers Arms Jam Electric/Blues/Rock (Full backline available)

Monday 22nd

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm (stables room) Barnet Acoustics Session

Tuesday 23rd

The Bull Theatre £5  Acapella & Accoustic Speakeasy 14+ (3rd Tuesday)

further details from Nikki or Tim 07754067594 07956875758

Lord Nelson 8pm Carol Singing Evening

Wednesday 24th

Toolans 5pm - John Joe Shields and the Ramblers

The Lord Kitchener 8.30 – late (ticket only) Ela

EB Royal BLegion 8pm – midnight £5 cash on door Bop Street

Saturday 27th

Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Harripaul (pop/rock/jazz/blues)

The Arkley Club 8.30 – 11.30pm £5 cash on doorGemma Anne (60s, 70s, 80s and 90s covers solo artist)

Toolans 9pm Declan Gaynor

Lord Kitchener 8.30pm - late Karaoke with Johnno.

Sunday 28th

Toolans 8.30pm – 11pm Barry Owen

Butchers 8.30 – 11.30pm Butchers Arms Jam Electric/Blues/Rock (Full backline available)

Wednesday 31st

Ye Olde Mitre Inn Marys Exit

East Barnet RB Legion 8.30pm – 1pm (ticket only) Dream Circle

East Barnet Valley United Services Club Ela

Lord Kitchener 8pm – late ticket only Karaoke with Johnno

The Elephant Inn 9pm – 12.30am Leon Night (Covers 50s – present solo artist)

Maddens 8pm – Crusin Mooses (Blue/rock/soul)

Toolans 8pm – late DJ Freddie

Wanna hear some great new music? Be the first one on your block! Tell your mates

 I have been a musician for all of my adult life. I've played in the same band for nearly 47 years, and I've seen all manner of musical styles and fads come and go. There have been lulls in music and great peaks. In London currently we have a really schizophrenic situation at the moment. We have amazing bands, playing great music, often to decent sized crowds. However, live music venues are closing, promoters are struggling to make a living, the bands generally get paid little. Perhaps the hardest thing of all is for bands to get from playing great shows to 50 people to making a proper career where playing music is their day job, playing bigger venues on a regular basis.

As someone who does pay the bills running a music related business, I see the way many musicians struggle. One of the biggest problems artists have is connecting with the audience for their music. You can record the very best song in the world, but if no one ever gets to hear it, then it will never take the artist forward. As a '77 punk rocker, I have always been of the opinion that if someone slams the door in your face, you kick it in. Our mainstream radio stations seem to be totally uninterested in what is going on in the grassroots music scene. So what can be done? Well I've hooked up with a good mate of mine, Griff Griffiths, who does the drivetime show on Rock Radio UK.

Having had a chat with Griff, I suggested that we do a  shout out to the bands that use my studios and also on social media and we asked for artists to submit tracks, so that we can play them on Griff's show. Rock Radio UK has a listenership of around 100,000 and is constantly growing. I was shocked and pleased to get over 50 submissions. I spent a couple of days listening to them all. Nearly all were excellent. I sent them over to Griff and his team and we will be playing four of them on his show on Tuesday. As the station is a specialist Rock station, we had to limit it to Rock tracks. The good news is that the listeners know their mustard and the station will connect the artists with a ready made audience.

If the show gets a good response, we will be chosing some more.

I have a date for your diary! If you are not doing anything on Sunday 2nd November, why not come down to watch my band, The False Dots and a couple of other great bands

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A post shared by The False Dots (@thefalsedots)

And as it's Friday, here are the local gigs (follow the Barnet Music Facebook page for full details)

Friday 17th
Builders Arms 8.30pm – 11.30pm Groove Rats (rock/blues)
Kings Head 8.30pm – 11.30pm  The Curfew (Classic rock)
Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.45pm Redriffe (classic rock 4 piece)
Sebright Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Runner Brothers (rock covers)
The Arkley Club 7.30pm - late £10 cash entry Vikki Clayton + Floor Spots
Barrington 8.30pm – midnight Karaoke with Neil
Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30pm – late Robert Storey (DJ) Soul Storey

Saturday 18th
EB RB Legion 8.30pm - late Soul Chain
Lord Kitchener 8.30pm – late Karaoke with Johnno
Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Bear Pit Band (pop/rock covers 4 piece)
Toolans 9pm X - Pressions 

Maddens 8pm – 11.30pm Cruisin Mooses (blues/rock/soul 4 piece)
The Arkley Club 8.30pm - late £5 cash entry Back To Legends disco

Sunday 19th
Butchers 8.30 – 11.30pm
Butchers Arms Jam Electric/Blues/Rock (Full backline available)
Toolans 8.30 Kieran White

Monday 20th
Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm (stables room) Barnet Acoustics Session

Tuesday 21st
The Bull Theatre £5 Acapella & Accoustic Speakeasy 14+ (3rd Tuesday)
further details from Nikki or Tim 07754067594 07956875758

Wednesday 22nd
Toolans 5pm-8pm JJ Galway
Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 11pm Open Mic Night

Thursday 23rd
Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 10.30pm Irish Session
Maddens 8.30pm – 11pm Ronnie Gordon Legacy (ska, reggae, blue, soul, latin)Thursday

Friday 24th
Butchers Arms 9pm – 11.30pm Harripaul (pop/rock/jazz/blues)
EB RB Legion 9pm – 11.30pm Broken Bones (Classic rock 3 piece)
Lord Kitchener 8.30pm – late Jamie Callis (Solo artist)
Builders Arms 8 – 11pm Tim Leffman
Kings Head 9.15pm Jamie Whelligan
Barrington 8.30pm – midnight Karaoke with Neil

And if it's Friday, it is time for a joke!

I ordered some cheap German food from Ebay

The sauerkraut is awful and the wurst is yet to come.

And finally, have a great weekend!

Friday Fun 27th June 2025 and local music round up

 As ever, we start with a joke. This one tickled me (being a good Catholic boy)

Son, doing homework.
" Dad, do protons have mass?"
Me, " I didn't even know they were Catholic."

— Robert Wilkinson (@robertwlk) June 26, 2025

And with the Friday Joke out of the way, onwards and upwards with the music round up.  You can keep up to date with all the latest Barnet Music news at the Barnet Music facebook page. 

We'll start with a date for your diary! My band, The False Dots are hosting a Ska night with DJ Rebska at the Builders Arms in Barnet on Satuday July 12th. It's free! What could be better. 

 

And we have the East Barnet Festival coming up. This week our featured artist is the rather wonderful Grace Jackman

You can check out the whole programme  BY CLICKING HERE

And for this weeks music in the Borough of Barnet!

Friday 27th

Butchers Arms 9.30pm – midnight  Tracer (Indie Rock/Alt/Dance 4 piece)

The Builders Arms 8pm – 11pm Tim Leffman (Acoustics/covers solo artist)

Elephant Inn 8.30pm – 10.30pm The Meantime Band (Rock and pop covers 4 piece)

Kings Head 7-11pm Karaoke with Kate

Barrington 8.30 - midnight Karaoke with Johnno 

East Barnet RBLegion 8pm – late King Rebska (Ska and Reggae DJ)

Ye Old Monken 9pm - midnight DJ Sadie (DJ)

Saturday 28th

Sat

Jun

28

XL (Rock / Pop, 4 piece) at The Three Wishes, Edgware

8pm

Butchers Arms 9pm – midnight Alan Linfoot Band (Rock covers and original 4 piece

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8 – 11pm The Cavaliers (60s, 70s, 80s and 90s Covers)

The Builders Arms 8pm – 11pm Horizon (Rock Covers and original 4 piece)

Ye Olde Monken Holt 9.30pm – midnight Tyler (Acoustic Covers)

Toolans 8.30pm Xpressions

East Barnet Club 8.30pm Buster Ska Night £5

Lord Kitchener 8.30pm – late Karaoke with Johnno

The Arkley Club 8 – 11.30pm £5 on the door Saturday night live with Tommy (ska and reggae night)

Sunday 29th

Ye Olde Monken Holt 7pm – 9pm Pippa Goodfellow (Soul, blues, jazz)

Butchers 8.30 – 11.30pm Butchers Arms Jam Electric/Blues/Rock (Full backline available)

Jan's North London Jam at The Three Wishes, Edgware

9pm - 11pm

Monday 30th

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm (stables room) Barnet Acoustics Session

Tuesday 1st

@ Black Horse 7.30pm – 11pm Open Mic Night (1st Tuesday of month)

Wednesday 2ndYe Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 11pm Open Mic Night

Thursday 3rd

Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30 – 10.30pm Irish Session